Getting Ready for AWP, Part I: Schedule, Packing Tips, And How Not to Panic

Shakespeare and Sylvia with Joanna Russ’s How to Suppress Women’s Writing

Getting Ready for AWP, Part I

It’s two weeks from the big conference, so I thought it would be a good time to post about how to get ready for AWP, list my schedule in case you want to see me, get some packing tips in, and also, a bit about how not to panic.

The picture of my cats contemplating the excellent Joanna Russ’s How To Suppress Women’s Writing is here to inspire some pre-AWP reading – of course you’ll come home with a bunch of new reading material, but I’m trying to warm up – trying to place a review of a new book, Ilya Kaminsky’s Deaf Republic, (excellent!)  and I’ve been trying to mix up my feminist reading material – sometimes being outside of academia I feel I miss out of some books that are familiar talking material in the academic world, and this book is one of them. (It was mentioned heavily in Sophie Collins’ Who is Mary Sue?) It’s a fascinating, fairly easy read, sharp and funny in places. Joanna is a science fiction writer as well as a critic, so I’m going to look for more of her work.

Glenn and I so you can spot us at AWP!

Where I’ll Be at AWP! Here’s my schedule at AWP:

• I’m coming in Thursday night for a reading with the Disability Consortium (read here for more details and a list of readers and sample of their work, including mine. It’ll be at 6-9 PM at the Courtyard Marriott near the conference center.
• Friday I’ll be signing books at the Two Sylvias Press table from 2-3 PM, and then I’ll be part of the Spoon River Poetry Reading that night at 8 PM at Beulahland.
• Saturday I’ll be participating on a panel at 3 PM on Poetry and the Body: Writing the Corporeal. (Peter Joseph Gloviczki, Alex Lemon, Jeannine Hall Gailey) and then that night I’ll be reading with Moon City Press authors at White Owl Social Club, starting at 6 PM.
• I’m leaving Saturday night, so if you want to catch me for coffee, it’s between Thursday night and Saturday night. I’ll have a car with me and I’m staying at a hotel near the conference center, so send me a note! You can also find me at the bookfair where I hope to spend a lot of time (at least as much as my MS-y body lets me spend!)

Seal statue – a travel emblem of the Pacific Northwest for luck!

How to Pack for AWP?

Well, I’m a bit of an expert at how to dress for the weather in the Pacific Northwest, so I’ll try to include some tips for packing, along with my regular advice:

• Weather can be variable in late March, from sunny and seventy to chilly rain and forties so the old chestnut about layers applies here. People in the Northwest tend towards lots of fleece and dark colors, plus practical, rain-suitable footwear, in case you want to blend. (I stick to at least a pop of pink, as you can tell from my pictures) I recommend shoes you can stand to stand in for hours, too – no nonsense. You do not want to be nursing sore feet in case you have a late-night party to hit. A big extra tote for carrying your goodies to and from the bookfair is a must. I’d pack a sturdy travel umbrella (it’s a myth that locals don’t do umbrellas) and a lightweight, warm jacket that repels water is probably a good idea.  Velvet and satin shoes are a risk.
• For your health: hand sanitizer, Emergen-C, hand wipes (or face wipes that can double,) and of course your regular prescriptions plus something for headache or stomachaches – those things can crop up with, um, little sleep, unhealthy food, and extra drinking (I don’t drink, but I’ve observed a lot of aftereffects at my many AWPs!)
• Comfort is key for hotel room time – a pair of cozy slippers and a robe (in case you order room service at least once) and pack a t-shirt, yoga pants, and flats for “hang out time” in between performances. I always find I change clothes at AWP more often than, say, when I’m writing at home!
• If you’re driving instead of flying, it’s not a stupid idea to bring a cooler for your room, where you can stash extra water (without paying exorbitant mini-bar prices,) energy bars, maybe an apple or orange for extra health. If you’re a tricky sleeper, you might want to pack your own pillow (I always sleep better when I bring my super-flat pillow from home).
• A small notebook and pen for jotting things down, business cards so you can leave your contact info with any new friends, and maybe, if you’re one of those PR for Poets people, a few book cards to give to people who might be interested. And of course, a couple of copies of your books in case your publisher sells out (or isn’t there – it happens!) I noticed that people ask about my books outside of the bookfair area, like at coffee shops or after-parties, so a small tote to carry around your own books is ideal. (I’ve regretted it when I didn’t do this.) Also, funny story, one publisher once insisted that Glenn give him his latest manuscript at AWP, even though Glenn didn’t have a manuscript, so just in case, maybe a copy of your latest manuscript in an envelope.

How Not to Panic at AWP – for People Who Are Introverts, Have Chronic Illnesses or Disabilities, or Are Just Plain Anxious About Being Around Thousands of Writers

• This is a big one. If you’re used to spending most of your days by yourself – or at most, a class of students a day – it might be a bit of a shock checking into a hotel where 10,000 people might be milling around – including former professors, classmates, random poetry heroes, etc, appearing at any time – so maybe prepare ahead of time by taking a few days to get your sleep schedule in order, wearing real pants during the day (if you’re not used to it), clocking how long it takes you to get ready to go out in the morning (I don’t do the full “hair blow dry-makeup” ritual most days myself, so I have to build that into my wake-up schedule.) Get yourself used to West Coast time if you are coming from the East Coast a day or two ahead of time, by staying up a little later and getting up a little later.
• Also keep in mind if you are prone to low blood sugar, have medications you need to take at a regular basis throughout the day, or are prone to under-hydrating, so you can build in breaks even during the hectic conference to maintain your health. Do not forget about drinking water – I meet a lot of people in the bookfair just about to pass out from dehydration and low blood sugar every year, no kidding. Sipping coffee is fine, and a writer’s vice for sure, but remember to sub in an actual water once in a while. Grab at least one bottle at the hotel because you never know about availability at the convention center. You will not be able to perform at optimum levels if you are hungry or thirsty.
• If you, like me, have a disability, map out accessible restrooms and entrances/exits the first day.
• If you have a chronic illness, like I do, or are just sensitive to crowds and noise-overload, do not be ashamed to opt out of extra activities to go back to the hotel, put your feet up for a few minutes, and rest. If you can’t get back to your hotel, do not be ashamed to ask where the “quiet room” is at the conference. You don’t need to be everywhere all at once, although somehow FOMO really takes hold of some people – the cool people are always at some other reading or party or panel – so just rest. You’ll meet the people you need to meet, and if not, there is always texting and arranging for a coffee meetup.
• If you have to work a table, remember to hydrate (can’t state this one enough) and definitely wash your hands as soon as you can get out from behind the table (this goes for people giving talks or working the bookfair in any way. You forget how many people we shake hands with! PS Hugs are actually less germy than handshakes!) Plan for a little break after your service time.  It’s still flu season and the Pacific Northwest has had, of all thing, measles going around.
• If you, like me, have some neurological issues and do not remember names and faces well, just state that upfront, and ask people their names or tell you to remind them of how you know them. I am constantly embarrassed by this but MS has made it a real necessity – there is no way to fake remembering faces in a huge crowd. If I ask you about who you are, or re-introduce myself, please remember I have a big hole in the control center of my brain that messes with my memory, and please do not be offended. I try to be helpful by always wearing my name tag where people can see it! They can be annoying, but they are useful.
• Focus on one thing a day that you absolutely must do – and the other things can be “nice to haves.” If you have to give a panel, maybe give yourself a break from panels that day. If you have to work the bookfair, give yourself a pass on other socializing that day. And so on.
• A manageable thing for introverts is to ask one person a day to have coffee, away from the crowd. That way, you can focus on one good conversation. Sometimes it’s better than trying to have fifty less-quality encounters than just one genuinely enjoyable one.
• Lastly, get away from the conference a bit and experience the weirdness of Portland! The city has much more to offer than just the area around the conference center. Especially if you’ve never been there before and you spent good money to fly out here! If it’s sunny they have a beautiful rose and Japanese garden and views of some gorgeous volcanoes, if not, they have a famously huge bookstore (Powell’s,) burgeoning art gallery scenes, and a great food truck culture (which we don’t really have equally in Seattle) and decent coffee shops (ahem, I want to be faithful to Seattle, but Stumptown Coffee is very good.) Go to the Pearl District to shop, or birdwatch at a local park. Portland has more traffic than they used to so prepare for a “city” city rather than the big small town Portland used to be. Some areas are more walkable than others, if you are disabled I recommend having a car handy to get to some of the tourist sites.

I hope this is helpful! And please include your “surviving/packing/enjoying” AWP tips of your own!