Friday Morning

Stagg got a pic of me. That is Nell on the right. Allen on the left. Diane and Jorge not in pic but at table. I joked that this was the token panel. One Spanish fellow and three women. Overseen by a white guy. Diane, Nell and Jorge gave wonderful papers on THE ORCHARD KEEPER. I had been bumped from the night before because some people were not able to make the conference so moving us around gave people more relaxed schedule. So my paper was for BLOOD MERIDIAN...so I wasn't an easy fit to the theme....but trust me. I wasn't going to fit in anywhere. When I began my paper....I looked around and I really could see jaws dropping.

I kept on going though , heh heh. And I got some laughs and some positive response later from other participants. I took a risk with a literary device for format....and by researching in work I've been interested and working on for a long long time....so I am glad I stuck to it. I have quite a bit of work done and intend on putting the entire series of work into chapters and a book. I've got a list of chapter titles. I am really inspired by the people I know from the McCarthy Society and the people I heard read this weekend and the great folks I spent time with. A lot of laughing and shooting the shit and hijinx. I am so grateful to know Diane Luce and Nell Sullivan. We were often the few women 20 years ago on the website or the Cormac McCarthy Society...on the open discussion pages....called the forum. I found it very fitting and appropriate that all these years later we would be sitting at the table together. I had a profound emotional response actually. I love these women and to be able to be at all welcome to sit by them is a real honour and treat for me. I write in a much more comedic style....and their serious academic presentations deserved another traditional scholar....but they were gracious to me, and I thought they handled my offbeat prescence kindly.

Really really inspiring people. How often do we get a chance to meet and spend time with people who have such similar passions....and that love to talk about them. Getting involved and participating at the McCarthy forum changed my life. I was already very immersed in reading and literature....but no matter how much I thought I had read....there has always been someone else who throws in another book or perspective. Basically, I love talking about the nature of reality....and so do the folks participating in these McCarthy-based conferences and online forum. How often do we find folks like that in our lives? Rick Wallach and Marty Priola (king pins of McCarthy Society) basically changed my life. And all of the participants changed my life by raising the yardstick and expectation for discussion, research, participation....and humour!

However offbeat my paper was....I am committed to continuing to work on the ideas and research surrounding the topic. I totally think there are people more suitable for such research and writing....but I don't see the area being worked on. So I feel I got some good energy...inspiration and direction on how the topic might be continued....and published. Just looking at my notes for new chapters has me super excited!