The Writefest Ocean

By Elizabeth White-Olsen, Executive Director of Writespace

The other day at Writespace I apologized to a writer about my delay in responding to an email. “Sorry, it’s been crazy with Writefest,” I said.

“Oh, is there a lot involved?”

Mouth open, I had no idea where to begin.  “Yes, there is a lot involved,” I said, but “Yes” felt like a blow-up swimming pool compared to the ocean of work involved with planning and hosting Writefest.

I’m taking a break from the swim, mid-ocean, to share aspects of the journey that have brought me great joy:
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• Wordpress.com contacting us to ask to be Tier One sponsors. Woo-hoo!
• Strong ticket sales and the likelihood that we will break even this year.
• Writespace’s Associate Director, Cassandra Clarke, aka “Wonder Woman,” always somehow managing to be one step ahead of everyone else, including me.
• Writespace’s Facebook and Twitter teams rocking it out with interviews of attending agents and writers, and our Instagram team blowing everyone away with gorgeous, emotive images (Thank you, Sophie Bonifaz, Quentin Key-Telo, Kristine Brown, Amna Ahmad, Kat Diaz, and Carmen Stewart!).
• Our Writefest AV Coordinator, Aeryk Pierson, bringing to his volunteer role the zealousness and dedication one would bring to a highly-paid job, with detailed maps, spreadsheets, and extra research in tow.
• The sunny, cheerful demeanor of Writefest Volunteer Coordinator, Raul Herrera, lightening the burden of  so many unresolved questions at our meetings.
• Purchasing the pretty water bottles in the photo to the right, to help our presenters and participants stay hydrated.

I wish I could say that every moment over the last nine months of planning has brimmed with joy, but that isn’t life, as we know. As we dedicate long hours to writing emails, making phone calls, and updating spreadsheets, Writespace’s staff and volunteers have faced the typical enormous doses of stress and anxiety that come with trying to pull off something amazing with very little money—such as, wondering whether acoustics will be an issue in our super-cool but unconventional cement-floored event space, or waiting to hear back on that contract or from that volunteer we are relying on, who also has a full-time job, kids, and a house under construction post-Harvey, to boot.

Yet people are coming through, are responding to our mission, through the crush of their lives. Slowly but surely, plans are falling into place. When you are brave and you love to do the right thing, this tends to happen, regardless of the hardships along the way. We keep the faith because we take great joy in getting to inspire, fulfill, and guide you, Dear Writer.

If you will be in town the first week of May and you haven’t yet bought tickets to Writefest, get thy tickets, posthaste! If you already have tickets, please feast deeply on the fun and inspiration that is Writefest. As you do so, remember the ocean of work that we have swum through to bring you this gift.

And feel special, because you are.

Feel loved, because you are.

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