Photos by Mike Irwin
Write on the River (the Columbia, you know) was a huge hit this weekend. Some impressions:
We sold out – 172 people attending.
Jess Walter is the best keynote speaker in the universe.
People were excited about writing, meeting authors, and brownies at breaks.
We fixed all problems from Last year, and then five Different things blew up.
We brought in two agents (right here in Wenatchee!) Hugely popular.
No one passed out in the parking lot. (I *told* you we fixed some problems)
Brian McDonald now has a vast Wenatchee fan base (That ought to boost his nat’l profile!)
We learned how to write memoirs, put fire in fiction, position our books, use “armiture” to focus story and be gracious when the brownies ran out.
Keynote Jess Walter is a hugely engaging speaker. He talked about the joy of writing amid the distractions of the marketplace, his early hero worship of Kurt Vonnegut, and being a kid on laundry duty when mom’s underwear shows up. We were in stitches. He’s one of those speakers who change your day . . . and maybe your life.
I urge you to read Walter’s The Zero (finalist for National Book Award) and Citizen Vince–so good you can’t believe it isn’t famous.
Go to our website to read our award-winning essays: Radio Girl Says What Matters (Patrick McGann) and Bosom Buddies (Kathy Rivers Shannon).
Join us next year!
コメント