Observations: February 2017

I just got back in town from a trip to Ohio, where I visited family, then a trip to D.C., where I hung out with 12,000 writers at the AWP conference. I learned a few things.

• Saying goodbye is always hard.
• Life will end, and might end soon, so live it up.
• Shiny scrambled eggs will never fail to hurt my stomach (see: free continental breakfast).
• Free scrambled eggs are tough to say no to (see: free continental breakfast).
• Michael Bolton is rather funny.
• Fiction does pay.
• Sudoku can create the illusion that one is good at math.
• Sleep is helpful when I want to be charismatic.
• Sleep is helpful when I want to be coherent.
• Airports are the only place I will read an entire magazine.
• Daily controversies are exhausting.
• There are a lot of writers in the world.
• Writers are the best people in the world.
• Lyft rocks.
• D.C. is oddly enchanting. 
• History reminds us how much we forget.
• Twitter behavior says a lot about a person. 
• Radical self-acceptance is great, but a healthy amount of self-critique propels growth.
• The amount of talent in this world is staggering.
• My neighbor's dog's howling coincides with ambulances (took me too long to figure out).

As a creativity prompt, consider a routine. Pick a place you find yourself often, make it the opening setting of a new story. Pick a routine, and try to incorporate that as well. As for your character, make him or her your opposite. If you're an extrovert, make this person an introvert. If you're cheery, make this person a curmudgeon. You get the idea.

Till next month, folks...

xo Jen

PS - I updated my site. If you check it out, let me know if it takes a while to load. I'm struggling with it. http://www.jenknox.com/

A [Month] of Observations, April 2016: Part 8

So here I am posting after a few extra weeks away. I realize how much I miss blogging! I miss you!!

I recently got back from Los Angeles, where I stayed with a good friend and commuted to AWP, a massive writing conference, to meet other Writers in Communities program directors as well as thirteen thousand or so writers who share my love of writing in one way or another.

I probably interacted with about sixty of those thirteen thousand, but it was enough to put my introverted brain on sensory overload. So, after a reading, a signing, and a few amazing panels, I returned to hike at Sherman Oaks then hang out with my friend and try to debrief as we ate Cheerios and listened to her pet pig snore (they can really snore).

At the Black Fox Literary Magazine Table. Thanks, Black Fox!!

Ordering sweet potato fries with my new friend

Sara Fitzpatrick Comito and my long-time (mid/long-time) friend, Isie.

It was fabulous. I enjoyed LA a lot. As such, I came back with some new observations about life. So, alas, here's Part 8:

• Tarot card readers will not always tell you what you want to hear.
• Food is fantastic in LA.
• Reading can be more dramatic when you need to make a quick exit after.
• Uber works in a pinch.
• Writing when overwhelmed is not a good idea (journaling for personal use only is).
• Chicago has great taste in short stories (see: recent acceptances in Chicago Tribune and Chicago Quarterly Review).
• I am not (you are not) who I know (who you know), but it's good to know good people nonetheless.
• I need to revisit the memory palace - I'm horrible with names. And faces. Geesh.
• Walking is medicine.
• Comparisons are usually destructive. Then again, they also motivate. Use with care.
• Cheerios are really great with banana and a pinch of sugar.
• Starbucks employees are far nicer in LA than they are in San Antonio.
• Acting is a fabulous ambition. Odds smodds. Go for it!
• Writing: Same!
• If you tell someone they're not going to like a thing, there's a good chance they won't like the thing. Contrarians are rare, precious creatures.
• This list is getting too long.

Three new story links this go-round:

"Help Wanted in the Midwest: On the Bus Line" at Cosmonauts Ave. Basically my memoir in 500 words

"War Muse" at Cheap Pop - a dystopic presidential story

"Gather the Ingredients" at Chicago Tribune's Printers Row (ask me for a link)

Monthly prompt:

Use yourself as a character. Only reverse everything. If you're shy, make your character gregarious and assertive; if you're skinny, give your character more volume; if you're afraid of spiders, give your character a pet spider. Just write like that for 20 minutes. It'll be fun.

Seattle

I returned to San Antonio from my trip to AWP on Saturday and got right back to work.

I miss Seattle. It has a certain vibrancy. I had amazing food. My husband and I ate at Etta's Seafood where I told the waitress I wanted to lick the plate, but there were too many people there. I was not lying. I almost licked it anyway, but I resisted. I am proud of this. I met up with my undergrad professor and friend, Shannon Lakanen, at the Whisky Bar and drank the best ginger cider (I can't handle whisky) of my life. We visited the original Starbucks, the Public Market, the Space Needle, and we walked the city until our feet felt as though they were about to fall off. I read as part of the Festival of Language at Rock Bottom and the Hot Pillow at the Roosevelt, which I partially hosted but all credit goes to Joani Reese. I ate conveyor belt sushi and gourmet cupcakes. I met up with brilliant writers, including Robert Vaughan, Len Kuntz, Mia Avramut, Meg Tuite, Aaron Dietz, Bud Smith, Sara Lippmann, Bonnie ZoBell, and Karen Stefano, Bill Yarrow, Jane L. Carman, Sam Snoek-Brown, Cynthia Atkins, Shaindel Beers, Christine Fadden, and so, so many more. I lived. I enjoyed.

Meg Tuite

Bill Yarrow

Joani and Len

We ate this....

...not that

Me with the glorious Heather Fowler

I did not sleep. I did not drink too much. I did not miss my plane, and I did not spend all my time nervous or gushing or networking. I did not stress out, and I did not get sick, and I did not hide out or get bored. I did not have the chance. I enjoyed the time I spent at the conference, but more, I enjoyed Seattle.

As I return to reality, I will take this experience with me. These writers give me confidence that what we all do alone, every day, is not done alone at all.

Forward momentum

When my classes start, especially Spring Term, I tend to miss a blog or two. These first few weeks were insanely busy, but I have a strong group of students this go-round. I know I probably always say that I have a strong group, but this group is a collective force. Not a single student dropped below the max limit, and they're truly giving their all to the assignments so far. I hope this sustains because though a larger class means more hours of grading, I find this a beautiful way to spend my time.

I'll keep the post short, but I do have writing news. I had a publication this week: "Like Water," originally published in Flash Frontier, is up at Germ Magazine. I will be publishing more with Germ, and I think it's an amazing ePub, as reference, as inspiration, and as a literary hub.

Finally, I have two readings coming up at AWP: The Pillow Talk reading at the Roosevelt and the Festival of Language at Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. More info is HERE. After AWP, I will be reading and having a release party for my forthcoming chapbook, Don't Tease the Elephants at San Antonio College (more on all this soon).

I hope you have a fantastic week. If you need me, I'll be, um, working. :)

A Guest Post by Emily Matthews

I've been unproductive as a blogger for the last few months, so when an up and coming writer asked me if she  could contribute an informative piece about the AWP conference here, I said have at it. I'll be back to blogging in 2012, so in the meantime, curtains back. Please enjoy the following article by Emily Matthews:

Networking at the AWP Conference

The AWP conference is one of the major ways you can network your writing career. AWP or the "Association of Writers and Writing Programs" is a group that focuses on helping out the careers of writers and writing programs across the country. They support 34,000 writers, 500 writing programs and 100 writers conferences and centers.

Their conference, held in Chicago this year, brings together both amateurs and major names in the literary world. Past attendees include John Irving in 2008 and Tim O'Brien in 2006. It focuses on finding outstanding authors, teachers, writing programs, literary centers, and publishers, and is one of the best means of networking outside online forums or masters degree programs. Participation requires registering to exhibit your work. The cost of registration varies but costs anywhere from $40 for students to $225 for non-members who’d like to exhibit works, and you can buy tickets now to save as much as $40 per person.

Events include readings that give writers a chance to hear the writing of professionals. Hearing this published writing helps writers understand what is publishable and gives them tips on where to publish. Panel discussions focus on a wide range of important writing and publishing ideas.

Panel discussions are one of the major sources of networking available at the AWP conference. Speaking at the panels and expressing your opinion can show that you are an intelligent writer with a solid understanding of the business. Bring business cards!

Meeting with publisher representative and getting names, numbers and other contacts is another way to network. These names help expand your network of possible contacts. Make sure to reciprocate networking information with others as this expands their network and makes you a trusted source of information in the writing world.

Another major way to network at the AWP conference is through reading your own writing. Buying a ticket gives you an exhibition table. Reading your writing to interested passerby may spark an interest in your work. Ask them to pass your name around and to tell others about your work. Reciprocate this action by listening to other writers and passing their names.

Simply chatting with people in the cafe during a break is a great way to network. The casual nature of dining will help people relax and be more willing to open up about contacts and networking information. The AWP conference has a large dining hall that makes this a much easier task.

Writing can be a lonely business, without the same 9-5 camaraderie you can find in another position. Visiting the AWP conference can help to foster both business contacts and friendships for years to come!

Emily Matthews is currently applying to masters degree programs across the U.S., and loves to read about new research into health care, gender issues, and literature. She lives and writes in Seattle, Washington.