Chicago, IL

February 29th – March 3rd, 2012
Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP)
I will be rocking the book launch party for Eugene Cross’ fantastic debut fiction collection, Fires of Our Choosing, getting my daily laps at the book fair and keeping the lobby bar in business while also making dozens of last-minute plans, listening to some fabulous writers and having A Proper Breakfast each morning. I will also be serious and erudite at the following official events:

Thursday, March 1st: 10.30 – 11.45
Continental C, Hilton Chicago, Lobby Level
R129. Troubling the Label: When Does a Text Become Feminist?
(Arielle Greenberg, Cate Marvin, Amal Amireh, Eloise Healy, Ru Freeman)

From conception to critique, what is the significance of when the label is applied? Does it matter who applies it? How do we interpret works of literature through a contemporary feminist context? So to Speak: A Feminist Journal of Language and Art brings together writers, publishers, and academics to discuss the stage at which a work is labeled feminist and the issues implicated with labeling, writing, and publishing socially conscious work.

Thursday, March 1st: 3 – 4.15pm
R214. Writing Class: Representing Socioeconomic Realities in Your Work
Wiliford B, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Courtney Tenz, Josh Weil, Ru Freeman, Sabra Wineteer, Ta-Nehisi Coates.)

As economic realities devolve the broader American Dream, writers are shaping a new U.S. life narrative. This panel collects contemporary authors’ responses to this socioeconomic shift by asking: will class-focused writing replace the American race and ethnicity paradigm? Can such a shift illuminate the differences in income and status and lead to greater understanding? Or will the money gap cut out most socioeconomic classes and usher in a new era of class appropriation in literature?


Leave a Reply