What's hot Wednesday - The Kentucky Women Writers Conference

And it's not just for Kentucky women!

I came to learn of this conference from a group of women that were in the first book club I was ever in here in Lexington.  Many of them were on the board or active in some way.

The first one I attended was in 2004 and I was pregnant.  I remember because I was a bit tired and always hungry, so a full day event did not sound appealing.  But I just couldn't go home! It was that good!

First, the night before the conference we had a "sister" dinner with none other than Sonia Sanchez. She was so gracious and was willing to talk to each of us and of course I asked her about her experience in The Nation.  I'll have to share that one day or get a story done about it.

The next day changed my life.  There was a panel discussion that included Rebecca Walker (daughter of Alice), Sis. Sonia and some others I can't recall but I DO recall the title: The Life of An Activist Writer.

I sat there thinking, "That's me.  I now have an identity and purpose."

2004 was the year we published our first issue of The Key Newsjournal and I found myself a business owner and writer who didn't want to publish society photos, or entertainment or sports.  We saw the work that needed to be done in Lexington and wanted to be about the motivation of people to do the work.  I wanted my words to take wings and lift someone up.

The conference is not for any ONE genre of writer.  But the fact that the organizers would put something like this on the agenda and would have more than the one obligatory Black person had me hooked.

I am now on the Board of the wonderful thing we call the Kentucky Women Writer's Conference and have the pleasure of chairing the Sonia Sanchez Lecture Series Committee.

This year the Sonia Series will feature the brave, bold, blogger Gina McCauley, who founded What About Our Daughters.

Also, inauguration poet Elizabeth Alexander will deliver a keynote lecture and appear along with poet Nikki Finney and Honore Jeffries.

The website can fill in all the other parts I left out, but I wanted to personally invite anyone who reads these words and 'thinks' that they may be a writer but has yet to find their focus.  This conference could be a defining moment for you.  Or you could just come and have a ball!