Lucille Clifton, writ large

From time to time, we highlight the work of Kingston, Washington, based Expedition Press, which creates beautiful letterpress renditions of poetry. While most of Myrna Keliher’s work is on the scale of cards, books, and broadsides, she sometimes ventures into larger prints.

In fact, Publishers Weekly last week featured some of Expedition’s really-big work in “Expedition Press Delivers Poetry on a Grand Scale.” Expedition’s 40-foot-long plywood mural shares Lucille Clifton’s words, “i continue to continue.”

The huge piece was exhibited at the American Booksellers Association Winter Institute in February and will be on display this week at the AWP Conference. Attendees can also find Expedition Press at booth 1341 at the AWP Bookfair.

AWP off-site, March 9

Here are a few of the AWP Seattle off-site events scheduled for Thursday, March 9, 2023:

Literary Rule Breakers: AWP 2023 offsite event – 1:00-2:00pm – at Seattle Coffee Works
To some artists, rules are actually challenges! At this event seven published writers will briefly explain what “rule” they are breaking and read a piece that in some way breaks a rule. Maybe in form or style, or simply through a character that doesn’t play by the rules. Come listen, drink tasty coffee, and chat with writers! Featuring: Jennifer Moore, Matt Bell, Katie Berta, Kelly Kathleen Ferguson, Josh Davis, Alyse Bensel, and Jennifer Pullen.

RHINO Poetry & Hypertext Review – 3:00-5:00pm – at Caffe Ladro
RHINO Poetry & Hypertext Review join forces at AWP next week. Stop by the table for free stuff and come to the reading on Thursday, 3/9 from 3-5 pm at Caffe Ladro: 801 Pine Street in Seattle! Free coffee, tea, and snacks.

A Dozen Nothing AWP Offsite Poetry Reading – 4:30pm – at Chop Suey
To celebrate seven years of bringing you some of the best poetry on the web, A Dozen Nothing presents the ultimate AWP offsite, featuring twenty-two fantastic poets from around the country at the legendary Capitol Hill music club, Chop Suey. Doors open at 4:30, so come early, buy a drink, and relax before the reading begins at 5:00 pm. 21 and over, no cover. Readers: Colleen Louise Barry, Mary Biddinger, Bill Carty, Jason Crawford, Nicelle Davis, Gabriel Dozal, Knox Gardner, Elizabyth Hiscox, Charles Jensen, Robert Lashley, Denis Mair, John Marshall, Trey Moody, Sierra Nelson, Shawnte Orion, Sarah Pape, Rena Priest, Todd Robinson, Lily Someson, Arianne True, Elizabeth Vignali, and Jason Whitmarsh. Check out their work at http://www.ADozenNothing.com! Questions? Please email us at adozennothing@gmaildotcom

Water~Stone Review AWP Offsite Reading – 5:00pm – at The Tasting Room
Featured readers include contributing poetry editor Ed Bok Lee, and contributors Sin Yong-Mok, Kathryn Savage, Jake Levine, Jose Hernandez Diaz, and Joseph Holt.
No registration required. Just show up, sip some delicious offerings from The Tasting Room, and enjoy listening to our featured readers!

The Greensboro Review at AWP ’23 – Offsite Reading – 5:30-6:45pm – at The Rendezvous Seattle
Join The Greensboro Review in Seattle at an offsite event on Thursday 3/9, 5:30 – 6:45 PM in the Grotto at the historic Rendezvous & Jewelbox Theater.
Recent and forthcoming journal contributors will read their poetry and fiction to celebrate the coming release of our 113th issue (as well as 58 years of continuous publication). Featured readers include: Rose McLarney, Bill Hollands, Phoebe Oathout, Mike Good, Dan Albergotti, Candace Walsh, Jim Whiteside, and Emma DePanise. We regret the downstairs Grotto space is not ADA accessible.

Come as You Are: a reading produced by Leah Umansky + Dena Rash Guzman – 6:00-9:00pm – at A/NT Gallery
WHO: Robert Lashley, Sarah Gilbert, Meg Day, Nathan McClain, Zeina Hashem Beck, Dena Rash Guzman + Leah Umansky
Prelude: Music by Mark Brunke (guitar)
WHAT: verses + chords + vino

AWP23 Offsite Reading: Veliz Books, BOA Editions, & Noemi Press – 6:00pm – at the Seattle Public Library
Join us for an in-person reading at the beautiful Seattle Public Library, 10th Floor Reading Room! Featuring readings by: Molly Bendall, Tina Cane, Sehba Sarwar, Anthony Sutton, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Sandra Simonds, Jessica Q. Stark, Nawall Nader-French, Angela Pañeredando, and Casey Rocheteau.

Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow: A Trans-Genre Cabaret – 7:00-9:00pm – at Gallery 110
Features poets as early media film tellers (Benshis) performing new scripts to silent films, to now media poets spinning DJ jams around ChatGPT. Featured Poets: Katy Bohinc, De Kai, Henry Goldkamp, Greta Jane, Sean F. Munro, Roxi Power, Margaret Rhee, Mark Scroggins, Rodrigo Toscano, and Ronaldo V. Wilson.

AWP Offsite: Black SWANA Lit – 7:30pm – at Northwest Film Forum
Mizna launches the Black SWANA Takeover Issue with Safia Elhillo, Romaissaa Benzizoune, Samah Fadil, and Umniya Najaer. Join Mizna in Seattle for a night of Black SWANA literature and music. Coinciding with the national literary conference in Seattle, AWP 2023, Mizna presents an offsite event to launch the Black SWANA Takeover Issue. This reading will feature guest editor Safia Elhillo as well as Romaissaa Benzizoune, Samah Fadil, and Umniya Najaer. Ladin Awad will be MCing the reading and DJing a dance party to follow. This event takes place at the Northwest Film Forum on March 9, 2023, doors at 7:30pm, reading starts at 8pm. Space is limited. RSVP REQUIRED
COVID SAFETY: NWFF requires masks for all patrons while in the building; read more here: bit.ly/nwffcovidsafety
For AWP attendees, also be sure to catch Mizna’s panel at AWP and visit us and RAWI at Booth 939 in the AWP book fair.

AWP 2023: Situated Sublimities – 7:30pm – at Beneath the Streets
Join us for an evening of poetry, featuring readings of newly published work by Elizabeth Metzger, Meghan Maguire Dahn, John James, Austen Leah Rose, J. Mae Barizo, Patrick James Errington, Kelly Weber, and Julia Guez.
Venue: Beneath the Streets, 102 Cherry St, Seattle, WA

#AWP23 Lit Up Thursday – 8:00pm – at Elliott Bay Book Company
An AWP Literary Reading & Party Hosted by: The Adroit Journal, American Poetry Review, Kenyon Review, and Pleiades, featuring Sarah Ghazal Ali, Victoria Chang, Chen Chen, Chanda Feldman, Saúl Hernández, Faylita Hicks, Luther Hughes, K.Iver, Danny Lang-Perez, Dana Levin, Philip Metres, Chloe Garcia Roberts, Lee Ann Roripaugh, Vanessa Angelica Villarreal, Erika T. Wurth, with DJ Gold Chisme. After Party to follow next door @Oddfellows. First 100 attendees will receive a free drink ticket for the After Party.

Zoom Tuesday with Cirque

The latest issue of Cirque, Volume 13, Number 1, is now available online and for purchase. You can hear voices from this issue, plus readings from four new Cirque Press books, this evening, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 7:00pm Pacific (6:00pm Alaska), on Zoom.

You can also pick up a copy of Cirque next week at AWP at the Cirque Press book fair booth (#119) or at their off-site reading, Friday, March 10, 2023, at 7:00pm, at Northlake Lutheran Church in Kenmore.

planning for spring

This just in from Josh Fomon, Board President for Seattle City of Literature:

Hi! My name is Josh Fomon and I’m the Board President for Seattle City of Literature. I’m reaching out today because the Seattle literary community has an incredible opportunity to show the rest of the country why our city is a UNESCO City of Literature.

As you may know, Seattle will host the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference March 8-11, 2023, at the Seattle Convention Center. For those who may not be familiar, AWP is a conference that hosts literary panels, readings, and a gigantic book fair, while organizations, magazines, and presses typically host over 100 off-site readings and parties.

Last time AWP was held in Seattle, in 2014, over 14,000 people attended. I’m hoping with your help, we can make next year even better. That’s why I’m reaching out with a few questions, opportunities, and requests for you. Please reach out if you have any questions or ideas, too!

Is your organization holding any off-site events during AWP?

Seattle City of Literature is creating a printed and digital schedule and map for Seattle-specific events to be dispersed throughout the city ahead of AWP for our community. Please let us know if you are holding any off-site events as soon as you are able. I know a lot of places have already started to book, so if you would like to do something, I’d suggest starting to plan now. If you want to do something, but don’t know where to start, please reach out!

Is your organization tabling at the AWP book fair?

If you haven’t already secured your table for the AWP book fair, Hugo House’s Rob Arnold had a great idea: Trying to coordinate all of the Seattle organizations in a bloc together to show how strong our literary community is. Let me know if you are interested in trying to make this happen! Early registration discounts tables at $650 until Nov. 22, and on Nov. 23 the price rises to $800. Booths are available as well, but are more expensive. Both options include two passes to the full AWP conference. We highly recommend Seattle orgs to partner and split costs!

Free Saturday book fair opportunity:

Earlier this year, we chatted with AWP and they let us know that they have a free opportunity for smaller organizations to table at the book fair on Saturday. If your “organization grosses less than $20,000 per fiscal year, is a registered non-profit, and is local to the Seattle area” you should apply for this opportunity! No AWP conference has ever maxed out on all of the available tabling spots, so please take advantage of this opportunity before December 8, 2022, if you qualify!

AWP Community Scholarship and Work Exchange Programs for attendees

If you or someone you might know are interested in attending the AWP conference for free or in exchange for volunteer work, AWP has two options.

The first is the AWP Conference Scholarship Program, which has a deadline of December 8, 2022: “anyone may apply, AWP encourages those who identify as people of color, disabled, LGBTQIA+, and/or low-income to apply. Membership is not required to apply. This year, 75% of conference scholarships will be awarded to local Seattle residents.” In our call with AWP, this was another area where historically they have never maxed out on providing scholarships, so please share widely!

The second option is AWP’s Work-Exchange Program, which is intended for “current students, adjunct professors, or someone in need of assistance to cover the cost of the conference.” In exchange for training and four hours of volunteering, AWP will provide you a waived conference registration. The deadline to apply is January 27, 2023.

Furthermore, here is a link to register for the conference with the associated fees. I’d like to point out there is a Saturday-only attendance option for $25 if the cost is prohibitive for the entire conference! [Also note that Early-Bird rates end November 22 and there is a virtual-only option.]

—-

Seattle City of Literature is so excited to celebrate Seattle’s literary community this spring and look forward to championing everything you all are doing!

Do be in touch about any questions, opportunities to share, and anything else you might have on your radar! Looking forward to connecting and thank you so much for everything you do in our community!

All the best,
Josh Fomon
President of the Board
Seattle City of Literature
info@seattlecityoflit.org

AWP2023 registration now open

The AWP Conference & Bookfair returns to Seattle in March 2023 and early-bird registration is now open. There are in-person and online options, as well as member, non-member, and student pricing. Reduced prices will continue through November 22, 2022. Not sure? Have a look at the 87-page Tentative List of Accepted Events for #AWP23 for a description of panels, discussions, pedagogy, etc., on offer, to say nothing of the bookfair, and on- and offsite readings.

open for proposals

The next annual conference of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) will be held March 8–11, 2023, at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The in-person Conference & Bookfair will feature hundreds of events and thousands of presenters. In addition, a select number of events will be made available virtually for both in-person and virtual-only attendees to enjoy.

Event proposals for #AWP23 are now being accepted. Please see the 2023 Event Proposal Guidelines, and read the Presenter Guidelines before submitting a proposal. Additional resources for crafting and submitting an AWP event proposal can be found on the Proposal Overview page.

And mark your calendar for March 8–11, 2023!

The Shy Poet’s Guide to the Contemporary Poetry World: 7 Quick and Simple Tips

This is a guest post by Susan Rich

I’ve recently returned to the joyous quiet of my home after attending the Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Philadelphia. Once again, I was made acutely aware of my discomfort at sojourning with 7,000 of my peers. And I would bet I am not alone in this uneasiness. Those of us who enjoy a well-lit stanza or the swagger of an em dash may not be equally at ease at a cocktail party or karaoke bar. However, over time, I’ve adopted several strategies for managing my shyness because honestly, I do want to connect with other poets. I hope you find some of these ideas helpful.

1. Write notes of appreciation to poets you admire. Don’t be afraid to be a fan girl. Poets are not like John Legend or Taylor Swift; they do not sell out stadiums (okay, Edna St. Vincent Millay did). I believe even a “big” name poet wants to hear how their words were important to you. Anytime I’ve written to a “famous” poet, I’ve always received a generous reply.
2. Invite a poet to lunch! Perhaps this is pushing you out of your comfort zone but it might also be the best way to get to know someone whose work you admire. Twenty years ago I wrote a “brave” email to Kelli Russell Agodon asking her out to lunch to talk about publishing in this new way — on the internet. I’m so glad I did. Kelli is now one of my closest friends.
3. Thank poets who approach you: someone who comes up to you after a reading or an elementary school student who needs to write a report due tomorrow or a poet who saw your work on-line. They are reaching out to you, why not reach right back?
4. Post poems you admire on social media or on a blog. This is a very easy way to make friends! It’s a great surprise and an honor. This can be done in whatever way that you would enjoy; match a poem with a photograph or a color. Make it fun!
5. Find a couple of close poet friends that you can share work with, and laughter. These are the people that will keep you going: attending readings together, sharing favorite poems and lots of laughter. Keep them close. One of my closest poetry friends is Geraldine Mills whom I met in Ireland when our first books had just come out.
6. Be generous. Push yourself to approach a poet at AWP (the writing conference comes to Seattle next year). This year, I went to a couple of different poets’ book signings as I know how awkward it feels to sit at a table and watch people walk right by.
7. Know other poets are probably as shy as you are. Broadly speaking, we poets are not extroverts. And yet, we want our poems to touch the lives of other people. We want to connect.

. . . . .

Susan Rich is the author of five books of poetry; most recently GALLERY OF POSTCARDS AND MAPS: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS (Salmon Poetry, 2022). Until it launches more widely in July, you can find her new book at Seattle’s Elliott Bay Book Company. Visit Susan at http://poetsusanrich.com.

Author photo by Kristie McLean.

. . . . .
NOTE: Raven Talk, Raven’s online podcast, will present Harold Taw in conversation with Susan Rich this Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 7:00pm, discussing Susan’s new book, Gallery of Postcards and Maps: New and Selected Poems. Details and registration link here.

planning ahead

Last here in 2014, the AWP Conference is returning to Seattle… March 8-11, 2023.

Will the Convention Center be ready? The expansion is well underway. The July 2021 construction update said, “The Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) Addition — also known as the Summit building — is one year from completion” and the Summit page on the WSCC website projects a January 2023 opening.

AWP 2021 was all virtual; AWP 2022, scheduled March 23–26 in Philadelphia, is expected to be a hybrid event, with virtual components. AWP 2023 is anyone’s guess. Mark your calendar and watch for details.

. . . . .
photo: 2014 AWP Conference & Bookfair

Virtual AWP 2021: How to Release a Book in a Pandemic

This is a guest post by
Kelli Russell Agodon

I did not screenshot the one-on-one Meet and Greet with Copper Canyon Press, but I wore a paisley button-down shirt and people arrived, to ask questions and just to talk. I had been a little nervous about that event for two reasons. The first was, I wasn’t exactly sure how it would work: would I be chatting with people via text or would we all arrive on Zoom (Zoom it was)? The second reason was, what if it was just me sitting in a Zoom room by myself because no one showed up? Oh the sad life of a poet!, I thought. But thankfully, people did show up, Zoom worked well, and as usual, my worries were for nothing.

The rest of AWP felt like wandering around an empty virtual game. Since you can’t see other participants unless you go to the tab with a list of attendees, it felt like an AWP of one’s own, which for me is the opposite of why I go to AWP. I go to AWP to walk the bookfair and for the surprise encounters with favorite poets and friends I haven’t seen for a while. I go to AWP to hold books, to flip the pages of poetry books, to sit in an audience and listen to a panel.

In my current world, I am Zoomed out, so clicking on a panel (many pre-recorded) and tuning in seemed like another opportunity for too much screentime. But I discovered that because everyone is just sitting in their offices off screen, I could click on a panel, listen, and clean my office! The panels I listened to were good and if they weren’t, there was no awkward leaving mid-panel, just a click of the pause button or shutting the laptop.

While Two Sylvias Press had a virtual booth, we mostly set it up and answered questions by message. We didn’t sell as many books as a normal AWP, but we didn’t have to carry any books from a van to the conference center either!

While this wasn’t the most inspiring conference, I admire AWP for coming up with something that wasn’t too hard to navigate, had a virtual bookfair, and allowed us a little bit of the AWP feel through panels and readings (even if they were on a screen).

This would have been the AWP my book, Dialogues with Rising Tides, would have been released with Copper Canyon Press, or almost (it’s due to be published April 27, 2021). Do I feel cheated or sad that my book is coming out during a pandemic? Not really. Actually, not at all. Mostly, I am thankful for the new ways we unite online, how we find our way through this difficult time. I’m reminded of the many ways we still have to connect and know we are turning the corner for more in-person time.

Since I’m not doing in-person events right now for my book, the online world has oddly become a stage (one I’m occasionally falling off, due to too much screentime). Virtual AWP was a way to meet some new readers, hear my favorites talk about their poetry lives, and actually sell a few more books. During the pandemic I have learned that things do not need to be perfect; good enough suits me just fine these days.

– – – – –
Kelli Russell Agodon is the author of Dialogues with Rising Tides from Copper Canyon Press (which you can preorder here or on Amazon.) Kelli is also the cofounder of Two Sylvias Press and the Co-Director of Poets on the Coast: A Weekend Retreat for Women. On May 1, 2021, she will be teaching a workshop on The Surrealists Toolkit, writing poems from prompts and play of surrealist artists and writers. Visit her website to read more of her work.

it’s not too late!

The AWP Conference & Bookfair begins tomorrow, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, and continues through Sunday, March 7. If you are interested in attending this year’s all-virtual event, you can still register. Plus, registration gives you full access to all presentations through April 3, 2021. Check out the featured presenters, the schedule, the bookfair, and then sign up!