This past week I attended the 2022 Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) annual conference. Here’s what I got at the book fair:
Allende, Carlos. Coffee, Shopping, Murder, Love. Pasadena, CA: Red Hen Press, 2022.
This novel has a fantastic title and came with a free t-shirt, so I bought it. I was able to get it autographed as well.
Alvarado, Moncho Ollin. Greyhound Americans. Ardmore, PA: Saturnalia Books, 2021.
I’m always on the lookout for other queer Latinx writers.
Barrett, Kay Ulanday. More Than Organs. Little Rock, AR: Sibling Rivalry Press, 2020.
I read this excellent poetry collection as soon as I bought it on Thursday. Recommended!
Darling, Kristina Marie, and Carol Guess. X Marks the Dress: A Registry. New York: Persea Books, 2015.
I had not heard of either of the authors before, but this poetry collection’s intriguing subtitle caught my attention.
Febos, Melissa. Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative. New York: Catapult, 2022.
I went straight to Catapult’s table as soon as the book fair opened and bought this hotly anticipated book before they ran out of copies.
Friend, Tyler. Him or Her or Whatever. Boulder, CO: Alternating Current Press, 2022.
I went to a poetry reading that included Friend on Wednesday night and really enjoyed their work, so I decided to buy their book, and was able to get it autographed. Oddly, they did not sign on the title page, the customary spot, but I see now that this is because the title is huge on the page, leaving almost no room for writing.
Huber, Sonya. Supremely Tiny Acts: A Memoir of a Day. Columbus, OH: Mad Creek Books, 2021.
The title totally sold me on this book.
Liu, Timothy. Let it Ride. Ardmore, PA: Saturnalia Books, 2019.
I like Liu’s early work, but haven’t read any of his recent stuff, so I was excited to see this book for sale. He signed it for me, and I also got a free t-shirt for buying two books from Saturnalia!
Milks, Megan. Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body. New York: Feminist Press, 2021.
This novel was recently nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, so when I saw it at the Feminist Press table and found out Milks was available to sign copies I bought one.
Philyaw, Deesha. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2020.
I read this collection of short stories on the train home and it is fantastic!
Preciado, Paul B. Testo Junkie: Sex, Drugs, and Biopolitics in the Pharmacopornographic Era. Trans. Bruce Benderson. New York: Feminist Press, 2013.
I’ve seen this book cited lots of places, and decided to finally buy it because Feminist Press had it on sale.
Salesses, Matthew. Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping. New York: Catapult, 2021.
Even though I don’t write fiction, I’ve heard good things about how this book rethinks traditional workshopping, so thought it would be helpful to read.
The others:
Bellamy, Dodie. The Buddhist. Portland: Allone Co. Editions, 2011.
My obsession with Bellamy continues as I continue to track down some of her harder-to-find books.
Green, Leah Naomi. The More Extravagant Feast. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2020.
This is a birthday gift from my sister, who knows the poet.
Daniel Shank Cruz 