AWP15: Fancy People, Fancy Topics, and Fancy-Schmancy Me
I’ve never been to Minnesota, but some of my favorite writer people in the world live there. (Anne Ursu? Kelly Barnhill? Why must you live so far away?) So, I hopped on board when some of my other writer friends asked if I wanted to put together two possible panels for a Very Fancy Conference and see if we could get in as speakers!
Um, I didn’t really expect both of the panels to be accepted for this year’s AWP Conference. I guess with people like Geoff Herbach, Janet Fox, Nova Ren Suma, Samantha Mabry, Laura Ruby, and Kristin Cronn-Mills on them as well, I should have known.
So, I’m heading up to hang out with the literati, do a few school visits, sign some books, and (I think) dance awkwardly with poets and MFA professors.
If YOU happen to be attending the event, you can find me at the Minneapolis Hilton on Friday and Saturday, at times and places listed below. I’ll be the one trying desperately to sound as smart as the people next to me, trying not to freak out over their awesomeness, and wearing possibly inappropriate clothes.
Like a good train wreck? Come watch me crash and burn shine like the literary diamond I am. LOLOL
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Room 205 C&D, Level 2 |
F278. Growing Up in a Magical Space: Magical Realism in Contemporary Young Adult/Children’s Literature. (Laura Ruby, Janet Fox, Nikki Loftin, Nova Ren Suma, Samantha Mabry) Magical realism is a genre in which magical elements occur naturally in a realistic environment—much as they do in childhood. As the popularity of dystopian fiction wanes in young adult/children’s literature, other genres take its place, including a blend of the contemporary and the fantastic: magical realism. Five published authors will discuss the unique place of magical realism in young adult/children’s literature and share their reasons and methods for working in this underrepresented genre. |
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Room 211 C&D, Level 2 |
S121. Geography of Nowhere: Suburban Landscape as Stage & Character in Young Adult/Children’s Literature. (Geoff Herbach, Janet Fox, Kari Anne Holt, Nikki Loftin, Kirstin Cronn-Mills) Contemporary young adult/children’s fiction is largely set in ordinary, often suburban landscapes. Characters experience love, loss, and growth amid the mundane world of sprawling shopping malls, high school football fields, and chain restaurants. Five published authors discuss the extraordinary nature of the everyday in crafting young adult/children’s literature. |