Thursday, October 09, 2003
Almost a week later...
Tomorrow it will be one week since the start of the Maple Woods Conference.
I promised more on it. I'm ready to deliver.
The first day was excellent. I especially enjoyed Gloria Vando (poet) who was at the conference last year. She's great... always and Friday was no exception. Her presentation was unfortunately cut short by the previous presenter running over (sigh) but Gloria is local and the opportunity to see her again is impossible.
Catherine Browder, an award winning playwright talked about script writing. Something I never thought would catch my interest. She got me to thinking when she said that poets often make the transition easily and make excellent playwrites. Perhaps an easier transition than novelists.
Dick Brown - owner of American Media Enterprises - a literary promotion business has been promoting writers for 22 years and have had over 2300 authors they have promoted including dozens of Pulitzer Prize winners.
Jennifer Lawler, author of 20 books was great. I attended several of her break out sessions between the two days of the conference. Most of her material focused on the business side of writing.
Bonnie Lynn Tolson - a poet a dramatic reading of several of her poems from years past as well as more contemporary stuff.
Saturday - I met with a literary agent out of New York about my "Candlestick Project" and that went well. Rita Rozenkranz works in the area of non-fiction and meeting her was perhaps one of the most positive points in the conference.
I've hear from hear already - via e-mail since she's been back in NY.
I cannot pass up remarking on the Friday night session with poet Naomi Shihab Nye Nye was a remarkable person with a passion for language and people. Together a most wonderful mixture for someone with very broad world ties.
I've had almost a week to absorb things. There was a lot to take in and think about. One of them being that I have to get busy again on the Candlestick Project. I am also debating it I want to do the National Novel Writing Month
While nano is certainly interesting to me, I cannot let other things that are important suffer as a result. Including but not limited to my sanity. Oh, that assumes I have any left. Ha!
Well, that is a good jumping off place. Hey, 2003 may turnout to be an alright year! ::smile::
posted by Michael A. Wells 10:43 AM
