Readying Myself for Another Youth Conference. First Guests Arrived and the Others Come Tomorrow. Excited to Get the Kids Excited About YA Texts and Writing.

I haven't seen Maddy since she was in high school and now she is working with marketing in the NYC publishing world. Sh e and Rose came in from NYC, via Texas, via Oklahoma and I'm ready for HOPE to win once again. After all, it was Susan and James Bird who inspired this particular Writing Our Lives conference. I put them up at Surfside in Lordship (Stratford) and took them out at Founders House in Milford. Gorgeous night along the Sound, and now it's time to ready for the Thursday conference. 

Today was spent in meetings and trying to get the final touches ready for the gathering of 120 youth. Buses are aligned and that is the craziest of the crazy. Phew. Gas prices. They have to come down. 

I will be heading to the meeting space to put last minute touches of the gathering together and then spending 24 hours fretting it will all come together. The world of young adult literature and K-12 literacy promotion is small, so when like minded folk show up, you embrace them with your entire heart. Rose Brock is the real deal and I'm forever grateful I was introduced to her several moons ago for StoryFest in Westport. 

We are lucking out with the weather, too. I love when it's San Diego temperatures. If we can get to the other side of this conference, with success, I will be forever grateful. The behind the scenes work is enormous, but worth all the stress and organization. In the meantime, if a few authors can find serenity for a couple of days, I'll know it was all worth it. 

And now for a frantic day of labor.