Grace Doyle & Andrew Peterson giving their enlightening Keynote Conversation during lunch Saturday.
Wow. What a weekend! It was wonderful seeing so many familiar faces from last year’s La Jolla Writer’s Conference and getting to know some new ones. Even the faculty are always so personable, several remembered me from last year and asked about my writing. I learned so much I think my head might explode. I am not sure how long it will take to recover my energy after that marathon of learning and inspiring conversation, but I am definitely a better writer today than I was on Friday morning, so it’s all worth it.
My thanks to Antoinette Kuritz and her son Jared Kuritz, Hunter (So sorry I didn’t catch your last name), Kimberly Unger, Mysterious Galaxy Books, and all those who work to put this conference together and keep the technology cooperative. Your efforts are so appreciated.
Also, I want to thank: Deeanne Gist, Marni Freedman, Lissa Price, Jeniffer Thompson, Brennan Harvey, Jonathan Maberry, Eldon Thompson, Grace Doyle, Andrew Peterson, Annie Bomke, Mark Clements, Martha Lawrence, Mimi Lee, Warren Lewis, Jill Marr, Brian Jud, Tinker Lindsay, Patti Callahan Henry, W. Craig Reed, Laura Taylor, and who all volunteered their time (and for those not local even flew themselves in on their own dime) to come and share what they have learned with the rest of us.
Not once this weekend did I feel a sense of the pros vs the newbies or the published vs the unpublished. Everyone seemed so approachable and happy to help. One of my favorite moments was seeing Brennan Harvey sitting in on a class I was taking, writing notes and asking questions just like the rest of us. It shows that no matter how successful anyone is, there is always more to learn and epitomizes what makes this conference so special.
