Fairfax, VA, February 19, 2014 — Now the largest literary conference in North America, the 2014 AWP Conference  & Bookfair will take place February 26 to March 1 at the Washington State Convention Center and Sheraton Seattle Hotel. More than 11,000 people are expected to attend. The conference will highlight over 2,000 authors, editors, teachers, and publishers. Featured presenters include the Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx, along with many of contemporary literature’s best authors including, Chris Abani, Sherman Alexie, Elizabeth Alexander, Timothy Egan, Gretel Ehrlich, Ben Fountain, Cristina García, David Guterson, Robert Hass, Jane Hirshfield, Gish Jen, Rachel Kushner, Erik Larson, Chang-rae Lee, Ursula K. LeGuin, Barry Lopez, Harryette Mullen, Sharon Olds, Carl Phillips, Mary Ruefle, Amy Tan, Tobias Wolff, and Ghassan Zaqtan along with many others. The complete schedule can be viewed at https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/schedule_overview.

“We are thrilled that AWP’s conference continues to grow in stature, allowing us to provide such a diverse gathering of wonderful writers, editors, publishers, teachers, and literary arts professionals,” noted Executive Director David Fenza.

Onsite registration will open on Wednesday, February 26 at the Washington State Convention Center, 800 Convention Place in Seattle: $190 for members and $285 for nonmembers. Registration includes admission to AWP’s bookfair, an exhibit area featuring over 700 independent and university presses; print and online literary magazines; trade publishers; writers’ conferences, centers, and retreats; national literary organizations; and creative writing programs.

We are pleased to announce our 2014 Premier Sponsor is the University of Washington and our Presenting Sponsor is Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing / CreateSpace / ACX. Other Major Sponsors and Literary Partners include the Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University, Adelphi University, Antioch University Los Angeles, Bath Spa University, Image/Seattle Pacific University, Northwest Institute of Literary Arts/Whidbey Writers Workshop, Oregon State University, the Poetry Foundation, Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, University of Tampa, University of Washington Bothell, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University, Western New England University, Western Washington University, the Academy of American Poets, Blue Flower Arts, Cave Canem Foundation, Copper Canyon Press, the Council of Literary Magazines & Presses, Kundiman, Literary Arts, Lyceum Agency, the Loft Literary Center, the National Book Critics Circle, the National Endowment for the Arts, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, the Poetry Society of America, Poets House, Red Hen Press, Richard Hugo House, Seattle Arts & Lectures, The Center for Fiction, Wave Books, and Writers in the Schools.

Press release: https://cdn.awpwriter.org/pdf/press_room/021914_2014_Conference.pdf