The OWL Spring Conference is in the Books

Last weekend was the 2026 Ozarks Writers League (OWL) Spring Conference. I enjoy our OWL conferences so much because they give me a chance to network and socialize with other authors as well as learn new skills to improve my writing, marketing, and editing.

We enjoyed words of wisdom from great professionals in their fields. David Harrison, Greg Stout, and Lia Wu offered insights into marketing and the publication process. They are all accomplished in their fields and shared their expertise freely.

My long-time partner in trouble making, Bonnie, and I made a presentation about entering short story contests from a judge's perspective. We began our presentation with a skit likening writing contests to buying hats. It sounds like an odd comparison, but it worked. Despite technical difficulties with microphones that were dead more than they were live, I think we did pretty well.

Several members requested the slides because they had difficulty both seeing and hearing us most of the time. I have promised to make the slides available on the OWL website, ozarkswriterleague.info. I will be sending them to our webmaster later this week.

The part of the conference I enjoyed most, besides catching up with old friends, was the resurrection of our art contest. We haven't had it in a few years, and many of us missed it terribly. With three categories from which to choose and two entries allowed per category, we had a great many entries.

I entered all three categories and was shocked to come home with some prize money. Entering the photo contest was a no-brainer. I take pictures all the time. It's one of my favorite hobbies. While I enjoy working with clay and painting, I don't get a chance to work with those mediums very often.

With two photos, one piece of pottery, and one painting submitted, my pieces were nestled amongst some truly great work. The talent of some of my fellow writers blows me away. It was no surprise when my painting didn't place. It paled in comparison to the others. I had hopes for my pot, but it was beat out by some stellar work.

By the time the photo results were being announced, I had made peace with not placing in anything this year. I saw all of the entries, and it was honestly quite difficult to choose a favorite. While I'm competitive, I certainly don't expect to win every time I enter something. That line of thinking leads to great disappointment.

I was actually watching the painting and dimensional winners have their celebratory pictures taken when my name was called as the first and second place winner of the photo contest. I sat stunned for a moment, not quite believing I heard correctly.

My gaze landed on our treasurer who motioned me to the front. Once before the body of our assembly, I was handed two award certificates and my prize winnings. I'm deeply honored to have placed, and I'm extremely grateful to our anonymous sponsor and the members who voted for my pictures.

I look forward to our fall conference, which will take place in October. We always have a great time, and that's what makes OWL special.

If you are a writer or have ever wanted to write, I encourage you to attend a writers' conference, join a writers' group, or find people who are like-minded. It does worlds of good for your confidence.

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