Hey all,
(Sorry if there's already a thread about this. If not, HERE IT IS! Haha. I figure this can be a place to discuss the anything about the conference.)
2017 will be the first time I represent my journal, The Bookends Review, at AWP. I purchased a table and am working on setting up an account with, and getting a reader for, Square (https://squareup.com/).
Anyone have any advice or suggestions for me? What else should I be thinking about? Who else will be there?! What's it like, and what's there to do aside from going to conferences and representing at my table? Anyone know of any parties?
Thanks!
I will be there, mainly because I live in Baltimore. Well, I'll be in Boston, but will be coming back down for it. Anyway.
I have no further advice because I would most likely lead you astray. I haven't been to one before, but I do know DC well...ish. Just expect it to be an expensive time. $10 budlights expensive.
Haha, fair enough. Appreciate the response. No way I'm paying $10 for a budlight!!
The parties and the live readings are where it's at. The conference is okay, but the majority of your networking and fun are going to be done outside of the conference hall.
What Brandon said. I can't really speak to the business side, only as an attendee. In fact, after the first couple of years, I stopped registering for the conference proper, eschewing academia, and now only go as a vacation to hang out with my writer/reader buddies in a big city (where we do very little talking about writing). I skipped this year's, but there's a fair chance I'll hit '17 because I've never been to D.C.
Tip: If you pencil in a schedule in advance of what you'd like to attend, add an alternate for each time slot as well. My sched goes out the window once friends weigh in, and AWP is more fun in packs. If you attend panels, stick to just two or three per day; they quickly become overwhelming. Also, sometimes you show up to a panel that sounds interesting in the catalog, only to find out it's someone presenting their obligatory academic paper, and those are boring as hell.
@Gordon
You driving or flying? I'm 90% sure I'm going to the D.C. one, too.
Flying, if so. As much as I loathe the airline experience these days, about eight hours is my drive-radius limit.
Thanks, all! I'll defininitely look into making a schedule. I'm wondering how much time I should spend at my table, promoting the journal. I'm really looking forward to it!
