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What You Need To Know Before Attending Women Writing the West

Tucson, where cactus grows, cowboys live, and Diamondbacks are revered.

You pack sunscreen and sandals. But it’s a blizzard outside your window. Rain. Snow. Howling wind. Plummeting temperatures. Do you pack your parka or a light sweater? Cool mornings and evenings. Hot days. When you return home it’s back to frigid temperatures.

How do you pack? What should you bring?

Tucson, it’s this year’s location for the Women Writing the West Conference.

Twelve thousand years ago, it was a Native American village by the name of “stukshon” meaning “springs from the foot of the black hill.” Settled along Santa Cruz River and bordered by both the Sonoran Desert and the Catalina Mountains, Tucson owes much of its breath-taking charm to its land and heritage.

Loew’s Ventana Canyon Resort promises fine dining, spa and fitness, two heated pools, and a Jacuzzi

Set in the West,  members will experience Cultures Old and New. Workshops include: Bringing a Historical Setting to Life, Ranch Life and Culture, Historical Cultures in Modern Fiction, Activate your Poetic Imagination, Saddle Up and Find Your Fans, to name a few.

So you ask, what do I need to know before attending Women Writing the West?

  • Pack to layer. Even though the temperatures will hover around 90 during the day, mornings and evening bring a chill to the air. And air-conditioning will be running in the hotel. Evenings are expected to remain in the 60s.
  • Pack a notebook and a few pens for note-taking.
  • Remember to ask questions and greet people. This is no time to be shy. It is the perfect time to make new friends and connections.
  • Pack comfortable clothes and shoes for tours. Sunscreen and a hat are also recommended for outdoors.
  • Plan on attending the general meeting Saturday morning. Your attendance counts as twenty percent of membership need to be present for a quorum. It’s also a great way to meet board members and hear about the 2018 Walla Walla, WA conference. Who knows, perhaps someday you’ll desire to hold office.
  • Bring cash for raffle prize tickets.
  • Bring an appetite for south-west flavor.
  • If you have a pitch appointment, bring your one sheet and proposal. Find a friend or ask your roommate to listen to your elevator pitch.
  • Look over the brochure you received in the mail and pick out the workshops that will help you the most for your WIP and writing career.
  • If you are a first-timer, plan on coming to the green-dot with President Linda Jacobs and myself. We will answer any questions you may have.

Most of all, be prepared to have fun, rejuvenate your inspirational bank, and make new friends. WWW is a family, ready to feed your writing muse and send you home with new ideas and fresh insight.

 

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6 Comments

  1. Carolyn Niethammer says:

    Thanks, Carmen. I should also that we all then to dress up a little bit for the banquet. Sometimes if people have historic costumes they have worn for events, this a another good time to break them out. But do wear what is comfortable for you. This is Tucson where clean pressed Levis count as formal wear.

    1. Carmen Peone says:

      Yes, Carolyn, thank you for reminding us to dress up for the LAURA and WILLA banquets. I love when some of the gals do parade their period dresses. That is truly a treat.

  2. Janice Gilbertson says:

    Thank you Carmen! Packing up today! I am so excited about this entire experience. Thank you.

    1. Carmen Peone says:

      I’m packing today also. Thanks to Jan Cleere, I would not have packed sunscreen as cold as it has been in Northeast, WA.

    1. Carmen Peone says:

      You are welcome. See you soon!