Back pain during the 16-hour drive aside, was the wait, the drive, and the associated costs worth going to Nest Fest? Yes, and maybe no.
Yes, because I have been waiting for this for over a year. I wanted to go to Nest Fest last year and it just didn't work out. So I set my eyes on it for this year. In the interim months of waiting I found out that a couple of my favorite authors, Emily Freeman and Tsh Oxenreider, would be there. This was especially awesome because Tsh lives in Texas and was going to make the trip all the way to North Carolina just to meet some of her fans (and hang out with her author friends, but still). I could make the drive from Alabama to meet her. Anticipation and waiting for over a year will make me motivated to do something out of pure self-hype.
Perhaps I should tell you what Nest Fest is so that we are on the same page about what I had hyped in my head (besides meeting Tsh and Emily). I’ve been calling Nest Fest a home goods festival. There are vendors selling homemade home goods - handmade pottery, toys, clothes, stationary, artwork, furniture - all the things. There is live music throughout the day. There are food trucks. And there are about a dozen authors selling and signing their books. It’s called the Nest Fest because it is in Myquillyn Smith’s backyard (aka the Nester, a woman who writes about making home cozy and useful).
So we went. I went with my mother. My darling mother drove the whole way, bless her, because she just doesn't like being a passenger in a car. It turned out that because my back hurt so much, I didn't mind. I was laid out in the back seat basically the whole time anyway. We left Friday after she had a half day of work and we drove until it got dark and we got tired. We stopped just outside of Greenville, SC and then the next morning we got up, and started driving again. Greenville is only about two hours away from Midland, NC, so we had a pretty relaxed morning - breakfast at the hotel, and a Starbucks run before we got out of Charlotte, NC. We got there pretty shortly after it began at 10am.
We were a little worried that it would rain, but it actually stayed perfectly pleasant the whole time we were there. It was sunny and probably in the mid 60s when arrived. Later on it was more cloudy so it got a little chilly, but it was still delightful. It didn’t start raining until the very end of the day, when Mom and I were two hours away in a car.
We began with a lap around the vendors. There were about 50 sellers, so we just took everything in on the first lap. By the time we were done with that, it was close to lunchtime and also close to the time slot when Emily and Tsh would be signing books. I stood in line to get into the barn (a nice barn) where they were doing that while Mom got in line for lunch at a food truck.
I would like to say a few words about book signings. However, with my limited experience of this one time, I am sure I am under-qualified. Let me tell the thing anyway. The line was rather long to meet Emily, since she’s local, it’s her sister's event, everyone there knows Emily. The line for Tsh was really short, though, so I bumped lines and I got to say hi to Tsh in a matter of minutes.
I want to say that it was magical and amazing - and it was, for about a minute I guess, but that minute wasn’t even while I was talking to her. I stood in line behind one person for a couple minutes and chatted with a woman behind me who was there and super excited to meet Tsh, get her book signed. It was magical and amazing for the one minute to see Tsh in person - a real life human being with flesh on her bones, and that awesome smile she has, and to hear her voice, and just see her being a person. But then it was my turn for greeting. I awkwardly said “hello, my name is Amy... I'm a patron - you might have seen me around on your Patreon forum…” Tsh is such a nice person, because I was being super awkward and she came around the side of the table and gave me a hug.
Medium story short, I didn’t bring a book, so I had Tsh sign a blank card that I may or may not put a quote on later, but I was, again, awkward in explaining that. Then I asked her about her patron gathering this next weekend which was also awkward, as I’m not going to said gathering, but I just wanted to make some small talk (why did I want to make small talk), so I asked her how the planning was going. She said basically everything was ready, you just never know how something's going to go live. Then, I don't even know if I said nice to meet you or goodbye or anything - I just walked out of the barn.
Just so it's mentioned, I've also now stood within a yard of Emily Freeman, because she was the same table as Tsh. I just didn't get to say hello, because I didn't bother to go back and stand in her line, but in case you're wondering, she is a real life human.
So. I don't think I like book signings. I thought that real life interactions were always better, but the important thing about that sentence is the word real. A book signing is proof to your senses that this person who previously was only words on a page and pictures and videos on a screen is a real live person - but it is usually not a real life interaction. Getting coffee, chatting about the silly things your family did yesterday, going on a hike, sharing real life - is real life interaction.
So I found meeting my favorite author(s) in person a little disappointing, because of the format. But the important thing that I actually want to tell you about the experience is this (hang with me): If anything, this generally underwhelming experience of meeting these amazing people face-to-face is just encouragement to seek out more real life interactions. Obviously, not more books signings (with nuance: book signings are still a great way to support your people!), but more of the living and doing and creating - which Tsh and Emily are already hard at work at. I want a piece of it.
Tsh and Emily do great work to create real life interactions with their people. They live and work in community - their communities at home, and their communities of authors and creators. And they create space within their work to do it in person - they lead a trip to London together every summer where they tour the city but also do some soul digging. Tsh just finished up her life coaching certification so that she can do even higher quality in person work, and she’s teaching a high school English class at her kids’ school.
But by saying, I want a piece of it - I’ve spent the past year or two pining to be a literal part of what Emily and Tsh are doing. I would absolutely love to go to Literary London with them. I’m still holding out hope that they do a trip for young professionals without a profession. But, what I really know is that even if I get to go on Literary London, the odds seem slim that I become a part of their circle, you know? So - here’s the deal. I want a piece of my own circle. I am connected to knowing that I am capable of catalyzing amazing things, without waiting to be let in to "the group."
Listen: I would love to lead a trip like Literary London. But probably not to London because I’m just not as passionate about it as Emily and Tsh. This is my crazy, wild, wonderful idea that I’m putting down on paper so that you can ask me about it later: I want to take a van full of college women (rising sophomores or juniors) on a road trip across the United States. It’s the trip I took (and I know so many other college-age women take) the summer after my freshman year. I grabbed a girlfriend of mine and we drove from Virginia to Yosemite, both went nearly broke before we got back to our summer camp jobs, and it was amazing. It was already a great trip focused on being outdoors and spending time with one of my best friends, but what if it was also a spiritual practice? Emily Freeman says, "Really anything can be a spiritual discipline when we recognize the presence of God with us in it."
What if five or a dozen 20-year-old girls were in a van together for two weeks, going to amazing places, asking thoughtful, soulful questions, slowing down to think about the awesomeness of God in those amazing places, getting to know each others’ hearts and helping each other sort through tough stuff and also their hearts and dreams? I think it would be pretty awesome.
On that note, if this is something that stirs any sort of flame in your belly, TALK TO ME. This is not a dream that is going to happen just me. Send me a note. Let’s talk.
It’s funny to say that meeting my favorite authors was motivating in such a strong way only because it was so underwhelming and a little disappointing, but I’ll take it.
Back to Nest Fest, in case that’s what you really wanted to know about: Mom and I did our second lap around the vendors after lunch and bought a few of the things that caught our eye on the first go around. There were some awesome makers there and I was really pleased with what I left with - candle from Tiny Hands Pottery, a peshtemal throw from Artisan Village Design, some super adorable sloth magnets from Oh Little Wren, and felt succulents from Something’s Wong. I know there are cool makers in every city (second cool idea: let’s have a Nest Fest in Huntsville, can we?), but it was special just to be around makers who know and love and are known and loved by some of my favorite people (i.e. Myquillyn & co).
Mom & I started driving right after that - about 1 o'clock - so we spent maybe 4 hours in Midland for our 16 hours of driving. We drove until it got dark and rainy and stopped just outside Atlanta for the night, and finished the drive home Sunday morning. All in all - so glad that I went, probably won’t go next year - but only because I’ll be so busy planning an even better adventure!
If you’re in the Charlotte area, I would definitely recommend going to Nest Fest. If you’re further than a day-trip… depends how you feel about book signings, I guess. Thanks for reading my novel about Nest Fest - and if you want to join me and some college kids in a van across the country - let me know! Cheers.