A Note from Daniel Ferri

Tony, Gary, the English Department, associated friends like Maria M.,
and to the Fremd Students and Community,

Thank you for inviting me to WW XII.

You should know what Writer's Week means to the presenters who are
lucky enough to be part of this wonderful event.

Soon after the WW every writer I know that has been part of it has
told me what an overwhelming experience it had been to be welcomed by
that much of your school's student body.

Then, three weeks later I'll generally get a call saying, "I got this
BIG envelope full of letters! They really wrote me; they really
talked about the things I said. They were really listening."

What your school has created is rare. Look how many former students
come back for WW. It's like Homecoming week but with words instead
of football.

For me, this year, I needed the boost of Writer's Week. It has been
a very difficult year personally, and on top of that I am dealing at
the stresses of retirement and emigration. I left Fremd Friday
feeling that a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. When
young people come up to a short, bald middle aged man and tell him
how much a few words he scribbled on a piece of paper mean to them,
its hard not to figure that at least something is right with one's
world.

Thank all of you, from the staff who makes it happen, to the
administration who supports it, to the students who are the reason
for it, and most of all, to everyone who listens.

My best,
Daniel Ferri