Second Place, Adult Short Topic--Essay

Wow! How exciting was that?! I actually got second prize for my essay "Baywalk Rondo". I thought I might win and then I thought no way, then I thought maybe, and when they called my name I wasn't sure if they actually called my name. Did I imagine it? But the people at my table were applauding and smiling at me, so I figured I might as well walk up there and see what name was actually on the certificate. It was my name!

What a conference. I really got my money's worth out of these few days with all of the great sessions, meeting the agents and editors, making friends, and then the contest. What was really cool was that many of the people I talked to throught the conference won prizes, too. There were a lot of friendly faces at the winners' reception.

The only thing I regret is not taking more time off to enjoy Seattle. It looks like a nice city and it's about 20 degrees cooler than the Philadelphia area right now. I collected brochures for my next trip and told my new friends at the conference I would be back next year. I'll have to keep my word.

I will be happy to be home again this time tomorrow, and back to the routine for a few weeks before my next week at the beach.