Despite the interior of the Doubletree near Sea-Tac airport evoking tones of brown-hued melancholy, I am rather fond of this hotel, particularly the labyrinthine wings flanked by trees and elevated so as to imitate a sort of boardwalk floating above the forest floor, river rock simulating water flow. The effect is of being immersed in nature, harkening to a time before the streets and runways took over.
I was there for the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association (PNWA) Conference, a gathering that this year celebrated its 70th year bringing together writers from near and far. This was my second year attending, and I made a vow to come every year if only for the cozy way it makes me feel.
Merriam-Webster defines cozy as:
1 a: enjoying or affording warmth and ease
b: marked by or providing contentment or comfort
2 a: marked by the intimacy of the family or a close group
b: marked by or suggesting close association
There are few places in which I feel totally at ease, entirely myself, without pressure to modulate in order to blend in. Because most of what I read and research is related to biodiversity loss, this is what’s always on my mind and in my heart. I can’t help it, I just want to talk about saving bees and birds, turtles and rhinos, trees and coral, any chance I get. But doing so can bring up some sad truths, and nobody likes a party pooper.
When I can’t talk about nature, the next best thing for me is talking about writing.
So to sit with, walk with, talk with others who love writing just as I do, who are also learning and struggling, feels exhilarating and cozy all at once. Flying with my flock. Any writer could approach any other writer, regardless of their genre or level of success, and gush unabashedly about the craft.
Until this conference I didn’t personally know any writers who incorporated environmental themes like extinctions, plastics, pollution, and climate change, so I’ve felt rather alone in this endeavor, though there are many writers out there trying. But I met someone like me, and she’s a great writer!
I also had the opportunity, like everyone there, to voice what I write about. Although environmental themes only came up when talking with my new friend, everyone I spoke with appreciated that *someone* was writing about saving nature. People do care. Everyone loves nature in some way. And this gives me courage to keep trying.
So next year I don’t know if I’ll have a revision of my novel to share, but I’ll be at the conference anyway, flying with my flock.
Annegsherwood.com 