MIA for Writing Conferences

Just an FYI that I'm traveling for the next couple of weeks, so there'll be no updates until early/mid-August. First stop is Napa Valley for the Napa Valley Writers' Conference. I'm psyched to be in Tayari Jones' fiction workshop and will be discussing one of the pieces from my linked story collection. It's been one of the hardest stories for me to tackle and I finally (read: finally) found the right way in which to tell this character's story, so we'll see if I'm on the right track. Some of us attendees have been connecting via Google Groups and I'm already indebted to their generosity and kindness regarding rides and such. And I'm super stoked about staying in a cottage during my stay in Napa. Pics will be taken!

After that I'm headed to New Mexico. First few days will be with a friend I met at the Postgraduate Writers' Conference three years ago (and you know how much I loved that conference) to see the sights of Albuquerque before she drops me off in Sante Fe for the Glen West Workshop. I'm also excited to be in a workshop with another author I admire, Sara Zarr. The workshop is YA focused and I'll be workshopping another story from the collection from a teenage boy's POV. So I'm intrigued to hear what others think, and to see Santa Fe.

Needless to say there'll be lots reading and artist immersion (and possibly drinking) over the next two weeks, well at least in Napa Valley. And then it's residency application season!

So far I've been blown away by the manuscripts I've been reading for both conferences and I cannot wait to meet my workshop groups.

When I get back I promise a nice summary of events and then a cookbook giveaway of Rasa Malaysia's Easy Chinese Recipes. (Thanks to the generosity of Tuttle Publishing.)

Have a great summer. Stay busy and creative! 

Jentel Artist Residency: Week 4 (Heading out)

As much as it pains me to write this, we're in our last week here at Jentel and man did that get the creative juices flowing! Our regular gatherings diminished (though we did cook regularly for the group) in lieu of everyone wanting to work, work, work. Me, I definitely pursued morning (kinda), afternoon, and evening hours. Where as we started on a kind of 9a-5p grind that quickly moved to a 9a-10p grind with the reality settling in that we wouldn't be here much longer! (insert sad face here) So what have I been working on while in Wyoming? What is this Collection I've mentioned? Well, in my attempt to summarize, I am writing a linked collection of stories based on a biracial family in Long Island (where I was raised for the first eight years of my life) that transcends generations. Consider it Contemporary Literature akin to Olive Kitteridge (a tome that inspired me during the revision process) and even A Visit from the Goon Squad. This Collection became my passion project soon after I finished a novel that got lukewarm responses and continues to be after more than three years. The Collection began as one short story about a girl trying to find out more about her deceased mom and sprouted into a beast within itself. In the past year I have to credit my peer group buddies and workshop group with helping me whittle down fifteen imprecise stories to eight focused pieces. I have to credit Writer's Digest with reminding me to start from the latest point allowing experimentation as I pursued revisions of every story in this collection (and thusly thank my aunt for her gift subscriptions over the years to Writer's Digest). I have to credit the Postgraduate Writers' Conference and Ellen Lesser for helping me see the full potential of this project and to streamline what's happening. And also to Ellen, Jeff Renard Allen, and April Davis for recommending me for this residency.

I have to say the surroundings here in Banner and via Neltje's great skill in design and comfort, inspired me with the collection and I feel like I have a lot more focus on it than I did a year ago. By the end of this trip I completed complete revisions for each story and am pretty confident at least three are near completion. I've also been inspired being around such phenomenal visual artists and another great writer in that I found myself writing some poetry (April was National Poetry Month after all) and Karen's son is a poet so she shared some of his work and others she really liked with me which fueled a fire.

But, enough about me, there were good times to be had! Lisa, Joyce, Karen and I went to the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo for their weekly jam session and met some wonderful people. The food was your usual bar food fare, no more no less. I ordered a grilled Caesar salad and was brought a hunk of iceberg lettuce charred around the edges. This, I had to send back. And my options were few. I ordered coconut calamari and was informed they don't cut it up, they serve you the squid whole. (sigh) Okay, so fried shrimp and onion rings it is!

The music was great and the jam session was just that, musicians coming in and out for songs and slipping into the rhythms easily. They all know each other and upon speaking with a fiddler the following day was informed that sometimes musicians just stop by for a week, jam, then leave. Awesome? Yes.

The weekend brought the rare opening of Neltje's antique shop to the public (no appointments necessary). I hoofed it up the hill for 1.6 miles to the destination in harsh winds. When I got there it was like a mini mall but more homey. The staff was uber friendly and I went in with the intention of buying nothing. This did not happen. And for an antique opening they know how to welcome you! There were snacks and offerings of dip they sold so you can taste it. There's everything from cards to pocketbooks to cookbooks to scarves to all kinds of furniture and homemade art by Neltje herself. And everyone is really nice! A couple who passed me on the road offered me a ride back to the residency and we talked about their son who happens to be a sculptor. I urged them to urge him to apply to go here.

Yet again, the kind people of Wyoming never fail to astound me with their generosity. A good day.

We headed to Lulu's Cafe in Sheridan on Saturday. A place we've been trying to go to since week one. They serve all organic food, homegrown. I had a salmon burger that was ridiculously good. I dreamt about it the following night and had a nice mint blueberry margarita (though it tasted more like a mojito). Either way it was very satisfying and sweet. Everyone loved their food. The gluten free desserts left a bit to be desired texture-wise but you can't beat the service and feeling like you're being welcomed in someone's home. The owner, Lynne (not Lulu), was like a mom who wanted to make sure you were comfy at all times. Small and exquisite describes Lulu's to a T.

And then came Open Studio! This is kind of tradition where everyone welcomes the other residents to their studio to see/hear their work. Lorraine and I went to the artists studios and were astounded by how much they've done and the differences in everyone's work. Karen worked on many black and white items, large and small. Joyce had a variety of intricately painted nests as well as adorable matchbook paintings that we got to have. Rachel did some amazing work with fabric in vibrant colors, also doing a trek around the land where she photographed one of her pieces in the midst of the terrain surrounding the residency. Brilliant. And Lisa showed us her work on a smaller scale that had a lot of vibrant colors of red and green (one of my faves). The artists each gave us gifts to take with us. Here's Rachel's.

She made a Jentel/Neltje brand for us to have. I'm so excited to show their work in my office.

After snacks (see gratuitous food shot) we went to the media room where Lorraine and I read work we completed (thus far) while here. Lorraine's also working on a linked story collection so we got to hear more of the travails of her protagonist. And Lorraine is an amazing reader, she inflects the right words and also acts out moments. I love the times we've gotten to hear her read. She knows how to paint a picture with words.

I read the ending of a story I completed here and am quite happy with the voice and tone. Apparently, I captured the angst of a seventeen year old boy pretty well.

Monday and Tuesday were cloudy and rainy and windy unfortunately. But we looked forward to sunny skies that came upon us slowly on Wednesday and full on on Thursday post-errands. There was hulu hooping and dance music and more cooking on our last evening with Lynn. We each got gifts! Here's mine:

Since Joyce was a second-timer she got something even cooler!

As we consider everything it's been an amazing time and I feel extremely blessed to be surrounded by such amazing artists and women. Great! Some things I want to make you aware of when/if you come to Wyoming:

1) Winds are way worse than the "wind tunnels" in New York City.

2) Buy hiking boots (props to Northface for their wonderful boots that got me through many excursions.). No, seriously, buy hiking boots and good ones.

3) Be nice to everyone. Pay it forward, people.

4) Bring bug repellent in the warmer months.

5) Cows and horses will stare you down, so show no fear.

6) For God's sake enjoy the landscape and relax! There be mountains!

7) When driving, beware of wayward deer, moose, antelope, and wild turkey (not the drink).

Below are the links to the websites of the artists I got to spend time with in Wyoming during these past four weeks. People I admire, and respect, and miss terribly.

Lisa Buchanan: www.lisabuchanan.com Joyce Ely-Walker: www.joyceelywalker.com Lorraine M. Lopez: www.lorrainelopez.net Karen McAlister Shimoda: www.mcalistershimoda.com Rachel Meginnes: www.plainweavestudios.com

Check their work out, buy it, follow them (on social networking sites, not in life per se), contact them, visit their gallery openings or readings and continue to support the arts! If it weren't for amazing residencies like Jentel (and amazing people like Neltje, Mary Jane, Lynn, Matt, Donna, and Debbie) many of us would never get our foot in the door. So it means a lot to have this support and acknowledgment that you have a story to tell whether it be in words or illustrations.

Postgraduate Writers Conference (2010 Edition)

After such a splendid time last year I decided to return to the Vermont College of Fine Arts for the 15th Postgraduate Writers Conference (PWC) in Montpelier, Vermont. The Postgraduate Writers Conference targets graduate students as participants, thought it is not a requirement for entry. Something that I do enjoy about this conference is that entrance is not based on writing samples, but on interest. Montpelier is a great location, quiet, serene, and away from major urban areas, so you can utilize the atmosphere for being creative and focusing. Just as I did last year I ended up holing myself in my dorm room with my laptop and flash drive and just worked away.

Of course, I wasn't the only one. The population for this conference is an older crowd, retirees, parents, full-time workers, and so on who utilize this time away from home and responsibilities to really focus on writing and revision. Revision of course being one of the most daunting parts of writing.

After speaking with several people on their graduate school and writing conference experience it stood out even more that PWC is one of the tops from the participant perspective.

Many conferences pack your day with events so that you may have to pick and choose what you want to attend and what you want to forgo. And when you're a first time participant you may not want to forgo anything unless you feel yourself nodding off or the strong, strong need to write compels you to type away on the keyboard or scribble on a notepad. This year the conference director, Ellen Lesser, did some finagling of the schedule to make sure no events overlapped. So you could go to a lecture at 1:30 on writing in the real word and then one of film editing as it may relate to editing a poetry compilation at 2:45. You want to do some freewriting before workshop on Wednesday? Sure! We'll have a "yard sale"! Want to do a quick hike before going to workshop to work off all those pancakes with Vermont's own maple syrup? Done! Oh, did you want to visit the Montpelier Farmer's Market this morning, then workshop, then go swimming this afternoon? Bam, at your leisure!

I found it very pleasant to have the option of not having to pick and choose, though like I said, I was writing most of the time and missed many events but those on the final days.

While there are always hiccups when organizing something where people come in from places all over the country and need to organize room & board, daily activities, food, and so on and so forth. But the fact that it's easy to get in touch with either Ellen or conference coordinator, Anne, who are the most pleasant women you'll ever meet and no matter how frazzled they are never shut your needs down is something I highly appreciate.

Sometimes good experiences can make you ignorant to the bad ones out there as well. One of my workshop mates and another woman working on her novel had both just come from horrific experiences at the Wesleyan Writer's Conference weeks prior. They both had the same instructor who barely acknowledged or viewed their work, felt that faculty and students were segregated at all turns (in particularly during meals), and that the conference coordinator who seemed so kind and informative via e-mail was cold and dismissive in person. Since the Wesleyan conference has no workshops, mainly lectures and a one-on-one conference with a published instructor/writer on your submission it was devastating to learn that not only did they feel unwanted, but their work itself was not even read--more than likely skimmed--is a great blow to someone who may not have shown their work to anyone before then and is trying to grasp at any positive reinforcement you can get because you have no one else to help you can cause one increasing self-doubt if not all together dash their dreams.

I was glad that the two women I spoke with came to PWC after such a bad experience and got to experience how a conference should be. That your workshop leader is more than happy to sit with you during breakfast, lunch, or dinner and discuss their obsession with Facebook. That they are willing and wanting to extend class discussions during lunch while interrupting discussion to get a piece of peach cobbler real quick. That they hold extraneous lectures or writing sessions to get the mind, blood, and hands flowing before a 2+ hour workshop. That these published writers we may look on in awe (or perhaps skepticism) are truly invested in your work, sitting proudly and listening to your piece at the participant readings and giving you a standing ovation when you're done.

So, that's my second plug for the Postgraduate Writers Conference. While I don't know if I'll attend again next year due to finances or pursuing other opportunities to write and critique during the summer, I do know it will be at the top of my list to return to for it's affordability and comfort. And I always get so much writing done when I'm there, major bonus!