The Roaming G-nome
I hope Chuck Sambuchino is ok with me using that title.
It has and continues to be a busy summer. Here is a brief update:
Mid-July once again landed me in Fresno, CA for the annual Cal State Summer Arts Program. I spoke on various topics to the memoir class, which also featured Nick Flynn, Leslie Heywood, Steve Church and Doug Rice. I also had the wonderful opportunity to work with Debra DiBlasi, Camille Roy and Lyn Hejinian, exploring the art form and writing hybrid narrative. This is an amazing program that draws artists of all types from around the world. I highly recommend it, if you have the chance.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting with the wonderful staff and attendees of the Clarksville Writers’ Conference at Austin Peay State University. This two day event brought in guest artists from all over the nation for an eclectic mix of classes, speeches, readings, meetings and pitches. Poetry and prose for both children and adults were part of the “something for everyone” atmosphere.
The turnout was well over 100 people, more than twice last year’s attendance. This is an indicator of Chris Burawa’s skills as the interim director and hopefully of at least a local upturn in the economy. Attendees came from all over Tennessee and the surrounding states to improve their skills, their writing and their chances of finding success in the publishing world.
As the only agent there, I took it upon myself to meet with as many people and answer as many questions as possible. My scheduled sessions were 30 minutes long, from 9am to 4pm, with breaks in between that I filled, sometimes two at a time. Much longer than the average pitch session of up to 10 minutes, this was treated just as much as an educational opportunity, a crash course in publishing and a chance to have pertinent questions answered by someone on the other side of the submissions desk. I mentioned before how much I love it when writers leave my sessions with a heavily marked notebook and a newfound determination to write. That occurred more often than not, and I walked away with new friends and hopefully new projects.
Though I had a great time, I am thankful for my 3 days at home before I leave for the Willamette Writers’ Conference, the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, Just Write at the Pier, The Zero Emission Book Tour and other such excitement.
Updates will follow on this blog and Twitter.
