Day Twelve at @Ragdale

And we enter the last stretch. I will be leaving on Sunday morn and it's getting real! Sad times. So last time I posted I was feeling very blah about productivity. It didn't hit the first day or the second or the third really. And as much as a mofo as inspiration is it hits when it hits doesn't it? Which means Sunday. And even then it wasn't as steady so that come Monday and for the rest of the week I was on fire. I turned on Spotify and it was ON.

Pieces I couldn't wrap my head around the first several days became things I could actually tackle. Say what?!? I know!

One story was still a kick in the butt but it gained some clarity on Saturday. On Sunday my words weren't as lame as I thought and come Monday I was a friggin' genius! I tidied up three stories, not completed them but tidied two of the three up enough that I could show them to others to let me know what is wrong and/or right and the third still being a novella rather than a story but seeing where the direction is going. And then a fourth came out the woodwork and I understood the character a heck of a lot better than I initiated realizing all of the men in my Collection, when I initially wrote them were too damn passive and needed to be active and that is happening! So exciting times.

And then another story came to light and another and another and another and I read some poetry and wrote some poetry before going to bed and then I was revising flash fiction like a fiend and starting new flash fiction all the while listening to this band Spotify suggested I'd like called The Temper Trap and loving them and then I was revising query letters for my YA book and realizing I was almost done and freaking a bit and I was on Twitter and Facebook too but mainly these last several days I was writing and kicking butt and not socializing so much as staying in to write and eat and get right back to writing which reminded me of the Jentel days when it was work.

Of course it hits others too. Residents who are here for three weeks instead of two are getting into high gear come the end of this week and not wanting to get sucked into oh so wonderful and enlightening convo and then you must CHOOSE! What do I want to do? Get more work in or finish off the expensive (or at least most expensive from the supermarket) wine and talk about our lives and our art and what we worry about and bond or do we want to read and then settle in or what? Should we eat leftovers and the dessert while we're at it or just hydrate, hydrate, hydrate with water? We can't make these decisions!

And yet, that tends to course things go at the end of a residency. The rush period where you enjoy everyone's company and then have to toggle between spending time with people you've grown to care about and respect or do the work and there can be a balance but in the final days everyone is all "The hell!? I gotta get these things done!"

We all have such goals when we do these things and in the end you get done what you get done. As I had learned in Jentel and still didn't realize would afflict me here during a shorter time span is that I cannot force it. And I was and am relieved that I'm surrounded by wonderful artists that I could relate to and talk to when I was just out of it. I'm certain that was part of my process for realizing that I needed to get back in the game.

Oh, and remember the whole noise thing? Well I got moved to the Ragdale House which is much quieter but has it's own sounds, mainly the constant creaking of doors and steps when utilized and the shutters tap, tap, tapping against the structure during the (four day in a row) rainstorm we had this last week. Lame. But the digs are huge!

Each room in the House has it's own bathroom and you can literally split it in half and work on one side and sleep in the other side. Divine. And it has an outdoor sun porch! Though this could not be utilized during all this damn rain but the next occupant may enjoy it boatloads.

Just goes to show people, when you complain, nicely, you can get nicer digs. Not that I didn't enjoy the Yellow Room. It is quaint and homey and the Top of the Stairs Room is very old timey reminding me of Gone with the Wind. 

We had a reading on Monday night and it was great to hear what the other residents were working on. Since there are several writers it was eclectic and there was poetry as well. The visual artists also came and listened so we got to hit the auditory senses for them as they hit our visual. Cool times. Everyone's work inspired and enticed and you feel that much more awesome knowing you're with super talented people.

I have to say beyond re-acclimating to the real world again one concern many of us residents have is how we're going to cook for ourselves once we leave. Linda, the chef, has been phenomenal in meeting so many various needs (gluten free, vegetarian, pescatarian, lactose intolerant) with so many delicious meals that just hit the nail on the head every-single-time we don't know how we'll cope! How am I expected to cook for myself after all this? The daily fee for Ragdale ($35/day) is worth Linda's meals alone. This is quite disconcerting when I think on it, so I will not.

Anywho, next post will be a full Ragdale review. Hopefully I won't be in the doldrums as it'll be three weeks and counting until WY. And who knows what my brain will do then. Hopefully I'll eke out a lot there, but I believe we've confirmed you can't plan these things.

Day Three at @Ragdale

Hello, hello from Lake Forest, Ill! As mentioned I am at my first residency for 2013 at Ragdale and so far so good.

It's an adjustment. And I mean that in terms of comparison. Speaking with several other residents who have done other residencies and will be going on to others in the next few weeks/months like myself we have been doing a bit of compare and contrast. But thus far the reviews on Ragdale are quite positive.

Let me give you a quick breakdown though:

The History

Ragdale's history stems back to the 1800s. This is sacred land, y'all. It was the vacation home to big time architect Howard Van Doren Shaw and his family. It served not only as a place to live but as a place to work, his wife Frances being a poet, writer, and traveler and his daughters being artists as well who inherited the land. It would be Alice Judgson Ryerson Hayes, granddaughter to Howard Shaw, who would create the Ragdale Foundation and be it's director for many years before making the City of Lake Forest and the Open Lands Association guardians of the conservation and property.

The Layout

Ragdale is smack dab in Lake Forest about a mile or two away from the town of Lake Forest and a 20 minute drive from Chicago, specifically O'Hare International Airport and even farther from downtown Chicago.

Lake Forest is a nice and small town and those who own homes also own land. Ragdale has many acres to itself as well as a path that runs into a prairie. The visual artist studios are outside away from the main Ragdale House which holds several residents and the Ragdale Barn which also holds about six residents along with the Ragdale office and main area where we dine for dinner Monday through Friday.

There is a Friend's Studio which houses two residents, one of which is usually a composer and is a live-in studio space. Between all this is lots of ground to cover which at the moment is a bit tattered looking with the oncoming spring. The prairie is muddy due to patches of still melting snow but you can navigate around the prairie path and see the Skokie River which runs through the prairie and many landmarks/benches dedicated to those who have been dear friends and dedicated conservationists.

The writers' space is within their rooms rather than being a separate studio. Meaning we have a nice desk and swivel chair as well as a reading chair. I am in the Yellow Room in the Ragdale Barn, which is that because it is yellow. There is also the very spacious Play Room which has a doorway that leads to a cupola upstairs. Jealous? Indeed I am.

There are other rooms such as the Beach, Hayloft (which used to be an actual hayloft since this building used to be a barn), and the Sewing Room which I assume was an actual sewing room. So for the most part the Barn seems conducive to writers while the Chandelier studio is more so for a visual artist. The same layout may be said for the Ragdale House though I have yet to explore it.

The Artists

During my time here I'm surrounded by many writers and a couple of visual artists. I've spoken with poets, nonfiction writers, and fiction writers alike about our work and our progress. Since the sessions break up some people will be leaving while I'm here and I'll be leaving before others arrive. But so far the vibes are very good and the fact that we have dinner together during the week is aiding in bonding and necessary breaktime from writing. I've spoken to many artists from the Chicago area and a few who have come to Ragdale not once or twice but as many as twenty times. Yes, Ragdale has no limit on how many times you may stay upon acceptance. This may be because it's a paid residency and relies on residents payment and donations and the city funds to stay afloat.

Productivity

How productive have I been since I arrived? Well, the first day is always a wash. With traveling, which wasn't even that intense since I had one direct flight at 10 in the morning and the time shift is just an hour behind. But the simple act of going to an airport and coming from can be so intense that one does not want to deal with anything else. So day one was about settling in, walking around, absorbing how cold it is here, and meeting others. We had orientation, a delicious fish dinner from the great and sweet chef Linda and wine and talked with director Regin Igloria.

One of my priorities was also gaining access to the wifi which I did in minutes. Victory!

Day two I edited my entire YA manuscript, all 79k words of it and cut, cut, cut. I spent most of the morning, afternoon, and some of the evening doing so taking breaks to talk to other residents and eat and take a few pictures. But my mind was on the entirety of finishing the young adult book so I could send a refined part 1 to my critique partners and I can dedicate the rest of my time here to my story collection and an essay I want to initiate.

Day three was me needing vitamin D, namely sun. After spending the whole day prior writing and editing and looking at my laptop screen I needed to get out. At breakfast I spent over an hour talking to residents, one of whom was a new arrival. And then went out to walk for almost 2 hours in the prairie. At some point I saw prints in the mud and had a mini freakout over whether these were deer prints (since we've been told repeatedly that deer are all around us) or if it was something more dangerous. I was told that big dogs tend to also roam these parts, but I dunno. I saw the Skokie River, took many pictures, and in the midst of many benches tucked away along the prairie found one that made me so comfortable I quieted my mind and just listened and watched and absorbed nature, and sun. It was necessary. After hiking a bit more I took an alternate path  along the route and then panicked again that I may have been going the wrong way. But I had had many assurances since I arrived that you cannot get lost on the path, it will always lead you back and upon seeing the familiar Meadow studio for one of the visual artist's I was relieved that I was home free.

After that I read for three hours. In concluding my Cheryl Strayed trifecta I am almost done with Tiny Beautiful Things, which will definitely be on my 2013 fave reads list.

So that leads me to a new day where I hope to get a good bunch done but won't beat myself up if I do not. Speaking with many of the residents here many are taking this time seriously as work time. As well we should. But as I learned from Jentel you have to do what you need for yourself. And if that means sleeping for 12 hours to refresh your mind or taking a day with nature and not even looking at a computer screen or notebook. If that means reading all day or just hanging with friends then you have earned that right to do it here. Your work is important but if you aren't intact your work will falter.

Let's hope I can also keep this in mind.

Napa Valley & Santa Fe: Two Conferences, Two Perspectives

As noted and noted again I am officially back from my self-dubbed "writing conference tour"! (echo, echo, echo) I applied to, and was happy to get scholarships, two conferences to be in classes with two writers I have admired for years.

My first stop was the Napa Valley Writers' Conference (NVWC). I'll gloss over my frustrating travels in LGA, almost missing my connecting flight, and my new good buddy Barbara and I suffering in 100+ degree heat in California traffic as we crawled from Sacramento to St. Helena. Meeting my workshop mates and workshop leader, Tayari Jones, more than made up for it. As did the wine! (One of my faves of the week was Stein Family Wines Rosato.)

Workshop groups met for a bit to get a sense of what we wanted from the week and why we were there. Before the conference began Tayari was very hands-on in regards to getting a better sense of our work, requesting statements of intents on what we were hoping came through in our pieces and what the overall story was about. This proved to be incredibly helpful when discussing the work so that we could lead into whether or not the bigger picture was being captured.

From the start I felt a very positive vibe from the group and as the remaining members arrived over the next couple days our camaraderie was solidified.

Tayari is a great mentor. What stood out to all of us was her problem-solving skills. Sometimes you're in workshop and while what doesn't work is pointed out it's up to the writer to figure out how to fix it. Not a bad thing, however coming up with resolutions can be more time consuming for some than others. With Tayari, bam, you get insight and fixes.

Amongst ourselves we all agreed, "Damn, Tayari's good."

Tayari had outlined whose work we'd be discussing on what day and had a whole strategy on why certain pieces had been grouped. From the get-go we knew she cared. This was further solidified in the way she spoke at length about our pieces and in the time she took to make comments (via colored pen and sticky notes) and in the one-on-one sessions we had with her the day after being workshopped. Being complimented by an author you admire is one of the highest forms of praise and also one of the best motivators you can get and I think, no I know, we're all flying high after this.

Fast forward to the events. Poetry lectures every morning, a fiction lecture every afternoon post-lunch, and a wine tasting (hey, it is Napa Valley, well St. Helena, after all) followed by a reading.

I was very lucky to receive community housing and stayed in a lovely cottage not too far from the Upper Valley Napa Valley College campus. And it was even luckier that my ride to the conference happened to be staying half a mile away down the road to pick me up every morning. (Thanks again, Barbara!)

Food provided was breakfast (buffet style) and lunch (portion controlled) by the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. Breakfast included hard-boiled eggs (from chickens on campus), steel cut oatmeal and fixings, fresh juice, poached fruit, fresh fruit with basil, and homemade pastries which included croissants (dense and buttery), bear claws (with almond paste inside), and savory bread pudding (with and without bacon). For the most part all meals were vegetarian fare, but at the picnic on the last night there was meat! Meat in various and glorious forms such as lamb meatballs, beef strips, roasted duck, and chicken cutlet portions all so delectable it melted into your mouth! And, of course, dessert was at every lunch and dinner. Limoncello pie! Freshly made ice cream with caramel sauce! Brownies! Caramel chocolate bars! Yes, yes, and yes!

I had a great time, a great class, and a great mentor. And I'd like to add that poet faculty such as Forrest Gander and Brenda Hillman were super nice, supportive of all attendees, and very gracious and funny. They were at every event. Forrest even came up to me after the participant reading and said he enjoyed the scene I read from my Collection. A Pulitzer nominee said he liked my writing. Well, knock me over with a feather...

The weather was hot but pleasant and often there was a breeze. It did cool down in the evenings so a sweater/jacket was necessary. The wineries were gorgeous, the people of Napa and St. Helena pleasant, and the surroundings were lovely. My workshop mates and I also became hardcore fans of Gott's Roadside as a dinner option. Went twice (back-to-back days). No regrets.

After a near miss in terms of catching my flight to Albuquerque (for once I am thankful for plane delays) I had a bit of a segue way in Albuquerque before heading to my next conference.

Cue Segue way:

Native American Food Shacks (Pueblo Jemez)!

Hot Springs (Pueblo Jemez)!

Spanish Market with Local Artists (Santa Fe)!

And then we make our way to St. John's College for the Glen Workshop West (aka The Glen). After walking around Downtown Santa Fe I was greeted by friendly volunteers but man was I hot! Not humid, just hot! The sun is In. Your. Face. in Santa Fe. Literally, it winked at me.

As I headed up for registration I saw my instructor, Sara Zarr. And you know what? She recognized me! And you know what else? She hugged me straightaway! I almost begged off, embarrassed I was sweaty and she said not to worry. How cool is she?! I also met my workshop mate T. Michael Martin (expect his book The End Games next May). I heard some of it...awesome.

So after getting my packet and such I got some help from Greg's (Image Journal founder's) son Benedict (Ben). Super nice guy. Very helpful and seeking to pursue sculpture. Go Ben!

Attendees were warned, on more than one occasion, and I was warned by those from desert areas that I would need to adjust to the elevation. No joke. Ben and I were huffing our way to my dorm, which wasn't even that far in all honesty. But the high elevation (over 7,000 feet) and the thinning air made it a challenge for us low-landers.

Going from a cottage to a dorm is an adjustment, but I liked the size of my room and the fact that we were provided towels and bedding and such. I was out of the sun but it was warm. My roommate Raina was super nice and often not around so I had the space to myself often and where I was off at events in Napa, I got to utilize downtime in Santa Fe and get writing/reading done on a daily basis.

In Santa Fe water became a second appendage for those of us around campus.

"Where you going?"

"Bathroom."

"You really need that water bottle, it's down the hall?"

(Clutches water bottle/kleen canteen) "Never know."

Three meals (with vegan/vegetarian options) were provided on campus in the cafeteria. The Glen participants also shared time and space with visiting MFA students. Our schedule was thus: first breakfast, three hour workshops, then lunch, then break, an afternoon reading/lecture, dinner, then an evening reading/lecture, worship (where Scott Cairns talked about how one can mix their faith and their art), and then on a few days the open mic (prose, poetry, song, and visual) for participants. On the first day was a wine & snacks party and the last evening a wine & snacks and dance party!

Yes, I did say worship services. The Glen is a workshop organized by Image Journal and one of their goals is that "[T]hrough a commitment to artistic excellence and religious truth, Image has taken its place on the 'public square' and is poised to make a lasting impact on the future of our national culture." For those who are non-religious or agnostic, like myself, I want to convey that The Glen is not a workshop that centers around religion. It's about finding a balance in faith and art. And if you do not feel especially close to a particular faith do not feel like you'll be judged or preached to. It's a very comfortable environment where everyone listens and respects one another and for me I became even more intrigued by the mixing of faith and how everyone uses it to push their work. I even found in myself that I do subscribe to a faith of being good to my fellow man and woman and wanting to create the most honest portrayal of culture in my art.

Sara had been in touch with us prior to The Glen with an outline of what to expect and just to say "hello!" On the first day we relaxed, got to know each other, and did writing exercises. After that she scheduled work with groupings to talk about some things but also in what may work with each other. It was a relaxed style where hand-written critiques weren't necessary but a discussion always keyed up with someone saying "I loved this..." and others echoing that statement along with support on how to make certain aspects stronger and resonate more with the reader, while also helping the writer to feel more confident about pursuing their work and honing in on what the heart of the story is.

Sara was very generous with her time and even spoke with me afterwards about my story and my overall concerns with balancing personal changes in my life with focusing on my art. I can't thank her enough for the time she gave while at The Glen and the interest she showed. And have to extend another thanks to my workshop mates who liked Calvin and Kayla's relationship and gave me more to consider in revisions. Thanks y'all!

Both NVWC and The Glen offered something different but incredibly helpful and introspective as I shared different pieces from my Collection. In Napa people felt for the pain of a woman dealing with a miscarriage who's uncertain about where her life is going. One of the best pieces of advice I got from Tayari Jones on how to fix this in the revision phase was to "add some happiness" into her life so that the pain would pack a harder punch.

In Santa Fe I shared a portion of the life of an angry teenage boy whose love for his little sister trumps all but even he messes that up. His is a story about the inability to forgive and forgiveness and chaos and everyone in Sara Zarr's workshop got that. From Sara I got a great idea on how to tie up loose ends so that the reader will still stay with the main character even when he can be dislikable.

For me, it's been helpful to know that each time I show a piece from my Collection, flaws and all, the characters still come through and the readers I meet--strangers and artists around North America--become part of my cheering squad. So, yeah, the stories have flaws but the heart is there and that's what I needed to know to keep going. Two weeks away and I come back filled with even more gusto.

In August, I Intend to #WRITELIKECRAZY!

Soooo, if you haven't already heard Tayari Jones is launching #WRITELIKECRAZY for August. Joining authors together to set goals for the month in terms of what we hope to accomplish. Unlike NaNoWriMo this doesn't necessarily mean finishing a whole work in 30 or 31 days but to maintain a daily schedule or finishing a query letter and most importantly to write for yourself and set some boundaries that no one, not even yourself, will cross. So here's my goal:

Write at least 60 minutes a day, everyday. And this means taking this time out for every day in August whether I am up for it or not. It also means that should I do five hours one day that I still need to write for at least sixty minutes for the next five days. The goal is not just to rack up thirty hours but to make sure I am giving myself time to write and carving that niche out for myself and pushing aside anything else that may deter from that goal.

So far I've done well for the first day of #WRITELIKECRAZY. And I hope tomorrow, being a free day at the conference I am at, will allow me to take on many more hours. Make sure to use the #WRITELIKECRAZY hashtag on Twitter and you can post goals and support on Tayari's Facebook page.

Have fun writing in August everyone! 

Book Expo 2012: Lots to Celebrate (and Learn)

Last week the largest book convention for those of us in the book industry reared it's head again in midtown Manhattan. Book Expo of America (BEA) was held in conjunction with the newly purchased BEA (formerly Book) Blogger Convention, IDPF, and Blog & New Media Expo. And New York City will be the home of BEA up until 2015, which makes me particularly happy as it's been housed at Javits steadily since 2008 after it used to rotate locations between Los Angeles and Chicago. This year BEA focused on different ways of thinking. Publishers connecting with consumers directly and cutting out the middle man. Sessions have steadily been geared towards how to utilize social media to its highest potential and how to make books (particularly young adult and middle grade titles) that much more exciting and interactive for the end user.

Many articles in the media have touted Amazon as an enemy for publishers with low-cost products and small returns. Becoming the Walmart of the book world Amazon has it's own self-publishing imprint (CreateSpace), has launched it's own publishing sector, and is still one of the first places consumers go to purchase books at a deeply discounted rate with free shipping and many other goods available from clothes to music to appliances and various technology. And Amazon continues it's growth in the publication industry with the purchase of Avalon Books which specialized in romance and mystery titles.

In a market that is slowly on the uptick publishers are trying new ways and harder than ever to connect with consumers directly. Book Expo allows them this opportunity but many times it is press/media and booksellers that get more of the publishers attention. Book bloggers have been indelible in spreading the word about little known books becoming the next big thing. A prime example of this is The Hunger Games which is a true word-of-mouth success from book 1 to the final book Mockingjay released in 2010. As is there was a huge blow up in the media blogger realm when numerous book bloggers and other forms of press were denied press credentials months after registering for BEA. To Reed Exhibitions credit they reneged on the subsequent denials noting their mishap in cancelling registration for bloggers who had registered in January and February and not informing them until the day before Good Friday (when much Reed staff was already out of the office.) Next year I'm sure whatever stringent guidelines that make press press will be clearly outlined early on and handled much more swiftly post-registration. But this sent flurries throughout the blogosphere noting how important bloggers can be to publishers and how important they are to spreading the word about books many may not be aware of and providing a hardcore fan base for authors of various genres, particularly in the young adult (YA) market.

BEA Buzz Panels for both YA and Adult books were huge draws for bloggers, booksellers, and fans alike giving attendees the inside track on what publishers are noting as their big debuts for the year. This included Kat Zhang's YA paranormal book What's Left of Me from HarperTeen and Shani Bioanjiu's The People of Forever Are Not Afraid from Hogarth (a division of Crown Publishers). Bioanjiu was also a National Book Award 5 Under 35 Honoree this year. But debuts weren't the only things lauded at Book Expo of America, prize winning authors like Junot Diaz, Mark Helprin, and Tracy K. Smith were on-hand for autographing. Pulitzer Prize winner Diaz spent hours with fans lined up to read an excerpt from his new collection from Riverhead (an imprint of Penguin) This Is How You Lose Her. He even said it was great to meet readers. "I'm like thank God," he said. The realization of meeting those who enjoy your work can be refreshing. Dennis Lehane (Live By Night) from William Morrow (HarperCollins) and native New Yorker Victor LaValle (The Devil in Silver) from Penguin they were appreciative of those lined up to meet them and of the compliments received and were happy to promote new work.

Book clubs are another big score for publishers and this year a speed dating event was held on Wednesday by The Book Report Network where leaders and members of book clubs could meet with publishers and hear about upcoming titles (in hardcover & paperback) they think would fit with book clubs. In meeting Erin Morgenstern for a signing of the paperback version of The Night Circus she had said that she thinks her book is great for book clubs. Being "fun" to discuss. Her editor was also quick to note that during Erin's tour they would be happy to speak more with those interested in doing Night Circus for book club discussions. Not only was Morgenstern there promoting the paperback version of her book but so was National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward for Salvage the Bones also in paperback. My book club is fond of books in this format and it is often when reprinted in PB that publishers add book club guides to the back to promote discussion. Book clubs can generate great sales especially if they meet regularly and have a dozen or more members. Many of the members of my book club have turned to digital means and so have a friend of mine with me being one of the few still pursuing the printed text. But the printed text still has a great ways to go before being eliminated and so publishers are aching for book clubs to "adopt" their titles.

And there were numerous celebrations! The arrival of Book Expo of America also initiates NY Book Week with lots of parties going on around NYC hosted by bookstores, publishers, authors, and bloggers. But within the realm of Javits Center there many anniversaries to be celebrated from Little, Brown's 175th to The New Press' 20th to Scholastic's Clifford the Big Red Dog turning 50 to Sourcebooks celebrating the quarter century mark. Russia served as the guest of honor at Book Expo this year and had a huge section devoted to "Read Russia" where champagne in crystal flutes was on-hand to celebrate new and established authors from their homeland introducing them to an international audience. Taunton Press had signings by cookbook author (and local foodie) Abby Dodge offering great samples of her orange sesame cookies. Tuttle Publishing had daily samples of desserts from Sushi Secrets and gluten-free items. HarperCollins had beer and cupcakes, Perseus had an open bar and there were wine tastings near the ever winding Starbuck's line and check in downstairs.

Discussions on Uptown and Downtown stages ranged from the Bellwether prize where winners Heidi Durrow and Hillary Jordan sat with veteran author and Bellwether judge Barbara Kingsolver to the always advancing digital age in publishing to applications that can help sell your ebook. Scholastic was heavily promoting their new series Infinity Ring that is both a print book and available as a game, readers can choose either (or both) formats to enter the world of this new middle grade series, each book written by a different author. The author breakfast and lunches welcomed (back) Stephen Colbert, Junot Diaz, Barbara Kingsolver, Zadie Smith, Chris Colfer, Lois Lowry, Michael Chabon and John Green to name a few.

And while in years past Book Expo of America had been slim in pickings there was much available to take in and take home. BEA is an avid reader's playland and a future writer's inspiration. Meeting authors, publishers, agents, bloggers, and booksellers immersed in the same love is a great way to be reinvigorated and well informed. BEA provides a way to connect all facets of the industry to learn more about what is working, what isn't, and what the larger masses want in terms of upcoming titles and their platforms. Next year I imagine much of the conversations will be the same discussing the success of some strategies and the complications of others, but it's good to know that those within the industry seek to change the way literature is provided and taken in and that there's always a format for everyone. After all books should be celebrated and Book Expo of America is one of the biggest venues to do so.