Friday, March 07, 2014

UGA Press at AWP 2014

Last week, this year's Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) annual conference was held in Seattle, WA. Throughout the week, attendees enjoyed an exciting array of quality literature, informative panels, and a relaxed atmosphere.

Here is Publisher's Weekly recap of AWP:
Amid the usual panels about how to write, publish and teach books of literature, publishers reported strong book sales and attendees noticed a friendlier atmosphere than in previous years. Although there was no major announcement, this year's AWP shows literary--and print book--culture to be thriving.
The book exhibit ran from Thursday, February 27 through Saturday, March 1. More than 12,000 attendees visited the 650+ booths.

At our booth, numerous past and present UGA Press authors stopped by, as well as several previous staff members and interns. On Friday, we held book signings for six books: PIRATES YOU DON'T KNOW by John Griswold, AMERICAN AFTERLIFE by Kate Sweeney, THE VIEWING ROOM by Jackie Gorman, THIEVES I'VE KNOWN by Tom Kealey, EXIT, CIVILIAN by Idra Novey, and THE CLOUD THAT CONTAINED THE LIGHTNING by Cynthia Lowen. A few other authors stopped to say hello, including Julian Hoffman, Peter Selgin, Melinda Moustakis, John Chasteen, Allen Braden, Hugh Sheehy, Sue Silverman, Robin Ekiss, and Sean Hill.

A highlight of UGA Press moments and people at AWP 2014.




















Director Lisa Bayer, assistant acquisitions editor Beth Snead, and publicity manager Amanda E. Sharp were in attendance.

During the conference, Buzzfeed Books had attendees share their responses to a variety of questions. Victoria Chang, Tom Kealey, and Amanda E. Sharp were featured in its list of "What Does the Term 'Successful Writer' Mean to You?" Their answers can be found here.