2016 AWP Conference Schedule Thursday, March 31, 2016 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm R198. Writers Editing Writers Room 515 B, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level ( Brigid Hughes, April Wolfe, Yiyun Li, John Haskell, Vanessa Hutchinson) Editing is perhaps one of the least glamorous but most necessary aspects of the writing process, and an author’s relationship with their editor is one of the most valuable ones they can cultivate. This panel brings together two A Public Space Emerging Writer Fellows to discuss their own processes with their respective mentors, both established authors and A Public Space contributors. 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm R203. The Literary Genius of Kendrick Lamar Diamond Salon 6&7, JW Marriott LA, 3rd Floor (Rion Scott, Mensah Demary, Nathaniel Marshall, Kiese Laymon, Natalie Graham) Hip-hop and literature have always intersected, but the genres find an even greater connection in the work of Compton, California’s Kendrick Lamar, who has released three albums that rival the greatest works of fiction and creative nonfiction in depth of theme, imagery, and storytelling complexity. In this panel, writers influenced by Lamar's work discuss what writers can learn about storytelling from the rapper's albums, which are novelistic in both scope and structure. 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm R243. The Changing Face(s) of Publishing Room 403 A, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level (Jane Friedman, Erin Belieu, Daniel José Older, Roberto Tejada, Kevin Prufer) Digital innovation, the VIDA count, #WeNeedDiverseBooks, a seeming explosion of translations—the face of publishing, tools for publishing, and reasons for being a publisher are all changing at a disorienting speed. In this panel, editors and contributors to the recently released Literary Publishing in the 21st Century debate and interrogate issues of success, power, diversity, and politics (among others) as literary publishing—and authors—look to the next thirty years. 4:30 pm to 5:45 pm R270. The Print Journal in a Digital Age Gold Salon 3, JW Marriott LA, 1st Floor (Michael Dumanis, John Freeman, Brigid Hughes, Uzoamaka Maduka, Wayne Miller) Five editors of print literary journals founded in the past ten years discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by print publishing in an era when internet publishing may seem a less risky choice due to its low cost and universal distribution. Why make a commitment to print in the 21st century? Has the role of the magazine changed? Who still reads print journals these days, and why? How can print literary culture be reinvigorated? Might this be a favorable time for a print renaissance? Friday, April 1, 2016 10:30 am to 11:45 am F161. Small Beer Press: 15th Anniversary Reading Room 513, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level (Sofia Samatar, Ayize Jama-Everett, Gavin Grant, Maureen McHugh, Juan Martinez) Fifteen years after Small Beer Press was founded to publish works that cross genre definitions, traditional bookstore shelving options, and academic course descriptions, four authors from different parts of the USA who now all live in California read from their books and then discuss the spaces their books were published into with Small Beer Press publisher and cofounder Gavin J. Grant. 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm F203A. A Reading and Conversation with Jonathan Franzen and Elizabeth McKenzie, Sponsored by the Center for Fiction Concourse Hall, LA Convention Center, Exhibit Hall Level One (Elizabeth McKenzie, Jonathan Franzen) Jonathan Franzen is the author of Purity and four other novels, including Freedom and The Corrections, and five works of nonfiction and translation, including The Kraus Project and Farther Away. Elizabeth McKenzie is the author of the novel The Portable Veblen, a collection, Stop That Girl, shortlisted for the Story Prize, and the novel MacGregor Tells the World, a Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and the Pushcart Prize anthology, and has been recorded for NPR's Selected Shorts. F211. Current Trends in Literary Publishing Room 406 AB, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level (Jeffrey Lependorf, Christopher Fischbach, Neal Thompson, Tyson Cornell, Jane Friedman) A panel of industry experts shaping independent literary publishing discuss how publishers are addressing current challenges and hurdles, as well as creating new opportunities. Hear these literary leaders of publishing, bookselling, and reader engagement reveal how they reimagine traditional forms of publishing while integrating innovative new trends. F213. The Author as Entrepreneur: How to Build Your Writing Business Room 408 A, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level (Mary Rasenberger, Janis Nelson, Lauren Cerand, Michelle Richmond) A successful writing career demands more than writing books. Every author, whether self-published or traditionally published, increasingly takes on the role of small business owner, making more decisions at each step of the publishing and marketing process, from contract negotiation to reading tour. This panel, presented by the Authors Guild, explores what authors need to know about contracts, taxes, marketing, and publicity to succeed in an ever more competitive publishing marketplace. F228. Writing (and Editing) Sex Room 515 A, LA Convention Center, Meeting Room Level (Dani Shapiro, David Means, Christine Schutt, Sabina Murray) Writers and editors discuss sex in literature—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and look at ideas of craft when it comes to depicting and editing sex. 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm F233. Pitch Perfect: How to Write and Successfully Pitch Freelance Articles to Magazine Editors Gold Salon 3, JW Marriott LA, 1st Floor (Christine Lee, Mark Armstrong, Doree Shafrir, Rachel Riederer, Marie Myung-Ok Lee) Five writers and editors with extensive backgrounds in print and digital periodicals discuss the tenets of pitching nonfiction work. How do you catch an editor’s eye? How can you make your pitch stand out? The diverse panel of prominent editors and writers with a track record of pitching success details and provides insights into what it takes to get freelance work accepted at a journal or magazine, while exploring topics of professional etiquette, and how to nurture business relationships. F236. A Reading and Conversation with Geoff Dyer, Leslie Jamison, and Maggie Nelson, Sponsored by Graywolf Press Concourse Hall, LA Convention Center, Exhibit Hall Level One (Fiona McCrae, Geoff Dyer, Leslie Jamison, Maggie Nelson) Join three remarkable writers whose works challenge and invigorate new nonfiction with wit, empathy, intelligence, and style. Geoff Dyer received the National Book Critics Circle Award in criticism for Otherwise Known as the Human Condition. Leslie Jamison is the author of the essay collection The Empathy Exams, a New York Times best seller. Maggie Nelson is the award-winning author of the innovative works The Argonauts and The Red Parts. Introduced by Graywolf publisher Fiona McCrae. 3:15 pm to 5:00 pm Is Editors Necessary? A London Review of Books Panel Casey's Irish Pub 613 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90017 Cost: Free Panelists will discuss the constantly transforming but age-old and highly traditional art of editing. Moderated by LRB editor at large Christian Lorentzen With: Uzoamaka Maduka (American Reader) Michael Miller (Bookforum) Joanna Yas (Open City) James Yeh (Vice) *Free food and drinks* 4:30 pm to 5:45 pm F271. Kelly Link, Emily St. John Mandel, and Ruth Ozeki: A Reading and Conversation, Sponsored by Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau Concourse Hall, LA Convention Center, Exhibit Hall Level One (Emily St. John Mandel, Ruth Ozeki, Kelly Link) This event brings together three brilliant contemporary female writers—Kelly Link, Emily St. John Mandel, and Ruth Ozeki—to read and discuss their craft and experiences as genre-bending authors. Kelly Link is the recipient of an NEA grant and is the author of Get in Trouble. Emily St. John Mandel is the author of Station Eleven, a finalist for the 2014 National Book Award. Ruth Ozeki is the author of A Tale for the Time Being, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm The Rumpus and Rare Bird Present "Pick Your Poison" Lethal Amounts, 1226 W. 7th St., Los Angeles, CA Cost: $5 Url: https://www.facebook.com/events/1048690055189902/ The Rumpus and Rare Bird proudly present PICK YOUR POISON. With readings from Cornelius Eady, Rich Ferguson, Ashley C. Ford, Erika Krause, Anna March, and J. Ryan Stradal. Doors open at 7 p.m., and readings will begin at 7:30 p.m. The evening will be emceed by Antonia Crane. 8:00 pm to 9:45 pm Literary Death Match 10-Year Anniversary Spectacular The Theatre at Ace Hotel, 929 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Cost: $30 ($20 for first 100 tickets) Url: http://www.literarydeathmatch.com/upcoming-events/april-1-theatre-at-ace-hotel.html To celebrate our 10-Year Anniversary, we aim to blow the doors clean off every other event we've ever done with our Super-Spectacular at the gorgeous Theatre at Ace Hotel. Featuring actor Adam Scott (Parks & Rec), Martin Starr (Silicon Valley), actress/writer Lena Waithe (Master of None) and authors Susan Orlean, Chris Abani, Danez Smith and more to come! Followed by an Ace Hotel after-party. 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm The Beautiful & The Damned The Palm Court Ballroom at the Alexandria Hotel, 501 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 Cost: Free Url: https://www.facebook.com/events/1707445929469094/ Set in an era of intoxicating excitement and ruinous excess, changing manners, and challenged morals…" The Beautiful & The Damned will feature champagne toasts to Emerging Voices Fellowship Alumni, Literary Hub Partners, and National Book Critics Circle finalists and award winners, as well as a photo booth, cash bar, dancing, and a few surprises you won't want to miss! R.S.V.P.