I'll be speaking at AWP, but not in a, you know, Karen Russell kind of way. (She's so amazing.) This will also be my first AWP conference. Hotel room booked, registration done, flight and all that...now somebody needs to give me a rundown of good bars and restaurants. If you happen to find yourself in Minneapolis on April 9 at 10:30 am, and the weather is okay, and you've had coffee or can bring me some, then please stop into the Convention Center, Mezzanine Level, and more specifically Room M100 H & I, where I'll be speaking on a panel called: "Is All This Writing Really Any Good For Us? A Discussion on How Texting, Tweeting & Emailing Impact the Creative Voice."

This wide-ranging presentation will discuss how all the other writing creative writers do ultimately affects their voice; it will also discuss how it impacts their audience. Does the fact that we write so much every day now actually help us become better creative writers, or does it harm us? Does the fact that our readers now write and read so much every day have an impact, too, on our craft, both in terms of the writer's ability to hold an audience and in terms of what readers want?

I will be joined by more articulate talent such as Andrew Levy, Erika Goldman, and Grace Coover. But I will definitely have things to say, some which might surprise those who know me. The panel is moderated by Fred Leebron.