Katie Shaw Goes to AWP’s Annual Conference
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A conference attendee checking out Hawthorne Books titles at AWP's Annual Conference in Denver in April...
Before I began working as an intern at Hawthorne Books, I bought tickets to attend this year’s AWP (The Association of Writers & Writing Programs) annual conference mid-April in Denver with some of my peers from Portland State University’s publishing program. Ooligan Press, the student-run press connected to the publishing program, wasn’t going to have a table at AWP, but a group of us decided we couldn’t miss the opportunity to attend.
My decision proved fortuitous for multiple reasons—not only because my traveling partners and I were randomly upgraded to the historic, four-star Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, but also because it meant that Hawthorne Books senior editor Adam O’Connor Rodriguez wouldn’t be left to run the Hawthorne Books table all by himself for eight hours a day.
I spent the weekend doing double duty—both as intrepid student, out to glean as much information as possible, and as dutiful intern, helping out in any way possible.
Not everything went smoothly—Hawthorne’s table was tucked away in a back corner, and the banner that had been ordered to adorn it didn’t arrive on time. Even so, I had some great conversations with those who stopped by P8. Many stopped when they saw Frank Meeink and Jody M. Roy’s Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, saying, “Oh, I just heard this guy on Fresh Air the other day.” I also heard some great reviews of Hawthorne Books author Monica Drake’s reading at the conference.
As for the student side of things, I was able to check out some great sessions. From a discussion on the changing grounds of copyright, complete with a performance piece, to a panel of writers who intentionally blur the lines between genre fiction and literary fiction, a lot of great dialogue was happening. Keynote speaker Michael Chabon was engaging and entertaining, and there were scores of other great speakers and readings, including one of my personal favorites, Sherman Alexie, who read along with four other poets to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Beloit Poetry Journal.
Even with all I saw, I’m sure there was a lot that I missed. All in all, it was a great weekend, packed with sunshine, lots of free literary swag, and hanging out with my favorite kind of people—book people. Here’s looking forward to next year’s AWP conference in D.C.
The Association of Writers & Writing Programs
www.awpwriter.org
