In the Presence of Greatness

"You are lucky to be in the Twin Cities," were among the closing words by writer Brain Malloy last weekend at The Loft's Children's & Young Adult Literature Conference.

There is no denying the truth of his statement after spending two days with local authors David LaRochelle, Debra Frasier, Lisa Bullard, Lynne Jonell, Molly Beth Griffin, Kurtis Scaletta, Dara Dokas, and many noteable others. I was awed and honored to be in their presence and am still feeling the afterglow.

According to Malloy, the Twin Cities is second only to New York in the number of authors, editors, and literary learning opportunities.

Let me tell you, it was quite humbling to sit in The Loft's Target Performance Hall as one of more than two hundred writers all chasing the same dream.

Can I compare to them? Am I really one of them? The answer is YES.

It's not a matter of confidence or talent, it's a matter of passion. As Lynne Jonell put it in her presentation about the challenges of seeking publication: "A writer writes, regardless."

With those words ringing in my ears and my heart, I had the courage to introduce myself to David LaRochelle - albeit completely star struck -and have the best moment of my weekend (year? life?) chatting with him while he autographed two of his books for me. What an honor!

The entire weekend was far beyond my expectations. It was inspiring to hear from powerhouse editor Arthur A. Levine that for him it's "all about love." It was invigorating to discuss motivation techniques with Lisa Bullard over lunch at Spill the Wine. And it was encouraging to get a peek at David LaRochelle's original manuscripts prior to edit (they actually needed work!).

The whole experience was rewarding in a way that my 20 plus pages of notes can hardly represent.

This community is home to me. I've found my place.