Catholic Writers Conference

I've been meaning for a whole week to get this post up!  Sometimes it takes me a while to process things in my head so that I can spit out something readable, though.  :)

August 7-9, 2013 was the Catholic Writers Conference, in conjunction with the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show, in Somerset, NJ.  I was the official Catholic Writers Guild Minion for the whole week, which was an exhausting position but very, very fun and rewarding!  My duties consisted of performing whatever tasks Ann Lewis and Margaret Realy needed me to do to help the conference run smoothly.  This meant frequently running to (or from...) one of our hotel rooms to (or from!) the conference center with various items of immediate necessity.  I fetched and carried, helped set up and take down, filled in on volunteer shifts, moved audio/visual equipment, got up early and went to sleep late.  I shook a lot of hands, met and made friends with some wonderful people, and generally enjoyed myself immensely!  I'm the type of person who likes to help and fix problems, so being a "Minion" suited me just fine.

A side reason for my enjoyment was a bit utilitarian - the fact that the conference enabled me to make a lot of great connections.  I'm in the process of polishing up my resume and query letters, because I have a stack of business cards now for Catholic publishers.  I am aiming for an internship next summer that will help me get a head start on the editing career I have planned out for myself.

Though I didn't have the time to attend a lot of the workshops and presentations throughout the conference, the best part was honestly the conversations and interactions i was able to have with people throughout the week.  I spend almost an hour and a half one day chatting with a new friend - first it was selling Christendom and encouraging her to visit, then it was Shakespeare and homeschooling and life.  That was fun!  I unexpectedly had the chance to meet up with an old friend, and had a good girl talk one evening.  Several long conversations with my editing mentor, Matthew Bowman, and a new writer friend, Karina Fabian, were more bonuses!  I had a great time in the pub one evening with a table full of writers including Michelle Buckman, John Desjarlais, and Dr. Joseph Pearce.  (No, I'm not name-dropping at all!  Just on a fan-girl kick.  :D)  Thanks to Ann's recommendation of her Minion and my Christendom Press job last year (thanks, Dr. Snyder, for a great selling point!) I landed an unpaid proof-reading job which will be terrifically fun and look great on my resume.

There's a brief rundown of an epic week!  I'm very much looking forward to next year's conference in Chicago.  I'll have a much better idea of how to pack and what to expect.  Everyone was so encouraging and excited about me wanting to be an editor, too.  I'm so grateful I had this opportunity, and such a warm welcome from all the Guildies.  I'm excited to have this new community to form bonds with!  Deo gratias!

Comments

  1. Huzzah! I mentioned to Cassandra that she met you and she was full of praise for your organizational abilities and good cheer. :) ~ Mrs. G.

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