by RebCon (otherwise known as, Rebecca Thomas and Connie Pan)

Pictured above: WVU’s very first table at AWP with two of our lovely faculty, Mary Ann Samyn and Glenn Taylor, and the fabulous Connie Pan, an MFA candidate in fiction. Next year, Boston!

This year AWP (The Association of Writers and Writing Programs) was held in Chicago. The windy city hosted over eight thousand writers as they saw sights, saw panels, saw books, and saw lots of red canvas bags. This year, AWP sold out well before the conference, putting this year’s conference on record for the most well-attended conference ever.

How to Survive AWP in 5 Easy Steps.

1. Bring cash, lots of cash. There will never be a greater opportunity to be around this many independent lit mags, university presses, indie presses, and student run mags in your life. The average Barnes and Noble has what? Like six lit mags on hand at any given time? And your local Barnes shelves are definitely barren of these rare books. AWP has four banquet rooms full of this stuff, so bring your monies, kiddos.

2. Don’t do the courtesy grab. In the Book Fair, people are handing out sangria, whiskey, wine, key chains, stickers, journals, candy, pens, notebooks, bookmarks, and, while all this free stuff is bewitching and exciting, before you know it you will end up with a bagful of AWP paraphernalia that you have no idea what to do with and a broken back. Grab only what you like (always grab the alcohol or coffee).

3. Liquids. First, coffee. The Book Fair and the panels start at 8:30AM and even after the keynote address, there are still rad off-site readings and events to see. So have some java and reboot with some more java. Stay hydrated. In every corner in every room, AWP has water jugs ready for you; make sure to fill and refill because at around three o’clock they stop replenishing them. Maybe we’re writers because we don’t like talking. I think at least 80% of us would agree to that, and AWP is all networking. So a flask of wine or a six-pack at the hotel is a must to heal your wounds and forget the day.

4. Talk. Despite our unified fear of talking and all the times our moms said not to talk to strangers, you have to and you should. Ask mags about their aesthetic; see if your work would fit there. Make new friends, be memorable, so when you slyly mention in your cover letter that you were the one who had a glass of Franzia and talked about the Karen Russell interview, they will remember you, and they will remember that even though it might have been the wine, they liked you. Just don’t talk to the guy dressed up as Gumby in a banana suit (yes, that did happen).

5. Stop by the WVU table. RebCon is proud to say that we have spearheaded the first ever table for WVU, and we pimped everything West Virginia has to offer: the MFA Program, English PhDs and MAs, the PWE Program, WVU Press, Calliope, Mountaineer Pride, our Orange Bowl victory, pepperoni rolls, and the fact that we are literate and thriving. Our wonderful faculty and alumni held book signings throughout the weekend. MFA alumna, Kelly Moffett, kicked off the signing spree on Friday, followed by faculty members Jim Harms, Katie Fallon, Mary Ann Samyn, and Glenn Taylor. The entire time we sat at the table we kept being reminded of how proud we are to be a part of this program. West Virginia natives and alumni continuously stopped by the booth to say how happy they were to see WVU represented at AWP. It was fun shocking prospective students with how great our program is (we’ve got some pretty sweet funding). Plus, we had suckers and Twix.

But the real joy of our table was having it become a home away from home at the conference, a haven for when the Book Fair got a little too hectic. For Jim Harms “having a real presence at AWP” was great. For him, our table became “a little home to return to now and then, and [it was comforting] knowing that friendly faces were advocating for all we do here at WVU.” Mary Ann loved how RebCon quickly “snag[ged] passers-by to sing our praises. Having ‘our’ table’ as a refuge made a big difference.” But Glenn Taylor might say it best about the bonding experience of AWP: “After surviving AWP, we’ve become great friends.” It’s true. Come be our friend at the next AWP. Boston or bust!