Be a better food blogger. And be proud that you can tell the world where to find the best shrimp & grits. Join us at Woodrow Hall in Birmingham on Saturday, January 22, 2011—here’s what we’ve got in the works:

• Hot Topic 1: Chitlins and Boiled Peanuts in New York City? Why Southern Food is Trendy Across the USA
• Hot Topic 2: Blogging about Southern Seafood After the 2010 Oil Disaster
• Blogging for beginners
• Developing recipes
• Food photography
• Videoblogging
• Blog to Book: Becoming a published author
• Food writing
• Growing an audience and making money blogging
• Mom&Pop.com: Blogging for small food businesses and restaurants
• Reviewing restaurants

And here are the speakers we've lined up so far:

• Kim Severson, food writer for The New York Times and author of Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life
• Virginia Willis, former kitchen director for Martha Stewart Living Television and author of Bon Appétit, Y’all! Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking 
• Marian Cooper Cairns, food stylist, recipe developer, and Test  Kitchens professional for Southern Living
• Jennifer Davick, photographer for Southern Living and blogger at The Dish on Photography
• Lisa Ekus-Saffer, award-winning literary agent
• Ashley Hall, blogger for Third Coast Byways, which documents the effect of the Gulf Coast oil spill for Southern Foodways Alliance
• John-Bryan Hopkins, Shorty Award-winning Tweeter and blogger at Foodimentary
• Christy Jordan, author of Southern Plate: Classic Comfort Food That Makes Everyone Feel Like Family and blogger at SouthernPlate.com
• Wade Kwon, communications consultant, founder of the Birmingham Blogging Academy, and social media expert
• Alison Lewis, mom and food blogger, food photographer and stylist, and owner of Ingredients, Inc.
• Stacey Little, blogger for Southern Bite

Plus: Plenty of food. Lots of great people to meet. A pre-party Friday night. And an after party Saturday night. Y’all come!

All proceeds from FoodBlogSouth will benefit a pair of charities: Desert Island Supply Company, a writing center for children, and the Alabama Gulf Coast Environmental Recovery Fund, which works to help the Alabama coast recover from the oil spill.

The official hotel for FoodBlogSouth is the Hotel Highland. FoodBlogSouth attendees can get a special rate of $89/night for a king or double, or $129 for a suite. To make a reservation, please call 205-933-9555.

The Hotel Highland is located in the heart of 5 Points South, home to many of Birmingham’s most popular bars as well as James Beard Award winner Frank Stitt’s flagship, Highlands Bar & Grill.

FoodBlogSouth’s pre-conference party and dinner the night of January 21 will be within walking distance of the hotel, and Woodrow Hall, our conference venue, is a 10-minute drive away. (There is ample free parking all around Woodrow Hall.)

Please note: Registration fees are not refundable after January 1, 2011.

For more on FoodBlogSouth, please visit FoodBlogSouth.com.