Headed out to DC for the 2017 Association of Writers and Writers Programs (AWP) conference? Us too! We’re hard at work packing for the show and planning out our panel schedules, and we can’t wait to meet all of our readers.
Be sure to stop by the book fair and visit us at booth #143. We’ll be giving out free magazines (for the plane!) and bookmarks (for your new small press swag!), hosting a book giveaway, and offering a fantastic social-media opportunity that can’t be missed. We don’t want to give anything away, so we’ll just advise you to look your literary best and be prepared to hashtag your heart out.
If you can’t make it to the conference this year, never fear: We’ll be your eyes and ears on the ground, sharing conference wisdom on Twitter (@thewritermag) and on Facebook (Facebook.com/TheWriterMagazine) and snapping pics for our brand-new Instagram account (@thewritermag). Help us get conference-ready by following us ahead of time!
If you’re looking for a little something to read before you leave, let us offer you this advice from the archives:
Finally, get plenty of sleep before you go. Hydrate. You’ll be talking a lot, even if you’re the quietest of introverts. Bring cash for the book fair and leave space in your luggage for new books, journals, and magazines. Try to go to at least one after-hours event while you’re there – it’s nice to let loose and talk shop with your tribe outside of the fluorescent-lit conference hall. Smile at strangers. Be open to them. Many of us are traveling alone just like you, and we writers are a friendly bunch, we promise! Journal what you’ve learned as you go if you like, or save the reflections for when you’re back home and well-rested. Finally, enjoy every second: it’s the three days out of the year where you get to let your writer-freak flag fly. Raise it high and proud. These are your people.
We’ll see you in DC!
Originally Published