It's one of the largest annual gatherings of creative writers, publishers, and educators in the United States--usually well in excess of 10,000 attendees--and the largest such event for literary writers. Once again I'll be attending the AWP Conference & Bookfair, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs' annual extravaganza. This year the hordes will be …
Tag: AWP
AWP Nugget: Takeaways from Nobel Laureates Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott
BOSTON -- If you're given an hour to sit down and listen to two Nobel-Prize-winning writers, you do so. I am still in my infancy when it comes to my understanding and appreciation of poetry and poets, but I made a point to attend the Thursday evening 8:30 pm keynote with Seamus Heaney and Derek …
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AWP Nugget: Hey Writers, Let’s Meet Up in Person in Seattle in 2014!
BOSTON -- One emotion I have always felt at the AWP creative writers conference is jealousy. Jealousy of the talent and success of the panelists and readers. Jealousy of the way so many writer attendees approach literary editors on the Bookfair floor without fear. But, mostly, jealousy of how so many attendees have made the …
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A Round-Up of Resources for AWP 2013
With 11,000 creative writers about to descend upon Boston for the 2013 Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) annual conference, it's not surprising that some of those writers have written online posts providing guidance and advice. I've collected a few below. If you're planning on attending this year's AWP from March 6-9, feel free …
The Role of the AWP Conference in a Creative Writer’s Evolution
I've booked my flight and hotel for this year's Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Boston, Massachusetts. I'm in Beantown from Wednesday, March 6th to Saturday the 9th, a very short time to take in all of the workshops, readings, receptions, and of course, the massive trade show floor with just about …
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AWP Nugget: 9 Tips for a Successful AWP
I'm back from Chicago and in recovery mode from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference. I posted every day from the conference; now I'm wrapping up the series with a list of tips I'll remember for next year's AWP in Boston: Favor the Bookfair: It's tempting to attend panel after panel. But …
AWP Nugget: Margaret Atwood on Art and Craft
AWP, CHICAGO: Margaret Atwood’s books are works of art built though painstaking craft. The same can be said of the remarkable Auditorium Theatre at Chicago’s Roosevelt University, the setting for her keynote address here at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference Thursday night. The Auditorium Theatre is from another age, a gilded …
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AWP Nugget: Selling Out Everyone You Love (in Brevity)
AWP, CHICAGO: Does a writer of memoir--or even a fiction writer painting true stories in camouflage--invariably sell out friends and loved ones? Five nonfiction writers wrestled with that topic here at the first day of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference. I summarized the panel for the Brevity blog; you can find …
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The Artist’s Road Leads to Chicago
The title of this blog--The Artist's Road--carries a double meaning. I launched this blog in response to a cross-country U.S. road trip I took in 2010 in which I produced short films from interviews with artists, so the title is an homage to that magical experience. But that trip triggered in me a desire to …
7 Steps to Writing Success
I was one of thousands of writers who descended on Washington, D.C., last week to soak up the wisdom of skilled – and successful – creative writers at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) 2011 Conference and Bookfair. I attended about a dozen sessions and had many phenomenal conversations with many compelling creatives. …
The Artist's Road 