Rosewater margaritas and Walter Mosley

Here in Atlanta, at the Associated Writers and Writing Program, I've listened to presentations by Walter Mosley, Charlie Baxter, agent Scott Hoffman, Judith Kitchen, Valerie Miner, Tom Lombardo, Dana Gioia of the NEA, and at least a couple dozen others. Heady stuff. Some of the lines that stay with me are:

1. "You must listen to me and be frightened. Be frightened by these FOUR words:

'Paris Hilton, best-selling author' " (Scott Hoffman, literary agent)

2. "The best writing is not about me, as author, but about you, as reader." (Philip Gerard)

3. "Here, the best story I can tell you to illustrate plot is this one: about a man, a woman, and the bet about square testicles." (Walter Mosley)

4. "Do I write every day? I don't know. I sit in front of my computer and if I see a poem, I try to catch it." (attributed to poet Bill Matthews)

p.s. Oh yes, the highlight of the night activities are the fresh grapefruit and rosewater margaritas at the Eclipse di Sol, voted Atlanta's 2006 #1 favorite specialty margarita. Now there's a muse!