Are you feeling anxious just yet about this year’s AWP conference? Not to worry because we have a guide to all events where you can find the happy, shining faces of Women Who Submit and friends. And while you are combing the bookfair, be sure to find us at booth 975 with Roar Feminist Magazine and Dandelion Review to pick up an “I submitted!” button and to add your name to the WWS daily giveaway. It will include one WWS tote with books, chapbooks, and zines from our members including copies of Posada: Offerings of Wintess and Refuge (Sundress Publications 2016) by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, Gent/Re Place Ing (Write Large Press 2016) by Jessica Ceballos Campbell, Surveillance (Write Large Press 2016) by Ashaki M. Jackson, Cake Time (Red Hen Press 2017) by Siel Ju, Excavation (Future Tense Books 2014) by Wendy C. Ortiz, Wrestling Alligators (Martin Brown Publishers 2016) by Diane Sherlock, Traci Traci Love Fest, a collection of poems from L.A. poets writing in support of poet, performer and community activist Traci Kato Kiriyama as she battles breast cancer and more!
Plus, don’t forget to reread this piece by Lauren Eggert-Crowe for reminders on how to stay happy and healthy over the next week, and we recommend checking out Entropy’s guide if you are looking for avenues of resistance and action.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Writing the Resistance: #LitInColor Write-A-Thon at AWP at 12pm-5pm
Mulebone: 2121 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20009
Kaya Press and The ‘Great’ Indian Poetry Collective are pleased to invite you to a generative afternoon of mini-workshops led by Writers of Color around the theme, Writing the Resistance. The workshops are FREE and OPEN to ALL writers of all levels. Drop in for one 30-minute session, or stay all afternoon. Follow link for full schedule.
Cave Canem Fellows Off-Site Benefit Reading at 6:30pm-9pm
WHUT Howard University: 2222 4th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20059
Hear what our fellows have to say! Join us at AWP-D.C. for our annual Off-Site Reading, hosted by Howard University’s WHUT Radio Station, headlined by Howard alumni Amaud Jamaul Johnson, Toni Asante Lightfoot and John Murillo. Another 20 poets will share innovative work in four-minute, rapid-fire intervals. D.C.-based fellow Katy Richey will emcee.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Submission as Action at 9am-10:15am
Salon F, Washington Convention Center, Level One
Once VIDA published statistical evidence illustrating the underrepresentation of women writers in top journals, editors were quick to say women don’t submit as often. Our panelists challenge this fallacy by relentlessly submitting work to competitive journals and awards and encouraging other writers from marginalized communities to do the same. Moderated by Desiree Zamorano with panelists Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, Cathy Linh Che, Alyss Dixson, and Ashaki M. Jackson.
On Caucuses: Caucus Leaders Unite at 10:30am-11: 45 am
Room 101, Washington Convention Center, Level One
What do AWP caucuses do? Why are they important? Want to form a caucus or become more active? Come hear from minority caucus leaders—African Diaspora, Indigenous, Latino, LGBTQ—on the state of AWP’s caucus system. Learn about the information sharing and the work our united caucuses are doing. Join one of the special initiatives launched to improve the AWP annual conference for everyone. Presenters will also offer a comprehensive guide to caucus events and volunteer opportunities at #AWP17. Moderated by Miguel M. Morales with panelists Bojan Louis, Ruben Quesada, Alyss Dixson and Tiffany Ferentini.
But That’s Not How It Was: Memoir Writers on Pushing Back Against Expected Narratives at 10:30am-11: 45 am
AWP Bookfair Stage, Exhibit Halls D & E, Washington Convention Center, Level Two
When we’re writing about hot-button topics such as sexual assault, domestic abuse, and poverty, there are often expectations about how the story should go. These common archetypes can be deeply held not just by general readers and publishing’s gatekeepers, but also by our inner selves. The writers on this panel share strategies for sorting out how society thinks we ought to have responded to trauma from how we actually did, and when and how to resist the pressure to conform to an expected line. Moderated by Zoe Zolbrod with panelists Wendy Ortiz, Laurie Cannady, Lynn Hall, and Alice Anderson.
Cake Time book signing with Siel Ju at 10:30am-11: 30 am
Red Hen Press Booth #412, 414, 416
Posada: Offerings of Witness and Refuge book signing with Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo at 1pm-3pm
Sundress Publication and Agape Table #458-T
Speaking of the Dead: Craft & Ethics in Nonfiction at 1:30pm-2: 45 pm
Archives, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
Writing about the living poses obvious risks: broken trusts, wounded feelings, turn ties, damaged reputations, and possible legal and social repercussions. But what risks confront us in writing about the dead? That the dead can’t defend themselves does not free us, as writers, from our responsibilities toward them and their legacies; if anything it increases them. In speaking of the dead, what are those responsibilities? The panelists share their experiences. Moderated by Peter Selgin with panelists Dustin Beall Smith, Lidia Yuknavich, and Gayle Brandeis.
Agents of Change: Social Justice and Activism in the Literary Community at 3pm-4: 15 pm
Archives, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
How do we, as writers and literary arts organizers, bring about change in the greater literary community? And how do we move from intention and discussion about race, gender, and inequality to action? This panel brings together literary organizations to discuss their roles as social justice activists in the writing community. These prominent members of national literary organizations examine the current issues and challenges facing the community and the steps necessary to move forward. Moderated by Ashaki Jackson with panelists Elmaz Abinader, Tony Valenzuela, Leigh Stein and Nicole Sealey.
Sundress, Agape, and ELJ Reading at 6pm-8pm
Madam’s Organ Blues Bar: 2461 18th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20009
Featuring Neil Aitken, Sarah Marcus, Natalie Giarratano, Karen Craigo, and Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, Nandini Dhar and Kazim Ali, Stacey Balkun, Jessica Walsh, Nicole Oquendo, Joanna Valente, Janeen Pergrin Rastall, and Chance Castro.
Red Hen Press Omnibus Reading at 6:30 pm
Busboys & Poets: 1025 5th Street NW, Washington, DC
Featuring Nicelle Davis, Kathleen Driskell, t’ai freedom ford, Cynthia Hogue
Siel Ju, Lisa C. Krueger, Douglas Manuel, Elise Paschen, Ruth Irupé Sanabria, Peggy Shumaker, William Trowbridge, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha and Julie Marie Wade.
Ka-Ching! Meet Editors Who Pay at 6:30pm-8pm
Howard Room, Marriot Marquis Washington
TLR is hosting an event at #AWP17 this year, with the editors of The Common, Slice Literary, Carve Magazine, and A Public Space. We are so excited for you to meet editors who actually will pay you for your hard work, just like us. Come on over and say hello.
Unidos: A Reading for Pulse Orlando at 8pm-10pm
The DC Center for the LGBT Community: 2000 14th St NW Ste 105, Washington, District of Columbia 20009
Join the contributors of two forthcoming anthologies, “Pulse/Pulso” and “Under the Disco Ball: Poetry for Orlando” (Poetry for Orlando), as we unite to honor the victims and survivors of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. This reading will honor our dead and celebrate our community. Featuring Miguel M Morales, Roy GuzmĂ¡n, Luis Lopez-Maldonado, David Lopez, Maya Chinchilla, Sebastian Alberdi, Wendy Labinger, Wendy DeGroat, Saul Hernandez, Margaret O, Chakira M., Haddock-LazalaView, Roberto F. Santiago, Divya Radhika Bhalla, Michael Torres, Abel Salas, Steve Castro and Ernesto L. Abeytia.
Friday, February 10, 2017
No One Thinks They’re Racist: Conscious and Unconscious Bias and Racism in MFA Programs at 9am-10: 15 am
Room 204AB, Washington Convention Center, Level Two
This panel will address the conscious and unconscious racial biases that often exist in MFA programs. Students of color frequently experience obstacles in workshop as well as faculty mentors unable or unwilling to effectively critique diverse work. Panelists will discuss these challenges as well as potential solutions for faculty members, program administrators, and workshop participants. Moderated by David Weiden with panelists Sarah Rafael GarcĂa, Ruby Hansen Murray, Misty Shipman Ellingburg and Alexandria Delcourt.
Cake Time book signing with Siel Ju at 10:30am-11: 30 am
Red Hen Press Booth #412, 414, 416
Posada: Offerings of Witness and Refuge book signing with Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo at 1pm-2pm
Latino Caucus Table #103
Legacies of the Badass: Black Feminist Writing in the Millennium at 3pm-4: 15 pm
Room 209ABC, Washington Convention Center, Level Two
This reading features five black women writers who represent the legacies of innovation, experimentation, and political conscience characteristic of such pioneering poets as Jayne Cortez and June Jordan. The increasing visibility of a poetic practice that is bold, brave, radical, subversive, progressive, and very much black and female indicates a cultural continuum that embraces the fearless social interrogations and influence of black feminist writers of the past, present, and future. Moderated by Ruth Ellen Kocher with panelists Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, Dawn Lundy Martin, Duriel Harris and Khadija Queen.
Kelsey Street and Chax Press: A Reading in DC at 3pm-5pm
Busboys and Poets: 1025 5th Street, NW, Washington, District of Columbia
Join Kelsey Street and Chax Press in DC for an amazing line-up featuring Jennifer Barlett, Ching-In Chen, Andrew Levy, Steffi Drewes, Tracie Morris, Anna Morrison, Sarah Rosenthal, Soham Patel, Trace Peterson, Cameron Awkward-Rich, Jessica Smith, and Jasmine Dreame Wagner.
African Diaspora Caucus at 6pm-7: 15 pm
Room 102B, Washington Convention Center, Level One
Uniting attendees from across disciplines, the African Diaspora Caucus will provide a forum for discussions of careers, best practices for teaching creative writing, and obtaining the MFA/ Ph.D. We will work with AWP’s affinity caucuses to develop national diversity benchmarks for creative writing programs and will collaborate with board and staff to ensure that AWP programs meet the needs of diaspora writers. This Caucus will be an inclusive space that reflects the pluralities in our community. Moderated by Alyss Dixson with Jacqueline Jones LaMon and Sanderia Faye.
Not Without Laughter: Poetry, Drinks & Jazz at 6pm-8pm
Busboys and Poets: 2021 14th Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia 20009
Join Cave Canem Foundation, PEN Center USA, and the Bennington Writing Seminars as we come together to celebrate poetry, new scholarships for emerging writers, all in the spirit of Langston Hughes. Short readings, followed by drinks and, of course, jazz. Featuring Donika Kelly, Shauna Barbosa, and Doug Kearney
Literaoke II at 8pm-11pm
Dupont Underground: 1900 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036
We’re back at #AWP17 for another round of LITERAOKE, where we invite the hottest writers to belt out their Karaoke favorites and share some of their work. What better way to come together and feel good in the face of these dystopian times than raising our voices. Featuring Kazim Ali, Hari Alluri, Anelise Chen, Vanessa Hua, Douglas Manuel, Siel Ju, Abeer Hoque, Randa Jarrar, Vanessa Villareal, Raena Shirali, Lilliam Rivera and Rakesh Satyal
Lit Up #awp17: Dorothy/Action Books/Dzanc/Two Dollar Radio/CCM at 8pm-11pm
The Black Squirrel: 2427 18th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20009
Featuring Jen George, Danielle Dutton, Javier Etchevarren, Jesse Lee Kercheval, VĂctor RodrĂguez NĂºĂ±ez, Katherine M. Hedeen, Robert Lopez, Lindsey Drager, Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, Chiwan Choi, Wendy C Ortiz, Lynn Melnick, Christopher Higgs
and Gabrielle Civil
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Money, Power, and Transparency in the Writing World at 9am-10: 15 am
Marquis Salon 6, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Two
As writers, we’re too often in the dark about how money is allocated in the institutions where we work, publish, and produce. When we’re negotiating paychecks and contracts, we often don’t know how much to ask for, or we don’t have access to how the surrounding systems work. When we’re asked to do uncompensated work, we often don’t know if it’s worth it. Join us for some much-needed frankness about money from the worlds of publishing, publicity, academia, and freelancing. Moderated by Natalie Shapero with panelists Kima Jones, Morgan Parker, Jane Friedman and Rachel Mennies.
When Safe Spaces Aren’t: (Re)Imagining for a Multicultural Creative Space at 10:30am-11: 45 am
Liberty Salon M, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
The term safe space has become the new buzzword for nurturing or supporting. This panel will describe how structural bias and inequity can mask the architecture of Whiteness by unpacking the term and decoding the cultural ideologies underpinning these spaces. It will seek to help writers of color and allies (re-)imagine multicultural creative spaces. Ample time is given for discussion with audience and panelists on how to develop guidelines and best practices. Moderated by Alyss Dixson with panelists Jennifer Baker, Amy Lam, and Metta Sama
Cake Time book signing with Siel Ju at 11am-12pm
Red Hen Press Booth #412, 414, 416
Fracturing Memory, Crossing Borders: Transnational Memoir Writers Discuss Hybrid Necessities at 1:30pm-2: 45 pm
Room 202B, Washington Convention Center, Level Two
For transnational writers who spend their lives constantly negotiating borders—geographic and personal—hybridity no longer becomes a choice. This panel features diverse writers whose experimental memoirs include nonlinearity, multiple genres, photographs, and other multimedia. We will discuss how these hybrid strategies succeed or fail when trying to reconstruct family histories or address personal trauma, and how this can be especially challenging when moving between nations and identities. Moderated by Minal Hajratwala with panelists QM Zhang, Amarnath Ravva, Abeer Hoque and Tania De Rozario.
In Bloom: Kundiman Fellows and Friends read from newest works at 5pm-7pm
Bloombars: 3222 11th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20010
A celebration of Kundiman Fellows and Friends and the release of their new books! Featuring: Neil Aitken, Gina Apostol, Marci Calabretta, Chen Chen, Ching-In Chen, Jennifer S. Cheng, Kazumi Chin, Rachelle Cruz, Muriel Leung, Jane Lin, Michelle Lin, Marco Maisto, MG Roberts, Chris Santiago, Melissa Sipin, and Jane Wong.