That being said, I’m not done yet, I have a couple panels worth of recordings I haven’t put up yet, some follow-up interviews promised, and I have even figured out what the deal is with the mannequins if you guys missed it and wondered about it.

I found I’m behind this week in school work, and don’t get started with taxes, but look for some more content from me this weekend.

Best,

Todd

I will let the words of the authors speak for themselves. The panel consisted of six readers and a Q&A session. Also, I must mention here, that both cowboypoetry.com and cowboysongs.com were recommended by the panel.

I will let the words of the authors speak for themselves. The panel consisted of six readers and a Q&A session. Also, I must mention here, that both cowboypoetry.com and cowboysongs.com were recommended by the panel.

I will let the words of the authors speak for themselves. The panel consisted of six readers and a Q&A session. Also, I must mention here, that both cowboypoetry.com and cowboysongs.com were recommended by the panel.

I will let the words of the authors speak for themselves. The panel consisted of six readers and a Q&A session. Also, I must mention here, that both cowboypoetry.com and cowboysongs.com were recommended by the panel.

I will let the words of the authors speak for themselves. The panel consisted of six readers and a Q&A session. Also, I must mention here, that both cowboypoetry.com and cowboysongs.com were recommended by the panel.

I will let the words of the authors speak for themselves. The panel consisted of six readers and a Q&A session. Also, I must mention here, that both cowboypoetry.com and cowboysongs.com were recommended by the panel.

Participants in the panel were, Jeff Streeby, JV Brummels, Donald Williams, Thea Gavin, David Romtvelt, and Joshua Dolezal.

Cowboy poetry is a fantastic and complex genre. Poems of work, poems of oral history, poems of landscape. I must admit, as someone who comes from Philadelphia and Vermont; I am totally not a cowboy. There is still so much in the genre I find to identify with. I felt like I’d done enough ‘work’ panels at this conference, and thus I’d treat myself, and this panel was indeed a treat.

I will let the words of the authors speak for themselves. The panel consisted of six readers and a Q&A session. Also, I must mention here, that both cowboypoetry.com and cowboysongs.com were recommended by the panel.

I also do have a brief video of David Romtvedt playing the accordion for us. You can hear it in his performance. I don’t have the bandwith at the moment to upload it but if anyone wants to see it, drop me an e-mail at toddbstevens at gmail and it shall be yours.

Thank you to all the participants, and much thanks to Rattle for a panel that was vibrant, varied, and overall fantastic.

(See the following 6 posts for each of the panelist discussions)

Abby Beckel, Randall Brown, Kim Chinquee, Sherrie Flick, Robert Shapard, and Lex Williford participated in the panel.

Given the high attendance, many of you might have missed it. The room was standing room only. It was certainly worth it, for those  that arrived early enough to get in!

Flash is a fascinating emerging form. As Lex Williford said it ”makes sense of contemporary chaos in short bursts of insight.” Or as Kim Chinquee said is a form of “sound, rhythm, image, and conflict.”

But I’ll let the author’s own words speak for them… The first part of the panel consisted of the panelists’ answers to a series of roundtable questions.

1)      What draws you to Flash Fiction?

Answers to Question 1

2)      How do you decide when you have an idea, if it is going to be flash length or longer?

Answers to Question 2

3)      How do you feel crafting flash is different than crafting a longer story? What tools do you use?

Answers to Question 3.

4)      What do you think makes Flash a particularly relevant form today?

Answers to Question 4

5)      As editors, readers, and teachers of flash, what makes a piece stand out for you?

Answers to Question 5

Each of the panelists then presented a writing exercise from their portion of the Rose Metal Media Flash Guide, and read a flash that was written from it.

Lex Williford

Robert Shapard

Kim Chinquee

Sherrie Flick

Randall Brown

There was a brief Q&A period.

AWPFFQnA

Thanks to everyone for a great panel. Thanks as well to the folks at Rose Metal Press, for providing a fascinating panel for those of us interested in Flash Fiction.

Two readings that stood out were Susan Briande’s and a joint reading by Maxine Chernoff and Paul Hoover.

All of these poets are signing at E 24-25-26 on Friday, 1PM, and please visit Ahsante at K23.

Sitting up in the Peak lounge, 26th floor of the Hyatt Regency enjoying to view and trying to finalize my plan for tomorrow.

I have been hearing some people talking about a dozen author reading fom Omnidawn Publishing, at the Magnolia Hotel Ballroom 17th and Stout. Bar from 7-8 if you are into those things and readings by Christopher Arigo, Maxine Chernoff, Laura Moriarity and others. full info should be on page 98 of your book! I’ll probably be dropping by… If I can find it.

Mudlucious press is doing so much, expect to hear the name again, names like Bradley Sands,  Joanna Ruocco, Alyssa Knickerbocker, Molly Gaudry, Emma Straub, Elizabeth Ellen, Edan Lepucki, Jac Jemc, and Aaron Burch are involved.

So talk for a moment about Mud Luscious press, Who are you? And what do you want to do?

Mud Luscious Press was started in 2007 as an online journal and quickly expanded from the quarterly online issue to a monthly chapbook series and now, our novel(la) series, which released Molly Gaudry’s WE TAKE ME APART at the end of 2009 and will release both Ben Brooks’ AN ISLAND OF FIFTY and Sasha Fletcher’s WHEN ALL OUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED MARCHING BANDS WILL FILL THE STREETS & WE WILL NOT HEAR THEM BECAUSE WE WILL BE UPSTAIRS IN THE CLOUDS in June 2010. We feature aggressive and raw literature, and we hope to do it in sharp design and with a clear aesthetic approach.

You’re an editor, us writers live in fear of you! I’d like to know what you want to see and what you DON”T want to see.

What we want: raw, naked, aggressive literature that isn’t afraid to make rhythms and sounds, to use language against itself, to break and wreck and destroy the story as it is written.

What we don’t want: over-written narrative, heavy exposition, focus on dialogue, or emphasis on the resolution as the key to the story.

I think poets, and I am one, often underestimate or don’t plan for chapbooks. I see you produce them, how do you feel about this form?

For us, the chapbook is a quick and dirty way to get print literature into readers’ hands. We hope to, in hand-made and well-designed print form, give a monthly remembrance of what makes physical literature so unbelievably necessary.

What are you into at this AWP conference?

There are a million things we want to see, faces we want to put with names, but specifically we are co-hosting a puppet vs. author reading at the FlatmanCrooked booth on April 9th @ 4pm and we’d love to see everyone there.

And what do you have in the works that we should know about?

Our June novel(la)s are both brilliant and tremendous works of lit that we hope people will pre-order or jump on when they are officially in the world. Also, we just released our eleventh online issue featuring excerpts from the upcoming novels of Michael Kimball, Ken Sparling, Peter Markus, Roy Kesey, James Chapman, Robert Lopez, and a slew of other authors we greatly admire. Plus, our chapbook series in full swing with fourteen releases in 2010 (all for $20 to subscribers). The future? Who knows. But for now, we are feeling good about it all.

I’d like to thank, again, J.A. Tyler founding editor of Mudlucious Press for taking the time to talk to us. ONE DAY, everyone! and we’ll be in Denver!

For those that are curious, upstreet is going to be at the bookfair (K21) and will be having a Thursday night event at 7pm, 910 Arts Event Gallery. 910 Santa Fe Drive, and if you haven’t been paying attention, that’s Denver, CO.

So how about we see some of the answers a lit mag editor has for my questions? If Vivian is interested, I might even do a live interview with her later this week! Oh, and upstreet, no capitals. All lowercase.

Tell me about upstreet. What would you say is your mission statement?

—My vision for upstreet is that it will ultimately contain a mix of work by both established and emerging writers. The established writers will attract readers, and the less-well-known writers will then have the exposure they need to become better established. The most interesting thing about publishing a literary journal is the possibility of discovering new talent.

I sincerely hope that you are looking for writers. Tell me about the kind of writers you want to see submit?

—upstreet’s calls for submissions ask for “quality submissions, with an edge.” I like many different kinds of work, from the traditional to the experimental, so the genre editors have quite a lot of leeway in choosing the content of the magazine. The guidelines brochure contains statements by the three genre editors about what they’re looking for. Our smallest number of submissions is in creative nonfiction, but despite that, I’ve actively tried to build the presence of CNF in the journal.

I see you’re based up in the Berkshires, I know place informs my writing, does it inform your editing? Do you feel upstreet reflects a place, or transcends it?

—I was born in the Berkshires, and have lived there all my life. This is reflected in the title of the journal. When I was a kid, we used to say we were going “upstreet” when we went to the center of my hometown (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) to shop or just hang out. I wrote the editor’s essay for the first issue to explain what the title meant. Since then, there has been a similar essay (or prose poem) in each issue. When I started the journal, I had been managing editor of The Berkshire Review (which is now defunct) for eight years. The editors who helped me start upstreet were area people, and most of the writers who submitted knew me from The Berkshire Review. This is no longer the case. upstreet gets submissions from all over the world, and the more recent issues have each published only two or three writers from Berkshire County. I like to keep a Berkshire presence in the journal because it enables me to hold local readings to launch each issue. Other than that, it’s really a national journal.

Tell me about something that excited you as an editor.

—Well, I’m both editor and publisher, so I naturally get a thrill when upstreet gets recognition in some way. The most exciting example of that so far has been the Independent Publisher Book Award Bronze Medal. But I guess I’d have to say that the most fun I have as an editor is the author interview. I enjoy doing the preparation—reading almost all of what the author has written and coming up with questions to ask—and then, the conversation itself. It really is exciting to talk with someone who has been a successful author, and learn about his/her experiences and opinions about the craft. I’ve been fortunate to be able to interview some pretty interesting writers.

What do you hope to do at AWP? I note your presence, Bookfair table K21, and your reading on Thursday, take a moment to tell us what you are up to, and what you hope to do.

—AWP is an exciting place to be. There are so many events, both on the program and after hours, that it’s impossible to even scratch the surface. I always end up highlighting more things in the program than I could possibly attend, even if I didn’t have to stay at the upstreet Bookfair table for most of the time. And that, of course, is the main reason I’m here: to make sure upstreet’s name is before the writing public. I also enjoy seeing people I went to school with or met at other conferences, and meeting writers face to face who have appeared in upstreet. I get such a kick out of that, having someone come to the Bookfair table and say, “I’m so-and-so, and I had a short story in upstreet number four.”

Thank you so much Vivian for taking the time to talk to me.

Sherrie, BTW has an excellent novel out, and will be doing signings as noted below.

I think our readers might not be familiar with flash fiction. I’m defining it as works under a couple of thousand words that seek to do what we always expected a short story would do, compressed. You’ve published, edited and taught flash fiction. Do you have a definition?

I like your definition, although I think flash fiction–because of its compressed nature–doesn’t always need to contain all of the elements of a short story at once. A short-short story can be dialogue driven or character driven and abandon plot to a degree and still be meaningful and well-crafted. Mainly, I think flash fiction needs to respect the sentence in everything it does. Rhythm and resonance are contributors too.

Who are you reading and following? What panels are on your ‘must see list’ for the conference?

I really wish I had a super smart answer to this question, but I haven’t had time to outline my AWP game plan. Because I run a reading series that highlights authors publishing their first and second books (The Gist Street Reading Series), I’ll be on the lookout for standout debut work both at the book fair and at readings.

I’ll definitely stop by the Dzanc and Graywolf Press tables and also Sarabande and Keyhole. I’d like to see what’s happening over at Wave books, and who knows what else. I’m really excited to explore the Book Fair.

Any thoughts on how your process has changed from teaching? I see you are teaching a number of interdisciplinary courses. How have they informed your work?

I’ve taught in museums over the years. I have a background in adult museum education, and I love using art as a jumping off point for writing. I’ve come up with some of my most inventive exercises while working in museums with general public students and have been able to transfer many of my practices into the undergraduate and graduate classroom.

I notice you have Randall Brown, Kim Chinquee, Robert Shapard, and Lex Wiliford on your panel. What can we expect from such a panel? Give me just a moment to tell me what you want to do.Why out of all the panels at AWP, should someone come to this one?

I can’t wait for this panel (personally). I’ve wanted to meet Robert, Kim, and Lex in person for years (I know Randall already and think he’s great!) and I think there’s a vice versa element to my feelings. These people are my flash heroes, and I can’t wait to hear what they have to say. I’ll be talking about the element of time in flash fiction–that’s what my essay in the Field Guide examines, and I’m sure there will be a great discussion about flash fiction as an art form and as a teaching tool.

Following the panel I’ll be signing copies of Reconsidering Happiness (my debut novel) at Univ. of Nebraska Press’ table. From noon to 12:45. Friday is a busy, busy day for me, and I’m really really looking forward to getting a martini when all is said and done. Or two.

I’ve been rather fortunate to be able to study under Randall Brown, who is a master of the emerging form, flash fiction. One of the more interesting things about Randall as a writer, is that he publishes everywhere. How does he do it? By being brilliant, but also by consistently submitting pieces and doing this over and over. The man has a database. I sent him some questions about the flash fiction panel at AWP.

I think our readers might not be familiar with flash fiction, I’m defining it as works under a couple of thousand words that seek to do
what we always expected a short story would do, compressed. You’ve  published, edited, and taught flash fiction, do you have a definition?

Flash fiction often gets defined by the person asking for it, and more often than not, that definition involves a word count limit, usually no more than 1000 words. Each writer brings his or her own particular desire to flash fiction: making every word count, finding emotional resonance in brevity, telling a story without the space of traditional short stories, and so on. In short, it might be a piece with a defined word limit, generally somewhere under 1000 words, in which writers take on both the perceived and inherent challenge(s) of the form.

Who are you reading and following? What panels are on your ‘must see’list for the conference?

I usually reserve such decisions for the conference itself, depending upon whom I meet, what others want to see, what the night before meant in terms of waking up the next morning. I’m interested in hearing about flash, of course, and also about the online world, other MFA programs. Also, I always love to hear writers I’ve admired either talk or read. The conference feels chock-full of such opportunities, so I anticipate having to make some (very) tough choices.

You were editor for Smokelong Quarterly, how has your perspective on Flash changed as a teacher verses an editor?

As a teacher, I find that I offer alternatives and suggestions that I wouldn’t do as an editor. My editorial suggestions often felt more like a bit of tweaking; however, as a teacher, I do find myself more willing to suggest a complete re-envisioning of a piece. As both an editor and teacher, I’m always looking for that thing I’ve yet to encounter before, some new, smart choice/vision.  Of course, it’s hard to teach students how to write flash using something none of us has yet to see, so that involves closely reading and discussing what’s been done before to discover where our own flashes might fit into that tradition and also push against those constraints.

I notice you have Sherrie Flick, Kim Chinquee, Robert Shapard, Lex Wiliford,  and Abby Beckel,  on your panel. What can we expect from such a panel? Give me just a moment to tell me what you want to do.Why out of all the panels at AWP, should someone come to this one?

You can expect charged, urgent brevity. My main goal is not to suck, because looking at this panel, I feel I am that Sesame Street “one of these does not belong.” Hearing about flash from the panel’s wide-ranging perspectives—as anthology editors, journal editors, essay editors, writers, reviewers, workshop leaders/participants, teachers, slush pile readers, and the like—has to be somewhat informative and useful for someone interested in flash fiction. It’s a cool mix of flash exposition, readings, analysis, and q & a. It’s going to be chock-full of flashy goodness.

Thank you to Randall Brown, author and panelist, for taking the time to share his thoughts. If any of you are interested in the emerging field of Flash Fiction, this is a must-see panel. In addition to Randall, Kim Chinquee, Sherrie Flick, Robert Shapard, Lex Williford, and Abby Beckel will be there.

And guess what? I’ve asked Sherrie Flick these very same questions, so you get to see this post twice from a completely different perspective!

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1456

And it is indeed fun to play with. I am, frankly, tempted to just record EVERYTHING FROM NOW ON.

My question is am I limited to 64M of posting or is there another way?

Please Congoscenti, do enlighten your benighted son, ’cause my test recordings, hour and hour and a half, were about 70M.

And seriously, 70 megs? I have a gig on tap! I’m going to be recording everything at AWP EVERYTHING! And the darn recorder is the size of a pack of gum.

Buying a digital voice recorder has made me scared.

Anyway, I’m trying to get into this ‘community of writers’ thing. Matt is the first person I ‘know’ that I know is going out.

My question is, do you folks have someone you’d like to see?

Oh and if anyone has a flash fiction chapbook out there you want reviewed, I can do that…

T

So now I find myself in an MFA program, just leaving being a bookseller for three years. How can I resist going out to Denver for AWP?

So it’s December, the conference is in April, haven’t packed my bags quite yet, but I do have a plane ticket, a hotel reservation, and a roommate (thanks internets!) who I know nothing about other than the fact that he’s named Joel and goes by the name Indigo Moor.

Strap in, I think it’s going to be a wild ride….