Some AWP 2008 panels of interest

A lot of things going on this year at AWP. Many things I’ll not be able to get to, including events with Jean Valentine and Reginald Shepherd, among many others. But, I’ll be able to get to many as well. Here are some events that look promising, to which I’m hoping I might be able to make it.


Thursday

10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m.

Grand Ballroom
Hilton, 3rd Floor
R129. Ausable Press Presents the Poet's Notebook: Charles Simic & Bruce Weigl, a Reading and Conversation. (Chase Twichell, Charles Simic, Bruce Weigl) For some poets, note taking is an essential part of the daily work of making poems, and becomes a kind of ongoing companion labor intimately related to the work that is eventually made public. Two very different poets, Charles Simic and Bruce Weigl, will read from their private notebooks, and talk about the relationship between that writing and the finished poems, which they will also read.

1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.

Grand Ballroom
Hilton, 3rd Floor
R163. A Tribute to Russell Edson. (Russell Edson, Brian Clements, Robert Bly, Charles Simic, James Tate) Sentence: A Journal of Prose Poetics presents Robert Bly, Charles Simic, and James Tate discussing the work of Russell Edson, followed by a reading by Russell Edson.

4:30 p.m.-6:15 p.m.

Beekman & Sutton North
Hilton, 2nd Floor
R187. Copper Canyon's 35th Anniversary Reading: Six Poets New to the Press. (Matthew Zapruder, Lisa Olstein, Chris Martin, Ellen Bass, Chris Abani, Brenda Shaughnessy) Copper Canyon Press, one of the country's leading poetry publishers, is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a reading by six poets who have recently joined the Copper Canyon list.


Friday

10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m.

Beekman & Sutton North
Hilton, 2nd Floor
F119. Graywolf Press Reading. (Tracy K. Smith, Mary Jo Bang, Ron Carlson, Matthea Harvey, Benjamin Percy, Terese Svoboda) This reading features the recent works of six dazzling writers of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, each of them published by Graywolf Press, one of the premier literary publishers in the country. Introduced by Graywolf publisher and director, Fiona McCrae.

12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

Sutton Center
Hilton, 2nd Floor
F143. Alice James Books' 35th Anniversary Reading. (April Ossmann, Donald Revell, Mary Szybist, Brian Turner, Cole Swensen) Alice James Books is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2008! To showcase the far-ranging variety of poetry on the AJB list, we've asked four of our poets to read in honor of the occasion. Readers represent different years and very different poetries. Please come help us celebrate this milestone with what promises to be an incredible reading.

1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.

Sutton Center
Hilton, 2nd Floor
F160. Lyric Postmodernisms. (Julie Carr, Bruce Beasely, Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, Bin Ramke, Gillian Conoley, Carol Snow) This panel explores the intersections between lyric allure and experimental investigation in contemporary innovative poetries. What is it to poetically innovate and interrogate while still drawing upon and incorporating the lyric past and present? Panelists discuss their work, their influences, their aims, and their poetics in general, and read from the new anthology, Lyric Postmodernisms.

7:00 p.m.

Nassau Suite
Hilton, 2nd Floor
F199. A Reception Hosted by Omnidawn Publishing. Join us for this public reception to honor and to thank Omnidawn's poets and novelists. Brief readings by Chris Arigo, Justin Courter, Paul Hoover, Laura Moriarty, Bin Ramke, Donald Revell, Randall Silvis, Tyrone Williams. Free drink tickets provided at the door, compliments of Omnidawn.

8:30 p.m.

Grand Ballroom
Hilton, 3rd Floor
F207. The Academy of American Poets presents Rae Armantrout and Mark Strand. Sponsored by The Academy of American Poets. Readings by Mark Strand and Rae Armantrout. Introductions by Tree Swenson.

Saturday

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

Mercury Ballroom
Hilton, 3rd Floor
S112. Ultra-talk Poetry. (David Kirby, Barbara Hamby, Rodney Jones, Mark Halliday, Adrian Blevins) The Spring 2007 issue of TriQuarterly, "The Ultra-talk Issue", was compiled by guest editors Barbara Hamby and David Kirby and consists of 104 poems by 64 poets, including Collins, Olds, Perillo, Hoagland, and Goldbarth. Ultra-talk poetry has been called "garrulous to an extreme, quite often self-reflexive, determinedly associative, and frequently humorous." Panelists will discuss the ultra-talk aesthetic using their own and others' poems from the TriQuarterly issue.

12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

Grand Ballroom East
Hilton, 3rd Floor
S147. Poets in the Sheep Meadow Fold. (Stanley Moss, John Ashbery, Christopher Bakken, Yerra Sugarman, Suzanne Gardinier, Hermine Pinson) Celebrated poets from the catalogue of Sheep Meadow Press, including publisher Stanley Moss, will read from some of their recent works. Poets will include John Ashbery reading his translations of the great, recently deceased, French poet Pierre Martory, Christopher Bakken, Suzanne Gardinier, Hermine Pinson, and Yerra Sugarman

1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.

Regent Parlor
Hilton, 2nd Floor
S161. Four Way Books 15 Years. (Daniel Tobin, Laurel Blossom, April Ossmann, Jeffrey Harrison, C. Dale Young, Kevin Prufer) Four Way Books celebrates its fifteenth anniversary here at AWP and we are grateful and proud to present some of our recent poets. Short readings by Laurel Blossom, Tina Chang, Jeffrey Harrison, Kevin Prufer, Daniel Tobin, and C. Dale Young will give our audience a sampling of the exciting range of work the press has become known for over the years.

3:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m.

Grand Ballroom
Hilton, 3rd Floor
S182. The PSA Presents: A Reading and Interview with James Tate. Sponsored by The Poetry Society of America. A reading by poet James Tate, followed by a conversation hosted by Robert Casper.