The first year I attended the conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, I went as a writer.

Using Careless Speech for Careful Writing. Peter Elbow’s new book, Vernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing, was the impetus for this Day One 9 am panel.

I took this shot at the AWP booth with friends Janna Marlies Maron (writer of Bold is Beautiful, and publisher of Under the Gum Tree) and Peter Grandbois (author of Nahoonkara, winner of the Gold Medal in literary fiction.

You might think I’m exaggerating when I say I spent two hours reviewing the AWP events schedule to decide what I want to try to get to–on Thursday. But I’m not.

It is nearly always beneficial to join a professional organization for support and information when one embarks on a career.