Georgia Beers | GCLS 2008

GCLS 2008

Written by Georgia

gcls_2008_1 Wow. That's the first word that comes to mind. It was a whirlwind 5 days in Phoenix for the 2008 Golden Crown Literary Society's annual conference. As I always do, I had an absolute blast.

First and foremost: it was friggin' hot in Phoenix. I thought it was hot here in North Carolina, but it didn't really compare to Arizona. Who goes to Phoenix in July? I'll tell you who. Stupid people, that's who. Luckily, we had the benefit of an unbelievably gorgeous resort and lots of air conditioning (too much, some would say...some=me). I've always loved Arizona with its beautiful red clay and vegetation that's so utterly different from what I'm used to. The Sheraton Wildhorse Pass was massive and very southwestern in decor and the staff was wonderful. Had it been cooler, I would have spent more time out by the pool (though I did manage the water slide - and tore my bathing suit bottoms for my trouble). As it was, I ended up too busy for much of that anyway. And Bonnie soaked up enough of the blazing sun and did enough exploring for both of us. Just ask her burned shoulders and boo-boo toes.

gcls_2008_2 My Coffee Chat with Karin Kallmaker was tons of fun. I had a list of questions to ask her, but didn't need them because once we got talking, we just went with it. Karin was classy and humble and genuine, as she always is, and she held the audience captivated by her answers. The hour flew by and was over way too soon. We had a sizable crowd and we were mic'd and recorded! I felt a little like a celebrity on a talk show.

Friday, I spent the entire day learning from none other than lesbian literary icon, Katherine Forrest. Holy crap! I think my wrist is still cramped from the pages upon pages of notes I took as she spoke. She was intelligent and straightforward and witty as hell and I still can't believe I had the honor of learning from her. The best part: SHE KNEW WHO I WAS! No, seriously! She came up to me during a break and said she hadn't yet had a chance to congratulate me on my Lammy win last year, that she was looking forward to reading Fresh Tracks, and that she'd hear' that I'm 'one of the fresh new voices of the genre.' Can you believe that? Yeah, picture me sitting there and grinning like an idiot. Definitely the high point of the trip for me.

Saturday, I moderated an erotica panel that featured Anne Laughlin, Nell Stark, Moondancer Drake, and Catherine Lundoff (who later won a Goldie for her erotic anthology, "Crave"). We had a small but attentive crowd and each author read some fantastic stuff, getting us all hot and bothered. Phew! When I wasn't introducing the panel, I was busy fanning myself.

gcls_2008_3 And let us not forget about the Author Auction. What a hoot! Five of us were auctioned off to the crowd - me, KG MacGregor, Nell Stark, Lynn Ames, and Karin Kallmaker. I believe the proceeds went to the GCLS scholarship fund (which I was psyched about because I met Jeannie, the woman who went on this year's scholarship and she was just giddily happy to be there). I have to say that it's a very new experience to stand on a stage and have lots of lesbians shout out monetary amounts, bidding on you. And not altogether unpleasant. Hee. I'm happy to say that I did sell (thank God...how embarrassing would it be to stand there to the sound of crickets?). Nancy and her partner, Phyllis, from California, paid over $200 to dance with me at the banquet that night. How cool is that? They were so sweet and they have Aussies, so we talked a lot of dog. I was very flattered and I thank them for their generosity. Nancy is a photographer, so she took lots of pictures (she took the one of me and Phyllis to the right).

I got to meet and/or hang out with so many cool women. KG MacGregor and her partner, Jenny, were sweet and funny and wise; Lisa "Follow Me" Girolami bought me lunch and was fabulous company; Ruth Perkinson and her partner, Sandy, kept me in stitches the entire trip; Karin Kallmaker, the classiest of classy women; MJ Lowe, whom I adore and just want to hug all the time; Nell Stark, whose abs I somehow managed to keep my hands off of, sadly; Catherine Lundoff, who totally wins the debate about reading length; Jane Fletcher, who let me touch her partner Joan's hair; and on and on and on. It was a wonderful conference and I want to say thank you to all the readers who not only attended, but asked me to sign things for them. I really appreciate you taking the time to approach me and tell me what you think of my work. That's what keeps a writer going, that feedback. So thanks.

If you couldn't make it, I'm sad for you; you really missed out.

Good thing there's always next year...