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2009 Anhinga Writers Conference a Success

April FitzGerald (left) of grammarama.net, was assistant to Charlaine Harris (right), author of the Sookie Stackhouse vampire series and HBO True Blood television series, during the Anhinga Conference in Gainseville, Fla.

As a rep of grammarama and the FWA Gainesville Writers Group, I attended and worked behind the scenes of the Anghinga Writer’s Studio conference in Gainesville, Fla. From July 31-August 1. I had opportunity to meet with a variety of new and seasoned writers from all over the U.S.

Bev Browning, Diana Tonnessen and Mary Anna Evans of the Anhinga Writers Studio hosted the event. This was the trio’s first attempt at running the conference formerly called the “Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Writing the Region Workshops”. The ladies wanted to start fresh with a new approach that made the conference available to more than just regional writers. Their attempt was a success.

Evans managed to get Charlaine Harris of the Sookie Stackhouse vampire series and creator behind the True Blood HBO television show, as the keynote speaker. Harris also did a question and answer session with hundreds in attendance that was followed by a book signing. I was given the privilege of being assigned as Harris’ “assistant” during the book signing, and had the pleasure of seeing Harris interact with her fans on a one-on-one basis.

The conference focused on five main genres: Mystery, Narrative Non-Fiction, General Fiction, Romance and Poetry with a variety of faculty teaching the workshops.

Lauren Groff, bestselling author of the Monsters of Templeton (of whom I had the pleasure of discovering that we sat next to each other during our Guardian ad Litem training and I mentioned the conference to her!) taught courses in the general fiction track. She covered issues such as Getting started, Structure, Character and Revision.

A partial list of the award-winning faculty included mystery writer Rhys Bowen, romance writer Roxanne St. Claire, poet Peter Meinke and literary agent Anne Hawkins of the oldest literary agency in America, the John Hawkins & Associates, New York.