Writers at the Beach 2010

I came home a few hours ago from Writers at the Beach, the only writers' conference I know that supports a charity, in this case Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children to help defray medical costs of those being treated there for Mitochondrial disease. It's a worthwhile cause and it's one thing that makes the conference special.

But it's also special because of the people who attend. Although I worked hard at the conference--I taught a workshop, sat on two panels, gave three manuscript critiques and a reading--I was also able to meet lots of other writers, including Robert Bausch, Sheri Reynolds, Steve Luxenberg, and to hang out with writers I already knew like Liam Callanan, Khris Baxter, Logan Ward, Anne Colwell, and James Keegan. It was also nice to make some new friends in writers C.M. Mayo, Catherine Carter, Devon Miller-Duggan, and others, including the conference director, Maribeth Fischer.

Although it was an exhausting few days, it was well worth it, not only for the camaraderie of writers, but also because of the great cause it supports. Check it out when the conference rolls around next year!