Masheri Chappelle, NHWP Chair, recently sat down with me to tell the heartwarming story of how she selected this year’s keynote for the 603 Writer’s Conference.
Selecting a Keynote speaker for the NH Writers’ Project 603 Writers’ Conference on June 8, 2024, is not an easy task. I look for a Keynote who can not only inspire and impart wisdom to our writing community and members, but who also has a literary legacy that has made an impact in people’s lives.”
While I am the Chair of NHWP and a transplanted New Hampshirite (originally from New York and Connecticut), I am still learning the literary history of New Hampshire’s Authors and Poets.
One of my NHWP Board trustees, Beverly Stoddart, did a wonderful interview with Ernest Thompson for an online news magazine INDepthNH. From it I learned Ernest is an accomplished author, actor, playwright, filmmaker, and songwriter. He won the Academy Award for best Screenplay adaptation of his play and iconic film, On Golden Pond.
After I read the article, I was immediately convinced he should be the 2024 Keynote for our 603 Writers’ Conference. The decision to call or email is always a challenge when you have never met someone, but I decided I would call and leave a voicemail.
It was a late spring evening, around 8 pm. I thought it was an office number and wanted to leave a voice message for the next day. The phone rang twice, and a man’s voice answered. I tried not to stammer, so I first apologized for the late call and explained who I was, and that I wanted to extend a formal invitation to Ernest to be our Keynote Speaker for 2024. The man’s voice said hold on, I’ll get him. Within a second the same man’s voice returned to the phone, he said, “Hello, this is Ernest,” with a chuckle. I laughed and said, “Good one.”
This is how I first met Ernest. The level of humility, humor, and kindness he delivered in his introduction to me spoke volumes about the man. He spoke very candidly and welcoming and by the time I ended our call, he agreed to be our Keynote pending a review of his calendar.
Fast forward through multiple conversations and email communications we had from June 2023 to his event at the Dana Center on March 1st. The event was described as “a walk down memory lane-from Broadway to Hollywood to the wilds of New Hampshire …” I arrived early, and waited to introduce myself and was greeted with warm hugs by both Ernest and his lovely wife, Kerrin. I brought my book, which I had already purchased, so I could get his signature, I met other attendees, and shared my excitement for the evening, and for his newest book, The Book of Maps, which was a great read and trip! (I also bought the audio version. It is a true treat to hear him narrate!)
Ernest’s presentation that evening was an insightful trip through his life. The audience was able to see his literary, theatrical, and film trajectory complete with clips of his Oscar win (and date Diana Ross), and the attendance of his Oscar, which not only graced the stage during his presentation, but was photographed in the hands of his attendees–me included.
When the presentation was over, and the book signing continued, along with photos of Ernest and a Guest holding his Oscar, I realized I witnessed a level of generosity and encouragement that was unique and transformative. Ernest the man, was giving back to his community, to people who connected to his iconic On Golden Pond family, to people who want to write, whether it is a screen play, a stage play, or a novel. He exuded an elevated motivational force that I found to be rare and soulful. He is the perfect Keynote for our conference.
This year’s 603 Writers’ Conference, on Saturday, June 8th, from 8:00 – 5 :00 pm, at the SNHU Banquet Hall in Manchester, will be filled with Ernest’s uplifting influence as he delivers his Keynote. He will also sit down with Hemingway afficionado, Robert Wheeler, and myself for a soulful discussion about his three “Hs” — Heart, Humor, and Hope — the abiding approach he takes with everything he writes. Finally, he will join his publisher, Curtis Key, in the Meaningful Literary Project workshop.
Ernest will also serve as a Special Guest Judge for NHWP’s famed Pitch Party.
This year’s 603 Writers’ Conference with Ernest promises to be a stimulating and awakening journey for anyone who has the desire to be a writer, or anyone who is already a writer and needs a motivational boost to, as I like to say, “get ‘er done.”
For more information, and to register for the conference, visit: nhwritersproject.org/2024-603-writers-conference or call Masheri Chappelle at (603) 270-5466.
