Home Again Sunday Coffee Share

A Cup of Coffee and a Conversation + Writing Prompts

Thank you for joining me for a coffee and a chat today.

If we were having coffee I would tell you…I spent most of the week in Kansas City, Missouri attending AWP24. It was a conference experience unlike any other I have been to in the past, and I have attended many education-related conferences in similar venues. I drove since it was only 8 hours and would have access to my car. (Always have an escape route! HA!)

One of the biggest takeaways for me was that poetry is medicine. I believe this is all words, but poetry has a special magic. I know this, as I read at least one poem a day, but it seemed to be a concept that became MORE while at AWP. I was having a rough day on Thursday and went to a reading moderated by Kaveh Akbar and it turned my day around. (Picture below)

Another takeaway is that AWP is about connecting to people more than learning new skills. There are panels where your processes are validated and you may be inspired, but there was nothing that would uproot my current writing process. I wouldn’t want it to honestly. The purpose is different at this conference which was a mindset shift for me.

Being social in a strikingly different way than how I am at home was fun because it was short-lived. Dinner and lunches out with friends were fueling but AWP is a lot of peopling. Having writer conversations and planning things together moving forward was rewarding. There were heart-to-heart and craft talks - sometimes in the same sitting.

I consumed Thai noodles, ramen, salmon, German food, a spicy chicken sandwich, carne asada tacos, lavender drinks, old fashioneds, wine, omelets, and lots of coffee.

Almost every panel I attended had substitutions for speakers. All the panels I attended I gained from, but some of the absences were disappointing. There were no updates before your butt was in the chair.

Over the next few days, I will go through my notes and make sure they are fleshed out. I want to make sure all the thoughts are on the page, not just the ones I think are there.

The weather was beautiful and I was able to walk everywhere, which I preferred. Over the next few posts I will share some more specific learnings and some of my other adventures.

Writing Prompt: Write about a time something unexpected made you feel better.

If we were having coffee I would tell you…breakfast this morning was welcome since it is a regular routine. I was happy to be home and be able to go out to the diner with Chris. We had our regular order.

Writing Prompt: Write a story with eggs in some form (cake, pancakes, over easy, Easter, throwing, potato salad, deviled eggs)

If we were having coffee I would tell you… I went to the Kemper Contemporary Art Museum and found many inspiring pieces. I found a painter I am obsessed with now. (I will write more about her in another post). I also did the tourist thing and took photos in the photo booth! That was a lot of fun and makes a great memory.

Writing Prompt: Photo booth.

If we were having coffee I would tell you… I feel a bit pressed for time today after being gone. I have to be kind to myself and do one thing at a time. (Even as I type this I also honor the fact this may not happen.)

While I was in KC I received an email about commenting on Substack. I know that I cannot please everyone and that each platform has its pros, cons, and limitations, but it was still upsetting and has stayed with me. I am choosing my next actions from a variety of options but none of them feel like a win-win. Thank you to those of you who follow, read, and comment. Any way you engage, whether I know it or not, is important to me.

But today, I am making potato salad, doing laundry, writing, reading, walking, going to the library, and spending time with the man I love and that is a pretty fine day!

Thank you for joining me for coffee today. If you write to any of the prompts I would love to hear about it. Tag me if you publish it on your Substack!

A little more about me: Tammy L. Evans is a writer, teacher, runner, and coach living in a tiny house on a peninsula with her husband and adventure cat. Her location device is her loud laugh. She is a reader for Reckon Review. She is the creator and host of the THE BRADBURY TRIO COURSE. Her poetry has been published in The Storyteller, FoxGlove Journal, Story Hall, Blue Insights, The Partnered Pen, and others. Her fiction has been published in Gone Lawn, South Florida Poetry Journal, Cabinets of Heed, Spelk, Five on the Fifth, Clover and White, Fiction Berlin Kitchen, and others.