Philadelphia Writers' Conference 2005

by Maureen Palli

Amidst unopened junk mail and magazines featuring articles with titles like “Get Started Writing,” an application I was trying to avoid lay buried. It was for The Philadelphia Writers’ Conference.

My friend Anna was encouraging me to go to the conference with her. Anna is a published poet and I am a wannabe writer. I thought going to the conference would be a little like the time I tried out for cheerleading in high school. A friend convinced me to go to the try-outs, because she didn’t want to go alone. As she wowed the judges with her back handsprings and splits, I made a complete fool of myself. I was barely able to clap my hands and stomp my feet at the same time.

As the registration deadline drew near, I discussed the conference with my husband. I told him that I would be in Philadelphia for three days and he would have to take care of our children. True to form, he took it in stride and said, “You should go.” I pondered this for about two seconds and booked my reservation at the Holiday Inn on Fourth and Arch.

I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for ten years and although I love my children, the idea of three kid-free days in Philadelphia seemed like heaven.

On the second Friday in June, Anna and I headed for Philadelphia. The humidity was thick and it was unusually hot for seven A.M. When we arrived at the hotel, I leaned over an air conditioning vent begging for mercy. We registered and read through the conference packet. With notebooks in hand, we entered a conference room ready to learn.

As the guest speaker, Jane Eisner, talked about her years as a journalist and about her Philadelphia Inquirer column, I squirmed in my chair. I realized that I am probably about twenty years too late to break into this business. I forged on to the next session of the conference, anyway.

Throughout the course of the next few days, I learned about novel, memoir, and magazine writing. I listened to lectures on legal issues and on reading as a writer. I learned many new things and felt inspired. Before going to sleep the first night, I scribbled down my thoughts in my spiral notebook. I had lots of ideas in my head and although they weren’t in any logical order, I realized the important thing was to get my ideas on paper. A thought can be fleeting, but if you write it down it lasts forever.

During Helene Matt’s session on magazine writing, we brainstormed about magazine article topics. As we went around the room and each attendee named a topic, I realized that the list of possibilities was endless. I could write magazine articles relating to every aspect of my life!

In the “Novel: Character and Dialogue” session, Rachel Pollack gave us writing exercises and then invited us to share our work. Passages of dialogue that had been quickly written by my fellow attendees were read aloud. I was humbled once again.

When I attended a session covering the “Nuts and Bolts” of the business, I started to feel like I was in familiar waters. As I listened to Jonathan Maberry speak, I realized that the time I spend at bookstores going through magazines and trying to figure out what kinds of articles they are looking for, really wasn’t as weird as I thought it was. Jonathan actually recommends it. I was happy to learn that I was doing something right.

Jonathan Maberry devoted a large portion of his “Nuts and Bolts” lecture to the query letter. I always found the query letter to be a great mystery, one that left me feeling confused and uncomfortable. But, the query letter is essential to publication and in most cases, it doesn’t matter what I write or how well I write; without a good query letter, I will never be published. Jonathan dissected each part of the query letter until the puzzle I had been struggling with was finally solved. The truth is, his explanation left me feeling like I had been handed a “golden ticket” to the factory. I have become a query machine!

On Saturday night, I was ready for a little down time. I showered, dried my hair, and battled the humidity armed with a red hot curling iron. I dressed and headed back to the conference area for dinner and the awards banquet. I met Anna and her poetry posse at the bar. I sipped Chardonnay and mingled for a while. As I listened to interesting stories told by writers who had formed poetry groups or had established e-zines, I felt like a slacker in comparison. I struggle to find time to put pen to paper, much less find time to organize a writing group or establish an online publication.

When the awards ceremony began, my outlook on my writing life suddenly changed. My wannabe writer name was called! I arose from my seat and accepted my award, completely stunned. I said to Anna, “This makes me think I’m really going to be a writer.” In her no nonsense British tone, Anna said, “Maureen, you ARE a writer.”

At home, I was greeted with congratulatory hugs and kisses. My husband told me that he would frame my award certificate. I thought it was a sweet offer, but I knew there would never be time for framing in our busy lives. I put the award certificate atop my stack of mail and magazines. It’s the same stack where the conference application had once laid, but things are different now.

Since returning home from the conference, I’ve written many query letters and have made several submissions. After sending one of the query letters via e-mail, I heard back from the Editor of a music magazine within an hour. She is considering publishing one of my articles this fall. Thanks to The Philadelphia Writers’ Conference, I’ve come a long way, baby!