1) Went to a lot of insightful panels and a couple of sweet readings. So first, here are some quotes I scrawled at AWP15: "Writing well is a choice." --Grace Coover, student, Gettysburg College, on how texting & email impact the creative voice
"You can't tell the advertising from the editorial anymore." --Erika Goldman, publisher & editorial director, Bellevue Literary Press, on the influence of social media in creative writing
"The richest vein of horror lies in the details." --Richard Bausch, author of Before, During, After, on writing violence
"I'm interested in rendering grisly things in lush language." --Melissa Stein, author of Rough Honey
"Writing about violence can sew up the ripped fabric of the universe." --Ed Falco, author of Toughs
"We all grow up on genre. The walls between genre and literary fiction are phantom barriers." --Benjamin Percy, author of The Dead Lands
"Transformation is not the same as redemption." --Samantha Dunn, author of Failing Paris, on character
"Work small. Analyze change in a scene and how that will impact the next scene." --Edan Lepucki, author of California, on microtransformation and character development
"Yes, you should absolutely write an outline. And then not stick to it at all." -- Chris L. Terry, author of Zero Fade, on the novel writing process
2) At the Graywolf Press Poetry Reading, I was astounded by incredible words from...
Mary Jo Bang, The Last Two Seconds
Nick Flynn, My Feelings
Matthea Harvey, If The Tabloids Are True, What Are You?
Katie Ford, Blood Lyrics
You can buy their work on the Graywolf site, and you should, because WORDS.
3) And last but certainly not least...later that weekend, at the Big Lucks + Black Cake + Magic Helicopter holy triumvirate press reading, I saw a few of the next generation of kickass writers emerge...
- Caroline Crew stepped on the hashtag #bossbabe and tore it into tiny boss pieces.
- Dillon J. Welch backed up and sat in a window while he read, cool as a motherf***er.
- Meagan Cass made me cry, but in the best way possible. Do it again.
There are a ton of amazing writers, editors and publishers I met at the book fair, at the readings, at the bar, and I'll showcase some of their work in later posts.
Thanks to everyone who attended and made AWP an unforgettable event.
--xoxo