The incomparable SloSmoMoFo at Homegrown Smoker in Portland. (Stephen Hui)

Comic-book, anime, science-fiction, and fantasy fans have Comic-Con. For vegan bloggers, there’s Vida Vegan Con.

In August 2011, the first edition of the vegan lifestyle blogger conference took place in the vegan paradise known as Portland. From May 24 to 26, the second Vida Vegan Con is expected to draw more than 300 people to the Portland Art Museum. Tickets are $280 US, and two-thirds of them have already been snatched up.

The long list of presenters, unveiled this week, features well-known cookbook authors Nava Atlas, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Hannah Kaminsky, and Terry Hope Romero. It also includes a couple of speakers from British Columbia—Dreena Burton and Gabrielle Pope.

In 2012, White Rock’s Burton put out her fourth cookbook, Let Them Eat Vegan!, and launched her new blog, Plant-Powered Kitchen. Meanwhile, Pope, who’s a Vancouver Island resident, has blogged at Vegans on the Move and contributed to VegNews magazine.

Another Vida Vegan Con 2013 speaker is Ginny Messina of The Vegan RD. The blogging dietitian lives in Port Townsend, Washington, which is situated just across the Salish Sea from B.C.

Obviously, there’s going to be lots of interesting speakers. But, looking at the list, I can’t help but notice that the lineup could benefit from more ethnic diversity. Hopefully, the organizers will be able to address this issue in future editions of the conference.

(This challenge is by no means limited to Vida Vegan Con. In the past few years, I’ve attended a couple of alternative media conferences in the U.S. which were startling for their whiteness. And don’t get me started on the lack of gender diversity among speakers at many technology conferences.)

While I haven’t registered for Vida Vegan Con, I’m sure it’ll be a worthwhile experience for many involved—and a great excuse to visit those amazing PDX eateries (Portobello! Homegrown Smoker!). We’ll all just have to follow the hashtag #VidaVeganCon in May.