I am in Nebraska teaching at the Nebraska Summer Writers Conference for the second year. A lot of people wonder why I come here and the answer is: Timothy Schaffert. He is a novelist and native Nebraskan who lives in Omaha and started the (downtown) omaha lit fest and he is one of those people who is just doing it. And I like to support my friends. He is the director of the conference, too, so I am talking about what I do and helping writers learn how they can navigate the contemporary publishing landscape to become successful authors in a way that feels good and works. I like talking to all kinds of audiences: students, aspiring writers, experienced authors, readers, publishers, organizations, creative professionals, artists, etc. It keeps my imagination and perspective fresh. And people who are doing what they want to do are the most exciting and inspiring people in the world! One of my students over the weekend is a professor at a university in California and wants me to come to speak to students there in the spring, so maybe I'll do that. When I'm not teaching a class, I've been hanging out with friends. Ian and Matt from Japanther played a show in Omaha on Saturday night, and then last night Zach and Jonathan from Featherproof were here. The biggest challenge is doing work here and basically doing my full-time job back in New York at the same time. If you're in New York, "Upstairs at the Square" is tonight. If you're in Nebraska, I'll be talking shop at the Great Plains Art Museum.
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