5 am again and AWP

It's 5 am. The rain is pounding the roof. Hard and fast, like a rock song. The beating of the drops has a nice rat a tat tat rhythm. 

Chewie snores in unison with the sound of the raindrops. I am leaving for Kansas City tomorrow so I'm hoping it stops soon.

On Thursday and Saturday, I am reading, signing and presenting at a conference in Kansas City called AWP. It is the largest writer's conference in the United States and it happens yearly. 

AWP takes place in a different city every year. I first went years back when it was in Los Angeles. Since then, I've been to AWPs in Florida, San Antonio and Seattle. I even did a reading in Oregon virtually. 

I'm lucky I suppose. I usually get on a panel discussion or a reading at the conference. I always like to pitch at least one myself and my own panels have been accepted twice now and I've appeared in other people's lineups both on site and off site. This year, I'm so honored to read and present with some amazing writers and people. It's a dream come true.

I've been rejected of course. We all have. But I just keep on trucking. I try to never let the "nays" get me down because they're just a way to eventually get a yes. 

The best year was Florida, when I appeared on a reading about witches. I met a woman there who has since become a close friend. That's the magic of AWP. You meet the coolest people, and they're all writers. Another year, in San Antonio, my friend Samuel and I were in line to get in and we met a well known writer who asked us to be in her panel, on site for Samuel and off site for me. 

Last year, in Seattle, hubby came along. He was a good sport because I had pledged to work the Inlandia table and had a number of commitments at AWP, both on site and off. I tried to balance it all but it was difficult. Yet, I'm glad he went. He met a few of my writer friends he didn't know and we hung out after hours with a few he did know. I had kept my writing world compartmentalized from the rest of my life and it was nice to merge my worlds into one universe.

This year, because AWP is in Kansas City, my focus is split between the conference and visiting my big sister Roberta who lives right outside Kansas City. I'm looking forward to spending time with Roberta and her family. We're both getting older and it's so important to make the time for one another. I'm happy to say that Adrian is coming along. So my priority is the family time.  

I've learned in the last few years that love and family is what matters. It's what sustains me. (Plus, it's material for the next memoir or essay percolating in my brain.)

The writing accolades and experiences are nice, yes they are, but it's also important to live in the moment. As a memoir writer, being present can be hard. It's too easy to live in your memories rather than creating new ones. 

This year, I'll be reading, presenting and signing, but I'll also be living life to the fullest, making those memories that matter most of all.