Back from Ann Arbor
I had an amazing time teaching at the 826 Michigan conference—I loved my students, and it was great to meet Betsy Lerner. I’d read Betsy’s book The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers ten years ago, when it first came out and all my writer friends were passing it around. She’s even more wonderful in person. She’s now an agent, partnered with Henry Dunow and Jennifer Carlson. Her blog is a must-read.
One of the great things about the 826 centers is that they each have a store—the Pirate Store, the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store, the Bigfoot Research Institute, and the Robot Supply & Repair Store. I hope that the next 826 that opens will have a Fairy and Ogre store. . . my daughter would love this. (As would I. What’s not to love about wee forest folk brandishing light bulbs?)
Also: I got to go to Zingerman’s twice. I had a nice long talk with the fish guy, who gingerly sliced a gigantic hunk of sable and packed me a little to-go meal. I would like to marry him.
Happiness:
Filed in Books 9 Comments so far
Sean Morgan on 09 Jun 2011 at 1:33 pm #
Perhaps marrying the fish guy would make the pizza guy back at Lucali good and jealous…
Margo on 09 Jun 2011 at 3:23 pm #
I’m going to have to move to Utah and marry both of them.
Jackie on 09 Jun 2011 at 5:30 pm #
I fully support you moving to Utah!
Margo on 09 Jun 2011 at 7:56 pm #
Jackie, only if Lucali and Fish Guy move there first!
Jackie on 12 Jun 2011 at 12:56 pm #
I will get to work on that.
Hope Vestergaard on 13 Jun 2011 at 2:01 pm #
Darn! I don’t know how I missed this fantastic happening in my own backyard, except that it’s the end of the year and the soccer season and everything else. I would have loved to hear both you and Betsy Lerner! I just googled your name to get the book title exactly right because I’m recommending it to a friend. 826Michigan is a great organization.
Margo on 13 Jun 2011 at 4:07 pm #
Hope, I’ll be teaching there again next June, so hopefully you can make it then! If you’re interested, I can forward your email to the director of the conference so he can keep you posted–just let me know. Thank you for recommending my book to your friend!
Sherry Stanfa-Stanley on 14 Jun 2011 at 6:30 pm #
The workshop was a terrific experience, and it was great meeting you. Glad to hear you’re coming back next year. I’m hoping it will fit into my schedule. I suggested to Keith that we focus on “sagging middles.” A bit of an idealistic thought–that I’ll be done with this ms and halfway through the next…
So when did you fit in TWO trips to Zingerman’s, and how did I miss those?
Margo on 14 Jun 2011 at 9:46 pm #
Sherry, it was so much fun getting to hang out with you. I love the idea of focusing on sagging middles…a kind of gastric bypass surgery for novels.
I snuck off to Zingerman’s every chance I could! Next year we can gorge on the smoked fishes together. (Though that won’t help my sagging middle.)