As I reflect on this past weekend’s conference, I think about the many learning roads my life has taken. I graduated high school, and went straight into college. Being of Mexican origin, I had the blessing of deciding between two cultural traditions. I could do the American method by heading off to a distant university, living in dorms/or off campus apartments, and getting the full college Americana experience. OR, I could opt for the Mexican way, which meant staying home with my parents, attending the local state university, and having less expenses.
My parents added an extra bonus when they offered to pay for the full college tuition if I stayed home and went to University of Houston, plus they would not charge me rent so I could go full time. Well, that sold me on the deal. The opportunity to carry a full load of course work, and finish faster was too good to pass up. So, I am an alumni of the University of Houston.
Now, as an adult, my learning roads lead to writers communities. Houston Writers Guild offers two amazing conferences a year, and was the organization that returned me to the serious consideration of writing as a career choice. I’d given up on it since I was trying to be sensible. After all, we know writing as a career rarely pays the bills. Getting connected to the guild was the best thing that could happen to me during my teaching days.
I also love the connection to the Boulder writing community lead by the amazing Max Regan and Rosa Glenn Riley. Technically, Rosa headed the Spectrum Writing Guild in Houston, but she moved up to Boulder at the start of the pandemic. I don’t blame her for not returning, because… well… Boulder is gorgeous.
Which brings me to the learning roads of the pandemic years (yes because we are now nearing year two of the era of human history). Thanks to Zoom and virtual platforms, I’ve been able to delve deeper into my writing than ever before. I’ve learned so much through writers retreats and workshops hosted by Max, and, perhaps more importantly, I’ve stayed connected to other writers during the times of isolation and quarantines. This has been huge benefit. I have not felt as lonely or depressed as I think I may have been if these avenues of camaraderie and fellowship had not bee available to me.
So much is changing in the world, but one thing is certain. Regardless of how or when or where, learning is an ongoing part of our lives. Truth is that no matter how much we already know, there’s always more to discover. Finding new techniques, revisiting well-worn ones, and fellowshipping with those who have the same interests and creative sparks as you are parts of my life that I would not give up for anything in the world.