In future posts I’m sure I’ll mention some of the other things I learned during the 20 Books Vegas 2019 conference. However, as the conference closes I want to wane philosophical for a minute.
This website (26milesofbooks) is devoted to my three R’s; reading, writing, and running. It was originally created during a fundraiser for the local library. I’ve mentioned the role this library plays in our community and my memories of the one room library of my childhood. What I may not have mentioned is that my mother was the librarian for that library for a time and my sister is now a university research librarian. I’ve always found reading and libraries places of acceptance and family.
Similarly, I’ve posted in the past about the community of runners; specifically trail runners. They are an amazing group of supportive individuals. This was again demonstrated this summer when I completed my first 100 mile race. Not only did the runners take care of each other on the trail, but our friends and family on the support crews also looked out for each other. Again, a very supportive group.
I spent this week surrounded by over 1000 other writers. All here to be more successful with their writing careers, but more than that; to help everyone else also be more successful. It’s an unusual feeling as an introvert to be surrounded by 1000 people (most of whom are also introverts) eager to know your name, your writing genre, and what you’ve written. No judgement about your success, or stories, or who you are outside of writing. This was my first 20 Books conference and I found the people incredibly friendly, accepting, and supportive.
So I guess what I’m saying, if I’m saying anything at all, is these are my tribes; reading, writing, and running.