An hour away, with an $18 bridge toll, the city of Virginia Beach has a nice writer's group - Hampton Roads Writers. They have monthly readings at libraries, offer a few classes throughout the year, and put on a nice conference. Down the road a piece, Norfolk has the Muse Writers Center, which is more on the educational side, but they do have readings in conjunction with most of their events.

Across the Bay, in my area known as the lower end of the Eastern Shore, we have...hmm. Then there's...or maybe...no, not that, either. Maybe things will change when we get a traffic light.

I guess I should consider starting something? I could call it BookCountry South, where writers meet to discuss their challenges, listen to readings, and get help navigating through BC and learn how to use it as a tool for improvement and a vehicle for publishing. Okay, maybe the name would have to change, but the idea is still a good one, I think.

I kinda like the sound of that.

I love the sound of Book Country South!

Have you been to the Hampton Roads Writers Conference? I hadn't heard of it before now. It looks really lovely!

When I lived across the water, I attended the monthly HRW reading sessions, but I have yet to attend the conference. It is gaining in popularity, but there are three others in the area as well: Christopher Newport University's Writers Conference, Old Dominion University's LitFest, and the James River Writer's Conference. They all offer the usual gamut of activities, i.e. agent critiques, and opportunities for reading. Each has a theme, sometimes fiction, other times nonfiction or poetry. I tend to gravitate to the CNU conference, though the JRW meeting is in Richmond. If I attend that one, I could lurk about the Poe Museum and drink cognac!