Shawn Vestal

Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun and sometimes you neglect your own blog because you’re too busy playing on other websites and at conferences. I just returned home from an amazing few days at the American Writers & Writers Program (AWP) conference in Seattle. I graduated from Eastern Washington University with an MFA in creative writing (non fiction) back in 2010. For the first time, the university sponsored a reception for current students and alumni during the conference. It was so much fun meeting up with old friends who are now scattered all over the states in different jobs, …

I’m a college instructor. I speak in front of large groups every day. I’m comfortable in front of my students. I often get super excited about what I teach. My student evaluations always praise my enthusiasm. So why is it that when I’m reading my creative work in public I feel like a robot with a speech impediment? A really sweaty, nervous, stuttering robot. Tonight, I’m one of the invited speakers for the Beacon Hill Reading Series. Two amazing poets, Maya Zeller and Laura Read, run the program which is funded by the Hagan Foundation. The mission of the program …