32 Poems is headed to the AWP Conference in Chicago next year. What would you like to see at our table — within reason! — to have an interesting experience?
32 Poems is headed to the AWP Conference in Chicago next year. What would you like to see at our table — within reason! — to have an interesting experience?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
This might be too expensive, but I find that I always collect tons of journals and often have to leave some in the hotel b/c I don’t have enough room in my suitcase. What if you took people’s addresses and MAILED them a copy (doesn’t have to be the most current) after the conference? Or had a PDF version you could email–might be less costly? One benefit is that getting something after the conference would make it stand out more for me.
Excellent, see you there!
1. Collaborative writing games. Submit a line (or several single lines). 32 will be pulled from the bowl at various times throughout the day, and the resulting “poem” displayed. Any really interesting results may be published (along with names of “authors”) in a future issue.
2. 32 poems scavenger hunt. First 32 people to bring us the 32 items on the list win a year’s subscription.
3. 32-second improv. We give you x number of words, you have 32 seconds to write a poem/aphorism using them. Other passersby serve as judges.
I’m most fond of 1 & 2.
Have a great time a AWP. I liked Leslie’s idea of mailing or emailing a pdf of the journal. Do you have book marks made up or brochures? Those could include some sample poems from past issues and incorporate bold colors to garner attention.
Just an idea. Otherwise, maybe if you had some youtube videos of poets in the volume reading their own work, that might work–getting people to the table.
Did my first try get eaten? Or was it not serious enough? I’ll give it another go:
1. Have visitors write single lines of poetry on pieces of paper. Put these in a bowl. At certain times during the day, pull out 32 and lay them down. If anything good comes of these cutup creations, publish them (along with the names of all 32 “authors”) in a future issue.
2. Scavenger hunt. The first 32 people to bring the 32 items on the list get a year’s subscription.
3. Give some number of visitors 32 seconds in which to write a poem using pre-selected words. Other passersby to judge.
4. A 32-minute reading.
5. A 32-hour reading (unless you’re Scott Woods, however, I recommend getting multiple authors in on this).
Ah, thanks, Deborah. I got confused when I saw somebody’s post appear before mine, when mine had been waitlisted for moderation beforehand. Now I understand the first-timer method.