As I spend much of my spare time “living” in the 19-teens while working on a novel about Hedda Burgemeister and Otto Koehler, the opportunity to hear Barbara Kingsolver (The Lacuna most recently) and C.M. Mayo (The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire) numerous times throughout a five-day period was irresistible, as though the setting of San Miguel alone would not be tempting enough. My daughter Kate discovered it – the San Miguel Writers Conference – while exploring C.M. Mayo’s website or blog, and my amazingly-generous husband Lamar decided to give the experience to the women in his family as a Christmas present.
Although I make my living “translating your thoughts into words,” I had not thought that much about the mechanics of writing since my last class with Mrs. Masterson my senior year in high school. The conference was well worth the journey, and, hopefully, my clients will benefit.
Note added on March 4: Literary agent Nathan Bransford blogs about his conference experience in San Miguel de Allende.
Note added on March 15: An attendee at an evening event we unfortunately missed describes the “street food” served and throws in a photo of Barbara Kingsolver taking a swing at a Stalin pinata.
Also: Sandra Gulland’s notes from one of Barbara Kingsolver’s talks during the conference in San Miguel de Allende.
Postcards from Barton Springs 