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Once Upon a Page, and Why I’m Saying Yes to This One

Not every gathering needs to be loud to matter. This reflection shares why I chose to participate in Once Upon a Page 2026, and why slow conversations, shared stories, and unhurried rooms still feel important to me as a writer and a human.

REFLECTIONS AND ESSAYSAUTHOR LIFECREATIVE GROWTH

Rowena

2/9/20261 min read

There is something quietly magical about events that don’t try to be everything.

Once Upon a Page 2026 is shaping up to be one of those gatherings. Not flashy. Not overwhelming. Just a room full of people who love stories, tell stories, and believe that books still matter in a very human way.

This April, I’ll be participating in Once Upon a Page, a Book and Story Convention, hosted by The Spine Bookshop at the Smyrna Event Center in Smyrna, Tennessee. It runs Saturday and Sunday, April 18th and 19th, and it brings together local authors, narrators, and vendors across genres. Fantasy. Romance. Poetry. Children’s literature. Horror. Spicy romance. The whole beautiful spectrum.

What I appreciate most is the intention behind it. This isn’t just about selling books. It’s about conversation. Panels. Shared experience. Community. The kind of event where you can wander, listen, ask questions, and actually talk to the people behind the pages. The kind where conversations aren’t rushed and no one is checking the clock every five minutes.

There will be author signings, panel discussions, giveaways, and space to linger. Space to browse. Space to connect. The panels alone are shaping up to be thoughtful and wide-ranging, from marketing and self-publishing to LGBTQIA and diversity conversations, poetry, narration, AI in creativity, and genre-focused discussions like horror, fantasy, and romance. It’s the kind of lineup that invites curiosity instead of posturing.

I’ll be there as both an author and a human who still believes in the power of slow conversations, signed books, and the small moments that happen when people who love stories gather in the same room. I will also be debuting my second book, The Seeker’s Workbook: Practices for Healing, Integration, and Becoming, a companion to my memoir, focused entirely on the reader.

If you’re local, or close enough to make a weekend of it, I’d love to see you there. Come say hello. Come browse. Come sit in on a panel and leave with a book you didn’t expect to love.

Sometimes the best chapters aren’t written alone at a desk. Sometimes they happen in rooms like this.

Once Upon a Page 2026

April 18th and 19th

Smyrna Event Center

100 Sam Ridley Parkway