Pesky Comfort Zones

​This past January, I wanted to attend the AWP writers’ conference scheduled for the end of March to thank the editors in person who have published my work and to help grow my business. But as time passed, I felt conflicted. My writing was flowing, and I didn’t want to jinx it.

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At previous AWP conferences, plagued by the I’m-not-good-enough voice, I felt like a puny fish in an ocean of iridescent sea creatures. 

My muse has shimmery scales these days, so, business and gratitude aside, why mess with a good thing? 

Also, I’d just gotten over a head cold and wondered what viruses might lurk among the throng of (ten thousand) conference-goers. 

Still, a voice inside my head said, Get out of your comfort zone. Put yourself out there! My ambivalence was a shark, circling me with rows of sharp, pointy teeth. 

Then, one morning, three weeks before the conference, I read “Reflections on the AWP Conference: Evidence of Us,” published in the Brevity Blog and written by Olga Katsovskiy. In her essay, Olga talked about her 2024 AWP experience and wrote about feeling a “part of something bigger, a sense of we.” She was surprised she wasn’t scared, anxious, or shy. She was fully present and enjoyed that.

Hmm, I thought. Enjoyment? Presence? We?

I contacted Olga, whom I didn’t know, via IG message to thank her for her essay.

She surprised me when she wrote back, offering to meet, whether I attended the conference or not. Her kindness moved me.

As I considered the logistics of driving downtown to meet Olga, I decided to look at the conference schedule. I felt like a kid in a candy store—there were so many yummy offerings! My inner student exploded with enthusiasm.
 
I signed up for the conference, downloaded the app, and created my three-day schedule. It took several days to decide what events I wanted to attend; there were too many stellar offerings.

During the conference, I attended 13 panels, took 85 pages of notes, and purchased 15 books. I discovered a new poetry press (Unicorn) and lingered at the booth of a favorite indie press (Rose Metal). I got to meet and thank Camille Griep, Anne Anthony, and Angela Kubinec, editors of the online literary journal Does It Have Pockets. They published two of my essays in 2023 and selected my essay “Horse Story” as the second-place winner in last year’s Pocket Change Creative Nonfiction Competition. I was delighted to meet Karan Kapoor and Shannan Mann, editors of Only Poems. They selected my prose poem, “Rumi’s Field,” as their Poem of the Month last June. I met my early 100-word story mentors, Grant Faulkner and Tommy Dean, in person. And it was a thrill to meet some of my favorite authors: Ran Walker, Sue William Silverman, Jill Christman, and Gina Frangello. 

To top all this off, I had a lovely dinner with Olga at my favorite downtown restaurant!

I am more excited than ever about my current writing project and came away with ideas for my new Substack Newsletter, Flying Lessons for Writers, which is in process. More about that later. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, it’s nice to know I’m still capable of being social and that my hermit life—for now—is a choice in service to my writing. 

If I can leave my comfort zone, you can, too. In large and small ways, I encourage you to feel your cringe and put yourself out there anyway: write your stories, promote your publications, reach out to your mentors and peers, and take risks.

Don’t let whatever sharks swim in your murky ocean keep you from doing what you must!
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Spring Writing Circles 
begin April 21.
I have two openings. This is the last week to register.
Please let me know a.s.a.p if you’re interested.
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