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Pima Writers' Workshop in Tucson was wonderful again. Meg Files puts together great workshops. This one at Pima Community College is her 26th one there. Every one that I have attended has been great -- a mix of presentations and exercises, of authors and agents, of poets and novelists, of fiction and non-fiction writers, of children's books and literary books, and of experienced writers and beginners. A great extra is having an author or agent reading part of your work and having a short one-on-one with you. Have your manuscript ready by the beginning of May for that. Plan to attend it around Memorial Day at the end of May.
Each year there are tough choices to make between sessions. You really can't go wrong with your choices. Mine this year included sessions by Colleen J. McElroy, Thomas Cobb, Sarah Cortez, James M. Deem, Mark Doty, Terry Fillipowicz, Dara Hyde, Laura Strachan, Johanna Skibsrud, Matt Mendez, and Diane Glancy. All were great.
But still I missed other sessions by William Boggess, Nancy Mairs, Bruce Fulton, and a second session with some of ones above. I have no doubt they were equally as good.
One of my favorite parts this year was the evening reading put on by Cortez, Deem, and Glancy.
