Jill Alexander Essbaum is the author of three full-length collections of poetry: Heaven (2000, University Press of New England), Harlot (2007, No Tell Books), and Necropolis (2008, NeoNuma Arts). Her first book, Heaven, won the 1999 Bakeless Prize in Poetry. Her poems have appeared in many journals including Poetry, The Christian Century, Image, Gulf Coast, and No Tell Motel. A former NEA Literature Fellow, her poem “On Reading Poorly Transcribed Erotica” was included in the anthology The Best American Erotic Poems, 1800-Present. A single-poem chapbook, The Devastation, is now available from Cooper Dillon Books. She lives in Austin, Texas. She read at the  Bloof Books, Cooper Dillon & Noemi Press small press party on Thursday evening at Green Spaces Colorado.

Question 1: What book have you read recently that you absolutely loved?

Yellowrocket: Poems, by Todd Boss. On the surface his poems look harmless, appealing, but they grow and change in unexpected ways, until they become something else, something almost menacing. They’re like cadbury chocolate eggs filled with glass.

Question 2: What’s one piece of advice you wish you had been given when you were just starting out?

Marry up.

Question 3: What is something that can always found in your refrigerator?

Well, not a lot really. I’m a vegan, so no meat. But there is always mustard, sri kanchi sauce, flaxseed, poblano peppers, onions. I love onions. (At this point, Jill starts listing foods faster than they can be written down…)

Am over at the Magnolia Hotel Ballroom (17th and Stout) at the joint Omnidawn and Ahsanta Poetry reading hearing Christopher Arigo, Maxine Chernoff, Gillian Conoley, Richard Greenfeld, Paul Hoover, Hank Lazer, Laura Moriarty, Bin Ramke, Donald Revell, Elizabeth Robinson, Craig Santos Perez, and Michelle Taransky. reading. Its a live crowd. to wit:

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.

 

 Susan Briande reads at the Omnidawn and Ahsanta Magnolia Ballroom Read [5:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Am over at the Magnolia Hotel Ballroom (17th and Stout) at the joint Omnidawn and Ahsanta Poetry reading hearing Christopher Arigo, Maxine Chernoff, Gillian Conoley, Richard Greenfeld, Paul Hoover, Hank Lazer, Laura Moriarty, Bin Ramke, Donald Revell, Elizabeth Robinson, Craig Santos Perez, and Michelle Taransky. reading. Its a live crowd. to wit:

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.

 

 Maxine Chernoff and Paul Hoover reads at the Omnidawn and Ahsanta Magnolia Ballroom Read [13:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So many people are being kind enough, as we wind up to the conference, to answer my questions. Today, we are talking with the founding editor of mudlucious press, and do check out their awesome website here http://www.mudlusciouspress.com.  So here is my brief interview with J. A. Tyler!

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!

Vivian Dorsel editor at upstreet, was kind enough to answer some of my questions.

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.

RICHARD’S TAKE ON THE DENVER AWP
Here’s what looks good to me. * = where I’ll most likely be during that time period.

WEDNESDAY April 7
12-7 Register

THURSDAY April 8
9:00-10:15
R106. Reading, Writing, and Teaching the Literary Fantastic. *
(Sarah Stone, Joan Silber, Melissa Pritchard, Doug Dorst, Sylvia Brownrigg)
We’ll explore how fabulous or numinous fiction can be meaningful and believable: from completely alternate worlds to literary ghost stories to essentially realist stories that depict characters’ beliefs about the supernatural. We’ll consider great examples and describe ways for writers and their students to unlock their own inventions and move beyond genre cliches. The panel will include handouts with reading lists and writing exercises.

R118. The In Sound from Way Out: Submission to Publication.
(M. Bartley Seigel, Margaret Bashaar, Aaron Burch, James Grinwis, Jennifer Pieroni, Roxane Gay)
Editors from five eclectic little magazines—Bateau, Hobart, PANK, Quick Fiction, and Weave—unpack their editorial projects and processes, quirks and anomalies, across genres, and invite questions to initiate dialogue among panel and audience members.

10:30-11:15
R143. Shameless Book Promotion: Squad 365 Rides Again! *
(Marisha Chamberlain, Margaret Hasse, Jon Spayde, Todd Boss)
Last year, we drew an overflow crowd for an AWP panel on creative book promotion. Participants called us “educational, generous, warm, and funny.” Collaborating, blogging, and presenting as “Squad 365,” we’re two poets, a novelist, and a nonfiction writer with books out from Norton, Nodin, and Random House in 2008, and from Soho Press in 2009. In 2010 we’re back again with another lively discussion about simple and innovative ways to win readers, promote a little on a regular basis, and enjoy marketing.

12:00-1:15
R163. What’s Your Platform? What Agents & Editors Are Looking For in Writers. *
(Christina Katz, Jane Friedman, Robin Mizell, David W. Sanders, Sage Cohen) Yes, the quality of your writing still matters. But becoming visible and influential is more crucial to landing a book deal than ever, according to agents and editors in every facet of the publishing industry. Aspiring authors need to develop a platform in order to get noticed. Fortunately for emerging writers in all genres, there are more affordable, accessible tools available for platform-development and building, which make this important responsibility a pleasure and not a chore.

1:30-2:45 (a TON to see)

R177. Following the Paths to Publication: First Books and What Happens Next.
(Dan Wickett, Seth Harwood, Anis Shivani, Shawna Yang Ryan, Lowell Mick White) The first book is an important, joyous event in the life of any writer. Yet the process of achieving the first book is rapidly changing, largely through accelerated technologies and increasingly fractured demographics. How can writers successfully react to these changes? What constitutes ultimate success? On this panel, five debut authors will discuss their varied paths to publication, the impact the book has had on their lives, and the larger implications of change in publishing practices.

R184. How to Start Your Own Online Literary Magazine: Five Editors Tell All.
(Rebecca Morgan Frank, Michael Archer, Thom Didato, Gregory Donovan, Ravi Shankar) Have you dreamed of starting your own online literary magazine? Join the editors of Blackbird, Drunken Boat, failbetter, Guernica, and Memorious, five longstanding and respected online journals, as they share the ins and outs of developing and sustaining a literary journal on the web. Come hear about the unique advantages and challenges of editing in this expansive medium, and learn pointers for financing, marketing, and managing the technical challenges of a web-based journal.

R185. Best New American Voices 10 Year Anniversary Reading.
(David James Poissant, Dani Shapiro, Christian Moody, Ted Thompson, Laura van den Berg) Best New American Voices, Harcourt’s annual anthology series, features short stories from emerging writers enrolled in writing programs across North America. After ten volumes, the series is drawing to a close, but not before celebrating its 10th anniversary! Series coeditor Natalie Danford will discuss the impact of the book on American fiction in the 21st century, while Dani Shapiro will discuss the stories she chose for the 2010 edition. Four contributors will read from their works.

R186. Ecotone 5th Anniversary Reading.
(Ben George, Robert Wrigley, Benjamin Percy, Kathryn Miles, Cary Holladay, Reg Saner) Ecotone, the award-winning semiannual magazine published at UNC Wilmington, celebrates its 5th anniversary in 2010. In its short life, the magazine has already had its work reprinted in several annuals of the Best American series and in the Pushcart Press anthology, among others. Ecotone seeks to bring together the literary and the scientific, the personal and the biological, the urban and the rural. Please join us for a reading by six of our outstanding and widely acclaimed contributors.

R187. Byronic Vampires and Melancholy Green Men: Harnessing Genre for Literary Use. *
(J.W. Wang, Mark Winegardner, Stephen Graham Jones, Tom Franklin, Leah Stewart, Julianna Baggott)
Perhaps no word can be more anathema to literature than genre. Yet, in the postmodern world the dividing line is often blurry, or even nonexistent, and we see more and more authors making use of familiar genre elements for their literary pursuits: vampires, the mafia, romance, etc. This panel explores the notion of genre versus literature: what the dividing lines are, how one informs the other, how one goes about bringing the two together, successes and failures.

3:00-4:15 (none – bookfair?)

4:30-5:45 (none – bookfair, local, dinner?)

NIGHT: Chabon Keynote at 8:30-10 and Keyhole Party

FRIDAY April 9

9:00-10:15 (none – breakfast?)

10_30-11:45
F138. The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, & Writers in the Field. *
(Abby Beckel, Randall Brown, Kim Chinquee, Sherrie Flick, Robert Shapard, Lex Williford)
Join five of the twenty-five contributors to this ground-breaking anthology for a roundtable discussion on the history, cross-cultural influences, reemergence, and current practices in the field of flash. These authors also will offer exercises and read examples of stories that will be of use and interest to anyone who writes, teaches, edits, or just generally enjoys the short short form.

12:00-1:15
F150. Indie Mags: Publishing Outside of MFA Programs and Other Institutional Support. *
(J.W. Wang, Aaron Burch, Dave Clapper, Mike Young, Jennifer Flescher, Blake Butler)
Independent journals provide an alternative to the established journals affiliated with universities and creative writing programs, and they frequently serve as pioneers in the world of literary publishing. Join editors from Tuesday, An Art Project, Hobart, NOÖ Journal, Juked, Lamination Colony and SmokeLong Quarterly for a roundtable discussion about the workings of independently-published literary journals, what it takes to keep them going, and what these journals mean to potential contributors.

F164. The Future of Book Publishing: How Authors Should Navigate the New Market.
(Mary Gannon, Dennis Loy Johnson, Jeffrey Shots, Michael Reynolds, Lee Montgomery, Julie Barer) Editors and agents will discuss the changes that have occurred in the practices and policies of literary publishing—from acquiring books, producing them in all of their incarnations, and marketing them. They will also offer timely advice on how authors should best navigate the changing industry and the new market.

1:30-2:45 (none – bookfair, late lunch, exploring Denver)

3:00-4:15
F197. What We Hate: Editorial Dos and Don’ts. *
(H. Emerson Blake, Katie Dublinski, Andrew Leland, Denise Oswald, Daniel Slager, Rob Spillman)
You won’t find this in the FAQ. Get it straight from the source. Six distinguished magazine and book editors speak candidly about what they love and loathe and everything in between. What do editors really want from writers? What do they absolutely not want? If you’re positively sure you know the answers to these questions, then don’t come to this panel featuring editors from The Believer, Graywolf Press, Milkweed Editions, Orion, Soft Skull Press, and Tin House..

4:30-5:45
F215. The Road Less Taken and the Ivory Tower: Getting Creative about Creative Careers. *
(Laura Valeri, Andrea Dupree, Margo Rabb, David Rothman, John Brehm) Poets, fiction, and nonfiction writers with different degrees and career tracks discuss the skills and strategies that helped them succeed, including why we should look beyond the MFA vs. PhD argument into the roles of writing programs today, what academic searches really value, how academic careers interact with creative careers, and why finding alternatives that keep us prolific, creative, and advocating for the art is an essential strategy for success.

F229. Navigating Chaotic Changes in Literary Magazine Publishing.
(Melanie Moore, Maribeth Batcha, Carolyn Kuebler, William Pierce, Stephanie G’Schwind) Join publishers and editors from American Short Fiction, One Story, AGNI, Colorado Review, and the New England Review for a discussion of the opportunities and challenges in the current “publishing crisis.” As more readers come to expect free content on the internet, how can literary publishers continue to pay writers, sustain their operations, and build their audiences? As paradigms shift, learn how these magazines are adapting their business models and their magazines to succeed.

NIGHT: Tons of receptions including Tin House from 7-8:15; George Saunders and Etgar Keret reading at 8:30-10, Velvet/OWC/OWP reading from 6-9.

SATURDAY April 10

9:00-10:15
S109A. Insider Strategies for Getting your Books Published.
(Jeff Herman)
Learn proven insider techniques for getting commercially published.

S115. Crime, Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy… Seriously. *
(Anthony Smith, Brian Evenson, Stephen Graham Jones, Tod Goldberg, Mark Smith, Seth Harwood)
Six writers of genre fiction who also teach and/or have graduated from university creative writing programs dicuss how they approach genre fiction as a serious literary pursuit rather than as a lesser form of fiction. In addition, they discuss attitudes towards genre fiction in the university and how those attitudes have changed over the years.

10:30-11:45
S125. CLMP Panel—Life on the D-List: Digital Publishing. *
(Richard Nash, Chad W. Post, Ivory Madison, LeAnn Fields, Leslie McGrath)
Panelists savvy in the ways of zeros and ones—from University of Michigan Press, redroom.com, Drunken Boat, and Open Letter Books—talk about the hows and whys of this next phase of the published word.

12:00-1:15
S152. Harper Perennial Presents: A Reading by Kevin Sampsell and Justin Taylor.
Harper Perennial presents Justin Taylor and Kevin Sampsell reading from their newly published books. Justin Taylor reads from his debut story collection, Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever, a collection of prophetic, provocative, and dazzlingly written stories that explore the ways our everyday delusions invite pain, disappointment, and even joy into our lives. In A Common Pornography, a memoir told in vignettes, Kevin Sampsell intertwines recollections of small-town youth with darker threads of family history and reveals how incest, madness, betrayal, and death can somehow seem normal.

S160. Conflict vs. Chaos: Workshopping the Violent Story.
(Robin Romm, Daniel Stolar, Eric Puchner, Andrew Altschul, Darrin Doyle)
Narrative fiction requires conflict in order to function, but student writers often equate conflict with violence. Writers like Paul Bowles, Junot Diaz, and Flannery O’Connor have used brutality to great effect. But simply parroting the action won’t produce literary fiction. How do we teach our students to turn violence into complex, literary conflict? How can a student learn to avoid gratuitous gore? This panel will focus on practical methods and strategies for critiquing the violent story.

S163. Evolution of the New Media: Online Literary Journals and Websites in 2010. *
(Dan Albergotti, Dan Wickett, Jeremiah Chamberlin, Terry Kennedy)
This panel examines the evolution of online publishing and literary promotion via digital media in the 21st century. Dan Wickett and Jeremiah Chamberlin will discuss ways their sites have developed an extended literary community for emerging writers, while Dan Albergotti and Terry Kennedy will address how aesthetics of online journal design and presentation have evolved in recent years.

1:30-2:45
S172. Weirding It Up: How and Why to Deploy Unusual Points of View. *
(Kyle Minor, Benjamin Percy, Christopher Coake, Lauren Groff, Holly Goddard Jones) Most craft discussions of point of view are heavy on the basics: single and double voiced first person narration, the central consciousness and the close third, omniscience and the free indirect style. But what happens to point of view when, say, a story demands the writer tell it backwards from end to beginning, or shift the point of view at a story’s beginning or end, or enter into the mind of a monster?

3:00-4:15
S194. Demystifying the Hiring Process: Inside the Search Committee.
(Laura Lee Washburn, Jeffrey Thomson, Amy Sage Webb, Amy Fleury)
Panelists will share extensive experiences with searches, explaining what committees look for and the constraints they’re under. We’ll offer practical advice from how to do a presentation to the “Don’ts” of the interview process. We’ll focus on the committee’s perspective at universities of a variety of sizes to help candidates see how minor details make major differences. This panel continues the conversation from AWP in Chicago with more time for audience participation and questions.

S201. Thirty Years of Mid-American Review: An Anniversary Reading.
(Matt Bell, Matthew Eck, Karin Gottshall, Jeffrey McDaniel, Michelle Richmond, Alison Stine) This reading celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Mid-American Review, the literary journal edited and published by students and alumni of Bowling Green State University’s program in creative writing. MAR is proud of its tradition of featuring work by contemporary writers of eclectic voices and styles, and the five presenters have all contributed to the magazine’s pages over the years.

4:30-5:45 (none – bookfair?)

Is this your first AWP?  Or maybe you’re  a veteran.  Whatever your experience is with the AWP conference, here are my Top Ten Tips for enjoying yourself.

1. Authors – peruse the list of authors that you enjoy as a reader, approach them as a fan first.  Then look for the people you respect, and try to go see them read or host a panel.  Most of the time it will give you a bit of a boost, some inspiration, to find out that these men and women are really very smart, extremely talented, and will take the time to talk to you personally.

2. Panels - you will have overlap, times when you cannot be in two places at once, or maybe you have a long way to go.  So plan out your schedule so you that can make as may as possible.  Take a moment to see where you are in your career and what panels will benefit you the most.  See a variety – on craft, on subjects that relate to your writing, go to readings, and support the presses and authors that you like.  Don’t book yourself solid, allow time to eat, take a breather and hang with friends too.  There is a ton of information here, you may get to ask a question too, meet an agent, get an e-mail.  See as many as you can.

3. Book Fair – you may need a couple of trips to really soak it all up.  It is HUGE, but it is finite.  Keep an eye out for signings and authors.  I saw Steve Erickson just sitting at a booth, had a nice chat.  Met Emma Straub @ Avery for the first time this way, and Aaron Burch @ Hobart.  This  is an opportunity to talk to authors, talk to editors, and to find out about new presses, new journal, or to do more research about places you already know and love.  You know how every journal out there says to read their work before you submit?  Do that. You can pick up copies much cheaper here, reduced rates.  Also, sneaky tip – if you wait on some borderline purchases until the last day, or last hours, they may practically give them away.

4. Money – bring some.  This is the time to put your money where your mouth is.  Support small presses, buy that copy by an author you’ve always been meaning to read.  Spend the cash, whatever you can afford.  I bring an extra suitcase that is almost entirely empty just to bring back books and magazines, journals and chapbooks.  $100 easy.  If you start saving now, put aside a couple bucks a week, your coins, an extra $10 or $20 from each paycheck, you’ll have it.

5. Be nice - don’t come up to an editor and say “Why the hell didn’t you publish my brilliant story?”  Be aware of the time restraints that others have, authors and editors, and try not to monopolize an author when there are others standing around.  Don’t get greedy – share your love of writing, meet new people, and just use common sense.  This is supposed to be fun, not a task, not a chore.  Be generous with comments.  “Loved your last issue, the Outdoors one?  Great design and that story by Stephen Graham Jones” was awesome.”

6. Hotel – book it early, NOW.  Book it as close to the event as possible.  Share a room, splurge a little.

7. Be social – go to readings, talk to old friends, meet new friends, buy a buddy a beer, get that nice editor a glass or wine, thank her for supporting you, eat meals, take an author out and pay for it.

8. Take notes – bring a notebook or journal and take notes, jot down web sites, authors, books, magazines and then…ACTUALLY RE-READ IT when you get home.  This is valuable stuff, pay attention, and maybe it will turn into something really exciting.

9. Pace yourself – take breaks, spend time with friends, don’t make it into a flashback to school or some other business conference that you hated. Get a coffee, relax, and don’t feel like you have to see EVERY SINGLE PANEL.  If it doesn’t excite you, when you read the synopsis, find one that does.  If your buddy is into something you aren’t, and there is something at the same time, go see the one that will help you the most and then you’ll have something to talk about later.

10. Build community - we’re all struggling out here, so while you should definitely promote your work, look at ways that you can help others.  Can you contribute a story?  Is there an event coming up that you can Tweet, Facebook, or promote on your blog?  Find other authors that are in you hometown or area.  Hand out cards, connect, take cards, take promotional items, and drop people e-mails later.  Talk about the events later that blew you away – what reading, what new journal looks really cool, who was giving away shots of bourbon at their booth, what editor was really nice to you, what new author did you discover?  Spread the word about what you did and saw and enjoyed.  We’re all in this together.

Have fun, and I’ll see you there.

Peace,
Richard

SEE ALSO: How to have fun and be spontaneous: a list