April: Poetry Month Celebration

Last week, I was invited to speak at Collin College's Preston Ridge campus. We were celebrating National Poetry Month, which was established in 1996. I shared some of my libretto and talked about the difficulties of working with rhymes (Do I sound like Dr. Seuss here? And there? And everywhere?)

I expected, at the most, 20 people. When I arrived fifteen minutes early, there were already more than 20 people, and scores of students were streaming in. The fragrant scent of extra credit was in the air. What a beautiful aroma. All told, by the time the Dr. Gingo had two more tables installed in the room, there were about 150 people in the audience (in chairs and sitting on the floor). After JP Reese and I read, several students asked us questions. Then we all moved toward the great spread of food and schmoozed. What a great evening with inspiring students.

Blurry Pictures taken from the audience:

Today!

This morning, I spoke at the Richland College Literary Festival about why I write and why I think people in general should write, too.

Wow! It was scary and fun. The college students didn't fall sleep (score!), and they seemed interested in my little journey through the whys of writing. Thank you, Richland College, for inviting me. Thanks, especially to Sobia and Patrick for your warm welcome.

And now, in 7 minutes exactly, I've eeked into an online writer's workshop, thanks to Agent Jill. I have my wine glass (and the rest of the bottle within arm's reach) and I'm ready to listen to the pulse of the market.

Cheers!  (I'll write my response to the workshop here soon.  Stay posted!)