Almost impossibly so, AWP is upon us once again! (Early February! How about that...) If you're running a bit behind schedule, we've once again compiled a list of all the panels and offsite events around Washington, DC, we'd attend if only we could be in eight places at once.
Wednesday, February 8
8:00 - 10:00 pm — 4th Annual Rock and Roll Reading
Vinyl Lounge, 3401 K St NW
Twelve writers — including Danielle Evans, Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, Ashley Strosnider, Porochista Khakpour, and Justin Tussing — will read rock-and-roll-inspired work for three to four minutes each, the length of a song. After, La Guerre will play a solo set.
Thursday, February 9
9:00 - 10:15 am — It’s the End of the World as She Knows It: Apocalypse Poetry by Women
Supreme Court, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
"Four poets discuss and read from recent, timely collections of poems focused on doomsday and depictions of disaster in American culture. How are these popular, hyper-masculinized narratives and tropes treated—and twisted—by women? How do feminist, futuristic, and dystopian themes intersect? Employing varied formal and conceptual approaches, these poets engage with the environment, religion, politics, and popular culture."
10:30 - 11:45 am — Global Narratives Within US Literature
Marquis Salon 7 & 8, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Two
"In a world where cultures transcend borders, what defines US literature? How is a writer's experience, aesthetic, and vision shaped by carrying more than one country in her skin? What particular challenges and opportunities exist for writers whose work springs from a global, multicultural source? Authors of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction from Iran, Lebanon, Cuba, Ethiopia, and Uruguay discuss their experiences as global voices working within the United States."
1:30 - 2:45 pm —The Political Woman: Historical Novelists Reimagine and Reclaim Women's Place in Politics
Marquis Salon 7 & 8, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Two
"While rarely central and often discounted, women have always played a role in politics. In this panel, historical novelists discuss how and why they chose to unearth and reimagine the lost and untold stories of women in politics. What are the risks and rewards of using fiction to place women at the center of political narratives? What liberties are novelists compelled, or unwilling, to take with the historical record?"
7:00 - 9:00 pm — The Golden Shovel and the Gwendolyn Brooks Estate Celebration
826DC & Tivoli's Astounding Magic Supply Co., 3333 14th St NW M120
Join the editors of the Golden Shovel Anthology, Peter Kahn, Ravi Shankar, Patricia Smith & the Gwendolyn Brooks estate to celebrate the launch of a new anthology. Featuring performances by Terrance Hayes, Dottie Lasky, Kwame Dawes, Camille Dungy, Meena Alexander, Adrian Matejka, and Dorrianne Laux.
7:00 - 9:30 pm — Write Together, Fight Together
U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St NW
Barrelhouse, Catapult, Lit Hub, and The Rumpus present WRITE TOGETHER, FIGHT TOGETHER! Featuring readings from Jericho Brown, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Melissa Febos, Morgan Parker, and Sarah Sweeney, and emceed by Jonny Diamond, Lit Hub Editor-in-Chief.
10:00 pm - 12:00 am — AWP Public Reception & Dance Party. A dance party with music by DJ Neza
Independence Ballroom, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
Free beer! and wine! from 10:00 – 11:00 pm. Cash bar from 11:00 pm to midnight.
Friday, February 10
9:00 - 10:15 am — Writing as Refugees: Collective Trauma & Impossible Return
Liberty Salon I, J, & K, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
"This dialogue is among indigenous, African, Latino, and Asian writers whose work draws upon their experiences of being refugees, relocated, and stateless. While writers communicate their ancestors’ grief through words, they may face repercussions for breaking the silence. Considering the current refugee crisis, this panel broadens the conversation by discussing when geographical return is impossible, people become undocumented, and war and genocide obliterates a notion of home."
10:30 - 11:45 am — Body of Work: Exploring Disability, Creativity, and Inclusivity
Room 203AB, Washington Convention Center, Level Two
"What is the physical body’s relationship to the creative mind? Four writers with disabilities will discuss their writing lives, and how social progress and technology are transforming representations of the human body. What effect has this had on literature? Where do we read ourselves in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry? Our panelists will discuss whether or not literature is representing the current climate and how they have represented their own bodies in writing over time."
3:00 - 4:15 pm — Legacies of the Badass: Black Feminist Writing in the Millennium
Room 209ABC, Washington Convention Center, Level Two
"This reading features five black women writers who represent the legacies of innovation, experimentation, and political conscience characteristic of such pioneering poets as Jayne Cortez and June Jordan. The increasing visibility of a poetic practice that is bold, brave, radical, subversive, progressive, and very much black and female indicates a cultural continuum that embraces the fearless social interrogations and influence of black feminist writers of the past, present, and future."
7:00 pm — Ursula Major: A Feminist Offsite Reading
Big Bear Cafe, 1700 1st Street NW
Five feminist presses will host a reading of recent authors. Come see writers from Atlas Review, Gazing Grain Press, In Your Ear, No Dear and Switchback Press.
Saturday, February 11
1:30 - 2:45 pm — Trans & Gender Nonconforming Author Reading
Monument, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
"Award-winning transgender and gender nonconforming writers and poets bring you their newest and best work in this reading that jettisons tropes around queer and trans people to reveal an exciting and nuanced nascent trans literature. Pushing against convention, form, and your MFA workshop leader's advice, these authors represent some of the best work across the country in a variety of genres including poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction."
3:00 - 4:15 pm — Going for Broke: Poor and Working Class Writers Talk About Choosing Careers in the Arts
Liberty Salon N, O, & P, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
"How do you navigate life as a working artist when you come from poverty? Five writers from racially diverse working class backgrounds in the Caribbean, US, and Western Europe will discuss what it means to plot a career in the arts without a safety net. Topics will include: finding relevant career advice for those from low income backgrounds; making career choices or compromises based on your class; class and race; sustaining a career; and the strengths and limits of poverty PTSD."
7:00 - 9:00 pm: The Small Press Party!
Our party! You gotta come! Join Curbside Splendor Publishing, Deep Vellum Publishing, featherproof books, Sarabande Books, and Two Dollar Radio for a cocktail party delightfully devoid of readings. Celebrate the final night of AWP with drinks, snacks, mingling, and dancing, hosted by some of your favorite small presses.
free! with RSVP // two drink tickets per RSVP // RSVP to catherine (at) curbsidesplendor [dot] com