AWP is next week, and Women Who Submit will be representing in full force! Our headquarters leaders, chapter leads, and members from around the country will be showing up in Portland for this annual conference. We are reading our poetry. We are signing our books. We are hosting dance parties. We are hosting a happy hour. We are launching our books and speaking out against the current President. We are on panels that talk about starting a literary series, submitting our work for publication, being an adopted person of color, mothering, mental illness, epistolary writing, and forbidden narratives. Just try to go one day at AWP without attending a WWS panel, reading, or reception. It’s impossible. We’re everywhere!
And if it’s your first time at AWP and you want some tips, check out our blog post from three years ago, How To Do AWP.
Thursday, March 28th, 2019
Lenguas Revoltosas: Writers of Color Disrupting Traditional Literary Zones
With Sehba Sarwar, Verónica Reyes, Maya Chinchilla, and Alan Pelaez Lopez. Moderated by Olga García Echeverría.
When: 10:30am
Where: E141-142, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
“Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity—I am my language” wrote the legendary poet-scholar Gloria Anzaldúa. Despite the rich linguistic/cultural diversity within the US, the primary passport in mainstream publishing continues to be monolinguistic. This multi-genre reading features Latinx and writers of color with unruly tongues disrupting English-only literary zones and challenging narrow perceptions of what constitutes Latinx and POC writing and identity.
#MeToo, Girlhood: Writing and Subverting Childhood Sexual Violence Narratives
With: Wendy C. Ortiz, Amy Jo Burns, Angela Morales, and Laurie Jean Cannady. Moderated by TaraShea Nesbit
When: 3pm
Where: E145, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
Writers discuss creating narratives of girlhood sexual trauma, share influences and craft advice, and offer strategies for overcoming the challenges of writing these stories. The writers on this panel create works that subvert common victim narratives—via humor, style, non-linearity, narrator agency, lack of disclosure, and more—as well as examine the intersections of gender, race, class, inherited trauma, and sexual identity on narratives of sexual violence.
Women Who Submit Happy Hour
With WWS leaders Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, Ashaki Jackson and Noriko Nakada
When: 3pm
Where: Nucleus Portland, 1445 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon
WWS is hosting a happy hour to bring together our chapters and members across the country. Please join us for a drinks, music, and networking.
3pm-4pm: mingling
4pm-5pm: WWS Anthology Announcement & WWS Readers
5pm-6pm: more mingling
WWS Readers:
Soleil Davíd
Liz Demi Green
Liz Harmer
Tanya Ko Hong
Danielle Mitchell
Sibylla Nash
Carla Sameth
Sehba Sarwar
WWS Hosts:
Ashaki Jackson
Noriko Nakada
Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
We are excited to meet in one place, and hear what is going on with our chapters!
Wisconsin Poetry Series Reading at AWP
With WWS member Michelle Brittan Rosado
When: 4pm
Where: Produce Row Cafe: 204 SE Oak St, Portland, Oregon 97214
Will you be in Portland for AWP? If so, please join the University of Wisconsin Press and the UW-Madison Program in Creative Writing at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, for a reading featuring four new members of the Wisconsin Poetry Series family: D.M. Aderibigbe, Melissa Crowe, Rebecca Hazelton, and Michelle Brittan Rosado. A reception will follow.
Submitting Across Regions and Genres
With WWS Chapter Leads Anita Gill, Sara Alaica, Cynthia Rosi, Sandra de Helen, and Desiree Kannel
When: 4:30pm
Where: Portland Ballroom 252, Oregon Convention Center, Level 2
Sending work out to journals can be daunting. With the wealth of publications today, writers become overwhelmed with the prospect of submitting. This panel consists of chapter leaders for Women Who Submit, a national organization that assists women and non-binary writers with helpful information on the best submission practices. Panel members share their expertise on submitting to journals, coping with rejection, and locating appropriate publishing venues.
Beyond the Wallpaper: Women Writing Mental Illness in 2019
With Alana Saltz, Katie Bickham, Martha Silano, LaToya Jordan, and Penny Guisinger
When: 4:30pm
Where: D131-132, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
Hysteria. Nervous conditions. Women’s complaints. These terms were all once used to name women’s mental illness, and often to dismiss it as a result of our delicate minds. This multi-genre panel, made up of women experiencing PTSD, depression, addiction, postpartum bipolar disorder, anxiety, and eating disorders, re-centers the discussion of women’s mental health and how we write about it from a place of power and use it as a tool for coping and a method for dispelling stereotypes.
King Shot Press & Cameron Pierce Present
With WWS member Alexandra Kostoulas
When: 6pm
Where: Rose City Book Pub 1329 Ne Fremont St, Portland, Oregon 97212
Join us at Portland’s Rose City Book Pub for a power hour of drinks and live performances:
Chris Campanioni
Constance Ann Fitzgerald
Cody Goodfellow
Alexandra Kostoulas
Aubrey Lenahan
Anatoly Molotkov
Sam Slaughter
Patrick Wensink
Event is free to attend.
AWP 2019 Reading with Tupelo Press
With WWS member Donna Spruijt-Metz
When: 6pm
Where: Tabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97215.
Fire and Rain: Ecopoetry of California AWP Offsite Reading
With WWS member liz gonzalez
When: 6:30pm
Where: Black Hat Books 2831 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR
Femme Force Reading
With WWS member Wendy C. Ortiz
Where: Powell’s Books, 1005 W. Burnside St., Portland OR
When: 8:30pm
Please join us for a dynamite evening of queer femme brilliance featuring the voices of Wendy C. Ortiz, Amber Dawn, Larissa Lai, SJ Sindu, Barrie Jean Borich, and Ariel Gore. Books will be available for purchase and signing by the authors. Hosted by Sailor Holladay
Friday, March 29, 2019
With: Jeanie Allen, Randall Horton, and Derrick Harriell. Moderated by WWS member Lisa Allen.
When: 10:30am
Where: A103-104, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
When: 1:30pm
When: 1:30pm
Where: Book Fair: T2009 – The Accomplices
Signing and Cumbia Dance Party Pop-Up: Heidi Andrea Rhodes and WWS member Vickie Vertiz
When: 3pm
Where: Latinx Caucus/Univ. of Arizona Press booth
With Breena Nuñez, Gabriela Ramirez Chavez, Olivia Olivia. Moderated by WWS member Maya Chinchilla
When: 4:30pm
Where: D135, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
As Central Americans in the US become a focus of anti-immigrant rhetoric and queer and trans people seek refuge from hate and violence on both sides of the border, it is more urgent than ever to combat one-dimensional stereotypes while resisting the urge to only represent ourselves as the perfect sexless minority in our narratives in order to garner respect for our humanity. Acclaimed and emergent queer Central American authors tackle these themes from multiple genres, mediums, and languages.
Adoptee/Adopted People & Foster Alum Reception
With Julayne Lee
When: 6:30pm
Where: Adams & Jefferson Rooms, Portland DoubleTree, Level 1
Launch party for novel – Black Wings
With WWS member Sehba Sarwar
When: 7pm
Where: Studio Faro: 420 SW Washington St, #302, Portland, OR 97204
Please join us for the official US release of Sehba Sarwar’s novel BLACK WINGS, which was first published in Pakistan in 2004. Revised and updated, this new edition comes courtesy of El Paso’s Veliz Books. Don’t miss your opportunity to grab a copy of the book that Liliana Valenzuela describes as “a tale of family secrets, independent women, and a period of rapid change in Pakistan and post 9/11 America.”
Also reading:
*** Mohamed Asem, the author of STRANGER IN THE PEN, “a timely real human story in the face of headlines everywhere,” according to Oregon ArtsWatch
*** Corinne Manning, the Seattle-based writer & editor whose work has appeared in Story Quarterly, The Oxford American, and been recognized as notable in Best American Essays 2016
*** Ramzy Farouki, the architectural designer, water quality researcher, former wildland firefighter, and poet & writer whose work examines the experience of cultural erasure, specifically that of the Palestinian people
FREE // ALL AGES // BOOKS AND REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE
Where: Portland State University, La Casa Latina Student Center, Smith Memorial Student Union, Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 229 1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR
With: WWS member Alana Saltz
Outsiders in Minority Fiction: When You’re From Where You’re Not Supposed to Be
With Steven Dunn, Keith Lesmeister, David Heska Wanbil Weiden, and WWS member Désirée Zamorano. Moderated by Erika T. Wurth.
When: 10:30am
Where: B115, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
With WWS member Vickie Vertiz
When: 3pm
Where: Rev. Nat’s Hard Cidery and Taproom, Portland
Come through for a second event! The reading is called “The Literary Citizen: SW X NW” with fabulous writers like TC Tolbert, Elizabeth Alvarado, and more to be announced.
Post-MFA vs. POC: Five Poets Speak About and Read from First Books
With Ángel García, Ife-Chudeni A. Opúta, Douglas Manuel and Steven Sanchez. Moderated by WWS member Michelle Brittan Rosado
When: 3pm
Where: D137-138, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
In his essay “MFA vs. POC,” Junot Díaz sparked an important conversation about MFA programs, lack of representation in workshops, and meeting the needs of writers of color. In this panel, five poets extend this discourse to talk about writing after the MFA. They discuss what resources helped them publish first books, including writing communities and conferences, PhD programs, and finding editors who value their work. Each panelist also reads from their recently published collection.
The Word on the Street: How to Start & Run a Community Literary Series
With Sue Staats, Peg Alford Pursell, and WWS leader Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo. Moderated by Naomi Williams
When: 4:30pm
Where: B115, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
Do you run—or want to start—a reading series in your community? Most literary events are hosted by bookstores, colleges, libraries, festivals, etc. But it’s possible to host your own series outside the umbrella of a larger existing organization. Our panelists direct thriving independent literary series. From managing venues, fundraising, and publicity, to luring big-name writers to town, we’ll discuss the nuts-and-bolts of founding, running, and sustaining small community literary events.
Women Writing the Forbidden Narrative: From Inception to After Life
With Esmé Weijun Wang, Sue William Silverman, WWS member Eileen Cronin, and WWS member Wendy C. Ortiz. Moderated by Leigh Stein
When: 4:30pm
Where: A106, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
Many writers are drawn to material in forbidden territory, from stories of abuse to mental illness. When writing about taboo, how do we find the universal story in our specific experience? What artistic choices do we make in terms of genre, voice, structure, character? How do we prepare for reactions? A diverse, multigenerational panel of women discuss why and how they wrote their taboo stories, how they prepared for public reception, and whether writing the taboo affected their future projects.
Adopted Korean Women Writers: History Shapes Our Writing Journey
With Kim Sunée, Tiana Nobile, Dr. SooJin Pate, and WWS member Julayne Lee. Moderated by Leah Silvieus
When: 4:30pm
Where: A107-109, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1
Overseas adopted Korean American women will read their poetry, memoirs, and essays that document their collective experiences. With adoption from South Korea linked to the rights of unwed mothers and also foreign policy including North Korea relations, adopted Korean writers contribute important documentation and discourse to shift the narrative and dialogue and bring attention to the history and current conditions surrounding inter-country adoption from South Korea.
SFF Hangout at AWP
With WWS member Dominica Phetteplace
When: 5pm
Where: 10 Barrel Brewing, 1411 NW Flanders St
Hangout for people who write science fiction, fantasy, horror or other speculative fiction. Come drink and share AWP gossip.
Women Writers Against Trump
With Carol Potter, WWS member Armine Iknadossian, Leni Zumas, Autumn Konopka, WWS member Nikia Chaney, and WWS leader Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo. Hosts: Chrys Tobey & Allison Tobey
When: 7pm
Where: 2505 SE 11th Avenue (at SE Division Street), Portland, Oregon
Please come join us for a very special night of Women Writers Against Trump: AWP! Six brilliant women writers will show we will not be silenced, by drawing attention to the ideas Trump, and his administration, attempt to silence. Along with these six insanely talented women, Gertrude Press will be our co-host for the evening! Gertrude—now in its 21st year—is a literary journal dedicated to holding space for LGBTQ voices.
This event is free, but we will be accepting donations for Oregon Crime Victims Law Center, a nonprofit near and very dear to our hearts.
Small Presses get BIG
With Chelsea Biondolillo, Leland Cheuk, Leah Dieterich, WWS member Sanda de Helen, and Melissa Duclos
When: 7pm
Where: Another Read Through Book Store, 3932 N. Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR
Join us for reading, drinks, and conversation with small press authors Chelsea Biondolillo, Leland Cheuk, Leah Dieterich, Sanda de Helen, and Melissa Duclos. Brought to AWP by “Magnify: Small Presses, Bigger,” a monthly newsletter that celebrates small press books and the independent bookstores that sell them.