Not at AWP—and wishing you were? Don’t. Here are 3 great literary things you can do this weekend because you’re not at AWP:
1. Go to a reading. Hear Alice McDermott at Hofstra, Karen Joy Fowler in San Francisco, Jodi Picoult in Boston, or any of a dozen other great readings. Poets & Writers has a handy calendar, searchable by state or city, or check your local bookstore’s website.
2. Take a writing class. Many writing centers offer one-night classes, so take advantage of them while others are away. Happening AWP weekend: in Boston, Grub Street offers classes such as “The Messy Essay” and “Writing Suspense”; in New York City, Gotham Writers’ Workshop offers a one-day “writing intensive” on dialogue as well as a free class on article writing; check with your local writing center to see what’s on tap.
3. Write! You know: pen to paper, fingers to keyboard. Yes, AWP is a great place for talking about writing, but talking about writing is not writing. And at the end of the day—or the conference—the writing is what matters. Repeat that to yourself once or twice, then get to it.
Further Reading:
Need help getting started? Try one of our Get Writing exercises, such as:
