AWP in Chicago

It's been a week and I'm still reeling from the AWP Conference. It's estimated that over 8,500 people visited the book fair alone. I enjoyed every hectic minute and could spend an hour describing the event, but I'll just hit the highlights, pulling from journal entries I made during the trip.

02/11: 9:50 pm. Staying at the Essex Inn just across the street from the Hilton where the conference will be held. Eleventh floor, room 1411. My brother always thought that 11 was good luck. I can see a glimpse of the Sears tower to my left, Lake Michigan to the right. Chicago, my favorite city.

02/12: 9:00 am. First panel, Fictionalizing Family. Even when writing fiction, someone in your family will be offended because they see themselves in one of the characters. There is always the "residual need to please your parents," and this can show up in your writing. As we write about family, we tend to truly discover our family later on in life, that they were a mystery to us all along.

02/12: 3:00 pm. Tribute to Albert Goldbarth. I took the "Nature of Poetry" class with Goldbarth as an undergrad. I was completely intimidated by the man. I never felt truly comfortable in his class, but I learned so much. He taught me to appreciate poetry,words, and the world around me, or at least be more in tune. I consider myself fortunate to have withstood one of his classes,to have attempted to understand the man with the strange, dry sense of humor. They handed out plastic bands, keychains of sorts, that read "What would Albert do?"

02/12: 4:30 pm: The absolute highlight of the day, the Las Mocosas Gritan. These were the talented women of the Macondo workshop, established by Sandra Cisneros in San Antonio, Texas. Gabriela Juaregui read from her book, Controlled Decay, while Angie Chau and Daisy Hernandez read from upcoming books. The poetry by Erin Badhand was incredible, vivid, and moving. I was intimidated by their talents, inspired by their language, moved to tears by their passion. To aspire, that is the hope. To inspire, that is the dream.

02/12: 8:00 pm: WSU's 35th anniversary reception, complete with a bar, brie, and chocolate cake. Afterwards, my fellow MFAers and I walked to a Thai Restaurant on Wabash, after having our group photo taken in front of the Hilton.

02/13: 9:30 am. Book Fair. Walked for an hour around the book fair that took over four different areas of the lower level of the Hilton. Introduced myself to Patti Hartmann with The University of Arizona Press. The Camino del Sol Latino/a Literary Series is based with UA Press, so I was determined to meet her. I also met a group of ladies with Jane's Stories Press Foundation, a nonprofit literary arts organization whose mission is to "nurture and establish women writers." Each year they publish an anthology of work by midwestern women.

02/13: 10:30: Shameless Self Promotion. How to get yourself and your book out there. Great ideas, from offering to be your local coffee house poet laureate, to hosting dinner and readings for your friends and neighbors...

02/13: 1:30: After Magical Realism, New Adventures in US Latino Literature. It was interesting to hear the different views from two fiction writers and two poets. Moderated by Elena Minor, editor for Palabra, three of the writers expressed the frustration with being labeled and boxed in as Latino/a writers. Like myself, they think of themselves as writers who happen to be Mexican, or Cuban, or Puerto Rican.

02/13: 6:30 pm. Jazz Showcase. Palabra Pura. A One Poem Reading by twenty talented and well-known Latino/a poets: Lisa Alvarado, Carlos Cumpian, Gina Franco, Achy Obejas, Paul Martinez Pompa, and my friend and fellow collective member, Linda Rodriguez. What an outstanding venue, what an outstanding showcase of talent. The readings were humorous, sensual, achingly realistic, and fun. What a great way to close the day, or so I thought. Afterwards, we stopped for a slice of Chicago pizza.

02/13: 8:00: A tribute to Gwendolyn Brooks. The incredible Lucille Clifton, as well as Major Jackson, Michael Harper, and Quraysh Ali Lansana paid tribute to the great lady. The first poem that ever stuck with me, that I tucked within my soul, was We Real Cool:

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.

Lucille Clifton moved the audience to tears with her personal stories of her friend. As well, Major Jackson and Michael Harper impressed upon us the abilities of Ms. Brooks as an educator and mentor, as these men were two of her final students.

As I walked to my hotel following the tribute, the words from Brooks' poem, The Mother still beating in my heart, it began to snow. Light, soft flakes glistening in the street lamps of Michigan Avenue. Now, this was the great ending to a great day.

02/14: 9:30 am. Viewed the snow sculptures across the street, taking pictures of my favorites.

02/14. 11:00 am. Sat in a chair in front of a great window in an empty room on the second floor of the Hilton. Watched the humanity walking up and down Michigan ave., the line of taxis, while periodically browsing the seven journals I purchased at the book fair.

02/14: 1:30 pm. WSU MFA program 35th anniversary reading with Rick Mulkey, Karl Elder, Karen Lee Boren, Tom Noyes, and Susan Tekulve. Peggy Rabb, director of the creative writing program, and Margaret Dawe, chair of the English department, did an excellent job of putting this together, along with the reception on Thursday evening. Such dedication and such belief in our program.

02/14: 3:30. Checked out. Waiting for my sis and brother-in-law to pick me up and take me suburbs, Aurora to be exact, where we will have pizza and beer and celebrate my birthday. Yes, a Valentine's baby. Lots of heart-shaped cakes. But, not tonight. Tonight it's Nancy's Chicago pizza and Sam Adams.

A few more pics in picture gallery.