Fiction Workshop with Claire McNab
Some of the emerging queer writers
My buddy Susan hanging out on the patio where we all spent a lot of time writing and shooting the breeze. The view was spectacular.
It’s been nearly a week since I returned from the Lambda Literary Foundation Emerging Writers Retreat. The experience was the best of my writing life, and I include the publication of my book in that assessment. For one glorious week I was immersed in all aspects of writing, housed in a comfortable campus located in Bel Air, California, and exposed to new friends, new writing, new ideas. It was really amazing. And I am so grateful to have been one of the 20 writers picked to take part in what the Foundation plans to be an ongoing nurturing of the next generation of GLBTQ writers. The fact that I’m considered the next generation of anything is thrilling for me, but truthfully, I did not have any trouble at all connecting with the others at the retreat, many of whom were much younger than me.
Part of the week’s schedule was devoted to workshops taught by accomplished authors. It’s worthwhile noting that these authors were not only successful as such, but had lots of experience as teachers, an important distinction. My fiction section was taught by Claire McNab, author of some 60 books of various genres, most notably in our community the Carol Ashton and Kylie Kendall mysteries. Claire also teaches at UCLA and I can easily say it was the best experience in a classroom I’ve ever had. She was blunt, but she was also brilliant, and it was easy to see that she cared whether we learned how to be published writers or not. She also has one of the driest senses of humor I’ve ever run across, so I basically liked being around her to hear what she had to say and how she said it.
At the end of the week the students read from their own work. It was clear to see that the quality of writing was really high, and the teachers said as much themselves. It really was a privilege to be part of that group.
