January 16th, 2009 / 7:59 pm
 Web Hype

Countdown to AWP: What I’m (not) looking forward to

One thing that gets me through this awful thing called my life is reading the (dis)likes feature that Aaron and Elizabeth do at the Hobart website. I find myself anxious for the month to pass just so I can see what new things are making their way onto the lists. I feel like I ‘know’ Aaron and Elizabeth that much more, I feel a little involved in their lives (maybe in a creepy way), and I too saw Four Christmases and hated it.

So, with a little nod their way, I’d like to list what I’m (not) looking forward to about this year’s AWP Conference in Chicago. AWP is in a month, so we have plenty of time to think about it.

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What I’m Looking Forward To: seeing my sister; seeing people I know in real life whom I have not seen for a while; seeing people I know in internet life whom I have not yet met in real life; seeing snow again; seeing lots of ‘writers’ in one place doing ‘writer’ things; seeing lots and lots of books; putting whiskey in my coffee and walking around the bookfair slammed; putting whiskey in Aaron Burch’s coffee; going up to random journals and asking the editors, ‘so what’s your aesthetic?’ and ‘what kind of stuff are you looking for?’; canceling my own classes for a week; attending off-site events, such as the Quickies Reading on Thursday; attending cool panels, like the William Gass tribute panel; hearing people read; Blake Butler kicking me in the head; and so on.

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What I’m Not Looking Forward To: the plane to and from Chicago and all that flying entails; interacting awkwardly with people whom I don’t know very well; clumsily knocking over the Barrelhouse table again (my apologies in advance); being hungover for five days; spending lots of $ on books/alcohol; checking an extra suitcase to get all my new books home; trying to get to off-site events and getting lost in Chicago in winter at a time in my life when I do not have adequate warm clothing; attending panels that the responsible part of me thinks I absolutely have to go to, like career-related panels; Blake Butler kicking me in the head; and so on.

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41 Comments

  1. January 17th, 2009 / 12:20 am Ken Baumann—

      -30 degree weather.

  2. January 16th, 2009 / 8:20 pm Ken Baumann—

      -30 degree weather.

  3. January 17th, 2009 / 12:23 am Ryan Call—

      oh god

  4. January 16th, 2009 / 8:23 pm Ryan Call—

      oh god

  5. January 17th, 2009 / 12:33 am Gene Morgan—

      I bought a new coat today.

  6. January 16th, 2009 / 8:33 pm Gene Morgan—

      I bought a new coat today.

  7. January 17th, 2009 / 12:38 am blake—

      i am going to kick you in the head

  8. January 16th, 2009 / 8:38 pm blake—

      i am going to kick you in the head

  9. January 17th, 2009 / 12:39 am Ryan Call—

      i am both happy and scared

  10. January 16th, 2009 / 8:39 pm Ryan Call—

      i am both happy and scared

  11. January 17th, 2009 / 12:58 am d'anthony smith—

      I wonder might I buy you a coat? (I get a stipend with my scholarship, and I’m doing okay, and it’s not cold here.)

  12. January 16th, 2009 / 8:58 pm d'anthony smith—

      I wonder might I buy you a coat? (I get a stipend with my scholarship, and I’m doing okay, and it’s not cold here.)

  13. January 17th, 2009 / 1:03 am Ryan Call—

      i would feel guilty if you bought me a coat – instead, perhaps you could recommend a coat? i have like a wool pea coat or something, but…i dont think its rated for chicago weather

      otherwise, i wont pack a suitcase of clothes; instead ill just wear everything i own

  14. January 16th, 2009 / 9:03 pm Ryan Call—

      i would feel guilty if you bought me a coat – instead, perhaps you could recommend a coat? i have like a wool pea coat or something, but…i dont think its rated for chicago weather

      otherwise, i wont pack a suitcase of clothes; instead ill just wear everything i own

  15. January 17th, 2009 / 1:30 am d'anthony smith—

      You have to get something with Polartec fleece technology. That’s what my dad and everybody always wore on the military bases when it was cold. And, my man, it got danghigh cold.

  16. January 16th, 2009 / 9:30 pm d'anthony smith—

      You have to get something with Polartec fleece technology. That’s what my dad and everybody always wore on the military bases when it was cold. And, my man, it got danghigh cold.

  17. January 17th, 2009 / 2:52 am cari—

      Layers, man. Layers.

  18. January 16th, 2009 / 10:52 pm cari—

      Layers, man. Layers.

  19. January 17th, 2009 / 1:20 pm keith b—

      i live in vermont, it’s cold here too. my trick is i wear a thick fleece bathrobe beneath my coat, keeps me warm from ankle to neck.

      awp sounds fun.

  20. January 17th, 2009 / 9:20 am keith b—

      i live in vermont, it’s cold here too. my trick is i wear a thick fleece bathrobe beneath my coat, keeps me warm from ankle to neck.

      awp sounds fun.

  21. January 17th, 2009 / 3:45 pm barry—

      im up here in michigan, so the snow is kicking our asses all winter. it would be nice if awp was somewhere warm. fuck snow and cold. when will awp be in san diego or phoenix or vegas or miami. awp miami 2011.

      awp likes:

      i really like all the free pens.

  22. January 17th, 2009 / 11:45 am barry—

      im up here in michigan, so the snow is kicking our asses all winter. it would be nice if awp was somewhere warm. fuck snow and cold. when will awp be in san diego or phoenix or vegas or miami. awp miami 2011.

      awp likes:

      i really like all the free pens.

  23. January 17th, 2009 / 12:25 pm pr—

      i’m jealous you all get to go and hang out.

  24. January 17th, 2009 / 4:27 pm barry—

      pr:

      why don’t you come

  25. January 17th, 2009 / 12:27 pm barry—

      pr:

      why don’t you come

  26. January 17th, 2009 / 4:31 pm pr—

      That is sweet of you Barry.

  27. January 17th, 2009 / 12:31 pm pr—

      That is sweet of you Barry.

  28. January 17th, 2009 / 6:21 pm Matt K—

      I got some good lip balm last year from somewhere – ‘lit balm’. ha.

  29. January 17th, 2009 / 2:21 pm Matt K—

      I got some good lip balm last year from somewhere – ‘lit balm’. ha.

  30. January 18th, 2009 / 5:14 am pleonard—

      More than a coat needs to be considered. Have you a method for protecting your face? A scarf? An overly large turtleneck? A small child? The skyscraper wind tunnels are fierce and need to be addressed.

      72 degrees in Houston today.

  31. January 18th, 2009 / 1:14 am pleonard—

      More than a coat needs to be considered. Have you a method for protecting your face? A scarf? An overly large turtleneck? A small child? The skyscraper wind tunnels are fierce and need to be addressed.

      72 degrees in Houston today.

  32. January 20th, 2009 / 8:36 pm Leigh Stein—

      you’re only going to have to go outside when you’re reading hopping, and you’ll be drunk then anyway, right? problem solved.

  33. January 20th, 2009 / 4:36 pm Leigh Stein—

      you’re only going to have to go outside when you’re reading hopping, and you’ll be drunk then anyway, right? problem solved.

  34. January 20th, 2009 / 10:27 pm Ryan Call—

      this is true. problem solved. instead of clothing i will just use alcohol.

  35. January 20th, 2009 / 6:27 pm Ryan Call—

      this is true. problem solved. instead of clothing i will just use alcohol.

  36. January 21st, 2009 / 4:46 am elizabeth ellen—

      i’m looking forward to the fact that this year i don’t have to fly. i’m still shaken up by last year’s windy landing. i’m also looking forward to filling people full of cheap whiskey (i.e. not bourbon) at the hobart table. and then, stealing an idea from the great blake butler: kicking them in the head. except ryan. or maybe especially ryan. i can’t be sure. as of yet…

      p.s. burch don’t drink coffee!! how ’bout instead you put whiskey in his whiskey? mmmm. whiskey.

  37. January 21st, 2009 / 12:46 am elizabeth ellen—

      i’m looking forward to the fact that this year i don’t have to fly. i’m still shaken up by last year’s windy landing. i’m also looking forward to filling people full of cheap whiskey (i.e. not bourbon) at the hobart table. and then, stealing an idea from the great blake butler: kicking them in the head. except ryan. or maybe especially ryan. i can’t be sure. as of yet…

      p.s. burch don’t drink coffee!! how ’bout instead you put whiskey in his whiskey? mmmm. whiskey.

  38. January 21st, 2009 / 5:02 pm Molly Gaudry—

      Looking forward to meeting everyone!

  39. January 21st, 2009 / 1:02 pm Molly Gaudry—

      Looking forward to meeting everyone!

  40. March 14th, 2009 / 12:43 pm hydraulic jacks—

      I must say, that I could not agree with you in 100%, but it’s just my IMHO, which indeed could be wrong.
      p.s. You have an awesome template . Where did you find it?

  41. March 14th, 2009 / 8:43 am hydraulic jacks—

      I must say, that I could not agree with you in 100%, but it’s just my IMHO, which indeed could be wrong.
      p.s. You have an awesome template . Where did you find it?