AWP: bookfair, guests, low-res MFA panel

2012 Annual Conference & Bookfair

February 29-March 3, 2012

With such a whacky winter, it’s no wonder it feels like AWP snuck up on us. If you’re like me, it still feels weeks (months?) away. But, behold, this wonderful annual conference is upon us – next week! I hope to see many of you at Chicago’s 2012 AWP Conference and Bookfair. 

I’m happy to again be leading a panel discussion on low-residency MFAs (details below) and have a table space provided for me, courtesy of my fantastic publisher Continuum Books/ Bloomsbury. I’ll be in the bookfair Thurs-Sat to meet, greet, and promote The Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Creative Writing Students. I’ll have a few handfuls of copies on hand if you’re looking to pick one up at the conference. Last year I sold out by Friday afternoon, so be sure to stop by Table A5 and say hi early on this year!

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I’m also super excited to have a few special guests join me at the bookfair:

Patricia Florio
Thursday 1:00-3:30pm
Friday 11:30-1:30pm
Author Patricia Florio will join me at the bookfair table to promote her recent book My Two Mothers, as well as the East Meets West, American Writers Review.

Sandee Umbach
Thursday 9:00-10:30am
Friday 2:30-4:30pm
Saturday 9:00-11:00am
Poet, memoir, and fiction writer Sandee Umbach will join me at the table, Thursday-Saturday. Sandee will have on hand a few copies of her new full-length collection of poetry, The Pattern Maker’s Daughter.

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Also, if you’re interested in low-res MFAs, I hope to see you at the panel I’m moderating:

R184. Low-Residency Approaches to Pedagogical Training and Preparation
(Lori A. May, Danita Berg, Clark Knowles, Jim Warner)
Lake Ontario, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
Thursday 1:30-2:45

Description: Program directors and faculty will discuss innovative approaches to providing pedagogical training for low-residency students. Discussion will include the unique challenges and opportunities presented via distance and limited on-campus study, and how low-residency programs are incorporating student-teacher training. Panelists will share personal experiences, speak to how programs provide pedagogical training for current students, and discuss what program services are available to alumni.

Bios:

Danita Berg is the Red Earth MFA Director at Oklahoma City University. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and a PhD in English from the University of South Florida. She has published creative work in Redivider, Southern Women’s Review, and the Press Pause Now Anthology for Women, among other publications.

Clark Knowles teaches writing at the University of New Hampshire. His fiction has appeared in Pank, Glimmertrain Stories, Inkwell, and others. The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts awarded him an Individual Artist’s Fellowship for the year 2009. He received his MFA in Writing and Literature from Bennington College.

Jim Warner is the Assistant Program Director in the Wilkes University low-residency MA/MFA program. His poetry has appeared in journals including Drunken Boat, Word Riot, and the anthology In The Arms of Words, Poetry for Disaster Relief. He is the author of a poetry collection, Too Bad It’s Poetry. In 2006, Jim was the recipient of the Norris Church Mailer Award.

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Here’s hoping we have some decent weather next week. See you in Chicago!

Opportunity: FREE table space – AWP Chicago

This is a freebie opportunity open to A) writers, B) indie lit journals and small presses wanting an additional way to flag down passers-by, and C) low-res MFA students, alumni, or program reps who’d like the opportunity to talk up your institution. 

The Fact:
Chicago’s 2012 AWP is fast approaching and I have an opportunity to share.

The Setting: 

Thanks to my publisher, Continuum Books, I have a table exclusively to myself, for The Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Creative Writing Students (link). Last year, I invited writers and low-res program reps (directors, faculty, students) to hang with me and talk to folks about their programs and their interviews in The Handbook and it was a HUGE success. It was also successful for some author pals who were able to brag about and sell their books. (As you can see from these candid shots, my table’s a good time.) I want to share my space again by opening up my second chair throughout the conference.

If you’ve ever attended AWP, you know the Bookfair is a wonderful chance to meet and mingle with just about everyone (or, 9,000+ attendees if you want to get particular). The Bookfair runs Thurs-Sat from 8:30am – 5:30pm. 

The Opportunity:

I’m currently scheduling for the Bookfair and will freely offer my second chair and half of my table space to any low-res related person, author with a need to promote, or indie journal/small press rep who needs an opportunity to reach new people. I’d like to divide the schedule into 2-3 hour chunks, so have a look at the Conference Schedule to see when you might be able to devote some time to promoting your books/program/self/press and let me know when you’d like to sign up. If you want to sign up for more than one block of time, that’s fine. If you want a friend/colleague to tag along, that’s fine. Let me know your avails.

You’re invited to bring along your books/lit journals, program brochures, biz cards, appropriate signage, and your stellar personality. My table this year is located at A5, which looks pretty good on the map (close to restrooms and coffee carts!). Once you confirm a time with me, I’ll even help promote your presence via social media, word of real-life mouth, etc.

Oh, sure, you think there’s a catch. Not really. Well, yeah, sometimes I’d like a break to grab a coffee or a bite to eat, maybe walk around the Bookfair to stretch my legs and say hi to folks, and I do have two sessions I am participating in, so – yes - it matters to me that I have some break relief here and there. But, really, I’m giving up a free chair and half a table’s worth of space while you’re in that chair. It seems fair to cover for me while I re-caffeinate, right?

How-To:
Email me and we’ll chat. Soon. The conference is right around the corner and the sooner my table schedule is solid, the sooner I can start bragging about your presence and location in the Bookfair. 

Disclaimer:
While I’d love to say yes to everyone, this is a limited time offer since this is a limited space kind of situation. So, what are you waiting for? Email me now: lori@loriamay.com