It’s that time of year again. No, not tornado season, though that is always on our minds. It’s contest and conference season if you are a writer.

I inventoried my books the other day and decided I needed to order a few for upcoming events. I have an author fest in April and two book signing events in May. Then I turned to my favorite printer and talked to her about some swag. She does wonderful work and I’m still waiting for her estimate. I thought maybe a give-away with the purchase of the latest book.

The April event is at the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County’s annual Enid Author Fest. I always enjoy this event with the meet and greet of the public. I THINK I signed up to read, and I need to be ready for that! It is April 19, 2026, at the downtown library in Enid, 120 West Maine Street, Enid, OK 73701 from noon to 4:00. I hope to see you there.

The second event is the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. (OWFI) always held the first weekend in May at the Embassy Suites in Oklahoma City. It is a weekend full of fun, and learning. I get to see old friends and sit with fingers crossed that maybe I won something in one of the writing categories I entered. Many of us work all year to enter this contest. Some are good enough that they throw something on paper at the last minute, but I slave over it and then jump for joy when I win. I’m old and don’t do a lot of jumping. The conference will be April 30 – May 2, 2026, at the Embassy Suites Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport, 1815 South Meridian, Oklahoma City, OK 73108 and there is still time to join us if you like. Go to the website www.OWFI.org to enter.

The third event is the 30^th anniversary of the Twister Museum and movie in Wakita, OK 101 West Main, Wakita, OK 73771 from 10 to 5 on May 16, 2026. The original movie Twister was filmed there, and they have a museum with artifacts from the movie and there will be actors from the original movie, storm chasers, food trucks, and fun that day. There will be a few writers with books set up to sell and lots of fun for the day.

Come out and join the festivities on any or all of these days to see what is going on in this great state of ours now that it is warming up. Come join the fun!

What are you reading, writing, or creating this week?