the where of it

writing the west, or … not. yes, it’s AWP, and it’s in Denver

• Posted by Summer Wood on April 1st, 2010 filed in craft of writing
• 5 Comments »

Maybe you already write the west.  Maybe you write everything but.  Maybe you want to, but can’t get a handle on it for all the iconic imagery.  Maybe your own west is a personal thing, the downhill side of your body when you’re walking the flank of a favorite mountain, the uphill side when you’re ambling back.

But if you’ve ever thought about these questions — how to engage in words, that is, this mythic landscape, with its checkered history — you may want to head for the Associated Writing Program’s annual conference next week in Denver.  If you get there, you’ll find thousands of others for whom these questions are neither trivial nor fully answered.

Not to mention the thousands who could care less about writing the west, and have come only because, well, it’s the AWP, and God knows what would happen if they missed one.

There’s something addictive about the experience, I’ll admit.  Being among throngs of other writers for 3 days, talking shop, making connections, entertaining new ideas, trading insider secrets.  Drinking overpriced cocktails.  Bumping into semi-famous people. Catching that one explosively brilliant panel presentation that will provide you with grist for the mill for at least the whole trip home.

Noisy, exhausting AWP:  3 days in overpriced hotels eating bad food and keeping your cell phone on vibrate so that maybe you’ll feel it, at least — since you sure won’t ever hear it ring.  But if you’re lucky, you will go away energized, raring to return to your work.

I’m excited about this one.  It will be my third, and I’m kind of getting the hang of these things.  It’s nice to spend time amid so concentrated a group of writers.  And, even though there’s a lot of emphasis on creative writing programs and the growing credentializing (is that a word?) of the profession, there’s still an honest respect for the independent writer.  Even better, there’s a kind of collective awe around the literary work itself.

These are people who love to read.  They believe good writing matters.  God bless ‘em.

If you’re there, come see me.  I’m speaking on a panel on Thursday morning, 9 am, in rooms 102 and 104, street level of the Colorado Convention Center.  That one’s called “Writing the West:  the Transplanted Writer as Literary Outsider.”  I’ll be joined by Uma Krishnaswami, Pam Houston, and Rob Wilder.  My second panel is with E.J. Levy, Valerie Martinez, and Sawnie Morris, and is called “Border Crossings:  Women Writing the West Across Genres.”  It’s at noon on Saturday, Room 108 of the Convention Center.

More fun stuff:  I’ll be part of a reading offered by Taos writers at the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street, Denver, on Wednesday from 6-7:30.  Might just tell a story about a big black dog, a fast-running ditch, and a very drunk woman.  The next night there’s a 10th-anniversary party for A Room of Her Own Foundation at Mario’s Double Daughters, and the drinks will be flowing.  You don’t have to be attending AWP to come to either of these.  They’re both free, and open to everybody.

I expect there’ll be a fair amount to report from Denver, so be sure to check back.  And I’d love to hear from you — here on the blog, or in person up at the event — if these are questions you care about.  Feel free to write in and suggest a guest post, or just comment below.  You can reach me directly at summerwood@taosmesa.com.

And you know what else?  It’s spring.

Which makes me VERY happy.