Hello, all! Dakota and I have been busy learning lots at the 2023 AWP Conference in Seattle. It has been a much needed trip and short break from teaching (it's nice to play student again once in a while, too). We arrived here yesterday afternoon and checked into our room at the hotel before going to check in at the conference center. The AWP Conference is being held in the Seattle Convention Center, so we trekked up to the center, stopping at Nana's Green Tea for some matcha ice cream and parfaits. After checking in, we wandered around Seattle and spent some time exploring the shops and bookstores around Pike Place and the pier. We got some clam chowder from Ivar's for dinner and then made our way back to the hotel once it got dark. I managed to make it away from our first day without purchasing any books, but have at least 20 photos of all the ones I would have liked to walk away with. Oh, to be a hoarder of books with little money. Back at the hotel, I made an attempt at grading some student essays, but only got through five before getting tired and distracted. We both built personal conference schedules with the AWP23 app, which allowed us to view the full schedule and add certain events to a separate schedule that shows us start/end times, location, and a summary for each event.
This morning, we woke up and got ready to take on our first full day of the conference. We both spent a lot of time picking out outfits for each day of the conference, probably so we can blend in among the pretentiously-dressed crowd of conference-goers. I sported some slacks with a collared sweater while Dakota rocked a gray sweater dress with leggings. We grabbed some breakfast to-go bags from the front desk, loaded our schedules on our phones, and made our way back to the conference center. We were at the center from about 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM today. There were five possible time blocks to attend sessions, and we both attended 3-4 complete sessions, forfeiting one of the sessions to walk around the Book Fair. In the morning, I attended a session about the concept of play in poetry. I also attended sessions concerning writing from different, non-human perspectives within the widening circle of poetic voices, creating community through collaborative poetry projects, and serving as a teaching artist in schools in order to effectively teach writing and review to students in schools and within the community (More to come about some of these concepts later). Each of the sessions were really fascinating, and I was blown away by the innovation, creativity, and passion that every panelist and moderator demonstrated throughout their sessions. Other than listening to wonderful, educated English scholars, we took a break in the afternoon to buy pizza and eat it on the floor and walk through the hundreds upon hundreds of booths at the book fair. Today, I must admit, I succumbed to the call of the void and bought two poetry books. However, there was a sale! I got two books for $15, and I was quite proud of that.
At about 5:00 PM, we both decided we were peopled out for today, and I had a serious craving for salt. We stopped at Nana's Green Tea again on the way back to split some ice cream, and then I ate a few pickle spears when we got back. Then, we had some down time before our next event. I slumped on my bed and tried to soak up all of the knowledge that had been imparted to me today and tried not to have an existential crisis about the meaning of success as a student and as a writer. I think the pickles helped with that.
At about 7:45 PM, we headed to Elliott Bay Book Company, where we were supposed to attend a reading event hosted by The Adroit Journal, The Kenyon Review, The American Poetry Review, and Pleiades, which are all very established publishing presses. The line to the bookstore was down the block, but we waited and got into the store anyways. Unfortunately, the reading must have been cancelled, but we didn't miss an opportunity to browse the huge store. Dakota walked away with a couple more graphic novels, and I picked up Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs as well as a published diary of his, as I have recently been embarking on a literary interest in the beatnik era. We stopped by a cat cafe on our way back to the hotel: a cafe with a room to go in and pet the cats. When we got back, we shared a bit about the books we got with the friendly hotel clerk and then headed home for the night.
On a side note, our nutrition has definitely been a bit sub-par this trip--on multiple levels. Dakota and I have both realized our positions as poor college students, and have had to be pretty dicey about money. Unfortunately, that means no elaborate, home-cooked meals with fancy, fresh ingredients while we are on a trip paying for a hotel (and maybe some books here and there). We brought some of Wilco's finest with us: Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese, a jar of pickles, two bags of dried apples, a bag of trail mix, a box of Capri Suns, a can of olives, two mini bags of chips, and a box of little pastries called "Fancy Cakes." We ate like kings tonight with a couple microwaved cups of Kraft with a Fancy Cake dessert. Meanwhile, Dakota watched
Beverly Hills Chihuahua and I enjoyed making fun of it while I worked on a lengthy email.
Now, we are gearing down for another day of learning tomorrow. I am looking forward to the sessions I have selected to attend tomorrow, and to get through more of the book fair tables. Additionally, I know one of my creative writing professors is attending the conference this year and will be a panelist in a session tomorrow, so I am excited to be able to say hi to her briefly tomorrow, too. Goodnight, and happy trails!
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