The AWP Conference
The Association of Writers and Writing Programs: What to Expect
The AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs) Conference is held in a different city each year. What can a writer expect from attending?
The AWP Conference and Bookfair was held in New York City this year. It is one of the largest conferences in in the U.S., and supports creative writers and writing programs. What is the format/set-up of the conference and who may benefit from attending?
Expert Panelists Discuss Everything Literary
Panels of published writers, agents, publishers, editors, etc. are set up in scheduled increments of one hour and fifteen minutes throughout each of the three days, with breaks of fifteen minutes in between. The panels go from 9 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Each panel is composed of four to five speakers. This year's panels covered topics ranging from revising and publishing, to translation and jobs outside academia. Some were given provocative titles: "Memoir & The Tightrope of True-ish-isms," and "Habitable Planets & Blackholes: Mapping the Expanding Cyber-Universe of the New Literary Media." Some panel members answer prepared questions from the moderator, while others simply took turns discussing the issue at hand.
Bookfair Featuring Hundreds of Presses and Publishing Houses
This year's bookfair was held on the second and third floors of the Hilton New York, with hundreds of tables set up for smaller presses such as Akashic Books and One Story, to larger ones such as Houghton Mifflin and Random House. If you love books, as most writers do, you will be like a kid in a candy store at probably the largest bookfair you'll ever attend. Large discounts are offered, and the bookfair is open to the public on Sunday, when free books are also handed out.
Readings From Well-Known and Emerging Writers
Among others, John Irving, Jonathan Safran Foer, Joyce Carol Oates, Billy Collins, and Frank McCourt did readings this year, where they not only read from their works but discussed their teaching, writing and simply lived experiences. There were also smaller readings from newly published writers, such as from Red Hen Press.
Reception & Dance Party
From 7 p.m. to midnight, various universities and publishers host smaller receptions, this year held in parlor and conference rooms at the Hilton New York and Sheraton. This is when most of the networking, socializing and relaxing take place.
When considering whether to attend an AWP Conference, consider the following advantages:
- Presentations tailored to serious writers, whose goals are to get published, pursue academic careers or simply improve in their writing
- A bookfair which offers access to books otherwise unavailable in bookstores
- A place to meet editors and publishers from many presses
- Readings from successful writers, the famous as well as up and coming
- Networking in a more relaxed environment with other writers, publishers, editors and agents
The AWP is not a conference where writing will be workshopped, but it is an opportunity for immersion in a writerly/literary environment for four days out of the year. This year's Conference happened to be set in Manhattan, a city which David Fenza, Executive Director of the AWP says, "has supported more literary and artistic activity per square foot than anywhere else on the planet."
