I’m back from the desert, with a laptop full of new words, a head full of wonderful memories, and a whole lot of photos to share.

AROHO stands for “A room of her own,” a concept first introduced in an essay by Virigina Woolf.  The desire to have a “room of one’s own” for women writers was brought to New Mexico by Darlene Chandler Bassett, whose goal to “end the isolation of creative women” has changed many lives, including mine.

Not only is the New Mexican desert a rich, inspirational Internet-challenged (haha) place to create (Georgia O’Keeffe did much of her painting there), it’s utterly gorgeous. Here are a few pics of the landscape and the women I spent my time with.

Double rainbow loveliness!

Keynote speaker Maxine Hong Kingston.

The view from the top at Chimney Rock. Totally worth the hike.

Poet and friend Michelle Wing.

There aren’t any pics of my small conversation/writing group, led by the illustrious Cynthia Leitich Smith, but that’s because we were learning so fast, there wasn’t time to pull out a camera or phone. 🙂

I’ll have news about upcoming events in a week or so – and maybe a giveaway on this blog of the anthology Guys Read: Terrifying Tales as well! See you soon, and write well.