That’s right–Abigail Thomas.

Great essay, by the way. Here’s the link if you’re interested: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-marion-winik21-2009jun21,0,5339695,full.story.

Oh, I have chills now. Great question as to whether these sorts of coincidences are happening all the time. Thank you for the reminder to be on the lookout for the universe pointing us in the right direction. Thanks for zooming us out to that perspective.

Tin House takes place on the campus of Reed College. It’s a week long. Workshops are in the morning and last approximately 3 hours. Lunch is served on campus. We would usually sit outside. In the afternoons there were panels on various aspects of writing and publishing. Around five, there would be faculty readings. Oh, and here are my notes from 2004. Abigail Thomas said, “I can’t write fiction anymore. It feels trivial.” No reference to her for 2005. In the evenings, there would be readings. One of the really cool things about Tin House was their outdoor amphitheater that looked over a lake. They served wine in plastic cups and we sat under the stars listening to Mark Strand and James Salter….

I like trying different conferences, and I’ve decided I like the smaller ones the best because there’s less of a distinction made between the students and the faculty.