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?
Happy fall! It has finally cooled off in Oklahoma and we are hoping for some rain. But the temperatures are wonderful. Sweater weather has arrived.
I did a girl thing this week—a mother/daughter/cousin thing. And we had so much fun! My daughter and I flew to Oakland, California and stayed at my cousin’s daughter’s (would she be a cousin or second cousin?) house and then drove to Sonoma, California for wine tasting. We had a darling Airbnb and shopped, tasted wine, and ate fabulous food. The youngest of the bunch did the driving in California and we saw San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge from a distance. We toured the Jack London home/museum and his surrounding ranch. We sampled wine from exquisite cellars. My cousin and daughter might or might not have gotten lost in a hedge maze. (We could hear them giggling so we knew they would eventually come back.)
When my first child was two years old, I enrolled in a yoga class at the local church. They had continuing education classes and that seemed like a good idea for a stressed-out mother of a two-year-old. And I loved it. It gave me stress relief and I soon found out it also enhanced my strength. I had never been an athlete, but I soon learned how much better I felt when I exercised.
The air went from crisp to heat again this week. Thursday is the first day of fall and someone needs to tell the Oklahoma weather. I wrote about how cool it was last week, and of course we’re back to heat again.
On October 15, in Enid, Oklahoma, the Enid Writers Club will host 100 Years of Writing a day-long workshop held at St. Matthews Episcopal Church featuring three very different writers. There will be something for everyone.
Today is a somber day, 9/11 or September 11, Patriots Day. I thought about reminiscing about that horrible day but decided to go with something a little more upbeat.
I told you last week that my writing club will soon be celebrating 100 years of writing. And we’re doing a few things leading up to that day.
My oldest granddaughter flew in from Colorado this week to visit family. We’re thrilled to see her. My daughter’s side of the family will meet for dinner at her house, and I was asked to bring my mother-in-law’s Cream Cake. It is a favorite of the granddaughter’s.
It’s Sunday and time for another blog! I thought we might talk a little about writing this morning. There are many aspects of storytelling, but one that stands out is always the perfect first line.
