All my life, I have been a student. You have too. Maybe school wasn’t your thing. But something has caught your attention. God made us a curious people. We all have interests we enjoy studying. Things of passion.

For me. So. Many. Topics. My favorite hobby is learning. I feel at home on a campus.

This week, I find myself back on campus. For three days, I am attending the Festival of Faith and Writing conference at Calvin College.

As always, I see traces of events in my past that led me to this conference. So close to home.

As an elementary student I attended an author day at a state university. We would listen to these authors speak and have a chance to purchase their books and get them signed. Several years I enjoyed meeting an author who had the same last name as me.

In high school, I represented my school in a writing contest at a local junior college. A chance to hang out with other writers away from school for the day.

Tomorrow, I head that way again. To a local campus so I can rub elbows with fellow writers. Many are published authors. Successful people whose works run deep and wide.

For Friday Conversations this week, I offer a twist. Rather than responding to an article I’ve read online, I will share with you what I am learning at this conference. Maybe a series of thoughtful quotes. Maybe a how-to article. Maybe a response to a session I attended.

I hope it’s a week of learning for you too. Spend some time thinking about it. What knowledge do you seek? Perhaps not in a classroom with four walls. But just because you want to know?