This is a bit delayed considering it’s been a week since AWP Chicago 2012 (a necessary designation since this is like the third AWP I’ve been to in Chicago now). I started with odd chest congestion a few days before the conference which, once in the Windy City, came on with a vengeance after dry airplane air and dry hotel room air and unabashed alcohol consumption at the never-ending cocktail hour in a certain friend’s hotel room. Needless to say I was hoarse and coughing by the time I got back to New York and have been fed a steady nightly potion of raw ginger root from Michael all week which has things back to normalish.
I’m not going to do a play-by-play of each day, but here are some highlights, in no particular order (in which I plug new books by friends):
- Our relaxing Art Song panel organized by the amazing Rebecca Morgan Frank, with fabulous readings by Katie Peterson, Jill McDonough, and Morgan, and the ensuing shots at the bar and conversation with the composer boys: Eric Malmquist, Randall West, and Brian Baxter, who will be judging and selecting Memorious‘s next Art Song contest. Check out Morgan’s new book Little Murders Everywhere:
- Meeting Ms. Julia Sugarbaker herself, Douglas Ray, and daily cocktail hour with him and Charlie Jensen. And the cast of characters who visited our daily gatherings. Check out Douglas and Charlie’s new books:
- My annual catch-up with the wonderful Emily Rosko, whose second book, Prop Rockery was just released. It is sonically virtuoso, full of word play and lush language, and a fascinating conversation with Shakespeare’s plays:
- Getting to know Rae Gouirand a bit better and hanging out with Christopher Hennessy and Brooklyn Arts Press mastermind Joe Pan, and Wendy Pan (my co-worker in the day job world–small world in NYC!). Rae and Christopher were just nominated for the Publishing Triangle awards, for the Audre Lorde and Thom Gunn prizes respectively. Check out their books:
- Spending lots of time with my grad school pal Rachel Nelson, who is one of those people you just pick up with where you left off even if you haven’t seen each other in a few years. I’m excited to read the new poems she’s been working on.
- The Villanelles Anthology launch. I worried we contributors would just be reading to each other, but I think we were only a third of the audience. I was humbled to read with such rock stars as Taylor Mali and Marilyn Nelson and Timothy Donnelly. Kudos to Marie-Elizabeth Mali and Annie Finch for organizing the evening. It was a great reading, great energy and pace and audience.
- Reconnecting with some Michigan peeps and faculty at the UM reception, and at a separate reading hearing Jaswinder Bolina read this awesome poem “The Tallest Building in America”.
- A gay pow-wow at Lawrence Schimel’s A Midsummer Night’s Press table where I rendezvoused with my publisher, Bryan Borland, and met a certain ginger-haired poet from Florida (hope we get to spend more time hanging out in NYC, Stephen!). Go buy Stephen’s book:
And so many other sightings and run-ins and annual hellos. I’m sure I’m missing people (hi Saeed! hi Christian!), but it’s always such a whirlwind, especially when slogging through the book fair. I was glad to see some cosplay introduced to the book fair this year by that dude dressed as a bird creature with the briefcase on a string. I think if we got more like Comic Con and people started dressing up as their favorite characters or authors, or–hell, do you really need a reason?–the conference would be way more visually interesting.
Anyway, that’s my report. I was able to show-off the galley of Skin Shift and read from it, and created some buzz for the book. Next engagement on my spring buzz-building tour is my reading at the alumni conference for English majors at Muhlenberg College on March 17th. I now have beautiful post cards to give out! And next year AWP is in Boston, a quick train ride away and a chance to spend time with my little sister.