AWP, AiR, NAR, ALF, oh my!

61º ~ partly sunny, spring continues to be kind ~ the cats and I delight in having our windows open ~ birds abound: 2 male & 1 female Baltimore orioles at the hummingbird feeder outside my window (maple syrup and crushed fruit now deployed)

From March 27 – April 27, my life has been aswarm with creative events. Here’s a glimpse.

March 27 – March 30: AWP (the annual conference of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs)

AWP was in Portland this year, and over 12,000 writers of (mostly) literary works converged on the convention center for 3 days of panels, readings, and the most wonderful book fair I know. These are my people, and, finally, after 10+ AWPs I have made myself comfortable with the overwhelming options available to me.

I was fortunate to be on two panels this year, one on teaching comics and one on teaching & workshopping poetry in a politically divisive America. After 10 years of having various panels I proposed rejected, I was thrilled that the political poetry panel (the one I organized and proposed) was accepted. While at AWP, I also attended a panel on the “Ecstatic Ekphrastic,” which featured poets and writers doing interesting things at the intersection of text and image. I gathered many ideas for not only my own work, but also for my students in illustrated narrative. I attended an amazing offsite reading by the latest batch of poets to have books out from the University of Wisconsin Press. Following the reading, I had dinner with my AWP sisters, Molly Spencer and Sally Rosen Kindred (they are the highlight of any AWP I get to see them). On day 2, I went to a panel on “Trauma in the Writing Classroom,” and jotted down a few helpful exercises for building empathy and community so that when difficult content appears the students are prepared for the discussion. And on day 3, I spent almost all of my time passing up and down the aisles of the book fair, stopping to visit with editors & readers at lit mags and publishers that know me and pausing to check out those with whom I was unfamiliar. Through all 3 days, I doubly loved those spontaneous moments of running into friends I only “see” in the virtual world the rest of the year.

April 9 – April 10: AiR (Artist in Residence) Bonnie Jo Campbell

For a day and a half, I was lucky to play host to novelist & short story writer Bonnie Jo Campbell during her visit to UCA. Not only a spectacular writer, Bonnie is also a wonderful teacher, as demonstrated by her master class with our grad students and her craft talk with our undergrads. I’m so fortunate that I get to be a part of these conversations, which are always teaching me!

April 19 – April 21: NAR50 (a conference to celebrate 50 years of the North American Review at the University of Northern Iowa)

When a friend urged me to submit a proposal for this conference, I couldn’t say no, given the fact that UNI is located smack dab in the middle of where I grew up and only 30 minutes from my mom and my sister. (And Mom puts me up for free! Thanks, Mom!)

This conference carried the overall title of “The Open Space of Democracy” and featured Terry Tempest Williams as the Friday night keynote. Another nod toward the idea of social justice as an offshoot of literary works was a stunning panel by the editors of Bullets into Bells, who were joined by gun control advocates from grassroots organizations in Iowa. The conference also showcased the redesign of this venerable lit mag, and I have to say both the print edition and the new website are stunning.  While at the conference, I had the great opportunity of attending a workshop with Joyelle McSweeney on the necropastoral (and of hearing her perform her poems…there’s no other way to describe it). I also attended panels & readings on regionalism in American poetry, the “resurgent sonnet,” voices of the heartland, and I was able to participate in John McCarthy‘s workshop on using landscape and region in similes as a way to expand the language of a poem. I wrapped up the conference by reading from my song series, exploring how pop songs of the 70s and 80s influenced my idea of gender and sexuality. I was paired with Elijah Burrell, a poet new to me, but now someone I hope to be reading for a long time to come. I was thrilled to be able to see old friends like Trudy Lewis, Allison Joseph, Aliki Barnstone, John McCarthy, and Greg Brownderville. And, of course, the fact that I got to spend time with my family was a huge bonus.

April 27: ALF (Arkansas Literary Festival)

If you’re still reading, we are almost done! Yesterday, I got to enjoy having a writing festival in my own backyard, a quick drive to the River Market and I was enveloped in words. I started the day by attending a reading by Jericho Brown and Geffrey Davis. Having heard both of them read separately in the past, I wasn’t going to miss this, and they did not disappoint. In fact, knowing each other before being paired on the program, they spontaneously decided to read back and forth, putting their poems in conversation in a way that was beautiful and haunting. After lunch, I attended a panel featuring Liana Finck, Charles Forsman, and Adam Smith, authors of graphic novels and comics. This was another chance for me to gather information for my illustrated narrative students. My day ended with another poetry duo; this time Ruben Quesada and Andrés Cerpa. Their reading was as stunning as Brown and Davis’s, and I went home with a smile on my face and four new books of poetry in my bag.

Oh, and all throughout this amazing month of literary adventures, I’ve been teaching and wrapping up the semester, while trying to watch as much Cubs baseball as I can fit into my days. Once finals are over and end-of-the-semester admin work is finished, I may sleep for three days straight. Then, then, there will be days and days of writing time.  Looking forward.