Loving More East Coast Conference - Fabulous!

I had a really great time attending and participating in the Loving More East Coast Conference. We were once again at the lovely Easton Mountain Retreat, where the meals included a lovely bounty of fresh, homegrown vegetables and the chocolate chip cookies were to die for. Above are the smiling faces of some of the participants.

The weather was hot on Friday, rainy on Saturday - we were all in workshops anyway - and crisp and clear on Sunday. As always, the energy at this retreat was lively and loving. We had a good number of people in attendance who are new to polyamory, and all we veterans did our best to make them feel comfortable and make sure they know they were amongst friends. I always love meeting new people and helping them in whatever way I may.


Above are some of the presenters - that's me in the front row between Eric Francis, the fellow with the drum, and our keynote speaker, the dynamic Diana Adams, Esq., NYC polyamory activist and Poly Pride 2008 co-organizer. (Watch this site for more on the upcoming Poly Pride celebration October 3-5 in NYC!) I presented my signature "Making Peace with Jealousy" program and co-facilitated a general polyamory relationship issues discussion with Robyn Trask. We got into some heavily emotional stuff, but I think it was good work and helped several people there get a handle on relationship challenges with which they were grappling, which was the point of that workshop.


Above are the Loving More staff who worked so hard to make this conference such a pleasure for the rest of us. From left to right, they are the lovely Elise, book vendor extraordinaire, shuttle driver and everyone's helper, Mark, the sweet and sassy Amira, who is Loving More's office manager; Loving More Managing Director Robyn Trask; and Robyn's partner Jesus Garcia, who has a wonderful amount of energy for filling in whatever gaps exist so all comes off seamlessly. Kudos to these amazing people for creating an event that surely everyone present came away from feeling energized and even more connected to the larger polyamory community.

LovingMore East Coast Conference was FABULOUS!

I'm just back from the LovingMore East Coast Conference, and this may well have been the best LovingMore East Coast Conference I've ever attended. The vibe was extra warm and loving. LovingMore managing director Robyn Trask and her staff, Elise and Chuey, did a fabulous job, and we who were presenters were treated extremely well.

LME was held at the lovely Easton Mountain retreat facility in upstate New York an hour north of Albany. The food was fabulous, including fresh vegetables grown in the garden out back. The Easton Mountain staff couldn't have been more friendly and accommodating - we love those guys - and the sleeping rooms were very clean and comfortable. Best of all, there is a wonderful, ecstatic spiritual feel to the place which I think must surely bring out the best in all who stay there.

The program was also excellent. Dawn Davidson and Aiken MacIain of Mandala Enterprises Relationship Coaching are not to be missed for poly relating skills. Also especially good is Michelle Zee (a.k.a. Abundant Michael). But then, all of the presenters do a great job.

The weather was warm, and though not everyone chose to take advantage of it, the clothing-optional option was one many did. I know this aspect of it isn't for everyone - if you are looking for a poly con in a more mainstream setting, I recommend staying tuned to the LovingMore conferences webpage, as LovingMore, with the blessing of the late George Marvil's spouse, Cat, is going to put on the PolyLiving Conference in February 2008. PolyLiving will be held in a hotel setting.

Also see my previous post on polyamory conferences. To my knowledge all of the camps are in public campgrounds, and some are child-friendly.