Jhumpa Lahiri and Junot Diaz are rock stars of the literary world and it was incredible to see them live.

Thursday night, Jhumpa was the keynote speaker. She even had her own opening act, which was hard to listen to as I was anxious to hear her.

She spoke about how to answer the question “Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?”

Admittedly, I was hoping to hear her read fiction – thinking it was a “reading” not a “keynote speech.” But once I realized she wouldn’t be reading, I sat back and was entranced with her personal story about moving from a childhood without possessing many books to, having just won the Pulitzer Prize, listening to her father worry that this writing thing might not be able to support her.

When she was finished, the crowd applauded thunderously and with sincere appreciation. Many stood for a standing ovation but most quickly bolted to their feet to get in line for her to sign their book. I couldn’t bear to wait in line behind  two hundred people so I opted for the bar with some friends.

Last night Junot Diaz read two stories and he brought the house down.

If I can’t BE Junot, I wish I could have a speck of his talent – how he brings together riotous humor, pain, and honesty in a way that has me catch my breath between laughing and crying.

The line for his signing was even longer than for Jhumpa. At this point in the conference I could not stand in line nor hit the bar.

I will write more later about Junot’s reading but now off to another panel this morning!

1.    Hometown?

I grew up between Stone Mountain, GA and Baltimore, MD. I’m no stranger to Washington D.C.—we were neighbors during my college years; I used to drive down to dance and see shows now and then.

2.    How many AWP conferences have you attended?

I believe I’ve attended four or five now.

3.    Tell me a little about your session. Who should attend?

My session is the Women’s Caucus, organized by Lois Roma-Deeley. I hope attendees don’t fall into the usual trap of assuming a “Women’s Caucus” is for women only. Anyone interested in how these conferences are put together, how they function and change over time—which includes considerations of who the organizers court and how they do so—should come.  

Moreover, this is a first meeting of the women’s caucus, and we have a lot of ground to cover, as outlined below. For that very reason, we welcome participants who will help us shape the debate and understand what we must focus on first.

Description:

Where is the place for the women writers within AWP and within the greater literary community? The women’s caucus discusses this as well as continuing inequities in creative writing publication and literature. In addition, issues centering on cultural obstacles in the form of active oppression, stereotypes, lack of access to literary power structures, historical marginalization of women’s writing, issues and perspectives and the diverse voices of women will be explored.

4.    I know you’re heavily involved with VIDA: Women in the Literary Arts. How is VIDA having an effect on the literary community?

Because we’re still so young, it’s difficult to gauge exactly what impact we’ve had so far.  We’ve certainly been hearing from many, ranging from educators to lay readers to publishers and editors alike; people are voicing concerns aloud now, suspicions easier dismissed in the past, and are anxious to join the discussion. The disparities in the literary world, based on gender alone (only one facet we’ve begun to examine), are no longer something we’ve imagined; they’re publicly recognized now. This recognition is a good point from which the conversation must progress if any changes are to take place.  We no longer have to insist that we “feel” something’s off; we can point to the numbers and interrogate how the literary landscape has come to reflect what many feel are unintentional-yet-problematic biases.

Conversations are also picking up steam in more major media outlets as well as in smaller online venues, editorial offices and, soon enough, this AWP conference. Publishers are sitting up and noticing their own historical publishing practices. It’s my hope that educators will also think about how they came to choose the texts they teach and try to broaden their curriculum palettes, so to speak.

5.    What do you enjoy most about attending the conference?

I love meeting people I’ve only known online. I enjoy catching up with others, and the poet-me likes to hit some of the more tasty panels and readings.  The energy is palpable when you find that really good panel / presentation and makes the trip memorable.

I find the book fair problematic for the obvious reasons—it’s like passing through a really tasty restaurant; you can only consume so much and your doggy bag can’t hold more than you can afford. So I pass through, loving and hating the feast that’s offered. Like it or not, the book fair forces one to become quite selective with one’s wallet and suitcase.

6.    Last, but not least, what’s the question I should have asked you?

Where am I reading! Unfortunately, I’ll be missing the reading with my new publisher, Litmus Press. I was originally going to be there but am unable. Sorry, Litmus! But I will be reading on Saturday afternoon for Poets for Living Waters—

Gulf Tolls – A Poetry Reading in Tribute to the Gulf of Mexico and Surrounding Regions

5-7 pm, Busboys & Poets 14th and V Streets NW. $5 suggested donation. None turned away.

Split This Rock and Poets for Living Waters are partnering to offer a poetry tribute to the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding regions. Readers will include: Naomi Ayala, Ana Bozicevic, Nicole Cooley, Peter Cooley, Amy King, Brenda Hillman, Katherine Howell, Brenda Iijima, Jan Heller Levi, Gregory Pardlo, Lisa Pegram, Martha Serpas, Kevin Simmonds, Sandra Simmonds, Jonathan Skinner, Patricia Smith, Heidi Lynn Staples, Melissa Tuckey, Anne Waldman, and more. Please join us for a night of provocation and witness.

Amy King is the author of four collections of poetry: Slaves to Do These Things, I’m the Man Who Loves You, and Antidotes for an Alibi (a Lambda Book Award finalist), all from Blazevox Books, and the forthcoming I Want to Make You Safe (Litmus Press). King moderates the Poetics List (SUNY-Buffalo/University of Pennsylvania), the Women’s Poetry Listserv (WOMPO) and the Goodreads Poetry! Group. She also teaches English and Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College and is currently preparing a book of interviews with the poet, Ron Padgett. King co-edits Poets for Living Waters with Heidi Lynn Staples and Esque Magazine with Ana Bozicevic.

Well, I had to cancel my plans at the last minute, and can’t attend AWP in DC this year. I’m really bummed, but sometimes life gets in the way – work, family, my MFA thesis, my next novel, time, money, you name it. Sometimes you have to take a pass. When I’m sitting with my son at his first Pinewood Derby I doubt I’ll be thinking about AWP. SO, I’m passing on to you, talented author, dreamer of vision, painter of lives, my list of panels that I was thinking of attending.

My picks have a lot to do with where I am as an author, what I’m looking to do, and who I know. So, I often drop by panels to see friends speak, or maybe it’s a panel on pedagogy or teaching, since I’m finishing up my MFA this year. There are a lot of panels on the future of writing, or publishing, those are always compelling. Sometimes I just want to hear somebody read. So, my picks may not match up with yours, but maybe it’ll give you some ideas.

Obviously you can only pick one panel per time period, so I’ll leave that up to you. I’ll asterisk (*) something if it really jumps out as a MUST SEE.

WEDNESDAY:

Not much going on, mostly people getting into town. I’m sure there are parties Wednesday night.

THURSDAY:

9:00 – 10:15

R110. Hired!: Landing the Elusive Tenure-Track Job.
This looked interesting, as I’m looking for work in 2011.

R113. Hands On: A Conversation about DIY and Craft Culture in a Digital World.
I thought this also had a lot of appeal as I’ve published in some crafty, handmade rags (such as Vain) and wanted to see what they had to say about this whole DIY culture.

10:30 – 11:45

R131. What They Didn’t Tell Us, We Will Tell You: Four First-Time Authors Discuss the Nitty Gritty of Publishing.
Siobhan Fallon is a friend of mine, so I wanted to hear her story about her first novel, and since my first novel came out last year as well (Transubstantiate) I thought it might be of value to me.

R132. Things That Go Bump When You Write: Monsters, Myths, and the Supernatural in Literary Fiction.*
This one looked really good to me, and I’m a fan of Laura van den Berg. I liked to work with fantasy, the supernatural, a bit of magical realism now and then, so this plus the literary angle appealed to me.

Noon – 1:15

R160. The Future of the Book Review: How to Break In.
I write book reviews for The Nervous Breakdown so I thought this might be interesting. And Roxane Gay is on this panel, and I like her work and attitude.

1:30 – 2:45

R174. Representing the Erotic in Literary Fiction.
Sex always gets people to show up. I put a bit of sex, and the erotic, in my work, so this looked like a fun one.

R179. CLMP Keynote—Size Matters: Big Houses, Small Presses, and the Literary Ecology of American Publishing.
I don’t hit TOO many keynotes, but this one covers a lot of things that interest me, small vs. large presses, for example.

3:00 – 4:15

R197. A 45th-Anniversary Fiction Reading by the Faculty of the MFA Writing Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Basically I just wanted to hear Holly Goddard Jones read and speak. She’s a friend of mine, taught at MSU where I’m getting my MFA, and an author I really love.

R198. Honoring Robert Coover.
Worth it to hear Coover as well as Brian Evenson.

4:30 – 5:15

R213. Understanding Comics as Creative Writing.*
This looked really good. I’m trying to break into comics, working on some samples right now, and this should be a fascinating panel.

R221. Fiction’s Future.
I try not to attend TOO many of these kinds of panels, but Lance Olsen and Roy Kesey make it worth attending, IMO. Lance is at FC2 and I’m a fan of Roy’s work. Both good guys, very giving and supportive as well.

NIGHT:

I was supposed to attend a reading at The Velvet Lounge with a bunch of friends, so go do that. It should be a great show. Caleb J. Ross, Brandon Tietz, Jesus Angel Garcia, Nik Korpon, Joe McGinniss Jr., Michael Sonbert, and Jillian Weise. 7-9 pm. 915 U St NW.

FRIDAY:

9:00 – 10:15

F114. Arktoi Books Celebrates Five Years of Lesbian Publishing!
Basically I wanted to see Nickole Brown read, she’s a friend and mentor of mine down at MSU. Very talented poet and author.

10:30 – 11:15

F132. How to start a literary center and thrive through the decades.
I’ve wanted to start a co-op for years, and this seemed like a very informative an useful panel.

F134. To Tell You the Truth: Strategies in the New Nonfiction.
I don’t write much NF, but I wanted to hear Nick Flynn and Stephen Elliott speak, those two are always entertaining and very smart, two talented authors.

F136. Jets vs. Sharks?
Richard Bausch and Jill McCorkle, nuff said.

NOON – 1:15

F146. A Reading by Joyce Carol Oates.
I’ve heard mixed things about her readings, but I’m a fan of her work, so this could be fun.

1:30 – 2:45
Nothing looked great. Have a long lunch instead.

3:00 – 4:45

F191. Hollins Graduate Program 50th Anniversary Reading.
Karen McElmurray is a friend and teacher down at MSU. Another chance to hear Jill McCorkle read too.

4:30 – 5:45

F212. A Reading by Mary Gaitskill and Sapphire, Sponsored by Wilkes University Low Residency MA/MFA Program in Association with Blue Flower Arts.*
I’m a huge fan of Mary Gaitskill, and I’m really bummed that I’ll miss this. Was going to have her sign my copy of Bad Behavior.

NIGHT:

Vermin on the Mount is the place to be. http://vermin.blogs.com/vermin_on_the_mount/2011/01/votm-awp-dc.html

WHO: Kim Chinquee, Roy Kesey, Amber Sparks, Lindsay Hunter, Nicolette Kittinger, Tom Williams, Al Heathcock & Scott McClanahan

WHEN: Friday, Feb 4 at 8pm

WHERE: Mie N Yu 3125 M Street in Georgetown

SATURDAY:

9:00 – 10:15

S111. Small Ships, Deep Ocean: Independent Presses Keep Short Story Collections Afloat.
Love short stories and this seemed cool. Laura van den Berg.

10:30 – 11:45

Nothing jumped out at me.

NOON – 1:15

S149. America Reimagined: Four Contemporary Voices, Sponsored by Blue Flower Arts.*
A great list of really talented authors: Ben Percy, Jennifer Egan, Rick Moody, Joshua Ferris. This should be a great event. It’s in a ballroom, don’t know how big it is, but this should be a really hot ticket. Get there early.

1:30 – 2:45

S171. What We Love; What Editors Are After.
These things are always a crapshoot, just write what you want, what moves you, but sometimes you get a nugget or two from some cool people. Editors from the Believer, Graywolf Press, Milkweed Editions, Orion, Soft Skull Press, and Tin House, so definitely worth it.

S177. The Road Less Traveled: How to be a Writer Without a Full-time Academic Gig.*
Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, that’s worth it right there, but I love the focus of this panel, and am really hoping I can get some literature or a podcast of this one.

S184. Change or Die: How Established Print Journals are Adapting to Life on the Internet.
Love the title. A lot of journals are adding an online presence or moving online due to the costs and difficulties of having a print journal. Should be good.

3:00 – 4:15

S189. Linking It Up: Working with Story Cycles, Linked Collections, and Novels-in-Stories.
Big fan of Knockemstiff, so I thought this would be a really good panel to attend, fascinating, imo.

S191. Graywolf Press Reading.
Chance to see Nick Flynn and Stephen Elliott again if you missed them earlier. Big fan of Graywolf, too.

4:30 – 5:15

Nothing jumped out, so get to drinking now.

NIGHT:

There’s the Amy Hempel and Gary Shteyngart reading, that looked really good. I’m sure there are tons of parties too.

SO…that’s all I’ve got. Hit the bookfair as often as you can between panels, that’s a great way to do research, get discounted title and journals, and meet some of you favorite authors, network and pimp your wares. Bottom line, have fun.

Wish I was going. Drop me a line at wickerkat@aol.com if you have something to share or any questions.

 1. Hometown?

We live in Delmar, NY, just south of Albany.

 2. How many AWP conferences have you attended?

Maybe seven or so, on and off since 2001.

 3. What will you be doing this year at AWP? 

I’m not doing any panels this year. The one I proposed and one I was on were passed on, which as I think of it is kind of a relief, since I’m really busy right now. I have made a resolution to go to as many panels on creative nonfiction as I can, since that’s what I teach primarily at The College of Saint Rose. We’re also thinking of starting up an MFA program (who isn’t, right?), so I plan on tugging on a few ears regarding how to start one that works well. I’ll be manning a corner of a shared table representing myself and We Who Are About To Die, the group blog I help run. Other than that, a lot of off-site readings and events. I’m really psyched how the AWP people have integrated—or co-opted?—the whole off-site events business. I’m reading at one on Friday night, representing the supergreat 32 Poems.

 4. What do you enjoy most about attending the conference?

Where to start? Meeting up with old friends who live in different parts of the country or folks I’ve worked with only virtually and not face-to-face. Making new friends. Saying Hi to editors of journals who have published my work and thanking them. Seeing how people navigate the whole looking-at-people’s-nametags-in-the-elevator business. Meeting old students who have gone onto become quote-unquote real writers. The buzz of neuroses-band camp excitement-stargazing has never gone away, like walking down a random aisle at the book fair and oh, there’s Lucillle Clifton or Christian Bok or Ernest Hilbert. Showing off baby pictures of my daughters to strangers. Lately, it’s been nice to get out of town for awhile. 

 5. Since you’ve attended a few of these, what’s your most memorable moment from past AWP’s?

There’s been so many times I have embarrassed myself or just acted like a jackass, but whenever I am at AWP, I feel comfortable and I’m with family. A boisterous, often dysfunctional family, but that’s family. I can say that I’ll never forget speaking on a panel about “switching” from poetry to nonfiction as a writer, and when we opened it up for questions, a woman began her remarks saying that she’s “going to take a while.” Her discourse included a short bio of herself and her writing, which people do and that’s fine, but then she suggested we all start a “new genre called the po-essay.” Up until that point, I think I was fairly diplomatic and even professional. But that term, po-essay, just seemed like a terrible idea. So I said that is sounded a little too much like another word I shouldn’t repeat here. Little did I know that Marjorie Perloff had coined the term already when she provided a blurb for Susan Howe’s The Birth-Mark. (It occurs to me that maybe that’s why AWP didn’t take my panel this year!)

 6. OK, Dan—what’s the question I should have asked you?

 Geez. Probably some question about how excited I am for the upcoming Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic starring Sacha Baron Cohen?

Daniel Nester is the author of How to Be Inappropriate, The History of My World Tonight, and God Save My Queen I and II. His work has appeared in Salon, The Daily Beast, Bookslut, The Morning News, Best American Poetry, and Best Creative Nonfiction. He teaches at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY.

1. Hometown?

Born in Edison, New Jersey. Raised in Paterson, New Jersey.

2. How many AWP conferences have you attended?

Atlanta, NYC, and Denver. This will be number four. Hopefully the food will be better.

3. Tell me a little about the session you’re moderating. Who should attend?

I’m at the Omni Shoreham’s Empire Ballroom, 4:30 p.m. on Friday the 4th, moderating a panel on inclusivity and race in publishing. This will be a conversation between poets and editors from both “mainstream” and “more community-based projects,” talking about their successes and failures in bringing diversity to their various publications. (I imagine what Raina Leon and I do at the ACENTOS REVIEW falls into the category of community-based projects.)

Who should attend?

Anyone with a vested interest in telling and listening to the full story of American literature. Anyone with a desire to be realistic, or revolutionary, about the publishing venues available to them. Writers of color especially. And maybe a few people who are interested, as I am, in hearing what makes one publication “mainstream” and another “community-based,” especially in the digital age.

4. Sounds like a great panel, Rich. What do you enjoy most about attending the conference?

Watching my various literary worlds cross. The poets especially all seem grouped up, cliqued out, separate, MFA’d or non-MFA’d, book or no. Et cetera. The AWP is the one place I can think of where all those dichotomies collide … blending together, as it were, by the time Saturday night rolls around. (Or not … sometimes they tiptoe around each other, too. That can be fun!)

5. Finally, what’s the question I should have asked you?

Hey Rich! Do you have any off-site events you’re involved with?

Why yes, I do. Acentos, the organization I direct that fosters audiences and communities of Latino/a writers, is co-sponsoring a reading in response to Arizona’s unjust SB1070 law … and some of the raging xenophobia cultivated around laws like it.

Friday, February 4 · 6–9 p.m.
True Reformer Building
1200 U Street NW
Washington, DC

Join us as more than 20 poets lend their energy and language to a group reading in response to Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and in resistance to the atmosphere of national xenophobia under which the bill (and its emerging counterparts) were created. Confirmed readers include: Francisco X. Alarcon, Tara Betts, Sarah Browning, Regie Cabico, Carmen Calatayud, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Susan Deer Cloud, Martín Espada, Odilia Galvan Rodriguez, Carmen Gimenez Smith, Aracelis Girmay, Randall Horton, Juan Felipe Herrera, Dorianne Laux, Marilyn Nelson, Mark Nowak, Barbara Jane Reyes, Abel Salas, Sonia Sanchez, Craig Santos Perez, Hedy Trevino, Pam Uschuk, Dan Vera, Rich Villar, and Andre Yang. Co-sponsored and presented by the Acentos Foundation, Split This Rock, and the Poets Responding to SB 1070 Facebook group. Hosted by Oscar Bermeo.

Then on Saturday, I’m part of a delegation of writers that will be staging a press conference and mini-poetry reading in response to the law on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. In short, I’ll be disappointed if I don’t emerge from this conference with an FBI file!

Rich Villar is the executive director of The Acentos Foundation, an organization that fosters audiences and communities for the study, presentation, and support of literature by Latinos and Latinas. He serves as fiction editor for THE ACENTOS REVIEW, and his poems and essays have appeared in RATTAPALLAX, MIPOESIAS, LATINO POETRY REVIEW, and the acclaimed chapbook series ACHIOTE SEEDS. He is at work on his first full-length collection of poems and makes his home in New Jersey with his wife, poet Tara Betts. (Photo taken by Peter Dressel)

1.       Hometown?

Born in East St. Louis, IL, raised in Austin, TX and still loving central Texas! I’m a southern gal!

2.       How many AWP conferences have you attended?

I’ve attended four AWP conferences including this one. Austin, Atlanta, New York, and D.C.

3.       As the organizer of the Cave Canem reading, tell me a little about the event. Who will be there?

Everyone will be there! I’m thrilled to host the Cave Canem Fellows Reading. The reading will be somewhat of an inside look at a typical fellows reading at the Cave Canem Summer Retreat. As you know, January, our readings are loud and fun and far from an average poetry reading. We’ll feature 20 fellows from across the years and each poet will have four minutes. It will be a family reunion and friends and guests are more than welcome. 100 percent of the suggested $10 donation goes to Cave Canem. Join us at the Charles Sumner School, 1201 17th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, February 2, at 7 p.m. Poets include Bettina Judd, Robin Lewis, Rickey Laurentiis, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Jonterri Gadson, Linda Susan Jackson, Niki Herd, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Wendy S. Walters, Marcus Jackson, Derrick Brown, Brandon D Johnson, Nicole Sealey, Ama Codjoe, Jamaal May, Kamilah Aisha Moon, Kamau Rucker, Sharon Dennis Wyeth, Hallie Hobson, and Shelagh Patterson. Basically, we’re going to have a really good time and you don’t want to miss it!

4.       Are you participating in any other sessions?

 Yes! Saturday, February 5, at 3 p.m. – Founding Women: Publishers and Editors from across the Literary Journal Landscape. (Jennifer S. Flescher, Brigid Hughes, Rebecca Wolff, Amanda Johnston, Beth Harrison, Rebecca Morgan Frank) Katharine Graham, former publisher of the Washington Post, said to love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun? In this panel, six female publishers from a range of media and generations will discuss their own literary matters: the process of creating and sustaining their successful literary ventures. Panelists will discuss the gender politics of publishing and explore the strides the literary landscape has made and the struggles we still grapple with. (Thurgood Marshall South Room Marriott Wardman Park, Mezzanine Level)

Immediately after the panel at 5 p.m. is the TORCH D.C. reading at the African American Civil War Museum featuring TORCH: poetry, prose, and short stories by African American Women contributors Evie Shockley, Melanie Henderson, Tara Betts, Venus Thrash, and others hosted by Randall Horton. It makes for a wonderful combination! Come to the panel where I’ll discuss founding TORCH and where the organization is heading then come to the reading and support the women writers we serve.

5.       Sounds terrific, Amanda! What are you looking forward to most about attending the conference?

I look forward to being among other writers, visiting with friends from across the country, and making new connections with attendees. The opportunity to fellowship and talk shop with other writers and publishers is exciting and I can’t wait to be with my people!

6.       Finally, what’s the question I should have asked you?

Another great question would be – what other readings are you looking forward to?

Friday, Feb. 4 / 8:30 p.m. – Affrilachian Poets 20^th Anniversary Reading at Busboys, hosted by Patricia Smith, with poets Frank X Walker, Randall Horton, Crystal Good, Makalani Bandele, Mitchell L.H. Douglas, Kelly Norman Ellis, Ellen Hagan, Ricardo Nazario y Colón, Stephanie Pruitt, Kamilah Aisha Moon, and Amanda Johnston for an evening of poetry from across the region and beyond. ( at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St., NW, D.C., 20009.)

Amanda Johnston is a Cave Canem fellow and Affrilachian poet. Honors include 2003 and 2004 Artist Enrichment grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the 2005 Austin International Poetry Festival’s Christina Sergeyevna Award.  She is the founder of Torch Literary Arts and editor of TORCH: poetry, prose, and short stories by African American Women.

AIMEE’S AWP EVENTS:

• SAT.  3 p.m.: Omni Shoreham Hotel—S205 –“How a Poem Happens” with Brian Brodeur, Bob Hicok, Dorianne Laux, Eric Pankey and Adrian Blevins *an AWP featured event.*
• SAT. 4:30 p.m.: Marriott Wardman Hotel—S213 –“Outsiders Writing the Outside” with Keetje Kuipers, GE Patterson, Paisley Rekdal, Brian Teare, and Ross Gay.
• FRI. 2–2:30 p.m.: Tupelo Press tables @ the book fair—book-signing
• FRI. 6:15–8 p.m.: Petit Plats café—Tupelo Press off-site reading w/ Tupelo Press authors

1.       Hometown?

Fredonia, NY (that’s reeeeeallly Western NY, about 40 minutes south of Buffalo, in case you are wondering).

2.       How many AWP conferences have you attended?

Wow—hard to believe when I did the counting, but I have been going since grad school, so 10 out of the last 12 years! The only two times I didn’t go those years was because I was hugely pregnant with my two boys.

3.       Your sessions look terrific. Tell us about them, and who should attend?

• The“How to Make a Poem” panel is one of the featured ones at AWP (with  Brian Brodeur, Bob Hicok, Dorianne Laux, Eric Pankey and Adrian Blevins) and I think it will be of interest to anyone who wants to see a little bit ‘behind’ the curtain. It originated from Brian Brodeur’s great blog How a Poem Happens.

• Keetje Kuipers, GE Patterson, Paisley Rekdal, Brian Teare and Ross Gay, “Outsiders Writing the Outdoors.”—It’s late in the afternoon on the last day of the conference, and everyone will most probably be on a plane or in the bar by then, but have you HEARD these poets read?? This is not your granddaddy’s nature writing.

4.       Congratulations on being a featured presenter. What are you looking forward to most about attending the conference?

My husband (who is also the creative non-fiction editor of Mid-American Review) and I live in a sleepy little town in Western NY. Especially during winter, we don’t get to see many of our writer pals very often so AWP is very much a social as well as a pedagogical outlet for us. We each have panels and readers we check out separately and I in particular love wandering the book fair to browse through old faves and new magazines—to finally feel them in my hands—I’m always impressed with the sheer variety each year. The ginormous book-fair is my very favorite part, and where you will almost certainly find me when I’m not attending or giving a reading!

5.       What’s the question I should have asked you?

What will I be wearing? (Aimee—hee hee, I can’t tell if you are serious or not.)

(January—Oh yes, I’m completely serious! Good question. I’m all about the fashion.)

This might be the first time I try to pack everything in one giant duffle bag. I just had a horrific flying experience from JFK to Buffalo and I might *still* be at JFK had I didn’t just bring a carry-on to jump to various flights to make it home, so I have learned the power of bringing one bag when I travel in winter. But it’s hard as I try to leave space for all the books and magazines and pencils and buttons I know I will bring home, but am looking forward to bringing a colorful assortment of shoes—my only indulgence.  :)

Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of three poetry collections: LUCKY FISH, AT THE DRIVE-IN VOLCANO, and MIRACLE FRUIT. Her writing has been published in several anthologies and was awarded an NEA Fellowship in Poetry and The Pushcart Prize. She is associate professor of English at SUNY-Fredonia.

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…)

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.

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.

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.

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?)

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