By Kiku Beaufort
The chatter of approximately 16,000 women and numerous well-known LDS authors and artists will soon fill the Wilkinson Center and other locations on BYU campus.
These women are guests and attendees of Women”s Conference said Maureen Porter, buyer for BYU Bookstore”s religious book department.
More than 50 authors and artists are also scheduled to visit BYU campus to sign their works, said Anita Charles, a Bookstore sales supervisor. These include Todd Cope, John Bytheway, Simon Dewey and Liz Lemon Swindle.
“The authors come for customers to be able to buy a nice gift for themselves or someone else,” Porter said. “It”s a nice thing to have a signed book. It makes it more personal and more special, and says you put thought into something.”
Authors will have tables set up on the main floor of the BYU Bookstore and will be visiting at various times between 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. today and Friday between 12:30 and 9 p.m.
Three participants that will be presenting their works are Pamela Hansen, Jane Clayson Johnson and Camille Fronk Olson.
Pamela Hansen
Pamela Hansen graduated with a degree in elementary education from BYU, according to a news release. Hansen is the mother of seven children, but only has the opportunity to raise five. The struggle of losing two children is the focus of her book “Running with Angels.” The book describes her struggles of losing two children, controlling weight gain and achieving her life-long goal of completing a marathon.
Hansen finished the Deseret News Marathon, a triathlon and the St. George Marathon twice. Hansen currently teaches weight loss and management classes at the Central Utah Clinic. She also serves on the Women”s Advisory Council at Intermountain Health Care, according to a news release. Hansen hosts the annual Running with Angels 5K, on May 19. For more information, visit: www.runningwithangels.com.
“One of the big messages of the book that I want to send to women, and to men, is that it is really important to take time out to rejuvenate ourselves,” Hansen said.
Hansen will be signing her book in the Bookstore today from noon to 2 p.m.
Jane Clayson Johnson
Graduating in 1990 from BYU with a degree in journalism, Johnson stepped into a career in broadcast journalism with CBS News and ABC News. While a correspondent for ABC News, Johnson reported for “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings” and “Good Morning America.” Also, during her time with CBS News, Johnson was a co-anchor of “The Early Show.” Johnson married Mark Johnson and currently resides in Boston, according to a news release. Johnson is a mother of two children and three stepchildren.
Johnson will be signing her book “I Am a Mother,” written to uplift women and help them realize the importance of their roles as mothers.
“There are so many voices in the world that downplay the importance or significance of motherhood,” Johnson said. “With this book, I want to be a voice that says, ”Of all the many things that women will do, motherhood is the most important.””
Johnson will be signing her book in the Bookstore today from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
Camille Fronk Olson
Camille Fronk Olson graduated with a master”s degree in Near Eastern Studies and a doctorate in sociology of the Middle East from BYU, according to a news release. Olson is currently a BYU associate professor of ancient scripture and has been teaching for about 14 years. Olson has served on the Young Women General Board and Teacher Development Committee for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a news release. Olson recently married and has two children and two grandchildren.
Olson will be signing her books “Mary, Martha, and Me: Seeking the One Thing That Is Needful” and “In the Hands of the Potter.” Both books are designed to help readers come to know Christ through the tests and experiences of women in the scriptures, Olson said.
“My hope is that women will be able to examine scripture from different angles and share their insights with other women in order to find Christ,” Olson said.
Olson will be signing her books in the Bookstore today from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
