This past Thursday (29 November 2018), I once again returned to the revered halls of Kingsway Regional High School, my alma mater, to speak to creative writing students. If you are a long time reader of my blog, you may remember that I did this back in 2015. That has become one of the cherished moments of my life. Imagine my excitement when I was invited to return once again.

This year, there were fresh, new faces in the seminar room, but each still had that same passion in their eyes as those from 2015. It was a passion to create, not with images or clay or paint, but with words. They all had stories to tell, whether through fiction or poetry. And, they all came eager with questions.

I was again surprised by the scope of the questions. One student asked about "world building", a topic that could take hours alone to discuss. Another asked a tough one about using the antagonist as the main character of a story. The questions were all good, and revealed an already deep understanding of creative writing concepts. Their teacher, Laura Fiorentino, has taught them well.

My time at Kingsway was far too brief, but rewarding nonetheless. It was just as inspiring for me as I hope it was for the students. There was real talent among those students. You could tell just by the questions they asked. They were serious about their writing. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them end up on the New York Times bestsellers list some day. For me, the day was awe-inspiring.

Once again, I want to thank Laura Fiorentino and her students for their hospitality. You've created for me another great memory to cherish. I wish students all the luck in the world with their writing.

And, as always . . . GO DRAGONS!