Conferences: The Crazies Continue

by Mary Jo:

I considered writing a blog about the recent Romance Writers of America national conference, then remembered that I'd done something similar in 2006.  So I looked up that blog--and found that very little has changed.  <G> 

The clothing anxiety where we end up taking way too much "just in case!"  The mad networking, the squeals of delight as adult women launch themselves at friends they haven't seen in too long!  The attempt to fit everything into too few hours!  We love our conferences--and go home feeling like roadkill. <G>

Since I'm deep into deadline panic, I'm rerunning that blog with some tweaks, and some updated Word Wench pictures from the conference. The pictures were taken by Anne and Cara/Andrea.  We did manage a couple of face to face Wench get togethers, which was a lovely bonus.  So here goes a blended blog:

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From Mary Jo:

The purple coneflowers and stargazer lilies are blooming behind the house, so it’s time for another national RWA conference.  They are always held at the end of July, which is statistically the hottest time of the year.   

As a born northerner who hates heat, I complain bitterly that the conferences always seem to be held in southern locations that are apparently about two miles north of Hades. (In Orlando, it was so hot that my Wenchy roommate and I only left the hotel once, for a midnight walk around the hotel pool).  (Note: for 2011, the conference was late June in NYC, and the weather was very nice.  Here's a picture of a very crowded Times Square, where our hotel was located.)

In fairness, even on RWA’s last trip to the fine northern city of Chicago, the city had a historic heat wave with temperatures that rose to 104 F.  The heat wave lasted exactly as long as the conference, then ended.  It is best not to ponder the implications of this. 

 
Above are the four Penguin Wenches at the Penguin author party which was held at Sardi's restaurant: Anne, Cara/Andrea, Joanna, and Jo.  (Anne and Joanna are Berkley, Andrea and Jo are NAL.)

I remember that conference fondly.  It was the year of Chicago’s Cow Parade, so  hundreds of artist-decorated fiberglass cows were scattered around the city.  I loved them.  To me, those critters represent the best of urban charm and whimsy, and they inspired other cities to look deep inside and find their inner animal. 

In Cincinnati, there was a Big Pig Gig in honor of the city’s meatpacking past.  I believe Louisville had horses, Toronto went for moose, and Buffalo, naturally, did buffalo.  My hometown of Baltimore chose fish, charming and easy to decorate, but it was a cop-out—this is a crab town, not a fish town.  So later they repented and flat decorated crabs were everywhere.  My eye doctor bought one of the crabs that was wearing eyeglasses, and it sits happily outside his office.

Traditionally, when an RWA national looms, appearance anxiety strikes women who don’t get out often enough.  E-mail loops of writers buzz with panicky questions from newbies about what one should wear.  For RWA, the dress code is professional—anyone asking if she can wear jeans can elicit horrified gasps.  This is very different from an sff con, where appearance runs to hippy casual or alien appendages.  For RWA, black is always good since most of the editors and agents are wearing black.  It's a New York Thing. 

Above is Anne's picture of the Cloisters, the magnificent medieval art branch museum of the Metropolitan Museum.  It's built in a park at the north end of Manhattan, and made to look like a medieval monastery.  A couple Wenches got to see it, and the amazing art and greenery were a great respite from conference crazies.

Attendees also discuss humidity—meeting in places like New Orleans tend to make some of us look like dandelions in full fuzzy mode. 

Serious aspiring writers who are close to selling their first book often freak at the prospect of agent and editor appointments, and rehearse pitches for their books.  Old hands assure them that agents and editors are not (usually) writer-eating monsters.  Industry pros are generally quite kind when dealing with frantic writers.   

Above is Cara/Andrea at the Rita rehearsal ceremony.  Cara, Pat, Joanna, and Nicola were all Rita finalists.   

My personal dress code for writing events is artsy professional and comfortable.  In a pinch, jettison the artsy professional and go for the comfort.  A great boon to me and many of my sister authors is Chico’s, the clothing chain for aging baby boomers who want to look dashing but have lost the taste (and the figures) for wearing tight garments, no matter how fashionable.

A friend said that Chico’s clothing is made of materials that will never rot in a landfill, but their stuff is great for aging baby boomers.  At my last national conference, two years ago in Dallas, I spotted lots of Chico’s outfits.  Usually this consisted of solid color knit top and slacks paired with a great jacket and splashy, fun jewelry.  It’s a good look—and how can you not like a store where you get to try on a size 2 rather than a “large?” <g>

Above are Anne, MJP, and HWW Jennifer Kloester at the literacy book signing.  I'm the one who hasn't just flown in from Australia.  <G>  Jennifer's definitive biography of Georgette Heyer will be released in the UK this autumn.

At heart, RWA is a business conference, and writers go to meet with their agents and editors, or perhaps look for new ones.  We go to learn and to see our friends and make new ones.  Maybe we also go to do some research in that particular city, or visit a relative there while being able to deduct the trip. 

Several years ago, I gave the keynote address in Washington, DC, and coined one of my better phrases if I do say so: “An RWA conference is 2000 introverts pretending to be extroverts.”  That definitely hasn't changed!

At the end, we head home wrecked, overfull of talk and information (and maybe fattening little nibbles from the publisher parties as well), carrying a ton of new books—and most of the time, we go home happy.  We’ve just been able to spend a few days with Our Tribe—and isn’t that something just about everyone enjoys? (Jo at left at the literacy signing.)

Mary Jo, who really needs at least one new jacket per national conference…  And no, the picture at right isn't me but Joanna.  Isn't it cool how she dressed in colors to match the cover of her most recent book?

 

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Mary Jo again, back in real time 2011.  Just to make things fun, I'm giving away a book to a commenter.  I chose the delightful Faery Magic anthology since it has two Wenches in it: Jo and I, along with Honorary Word Wenches Barbara Samuel and Karen Harbaugh.  Tell me about conferences or similar gatherings you've been to, or just comment on the blog and pictures between now and Thursday midnight. 

I'm putting in one last picture of Anne at the literacy signing because she just looks so mischievious.  <g>  It was great to be together!

MJP

  

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Lyn S]

I am at an educators conference right now. We are in Manchester NH where it is cool and humid free. What is amazing about this conference is that it only has one speaker per day and no classes. The rest of time we get to play. We are building Lego robots and learning about adding electronics to clothing. So I am getting rejuventated and coming up with lots of ideas for my students in the fall. No matter how isolated we work (and for elementary teachers who close their door and are alone with their kids all day it is isolated), the ability to commune, share, laugh and learn is vital to the creative spirit.

[Maggie Robinson/Margaret Rowe]

Meeting you in the goody room was one of the highlights of the convention for me.:) But I have to counter you on the heat---I was never so hot, not even in Orlando. I looked as though someone opened a fire hydrant and pushed me into the flow.Just drenched and definitely not lady-like, LOL.This makes me doubt Anaheim and certainly Atlanta. I belive they use Botox to help stop perspiration, so the next time you see me I may be unrecognizable. ;)

[Deb H.]

Thank you for the post. I enjoyed reading it.

My education organization puts on a conference and a leadership meeting every summer and, since I'm on the Board of Directors, I attend every one. Some can be small, some can be well-attended. The one coming up will be very large because several well-known people are coming to the leadership conference. Usually, we just have speakers, but this year it will be set up as a table format like RWA conference/literacy signing.

I went to a conference several years ago that was put on by a local bookstore of Midwest authors. There were over 20 authors there and it was well-attended by 200-some guests. We had a luncheon, speakers, and then a meet-n-greet with authors at their own tables. I can't imagine what RWA conference is like with so many authors. I'd be having major fan-girl moments, I think, because I certainly did at this small conference!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Lyn, the conference you're attending sounds WONDERFUL! And not just because of the temperatures and low humidity. *g* The creative learning sounds soul enhancing. My mother taught little kids as you do, and it takes tremendous talent and skills. I'm glad you're having fun.

[Cathy Gilleylen Schultz]

As an aspiring author, I attended the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators in NYC in 2004. I was so energized and inspired that I wrote a short story on the train back to Baltimore. I entered it in a magazine contest and even though it did not win, I came away feeling "accomplished" in my own right. Just to be able to come up with a story was a feat for me. It also showed me that with the right inspiration I was capable of more than I realized. I truly appreciate the talent authors possess!

[Mary Jo Putney]

LOL on the heat and Botox, Maggie. *g* I thought you looked fine and professional when we met up, but I'm always a little crazed at conferences. For what it's worth, at some of the hotter locations, people never go outside and there's nothing nearby anyhow. But New York City is so TEMPTING!

[Janga]

I've never attended an RWA conference, but I spent years attending professional conferences. Maybe all conferences have something in common because my favorite parts were always seeing old friends, learning something new, and trying some great restaurants. My favorite conference city was Charleston, SC, a city I love anytime. The worst was Washington, DC--not because of the city itself but because a group of poor grad students decided we'd save money by traveling on a university bus, which was free. Utter misery!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Deb H, the RWA literacy signing is enough to produce neural meltdown! There are something like 500 authors there, from iconic figures like Jayne Ann Krentz to the newest newby beaming over her first book. Fun, but insanely noisy, particularly in the ballroom we had this year. By the end, I felt I'd been beaten by Styrofoam bats. *g*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cathy, isn't it amazing how being around other creative people in a hot house conference atmosphere can really fire one's imagination? I hope that short story on the train has been followed by many others.

[Na]

I would love to attend a RWA Literary Signing or any booksigning like that one day. I can meet all my favourite authors and discover new ones in the process as well. I think I would be in book heaven. For now, I'll experience it through all the lovely pictures and postings :)

[Mary Jo Putney]

Na, the RWA signing really is reader heaven. There are women with roller carts that they fill up with books. *g* I hope you get a chance to attend one someday.

[Sue McCormick]

Well, I am a Science Fiction Fan and I go to one of their conferences almost every year. The few years when I have missed a convention are offset by the few years where I have gone to more than one, so I have been to at least 48 cons since my first in 1968. As you say, Science Fiction/Fantasy conventions have a loose dress code. But behind the scenes (and largely unnoticed by the fans) authors and editors meet and conduct business. And fans and pros conduct panels about writing and publishing and the worlds the authors construct or reconstruct and social mores, and … I suspect that the two types of conventions are fairly similar.
This month I'm entering a new world — A Family History Expo for genealogists. I'll find out how these are similar and how they may differ.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Sue, as another sff fan, I've participated in a number of cons--though nowhere near 48! Most often Balticon, here in my home hometown of Baltimore. THere are certainly similarities with romance conferences, but significant difference. Both great fun.

I can't even gues about genealogy gatherings! But I'm sure there are some strong similarities. Tribal gatherings all.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Janga, the meeting and hanging out with friends aspects of conferences are universal across specialities, I'm sure. I've had conferences in Savannah--wonderful!--but not yet made it to Charleston.

I'm guessing that that university bus had a looooooong way to travel to get to DC? *g* My ever intrepid sister took a bus from Syracuse, NY to Selma, Alabama for the great civil rights march there. I should ask her just how miserable it was!

[LouisaCornell]

I was fortunate enough to attend the RWA National Conference in New York this year and it was fantastic! Took a subway ride with Anne, Cara, and Joanne B (my first New York subway ride!) and enjoyed "talking shop" with Joanna at Lady Jane's Salon. Mary Jo, your keynote speech at the Beau Monde conference was absolutely perfect - funny, inspiring and very informative too.

I think you put your finger on the best part of RWA's annual conference. It is a chance for writers (aspiring or otherwise) to see they aren't alone on this journey. A gathering of the "Tribe" is right and I look forward to it every year.

And this Alabama girl thought the weather in New York was SUBLIME !!!

[Marie Josell]

I was looking forward to coming to the signing but I got sick at the last minute. It looks like it was a lot of fun though. Next time you all are in NYC I will definately be there! :)

[Kat]

My conferences for work are all too boring by half. Always meetings about new computer programs and gadgets to learn and how it will make my life sooo much easier it never does.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Louisa--

I'm glad you had such a great time at the conference. DEFINITELY sublime weather compared to Alabama in high summer. *g* Good to know that my Beau Monde speech made sense--I get into a nervous fugue state and talk really fast when I do public speaking. Have to hope I made sense!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Marie--

I'm so sorry you were unwell and missed the big signing. It is QUITE an experience. *g*

Since NYC is the center of publishing, RWA returns every few years, and probably even to the same hotel. So I hope to see you when we show up again.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Kat, those computer conferences sound grim! Even we Luddite non-techies know that when computer types say something will make our life easier, they lie. *g*