Students from WKU’s Creative Writing Graduate program traveled to Los Angeles, California on March 26^th to attend the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference (AWP).  AWP is an annual conference where writers, publishers, editors, students, and literary journals come together to share creative work, talk pedagogy, and network within the community. 

The students, Caeley Ballard, Brennan Miller, Heather Neidlinger, and Abner Welp, are in the second year of their MFA program and traveled together as a cohort to attend the conference. 

“I've been to events similar in the past where it's paneled, but none so large as this one, so to see so many writers in the same place was lovely. I had also never been to LA,” Ballard stated. “To be immersed, I think, in a city that we so often associate with the arts and dreams in some way during a writing conference really helped renew my drive for the work I'm currently doing.”

AWP boasts roughly 200 panels for attendees to choose from and nearly 600 booths at the Bookfair.  Each student chose panels that were geared towards their specific genre and pedagogy interests. 

Brennan Miller attended six panels in total.  His favorites among those were: “Irresistible Openings: The High-Wire Act of a Novel’s First Pages”, “Novels in Stories, Fragments and Constellations”, and “NBCC Fiftieth Anniversary: All-Stars Breaking New Ground in Fiction”.  The latter panel featured novelists like Jonathan Escoffery, Justin Torres, and Jonathan Lethem.

“Lethem is one of my favorite living authors,” Brennan stated. “So, the chance to see him speak and read from a forthcoming story collection (as well as to stare star struck and fumble over my words as he signed my book afterwards) was a really exciting moment.”

Miller also spoke highly of the Bookfair, stating that it was, “A seemingly endless stretch of tables at which to network, promote your own books, and to learn more about all of the exciting literary happenings around the country.”

Welp, a screenwriter in the program, said that he learned a great deal from the “Combining Community and Mentorship to Help Build a Screenwriting Career” panel.

“It was a guiding hand and a necessary prod,” Welp stated.  “I'll think twice about how I send out query letters, and I can see more clearly now that this is an endeavor I probably may be unable to go about alone.”

Neidlinger attended six panels as well, most of those geared towards writing poetry with an ecological angle, as well as finding new ways to edit your work.

“What was most fascinating to me was how different every panelists approach to the topic was,” Neidlinger stated.  “Some things resonated with me more than others, but everyone’s craft and insight were equally important.” 

Caeley Ballard also spoke highly of one of the panels she attended while at AWP, “Finding Today in the Past: Writing Relevant Historical Fiction”.

“The speakers shared that in their experiences writing historical fiction, they almost always found themselves focusing on story first and the lesson came with it, not the other way around,” Ballard stated. “There were several other things from that panel that were incredibly helpful to my personal thesis.”

AWP also schedules off-site readings affiliated with bigger name journals like Paris Review, Puerto Del Sol, The Georgia Review, The Kenyon Review, and others. 

“The panels I went to were great for pedagogy and craft, and I learned a lot from them,” Neidlinger stated.  “The off-site readings were a whole other ballpark, though.  At those, we got the chance to hear from up-and-coming authors and poets and network with people.  Each site had a different vibe, so it was great to jump from one to the next and soak all of that in.”

The conference is held in a different city every year, with the 2026 location slated for Baltimore, Maryland.  Some of the students expressed interest in traveling together to attend next year’s conference after finding this years’ experience fruitful.  

“I came back feeling refreshed and reenergized in my own writing,” Miller stated.  “The creative burst I experienced over the following week was akin to when I was first accepted into the program. It lit me up, so I'm finding my way to the conference next year. What an incredible opportunity.”

Caeley Ballard had a similar takeaway and is also considering attending next year’s panel. 

“I think the experience was a valuable one,” Ballard stated. “Getting to meet other writers from a variety of backgrounds and genres was also just as valuable as simply sitting in on the panels. It's certainly a place you go to network and to learn, so I'm grateful that we were given the opportunity."

Welp echoed these sentiments, stating, “A fantastic experience through and through that offered both genuine enlightenment and the pure joy of hearing smart, accomplished writers talk about the things they've written. Deeply refreshing.” 

Regardless of if they are able to go next year, each student felt that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that they participated in.

“It’s one of those things where you go and you don’t realize the significance of the experience right away because there’s so much to do and take in,” Neidlinger stated.  “It sits with you for a while and, as time goes on, you appreciate it more and more.  You appreciate the people you shared it more and more, as well.”