Writer
I attended the 2024 James River Writers Conference in my hometown.
There were many notable panels, including the state of publishing (Melanie Figueroa, Rachel Kahan, Rebecca Schinsky), the author/agent relationship (Rachel Beck, Lyn Liao Butler, Rachel Kahan), and finding a literary community (Courtney LeBlanc, DaNika Neblett Robinson, Zachary Steele).
With respect to the latter panel, I found the luncheons on Saturday and Sunday to be very conducive to making new friends.
Thank you, Benjamin Drevlow and Bull, for publishing “The Fray,” a story of mine delving into the perils of involuntary commitment to a substandard mental health facility.
Recently, I undertook the task of moving back to my hometown. Had I not made this exhausting yet exhilarating effort, I would have been filled with regret for the rest of my life. Now, every morning, I awaken to a view of one of Richmond’s community gardens.
I enjoyed attending the 2024 Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference in Kansas City (February 7-10).
In addition to Jericho Brown’s stirring keynote address, I especially appreciated meeting many writers for the first time, including some responsible for editing my work (Lauren Alwan, Justin Hamm). Other highlights included panels on autobiographical fiction (Chris Dennis, Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry, Jeffrey Dale Lofton, Sasha Vasilyuk, Maria Kuznetsova), publishing after age fifty (Anne Elliott, Jimin Han, LeTonia Jones, Louise Marburg, Karen Schubert), and #booktok (Emily Hizny, Sarah Ledet, Maggie Mauro, Elle Pasquale, Amber Watkin).
I was honored to read from my work at the 2023 North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall Conference in Charlotte (November 3-5).
I am elated that The Museum of Americana gave “Old Man Proffitt” a home.
