I'm glad you said it was depleting because I thought it was just me getting old (I am old). I had nice conversations and the few panels I managed to get into (so many were "sold out"!!) were interesting but I was utterly exhausted at the end of each day. Offsite events? Hahahahaha! The one I was dying to go to was a $38 Uber ride ("surge pricing") so, after spending $5.20 for 10 oz of water, I stayed in. This was my first AWP because I was never in an MFA program, and it will be my last. I enjoyed it intellectually but physically it was like being beaten up.
In the AWP follow-up survey, I made a point in emphasizing my frustration that of the select panels I was actually interested in attending oddly many of them were at exactly the same time slot... there were two time slots with 3-4 panels I was very interested in. Time of day was a factor, too. As much I was interested in some of the subjects, even if I would be able to get myself to a 9am panel (a challenge physically/being awake), these were often not subject matter that I'd prefer to start my day with a deep dive into.
The surge pricing was unbelievable. As someone who was a rideshare driver for several years, I can attest that there were few scenarios during daytime hours when pricing was this high. That being said, sadly, the drivers were not the ones taking home all of that money. The platforms take a substantial cut. I spend a somewhat disturbing amount on rideshare fees... mostly to go just 1-2 miles from the conference center area.
I want to say that AWP isn't normally like this... though it is... but the Baltimore factor was not good. I would encourage you to try AWP27 in Chicago though it's going to overlap with St. Paddy's Day and Chicago is a big St. Paddy's Day celebration city... so it's going to be bonkers and the surge pricing for rideshare will likely be a factor once again. If AWP admin were smart they would figure out a way to cut a deal with the rideshare apps to provide attendees with steep discounts.
The expensive water is absurd. I understand it would be a bit more but this was price gouging. Additionally, the food vendors should be there to help make the conference run more smoothly and keep attendees well-fed. Especially important in a city with safety issues that attendees would feel ok staying onsite. As noted in the piece, I've written a bunch about trade shows and the bottom line is that this one was poorly run (not new) and poorly executed in many respects.
A sad thing about AWP is that it's typically seen as one of the more affordable conferences where you have an opportunity to see so many poets/writers in the same space. So, it's hard to argue that it doesn't provide a certain degree of good value. I welcome pushback on this. I'm thinking of the entrance fees, primarily, but doing a conference like this on the cheap isn't asking for a good time and isn't really feasible for anyone beyond their 20s imho.
I enjoyed your AWP recap; thanks. I especially liked "large densely populated areas lousy with writers" and your statement that you tend to get lost even in your own backyard. The only AWP I ever attended, even in part, was last year in Los Angeles, when I went for half a day on the last day, and had a good time. I met a number of writers I'd not met in person before, and Scott Ferry led me around to some of his favorite booths, which was fun. Being me, I carried my own water and peanut butter sandwich and avoided the expensive food and drink on offer. Even that half-day was exhausting and overwhelming, but interesting; I was aware that I was missing out on the kind of camaraderie that could develop from being at the conference for the whole thing.
Nice shout-out to Scott Ferry! Had a sense he was a real good guy but this just this confirms ☺️
Wise to bring your own food. I did bring my own snacks and bottled water supply but had to leave most of the stuff at the hotel since I couldn't carry much.
I’ll try to remember to write up a sort of AWP Survival Guide leading up to AWP27 Chicago
I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to meet up - I agree with your assessment of AWP26 - I don't think Baltimore (or the Uber drivers) were ready for the convention. I do like a nice bookmaker giveaway, and I felt like a Halloween "trick or treater" receiving all the yummy candy when I needed a sugar boost.
Ha! Quite a humorous response. I’d imagine it's much more lively than a medical conversation. Artists are “characters” after all — full of personality for all our flaws and degrees of madness.
I'm glad you said it was depleting because I thought it was just me getting old (I am old). I had nice conversations and the few panels I managed to get into (so many were "sold out"!!) were interesting but I was utterly exhausted at the end of each day. Offsite events? Hahahahaha! The one I was dying to go to was a $38 Uber ride ("surge pricing") so, after spending $5.20 for 10 oz of water, I stayed in. This was my first AWP because I was never in an MFA program, and it will be my last. I enjoyed it intellectually but physically it was like being beaten up.
So many important thoughts here!
In the AWP follow-up survey, I made a point in emphasizing my frustration that of the select panels I was actually interested in attending oddly many of them were at exactly the same time slot... there were two time slots with 3-4 panels I was very interested in. Time of day was a factor, too. As much I was interested in some of the subjects, even if I would be able to get myself to a 9am panel (a challenge physically/being awake), these were often not subject matter that I'd prefer to start my day with a deep dive into.
The surge pricing was unbelievable. As someone who was a rideshare driver for several years, I can attest that there were few scenarios during daytime hours when pricing was this high. That being said, sadly, the drivers were not the ones taking home all of that money. The platforms take a substantial cut. I spend a somewhat disturbing amount on rideshare fees... mostly to go just 1-2 miles from the conference center area.
I want to say that AWP isn't normally like this... though it is... but the Baltimore factor was not good. I would encourage you to try AWP27 in Chicago though it's going to overlap with St. Paddy's Day and Chicago is a big St. Paddy's Day celebration city... so it's going to be bonkers and the surge pricing for rideshare will likely be a factor once again. If AWP admin were smart they would figure out a way to cut a deal with the rideshare apps to provide attendees with steep discounts.
The expensive water is absurd. I understand it would be a bit more but this was price gouging. Additionally, the food vendors should be there to help make the conference run more smoothly and keep attendees well-fed. Especially important in a city with safety issues that attendees would feel ok staying onsite. As noted in the piece, I've written a bunch about trade shows and the bottom line is that this one was poorly run (not new) and poorly executed in many respects.
A sad thing about AWP is that it's typically seen as one of the more affordable conferences where you have an opportunity to see so many poets/writers in the same space. So, it's hard to argue that it doesn't provide a certain degree of good value. I welcome pushback on this. I'm thinking of the entrance fees, primarily, but doing a conference like this on the cheap isn't asking for a good time and isn't really feasible for anyone beyond their 20s imho.
I enjoyed your AWP recap; thanks. I especially liked "large densely populated areas lousy with writers" and your statement that you tend to get lost even in your own backyard. The only AWP I ever attended, even in part, was last year in Los Angeles, when I went for half a day on the last day, and had a good time. I met a number of writers I'd not met in person before, and Scott Ferry led me around to some of his favorite booths, which was fun. Being me, I carried my own water and peanut butter sandwich and avoided the expensive food and drink on offer. Even that half-day was exhausting and overwhelming, but interesting; I was aware that I was missing out on the kind of camaraderie that could develop from being at the conference for the whole thing.
Nice shout-out to Scott Ferry! Had a sense he was a real good guy but this just this confirms ☺️
Wise to bring your own food. I did bring my own snacks and bottled water supply but had to leave most of the stuff at the hotel since I couldn't carry much.
I’ll try to remember to write up a sort of AWP Survival Guide leading up to AWP27 Chicago
It was a joy AWPing with you Mark!! I had a great time--my only regret is that I missed seeing peeps.
Such a great joy, Donna ! ! !
xoxoxo
xoxoxox
I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to meet up - I agree with your assessment of AWP26 - I don't think Baltimore (or the Uber drivers) were ready for the convention. I do like a nice bookmaker giveaway, and I felt like a Halloween "trick or treater" receiving all the yummy candy when I needed a sugar boost.
Aww, also sorry we didn't have a chance to meet IRL.
Agreed about the H to the Ween vibes :)
It was wonderful meeting you, Mark! This was fun to read.
🙏💜
Sounds worse than attending a medical convention Mark.On line conferences for a smaller crowd would be an option to be considered.
Ha! Quite a humorous response. I’d imagine it's much more lively than a medical conversation. Artists are “characters” after all — full of personality for all our flaws and degrees of madness.
I very much enjoyed seeing you there.
Always great to see you, too, John!