AWP

Fun, fun, fun. The AWP Conference in Chicago was the first AWP Conference I've ever attended -- the second writer's conference I've been to. The first one was Indiana University's Summer Writing Conference in 2006, which was incredibly fun as well. It was there that I met two of the three group members of my current writing group, and it was there that the lessons of writing were truly ingrained in me -- writing on a daily basis, taking risks with voice and character, etc. -- but where IU's conference was small, intimate, and personal, with only 200-250 people attending at the most, the AWP Conference was huge. Sprawling. Taking place at the Hilton Chicago Hotel in the loop (downtown, for all you non-Chicagoans), there were thousands of writers, milling around, talking about craft, lecturing on craft, reading from their works, inspiring each other. It was incredible. I'd never been in that kind of atmosphere before, not on that level anyway, and it really blew my mind. That there would be so many people in one place, all of them invested in the one thing that, really, no one outside of the community even knew existed: writing.

A not-so-short list of the things I did, the things I loved, and the things I noticed at the AWP Conference:

• AWP Swag: A nifty all-cloth (with zipper) AWP tote bag. A lanyard with my name on it. A shiny, bible-thick guidebook in every tote bag. A nifty little highlighter with the AWP logo on it.
• Seminar of the weekend: "Midwest Confidential" with Barrie Jean Borich, Bao Phi, Ander Monson, Andre Perry, Ira Sukrungruang, Cheryl Strayed. Being a Midwestern nerd (I'll coin the phrase right now, why not?), I'm very interested in and often write about the experiences of Midwesterners. This seminar featured a writer from the Southeast suburbs of Chicago, a writer from a small town in Minnesota, a writer from the upper peninsula in Michigan, a Vietnamese writer raised in Minnesota, a Thai writer raised in Chicago, and an African American writer in Iowa City. And, as you can imagine, all of their experiences are wildly different. If that isn't a slice of America so perfectly encapsulated in the Midwest, I don't know what is.
• Most frustrating seminar of the weekend: "Hip-hop and the Future of the Black Writer." The title is pretty self explanatory, and I had been hoping that the presenters would speak to problems and possible solutions on the synthesis of popular culture and hip hop (especially with the younger generation), and literature. But there was actually very little attention given to the subject of writing. Instead, it was dominated (despite a couple of very interesting essays) by platitudes on hip-hop and children. I was a bit disappointed that I was unable to take anything away from that seminar.
  
• Writers I got to see read: Stuart Dybek, Charles Baxter. Charles Baxter was replacing a sick James Alan McPherson, and read passages from Mr. McPherson's work and some of his own. Mr. Baxter's reading was particularly moving. I'd never heard him read before, and he has this very deliberate manner about him -- in speech and mannerisms -- which made for a captivating show. Never mind the fact that his short stories are wonderful.
• Writers whose seminars I got to sit in on: Robert Olen Butler, Steve Almond, Achy Obejas, Luis Alberto Urrea, and Robert Boswell. I was a little starstruck to be in the same room as Robert Olen Butler, who spoke very passionately about the value of life experience for writing. Also, Luis Urrea is a fantastic speaker. He tells great stories, and has an absolutely wicked sense of humor.
  
• Attended a fundraiser for a lit mag. Swanky. In one of the penthouse suites at the top of the hotel with an absolutely gorgeous view of the lakefront.
• Sat in on ten seminars in total. Five on the first day, two on the second, and three on the final day. I quickly learned that pacing is key. Doing five seminars on the first day was an absolute beating -- each seminar is an hour and fifteen minutes long, with fifteen minute intervals in between each one. By the time the third seminar rolled around on Thursday, I was sucking air. Frankly, there's only so many consecutive hours one can take on the subject of controlling narrative distance before it all starts to sound the same. I wisely dialed it back on Friday and Saturday.
• Got to peruse the prodigious book fair, but did not buy (one of my two regrets) any lit mags. I was overwhelmed by the volume of choices -- there were, literally, hundreds of book stands -- and indecision stopped me from purchasing anything.
  
• My other regret? I chickened out at Bennigan's for lunch, and didn't choose their world famous Monte Cristo sandwich. What is the Monte Cristo? From the Bennigan's website: "A delicious combination of ham and turkey, plus Swiss and American cheeses on wheat bread. Lightly battered and fried until golden. Dusted with powdered sugar and served with red raspberry preserves for dipping." A heart attack on a plate, and I avoided it. I can't tell you how incredibly disappointed I am in myself.
  

The AWP Conference was probably the most fun I've had in months, which is even more amazing considering that I was really doing more pure learning from a craft standpoint than I ever did in an entire semester at college. Though, that doesn't really say anything, as I was an absolutely awful college student. Next year's AWP Conference is in Denver. I'm already marking my calendar.