AWP

Romantasy is everywhere. Interested in diving deeper but not sure where to start? Read “Romantasy 101” from THE WRITER’S CHRONICLE in honor of National Book Month.

As AWP approaches our 60th anniversary, we want to know: What’s Your AWP Story? We are collecting stories from the AWP community to share on our official channels as we celebrate our organization’s diamond jubilee.

Last chance to upload nominations for the George Garrett Award, Small Press Publisher Award, and Writing Organization Award! Help us honor those who have made contributions to the literary community. Nominations close this Saturday, October 31.

It’s simple writer math™️ to bid on a poetry manuscript review from Trio House Press! An editor of your choice will offer feedback on poems and the manuscript as a whole—along with tips on where to submit it and how to improve your network. Happy bidding!

The right title can do so much for your writing! Members and TWC subscribers can read this issue’s Big Conversation to find out how Jocelyn Jane Cox, @yaelwrites.bsky.social, Alyson Mosquera Dutemple, and Kelly McMasters approach titling across genres.

Feeling inspired thinking about #AWP27? Keep the writing energy alive by bidding “write” now on a single-session class from StoryStudio Chicago!

Ever wonder what literary agents really look for? Join us and a panel of agents at #AWP27 for “Ask an Agent Anything”! Annie Hwang, Lori Galvin, Elizabeth Pratt, Mariah Stovall, and Regina Brooks will take your questions. Submit them via this form.

“Forged in Verse: Chicago, the Midwest & the American Poetic Tradition” comes to #AWP27 with Red Hen Press! Don’t miss Luis J. Rodriguez, Michael Warr, Douglas Manuel, and Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle in Chicago.

Celebrate the legacy of iconic Chicago poet Gwendolyn Brooks at #AWP27! Patricia Smith, A. Van Jordan, Evie Shockley, and Nate Marshall will take the stage in Chicago for “We Are Each Other: The Enduring Legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks, Sponsored by Furious Flower Poetry Center.”

Don’t miss this #AWP27 featured event from Alice James Books: “Beyond the Page: The Poet’s Role in Shaping Contemporary Culture,” with José Olivarez, @deesoulpoetry.com, Shara McCallum, Shane McCrae, and moderator Brittany Rogers, in Chicago!

AWP is honored to host the #AWP27 featured event “Cave Canem Presents ‘deep like the rivers...’: A Report on Black Poets,” featuring Amanda Johnston, Barbara-Shae Jackson, Jasmine Mans, and Michael Kleber-Diggs with Lisa Willis, in Chicago!

Get excited for the #AWP27 event “Public Practice: A Reading & Conversation with the US Poet Laureate and Copper Canyon Press,” featuring Arthur Sze and his longtime editor Michael Wiegers!

We are thrilled to announce a #AWP27 featured event from the Center for Fiction! Join us, Hannah Lillith Assadi, and Naeem Murr in Chicago for “The Fictional Self in Exile”!

Mark your calendars for “Reinventing Tradition: Jewish Fiction for a New Generation,” a #AWP27 featured event sponsored by the Jewish Book Council! Chart the future of Jewish storytelling with novelists Helene Wecker, Portia Elan, and Zeeva Bukai and moderator Rachel Kadish!

Join Macondo for a #AWP27 event! In “Chicago: Wrestling with a Demon-Angel Called Home, Sponsored by Macondo,” Sandra Cisneros & Jasmon Drain reflect on their paths to writing & embracing their role as voices for the city, moderated by Ellen Placey Wadey.

One-sentence spooky story: “You missed early-bird registration for #AWP27.” Don’t let this be you! Join us on March 17–20, 2027, in Chicago, Illinois. Register by November 19 to get the best discount of the year.

It’s not Greek to us to bid on this Masterclass/Retreat with Jonas Saul from Imagine Greece Retreats! Explore Greece and while still dedicating time to write—now that’s the writer’s life!

The National Book Foundation is coming to #AWP27! In “NBF Presents: Fiction of the Midwest,” novelists Jakob Guanzon and Tess Gunty will explore heartland storytelling and its resonance far beyond any map. Catch their conversation, moderated by Ruth Dickey!

Blue Flower Arts and the Loft join forces for their #AWP27 featured event, “The Subversive Opportunities of Experimental Poetics”! Don’t miss Douglas Kearney, Sun Yung Shin, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, and Layli Long Soldier in discussion with Arleta Little.

Join us for Kundiman’s #AWP27 featured event “The Ethics of Power & Witness in Poetry.” Carolina Ebeid, Lee Kava, Divya Victor & Cathy Linh Che will confront exile, displacement, state oppression & climate crisis—turning to poetry & ultimately to empathy.

Hundreds of literary organizations will be with us in Chicago for #AWP27. Will you? Early-bird rates for bookfair booths and tables are available now. Purchase your bookfair exhibit space today!

You’re invited to MacDowell’s #AWP27 featured event “Genre as Method: Mary H.K. Choi & Eve L. Ewing on Writing Across Forms.” Explore cross-genre craft and consider genre as a vehicle for complex ideas with us in Chicago!

The University of Arizona Poetry Center’s #AWP27 featured event “Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Sealey Challenge” reflects on the annual poetry initiative w/ Eduardo C. Corral, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Lisa Lucas, Danez Smith & moderator Nicole Sealey.

We’re celebrating the winners of AWP’s awards and honoring the Award Series winners from 2025! Join us for the AWP Awards Reception & Celebration at #AWP27 in Chicago!

We’re delighted that @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social—Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, bestselling author, and Chicago superstar—will be our #AWP27 keynote speaker. Heartfelt thanks to #AWP27 premier sponsor, @therumpus.net & Roxane Gay Books! conference.awpwriter.org/keynote2027....

#AWP27 news! A brilliant lineup of featured events is coming to Chicago next March. Stay tuned for reveals this week—and don’t miss your #AWP27 early-bird discount!

Every writer deserves a treat, so bid on Rowland Cottage’s Weekend Retreat! Develop skills to enhance your writing, deepen your practice, connect to your senses & make progress on your work. This retreat is for women & nonbinary writers of memoir & CNF.

Trying to sell your book is hard, so why not bid on a book marketing and publicity consultation from Writeaways? Learn how to give your book the best chance of succeeding in the world!

#QuestionTuesday What’s a publishing trend you’re excited about right now?

Happy pub day to SINNER MAN HAND AND OTHER FOLK HORRORS by Tracy Cross! Find this collection and more new releases on our AWP Member Bookshelf.

In honor of National Book Month, we give you permission to grab something off one of our staff-curated Bookshop.org lists! Find our Staff Reads list in our latest Writer’s News and watch your TBR magically grow.

“As an emerging writer, this was a surreal opportunity to be surrounded by others from the writing world. It was only possible for me due to the Work-Exchange Program.” Four volunteer hours = free #AWP27 registration. Join us in Chicago on March 17–20!

Don’t miss out on enhancing your time in Chicago by bidding on essential activities like passes to the Field Museum, a membership to the American Writers Museum, and dinner for two at Gene & Georgetti.

Nominations are open for the George Garrett Award, Small Press Publisher Award, and Writing Organization Award, but not for long! Help us recognize those who have made an important impact in the writing community—submit your nominations by October 31.

“I can’t help but remember 1989, my first AWP Conference in Philadelphia, dressed in my boots and black hat, meeting Allen Ginsberg,” shares former board president Martin Lammon. Feeling inspired to share your own memories? Submit Your AWP Story to help us celebrate 60 years of AWP!

Celebrate 60 Years of AWP by getting your bids in for our silent auction. Find Chicago experiences for #AWP27, international retreats, gift cards, and more!

The new TWC is here! In “Susanna’s Ghost: Writing and Rewriting My Mother,” @bonniejo.bsky.social explores her relationship with her mother and the various ways her mother shows up in her writing. This gift article is available now to all readers.

I read the Skaja & Wicker interview at lunch, and damn, it's powerful & great stuff for various reasons. Grief, how grief fuels writing, the resentment that comes with that, the power of two writers bouncing work off each other, the need to refute symbolism when life throws it in your face. So good.

The Quarto Group is seeking an organized, detail-oriented, and collaborative marketing and publicity assistant! AWP members can learn more about this hybrid position on our Job List.

Happy autumn from TWC! October’s issue is live with articles on the future of book reviews, in defense of long novels & on balancing memoir alongside characters from real life—plus a look back on AWP’s history! Enjoy reading with or without pumpkin spice.

The 15th Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards Competition will award $1,000 prizes to winning works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The deadline to submit is October 31, so don’t wait! AWP members can learn more on the Contests & Calls directory now.

“[Conference] made me fall in love with writing, my city, and my life again.” —#AWP26 attendee Join thousands of writers in Chicago for #AWP27 on March 17–20, 2027. Your early-bird discount is here!

The 2027 Intro Journals Project is open for nominations through November 30! AWP program members can submit fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry by students in their program for a chance at publication by one of our partner journals.

The October issue of THE WRITER’S CHRONICLE drops in just two days, so be sure to catch up on the latest before it arrives! Head there now for essays on writing, our Big Conversation on small press publishing, prompts, sneak peeks, and more!

Happy pub day to FIREBRANDS by Vicky Oliver! Keep an eye on our AWP Member Bookshelf for more new releases.

#QuestionTuesdsay In honor of National Book Month, what’s your favorite book to gift?

Less than three weeks left! If there is an individual, press, or organization you want to celebrate for their contributions to the literary landscape, nominate them for the 2027 George Garrett Award, Small Press Publisher Award, or Writing Organization Award, respectively, by October 31.

So many writers have an AWP story, so why not tell us yours for a chance to be featured on AWP’s socials? Submit your story (and photos) to our form. We can’t wait to read it!

October is National Book Month! Whether you rediscover an old favorite, visit your local library, crack open that book at the bottom of your TBR, or delve into something new, there’s always a way to celebrate. Read our latest Writer’s News to get started!

The latest issue of THE WRITER’S CHRONICLE features our first-ever graphic essay, “Want to Improve Your Writing? Try Pictures!” by Emil Wilson! Members and subscribers can check it out now to find out how (and why) to incorporate images into your writing.