Surprise! I’m not dead. I’m very much alive and realizing that I didn’t do an update for, well, anything, since August 2025. Oops. My bad. One of the things I’d like to be more intentional about going forward is keeping this space updated with events and announcements.
A few weeks ago, I got to be part of the 2026 Quills Conference which is run by the League of Utah Writers. This is one of those conferences that I don’t miss – mostly because I’m on the board and it would be weird if I didn’t go. But, also because they are gracious enough to invite me to teach.
Being on the board also means getting to help build the conference before anyone arrives. This year, I worked on the conference section of the League’s website, taking the vision of the executive team and conference committee and turning it into something attendees could use. It’s pretty satisfying to see all those plans become a real event.
This year I taught:
Turning Wonder into a Working Magic System: We took those “wouldn’t it be cool if…” ideas and gave them rules, limits, and consequences that could actually work in a story.
Writing Productivity for Distracted Writers: We looked at why the usual productivity advice doesn’t work for everyone and how to build a writing practice that fits the writer you are.
Build Your Author Website Step-by-Step: We broke an author website down into manageable pieces: the pages you need, what to put on them, and how to make the whole thing feel like you.
Of course, teaching a class starts long before I walk into the room. Putting a new one together takes a surprising amount of time, especially when I’m trying to find examples and ways of explaining things that will click for as many writers as possible. It’s a creative challenge of its own, and one I really enjoy.
By far my favorite class of the three is the one about productivity. I love digging into how different minds work and helping writers figure out what they need to keep going. There’s something wonderful about realizing you don’t have to force yourself into someone else’s writing routine.
The annual awards banquet is always a highlight of Quills. Last year, I was named the League’s 2025 Volunteer of the Year. This year, I had the pleasure of passing that honor to someone I admire tremendously: Callie Stoker.
I had a little something to celebrate, too! My short story “A Gift for Solistara” took second place in the science fiction and fantasy category.
A conference isn’t a conference without all sorts of shenanigans. We had a terrific photo booth where people could take photos with all sorts of interesting props. My writer bestie, Candace Thomas, current president-elect for the League, set up a whole tent of writerly fun including blackout poetry, making cute writerly buttons, big boggle, and playing with an old-school analog typewriter.
Being part of Quills is one of the most fulfilling things I get to do. I especially love meeting writers who are just starting out, hearing about their stories, and helping them figure out what their next step could look like. I remember how much it meant to have other writers in my corner, and I love getting to be that person for someone else.
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