Gordon Highland's picture
Gordon Highland from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore January 22, 2015 - 10:33pm

I posted this discussion as members-only a month ago and got no replies, so I guess I'll try it publicly.

Feels like it's time to start talking about this, yeah? Travel plans are being made, events organized, liver-stamina bolstered, lingerie purchased. Got my hotel booked, within walking distance of the convention center. As with the past several years, I'm not attending the conference proper, just all the offsite hangs. It's an excuse for me to vacation with my litmates. So what's the haps? What are you looking forward to?

I'll wait to have a look at the listed offsite events on the AWP site a little closer to the date. Currently I'm excited about our podcast-versus-press dodgeball game (I just hope I'm not picked last). The other must-attend events I'm aware of at the moment are the Broken River one, the Bizarro one, and there's a Menacing Hedge dinner-party reading on Friday.

See you there?

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like February 17, 2015 - 9:56am

I'm waiting for Obama to make it free along with E3 and Comic-Con.

Seriously though, I've thought about going to AWP but I'm unclear as to what you do besides pick up swag and talk to people. Is that basically it? (Not that that couldn't be reason enough.)

Gordon Highland's picture
Gordon Highland from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore February 17, 2015 - 1:50pm

You could go to panels (I don't anymore, because all that conference stuff costs money). The evenings are full of readings and other mischief. And I do mean full. Check out the offsite events listings. Like I said, for me it's mainly an excuse to get outta town and hang with like-minded people whose company I actually enjoy. Aren't many of those where I live. I've got sort of a clique who like to travel/room together at these things, so there's no shortage of entertainment, which for me is mainly restaurants and bars. Sometimes we'll have a side project to keep up busy during lulls, whether it's a podcast or video or event planning. I've only been to Mpls once, so I'll make time to see a bit of the city. Then return home just in time to catch the Game of Thrones premiere.

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines March 15, 2015 - 7:43am

Gord! I used to go to wordstock instead of awp for the same reasons, as well as attending classes, but now that wordstock is defunct maybe I need to shift my gaze. So many of my favorite people/writers in one place...
Not this year though. Too many other trips already in the works.

Gordon Highland's picture
Gordon Highland from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore March 16, 2015 - 8:27am

And L.A. next year is gonna be hella expensive. Not sure yet about that one, myself. Hey, at least you're getting out there and putting some miles on the hog.

Brandon's picture
Brandon from KCMO is reading Made to Break March 16, 2015 - 9:08am

I'm with ya on L.A. being a wallet-raper. I'm hoping I can crash with a local.

Gordon Highland's picture
Gordon Highland from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore April 7, 2015 - 2:51pm

See you guys tomorrow, or sometime thereafter. Woo-hoo!

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch April 7, 2015 - 10:02pm

I'll be around there somewhere (and I have an offsite reading!). Maybe I'll get to one of the events you mentioned. 

Gordon Highland's picture
Gordon Highland from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore April 13, 2015 - 2:38pm

A few pics stolen from the web.

ReneeAPickup's picture
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig April 14, 2015 - 4:08pm

I gotta say, Gordon, seeing that first photo keeps tripping me out: "Is THAT what the back of my head looks like?!"

Jack Campbell Jr.'s picture
Jack Campbell Jr. from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp Meyer April 19, 2015 - 7:10am

Looks like a good time. I really want to make it one of these years. Probably not L.A.

Justin D. Herd's picture
Justin D. Herd from Oklahoma City, OK is reading Skullcrack City by Jeremy Robert Johnson April 19, 2015 - 8:59pm

I enjoyed coming by the booth. I've posted a few times about it (on social media) that you guys were one of the few reprieves for genre writers. You guys and Eraserhead Press/Lazy Fascist's booth.

ReneeAPickup's picture
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig April 21, 2015 - 12:04pm

Justin - too funny. I went to the Noir panel and it was the last panel of the conference, on the sub street level floor, waaaaaaaay over in a completely different wing from all the other panels. Now, I'm not saying they did that on PURPOSE, but it was a pretty hilarious illustration of how the entire conference felt for genre folks.