2008 Schedule
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday
| Friday- February 1, 2008 | |
|---|---|
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | |
Hilton, 2nd Floor |
F100. Conference Registration. Attendees who have registered in advance may pick up their registration materials throughout the day at AWP's registration desks, on the 2nd floor of the Hilton New York. |
8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. | |
Exhibit Halls |
F101. Bookfair. |
9:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. | |
Beekman & Sutton North |
F102. To See Again: The Necessary Art of Revision. (Richard Jones, Chase Twichell, John Balaban, David Budbill, Harvey Lillywhite, Shelly Wagner) The real-world counterbalance to "first thought, best thought" is likely "second look, better poem." This panel discusses the necessary work of re-vision--how poets move from initial composition into the process of revising and rewriting. They will read and discuss examples from their own work, including poems that required significant revision, and others that came almost perfect into the world. |
Bryant Suite |
F103. Building the Next Generation: Proven Pedagogy for the K-12 Creative Writing Classroom. (Karen Lewis, Susan Sibbet, Brandon Cesmat, Mary Rechner, Daniel Gabriel) Building the Next Generation: Proven Pedagogy for the K-12 Creative Writing Classroom. As a child, the entire world can be a poem, and all dreams are possible. Join panelists from California Poets in the Schools, Minnesota's COMPAS, and Portland Literary Arts. Discover how to bring your literary craft to very young writers. Presenters will discuss what visiting authors offer traditional public schools and multicultural classrooms. Multi-genre lesson plans will be provided. |
Clinton Suite |
F104. Copyright: How and Why to Register. (Anita Fore) Anita Fore, Director of Legal Services at the Authors Guild, will discuss the importance of copyright registration and provide a walk-through of the registration process. |
Gibson Suite |
F105. Letters to the World: Creating a Collaborative Anthology in Cyberspace. (Hostetler, Annie Finch, Lesley Wheeler, Ann Fisher-Wirth, Kate Gale, Rosemary Starace) Members of the Wom-po (Women's Poetry) Listserv, founded by Poet Annie Finch, have created an anthology entirely through internet collaboration, involving 258 poets from New Zealand to New York, to be published by Red Hen Press. A volunteer editorial team shaped the project in cyberspace, from soliciting contributions to editing, arranging, proofreading, and finalizing the manuscript. This panel will feature the listserv owner, the publisher, and four members of the editorial team--all poets who have contributed to the volume--to talk about the shaping of the book. |
Morgan Suite |
F106. WITS International. (Amy Swauger, Anne Caldwell, Pasha Malla, Franz Andres Morrissey) Sponsored by the WITS Alliance, this session examines the WITS (writers in the schools) movement from an international perspective. Panelists will explore how the model of using professional writers to teach writing in schools has been adapted for different cultural contexts and highlights strategies that have proven to be effective in addressing the issues that arise in promoting WITS programs in different parts of the world, including North America, the UK, and mainland Europe. |
Murray Hill Suite |
F107. Severed Heads, Intercourse, and the Double Epiphany: An Aesthetic Theory of the Short-Short Story. (Forrest Anderson, Robert Olen Butler, Julianna Baggott, Steven Rydman, Jessica Pitchford) Join Robert Olen Butler, Julianna Baggott, and the editors of the Southeast Review--home of the World's Best Short-Short Story Contest--for a roundtable discussion on short-short fiction. Butler will share his aesthetic theory of short-short fiction in relation to his award-winning book on craft, From Where You Dream. In addition, he will read excerpts from his recently published book of short-shorts, Severance, and his forthcoming book, Intercourse. Baggott, in her role as consulting editor of the Southeast Review, will offer her take on how to write short-short fiction as well as the particulars of publishing it. The managing and fiction editors will discuss their aesthetic as well as their experience selecting short-shorts from the slush pile. In addition, two winners of the World's Best Short-Short Story Contest--Kevin Wilson and Steven Rydman--will read from their work. |
Nassau Suite |
F108. Off The Page: Multidimensional Writings. (Eileen Tabios, Thylias Moss, Nick Carbo, Thomas Fink, Catherine Daly) This panel presents poets and writers who work in a variety of disciplines encompassing video, sculptures, paper craft, innovative book art, painting, performance events, conceptual art, drawings, film, and multimedia events, among others. Panelists discuss how other disciplines affect their texts and presentation of such texts. In some cases, the poetry book was transformed to not just present written poems. In other situations, community-based performances inspired new poetic forms and theories. |
Regent Parlor |
F109. Poet's Work, Poet's Play. (Daniel Tobin, Mariane Boruch, A. Van Jordan, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Pimone Triplett, Eleanor Wilner) This panel celebrates the publication of Poet's Work, Poet's Play, the second collection of essays by poets on the faculty of The Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Award-winning poets Marianne Boruch, A. Van Jordan, Daniel Tobin, Pimone Triplett, Ellen Bryant Voigt, and Eleanor Wilner will discuss approaches to the craft of poetry from form and syntax to poetic distance, to the Harlem Renaissance, Negritude Movement and the Sublime by closely analyzing one poem from each of their essays. |
Sutton Center |
F110. On the Road: How to Set Up a Reading Tour for Your Book. (Thaddeus Rutkowski, Janice Eidus, Ruth Knafo Setton, Jeffrey Ethan Lee, Douglas Light, Dean Kostos) What do you do when you have a new book, but your publisher doesn't have the budget to send you on tour? Writers who have published books with small presses tell their tour stories and share what they've learned from their experiences. The discussion will cover setting up readings in bookstores, classrooms, and libraries; arranging for lodging; and promoting the tour through articles in local newspapers and interviews on local radio stations. Panelists are poets and fiction writers who have traveled to read in various parts of the United States, as well as in other countries. |
Sutton South |
F111. AWP Townhall Meeting: Getting the Job and keeping It: The Creative Writing Tenure Track. (Pablo Medina, Katharine Coles, Marjorie Sandor) Open to all AWP members, this presentation and open discussion will focus on the challenges of seeking a tenure-track position in a difficult job market and acquiring tenure. The session will address topics such as effective cover letters, interview strategies, publications, and nontraditional approaches to finding a full-time position. The panelists will suggest ways to improve your chances of success and will also respond to your questions. |
Grand Ballroom East |
F112. Poetry of Provocation and Witness: A Conversation about Form. (Melissa Tuckey, Carolyn Forché, Semezdin Mehmedinovic, Patricia Smith, Susan Tichy) In this panel, a stylistically diverse group of poets will read from their work and share their journey towards finding the appropriate form for their political writing. Collage, lyric, persona, mini-essay, spoken word, a mixing of forms: we will discuss the importance of form in political poetry, celebrating a multitude of poetic approaches to the challenges of politically engaged and engaging work. |
Grand Ballroom West |
F113. On Adapting and Being Adapted: Novelists Talk About Films of Their Books. (Lisa Zeidner, Fred Leebron, Jay Parini, Joseph Gangemi) Four novelists who have had films produced of their fiction--or almost had films produced, the more common story--talk about issues of adapting novels for the screen. Some adapted their own work, while others surrendered control to others, for better or worse (sometimes, surprisingly, for better). |
Mercury Ballroom |
F114. Show and Tell: Collaborations of the Verbal and Visual. (Marsha Norman, Christopher Durang, Jules Feiffer, Meg Wolitzer) Stony Brook Southampton's literary magazine, The Southampton Review, presents four writers who work in a range of media, from film and theater to novels and cartoons. Panelists show and tell as they consider how each medium creates unique opportunities for cross sensory collabroations to collaborate, how their material works differently on page than on stage or on air, and how they get the verbal and visual to play nice. |
Conference Room D |
F115. Romulus Linney: a Playwright Tells a Story. (Mary Flinn, Romulus Linney, Daisy Foote, James Houghton, Dan O'Brien) Romulus Linney's significant work in the American Theatre has been fed by his ability to drive a narrative through dialogue. Admirers of Mr. Linney's way with a story comment on his work, followed by brief remarks from the playwright himself. |
Conference Room K |
F116. Pedagogy Forum Session: Nonfiction. This session is designed to give contributors to the 2008 Pedagogy Forum an opportunity to discuss their work, though all are welcome. The papers themselves will provide a framework to begin in-depth discussion in creative writing pedagogy and theory. A Pedagogy Speaker will contextualize the discussion with some brief remarks before attendees break out into small discussion groups. These groups will be facilitated by trained pedagogy paper contributors. |
Conference Room L |
F117. Pedagogy Forum Session: Poetry. This session is designed to give contributors to the 2008 Pedagogy Forum an opportunity to discuss their work, though all are welcome. The papers themselves will provide a framework to begin in-depth discussion in creative writing pedagogy and theory. A Pedagogy Speaker will contextualize with some brief remarks before attendees break out into small discussion groups. These groups will be facilitated by trained pedagogy paper contributors. |
9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | |
Conference Room E |
F118. $$ CLMP Workshop: Grant Proposal Basics: Effective Strategies for Limited Funding. (CLMP Staff) Discover how to better pick the right funders and write the most effective proposals from CLMP's executive director and longtime fundraiser. (Note: CLMP Workshops cost $30 for CLMP members and $60 for nonmembers. To register, please stop by the CLMP booth at the Bookfair.) |
10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. | |
Beekman & Sutton North |
F119. Graywolf Press Reading. (Tracy K. Smith, Mary Jo Bang, Ron Carlson, Matthea Harvey, Benjamin Percy, Terese Svoboda) This reading features the recent works of six dazzling writers of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, each of them published by Graywolf Press, one of the premier literary publishers in the country. Introduced by Graywolf publisher and director, Fiona McCrae. |
Bryant Suite |
F120. Teaching Fiction, Poetry and Memoir Across the Color Line in Harlem. (Michelle Valladares, Salar Abdoh, Lyn Di Iorio, Emily Raboteau, David Unger) Six ethnically diverse writing faculty teach a largely minority student population at City College of New York located in Harlem. The panel will consider the subject of teaching writers from diverse backgrounds and their roles as "examples/mentors" to their students. Multicultural, postcolonial, minority and the literatures of displacement will be addressed. the panel will read short excerpts from their work addressing these themes and an open discussion will follow the readings. |
Clinton Suite |
F121. Hablando con Acentos: Building a Home for Latino and Latina Poets in the Bronx and Beyond. (Richard Villar, Raina Leon, John Rodriguez, Sam Vargas, Aracelis Girmay) In March 2003, two Latino poets founded a reading series and open mic in the South Bronx called Acentos. In much the same mold as the early Nuyorican movement, the series provides a safe haven for writers of Latino/a descent to create and present work in both English and Spanish. Poets from the Acentos community document the history and importance of the series, the vital group of writers and teachers behind it, and its current expansion into a national Latino/a writers's forum and workshop. |
Gibson Suite |
F122. Innovative Internships and Practice in Teaching, Public Arts, and Publishing: Preparing the Low-Residency Student for Life after the MFA. (Kathleen Driskell, Steve Heller, Paul Selig, Bonnie Culver) In a low-residency MFA Program, students are normally on campus for a short residency (8 to 10 days) and then return home to finish the semester through a close mentorship with faculty. This provides an excellent model for preparing the student to write in his or her home environment after the degree is earned, but it can pose a challenge when preparing the student to teach. Low residency students can rarely take advantage of teaching assistantships; nor have they have frequent opportunities to intern with an established teacher of undergraduate classes. Our students are credentialed to teach, though, so it seems fair that we prepare them to do so. Four low-residency directors will discuss their innovative internship and practicum programs, which provide excellent teaching instruction for low-residency MFA students. |
Morgan Suite |
F123. In the Age of Male-Dominated Political Showdowns, Do the Voices of Iranian-American Women in Literature Matter? (Persis Karim, Sholeh Wolpe, Anita Amirrezvani, Jasmin Darznik, Zara Houshmand) This panel addresses recent and growing interest in writing by Iranian-American women authors and the role they play in complicating American readers's understanding of Iran, Iranian culture, and its diaspora community. Authors of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry discuss the particular concerns and interests of publishers, reviewers, and readers and the way that this literature is finding a market. We also interrogate whether it offers alternative narratives for the political showdowns that dominate the headlines and what unique contribution women writers offer. |
Murray Hill Suite |
F124. The Legacy of Denise Levertov. (Nan Cohen, Kenneth Fields, Elisabeth Frost, Emily Pérez, Emily Warn, Kevin Young) Denise Levertov, who died ten years ago at the end of 1997, remains a powerful and enabling figure for poets. This panel examines how her work and life continue to influence poets who are interested in formal innovation, in political engagement, and in religious exploration in poetry. Panelists include former students and colleagues of Levertov; all are poets who read and teach her work. |
Nassau Suite |
F125. Habitable Planets and Black Holes: Mapping the Expanding Cyber-Universe of the New Literary Media. (Eric Melbye, Carol Novack, Anmarie Trimble, Jonathan Penton, Charles Ries, Tamara Sellman) Since AWP's first Web Fair, numerous online journals have emerged, and rising numbers of print journals have added online components. State-of-the-art advances allow fresh distribution methods, such as podcasting, POD, and interactive communities, as well as novel art forms, such as new media and Vispo. Our editors, with their diverse, innovative approaches, will discuss the progression of online publishing and offer advice for writers, readers, and editors interested in presenting Web content. |
Regent Parlor |
F126. A Celebration of 10 Years of ND's Sullivan Prize: Marilyn Krysl reading. (William O'Rourke, Marilyn Krysl, Ed Falco, Susan Neville, Valerie Sayers) Notre Dame's short fiction publication series, the Richard Sullivan Prize, has now been in existence 10 years. The 2008 winner, Marilyn Krys, will read from her collection, Dinner with Osama, which will be published in early 2008. Two former winners, Ed Falco (the first winner in 1996) and Susan Neville (the 1998 winner), will participate as discussants, as will the moderator, William O'Rourke. O'Rourke and Valerie Sayers have served as judges since the prize's inception. |
Sutton Center |
F127. Hybrid Forms of Nonfiction: Essay, Poetry, Memoir, and History. (Allison Thomas, Claudia Rankine, Huston Diehl, David Lazar, Jeff Porter) This panel will discuss blended forms of nonfiction in their own and other writers's works. What happens when the boundaries that divide poetry, fiction, history, and nonfiction blur? We will look at the various ways in which hybrid writing complicates the work of fashioning a text, how it transforms the reader's expectations and experience, and how blended modes often do a better job of capturing specific cultural-historic moments. |
Sutton South |
F128. Dysfunction and Crisis in the Classroom: The Writing Teacher's Role as Therapist and Whistle-Blower. (Lucy Ferriss, A. Manette Ansay, Jayne Anne Phillips, Eric Goodman, Marcia Aldrich, Molly Giles) In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, creative writing instructors around the country are emerging with their own stories of coping with students whose creative work yields a unique insight into their mental illness or destructive pathology. We will explore avenues for help and try to offer guidelines for us as individuals and as AWP members to lobby for greater support and recognition of the unique access and particular burden that our role as writing mentors comprises in regard to these individuals. |
Grand Ballroom East |
F129. Conversation with, and Reading by the New York State Author, Russell Banks. (Donald W. Faulkner, William Kennedy, Russell Banks) Russell Banks, who was named The New York State Author in the Fall of 2007, will read from and discuss his work with William Kennedy, ex-officio chair of the State Author selection committee, and Donald W. Faulkner ex-officio chair of the New York State Poet selection committee. Both are members of The New York State Writers Institute. |
Grand Ballroom West |
F130. "Laugh. Cry Your Eyes Out. Be Human. Have Fun." A Tribute to the Poetry of Ed Ochester. (Lori Jakiela, Bob Hicok, Jan Beatty, Michael Simms, Chris Green, Nathalie Handal) A panel of poets, writers, editors, and former students discuss, read, and celebrate the poetry of Ed Ochester, who, through his poems, teaching, editorial vision, and AWP leadership, has helped shape the landscape of American poetry for the past 40 years. The panel discussion coincides with the publication of Ochester's latest book, Unreconstructed: Poems Selected & New (Autumn House Press). |
Mercury Ballroom |
F131. "Any Number of Old Ladies": Writers Revealing Family. (Joy Castro, Bich Minh Nguyen, Lorraine Lopez, Karen Salyer McElmurray, Susan Ito) Drawing on Faulkner's line about a real writer's being willing to rob his mother for good work ("the 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' is worth any number of old ladies"), our panel investigates the impact that writing about family members has had upon writers's relationships with their own. Where and how do we draw boundaries? When and why have we chosen to write about family--and when have we refrained? How have we negotiated ethical dilemmas? What fallout and benefits have we experienced as a result? |
New York Suite |
F132. A Reading in Celebration of The Cortland Review's 10th Anniversary. (Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Thomas Lux, Anne Marie Macari, David Rigsbee, Maurice Manning) The Cortland Review is proof that online literary magazines can become as enduring as printed ones and, in the course of a decade, has made the work of established and emerging authors and poets from across the spectrum available worldwide. The Cortland Review (www.cortlandreview.com) is now an important periodical of recent poetry and letters. Five accomplished poets and TCR contributors add to the celebration with a reading. |
Conference Room D |
F133. Reeling Beyond Realism, But To Reel In What? (Ken Keegan, Kate Bernheimer, Rikki Ducornet, Brian Evenson, Theodora Goss, Kelly Link) Why the increasing interest in fiction that subverts realism's bounds? Escapism? Or does the work suggest ways to reevaluate the psychological, social, political frames we use-a questioning deeply relevant to our times? What's at stake if we seek in our representational strategies a real that's beyond realism? If we avoid repeating what's typical in genre or predictable in writing practices? Why should we, and how do we continue to transform craft and evolve the criteria for assessing its value? |
Conference Room L |
F134. Writers Beyond the Schools. (Bao-Long Chu, Laura Stavoe, Merna Ann Hecht, Corie Feiner, Margot Galt, Valerie Kinloch) The acronym WITS (Writers in the Schools) explains only part of the work that WITS programs undertake. Creative writers find meaningful teaching opportunities throughout the community. On this panel, sponsored by the WITS Alliance, writers will describe experiences teaching people in a wide variety of settings-in cultural community centers, art museums, hospitals, prisons, orphanages, summer "camp" programs, small town churches, and Native American Indian reservations. |
12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m. | |
Beekman & Sutton North |
F135. From Stories to Novels: Crossing the Great Divide. (Jonathan Liebson, Thisbe Nissen, Bret Anthony Johnston, Michelle Wildgen) At some point, every fiction writer considers taking that leap. But what, exactly, does the transition from writing stories to novels look like? In this panel we'll explore that great divide from both a craft standpoint and one of publishing. We'll discuss the process in terms of getting started, growing stories into novels, and revising. Plus, we'll consider the risks vs. benefits of outlining and submitting to workshop, as well as the different options for testing the market. |
Bryant Suite |
F136. Working With Diversity: The Ten Genre Writing Program of the University of British Columbia. (Bryan Wade, Meryn Cadell, Andrew Binks, Alison Acheson) Since the Industrial Revolution people have specialized, often with narrow focus. Has this created a disconnect within ourselves as humans? It is critical to the sustainability of human life and human resources that we work collaboratively and live with the abundance of diversity. What are the rewards of this? What are the challenges? The panel of faculty and students will discuss these, while illuminating the day-to-day realities of a ten-genre program. |
Clinton Suite |
F137. Translation in MFA Programs. (B.J. Epstein, J.T. Barbarese, Douglas Robinson, Geoffrey Brock, Marjolijn de Jager, Rika Lesser) MFA programs have proliferated recently, but the majority of them pointedly lack one writing form: the art and craft of translation. And yet, literary translation is a vital and challenging career that demands creativity and poetic skills. In this panel, translators, professors, MFA program directors, and translation studies researchers discuss what translation is, how it relates to creative writing, and why and how to include it in MFA programs. |
Gibson Suite |
F138. Women's Presses, Activism, & Gender Inequities in the Literary World. (Lisa Bowden, Frances Sjoberg, Robin Black, Florence Howe, Mia Herndon, Tracie Morris) Guerrilla girls look at gender inequity and the literary world: why are there far fewer women getting published than men when MFA programs and residencies are filled with women writers? Through the lens of Third Wave Feminism, we will consider what the perception of feminist publishing is and if the women's press is an effective activist project or a remarginalization of the already marginalized. Writers, editors, and activists comment on the historic need for and complexities inherent in the "affirmative action" of publishing women only. |
Morgan Suite |
F139. Adelphi Writers Read Their Work. (Judith Baumel, Martha Cooley, Kermit Frazier, Jacqueline Jones LaMon, Igor Webb) The writers teaching in the MFA program of Adelphi University read their work and honor a century and a half of Walt Whitman's New York: Our first campus was on Adelphi Street in Brooklyn; our main campus is on the site of the old Trimming Square School House on Long Island where Walt Whitman taught in 1840 and our Manhattan campus is in SoHo where Whitman rambled. |
Murray Hill Suite |
F140. Bending Genre. (Nicole Walker, Margot Singer, Robin Hemley, Michael Martone, Lia Purpura, Ander Monson) What's unique about creative nonfiction is the way it capitalizes on the formal structures of both poetry and fiction. What is a line-break in poetry is an interrupted sentence or white space in a lyric essay. The linear action of plot in fiction becomes reflection and reconstitution in memoir. We propose to look at the ways genre informs genre and how the lines between genres are at once blurred and drawn more thickly as we try to dissect the operation of structure and form. |
Nassau Suite |
F141. New Wine in Old Bottles: Contemporary Fairy Tales in Poetry and Prose. (Kate Bernheimer, Kathryn Davis, Ilya Kaminsky, Jean Valentine, Michael Mejia, Kellie Wells) Angela Carter writes that "most intellectual development depends upon new readings of old texts. I am all for putting new wine in old bottles, especially if the pressure of the new wine makes the bottles explode." How do fairy tales produce diverse and transformative writing in contemporary times, writing that forges its very own path? How do fairy tales, so often appropriated into tired clichés by the marketplace, also inspire explosive, original forms of new literature? Why do fairy tales, a form with a 400-year history, continue to enthrall new generations of readers and writers? Is there a resurgence of fairy tales in new writing today? Format will include readings from new and old tales, along with discussion. |
Regent Parlor |
F142. "Don't Call It a Comeback": Re-birthing the Black Male Poet. (Gregory Pardlo, Major Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, Ross Gay, Ruth Ellen Kocher, Quraysh Ali Lansana) Precisely at a time in which colleges and universities are authorizing use of the term "crisis" in reference to the participation of black males in higher education, there appears the largest class of black male poets publishing in the mainstream since the 1920's Harlem Renaissance. What can we glean by analogizing the social condition of black male poets during this first decade of the millennium to that of the Harlem Renaissance that might help us understand the nature of crisis and rebirth? |
Sutton Center |
F143. Alice James Books' 35th Anniversary Reading. (April Ossmann, Donald Revell, Mary Szybist, Brian Turner, Cole Swensen) Alice James Books is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2008! To showcase the far-ranging variety of poetry on the AJB list, we've asked four of our poets to read in honor of the occasion. Readers represent different years and very different poetries. Please come help us celebrate this milestone with what promises to be an incredible reading. |
Sutton South |
F144. A Celebration of Alicia Ostriker. (Wendy Barker, Toi Derricotte, Daisy Fried, Eloise Klein Healy, Ed Ochester, Martha Nell Smith) Alicia Ostriker is the author of eleven volumes of poetry and five critical books. Recipient of NEA, Rockefeller, and Guggenheim fellowships as well as the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America and the Paterson Poetry Award, she taught for over forty years at Rutgers and is currently teaching in New England's College's Low-Residency MFA Program. Panelists will reflect on Ostriker's influences through her poetry, her prose, and her teaching. |
Mercury Ballroom |
F145. Pitt Poetry Series Reading. (Lynn Emanuel, Jan Beatty, Denise Duhamel, Aaron Smith, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon) A reading to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pitt Poetry Series by four poets recently published in the Series. |
New York Suite |
F146. Speaking Through Silence: Women Respond to Rape and Assault. (Carly Sachs, Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Amanda McGuire, Molly Fisk, Alice Anderson, Harriet Levin) Too often, rape and assault silences women, making them afraid to trust, afraid of their own bodies, afraid to name what has happened and what continues to happen. In a way, the writing of these poems becomes a way of healing. However, this can often be a challenging process---turning personal trauma into art. In this panel, female poets will discuss their poems from the anthology, the why and later. The panelists will speak to the process of writing these difficult poems, publishing these poems, and how they view their role as a writer writing about rape and sexual assault. |
Conference Room D |
F147. When Science Gets Personal: The Art of Telling a Good Science Story. (Kristen Iversen, Jonathan Weiner, Alan Burdick, Rebecca Skloot) All science stories have personal narratives, stories that can make science interesting, accessible, and deeply relevant. Finding those stories is one challenge; deciding how to tell them is another. Should the writer be a character, report in first person, or write from a distance about others? This panel examines technique, ethics, disclosure, and how science writing can and should get personal, for writers and for their subjects. |
Conference Room E |
F148. Writing and Motherhood. (Jacinda Townsend, Dani Shapiro, Ann Hood, Crystal Wilkinson, Lori Tharps, Joey Flamm Costello) Writing, claims author Jessamyn West, is a solitary occupation, with family, friends, and society a writer's natural enemies, and indeed, society often sees parenthood as antithetical to authorship. Yet many women and men successfully write through their parenting years. Our panel is composed of six mothers who will discuss the cohabitation of motherhood and authorship. Among other topics, we will explore questions of how we overcome intrusions into the "rooms of our own," and whether these intrusions themselves often allow us to produce. |
Conference Room K |
F149. Keeping Things Afloat: The Business of Literary Magazine Publishing. (Ron Mitchell, Lynne Nugent, Richard Sowienski, Jon Tribble) Managing editors from Crab Orchard Review, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and Southern Indiana Review, literary journals that differ in print run, staff, and budget-but not ambition-explore the dual roles of managing content and commerce, addressing unique and shared operating challenges in the current climate of fiscal crisis, including administering contests, "in-sourcing" production and design, securing grants, and implementing both traditional and web-based marketing strategies. |
Conference Room L |
F150. Two-Year College Caucus. (John Bell, Kris Bigalk, Charles Burm, Simone Zelitch, Tobey Kaplan) This annual event brings together faculty from two-year colleges for networking within this growing AWP constituency. After an update on our revised hallmarks for a two-year college creative writing program, we will conduct elections for new officers, discuss technology issues, pedagogy at our campuses, development of AFA degrees and writing concentrations or majors at our colleges, and panels for next year's conference in Chicago. |
1:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. | |
Conference Room K |
F151. $$ CLMP Workshop: Building Your Magazine Circulation. (Jeffrey Lependorf, Maribeth Batcha) Expand your subscriber base with tested strategies and techniques for designing mail campaigns, increasing renewals, and building subscriber loyalty. (Note: CLMP Workshops cost $30 for CLMP members and $60 for nonmembers. To register, please stop by the CLMP booth at the Bookfair.) |
1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m. | |
Beekman & Sutton North |
F152. Poetry and the Other Arts. (Elena Karina Byrne, David St. John, William Wadsworth, Ralph Angel, Lawrence Bridges, Susan McCabe) As we move into the 21st Century, we are reminded that the aesthetic progress of poetry, as well as the artistic growth of many individual poets, has always been deeply linked to its/their relationship to the other arts and artists in other fields -- painting and sculpture, contemporary art performance and film, music (opera, popular music, "new" music), dance (for many poets, ballet), and cinema. This panel both celebrates this fact and investigates some of the reasons behind this growing, interactive conjunction of the arts. |
Bryant Suite |
F153. Sleeping with the "Enemy": Garnering Support and Gaining Resources for Creative Writing Programs in a Corporate Era of Higher Education. (Kate Daniels, Judith Baumel, Mark Jarman, Lisa Russ-Spaar) What has been called the "corporate corruption" of U.S. higher education is cause for real concern among faculty, students, and administrators of creative writing programs. Even in the best of times, creative writing programs struggle for their fair share of institutional resources. This panel brings together writers from a variety of different types of colleges and universities to discuss the issue. Panelists have served as administrators of creative writing at the program, department, and decanal level. They will address some of the most urgent concerns, and suggest ways to communicate about arts missions in this new, bottom line-oriented environment in order to procure institutional resources for "soft," non-revenue-producing curricular areas like creative writing. |
Clinton Suite |
F154. Celebrating Host At Twenty: Bringing You The Best of International Literature for Two Decades. (Joe W. Bratcher III, Anna Frajlich, Dave Oliphant, James Sallis, Maria Rosa Lojo, Miguel Gonzalez-Gerth) For two decades, Host Publications has been bringing the best of international literature to the English-speaking world. We've published poetry and prose from countries as diverse as Brazil, Poland, Belgium, and Turkey, and our eclectic list of authors includes a Texas jazz historian, an Afro-Brazilian professor of literature, and a Chilean Nobel Prize winner. Take a trip around the world without leaving your seat, as we present thought-provoking readings from some of our most notable authors. |
Gibson Suite |
F155. Translating the Book: Artistry, Grants, and Publication. (Diane Thiel, Karen Emmerich, Michael Emmerich, Jennifer Ferraro, Jill Schoolman, Michael Swierz) What kind of choices must a translator of literature make? Octavio Paz says one must "free the signs into circulation" before translating as art. Panelists will discuss various translation issues and their own experiences translating books of prose and poetry. Discussion will also focus on grants available for translation and opportunities for publishing translations. Panelists include authors, translators and publishers who are recent recipients of the inaugural NEA International Literature Awards (2007) as well as other translators of books from Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Nahuatl, Chinese, and Japanese. |
Morgan Suite |
F156. Writers at Rutgers-Newark. (Rigoberto Gonzalez, Rachel Hadas, Alice Dark, Dennis Nurkse, James Goodman, Lewis Porter) This is the inaugural year of the MFA program at Rutgers-Newark University-- a cross genre and interdisciplinary program. Come hear readings by our faculty in fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and even a performance of jazz piano. |
Murray Hill Suite |
F157. The Personal Narrative: The Art and The Health of It. (Diana Raab, Mindy Lewis, Michael Steinberg, Kyoko Mori, Phillip Lopate, Molly Peacock) Personal narratives are the first types of writing we do, but how can writers make their stories compelling? We'll discuss how writers can successfully craft personal stories while using elements of effective prose--scene, plot, dialogue, description, and reflection. Writers tend to have favorite themes or threads running through their writing, often focusing on their demons and obsessions. How do they keep stories fresh? Panelists will also examine the idea of writing universal themes. |
Nassau Suite |
F158. Crafting an Eco-Poetics. (Forrest Gander, Rochelle Tobias, Jonathan Skinner, Cecilia Vicuna, Marcella Durand) What we have perpetrated on our environment has certainly affected a poet's means and material. But can poetry be ecological? Can it display values that acknowledge the economy of interrelationship between human and non-human realms? Aside from issues of theme and reference, how might syntax, line break, or the shape of the poem on the page express an ecological ethics? How does poetry register the complex interdependency that draws us into dialogue with the world? |
Regent Parlor |
F159. Transcending Childhood Trauma Through Children's Literature: Middle-Aged and Young Adult. (Pamela Laskin, Nancy Krulik, Suzanne Weyn, Grace Maccarone) Effective children's writing must not only entertain, but also alleviate psychological burdens. Issues such as homelessness; death; illness and social ostracism are prevalent, and writers need to find the correct voice, so the writing is literary and therapeutic, and can thus help children cope with grief and trauma. This panel--middle aged and young adult fiction-focuses on discovering the proper diction; tone; style; form and language that is developmentally suitable. |
Sutton Center |
F160. Lyric Postmodernisms. (Julie Carr, Bruce Beasely, Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, Bin Ramke, Gillian Conoley, Carol Snow) This panel explores the intersections between lyric allure and experimental investigation in contemporary innovative poetries. What is it to poetically innovate and interrogate while still drawing upon and incorporating the lyric past and present? Panelists discuss their work, their influences, their aims, and their poetics in general, and read from the new anthology, Lyric Postmodernisms. |
Sutton South |
F161. The Road Not Taken: Pursuing Careers. (Mary Gannon, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Craig Morgon Teicher, Daniel Mendelsohn, Dana Goodyear) A panel in which industry professionals offer advice to MFA students about how to pursue careers related to creative writing other than teaching, how to balance life with writing, and how to stay active in the community. |
Grand Ballroom |
F162. Readings by William Kennedy & Alice McDermott. Sponsored by the New York State Writers Institute. Novelists William Kennedy and Alice McDermott will read from their work. Introductions by Donald W. Faulkner |
Mercury Ballroom |
F163. A Tribute to Marvin Bell. (Jennifer Atkinson, Marvin Bell, Lia Purpura, David Hamilton, Lynn Emanuel, Eric Pankey) Native son of eastern Long Island's south shore, author of more than a dozen books of poetry, master teacher, one-time board member of AWP, recipient of Lamont, Guggenheim, Fulbright, NEA, and numerous other awards, avatar of the Impure, Marvin Bell will sit back for once and listen as colleagues and students each read one of their favorite Bell poems and one or two more of their own poems, ones with Bell-esque roots or branches. Afterwards, Marvin has agreed to speak and then read a few poems. |
New York Suite |
F164. AWP Award Series Reading. (Mort Zachter, Geoff Rips, Karen Brown, Angela Ball) A reading featuring AWP's 2006 Award Series winners. |
Conference Room D |
F165. Succession: Leadership Transition in Literary Organizations. (Debora Ott, Thom Ward, Michael Warr, Ralph Tejada Wilson) Literary organizations nationwide are about to undergo leadership transitions en masse as founders, editors, and founder-like directors retire and the next generation of arts professionals steps up to fill their places. This panel of nationally recognized literary center founders, writers, editors, and community-based and university affiliated literary center directors will discuss succession planning best practices from the perspectives of founder, successor, staff, and board of directors. |
Conference Room E |
F166. Canta Pueblo: Building and Serving Audiences in Latino Communities. (Richard Ya�ez, Francisco Arag�n, Amit Ghosh, Irasema Gonz�lez, Elena Minor) The proliferation of Latino literature reflects the broadening of audiences within its communities and beyond. Panelists represent groups actively expanding the Latino literary landscape. Committed to celebrating diverse voices and a collective vision, they share a responsibility of service to their proud community. These writer activists will detail how they foster dialogue and promote expression through bilingual readings, book discussions, free writing workshops, and publication of new work. |
Conference Room L |
F167. Four Generations of Women Discuss Literary Partnering with the Wider Community Beyond Academia. (Barbara Bogue, Elaine Zimmerman, Marilyn Kallet, Jessie Janeshek) Four generations of writers (one also a public policy-maker) posit new models for outreach, dispensing with the old "cultural missionary" approach and instead exploring ways to shape literary voices as partners with community neighbors. Cancer patients and their caregivers, children, and their families calling for social and policy changes, and persons with physical and mental disabilities create individual and/or collaborative works that are disseminated through public readings and publications. |
3:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m. | |
Beekman & Sutton North |
F168. Fraud! The Debunking of Experimental Fiction. (R.M. Berry, Michael Martone, Ted Pelton, Noy Holland) This panel exposes the highbrow affectation and posturing negativism of so-called "experimental fiction." Who are these people, and what are they trying to put over on us? Disdain for character is revealed as the fashionable self-indulgence it truly is. Moral rigor vanquishes parody and faux. Ethically responsible narration is restored. R. M. Berry unmasks Michael Martone's pseudo-formalism, while arch charlatan Martone engages in shameless self-promotion. Noy Holland explains the fear of punctuation, and self-confessed former experimentalist Ted Pelton finally tells all. Why can't these people spell? |
Bryant Suite |
F169. Old York, New York: a picture of the UK's literary culture. (Paul Munden, Anne Caldwell, Simon Sweeney, Patrick Wildgust, Tim Middleton, Helena Blakemore) From York, in England, the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) brings to the New York conference a vibrant picture of the UK's literary culture in schools, universities and the wider community. Based at historic Shandy Hall, NAWE is the UK's nearest equivalent to AWP, and is celebrating its own 20th anniversary. Leading members will introduce projects drawing on both literary heritage and technical innovation, including opportunities for international exchange |
Clinton Suite |
F170. Bye Bye Boomer: Shifting to the post-literate world. (Marc Fitten, David Kipen, David Lynn, Andrew Day, Denise Hill, Brigid Hughes) With baby boomers heading into the sunset and younger generations beginning to establish themselves, a tremendous generational shift has taken place in language, literature, and publishing. What can artists, editors, and publishers do to acknowledge that rift and ensure the relevance of literary publishing? |
Gibson Suite |
F171. Fulbright Fellowships: A How-To Guide for Students. (Devon Wootten, Annie Nguyan, Lisa Hollenbach, Meaghan Mulholland, Margaret Schwartz) This panel offers practical advice to students interested in applying for a Fulbright Fellowship. Panelists demystify the Fulbright application process, focusing on potential research areas, selecting a host country, and making contact with foreign institutions. Panelists also offer concrete advice on how to construct a successful Fulbright Fellowship proposal, focusing on the crafting of a Fulbright essay and the Fulbright interview process. |
Morgan Suite |
F172. Absent Friends - Virginia Tech Memorial Reading. (Robin Allnutt, Fred D'Aguiar, Jeff Mann, Aileen Murphy, Katie Fallon, Lissa Bloomer) Members of Virginia Tech's creative writing community remember those they lost on April 16th, 2007. |
Murray Hill Suite |
F173. Carol Houck Smith: Editor Extraordinaire. (Gregory Donovan, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Stephen Dunn, Carol Houck Smith, Gerald Stern) A celebration of an editor's persistence and care as a selection of the many poets supported through Carol Houck Smith's work as an editor for W.W. Norton read her a poem she has touched and make brief remarks. Followed by comments from Smith herself. |
Nassau Suite |
F174. Poetry and the Atom Bomb. (Stephen Haven, Corrinne Clegg Hales, William Heyen, Neil Shepard, Ruth L. Schwartz) To what extent has the advent and proliferation of nuclear weapons changed the nature of poetry? With an eye toward earlier periods of poetry, panelists discuss the degree to which aspects of the poetic enterprise-the creative moment itself, poetic form, tone, voice, the poet's relationship to a contemporary audience, the poet's attempt to speak to or for her own and future generations, etc.-have or have not been transformed by the new, post WWII human capacity for self annihilation. |
Regent Parlor |
F175. 80 years of Creative Writing: a reading by Sarah Lawrence College poetry writing faculty members. (Jeffrey McDaniel, Cathy Park Hong, Vijay Seshadri, Victoria Redel, Kate Knapp Johnson, Thomas Sayers Ellis) Stephen Spender, Randall Jarrell, Grace Paley, Jane Cooper, E.L. Doctorow, Muriel Rukeyser, Galway Kinnell, Jean Valentine, Thomas Lux, Mark Doty. These are just a handful of the writers who have taught creative writing at Sarah Lawrence over the past 80 years. This reading will feature current Sarah Lawrence writing faculty members reading their own poems as well as work by former professors and alums. |
Sutton Center |
F176. Book Contracts. (Jan Constantine) Authors Guild General Counsel Jan Constantine will offer attendees her expert advice on reviewing a book contract and the key points for negotiation with publishers. She will review the important clauses routinely found in traditional as well as academic publishing agreements, such as copyright, royalties, and out of print. |
Sutton South |
F177. 100 Issues: A Celebration of One Story Magazine. (Hannah Tinti, Brock Clarke, John Hodgman, N.M. Kelby, Paul Yoon, Ron Carlson) This reading marks the 100th issue of One Story. Editor Hannah Tinti will give a brief presentation about this award-winning magazine that publishes one short story every three weeks. A reading will follow showcasing One Story authors. |
Grand Ballroom |
F178. The PSA Presents: A Reading and Interview with Sonia Sanchez. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America. A reading by poet Sonia Sanchez, followed by a conversation hosted by Elizabeth Alexander. |
Mercury Ballroom |
F179. A Reading by Amy Hempel & Peter Cameron. Sponsored by Sarah Lawrence College. Readings by Amy Hempel and Peter Cameron. Introductions by Brian Morton. |
New York Suite |
F180. Speaking in Tongues: The Influence of Contemporary Translation. (Nin Andrews, Constantine Hadjilambrinos, Sydney Lea, Steven Reese, Diane Thiel, Karen Kovacik) For years poets from Europe and beyond have been influencing American poetry, though often their voices are barely heard in this country. The Belgian poet, Henri Michaux, for example, has influenced poets as diverse as Ginsberg, Ashbery and Edson. In this panel poets will read and discuss their translations, including the works of Henri Michaux, the Polish poet, Katarzyna Borun-Jagodzinska, the Cuban poet, Roberto Manzano, and the Greek novelist, Alex Stamatis. |
Conference Room D |
F181. A Difficult Age - Young Adult Fiction as seen from the UK. (Georgina Lock, David Belbin, Julia Green, Philip Gross) Young Adult Fiction is an emerging literature for emerging readers. It offers readers the opportunity to experience life's challenges at one remove and helps to develop literacy. Yet it must avoid appearing 'educational' if it is to sell to its target audience. Three Young Adult Fiction authors who have taught extensively in UK schools and universities discuss the state of the art and its place in the market. Is there a consensus on how we define Young Adult Fiction in the US and the UK? What is the difference between writing about and writing for young adults? We explore the literature's limits and intersections with other literatures and look at how practitioners pass on their skills to Creative Writing students, many of whom are little older than their intended readership. |
Conference Room E |
F182. The Crisis in Literary Criticism. (Jane Ciabattari, Jabari Asim, John Freeman, Rigoberto Gonzalez, Lizzie Skurnick, Elizabeth Taylor) Literary publications, often the only outlet for reviews of small-press books, are disappearing from library shelves, replaced by databases. Newspapers are cutting book pages, eliminating stand-alone book sections and book editors, and shifting some book coverage online. The National Book Critics Circle board is sponsoring a nationwide campaign to support book criticism, and hosting an ongoing discussion on the NBCC board blog, Critical Mass. Where is literary criticism headed? How do we preserve book culture as the outlets for free-ranging critical commentary grow more limited? What is the best way to present book coverage online? Come hear the latest and consider the future. |
Conference Room L |
F183. Town/Gown: The New Urban University and Social Activism. (Tayari Jones, Jayne Anne Phillips, M. Evelina Galang, Gregory Pardlo, Quraysh Ali Lansana) Writing programs headquartered in large cities will be the first to reflect the impact of the changing American demographics. This panel provides analysis and also strategies by which the creative writing programs situate themselves within the communities-- not only merely bridging the town/gown gap, but playing an active role in improving the communities of which the universities are a part. |
4:30 p.m.-6:15 p.m. | |
Beekman & Sutton North |
F184. Coitus Agonistes: Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Writing Sex but Were Afraid to Ask. (Joy Passanante, Kim Barnes, Patricia McNair, Jaimee Wriston Colbert, Shawn Shiflett) Henry and Ana�s may have made it look easy, but writing about sex--the good, the bad, and the ugly--often proves problematic. How do writers determine when they've crossed over into voyeurism? When does sexual writing become sensationalistic? How do we craft the sometimes disturbing, sometimes titillating images that make their way to our pages in the service of characterization, plot promotion, and thematic development? How do we recognize the difference between sex that serves the story and story that is simply serving the sex? Five fiction writers discuss impulse and revision while offering examples from their own sometimes agonizing, sometimes hilarious attempts to write sex right. |
Bryant Suite |
F185. Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors. (Gary Fincke, Sara Basher, Catherine Dent, Danielle Geller, Audrey Colombe, Christopher Janus) Along with providing a meeting ground for undergraduate editors and their faculty advisors, the sixth annual Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors (FUSE) caucus will include student and faculty representatives from Susquehanna University, Shippensburg University, and the University of Tampa. These panelists will discuss the evolution of their undergraduate editing and publishing programs and publications. The Forum will also provide an update on its membership and demonstrate the changes and improvements to its new website. |
Clinton Suite |
F186. A Reading from After the Bell: Contemporary American Prose about School. (David Hassler, Maggie Anderson, Peter Markus, Kenneth McClane, Stephen Kuusisto, Meredith Sue Willis) After the Bell: Contemporary American Prose about School is a unique and diverse collection of short prose published by The University of Iowa Press. Contributors to this new and important anthology will read from their work and talk about how their primary and secondary school experiences have influenced their lives as writers and teachers. Through the perspectives of race, class, physical, and intellectual abilities, these essays reveal how memories of our school days haunt and sustain us. |
Gibson Suite |
F187. The Soundtrack of Fiction: Rhythm in Prose. (Philip Graham, Victoria Redel, Xu Xi, Trinie Dalton) Four fiction writers (two of whom are also poets) discuss the role of rhythm in their compositional processes. Topics include the similarities and differences between rhythm in poetry and prose; linguistic theories about a pre-verbal "language of thought" whose rhythm helps generate written language; the relationship between rhythm and voice, character, theme, and literary movements; and the concept of narrative structure as rhythm on a larger scale. |
Murray Hill Suite |
F188. Akashic 10th Year Anniversary Fiction Bonanza. (Marlon James, T. Cooper, Kwame Dawes, Aaron Petrovich, Amiri Baraka) This event will celebrate Akashic Books' 10 years of publishing adventurous and provocative fiction. Short readings by T. Cooper, Kwame Dawes, Aaron Petrovich, and Amiri Baraka. Moderated by Marlon James. |
Nassau Suite |
F189. Writing the War: Literary Reflections on the Combat Experience. (Erin O'Neill, Andrew Carroll, Derek McGee, Sangjoon Han) As Plato said, "Only the dead have seen the end of war." For thousands of years, writers have explored the moral, philosophical, political and personal ramifications of war. This cross-genre panel, which includes veterans, will explore ways in which contemporary writers are recording the wartime experience, and discuss the inextricable link between literature and war. |
Regent Parlor |
F190. How to Steal from the Greats: Practical Advice for Exploring Craft. (Steven Church, Laura Pritchett, John Calderazzo, Corrinne Clegg Hales, Steven Schwartz, Alex Espinoza) In a discussion focused on practical advice for writers and teachers, this panel will feature a presentation by emerging and established teacher-writers on a favorite poem, story, or essay that includes a corresponding craft-focused writing activity. Audience members will leave with a collection of writing activities designed to assist their own creative explorations of form and technique, activities that can also be directly applicable in the creative writing classroom. They will gain practical tips for stealing ideas and inspiration from great works in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. |
Sutton Center |
F191. Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know About Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction. (Paul Morris, Robert Boynton, Lee Gutkind, Meredith Hall, Barbara Lounsberry) The forthcoming Keep it Real: Everything you Need to Know about Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction is a compilation of craft essays on issues such as compression of time, composite characters, and the history of memoir. The pieces are not meant to be prescriptive but offer examples of how writers have utilized these elements with varying success and sometimes catastrophic results. |
Sutton South |
F192. Mongrels in the Park: An Investigation of the Prose Poem. (Julia Johnson, Cathryn Hankla, Dara Wier, Peter Johnson, Nicole Cooley) A panel on that bastard genre, the prose poem, its origins, history, theory, and practice. Also a reading featuring key practitioners in the genre, many of whom were anthologized in the recent prose poem issue of the Mississippi Review edited by panel moderator, Julia Johnson. |
Grand Ballroom |
F193. Blue Flower Ars Presents: Poetry of Grief and Faith. (Alison Granucci, Robert Bly, Claudia Emerson, Li-Young Lee, C.K. Williams, Mary Karr) With astute perception and skill, these poets reveal a dialogue between the eternal and the temporal, accentuating the joys and sorrows of family, home, loss, exile, and love-and the surviving awareness of faith after loss. |
Mercury Ballroom |
F194. A Reading by Jonathan Safran Foer. (Carrie Brandon, Jonathan Safran Foer) Bestselling author Jonathan Safran Foer will read from his latest book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. |
New York Suite |
F195. Beyond Survival: Chinese and Korean Poetry Today. (Christopher Mattison, Steven Bradbury, Don Mee Choi, Zhang Er, Susan Schultz, Leonard Schwartz) A panel of poets, translators and publishers discuss and present several contemporary Chinese and Korean poets in a multilingual event, touching on their literary innovations and cultural contexts, how ancient poetic cultures survive and evolve in a post-colonial world, and the challenges of translating and publishing Asian books in the West. Works by Zhang Er, Hsia Yu, Shang Qin, Ch'oe Sung-ja, Kim Hyesoon, and Yi Yon-jun will be read bilingually. Co-sponsored by Tinfish Press and Zephyr Press. |
Conference Room D |
F196. The National Black Writers Conference: Creating a Historical Record in Black Letters. (Brenda M. Greene, Malaika Adero, Keith Gilyard, Richard Wesley, Eisa Nefertari Ulen) The National Black Writers Conference, which has been held at Medgar Evers College since 1986, serves as a venue for creating an historical record of conversations in black literature. Providing a retrospective of the Conference, panelists discuss the ways in which the themes of the Conference have evolved, the current state of the literature produced by black writers, the extent to which this literature resists or reinforces boundaries, and the future of black literature. |
Conference Room E |
F197. The State of American Short Fiction. (Andrew Scott, Cathy Day, Dan Chaon, Christopher Coake, Cressida Leyshon) The short story is not dead, despite claims to the contrary. Join story writers Dan Chaon, Cathy Day, and Christopher Coake, as well as the New Yorker's deputy fiction editor, Cressida Leyshon, in a discussion of topics relevant to the craft of writing short stories today -- the process of creating a story cycle or linked collection, "genre play" in literary fiction, future roles the short story might play in publishing, and more. |
Conference Room L |
F198. A New Kind of College: The Creation of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. (David Jauss, Thomas Christopher Greene, Sydney Lea, Louise Crowley, Sharon Darrow, Sue William Silverman) Six members of the faculty, administration, and board of trustees of the Vermont College of Fine Arts discuss the creation of the nation's first college devoted solely to MFA programs. Panelists address the purchasing of its campus and writing programs from Union Institute, incorporating itself as a new institution, achieving accreditation, raising funds, improving program design, and developing new programs and educational models. |
7:00 p.m. | |
Nassau Suite |
F199. A Reception Hosted by Omnidawn Publishing. Join us for this public reception to honor and to thank Omnidawn's poets and novelists. Brief readings by Chris Arigo, Justin Courter, Paul Hoover, Laura Moriarty, Bin Ramke, Donald Revell, Randall Silvis, Tyrone Williams. Free drink tickets provided at the door, compliments of Omnidawn. |
New York Suite |
F200. Poets Out Loud/Fordham University Press Reception. Readings by Jennifer Clarvoe, Darcie Dennigan, Elisabeth Frost, Jean Gallagher, Karin Gottshall, Scott Hightower, Janet Kaplan, Lee Robinson, Julie Sheehan, Robert Thomas. Bar with tickets for free drinks available |
Regent Parlor |
F201. A Reception Hosted by Adelphi University. Join us for a drink! Hors d'Oeuvres and bar, with tickets for free drinks available. |
Sutton South |
F202. Rutgers Newark MFA in Creative Writing Reception. Come celebrate the Rutgers-Newark MFA program, selected as 1 of 5 up and coming programs in the nation by The Atlantic. Join us for a drink, meet our faculty. All are welcome. |
Clinton Suite |
F203. A Reception Hosted by Emerson College Department of Writing, Literature, & Publishing. A reception hosted by Emerson College's Department of Writing, Literature, and Publishing. Join us to celebrate the recent book publications of Emerson College MFA Program faculty, students, and alumni. |
Morgan Suite |
F204. A Reception Hosted by Suffolk University & Salamander. Join us for a toast to Salamander's 15th anniversary! |
Gibson Suite |
F205. Virginia Commonwealth University MFA Program 25th Anniversary Reception. The MFA Program in Creative Writing at Virginia Commonwealth University hosts a celebration of the program's 25th anniversary. Please join alumni, current and former faculty, and students in celebrating this milestone. Bar with tickets for free drinks available. |
Bryant Suite |
F206. A Reception Hosted by Sarah Lawrence. Join us for a drink! Bar with tickets for drinks available. |
8:30 p.m. | |
Grand Ballroom |
F207. The Academy of American Poets presents Rae Armantrout and Mark Strand. Sponsored by The Academy of American Poets. Readings by Mark Strand and Rae Armantrout. Introductions by Tree Swenson. |
Metropolitan Ballroom |
F208. A Reading by Sue Miller & Conversation with Susan Cheever. Sponsored by Bath Spa University Creative Writing Centre and the National Association for Writers in Education. A reading by Sue Miller followed by a conversation with Susan Cheever. |
10:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | |
Murray Hill |
F209. All Collegiate Afterhours Flash Fiction Slam. (Jim Warner) Sponsored by Wilkes University and Etruscan Press. Participation is capped at ten slammers a night. Slam pieces must be no longer than three minutes in length. Limited open mic to follow slam (time permitting). Sign-up at the Wilkes University/Etruscan Press booth, B11. |
Sutton Complex |
F210. AWP Public Reception & Dance Party. Sponsored by Hofstra University & Pennsylvania State University. Music by DJ Neza. Cash Bar from 10:00 P.M.-Midnight. |
