AWP 2012 Schedule

The AWP Conference in Chicago starts this week, and I'll be there representing Dzanc Books and The Collagist, as well as participating in two panels and three readings, all of which are detailed below. When you're at the book fair, I hope you'll stop by table A3 in the Southwest Hall, where Dzanc will be sharing space with the good people of Knee-Jerk. I'll be there for as much of the book fair as I physically can, and I'll hopefully occasionally be joined by other members of The Collagist staff who will be happy to talk to you about the magazine or anything else you might be interested in.

J.A. Tyler at MLP also sent out a newsletter with their AWP plans, which include having a very limited number of signed early copies of Cataclysm Baby for sale. If you're interested in picking one of those up, you can stop by table I3. Feel free to stop by the Dzanc table afterwards if you'd like me to personalize it for you.

As always, one of the best parts about AWP is seeing all the friends I don't get to see any other time, and to meet the new people I've bene working with and reading over the past year. I can't wait to see all of you in Chicago, and to soak up all the enthusiasm and goodwill that's always in the air. See you there!

Thursday 

Villains and Killers and Criminals, Oh My: Representing Evildoers in Literary Fiction (12-1:15pm)
(Reese Okyong Kwon, Matt Bell, Eugene Cross, Brian Evenson, Lauren Groff)
Honoré Ballroom, Palmer House Hilton, Lobby Level
Iago, the Misfit, Milton’s Satan, Judge Holden—some of the most memorable characters in literature have been the evil ones. “The death of Satan was a tragedy / For the imagination,” said Wallace Stevens. If this is true, how can fiction writers profit from the inclusion of villainy, and what might be lost? Join writers as they discuss their experiences incorporating elements of evil into their fiction, providing examples from their own and others’ work.

Convocation in Chicago (7pm)
Location: Beauty Bar
Cost: Free
PANK, Annalemma, and Mud Luscious will once again host a holy meeting of literary minds. Convocation in Chicago will feature performances by Scott McClanahan, Daiva Markelis, Jac Jemc, Robb Todd, Sal Pane, Brian Oliu, Aubrey Hirsch, Matt Bell, xTx, Chris Newgent, Brett Elizabeth Jenkins, Casey Hannan, Tim Jones-Yelvington, Brandi Wells, Doug Paul Case, Ryan Bradley, Myfanwy Collins, Sarah Rose Etter, Laura Ellen Scott, Molly Laich, and Allyson Boggess.

Propaganda: a reading (9:00 pm)
Location: Haymarket Pub & Brewery, 737 W. Randolph (Halsted & Randolph) - in the Drinking & Writing Theater
Cost: free
Website: http://www.propagandareading.com
Three to five minutes of propaganda from: Matt Bell, Jessica Anya Blau, Blake Butler, Alexandra Chasin, Molly Gaudry, Amelia Gray, Lindsay Hunter, Jac Jemc, Stephen Knezovich, Samuel Ligon, Robert Lopez, Nelly Reifler, Joseph Salvatore, Jason Sommer, Matthew Vollmer, and Jess Walter.

Saturday

Connecting with Readers via Your Website and Social Media (9:00-10:15am)
(Michele Wolf, Kim Addonizio, Leslie Pietrzyk, Matt Bell, Paul Lisicky)
Boulevard Room A,B,C, Hilton Chicago, 2nd Floor
Having a vibrant, user-friendly Web presence—via your own website (supplementing a publisher’s and/or employer’s page for you), blogging, Facebook, and other social media—has become a key asset for engaging readers and students, being part of the conversation, and expanding interest in your work. Learn how to create an appealing, fun-to-click site that best represents your books and passions, what resources and social media contact that readers most appreciate, and what pitfalls to avoid.

Books Have Ruined Our Lives, Now We Want to Ruin Yours: Starcherone in Chicago (5:30)
Location: The Green Door, 678 New Orleans St., Chicago
Cost: FREE
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/384306104919479/
Starcherone Books celebrates the publication of 30 Under 30: Innovative Fiction by Younger Authors, with ten contributors (Matt Bell, Ian Davisson, Ryan Downey, Andy Farkas, Evelyn Hampton, Sean Kilpatrick, Alissa Nutting, Brian Oliu, Todd Seabrook, Megan Milks) and editor Lily Hoang joining Starcherone authors Gretchen Henderson (The House Enters the Street, due out in Fall '12) and Alissa Nutting (Unclean Jobs for Women & Girls) in an evening certain to destroy your capacity to live a comfortable life and make a decent wage. Hosted by Starcherone publisher Ted Pelton.