CCP Student Writers in NYC

 

Thom Katen at the All Collegiate After Hours Fiction Slam

 By P.L.Black 

The Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) held a contest in December for students interested in the Certificate Program in Creative Writing to win a trip to the 2008 Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference and Book Fair. Eight students won trips that included three nights at the Sheraton New York, round-trip train fare and registration to the conference, paid for by a mini-grant from CCP under the auspices of Professors Simone Zelitch and Kelly McQuain. The conference, headquartered at the Hilton New York, ran from January 31 to February 3.

The eight lucky winners were Tiffany Travella, multiple winner of the Judith Stark award; Thom Katen and Martin Wiley, contributors to Limited Editions; Patricia Black, a 2007 Judith Stark winner; Gwyneth Bacon, a talented poet; Marvin Powell, an aspiring scriptwriter; and Keisha Gabbidon and Sean Sullivan, both aspiring fiction writers.

The sold-out 2008 AWP Conference was definitely a hot ticket. This year’s conference featured readings by authors Joyce Carol Oates, Sonia Sanchez, Galway Kinnell, Mark Strand, James Tate and Frank McCourt, to name a few. John Irving gave the keynote address. The four-day conference hosted hundreds of lesser-known writers as well, many of whom moderated the numerous workshops and panels. The book fair, which filled four floors, showcased literary magazines (and editorial staffs) from across the country. Numerous colleges and universities attended and provided information about undergraduate and graduate writing programs.  A journal of the CCP students’ thoughts and experiences can be read at www.ccpstudentsawp.blogspot.com.  Thom Katen summed up the general feeling of the group: “One of the best things about AWP was just being in a creative environment…There is something about being surrounded by other creative beings that makes it easier to write.”

The workshops and panels addressed virtually every aspect of the writing life.  There were workshops on how to use humor, when to use violence and when to cut back on the sex (in writing of course). Panels featuring working writers and their agents provided useful advice on ways writers can put together book tours and promote new work in today’s tightening market. There were also seminars on upcoming writing conferences, how to start a writers’ community in your neighborhood, and ways MFA graduates can earn a living without teaching. 

            Each day began at nine and ran until at least midnight. In a hearty effort to dispel the myth of the writer as social pariah, receptions, dances, contests and slams were scheduled each night. CCP’s own Martin Wiley won second place in the All-Collegiate Afterhours Poetry Slam—a competition where poets competed against each other in an effort to win accolades and a $25.00 gift certificate to a book store from discriminating (and occasionally exasperating) judges. “The best part,” Wiley says, “was having my CCP people there.”

                

Martin Wiley and Jeff Stumpo: Winners of the All Collegiate After Hours Poetry Slam

   

       The Association of Writers and Writing Programs is a literary organization whose mission is, “to foster literary talent and achievement, to advance the art of writing as essential to a good education, and to serve the makers, teachers, students, and readers of contemporary writing.” It has supported writers and writing programs since 1967.  

            The official publication of the AWP is The Writer’s Chronicles. It is published six times a year and features essays, interviews, articles, news and information to inform and entertain people

 

Martin Wiley and Jeff Stumpo: Winners of the All Collegiate After Hours Poetry Slam 

 

who love or live writing. The AWP also publishes a job list for writers, has a career services program and sponsors contests in many different genres. It publishes a comprehensive guide to the writing programs offered here and abroad. There is a Writer’s Conferences and Centers division (WC&C) that promotes and provides information on the ever-increasing number of writers’ conferences, centers, retreats and festivals.

            The 2009 conference is being held in Chicago at the Hilton Chicago from February 11 to the 14, 2009. You can get more information about the AWP and the upcoming conference by visiting their website at www.awpwriter.org.

 P. L. Black is a broadcast engineer in Philadelphia. She is a candidate for the CCP Certificate in Creative Writing and the recipient of the 2007 Judith Stark Award in Scriptwriting.