The English department’s graduate program in creative writing will be an official sponsor of the upcoming conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), held this year in Kansas City. 

Officially the annual conference of university creative writing programs nationwide, the AWP conference is a vibrant and welcoming event, attracting up to 15,000 writers, students, and literature enthusiasts for a wide array of panels, readings, and festivities—on site at the Kansas City Convention Center. (When you hear “conference,” you might think stodgy, but AWP is anything but!) 

There are several ways to join us for this exciting showcase. If you plan to attend the conference, you’ll find a few of our faculty, graduate students, and alums (e.g. Aliki Barnstone, Phong Ngyuen, Donald Quist, Sam Edmonds) participating in thought-provoking panels. 

You should also stop by our creative writing program’s table in the capacious bookfair—we are table number T1232—to say hi and meet our current people. 

But even if you’re not officially attending the conference, we hope you’ll join us for our Thursday evening reception in the Marriott Kansas City Downtown (third level, Bennie Moten room) from 6-7:30pm and attend one of the many off-site readings after-hours featuring out people. 

If you have any questions or want to know more, just email Gabe Fried, Director of Creative Writing, at friedg@missouri.edu.