Writer's Center Open House 2008

On Saturday, Sept. 6, I attended the Writer's Center Open House. OK, I had an ulterior motive because I recently won a book for entering their caption contest and had to pick up my prize, but it was still fun. I ended up selecting Selected Poems by Rita Dove, a former Poet Laureate in the 1990s.

I received a free copy of Poet Lore and a $50 off coupon for a multi-session workshop. Should this provide me with an additional incentive to sign up for another workshop at the center, probably. Let's just hope I can scrape up the cash to attend another workshop before the year ends.

As you can see from the photo, this year's open house attracted a great number of participants even though Tropical Storm Hanna's remnants were sweeping through the area. There were refreshments, drinks, and a silent auction for a number of items, ranging from a dinner for two to a basket or books.

Mingling with other writers is always a highlight of the open house, but this year's open house was a treat. I got to meet Kyle Semmel, who is one of the Writer's Center's blog authors. We had an interesting set of discussions about the blogosphere and book bloggers as well as BBAW, which he supports. He also suggested that I help advertise BBAW in the local media. Kyle is enthusiastic and I have to say it is contagious. It was great to meet the man behind the blog.