I spent most of the day driving to Oklahoma City for the quarterly Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. board meeting.  It is the last one before the annual conference.  The drive down is always an easy one if the weather is good.  It was.  I also had two friends with me and with three women in a car; there was never a moment’s silence.

The people in this committee spend an entire year getting ready for the conference next year and they are worth their weight in gold.  They find judges for the contest, speakers for the workshops, caterers for the banquets, and book stores for the book sales.  The logistics can be a nightmare.  There are attendees from all over the United States.

The OWFI writers’ conference is an annual event that I adore. Three days of writers being writers.  Contests, banquets, seminars and big names in the writing world; there are opportunities to rub elbows with people you wish could emulate.  People who make a living doing what most of us do as a hobby.

I’ve learned more at these seminars than all of the English classes I took in school.  Okay, maybe that was might fault.  I mean, maybe I didn’t try too hard back then, but suddenly it all made sense after I learned from the guy who made a living out of it.

I’ve met so many people in the few years that I’ve been involved in this association.  I even met an old classmate from those days I wasn’t listening in English class.  I hadn’t seen her in many years and we both turned up at the same conference for the same reason.  We’re both writers and looking to improve our craft.

The first full weekend in May is always reserved for the OWFI writer’s conference.  There’s still time for you to sign up and attend.  Check out the website http://www.owfi.org/ .  We’d love to see you there!