Best Memories of 2009: A Top Writer's Conference

An opportunity to meet, greet and make new friends. No intimidation in the air.

There was a slight buzz of excitement and electricity in the air when Marita, 15, my daughter and I arrived at the East Metro Atlanta Christian Writers (EMACW) annual conference, held July 17-18, DeKalb Technical College, Newton Center, Covington, GA. The director, Colleen Capes Jackson was just bubbling with contagious love, energy and was grinning from ear to ear.

Before I was seated, I was met with a pleasant greeting and hug from writer, Joyce Fincher, who serves as president of EMACW. She made me feel so loved and welcome!

The personal service, care and attention to detail in the medium-sized classroom brought a sense of intimacy to the conference. A literary conference stable, the peppermint candy placed at our tables represented much more. There was a trio of something for wholeness: it was for the body, mind and soul.

Speaker Dr. Dennis Hensley, one of two conference speakers was lively and full of bliss and captured the attention of all of those in the room. He lectured; he roamed in front and behind the podium teaching with anecdotes and gave personal testimonies of how his writing matured and he made more progress when tackling tough interviews and subjects, such as science.

Hensley did not have a PowerPoint or make a glossy Internet-based presentation. He gave information the old-fashioned way, teaching from handouts. Hensley was effective as a conference speaker to the audience of both males and females from different churches in the Atlanta metro area and elsewhere. He unlocked our doors using the keys of book publishing knowledge.

Was this reality TV? Hensley made me feel as if I knew his wife and kids.

Hensley was raised in the Detroit metropolitan area. He is the author of 51 books and a college writing professor at Taylor University, Fort Wayne, IN. Hensley took an unconventional and laid-back approach. He lectured on time management, 18 tips on writing for the 21^st century, how to do closings, proper English syntax and grammar and negotiating a book contract.

When lunch was announced some of us did not want to take a break from such an informative lecture. Lunch was simple but filling... Chick-Fil-A lunches with tea.

A writing contest was held for Atlanta area-high school teens. The winners received scholarships to attend the conference. One unidentified teen commented, "Unlike some of the kids in my class, I took this writing scholarship serious and I'm glad I did. It paid off!" The three teens at my table were very well-mannered and seemed to be grateful for the opportunity to be there.

I exchanged names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses with some of the conference attendees but this time the networking seemed different. "Maybe, we could form prayer partnerships and keep each other updated on new trends in the Christian book publishing industry?" I thought.

The conference registration included a dinner featuring Dr. Hensley as speaker, a bookstore and an awards ceremony.

One of my highlights was the informal meeting and learning session I had with session speaker, Patricia Durgin. Never one to miss an "a-ha" moment or revelation, Durgin and I had fellowship, a review of my upcoming book efforts with personal and professional reflections right in the Women's restroom. We stood outside a stall and talked about the amazing work of God in our lives for more than an hour. I was intrigued. "This was the best conference I've ever attended," I reflected. "Yes, God works in mysterious ways. I had questions for many years which were answered in a few minutes by Durgin. The complexity of my writing career was simplified in a few minutes."

This was a conference with a different menu, than most, I had to admit. There was nothing but free spiritual food, fellowship and affirmations for renewal.

I left with a peace about me. The conference was true blessing and a great opportunity changing how I felt about Writers' Events. The theme was: Because He Lives, We Write for Him! In a recent Cross & Quill newsletter, writer and blogger W. Terry Whalin repeated a comment from Chuck Swindoll which carries a lifelong mission, perspective and reflection for writers' conferences.

"Terry, there are no heroes in the body of Christ. We are all like a bunch of guys in the back of a pickup truck trying to get our stuff together," Swindoll said.

There was more than stuff at this event. Small treasures and gold nuggets are often found at the mostly unlikely places including Christian Writer's Conferences.