It’s Festival time again, and the road trip from Pennsylvania to Michigan is behind us. (Whew!) My friend Renee and I are settled into our hotel room, enjoying the free wireless connection and listening to Nightline‘s coverage of the Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama debate in Philadelphia earlier tonight and the Pope’s U.S. visit.

This will be my sixth Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin College, and I’m so glad to be back this year. I first attended in 1996, when the conference was much smaller, and I was thrilled at the opportunity to see and hear Madeleine L’Engle and Annie Dillard in person. I’ve only ever missed one festival since, in 2006, when my mom was battling cancer. I’ve loved every conference I’ve attended, and enjoyed hearing from authors like Anne Lamott, David James Duncan, Lee Smith, James McBride, Lauren Winner, Luci Shaw, Katherine Paterson, Barbara Brown Taylor, and so many more. It’s a blessing to be back.

Let the Festival begin!