I Survived AWP

The title of this post is a joke. Sort of. AWP is a great conference. But it’s also overwhelming and exhausting and exhilarating and awesome and busy and nonstop. The first panels of the day start at 9am and the last ones finish at 5:45pm. And then there are off-site readings – dozens and dozens of off-site readings so you have to pick and choose, often missing one (or several) you really wanted to go to in favor of another you really wanted to go to. At least that’s how it was for me. Most days I left the house (I was staying with friends) around 8am so I could have a leisurely coffee before heading to the conference, and didn’t get home till after 10pm. I was also still battling the cold I picked up in Hawaii so my body was TIRED by the time I crawled into bed each night. But even with the long days, there was so much goodness.

Because I was staying with friends I flew in early, on Tuesday. That afternoon I wandered the Alberta Arts District where my friends live, checking out the murals that grace the sides of buildings and sharing some wine with my friends. The next day, we went hiking, trekking up Angel’s Rest trail and enjoying the greenery that is the Pacific Northwest.

Moss covered trees along Angel’s Rest trail

An obligatory stop by Multnomah Falls and we headed back into the city for dinner and a quick stop by Powell’s Books, the world’s largest independent bookstore.

And then it was finally here – Day 1 of AWP. The days ended up running together, each day long and filled with panels – some better than others. Overall, I was pleased with the panels I attended and I had no problem quietly, and politely, walking out of panels that were not what I wanted.

This year I also made sure to allow myself to step away from the conference when I needed to. One day I took a walk to get food and enjoy the sunshine. While walking I stumbled upon this perfectly appropriate mural:

Some of the highlights from my AWP experience:

Listening to these powerhouse women – Amber Tamblyn, Rachel McKibbens, and Carmen Maria Machado – talk about reclaiming our voices was seriously worth the 9am panel. I walked out of there wanting to write poems and fuck shit up. Oh, and because they were completely ambushed by people, and Rachel McKibbens was still battling the flu, I didn’t want to bother them by asking for a picture. So instead I took a sneaky selfie but got busted in the process…

Years ago I attended the Chesapeake Writers’ Conference. While there I met Ana Maria Spagna, an amazing essayist and writer. She is a wonderful person and writer and we had many conversations about books. While wandering the book fair day I spotted Ana Maria. I approached her, “You might not remember me…” Her face broke into an immediate smile, “Of course I remember you Courtney – the Chesapeake conference! You read the most books!” Needless to say, it was wonderful to catch up with her.

Ana Maria Spagna and I with her newest book

Every day I would tweet about my own chapbooks, reminding everyone that I had them for sale and slightly begging them to buy them from me so I didn’t have to carry them home. One day, Amorak Huey, a poet I love and respect, responded to me and suggested we trade books. Of course I jumped at the chance as his book, Seducing the Asparagus Queen, the first book of poetry I read in 2019, was EXCELLENT. If you haven’t read it yet you absolutely need to.

One of my favorite poetry publishers, in fact, they’re my dream publisher, is Write Bloody. They publish amazing poets and poetry that constantly inspires and awes me. And so of course I stopped by their table at the book fair. As I flipped through books I chatted with the woman standing beside me. It wasn’t till she walked to the other side of the table that I realized I’d been talking to the author of the book I held in my hands. So of course I bought the book and snapped a picture with Seema Reza. And, as it turns out, she’s a local DC poet and she’ll be at an upcoming Readings on the Pike so I’ll get to see her again soon!

I went to a panel titled, How We Need Another Soul to Cling To: Writing Love Poems in Difficult Times. During that panel I heard, for the first time, Meg Day, read their poems. Let me just say, the poems Meg read completely wowed me. After the reading I fangirled over Meg and they were kind enough to take a picture with me. *swoon* Seriously, I may have fallen in love a little bit, they are that amazing.

And absolutely worth mentioning – the time I spent with my friends, connecting with fellow writers, sharing meals and glasses of wine, attending readings together. The camaraderie rejuvenated me and my heart was filled.

At the end of the 3-day conference I was spent…and I had spent a lot. Here’s my book haul: