So we’ve just been through Day One of the John Hewitt Festival.  What are my first impressions?

It was okay.

I mean, the opening ceremony was interesting.  I didn’t know there were any Indian people living in Ireland, so the Indian speaker was a bit of an eye-opener for me.  The lunchtime reader had some very interesting pieces, and he had a great speaking voice, so that was enjoyable.  The crime fiction workshop never really got around to the crime part, instead teaching things about writing that I already knew while basically telling us every bit of information we were receiving was nonsense.  The traditional Irish music at the end of the night was fun, if a bit loud.

So overall, it was . . . interesting.

I guess what I’m missing is some kind of impression or memorability.  At the end of the day, what did I come away with from this event?  Nothing much, really.  A handful of scribbled lines and vaguely interesting ideas I may or may not use.

Or maybe I’m missing the passion and the fun.  In a sense, this festival is like a convention for writers and really smart people, not that different from how Comic-Con is a convention for nerds.  But when the people who go are more refined and restrained, it’s hard to see how passionate they are about the subjects they love.  No one here dresses up like their favorite character from Northern Irish literature or poetry.  The applause is polite, with little to no cheering, whooping or hollering.  These are scholars, and their sense of fun seems tempered by intellect and polite company.

I don’t know.  Maybe I’d get the feel for their passion if I actually sat down and talked with one of the people who go there.  If I just sit down and talk to a total stranger about books I’ve never read . . . right, I can’t possibly see that not working.

So can I get past “interesting” to really get into this conference?  Sure I can.  We’ve still got four days.  We’ve got more readings, my workshop will eventually have to come back around to crime fiction, I’m going to a couple of shows tomorrow, and of course, my play gets presented on Wednesday.  Now that I won’t forget so easily.  So yeah, this week is definitely looking up.  Not that it’s looking down now; it’s just not looking.