Writers' conference a blast!

Whew! It's only day 2 and already I need time off for a nap. Workshop with Erin Belieu meets every morning for two and a half hours. I haven't read her poetry yet (just bought a book), but she's very sharp and good at this. I've already gained new perspectives and learned to notice things I hadn't yet. Her dry humor is delicious. An assignment kept me up late doing a poem for today, but we stopped just before reading mine, so I feel groggy without the compensation. Oh well. Yesterday I tried out an afternoon workshop, which was a waste of time. The instructor only commented on the best of everyone's effort without attention to improvements needed. Then a "craft lecture" by Chris Abani, who is like a lightning strike (bought two of his books after). Guts, intensity, no bullshit. Then an evening reading: poems by Dana Levin, written after deaths of both parents, a sister, and sundry relatives -- clear-eyed death's head stuff with Aztec blood and gore mixed in. Holy shit. Then Peter Orner read humorish snatches from his life, good but overshadowed by Dana. Finally, starting at 10 pm when I should have been finishing my poem, an open mike session, to which at the last minute I failed to take any poems and was shamed (in good humor, but still). I know, but I felt queasy at the last moment here in a strange land.

Back up to Sunday evening -- a reading by Martin Espada, who oddly swiveled his hips around while reading heartfelt culturally insightful and humorous poems (I can see why his books are already gone from the teeny bookstore and his workshop was filled long before I signed up).

Today, having learned the afternoon workshops are not my best investment of time, I'm taking a much-needed break to read, check bank accounts, write here, and just relax. The food is so good I skipped lunch today, still full from breakfast. I heard that up until a couple of years ago it was humdrum institutional-type food. Now, we are bowled over by multitudes of fresh, local veggie choices and all the trimmings (yeah, meat too, but it's so dull in comparison). They even make good coffee. (Duh.)

And I haven't even mentioned the ocean! The woods! The chilly breezes and sporadic sunshine! Birds! I'm having a ball. Now that I've finally located a building where wireless internet seems to work, I'll be back, maybe with photos.