Notes on AWP
Notes on AWP
A convention center full of people who love words, what could be more exciting? Every year, I see my writer friends posting about going to the AWP or Association of Writing Programs, and I have wanted to join them. This year, I did!
Things that surprised me:
Writers dress up for this convention. They dye their hair bright colors, wear funky embroidered jackets and amazing hexagonal eyeglasses, and tote cool tote bags. I did not see any tweed or elbow patches.
Women, lots and lots of women. Many of the panels I attended were all or mostly women. The crowds in the halls again, women of all ages. I never had to wait in a bathroom line, though. Speaking of women, is height the last thing about which women will speak about themselves in public in a self-deprecating way? I mean, we know better than to joke about our weight, age, or other characteristics, but I heard women making comments about their statures, on both ends of the spectrum, a number of times. I guess the impulse to take ourselves down a peg when in front of an audience is, sadly, still hard to suppress.
Two panelists had fans. I mean the kind that cool you off. One woman had a round, super colorful fan that matched her outfit (see above). One man had a fan that said “Fuck Off,” which made me laugh and wonder whether I should still go up and introduce myself ( I did). Anyway, if I am ever on a panel, I now plan to buy myself a gorgeous or funny fan.
Politics was less present than I expected. The keynote speaker, Roxane Gay, did talk about how terrible everything is and exhorted us to keep writing and telling the truth, but I was surprised that most panels did not mention the political moment explicitly. There was one woman I ran into twice who was telling everyone to attend the April 5th protests, but she was the only one. I guess folks felt they needed to stick to the topic of their particular panel, but I thought it was a lost opportunity to remind writers to stay active in their communities and that every little bit of activism helps.
The biggest and best surprise was how many ideas I got. I went in feeling confused about the direction for my next round of revision. I thought I would get some practical tips, some highfalutin theory, but wasn’t sure how much would be relevant to what I am working on. Well, as I sat in the panels, I found myself having idea after idea for my project! A smart, interesting writer would say something from the podium, and it would spark an idea for what I could do. Often, my thoughts were tangential to what they were saying; somehow, their words had made a new set of neurons fire and freed up a stuck spot in my creative process. My notebook is full of underlined and starred phrases.
I wasn’t surprised by how tired I feel now. The conference was like trying to eat a month's worth of food in one sitting. I plan to digest for a good long while. Thanks, AWP, I feel full with a brainload of ideas to chew on.