AT THE WWI CONFERENCE: During a break at the Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference in Rock Springs at around 3 p.m. on Saturday. Needed a little fresh-air, walking-around (driving-around) time after eight hours schmoozing with other writers. Also attended two very good panels. Some pointed questions were aimed at literary agent Loretta Weingel-Fidel at the tail end of her afternoon session. It always comes up: How comes New York editors hate and/or ignore writers in the West? Or something to that effect. Loretta had lived in Arizona for seven years. "I always wondered why no great book came out of there," she said. Noting that the big book markets are in N.Y., Wash., D.C., Chicago, etc., she said that "book people tend to zero in on markets where people buy books. How many books did you buy last week? I bought eight, including two at the Denver airport on my way here." I wondered how many books I bought this past week. Just one, although I will buy some books at the conference. But on average, I probably buy only a book a week. I get some from the library, but lack the disposable income for eight books a week. The West is also a car culture. We drive and drive and drive. I drove seven hours to get here after a two-day meeting in Denver. I listened to a Michael Connelly audiobook. But the only thing I read was the McDonald's menu in Rawlins while I waited in the slow line at this fast-food joint. "We're a subway and bus culture," Loretta said. "We live differently than you. Everyone on the subway is reading a book." So, more public transportation equals more books? True enough. I read an hour each way when I rode the D.C. Metro from Rockville to the NEA when I worked there. I made more money, went to more readings, bought more books. Some final thoughts from Loretta: "Ask yourself why Wyoming isn't producing more writers." And "Ask yourself how I can write about the West to make it appealing to people in the East." Fair questions. Any answers?
- posted by Michael Shay @ 3:28 PM