The Sampler Platter: Saturday at AWP

1. My first panel discussion at Chicago Hilton had people sitting on the floor near the back. 2. Lori Ostlund discussing her experience ordering her collection of short stories, Bigness of the World. 3. Anthony Varallo recommends reading your story collection aloud to help discern order.

  

On the morning of the last day of AWP, there were zero lines for badge pick-up and no tote bags or lanyards left.
I gave myself an extra hour of sleep and arrived in time for the Preparing Short-Story Manuscripts for Contests and Publication, which included panelists who recently won the Drue Heinz, Flannery O’Connor, University of Iowa, and Grace Paley prizes. No big deal there.

 
 

AWP Literature Party at Lincoln Hall

1. Lincoln Hall off Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park. 2. William Spadaro is a playwright from Austin and facial hair role-model. 3. Dorothy Lasky connecting to the audience, specifically the weird-ass hippies and horses.

  

Sponsored by School of the Art Institute of Chicago Writing Program, Bookforum, featherproof, Hobart, HTMLGiant, The Lit Pub, Publishing Genius, and Wave Books, The Literature Party started two hours later than 8pm, which gave my sister and I plenty of time to relax with a beer and order food while the DJ played several tracks we couldn’t help singing to each other with too big smiles.
“What is this thing, again?” she asked.
“A bunch of writers and a reason to drink. Probably dancing,” I said.

Worst Events Coverage Ever?

I was supposed to cover events at AWP for Electric Literature this year. Actually, I’d even secured a camcorder and was attempting to take this piece viral, but instead had to work, and thus got to AWP in DC late this year. I think I may have even lied to Electric Literature and told them I wasn’t even going to be at AWP actually. On the last day of the conference, I took a train out of New York at 5 am, I ran to the National Book Critics Circle booth to sit and answer questions, and then attempted to get a cab back to my hotel. I attempted to do this unseen, as I had told Electric Literature I wasn’t going.

So I’m standing in the middle of Washington DC bumper to bumper traffic with a suitcase, trying to hail a cab, when a cab with a man in it pulls up next to me. I say to the driver, “You have someone already. How do I take the subway to -a hotel name-?” and he says, “No it’s fine get in.” I think it’s weird but whatever I throw my suitcase in the trunk, and am now splitting a cab with another man. The man looks at my goddamn AWP nametag which I forgot I was still wearing and we shake hands and then he says to me, and I joke you not here, “You were supposed to cover events for Electric Literature this week.” The man in the cab is Andy Hunter, Founder and Editor of Electric Literature.

The Blur of AWP DC

1. Brandon Tietz. 2. Nik Korpon. 2. Michael Sonbert.

The annual  AWP Conference is a celebration of writers as rockstars. It’s a place to see and be seen, put faces to names best known from online, connect in the flesh with authors, editors, publishers, former classmates and teachers. It’s a place to network for jobs, tune in to publishing trends, fondle freshly minted books from favorite indie presses. It’s a place to be dazzled by cover designs, load up on litmags, horde paraphernalia (Kore pencils, Hobart flasks, Flatmancrooked condoms). It’s a place to read in front of rapt audiences, make new friends and fans, smoke, drink and dance until well past midnight, dream big, get laid. AWP is a blur.

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