Austin has a thriving children’s literature community, with an especially active SCBWI chapter. So what should one make of the fact that the most successful children’s writer in town, Louis Sachar, doesn’t even seem to realize that the organization even exists?

Here’s an except from an interview with Sachar in the January 2006 issue of Texas Monthly:

…Austin has a huge community of writers, although from what I can tell, you’re not really interested in that aspect of it.

No. In fact, I guess, I don’t even know the world you’re talking about. I know that writers live around here, but are there events where they all get together?

I couldn’t imagine my writing life without the friendships I’ve formed with other likeminded local folk. Still, if Sachar’s happy obliviousness won’t keep me from forgetting that what matters most is the creative work itself and not the activities and organizations on the periphery, I don’t know what will.