Thank you Hampton Roads Writers

At this year’s Hampton Roads Writers Conference, I could not contain my grin when my friend Chris walked into the hotel lobby from Richmond. The Thursday programs were about to begin, and I had already put out all the signs in front of the function rooms. Now that Chris was there, it was time to hang out.

Over the years, the conference has evolved from just a place to hear speakers and pitch agents to a family reunion of writers. I’ve made many life-long friends there, and I know many others have as well.

Back in 2006, Lauran Strait’s strong passion to support area writers evolved into an organization that would hold this conference each year, one which would come to be recognized as the best in Virginia.

The Muse had started just a few years earlier, and I loved what HRW had created. The early conferences were held at various hotels—at the oceanfront and at town center, until finding its home at the Holiday Inn off Newtown Road in Virginia Beach (now also the site of the annual MarsCon convention).

I joined their board a few years later, and The Muse became an official sponsor more than 10 years ago. Over the years, HRW has hired Muse teachers to speak, and we have met several speakers and agents whom we have hired to teach classes.

Both The Muse and HRW hold two ideas at its core. That writers need a place to learn and a place to find community.

So, this year when I arrived at this year’s conference, I was excited… but also a little sad. I was about to see old friends and make many new ones, but this would be the last conference HRW would create.

In her closing remarks at the conference Strait said, “I hope HRW’s altruistic giving, teaching, and helping spirit will live on in you for years to come.” The communities served by The Muse and HRW have grown so entwined that we have decided that over time, we’ll try to fill the need for a conference in our region. We’ll start small, perhaps bringing in a few agents or speakers next year, and hopefully, eventually we’ll offer something that approaches the generous spirit the HRW conference has provided.

At the Friday Conference Open Mic, dozens shared their new work, some doing so for the first time. Every word was lapped up by everyone assembled. We were here to support, to celebrate what we all create inside and try to find the right words to convey. When our session ended, most stayed up way too late chatting loudly in the lobby. Pre-teen hockey players had taken over the mezzanine, and we had fun dodging the errant puck as we talked about our next pitch… or idea… or passion.

We all understood that glimmer that grows in each of us as a new poem or story begins to take shape. We were all in it together, navigating language through its rapids and shallows. When you have a community behind you, everything is possible.

The Muse and HRW have always been that community. And The Muse will continue to honor “HRW’s altruistic giving, teaching, and helping spirit.”

–Michael Khandelwal, Executive Director, The Muse Writers Center