Dear Friends:
Due to the state of emergency and disaster declared in the city of San Antonio on Monday, March 2, by the city’s mayor, and out of an abundance of caution and consideration for our part in the duty of social distancing, WTAW Press has made the difficult decision not to attend the AWP Conference 2020. We feel this is the right decision for public health, our staff, and our organization.
We are grateful to our authors and community for their understanding, ongoing support, and friendship. We’re sorry that we won’t be able to convene as planned. It’s one of our greatest joys to connect with the community at AWP.
For those who were looking forward to our book fair sale, we understand the disappointment and will participate in the #AWPVirtualBookfair via our website shop through March 9. Please use the coupon code AWP20 for 20% of all titles. Discounts will be applied in the cart.
All best,
Peg Alford Pursell, Director & Editor-in-Chief
AWP 20 San Antonio Schedule for WTAW Press March 4 - 7, 2020
** Please visit publisher & EIC Peg Alford Pursell for the signing of her A GIRL GOES INTO THE FOREST on Sat, March 7, 9:30-10:30 AM at Dzanc Books 1125. **
Our exhibit at the Bookfair is 2045, located in the Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio, TX. We'll be
there each day, beginning March 5, 9 AM - 5 PM.
AUTHOR BOOK SIGNINGS Friday March 6
9:30 -10:30 AM
Angela Mitchell, UNNATURAL HABITATS & OTHER STORIES
11:00 AM -12:00 noon
Sarah Stone, HUNGRY GHOST THEATER: A NOVEL
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Anita Felicelli, CHIMERICA: A NOVEL
2:30 - 3:30 PM
Olga Zilberbourg, LIKE WATER & OTHER STORIES
READINGS
Thursday, March 5th, 6--7:30pm
WTAW Press & Friends
Angela Mitchell, Anita Felicelli, Annie Kim, Lillian Howan, Olga Zilberbourg, Sarah Stone.
Jokesters22 Pub n Grub, 713 S. Alamo St.
Facebook event with author bios.
Friday, March 6th, 5--6:30pm
A Reading with The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College & Guests
Marcia Bradley, Leland Cheuk, Pat Dunn, Melissa Faliveno, *Peg Alford Pursell*, Michael Seidlinger
SIP Brew Bar & Eatery,160 E Houston St.
Saturday, March 7th, 5--6:30pm
A Reading with Dzanc Books Authors
Jennifer Militello, John Domini, John Englehardt, Lee Martin, Lisa Birnbaum, *Peg Alford Pursell*, Tina May Hall, Will McGrath
The Amp Room, 2407 N. St. Mary’s St.
PANELS
Thursday, March 5, 10:35 -- 11:50 AM
Room 211, Henry B. González Convention Center, Meeting Room Level
R159. High Style and Misdemeanors: The Virtues and Vices of Elevated Prose
*Lauren Alwan (WTAW Board member), *Anita Felicelli, Lillian Howan, *Olga Zilberbourg, Aatif Rashid
The hallmarks of high style—elevated voice, obsession with the pictorial, self-consciousness, and poetic devices—are rooted in Flaubert and European realism. Can writers whose work concerns immigration and displacement embrace a stylistic approach that has historically been disengaged and apolitical? Authors of fiction that centers on immigration, intergenerational stories, and belonging, read their work and discuss the intersection of elevated prose and socially and politically engaged work.
Thursday, March 5, 1:45 -- 3:00 PM
Room 211, Henry B. González Convention Center, Meeting Room Level
R227. From Magnolias to Meth: Place in the Southern Short Story
*Angela Mitchell, Susan Finch, Stephanie Powell Watts, Crystal Wilkinson, Michael Croley
The landscape of the South is radically different from the days of Faulkner and O’Connor. Both urban and rural settings have been impacted by immigration, class inequities, and shifting cultural values. In a world where travel and technology have blurred regional differences, what does it even mean to be "Southern"? Five writers seek to define and identify the expanding boundaries of the new south and discuss the impact these global markers have had on their Southern fiction.
Saturday, March 7, 9:00 AM -- 10:15 PM
Room 207, Henry B. González Convention Center, Meeting Room Level
S125. The Future Is Female and Fantastic
*Anita Felicelli, Mimi Lok, Rita Bullwinkel, Meng Jin
More and more writers are flouting the conventions of “realistic” fiction by incorporating surrealism, myth, horror, and black comedy into their narratives. Four writers of compellingly weird and weirdly compelling fiction discuss the fabulist writing that inspires them and how the reality of unreality allows them to push boundaries in their own work, dig deeper into the strange, fantastic, and absurd truths of female experience, and evocatively reflect how it feels to live in the world.
Saturday, March 7, 12:10 -- 1:25 PM
Room 211, Henry B. González Convention Center, Meeting Room Level
S194. Invincibles: Women Writers Publishing After 50
Naomi Williams, Val Brelinski, Jimin Han, Geeta Kothari, *Peg Alford Pursell
Many panels and articles claim to honor older women writers—then define “older” as over 35! The fiction writers on this panel all published their first books after age 50. What are the particular challenges—and opportunities—posed by our age and gender? How do we simultaneously manage the demands of writing, publishing—and menopause? In what ways are we constrained—or free? We share true stories, tips, and encouragement for writers of all ages.
Questions? Contact us.