Hello to new and ongoing subscribers. And salutations to premium members, too. Welcome to Sitting in Silence, the newsletter on writing, creativity, joy, and worry. I write from the biggest writer’s conference in the nation: AWP. This year it’s in Philadelphia, and this is the first in-person AWP since the advent of that old world-changer, COVID-19. I have a soft spot for the conference. A friend and mentor, Jamey Hatley, convinced me to attend for the first time in 2011. One day, perhaps I’ll do a post about that situation, which, for me, was like a literary cross between The Wizard of Oz and The Hangover. Earlier this month, we also had a nifty new writer’s conference, the First Annual New Orleans Book Festival, in my hometown. This conference was an early coronavirus casualty, postponed two years running. It was worth the wait. The range of writers showcased was breathtaking from native daughter and National Book Award winner Sarah M. Broom to Malcolm Gladwell to my patron, John Grisham. Each of those writers have had journeys that required resilience and persistence. So, let’s chat about that, shall we?
My lord, did I need to read this today! Thank you, thank you, thank you -- my eyes are watering in gratitude for your compassion to share these words. Blessings.
Thank you so much for writing this piece. I really needed to hear it, and it's lovely.
Thank you. I often wish younger me had encouragement and support.
This was so needed today. Thank you very much for writing it.
My lord, did I need to read this today! Thank you, thank you, thank you -- my eyes are watering in gratitude for your compassion to share these words. Blessings.