Tentative List of Accepted Events for #AWP16

2016 AWP Conference & Bookfair
March 30 – April 2, 2016 • Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Convention Center & JW Marriott Los Angeles
Tentative List of Accepted Events for #AWP16
This list of accepted events for the 2016 AWP Conference & Bookfair in Los Angeles is tentative as
we wait to receive confirmation from all event organizers and participants. We are also working to
ensure that each participant does not sit on more than two events, only one of which may be a
reading. The final conference schedule will be posted in October at awpwriter.org.
The list is separated by panel discussions (pg. 2), pedagogy events (pg. 75), and readings (pg. 87).
Within these categories, events are alphabetized by title. Event titles and descriptions have not been
edited for grammar or content. AWP believes in freedom of expression and open debate, and the
views and opinions expressed in these event titles and descriptions may not necessarily reflect the
views of AWP’s staff, board of trustees, or members. For an explanation of the scoring and selection
process, download our 2016 Event Proposal Handbook.
AWP’s conference subcommittee worked hard to shape a diverse schedule for #AWP16, creating
the best possible balance among genres, presenters, and topics. Every year there are a number of
high-quality events that have to be left off the schedule due to space considerations. Although the
pool of submissions was highly competitive, we did our best to ensure that the conference belongs
to AWP’s numerous and varied constituencies. From 1,781 proposals, we tentatively accepted 523
events involving more than 2,000 panelists.
Please feel free to contact us at events@awpwriter.org with any questions you may have about this
list. For more information about the 2016 AWP Conference & Bookfair, including information
about registration, hotels, travel, featured presenters, and the bookfair, please visit our website.
#AWP16 Accepted Events
Panel Discussions
…but you, Motion Picture Industry, / it’s you I love! (Celeste Gainey, Aaron Smith, Ellen Bass, Patrick Ryan Frank, Maureen Seaton) In the 50th anniversary year of the death of seminal New York School poet and major movie fan, Frank O’Hara, some of his direct descendants, LGBTQ poets of today, reflect on the resilient vibrancy of his legacy, its impact on their work, and read poems celebrating their own love of cinema, celebrity, and popular culture. 'Joy Is So Exhausting': The Contemporary Poetics of Motherhood. (Callista Buchen, Molly Sutton Kiefer, Jennifer Givhan, Martha Silano, Rachel Richardson) As Rachel Blau DuPlessis points out, “motherhood leads to, demands, provokes, and excites innovations in poetry.” This panel explores these innovations, studying contemporary poetry that takes motherhood as its subject. From the motherhood in poetry as myth-­‐making and myth-­‐destroying to poets conceptualizing their writing as mothers to the inherent tensions at work, including how the lens of motherhood reshapes external landscapes, this panel finds a poetics full of possibility and insight. "You Teach...High School?" (Richard Santos, Matthew Thomas, Sun Yung Shin, Brendan Kiely, Emily Perez) Even though adjunct positions are a common teaching destination, many writers are embracing the challenges of teaching at the secondary level. Yet, how can an author balance the legendary demands of teaching high school with a 2
fulfilling writing career? Covering a range of genres, including poetry, fiction, literary criticism, and journalism, the panelists will discuss the unique difficulties and satisfactions that come with writing while teaching in public and private high schools. “Revolutionary Voices: The Queering of Young Adult/Teen Literature”. (Andrew Demcak, Amy Sonnie, Michelle Tea, Skye Allen, Kaya Oakes) What do we mean by “queering” Young Adult Literature? Is it a process? Can any writer do it? What are the challenges of bringing LGBTQI2-­‐S characters/topics to a largely heterogeneous (read: heterosexual) literary genre? How does the intended reader’s age determine what topics are explored? How is diversity represented by LGBTQI2-­‐S characters/subjects? Four authors that have published books in the genre will share the lessons they have learned from writing “queer” literature for YA/Teen. (Still) Got the Juice: Fierce Writing by Women Poets of a Certain Age. (Rebecca Foust, Wendy Barker, Toi Derricotte, Linda Hogan, Natalia Trevino) Modern American society marginalizes women after age 30, then disappears and mutes us after age 40. How can women “of a certain age” make our voices heard? These five poets refuse to sit down, shut up, or go gently into that good night. Panel members will frame the issues in the larger societal context, show how to keep work relevant by reading exemplar poems, and offer strategies for ensuring through publication, social media, readings and conferences that our words are—
emphatically—heard. #AWP16 Accepted Events
[Panel] Translation At What Cost? -­‐-­‐-­‐ Poets Who Translate. (Jordan Elgrably, Ilya Kaminsky, Mihaela Moscaliuc, Sholeh Wolpé, Ming Ming Di (Mindy)) Translation is service, recreation, the lending of one’s own poetic tongue to another poet— and yet, is it also self-­‐
denial? Does translation feed or hinder a poet’s own creative work? Four accomplished poets who translate from Chinese, Romanian, Persian and Russian, discuss the damaging and/or constructive role of literary translation on their own creative force. #AWP16 Keynote Address by Claudia Rankine, Sponsored by USC Dornsife English & PhD in Literature and Creative Writing and Graywolf Press. (Claudia Rankine) Claudia Rankine is the author of five collections of poetry, including Citizen: An American Lyric and Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric. She received the National Book Critics Circle Award in the poetry category for Citizen, the first book to ever be named a finalist in both the poetry and criticism categories. Citizen also was a finalist for the National Book Award, was longlisted for the PEN Open Book Award, and is the only poetry collection named a New York Times bestseller in the nonfiction category. A 40 Year Indigenous Literary Legacy: Tribute for Acoma Pueblo Writer Simon J. Ortiz. (Sara Marie Ortiz , Sherwin Bitsui, Allison Hedge Coke, Lee Francis, Bojan Louis) Simon J. Ortiz is widely regarded as one of the literary giants of the twentieth and twenty-­‐first centuries with more than two 3
dozen volumes of poetry, prose fiction, children's literature, and nonfiction work to his credit with his work being anthologized around the world. In this interactive discussion panelists will discuss Ortiz's legacy and contributions to the landscape of American literature and the ways in which he's shaped a generation of Indigenous writers' aesthetics across genres. A 50-­‐Year Retrospective on Gay Talese’s “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold”. (Rachael Hanel, Sonya Huber, Hope Edelman, Bronson Lemer) 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” Gay Talese’s Esquire essay that showed us a new approach to the long-­‐form essay, which continues to inspire new generations of writers. In this panel, writers and creative writing professors examine the essay’s staying power. They also discuss the current state of long-­‐form essay. Specialty publications routinely accept long essays, but could the long-­‐form essay still penetrate the mainstream as it did in 1966? A Finished Conversation?: Gendered Cultures of Creative Writing. (Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Aimee Parkison, Monique Zamir, Lisa Lewis, Camille Rankine) Women writers from three generations explore whether gender continues to shape women's experiences of creative writing today from studying or teaching in a creative writing program to administering one to publishing work. In relation to race, class, and sexuality, how has the position of women writers changed over time, and where are we now with regard to our access to publishing and positions of power in our communities and academic #AWP16 Accepted Events
institutions? What interventions might we make to gain ground? A Matter of Taste. (Celia Johnson, Sarah Bowlin, Michelle Brower, Karolina Waclawiak, Steph Optiz) Book publishing is an art, but it’s certainly not a science. People in the industry are often forced to consider the business of publishing, but ultimately agents, editors, and reviewers are quite like readers. They are all looking for a book that feels made just for them, the book that is just their “taste.” So how does something as ephemeral as taste move a book through the publication process? What do we even mean by taste? And are there trends that we can recognize and explore? A New Girls' Network: Lessons from the Movement for Equal Voice. (Amy Wheeler, Shruti Swamy, Stacey Parshall Jensen, Brooke Warner, Amy King) Women are still underrepresented in the literary community. The movement toward equal voice is coming to fruition through the collective action of people who advocate for women writers. Join Hedgebrook, VIDA, BinderCon, Hazel Reading Series, and She Writes Press to discuss the replicable, scalable models they use to provide space, support, community and skills for female-­‐identified writers. A Place of Our Own: Literary Organizations that Foster Creative Community. (Elizabeth Hughey, Guy Pettit, A.M. O'Malley, Bob Snead, Susannah Felts) A new style of literary center is emerging. These centers not only provide resources for writers but also serve as an incubation space for ideas, collaborations, events and 4
publications. Representatives from the Desert Island Supply Co. (Birmingham, Ala.), Flying Object (Hadley, Mass.), The Porch (Nashville), Press Street (New Orleans) and the Independent Publishing Resource Center (Portland, Ore.) discuss how their organizations have evolved to meet the needs of their creative communities. A Tribute for Wanda Coleman. (Natasha Saje, Lisa Katz, Cornelius Eady) Panelists view Wanda Coleman’s life and work through multiple lenses. We appreciate her jazz performance in words, brilliant wit, wildly various modes of expression, and her politics. We read examples of her writing and explain what it means to us, celebrating the many contributions of this unforgettable woman of letters. A Tribute to and Celebration of Eloise Klein Healy. (Robin Becker, Eloise Klein Healy, Peggy Shumaker, Alicia Ostriker, Amy Uyematsu) Eloise Klein Healy, author of seven books, is a poet, editor, educator, mentor, LGBTQ advocate, and feminist pioneer. Appointed first Poet Laureate of Los Angeles in 2012, for over forty years her poetry, mentorship, and advocacy has mattered greatly, especially to women, minorities, and LGBTQ writers, not only in Southern California, but across the country. Significant colleagues will celebrate her poetry, mentorship, and advocacy, after which Eloise Klein Healy will share her work. A Tribute to California Poet Laureate Al Young: Poet, Teacher, Mentor. (Persis #AWP16 Accepted Events
Karim , Peter Harris , Alan Soldofsky, Sharon May, Al Young) Al Young represents the best of California. As past Poet Laureate of this state, (appointed in 2005), he has spread the good news of poetry to California schools, higher educational institutions, and participated in the San Francisco Jazz Festival poetry readings and others. While he is known for his blues-­‐inflected poetry, his poetry and his influence has touched Californians young and old. This tribute to Al Young will feature his poetry, and his remarkable impact on past students and peers. A Tribute to Donald Revell. (Dean Young, Kazim Ali, Claudia Keelan, Craig Morgan Teicher, Carey Salerno) This panel honors and celebrates poet, translator, essayist, Donald Revell. For over three decades, Revell has inspired and compelled us with his award-­‐winning work as a quiet American master and mystic. At once innovative and accessible, his writing envelops us in rare incarnations of kindness, adoration, and light. Critics, peers, and writers gather in this tribute to read and discuss Revell’s work, its enduring influence, and ways in which he’s shaped American letters. A Tribute to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Storyteller and Public Intellectual. (Maria Helena Viramontes, Fernando Daniel Castro, Rafael Buitrago, Maria Helena Viramontes) Márquez is a protean figure in literature. His 2014 death begs for a review of his legacy as author and public intellectual. He avoided ideological pamphleteering yet epitomized the public intellectual of his day: the cold war in Latin America, issues 5
of social justice, human rights, the great divide between developed and underdeveloped nations. Proposed panel will focus on Márquez’s genial public intellectual style and the connection between his works of fiction, journalism, speeches and more. A Tribute to John Rechy. (Belinda Acosta, John Rechy, Pablo Martinez, Amelia M.L. Montes, Alex Espinoza) Novelists, poets, and scholars come together to celebrate John Rechy’s work and discuss why his voice resonates in the present. Best known for his groundbreaking City of Night (1963), John Rechy’s work is a seminal contribution to gay and Latino literature. Transgressive, deeply driven by a classic aesthetic, and profoundly honest, Rechy’s work has influenced a wide-­‐range of artists who recognize him as a trailblazer for gay arts and letters while at the same time transcending categorization. A Writer's Guide to Political Advocacy. (Mary Rechner, Nina Ozlu-­‐Tunceli, Tina Cane, Shannon Buggs, Stacy Parker Le Melle) Words have the power to change lives. How can writers use their words to reflect and improve our neighborhoods? Panelists will share experiences that gave rise to moments when personal or political change became possible, and discuss how they become invested in the communities they live in and serve. They will also provide examples of ways to take action to make a difference as well as the range of actions that are considered effective advocacy. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Across the Critical Divide. (Boris Kachka, Stephanie Cha, Liz Egan, Leigh Newman, Kate Tuttle) Reviewers and authors traditionally sit on opposite sides of an intractable divide. This panel brings together a group of prominent literary journalists to discuss the intellectual and emotional consequences of crossing that divide. How does becoming the author of a novel, memoir, or cultural history—and thus the subject of reviews and interviews—change a critic’s relationship to the work of writing about books and authors, to the publishing industry, and to his or her fellow writers? Adapting to Adaptation: Making the Most of Going Hollywood. (Eleanor Henderson, Cheryl Strayed, Stephen Elliott, Jennifer Gilmore, Jenny Halper) For many writers, having a novel or memoir optioned for film is a dream come true. But a book’s adaptation to the screen is often as complicated as a writer’s adaptation to the movie business. The authors on this panel, all of whom have had a book translated into film in the recent past, explore the losses and gifts of adaptation, offering insight about how to best to stay involved throughout the experience, while also reflecting on the nature of narrative, art, and ownership. Affrilachian Poets: 25 Years of Redefining Appalachia. (Mitchell L. H. Douglas, Ricardo Nazario Colon, Ellen Hagan, Kamilah Aisha Moon, Keith Wilson) Central to the purpose of the Affrilachian Poets is redefining what it means to be from Appalachia. To that extent it has members from the 13 states found within the Appalachian region. This panel explores notions of place and culture 6
within the group celebrating its 25th anniversary and allies it has made along the way. After Experience Taught Me: The Cultural Landscape of the Creative Writer in the Southern California Community College. (Pianta (Pianta), Sydney Brown, Sean Richard Moor, Christina Guillen, Chris Baron) Writers at 2 year colleges offer new directions in rendering experience. Multilingual and pragmatic, they may face family taboos against ego-­‐centrism. They start with burning needs to express (or a quiet desire to be heard), to tell the extraordinary; a style from folklore, slang or prayer, their forms: sub-­‐genre, myth or sacred oration. They produce remarkable improvisations, driven not only by craft but by romantic ethos, complex sublimations, or an fervent need for self-­‐transformation. After Montaigne, Before Sunrise: Teaching and Writing about the Essays. (David Lazar, Phillip Lopate, E. J. Levy, Lina Ferreira, Patrick Madden) Montaigne's Essays have been fundamental for centuries of essayists and remain vital, though underutilized, for creative nonfictionists today. Panelists discuss their process of writing for After Montaigne, a new anthology of “cover essays” from the University of Georgia Press, as well as their teaching strategies and activities to help students engage with experiences in ways beyond recounting and narrative. Agents Without Borders. (Aimee Liu, Betsy Amster, Rebecca Friedman , Angela Rinaldi, Elise Capron) Many writers believe that the only or best literary agents are located on the East #AWP16 Accepted Events
Coast, but West Coast agents beg to differ. The major publishing houses may still reside in and around New York City, but major authors live throughout the world, and Pacific Coast agents have found that literary representation outside New York may actually be to an author's advantage. Join this panel of West Coast pros to learn how they navigate a publishing world without borders. An Office of One’s Own: Literary Agents On Equality, Gender, and the Business of Creating Books. (Duvall Osteen, Sarah Smith, Melissa Flashman, Monika Woods) 4 literary agents discuss the current publishing industry landscape through the lens of being women. With a spotlight on critical and commercial success of books by women, the marketplace is a thriving environment for women writers, editors, and agents. Topics include getting published without being pigeonholed, approaching the business of publishing as a woman, the online environment as a place of opportunity, and the role agents play in collaborating with and supporting women writers. Angels’ Exile: Los Angeles Natives Writing From Elsewhere. (Mark Sundeen, Camille Dungy, Leslie Jamison, Eric Puchner, Amaud Jamaul Johnson) With its diversity and segregation, wealth and inequity, sprawl and water wars, Los Angeles is the postmodern city upon which others—for better or worse—are modeled. Its fashion and lifestyle are exported, extolled and condemned across the globe in film, prose and verse. But many chroniclers —Chandler and Didion—are transplants, visitors. What about the inverse: writers who were raised here—
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then left? How do the city and suburbs loom in their imagination? And what does exile teach us about home? Anthologizing Queer: Defining Community and the Politics of Representation. (Kathie Bergquist, Lisa C. Moore, Trace Peterson, Achy Obejas, Regie Cabico) From This Bridge Called My Back onward, anthology has helped define community and illuminate marginalized voices. At the same time, literary collection can further diminish queer expression by affirming whose work is worthy of attention and whose is not. In this panel, five editors of literary anthology fearlessly tread the minefields of representation and authority inherent in the act of curating intersectional queer culture, while confronting essential questions of quality and inclusion. Applying for an Individual NEA Creative Writing Fellowship. (Amy Stolls, Mohamed Sheriff, Rebecca Maner, Jessica Flynn) Want to know what the National Endowment for the Arts fellowships are all about? Staff members from the NEA’s Literature Division will discuss and advise on all aspects of the program, from submitting an application to how winning poets and prose writers are selected, as well as the impact the fellowships have had on the literary landscape. Plenty of time will be allotted for questions. Art of the Literary Interview. (Tony Leuzzi, Tod Marshall, Christopher Hennessy, Allie Larkin, Joe Salvatore) The interview is a prime medium for exploring and promoting literary #AWP16 Accepted Events
conversations. Six panelists with vast creative and critical experience will discuss the interview as a genre that honors certain conventions and traditions. They will explore wide-­‐ranging expressions of the genre as a dialogic bridge between critic and imaginative writer. They will also articulate examples where interviews help build community and set standards for discourse among poets and fiction writers, respectively. Art School Writing Faculty Caucus Meeting. (Amy Lemmon, Monica Drake, Lesley Jenike, Mairead Byrne, Norman Leonard) Annual meeting of art school faculty members to discuss pedagogy, programming, administration, and best practices particular to Art School writing classes and programs. Asian American Caucus. (Ken Chen, Sunyoung Lee, Cathy Che) What literary resources are available for Asian American writers? What does it mean to be an Asian writer in the 21st Century? This first Asian American caucus is not a panel or a reading, but an open town hall-­‐style hang out and community space. If you’re an Asian American writer, come meet other Asian American writers and discuss fellowships, publication opportunities and resources available for Asian American writers. Organized by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, Kaya and Kundiman. Asian American Writers Reinventing Los Angeles. (Ginger Ko, Kenji Liu, Grace Shuyi Liew, Lam Pham, Chiwan Choi) 8
Asian & Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing group in the US and the LA area has the highest US API population, but APIs are often ignored and stereotyped by mainstream America. This panel will present East and Southeast Asian American writers who write, work, and live in LA, and have cultural ties to the diasporic landscape of the metropolitan area. The panel will make visible the intersectional histories, politics, and artistic practices that feeds and is fed by their literary work. At the Margins, At the Intersections: Black Queer Literature, Writing, Publishing. (Frederick Smith, Sheree L. Greer, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Fiona Zedde) Audre Lorde, E. Lynn Harris, and James Baldwin, among others, set the path for embracing Black Queer identities in writing. As contemporary writers who identify as, or write about, Black LGBTQ communities, we're consciously embracing identities that intersect, and that are also at the margins of society. Join us as we discuss the contributions of Black Queer writers past and present, and explore what it means to embrace writing at the intersections, yet at the margins, in current times. Bad Influences: Writers and the Writers Who Corrupted Them. (Katie Peterson, Sandra Lim, Leslie Shipman, Garth Greenwell, Thomas Page McBee) Who did you read so much that their influence actually got you into trouble? On this cross-­‐genre panel, a novelist, a memoirist, and three poets speculate with wit and candor on whether you can know when you’ve been influenced too much, and whether there’s a difference between #AWP16 Accepted Events
good influence and bad influence. Can reading poetry be bad for prose? Can pop culture be good for anything? Panelists will also consider which “bad influences” are "corrupting" genres today. Behind the Curtain: Founding and Running a Small Writers’ Conference. (Matt Bondurant, Seth Tucker, Connie May Fowler, M.O. Walsh, Jerry Gabriel) The founders and directors of four small writers conferences all launched in the last five years share their experiences and invite collaboration and discussion. We will discuss topics such as scouting and securing locations, acquiring resources, finanances, marketing, programming, social life, merchandising, and all the logistics that go into starting a new writers conference from scratch. Between Image and Text: Publishing Comics in Literary Magazines. (Aaron Burch, Lydia Conklin, Killian Czuba, Amy McDaniel, Jarod Rosellό) In recent years, literary publications have begun publishing comics regularly. But where do comics fit in the larger literary landscape? How are comics published in spaces built for text? This panel brings cartoonists and editors together to discuss the challenges & rewards of publishing comics online and in print. The participants will consider the practical and philosophical implications for expanding the universe of literature, and what this means for the future of literary publications. Beyond Combat: Non-­‐traditional War Stories. (Lauren Halloran, Olivia Kate Cerrone, Qais Akbar Omar, Mariette Kalinowski, Elana Bell) 9
Not all war stories look like American Sniper. War is a vast spectrum of experiences, but literature and film offer only a limited, formulaic glimpse. We seek to expand that view, covering conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the West Bank through fiction, memoir and poetry, from the perspectives of female veterans, bureaucrats, aid workers, and men and women living in the war zones. We’ll discuss the challenges and importance of writing against masculine traditions and combat-­‐driven narratives. Beyond Confession: Women's Writing and a Radical Poetics of the Personal. (Dorothea Lasky , Amber Rose Tamblyn, Rachel McKibbens, Deborah Landau, Ada Limón) "Confessional Poetry" is often a coded term for poetry written by women and is disparaged as domestic, personal and small. This panel will examine ways in which the poetics of the personal and the everyday can subvert traditional gender binaries and move towards a radical reassessment of women's roles in literature and society. Five women will read from their work and discuss their relationships to poetry of the body, the spirit, and the world. Beyond the Poetry Classroom: Serving the Underserved. (Nicole Santalucia, Martín Espada , Maria Gillan, Jan Beatty, Abby Murray) This panel will discuss what it takes to expand poetry communities beyond the creative writing classroom, and how faculty and students can implement outreach programs in their own communities. The panelists will provide examples of how they extend the reach of #AWP16 Accepted Events
poetry programs to under-­‐served populations such as veterans, prisoners, senior citizens, children, and at risk teens. The opportunity to serve fulfills writers as people but also broadens their appeal as future job candidates. Black Bodies Matter. (Patricia Smith, Jericho Brown, Justin Phillip Reed, Susan Somers-­‐Willett) The Black Lives Matter movement is a recent response to a larger history of violence against Black bodies in the U.S. and abroad. What roles does poetry play in this response, and how do poets negotiate the lenses of race, gender, sexuality, and class in their responses? Can poets write about racialized violence without re-­‐
inscribing it on others? A diverse group of poets gather to read their work and discuss their approaches to writing about brutality against Black bodies. Blood & Water: Poets Pouring Into Nonfiction. (Laura McCullough, Ben Busch, Kelle Groom, Michael Klein, Nick Flynn) When the poem is just not big enough to hold the poet’s concerns with social justice, environmental issues, personal and political upheaval and confluence, they are turning to CNF. What are the loyalties to form? What are the barriers, objections, and penalties for shifting from one genre to another? The necessariness of poetry to prose, like water to blood, will be explored, as well as the “blood covenant” to create, regardless of which literary family you start out in. Book clubs in Spanish: the adventure of reaching out to diverse neighborhoods!. 10
(Maria de Lourdes Victoria, Teresa Luengo Cid) Two years ago the Seattle King County Libraries began a Book Club in Spanish as a pilot program. The program has been very successful and today four additional Spanish clubs exists. The key of success? Library, local authors and community working as a team! Readers are both, native Spanish readers AND people looking to enhance their Spanish skills. In this presentation the founders of the program will provide information on how you can start your own Spanish reading club in your neighborhood. Book Launch Confidential: Marketing Made Smarter not Harder. (Lynne Griffin, Michelle Toth, Eve Bridburg, Michael Blanding, Tasneem Zehra Husain) Authors-­‐-­‐no matter how they are published—must be active players in cultivating an audience using the tools of social media. Yet without crystal clear goals and an honest assessment of skills and resources, the path forward can be driven by anxiety, instead of a personal strategy for success. Using a logic model, writers can learn to draw on strengths as they align activities with values and priorities, becoming advocates for their work while finding energy and joy in the process. Book Pushers: Blasting Past the Gatekeepers. (Dana Walwrath, Sarah Aronson, Tami Lewis Brown, Zu Vincent, Catherine Linka) Issues of white slavery, gay pride and genocide can stop your book at the gate. Five published authors for young adult, middle grade and picture book readers face pressure from parents, librarians and other #AWP16 Accepted Events
mentors who are often wary of controversial subjects presented to a young audience. But form and structure can help break down the barriers writers of difficult political and social issues face and get books with diverse themes and characters into the hands of kids who need them. Brave New Voices. (Bao-­‐Long Chu, James Kass, Alise Alousi, Ellen Hagan, Deborah Mouton) Performance poetry inspires diverse youth populations to produce dynamic writing influenced by rap, hip hop, popular culture, and oral cultures.Today spoken word and written word poetries share more in common than they once did. Panelists will explore the socio-­‐political history of spoken word, the complexities unique to teaching performance poetry in schools and communities, and expanding opportunities for young performance poets, including slam competitions and Youth Poet Laureate programs. Brave New Worlds: Writing Science in YA Fiction. (Cecil Castellucci, Eliot Schrefer, Sherri L Smith, Lydia Kang, Jonathan Alexander) Whether it takes place in the here and now or imagined far flung futures, YA novels are often complex and layered with problems. With an ever increasing focus on STEM in schools, how do we tackle the use of real science in YA novels? What do we learn about our contemporary selves as a result of the use of science in YA fiction and how does the age of the protagonists influence how one tells the story? Join a group of dynamic YA authors tackling all sides of science in fiction in a discussion 11
Brazilian Women Writers. (Tiffany Higgins, Hilary Kaplan, Ellen Doré Watson, Idra Novey) Translators of 20th-­‐ and 21st-­‐century poetry and fiction by women from Brazil read from their work and discuss the art of translation and the craft and advocacy inherent to translating writing by women. This panel follows last year's on translating “Brazilianness” to focus on women writers, the stakes of that categorization, and the vibrant landscape of translations of women's writing into English. Form, feminism, gender and sexual identity, age, language, race and class all come into play. Build It and They Will Come: Creating a School and Community Outside Academia. (Edan Lepucki, Julia Fierro, Sonya Larson, Michelle Wildgen, Jason Koo) On this panel, the founders and directors of four successful writing schools will offer practical advice on how to develop a strong community of writers, expanding the subject of a 2014 Poets & Writers article, Academic Alternatives: The DIY MFA, in which some of the panelists were featured. Panelists will also examine the role these workshops play in the shifting MFA landscape and discuss how they provide another path to writers looking for instruction and community outside academia. California/La California/Califas. (Belinda Acosta, Pablo Martinez, Helena Maria Viramontes, Pat Alderete, Harry Gamboa) Los Angeles is said to be a city of many cities, each with their own stories to tell, their own secrets to keep. The assembled #AWP16 Accepted Events
Latino writers from and beyond LA come together to discuss the people, places, and experiences that have shaped their work and how their “El A” contributes to the larger tapestry of American arts and letters. Calling White Allies: What White Writers Can Do to Foster Inclusion and Support People of Color. (Alexis Paige, Alexs Pate, Alexis Paige, Tim Seibles) Participants from three major genres at various stages in their careers will offer their experience and advice regarding what white writers can do to become [and continue being] more effective and sensitive allies to writers of color and people of color in general. Following this discussion, the panelists will hold a dialogue with the attendees, entertaining questions and further suggestions from audience members on possibilities for improving this crucial work. Can I Live? Writing the Policed Black Female Body. (Destiny Birdsong, Nafissa Thompson-­‐Spires, Kateema Lee, April Gibson, Charly Evon Simpson) Despite its prevalence, various forms of violence against black women remain largely ignored in national and literary conversations. In response, five multi-­‐
genre writers discuss craft approaches to writing the policed black female body, particularly when it is complicated by identity constructs such as poverty, (mental) illness, disability, and addiction. We also read excerpts of our own work (including poetry, fiction, and drama) wherein we seek to rearticulate this body in empowering ways. 12
Coming of Age Queer. (Amber Dawn, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Tom Cho, Tim Jones-­‐Yelvington, Megan Milks) In recent years, LGBT literature for young adults has proliferated. But LGBTQ writers who grew up without it are still reckoning with that void. This panel brings together a diverse group of writers who are producing new narratives of queer and trans adolescence both within and outside the YA market. Defying expectations of what coming of age queer and trans looks like, these writers speak back to the YA lit of their youth–and to expectations of human maturation that themselves must come of age. Coming-­‐Out Narratives: Beyond Queer 101. (Chelsey Johnson, Justin Torres, James Hannaham, Lucy Corin, Charlie Jane Anders) Every queer person has a coming out story (or several), and queer and straight writers alike have shown an enduring fascination with writing them. As coming out remains the dominant queer narrative in America, by its sheer hegemony this trope often becomes a generic move. Five LGBTQ writers discuss what compels and/or bores us about these stories; why we write them or don't; what distinguishes a great coming-­‐out narrative from a tepid one; and what writers get wrong when they write them. Competition and Creativity. (Lynn Pruett, Lorraine Lòpez, Blas Falconer, Rebecca Gayle Howell, Ansel Elkins) Does literary competition fuel better work or does it jettison risk and originality? How does one write against the competition? Is artistic compromise required? Five award #AWP16 Accepted Events
winners analyze the effect of competition on their creative processes, offer strategies for elevating the writing game, and discuss how winning an award has influenced their later work. Complicated Labor: Writing about Mothering, Writing while Mothering. (Micah Perks, Ariel Gore, Michelle Tea, Kate Schatz) Writers who grapple with the complications of maternity have often been marginalized or largely invisible. What stories are mothers allowed to tell? Is anyone interested? How does mothering complicate our creative practice? This panel of fiction writers, memoirists, editors, journalists and poets will address our experiences in writing about maternity and discuss the conscious and unconscious biases that keep women from the transgressive act of writing honestly about motherhood. Concentration Camps, USA: A Critical and Artistic Retrospective of Literatures of World War II Internment and Detention. (David Mura, Garrett Hongo, Tony Ardizzone, Mariko Nagai) In this tribute to WWII internment literatures, writers Tony Ardizzone, Garrett Hongo, David Mura, Mariko Nagai, and Lee Ann Roripaugh—all authors of works exploring internment camps and detention centers—discuss, contextualize, and celebrate the historical, political, cultural, and creative influences shaping the literature that emerged from, and continues to emerge from, the WWII internment/detention experiences of persons of Japanese, Italian, and German ancestry. 13
Contemporary Multi-­‐ethnic American Fiction: Obsessions and Innovations. (Namrata Poddar, Sean Gandert, Danuta Hinc, Morgan Jerkins, JoAnne Ruvoli) How does ‘ethnic fiction’ question the aesthetic assumptions of a more mainstream (white, male) Western mode of storytelling? How do they implicitly or explicitly challenge the geo-­‐political and cultural borders of the literary ‘canon’? Five writers of diverse ethnic, cultural and professional background explore diversity in contemporary American letters by focusing on the novel, short story and literary magazines featuring Eastern Europe, African-­‐, Italian-­‐ , Asian and Latin America. Counting Its Presence: Race and Creative Writing Syllabi. (Adam Atkinson, Lillian-­‐Yvonne Bertram, Sarah Vap, Prageeta Sharma) Junot Diaz's "MFA vs. POC" is just one example of a growing interest in confronting the whiteness of academia. We have collected syllabi from doctoral creative writing programs across the country in order to highlight oft-­‐
overlooked questions: How are the spectral bodies of the authors on a syllabus also tools of professionalization? Or: How many white writers is one asked to read in order to be a creative writing professional? This panel presents our analysis of the data (more than 3000 texts). Crashing Through: Confronting Writing Barriers and Rebooting Your Work. (Robin Black, Dylan Landis, Natalie Baszile, Anne Sanow, Steven Schwartz) We have all faced obstacles in writing. Interference has many sources, both psychological and external: taboo subjects, #AWP16 Accepted Events
craft challenges, despair, rejection, constraints in our non-­‐writing lives, fear of angering others. A diverse group of fiction and essay writers talk about their equally diverse and highly specific techniques for becoming unstuck, from using timers to meditation to writing with partners—and for turning obstacles to opportunity for taking major leaps forward in craft. Creating Change through Storytelling: Nonfiction at Work. (Elaine Elinson, Steve Swatt, Raj Jayadev, Stan Yogi, Susie Swatt) The authors of three thought-­‐provoking books from Heyday discuss little-­‐known stories revealing California and LA as the birthplace of transformative social and political movements. From Upton Sinclair's 1923 arrest at LA harbor for reading the Constitution to strikers, activists organizing the first gay rights group in Silverlake in 1951 to the 1978 tax-­‐revolt of Prop 13 and the technological revolution of today, these stories provide critical grounding for understanding current controversies. Creating Community Across Programs. (Lauren Espinoza, Ae Hee Lee, Melisa Garcia, Jacqueline Balderrama, Steve Castro) Latino/a writers currently pursuing MFAs share how they have created community with one another across programs: an online workshop that convenes over the summer; a year-­‐round virtual book club; engaging in an online roundtable discussion for eventual dissemination on the web; attending a conference at ASU, which served as backdrop of the third gathering, after the the first two at Notre Dame-­‐-­‐all under the auspices of the Letras 14
Latinas Writers Initiative. They'll share some of their work, too. Creating Literary Community in a City of Freeways. (Terry Wolverton, Jessica Ceballos, Traci Kato-­‐Kiriyama , Michael Kearns, Conney Williams) Meet the organizers of some of L.A.’s most vibrant community-­‐based literary workshops and reading spaces, striking sparks outside the walls of academia and Hollywood—Bluebird Reading Series at Avenue 50 Studio, Tuesday Night Café, Queer Wise, Anansi Writers workshop at the World Stage and Writers At Work. Each is geared toward a specific cultural or geographic community. We’ll share our diverse missions, strategies and structures, and explore how our communities intersect and cross-­‐pollinate. Creating Opportunities for Writers of Color: A Continued Urgency. (Reginald Flood, Diem Jones, Elmaz Abinader, Angie Chuang, Angela Narciso Torres) Willow Books, an award-­‐winning publisher of Writers of Color and VONA/Voices, a foundation for Writers of Color, discuss why their missions have a renewed relevancy. Key writers, editors, and administrators discuss the current climate in publishing, in social media and in the political world that makes creating these opportunities more vital than ever. They discuss their inspiration, their challenges and how their work has contributed to the inclusivity of Writers of Color. Crossing Borders with Verse Novels. (Padma Venkatraman, Leza Lowitz, Joyce Wong, Holly Thompson) Verse is a powerful vehicle for transporting readers across international borders. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Authors of middle-­‐grade and YA verse novels set outside the US will discuss the medium of verse as a means of enabling readers to connect with stories set in other countries and cultures. With poetry enabling emotional resonance and multicultural expressivity, verse becomes a bridge for conveying readers into international tales encompassing cultures, nations, landscapes and languages around the globe. Cunty Faggots: Who Can Say Wut?. (Christopher Soto, Eileen Myles, Maggie Nelson, Danez Smith, Jackie Wang) This panel will discuss the reclamation of language, the local economy of language, and whether an author’s identity markers allow or prohibit them from using certain words. What does censorship look like today? How can we discuss the realities of queer & trans communities, if we cannot use vernacular language? What does it mean to export (publish) vernacular languages to our non-­‐regional communities? What does it mean to have your word choice, your slang, delegitimized by publishers or readers? Current Trends in Literary Publishing. (Jeffrey Lependorf, Christopher Fischbach, Neal Thompson, Tyson Cornell, Jane Friedman) A panel of industry experts shaping independent literary publishing discuss how publishers are addressing current challenges and hurdles, as well as creating new opportunities. Hear these literary leaders of publishing, bookselling, and reader engagement reveal how they reimagine traditional forms of publishing while integrating innovative new trends. 15
Demystifying the Market: Multiple Paths to the First Book. (Casey Thayer, Nancy Reddy, Bri Cavallaro, Richie Hofmann, Malachi Black) In a dizzying poetry marketplace, how do writers determine where to submit? Authors of books from Copper Canyon, Milkweed, Alice James, the Akron Series of Poetry, and the University New Mexico will discuss the three main avenues open to first-­‐book poets: contests, open reading periods, and solicitation from presses. Drawing on a range of personal experience, they will talk candidly about the merits of each option, offering advice on manuscript submission, the revision process, and promotion. Disability Caucus. (Jennifer Bartlett, Meg Day, Sheila Black) The Disability Caucus will allow for disabled individuals to network and discuss common challenges related to identity, writing, and teaching while professionally leading a literary life. We aim to archive our interests, challenges, and concerns in order to increase our visibility and emphasize our importance to this organization, along with our social and creative significance to the academic and literary communities where we live, teach, and work. Dispatches from the Latino Heartland: 10 Years of Creating Community. (Miguel M. Morales, Maria Vasquez Boyd, Jose Faus, Gabriela Lemmons) The Latino Writers Collective celebrates 10 years fostering and advancing Latino voices. This REAL TALK panel shares challenges of sustaining a Midwest Latino writing group. Learn to form a writing community no matter where you live. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Discover our successful authors and programs: Migrant Youth Writers Workshops, Pagina Reading Series, and Spanish writing group. Explore our transition to a nonprofit, forming a press, and publishing award-­‐winning anthologies. Panelists will also read their work. Diversifying Historical Fiction. (Laird Hunt, Bernice McFadden, Nina Revoyr, Dolen Perkins Valdez, Kim van Alkemade) Too often, American historical fiction has cast diverse characters as one-­‐dimensional side-­‐kicks or minor characters—if it has included them at all. Characters of color have filled the roles of helpful maid or clever servant while LGBT characters seemed not to exist. The authors on this panel discuss how situating diverse protagonists in iconic historical settings not only foregrounds their characters’ complexities, but also reminds us that American history has always been rich with diversity. Diversifying MFA Programs: A Case Study. (Jennifer Givhan, Debra Allbery, A. Van Jordan, Caroline Mar, Adrienne Perry) Can an MFA program diversify and become truly inclusive? A panel of Warren Wilson MFA Program administrators, faculty, and alumni will review their ongoing efforts to address diversity within the student body and the faculty. We will discuss both institutional approaches (e.g. financial aid and hiring) and student advocacy efforts (e.g. student-­‐led organizations and teach-­‐
ins), underscoring how, in the best situations, these efforts and approaches can come together to create real change. 16
Diversity Integrated: The literary art of inclusion.. (Lillie Teeters, Anjali Enjeti, Jon Pineda, Soniah Kamal, Valerie Boyd) A diverse panel (Pakistani, African-­‐
American, mixed race, lesbian, Asian-­‐
American) will review problems of unconscious segregation in literary communities, offering tips on seeking writers from marginalized populations to contribute to, participate in and enhance critique groups, workshops, creative writing programs, conferences and organizations. Panel will discuss benefits and risks of identity-­‐based writers’ groups and a need for inclusion at all levels of professional and creative writing. Does America Still Dream?: Depictions of class, poverty, and social im/mobility in literature. (Dawn Dorland Perry, Jennifer Haigh, Brando Skyhorse, Jodi Angel, Teka-­‐Lark Fleming) Authors writing across genre & form hold a transracial conversation about rendering poverty—child hunger, homelessness, upheavals of industry, prostitution & incarceration—on the page. At stake is the easy conflation of class with ethnicity, the challenge of writing beyond experience, and the invisible, emotional costs of class ascendance. Can stories, novels, essays, poems, or memoirs galvanize these otherwise disconnected struggles? A report, via literature, on the state of the American dream. Does travel writing have a place in the age of Instagram and Google Earth?. (Tom Swick, David Farley, Pam Mandel, Jim Benning) Travel writing developed in an era before jetliners, telephones and cameras. But in a world where you can now explore every #AWP16 Accepted Events
nook and cranny of the planet on Google Earth, and where travelers in the most remote places can post instantly to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, does travel writing still have a role to play? Panelists will discuss how travel writing can stay relevant and compelling in a rapidly shrinking world. Domingo Martinez, Susan Orlean, and Jess Walter: The Thrills and Perils of A Screen Adaptation, Sponsored by Hugo House. (Peter Mountford, Domingo Martinez, Susan Orlean, Jess Walter) Celebrated authors Domingo Martinez, Susan Orlean, and Jess Walter will discuss their fascinating, heartbreaking, and amusing experiences being involved (or uninvolved) in the adaptation, or rumored adaptation, or their books for television and film. Their presentation represents a full range of experiences with this so called "fifth genre" (adapting an original work for a different medium). Don’t Drink the Kool-­‐Aid: How to Write About What You Love Without Losing Critical Distance. (Carrie Shipers, Bruce Beasley, Dave Madden, Andrea Scarpino, Joe Oestreich) Writing our obsessions is often generative and satisfying, but our passion for a given topic can make it difficult to maintain the necessary perspective. How do you balance enthusiasm for your topic with the acknowledgement of its problematic or disturbing aspects? How do you know when you’ve crossed the line from clear-­‐
eyed observer to doe-­‐eyed admirer? Panelists discuss strategies for balancing admiration and insight and how they know when they’ve gone too far down the path of fandom. 17
Dream On: Four Debut Authors and Their Many Paths to Publication. (Jessica Love, Elizabeth Briggs, Traci Chee, Dana Elmendorf, Heidi Heilig) Writers come to their keyboards with varying degrees of education and experience. Some hop on the fast track immediately; others take years to make a sale. But diverse stories require diverse journeys. From toiling away in obscurity to landing agents and book deals, these debut YA authors will discuss their paths to publication, raising the curtain on rejection, jealousy, and self-­‐doubt; the roles of hard work and luck, tenacity and privilege; and what it’s like really like to live the dream. Dynamic Duos: Art and Words Collaborations or How Prompted Inspiration Leads to Exhibition. (Bonnie Stufflebeam, Evan Klavon, Laura Madeline Wiseman, Karen Bovenmyer, Bruce Bond) "Art is not produced by one artist, but by several," said Max Ernst. Collaborators from the Art & Words Show discuss the collaborative process. How do collaborations shape narrative? How does the vision expand during the process? What are the ways to approach the business side of collaborations? How does the ongoing collaborative dialogue shape the annual show? How do collaborations inspire new work? What do collaborations of art, words, and music teach the collaborators about their own work? Ellen Bryan Voigt as Poet, Mentor, and Community Builder. (charles Baxter, catherine barnett, marianne boruch, Heather McHugh) #AWP16 Accepted Events
The Warren Wilson low residency writing program, though much imitated, is known for its intensity and high-­‐mindedness. What is its secret of its exceptional character? Arguably it is the guidance of Voigt-­‐-­‐who stands as the center of that rare thing, an American matriarchy. Similarly, Voigt's poetry, though recognized, has never been articulately appreciated by a group of readers and fellow writers. This panel would be both a tribute and an unpacking of Voigt's multi-­‐leveled accompishment. Embracing a Poetics of Joy. (Lisa Dordal, Ellen Bass, Traci Brimhall, Jericho Brown, Frank Gaspar) Writers are often encouraged to love the process instead of focusing on the end product – the finished poem or published book. This excellent advice is, for many of us, easier said than done. What exactly does loving the process look like and how can writers maintain this love for process in the midst of what is typically a very competitive playing field. Five poets discuss their techniques for keeping process – and joy! – front and center in their writing lives. Endangered Music: Formal Poetry in the 21st Century. (Larissa Shmailo, Annie Finch, Timothy Steele , Amanda Johnston, Dean Kostos) What are the consequences of what Brad Leithauser has termed the "metrical illiteracy" of contemporary poetry? Poetry readership in the US has diminished, in contrast to countries where formal poetry is strong. Offering views from a now minority aesthetic, panelists will discuss why knowledge of prosody and metrical analysis has waned and why accentual 18
forms such as spoken word are popular. We will demonstrate the essential role of music in poetry today and for understanding our poetic heritage. Entering the Archives: The Documentation of Historical Fiction. (TaraShea Nesbit, Paula McLain, Anton DiSclafani, Justin Go, Shena McAuliffe) Taking up Susan Howe's claim that rich material is found in the gaps and silences of archives, the authors on this panel create stories using the archives as original material for fiction. What ethical considerations are involved in writing about real historical events? When does research start to impede on the writing? We will consider the opportunities and drawbacks of writing about the past and provide attendees with generative ideas towards teaching and writing historically-­‐
grounded fiction. Equal Voices: Evolution of the Modern War Memoir. (Adrian Bonenberger, Kayla Williams, Brian Castner, Jane Blair) In past wars, up through Vietnam, war memoir was primarily a space for storytelling by educated, male, combat-­‐
based, Caucasian, politically or professionally ambitious children of the elite. This discussion seeks to describe technological, logistical, and systemic challenges and opportunities for groups -­‐ such as female combat veterans -­‐ who have not, traditionally, received adequate representation, and who are writing now. This phenomenon has been written around, but not examined in-­‐depth. Ethics, Embodiment, and the Essay. (Leslie Jamison, Maggie Nelson, Claudia Rankine, Sarah Manguso, Eula Biss) #AWP16 Accepted Events
How do we approach the ethics of embodiment, with all the implications-­‐-­‐
race, gender, sexuality, and language-­‐-­‐that arise for writers working with the form of the essay? This group of remarkable writers will engage this question from the perspectives of their recent works published by Graywolf Press. Introduced by Graywolf director and publisher Fiona McCrae. Ethnic, Gender, and LGBTQ Diversity in New Media, hosted by Submittable. (Asta So, Karen Brophy, Jennifer 8. Lee, James Yeh) Technology is democratizing media, allowing more writers to have a voice through social media and blog platforms. But is this voice really everybody’s? As a curator of social media, is new media more diverse than traditional media? In this panel, insiders from Hearst, BuzzFeed, Rooster, VICE and Submittable will discuss diversity of ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation in new media. We’ll see how our diverse group of panelists climbed the ladder and seek practical ways to increase diversity. Everyone’s a Critic: The Need and Opportunities for Professional Book Reviewing. (Nanvy Lord, Valerie Miner, Amy Hoffman, Leigh Newman, John McMurtrie) Today, anyone can post an opinion about a book he or she has read (or even not read) in on-­‐line forums. At the same time, book review sections of publications have been reduced. With so many books competing for attention, the need has only grown for informed, thoughtful, artful, and edited reviews that appraise books (both in print and on-­‐line) in a meaningful context. This 19
panel of professional reviewers who are also writers will discuss reviewing goals and responsibilities and offer tips. Extinction, Erasure, and the Living Practices of W. S. Merwin. (Carl Phillips, Linda Gregerson, Stanley Plumly, David Baker) W. S. Merwin may be our greatest living poet—a poet of absence and erasure, whose sixty-­‐five-­‐year poetic vocation traces words on a journey, he says, not the inscriptions of a settled people. Four poet-­‐
critics look at Merwin’s life and art to discuss this fruitful paradox—how grappling with the conditions of both linguistic erasure and natural extinction have led him to unparalleled works of presence and preservation in his poetry, his bountiful translations, and his devoted nature-­‐conservancy First Books: What to Expect When You're Expecting. (Tim Johnston, Aline Ohanesian, Arna Bontemps Hemenway, Matthew Thomas, Chris Scotton) Five authors discuss the joys and vulnerabilities of being newly published. The panelists, who vary not only in the kind of books they wrote but also in the publishing houses they signed with and the kind of post publication publicity they engaged in, will give a step by step guide for writers who are hoping to or already have sold their first books. Forming Resilient Partnerships: How Literary Non-­‐Profits, Schools, and Individuals Can Collaborate Effectively. (Gerald Richards, Joel Arquillos, Rebecca Stern) #AWP16 Accepted Events
Join 826 National, 826LA, and National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) as they discuss different strategies on forming partnerships between schools, literary non-­‐profits, volunteers, and teachers on both a local, national, and global scale, and how these partnerships enable creative solutions to both educators and students. What are the challenges of maintaining these partnerships, and what is their impact on the diverse population of under-­‐
resourced students they aim to empower through writing. Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors (FUSE) Caucus. (Catherine Dent, Michael Cocchiarale, Reed Wilson, Rachel Hall, Amy Persichetti) Calling all undergraduate students and faculty advisers engaged in editing and publishing literary journals, literary websites, chapbooks, and small presses. Come join FUSE for its annual caucus, which includes FUSE chapter updates followed by a roundtable discussion. This year’s two topics will be "Conferences and Networking" and “Will You Look at That?: An Exploration of Aesthetics and Influence.” Bring ideas and journals to exchange. From MFA to JOB: Making a Living, Making a Difference. (Monica Prince, Jen Benka, Kenny Kruse, Amy Stolls) While tenure-­‐track teaching and publishing are often the dream of MFA candidates, the competition is increasingly competitive. The creative and nonprofit sectors hold alternative employment possibilities for writers while making a real difference for communities. This panel ignites the imagination around the journey to meaningful careers that allow MFA 20
graduates to work within a community of writers and artists, cultivate and curate artistic experiences and opportunities, and make a living. From Page to Screen: Exploring Successful Adaptation with Industry Insiders. (Nicholas Weinstock, Bret Easton Ellis, David Levine, Gillian Bohrer, Jill Gillette) Authors have more opportunities than ever to bring their works to the screen, but the complexity of that process has increased exponentially. This panel, presented by the Authors Guild, will explain film and television adaptation through the insights of those best equipped to reveal its secrets: authors whose works have been adapted; producers and agents who select, sell, and develop books for Hollywood; and industry executives (HBO, Lionsgate) who oversee that lucky, and laborious, journey. From The Drudges: Sustaining a Writing Life from Outside of Academia. (Jen Fitzgerald, Rodrigo Toscano, Alyss Dixson, Ashaki Jackson) The lion’s share of prizes, grants, fellowships, and accolades originate in academia and are awarded to academics. Does this mean we have to teach in order to sustain a writing life? Five panelists will discuss how a meaningful and successful writing career can be established and sustained from outside of the university cycle. From the Margins: Literary Magazines Supporting Writers of Color. (Jyothi Natarajan, Gina Balibrera, Ron Kavanaugh, Melody Nixon, Janice Sapigao) “It isn’t hard to find writers of color,” Roxane Gay wrote in a 2012 blog post. “All #AWP16 Accepted Events
you have to do is read.” In this panel, editors from five literary magazines dedicated to publishing writers often marginalized by the publishing industry talk about what it looks like to publish voices from the periphery. Topics include: where they find new emerging writers of color, where they situate their work in the landscape of literary publishing, and what kinds of writing they’re looking for now. From Writing as a Craft to MineCraft. (Kate Rybka Brennan, Rick Brennan, Joel Levin) Every game is a story. As the video game industry evolves from entertainment to education, writers are both players and designers, translating stories into games. How can writers and educators advance the craft of creative writing by embracing game design and digital experiences as a new literary genre? How can games deepen social impact and enhance education for a technologically advanced generation? Panelists will discuss game-­‐
based learning for writers and writing programs. Fulbright Grants in Creative Writing: building a successful application. (Robert Strong, Oonya Kempadoo, Michael Larson, Janet Holmes, Nathan Goldstone) Many writers would like to apply to the Fulbright program, a prestigious grant for travel and writing abroad open to all genres, from the bachelor’s level up to MFAs, PhDs, and professional writers. This panel focuses on the application process: choosing the right country, attaining a letter of affiliation from a host institution, and writing a successful statement of purpose. Panelists include both scholar and 21
student grantees, an international-­‐to-­‐U.S. grantee, and a Fulbright screener. Genre-­‐crossing and poetic truth: Lyric nonfictions, reported poems. (Tess Taylor , Camille Dungy , Robert Polito, Tom Sleigh, Brian Turner) This panel examines the places where genres collide and inform one another. What happens when the poet takes up the memoirist's work, the reporter's notebook, the essayist's pen? What do poets learn about poetry by pushing its boundaries? By what means does documentary poetry emerge, and what can poets teach documentarians? Five skilled practitioners of both poetry and nonfiction will explore the productive sites where genres overlap. Getting in on the Inside: Writers of Color on Editing and Diversity. (J.L. Torres, Allen Gee, Duriel Harris, Christine Amezquita, Ravi Shankar) This panel, comprised of writers of color with editing experience will discuss topics related to editing with a focus on diversity. Discussion will include soliciting; competing for a limited number of diverse writers; having diverse work approved by colleagues; nurturing writers of color early in their careers; promoting one's journal as diversity inclined. Panelists will share their experiences as writers negotiating writing with editorial duties and comment on editing as a career option. Girls on Fire: Beyond the "Strong" Female Character in Books for Young Readers. (Megan Atwood, Anne Ursu, Laura Ruby, Swati Avasthi, Alicia Williams) What exactly is a "strong female character"? What do people mean when they hope to see "strong" girls in books? In #AWP16 Accepted Events
this panel, we will discuss how this term came into ubiquity and what purpose it served, while suggesting that its use and form has turned into something reductive and wooden. Panelists will complicate the discussion of what "strong" is and discuss the ways in which we can speak to truth and wholeness in our characters while still subverting dominant cultural messages. Going Global. (Katharine Coles, Jen Webb, Paul Hetherington, Jeri Kroll, Xu Xi) Because of electronic communication, even those of us who practice a language-­‐bound art are now working on a global stage, whether we take advantage of it or not. On this panel, writers from South Africa, Asia, Australia, and the U.S., who among them have also worked and/or forged partnerships in Europe, Canada, New Zealand, Antarctica, South America, and elsewhere, talk about strategies for reaching out authentically in a transnational context, as well as the benefits and costs involved. Good Girls Marry Doctors: Diasporic Daughters on Obedience and Rebellion. (Piyali Bhattacharya, Jyothi Natarajan, Natasha Singh, Phiroozeh Romer, Ayesha Mattu) The diverse women on this panel have essays in the new collection, Good Girls Marry Doctors: South Asian American Daughters on Obedience and Rebellion (Aunt Lute Books, 2016), and will discuss the courage it took to write those brutally honest pieces, what it means to air the proverbial dirty laundry of their families in public, and how to tear away at the protective layering that inevitably surrounds a nonfiction piece about the self. 22
Graywolf Press Emerging Authors: On Publishing First and Second Books. (Jensen Beach, Gretchen Marquette, Solmaz Sharif, Mark Doten, Margaret Dean) Five new and emerging authors writing in the genres of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction discuss their experiences with publishing their first and second books. What is the process like, from landing that book deal, to working with editors and publicists, to handling the highs and lows of book tours and reviews? How can a first-­‐time author successfully prepare for publishing a book? A group of dynamic Graywolf Press authors talk candidly about the publishing process with editor Steve Woodward. Grove Atlantic Writers Question Race: What Difference Does it Make?. (Margaret Wrinkle, Sarah Broom, Roxane Gay, Mitchell Jackson, Emily Raboteau) Critically acclaimed and award-­‐winning writers Roxane Gay, Mitchell Jackson, Emily Raboteau, Sarah Broom, and Margaret Wrinkle come together to discuss race in literature and the literary world Guerrilla Girl Marketing. (Katherine Towler, Ann Wertz Garvin, Katie Moretti, Katie Rose Guest Pryal) Connecting with readers is an increasing challenge in a crowded marketplace. The speakers on this panel established the Tall Poppies, a marketing collective for women writers, to pool resources and increase visibility. We believe that you don’t need to compete to get ahead and that when we support each other, we all rise. In this presentation, we share the specifics of creating a collective, establishing a branded social media presence, and expanding the reach of our writing. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Hearing Voices: Dramatic Monologue, Persona, and the Lyric “I”. (Brian Brodeur, David Mason, Joan Murray , Sarah Rose Nordgren) Dramatic monologue, the poetic subgenre of poet-­‐as-­‐actor, seems to belie the intimacy often associated with lyric. Yet even so-­‐called Confessional poets like Lowell and Sexton wrote in personae. Join us for a lively consideration of how these often competing modes complicate, compliment, and countervail what we think about the slippery first-­‐person pronoun that led Czesław Miłosz to claim: the purpose of poetry is to remind us how difficult it is to remain one person. Helping: A Tribute to Robert Stone. (David Ulin, Jennifer Vanderbes, Marlon James, Roxana Robinson, Jess Row) On his passing in January 2015, Robert Stone was hailed as one of the most significant American novelists of the last half century—a chronicler of disillusionment and moral disorder in post-­‐Vietnam America, and of the often disastrous consequences of American idealism abroad. This panel gathers friends, colleagues, and former students of Stone to read excerpts of his work and share stories and tributes to his legacy. How To Go Home Again: California Dreaming and the Reality of the California Memoir. (Tara Ison , Kelly Daniels, Cris Mazza, Jane Rosenberg LaForge , Erin Aubry Kaplan) A promised land blessed by the Pacific or a cultural desert; the future in industries inspired by science fiction or our daydreams; and exotic living experiments. California represents all these possibilities and more. But how should writers whose 23
birthright is thick with such lore approach documenting their own experiences? A discussion on escaping and capturing the tropes and mythos of the state, from the idealism of a new frontier to the reality of labor, economics, sexism, and racism. Hybrids, Bastards, and Half-­‐Breeds: On Writing Hybrid Forms. (Catherine Liu, Donna Minkowitz, MG Lord, Sesshu Foster, Carol Guess) Hybrid forms tend to be heartier than the recognized, canonical genres, according to Kim Wright at The Millions. In this panel we explore the glories of mixing: the formidable creative power that can be won from blending memoir with magic realism or trenchant social critique, fiction with visual art, lyric with essay, fiction, or even journalism. Does the decision to resist the firm divisions of genre let us go beyond expected sentiments, statements, and permissible content? I Come to Witness: Writers as the Children of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. (LeVan D. Hawkins, JP Howard, Imani Tolliver, Ellery Washington, Charles Reese) As American racial upheaval sparks a new civil rights movement and activist writers, poets, and playwrights are summoned to bear witness, how can we create written art of enduring value that continues to provoke thought like our queer ancestors James Baldwin and Audre Lorde? Five African-­‐American LGBTQ writers dissect the legacy of the creative activism of Baldwin and Lorde and share the results of their search for new generation writers who are following in their footsteps. #AWP16 Accepted Events
I Got You Babe: The (Dis)Harmonies of Collaboration. (Dean Rader, Matthew Rohrer, Simone Muench, Brittany Cavallaro, Carol Guess) What are the perils and pleasures of literary co-­‐play? Collaboration in film, dance, music, and the visual arts is commonplace; however, in literary fields, authorial collaborations are often looked upon with skepticism and incredulity by both readers and publishers. And yet, collaborative projects are on the rise. Five poets who translate, sample, and co-­‐author collaborate here to discuss the innovations, advantages, and artistry of working with other writers-­‐-­‐both living and dead. I Wrote My First Book Because I Wanted To Read It: Black Women and Their Debut Fiction. (Danielle Evans, Cole Lavalais, Naomi Jackson, Angela Flournoy, Jacinda Townsend) Toni Morrison has said she wrote her first novel, The Bluest Eye, because she wanted to read it. bell hooks has said, No black woman writer in this culture can write ‘too much’. This panel will examine the ways in which contemporary black women writers, in a "post-­‐race" climate, have decided to approach their debut work in relation to the idea that books by black women aren’t being published enough or engaged critically. I’m Not Dead Yet: Translating Living Authors. (Steve Bradbury, Cole Swensen, Elizabeth Harris, Jason Grunebaum, Adam Sorkin) For a translator, working with living authors offers its own special rewards, challenges, and possibilities. The pleasure of discovery, and of introduction, the movement between languages, contexts, 24
and cultures, the challenge of persuading and negotiation. Four translators who work extensively with living authors discuss the particulars of those relationships: the dangers, delights, and sometimes tricky navigation of language and culture. In Case You Think You Don't Belong Here: Imposter Syndrome and AWP. (Samantha Dunn, Jessie Carty, Aubrey Hirsch, Margaret LaFleur, Carmen Machado) AWP can be an overwhelming event. With so many writers, publishers, presses, literary journals, and academic programs in attendance it is easy to feel like you don't belong. This feeling has a name: Imposter Syndrome. A panel of writers will address this phenomenon and discuss ways to overcome it while offering some practical advice and strategies for getting the most out of the conference, no matter your place in the literary landscape. In the Box: On the Dangerous Joy of Writing Outside Your Ethnicity, Gender, Orientation, Age, etc.. (Christian Kiefer, Luis Alberto Urrea, Jodi Angel, Bich Minh Nguyen, Skip Horack) As fiction writers, we often feel pressure to write inside the confines our own experience, as defined by our ethnic identity, gender, sexual orientation, economic class, and so on. This panel explores the edges and interstices of that pressure. In what contexts is it acceptable to write outside such confines? In what contexts is it not? What does "diversity" mean when creating a fictional world? As writers, who has cultural permission to press past the confines of one's own identity? #AWP16 Accepted Events
In the Realms of the Real and Unreal. (Katharine Beutner, Sofia Samatar, Carmen Machado, Alice Sola Kim, Kelly Link) This panel explores genres of fiction that juxtapose the real and the unreal in experimental ways: historical fiction, literary fantasy/science fiction, weird fiction, satire. Where do we draw the line between a secondary world and a distorted reflection of our own world's beauty, violence, and diversity? Can we discern a poetics of the unreal in contemporary fiction? How have the continual debates over generic boundaries—and/or their irrelevance—affected the ways contemporary writers work? In Whose Image: Trans and Genderqueer Writers on Magic, Spirituality, and (the Bodies of) G-­‐d. (CA Conrad, Joy Ladin, Ryka Aoki, Ian Ellasante, TC Tolbert) Spirituality, like writing, hinges on transformation. Similarly, trans and genderqueer writers have unique experiences with transformation on and off the page. This dynamic panel will explore the intersections between ritual, myth, magic, Magical Realism, and even end-­‐
rhyme as they shape our various embodiments and faiths. We don’t want to save you, but we hope you are ready to be changed. Independent Bookselling: Opportunities for Authors. (Dennis Johnson, John Evans, Mary Williams, Dan Graham, Alex Maslansky) As bookstore chains disappear and independent bookstores become even more important, what should writers and authors know about working with 25
booksellers? This panel from Los Angeles-­‐
area bookstores will discuss how writers can work with independent booksellers to market a book. Topics will include author events, store placement, joint promotion, and how to spread the word to the book-­‐
buying public. Indigenous-­‐Aboriginal American Writers Caucus. (Kristiana Kahakauwila, Deborah Miranda, Greg Sarris, Casandra Lopez, Odilia Galvan Rodriguez) Indigenous writers & scholars participate fluidly in AWP, teaching & directing affiliated programs, or working as independent writers/scholars, &/or in language revitalization & community programming. Annually imparting field-­‐
related craft, pedagogy, celebrations and concerns as understood by Indigenous-­‐
Native writers from the Americas and surrounding island nations is necessary. AWP Conferences began representative caucus discussions 2010-­‐2015. Essential program development continues in 2016. Inner monologue and outer; mental landscapes in Native American Fiction. (Erika Wurth, Natanya Pulley, Debra Earling, Toni Jensen, Bojan Louis) This panel will address the unique way Native American prose utilizes inner and outer landscapes of characters in Native fiction. Dialogue, often the crux of traditional American fiction drives what we know of character’s lives with one another. Less traditional fiction explores a character’s inner landscape, who they are to themselves. In experimental, often the blending of outer and inner dialogue occurs. The panelist’s work represents a diverse selection of Native prose writing today. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Innocents Abroad: Developing a Successful Creative Writing Study Abroad Program. (Randall Albers, Terri Witek, Andy Johnson, Omar Figueras, Kathie Bergquist) Study abroad can be invaluable to the development of a creative writer. Program managers representing a low-­‐res MFA, J-­‐
Term, and summer programs, and a past study abroad student, will speak to the benefits of study abroad opportunities for creative writing students and programs, and the nuts and bolts of program management: working with outside providers; developing meaningful pedagogy; and program administration, from budgeting to recruitment to on-­‐the-­‐
ground logistics, with ample time for Q&A. Innovative Poetry by Black Writers in California. (Will Alexander, giovanni singleton, Lauri Ramey, Harryette Mullen, C.S. Giscombe) From the mid-­‐20th century, black writers in America have produced a vibrant and diverse array of experimental and avant-­‐
garde poetry. Why has some of the boldest and most original poetry been overlooked? Are there particular challenges for black poets who use innovative forms and practices in the context of California literary traditions? The panelists, whose work is associated with a varied array of innovative forms and styles, will consider these and other questions in a roundtable discussion. Intersections: Race, Sexuality, and Other Collisions in Los Angeles Literature. (Alex Espinoza, Noel Alumit, Felicia Luna Lemus, Myriam Gurba, Frederick Smith) 26
This panel brings together LGBTQ authors of color from the greater LA area to explore issues facing writers of sexual and racial difference. What conflicts and confrontations arise as LGBTQ writers navigate the tricky terrains of ethnicity, culture and class all while writing, living, and working in one of the most eclectic and vibrant metropolises in the country? In a city rife with misconceptions, how do these novelists further complicate our notion of a place we may think we already know? Invisible to Whom?: Black Fiction Writers on Craft and the White Gaze. (Renee Simms, Amina Gautier, Dianca London, Cole Lavalais, Andy Johnson) Toni Morrison's initial reaction to Invisible Man was to ask herself "invisible to whom?" She explains that in her work, she's attempted to ignore the "white gaze." Her remarks expose a tension for black fiction writers. How do multiple audiences influence our craft decisions? We begin with an overview of inner-­‐directed and other-­‐directed black fiction. Then our panelists, whose work ranges from realism to speculative fiction, will share their writing and how they negotiate audience and craft. Iraq Veteran-­‐Writers 10 Years Later: Words After Words After War. (Peter Molin, Colby Buzzell, Kayla Williams, Maurice DeCaul, Ron Capps) This panel features four accomplished veteran-­‐writers who each served in Iraq between 2003 and 2005 in conversation about the long-­‐lasting consequences of their experience of war. Looking back, the panel asks its participants to reflect on their service and their writing about war. Looking forward, it asks them about #AWP16 Accepted Events
current writing projects that directly or indirectly address the ongoing importance of the Iraq War in their own lives, the lives of other veterans, and the life of the nation. It Ain't What They Call You, It's What You Answer To: Peeling Off Genre Labels. (Daniel Orozco, Doug Dorst, Maureen McHugh, Kelly Luce, Manuel Gonzales) How does Fantasy Fiction (or Sci-­‐Fi, or Detective or Horror Fiction) become Literary Fiction? Who decides how/when the genre label gets affixed, or peeled off? Why is the move from Genre to Literary always somehow a narrative of progress, implying a lesser realm left behind? Hear firsthand as a panel of writers with varying affinities to genre fiction reflect on how they negotiate with (wrestle, embrace, sidestep) genre conventions in the creation of their work. It’s Not A Love Story: Owning The Romantic and Domestic In Literary Memoir. (Liza Monroy, Kassi Underwood, Jillian Lauren, Alison Singh Gee) Feminists fall in love and get married, but how do we depict these stories of romance and intimacy without undermining the significance of our books and getting relegated to the “chick lit” pile? Authors of memoirs on topics such as abortion, adoption, gay marriage, sex work, and cultural adaptation discuss how we have deployed craft to include love lives without suggesting that domesticity is a panacea for our narrative conflicts or the ultimate “end” to a woman’s story. Just Saying: A Tribute to Rae Armantrout. (Stephen Burt, Amy 27
Catanzano, Catherine Wagner, Monica Youn, Rae Armantrout) Four author-­‐critics approach Armantrout’s work from a variety of angles, including her association with Language poetry, her exploration of science through verse, her treatment of pop culture and current events, and her merging of everyday experience with epistemological questions about perception. K-­‐12 Educator Caucus. (David Griffith, Monika Cassel, Scott Gould, Anne-­‐Marie Oomen) Meeting of K-­‐12 writer-­‐educators to share best practices and strategies for building and maintaining writing series and programs in schools, and to discuss challenges of teaching creative writing in the K-­‐12 setting. All K-­‐12 educators or those interested in K-­‐12 education welcome. Keeping the Change: Volunteer Recruitment and Retention in Community-­‐Based Writing Programs. (Dare Dukes, Lauren Humphrey, Lisa Roberts, Richard Gold, Mallory Hellman) Volunteers comprise the nonprofit’s lifeblood, but passion and talent rarely come for free. How do community-­‐based writing programs attract driven volunteers and keep them committed? Join us as panelists from diverse literary outreach organizations—both new and established—share successes, discuss challenges, and offer best practices for volunteer recruitment and retention, from identifying potential volunteer pools to recognizing excellent work and rewarding it…all on a nonprofit budget. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Keeping the Circles Strong: Twenty Years of Supporting the Work and Words of Native Writers and Storytellers. (Lee Francis IV, Kimberly Wieser, Rain Cranford-­‐Gomez) For more than twenty years, Wordcraft Circle and Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas have been dedicated to supporting the work and words of emerging and professional Indigenous and Native American writers and storytellers. Join us as we discuss how these organizations have supported their missions through ideals of generosity, reciprocity and story with a focus on decolonization through literature, youth literacy, language revitalization, and community revitalization. Korean Feminist Poetics and Translation. (Eunsong Kim , Johannes Goransson , Ji Yoon Lee, Don Mee Choi, Joyelle McSweeney) South Korea’s contemporary history has been deeply impacted by the U.S. imperial policies. Yet its history remains relatively unknown: its war, dictatorships, and 47 Free Trade Agreements. We poets and translators will discuss feminist Korean poets and propose poetry-­‐as-­‐activism and translation-­‐as-­‐resistance to colonizing power. Latino Caucus. (Ruben Quesada, Francisco Aragón, Celeste Mendoza, Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano, Deborah Paredez) Latino writers are becoming increasingly visible. However there is still work to be done to address inequalities in access & visibility within the literary community. The Latino Caucus creates a space to network with new, emerging, & established 28
writers of varied Latino identities, discuss issues around the obstacles to publication (e.g. active oppression, stereotypes, & historical marginalization), and discuss panel & event planning to increase Latino participation at AWP. Laugh to Keep from Crying: Using Humor to Write Through Pain. (Lee Griffith, Ariel Felton, Harrison Key, Cal Morgan, Lauren Wolf) Knock, knock. Who’s there? Searing emotional trauma! Emerging and established authors and editors will discuss using humor to explore painful subjects, including racism, mental health, abuse, death, and more, while also looking at what topics, if any, are off limits. Harper Perennial editor will discuss working with authors going through this funny, yet difficult and not always fun process. So go ahead. Let the trauma in. It can't hurt you—if it's hilarious. Launching Your Passion Project. (Rachel Fershleiser, Amanda Bullock, Maris Kreizman, Colin Dickey, Allison Devers) How can writers bring their passion projects to life? This panel will investigate the practical and creative ways in which a collection of esteemed writers launched zines, marathon readings, anthologies, literary websites and more-­‐-­‐all while remaining focused on both their day jobs and their larger artistic visions. Learning the Craft of Children’s Literature in an Adult World. (Eliot Schrefer, Donna Freitas, Rebecca Chace, Patricia McCormick, Kathi Appelt) As more writing programs add children’s and YA tracks within larger pools of MFA students, it’s not easy to figure out how #AWP16 Accepted Events
best to teach—and learn—the craft of writing for younger audiences. Where are the traditional MFA program structures useful to those writing for children, and where are they potentially a challenge? How do we keep the highest standards for writing for children, all while defending it against those who would consider it simpler? Les femmes d'un certain âge: Women Writers Breaking Boundaries. (Laura Orem, Grace Cavalieri, Allison Joseph, Alice Anderson, Constance Ford) Five women writers, pushing and past 50 and at different stages of their careers, will discuss writing at midlife and beyond. How do we continue to “make it new” after years of writing? How has subject matter and audience changed? What do we know now that we didn’t know in our 20s or 30s, and how does that influence our art? What are the challenges of being an emerging writer after 40, and how do we navigate a youth-­‐focused literary world? Let's Go Make Some Books: A Tribute to Coffee House Press founder Allan Kornblum. (Chris Fischbach, Tree Swenson, Anne Waldman, Karen Yamashita, Bao Phi) Allan Kornblum (1949-­‐2014) was founded Toothpaste Press in 1972, which became Coffee House Press in 1984. He ran Coffee House as publisher until 2011, after which he served as an editor and consultant until he passed away in November 2014. Allan was a hugely important figure in the small press movement that helped pave the way for the emergence of the field of small-­‐ to mid-­‐sized nonprofit literary publishers. Panelists will pay tribute to him, and talk about his accomplishments and influence. 29
LGBTQ Caucus. (Tiffany Ferentini, Michael Broder, B Spaethe, Miguel M. Morales) The LGBTQ Caucus provides a space for writers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer to network and discuss common challenges/concerns. These issues relate to representation and visibility, and incorporating one’s personal identity into their professional lives as academics and writers. We discuss and develop queer representation for future AWP conferences, as well as share publications and projects with which we hope to root deep in our social and literary communities. Limited Resources, Big Dreams: How to Mine the Rush of Online Lit Journals. (Heather Lefebvre, Ralph Pennel, Cynthia Plascencia, Eric Blankenburg, Christopher Allen) Desktop publishing software has made producing an online literary journal easier than ever. But with limited staff and funding, how does one create a journal of the highest caliber? How does one establish an ethos, stay relevant, and grow their reader base in a sea of journals with similar offerings? And how can these journals compete with more established presses? Five journal editors—some connected to universities, others indie—
explore these questions and discuss their publication processes. Linked and Unlinked: Re-­‐Imagining Story Writing. (Donna Miscolta, Alma Garcia, Fred Arroyo, Ito Romo) The creative spectrum between linked vs. unlinked, novel-­‐in-­‐stories vs. novel, has become rich, complex, and daunting. Too often the conversation narrowly focuses on #AWP16 Accepted Events
genre, place, marketability, and identity—
and thus marginalizes the imaginative possibilities of writing between linked and unlinked stories, between novel-­‐in-­‐stories and novel. Four fiction writers will focus on the intention, process, difficulties, and craft issues that arise in re-­‐imagining this spectrum of story writing. Literary Awards and Prizes: Help or Hindrance?. (Paul Morris, Catherine Chung, Molly Antopol) Literary awards and prizes excite regular interest; writers, editors, publishers, and readers all pay attention to them. What roles do awards and prizes play in our literary culture? Who judges them, and for what constituencies? How are individual writers and groups of writers helped or hindered by them? What role can and should money play? Several writers who have judged or received literary awards and prizes will discuss the pros, cons, implications, and complications. Literary Foremothers & Filling the Gaps. (Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, Jen Benka, Leslie Samuels Entsminger, Renée Olander, Jan Freeman) This panel celebrates literary foremothers and addresses how they’ve been first acclaimed, then lost and recovered; each panelist will present on her foremother(s) and discuss how foremother(s) influenced her writing. We will share our relationships with these groundbreaking writers and reveal the pedagogical power of foremothers. Foremothers to be honored include Gwendolyn Brooks, June Jordan, Lorine Niedecker, Sylvia Plath, Muriel Rukeyser, and Sappho. 30
Literary Heroes or How Great Writers Fuel the Creative Process: Aeschylus, Dante, Herbert, Larkin and Rushdie. (Michelle Boisseau, Janet Burroway, Mark Jarman, Chad Davidson, Padma Viswanathan) We become the writers we become through the writers we choose to show us what’s possible and how to live to make art. Dickinson had George Eliot, Borges had DeQuincey. Often our masters come from experiences vastly different from ours. We might not want to have a beer with them, or they with us, but our imaginations are driven, our craft sharpened by their work: for this panel, by Aeschylus’ deft motifs, Dante’s metatexuality, Herbert’s dedication, Larkin’s distinctions, Rushdie’s elaborations. Literary Landscapes: Writing Ourselves Home. (Cathy Arellano, Andrea Serrano, Jenn Givhan, Reyna Grande, Tanaya Winder) This panel of writers from diverse Southwest regions discuss and read work that reflects intricate histories and landscapes and grounds their writing. The panel from northern and southern California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Mexico will address how their writing speaks to and from specific places and influences / is influenced locally and globally. They will share how the development of them selves, their writing, and their histories are necessary and connected. Literature of the Los Angeles Riots. (Jervey Tervalon, Hector Tobar, Shonda Buchanan, Gary Phillips, Jennifer Joseph) More than twenty years ago, the Los Angeles riots galvanized the city. As with #AWP16 Accepted Events
such pivotal moments, writers grappled with history through the use of the written word, using fiction, poetry, and narrative nonfiction to search universal truths in such a vast city. But does literature have any responsibility to current events? Our five panelists, who have all written about the riots will discuss how their different narrative forms divulged the tension between history and prose. Living Fictions: Writing in LA. (Marisa Matarazzo, Noel Alumit, Francesca Lia Block, Jim Gavin, Maria Amparo Escandon) Los Angeles is a land of self-­‐invention. It sizzles with the magic of hope and is the place where dreams and reality can converge across a landscape inscribed by complex cultural, economic, and geographic diversity. How do these elements color the craft and content of LA’s prose writers? Authors and teachers in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program discuss LA as a sensibility, a metaphor, and most of all, as a physical and psychic influence on the worlds they create. Loving the Tug of War: Tales from the Trenches of Collaborative Translation. (Ming Di, Ellen Doré Watson, Gabriela Capraroiu, Mario Bojórquez, Alí Calderón) What takes precedence in translation-­‐-­‐the source language or the target language? How useful is the author as collaborator? What do we need to know to translate well into or out of a language we weren't born to? Can informants give us enough of the guts and taste of the language and culture for us to get a poem or story right? A group of highly diverse translators of Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Romanian and English will share the highs and lows of collaborative translation. 31
Low-­‐Residency MFA Directors' Caucus. (Sean Nevin, Wayne Ude) The low-­‐residency director's caucus is an open-­‐forum caucus created to discuss issues pertaining to the establishment and administration of all AWP low-­‐residency MFA programs. Making Monsters: Exploring Otherness in YA/MG Literature. (Jeramey Kraatz, Kirsten Hubbard, Stephanie Kuehn, Micol Ostow, Samantha Mabry) The recognition and ownership of one’s own monstrosity, in terms of being extraordinary, can be powerful and liberating. On the other hand, being labeled as a monster can strip a person of her humanity, the results of which can be devastating. Five young adult and middle grade authors representing sci-­‐fi/fantasy, magical realism, and contemporary fiction discuss the literal and figurative monsters in their stories and how the idea of monstrousness relates to the experience of growing up. Making Privileged Knowledge Public: Science in Creative Nonfiction. (Camille Meyers, Melissa Sevigny, Melissa Hart, John Marzluff, David Haskell) How can we make science writing open, accessible, and interesting to general readers? What are some of the challenges of translating scientific information into lyric essays? When does journalistic writing become literary? Can creative nonfiction incite social and political change? Each panelist brings a unique approach to the field of science writing to discuss these questions and share their experiences crafting science into literature. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Managing Digital Formatting and Subscriptions for Literary Magazines. (Ted Dodson, Minna Proctor, Marcia Parlow, Stephanie G'Schwind) A variety of tools and challenges exist for literary magazine publishers to both deliver their wares in digital form and build / manage circulation. Join in a discussion with publisher colleagues on various approaches to digital conversion and delivery, as well as the many ways that online and other digital tools can be used to attract new readers, convert submitters, and manage the complexities of subscriptions and renewals. Mandelstam in America. (Martha Kelly, Alex Cigale, Matvei Yankelevich, Philip Nikolayev, Val Vinokur) Despite the relative difficulty of his poetry, Russian modernist Osip Mandelstam has enjoyed enduring attention from North American and other English-­‐speaking translators and poets. At least part of this attention is due to the civic concerns that inform his work and to his explorations of the construct of the free self in Western society. In this panel translators of Mandelstam join with poets, scholars, and an editor to discuss why Mandelstam continues to matter in America. Mapping Collaboration between Universities and the Community. (Jack McBride, Giuseppe Taurino, Michele Kotler, Nicole Robinson, Amy Risher) University writing programs can fuel creativity in schools and communities. Panelists will discuss how their campus-­‐
based programs provide students with real-­‐world experience to prepare them for life after the MFA while also fostering connections between the university and 32
local institutions. Additionally, panelists will explore ideas for developing certifications, teaching laboratories, and camps to provide experiential learning to students, while generating program revenue. Mayhem and More Mayhem: The World of Collaborative Writing. (Susan Finch, Tom Franklin, Joshua Shenk, Justin Petropoulos, Jessica Pitchford) Collaborative writing creates the potential for mess and mayhem, but when a piece succeeds, collaboration soars. How do you begin to collaborate? How do you find the right partner? How do you revise? How might you use collaboration as a teaching tool? From inspiration to execution, participants discuss the pleasures and pitfalls in collaborations with other writers, visual artists, and even students. Messenger to the Stars: Luis Omar Salinas (1937-­‐2008) Pioneer Chicano Poet.. (Christopher Buckley, Diana Garcia, Sandra Cisneros, Juan Felipe Herrera, Juan Delgado) Luis Omar Salinas (1937-­‐2008) Pioneer Chicano Poet. A tribute to discuss his new selected poems, importance to Chicano/a Letters and contemporary poetry—from late 1960s political poems and poems of self-­‐determination in Crazy Gypsy, to his last poems in Elegy for Desire, to his New Selected Poems. Virtuoso of intense lyric originality, mercurial imagery, and social conscience—a testament to Salinas’ achievement at the forefront of Chicano/a poetry in California for 40 years. Monsters Under Your Bed: Writing from Folklore, Reinterpreting Legend. (Millicent Accardi, Jose Faus, Maria #AWP16 Accepted Events
Vasquez Boyd, Amy Sayre Baptista, Paula Neves) Literary interpretations of folklore range from cautionary tales to tales of terror. Panelists will examine iconic figures in Latino and Lusophonic cultures like El Cucui, Los Duendes, and La Llarona and will explore crafting stories based on such mythos. Learn why and how these nightmarish figures fit into youth-­‐friendly literature promoting life lessons, how they retain aspects of frightening folklore and culture, and how reinterpretations strive to preserve adult nostalgia for these specters. More Than Numbers: How Conscientious Poetry Editors See Beyond Quotas. (Amy King, Timothy Donnelly, Cathy Hong, Phillip B. Williams, Lynn Melnick) This panel, featuring editors who have successfully published a diversity of poets in both magazines and anthologies, will explore ways that poetry editors can diversify their own publications. With an eye toward the VIDA Count, we will discuss how poetry editors might become more aware of, and actively seek out, the plurality of voices in poetry and how the pages of journals and anthologies can only be enriched by seeking new voices. Navigating the Job Market and Negotiating a Contract as a Female Candidate. (Anton DiSclafani, TaraShea Nesbit, Esther Lee, Hannah Pittard) This panel will focus on the concerns that women encounter on the academic job market. Are women poorer negotiators than their male counterparts, and if they are, how can they bargain more effectively? Should a woman secure parental leave in her job contract? Is being pregnant or 33
traveling with a nursing infant a liability for campus interviews? This panel will feature four women who recently landed tenure-­‐track jobs—in fiction, poetry, and non-­‐fiction—who will respond to the above questions. Necessary Hybridity: The Politics & Performance Of Making Multi-­‐Genre, Multi-­‐Media, Multi-­‐Ethnic Literature Visible. (Tisa Bryant, Kazim Ali, Amarnath Ravva, Micha Cardenas, Sesshu Foster) Hybridity in literature is often thought of as a kind of cross-­‐pollination that leads to “vigor.” But what happens when hybridity is considered through the lens of political and aesthetic necessity? From queer politics to POC feminism to post-­‐
coloniality, hybrid forms been a critical part of making visible otherwise illegible experiences. Join five writers as they explore the significance of hybridity to queerness, trans culture, black bodies, mixed race narratives, and erased histories. Networking for Introverts. (Meghan Ward, Alison Singh Gee, Isaac Fitzgerald, Ayesha Mattu, Sophfronia Scott) "Networking" is a hated term among writers. Yet more and more we are told that is exactly what we need to do—speak at events, increase friends and followers, make connections, sell those books. How can writers, who are notoriously introverted, overcome their anxiety to open themselves up to the world? Five authors share their secrets for moving past their insecurities to build vast networks of loyal fans. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Never On Your Own: Creating Community When Writing Is Done. (Waverly Fitzgerald, Kathleen Alcala, Xochitl-­‐Julisa Bermejo, Josephine Ensign, Kelli Russell Agodon) What happens when the writing group says the writing is ready to send? How can writers support each other, foster accountability and share resources pre-­‐ and post-­‐ publication? Members of Booklift, Los Norteños, Seattle 7 Writers, The Shipping Group, and Women Who Submit—groups that focus on promotion, networking and sending work out—share strategies on how to start and run such a group, how to partner with local bookstores and writing centers, and how to foster community both on and offline. New Directions in Postcolonial Writing: A Passage through South Asia. (Namrata Poddar, Sharbari Ahmed, V.V. Ganeshananthan, Soniah Kamal, Nayomi Munaweera) This panel of transnational, transdisciplinary writers (in fiction, non-­‐
fiction and criticism) passes through South Asia to reread contemporary American fiction through a postcolonial, diasporic lens in order to explore the ever-­‐shifting seats of imperial power, the reconfiguration or dissolution of the center-­‐margin dynamic-­‐-­‐ be it in debates of race, class, gender, ethnicity, history or geography. News from the California Writers' Conferences: Building and Sustaining a Creative Community. (Nan Cohen, Andrea Bewick, Lisa Alvarez, Karen Lewis, Cintia Santana) Three of California’s oldest craft-­‐based conferences, with over 100 years of 34
combined operating experience, differ in structure but share a vision of a creative community that continues to support writers long after participants go home. The Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference, and Community of Writers at Squaw Valley will share strategies for conference participants, alumni, faculty, and staff to build and sustain a writers’ community beyond the conference week. No Facts, Only Interpretations: An Examination of the Multiple Point Of View Novel.. (Eric Sasson, Anna North, Julia Fierro, Ellen Sussman, Rebecca Makkai) Five novelists who have experimented with POV will discuss their POV choices and how those choices informed the tone & shape of their books. Does having multiple POVs-­‐-­‐an accumulation of subjective perspectives-­‐-­‐allow us to approach the “truth”? How do we decide that another POV is necessary to tell the story? What dangers arise when that POV is outside the writer's gender, race, or sexuality? The panel will examine the pitfalls and benefits that a writer who experiments with POV might encounter No More Dead Bodies on the Page. (Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Jane Smiley, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Ostlund Lori, Griselda Suarez) Social entropy, the ways in which people and families and entire communities self-­‐
destruct, is well represented in American fiction. Dysfunction and violence seem to sell. And yet, much more interesting – and much harder to write well – are narratives about how people connect, what makes community. This panel addresses the challenge of writing stories—without #AWP16 Accepted Events
sentimentality—about compassion, love, and the ways in which families of all stripes succeed. No Place Like Home: Setting in the Contemporary Short Story. (Anna Ling Kaye, David Gordon, Chris Tarry, Ayelet Tsabari, Doretta Lau) Where does one set the modern short story in this globalized age? What are the artistic and political implications of these choices? In a modern world where stories take place across and outside of national boundaries, how does setting impact subject, tone, and point of view? This panel of writers with ties to multiple countries reflect on how they situate the trans-­‐
national short story, and highlight narrative tools to bring geographically rich narratives to life. Noisy Lit: The Lyric, The Sound, and The Body Politic. (Matthew Treon, Christopher Rosales, Hector Ramirez, Courtney McCreedy) Where do our sonic and literary landscapes intersect? Whose politics are at stake in hybrid art forms? A mariachi singer and author of Chicano lit, a literary press fiction/music editor, a novelist working in musicology, and a musician making her living as a copywriter will interrogate the relationships between song structure and storytelling, the sonic influences of poetry and hip hop, and the ways music and literature both represent and reposition transnational identities in American culture. Non-­‐White Authors Also Worry About Getting It Wrong: Creating Diverse Characters in Children's Literature. 35
(Kelly Gilbert, Heidi Heilig, Day Al-­‐
Mohamed, Rahul Kanakia) Half of America's children are people of color, but only 10% of kid’s books are written by PoC. Because of this gap, the kid's book industry has struggled to find ways for white authors to write books that appeal to all children. However, authors of color also feel insecure about these issues. In this panel, four authors of color discuss the pressure to write characters that won’t alienate white readers and address their successes and failures in their attempts to write inclusive fiction. Not Disappearing into Americaness: Code-­‐Switching as Cultural Preservation through Language Conservation. (Nayelly Barrios, Eric Nguyen, Thomas Parrie, Gabriella Chavez, M. Evelina Galang) Code-­‐switching, the practice of moving between two or more languages, provides a space for multilingual writers to engage in both their ethnic and American mainstream culture. This panel will show readers how writers use the words of the “other,” combined with the words and phrases of the familiar to add extra layers of meaning to their work. This panel will explore how code-­‐switching engages in both minority cultures and the American mainstream, and how the “outsider” can join the conversation. Not Waving but Drowning: Navigating the Waters of Poetry Book Contests. (Vandana Khanna, Jon Tribble, Susanna Childress, Simeon Berry, Adrian Matejka) Often, getting a poetry manuscript published is a complicated dance of guidelines, deadlines, entrance fees, and stubborn faith. Poets may feel #AWP16 Accepted Events
overwhelmed or mystified by the whole process, and rightly so. This panel, comprised of contest winners, as well as editors, seeks to clarify the ins and outs of the poetry contest circuit by offering practical advice and insight into the world of poetry contests and their contribution to the shifting landscape of contemporary poetry publishing. NTT Faculty Advocacy. (Erin Stalcup, Les Kay, Cynthia Reeves, Mary Stone, Kyle McCord) Attention has begun to be brought to the oppressive work conditions many non-­‐
tenure track faculty face. These panelists—
who are adjuncts and full-­‐time NTT faculty, and writers—will discuss advocacy strategies that have directed notice toward this national issue, and that have also offered solutions. We’ve participated in Walk Out Day, drafted Best Practices documents, and gained local media coverage, and we want to hear what you’re doing in your communities to advocate for fair work and wages. O Protagonist, Where Art Thou? A Sense of Place in 21st-­‐Century Fiction. (Barbara Jones, Lauren Francis-­‐Sharma, Caroline Zancan, Rebecca Barry, Matthew Thomas) Many if not most cities and towns in the United States offer the same stores, the same clothing, the same food these days. What has this meant for the specificity of place in fiction? Not only do readers derive pleasure from visiting new places through reading but memorable characters become themselves in part through their particular past and present settings. This panel will explore how-­‐-­‐and why-­‐-­‐strong settings can 36
and sometimes do emerge in a variety of contemporary fictions. Octavia Butler and Her Legacy. (Katharine Beutner, Walidah Imarisha, adrienne maree brown, Ayana Jamieson, Monica Drake) Octavia Butler, a Pasadena native and MacArthur Fellow, was one of the best known women writers of science fiction. By imagining worlds altered by alien encounters, vampirism, or ecological ruin, her writing addresses questions of race, gender, and class fundamental to our society. The editors of the new anthology Octavia's Brood, the head of the Octavia Butler Legacy Network, and two writers will discuss Butler’s engagement with Afrofuturism and how she inspires writers and artists today. Old Neighborhoods, New Locales: How Place Shapes Our Writing and our Literary Identities. (Michael Steinberg, Phillip Lopate, Renee D'Aoust, Mimi Schwartz, Karen Babine) Place, where we've grown up and/or have lived, informs who we are and how we perceive ourselves in the world. As nonfiction writers, it also influences the work we produce. A new locale, can, in fact, be a catalyst for writing about a place we thought we knew. By examining their own and the works of others, five writer/teachers from different locales both here and abroad, will discuss and illustrate how specific places they've inhabited have helped shape their personal and literary selves. On your terms: managing your rights to keep your work available. (Michael Wolfe, Brianna Schofield, Lila Bailey) #AWP16 Accepted Events
Authors of all kinds are routinely asked to sign contracts that carve up their copyrights and determine where, how, and by whom their works can be published. This panel of copyright attorneys will examine some of the ways authors can ensure that these agreements don't end up standing between their work and their audience. Join us and we'll work on demystifying embargoes, licenses, negotiations, rights reversions, and terminations of transfers. Be empowered to shape your own contracts! One By One: Editors Explore Single-­‐
Story & Single-­‐Poem Issues. (Heather Lang, Liz Bradfield, MRB Chelko, Jennifer Tappenden, Janie Cannarella) There is a submovement in contemporary independent press publication toward single-­‐author issues, and this panel will explore the causes and effects. Discussion points may include the vast number of literary journals in existence, the notion that individual poems and stories can be available for purchase like songs, the prospect that poetry might be reclaimed for non-­‐poets, the concept of literature as visual art, and more. Our Lavender Past: Queering History in Fiction. (Timothy Schaffert, emily danforth, Belinda Acosta, Adam McOmber, Rebecca Rotert) When exploring queer lives of the past, writers can only rely so much on research; too many stories have gone untold. Imagination and instinct become key in creating believable queer characters in history-­‐based fiction. How do writers bring history alive for readers who are well-­‐
versed in 21st-­‐century sexual and gender politics? Panelists discuss telling old 37
stories in new ways, revising fable and fairy tale, and making invisible lives visible in portraits of the recent and distant past. Out of L.A.: A Tribute to Jayne Cortez (1934-­‐2012). (Laura Hinton, Aldon Nielsen, Harryette Mullen, Kirsten Ortega, Jennifer D. Ryan) Sonic/jazz poet Jayne Cortez is celebrated for having created a hybrid engagement with music, performance, and words associated with that capital of jazz, New York City. Yet Cortez grew up in L.A., inspired by her artistic community in Watts. Five poets/critics discuss Cortez's formative relationship to L.A., including work with saxophonist Ornette Coleman; performances for the Watts Repertory Theater Company; her urban poetics as well as an ecopoetics that extends "out of L.A" globally. Out of the Cradle: Writing Our Children. (Leslie Adrienne Miller, Debra Gwartney, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Jon Pineda, Matthew Batt) This panel explores questions writers ask themselves about what or how much we feel free to write about our children. Do we owe them the same or different privacies on the page and online from those we preserve for other family members? Does genre, our gender, or the gender of our children matter in these boundaries? To what extent do or should race and class affect these boundaries? Do we have literary heroes or heroines who have answered these questions with eloquence before us? People are afraid to merge in Los Angeles. (Bridget Hoida, Jenn Rossmann, Reina Prado, Sharon Gelman, Liz Gonzalez) #AWP16 Accepted Events
Literary Los Angeles is often the subject of surface-­‐deep satire, but the focus on zip codes in the Hollywood glare leaves other stories undertold. A panel of Californian authors discuss the other LA (and CA) stories, which are diverse, complex, and deserving of literary attention. Panelists will discuss authors who have told these undertold Golden State stories, and strategies for bringing the other LA to light in their own fiction and poetry. PhDon’t? : The Risks and Rewards of the Doctorate for Writers. (Joshua Bernstein, Jameelah Lang, Rone Shavers, Ben Stroud, Genevieve Kaplan) What are the drawbacks and benefits for writers of pursuing a doctorate? We ask whether the Ph.D. “academizes” creative writing; offers students too much comfort, or not enough; sufficiently accommodates women and minorities; preselects for a certain kind of writer (e.g., one who can meet the testing requirements); promotes creativity or hinders it (through coursework, teaching, doctoral exams, etc.); and offers enough preparation for teaching creative writing at the college level and elsewhere. Philip Levine Prize Winners Remembering Philip Levine. (Sarah Wetzel, Corrinne Clegg Hales, Neil Aitken, Barbara B. Curiel, Steve Gehrke) Philip Levine, former US Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, died in 2015. Known as the “Whitman of the industrial heartland," in the words of poet Edward Hirsch, Levine taught for 30 years at California State University, Fresno. Moderated by CSU Fresno Professor Corrinne Hales, four winners of the Levine Prize read selections from Levine’s work, 38
discuss aspects of his life and work that continue to affect American poetry including their own, and read from their award-­‐winning manuscripts. Phoning It In: Using QR Codes to Bring Poetry to a New Audience. (Keetje Kuipers, Jaena Alabi, Victoria Poling, Melissa Hall, Fred Courtright) How can we bring poetry to a wider audience? When plugged into phones, how do we get young people to plug into poems? Partnering with publishers Copper Canyon and BOA Editions, Auburn University’s Poem of the Day uses QR code technology to bring a new contemporary poem to thousands of people across our campus each day. Come learn from a copyright permissions expert, small press development and programing administrators, and a university librarian about how to start a poetry reader revolution. Pitch Perfect: How to Write and Successfully Pitch Freelance Articles to Magazine Editors. (Christine Lee, Mark Armstrong, Doree Shafrir, Rachel Riederer, Marie Myung-­‐Ok Lee) Five writers and editors with extensive backgrounds in print and digital periodicals discuss the tenets of pitching nonfiction work. How do you catch an editor’s eye? How can you make your pitch stand out? The diverse panel of prominent editors and writers with a track record of pitching success will detail and provide insights into what it takes to get freelance work accepted at a journal or magazine, while exploring topics of professional etiquette, and how to nurture business relationships. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Planning and Running a University Literary Center. (Lauri Ramey, Sesshu Foster, Marisela Norte, Anthony Joseph, Jamie Tice) University literary centers promote community connections, cultural values, diverse voices, writer opportunities, service learning, and mutually rewarding partnerships. The Center for Contemporary Poetry and Poetics (CCPP) at Cal State L.A., now celebrating its 10th anniversary, provides an example of how to establish and run a flourishing site-­‐specific university literary center. All panelists are CCPP participants, who will provide practical advice and discuss the benefits of such a Center. Pleasures and Perqs of Indie Publishing. (Maggie Kast, Jotham Burrello, J.L./Jessica Powers, Patricia Ann McNair, Eric Charles May) An indie publisher, an indie publicist, and four writers of memoir and fiction (adult and YA) gather to discuss the pros and cons of going the indie route. We cover the roles of publisher and writer in editing and design of a book as well as marketing, publicity, distribution and negotiation of contract. We also address questions of dialogue between publisher and writer and control of the process. Poems for the Next Generation: Bringing Poetry to Teenagers and Young Adults. (Brett Lauer, Amber Atiya, E Kristin Anderson, Kerri Webster, Lynn Melnick) The poetry that young people learn in school is often outdated, poorly explained and lacking diversity. On this panel, we will explore how contemporary poetry can reach young people in high schools & 39
colleges through teaching, publications and contests. Poetry is a vibrant, living art, and deserves to be taught to young people in a way that speaks to them where they are, and through poets who are writing the 21st century as we live in it. Poetics of Drought: Language, Remediation, and Landscape. (Kristin George Bagdanov, Matthew Cooperman, Angela Hume Lewandowski, Brenda Hillman, Rusty Morrison) How does the environment affect poetry? Can poetry affect the environment? As California continues to face the most severe drought on record, this panel asks California ecopoets to consider how drought has affected their writing process. Poets will discuss what a poetics of drought might look like and consider how a poem both adapts to the conditions of drought, and might somehow remediate it. Can the poem be a site of conservation, irrigation, wellspring, or reservoir? Can it effect change? POETRY PIONEERS OF THE GOLDEN STATE. (Jim Natal, Joyce Jenkins, Kevin Patrick Sullivan, Donald Kingfisher Campbell , Consuelo Marshall) Featuring four cultural workers who have labored tirelessly to insure that poetry is alive and thriving throughout the diverse state of California. Each panelist will describe the goals for their specific literary niche or focus and explain what inspired their programmatic ideas and where the funds came to support them. In addition, panelists will discuss how audiences, volunteers and funders have changed through the years and how they are adapting their programs in response to these changes. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Poets on Craft: “The Furious and Burning Duende”. (Iris Mahan, John Murillo, Aracelis Girmay, Sandra Beasley, Mahogany Browne) Lorca tells us that the artist is possessed by duende, a malign spirit that burns the blood like powdered glass. This panel asks if poets can or should summon duende at will. Is it fleeting and ephemeral, or can it be harnessed as an instrument of craft? Five poets who have written about and with duende will share their experiences invoking the dark, elusive creative force. We promise gracious and fiery exchanges on this evocative subject. Politics and Literary Fiction. (Katie Raissian, Francisco Goldman, Patricia Engel, Rabih Alameddine, Jonathan Lee) Award-­‐winning and highly acclaimed authors Rabih Alameddine, Francisco Goldman, Patricia Engel, and Jonathan Lee discuss political preoccupations in their writing and the importance of political awareness in contemporary literature Printing the Forked Tongue: Bilingual Publishing after Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera. (Britt Haraway, elena minor, Diana Lopez, Maria Miranda Maloney, Raina J. León) Gloria Anzaldúa demanded her freest expression, whether in Spanish, English and/or the in-­‐between. The literary world had trouble keeping up—and to an extent still does. There are contemporary publishers that take up her challenge and seize an opportunity to create open spaces for language. Whereas Anzaldúa was told to wash the linguistic richness off of her tongue, these editors encourage writers to blossom into their natural language palate 40
and create their best words in the best order. Privacy Matters: Sell Your Books Not Your Soul. (M. M. DeVoe, Mat Johnson, Lev Grossman, Miranda Beverly-­‐
Whittemore) Does a huge Twitter following really result in bestselling books? Are Friends equal to fans? Today’s published authors are required to have a social media presence and constantly interact with their readers: In this age of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, et al, how can authors maintain the interest of a 24/7 fan base and still keep a modicum of privacy? Join our distinguished panel of social media mavens from various genres as we discuss everything personal and how to keep it that way. Problem Child: Promoting Your First Book of Poetry. (Susannah Nevison, Andrew McFadyen-­‐Ketchum, Hannah Notess, Marcus Wicker, Ron Mitchell) Four poets with successful first collections and a publisher will address both expected and unexpected challenges promoting their work, including assuming duties traditionally provided by publishers, a necessity in the current climate of staff cuts and budget reductions. Topics will include maximizing social media, booking readings, developing relationships with critics and reviewers, utilizing existing technologies such as Square, and creating unique advertising and marketing campaigns. Process and the Mid-­‐Career Memoir. (Jennifer Baumgardner, Ana Castillo, Chef Rossi) When is it time to tell your story? How do you translate having a story to tell to the #AWP16 Accepted Events
meaningful execution of a "real" book? Chef Rossi, a rollicking rock and roll caterer of queer weddings and feminist extravaganzas, publishes her memoir (Feminist Press, 2015) at age 51. in her fifties, Chicana feminist Ana Castillo (famed for her fiction, poetry, and essays) meditates on the experience of raising a brown son in America. Two wildly different voices answer questions about process and form. Publicity and the Independent Press. (Kelly Forsythe, Jenna Fisher, Chelsey Slattum, Brittany Dennison, Heather Brown) This panel draws together the voices of five literary publicists freelancing or on staff with independent presses of various sizes. Discussion will revolve around how to communicate with authors to build a successful publicity campaign and identifying unique promotional opportunities based on a press's aesthetic, an author's background, and the subject matter of a book. The panel will also address the outlying challenges of weathering the "media storms" of major prizes or public notice. Publishing poets of color; the power of diversity and the literary landscape.. (Jennifer Flescher, Don Share, Carmen Gimenez Smith, Nate Marshall, Camille Rankine) Publishing poets of color; the power of diversity and the literary landscape. The literary world is plagued with the lack of diversity on it’s mastheads, boards and pages. What can publishers, editors and writers must do to work toward more meaningful diversity in literary magazine publishing? We need to build of trust, 41
relationships and communication. Five editors discuss what they see as their current challenges and successes, and where we need to go next. Publishing Translations: University Presses. (Russell Valentino, Gary Dunham , John Donatich) University presses have long been at the forefront of translation publishing in the U.S., and today is no exception. Through long traditions of curating scholarly and artistic works and a variety of new initiatives, today’s university presses continue to lead the way in bringing to light new voices from around the world, forgotten classics, and newly unearthed masterpieces from the past. This panel will feature editors from leading university presses committed to translated literature. Queer & Undercommon Publishing: sussing out livable futures with Tract/Trace + Timeless, Infinite Light. (Angel Dominguez, JH Phrydas, Emji Spero, Joel Gregory, Zoe Tuck) Tract/Trace and Timeless, Infinite Light act as sites of radical investigation and exploration into language, creating a space for queer, undercommon and otherwise marginalized artists and writers “who believe in a livable life; for sussing out tactics for a livable future.” This panel seeks to discuss these tactics, their approaches and applications in hopes of providing a decolonized approach to writing and publishing. Queering History: Whose Story Is It, Anyway?. (Carter Sickels, Brandy Wilson, Ellery Washington, Ellis Avery, Ames Hawkins) #AWP16 Accepted Events
Queer histories are often erased or altered by dominant narratives. How do we claim, document, and imagine the stories of LGBTQ history in our art? Established and emerging panelists working in multiple genres discuss their projects, and the challenges and rewards of researching and writing queer histories of distant and recent pasts. We’ll explore the tensions between social/political responsibility and storytelling, and discuss the concerns of representing past marginalized voices. Queertopia or Bust: Thoughts on Intersectional Queer Poetics. (Jason Schneiderman, Rickey Laurentiis, Julie Enzser, Viet Le, Trace Peterson) “Queer” emerged in the 1990s as an activist formation that challenged liberal politics and became the preferred term in academia for everyone who was not straight or normatively gendered. The inclusivity of “queer” has been contested by those who felt instrumentalized or excluded by the term. Though it continues to be useful as a rubric (and easier to say than “LGBTQIA”), is queer really working, and for whom? Four poet-­‐editors discuss their experience at the intersections of queer identity. Re-­‐writing the Iconic West: Native and Latino Writers on Crafting Change. (Toni Jensen, Stephen Graham Jones, Tim Hernandez, Erika Wurth, Ito Romo) From the cowboy on horseback to the detective on the dark, city streets, the fictional icons of the West loom both familiar and large. Their stories have the ease of familiarity, but what if the stories you want to tell shift the vantage point? What if your hero is the one shot by the cowboy, the man turning the corner to 42
avoid the detective? A diverse set of writers will discuss strategies for telling the West’s iconic stories through a wide range of viewpoints and in diverse cultural contexts. Read the Essay, Buy the Book?. (Anna North, Tony Tulathimutte, Eric Sasson, Esme Wang, Marie-­‐Helene Bertino) In today’s publishing climate, writing essays related to a book has become as important a part of promotion as giving readings or interviews. What makes a successful essay of this kind, for the writer and for the reader? How can writers craft and place essays that are both meaningful in their own right and acquaint the reader with them and with their books? The five writers on this panel will explore, along with the audience, the place of the book-­‐
related essay in a writer’s life and career. READ THIS POEM: Promoting Poets and Community. (David Welch, Mary Gannon, Anna Gross, Kristen Evans) During National Poetry Month 2015, the Academy of American Poets teamed with 826 National to produce Read This Poem as each 826 chapter named a local Ambassador who selected & introduced a poem written by a poet in their community. The Poetry Ambassador then asked the poet to do the same & so on, creating a kind of published poetry chain. Join us for a discussion highlighting the diverse group of poems/poets featured, how to promote local literature, & integrating poetry with community service. Ready, Set, Crawl: Taking Literature to the Streets. (Jill Meyers, Suzanne Russo, Sally Shore, Brian McGuigan, Jen Siriganian) #AWP16 Accepted Events
What started in San Francisco in 2004 has grown to be one of the most anticipated literary nights of the year in LA, NYC, Seattle, Austin, and elsewhere. A literary pub crawl where cerebral meets madcap, Lit Crawl taps into each city’s local scene for a night of readings, games, and literary karaoke in venues from tattoo parlors to police stations to cemeteries. Panelists discuss how they organize these free events, build up the local literary community, and bring attention to writers’ work. Reimagining Literary Spaces. (Michael Snediker, Zinzi Clemmons, Yasmin Belkhyr, Maisha Z. Johnson, Corinne Manning) Literary journals must go beyond stating a commitment to diversity. To change the literary landscape and make public more work by POC, LGBTQ, women,working class and differently abled communities, journals must reimagine the traditional structure of submissions or even the role of literary spaces. Editors from Apogee, The Offing, Specter, Winter Tangerine, BGD and The James Franco Review will share their experience of how they re-­‐visioned journals or differently approached the editing process. Remembering Claudia Emerson. (Emilia Phillips, Jill McCorkle, Alan Shapiro, Kathleen Graber) Claudia Emerson’s death in 2015 grieved her friends and her readers, and this event will feature panelists remembering her spirit and her work and inviting audience members to participate by themselves reading her poems so that her single voice resonates through a chorus of witnesses. The panelists will focus on her posthumous 43
books, The Opposite House and The Impossible Bottle. Renewing Constraint: The Legacy and Practice of Restricted Writing. (Shannon Skelton, Kristin Miller, Jenni Baker, April Krassner, Laura Martin) In a New Yorker interview, Nathan Englander said, “Maybe it sounds crazy, but with writing it’s infinity that is limiting, and the limited that allows for the truly infinite.” From the founding of Oulipo to the contemporary avant garde, limited forms offer writers new avenues of expression. Focusing on constraint as a tool for enhancing creativity, panelists will explore the history of constrained writing and discuss its current applications in practice, pedagogy, and publication. Reverberant Silence: Making and Meaning a New Silence. (Jeffrey Levine, Ilya Kaminsky, Ruth Ellen Kocher, Prageeta Sharma, Amaud Johnson) Referring to the challenge of this remark by Mark Doty: "One ambition of poetry is to create a reverberant silence in its wake, one that means more or differently than the silence that preceded the poem," four culturally astute poets of highly diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds speak and debate about how and by what means the silence that a poem leaves in its wake is intentionally and irrevocably altered, and how reverberant poetry makes a case for a new approach to reading and listening. Revising Nonfiction: Surprise, Reflection, and Telling the Truth. (Erica Trabold, Matthew Gavin Frank, Laura Julier, Kathleen Livingston) Revision remains crucial to any writing process, serving to strengthen the work. #AWP16 Accepted Events
However, sometimes revision dilutes early insights, and the writing suffers. Nonfiction writers are often susceptible to over-­‐
revision because of memory and its malleability. How do journal editors work with writers to bring a piece to its best version? What risks are there in revision, and what can be gained? This panel brings writers and editors into conversation about the negotiations of revising nonfiction. Rhyme Gone Radical, or Beyond the Hallmark Card. (David J. Daniels, Randall Mann, Joshua Mehigan, Mary Austin Speaker, Marilyn Nelson) Rhyme (particularly end-­‐rhyme) sparked a heated debate among poets recently. One poet called it the worst thing still haunting us. Others dismissed it as hokey, antiquated, mawkish, and naive. But rhyme has gone fairly radical in recent poetry, and plenty of poets use rhyme in varied and unpredictable ways. Five poets, from diverse aesthetic and cultural backgrounds, will discuss rhyme's ongoing potency in their own work while arguing for its vital and inventive place in contemporary verse. Saving or Sinking the World through Translation: International Perspectives on Creative Process. (Helene Cardona, Sidney Wade, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Ani Gjika, Willis Barnstone) Does translation infuse or confuse us? How do temporal, esthetic, religious and political beliefs shape the literature, history, and fate of nations? Working with Albanian, Aramaic, Chinese, Hebrew, Greek, Korean, Latin, French, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese, this panel’s poets, translators and scholars discuss their roles 44
as intermediaries, technicians, magicians and alchemists working between languages to create inspired texts spanning cultural differences, geographic distances, and time. Science That Sells. (Kathryn Miles, Sean Carroll , Besty Amster, Stephen Morrow, Karen Kaplan) Once relegated to scholarly journals and niche publications, science writing has become a powerful voice in publishing and a place where writers can take on issues ranging from climate change and animal extinction to breast cancer and GMO food. This round table discussion with writers, editors, and agents explores new trends in popular science writing, what stories, essays, and books are getting sold, and why. Seeing There: The Intersection of Visual and Literary Art. (KRISTEN RADTKE, Beowulf Sheehan, Jeff Sharlet, Timothy Taranto, Nomi Victor) From a book cover or author portrait to comics, photo essays, and accompanying illustrations, writers are constantly confronted with how visual imagery compliments or complicates the written word. How can images be crafted that contribute to poetry and prose? Can an image ever take the place of language? What role does design and photography play within contemporary publishing? This panel will examine how images and text cohere to create a product that is arresting for both reader and writer. Sensuality, the Body, and the Quest for Authenticity in Translation. (Johannes Goransson, Alireza Taheri Araghi , Diana Arterian, Yvette Siegert) #AWP16 Accepted Events
When we speak of translation, we often speak (metaphorically) of the body: of mother tongue and foreign tongues, foreign texts and bodies of work, faithfulness and betrayal, contexts and origins, the crossing of boundaries and borders. Meanwhile translation can entail quite radical experiences of embodiment—
of possession by ghosts, ventriloquism and impersonation, vertigo and de ja vu. This panel will discuss translation’s implication for embodiments both literal and metaphorical. Serial Killers: How to Survive the Series Poem. (John A. Nieves, Cynthia Marie Hoffman, Alexandra Teague, Kathryn Nuernberger, Nicky Beer) This panel will explore the dangers and allure of the serial poem. Panelists will offer insight into the types of poems included in successful series, share the processes and challenges involved in creating their own series, and look at the recent resurgence of the series poem. From series that reconstruct history to series that engage folklore to series that center on a modal unity like elegy or ekphrasis, panelists will share best practices to help others build their serial m.o. Sex, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll: Poem Pairings. (Beth Bachmann, Nick Flynn, Kristin Naca, Saeed Jones) This panel focuses on the spirit and grit of the music of the City of Our Lady Queen of Angels. In an exploration of the art of excess and consequence, highs and lows, panelists will read and discuss poems paired with L.A.'s historic sinner-­‐songsters, such as Tom Waits, Billy Idol, The Bags, El Vez, N.W.A. and the Beach Boys. Panelists will read poems, offer strategies for writing 45
about sex and drugs, and respond to the question, what makes a poem rock n' roll? Welcome to the jungle. Sex, Drugs, Violence (and Rock n’ Roll): Exploring the Boundaries of Young Adult Lit. (Katie Cortese, Nova Ren Suma, Bill Konigsberg, Taylor Haggerty, Jordan Hamessley) In recent years, bestselling young adult books have portrayed suicide, mental illness, murder, untimely death, frank sexual encounters, governmental coups, use and abuse of alcohol and drugs legal and not, homelessness, pregnancy, and a host of other issues often associated with the adult world. The authors, agent, and editor on this panel will address the boundaries imposed by the “young” in young adult (and may challenge their existence), while offering tips for writers hoping to toe the line. Shattered Quiet: Women Writers on the Truths and Consequences of Breaking Silence and Writing the Unspoken. (Lori Horvitz, Lee Ann Roripaugh, Natanya Pulley, Sharon Harrigan, Alexandria Marzano-­‐Lesnevich) In this panel, five women authors who have published work in memoir and lyric memoir—Lori Horvitz, Alexandria Marzano-­‐Lesnevich, Sharon Harrigan, Natanya Pulley and Lee Ann Roripaugh—
address both the radiant liberations and real-­‐life risks and outcomes of writing narratives that break silences and reveal raw, volatile, and vulnerable truths about personal trauma, emotional/physical/sexual abuse, mental or physical illness, and dysfunctional family dynamics. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Short Nonfiction: A Genre for Building Literary Careers. (David Weinstein, David Groff, Jabari Asim, Sarah Seltzer, Tim Denevi) Writers of all genres benefit from publishing short nonfiction. In book reviews and op-­‐eds, countless opportunities exist to be seen and heard—
and to pave the way to book publication. Panelists at all stages of their careers will discuss how to build authority in today’s nonfiction landscape. Along with practical advice on breaking in, they will emphasize the nuances of producing, pitching, and promoting different forms within the genre—of value to both the writer and the culture at large. Should I Know Who You Are? Book PR for the Modern Age. (Leslie Pietrzyk, Lori A. May, Betsy Teter, Beth Parker, Jane Friedman) Turns out that writing the book is a cinch compared to promoting the dang thing. How can writers embrace shameless self-­‐
promotion while avoiding the dangerous humble-­‐brag; how can we claim media and reviewer attention in a crowded marketplace? How will readers find us? An independent book publicist, small press publisher, and two publicity-­‐minded authors offer insight and tips to help writers of all genres navigate old and new media. Slouching Tiger, Unsung Dragon: The Next Chapter of Asian-­‐American Writing. (Anna Ling Kaye, Ed Lin, Doretta Lau, Chiwan Choi, Paolo Javier) What does it mean to be a writer of Asian descent publishing in North America? These five writers are exploring territory beyond tiger moms and immigrant 46
hardship, venturing into updated expressions of Confucianism, Asian masculinity, and contemporary Asian culture. The panelists will discuss traditional and experimental approaches to Asian-­‐American fiction and poetry, and explore how artistic and professional choices impact perceptions of their work and their identities. Smooth Criminals: What’s at Stake When We Break the Rules?. (Juan Martinez, Susan Hubbard, Robin Rozanski, Julie Iromuanya) What writing rule do you hate? Love? We all break a few: we switch POV halfway through a story, we use too many exclamation marks, we don’t write what we know, or we use the wrong form, the wrong genre. We’ll balance the costs and benefits of these misdemeanors. We’ll explore how rules hinge on cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds. We’ll provide rule-­‐
breaking exercises that have helped generate exciting material, and we’ll talk about how rule-­‐breaking has helped us publish and teach. Sneak Preview: A Late Style of Fire-­‐-­‐the Larry Levis Documentary. (Gregory Donovan, David St. John, Carolyn Forché, Carol Muske-­‐Dukes, Michele Poulos) A preview screening and discussion by the filmmaker & participants in A Late Style of Fire, the revealing, unconventional feature-­‐
length documentary film about Larry Levis, exploring his life & work through narration creatively unveiled in words from his poems as well as photos, videos, artful visual explorations, & featuring interviews with notable poets Philip Levine, Charles Wright, Carolyn Forché, David St. John, #AWP16 Accepted Events
Carol Muske-­‐Dukes, Norman Dubie, & more, along with family, lovers, & friends. So You Think You Want to Start a Lit Mag: Straight Talk from Editors about Launching Mags and Keeping Them Afloat.. (Kathy Daneman, Jennifer Acker, Benjamin Samuel, Jonathan Lee, Natalie Eilbert) You want to start a literary magazine, or recover an old one. Why? And, now what? How do you communicate your vision, and what do you need to spend your nights and weekends doing to realize it? Founders and editors from A Public Space, Atlas, The Common, and Electric Literature share their experiences and advise how to balance the idealism and realism necessary to gain fame and fortune-­‐-­‐or at least some fun, excellent writing, and great community-­‐-­‐through running lit mags. Social Justice in Speculative and Fantastical Fiction for Young Readers. (Anne Ursu, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, William Alexander, Tananarive Due) Fantasy for young readers is a serious business. By presenting parallel worlds and heightened realities, speculative and fantastical fictions can explore issues of power, personal responsibility, and justice, and can entice kids and teens to think critically about their own world. Panelists will discuss how they use the tools of SFF to illuminate injustice, confront the monstrous, and communicate crucial ideas about race, class, and gender-­‐-­‐while giving kids the great stories they crave. SPD/CLMP Annual Publisher Meeting. (Brent Cunningham, Ted Dodson, Kathy Daneman, Jeffrey Lependorf, Laura Moriarty) 47
The staffs of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) and Small Press Distribution (SPD) discuss issues facing publishers, organizational goals, and upcoming programs. Both new and longstanding members, as well as those contemplating joining either organization, should plan to attend. Speculative Fiction: Defining the rules of a rule-­‐breaking genre. (Rob Spillman, Marie-­‐Helene Bertino, Ramona Ausubel, Aimee Bender, Manuel Gonzales) What are the risks of breaking rules in fiction? What are the rewards? Do unicorns exist? 5 award-­‐winning speculative writers share their origin stories and reasons for writing fiction that eschews formal convention (and occasionally the laws of physics). Though speculative fiction is often marginalized, they discuss why it should be necessary reading for students of any genre, and offer practical advice for writers who want to try it and teachers who want to implement it into their curriculum. Spinsters, Pretty Girls, and Bears, Oh My!: Four Decades of Lesbian Writing and Publishing. (Brandy Wilson, Katherine Forrest, KG MacGregor, Karin Kallmaker, Rita Mae Reese) Small lesbian presses were the wellspring of lesbian writing—romance, mystery, erotica, poetry and literary fiction. How did these presses shape lesbian writers and readers? In the age of digital publishing allowing writers to bypass publishers for greater profits and autonomy, why choose to publish with a small press? How do small presses stay relevant? An editor with over 30 years experience and a spectrum of writers, representing four presses #AWP16 Accepted Events
discuss the past and future of lesbian publishing. Staging the Story: Film techniques to engage YA readers. (Sheryl Scarborough, Ingrid Sundberg, Cori McCarthy, Amy Rose Capetta, Jennifer Bosworth) High-­‐octane entertainment is a teen staple. But all that razzle-­‐dazzle can skew their expectations of books. Our five panelists reveal techniques they pulled from film, TV or theater and how they applied them to create notable YA fiction. Specific craft focus on how action pacing, alternate POVs, cinematic motifs and serial construction can lure readers into the imagination zone. As well as tips on how to apply these skills to your own work. Stand Up Poetry in a Stand Up Town. (Kim Dower, Charles Harper Webb, Ron Koertge, Brendan Constantine, Michael Constantine) Poets who encapsulate a vibrant and growing poetry scene in Los Angeles (and beyond) and a veteran comic actor show how poetry can not only be relished on the page, but devoured on the stage—funny and fun without sacrificing depth and craft. Learn presentation tips, secrets and tricks from poets who inspire, who will teach you how to connect emotionally with an audience and to stretch your style to ignite both the hilarity and despair unique to your work. Stories to Live: Joan Didion and Today's Essayists. (Colin Rafferty, Meghan Daum, Leslie Jamison, Brian Oliu, Kristen Radtke) California native Joan Didion, with her blend of reportage, lyricism, and the personal, forged a path in the sixties and seventies for the writing that we now call “creative nonfiction.” Five essayists who 48
have followed in Didion’s wake discuss her influence on them, considering how she serves as a guide for navigating the complicated terrain of today and explaining how her models, whether in the essay, the memoir, or the travelogue, have affected their own writing. Story as Survival : LGBTQ Memoir. (Julia Koets, Mark Doty, Julie Marie Wade, Barrie Jean Borich, Paul Lisicky) This panel will discuss how memoir can be a form of survival for queer writers and readers. How does the book act as a dwelling place for LGBTQ writers who are rejected from their families and communities; how does memoir allow for liberatory performances of gender and sexuality; how can queer writers re-­‐write history in crucial ways? Many of the writers on this panel are also fiction writers or poets: how are the stakes different when it comes to writing memoir about sexuality and gender? Story by Design: Visual Narratives. (Zach Dodson, Alexandra Chasin, Stephen Farrell, Samantha Gorman, Warren Lehrer) There is a secret history of designed works in fiction, from Tristram Shandy to House of Leaves. Incorporating the tools of design, authors can create works of visual literature in which typography, image, and visual sequence are integral. Starting from writing and print design, these designers-­‐
as-­‐authors, interactive storytellers, professors and publishers of visual narrative explore the design thinking behind these works. This panel is a writer’s bridge to the visual and interactive realms. Stray Dogs: Writing from the Other America. (Ron Cooper, Michael Gills, #AWP16 Accepted Events
Joseph Haske, Larry Fondation, William Hastings) The panelists all come from lower class upbringings and write about the lives of the poor, the downtrodden, and the marginalized. All the panelists publish with small presses. The panelists will discuss the place of writing, particularly fiction, by and about poor people in the American literary tradition and in the current state of literature. Succeed Better: The Many Ways Our Words Can Bear Fruit. (David Ebenbach, Erika Dreifus, Anna McCormally, Margaret Luongo, Dawn Dorland Perry) Faced with Amazon rankings, bestseller statuses, and zero-­‐sum “top writer” lists, you might think that success is all about numbers—but numbers are the palest measure of what our work can do in the world. The writers and editors on this panel will share personal stories about how writing can lead to poignant encounters, salved wounds, changed lives, and empowered people. This conversation will broaden the definition of success to encompass the things that mean the most. Teaching Beyond the Academy: Mentoring Elderly Students at Writers' Centers, Local Ys, and Elder Care Facilities. (Jennifer Franklin, Sally Bliumis-­‐Dunn, Tony Howarth, Lorraine Bahr, Frances Richey) How do we most effectively teach elderly students? Panelists discuss subtle/ pronounced differences of teaching creative writing workshops (all genres) to a distinct, often distinguished demographic. Instructors who specialize in teaching outside the academy share experiences and offer advice on teaching 49
this cohort. Dos and don'ts of approach will be explored. A student in his 80s shares experiences, published work, and what he and others are looking for in teachers, mentors, and courses. Tendrils and Roots: Place-­‐ing the Personal in the Contemporary Eco-­‐
elegy. (Sandra Meek, Brenda Hillman, Sherwin Bitsui, Laura-­‐Gray Street, Marcella Durand) Writing in a "late age"-­‐-­‐post-­‐Modern, post-­‐
Confessional, post-­‐Postmodern-­‐-­‐
contemporary ecopoetry is often elegiac, acutely aware not only of perennial transience, but of potentially irrevocable environmental devastation. How, in a poetry that does not view the human as nature's center, can the poet include "self" to weave a complex ecology without reducing "Nature" to an echo chamber speaking back "I"? Panelists, all eco-­‐
elegists, discuss the mode's challenges and generative possibilities. The Absence of Color: Addressing the Lack of Diverse Writers of Children’s Books. (Laurisa Reyes, Chana Keefer) Of the 3200+ children's books published each year, fewer than 8% feature characters of color. Efforts to address the lack of diversity in children’s books, such as the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, are directed at professionals currently writing and working within the predominantly white industry. However, effectual change demands that we recognize the absence of diverse authors, ascertain the reasons for this absence, and strategize ways to increase the numbers of diverse writers in the future. #AWP16 Accepted Events
The Academic Job Market in Creative Writing: Considering Identity. (Patricia Killelea, Janelle Adsit, Ching-­‐In Chen, Sarah Sloane, Chris Santiago) A panel of recent hires and search committee members speak frankly about the academic hiring process from both sides of the interview table. Focusing on questions of identity, panelists address bias and problematize definitions of fit. Panelists describe choices made in crafting professional narratives and reconceive genres like cover letters as documents that not only persuade search committees, but also subvert the genre in ways that address the candidate's own needs. The Active Politics of Queer/Feminist of Color and Indigenous Feminist Publishing Movements. (Lisa Moore, Felicia Montes, Tanaya Winder, Audrey Castillo, Kim Tran) Queer/feminist of color and indigenous publisher-­‐activists have historically demonstrated their commitments to amplifying the voices of transgressive artists and writers in the U.S. publishing culture that relentlessly attempts to erase us. This gathering of queer/feminist of color publishers from As/Us, Mujeres de Maiz, RedBone, and Third Woman will address the politics that undergird our impetus to publish alternative writing/thought and how we understand publishing as a form of activism. The Amateur’s Raid in a World of Specialists: Research and the Personal Essay. (Michele Morano, John T. Price, Ned Stuckey-­‐French, Mara Naselli) Scott Russell Sanders describes the essay form as “an amateur’s raid in a world of specialists.” These panelists have all waded 50
into specialized worlds, gathering information that they marry with personal experience on the page. They will discuss a variety of creative ways to conduct research and craft narratives that combine new knowledge with a distinctive, fluid voice. The Art of the Book Review. (Joseph Salvatore, Helen Schulman, Courtney Maum, Tony Leuzzi, Scott Cheshire) Thousands of books are published each year. We're led to many of them by intelligent, engaging, well-­‐made book reviews, which not only investigate and articulate the mysteries and pleasures a literary text offers, but also please the reader with their style. Five widely published writers/critics/editors will discuss the review as a genre in its own right, a unique artistic form that contributes to the formation of taste, raises the level of public discourse, and establishes critical reputation. The Ashcan School Redux. (Jen Fitzgerald, Erika L. Sanchez, Rodrigo Toscano, Alyss Dixson, Christopher Soto) As our society is consumed by a fabricated and polished version of reality, Social Realist writers are organically moving toward a resurgence of the “Ashcan School.” Panelists representing different forms of activism will discuss how their work has allowed them to cull from lived experiences to create their art. The brick and mortar of human interaction and the witnessing of events shape our personal narratives and fuel our writing. The Asian Face of War, Gaining Perspectives from Both Sides – a look at WWII, Vietnam, and Korea.. (Gregory #AWP16 Accepted Events
Dunne, Lois Jones, Ross Cantalupo, Mong Lan, Kyoko Yoshida) How does literature remain conversant with the history of war in Asia? Why does it remain vital and relevant? Seventy years after WWII, and forty years after the fall of Saigon, a gathering of writers, whose work was published in Kyoto Journal and who write out of an awareness of war, address questions of war and literature’s ongoing response to it. Four writers, some based outside the United States, will speak to Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese literature in light of history and war. The Author as Entrepreneur: How to Build Your Writing Business. (Mary Rasenberger, Janis Nelson, Alexander Chee, Lauren Cerand) A successful writing career demands more than writing books. Every author, whether self-­‐published or traditionally published, increasingly takes on the role of small business owner, making more decisions at each step of the publishing and marketing process, from contract negotiation to reading tour. This panel, presented by the Authors Guild, will explore what authors need to know about contracts, taxes, marketing and publicity to succeed in an ever more competitive publishing marketplace. The Black Jazz Poetic in the 21st Century: Ancient to the Future?. (Tyehimba Jess, Duriel Harris, Geoffrey Jacques, Harmony Holiday, Jerriod Avant) As Jazz approaches its centennial, a multigenerational panel of Black poets analyze how its influence has shaped their understanding of craft and what that influence will look and sound like in the 21st century. In an age where Jazz has been 51
reported to be Americans' least favorite music genre, how do younger Black poets access a Jazz Aesthetic to reclaim, reimagine and regenerate it for themselves? How do mid-­‐career poets relate and regenerate a Jazz aesthetic in their practice and praxis? The Business of Publishing Your First Novel: Author and Publisher Perspectives. (Dennis Johnson, Catie Disabato, Edan Lepucki, Kirk Lynn, Maxwell Neely-­‐Cohen) Melville House co-­‐publisher and co-­‐
founder Dennis Johnson will lead a practical discussion of the publishing process with three authors in various stages of their literary careers. Topics will include: acquisitions, editing, big-­‐house vs. independent publishers, publicity, marketing, tours, social-­‐networking, and the changing role of the author. The California Prose Poem. (Brad Crenshaw, Marilyn Chin, Killarney Clarey, Gary Young, Stephen Kessler) The prose poem has enjoyed particular success among California poets. The scenic landscape, the ethnic voices, the meditative optimism have been favorite themes. Five Californian poets, each with a distinct approach to the prose poem, will discuss why they chose to write in this form, and their strategies used to distinguish their work from lined poetry, on the one hand, and discursive narrative on the other. Together they will share what they have learned from their challenging, creative muses. The Changing Face of Book Publicity: Get the Most from Your Publicist. (Angela Pneuman, Michelle Blankenship, #AWP16 Accepted Events
Mitchell Jackson, Kirker Butler, Van Khanna) You’ve sold your book, only to find out that the independent press, university press or even the traditional New York press has limited resources dedicated to its publicity. This panel of publicists and authors discusses how best to coordinate efforts between in-­‐house publicists and independent publicists and explores the measures you should—and should not—
take on your own behalf. Discussion will include traditional media and social media, as well as how to use events to your advantage. The Changing Face(s) of Publishing. (Wayne Miller, Jane Friedman, Erin Belieu, Daniel José Older, Roberto Tejada) Digital innovation, the VIDA count, #WeNeedDiverseBooks, a seeming explosion of translations—the face of publishing, tools for publishing, and reasons for being a publisher are all changing at a disorienting speed. In this panel, editors and contributors to the recently released Literary Publishing in the 21st Century will debate and interrogate issues of success, power, diversity, and politics (among others) as literary publishing—and authors—look to the next thirty years. The Darkening Trapeze: Last Poems of Larry Levis. (David St. John, Carolyn Forche, Linda Gregerson, Terrance Hayes, Tony Hoagland) This panel will consider the lasting legacy of California poet Larry Levis (1946-­‐1995) viewed through the lens of the forthcoming (January, 2016) posthumous collection, The Darkening Trapeze.. The panel will discuss Levis’ enormous stylistic and 52
philosophical influence upon an entire younger generation of poets, as well as the poets of his own, as well as the longtime friendship between Levis and his mentor Philip Levine. The Ethics of the Artist: Writing about Family in Essay and Memoir. (Laura Cronk, Alice Cohen, Julie Metz, Brando Skyhorse, Aspen Matis) After a writer realizes that a story must be told comes a difficult question. Can this story be told? Nonfiction writers must grapple with the rights of others in their stories. In this panel, essayists and memoirists discuss the ethical and artistic quandaries of writing nonfiction. What are the real costs of writing about family, for both the writer and those written about? How do responsibility and freedom intersect in nonfiction? The Garden of Forking Paths: Journals Focusing on Translation. (Martin Rock, Daniel Simon, Wayne Miller, Elizabeth Clark Wessel) Access to writing in translation is essential to all writers, and a growing number of literary journals are focusing heavily on publishing translated works. Editors of journals that focus on translation will engage in a discussion on the necessity of translation to a robust and diverse literary community. We will also focus on the practice of translation, ranging from ethics to accuracy to the process of obtaining rights and paying translators for their work. The Global MFA: Travel, Displacement, and Writing. (Richard Katrovas, T. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Geronimo Johnson, Cherae Clark, Samrat Upadhyay, Katie Moulton) How does travel help to displace writers and their work? How does displacement contribute to a writer’s development? How can MFA programs design and fund such opportunities for their students? Panelists who have developed and participated in excursions to the Czech Republic and Nepal explore the relationship of such journeys to graduate work, teaching practice, and writing completed during and after their MFA experiences, as well as offering strategies for developing such initiatives. The Imperfect Writing Life. (Samantha Dunn, Carol Edgarian, Dani Shapiro, Andre Dubus III, Bill Clegg) Chaos. False starts. Inner critics. Jobs, kids, mates. Social media distractions. It’s a wonder books ever get written. Some writers make it look easy, but the truth is that it’s tough for anyone to get to the page when life throws its inevitable curveballs. Four bestselling authors talk about how they negotiate the crooked path to getting the job done. The Life of the Poet in the World. (Samuel Ace, R. Erica Doyle, CA Conrad, Sueyeun Juliette Lee) Only recent history has put poets into universities. In the past, poets have traveled, begged, worked in insurance companies, as lawyers, surveyors, merchants, doctors, census takers. Although some of us now teach in universities, this is a gathering of poets who have worked outside of the academy -­‐ by choice, chance, struggle and/or luck, surviving through audacity, guile, starvation, love. Come hear the reasons, 53
histories, work and trajectories of these writing lives in the world. The Literary Genius of Kendrick Lamar. (Rion Scott, Mensah Demary, Nathaniel Marshall, Kiese Laymon, Natalie Graham) Hip-­‐hop and literature have always intersected, but the genres find an even greater connection in the work of Compton, CA’s Kendrick Lamar, who has released three albums that rival the greatest works of fiction and creative non-­‐
fiction in depth of theme, imagery and storytelling complexity. In this panel, writers influenced by Lamar's work discuss what writers can learn about storytelling from the rapper's albums which are novelistic in both scope and structure. The Long and The Short of It. (Oindrila Mukherjee, Samrat Upadhyay, Kevin Wilson, Amber Dermont, Tiphanie Yanique) If writing a novel requires the long-­‐term commitment and continual nurturing of a marriage, then writing a short story resembles a fling – short, sharp, and remembered forever. While many writers (and readers) are particularly drawn to one of these forms, some feel compelled to practice both, sometimes simultaneously or in close succession. Come hear writers who have found success with both novels and story collections discuss the challenges and rewards of their literary promiscuity. The Long View: Moving from Essay to Book. (Geeta Kothari, Ladette Randolph, Irina Reyn, Marie Myung-­‐Ok Lee, Elizabeth Kadetsky) A narrative inherently changes shape when an author moves from short story to novel, #AWP16 Accepted Events
but what about from essay to booklength nonfiction? What gets upset when the word count lengthens, and what might be gained by starting from the kernel of a theme or a structural motif contained in an essay? Might an essay collection gain market power by tackling a larger subject that strikes a chord with a wide readership? Editors and writers discuss their experiences in making books that began as essays. The Many Voices of Poetry. (Wendy Martin, Don Share, Tess Taylor, Atsuro Riley, Stephen Burt) This panel of accomplished poets, critics, editors and teachers will discuss the many voices of contemporary American poetry with an emphasis on the aesthetics, craft and antecedents of Confessional, Lyric, Neoformalist, Spoken Word, Conceptual, historical and political poetry. The panelists will also explore the many new voices of contemporary U.S. poetry from poets in diverse multicultural communities including Afro-­‐American, Asian-­‐American, Latino/Latina as well as Feminist, LGBT and others. The Meaning of Every(MFA)thing: Program Directors Tell All. (Michelle Herman, Kevin Canty, Michael Byers, Jean McGarry, Dara Wier) Directors of 5 renowned MFA programs talk frankly about all aspects of the application process, from how to narrow the field for your applications and when and why to embark on an MFA to how to prepare the most effective and successful application-­‐-­‐including a discussion of writing samples and personal statements-­‐-­‐
and how to choose from among the programs to which you've been admitted 54
and how to navigate waiting lists. We'll talk about variations among programs and answer all your questions. The Music Issue: Poetry's Root Influence (Hosted by The Oxford American). (Ansel Elkins , Thomas Sayers Ellis, Ada Limon, Don Share, Rebecca Gayle Howell) Roots music represents a diversity of styles ranging from Tejano to gospel to blues and beyond—sound work from the crossroads of place, family, and culture. Poetry, too, has an Americana tradition, a divergent verse that sings the multitudes of our fly-­‐
over selves. The Oxford American presents a conversation about musical influence that moves through the global into the local and returns us to the origins of poetry: the beat, the breath. The NEA Turns 50: Celebrating a Half Century of Support for Literature in America. (Amy Stolls, Fiona McCrae, Ken Chen, Luis Alberto Urrea, Natasha Tretheway) What do Ralph Ellison, Harper Lee, and John Steinbeck have in common? They were among the first council members of the National Endowment for the Arts in 1966 that argued for grants to creative writers. Since then, the NEA has been the unsung hero behind the successful careers of many thousands of writers and literary organizations. Join key members of the literary community in a discussion of the NEA and the literary landscape over the last 50 years, and what the next 50 years might look like. The Necessity of Science Writing and Scientific Literacy in the Anthropocene. (Nancy Lord, Eva Saulitis, Marilyn Sigman, #AWP16 Accepted Events
Elizabeth Bradfield, Melissa Hendricks Joyce) Many scientists apply the term “anthropocene” to the geological era we now live in—with humans the dominant force in planet-­‐scale change. Understanding the science behind global warming, extinctions, etc. is essential to prepare for the future. Today’s creative writers are called upon to research and present scientific topics in factual and accessible forms. Panelists will share their experiences writing and teaching science-­‐
focused narratives for general audiences. The New Globalism. (Marie Mockett, Sunil Yapa, Peter Mountford, Marlon James, Luis Urrea) We live in a radically new world, one where we practice Buddhism in California, import Texan rice to India, and watch Hollywood movies high in the Andes. We are writers traversing the globe, obsessed with the intersections of culture and economy in a globally-­‐engaged, post-­‐
colonial literature. How does such work demand even greater empathy? How is a multiple heritage a new strength? What is the new frontier for an American literature born of two worlds? Come hear us talk about it. The New Nature Writing. (Michelle Nijhuis, Sarah Gilman, Meera Subramanian, Christine Woodside) What is the impact of global warming on contemporary literature and creative nonfiction in particular? How do you write creatively about climate change? And how can we engage new audiences about a deeply polemic issue? Through a sustained discussion of craft, best practices, and theory this panel will explore the ways in 55
which global warming has destabilized and redefined our literary interaction with nature. The New Nonfiction: Where Literary Writing Bumps into Journalism. (Martha Nichols, Fred Setterberg, Yi Shun Lai, Autumn Stephens, Valerie Boyd) In the brave new media world, journalists aren’t the only ones publishing magazine articles. But as journalism and creative nonfiction merge, there’s more confusion than ever about what nonfiction is—and it's not what you think. This panel of journalists and editors, from both coasts and in between, will discuss what it takes to combine accurate reporting with literary technique. They'll address audience questions along with hot buttons like bias, narrative reconstruction, and fact fudging. The New Translation Economy. (Will Evans, Chad Post, Oliva Sears, Stephen Sparks , Jadranka Vrsalovic-­‐Carevic) Translators, publishers, booksellers, and cultural agencies work together to create the economic context for the publication of translations, affecting what gets translated and by whom fundamentally. This panel will discuss striking the economic balance balance between authors, translators, publishers, distributors, bookstores, cultural organizations, and readers to create a more vibrant and diverse translation marketplace and readership. The Odd Couple: Literature and Commerce. (Manjula Martin, Kima Jones, Ayesha Pande, Jane Friedman) Is literature an art, or is it a business? Every working writer is in a constant state of negotiation between creativity and commerce, life and work, love and money. #AWP16 Accepted Events
This panel explores how literary authors navigate such seemingly opposing aspects of their work. Join a novelist, a poet/publicist, a literary agent, and a publishing expert as we share strategies for balancing the “writing life” with real life—and creating a sustainable career in the process. The Other Side of the Slushpile: Agents on Agenting. (April Wolfe, Meredith Kaffel, Noah Ballard, Emma Patterson, Michelle Brower) The world of literary agents can seem murky and impenetrable to authors beginning the querying process, but it doesn't have to be that way! This panel will focus on candidly exploring how authors and agents actually find each other in the real world. What do agents actually do, why do they do it, and what does it take to get their attention? With an extended question and answer session, writers will have the opportunity to ask our panel of actively acquiring agents their most burning questions. The Persistence of Memory: Poets Writing Memoir. (Jeffrey Thomson, Beth Ann Fennelly, Brian Turner, Richard Blanco) Poetry and memoir are often thought of as closely related—each begins in and works with memory and the inner life of self to articulate a world in language. So what happens when poets enter the arena of prose and tell their stories in long form? Four award-­‐winning poets discuss their recent memoirs and explore the interactions and bonds between the forms. Using their own craft as examples, they discuss the challenges of memoir as well as 56
the freedoms, the limitations as well as possibilities. The Poetic Past: Crafting Poems Through Historical Material. (Linwood Rumney, Campbell McGrath, Collier Nogues, Bettina Judd, John Drury) Contemporary poetry is filled with work that explores historical material. Reflecting on the importance of this tradition, this panel will offer insights into writing strategies, research practices, and professional opportunities for such work. What is the poet’s responsibility to historical accuracy and representing historical figures? What kind of research is done in crafting such poems? What strategies can poets use to write about and through historical material? The Poetics of Loss: Writing About Private, Public and Historical Grief. (Richard Michelson, Martin Espada, Doug Anderson, Jan Freeman) How do we write—and write well—about grief and loss? Can poetry of personal grief console family, friends or the poet him or herself? Can poetry of communal grief console a community or nation? How can poets contribute to the search for meaning at a time of personal or collective crisis? How should poets respond to the ceremonies of loss? Is it the poet's responsibility to articulate hope and the possibility of redemption in the face of loss? The Print Journal in a Digital Age. (Michael Dumanis, John Freeman, Brigid Hughes, Uzoamaka Maduka, Wayne Miller) Five editors of print literary journals founded in the past ten years discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by #AWP16 Accepted Events
print publishing in an era when internet publishing may seem a less risky choice due to its low cost and universal distribution. Why make a commitment to print in the 21st century? Has the role of the magazine changed? Who still reads print journals these days, and why? How can print literary culture be reinvigorated? Might this be a favorable time for a print renaissance? The Queer Writer’s Dilemma: LGBTQ Writers on Identity and Representation. (Tiffany Ferentini, Brian Kornell, Kim van Alkemade, Garth Greenwell, Lauren Espinoza) Is there a difference between being a queer writer, and a writer who “happens to be” queer? Is there a social obligation for LGBTQ writers to write exclusively queer pieces, or is their identity alone enough to establish themselves in the queer writing community? In this panel, LGBTQ writers who have established themselves as editors, translators, and academics debate what it means to identify as a queer writer, and how their writing identity transcends the written page. The Return of Aphrodite’s Daughter: Rhetoric in Contemporary Poetry. (Jericho Brown, Sharon Dolin, Linda Gregerson, Phillis Levin, Rosanna Warren) Persuasion is Aphrodite's daughter: it is she who beguiles our mortal hearts. So wrote Sappho 2,600 years ago, and rhetorical figures persist as the structural foundation of many memorable lines of poetry—from Mark Doty to Terrance Hayes to Lyn Hejinian. After a successful panel in Seattle, five contemporary poets return to discuss five different rhetorical figures such as: apostrophe, occupatio, 57
litotes, and antanaclasis as it exists in their own poems and in those of poets they admire. The Rise of the Literary Podcast Genre: What Mistakes Not to Make in Your First Year of Starting a Podcast. (Abigail Browning, Kevin Larimer, Tom McAllister, Lindsay Garbutt) Given the nature of smart phones and access to digital media, the podcast genre is emerging as one of the most pervasive arts and entertainment mediums today. A young field (early mentions date to 2004), literary podcasts provide game-­‐changing possibilities for presses, literary magazines, MFA Programs, and writers to broaden reach and engage millennials to boomers (and beyond). Learn what you need to get started, and what mistakes to avoid in your first year behind the microphone. The Science of Story: Creative Nonfiction and Cognitive Science. (Sean Prentiss, Jessica Hendry Nelson, Matt Gavin Frank, Nancer Ballard) New research in cognitive/neuroscience illuminates how and why creative nonfiction works. We will explore why our perception of time slows during crisis and how to replicate crisis on the page (showing) and why the best nonfiction engages the prefrontal cortex through introspection, reflection, and speculation (components of telling). This panel will examine elements of creative nonfiction and offer suggestions on how we can use science to improve our writing and writing lives. The Special Relationship: Transatlantic Literary Alliances. (Emma Claire #AWP16 Accepted Events
Sweeney, Elizabeth L. Silver , Ifeona Fulani , Kim Stafford, Wendy Vaizey) What are the similarities and differences between creative writing programs in the US and UK? We will explore this in relation to students’ writing and future careers. Familiarity with both education systems can open up professional opportunities and networks while also broadening creative and intellectual horizons. But how can we ensure that our cross-­‐cultural exchange enhances rather than hampers our writing, academic resumes, and publication trajectories? The Tattooed Desert: A Tribute to and Reading from Richard Shelton, hosted by the U of Ariz. Poetry Center. (Alison Deming, Mark Doty, Ken Lamberton, Naomi Shihab Nye, Richard Shelton) A panel/reading to celebrate the life of poet, writer, teacher, and literary citizen Richard Shelton. Shelton's 12 collections of poetry include the The Tattooed Desert, Selected Poems: 1969-­‐1981, and The Last Person to Hear Your Voice. A critical influence in the 20th century American literary landscape and a quintessential voice of the American Southwest, Shelton's work as an educator perseveres, particularly in the Arizona prison-­‐writing program he launched in 1974 that continues today. The Translator as Coauthor: Collaborative Translation. (Edward Gauvin, Shabnam Nadiya, Kareem James Abu-­‐Zeid, Karen Emmerich, Susan Harris) When translators and authors collaborate, we often assume that the translation replicates the original. Yet the results often differ not only in the obvious linguistic ways, but also in content, organization, and 58
even plot, as writers take opportunities to revise and translators both render and rewrite the evolving text. Four translators discuss their experiences in working with their authors to bring their works into English, and the creative strategies involved in collaboration. The Violence of the Page. (Lucy Corin, Maggie Nelson , Brian Evenson, Percival Everett, Ben Weissman) This panel will explore the various tones, reasons, genealogies, and methodologies writers might choose to employ when representing violence, cruelty, and bodies on the page. The writers on this panel have explored these issues in a variety of genres (fiction, scholarship, poetry) and in a variety of registers (comedic, elegiac, outrageous, conceptual, documentary, and more), and are uniquely capable of discussing the aesthetic, political, and metabolic effects of such writing on both creator an The Visionary Advisor: Running a Student Literary Journal at a Two-­‐Year College Campus. (Britton Shurley, Sarah Gutowski, Melissa Tyndall, Evan Balkan, Phoebe Reeves) Why should you start a literary journal for your two-­‐year writing program, and how can you make it work? Faculty advisors share their experiences with different methods of production and aesthetic: journals publishing primarily student work or professional work, distributed on-­‐line or in print, and edited partially or wholly by students. The advisor must be both a repository of institutional memory and a visionary, mentoring students and sustaining the publication while imagining its future. #AWP16 Accepted Events
The Writing's on the Wall: Alternatives Careers for the Creative Writer. (Andrew McFadyen-­‐Ketchum, T.J. Jarrett, Jesse Waters, Maggie Smith-­‐Beehler, Karen Mack) The writing’s on the wall, folks: teaching at the college level is no longer a means of making a living for the vast majority of creative writers. So what do we do? This panel’s diverse group of writers working outside the classroom will explore a variety of alternative careers for the creative writer, including ghostwriting, software development, editing, executive communications, literary consulting, directing writing centers and houses, public relations, and more. The Year of Practical Thinking: Getting a First Book to Print. (Shanna Mahin, Matt Sumell, Gwendolyn Knapp, Kevin Sampsell, Jennifer Pashley) Five fiction and memoir authors from wide-­‐ranging backgrounds -­‐-­‐ from big five houses to tiny indie presses -­‐-­‐ discuss the process of getting their debut book to print. We'll discuss the agent query and search, the sale (including money), the editing process, publicity, and planning a book tour. Everyone talks about how to get published. What do you do once you sign the contract? Then We Came to the End. (Marie Mockett, Heidi Durrow, Hasanthika Sirisena, Allison Devers, Sunil Yapa) How do you know when you are at the end of a story? Western stories are said to finish in one of two ways: a wedding or a funeral. The Japanese psychoanalyst Hayao Kawai has said that the preferred ending to a story in Japan is with a beautiful image. So, is the ending to a story partly a cultural 59
preference? Does every story have one perfect ending? There and Back Again: Writing from the Road. (Erika Krouse, Kai Carlson-­‐Wee, Kim Barnes, Andrew McFadyen-­‐Ketchum, Maggie Shipstead) Five established and emerging writers who work in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction discuss each of their unique journeys in the world. These travels include train-­‐hopping across the US, marches in Ferguson and Baltimore, the Amtrak Writing Residency, and The Arctic Circle Residency. Panelists address how these endeavors changed their writing in ways they did not expect, including personal research, craft development, and discoveries of larger environmental, social, and racial truths. There's No I in We: Writing Creative Nonfiction About The Groups We Belong To. (Maggie Mertens, Honor Moore, Huan Hsu, Ainsley McWha, Elissa Washuta) We all belong to groups. When we write creative nonfiction about our family, race, religion, gender, sexuality, generation, or industry, many of us struggle to balance and maintain our own first-­‐person voice within a story that might be shared by many different people. Four writers who have navigated the tug of war between the I and the We, of various groups, discuss how to successfully write first-­‐person narratives that tell more than just one's own story. These Living Songs: Poetry and Advocacy in the West. (Lisa Simon, Sandra Alcosser, Danell Jones, Caroline Patterson, Tami Haaland) Advocacy for both contemporary and historic poetry is a challenge, particularly #AWP16 Accepted Events
in large western states where distance and limited resources complicate the task. This panel will focus on historic poets with connections to Montana, such as Grace Stone Coates, Marjorie Frost Fraser, and J.V. Cunningham, as well as contemporary poets associated with Montana and the West. Panelists will share poetry and discuss critical publications and radio programming designed to promote poets and poetry. Think Like an Editor. (Matt Weiland, Christopher Cox, Mary Norris, Paul Reyes, Sasha Weiss) Four seasoned magazine editors reveal the secrets of their trade and go behind the scenes at some of our most celebrated publications. Join Christopher Cox (deputy editor of Harper’s), Mary Norris (copyeditor at The New Yorker and bestselling author of Between You & Me), Paul Reyes (deputy editor of VQR), and Sasha Weiss (story editor at the New York Times Magazine) for a practical conversation on what makes pieces work and what makes prose sing, from pitching ideas to polishing commas. THIS ENDS NOW: Fiction in the Time of Crisis. (Martha Southgate, Ravi Howard, Asali Solomon, Brian Gilmore, Sanderia Faye) If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write–Martin Luther King, Jr. Our communities are in crisis; this is undisputedly true. This panel will consider the ways that African American fiction writers respond. Can writing be an instrument of social change? Are we obligated to focus our work on the crisis at hand? Kimbilio Fellows will discuss the demands that these troubled times place 60
on our work, including how/if we have responded. #blacklivesmatter Through the closet: Writing human complexity in queer characters in fiction. (Kate Maruyama, Jeanne Thornton, Frederick Smith, Seth Fischer, Catie Disabato) The typical “coming out of the closet” narrative is a fantasy of a starkly contrasted before and after, of complete disclosure and consequence. Through the lens of their works of fiction, the panelists will discuss the limitations of this oversimplified account of the queer experience and explore their varying approaches in writing queer characters in all of their human nuances and differences across genres and time peri To Hell and Back: Trauma and the Transformational Arc in Personal Narrative. (Janice Gary, Sue Silverman, Melissa Febos, Marilyn Bousquin, Laura Bogart) Great storytelling shows how a character grows and changes. This is true whether in fiction or nonfiction and yet true stories of personal growth and transformation are often belittled as "navel gazing" in the literary community especially when it comes to women's stories. Five writers, all of whom have taken the risk to write about difficult life experiences will discuss the transformational arc in personal narrative and what it takes to transcend trauma and turn it into powerful literature. Trans Memoir: Resisting Literary Tropes and Narrative Narcissism. (Cooper Bombardier, Elliott DeLine, Joy Ladin, Everett Maroon) #AWP16 Accepted Events
This will be a panel discussion. Four published transgender authors will discuss their work in memoir, including: Joy Ladin, Gottesman Professor of English at Yeshiva University Elliott DeLine, an author from Syracuse, New York Cooper Lee Bombardier, an author and creative writing instructor from Portland, Oregon Everett Maroon, an author from Walla Walla, Washington Translating the Sacred in a Post-­‐
Religious Age. (Afaa Michael Weaver, Ewa Chrusciel, Cole Swensen, Karen An-­‐hwei Lee) Our panel explores the translation of sacred texts in our secular age. What is a faithful translation of a religious text? How are concepts of freedom vs. fidelity problematized? In a post-­‐religious context, are ritualized methods of translating sacred writings relevant? In diverse tongues of global faith traditions – Hebrew, Chinese, Polish, Aramaic, Greek – our panelists share insights on translating sacred texts, then discuss the politics and poetics of their strategies. Translation and Influence. (Sarah Stickney, Martha Collins, Curtis Bauer, Adam Giannelli, Piotr Florczyk) Translation is an intimate act. The work of carrying an author from one language into another leaves a mark on the translator. What effect does this have on the translator's poetry? Where does the poet locate his or her voice amid the tangle of other voices? Is something learned about language that couldn't have been learned from English? Five poets who translate address how they have transformed, challenged, stolen from and been 61
nourished by the powerful influences of authors they translate. Translation as a Democratizing Force. (Wendy Call, Alison Mandaville, Peter Crume, Cecilia Martinez-­‐Gil, John Oliver Simon) Three poets, a prose writer, and a scholar, translators all, explore the democratizing power of translation. We consider how translation – with examples from Azerbaijani and indigenous Mexican poets, a poet’s self-­‐translation, ASL/sign interpretation of speech and story in the US and Kenya, and work in multilingual children’s poetry – empowers writers and increases equity in the world of words and ideas, where new possibilities for living together are imagined, shared, and set into motion. Translation as Animation: New Poetry from Japan. (Kyoko Yoshida , Forrest Gander , Sawako Nakayasu, Goro Takano, James Shea) Beginning with a short reading, this panel of translators and writers will explore the formal problems, aesthetic choices, and political implications of translating contemporary Japanese poetry. Panelists will discuss the diversity of Japanese poetry and consider how the pleasures and challenges of translation animate their own writing. Poets under discussion include Takashi Hiraide, Sayumi Kamakura, Shirō Murano, Kiwao Nomura, and Gozo Yoshimasu. Translation as Pure Writing IV: NonFiction. (Becka McKay, Lina Maria Ferreira Cabeza-­‐Vanegas, Sarah Viren, Jen Zoble, Mani Rao) #AWP16 Accepted Events
This panel follows last year’s on poetry translations (as well as the 2014 panel on fiction translations) by turning to creative nonfiction and exploring the pleasures and virtues of translation as pure creative nonfiction writing, where the writers are not distracted by what sort of form to employ, how to develop a character, or how in the world to end or begin. The panel will also examine the question of whether the idea of “truth” in nonfiction is affected by the presence of translation. Translation in the Creative Writing Classroom: A Dire Necessity in Our Global Culture. (Orlando Menes, Donald Bogen, Aviya Kushner, Ae Hee Lee, Alethea Tusher) A discussion featuring professors and graduate students in creative writing programs who are committed to literary translation as a craft for crossing borders, cultures, and geographies, not just the traditional notion of “transporting” a text from one language to another; in fact, these writers envision translation as a more holistic and empathic practice, so that engagement with another language is more appropriately described as a weaving of cultures rather than a bridging of cultures. Translation Poetics Continuum. (Anna Deeny Morales, Raúl Zurita, Valerie Mejer, Daniel Borzutzky) This panel brings together poets and translators from different countries, generations and political contexts. Through bilingual readings, talks and dialogue, speakers focus on the translation of poetry that emphasizes continuously shifting political, historical and geographic contexts. The panel will consider the ethical imperative of translation as an art 62
that continues these dynamic shifts initiated in the original text. Treating Your Setting Like A Character. (Dana Elmendorf, Elizabeth Briggs, Jessica Love, Kathryn Rose, Rachel Searles) Though some writers approach setting as a description of details through the five senses, treating your setting like a character gives it depth and value with a more organic experience for the reader. Five children’s authors whose books range from contemporary to sci-­‐fi to fantasy share how they develop their settings like a character. They’ll discuss how to make your setting feel real by going beyond physical descriptions and giving it a backstory, personality, and character arc. Truth and Consequences: The Essential Role of Research in Creative Nonfiction. (Joey Franklin, Eula Biss, Elena Passarello, Michael Downs) Meaningful research is the lifeblood of great nonfiction, but in the age of Google and Wikipedia, what constitutes meaningful research? Where should we start digging, and how do we make the most of what we find? How do we learn to trust serendipity and allow research to shape our stories? We will discuss approaches to gathering, processing, and interpreting research, as well as strategies for navigating the aesthetic and ethical consequences of telling the artful, well-­‐
researched truth. Turning into Dwelling: A Tribute to Christopher Gilbert. (Ed Pavlic, Terrance Hayes, Kevin Young, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Elizabeth Alexander) Christopher Gilbert published one book in his lifetime, the extraordinary collection #AWP16 Accepted Events
Across the Mutual Landscape, but his unique music and style have influenced an extraordinary range of contemporary American poets. Join us for readings and appreciations of Gilbert's singular work, now available for discovery again in the new book Turning into Dwelling. "Let's be simultaneous!" is Gilbert's great imploring for our mutuality. Come and find out what it means. TWO SIDES OF THE MIRROR: WRITING ABOUT BODY IMAGE ACROSS GENDER. (Jim Warner, Ray Shea, Brian Oliu, Ronnie K. Stephens, Tabitha Blankenbiller) The drive to stay thin, young, attractive and sexy is a struggle synonymous with womanhood. What are often overlooked—
in both our culture at large and in nonfiction writing—are the challenges men face with similarly impossible demands on ideal size, shape and appearance. This discussion will bring together writers working against gender expectation to expand the conversation on body image. Two-­‐Year College Caucus. (Kris Bigalk, Marianne Botos, Simone Zelitch, Denise Hill, Mary Lannon) Do you teach at a two-­‐year college? Interested in job opportunities at two-­‐year colleges? With almost half of all students beginning college careers at two-­‐year colleges, and increasing numbers of MFA’s landing two-­‐year college teaching jobs, the future of creative writing courses and programs at our campuses looks bright. Join us for our annual meeting, where you'll meet other community college faculty, learn about pedagogy, programs, jobs, and resources. 63
UA Poetry Center Presents: Spectacular Poetics & the Poetry of Spectacle. (Hannah Ensor, Terrance Hayes, Kimiko Hahn, Khadijah Queen, Adrian Matejka) If poetry engages with spectacle, why, and in what ways? In this panel, we address increasingly ubiquitous confluences of poetics and spectacle. Is the poet’s task to call attention to bright screens, to celebrity culture, to the many public-­‐facing pleasures and pains of the 21st century? Do poets use spectacle (their understanding of audience, attention, flashing lights) to their advantage? When it comes to spectacle, do we want today’s poets to decry it? reveal it? hold it up? celebrate it? University, Community. (Genevieve Kaplan, Nik De Dominic, Renee Angler, Sean Nevin, David Welch) How can university-­‐affiliated writing programs and reading series best extend into the community? Writing program administrators and outreach coordinators will discuss how we’ve successfully brought creative writing courses, literary activities, workshops, and guest writers to diverse and underserved communities. We partner with non-­‐profits and community organizations; affiliate with K-­‐12 classrooms, correctional facilities, and local libraries; and invite the community into the academy. Unsung Epics: Women Veterans' Voices. (Kayla Williams, Lauren Halloran, Victoria Hudson, Mary Doyle, Mariette Kalinowski) As novelist Cara Hoffman observed, female veterans’ stories have the power to enrich our understanding of war, of our culture, art, nation and lives. Yet their stories are largely absent. Five female vet writers #AWP16 Accepted Events
address this narrative gap: How do women veterans’ stories differ from those of men and civilian women writing on war? Can their work have the same commercial and critical success? Do audiences have different expectations? How can these stories help bridge the civilian-­‐military divide? UntitLooking Through the Lens of Conflict: Writing Young Adult Literature about Families in Crisisled. (Ann Angel, Emily Kokie, Terry Farish, Jessica Powers) Contemporary Young Adult literature often contains themes of family crisis in which teen responses to shifts within the family dynamic can shatter a fragile family. Whether caught up in family abuse, war, poverty, surviving a family member's death, or surviving in a family broken by PTSD responses to community or personal tragedy, teens struggle to cope within broken their families. Writers will discuss the struggle to portray honest teen responses to crisis and the path to hope. We Read Joan Didion in Order to Live: Five Writers on Learning from a Master. (Jody Keisner, Kelly Daniels, Anna Redsand, Cody Todd, Stephan Eirik Clark) Panelists will pay tribute to “the woman who owns California” while sharing technical and personal lessons gleaned from her essays and memoir. Topics will include the unmasking of received wisdom in Slouching Toward Bethlehem, courting moral ambiguity in her early essays, an exploration of grief in Blue Nights, the idiosyncratic I in hybrid True Crime/gonzo journalism, and how place, specifically California, fosters writerly persona in Where I Was From. 64
We're on the Road to Somewhere: Approaches to Managing the Writing Life. (Josh Rolnick, Yiyun Li, Austin Bunn, Rachel Sherman, Sonya Chung) There are no shortcuts when it comes to writing. Sometimes, the challenge isn’t getting started – it’s sticking with it through criticism and rejection; doubts and confusion with the material itself. In this inspiring panel, successful writers discuss their own winding paths to publication and offer practical suggestions for building a creative and professional life in a variety of writing fields – including editing, blogging and screenwriting – while managing a writing life over the long haul. Wealth Gap in the Literary Landscape: Representations of the Poor and Working Class. (Sarah Smarsh, Luis Rodriguez, Karolina Waclawiak, Kyle Dargan) How and by whom are low-­‐income people reflected in contemporary literature? Cross-­‐genre writers and editors of varied race, ethnicity and locale—but shared personal experience of poverty and the working class—discuss economic disparity in books, magazines and industry offices. With backgrounds as writing instructors and activists in poor areas, panelists celebrate the difficult role of socioeconomic-­‐border-­‐crossers and challenge editors to consider class at a time of historic wealth inequality. Welcome To The Party: Asian American Open Mics in Southern California as Sites of Resistance. (Janice Sapigao, Eddy M. Gana, Jr., Myca Tran, Stephanie Sajor, Sean Miura) As community organizers of Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Open #AWP16 Accepted Events
Mics in Southern California – Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Santa Ana – we will give brief histories of our respective spaces. We’ll discuss the practical, artistic, sociopolitical intentions of encouraging and continuing work for our communities and neighborhoods. We'll share how Los Angeles/Southern California is part of a nationwide network of AA/PI artists creating and sharing stories and narratives in collaborative space. WeNeedDiverseBooks: Shifting the Narrative Lens. (Mike Jung, Sona Charaipotra, Stacey Lee, Audrey Coulthurst, Kristy Shen) How do you change the (very white) face of children's literature? Through great storytelling. We Need Diverse Books -­‐-­‐ the AWP edition -­‐-­‐ focuses on shifting the lens while using classic worldbuilding and storytelling techniques. This WNDB discussion centers on providing tools for creating diverse narratives from the ground up. Learn how to integrate issues of race, class, sexuality, gender and/or ability, while still emphasizing the import of plot, structure and, most importantly, character. West by Southwest: New and Established Lit Mag Editors on the Political Economy of Place. (Andrew Tonkovich, Dagoberto Gilb, Michelle Franke, Oscar Villalon) Starting a new literary arts journal in the West, or maintaining one for three decades, means understanding audience and place, political and literary expectations. As respected and enduring regional lit magazines ZYZZYVA and Santa Monica Review celebrate three decades, two excellent newer journals, Rattling Wall and Huizache arrive with their own 65
respective missions to challenge, complement, and re-­‐envision the possibilities of little magazines in a difficult if rewarding literary locale. West Virginia Writers' Workshop: How We Made It to Year 20, How Your Writing Conference Can Too!. (Mark Brazaitis, Shara McCallum, Renee Nicholson, Jon Tribble, Michael Czyzniejewski) The West Virginia Writers' Workshop celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016. Our annual summer workshop has prospered—okay, sometimes merely squeaked by—despite the ups and downs of the economy and turnover in the dean's office that oversees the event. To sustain the workshop, we have been creative with everything from marketing to pricing to venues. We'll share some of our secrets. Past faculty members and a past participant will read and share their impressions of the workshop. What does it mean to be a Latino?. (Maria de Lourdes Victoria, Carmen Bernier -­‐ Grand , Donna Miscolta, Teresa Luengo Cid) This panel of latino authors will explore the question of what it means to be a latino in the United States. Whether you are an author creating a "latino character" or a publisher wishing to publish "latino literature", or a librarian wondering whether a book fits within the "latino" category of your catalogue, this presentation will help you understand more about the rich and unique histories of the various groups of people that have been part of the U.S. landscape for centuries. #AWP16 Accepted Events
What Makes an MFA Program LGBTQ-­‐
Friendly?. (Dawn Walsh, Melanie McNair, Brock Warren, Terry Wolverton, Alistair McCartney) Does being friendly mean having out and proud faculty, staff and/or students? Is visibility enough? What about course offerings that include an LGBTQ-­‐focus? Or LGBTQ-­‐centered civic engagement opportunities? Is being friendly too modest a goal? How does friendly differ from affirming? How can faculty make workshops both LGBTQ-­‐friendly and affirming? Why do these questions even matter? LGBTQ-­‐identified panelist, including MFA faculty, students and alumni, address these questions and more. What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Redline. (Mia Lipman, Kjerstin Johnson, Nadxieli Nieto, Olivia Taylor Smith, Annie Tucker) Your work has been accepted—
congratulations! So what happens next? How come it takes so long between that coveted “yes” and seeing your name in print? Why do editors want to change your words after you worked like crazy to make them perfect? And what’s a redline, anyway? This panel pulls back the curtain on the book and magazine editing process: the order of business, typical time frames, what the red marks mean, and why your editor wants to be your partner in crime (and isn’t out to get you). What We Talk About When We Talk About Home: Santa Ana as Resonant Source. (Aracelis Girmay, Richard T. Rodríguez, Emmy Pérez, Adriana Alexander, Sarah Rafael García) What does it mean to claim a place as home when you no longer (or still) live there? 66
What draws you back to it on the page, whether as setting, conflict, or “resonant source”? Writers raised in Santa Ana-­‐-­‐a Latina/o-­‐majority city an hour south of L.A.-­‐-­‐will discuss their work in relation to place, distance, identity, nostalgia, & “authenticity.” How do these imaginaries find expression across multiple genres & spaces, in community & academia? What are we talking about when we talk about home? What's Love Got to Do with It: Desire in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. (Jessica Alexander, Rachel Levy, Michael Shum, Jaclyn Watterson, Jose De La Garza) In 1911 E.M. Forster wrote of his weariness of the only subject he could treat—the love of men for women. For a novelist in the Victorian era, it seemed impossible to reconcile the rift between narrative convention and homosexual desire. Discussions of narrative conventions still typically elide considerations of their socially restrictive underpinnings. This panel includes both queer and non-­‐queer identified writers to promote dialogue about the ways that desire informs our aesthetic choices. What’s the Big Idea? Intention vs. Intuition in the Writing Process. (Mark Doty, Linda Bierds, Kevin Young, Victoria Chang, Melissa Stein) When writers are alone with the blank page, how much is premeditated and how much is actually discovered later on? Project, narrative arc, theme, voice: at what points in the creative process do we steer our work consciously? When are forms and structures limiting, and when liberating? How can we weave diligent research and poetic imagination, and how does all this #AWP16 Accepted Events
translate into putting together a book manuscript? Five award-­‐winning writers explore the deliberate and the ineffable in their work. When I Was Latina: Navigating Privilege in The Publishing and Writing World. (Deborah Paredez, Casandra Lopez, Cecilia Rodriguez Milanés, Keyla Hernandez, Raina León) What are the gender, sexual, ethnic, and racial biases that Latinas encounter everyday in book publishing? How can Latinas build stronger literary communities? What are some of the pressures that Latinas feel to fit into the mold of what people perceive to be Latina writing? In this panel, editors and writers will share their experiences and offer advice for creating original Latina texts and maintaining authentic identities Where Are You Going, Where Have We Been?: Five Editors Discuss the History and Future of Flash Fiction Anthologies. (Tom Hazuka, James Thomas, Lynn Mundell, Nancy Stohlman, Robert Shapard) Since 1992, when the original Flash Fiction anthology gave the genre a name that caught on, flash fiction has grown steadily in stature and popularity. Numerous popular anthologies have followed. Five well-­‐known editors of flash fiction anthologies, three who were there from the beginning and two who will be shepherding the genre into the future, discuss the past, present and future of flash fiction, especially in regard to its appearance in book form. Where Community and Culture Collide: 15 Years of the YMCA's Downtown Writers Center. (Georgia Popoff, Gregory 67
Pardlo, Jennifer Pashley, Matthew Gavin Frank, Debra Kang Dean) Since January 2001, the YMCA’s Downtown Writers Center in Syracuse, NY has been the Central NY State region’s only community center for the literary arts. In its first 15 years, nearly 400 authors have read at the DWC, and thousands of students have honed their craft at the DWC’s extensive creative writing workshop series. This panel of program staff and faculty, former students, and guest authors, will explore and celebrate the DWC’s wide-­‐reaching impact on the literary arts in the CNY region. Who Reads Us?. (Thomas Larson, Kate Gale, Nicole Walker, Joe Bonomo, Hope Edelman) With new reading platforms, blogs, online journals, writing programs/workshops, and reading groups proliferating, writers have a potential readership greater than ever. This panel asks, who reads us, in what forms, and how is their access to our personal and web lives affecting how we write? Have our expectations about readers changed? In what ways does our readership grow or shrink with connectivity? How hard is it to find and nourish an audience? What say should readers have in how we create? Why We Innovate: The Case for Hybrid Genres. (Marcela Sulak, Jacqueline Kolosov, Jenny Boully, Tung-­‐Hui Hu, Mary Szybist) Editors and contributors of Rose Metal Press’s new "Family Resemblance: An Anthology and Exploration of Eight Hybrid Literary Genres" discuss writing and teaching hybrid literature as innovative acts of artistic, social and cultural criticism, #AWP16 Accepted Events
and as radical self-­‐creation. Panelists discuss why writers mix forms and provide ideas and examples for crafting and teaching hybrid genres, focusing on blendings of visual, performative, lyrical and narrative techniques. Winding Up for the Pitch: Making Effective Proposals to Book Fairs, Bookstores, and Literary Presenters. (Kathy Daneman, Steph Opitz, Amanda Bullock, Maret Orliss, Jennifer Ramos) Publishers face enormous competition for limited time and space when approaching book fairs, bookstores, and literary programmers to feature their books and authors. Learn the most effective ways to create programming that fits the mission and goals of individual venues and stand out from the crowd. Major festival, bookstore, and literary venue programmers discuss what they respond to, what falls flat, and the best way to reach them. Without Representation: Authors who sold their literary debuts without an agent. (Cari Luna, Will Chancellor, Sarah Gerard, Wendy C. Ortiz) A literary agent can be a writer's closest ally in the publishing business, but is your career sunk if you don't have one? Four authors who sold their literary debuts to traditional publishers on their own, and then went on to sign with agents, discuss their publishing experiences with and without representation. Women at Work: Labor & the Writing Life. (Christine Byl, Eva Saulitis, Susanna Mishler, Lu-­‐Anne Haukaas, Tele Aadsen) Physical work is often held opposite the life of the mind, especially for women. Yet for 68
some writers, manual jobs provide income; broaden thinking; and nurture creativity. Five women writing in all genres discuss how their work-­‐-­‐in marine biology, farming, trail construction, fishing and the trades-­‐-­‐ supports a writing life. Join a conversation about field camps, live lines, planting seeds and felling trees, and consider how dirty hands can leave a lasting imprint on literary culture. Women in Spec: Women Writers in Speculative Poetry and Fiction. (Jeannine Gailey, Lesley Wheeler, Sally Kindred, Sophia Samatar, Nancy Hightower) This cross-­‐genre panel celebrates women’s lively contributions to the male-­‐dominated fields of speculative fiction and poetry. These authors, editors, and critics discuss recent changes and controversies in fantasy and science fiction, addressing how women are represented in the literature; publishing opportunities and challenges; and what it will take to foster women’s voices and support their increasing success. Women on the Verge -­‐ Authentic Voices from Outsider Lit. (Eve Connell, Viva Las Vegas, Pat Janowski, Iris Berry, Sarah Certa) Four authors (3 women, 1 androgyne) from irreverent small presses engage in vibrant discussion of unconventional creative paths. Fueled by life forces (beautiful, cruel, sexy, mundane), these fearless voices approach craft with raw content choices, unique writing processes, and personal muses that conspire to delight and repel. Insights into cultural acceptance (or the lack thereof) provide a snapshot of challenges in navigating the #AWP16 Accepted Events
literary world as writers hell-­‐bent on avoiding the mainstream. Women Publishing Women: The (under)representation of women in print and in publishing. (Abbey Gaterud, Michelle Wildgen, Mary Breaden, Kait Heacock, Alicia Bublitz) A candid discussion between women working in publishing about the current climate for and visibility of women writers in publishing house lists. Looking at the in-­‐
house representation of women on staff, women writers published by traditional houses, and where the challenges to women in publishing (and being published) still lie, panelists will speak to current trends, awareness, and projects highlighting women, and offer strategies to others working for equal representation. Women Soldiers & Veterans Writing Their Lives. (Sonya Lea, Warren Etheredge, Suzanne Morrison, Maggie Shartel, Kelly Dickinson) This panel features writers and professionals who work alongside women soldiers and veterans. It looks at military sexual trauma, and the threat to personal safety when a woman uses her voice to tell her story. Five panelists create a conversation about what’s essential to empower women veterans, soldiers, war witnesses, and survivors of violence. Why are women’s stories essential for the soldier-­‐writer? How might we write the war as it really lives in women and not as a masculine trope? Women Who Edit: Literary Journals. (Mary Flinn, Lindsay Garbutt, Sumita Chakraborty, Corinne Manning, Emily Nemens) 69
With a focus on the particular challenges to and accomplishments by women literary magazine editors, the panelists will discuss their roles as editors-­‐in-­‐chief, founders, and genre editors at their respective magazines. Additionally, they'll consider the idea that gender parity in editorial positions promotes parity among contributors, and explore potential opportunities to cultivate a new generation of women editors through mentorship and example. Women Write Los Angeles. (Tatyana Branham, Steph Cha, Lisa Glatt, Helena Viramontes) The city of Los Angeles and the women who write about it are often subjected to stereotypical categorization. Being one of the most diverse artistic regions in the country, the city's female writers come from different neighborhoods and backgrounds and offer unique perspectives on the city of angels. Panelists will discuss the challenges and joys of writing about the city of Los Angeles in their fiction, as well as how their works have contributed to the landscape of literary Los Angeles. Women Writers Confront Violence and its Aftermath. (Inara Verzemniek, Lina Maria Ferreira Cabeza-­‐Vanegas, Laurel Fantauzzo, Catina Bacote) For memoirists and essayist there are risks––emotional, social, and spiritual––in delving into events like child abuse, war, and murder, but there is an even greater risk in remaining silent. Panelist will discuss how they work up the courage to face brutality on the page and the ethics that guide them. How can our narratives move beyond sensationalism? What can we do to ensure that our writing does not #AWP16 Accepted Events
succumb to a narrative of female victimhood and captures the complications of real lives? Women writing fiction in a Postfeminist Era. (Varley O'Connor, Michelle Latiolais, Emily Mitchell, Lisa Alvarez, Melissa Pritchard) What does Post-­‐feminism even mean? VIDA, the organization devoted to defining the current state of women in literature, has demonstrated with chilling exactitude the very real marginalization of contemporary women’s writing. Perhaps we may agree that the difficulties women writers face today are in need of analysis and discussion. Our panel of experienced women fiction writers will share how they approach the problem at their writing tables, in publishing arenas, and in their classrooms. Write Like a Mother*: Parenting as a Second Act for Women Writers. (Lizzie Skurnick, Robin Beth Schaer, Jennifer Gilmore, Elyssa East, Irina Reyn) The mother figure looms large in literature, but does becoming a mother have equal sway over the established writer’s work? These panelists will discuss how becoming a mother after establishing their careers has affected their creative process, their writing and the reception of their work. Does motherhood make one’s writing more or less empathetic, creative or critically viable? Texts about writing and motherhood that have inspired (or horrified) these writers will also be discussed. Write Me Right: Ideas and Resources for Writing Diverse Characters. (Najiyah 70
Maxfield, Yvonne Mesa, Valarie Budayr, Tamara Gray, Brenda Bradshaw) It's true that anyone can write anyone. But doing so with confidence, empathy and authenticity is another story. Afghani women who don't know how to walk in a burka? Cherokee characters with Kiowa names? Get concrete suggestions on avoiding these kinds of pitfalls and writing characters who will maintain their both cultural integrity and their humanity. Writer as Editor/Editor as Writer. (Jill Bialosky, Rob Spillman, Hannah Tinti, Major Jackson, James Yeh) Prominent writer-­‐editors talk about the challenges of wearing two very different hats. How does editing other writers’ work help or hinder their own writing? How do these writers turn off their editorial brain to let their creativity flow without letting in unhelpful self-­‐criticism? What do editors learn from being edited themselves? The panel will share wisdom gleaned from being on both sides of the creative process. Writers & the Greater Community: How to Make a Difference. (S. Kirk Walsh, Vivé Griffith, Joel Arquillos , Ami Walsh) This panel features leaders of community outreach programs for students, low-­‐
income adults, and hospitalized patients to talk about the value of writers helping others to find their voices and how it can deepen one’s engagement with the world. Panelists will discuss the challenges and rewards of building outreach programs, and the unexpected synergies of service work and creativity. How to get started, where to volunteer, and the balance of community outreach with writing will also be explored. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Writers Editing Writers. (Brigid Hughes, Vanessa Hutchinson, April Wolfe, Yiyun Li, John Haskell) Editing is perhaps one of the least glamorous but most necessary aspects of the writing process, and an author’s relationship with their editor is one of the most valuable ones they can cultivate. We bring together two A Public Space Emerging Writer Fellows to discuss their own processes with their respective mentors, both established authors and A Public Space contributors. Writing (and Editing) Sex. (Roger Hodge, Jamie Quatro, Dani Shapiro, David Means, Christine Schutt) Writers and editors discuss sex in literature-­‐-­‐the good, the bad, and the ugly-­‐-­‐
and look at ideas of craft when it comes to depicting and editing sex Writing & "The Racial Imaginary". (Stephanie Grant, Hanna Plyvainen, Chet'la Sebree, Kyle Dargan) In The Racial Imaginary: Writers on Race in the Life of the Mind, Claudia Rankine and Beth Loffreda assert: “Many writers of all backgrounds see the imagination as ahistorical, as a generative place where race shouldn’t enter, a space for bodies to transcend the stuff that doesn’t lend itself much poetry.” Poets and fiction writers consider their own work in light of the present historical moment, focusing on where race does and doesn’t enter and whether transcendence remains a meaningful goal. Writing About Other(ed) Spaces. (Justin Nobel, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Daisy Hernandez, Stephen West, Jeremy Jones) 71
Five nonfiction writers discuss the pressures and possibilities of writing about marginalized and overlooked places—
empty corners of Appalachia, tornado-­‐torn stretches of the Deep South, transient towns lining the Mexican-­‐US border, immigrant communities in New Jersey and LA, and beyond. Writing in forms ranging from memoir to journalism, the panelists grapple with how to honestly and artfully render people and places too often stereotyped or simplified or silenced. Writing and Trauma. (Richard Hoffman, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Ruthie Rohde, Anthony D'Aries, Helen Elaine Lee) Panelists examine the distinction between writing as therapy and writing that is therapeutic as well as discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of teaching creative writing in various venues – public and private schools; colleges and universities; prisons, juvenile detention centers, hospitals, and other medical and community settings. Members of PEN/New England’s Freedom to Write Committee also share the development and implementation of their inaugural Writing & Trauma Conference. Writing around the Block: How to Keep the Words Flowing. (Susan Orlean, Richard Bausch, D. A. Powell, Melissa Stein) That blank page has been staring at you for days, weeks, months. How can you pinpoint what’s holding you back and jump-­‐start your creativity? How can you tell a slump from a period of creative incubation? Four award-­‐winning writers of prose and poetry share insights, strategies, and tools for weathering the ups and downs of the creative process—and along #AWP16 Accepted Events
the way, just might challenge your definitions of productivity and success. Writing at the Edge of the Continent. (Malcolm Margolin, Peggy Shumaker, Dominic Luxford, Nanci McCloskey, Elaine Katzenberger) West Coast Publishers see the world differently. From Los Angeles to San Francisco to Portland to Alaska, we publish stories in different light. City Lights Books, Heyday Books, Boreal Books, McSweeney's, Tin House and Red Hen Press present publishing West Coast style. The event will be moderated by Red Hen Press Managing Editor, Kate Gale. Writing Characters Who Buck Gender Norms. (Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Carolina de Robertis, William Lung, Nicole Dennis-­‐
Benn, Lydia Conklin) In a market that tends to want fairytales, and characters who conform to strict gender norms, how do we write characters who resist these stereotypes of what men and women are supposed to be? Are brainy and/or bossy female characters unsympathetic? If a male character is excessively romantic, has his believability been diminished? How do we write convincing characters, ones who do not reflect standard gender expectations, without triggering questions about the characters’ credibility? Writing on Fault Lines: Central American Literary Diasporas. (Leon Salvatierra , Raquel Gutierrez , Robert Karimi, Carolina Rivera , Leticia Hernández-­‐Linares) Since 1990, Central Americans in the U.S. have tripled in number, yet mainstream literary and academic institutions still 72
discuss Central Americans in 1980s Civil War terms. This panel takes up the vast middle ground between traditional tropes and postmodern trends, and explores how Central American writers in California are not only painting new and complex stories, but also constructing the very frames to hold them. Writing on the Border/Escribiendo en La Fronteratitled. (Katherine Seltzer, Aaron Romano-­‐Meade, Alessandra Narvaez-­‐Varela, Carla Arellano, Giannina Deza) Located on the U.S.-­‐Mexico border, The University of Texas at El Paso’s Bilingual MFA Program brings together writers from the Borderland, North America and Latin America. How does a program function with classes in which both Spanish and English are spoken and students have varying degrees of bilingualism? Panelists discuss how the mixing of language, culture and literary traditions affects their development as writers. Writing Race: Poets on the Complexity and Contradictions of Race in America. (Richard Michelson, Martin Espada, Afaa Michael Weaver) In the "post-­‐racial" Obama era, the nation remains racially polarized, as the tragedies and protests in Ferguson and elsewhere demonstrate. How can a poet write truthfully about the complexity and contradictions of race in America? How can a poet balance the poem’s message with the demands of poetry? How can a poet speak on behalf of his or her community, and yet empathize with other groups? How can a poet channel anger into art, risking the alienation of the audience for the sake of honesty? #AWP16 Accepted Events
Writing Sex in YA: Choices and Consequences. (Brandy Colbert, Carrie Mesrobian, Terra Elan McVoy, Christa Desir, Corey Ann Haydu) Young adult authors will discuss the craft of writing sex in YA literature, as well as the meaning behind adult responses to presumed high-­‐risk behavior portrayed in books. In a culture bombarded with overt and unrealistic sexual imagery, do authors have a responsibility to be honest with teens about sex? Do they have a responsibility to demonstrate the possible consequences implicit in sex or drug and alcohol use? Where is the line between staying true to our craft and concerned censorship? Writing the Hyphen: How to Explore, Not Exploit, Your Background. (Allison Amend, Carter Sickels, Pauls Toutonghi, Mira Jacob, Danielle Evans) Writers of diverse backgrounds serve as ambassadors to unfamiliar cultures and underheard voices. But if you are speaking for your culture or race, do you have an obligation to portray it in a positive light? And will you be forced, as a “hyphenated author,” to repeatedly relive your autobiography? Panelists will speak frankly about their success and ambivalence as spokespeople, and discuss how to successfully explore, not exploit, their ethnic, nationalist, and gender identities. Writing the Spiritual Memoir. (Thomas Larson, Kathryn Winograd, Janice Gary, Kim Barnes, Beverly D'Onofrio) Five published memoirists, who also teach the genre of nonfiction, examine the spiritual memoir. How much do we work 73
with or against religion, building or blowing up bridges between a faith community and the private realm of the spiritual? What craft choices do we make when narrating and describing inner or abstract experience, especially the exposition of insight and the drama of awakening? Are we “spiritualized” by writing these books? Panelists discuss our own and other spiritual memoirs. Writing Violence: Tracing Disaster in Ethnic-­‐American Writing. (Sobia Khan, Phinder Dulai, Dunya Mikhail, Octavio Quintanilla, LaToya Watkins) This panel represents a wide array of “Americanness” as Iraqi-­‐American, Canadian-­‐Indian, Mexican-­‐American, Pakistani-­‐American, and African-­‐American writers. These writers will discuss how their individual and collective communal violent histories are integral to their identity as writers and to their writing.They will attempt to explore questions such as, how and why they write violence onto the page.Who is their audience and how each writer contributes to contemporary American literary debates? You Can’t Write That: The Curious Case of Bias in YA Lit. (Janet Fox, Joy Preble, Geoff Herbach, Cecil Castellucci, Varian Johnson) Does gender bias exist in YA lit? Certainly, numerous scholarly and other articles propose that it does. Are male authors of YA titles—and male characters in them— reviewed differently than female? Than gender queer? Does everything from book covers to marketing to awards to reader expectation of story—shift with gender? Or is this in itself a biased perception? This #AWP16 Accepted Events
panel of YA authors will engage in civil discourse among peers of the state of gender bias in the field of YA lit. You Don't Know Me At All: The Creation of Self as Protagonist in Memoir. (Laurie Lindeen, Leigh Stein, Eileen Cronin, Samantha Dunn) Memoirists aged 30-­‐55 who are also writing instructors, journalists, and editors explore the invention of self as protagonist in the craft of memoir writing. In order to be a reliable, relatable narrator, the "me" in memoir must be a character and protagonist who is neither hero, nor victim, 74
nor navel gazer regardless of the nature of personal challenges. A true protagonist experiences the full breadth of human experience, both good and bad. One challenge lies in saving a private sense of self. You Sent Us What?. (Lisa Kastner, Ann Sheybani, William Patrick, Jennifer McCauley, John Gosslee) This diverse panel will discuss what readers and submission editors look for when they review submissions for potential publication. Followed by an open question and answer period. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Pedagogy
“Once, I Was That Girl”: Creative Writing Pedagogy for Tween and Teen Girls. (Elline Lipkin, Allison Deegan, Nancy Gruver, Amie Williams, Margaret Stohl) “Empowering girls” has become a catchphrase that can be relatively meaningless. Yet, single-­‐sex environments have been proven to be productive spaces in which creativity is nurtured and young writers can grow. Four educators and writers who have founded organizations that serve tween and teen girls will speak to the practical challenges and the reverberations of success they have witnessed while mentoring girls, as well as the inspiration this has brought to their own creative work. A Manner of Being: Writers on their Mentors. (Jeff Parker, Annie Liontas, Douglas Unger, Tayari Jones, Noy Holland) At an early stage the vast majority of writers study art deeply under the mentorship of other writers. And these literary mentorships take many forms: they may include the act of giving permission; tutelage by a traveler who knows the road; the teaching of aspects of craft; tough love; and the modeling of a certain manner of being. On this panel those who’ve been and become mentors discuss the qualities shared by powerful mentors encountered both inside and outside of MFA programs. Against Palatable Writing: Dismantling an Inherent Problem in the Workshop. (Zach VandeZande, Erin Stalcup, Caitlin Pryor, Tanaya Winder, Geffrey Davis) Often workshops are driven by competitiveness and a need for validation, 75
leading to writing that is a product of fear of failure rather than courageous exploration. This panel will look at the problems inherent in the workshop model as a normalizing force driven by shame and lack of openness to diversity/difference, in order to provide alternative means of fostering artistic growth and aesthetic risk in the creative writing classroom while working against the entrenched system. Class Matters: Considering Class in the Classroom. (Adam Penna, Christina Marrocco, Stephanie Lindberg, KateLynn Hibbard, Mary Lannon) How do we reach out to students with different class backgrounds in our classrooms, welcome them to creative writing workshops, and encourage them to make the literary world their own? Five writers with working class roots share how their own stories of coming to voice and their own experiences teaching a wide-­‐
range of students inform their teaching philosophies. Strategies for students, common pedagogical challenges and best practices applicable to classrooms at all levels will be discussed. Comics, Films, Songs, & More: Multimodality in Creative Writing & Composition Courses. (Leslie Salas, Danita Berg, Nicole Oquendo, Kirsten Holt, Christine Bailey) Our students function as visually literate composers, engaging with writing and reading across multiple modes of communication. Hear from a panel of instructors that embrace their students’ comfort with multimodality by teaching in multimodal formats and assigning both composition and creative writing assignments that push students outside #AWP16 Accepted Events
their comfort zones and into the types of writing they’re most likely to encounter on the job. Craft & _____ : Creating Interdisciplinary Possibilities in the MFA. (Jessica Guzman, Xin Tian Koh, Lily Duffy, Ginger Ko, Kati-­‐Jane Childs) While graduate writing programs provide guidance and mentorship in writing poetry and prose, opportunities for outside study and participation in marginalized literature and communities are often hard to find. How do students find sustenance for their writing beyond craft? This panel will address ways in which graduate creative writing programs and students can improve literary citizenship by discovering and building communities and networks beyond literary craft. Crafting Change: Genderfluid Students in the Creative Writing Workshop. (Kathy Flann, Glen Retief, Dallas Carroll, James Magruder, Marie Keller) At a time when students’ gender identities may be more expansive than in the past, how can workshop leaders provide instruction that suits all-­‐comers? This panel will discuss ways to support student writers and to offer feedback on stories with non-­‐binary characters. The panel -­‐-­‐ comprised of three workshop leaders, a non-­‐binary student, and a representative from LA Gender Center -­‐-­‐ will offer insight into accommodating various gender identities while upholding the highest standards of craft. Creative Writing and Resistance in the Classroom: Helping Students Write Social Justice. (Nan Cuba, Ellen Meeropol, Hayan Charara, Achy Obejas, Fred Arroyo) 76
Creative writing students compelled to write about social justice may be intimated by the challenges of shaping art, craft and social forces in their writing. How do teachers encourage students to explore political inequality and injustice, while crafting narrative art? Panelists will discuss specific pedagogical approaches and techniques that both respect students’ backgrounds and beliefs and encourage their exploration, examination and literary engagement with our complex world. Creative Writing for the Underserved: Ideas, Inspiration, Revelation. (Jamie FitzGerald, Leilani Squire, Mike Sonksen, Michael Kearns, Dorothy Randall Gray) Some of the most dedicated practitioners of the art of writing are those who teach writing workshops outside of academia in underserved communities, often for little to no recompense other than the satisfaction of opening minds and hearts to the power of words. This panel brings together writers with collective experience teaching foster youth, seniors, homeless, and veteran populations. Each will share best practices, what motivates them to do what they do, and how it enriches a writing life. Creative Writing is for Everyone: Pedagogies for the Twenty-­‐First Century. (Alexandria Peary, Tom Hunley, Stephanie Vanderslice, Steve Healey, Tim Mayers) Creative writing can be relevant not only to those on a path to become literary writers but everyone else as well. Innovative pedagogies can give nontraditional students and diverse communities access to the power of creative writing education. Join five contributors to the 2015 #AWP16 Accepted Events
collection Creative Writing Pedagogies for the Twenty-­‐First Century as they discuss service learning, process and feminist pedagogy, Writing-­‐Across-­‐the-­‐Curriculum, and creative literacy. Dealing with Workshop Diversity. (Robert McGill, Carolyn Smart, Noor Naga, Siobhan Phillips) Students bring disparate cultural backgrounds, personal situations, and artistic interests to the creative writing workshop. This panel addresses the challenges and opportunities that such diversity creates. Presenters will re-­‐
imagine goals, practices, and the teacher’s role in workshops where students have cultural expertise that the teacher lacks, experience with widely differing genres of writing, and varying psychological relationships to their work. Drawing Outside the Lines: Teaching Comics in the Writing Classroom. (Jarod Rosellό, Lydia Conklin, Nathan Holic, Leslie Salas) As comics continue to gain traction as literary canon, writing instructors can and should use this medium as an innovative pedagogical tool. This interactive panel presents teacher-­‐cartoonists’ methods of incorporating comics into curricula not traditionally designed for comics, from first-­‐year writing courses to graduate fiction workshops. Learn from experiences, lessons, activities, and challenges to find ways for students to expand traditional notions of teaching and learning through comics. Easy As and Epic Fails: Grading the Creative Writer. (Siân Griffiths, Katherine 77
Coles, Michael Martone, Melanie Thon, Josh Robbins) What does it mean to fail a poem? Will students dare to experiment if a conventional story earns a 98%? This panel examines the ramifications of attaching grades to creative work, debating the value of this assessment on student writing improvement. Agreeing to disagree, the members of this panel reflect on our varied assessment practices and wrestle with the question of how to grade while simultaneously encouraging students to take the risks necessary for artistic growth. Education Isn’t an Acronym: Collectives, pop-­‐ups, and other alternatives to the MFA. (Tom Healy , Dorothea Lasky , Adam Fitzgerald, Mónica de la Torre) Poetry’s relationship to traditional educational spaces needs to be revised to reflect the multidimensional perspective that poets use to create. We will consider how alternatives to these spaces might provide counterpoints for poets to learn and grow with other artists, thinkers, and members of their greater communities. In the panel, five poets will discuss their work in building their own spaces, such as the Ashbery Home School, Home School Miami, BOMB Magazine, and Cave Canem. Ekphrasis in the Digital Age: Beyond Mere Description. (Timothy Bradford, Amy Catanzano, Megan Kaminski, Amaranth Borsuk, Matthew Cooperman) Contemporary ekphrasis has been described as a form of critical meditation that mixes commentary, homage, resistance, argument, and self-­‐criticism, but what does it look like in practice, especially given digital tools? And how #AWP16 Accepted Events
does one push beyond mere description or instrumentalization of the work of art? These panelists will present examples from their own work and will offer practical exercises, with an emphasis on digital technology, for community, undergraduate, and graduate classrooms. From Sex to Suicide: How to Navigate the Challenges of Teaching Creative Nonfiction. (Kristine Ervin, Ruben Martinez, Oindrila Mukherjee, Glen Retief, Kathryn Peterson) With its emphasis on truth and fact, creative nonfiction presents more challenges for teaching than any other genre. Drawing from pedagogical research and their own best (or worst) practices in university and prison instruction, this panel will explore the benefits and risks of teaching nonfiction. Topics will include the ethics of representation; creating boundaries while fostering an open community; and responding to texts driven by personal experiences about violent, illegal, or harmful acts. Full-­‐residency, Low-­‐residency, Online: The MFA Student and Faculty Experience. (Christine Sneed, Philip Graham, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Scott Blackwood, Patricia Grace King) Current and former MFA faculty and students from Pacific University, Vermont College, University of Illinois-­‐Urbana, Northwestern University, Warren Wilson, University of New Orleans, Southern Illinois University, and Regis University discuss the different aspects of the full-­‐
residency, low-­‐residency, and online MFA programs that they have been a part of. How these various models are organized, how coursework and thesis advising are 78
conducted, among other topics, will be addressed in detail. Furries, Fairies and Fetuses: When Earnestness Derails the Short Story. (Ivan Rodden, Karen Dwyer, John Fried, Jim Zervanos) Write what you know. But change the world. When novice writers’ sincere desire to express deep belief, dramatize social change, or be provocative dictates the direction of a plot, the story often fails. Talking fetuses! Furry conventions! Fairies (both literal and metaphorical) defying parents and oppressive society! This panel of experienced instructors will examine the dilemma and present ways to offer strong criticism that respects student enthusiasm and creates better art. How Gay Is This Book?: 21st Century Approaches to the LGBTQ Classroom. (Sarah A. Chavez , Claire Harlan Orsi, Stacey Waite, Timothy Schaffert, Jennifer Perrine) Students and instructors often differ in their interpretation of what constitutes a queer text. Considering the varieties of gender identification and spectrum of sexual orientation, as well as what it means to enact a queer pedagogy in both form and content of the classroom, panelists will explore the contemporary pitfalls and joys of helping to shape students' engagement with LGBTQ literature. Panelists will read from potentially contested queer texts as well as discuss pedagogical practices. How to Free a Tamed Tongue: Creative Writing & Multilingual Students. (Andrea Lawlor, Daniel Chacón, Sarah Dowling, Carolina Maugeri, Zohra Saed) #AWP16 Accepted Events
What does it mean to teach creative writing to multilingual students in the US? How can we encourage multilingual students to free themselves from the hegemony of English language centered writing, even while composing partially or primarily in English? How can we honor our students’ (and our own) various Englishes? Are we teaching craft, creating community, or both? This panel of writers who teach will share their experiences working with undergraduates, graduate students, and in the community. How To Get Away With Murdering Your Darlings: Revision In The Classroom. (Amy Monticello, Molly Patterson, Phong Nguyen, Allison Joseph) Writing is revision, but how to teach it? Students leave workshop with ample feedback on drafts, but they’re often baffled when moving forward. From the fine-­‐tuning of a line to the reshaping of a plot, revision is a re-­‐visioning of the project at hand. Proceeding from the belief that the best is yet to come, this panel will offer practical strategies and pedagogical models for guiding students of every level and genre—poetry, fiction, and nonfiction—into and through the process of revision. Incarcerated Juvenile? Veteran? Senior? Teaching & Reaching the Writer Hidden Within The Underserved. (Monona Wali, Robert Fox, Esche Jackson, Ashaki Jackson, Leslie Ann Poston) Five veteran teachers of the underserved discuss strategies and best practices to bring the power of writing into the lives of those often discounted in our culture. How do we create safe classrooms yet raise the bar for literary craft? How does our 79
language and our demeanor affect the outcome of the classroom? How do we craft culture sensitive writing prompts? Panelists will discuss the challenges and rewards of working in unusual classrooms and delve into how to best engage unique populations. Into the Wild Classroom. (Chelsea Biondolillo, Joe Wilkins, Sean Prentiss, Jill Sisson Quinn) From Thoreau to Dillard to Urrea. With less and less wildness around most modern classrooms and with many students growing up removed from nature, it can be tough to present environmental writing as compelling and salient. Join science and nature writers and educators for a discussion of concepts, texts, techniques, and exercises that will reinvigorate, diversify and modernize your environmental-­‐based literature and writing lesson plans. Invisible Ethics: Values, Practices, and Greater Goods in the Creative Writing Classroom. (Amy Weldon, Patrick Hicks, Sejal Shah, Athena Kildegaard, Taylor Brorby) We aren't teaching "values" in a creative writing classroom. Or are we? What about the tacit goods that underlie writerly practice and classroom community: civility, attention, curiosity, generosity, risk? In this panel, five writers, teachers, and activists explore the often-­‐invisible ethical codes that structure creative writing practice -­‐-­‐ especially as we help students develop their own -­‐-­‐ and share strategies to make the classroom a space of mindfulness, rigor, and joy. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Janus-­‐faced: The Writing MFA in Art School and the University. (Mairead Byrne, Amaranth Borsuk, John Cayley, Peter Gadol, Tracie Morris) In the university, creative writing is a discipline and art form, traditionally housed in, or near, Departments of English. In art and design schools, MFA writing programs are newer, and more contested, developments. Today, as material / digital / performative commitments re-­‐shape writing, do art school and the university meet in the writing program? This panel invites discussion from a range of positions, disciplinary and interdisciplinary, in both university and art and design school. Literature or Empowerment or Both? Students and teachers on the aims and challenges of community writing programs. (Frances Lefkowitz, Darlene Frontuto, Mindy Velasco, Jaquita Tale, Christina Anderson) The dual aims of community writing programs—guiding emotional healing and empowerment along with teaching creative writing—give these programs their own set of challenges. Working with seniors, offenders, at-­‐risk youth, and other underrepresented groups, brings up more unique issues, including building trust between people from diverse backgrounds. Teachers and students from California's WriteGirl, InsideOut Writers, and Community Memoir Project discuss their goals, approaches, and innovations. Making Connections: Creativity in the Composition Classroom. (Xinqiang Li, Joyce Meier, Leonora Smith, Stephanie Amada, Curtis VanDonkelaar) 80
This panel discusses the use of creative content and international writing traditions in the composition classroom. Viewing the classroom as a creative space affords connections to writing for students and instructors who come to the university with differing expectations of what writing is and can be. These moves help to create cultural bridges for domestic and international students and to nourish the creative and scholarly lives of instructors. Medicalization in the Workshop – Not Always a Pill for That. (Maggie Leffler, Jason Lewis, Sharon Dilworth, Doris Iarovici, Jennifer Bannan) Over the past 20 years we've noticed more fiction students diagnosing characters, debating symptoms and proper treatment, often to the detriment of workshops. At the same time, fiction is increasingly touted as a tool to train doctors in compassionate care. If attention to fiction can help doctors, why does attention to medical conditions seem to hinder writing discussions? Fiction professors and a fiction editor join authors who are MDs to discuss medicine's place in exploring character. More Than What Meets the Eye: Word and Image in a Digital Universe. (Susan Meyers, Tammie Kennedy, Deborah Poe, Margaret Rhee, Trent Hergenrader) Members of this panel press at the edges of multimedia and digital literature: writing combined with other mediums like audio, visual arts, bookmaking, physical computing, videos, and gaming. Sharing examples—a poetry machine, a women’s digital archive, a handmade project, an experiment in gaming, an LGBTQ eBook in South Africa—we’ll look at what it takes to #AWP16 Accepted Events
get book arts, visual poetry, and digital media projects going (both in and out of the classroom) and what those projects have to offer. Non-­‐traditional Paths to Teaching Academic Writing Through a College Writing Center. (Kayla Skarbakka, Matt Sharkey-­‐Smith, Jenny Martel, Anne Shiell, Basil Considine) Working at a college writing center is not just a student job, but also an avenue of postgraduate employment with superior salary, benefits, and stability compared to adjunct teaching. It is also open to a wide variety of educational backgrounds. Four presenters from very different degree experiences (a BA, a non-­‐English MA, an MFA, and an English MA) will share about the perks of the job, how they got their foot in the door, on-­‐the-­‐job challenges, and what they look for when hiring colleagues. Paying It Forward: Literary Mentorship. (Dana Levin, Tomas Morin, C. Dale Young, Amy Nezhukumatathil, Vievee Francis) Steering students through a tangle of soul, style, culture, digital and market forces? It’s called Mentorship, and it’s an art. In an academic environment driven more and more by assessment and cost, how does this crucial, unquantifiable teaching experience develop and survive? Five poet-­‐
teachers from diverse backgrounds discuss the art of mentoring today’s student as well as what their mentors (Donald Justice, Ai, Louise Glück, more) taught them about teaching, writing, living. Pedagogy's Next Wave: Alternatives to the Whole-­‐Class Workshop. (Lacy Johnson, Marissa Landrigan, Laura Leigh Morris, Darin Ciccotelli) 81
For nearly a century, workshop pedagogy has undergone few if any changes. Is it finally time to re-­‐imagine it? This panel will offer radical alternatives to the traditional whole-­‐class workshop, moving past the “one poem, one story” expectation as well as small class and manuscript variations. Not only will we explore “guided” workshops, multi-­‐media workshops and micro-­‐workshops for non-­‐traditional populations, but we will challenge the primacy that student texts have in our pedagogy. Poets in the Schools: Empowering K-­‐12 with the Word. (Phyllis Meshalum, Jessica Wilson Cardenas, John Oliver Simon, Tobey Kaplan, Cathy Barber) California Poets in the Schools’ Panel of Poet Teachers present lessons in relation to poetry teaching activities, pedagogical principles, mentor-­‐artist philosophy, curriculum context, literacy research and cross-­‐disciplinary collaborations engaging K-­‐12 students, and the importance of Poet community. The lessons in Poetry Crossing demonstrate the dedication of our Poet Teacher community on quest for the empowerment of children. Student excerpts showcase bilingual poetics and creative form. Teaching Outside the Search Box: Lessons in Creative Nonfiction Research Methods. (John Engler, Barrie Borich, Aviya Kushner, Justin Wadland) Research is clearly an essential part of writing creative nonfiction, but it's not so clear how to teach students to use research and then weave those findings into engaging prose. This panel explores effective approaches to teaching research in creative nonfiction and discusses how to #AWP16 Accepted Events
introduce various methods, including gathering sources, travel, immersion, and more. We seek to exchange prompts, activities, and assignments designed to help students view research as a creative act. Teaching Taxpayers: Building Support for the Arts One Class At a Time. (Charlotte Holmes, Sherrie Flick, Toni Jensen, Laura Mullen, Tom Williams) Whether or not our students become published writers, they do go on to pay taxes, decide on school curricula, opine about arts funding in their communities, buy books, subscribe to literary journals, and raise the next generation of readers. We, as teachers of creative writing, try to build support for the arts that outlives our classes. By making informed pedagogical choices, we can entice student writers into making creative work an essential part of their lives, and spreading that commitment. The All-­‐Inclusive Workshop: Strategies for Discussing Genre Fiction in the Undergraduate Fiction Workshop. (Candace Nadon, Michaela Roessner, Carla Spataro , Matt Sailor) There are tropes, forms, conventions, and terminology specific to genres such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, and mystery.This panel's focus is how to discuss these and other genres in the undergraduate fiction workshop. We will provide definitions of genres undergraduate teachers are most likely to encounter in an undergraduate workshop, terminology specific to these genres, descriptions of particular conventions and tropes, and strategies for how to workshop genre fiction. 82
The Crafty Classroom: Playing with Prosody in the Workshop. (Anna Lena Phillips, Kim Addonizio, Annie Finch, Timothy Steele) From terza rima to tetrameter, formal poetics can enliven a workshop and offer students access to a rich tradition replete with potential for new work. As teachers and authors of guides to poetic craft, we have introduced students to formal prosody in both college courses and community settings. How can craft guides be used to encourage play with meter, fixed forms, and procedural work? Panelists’ titles offer a broad spectrum of strategies; we will discuss these as well as other possibilities. The Language of Change: Writing to Heal in Hospitals, Prisons, and Other Inhospitable Places. (Autumn Stephens, Sharon Bray, Sue Diaz, Kathy Evans, Rose Black) At the heart of writing that heals lies one essential question: “What do you make of your experience?” In this nuts-­‐and-­‐bolts session, writing teachers who work with a variety of special populations share their best strategies for helping students find the language they need to compose (“make”) and comprehend the stories of their lives. Key topics include creating effective curriculum, fostering a safe atmosphere, and valuing individual transformation over the publishable story or poem. The Life You Save May Be Your Own: Mentors and Mentees. (Michael Croley, Richard Bausch, Robert Bausch, Jill McCorkle, Pam Houston) Every young writer craves that one fabulous mentor who will shape his or her #AWP16 Accepted Events
work and, thus, shape his or her life. In the best situation the student(s) shape you too. Four writers with giants for mentors and troves of their own students will discuss what it was like to have been mentored and to have then grown into the role of teacher. The Multimodal Workshop: Digital Pedagogy for Creative Writing Students. (Raul Palma, Nick White, Silas Hansen, Sonya Huber) While certainly useful, purely craft-­‐based pedagogy can privilege the theories of producing creative work, rather than the multiple modes in which creativity can flourish. The multimodal workshop de-­‐
centers craft-­‐based pedagogy by asking students to extend their work beyond the traditional page. In this panel, instructors discuss how they include visual, audio, and tactile texts in their teaching as well as share practical methodologies for cultivating interdisciplinary projects. The Natural Writer: Unschooling the Creative Writing Classroom. (Heidi Staples, Jonathan Skinner, Michael Martone, Deb Unferth, Jessica Smith) Can writing be untaught? Sometimes, the institutional setting of the creative writing classroom can foster a lack of risk-­‐taking by positioning participants as dutiful students rather than daring artists, failing to ignite creative agency. Panelists committed to a variety of unschooling approaches that take writing outdoors will discuss their pedagogies and practices for students, including the Walking Classroom, the Poetry Boat, and Four Roaming Elemental Excursions (F.R.E.E.). 83
The Pedagogy of Addiction, Grindr, Tattoos, Nude Beaches: How Much of Your Identity to Reveal in the Classroom. (Rachel Simon, Syreeta McFadden, Curtis Bauer, Melissa Febos, Michael Broder) How do we model the writing life to our students when our own work touches on intimate, controversial, and disturbing experiences around sex, drugs, violence, and other modes of transgression? This panel offers practical advice on how and how much to bring of our own lives into the creative writing classroom. Panelists include writing professors whose lives and work meet at the intersections of sex work, heroin addiction, the gay hook up app Grindr, queer activism, and work to end rape culture. The Poem You’ll Write Tomorrow: How to Teach Vision. (Traci Brimhall, Natalie Diaz, David Kirby, Roger Reeves, Erika Meitner) Graduate workshops generally focus on the merits of an individual poem, but there comes a day (or deadline) when these poems are collected. With all the focus on individual poems, how do students find a unifying vision for their work? How do teachers in workshop or in their role as advisor guide students beyond craft and poetic imitation to write “breakthrough” poems in their voice? How can a set of poems become an act of fortune telling to see the poems that haven’t yet come into being? The Senses and Sensibility: Activities for the Creative Writing Classroom. (Angela So, Brian Brodeur, Charles Rice-­‐González, Sebastian Paramo, Michelle Burke) #AWP16 Accepted Events
Want to liven up your creative writing classroom? In this panel, teachers share activities they’ve used to successfully engage students’ bodies as well as their minds. Whether it’s using improvisation to teach subtext or having students write poems after tasting a dragon fruit while blindfolded, these activities challenge students to interact with the world using all five senses. After all, being a good writer begins with being a good observer. The Unbearable Too-­‐Whiteness of Workshop. (Joshua Robbins, David Roderick, V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, F. Douglas Brown, Laura McCullough) Continuing the discussion raised by Junot Diaz who rightfully lambasted the whiteness of creative writing faculty, this diverse panel of teachers/writers addresses the implications of the traditional workshop’s cultural reproduction of whiteness and offers specific pedagogical approaches to disrupt dynamics entrenched by the very power structures in which the traditional workshop invests. The session’s goal is to critique norms with an eye toward progress, community, and workshop solidarity. The Use and Abuse of Memoir. (Tom Zoellner, Christa Parravani, Maggie Behringer, David McGlynn, Tiana Kahakauwila) Any writer of creative nonfiction faces a primary question: do I write from inside or outside the self? Does all nonfiction literature ultimately come back to a personal perspective, even if the entire work is third-­‐person reportage? Instructors of the genre discuss the extent to which they encourage or discourage 84
memoir from their students, and question whether the syllabus should include some instruction on the art of interview and research in addition to the exploration of a personal past. Visual Arts in Creative Writing, Literature, and Composition Classrooms. (Margaret Luongo, Zackary Hill, David Ebenbach, Jody Bates, Brian Roley) Writers and teachers of poetry, fiction, plays, and screenplays discuss their use of visual arts in creative writing, literature, and composition classrooms. Moving beyond ekphrasis, these educators and writers describe assignments that promote parallel thinking, meta-­‐cognition, and creative problem solving via various mediums and games at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We are Your Saviors: Faculty of Color Respond to the MFA vs POC Debate. (Julie Iromuanya, DeMisty Bellinger, John Chávez, Randall Horton, Iyawó (Kristin) Naca) Junot Díaz and David Mura critically interrogate the ways that privilege imbues interactions within predominantly white writing workshops. We want to extend this conversation by considering the ways that faculty of color negotiate intersectional identities in these spaces. Our dual perspective as marginalized-­‐leaders has positioned us to save the writing workshop. From both a position of power and marginality, how do workshop leaders of color facilitate a fruitful and inclusive writing workshop? We Don’t String Popcorn Necklaces Here: Brain Science And Assessment #AWP16 Accepted Events
Beyond Craft. (Laura Valeri, Amy Lemmon, Dee Gilson, Brendan Constantine, Zohra Saed) The mysterious power of the brain invites as much speculation as the romantic notion that all writers possess a pinch of madness -­‐-­‐ but can brain science help teachers reconcile the pragmatic demands of program review with the playful, uncertain explorations of the creative process? A diverse panel of teachers who have taught and assessed K-­‐12/BA/MFA curriculums share how recent studies in creativity impact how they teach and show how to design assessment that survives this STEM-­‐obsessed age. We Have Your Interests at Heart: Teaching Memoir in the Era of Mandatory Reporting. (KATHY FLANN, BECKA JAMES, CATHERINE CRISWELL SPEAR, DOROTHY ALISON, GLEN RETIEF) Students seldom submit a draft memoir intending to bring police to their door or to forfeit their agency over reporting harm done to them. Yet broad new state and federal mandatory reporting requirements for child abuse and sexual misconduct make such scenarios increasingly likely. This panel, bringing together student, legal, faculty, and memoirist perspectives, surveys new requirements and shares insights for how today’s teachers can balance student trust and creativity with student safety. What I Did When What I Did Wasn't Working: Teachers on Retooling Their Teaching. (Joseph Scapellato, Matt Bell, Derek Palacio, Catherine Dent, Jameelah Lang) When our in-­‐class lessons and out-­‐of-­‐class assignments don’t give our students what 85
we'd hoped they would—when our pedagogical performances flop unexpectedly—how do we rework what's left? In this panel, five teachers of writing share specific instances of course failure and the attempts at redesign that followed. Examples of activities, assignments, and approaches promise to make this panel helpful for teachers of all experience levels. What Our Speech Still Disrupts. (Katharine Haake, Rebbecca Brown, Marjie Stewart, Kate Kostelnik) Fifteen years have passed since the publication of LA-­‐based writer, Katharine Haake’s text, _What Our Speech Disrupts_. While the theory wars are over, their impact still resonates. Haake’s work–on the intersections of writing, theory, and pedagogy–is unfortunately out of print. Nonetheless, it still illuminates the marginalized spaces occupied by women, minorities, and students. Teachers and writers–among them, Haake’s former student and Haake herself–discuss the book’s impact on their work. What’s Form Got to With It? Focusing on Form in the Creative Nonfiction Class. (Cassandra Kircher, Jeremy Jones, Tim Bascom, Ned Stuckey-­‐French, Jessie van Eerden) In this panel writers and teachers discuss the pros and cons of making essay “forms” the center of their own CNF classes. What is lost and gained by focusing on the traditional conventions of sub-­‐genres—or forms—in CNF? For instance, are the conventions of travel writing or literary journalism flexible enough to allow for narrative or disjunctive or lyrical forms, or some combo of them all? And how can #AWP16 Accepted Events
form-­‐based assignments help students move toward inventing their own apt forms? Where We Begin to Revise the Poem (part 2). (John Hoppenthaler, Keetje Kuipers, James Harms, Peter Campion, Erica Dawson) This panel will provide specific revision strategies for use in the poetry workshop. Revision at the level of the word, the line, the sentence, and the stanza will be highlighted. Each panelist will provide three more favorite points of revision, with each point contributing toward an understanding of the sort of shaping and negotiation that goes beyond mere editing, the sort that students ought to be engaged in as they prepare their portfolios and continue on in a life of poetry making. 86
Whose story is it anyway? Teaching the other in the college creative writing classroom.. (Luanne Smith, Laura Leigh Morris, Yvette Benavides, Cherise Pollard, Shanthi Sekaran) With more attention on global literacy, college creative writing students are often writing in all genres about people who are far from their own experiences. Our pedagogical practices in the creative writing classroom have to evolve to address these changes in what our students are reading. Is this their story to tell? How far does write what you know go? How do we address this delicate subject? We offer strategies for addressing these issues and conversations in the classroom. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Readings
¡Chicana! Power! A Firme Tejana-­‐
Califas Reading. (Guadalupe García Montaño, Xochitl-­‐Julisa Bermejo, Anel Flores, Estella González, Emmy Pérez) With a brown fist in the air, chanting “¡Sí Se Puede!” these mujeres bring la palabra. This is a reading by fierce Chicana poets stemming from Texas and Califas. They exist in this frontera breaking barriers and re-­‐building bridges. They are proud to walk this poetic path. Their writings reflect their politics, beliefs, and lived experiences existing within el otro lado. They build bridges within all their communities: Chicana, LGBTQ y más colores. ¡Que Viva Xicanisma! ¡Viva! #BlackPoetsSpeakOut: From Hashtag to Social Justice Movement. (Amanda Johnston, Mahogany Browne, Aaron Samuels, Douglas Brown) In the wake of a grand jury failing to indict Darren Wilson in the murder of Mike Brown, Black Poets Speak Out (BPSO) was launched to rally poets and allies against police violence. Hundreds of poetry videos were posted and reached thousands internationally across social media outlets. BPSO organizers Amanda Johnston and Mahogany L. Browne, along with regional coordinators F. Douglas Brown and Aaron Samuels, discuss how an online poetry campaign progressed to a community action based movement. 2014 National Poetry Series Selections: A Reading. (Sarah Vap, Ed Pavlić, Joshua Poteat, Nancy Reddy, Simeon Berry) Since 1979, the National Poetry Series has sponsored the publication of more than 175 books of poetry through trade, 87
university, and small presses, both launching careers and validating established ones. Working each year with a changing panel of judges, the Series continues to be a home for a myriad of different voices and experiences. This reading will feature the five poets selected for the 2014 Series, a group both aesthetically and geographically representative of the Series’s range. 25 Years of Diversity from Sable and St. Petersburg Review: A Reading. (Elizabeth Hodges, Jeffrey Renard Allen, Kadija Seesay, Thiong'o Ngugi, Christian Campbell) A reading celebrating two journals' combined anniversary: Reading for St. Petersburg Review are Jeffrey Renard Allen (The Song of the Shank) and Kadija George, editor of Sable magazine. Reading for Sable are Christian Campbell (Running the Dusk) and TK Ngugi. Elizabeth L. Hodges will moderate. 40th Anniversary Celebration of Calyx and Sinister Wisdom. (Jenny Factor, Jean Hegland, Marianne Villanueva, Brenna Crotty, Julie R. Enszer) Two venerable feminist publications celebrate their 40th anniversary of publishing in 2015. Calyx, a twice yearly feminist journal celebrates the excellence and diversity of women’s literature and art, and Sinister Wisdom, a quarterly multicultural lesbian literary & art journal, continue to publish vital new voices building on their long publishing history. Join the editors to celebrate both journals and the broad contributions of Calyx and Sinister Wisdom to feminist publishing. #AWP16 Accepted Events
A 40th Anniversary Reading from the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. (Debra Allbery, Pablo Medina, gabrielle calvocoressi, Charles Baxter, A. Van Jordan) Founded in 1976 by Ellen Bryant Voigt as the nation’s first low-­‐residency program, the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College has counted some of the country’s finest poets and fiction writers among its faculty and graduates. Continuing a tradition started by the program years ago at Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, NC—The Fastest Reading in the World-­‐-­‐ forty Warren Wilson MFA faculty members and alumni will read from their work, celebrating four decades of literary achievement. A Celebration of the Life and Work of Philip Levine. (Edward Hirsch, Vievee Francis, David St. John, Malena Morling, Dorianne Laux) Five poets who were close to Philip Levine and his work will speak about his life, his influence on a generation, and read selections from his poetry, along with one original poem that was significantly influenced by his work. Participating poets will be Edward Hirsch, long time friend and colleague; David St. John, former student and Levis collaborator; Malena Morling, translator of Levine's work; Vievee Francis, Detroit poet and moderator Dorianne Laux. A Rattle Reading: 21 Years of Poetry for the 21st Century. (Timothy Green, Troy Jollimore, Joan Murray, Chris Anderson, Roberta Beary) For over two decades, Los Angeles has been home to Rattle magazine, one of the most vibrant and most read poetry magazines in the world. Four poets from 88
recent issues will read their work, demonstrating the eclectic spirit of the magazine, and spanning four of its tribute themes: Japanese Forms, Poets of Faith, New Yorkers, and Love Poems. Moderator and Rattle editor Timothy Green will introduce each poet and briefly discuss Rattle’s vision of poetry in the 21st century and beyond. A Reading & Conversation with Rigoberto Gonzalez, Marilyn Nelson, & D.A. Powell, Sponsored by Poetry Society of America. (Alice Quinn, Rigoberto Gonzalez, Marilyn Nelson, D.A. Powell) Three acclaimed contemporary poets Rigoberto Gonzalez (PSA Shelley Memorial Award, 2011), Marilyn Nelson (PSA Frost Medalist 2014), and D.A. Powell (PSA Shelley Memorial Award, 2015) will read from their work. The reading will be followed by a conversation moderated by PSA Executive Director Alice Quinn. A Reading and Conversation with Douglas Kearney, Robin Coste Lewis and Gregory Pardlo, Sponsored by Cave Canem. (Douglas Kearney, Robin Coste Lewis, Gregory Pardlo, April Heck) Three poets read from collections that provoke new ways of seeing and thinking about culture, art, history, naming, race and home. They discuss how strategies of experimental performative typography, meditations on the roles played by desire and race in the construction of the self, and autobiographical lyric poems connecting the complex intimacies of domestic life with the profound issues of our day create a seamless line between craft, vision and critical thought. #AWP16 Accepted Events
A Reading and Conversation with Geoff Dyer, Leslie Jamison, and Maggie Nelson, Sponsored by Graywolf Press. (Fiona McCrae, Geoff Dyer, Leslie Jamison, Maggie Nelson) Join three remarkable writers whose works challenge and invigorate new nonfiction with wit, empathy, intelligence, and style. Geoff Dyer received the National Book Critics Circle Award in criticism for Otherwise Known as the Human Condition. Leslie Jamison is the author of the essay collection The Empathy Exams, a New York Times best seller. Maggie Nelson is the author of the innovative works The Argonauts and The Red Parts. Introduced by Graywolf publisher Fiona McCrae. A Reading by Edward Hirsch and Natasha Trethewey, Sponsored by the Academy of American Poets. (Jennifer Benka, Edward Hirsch, Natasha Trethewey) The Academy of American Poets will present a reading by the award-­‐winning and best-­‐selling poets Edward Hirsch and Natasha Trethewey on the final night of the conference. Both poets’ work is of the highest artistic quality and both poets’ readings turn out large audiences. And, both have agreed, that if approved by AWP, they would be pleased to present a reading in partnership with our organizations. Jen Benka, the Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets would introduce the event. A Reading by Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Award Winners. (Beth Bachmann, Yona Harvey, Michael Ryan, Afaa Michael Weaver) The Tufts poetry awards – based at Claremont Graduate University – are two 89
of the most prestigious prizes a contemporary poet can receive. The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award was created to both honor a poet and provide the resources that allow artists to continue working towards the pinnacle of their craft. The Kate Tufts Discovery Award is presented to a first book by a poet of genuine promise. These past recipients showcase the geographic and aesthetic diversity of Tufts Award winners. A Reading for Lana Turner: a Journal of Poetry and Opinion. (Calvin Bedient, Cathy Park Hong, Joshua Clover, Brenda Hillman, Claudia Rankine) The Santa Monica-­‐based Lana Turner: a Journal of Poetry and Opinion celebrates its eighth annual issue with a reading by contributors from past issues. Readers include: Claudia Rankine, Joshua Clover, Brenda Hillman, Cathy Park Hong. The event will be moderated by journal co-­‐
editor Calvin Bedient. A Reading to Celebrate MacDowell's 110 years. (Tracy Winn, Zinzi Clemmons, Adrianne Harun, Alice Sola Kim) This reading celebrates the MacDowell Colony's 110th year of support for writers of diverse cultural, aesthetic and geographical backgrounds, providing the freedom to create in all stages of their careers. Four award-­‐winning fiction fellows read, showcasing the caliber of work encouraged by MacDowell. The panelists also briefly share how residency at the Colony influenced their development as writers. A Sarabande Books Reading. (Kathleen Ossip, Rick Barot, Kerry Howley, John McManus, Wendy S. Walters) #AWP16 Accepted Events
As the winner of the inaugural AWP Small Press Award for excellence, creativity, and innovation, Sarabande Books has been one of the most distinguished of the small independent presses for over 20 years, praised for its wide-­‐ranging taste and inspired editing. We celebrate some of the press’s recent offerings with a reading by five outstanding writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. A question-­‐and-­‐
answer period will follow. Adaptation: Bringing the Novel to the Big Screen. (Graham Moore, Nick Kazan, Mel Toltz, Amber Tamblyn, Robert Nelson Jacobs) "If the integrity of a film adaptation is measured by the degree to which the novelist’s intent is preserved, Mr. Foote’s screenplay should be studied as a classic.” -­‐ Harper Lee on the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. What makes a novel worthy of adaptation? How should we measure the success of an adaptation? How faithful should a screenwriter remain to a novel? Is the author’s intent relevant? In this panel we will explore these questions from the perspective of prominent screenwriters. After Steinbeck and Jeffers: How the Central Coast Inscribes Us. (Kevin Clark, Christopher Buckley, Todd Pierce, Micah Perks, Marsha de la O) A sometimes overlooked but vibrant literary region that has produced some of our most urgent writing, the coastal area of Steinbeck and Jeffers ranges from Santa Cruz in the north to Ventura in the south. These five authors will try to answer the question, how does the region influence style and content? How do dramatic vistas in which mountains meet ocean, valleys, and farmlands affect formal, personal, and 90
political facets of our writing today? They will also read from their own work. American Tropics. (Patrick Rosal, Tiphanie Yanique, Willie Perdomo, Christina Olivares, Brandy Nalani McDougall) Across the enforced borders of race and place, five authors discuss centuries-­‐old fantasies about labor, class, gender, immigration, the body, and sovereignty. These writers, from the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, share a history of American invasion and rule. Their writing reveals mostly untapped or simply ignored versions of US history. In short, their richly varied work can be seen together. In fact, such richness can make America see its secret self. An FC2 Reading. (Michael Mejia, Melanie Rae Thon, Marc Anthony Richardson, Jessica Richardson, Angela Woodward) FC2 has been a leading publisher of experimental writing for over 40 years, hosting a continually dynamic and diverse conversation about what constitutes the innovative. Our authors include, among many others, Samuel Delaney, Leslie Scalapino, Lidia Yuknavitch, Stephen Graham Jones, Diane WIlliams, Lance Olsen, Raymond Federman, and Vanessa Place. This event will feature readings by authors of our latest releases, followed by a Q&A. Angry Asians: A Hyphen Magazine Reading Dismantling the Model Minority Myth. (Ari Laurel, G Yamazawa, Amarnath Ravva, Celeste Chan, Kristina Wong) In 1966, the term "model minority" was coined in the New York Times. This year #AWP16 Accepted Events
will be 50 years since Asian Americans were first characterized by the model minority myth, and they're not going to take it anymore. Five APIA writers will challenge the stereotype by being unapologetically themselves and reading their work about anger, rebellion, and baddest behavior. Audio Drama and Podcasting: the Future is Now. (Bryan Wade, Lance Dann, Fred Greenhalgh, Kc Wayland) In the last decade the landscape for audio dramatic writing has been transformed by the exponential growth and impact of podcasting. Audiences are no longer locked in the traditional appointment-­‐listening model, but can tune in when and where they want. Professional writers and producers will discuss the craft of writing for this unique and demanding medium of the imagination and how one engages audiences in the saturated media universe of tv, film, books, music and multi-­‐platform events. Beautifully Broken: A Multilingual Reading of Trauma-­‐Informed Poetry. (Nancy Naomi Carlson, Alex Cigale, Ilya Kaminsky, Jesse Lee Kercheval, Sidney Wade) Trauma knows no national boundaries, and has inspired a diverse body of poetry to inscribe that before which words are powerless. Poetic response to trauma is conditioned by historical context as well as personal character. This panel of poet/translators will read poems from such countries as Martinique, Mauritius, Russia, Turkey, and Uruguay that describe or explore such devastating life experiences as war, exile, natural 91
catastrophes, domestic violence, and prison. Become Another Race?: Writing Dramatic Identity for the Multicultural Audience. (Ayshia Stephenson, Johnny Jones, Candrice Jones, Aleshea Harris) At the core of race, there is drama. Lies society tells itself about racial identity perform on stage, in everyday life, and in writing. Yet, dramatic literature can tackle race and offer audiences pluralistic symbols of person and culture. In the writing process, an author becomes the entity s/he writes about. But how does a writer become another race? This panel, of writers and practitioners, will offer strategies on how to craft dramatic identities that expand America’s racial imagination. Beyond 40 Years: A Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network reading of Vietnamese American Fiction Writers. (Aimee Phan, Viet Nguyen, Bich Nguyen, Vu Tran, Dao Strom) Forty years after the end of the Vietnam War, Vietnamese American literature has flourished.The Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network is a California-­‐based alliance of artists, writers, and scholars that aims to promote the art and literature of the Vietnamese diaspora. Five award winning writers will read from their most recent work and discuss the craft and politics of writing in the diverse genre of Vietnamese American fiction. Beyond Neruda: Latin American Women Poets Burn Down the House. (Forrest Gander, Yvette Seigert, Jen Hofer, Jesse Lee Kercheval) #AWP16 Accepted Events
A celebration of writing by Latin American women poets whose electrifying work responds to the most burning literary and political pressures of their time. These are poets every American reader should know, poets that teachers should add to their syllabi and class reading lists, poets who inspire other poets. Readings from translations of Coral Bracho (Mexico), Dolores Dorantes (Mexico), Alaíde Foppa (Guatemala), Circe Maia (Uruguay), Valerie Mejer (Mexico) and Alejandra Pizarnik (Argentina). Beyond Our Borders: American Poets Writing about Latin America. (Mia Leonin, Alexandra Lytton Regalado, Roy Guzman, Lisa Allen Ortiz, Valerie Martinez) Beyond the dynamic body of work written by US-­‐born Latinos that focuses on immigrant experiences and cross-­‐cultural identities, what have American poets written about Latin America? This reading explores Latin America’s complex political, cultural, and socio-­‐economic landscape. Inspired by fables, linguistics, activism, and travel, five poets turn their gaze to Latin America in a reading of poems about life, politics, and culture in El Salvador, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru. Beyond Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll: Far Out Poets Read Poems About the 60s. (Patricia Smith , Wendy Barker, Martin Espada, Alicia Ostriker, Dave Parsons) A reading by poets featured in Far Out: Poems of the 60s (Wings Press, 2016), an anthology including poems by more than seventy poets who reflect on personal experiences in the United States during the culturally explosive period between 1958 92
and 1972. Co-­‐editors Wendy Barker and Dave Parsons will also discuss the process of creating the collection and read from other selections in the anthology. (400) BOA Editions 40th Anniversary Celebration. (Li-­‐Young Lee, Aracelis Girmay, Jillian Weise, Nikola Madzirov, Michael Waters) Join five BOA authors whose poetry spans the 40 year history of one of America's true independent literary treasures. Li-­‐Young Lee, Aracelis Girmay, Jillian Weise, Nikola Madzirov, and Michael Waters read from their BOA titles and share a few words about BOA's place in the past, present, and future of our literary landscape. BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: A COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY NONFICTION. (Dinah Lenney, David Ulin, Amy Gerstler, Bernard Cooper, Meghan Daum) BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: A COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY NONFICTION, the fourth in a series of anthologies edited by the late Judith Kitchen (this one with co-­‐editor Dinah Lenney), will be published by W. W. Norton in November, 2015. Of the 77 authors included in the collection, a significant number live, work, and teach in LA. Four such authors will read and talk about their essays, as well as other aspects of writing, teaching, and appreciating nonfiction, long and short form. California Poets Consider the Wider World. (Alice Templeton, Lory Bedikian, Andrea Carter Brown, Carol V. Davis, Mary Mackey) Four California poets read and discuss recent work that looks at areas of the world less frequently the subject of poetry: #AWP16 Accepted Events
Siberia and Russia, Brazil, a remote corner of Southwest France, and the Armenian Diaspora settled in California. Each explores how history influences the way she sees the world and how family stories are integral to this work Celebrating the Unnamed Press: a new home for contemporary authors in Los Angeles. (C.P. Heiser, Deji Olukotun, Gallagher Lawson, Esmé Weijun Wang, Fabienne Josaphat) Join the Unnamed Press for a celebration of Los Angeles's new home for contemporary fiction from around the world. Hosted by Unnamed Press founder and publisher C.P. Heiser, this reading will showcase the diversity and breadth of what the Unnamed Press publishes. Unnamed brings international perspectives and previously unheard voices to the forefront of the literary conversation. Interspersed with questions and commentary, four talented new authors will read from their recent debut novels. Central American Poetics: Guatemalan and Salvadoran Poets in the City. (Maya Chinchilla, Karina Oliva, William Archila, Javier Zamora, Gabriela Ramirez-­‐Chavez) Acclaimed and emergent Californian Central American poets discuss the need and limits of writing on social justice, (historical) memory, trauma, language, and alternative futures / fantasies. While Central American poetics used urgency to end their civil wars (1970-­‐1996); how are diaspora poetics urgent today? Through poetry, this reading engages the question while speaking on the aesthetics of refuge, loss, and healing between the home-­‐in-­‐
diaspora and the diaspora-­‐in-­‐home. 93
Contemporary Korean Literature In Translation, A Cross-­‐Genre Reading And Conversation. (Jake Levine, Chad Post, Yi-­‐
Deum Kim, Bruce Fulton, Kyung Ju Kim) Considering the surge in popularity of Korean gadgetry, cars, music, film, and television, there has been, conversely, a considerable deficit of attention paid to contemporary Korean literature abroad. This is changing. Along with the South Korean poets Kim Yi-­‐Deum and Kim Kyung Ju, a small group of highly distinguished poets, translators, and publishers will participate in a reading and conversation illustrating why there is no better time than the present for Korean literature in America. Crazy Sunday: Preserving Artistic Vision in Hollywood. (Leslie Kreiner Wilson, Jeff Hoffman, Liz Keyishian Wilks, Marilyn Beker, Tom Provost) The title of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story Crazy Sunday – about a screenwriter who embarrasses himself at a producer’s party and elsewhere – acts as a compelling metaphor for those who endeavor to maintain artistic vision – as well as moral integrity – within the Hollywood system. In addition to this discussion, the panel also examines the challenges of working in multiple genres – especially genres that seem somewhat hostile to one another such as poetry and screenwriting. Crossing Genre, Crossing Sea: Writing the South Asian Diaspora. (Rajiv Mohabir, Amarnath Ravva, Gaiutra Bahadur, Faizal Deen, Neelanjana Banerjee) Emerging writers who work in fiction, poetry, non-­‐fiction, and hybrid text read and discuss how we map the imaginary of #AWP16 Accepted Events
South Asia in diaspora. We will explore the complexities of South Asian diasporic identities as a series of cultural, poetic, and ethnic negotiations. We will consider also how literature allows us to grapple with identity through strained, distant, and intimate relationships with the subcontinent from Honolulu to LA to New York. Delmore Schwartz: The Life and Work of an American Writer. (Craig Teicher, Jayne Anne Phillips, Don Share, Stephen Burt, Kevin Prufer) Delmore Schwartz was an early darling of the generation of American Writers that emerged in the 1940s, a pioneer of confessional poetry Jewish American fiction. His own long descent into mental illness and substance abuse, as well as changing tastes, left his legacy in disarray. This panel, celebrating the publication of a new selection of Schwartz’s writings, will feature talks and readings from Schwartz’s body of work from poetry and fiction writers who owe him a debt. Dry Heat: Sizzling Fiction from Sacramento Valley Writers Presented by Stories on Stage Sacramento & Davis. (Valerie Fioravanti, Naomi J. Williams, Renee Thompson, Sue Staats, Elise Winn) Sacramento-­‐area writers turn up the temperature with passages from new work. Roster includes novelists Naomi J. Williams (Landfalls) and Renee Thompson (The Plume Hunter, The Bridge at Valentine), short story writers Valerie Fioravanti (Garbage Night at the Opera), Sue Staats, and Elise Winn. Stories on Stage Sacramento connects and showcases Central Valley writers and inspired sister series Stories on Stage Davis. Our writers 94
have had work featured on both stages, and are ready to heat up LA. Editing (and Writing) the City. (Aviya Kushner, Colleen Kinder, Curtis Bauer, Jennifer Acker) This panel explores cities as sites of rebellion & revolution—personal & communal—as well as regeneration & arrival. How does urban change interweave with memory, politics, tradition, innovation, & mortality? Panelists discuss their experiences editing work about cities no longer like what the writer remembers, as well as cities that are inaccessible to most readers; they will discuss the myriad ways writing can reveal, interrogate, celebrate, reinvent & help sustain human life in cities. Eula Biss and Jonathan Lethem: A Reading and Conversation, Sponsored by USC Dornsife English & PhD in Literature and Creative Writing. (Eula Biss, Jonathan Lethem) Join us for a reading and discussion with two of contemporary literature’s brightest stars Eula Bliss and Jonathan Lethem. Eula Biss is the author of three books: On Immunity: An Inoculation, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction; Notes from No Man’s Land: American Essays, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism; and a collection of poetry, The Balloonists. Her work has been supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Howard Foundation Fellowship, an NEA Literature Fellowship, and a Jaffe Writers’ Award. Jonathan Lethem is the author of over a dozen books—including the much-­‐lauded novels Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude—and the winner of a MacArthur #AWP16 Accepted Events
Foundation Grant. Other novels include Chronic City, selected for the New York Times’ “The 10 Best Books of 2009” list; You Don’t Love Me Yet; and Dissident Gardens, a New York Times notable book of 2013. These acclaimed authors read from their work, discuss their creative process, and their plans for continued future success. Exploring the Heart of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry. (Matthew Silverman, Joy Ladin, Deborah Ager, Jacqueline Osherow, Jennifer Michael Hecht) Both editors and three contributors to Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry will reflect on how contemporary Jewish American poems celebrate Jewish traditions, honor the human spirit, and make a distinct contribution to religious and non-­‐religious subjects. The anthology differs from previous collections of Jewish literature by focusing on the poetry of writers born after 1945. The panel will discuss differences from that of past generations and read from the anthology. Fables, Fibs, and Flat-­‐out Lies: The Material of Making, Sponsored by Copper Canyon Press. (Michael Wiegers, Richard Siken, Laura Kasischke, Roger Reeves) Whatever the chosen form, making is a dominant force in any artist's life. For writers, the creative material-­‐-­‐language-­‐-­‐is simultaneously precise and slippery, irreducible and expansive; metaphor is a lie that tells the truth, and image a construct made from the sound and meaning of language. This reading features three writers who practice various literary 95
and artistic forms-­‐-­‐fiction, poetry, non-­‐
fiction, and painting-­‐-­‐and will be followed by a conversation moderated by their editor. FADE IN: On Fiction Writers Learning from Screenwriters. (Stephan Clark, David Bishop, Joseph Rein, Darlin' Neal, Martin Cloutier) Fiction writing, with its emphasis on language and ability to explore internal worlds, can be a far different artistic medium than screenwriting, which must tell a story through actions and images. But despite these differences, fiction writers can learn a great deal from screenwriters. The panelists will describe what they've learned from studying and teaching screenwriting, including lessons on narrative structure, pacing, editing, mise-­‐
en-­‐scene, and being succinct. Flash Fiction International: Readings From the Book. (Robert Shapard, Ethel Rohan, Berit Ellingsen, James Claffey, Mónica Lavín) These authors from Norway, Mexico, and Ireland will read their stories and comment on origins. Flash Fiction has become a global phenomenon and this anthology showcases the diversity of structures, styles, and narrative strategies employed by writers from different cultures. The presentation will focus on unusual character development, the role of scene setting, and the issue of translating metaphor into English. Finally it will reflect on just how large the world of small fiction can be. Fracture: A Reading & Discussion by Contemporary Korean American Female Poets. (Marci Calabretta Cancio-­‐Bello, EJ #AWP16 Accepted Events
Koh, Franny Choi, Hannah Sanghee Park, Anna Maria Hong) Muriel Rukeyeser once said, “What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.” Five award-­‐winning authors discuss difficult truths about the complexities and responsibilities of identifying themselves as Korean American female poets, seeking to answer practical and political issues that arise from living as women on the hyphen between “Asian” and “American.” Presenters also examine how their work is situated in the fractured identities they claim. From In-­‐Progress to the Printed Page: A Poetry Reading by Alice Fay di Castagnola Award Winners. (Laura Kasischke , Rebecca Morgan Frank, Timothy Donnelly, Mary Jo Bang, Martha Collins) Join us for a reading by five poets who represent fifteen years of the Poetry Society of America’s annual Alice Fay di Castagnola Award for a poetry manuscript-­‐
in-­‐progress. Both notable and emerging poets will demonstrate the life and process of a poetry collection, and the value of support for books in process, with readings from their in-­‐progress and completed works. From New Wave and Punk: Musical influences on Latino Literary Aesthetics. (Vickie Vertiz, Daniel Chacon, Daniel Hernandez) From the back alleys of Los Angeles to Mexico City, punk and New Wave music have influenced Latino writers for decades. This multi-­‐genre panel is equal parts reading, discussion, and listening party. Through poems, essays, and stories, the 96
panelists highlight how, as listeners, they blend literary aesthetics with New Wave and punk sounds to tell new stories. From Poems Online to Poets in Person: a Reading By Four Cortland Review Poets. (Gregory Orr, Laure-­‐Anne Bosselaar, Yusef Komunyakaa, Jeremy Bass, Ginger Murchison) Pursuing a wider community for poetry and to bring poets closer to their readers, The Cortland Review makes the work of established and emerging authors and poets available worldwide-­‐-­‐free and without ever going out of print. Through its professional quality video series, streaming audio and, now, poets performing original music, The Cortland Review has become one of the most important archives of recent poetry, fiction and criticism. Editor Ginger Murchison presents four TCR dynamic voices. From the Fishouse: A Twelve Year Anniversary Reading & Celebration. (Nickole Brown, Tarfia Faizullah, Layli Long Soldier, Ross Gay, Jamaal May) Since 2004, From the Fishouse has provided the public greater access to the poems & voices of emerging US poets by using online audio archives, simulcast readings & other media to bring poetry into the home & classroom. After a major overhaul, the new and improved website has expanded to include emerging international poets while continuing to showcase the finest poets writing in the US. Five award-­‐winning poets, both emerging & emerged, will read their work & work of other poets on the site. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Future Tense Books: A 25th Anniversary Reading. (Jamie Iredell, Kevin Sampsell, Chelsea Martin, Myriam Gurba, Wendy C. Ortiz) Founded in 1990, Future Tense Books continues to publish some of contemporary literature's most diverse and daring voices, many of whom continue to contribute to American letters today, among them Wendy C. Ortiz, Chelsea Martin, and Jamie Iredell. Come hear the bold and eclectic voices from the many years of Future Tense authors, as well as from the publisher, Kevin Sampsell. Graywolf Press Reading. (Percival Everett, Dana Gioia, Jennifer Grotz, Paul Lisicky, Diane Seuss) These terrific writers of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction highlight the breadth and scope of the Graywolf Press publishing list-­‐-­‐from American satire to the lyrical poem to the personal memoir and beyond. Each writer will read from recently published books. Introduced by Graywolf director and publisher Fiona McCrae. Her Western Drama. (Charissa Menefee, Sara Israel, Vanessa Stewart, Elaine Romero, Tiffany Antone) This reading showcases five award-­‐
winning women playwrights whose work is deeply influenced by-­‐-­‐-­‐and engages with—the culture, history, politics, landscapes, and people of the West and Southwest regions. These dramatists write about immigration, Hollywood, border issues, rural and city life, celebrity and media culture, and life in the modern West. Historical Fiction & Afrofuturism Reading (This Present Moment): The 97
Black Literary Imagination & Social Justice. (Michael Datcher, J.O. Bankole) This reading will feature male and female, LA-­‐based, literary fiction writers in different genres (historical fiction and Afrofuturism) with a commitment to use literature as a means to interrogate social justice issues. This reading seeks to demonstrate how well-­‐crafted narratives can be socially-­‐relevant without being pedantic and/or preachy. Hugo House Literary Series All-­‐Stars. (Jennine Capo Crucet, Natalie Diaz, Nick Flynn, Roxane Gay, Jess Walter) The Literary Series at Hugo House, Seattle's place for writers, features three writers and a musician, all performing new work commissioned by Hugo House on a theme—such as death, humor, or both of those combined. This reading features five former Lit Series stars reading excerpts from the works they produced for their respective events. The panelists will also briefly discuss the joys and horrors of writing to a prompt, and what became of the work they produced for the series. I'll Tell You Mine: Iowa NWP Anthology Group Reading. (Hope Edelman, George Yatchisin, Marilyn Abildskov, Tom Fate, Ryan Van Meter) The Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program, founded in the late 1970s, is the first (and only) freestanding nonfiction writing program in the country. The new anthology I'll Tell You Mine: Thirty Years of Essays from the Iowa Nonfiction Program, published by the University of Chicago Press, features 18 works from NWP alumni, all begun during the writers' time in graduate school. Five authors whose work appears in the book will read their #AWP16 Accepted Events
essays and share stories about the process of writing the pieces. In Celebration of Poetry of Resistance -­‐ A Multicultural Response to Arizona SB 1070, Xenophobia & Injustice. (Francisco Alarcón, Odilia Galván Rodríguez , Iris De Anda , Sonia Gutiérrez, Juan Felipe Herrera) From more than 3,000 poems posted on Poets Responding to SB 1070, a Facebook created in 2010 in response to a controversial law in Arizona, a groundbreaking response featuring the works of 88 poets from different backgrounds is coming together as an anthology. Five poets read from their own works that reflect a resurgent multicultural Civil Right Movement in the USA. Come and see accomplished poets read some cutting edge poems included in this anthology as well as from their acclaimed works. In their Own Words: Muslim Women Poets: A Reading and Discussion. (Deema Shehabi, Shadab Zeest Hashmi, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha) Three Muslim American women will read from their works and discuss the representation of Muslim women in the West. Through their own work and in the collaboration with others, this panel will focus on how these women preserve an identity that not only serves to counter common stereotypes but also that creates a complex, personal yet universal, narrative that defies narrow constructs. In Translation: A Reading by Students of UTEP’S Bilingual Creative Writing MFA of the Americas. (Katherine Seltzer, 98
Andrea Castillo, Fatima Masoud, Aaron Romano-­‐Meade, Oscar Zapata) (Andrea Castillo, Fatima S. Masoud, Aaron J. Romano-­‐Meade, Katherine Elizabeth Seltzer, Oscar Zapata) The Bilingual Creative Writing MFA program at the University of Texas at El Paso equips students with the cultural and linguistic resources to work and write in their native language, read and write in a second language, and produce translations. This reading showcases fiction and translations by a diverse group of UTEP’s MFA writers, each at different levels of bilingualism. Inheriting the War Anthology Reading: Poetry and Prose by Descendants of Vietnam Veterans of Refugees. (Ocean Vuong, Cathy Linh Che, Philip Metres, Laren McClung, Monica Sok) The collective voices in this reading convey the inter-­‐generational inheritance of trauma and the troubling aftermath of war. These writers describe the burden of war that comes into the household, addressing the consequences of exile, relocation, Agent Orange, post-­‐traumatic stress, addiction, domestic violence, and together illustrate the long-­‐term effects of war as it does not end on the battlefield. Inspired by Wonder: A WITS Reading. (Renee Watson, Janine Joseph, Marc McKee, Lacy Johnson, Renee Flagler) Wonder, unfiltered curiosity, and deepened imagination open us up as writers to seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary. Writers who teach in schools or community classrooms often develop an unexpected symbiotic relationship in which students and writers inspire one another. This reading honors the imagination and the ways in which #AWP16 Accepted Events
teaching can enhance the creative process. Four writers who have taught in WITS programs share work by a student and then read some of their own. Intersectionality Squared: Queer POC Theater Artists on Writing, Performing and Publishing. (Prince Gomalvilas, R. Zamora Linmark, Luis Alfaro, D'Lo D'Lo, Sigrid Gilmer) Just like queer people of color constantly negotiate multiple identities, theater offers an equally complex arena for writers to move fluidly between the worlds of prose, poetry, performance, and publishing. On this panel, four renowned queer theater artists from diverse backgrounds will give exciting mini-­‐performances, discuss their explorations of race, class, sexuality and practices of witness, along with how they traverse the continuum from writing to embodied performance to publication. Jotas: A Chicana Lesbian Reading by Barrio-­‐based Writers. (Verónica Reyes, Myriam Gurba, Raquel Gutiérrez, Griselda Suárez) ¡Orale! This is a queer reading by Chicana poets and writers from East L.A., Long Beach, and beyond these fronteras. This is the next generación. Their writings reflect their politics, beliefs, and lived experiences of la jotería existing in this país. Their hybrid writings build bridges within all their communities: LGBTQ and gente of color. They are proud of their roots. This is ¡Soy Chicana Lesbiana! Femme, Butch ¡Y Que! Kelly Link, Emily St. John Mandel, and Ruth Ozeki: A Reading and Conversation, Sponsored by Penguin 99
Random House Speakers Bureau. (Emily St. John Mandel, Ruth Ozeki, Kelly Link) This event will bring together three brilliant contemporary female writers, Kelly Link, Emily St. John Mandel, and Ruth Ozeki, to read and discuss their craft and experiences as genre-­‐bending authors. Kelly Link is the recipient of an NEA grant and is the author of Get in Trouble. Emily St. John Mandel is the author of Station Eleven, a finalist for the 2014 National Book Award. Ruth Ozeki is the author of A Tale for the Time Being, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Land of Upheaval: A Literary Journey through Haiti’s Modern History. (Hector Duarte Jr., M.J. Fievre, Fabienne Josaphat, Katia D. Ulysse) "It is the destiny of the people of Haiti to suffer," President François Duvalier once said. Fabienne Josaphat, M.J. Fievre, and Katia D. Ulysse will share first and third-­‐
person accounts of the days of Papa Doc Duvalier, the tumultuous times of President-­‐Priest Jean-­‐Bertrand Aristide, and the 2012 earthquake tragedy. The panel will discuss how myths and tales about Haiti have been used for political ends. Three authors. Three voices. Three slices of chaotic Haitian history. Las Vegas Writes: UNLV -­‐ Black Mountain Institute Almuni Fiction Reading. (David Armstrong, Dan Josefson, Alissa Nutting, Vu Tran, Maile Chapman) The UNLV-­‐Black Mountain Institute Creative Writing International program presents readings by four of its prize-­‐
winning fiction alumni: David Armstrong, Dan Josefson, Alissa Nutting, and Vu Tran. All four writers read from new work and celebrate this unique young program #AWP16 Accepted Events
(founded in 1998), and talk about how living and making art in Las Vegas transformed both their writing and the unusual city and community in which it all happened. Moderated by novelist Maile Chapman, editor of "Witness." Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature. (Daniel Olivas, Reyna Grande, Melanie González, Alejandro Morales, Luis Alberto Urrea) Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature is a landmark anthology spanning 60 years of Los Angeles fiction that includes the work of thirty-­‐four Latina/o writers. We're introduced to a myriad of lives that defy stereotypes and shatter any preconceptions of what it means to be Latina/o in the City of Angels. These actors perform on a stage set with palm trees, freeways, mountains, and sand in communities from East L.A. and El Sereno to Malibu and Hollywood. Les Figues Press Reading. (Teresa Carmody, Alta Ifland, Frances Richard, Harold Abramowitz, Divya Victor) Writers published by Los Angeles-­‐based Les Figues Press as part of the TrenchArt Series will present readings from their books, and from "TrenchArt Monographs: hurry up please its time"—a new essay anthology about the politics, poetics, and possibilities of writing. In a post-­‐reading conversation with LFP co-­‐founding editor, authors will explore poetic interventions of the TrenchArt series, and its contributions to conceptual poetry, essay experimentation, and Los Angeles publishing. 100
Let Us Live Loudly: a Dark Noise reading. (Danez Smith, Franny Choi, Nate Marshall, Aaron Samuels, Fatimah Asghar) What does it mean to exist with marginal identities in a world that is bent on our destruction? How do we celebrate our survival while honoring the legacies of violence which brought us here? Join Dark Noise, a multiracial, interdisciplinary collective of 6 extraordinary emerging voices in poetry, in an unapologetic celebration of survival. This reading will showcase DN’s collaborative approaches to performance & writing, exploring what it means to live loudly in the margins today. Male Poets Writing Home and Hearth. (John Hoppenthaler, Geffrey Davis, Jon Pineda, James Harms) The Victorian idea that differing propensities of each gender fit them for different positions in society are seen in these lines from Tennyson: "Man for the field and woman for the hearth: / Man for the sword and for the needle she.” Many female writers rebelled at the thought that their subject matter should be resigned only to matters of hearth but the reverse was not common. Few men—even in our “sensitive, new age dad” era—write much about domesticity. This panel offers work by men who do. Midwest Magazine Seeks West Coast Writers. (Terry Lucas, Karen An-­‐hwei Lee, Lynne Thompson, Marianne Villanueva, Allison Joseph) What happens when a well-­‐established midwestern literary journal seeks writers from the West Coast? Crab Orchard Review has done just that in a special issue called "The West Coast and Beyond." This panel will explore the concept of #AWP16 Accepted Events
multiregionalism, with readings from three poets and a fiction writer who were in the issue. What do readers and writers learn when one region examines the literature of another? This panel of four west coast writers will speak to this concept. Mistaking Planes for Stars: Los Angeles Writing From Freeways to Flight Paths. (Vickie Vertiz, Raquel Gutierrez, Aida Salazar , Steve Gutierrez, Melinda Palacio) From Bukowski to Viramontes, working-­‐
class writing in Los Angeles is a long-­‐
standing tradition. Latinos are the largest ethnic group in the county, bringing avant-­‐
garde aesthetics to literature. However, many of our stories have yet to be told. This reading highlights cutting-­‐edge poetry, story, and performance by working-­‐class and queer Latinos from a little known part of Los Angeles: the southeast. From railroad yards to factory floors, writers will share their work of grit and heart. Mujeres at the Mic!: A reading by Nuyorican Women Writers. (Peggy Robles-­‐Alvarado, Maria Rodriguez-­‐ Morales, Nancy Mercado, Vanessa chica Ferreira) What is a Nuyorican? Are any of them women? This reading will discuss what it means to be a woman in the Nuyorican Literary movement and poetry performance scene from Loisaida, El Barrio, The Bronx, Brooklyn and beyond by featuring the work of four prominent, intergenerational New York City based poets at different stages of their careers. With their defiant and oftentimes nostalgic expressions in English, Spanish and 101
Spanglish these mujeres have secured their spot in Nuyorican history. Multiple Feminisms: Celebrating 10 Years of Switchback Books. (Hanna Andrews, Stefania Heim, Morgan Parker, Marisa Crawford, Whitney Holmes) Switchback Books was founded with the vision of being an inclusive feminist poetry press, and a mission to seek out groundbreaking work by woman-­‐identified writers. This 10th anniversary panel brings together a diverse group of Switchback poets who will speak on the connection between feminist perspective and aesthetic choices, reflect on Switchback's editorial process, consider the evolution of the press within the larger field of contemporary feminist writing, and read/perform from their work. Nature’s Nature: Ecopoetry at Kenyon Review. (David Baker, Kimiko Hahn, Solmaz Sharif, Joanna Klink) What do poets mean when they make a natural gesture? The poets in Kenyon Review’s 2015 and 2016 special issues on ecopoetics share an anxiety about ecological crisis, a devotion to the natural in its many forms, and an awareness of the inevitable relationship between nature and human destiny. Speaking from an array of cultural backgrounds and through a great diversity of poetic forms, they demonstrate how contemporary poetry may speak about, speak for, and speak from a natural place. New Directions in Contemporary War Fiction. (Peter Molin, Matt Gallagher, Andria Williams, Jesse Goolsby, Elliot Ackerman) #AWP16 Accepted Events
This panel features short readings and commentary by four first-­‐time novelists in the burgeoning field of contemporary war literature. The authors' novels, each published in either 2015 or 2016, highlight new possibilities for representing combat, war, and military culture in fiction. Building on recent critically acclaimed fiction depicting conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, the panel authors refine our understanding of the human dimensions of war overseas and on the home front. New Generation African Women Poets: A Reading from the African Poetry Book Series. (Ladan Osman, Mahtem Shiferraw, Tsitsi Jaji, Warsan Shire, Amy Lukau) A reboot of the highly successful panel reading at AWP 2014, the African Poetry Book Series presents five exciting new and established female voices writing in the U.S. and abroad. This reading includes international prize-­‐winning poets and performers who will share their work, discuss craft and process, as well as publishing opportunities for African poets. New Voices of Copper Canyon Press. (Kelly Forsythe, Camille Rankine, Ocean Vuong, Paisley Rekdal, Josh Bell) Help Copper Canyon Press welcome four dynamic poets to our family, as they join our decades-­‐long lineage of award-­‐winning and esteemed authors. Each of these poets—whether emerging or mid-­‐career—
has recently found a home for their work at Copper Canyon. The poets will read from newly released or forthcoming collections, and the Press will provide introductory comments revealing the story of how and why these manuscripts were selected for publication. 102
Norman Dubie, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Heather McHugh: A Reading and Conversation. (Heather McHugh, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Norman Dubie) Join us for a reading with three of America’s most respected and influential poets. Norman Dubie is the author of many collections of poetry, including The Volcano, The Insomniac Liar of Topo, and, Quotations of Bone. Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a poet and the founder of City Lights Books and Publishers in San Francisco, a bookstore and press instrumental in the creation of the Beat movement. His most recent works include Blasts Cries Laugher, Time of Useful Consciousness, and Poetry As Insurgent Art. Heather McHugh’s most recent work includes Upgraded to Serious and Eyeshot. She has received many awards including a MacArthur “Genius Grant”. Notes Toward a New Language. (Cynthia Cruz, Nina Puro, Louise Mathias , Allison Benis White , Michelle Chan Brown) How does writing from the female body vis a vis an eating disorder inform one’s writing? In this hybrid panel discussion/poetry reading participants will discuss how an eating disorder is a means to refuse the world, enact Otherness and hybridity (race, class, gender, trauma, etc.), to make a language of one's body. Furthermore, we will discuss how these iterations translate on the page as variations of silence: stutter, hesitation, holes or space, and repetition as well as other enactments. Page Meets Screen: The Mercurial Marriage of Fiction and Film. (Billy #AWP16 Accepted Events
Mernit, Chrysanthy Balis, Nancy Nigrosh, Michael Weiss) As the adaptation success Gone Girl recently demonstrated, some novels translate wonderfully well into feature films—though often, literary bestsellers (Snow Falling on Cedars, anyone?) fail at the multiplex. What kinds of stories best lend themselves to adaptation? What is today’s movie industry looking for in acquiring a fictional project? Los Angeles screenwriting professionals/authors discuss the evolving, often surprising symbiosis between two of storytelling’s most enduring mediums. Peering Behind the Orange Curtain. (Andrew Tonkovich, Gustavo Arellano, Stephanie Brown, Victoria Patterson, Tom Zoellner) Often derided as a tableau of gated communities, Botox and vapid beach towns, California's Orange County actually is home to a sophisticated literary tradition ranging from legends from the Gabreilino Indians, narratives from migrant laborers, crime fiction, poems, Disneyland critiques and novel excerpts. Contributors to a newly-­‐published anthology of the region's best work offer thoughts on the neglected literature of this surprisingly complicated place. Peter Ho Davies, Joyce Carol Oates, and Roxana Robinson: A Reading, Sponsored by The Author's Guild, Ecco, and Kundiman. (Peter Davies, Joyce Carol Oates, Roxana Robinson) Peter Ho Davies is the author of the novel The Welsh Girl, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and two story collections, The Ugliest House in the World and Equal Love. Joyce Carol Oates has 103
written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including We Were the Mulvaneys; Blonde, which was nominated for the National Book Award; and the New York Times best seller The Accursed. Roxana Robinson is the author of Sparta, four earlier novels including Cost, three story collections, and the biography Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life. Four of these were New York Times notable books. She has received fellowships from the NEA, the MacDowell Colony, and the Guggenheim Foundation and is President of the Authors Guild. Phoneme Media Presents New Voices in Translation. (Angélica Freitas, Ahmatjan Osman, David Shook, Hilary Kaplan) Brazilian poet Angélica Freitas reads from her English-­‐language debut, Rilke Shake, translated from the Portuguese by Hilary Kaplan, who will join her to read the poems in English, and Uyghur poet Ahmatjan Osman reads from his selected poems, Uyghurland: The Farthest Exile, the first ever literary translation from the Uyghur language of East Turkestan Following the multilingual reading, Freitas, Kaplan, and Osman will take questions from the audience. Pitt Poetry Series Reading: The West Coast Connection. (Charles Harper Webb, Arthur Vogelsang, David Hernandez, Colleen J. McElroy, Joan Kane) Four West Coast poets with recent books in the Pitt Poetry Series read from their work, Poetry Crosses the Pond: A Reading and Conversation with London-­‐based Eyewear Publishing. (Mandy Kahn, Sean Singer, Piotr Florczyk, Todd Swift, Anthony Seidman) #AWP16 Accepted Events
Four American poets who have books with London-­‐based Eyewear Publishing will give readings and engage in a conversation with Eyewear’s publisher and editor-­‐in-­‐
chief Todd Swift about why they chose a British publishing house, the differences between UK and US poetry audiences, and why cultivating dialogue and creative interplay between American and UK-­‐based poets, publishers and readers is imperative. Poetry Los Angeles: Reading the Essential Poems of the City. (Laurence Goldstein, Harryette Mullun, William Mohr, Susan Suntree, Garrett Hongo) How do poets conjure a complex city into imaginative forms? How do they articulate the city’s many layers and locations evoking a visible, audible, and tangible city? How do they construct a vital spirit of place with intimacy and authenticity? Through readings and discussions based on Laurence Goldstein’s book, Poetry Los Angeles: Reading the Essential Poems of the City, panelists will consider how poets arouse and sustain readers’ attention by diverse and artful approaches to urban life. Poetry, Politics, and Place: A Reading and Conversation with Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Luis J. Rodriquez, Sponsored by Poets House. (Stephen Motika, Naomi Shihab Nye, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Luis J. Rodriguez) These leading poets read their poems and discuss their poetry-­‐activism in New York, San Antonio, Los Angeles, and around the country. Each engages poetic practice and community building with projects that expand poetry's place in our lives and culture: Griffiths through photography, Nye through writing for children, and 104
Rodriquez through publishing projects and political organizing. The transformative power of poetry brings these three together to talk about how we can make a better world. Puentes=Bridges: A Queer-­‐Straight Mujeres Reading. (Olga García Echeverría, Liz González, Melinda Palacio, Karleen Pendleton Jimenez) Anzaldúa and Moraga taught us: puentes. We must build bridges. This is a Queer=Straight Mujeres reading by Chicana/Latina writers from this big frontera called Califas. They are fierce poets, writers, and playwrights of this generación. Their writings reflect their politics, beliefs, and lived experiences existing within el otro lado. They build bridges within all their communities: Latina, LGBTQ de color. They stand proud. ¡Que Viva La Mujer! ¡Viva! ¡Que ¡Viva la Jota! ¡Viva! Raising Lilly Ledbetter: Women Poets Occupy the Workspace-­‐-­‐an Anthology Reading and Celebration. (Carolyne Wright, Vandana Khanna, Jacqueline Osherow, Kim Addonizio, Elaine Sexton) After President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the editors of this anthology called for women poets of all backgrounds and job descriptions to share their workplace experiences—not just pay and promotion inequity, or workplace harassment and intimidation, but women’s ever-­‐widening range of occupations and representation in a globalized world. Join us to occupy the reading space with five poet contributors to this ground-­‐breaking anthology that celebrates women in the workplace. #AWP16 Accepted Events
Raising our Voices. (Alice Crow, Sable Sweetgrass, Milton Blue House, b: william bearheart, Velma Craig) Spread the word! Eclectic works rise up from sea to shining sea; from snow and tundra, desert sand, and city streets. Institute of American Indian Art MFA recent graduates and emerging students will read from new works of poetry, essay, genre fiction, and screenplay. Literary writers will ditch the kitschy; decowboy the West; and celebrate connections, place and belonging, and migrations of meaning. Rebel Girls: Pushing Boundaries Across Landscapes, Cultures and Confines. (Daisy Hernandez, Faith Adiele, M. Evelina Galang, Deborah Busman, Elmaz Abinader) Works of fiction and memoir examine several stories of girls who broke through, broke out, and got broke. We observe the different societies, families, cultures, and roles that bind girls and the narratives of rebellion and liberation, or the experimentation with liberation. Representing a broad spectrum of backgrounds, generations and family configurations, the authors demonstrate how the rebel heart of a girl can break through established roles: cultural, societal, gender, and class. Rejecting "Page" vs "Stage": A Drawbridge Reading. (Elizabeth Acevedo, Clint Smith, Amin Drew Law, Terisa Siagatonu, Pages Matam) Coming from both spoken word & formal literary backgrounds, & pushing back against the notion that these are mutually exclusive, the Drawbridge Collective will give a reading that reflects work imbued with dynamic performance & literary merit. The panel will serve as an exhibition 105
of new voices that traverse multiple genres & discuss what it means to be young artists of color at a time in America when many black & brown young people experience ubiquitous violence & discrimination. Remapping Displacement: Women Writers from L.A. Redefine "Home". (Melissa Sipin, Nayomi Munaweera, Rae Paris, Melissa Chadburn, Micheline Marcom) Writers of Armenian, Sri Lankan, African, and Philippine diasporas will discuss how their Los Angeles upbringing have impacted their craft and narrative of home/displacement—home as a person and/or a place, a longing, a genesis, and journey; displacement as genocide, war, sexual/child abuse, and inherited/generational trauma. How has the multicultural/diverse communities of their youth invaded their fictions? How do the traces of loss affect the re-­‐imaginations of Los Angeles in their work? Rewriting the Hollywood Gender Gap. (Ligiah Villalobos, Danielle Wolff, Beth Schacter, Susanna Fogel, Lesley Tye) Despite the hype about female protagonists breaking into top grossing films and popular TV shows, female voices continue to be underrepresented in the film and television industry. Panelists will speak up about the challenges facing women today, tell their own stories of working in the industry, and talk about how and where women are creating change and more diversity. SEX & LOVE &: a poetry reading and discussion. (Elaina Ellis, Deborah Landau, Jericho Brown, Bob Hicok) #AWP16 Accepted Events
Copper Canyon Press presents a celebration of sex, ardor, and the body: what are the rewards and risks of writing and publishing poetry that smolders? Who are our role models and predecessors when it comes to writing sex? Do cultural expectations and taboo inhibit or encourage vulnerability? Revered poets—
queer and straight, male and female, at various points in their careers—will read from recent publications, followed by a discussion on the fine art of revealing a poem’s wants and excesses. Small Beer Press: 15th Anniversary Reading. (Sofia Samatar, Ayize Jama-­‐
Everett, Gavin Grant, Karen Joy Fowler, Maureen McHugh) Fifteen years after Small Beer Press was founded to publish works that cross genre definitions, traditional bookstore shelving options, and academic course descriptions, four authors from different parts of the USA who now all live in California read from their books and then discuss the spaces their books were published into with Small Beer Press publisher and co-­‐
founder Gavin J. Grant. SMC MFA 20th Anniversary Reading. (Sara Mumolo, Erin McCabe, Yuska Lufti, Brett Fletcher Lauer, Jason Bayani) Saint Mary’s College of CA MFA Program in Creative Writing celebrates its 20th anniversary with readings from a diverse group of alumni. This reading is comprised of California writers in different stages of their careers, representing various aesthetic conversations in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. 106
So Cal Magical Realism. (Heather Fowler, Ben Loory, Bonnie ZoBell, Andy Roe) Magical realism has trickled up the coast from Latin America to the Golden State. Set in reality with magic introduced matter-­‐of-­‐
factly, it's less of a genre than a style. One writer from Northern Mexico and four So Cal writers mix it up with magical elements, most set in So Cal or Mexico, some speculative. Each reads a sample of work and discusses what magical realism means in his or her writing. Q & A. Ten Years of 5 Under 35. (Benjamin Samuel, Kirstin Allio, Molly Antopol, Alex Gilvarry, Grace Krilanovich) The National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards, created “5 Under 35” in 2006 to highlight the work of a rising generation of fiction writers, because the majority of winners and finalists for the National Book Awards were mid-­‐ or late-­‐career writers. We’re celebrating ten years of bringing the finest young fiction writers to the attention of the reading public. Come raise a glass and listen to some great writing! The Art of Medicine: A reading of creative nonfiction by health practitioners. (Lee Gutkind, Catherine Musemeche, Thomas Gibbs, Diane Kraynak) In the past five years, Creative Nonfiction and In Fact Books have published five anthologies of medical narratives, illuminating the professional, personal, and emotional experiences of doctors, nurses, therapists, and patients. Contributors to several of these collections read from their work and, in discussion with the books' editor, reflect on how they approach writing honestly about their professional #AWP16 Accepted Events
lives and deal with ethical questions about writing patients' stories. The Flash Sequence: A Reading and Discussion. (Deb Marquart, Irena Praitis, Siel Ju, Jenn Koiter, Sonia Greenfield) For 20 years, the Marie Alexander Series has published hybrid work: prose poems, flash fiction, lyric essays, and books which mix all three and defy categorization. For our 20th anniversary, we decided to publish an anthology of flash sequences—
that is, pieces comprising short prose segments. We received over 400 submissions, and the resulting collection contains a wide variety of different approaches to this form. Each participant will read and discuss his or her contribution to the anthology. The National Book Critics Circle Celebrates Award-­‐winning Authors Phil Klay, Hector Tobar, and Amy Wilentz. (Phil Klay, Hector Tobar , Amy Wilentz , Jane Ciabattari) Three National Book Critics Circle award honored authors-­‐-­‐Phil Klay, Hector Tobar, and Amy Wilentz-­‐-­‐read from their work and talk with NBCC Vice President/Online Jane Ciabattari about inspiration, research, readers, awards, the unique challenges of writing from international material (Iraq, Chile, Haiti) and the imaginative process that gives their work originality. The National Book Critics Circle awards have honored the best literature published in English for 40 years. The New Atlantis: Readings by Five Eco-­‐
fabulist Writers. (Rose Bunch, Lily Yu, Christian Moody, Peter Grimes, Alexander Lumans) 107
Eco-­‐Fab, Eco-­‐Fic, Cli-­‐Fi. Hailing back to such works as Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1975 story “The New Atlantis,” Eco-­‐fabulism continues to grow as a potent catalyst for environmental discussion and, possibly, change. In this panel, five fiction writers share their diverse eco-­‐fabulist work. By employing the fantastic as a lens to witness contemporary problems, these readers display the breadth and depth of this hot genre in the literary landscape. The New South: A Reading in Three Genres. (Devin Latham, Dr. David Jamie Poissant , Adam Vines, Carrie Jerrell, Jamie Quatro) With Faulkner's South paved into history, what defines Southern literature today? Do contemporary Southern writers still make use of old tropes like familial loyalty, racial tension, and heavy religion set in a humid landscape of live oaks and wisteria? Does the urban and suburban South require new settings and themes? This reading features five Southern writers reading fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that illuminates and redefines Southern literature today. The Poetry of Comics. (Erica Trabold, Bianca Stone, Gabrielle Bates, Alexander Rothman) The combination of text and image holds the power to create indivisible meaning on the page. Just as poets ground their work in the arrangement of words, ordered by such elements as sound or sense, most cartoonist-­‐poets gravitate toward comics’ foundational device of juxtaposition. The tradition of comics has created generous, exciting spaces for the poetic, lyric, and hybrid. In this panel, artists will showcase and read from works #AWP16 Accepted Events
that live at the intersection of the visual and the poetic. The Politics of Translation: Aimé Césaire's The Tragedy of King Christophe. (Paul Breslin, Rachel Ney, Roger Reeves) We will discuss politically-­‐charged translation problems in this play, set in post-­‐revolutionary Haiti. How should one translate nègre, in most contexts a term of racial abuse, but for Césaire usually neutral or honorific (its cognate in modern Kreyòl is racially unmarked, meaning simply "man")? Should nonstandard French be rendered as non-­‐standard English? Paul Breslin and Rachel Ney will present the decisions made in their new translation. Roger Reeves will offer a critique of their work. The Radioactive Muse: Nuclear Disaster and Poetry. (Mihaela Moscaliuc, Judith Vollmer, April Naoko Heck , Lissa Kiernan, Kathleen Flenniken) To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the 5th anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (as well as the 70th anniversary, in 2015, of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), four women poets whose lives have been marked by the nuclear industry will read from their work and discuss the convergence of research and personal history in the making of their poems. The War on Both Sides: Writing on Violence and Healing in the Drug War. (Rubén Martínez, Luis Rodriguez, Raquel Gutierrez, Gabriela Jauregui, Cristina Rivera-­‐Garza) 108
Convening poets, critics and non-­‐fiction writers, our panel asks what ethical modes are available to represent the violence of the Drug War that takes a terrible toll on both sides of the US-­‐Mexico border. What aesthetic challenges to presenting the real arise across our genres? How can writing play a healing role? We will stage a performance dialogue, which includes readings as well as conversation among ourselves and with the audience, embodying the ideal of writer-­‐as-­‐public intellectual. Throwback Thursday: Four Forms of Performance From The Early 90’s Nuyorican Poet’s Café. (Xavier Cavazos, Ava Chin, Crystal Williams, Regie Cabico) Voices From the Nuyorican Poets Café! Slam stars from past celebrate their early roots at the Nuyorican Poets Café, deemed “the grand pappy of the spoken word scene” by New York Magazine. With nods to the Green Mill and those poets who came before them, these diverse, multicultural poets—now published authors, academics, and actors—will perform work, discuss their earliest beginnings at NYC's Nuyorican Poet’s Café and how being at the cafe in the 90’s changed their writing lives. To Bring Song to the World: Four Poets on Art and Inspiration, Sponsored by Blue Flower Arts. (Alison Granucci, W.S. Di Piero, Linda Gregerson, Juan Felipe Herrera) Whether it be a film, a painting, a song, a photograph, art in all forms is a powerful force of cross-­‐pollination for writers, and especially for poets, who engage intellectually and emotionally with art and artists across time and disciplines. Each of #AWP16 Accepted Events
these four poet’s individual cultural references provide a juxtaposition of images and techniques that create illuminating renderings of place and history within the landscape of language. To Infinity (and beyond): Redefining Creative Writing for New Screen Media. (David Shaerf, Angela Ferraiolo, Jeffrey Wray, Austin Bunn) This panel engages with the need to (re)define Creative Writing for screen media. As screenwriting rapidly fragments from movies to games, the web, documentary, there is a need to develop the pedagogical language of screenwriting within the CW workshop setting. The aim then, is to look at some of the new competencies required for creative writing for screen: interfacing the image, interaction, data, animation, and simulation as writing for screen continues to broaden as an academic discipline. Translating Tongues of Fire: Poetic and Religious Texts. (Michael Wright, Tania Runyan, Scott Cairns, Rachel Mennies) Poets with religious commitments write within a simultaneous struggle: how do you appropriate language and symbols in a way that honors the tradition while still innovating with contemporary poetic forms? Join poets from three different traditions as they reflect on their process and read poems that engage Jewish, New Testament, and Eastern Orthodox texts. USC Creative Writing Faculty Reading. (Carol Muske-­‐Dukes, Susan McCabe, Mark Irwin, Anna Journey) This event is a reading of USC creative writing faculty, in fiction, poetry, and creative non-­‐fiction, all of whom teach in 109
the PhD graduate program in Literature/Creative Writing. Right now the four listed are poets, but see note below about possible expansion. If expansion is doable, it could be considered the Sponsorship Reading. Vermont College of Fine Arts 35th Anniversary Reading. (Rigoberto Gonzalez, LeAnne Howe, Alison Hawthorne Deming, Neela Vaswani, David Wojahn) Vermont College of Fine Arts, one of the first low-­‐residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing programs in the country, celebrates its 35th anniversary with a reading by faculty and alumni of the program. VCFA, a unique college focusing solely on graduate fine arts programs, has long been a nationally-­‐known leader in low-­‐residency education designed for adults. Veteran Poetry Reading. (Jeb Herrin, Karen Skolfield, Vicki Hudson, Soul Vang) Many veterans struggle to find their place blending into civilian society, as many poets struggle to find their place in a literary world that often overlooks them. This panel will bring to light the experiences of Veterans through the literary form that best suits the transition into civilian life. In this panel, poet veterans share their stories through poetry. Visions of a Feminist Utopia: The Feminist Press and the Future. (Jennifer Baumgardner, Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, Alexandra Brodsky) What is this future we say we believe in? What does it look like and what are we like within it? #AWP16 Accepted Events
Rachel Kauder Nalebuff and Alexandra Brodsky, editors of the groundbreaking FEMINIST UTOPIA PROJECT (Feminist Press, October 2015), lead several of their contributors in a reading and discussion of what make a better world and the role feminist theory and activism will have in that brave new reality. The editors will be joined by Jennifer Baumgardner, director & publisher of the Feminist Press. We Are Theatre. SPEAK-­‐OUT for for gender parity for women playwrights. (Aphra Behn, Thelma De Castro, Martha Joy Rose, Jennie Webb, Laura Shamas) In 2012 Guerrilla Girls On Tour and LA Female Playwrights Initiative organized a SPEAK-­‐OUT in NYC, "WE ARE THEATRE" -­‐ an evening of plays about sexism in theatre. From 50/50 in 2020 to Little Black Dress, Inc. to the Kilroys, organizations working towards gender parity in theatre are all across the US. Yet the stats remain the same: less than 20% of all plays produced in the US have been written by women. Reps from LAFPI, San Diego Playwrights and the GGOT’s will discuss what else we can do. We Got Here As Fast as We Could: Debut Authors Over 35. (Mo Daviau, Jamie Duclos-­‐Yourdon, Louise Miller, francine j. harris, Antonio Ruiz-­‐Camacho) Excluded from the bevy of youth-­‐oriented literary awards and accolades that often presage success in the field, these authors, all of whom first published past the age of 35, will share their work and the stories of their longer, windier paths to publication. What are you?: Mixed-­‐race writers find voice and community. (Aaron Samuels, 110
Chris Terry, F. Douglas Brown, Suzie F. Garcia, Casey Rocheteau) While the mixed-­‐race population explodes in the U.S., there is no definitive mixed-­‐
race/multiracial experience. Mixed identity is varied, and mixed writers often do a form of literary code switching as they write in multiple communities. In this panel, a diversity of mixed authors will share their work and discuss how mixed writers of different ethnic, economic and geographic backgrounds find inspiration, form community, and create in conversation with one another. What Playwrights Bring to the Composition Classroom. (Normandy Sherwood, Samantha Chanse, Eliza Bent, Benjamin Gassman) While they may be in the minority, playwrights also teach composition classes. Four playwright-­‐teachers discuss the way their pedagogy is informed by their dramatic practice. The panelists will discuss the ways that the things playwrights attend to—dialogue, stage images, bodies in space— are uniquely suited to help student writers learn the ways of academic writing. The panel will include conversation and sharing of practical techniques for engaging students using playwriting practices. Wild Equations: A Math Poetry Reading. (Carol Dorf, Amy Uyematsu, Stephanie Strickland, Alice Major, Katie Manning) For poets, language is the structure on which everything depends, including the red wheelbarrow. But mathematics is a language, too—a universal one with the potential to link the logic of numbers with literary form. Poets like Wislawa Szymborska and Rita Dove, for instance, #AWP16 Accepted Events
make use of pi, statistics, and geometry in their work. In this unusual reading and conversation, Talking Writing magazine presents five math poets with different approaches but a shared belief in a fresh take on the world. WOC Write Crime. (Maria Kelson, Gigi Pandian, Naomi Hirahara, Rachel Howzell Hall, Steph Cha) Women crime novelists who write from, or about, California, read from new work. Panelists include mid-­‐ and early-­‐career novelists who identify as Indian-­‐, African-­‐, Japanese-­‐, Mexican-­‐, and Korean-­‐American and write for a broad audience. They discuss their varied publication paths (print/e, legacy/indie, commercial/literary, large/small presses). They also address how pop culture views of crime and policing, and mystery genre structures and forebears, fuel (or don’t) their inspiration. Women Who Write Fantasy & Science Fiction: A Reading. (Rachel Swirsky, Lily Yu, Cat Rambo, Camille Griep) Over the past few years, women nominated for a Hugo or Nebula Award has surged, a trend that has occurred once or twice since the 1950s. Are women only now discovering genre fiction? Many will point out that science fiction was created by a woman in 1818. Listen to four award-­‐
winning and emerging speculative fiction writers read from their work. Worlds Within the Other California. (Armen Bacon, Phyllis Brotherton, Samina Najmi, Sally Vogl, Jacqueline Williams) These works of creative nonfiction engage with Fresno and the Central Valley as a marginalized space within California—
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conservative, Christian, agricultural, and working class—yet also a place of intersections, where immigration, assimilation, and hybridity are intensely personal, lived experiences. The writings represent Fresno lives as a confluence of events in Armenia, Iran, Pakistan, and Lesotho while grappling with the darker underbelly of “diversity” in the family and the workplace. WriteGirl Celebrates 15 Years of Empowering Teen Girls in Los Angeles. (Keren Taylor, Amanda Gorman, Sholeh Wolpe, Barbara Abercrombie, Ashaki Jackson) WriteGirl presents a cross-­‐genre reading celebrating its 15th anniversary in Los Angeles. WriteGirl brings the skills and energy of professional women writers to underserved teen girls through innovative mentorship. Acclaimed local writers and LA’s first Youth Poet Laureate will read from their own work and WriteGirl’s collected anthologies of teen writing, which have won 70 book awards. The event will feature writing activities and discussion about empowering teens through self-­‐
expression. Writers Who Change the World, Sponsored by Red Hen Press. (Douglas Kearney, Richard Bausch, Mona Simpson, Percival Everett) I long to hear the story of your life which must captivate the ear strangely. Red Hen Press presents three unique voices re-­‐
creating what story is in American culture. These writers do write strangely, and always tilting against windmills Writing LA: City as Character. (Leslie Kreiner Wilson, Jeff Hoffman, Liz #AWP16 Accepted Events
Keyishian Wilks, Beverly Graf, Peter Russell) More and more screen and television writers are getting the note to “make the city a character.” In this panel, writers, script consultants, and executives provide examples of how Los Angeles has functioned as a character in such scripts as Blade Runner, Chinatown, The Big Lebowski, and L.A. Confidential. The panel also offers strategies for transforming the setting of any screenplay – or work in another genre – into a character. Writing the Personal with Helen McDonald, Rabih Alameddine, and Francisco Goldman, Sponsored by Grove/Atlantic Press. (Francisco Goldman, Helen McDonald, Rabih Alameddine, John Freeman) Join award-­‐winning and bestselling Grove Atlantic authors Helen McDonald, Rabih Alameddine, and Francisco Goldman as they discuss the ways in which they real life enters their literary work and to what critical and personal effects. As fiction and memoir writers from three different countries and cultural backgrounds, they will discuss among other things how reactions to the personal in their work differ across genres, if at all? 112
Written by Our Selves: The Craft of Immobile Corporeality. (Tiffany Austin, Destiny Birdsong, darlene anita scott, Larrysha Jones) The practice of liming (doing nothing) in Trinidad, the custom of re-­‐painting effaced murals of slain gangsters in Jamaica, and recent American protestors’ protecting businesses and each other by standing between them and the police—all are examples of black corporeal defiance by non-­‐movement. Panelists read and discuss how they write defiantly immobile black corporeality in their work, thus revising the dominant narrative of such bodies, which posits them as lazy, uncontrollable, and useless. YesYes Books 5th Anniversary Reading. (Phillip B. Williams, Tanya Olson, Ocean Vuong, John Mortara, Jonterri Gadson) YesYes Books gathers five of its authors as it demonstrates what can be accomplished when a young press strives to publish fresh new voices in all their variety. Though early in their careers, the poets included in this event have already garnered national recognition and through them the poetic landscape is enriched and enlivened. Come celebrate 5 years of YesYes Books!