As Prince Edward Island welcomed its first rays of warm summer, ripe red strawberries, and car loads of families and travelers waiting for a glimpse of our famous Anne of Green Gables, I trotted off expectantly to Montpelier Vermont, and to my first Master’s writing residency at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
When i got over the shock of moving into a college dorm, meeting my roommate, and being herded with 127 other writers through the cafeteria line, i began academic introductions and program expectations. Here, writers practiced not only the soulful act of putting our thoughts down on the page, but the bold and foreboding act of springing those same thoughts forward in publication, determined to become noticed in a sea of shiny stars. Here, writers were made.
Daily lectures, presentations and informal talks with many published authors gave us newbies hope for the future, under the wing of accomplished faculty like Sue Silverman, famous memoirist, essayist Patrick Madden, poet Rigoberto Gonzalez and none other than Canada’s own fiction guru, Douglas Glover.
There were readings each night and even a talent show, where I’m picture here, thanks to the Artist’s Road’s very own, Patrick Ross. There’s nothing that writers do better than take risks; and the poets grew louder and bolder each night.
But now I’m home and the real work begins. As my first deadline encroaches, I’ve been faithful to the writing schedule, although heavily distracted by the events of a gorgeous summer: beaches, bike rides, barbecues, lobsters, and of course, long parks walks and south shore rock jumping. The strawberries are long gone and the raspberries are here. Soon it will be the blueberries, and then, back to school.
So if you’re looking for me, I’ll be stuck under a pile of craft books, reading hundred year old essays as the sun creeps slowly up in the sky. This month my focus is LANGUAGE, and in that a study of the merits of blogging and an examination of second language acquisition, a theory of applied linguistics. I’ll get back to you on that. 
