Festival of Faith and Writing (Day 2)
It doesn’t seem like Friday to me at all right now. But it is. And it was a good day at the conference. I didn’t get to interact with people a lot like I did yesterday, but I enjoyed the sessions I went to. I can already tell that my creativity is being fueled. I wrote a long poem while I was sitting in one of the sessions. But mostly I took notes.
I wanted to go to an essay writing session, since that is an area where my interest is being piqued, but by the time I got there the room was jam-packed. So I went to three others today - “Writing for Children” with Dorina Lazo Gilmore, Nancy Hull, and Kate Jacobs; “From Student to Writer” with Dorina Lazo Gilmore and Shauna Niequist, and “From the Underground Railroad to the Metaphorical Bridge” with Carole Boston Weatherford. All of them were really good. I took copious notes - for some reason, I just felt like writing, writing, writing, even if it meant taking tons of notes. I jotted down ideas for essays and children’s books and poems.
I think my favorite session was “From Student to Writer,” where two authors discussed the change from being an undergraduate to being a published writer. I loved these ladies and hearing what they had to say. Shauna Niequist read a selection about writing from her book Cold Tangerines, and I think the book would be worth buying just for that chapter! Some of my favorite phrases were risky and furtive, start where I’m stuck, and landed in the palm of my hand like a firefly. She also said some helpful things about not losing the “strong, pliant writing muscles” you develop as an undergrad.
Dorina read some of her poetry aloud, and these were favorite phrases of mine: chocolate, swirling eyes; red like the burning sun; deep river blue; ripe lemon yellow; curls crawl down; a mess of tears and hair. Very vivid descriptions of color and texture. I liked what Dorina said about believing in your projects and being brave enough to call yourself a writer.
I still feel very inspired as a writer right now, and I think I’m going to take advantage of it. Have a wonderful evening! 
Filed under: Books/Writing, My Life on April 18th, 2008
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the conference, and I’m looking forward to enjoying the fruit of your learning!
Hope you got a lot of writing done, Anna!
I haven’t seen you since our serendipitous meeting on the pedestrian bridge. I’d love to sit with you and chat. Do you have lunch plans today? I’ll be picking up one of those boxed lunches….I’d love to chat….if you visit my blog, you can see I’m in friend-making mode….I don’t have a way to contact you, so track me down.
Sounds like a wonderful festival, Anna! I’m so glad you are enjoying it and getting so much out of it.
its sounds like that conference was a lot of fun! what a neat opportunity
cant wait to see some of the writing it inspired!
Ah, writing is such a wonderful gift, isn’t it?
Hi Anna,
Thanks for your thoughts on the seminar. I’m glad some of what I said found a place in your heart (or notebook!)
I found your blog and I was very impressed with how much you’ve written. You have such thoughtful and insightful musings.
Keep writing!
Kind regards,
Dorina Lazo Gilmore