The following artists have been selected to perform short showcases during the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) One-Day Mini-Conference at the First Universalist Society in Franklin, Massachusetts (home of the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse) on Saturday, April 30:

Burning Bridget Cleary
Michelle Cruz
Jason Myles Goss
Brendan Hogan
Occidental Gypsy
Amy Petty
Radio Caroline
Hayley Reardon
Roy Schneider
Putnam Smith Trio

Designed especially to give New England-based artists, presenters, DJs, agents and others engaged in folk music a small taste of what takes place during NERFA’s annual three-day conference each fall, the mini-conference will extend from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Preceding the showcases and an hour-long open mic that follows them will be a panel discussion on Social Media and Your Online Presence, Vance Gilbert’s Performance Clinic & Critique, and an On the Griddle session during which several folk DJs and a presenter will evaluate songs after listening to minute-long snippets. Informal peer group sessions for presenters and DJs also are on the agenda, as are additional opportunities for networking.

Mini-conference registration is $25 and includes lunch. A detailed schedule – complete with session descriptions and panelist bios – appears at www.nerfa.org., where an online registration form also may be found. Those who register and submit payment by April 15 will have their contact information included in a printed program to be distributed during the event.

A nonprofit organization for those engaged in traditional, contemporary and multicultural folk music, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) is the regional arm of Folk Alliance International that seeks to strengthen and advance organizational and individual initiatives through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.

Editor’s Note: As vice president of NERFA’s board of directors, I’m helping to coordinate this event and will moderate the panel discussion on Social Media and Your Online Presence — a topic on which I counsel PR and strategic communications clients and have spoken about at other conferences.