Monthly Archives: June 2009

I’m starting to decompress from the forty-eight hour conference rush.  Conversation popped like bubbles in a champagne flute.  In the elevator, the ladies’ room, the lobby, the lounge, along the concrete trails of downtown Austin.  It was a genuine privilege to meet the flowing pens from across our great state. I’m mindful of the graciousness displayed by the literary agents that endured the “speed pitches” during the final hours.  It had to be a beating for them.  A few agents requested my work during the conference, so my this-week priorities thankfully shift.  In the mean time, I need to unpack.

My winning personal essay in the Denton Writes contest is up for reading.  Use the link and scroll down, or read the others on your way  We were supposed to bring our favorite book for the photo.  I brought a dictionary.  Michael had it before we married.  He swears that’s why I married him. After the photo was taken, he said that I should have brought our medical dictionary for the photo.   He’s right, it would have been much funnier.  If you read the piece, you’ll see why.  His suggestion demonstrates the value of good editing . . . http://dentonlibrary.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/denton-writes-2009-winner-adult-personal-essay-helen-hanson/

It’s a gorgeous day here.  Sets the proper mood for a Friday. I’m facebooking these days.  Yes, that is a verb.  I found many kinfolk flung across the continent through the venue.  It’s a quick way to let someone know you miss them, without getting goofy.  Okay, sometimes I get goofy. My son has been X-Boxing live with his buddies for over a year.  It’s partly the games, but it’s also an instant connection to another that satisfies.  I hear him laughing or singing or barking orders.   Video gaming doesn’t have to be an isolated experience. With computers we’ve gone …