WHEN IN MISSISSIPPI

What a great time we had at the MAKING HISTORY COME ALIVE writing retreat! Carolyn Yoder was an endless source of information, and you could not ask for a more nurturing group of writers than this bunch. Big thanks to Sarah Campbell for all her hard work in pulling off such a great event.

And to the cooks at the Gray Center: Way to feed us a gen-u-ine Mississippi supper on Saturday night! There was fried catfish fillets, blackeyed peas, turnip greens, and cornbread. I mean, you made a southern girl proud! And it got me thinking how unique each corner of the world is... here in Alabama we'd have served hushpuppies and coleslaw with our catfish. Interesting, eh? And just the kind of details that should find their way into those "deep south" stories Carolyn wants for Highlights Magazine and Calkins Creek. I can't wait to see what all of you come up with!

"To imagine yourself inside another person... is what a storywriter does in every piece of work; it is his first step, and his last too, I suppose."

- Eudora Welty