"I think that we're all mentally ill. Those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better - and maybe not all that much better after all." -- Stephen King
GCLS
Author Auction, Jewelle Gomez and Workshops … Oh, My!
GCLS Conference 2012 – Minneapolis, MN
Still in recovery mode and today is Wednesday!
This was my third year attending this awesome event. Each year it gets better. This year was amazing … and not just because it was in my home city … the whole conference had a more positive tone and a cohesiveness that I'd not experienced in the prior two years.
Jewelle Gomez, was the Keynote Speaker. Yes! Jewelle Gomez! Amazing. Strong. Funny. Eloquent. She continues to fight the fight … we'd all be well served to take a lesson or two from her playbook. I admire her, greatly. And her wedding story was touching followed by the hilarity of Jewelle's inaugural performance as officiant for a friend's wedding!
I read KG MacGregor's blog and she had this to say about Jewelle Gomez, "When I retire from writing, I’m going to follow Jewell Gomez around the country and sit at her feet while she talks about her work. She’s truly an amazing woman and we were lucky to have her at GCLS."
Amen to that.
A variety of workshops were offered. If I had the ability to clone myself, I could've attended them all! Unfortunately, I had to settle for a few.
How to Write Dialogue Like A Pro
Essential Tools to Bring Your Characters to Vivid Life
Written and Presented by Elizabeth Sims
This two part workshop was one of those few. Hilarity ensued. "Driving me bugf**k" … a line Elizabeth shared a few times throughout the workshop … stuck with me.
But seriously, Elizabeth shared a wealth of advice on dialogue:
Great nuggets of knowledge from an engaging and learned presenter. I've taken a few webinars of hers via Writers Digest and always find them useful. Elizabeth's humor draws me in and she weaves that humor, intricately, through the lessons as she teaches. I highly recommend any of her webinars. She's a truly fun and wonderful person.
Cheyne Curry & Brenda Barton: "Requiem to Survived by... Short Story to Short Film"
Cheyne explained to us how she wrote this short story for a contest and the story won an award and then morphed into an amazing and touching short film.
Hard work. Volunteers and sponsorship moved the project forward.
The story depicts the aftermath of a female soldier killed in action in Iraq. An Army chaplain is enlightened when visiting the mother of the soldier and is introduced to the woman's widow and young child – and all this happens BEFORE the repeal of DADT.
The short film was touching and Cheyne and Brenda's session was very interesting. I was impressed with both the story and the film!
Soldiers, Spies & Special Agents: Emerging Trends in Lesbian Fiction
Salem West did a super job moderating. The panel consisted of: Bev Prescott, Lynette Mae, Cheyne Curry and Barrett. Great input on military and law enforcement – real life and as characters in books.
Unfortunately, those were the only workshops I was able to attend as I had to slot time for my duties --
It was my honor and privilege to serve as the Awards Administrator this year. A daunting task that at times over the past several months had me teetering on the brink of insanity! (Hyperbolic? Perhaps.) The upside was being a part of the ultimate event - the Awards Ceremony. (Upside, EXCEPT for the minor detail of my having to address a roomful of people at the beginning! Shaking in my boots and all.)
My sincerest congratulations go to all the winners this year. (Visit goldencrown.org to see the phenomenal list of finalists and winners.) And we couldn’t have arrived at the memorable moments of giving awards if it weren't for the 33 volunteers who judged all the books. You were all steadfast and dedicated to the cause. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Without volunteers like these folks, the awards wouldn't happen.
I owe a huge THANK YOU to Mary Phillips, Director of Finance and Awards Liaison. Mary assisted me during the ceremony … placing the awards on stage as the finalists were read by the presenter(s). We had a smooth flowing system going on! Mary was a rock for my nerve wracked self.
And our "Wocket," Director of Education and Interim Director of Technology, did a smashing job with the slideshow presentation. No glitches. No gremlins. Smooth sailing all the way! Whew!
Probably the most meaningful segment for me was the very last award, the Lee Lynch Classics Award. I was tasked with forming a committee to research, review and write a proposal for submission to the Board of Directors based on Lori L. Lake's suggestion for creating this new award. We worked and re-worked the proposal and the Board approved it, including having the "kickoff" this year by awarding it to the incomparable Lee Lynch for her book, "The Swashbuckler."
I so admire and respect Lee. All the writing she did for years and years without any recognition for her talent and efforts. And her unwavering commitment to pushing through adversity to seek out change – blazing a path for all of us that followed behind her. She is a remarkable person and I feel so privileged to know her – a true class act, an inspiration and a hero to me.
Everyone: Board of Directors, volunteers, authors, readers, editors, publishers, sponsors and hotel staff made this the best conference I've attended! So much talent. So much fun. And I could feel the love. Kudos to all!!
Dallas/Ft Worth, here we come! (2013)
After hanging out with so many talented and supportive folks I feel inspired to get back to my writing.
Still in recovery mode and today is Wednesday!
This was my third year attending this awesome event. Each year it gets better. This year was amazing … and not just because it was in my home city … the whole conference had a more positive tone and a cohesiveness that I'd not experienced in the prior two years.
Jewelle Gomez, was the Keynote Speaker. Yes! Jewelle Gomez! I read KG MacGregor's blog and she had this to say about Jewelle Gomez, "When I retire from writing, I’m going to follow Jewell Gomez around the country and sit at her feet while she talks about her work. She’s truly an amazing woman and we were lucky to have her at GCLS."
Amen to that.
A variety of workshops were offered. If I had the ability to clone myself, I could've attended them all! Unfortunately, I had to settle for a few.
How to Write Dialogue Like A ProEssential Tools to Bring Your Characters to Vivid Life
Written and Presented by Elizabeth Sims
This two part workshop was one of those few. Hilarity ensued. "Driving me bugf**k" … a line Elizabeth shared a few times throughout the workshop … stuck with me.
But seriously, Elizabeth shared a wealth of advice on dialogue:
Great nuggets of knowledge from an engaging and learned presenter. I've taken a few webinars of hers via Writers Digest and always find them useful. Elizabeth's humor draws me in and she weaves that humor, intricately, through the lessons as she teaches. I highly recommend any of her webinars. She's a truly fun and wonderful person.
Cheyne Curry & Brenda Barton: "Requiem to Survived by... Short Story to Short Film"Cheyne explained to us how she wrote this short story for a contest and the story won an award and then morphed into an amazing and touching short film.
Hard work. Volunteers and sponsorship moved the project forward.
The story depicts the aftermath of a female soldier killed in action in Iraq. An Army chaplain is enlightened when visiting the mother of the soldier and is introduced to the woman's widow and young child – and all this happens BEFORE the repeal of DADT.
The short film was touching and Cheyne and Brenda's session was very interesting. I was impressed with both the story and the film!
Soldiers, Spies & Special Agents: Emerging Trends in Lesbian FictionSalem West did a super job moderating. The panel consisted of: Bev Prescott, Lynette Mae, Cheyne Curry and Barrett. Great input on military and law enforcement – real life and as characters in books.
Unfortunately, those were the only workshops I was able to attend as I had to slot time for my duties --
It was my honor and privilege to serve as the Awards Administrator this year. A daunting task that at times over the past several months had me teetering on the brink of insanity! (Hyperbolic? Perhaps.) The upside was being a part of the ultimate event - the Awards Ceremony. (Upside, EXCEPT for the minor detail of my having to address a roomful of people at the beginning! Shaking in my boots and all.)
My sincerest congratulations go to all the winners this year. (Visit goldencrown.org to see the phenomenal list of finalists and winners.) And we couldn’t have arrived at the memorable moments of giving awards if it weren't for the 33 volunteers who judged all the books. You were all steadfast and dedicated to the cause. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Without volunteers like these folks, the awards wouldn't happen.
I owe a huge THANK YOU to Mary Phillips, Director of Finance and Awards Liaison. Mary assisted me during the ceremony … placing the awards on stage as the finalists were read by the presenter(s). We had a smooth flowing system going on!
And our "Wocket," Director of Education and Interim Director of Technology, did a smashing job with the slideshow presentation. No glitches. No gremlins. Smooth sailing all the way! Whew!
Probably the most meaningful segment for me was the very last award, the Lee Lynch Classics Award. I was tasked with forming a committee to research, review and write a proposal for submission to the Board of Directors based on Lori L. Lake's suggestion for creating this new award. We worked and re-worked the proposal and the Board approved it, including having the "kickoff" this year by awarding it to the incomparable Lee Lynch for her book, "The Swashbuckler."
I so admire and respect
Everyone: Board of Directors, volunteers, authors, readers, editors, publishers, sponsors and hotel staff made this the best conference I've attended! So much talent. So much fun. And I could feel the love. Kudos to all!!
Dallas/Ft Worth, here we come! (2013)
After hanging out with so many talented and supportive folks I feel inspired to get back to my writing.