A Conference To Remember: Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. (OWFI)

A conference to remember

Sometimes you meet a fantastic group of people that simply rub you the right way, and I found such a group last weekend in Oklahoma.

I was thrilled when the good people of OWFI invited me to teach a few police-related workshops at their 2015 event, so last weekend I headed to a place where (someone there told me this) all the men think they’re cowboys and the women are Midwestern Southern Belles. To emphasize the latter, the person assigned the difficult task of making sure I was where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there (Carol Johnson) greeted me while wearing cowboy boots and a tiara. What fun!

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So, from the keynote speaker, the absolutely brilliant and entertaining Les Edgerton, to the beginning writer who’d recently typed their very first word into their very first masterpiece, this was a congregation of writers who mean business when it comes to perfecting their craft. But, while having a no nonsense approach to setting words to page, they absolutely know how to throw a party!

Here, see for yourself.

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Of course there were a few serious moments, such as the workshops and panels and the awards banquet.

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Holly Jahangiri at the awards banquet.

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Andrew Kaufman at his session: Bringing Sexy Back – Does Sex Belong in Thrillers?

And, of course, there’s keynote speaker Les Edgerton. Believe me, if you ever have the opportunity to hear Les speak…well, just go as fast as your feet will take you. He’s captivating, entertaining, funny, and absolutely brilliant when it comes to writing.

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Keynote Speaker Les Edgerton

Then there was Charles Sasser. It was nearly 20 years ago when I first read one of his books and I found his writing style to be quite enjoyable. In fact, I instantly became a fan of this cop-turned-writer.

I’ve had one of Sasser’s books on my office shelf for a long, long time, so it was an honor and a thrill to finally meet him at the OWFI conference. Actually, it was another high point of the weekend for me.

See, Mr. Sasser, I told you I have the book!

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Finally, to prove that the OWFI writers really do enjoy their event and sharing the joy of their successes…