AWP 2021 Conference

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Join Superstition Review in attending the Association of Writers and Writer Programs’ 2021 Conference, March 3rd-7th. “The AWP Conference & Bookfair is the annual destination for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers of contemporary creative writing. It includes thousands of attendees, hundreds of events & bookfair exhibitors, and five days of essential literary conversation and celebration.”

This March the conference will be held virtually with some events being prerecorded and premiered at specified dates and times and others being held live (with text-based Q&As). Additionally, AWP has now made it possible for registered attendees to create their own plan for the conference, as they will “receive access to a separate virtual conference platform” where they can “browse all events, read presenter bios, and create [their] own personal event schedule.”

We look forward to seeing you there!

To learn more as well as to register to attend the 2021 AWP Conference click here.

#AWP14 is Here

Right now I’m on my way to Seattle for the annual AWP conference and bookfair, joining thousands of aspiring and inspiring writers. For me, the past two days have been consumed with packing, reviewing my schedule, making various lists, feeling really confident about my abilities as a writer/reader/social human being, and feeling really insecure about my abilities as a writer/reader/social human being. It doesn’t help that I’ve been battling a murderous cold, but at some point, it’s just time to board the plane and put on your lanyard.

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Despite my suffering health, I am really stoked to be in the company of so many of my favorite writers. Hopefully I’ll get to chat with some of them when I’m working the Superstition Review table C40 at the book fair. Our team of six includes founder Trish Murphy; poetry advisor Mark Haunschild; and interns Erin Regan, Sydni Budelier, Beth Sheets, and Elizabeth Hansen. We’ll be taking shifts to man the table, where we are giving away some cool S[R] gear, so be sure to stop by.

Thanks to the handy Everypost app, we’ll also be live-reporting to all six of our social networks during the conference. We’ve already been highlighting some of our past contributors who will be appearing in panels and readings with our #sralum campaign and will continue to seek out those familiar faces. Plus, there will be six of us on the ground with our ears perked for insightful quotes and amusing remarks. I’m particularly looking forward to the #overheardatAWP updates. There will no doubt be some gems under that hashtag.

Find us here:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/superstitionreview

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+SuperstitionReview

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/superstition-review

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/superstitionrev

Tumblr: http://superstitionrev.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperstitionRev

What’s open on my computer right now:

Our founder Trish Murphy’s blog post is an excellent resource for newcomers or AWP veterans. She’s celebrating her 20th anniversary with AWP this year and has some seasoned advice on “top ten good AWP habits.”

This advice post by #sralum Kelli Russell Agodon is so calming and reassuring. Admittedly, I go to this page every few hours for comfort and strength.

I’m loving this tweet cheat sheet. As a somewhat inexperienced tweeter, I’m definitely keeping it on hand this weekend.

Plus, have you seen this #AWP14 bingo card by #sralum Daniel Nester? It’s definitely worth a look and a laugh.

That’s it for now.

Looking forward to seeing you in Seattle and on our networks!

Getting Ready for @AWP2014

AWP BookfairIn a few weeks, thousands of writers and editors will flock to Seattle for the annual AWP conference, and for the first time, I’ll be among them. As a newcomer, I’m overwhelmed by the thought of more than 12,000 writers rubbing shoulders at a massive bookfair and cutting loose at a nightly dance party. (AWP veterans and bloggers have already warned me about the dizzying amount of stargazing, badge-scoping, and bright tights I’ll see.) In addition to emotionally readying myself for the apparent madness that is AWP, I’ve been making these preparations.

1. Planning my schedule

I love how easy it is to create a schedule on the AWP website. It was so user-friendly and easy, in fact, that I just kept adding. The next step was narrowing down my selections from four or five panels per session to one or two. After spending a few hours staring at “delete from my schedule” buttons and agonizing over which panel to choose, I realized that once I get to Seattle, my meticulous schedule might be for naught. For now, it’s a helpful way to see who will be presenting, decide who I absolutely must see, and envision how I’ll spend the conference. And my conclusion? It looks like I’ll be running from one panel to the next

2. Doing my research

I realize that it’s impossible to research everyone on every panel I’m attending. However, I am trying to do some preliminary research so that if someone asks me whose panel I’m seeing next or what I thought of Richard Nash’s discussion on small press readership, I’ll have something to say. I’m also trying to bulk up on Superstition Review material, as I’ll be manning our table at the bookfair for an hour each day. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of past contributors there as well, and I’m hoping to be able to pick some out of the swarming crowd of writers.

3. Getting my social-networking feet wet

The S[R] team will be doing a lot of live reporting from the conference, which means learning the art of tweeting on-the-go. I’m not very Twitter savvy, but thankfully we have a few social-networking wizards representing the magazine this year – I hope to pick up a few things from them before the conference begins. We’ll be using an app called Everypost this year, which allows us to post content to all of our social networks at once. This will make live tweeting from panels and readings so much faster, though I’m sure we’ll still be seen occasionally hunched over our phones, trying to type a fantastic quote. We’re also hosting a few contests over social networks with daily prizes at stake, so be sure to stop by #TableC40. Of course, we’ll be on the lookout for #SRalum and continuing the ever-entertaining #overheardatAWP.

4. Finding eateries near the conference

I’ve heard about AWP’s classic $16 water bottles, so I’m not planning to buy much food onsite. At the same time, I don’t want to spend hours away from the conference in search of a decent restaurant or grocery store. Luckily, there’s a Trader Joe’s about a mile from the conference hotel and a host of good restaurants downtown. To save on time and money, I’m planning to stock up on snacks that I can break out in between sessions. I also know that I will need to escape the madness of the convention center at some point. Might as well leave to find food! Being in downtown Seattle, it will be really tempting to visit Pike Place Market. I could spend the entire afternoon at the market though, so if I venture there, I’ll have to do so with a purpose (i.e. Beecher’s cheese and Le Panier’s croissants).

5. Setting a budget

I am planning to spend some money at the bookfair – I know I won’t be able to resist buying a few books and signing up for the occasional subscription. And I want to. We are at AWP because we understand the love and devotion that goes into literary publishing and want to support each other’s craft. However, I am a poor, starving college student. Ok, maybe not quite starving, but I might be after I spend all my money on croissants and literary magazines in Seattle.

We’ll be lighting up all our social networks while at the conference, and I will be back with two more blog posts – one while in the trenches and another after we return to Arizona to see how effective all of these well-intentioned preparations were. See you at AWP! And on our networks: