“How did we meet, Kim?”
She knew right away. “I first knew you from your writing,” she said. “We met face to face when I was in the elevator at NCTE with my boot on because I had a broken foot.”
It all flooded back to me. Anaheim, California. NCTE 2022. I had been writing beside Kim and others at Ethical ELA, and this was our first in-person conference since 2019. I remember when we gathered on and around a bench in the convention center to write together. I remember going to the Slicer dinner and Kim had hobbled her way there, but we insisted she get an Uber back to her hotel.
On the Zoom call, we did not talk about all of this. We were recording our session for the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival coming up in April in Hattiesburg, MS. The recording went well as we easily talked with each other about writing poetry, how writing with others can be validating, healing, and can lead to a connection with another person. Kim knows me better than many of my face to face friends because we write. Writing creates an intimate connection. It helps that we both have dogs and grandkids and live in the south. Kim’s Georgian accent makes me feel right at home.
While we were recording our session, we took the opportunity to share the Ethical ELA site. This is the week of the Open Write which happens for five days each month. Different community members offer a prompt. We opened up the webpage and scrolled to find Kim’s poem pretty close to my poem of the day. Another thing we share is we are early morning writers.
If you are looking for a safe place to write and share poetry, try Ethical ELA. At first it may seem intimidating, but, believe me, the community of writers is worth the risk. Today is the last day of Open Write and the prompt is from Katrina Morris, a Dictionary Poem. Join us?!
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, I wish I had thought to post about our Zoom! I’m so glad you did. That was a great way to spend an afternoon – – talking about writing and giving our presentation a dress rehearsal. I couldn’t agree more about knowing my writing friends better than the people I work next to every day. They are ten feet away in cubicles in my office and we often eat lunch at the common table, but I don’t know them like I know my writing friends. I think it’s a lot like when people say “the book is better than the movie.” I learn more about a person from reading than I do from seeing them. I can’t wait to present in Hattiesburg with you!
I have know about Ethical ELA for a while now but have not looked into it until today. It looks like a deep website so it will take some time to explore but glad I am taking the time.
How cool that you two are presenting together, and I love the title of your shared presentation. The Ethical ELAs prompts are great, and so often spark something in my notebook.
Margaret, what fun to see you and Kim together here and presenting in Mississippi. That’s great! I loved reading your story, and I’m so glad I have memories around that time in Anaheim too. I agree with you and Kim about the depths of relationships with my writing friends. I also like that our distance friends can remain close even when we move away. Because I have moved a lot in my adult life, I have said goodbye to a lot of friends. I haven’t had to say goodbye very often to my online friends.
By the way, I think tomorrow will be the last day of Open Write this week, true?
Yes. It is running 5 days for now. That will change to 3 this summer.