On Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, Courtney Baldwin shared with Examiner.com about her recent experience at the Aloha Writers Conference. It was held in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii.
This first annual writers conference was held Jan. 18-21 at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua. Baldwin was one of the many volunteers at the event, and Examiner.com was also there to learn as much as possible about writing, plus meet some of the authors who create remarkable novels, poetry and all things literary!
Although the conference ended on Jan. 21, the event's retreat continued from Jan. 22-27.
After the conference, Baldwin remained to enjoy other amenities that the island had to offer. In addition to sharing with Examiner.com about her experiences during the exciting event she also shared about non-conference activities as well.
Courtney Baldwin learned about the conference only a few weeks before it began.
"I have a family member who is a writer and an author, and she told me about this January conference and retreat a few weeks before.
She offered that I attend with her. Also, I was asked to volunteer by Dr. Vicki Draeger, Conference Coordinator and Rick Ludwig, Volunteer Coordinator. I agreed to do both."
Baldwin has dabbled in writing, so attending the literary event intrigued her.
"I have written a few online articles, I speak at schools, have a reading and math teaching background, and I am a literary assistant/manager to an author. Attending such a conference seemed exciting to me.
Of course I had never been to Hawaii, so that was exciting too!"
This young woman shared her responsibilites as a conference volunteer.
"Mostly I worked with other volunteers at tables set up for assisting conference attendees. The main thing I did was to help keep track of who attended what pitch sessions (speaking one on one with famous authors, agents or publishers). I helped organize names, dates and times."
Volunteering at the conference was not the only thing Baldwin did while in Hawaii.
"I kept busy as a volunteer at the conference for two days. In addition, I attended one of their breakout sessions. I was fortunate to listen to well known screenwriter, Diane Lake.
Of course when I was not at the event I was enjoying Hawaii and meeting those who have lived there for many generations. It was great fun!"
Finding fun things to do in Hawaii was not difficult for Courtney Baldwin.
"When I was not working at or attending the Aloha Writers Conference I was busy having another kind of fun.
Some of the things I did while in Maui were taking a boat excursion to see humpback whales, enjoying Hawaiian cuisine, meeting locals and learning much about Hawaiian history and culture both in Kapalua and Lahaina. I also visited other surrounding areas.
At all the locations I visited I made many new friends. I think they will be lifetime friends at that!"
There is a famous last name in Hawaii, at least in Maui for sure.
"While I was learning more about Hawaii I discovered that my last name, Baldwin, is a well known name there. It dates back more than two centuries and ties into coffee and sugar cane. I am curious now if I am related to them. I will do some research on that."
Thank you Courtney for sharing. It sounds like you had a grand time learning more about writing and also enjoying Hawaii.
Literary fans feel free to follow Courtney Baldwin and the conference at Facebook. Examiner.com hopes to create articles on more topics and guests related to the Aloha Writers Conference and Retreat.
Note: The conference and retreat were made possible by the joining forces of Dr. Vicki Draeger, Keiki O Ka' Aina Family Learning Centers and multiple others.
Enjoy generic photos of a breaching whale and Maui plus a video clip of Hawaii. More photos to follow with some shot by Courtney Baldwin herself.
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