I had the good pleasure of attending a gathering of about 100 North Carolina writers this past weekend in the lovely mountains of Asheville.  Award-winning fiction writer Ellyn Bache (http://ellynbache.com) kindly extended the invite to me.  And off I went, not realizing the gift I had in store.

Mercy, I wish this writer could come up with a better word, one that is not a cliche or considered trite, but the word that continues to come to my head to describe what I felt being in these good folks’ midst is special.  It has to do with how encouraging they are to and of each other, their talk of mentors, calling them by name and thanking them and not being afraid to show their souls when they served on a panel discussion about their mentors or finding home.  Home, yes, that’s it.  That place where we feel welcomed and encouraged.  A place of warmth.  A place where egos are checked at the door.  Continue reading »