Bread Loaf Arrival

The morning chill had just burned off the mountain when I pulled into the sprawling ochre colored Bread Loaf campus yesterday. The drive took exactly 1 hour and 23 minutes from Woodstock, climbing northwest on Rt.12 through Barnard and Bethel then a short jog north on 100 and 10 miles west on Scenic 125. 12:43. Just enough time to check-in, grab my conference materials and discover where my room was before meeting the Food Editor of Houston Chronicle, Peggy Grodinsky for an interview about Recipe for Success.

While my blackberry does not work here--rendering me impotent in real time electronic communication, I was delighted to discover that I am "living" in the one building with wireless. The schedule is packed with Sessions, workshops, classes and readings, but at least I can sneak up to my room occasionally and check mail, send notes and . . . do this blog.

Interesting combination of folks here. Lots of very impressive resumes among the faculty and fellows, dozens of post-docs performing the operational duties of wait staff, maid and office support in return for their attendance and then a hundred or so "contributors" or folks like me who may make their living with words--journalists, teachers and professors, or may dream of doing so, working on manuscripts after putting the kids to bed late at night. They come in all shapes sizes and age from 25 to 75. Last night at supper I met 4 folks who have been coming here for years and remembered my friend Diedra from Woodstock who came here for a few years while she polished her memoir of travelling and working her way across Italy then coming home to open a restaurant. At the door to the dining hall was a young woman I immediately recognized but could not place. Turns out she graduated last year from the UH Creative Writing program and has presented many times to our Inprint board. Tiphanie Yanique. We were so excited to discover each other that she trailed me around the hall to meet other UH alumni and current students all here on the scholarship program waiting tables. Very energizing.

The first reading last night were by Eavan Boland who read her poetry of Ireland and Joanna Scott who read excepts form one of her short stories and a snipe from her new novel in progress. A great start to the conference.

This morning's lecture "Honoring the Ordinary" was from a man far from ordinary in my opinion--Scott Russell Sanders. His latest book "Private History of Awe" and his disucession of personal memoir and spiritual journies was inspiring.

Now to lunch and my afternoon workshop. Not sure I will lose the weight I wanted to, but I will try to remain vigilant in my morning walks.