Bring on the Dancing Horses

Michael Lowe | Photos by Patti Blake

PANAMA CITY — Lightning and driving rain kept the “blood moon” at bay early Tuesday morning, though a power outage brought the full effect of a lunar eclipse to life in the night.

Our ancestors quaked in fear on nights when the moon turned dark and red, interpreting the event as a warning of evil times or the anger of their gods. For me, at least, the reaction was mild disappointment at a natural spectacle passing invisibly beyond the cloud cover.

But now I have to wonder if it’s worse to know what you’re missing than to discover that you miss something only after it’s gone?

… Bear with me here as I search for the metaphor that will tie these concepts together.

Me, reading from 'Caliban'

Tuesday night, I participated at Writers Gallery, a monthly gathering of local writers at Chez Amavida coffee shop in Panama City. The event is an open mic night, with writers reading their recent work — poems, short stories, excerpts. In past months, the event filled the venue to capacity, but this week few people read or attended to listen.

A young woman remarked that Writers Gallery should be packed because the area is home to a number of writers in all genres, not to mention people who love to read. But Michael Lowe, a poet and fiction writer who has tried to promote the event, said he expected Writers Gallery to fade away soon because of flagging attendance.

“I’m no Nick May …” Michael suggested, referring to the young author who established Writers Gallery a few years ago, moving it from Joey’s Java Juice to other venues until settling at Chez Amavida; Nick and his wife, Kayla, moved to Pensacola recently to support a branch of Northstar Church, placing the fate of Writers Gallery in the hands of its participants.

Attendance has steadily declined since then, Michael said. With only three readers on Tuesday, the handwriting was on the wall.

From Wikipedia

About that time, the shop’s sound system — the background soundtrack for our conversation — began playing “Bring on the Dancing Horses” by Echo and the Bunnymen, a song that always seemed to be more about the end of an era than simple self-destruction.

(In retrospect, I’m wondering if it referred to those of us who nervously stood up to read as being little more diverting than dancing horses. “Shiver and say the words of every lie you’ve ever heard,” the song continues.)

But at that moment, I thought about signs and portents, which made me reconsider the eclipse. The “blood moon.” Harbinger of the end times. In case we didn’t get the message the first time around (or, as happened locally, the eclipse was called on account of rain) the gods have decreed four blood moons between last Tuesday and September of 2015.

From Space.com

These events are caused, scientists will tell you, because the orbit of the full moon takes it through the Earth’s umbral shadow, cast because the sun is at the opposite side of the planet at just the right angle for us to see the shadow envelope our heavenly orb. The red coloration appears because the faint ring of sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere falls on the lunar surface like the crimson glow of a sunset.

There will be other chances to see these eclipses in months to come, just as there will be other chances to listen or share at Writers Gallery in months to come.

You know what you’re missing now. If you miss it in the future, it’s on you — or perhaps you can blame it on the weather. In either case, it likely won’t mean the end of the world, just the eventual absence of something some of us think is special.

Peace.

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(This is my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald this week.)

Authors to present secrets behind scary stories

Lou Columbus reads at Writers Gallery

PANAMA CITY — The stories were ghostly and ghastly at Chez Amavida on Tuesday.

Among them, Lynn Wallace told of the fearful zombies hiding from costumed children on Halloween, Wayne Garrett told a spooky story of a traveler on a rainy bayou, and Lou Columbus related what happens when someone gets fed up with Facebook posts.

From their tales in the new ghost story anthology, “Between There,” Anthony Buoni read aloud a tale of haunted and hated pet, and Ruth Corley read the opening section of a story of ghostly vengeance. I read part of a tale of Jack Kerouac facing the zombie plague on the road in 1953, from my new collection, “Tales of the Awakening Dead.”

But the storytelling is far from over for the season. A more scholarly approach will take place Oct. 25 at the Bay County Public Library in Panama City, as three local authors explore the nature of evil in literature — and try to drum up support for “Friends of the Library.”

Michael Goldcraft, Ann Marie Knapp and Carl Lee, members of the Panama City chapter of the Florida Writers Association, will present talks on vampire legends and literary trends, the nature of menace as a literary effect, and other secrets of writing horror tales. Each will give four short talks over the course of the afternoon and read excerpts from their books.

Presentations start at the top of each hour — noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. — and end with about 15 minutes to chat with audience members and possibly sign books. No hour is the same.

“The objective is to support the Friends of the Bay County Library by trying to invite more people to become ‘Friends of the Library’ by buying memberships at this presentation,” Goldcraft said. Memberships are $10 for individuals, $20 for families, $100 for patrons and $200 for corporations.

Here’s a peek at their presentations:

Michael Goldcraft

l Goldcraft (a pen name for Michael Brim) will discuss the creation of his horror works, including the short story collection “Thirteen Tales of Eclectic Evil,” and his “Dark Lyfe Trilogy” — “Ascent of Evil,” “Inherited Evil,” and “Arcanum of Evil.”

Ann Marie Knapp

l Knapp (the pen name for Dr. Kelley Kline) will discuss “The Myth of the Vampire,” “The Modern Fictional Vampire.” “The Concept of Menace” and “Murder Most Maddening.” She’ll start with a focus on the etiology of the vampire myth from Sumer in 4000 BC to the legendary acts of Vlad the Impaler, which set the stage for Bram Stoker’s depiction of Dracula.

Her second talk will focus on the dramatic shift from vampires as antagonists to protagonists with the groundbreaking release of Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” (1976). Her latter sessions will cover homicide, menace in literature, and include excerpts from her book, “Ascent of the Immortal.”

l Lee’s four sessions will be based on “the four M’s” of horror writing. Three are being kept secret, but one is “Menace.” Self-described as a lifelong lover of science fiction and horror writing, Lee is currently in the final stretch of finishing his debut novel, “The Voice in My Head,” while working to complete his psychology degree at FSU-Panama City.

“The definition for ‘menace’ is a person or thing that is likely to cause harm,” Lee said. “After all, the most memorable killers captured within the pages of a good horror book have exuded menace in varying degrees. Take Hannibal Lector, Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein’s monster or Dracula as examples.”

Lee added that sometimes fear can permeate an entire novel as a faceless, discorporate dread, giving the Harry Potter series as an example.

“From the very beginning, (Voldemort’s) presence runs throughout the plot’s entire tapestry like a storm cloud threatening to rain,” Lee said. “But he never regains his actual body until the end of book four. Up until that point, his menace is conveyed through hushed whispers and talk of dark deeds.”

Like ghost stories told in the black of night.

Peace. 

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(This is my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald this week.)

‘Between There’ features ghostly tales

PANAMA CITY — A young deputy trying to make a name for himself opens a cold case and is visited on Halloween by a restless spirit as he answers a call to Econfina Creek.

Homeless men witness a murder while hanging out under Hathaway Bridge.

Two supernatural creatures are involved in a paranormal investigation of Bay County’s Tram Road.

Those are descriptions of “Cold Case” by Ruth Corley, “The Dog Watch” by Mark Boss, and “Elusive Prey” by Anthony S. Buoni, three of 13 frightening tales in the new anthology, “Between There” Vol. 2.

Such ghostly stories will be on tap Tuesday evening at Chez Amavida in Panama City, which is hosting the launch party for “Between There” in conjunction with Writers Gallery, the monthly open mic gathering for local writers. Books will be for sale, and everyone will be invited to play haunted bingo for door prizes. Costumes are encouraged.

“The coffee shop has been home to the Writers’ Gallery meetings on the third Tuesday of each month, allowing local authors a stage for sharing their work,” Buoni said. “This month’s meeting will not only let writers read their material, but will showcase several authors featured in the anthology, reading and signing copies of the book.”

Buoni describes himself as “a haunted writer” living in Panama City Beach whose work has been featured in magazines, noir anthologies and his own local underground ’zine “the meow.” In addition to writing, he is a musician, father and ghost hunter.

“Between There” Vol. 2, , released by Pulpwood Press, features the work of regional and national writers exploring what happens when departed souls intrude upon everyday lives. Ranging from mystery and horror to philosophy and erotica, the book showcases short stories, flash fiction, campfire yarns and a screenplay that brings readers not quite to the realm of Death, but somewhere between here and there.

Many of the writers involved are from Bay County. Joining Buoni, Corley and Boss are N. Wayne Garrett, Conrad Young, Brittany Lamoureux, Kyle Clements, Angela Apperson and Joseph Davis. Others include Autumn Lishky from Oklahoma, Dee Jordan from Mobile, Ala., and Jacqueline Seewald, previously nominated for a Nebula Award for her short story, “Touched by Wonder.”

Mark Boss at left, Ruth Corley at right

 (Full disclosure: I’m part of a writing critique group that includes Boss and Corley (see photo at left for the whole group posing with author Tim Dorsey), and one of my short stories appeared in the first volume of “Between There.” I’m also a regular participant at Writers Gallery.)

Corley is a fiction writer in addition to her job as public information specialist with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. The two interests led her down a surprising trail as she wrote “Cold Case.”

“I love to hear the stories of the ‘old days’ in law enforcement here in Bay County,” she said. “A friend told me how the top floor of the old Old Jail (before what we now refer to as the Old Jail/BCSO Office was built, which used to be next to the Court House) was considered haunted. … I thought I would use that bit of folklore in a story and set it back in 1990, when both buildings were used simultaneously. Oh, to make it even creepier, the county morgue was housed in the basement of the old Old Jail, which also gave the building a unique ambience.”

Boss, a freelance editor and author of thrillers, said his inspiration came from multiple sources.

“The title has a double meaning,” he said. “It refers to a dog they see, and it’s also the nautical term for the short watches on a ship that take place between 4 to 6 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. I drew on the excellent work our local Association of St. Jude does in helping the homeless, and combined that with a scary location. The stuff about the dog and the murder, I made up.”

Corley said her characters often surprise her as she’s in the process of writing.

And that bodes well for a book about things that go bump in the night.

(Rest in) Peace. 

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BOOK LAUNCH
What: Release party for ghost story anthology ‘Between There’; books for sale; play haunted bingo for door prizes; costumes encouraged
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15
Where: Chez Amavida, 2997 W. 10th St., Panama City

(This is my column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald this week.)

Get Lit: Book culture thriving

Creative Con lurker.

PANAMA CITY — Somebody asked me what groups are active in the area for people interested in becoming better writers. I threw a book at them.

Not really, but there’s no shortage of places for writers and readers to turn for inspiration, nuts-and-bolts information, and creative support around here. Between conferences, monthly group meetings and public readings, the local book culture appears to be healthy — and much of that is due to the direct support of the Bay County Public Library.

An estimated 1,500 people of all ages attended the recent Creative Con at the library, 898 W. 11th St. in Panama City. The event focused on graphic arts and comic books, which are many a child’s gateway to reading.

Next up, the library will welcome internationally best-selling authors Cassandra King and Pat Conroy for a pair of events to raise funds and awareness for the library’s annual Books Alive conference. Catch King and Conroy at a reception Sept. 12 (tickets are $55, which includes a copy of King’s new novel, “Moonrise”) or see them for free at the library 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 13.

For details on these events, check out our Calendar pages, visit NWRLS.com, or email Bettina Mead at bmead@baycountyfl.gov. (Click here for a full interview with King.)

Meanwhile, the library is also planning its annual Local Books Alive event, featuring authors from this area, on Oct. 12. Check back for details as they’re announced. In addition, the library hosts these writing and storytelling groups each month in its meeting room:

The Panhandle Writers Guild meets 1 to 3 p.m. on the third Tuesday, September through May. Details: PWGConnections.net

The local chapter of the Florida Writers Association meets 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the last Thursday. Details: Email Mike Brim at msbrim@comcast.net

Bay Storytellers Guild meets 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday. Details: Facebook.com/BayStorytellers

Books in Motion is the library’s book and film club, encouraging people to read classic books and view the classic films based on the books. Screenings held at 5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday; the title showing Sept. 17 is “East of Eden” starring James Dean, based on the novel by John Steinbeck.

But that’s not all. Other writing groups hold monthly meetings around town:

The Panama City Writers Association: 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday in the St. Andrew Civic Club, 2629 W. 10th St. New members and visitors are welcome. Details: PanamaCityWriters.org

Writers Gallery: 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday at Chez Amavida in St. Andrews. Hear local writers share their recent work in the open mic setting, or share some of your own words.

Writers Aglow, a special group for Christian writers, has two times for meetings: 3 to 5 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday at Panera Bread by Panama City Mall, 908 E. 23rd St.; and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the third Thursday at Country Inn & Suites, 2203 Harrison Ave. Details: Email samla2@juno.com or visit WritersAglow.com

And later this month, the 14th annual Gulf Coast Writers Conference, established by local author Michael Lister, will offer free admission for the first time. The event will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Language Arts building of Gulf Coast State College, 5230 W. U.S. 98.

Joining Michael as presenters are Lynne Barrett, Cricket Freeman, Ben Leroy, Jeff Koterba, Terry Lewis, Lynn Wallace, Glynn Alam and others. The conference will combine with Michael’s annual River Readings event to focus on inspiration, spirituality and creativity. Details: GulfCoastWriters.com

Also, check out the NAACP Youth Council’s “Speak On It” gatherings (the most recent was Aug. 30) by following them at Facebook.com/BNYC850. Poets, emcees, singers, artists of any variety are encouraged to participate.

There are also untold numbers of small critique groups and pop-up open mics in the region. Keep an eye out, and keep writing.

Peace. 

(This was my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com this week.)

Connecting the Dots

PANAMA CITY — I try to notice when the universe starts speaking. Unfortunately, I seldom understand what it’s trying to say, but I’m learning to live with the mystery.

Regular readers of these columns may recall that I have admitted before how reason and faith are comfortable companions in my brain. This mystifies both my spiritual and atheist friends, which of course amuses me.

Look, I know we live in a random universe, but I continue to believe in signs, seeing meaning behind events that have no obvious connections — what others might call “coincidence.” Maybe it’s just magical thinking, but I can’t help opening myself to any deeper meaning when synchronicity smacks me upside the head.

It happened earlier this week, but all I know for sure in retrospect is that I was where I was supposed to be at that time. Abiding, one might say.

I came to the coffee shop to conduct an interview. The coffee of the day was “approved by The Dude,” according to a drawing of a bearded man wearing sunglasses that had been scrawled on brown paper behind the counter.

(You might recall The Dude in the film “The Big Lebowski” being accosted by the Nihilists, who tell him, “We believe in nothing.” I was thinking, right then, I believe I forgot my sunglasses today, and then recalled The Dude exclaiming, “Careful man, there’s a beverage here,” as I picked up my order.)

A few minutes later, I was talking to young singer/songwriter Kristen Barkuloo about songs that speak to us. She said she wanted her music to remind people of meaningful times in their lives. I mentioned that there are a few songs that do so for me, and one artist in particular.

Seconds later, David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” began playing over the sound system and goosebumps rose on my arms. (Bowie released his latest music video, "Valentine's Day," on Tuesday, the day following this interview.)

Barkuloo talked about a song she was inspired to write after a young friend died in a car wreck, and I thought of my own history with similar tragedy. She talked of getting into theater productions and studying under Bruce Taws, and I further connected that to my son, a songwriter and singer who did theater with Bruce years ago, and whose best friend died in a car wreck.

So now we talked about linkages, connections.

She mentioned that she also wrote fiction, and I encouraged her to visit Writers Gallery, a monthly open mic for writers hosted at Chez Amavida that will reconvene in September after a summer hiatus. I told her it was organized a couple of years ago by local author Nick May, and then I looked to my left and saw Nick opening the café door.

Greetings all around followed, and more talk of strange connections. As The Stranger said, “I don’t know about you, but I take comfort in that.”

Peace.
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(This is my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald for this week.) 

Undercurrents: Getting there one word at a time

Kayla and Nick at Writers Gallery

PANAMA CITY — One word at a time.

That seemed to be the lesson at Tuesday night’s gathering of the Writers Gallery.

On the third Tuesday of each month, local writers meet at Chez Amavida in the historic St. Andrews neighborhood to read something they’ve been working on, or to share a passage from their published work. The readings range from poetry to prose, and within those areas are encompassed true stories, dark fictions, regional farce, religious testimonials and philosophies. You might not like all of it, but chances are you’ll love some of it.

It can be a boisterous crowd, as some others in the coffee shop discovered Tuesday. We applaud each reader when they finish, and when those applause coincide with someone entering the shop, they can be taken aback.

Of course, a few of the regulars are lurkers. That is, they listen, they watch, they applaud when appropriate, but they don’t enter the spotlight to expose themselves (metaphorically).

One word at a time was how one of the readers progressed through his effort. Upon making acquaintance with the microphone after several invitations from our emcee, Kayla May, the man explained how he drew letters on a page until they made words, then grouped words on the page until they made sentences. However, he wasn’t sure if the sentences made sense, even as he began to read them.

I can relate. I suppose you, dear readers, can too.

(I flashed back a couple of days, to a morning when I stopped alongside Delwood Road to remove a small turtle from the street. I watched it plod, one step at a time toward the trees, and wondered how long it would take for it to reach its destination. I was reminded that life’s about the journey, the steps, rather than the goal, which is ever changing.)

One word at a time also was how Kayla bravely made her way through reading the story of a Gallery regular who prefers not to read his own work aloud. Her willingness to proceed through the pronunciation of unfamiliar words lent a new level of enjoyment to the experience.

The monthly event, beginning its third year, was organized by Nick May, Kayla’s husband, the author of “Megabelt” and “MinuteMen,” and a worship arts leader at Northstar Church in Panama City. On Tuesday, he read from a blog about his creative process and the importance of prayer. (You can see the whole thing at his site, HeyNickMay.com.)

Like most writers of any discernment, Nick gives himself a hard time. It’s no easy thing to find a balance between real-world obligation and the desire for creative expression, between family and fiction, between words and the Word.

His blog ends with a self-admonition we could all embrace: “So here goes … one word at a time.”

Peace.

(This is my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald this week.)

Annual exhibit supports ‘Art for Change’ project

PANAMA CITY — Proceeds from the fifth annual Northstar Arts show will be used to beautify the county and provide “artistically altered” benches and trash receptacles at Bay Town Trolley stops.

The Northstar Arts show and sale will be 7-9 p.m. today (Friday, March 1) at CityArts Cooperative in downtown Panama City. The project is sponsored by Northstar Church in Panama City, which sees art as a way of having a positive effect on the community.

“The event has grown exponentially every year,” said Nick May, the church arts director, who also is a novelist and founded the monthly Writers Gallery gathering. Nick added that the venue changed from the church to the co-op this year because CityArts is pre-equipped for such events, which cuts down drastically on setup time.

“It’s also a gesture of artistic camaraderie,” Nick said. “Northstar Church — and specifically Northstar Arts — has long been a patron and supporter of the local arts community. We believe artists are important to God, so they are definitely important to us.”

Last year, 314 pieces by more than 25 artists were featured, and 47 pieces sold for a total of $2,566 in only two hours, Nick said. The 10 percent of sales kept by the church was used to support an ongoing mission to aid the people of Kiu, a village in Kenya, in a clean water project.

As before, 90 percent of each sale will go to the artist (which is unheard of for most gallery events) and 10 percent will go to a church initiative. This year, the church has decided to use its share of the proceeds to provide for this community.

“Traveling around the Bay County area, it’s not difficult to spot a trolley stop with someone standing waiting for the bus,” said Northstar communications director Sonya Henderson. “One day, a member of our arts staff spotted an elderly lady standing holding groceries without a place to sit, and it struck a chord with them. After a conversation with a couple of other staff members, we began exploring the idea of putting benches and trash cans at some trolley stops that lacked these amenities.”

The idea, she said, was to create functional art installations. They contacted the folks at Bay Town Trolley and learned that financial limitations keep the BTT from providing these amenities at every stop. Both parties became excited by the possibilities a partnership could produce.

The Trolley Stop Project will be the first part of Northstar’s “Art for Change” initiative. Online concept submissions from artists will be taken in mid-March, final designs will be presented in April, and the plan is to have three benches installed by the end of May. Northstar will provide benches, trash cans and a materials budget for each of the installations.

The project won’t end there. The goal is to provide similar installations for every stop in a “captivating way” over the next few years, Sonya said.

“We believe that art can make a difference and is vital to community development,” she said. “We want each stop to be creative, beautiful, and serve as a place of rest for every trolley patron.”

Peace. 

Northstar Arts Fifth Annual Art Show

• Where: CityArts Cooperative, 318 Luverne Ave., Panama City

• When: 7-9 p.m. today

• Admission: Free, and open to the public

• Details: NorthstarArts.cc or Facebook.com/

(This is my Undercurrents column for PanamaCity.com and The News Herald for Friday, March 1.)

Between There

I'm pretty happy with Between There, a new anthology that was just released, containing my sci-fi ghost story "Space Oddity," as well as a poem by my son. There are stories by editor Anthony Buoni, GCSC professor Lynn Wallace, and several others. It's available through Pulpwood Press, or via Amazon.com here.

Tuesday, I read my story at the Writers Gallery meeting at The Purple Grape. Anthony read his story as well.


That night I also got some details regarding a Christmas Eve performance I was asked to participate in at Northstar Church. Apparently, the folks putting the event together like my "grandfatherly" reading voice and want me to narrate a portion of the show; they will dress me in a smoking jacket, give me a pipe as a prop and have me sit in an easy chair to read while the band goes through some music and some original paintings are projected on a big screen.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Meanwhile, I'm still behind the curve on my NaNoWriMo project. I hope to close the gap a bit tonight. Wish me luck.

Peace.

Writer's Gallery Tonight

I'll be reading at Writer's Gallery tonight. Last time I read the first chapter of The Book of Gabriel. The time before that, I read a couple of shorts from The Best of Days. This time I will read a work in progress, the first sequence of my new novel project, "This Mortal Flesh." It will not be for everyone, and I'm very nervous about reading a first draft piece of a work I'm still nudging to life.

Writer's Gallery details here.

I had coffee today with Kathie Bennett, who gave me an ACTION PLAN for this new project. She was to address the Panhandle Writers Guild later today on some of these same topics. (She was in town for her dad's birthday, and because it was just a year ago that they lost her mom.) Kathie is a great supporter; she makes me believe I can actually write.

I work well with deadlines. My biggest success in recent years was forcing myself to do the 366 Days project that resulted in Best of Days and Book of Gabriel. I plan to use NANOWRIMO to make myself finish a first draft of the new project. And then, to Kathie's action plan. Cross your fingers.

Peace.

Education Encore and Others

Nick May speaking to my class.

It has been a good month for writing, reading, and talking about writing and reading.

My Education Encore class began Friday, and I think it was a success. I had 13 women in the class (no men) and a visit from Nick May, author of Megabelt and the upcoming Minutemen. We talked about the elements of story, wrote character descriptions of ourselves (I encouraged them to make things up so the reader wouldn't know what was actual and what was virtual), and had a drawing for a writing book (I picked some up at the Borders slash-and-burn sale).

This Friday, we define "plots" (where characters are buried when they die), have another book drawing and a visit from author Mark Boss, who recently reviewed my novel "The Book of Gabriel" on his blog. I think it will be another productive and fun day. (I made the mistake of promising to try to write a story based on a few of the odd topics in the news that day. I'll share it here later this week.)

Writers Gallery

Last Tuesday was the first anniversary of Writers Gallery, a gathering I've been attending lately where we read samples of our work. It's open to all ages, genres, genders, and ability; there's no judgment passed, just sharing. This month, we met at Purple Grape, a wine bar in St. Andrews.

Writers Gallery

I took a few pictures, read the opening chapter of TBoG, had a glass of wine with my friends Sean and Stephanie, talked with people I don't get to see often enough, and heard some interesting poetry and stories. Lou and I discussed briefly the ongoing plan. I also met Shelby Vick, an editor of the online pulp magazine Planetary Stories. (I plan to send him some tales soon.)

Michael Lister, Olivia Cooley

A week ago Saturday, I sat in on two sessions at the annual Gulf Coast Writers Conference at Gulf Coast State College. The event, organized by author Michael Lister, brings readers and writers from across the region together. I participated in a panel on Short Story and one on "Other" types of writing (memoir, essay, review, etc.). In addition, the author John Dufresne gave the keynote address at lunch. John is a terrifically talented short story writer and novelist, and university professor. He stayed in town for the week, leading sessions at the nearby Rosemary Beach Conference for Writers; I had planned to get out there during the week for the evening readings, but could never swing the free time. (Here's something I wrote last time I went to the Rosemary conference; I was in a weird mood.)

Aside: The mail just arrived, including 13 more "New 52" first issues from DC. I'll have brief reviews in the next couple of days.

Peace.