AWP #SLFAQ Recap!

March 6, 2018

We're about to descend onto Tampa for AWP! If you missed our Twitter chat, here's a recap of our best advice on how to make the most of the conference and what kind of delights you can expect from Split Lip:

What’s your best #AWP18 survival advice?

--If your airline allows 2 free check ins, pack your suitcase in a bigger empty suitcase for all your AWP shwag and BOOKS. --@jpalmeadows

--Careful when you gossip in public. You never know who is listening and the publishing world is SO small. - @jpalmeadows

--Snacks, snacks, Advil, forgiveness for yourself if you make it to 0-1 panels and spend three days in the vortex known as the bookfair - @thelegitKAR

--Also, don't be above talking to someone. You never know who someone is or who they're going to be. - @thelegitKAR

--Pick one thing you’re doing no matter what each day, be open to spontaneous plans, go to your friend’s reading, drink lots of water, pick a few tables to visit ahead of time in the book fair so it’s not too overwhelming - @mossyair

--When you feel lonely, overwhelmed, or sick of small-talking strangers, duck into a panel & just listen. Or go outside & take a walk. - @MaureenLangloss

--My real best advice is good shoes. A few years ago, in Boston, my feet started bleeding. I bought new awesome walking shoes. It made the whole rest of the conference less painful. Literally. - @sclly21

How to network at #AWP18? More importantly, how NOT to network?

--#AWP18 will be filled with introverts. If people aren't friendly or are stand-offish, it could be their shy spirit/social anxiety. Don't take it personally. Be easy on yourself & others. - @MaureenLangloss

--Also, networking is sometimes easier with a wingman. If you have a buddy, visit book fair tables & attend events together. - @MaureenLangloss

--Also: be a human, don't worry about being awkward (we're writers, we're all awkward), don't give a lit mag your novel pitch, don't leave your novel MS (most lit mags don't publish novels) - @thelegitKAR

--For more advice, checkout this thread from our pals at Barrelhouse: https://twitter.com/barrelhouse/status/969224801448538112

What's the most important thing to see/do at #AWP18?

--Find the editors who have published you in 2017 & say hi. Many of them will hug you. - @MaureenLangloss

--Support your favorite writers and lit mags by attending readings & panels! - @marianneLchan

--+1 for offsite readings and connecting with your favorite lit mags at the book fair - @thelegitKAR

--I find the readings (on and off site) and the book fair to be the best parts of AWP. - @iamkellyflynn

As an introvert, I need an activity to recover throughout. What (non-AWP) activity would you suggest using?

-- I loved Ybor City, a hip neighborhood where you can buy cigars and where chickens spend their days perched on branches. Go out there and take a walk if feeling overwhelmed - @marianneLchan

--this is always a good reboot https://thetampariverwalk.com - @Kristen_Arnett

Can we hear more about this fabulous Split Lip off-site reading?

it's a reading! and a party! with snacks! and 10 of the finest writers you could ever imagine one space!

1. Rooftop (Fly Bar, 3/9, 7-10pm)

2. Snacks

3. Rooftop

4. Cocktails

5. Our amazing reader lineup

We’re selling our FIRST EVER PRINT ISSUE at #AWP18! Why is print important?

-- It's permanent. Can't be edited, deleted, or modified. A magazine might shut down, but somewhere the print issues will still be floating around a bookshelf. (Print publications are also good for showing your skeptical neighbor who thinks you write a craft blog) - @thelegitKAR

--I second everything @thelegitKAR said. Also, nothing beats the smell of paper. - @marianneLchan

--I love online journals, but reading a print journal is a totally different experience—to hold, to touch, to connect. @other_katie

Besides the FIRST EVER PRINT ISSUE, what other goodies will we find at the Split Lip #AWP18 table?

--HEAD DOWN, KEEP WRITING, DON'T BE AN ASSHOLE t-shirts AND mugs! Buttons on buttons on buttons. Snacks. Postcard station (e.g, write yourself a postcard and we'll mail it when you need inspiration) - @thelegitKAR

Anyone have any can’t-miss panels?

--Not a panel, but I'm a lot excited for the George Saunders keynote - @thelegitKAR

--Also on my list: R170. Sound and Fury: Understanding Voice in Fiction (https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/event_detail/13067 …) and F167. What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do (https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/event_detail/11657 …) -- @thelegitKAR

--I’m excited for F270 at 4:30 on Friday: Emerging Central American Writers Finding Their Voices in the Lit Community with @AriCisco @dreamingauze @maria_i_alvarez - @MaureenLangloss

--As someone who has written many "practice novels," I'm looking forward to the session on how short story writers approach their first novels. @allegra_hyde is on the panel, and she is wondrous! I had the pleasure of interviewing her for @splitlipthemag's first print issue - @other_katie

I can’t attend #AWP18. If I send @splitlipthemag an SASE, will you send some AWP love back?

--Of course! (Fun fact: I delivered mail for the USPS in college, so I'm a pro at SASE) - @thelegitKAR

See you in Tampa (or in our online store!)