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William VanDenBerg’s AWP off-site event picks

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been posting about and previewing different happenings at the upcoming AWP Conference in Los Angeles, including our panel, book signings, and recommendations from Rita Bullwinkel and Caitlin Scarano.

William VanDenBerg joins the conversation, offering his top AWP off-site event choices. Check out the list below, and be sure to stop by our table (#1238) for William’s author signing on Saturday, April 2nd, from 2:00pm to 3:00pm and hear him read during the Caketrain and Solar Luxuriance off-site reading on Saturday, April 2nd starting at 7:00pm.


Outside the AWP Conference itself, a multitude of readings, parties, and activities will be taking place. Here are a few highlights among the many offsite events:

March 29th, 7:30pm to 9:00pm

The Tuesday before AWP begins, tNY Press will be hosting a pre-show party at The Last Bookstore. Expect stand-up, lit karaoke, and Mad-Libs, as well as readings by Zachary Cosby, Bridget Dooley, Uzodinma Okehi, and more.

March 31st, 7:00pm

On Thursday at Monty Bar, Tumblr, Catapult, Unnamed Press, Writing Workshops Los Angeles and Nouvella Books will be teaming up for LAwp!, a party with free drinks and absolutely no readings whatsoever.

April 1st, 12:30pm to 10:00pm

Camp Real Pants, taking place at Astroetic Studios on Friday, features a summer camp experience compressed into a single day. Includes a publishing talk by editor Calvert Morgan, readings by Dark Fucking Wizard and Green Mountains Review authors, s’mores, singalongs, hot cocoa, and relatively little poison ivy.

April 1st, 4:00pm to 5:30pm

On Friday, Wave Books, POOL Poetry Journal, and Saint Mary’s College MFA will be celebrating some big anniversaries (10, 15, and 20 years respectively). The event, also at The Last Bookstore, will feature Molly Bendall, Candace Eros Díaz, Brenda Hillman, and others along with host Matthew Zapruder.

April 1st, 6:00pm to 8:00pm

At R Bar, a Koreatown karaoke bar, Bennington Review and Black Warrior Review will launch their most recent issues. This Friday night event includes Dorothea Lasky, Mark Baumer, Kendra Fortmeyer, and many others.

April 2nd, 7:00pm

On Saturday evening, The Poetic Research Bureau will host an event for Essay Press, Siglio Press, Ugly Duckling Presse, and Dorothy: A Publishing Project. Features readings from Amina Cain, Will Alexander, and work by John Cage read by Richard Kraft and Joe Biel.

Caitlin Scarano’s Best Bets for AWP 2016

The annual AWP Conference includes over 550 readings, lectures, and panels from more than 2,000 presenters; a bookfair with over 800 presses, journals, and other organizations; and several of off-site events and shindigs each night. The gigantic scale of the AWP Conference can be a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, Caitlin Scarano has some suggestions that can get your itinerary offer to a good start. She highlights a few of her top choices for panels, off-site events, and bookfair tables/booths.


Panels

Thursday 10:30-11:45AM: There and Back Again: Writing from the Road (R150) – Room 410, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level. (Erika Krouse, Kai Carlson-Wee, Kim Barnes, Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum, Maggie Shipstead).

Thursday 1:30-2:45PM: The Violence of the Page (R210) – Room 403 B, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level. (Lucy Corin, Maggie Nelson, Brian Evenson, Ben Weissman, Fred D’Aguiar).

Friday 10:30-11:45AM: Black Bodies Matter (F162) – Room 515 A, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level. (Patricia Smith, Justin Phillip Reed, Susan Somers-Willett, Adriana Ramirez, Jonah Mixon-Webster).

Friday at 12-1:15PM: Beyond Confession: Women’s Writing and a Radical Poetics of the Personal (F171) – AWP Bookfair Stage, Exhibit Hall Level One. (Dorothea Lasky, Amber Rose Tamblyn, Rachel McKibbens, Deborah Landau, Ada Limón).

Saturday at 1:30-2:45PM: The Unbearable Too-Whiteness of Workshop (S231) – Room 515 B, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level. (Joshua Robbins, V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, F. Douglas Brown, Laura McCullough).

Off-site events

ELJ and OMP Literary Showcase: Thursday, March 31st 5 PM – 7 PM at Ham & Eggs Tavern. Join us for a night of poetry and prose by authors from ELJ Publications and Orange Monkey Publishing. Readers include: Steve Westbrook, S. Marie Clay, Aaron Reeder, Ruben Rodriguez, Cindy Rinne, Michael Cooper, Zack Bean, Katie Cortese, E. Kristin Anderson, Allie Marini, Lawrence Eby and Jessica Walsh. This one is free and open to the public!

Breakfast Club: AWP off-site Reading w/ ccr, Devils Lake, and Meridian: Thursday, March 31st 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM at Ham and Eggs Tavern. Right after the ELJ and OMP Literary Showcase, so just stick around! Presented by Writ Large Press. Readings include, for cream city review: Matthew Olzmann, Sueyeun Juliette Lee; for Devils Lake: Vievee Francis, Tahnee Salkey; and for Meridian: Michael Schmeltzer, Aimee Mepham. No door charge/cover. Rumor has it there might be free drinks, so get there early!

Button Poetry + YesYes Books Reading: Saturday, April 2nd 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM at Art Share-LA. YesYes Bøøks & Button Poetry are teaming up at AWP 2016 in Los Angeles to showcase some of our amazing authors! The show will feature performances by: Danez Smith Aziza, Barnes, Ocean Vuong, Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, Tanya Olson, J. Scott Brownlee, Jamie Mortara, Cam Awkward-Rich, andJonterri Gadson. Doors 6:30. Show 7:00. $5 at the door (50% of proceeds go to the Los Angeles Youth Network (LAYN)). The venue will have beer & wine available for purchase. Two of my favorite presses — not to be missed!

Tables and Booths

Artsmith – Table # 1610

Bellingham Review – Table # 1606

The Conium Review – Table # 1238. Stop by on Thursday from 3:00 PM – 4:00PM to pick up a free copy of my flash fiction micro-chap and have it signed!

Indiana Review – Table # 1625

University of Alaska Press and Permafrost Magazine – # 1221