After the AWP deluge, books, and London
After the AWP deluge, books, and London
AWP’s 14,000 person writers conference in Kansas City wrapped up right before the Super Bowl. I found the conference overwhelming, but I also had a blast. I got to catch with many writers whom I’d only met online.
Below is Sejal Shah. I reviewed her debut book for NPR, THIS IS ONE WAY TO DANCE. Her essays are thought provoking and beautifully written. Sejal has a book of short stories coming out in May— HOW TO MAKE YOUR MOTHER CRY. I’m looking forward to it.
I loved connecting with Regal House authors, some of whom I hadn’t met in person.
I was thrilled to realize my young cousin, poet Raisa Tolchinsky, was going to AWP. Raisa’s first book of poetry, GLASS JAW, comes out in April. “Striking and big-hearted, Glass Jaw depicts the grit and glamor of women's boxing based on the poet's time training as a fighter in New York City.”
Our AWP panel on book reviewing, with Alice Stephens, Ericka Taylor, and Tope Folarin, was well attended. We had an important conversation about the role of book reviewing in helping to give voice to writers and ideas outside the mainstream, and discussed how books make essential contributions to cultural discourse.
We should celebrate James Baldwin any time, but it’s exciting to spend a year doing so to honor his 100th birthday. Last night, I attended the kick-off to Baldwin100 at the Cheuse Center for International Writers.
I recently read Michael Harriott’s Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. Dear white people, we need to read this book. Harriott is funny as hell, but deadly serious too. The book arrives as book banning and the banning of so-called “critical race theory” is rampant, preventing our children from learning our country’s history.
I can’t wait for my panel with Amanda Craig at London Jewish Book Week, with Samantha Ellis moderating. We’re presenting at 12:30 PM March 10. Here’s the whole program, and here are the details for our session: Adventures in Exile: Literary Fiction.
I just finished Amanda’s terrific novel, THE THREE GRACES, the subject of our panel (three graces, three muses). It’s a moving story set in Tuscany, where Amanda grew up. Three English ex-pat women consider marriage, family, and friendship, in light of the complexities of modern life—African immigrants trying to get a toehold in Europe, questions of race and belonging, and what it means to enter old age. I recommend it!
Best to you.
Love,
Martha