Thank you from the Towers that are leaning out for love!

Literati!

I am back in the ‘Cow (Moscow, Idaho), soon to head for Vienna, Hungary, and Greece, and ultimately, to the towers that are A Word with You Press in Ceske Budejovice, pictured here.  But before I cross the pond, I want to thank everyone who attended our Sixth Annual Writers’ and Creatives’ reunion in Oceanside this past Saturday. Stefanie, our associate editor, helped with the planning, and, ironically enough, missed out on most of the fun, refusing to abandon her post signing in the hundred or so people who attended. Thank you Stef!

The event “officially” got under weigh with a recorded message from our contributing editor in the UK, Derek Thompson, author of the Thomas Bladen detective series. Thanks mate!

Stefanie in a previous post thanked some who helped organize the event, but I would especially like to thank artist and long-time friend Lynn Buettner, (https://lynn-buettner.pixels.com/)who year after year steers her eclectic group of friends to our event. Thanks Lynn!

One such friend, Dick Plush, left this post on FaceBook which I think sums up the spirit and success of this annual soiree:

“I truly appreciate the feedback I have received from many of you regarding my penchant to write. Last night my friend Lynn invited me to the 6th Annual Creatives and Writers Reunion at the comfortable, rustic home of Victor Villasenor, a Mexican-American writer, best known for his national bestseller, a book called Rain of Gold. I have recently purchased the book, but haven’t slowed down enough to take the time to read it … yet it was time to say yes to another creative avenue, analogous to the songwriting workshops I have attended for years. “Ready – fire – aim!” I probably don’t have a clue how special this was … but I think I have an inkling.

“I am a big believer in Serendipity, and I had a feeling that last night would be one of those occurrences. I was surrounded by a group of people I don’t know yet (that seems much more apropos than saying “strangers”), and like all artists’ gatherings, the mix of unbridled raw talent and out-there characters was delightful to behold. As with any gathering of expressors (is that a word?), there was also a wide range of personas, ranging from Big Ego to Understated Genius to Humble Facilitator. Life is such an interesting amalgamation of human cartoon characters.

“Our host was Thornton (Thorn) Sully, hailing all the way from Cesky Krumlov, in the Czech Republic. He displayed the dry humour and grateful humility of someone who keenly understands that we are all vessels of knowledge and wisdom, whether we realize it or not. He refreshingly bucked political correctness, and saw to it that we resident males delivered roses to all the females present. What a concept. Nobody seemed to mind a little chivalrous conduct.

“We heard from an array of speakers, discussing their creative paths, reciting some of their better works, sharing insights on what works and what doesn’t, and learning some ways to realistically succeed in the current internet-centric environment. The common bond was the love of craft.

“I won’t elaborate more, other than to say that I was grateful to throw myself in to this briar patch of people who have the wherewithal to put themselves out there and pay it forward through their creativity. More to come.”

Thank you for this, Dick.

I do hope to see people who were here attending next year, and bringing in new writers and artists for this annual event.

Czeers from the Czech Republic!

thorn

and here is a PS:  Victor prefers to be known as an American writer, though extremely proud of his Hispanic heritage.