Gearing up for the Big Conference!

I've finished my first editing project of the year already, and getting ready to dive into my stack of advance submissions for the Southern California Writers Conference—I'm so excited—it's just over a week away now...
This conference is always a great time—not just because I get to see old friends, and meet new ones, but because I get to both learn and teach, which I love. And it inspires me to be at the top of my game, because everyone else there is!
For those who haven't heard about SCWC before, here's a short clip of SCWC's wonderful Director, Wes Albers, being interviewed about the writers conference, at the 2013 LA Times Festival of Books.
If you haven't been to a writers conference before, you're probably wondering, Why should I go? What will I get out of it?
The biggest reason I know is to connect with a community of writers—and readers (because all writers are readers, no?). Writing is a solitary pursuit and sometimes we need to meet and talk to others in our "tribe," to hear people talk about going through the same things we go through; to learn from their mistakes, and gain insight from their successes.
Of course, you'll also meet and get to chat with agents, editors, and publishers—not to mention people who are successful author-publishers.
The world of publishing is evolving fast, and it's important for aspiring and published authors to keep on top of the changes, and keep their strategies always shifting, in order to compensate. I think going to a writers conference like SCWC gives you the cutting-edge tools to do that. The panels and workshops include subjects that span the world of today's publishing. Check out the schedule here.
Hope to see you there...
hasta pronto!