Hi Friend!

It's the end of the month and I wish I had more writing news to pass on to you. It's been a challenging month personally so I haven't read or written nearly as much as I would have like. In the middle of the mess, I did attend Calvin University's Festival of Faith and Writing. I'll tell you a little more below.

A Different Sort of View:

Ross Gay is a poet and essayist who writes about life at the intersection of joy and pain, delight and suffering. He was a plenary speaker at the above-mentioned Festival and listening to him speak was a delight and one of the highlights of my weekend. And I think reflecting on his work is appropriate right now. ( I wish I could recall any of his words right now, but instead, I'll just show you his book cover.)

What colors all of my thoughts in this moment is that I am sitting with my Dad, who is very ill. The view from the hospital room is lovely: the foothills of Salt Lake with their late spring blooms: pale yellow yarrow, cute little sunflower-like flowers, the bright green mountain grasses. The sky where I look is beautiful blue, cloudless and perfect.

The air inside the room I'm in is quiet. Filled with the quiet pump of the IVs and the soft breathing of one sleeping, trying desperately to rest and gain strength.

I don't know how to write about this stuff: to be honest with the beauty and the sadness. In these moments, I really do turn to books, other written words, for both distraction and encouragement.

What words offer you hope or distraction or rest in times of trouble, personal or otherwise? I would love to hear--maybe not for this time around, but to build my list for the future.

The Festival of Faith & Writing

Every two years, writers and readers and lovers of the intersection of word and faith gather at Calvin University for the Festival. It started in the early '90s and I've been attending on and off since I was a student. In my younger years, I didn't understand what it was. I took for granted to speakers who were there and what they had to say. I wasn't yet very aware of, well, the world. (One could argue that I'm still not--but I've read a lot more books.)

This year's festival was a feast for me: opening with the words of Laurie Halse Anderson, the reminders of the importance of the words we use in relation to the Creation from Robin Wall Kimmerer, a conversation on how we tell stories in light of history, and tell stories to students, and how writing is Joy, and...and...and...
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I guess the best summation of my Festival was my book stack. I had told myself I would buy only 2 books: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and one other. But then I discovered, with great delight, Sarah Perry, and had to get her book, The Essex Serpent. And then an author I didn't listen to, but was drawn to her work. Then I discovered an acquaintance of mine published a book...so I had to buy that.

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It was three days of joy and connection building and story and word loving. And that, for now, is wonderfully enough.

Writing Updates

A very wise friend encouraged me to change the name of this section. Although I love the phrase "Journey to Publication," she did remind me that I have, in fact, published. So that title is not really applicable. Until I think of something better, "Writing Updates" will have to do.

But the news from the land of trying to be published is not very good. At the beginning of the month, I sent out 3 queries and one personalized letter to an editor that I know and trust and got a "No" from every single one of them.

Additionally, the editor made some suggestions that were pretty disheartening. I trust and and will listen, but cutting 15000 words of a 65000 novel is challenging. I've managed to cut about 7500. So I'm half way there.
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For the month of May I have a brief agent meeting, which I hope will have a better outcome than April. I guess you'll get to know in a month.

Thanks for being here, for reading these words, and supporting my work as a writer. It means the world to me.