American Atheists' April National Convention

January 1, 10:03 PMAtheism ExaminerTrina Hoaks

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The National Convention of American Atheists will be held in Atlanta, Georgia this year at Emory Conference Center Hotel/Emory Inn. It will take place from April 9th – 12th.

The convention is shaping up to be a spectacular 4-day event that you won’t want to miss. So far there are five confirmed speakers as well as five confirmed comedians. Early Bird priced tickets are available for purchase at American Atheists Web site. You will also find hotel information on the site as well.

Scheduled to appear so far, according to the American Atheists’ Web site (quoted from their Web site):

Dr. Richard Dawkins
I can't find a bio for Dr. Dawkins that's short enough to print here, so let me use my own words:  Richard Dawkins is the unchallenged leader in Atheist thought.  If you haven't read the God Delusion or the Selfish Gene, or any of his other books, you're missing out.  Dr. Dawkins is probably the most famous living atheist in the world, and he's returning as our Keynote Speaker.  He WILL be signing books, so be sure to stock up at the convention!
 

Dr. Ed Buckner
American Atheists new President has a long history of Atheist Activism.
Many of you who are active in the movement will know of Dr. Buckner's accomplishments, originating in the Atlanta Chapter of the Society of Separationists (then an American Atheists affiliated corporation), helping to grow the Atlanta Freethought Society through its formative years, and then most recently serving as the Executive Director of the Counsel for Secular Humanism.

A hardcore Atheist, Dr. Buckner has written, spoken, debated, and appeared often in the media, both locally and nationally. He has been on MSNBC, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, Fox News, the Michael Medved Show, CNN, the national CBS Radio News, NPR, and on nearly every local media outlet (radio or television) in the Atlanta and Buffalo areas, most repeatedly. He's been quoted, sometimes at length, in newspapers all over the nation and, occasionally, elsewhere in the world, been a featured guest on many Internet broadcast shows, and given the keynote address for Atheists Alliance International.

Dr Buckner has debated or spoken in Alabama, California, Connecticut, DC, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and a few times outside the U.S. He earned a doctorate (1983) and M.Ed. (1975) from Georgia State University; B.A., English, Rice University, 1967.
 

Dr. J. Anderson Thomson is a Psychiatrist, educator, researcher, and author receiving his M.D. from University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1973. His talk, “Why Do We Believe In God(s): The Evolved Psychology of Supernatural Beliefs,” is the essence of that we are in the midst of a cognitive neuroscience revolution that is mapping out the reasons humans are vulnerable to generate and believe in gods and the supernatural
 

Mike Malloy came to talk radio by serendipity. Writing for CNN in 1987, a friend at an Atlanta radio station told him there was an opening for a weekend talk show host, if working for no pay was acceptable. Malloy gave it a try and decided it was more fun than actually working for a living at CNN. He was hooked and within a few months was being paid enough to cover basic necessities like rent, food and beer . But, that was a long time ago. His radio experience includes the 50,000 watt blow-torches in both the South and the Midwest, respectively WSB-AM in Atlanta and WLS-AM in Chicago, and as one of the original hosts on Air America - a two-year-long association that ended in a massive train wreck. Mike's nationally-syndicated program can now be heard weeknights on affiliates of the Nova M Network and on XM Satellite and Sirius Satellite Radio as well as on live Internet streaming.

In addition to writing and producing for CNN (1984-87) and CNN-International (2000), his professional experience includes newspaper columnist and editor, writer, rock concert producer and actor. He is the only radio talk show host in America to have received the A.I.R (Achievement in Radio) Award in both Chicago and New York City, the number three and number one radio markets in the country.

It is not difficult to pigeon-hole Malloy politically. Generally speaking, he is a traditional Liberal Democrat doing his part to return the Democratic Party to its Liberal roots.
 

James Morrow has been writing fiction since, shortly after his seventh birthday, he dictated "The Story of the Dog Family" to his mother, who dutifully typed it up and bound the pages with yarn. This three-page, six-chapter fantasy is still in the author's private archives.

Upon reaching adolescence, Morrow channeled his need to tell stories through the medium of film. When not attending to their studies at Abington High School in the Philadelphia suburbs, he and his friends produced seven short 8mm fantasy movies, including adaptations of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." The author’s affection for satiric and philosophical fiction derives largely from the novels he studied in his 10th Grade World Literature class.

After earning a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MAT from Harvard University, Morrow settled into a respectable career as an instructional materials specialist for various public school systems in the Boston Area. One day, while contemplating the possible effects of television on the minds of children, he found himself possessed by an idea for a novel about a technologically-based pacifist utopia. He quit his job and began work on what would become The Wine of Violence, published in 1981 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Having returned to the medium of his childhood, Morrow now realized that fiction-making was what he should be doing with his life, and he went on to publish eight more critically acclaimed novels and two short story collections.

The author’s most recent efforts include The Last Witchfinder, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and The Philosopher’s Apprentice, published in March of 2008 and praised by Kirkus Reviews as a "brilliant comedy of manners ... funny and consistently engrossing." Morrow has won the World Fantasy Award twice, the Nebula Award twice, and the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire once. In 2005 at the Utopiales SF Festival in Nantes he received the Prix Utopia, given each year by the French speculative fiction community in recognition of a writer’s oeuvre to date.
 

Stand Up Comedy
As Richard Dawkins once said, "Faith is the great cop-out." Five atheist comedians talk about religion and the evangelization of America. Like a Cecil B. DeMille villain, they demand to know where your God is now, although they don't really expect much of a response. Prompt apologies if there is one. Featuring John F. O'Donnell, Kumail Nanjiani, Mike Drucker, John Knefel, and Jamie Kilstein. You bring the brimstone; we'll bring the doubt.