Writer's Conference. Who was There? Who was Not?
Hi,
This pass weekend I attended my first Writer's Conference in two years. It was held in Columbus Ohio and you know, it was nice, better than I expected. The writers, agents and editors were the nicest people which was a surprise to me, as a matter of fact the attendees were so nice, it was commented on. Did I get a lot out of the conference, information I could use when submitting to agents or editors at publishing houses? Yes, I did. Was there the smell of desparation in the air? With a room full of dying-to-be-published writers? Of course. Did I make useful contacts in the business? Possibly; though I believe where the agents and editors are concerned they encourage every writer who consulted with them, who grabbed them in the bathroom or who sat next to them at dinner to take their card and submit their precious baby to them; it's one of the points of the conference after all. You don't get a no from any of them--it'll probably come later--this is understandable, even acceptable, but right then and there as you stand in front of that smiling agent who hands you his card, there's the hope.

So I came away from the conference feeling good about myself and my writing, motivated. Sounds all good right? Yet, there was one fly in the ointment. Just one. This fly, a large fly now that I think about it, was pointed out to me by Lyn Walden an African-American writer of interacial thrillers, as she befriended me during the conference's lunch offering of beef stroganoff and brownies. Ms. Walden pointed out that inspite of the fact that she enjoyed the good speakers and their interesting topics, everyone of them were white and most of the attendees were also with a few African-American faces breaking up the color scheme along with a few other people of Asian ethnicity that could be counted on one hand, two fingers. We discussed the possibilty that the price of the conference--which had gone up from the previous year--wasn't affordable for most people and this is of course a valid point. But what about the speakers, the presenters? Where was their diversity? When you think about it, there are so many agents, editors and pubishers out there who contribute to ethnic diversity by publishing or taking on a diverse list of writers especially in the face of today's small world, it seems backwards not to include those writers, their point of view, their advice, even wisdom at a writer's conference where writers come to confirm they are not alone at any time in the world. As I think about it now I imagine my conference holding a panel featuring Evelina Chao, the Chinese-American novelist and her point of view of getting published and if her background was a help or hindrance. Or a session on How to Promote Your Book by someone such as Colin Channer a writer from Jamaica and the techniques he finds useful depending on his audience or his need to grow an audience.

I know what you're thinking. If attendees of the conference with diverse backgrounds don't go to writer's conferences in the first place, why should you need a diverse group of speakers or presenters? Because 'we are writers ' is my answer. As a writer I want to know everything I possibly can, seeking knowledge is the key and the best knowledge comes from those who are different from me, who have lived a life differnt from mine, who've had wider range of experiences; some I can't imagine, and when I listen to these people tell their stories it's as if my writing muse writes them down and files them away to be pulled out, looked over and possibly use depending on the story "I have to write" when its time for the story to be born.

I can't imagine a better place than a writer's conference to find these different worlds as an encouragement to all writer's, to titilate their need to know and to expand their world of possible stories because isn't this what writing is all about?

Until next time,

Lori