Rhonda Leverett
I hope all the night owl attendees of our conference this year enjoyed at least one great Buzz Session. I attended the Q&A hosted by Philip Martin of Midwest Traditions Blue Horse Books. In sync with Philip's easy-going nature, the discussion in his hotel room flowed from the couch sitters to the chair and floor sitters and back again as effortlessly as the bouquet of a well-aged Cabernet Sauvignon just opened. Although I drank water during the session, I left at eleven feeling warmed inside by the candid sharing of those around me. We got down to the nitty-gritty subjects that drive us all to write, a topic well worthy of our time.
Philip's Buzz Session typified what the late night Buzz should be—a relaxed setting for small group mingling. It's a letting-our-hair-down gathering that may elicit lighthearted or deep discussion and hopefully reminds us all of why we call ourselves writers in the first place.
This was my second year to attend an OWFI Conference and my first year as a volunteer. The most involved job I performed was that of Buzz Session Chair. I would like to take you behind the scenes of a conference chair position and share what this experience meant to me.
I took away three important gifts from my 2007 volunteer experience with OWFI:
- Sense of Community – At the conference, two groups comprise one larger group. There are worker bees and attendees—and of course, we are all writers. The camaraderie that I felt as an attendee in 2006 was multiplied by ten this year as a volunteer. I won't miss that again, it's the best part!
- Endurance – Chairing a committee for a large event begins several months, and sometimes a full year, ahead of the actual event. Surprise personal obligations squeal and jump for attention once you commit to a volunteer position. That's where an opportunity for growth comes in. By the time conference came around, I had told all my friends about a discovery I made along the way—I was actually able to get the job done! Woo-hoo! I had written the e-mails, sent them, replied back when necessary, made phone calls and posters and arrangements with the hotel. Nothing difficult, but a bunch of little things which took some dedication to follow through.
- Joy – This one would make anyone want to work for OWFI year after year. A funny thing happens when you put others first—you have a blast and it's addicting. I felt so personally rewarded for the things I did toward the conference that I stayed on a high of a different level than I experienced last year as an attendee. A smiley face kind of light goes on in me when I find myself in the middle of a large group of writers, and I think that happens to most of us, but as a volunteer, I felt a certain responsibility to others which greatly enhanced my own joy. In fact, I survived the Awards Banquet, without winning a single thing, because of this gift. <3
Although I did not sweep the awards this year, thanks to the person who asked me to volunteer and the fact that I took them up on the offer, I came away from Write On! 2007 feeling like a great big winner.
I'll be there again in 2008, chairing the Buzz Sessions and one of the contest categories. I hope that many of you will find your own niche and join me as worker bees. Remember, all you have to do to win is—volunteer. ☺