Yesterday was full of fun! I started the morning with a workshop hosted by the Enid Writers Club. We had 3 dynamic speakers: Stephen Jones, John T. Biggs, and Rilla Askew. There were about 35 people in attendance at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and we enjoyed the intimate setting. I met some new people and as always gathered some new ideas.

The idea was to have 3 very different speakers, and we did.

Stephen Jones spoke about the Oklahoma City Bombing and his defense of Timothy McVeigh. He has published a book: Others Unknown: The Oklahoma City Bombing Case and Conspiracy, with Peter Israel, 2001. He talked about the process of bringing that book to publication.

John Biggs talked about Magic Realism, the role of magical thinking in the human condition and naturally in literature. His books: Shiners, which won the OWFI award for best published book in 2017, Clementine–a song to end the world, and Sacred Alarm Clock were available, and his talk was about the brain and the human condition for thinking about magic.

Rilla Askew’s speech was titled Facts, Freedom, and Fancy: Research & Imagination in Historical Fiction. Her books Fire in Beulah, Harpsong, Kind of Kin, and Most American: Notes from a Wounded Place, and her most recent novel, Prize for the Fire, is about the Early Modern Reformist and writer Anne Askew, who was burned as a heretic at Smithfield in 1546.

Three different speakers and hopefully something for everyone. It was a great time, and I met some new people. It was a winning situation.

Then to top the evening off we had tickets to see Blood Sweat & Tears locally. Being a child of the 70’s I was a big fan, in the day, and they are still going great. Only one original band member was present, but it didn’t ruin the music. Our son went with us (a big musical fan) and even at his age, he had a great time.

I fell into bed exhausted but happy. If every day were that much fun, you couldn’t live with me. My smile was plastered to my face. I learned a lot and had way too much fun.

What are you reading/writing this week?