We’ve made it back from AWP ’19 in Portland and thought we’d share some tidbits from our road trip:
Writers rock! Doesn’t matter if they’re unpublished newbies or big deal bestsellers, they’re ready to talk, share, listen, support and otherwise revel in the art of the word. It was invigorating.
Speaking of bestsellers and art, there was real star power there. Giving a best of the best keynote speech was the wonderful Colson Whitehead (Underground Railroad, Zone One). Not to be outdone, a panel featuring Tayari Jones (An American Marriage) and Rebecca Makkai (The Great Believers) was a fangirl highlight. Too many rock star authors sharing their time and talent to list – trust us – but it was like the Super Bowl for book nerds.
Yes we went to sessions to hone our craft. But the book fair/exhibit hall was hard to pass up with its free swag and mountains of books. Can you take home too many free tote bags? Trick question. The answer is always no.
It’s nowhere near a normal week when we eagerly consume what felt like 30,000 calories a day of donuts, oysters, margaritas, donuts, chowder, petit fours, wine, pasta, burritos, and fancy food of all kinds. Did we mention donuts? Diet starts today.
We discovered a ton of reasons the moniker “Stay Weird Portland” is fitting. We’ll leave it at that.