Scribblers Retreat Writers’ Conference

I recently came back from Georgia, where I participated in the May session of Scribblers’ Retreat Writers’ Conference. I gave one-on-one lunch consultations on writing and publishing in the conference hotel’s bar—er—restaurant. Let me put it this way: my sessions were well attended! (Smug grin)…The conference took place at Sea Palms Resort on Saint Simon’s Island, and proved to be a refreshing treat in southern warmth and gentile hospitality. I was just one of the conference’s participating authors but they made me feel like I was the guest of honor.

The May conference is one of a series of four conferences held throughout the year (I’ll be giving a session in the SF stream in August, alongside Jack McDevitt—after World Con in Montreal). The May conference was about writing “How to” books; Dr. William Rawlings gave the keynote, setting the pace for a great conference.

I was late, as usual (my close friends who know me from another dimension understand “Nina time” and nod slowly with quiet understanding) and made an unwitting “entrance” to the opening ceremony. A distinguished and impeccably dressed lady waved me enthusiastically to her table and I concluded that she must be the conference coordinator—she wasn’t; she was one of the island’s icons and most respected citizens.

I was too ignorant to be suitably flattered at the moment and cheerfully took my seat, eying the fresh salad and the chocolate cheesecake that had already been placed at each place as a tantalizing prelude to delicious things to come. For some reason, art gallery owner and international socialite Mildred Huie Wilcox decided I was interesting (or was it my goofy lost puppy-dog smile that caught her compassion): she later invited me to her plantation house for some champagne and a tour of her incredible place. Mildred owns the Left Bank Art Gallery, Saint Simon’s first gallery that features dramatic coastal landscapes and scenes from around the world. More on this fascinating lady and her art in a subsequent post!

Saint Simons Island is a golden gem along the southern Georgia coast, about half an hour from the Florida border. Upon crossing the causeway across a wide expanse of coastal marsh that links Saint Simons to the Georgia mainland, I descended into history. Called San Simone by 16th Century Spanish explorers, the island is the year-round destination for visitors who want to sail, fish and walk along its miles of beaches. The island is dotted with old plantation ruins, reminders of its historic plantation days, when “tabby” mansions of antebellum cotton and indigo plantations dominated.

I drove along roads beneath rising arches of majestic Live Oak trees (Quercus virginiana), Georgia’s state tree. These are huge trees, with crowns that can reach 150 feet across. Trails of irish moss hung like green tinsel off their sturdy noble limbs. The moss swayed in the warm sea breeze that brought with it the intoxicating scent of white oleander.

On the first evening I was there, the conference organizers invited us over to one of their houses for a home-cooked meal. I was treated to some original southern comfort including pecan smoked BBQ pork, butter beans and collard greens, potato salad and deviled eggs (OH! They were good!), cornmeal bread, biscuits and gravy, and North Carolina pound cake.

I found the Georgians on Saint Simons Island to be some of the nicest people I’ve met. They exude genuine warmth, with a relaxed uncomplicated and open attitude that lacked any cynicism. I found them joyful and ready to see the best in you. Most of all, I was struck by their elegant and rustic charm. This would seem to incorporate an oxymoron, a paradox; but most things worthwhile do just that, don’t you think? Take their attractive lilting accent, for instance. It combines refined elegance and “homespun” country life in a speech that flows like a languid river meandering through an ancient valley. It is slow and measured, with its Rs remaining soft—almost non-existent—and broad vowels that yawn like the open marshes of the Georgian coast. The Georgian accent reflects the natural cadence of the bucolic landscape, the flow and ebb of its vast coastal marsh and a sensual connection to their environment. Here are some great examples of “Georgia Speak”: “theyu” for there; “griyuts” for grits; “piactuh” for picture; “ruhhnin” for running; “fanger” for finger; “down the road apiece” for a little ways down the road; and “Yalls is fixin’ fer sum trouble” for you’re in trouble now!

Photos:

1. Georgian mansion

2. Sea Palms Resort, Saint Simons Island

3. Dr. William Rawlings and yours truly

4. Frederica Road, Saint Simons Island

5. Marcia, owner of Hattie's Books, showing off The Fiction Writer and Darwin's Paradox

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.