AWP'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE COMES TO PORTLAND!

Each year, AWP holds its Annual Conference and Bookfair in a different region of the United States in order to celebrate the outstanding authors, teachers, writing programs, literary centers, and small press publishers of that region. The Annual Conference typically features hundreds of presentations: readings, lectures, panel discussions, and forums plus hundreds of book signings, receptions, dances, and informal gatherings. The conference attracts thousands of attendees and hundreds of publishers. It’s one of the biggest and liveliest literary gatherings in the country. And many of the writers who have contributed to La Bloga (or have been the subject of interviews, profiles, and reviews on our site) will be there.

This year it's in Portland, from March 27 through 30, at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE M L King Blvd. For a general overview of this year's conference including panel and event schedules, visit here.

And I am delighted to be a participant this year as a panelist. On Thursday, March 28, at 9:00 to 10:15 a.m., I will be a on a panel titled “Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Writers on Employment Outside of Academia” moderated by Wendy J. Fox and featuring Teow Lim Gow, David Abrams, and Yuvi Zalkow. It will be in room A106, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1. For more specific information on this panel including author bios visit this link. Please join us!

I will also be signing books on March 28 and 29 if you want to come by and say hi (no need to buy…it’s really great just to see fellow writers). Here are my two signing events:

∎ Thursday, March 28, 1:00 – 1:30 p.m., I will sign my debut poetry collection, Crossing the Border (Pact Press), at the Regal House Publishing exhibition space T10093.

∎ Friday, March 29, 2:30 – 3:00 p.m., I will sign my two University of Arizona Press titles, The King of Lighting Fixtures: Stories (2017), and The Book of Want: A Novel (2011), at the Latino Writers Caucus booth 6042 (co-sponsored by the University of Arizona Press). Here is the complete schedule for this booth:

As I put together my own schedule of events to attend, I realize that there are more than I can get to, especially when great panels happen at the same time. But I will do my best. One event I won’t miss is the meeting of the Latino Caucus on Friday, March 29, 6:00 to 7:15 p.m., in room F150, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1. The Latino Caucus creates space to network with new, emerging, and established writers of varied Latinx identities, to discuss issues around the obstacles to publication, and to discuss panel and event planning to increase Latinx participation at AWP.

In any event, if you’re coming to Portland to enjoy AWP, check out the list of events, support your favorite authors, presses, and literary journals, and have fun!

P.S. If you're on Twitter, I will be tweeting from @olivasdan to #LatinxLit and #AWP2019.