The 2012 AWP Conference is coming up next week in Chicago, February 29 through March 3. Below is a list of lit mag & related panels to check out. Of course there is also the on-site bookfair—hands-down largest yearly gathering of lit mags—and also a host of great lit mag off-site events to attend. Innovative, timely, or otherwise particularly notable panels have been highlighted in blue. (Notice: Nearly all reading/celebration lit mag panels that seem to be essentially author readings have been left out of the below list; the ones left in appear to offer something beyond author readings.)

Are some missing? Please leave in the comments.

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012

9:00 A.M.-10:15 A.M.

R115. A Room with a Review: The Art of Literary Criticism
(Andrew Ciotola, Mindy Kronenberg, Daniel Torday, Scott Parker, Christina Thompson)
Wiliford A, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Literary journal editors discuss the ethics, mechanics, and value of reviewing.

R119. Flash Points: Publishing Flash Fiction in an Evolving Landscape
(Glenn Shaheen, Roxane Gay, Nancy Stebbins, Edward Mullany, Adam Peterson)
Empire Ballroom, Palmer House Hilton, 3rd Floor
Editors from PANK, NANO Fiction, matchbook, SmokeLong Quarterly, and the Cupboard discuss trends they see in the flash fiction submitted to their journals. What are some tropes they’re tired of? Things they wish they’d see more often? Are prose poems and flash fiction pieces scrutinized differently when submitted? Join the editors as they attempt to (briefly, of course) characterize the landscape of contemporary flash fiction and give advice to those who are submitting their shortest work.

10:30 A.M.-11:45 A.M.

R134. Phoning It In: Publishing through an iPhone App
(Maribeth Batcha, Tyler Meier, Sunyoung Lee, Daniel Pritchard, Chad Post)
Lake Michigan, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
Representatives from five leading publishers—Boston Review, Kaya Press, Kenyon Review, One Story, Open Letter—discuss their experiences: the pitfalls, successes, and strategies of publishing digitally.

R140. Chicago as Literary Birthplace
(Srikanth Reddy, Bin Ramke, Srikanth Reddy, Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Ed Roberson, Lisa Fishman)
Wiliford A, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Consisting of poets who have lived in Chicago and influenced its writing practice, this panel will focus on the illustrious history of poetry innovation in that city, including the role of Poetry magazine in the development of modernism, Paul Carroll’s Big Table as a showcase for the postwar avant-garde, and the influence of Ted Berrigan, Alice Notley, the Body Politic and Poetry Center reading series, Chicago Review, and New American Writing on today’s vital postmodern scene.

R143. From Litmag to Chapbook Press: Championing the Handmade in the Digital Morass
(Martin Rock, Anna Moschovakis, Nate Pritts, Ana Bozicevic, Ben Fama)
Crystal Room, Palmer House Hilton, 3rd Floor
Editors of the CUNY Lost and Found project, Epiphany, H_ngm_n, Supermachine, and Ugly Duckling Presse discuss the transition from independent literary magazine to nationally recognized chapbook press. Panelists explain the editorial process of choosing who and what to publish, consider the multifarious forms of the contemporary chapbook, and discuss uses of new and old technology from the resurgence of the letterpress to the increasingly ubiquitous handheld device.

1:30 P.M.-2:45 P.M.

R178. Travels in the Office: Editing Short Fiction
(Audrey Colombe, Cheston Knapp, Jordan Bass, Pei-Ling Lue, Brigid Hughes)
Continental C, Hilton Chicago, Lobby Level
Fiction editors from One Story, A Public Space, Tin House, Tampa Review, and McSweeney’s discuss editing short fiction for literary magazines: the highs and lows, the fine lines of choice, the kinds of outrage that appear on the desk, what’s coming in this year, where fit meets preference, how electronic submissions and platforms have (or have not) changed the game, the width of the publishing gender gap, and how the novel sneaks in. A panel for editors as well as writers, including a Q&A.

R194. Revising Advising: Working with Students on Literary Journals
(Tom Bligh, Tom C. Hunley, Ashley Nicole Montjoy, Leona Sevick, Steve Kistulentz)
Honoré Ballroom, Palmer House Hilton, Lobby Level
Managing literary publications might be the most quixotic endeavor to which writers commit themselves. Dwindling budgets and indifferent audiences present unique challenges to 21st-century publishers. This panel assembles advisors of undergraduate print and online journals, a dean from a liberal arts university, and the founder of an independent press that enlists undergraduates as editorial assistants. How can we work best with students to produce quality publications while training the next generation of editors?

3:00 P.M.-4:15 P.M.

R208. Periodical Wisdom: Advising Student-Run Lit Mags
(Jay Baron Nicorvo, Jennifer Acker, Don Lee)
Lake Michigan, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
Current faculty advisors and publishers of literary magazines discuss the ins and outs of directing a student-run publication.

R220. Indigenous Editing/Publishing: Journals, Anthologies, and Presses
(Ahimsa Timoteo Bodhrán, ku‘ualoha ho‘omanawanui, Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano, Janet McAdams, Brandy Nālani McDougall)
Red Lacquer Room, Palmer House Hilton, 4th Floor
Indigenous publishing plays a vital role in sovereignty and decolonization movements. Queer and womanist editors of Indigenous Pacific, Native North American, and Indigenous Latin American descent will discuss the production and maintenance of Native journals, anthologies, and presses. Collaboratively producing Native texts, the panel will discuss how they negotiate economic, logistical, and institutional challenges, while keeping center issues of culture, politics, aesthetics, and diversity.

4:30 P.M.-5:45 P.M.

R230. A Tribute to Jeanne Leiby, Editor and Writer, in Memoriam
(Jan Freeman, David Huddle, Susan Lilly)
Lake Erie, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
This tribute honors Jeanne Leiby’s life as a writer, teacher, and the first woman editor of the Southern Review. The panelists pay homage to Jeanne with anecdotes, biography, and a short reading of her fiction. Views from the vantage points of mentor, TSR editor, publisher, poet, and student present the life of this daring and visionary woman whose dedication to American literature should inspire and awe all members of the AWP community.

R246. Cross-Country Collaboration: How Tin House and the Normal School Make Real Publications in Virtual Offices
(Adam Braver, Rob Spillman, Cheston Knapp, Steven Church, Sophie Beck)
Wabash Room, Palmer House Hilton, 3rd Floor
Imagine a print magazine, and it has an office. Editors and interns pore over proofs. Maybe it smells like burnt coffee. Not at Tin House or the Normal School, two literary publishers with far-flung editors. The Internet facilitates virtual collaboration, but how do you make art by e-mail? How do you find creative and executive equilibrium when you almost never see the people with whom you work? If you meet someone at AWP and have a great idea together, how will you bring it to fruition?

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012

9:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

F118. Personal, Political, Provocative: A Reading with Authors from the Sun Magazine
(Krista Bremer, Frances Lefkowitz, Poe Ballantine, Heather Sellers, Sy Safransky)
Empire Ballroom, Palmer House Hilton, Lobby Level
For thirty-seven years, the Sun has published personal writing that is radically intimate and socially conscious. Join Sun contributors Frances Lefkowitz, Heather Sellers, Poe Ballantine, and the magazine’s founder and editor, Sy Safransky, for a reading that celebrates the splendor and heartache of being human.

F119. Literature and the Internet in 2012
(Roxane Gay, Stephen Elliott, Blake Butler, James Yeh)
Grand Ballroom, Palmer House Hilton, 4th Floor
The literary editors of four leading web magazines—HTMLGiant, the Rumpus, PANK, and the Faster Times—offer a roundtable discussion about how the Internet is changing literature and literary publishing in the 21st century.

9:00 A.M.-11:45 A.M.

F124. Budgeting Essentials for the Book or Lit Mag
(Melanie Moore, Martha Rhodes)
Wiliford A, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Two experienced literary publishers share how to project cash flow, set up P&L statements, budget effectively, and more!

10:30 A.M.-11:45 A.M.

F126. Pedagogical Strategies of Digital Literary Journals: E-Publishing Experimentation and Exploration of Craft
(Lisa Calderone, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Holly Wendt, Deborah Poe)
Boulevard Room A,B,C, Hilton Chicago, 2nd Floor
Dialogue focuses on how online-only literary journals use the Internet as part of their compositional and hence pedagogical strategy. Panelists from the staffs of Drunken Boat, Trickhouse, From the Fishouse, and Mason’s Road discuss how their journals are designed not only to propel literary art forward, but also to educate students by using the progressive and evolving medium of the web. Join us offline for a conversation that has started online, and tap into the pedagogical possibilities of e-pubs.

F131. FUSE Caucus (Forum of Undergraduate Student Editors)
(Catherine Zobal Dent, Michael Cocchiarale, Esme Franklin, Michael Fiorilla, Meredith Madigosky)
Joliet, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
The annual meeting of undergraduate student editors and faculty advisers will address the panel topic, “How to Build a Reputation.” Student panelists and audience members will discuss ideas on making the undergraduate magazine desirable to create, to submit work to, and to read. Come to this annual networking meeting to learn about the organizational structure of FUSE, vote for officers, and gain tangible resources for all undergraduate publishing efforts.

F136. A Year in the Life of Electronic Publishing
(Jason Reynolds, Guy Shahar, Eric Smith, Matthew Limpede, Matthew Dye)
Marquette, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
This panel features audio-visual presentations from four of America’s most innovative electronic journals: Carve, Cellpoems, the Cortland Review, and Escape Into Life. The editors of these journals are uniquely qualified to discuss new media and the successes and struggles that electronic journals experience over the course of a year. Topics include incorporating audio and video, distributing via text message, creating revenue streams, handling editorial processes, and maintaining an audience.

12:00 Noon-1:15 P.M.

F157. Protecting Literary Work from Pen to Press
(Marci Rolnik)
Lake Huron, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
This lecture will outline the key deal terms in traditional and self-publishing contracts. Emphasis will be placed on copyright law and the acquisition of underlying rights, including releases and permissions and proper copyright registration. Lawyers for the creative arts will explain how to evaluate the muddy waters of fair use and joint authorship, convey and acquire copyright interests, and navigate how to best protect literary works in an online age.

F158. Words Without Borders: International Writing in the Workshop
(Marci Rolnik)
Lake Michigan, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
Words Without Borders (wordswithoutborders.org), the online magazine for world literature in translation, presents poets Malena Morling and Becka Mara McKay, and fiction writers Jason Grunebaum and Douglas Unger. Each offers examples of how contemporary international writing finds a new forum in workshops, and how active study of translation promotes the discovery of original language and new models for poetic and narrative inspiration. Moderated by Susan Harris, Chicago-based editorial director of Words Without Borders.

1:30 P.M.-2:45 P.M.

F177. So Many Submissions, So Little Time: Editors’ Strategies for Equitable and Efficient Submissions Management
(Carolyn Kuebler, Rebecca Wolff, Andrea Martucci, Don Share, Thom Didato)
Continental C, Hilton Chicago, Lobby Level
Lit mag editors live for finding a great new voice among the unsolicited submissions, but there’s no way one editor—or even a small group of them—can read every manuscript that comes in. What are some magazines’ strategies for keeping up with the volume without sacrificing editorial vision? Editors from a range of journals share insights into what works and what doesn’t as they navigate new submissions technologies, manage staff, and strive to balance thoughtful reading with efficiency.

F180. Teaching the Literary Magazine in the Two-Year College
(Jill Stukenberg, Ryan Davis, Joel Friederich, Casey Thayer)
Joliet, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Literary magazine production invites the participatory, process-based, and student-centered learning that are the hallmark of pedagogy in two-year colleges. Two editors/professors of the Clackamas Literary Review and Red Cedar discuss pedagogical and practical aspects of the literary magazine at the two-year college with two instructors who recently implemented courses in literary magazine study and production at their small two-year campuses.

F193. Working Process: Editor and Writer
(Brigid Hughes, Elisabeth Schmitz, Tom Drury, Michael Thomas, Mary-Beth Hughes)
Honoré Ballroom, Palmer House Hilton, Lobby Level
This panel gathers fiction writers and editors (from a literary magazine and publishing house) to discuss the relationship between author and editor. What makes for a successful working process? Through discussion of early drafts, editorial queries, and final edits, this panel gives a behind-the-scenes perspective on the editorial process.

1:30 P.M.-4:15 P.M.

F197. Individual Fundraising Essentials for Literary Publishers
(Jeffrey Lependorf)
Wiliford A, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
CLMP’s Executive Director presents the art of effective fundraising letters, membership campaigns, and building a base of individual contributors through board development and cultivation events.

3:00 P.M.-4:15 P.M.

F201. Under New Management: The Literary Journal in a Changing World
(Glenna Luschei, Wayne Miller, Jennifer Key, Paula Lowe, Kirstin Hotelling Zona)
Continental B, Hilton Chicago, Lobby Level
Recently hired editors talk about stepping into the editor-in-chief role at distinguished, long-running journals: Prairie Schooner, Pleiades, Pembroke Magazine, Solo, and Spoon River Poetry Review (SRPR). Their challenges, issues, and opportunities reflect the state of literary journal publishing from fund-raising, subscription management, and production to digital distribution, social media, and questions surrounding gate-keeping. Their wide-ranging conversation will help writers understand the issues facing publishers.

F212. Child’s Play?: The Literary Presence of Graduate Student-Run Journals
(Kathryn Nuernberger, Matthew Cooperman, Catherine Cortese, Jenny Gropp Hess, Ben Pfeiffer)
Wiliford B, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Editorial turnover and maintaining a consistent literary vision can be concerns for any journal but are intensified in those run exclusively by students, as some of the nation’s prominent journals are. Editors who have experienced the process of maintaining a journal’s established reputation and those involved in forming and re-forming processes share their experiences and recommendations for making these journals invaluable contributors to the literary community and not just CV lines.

4:30 P.M.-5:45 P.M.

F238. Chapbook Publishing in the 21st Century
(Genevieve Kaplan, Lucas Southworth, Kristy Bowen, Elizabeth Wilcox, Ander Monson)
Wiliford B, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Even as print traditions are evolving rapidly, chapbook publishers embrace and promote a somewhat antiquated literary form: the printed chapbook. Chapbook editors and publishers participating in this roundtable will offer perspectives on the business and art of the chapbook, centering their discussion around advantages of the printed chapbook format, aesthetics and innovations in chapbook publishing, and methods for success for new and established chapbook publishing ventures.

F240. When Change is the Only Constant: How Grad Student-Run Journals Can Thrive Despite the Constant Turnover
(Conor Broughan, Jessica Jacobs, Laura Donnelly, Deborah Kim, Farren Stanley)
Crystal Room, Palmer House Hilton, 3rd Floor
For student-run publications, inherent editorial turnover creates both aesthetic and logistical changes each academic year. This panel, including editors from Black Warrior Review, Indiana Review, Third Coast, and Sycamore Review, will discuss how journals can work toward more seamless editorial transitions through tactics like creating and maintaining a consistent online presence, using technology to streamline administrative tasks, and digitizing archives and databases to document a journal’s history while simultaneously spurring its growth.

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012

9:00 A.M.-10:15 A.M.

S110. One Story Magazine Celebrates Ten Years
(Hannah Tinti, Maribeth Batcha)
Lake Michigan, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
For the past ten years, One Story has discovered new voices, grown to over 10,000 subscribers, and consistently published award-winning short fiction. They are now one of the most important literary magazines in the country. How did they do it? Co-Founders Maribeth Batcha (Publisher) and Hannah Tinti (Editor-in-Chief) will reveal how they built this successful magazine, from both the business and creative side, with special guests and video presentation.

10:30 A.M.-11:45 A.M.

S124. 2013 Boston AWP Conference & Bookfair Forum.
Astoria, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Join the AWP 2013 conference chair and AWP staff for an open forum to discuss topics of relevant interest regarding AWP’s upcoming conference in Boston.

12:00 Noon-1:15 P.M.

S157. Making Room for the Graphic Narrative
(Jim Miller, Nathan Holic, C. James Bye, Lydia Conklin, Aaron Burch)
Lake Michigan, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
Visual art has been a focus of many literary publications, from cover artwork to photo-essays to reproductions of paintings, even while the core content is primarily text. With the rise of the graphic novel and study of literary comics in university classrooms, many publications are making room for graphic narrative. This panel will discuss the challenges editors face: finding work, layout issues, and how to work with—yet remain distinct from—other editors carving out graphic narrative sections.

S158. The Art of Collaboration: Writers, Artists, and Editors on Marrying Visual Art and Text
(Catherine Cortese, Jessica Pitchford, Frank Giampietro, Denise Bookwalter, Jodee Stanley)
Marquette, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Literary journals often publish art alongside poems and prose, and hardcover books featuring famous works of art are ubiquitous on coffee tables and bookshelves worldwide. This panel, however, will address the special goals, negotiations, and unique creations born of collaborations between visual artists and writers. The authors, book artists, and journal editors on the panel will speak to the various aesthetic and intellectual benefits and challenges of pairing image and language.

1:30 P.M.-2:45 P.M.

S185. Writers on Reading Like an Editor
(Dawn Raffel, James Yeh, Kristen Iversen, Kate Bernheimer)
Wiliford B, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Editors who are also critically acclaimed fiction writers will discuss what makes a story leap out from the submissions pile. What is the x factor that’s often apparent in the first few sentences? And what can you learn as a writer by reading this way? The discussion will include examples and will be followed by a Q&A.

3:00 P.M.-4:15 P.M.

S201. Lessons in Alchemy: Remembering George Hitchcock
(Liz Hughes Wiley, Albert Goldbarth, Joseph Bednarik, Diane Wakoski, David Swanger)
Lake Erie, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
The influence of George Hitchcock and his iconoclastic journal, Kayak, on modern American poetry can hardly be overstated. He and his journal helped launch and nurture the early careers of some of today’s leading voices, including Carver, Simic, Olds, Goldbarth, and Levine. America’s eyes and ears were opened to a new kind of poetry. Friends and colleagues fondly celebrate this legacy through stories and poetry, illuminating the timeless qualities that made George Hitchcock so unique.

S206. Orion 30th Anniversary Reading
(Jennifer Sahn, Amy Leach, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Benjamin Percy, Luis Alberto Urrea)
Waldorf, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
For thirty years, Orion has used literature to bring our relationship with the natural world alive, in the belief that the arts connect people to the world, inspire action, and provide a way of thinking about a better future for people and the planet. Join Orion’s Editor-in-Chief and four of the innovative and exemplary writers who have helped make Orion one of the most respected magazines dedicated to the intersection of literature and the environment.

4:30 P.M.-5:45 P.M.

S221. A Reading for Literary Imagination
(Christopher Ricks, Clare Cavangh, David Ferry, Greg Delanty)
Continental C, Hilton Chicago, Lobby Level
This reading will cross genres in order to present creative writing from Literary Imagination, a leading periodical which brings together the creative writing and scholarly communities. Our presenters will speak briefly about the importance of literary periodicals in a time when such publications are increasingly threatened. The presenters will answer questions about publication in periodicals, and they will read from their own works.

S226. Art School Journals
(Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, Jordan Stempleman, Heather McShane)
Lake Huron, Hilton Chicago, 8th Floor
As writing programs have proliferated in art schools, new journals have sprung up that rebalance writing, visual art, and design. Join the editors of Botticelli (Columbus College of Art and Design), Dear Navigator (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Eleven Eleven (California College of the Arts), and Sprung Formal (Kansas City Art Institute) as they discuss writing and publishing in these unique institutions and how the art school is reshaping the future of the literary journal.

S238. Developing a Literary Community for Emerging Writers
(Zachary Bean, Eric Ekstrand, Tiffany Thor, Steven Simeone, James Roberts)
Red Lacquer Room, Palmer House Hilton, 4th Floor
This panel discusses the need for developing a vibrant literary community outside of graduate writing programs and strategies for doing so. From founding a literary conference for emerging writers to organizing community readings, the editors and staff of Glass Mountain have created a model for growing a literary community and in the process, learned what works and what doesn’t.