Cheryl Woodruff Brooks was part of our Night of Nonfiction: Debut Author Readings at HippoCamp 2018, celebrating the launch of Chicken Bone Beach. This year, she returns to the conference to give a flash session called The Business Side of Things: What an MBA Taught Me About Writing & Publishing.
Thanks to Cheryl for participating in our Q&A!
Tell us a little about your involvement this year at HippoCamp.
Attendees will leave with simple tools to put into effect to produce a business platform to use during their writing career and understand what the publishing industry seeks in a potential client/artist.
Our motto is “memorable creative nonfiction.” Tell us about one of the more recent memoirs, essay collections, or individual essays you’ve read and why it was memorable. If it’s online, share a link!
Most recently, I read snippets of the books-in-progress of five writers at the 2021 Belize Writers Conference, and most of them were extraordinary memoirs. I could find a piece of my own journey in each of them. Powerful stories about women rising from the ashes.
What made you decide to participate in HippoCamp this year as a speaker? If you’re a returning speaker, how did your past experiences encourage you to want to come back?
I participated as a panelist in 2018 as a debut author. I had such an amazing and valuable experience. I knew I wanted to return in some capacity. I learned a great deal and truly enjoyed being a part of HippoCamp.
What’s going to keep you busy between now and HippoCamp?
I am so grateful to travel again, I’ll leap at any chance to go, so since April, I’ve been to Belize, New York City, and Cleveland, Ohio. I’m promoting my new children’s book, The Story of Chicken Bone Beach.
Since you’ll also be attending the conference, when you’re not wearing your “speaker hat,” what are you most looking forward to learning or doing?
Catching up with friends, dining in Lancaster!
We love introducing Lancaster to attendees. If you live here or have been here before, what would you recommend to other attendees?
I live in Hershey, so I love Lancaster. I love going to the Market, which is real close to the conference, and the little stores surrounding it. The restaurants are really good around the downtown area. Downtown is lively in the summer, in general.
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To learn more about HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers and see our full list of speakers and sessions, visit the official conference website.
