View source for Association of Writers & Writing Programs

{{Short description|Nonprofit literary organization}}
{{primary sources|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox organization
| image         = 
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
|name           = Association of Writers & Writing Programs
|formation      = 1967
|type           = Professional/Academic literary organization 
|location       = [[Riverdale Park, Maryland]], U.S.
|website        = {{URL|http://www.awpwriter.org}}
}}

The '''Association of Writers & Writing Programs''' (AWP) is a nonprofit literary organization that provides support, advocacy, resources, and community to nearly 50,000 writers, 500 college and university creative writing programs, and 125 writers' conferences and centers. It was founded in 1967 by [[R. V. Cassill]] and [[George Garrett (poet)|George Garrett]].

==History==
AWP was founded in 1967 as a non-profit organization initially named '''Associated Writing Programs'''. Its founders were fifteen writers representing thirteen creative writing programs. The new association sought to support the growing presence of literary writers in higher education. It accepted both institutional and individual members, and it aimed to persuade the academic community that the creation of literature had a place in the academy as important as the study of literature did.

AWP has helped [[North America]] to develop a literature as diverse as its peoples.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} Member programs have provided literary education to students and aspiring writers from all backgrounds, economic classes, races, and ethnic origins.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

AWP has also supported the development of hundreds of educational programs, conferences, reading series, and literary magazines, as well as thousands of jobs for writers and new audiences for contemporary literature. AWP's membership fees have grown exponentially since their inception.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

==AWP Conference and Bookfair==
The AWP Conference & Bookfair is a large and inclusive<ref>{{cite web |last1=op de Beeck |first1=Nathalie |title=At AWP23, Programs Celebrate Milestones and New Arrivals Get in the Game |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/91739-at-awp23-programs-celebrate-milestones-and-new-arrivals-get-in-the-game.html |website=publishersweekly.com |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> literary conference in North America. AWP hosts an annual conference in a different region of North America, featuring presentations, readings, lectures, panel discussions, book signings, receptions, and a large [[bookfair]]. The conference is held in the late winter or early spring of each year, and attracts thousands of attendees and bookfair exhibitors.<ref>[https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/overview "AWP Conference & Bookfair Overview"], Association of Writers & Writing Programs.</ref>

AWP enters into partnerships with allied literary organizations like the [[Academy of American Poets]], the [[Authors Guild]], [[Cave Canem Foundation]], the [[New York Mercantile Library|Center for Fiction]], [[Council of Literary Magazines and Presses|Community of Literary Magazines & Presses]], [[Kundiman (nonprofit organization)|Kundiman]], [[National Book Critics Circle]], [[Poetry Society of America]], and Writers in the Schools to serve our association's various constituencies and to provide programming at the conference. Two or three featured events, including the keynote address, are created by the Conference Steering Committee of the AWP Board of Trustees.<ref>[https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/event_proposals_selection "How Conference Events Are Selected"], Association of Writers & Writing Programs.</ref>

===Conference history===
AWP's first conference was held in 1973 at the [[Library of Congress]], and it hosted six events and 16 presenters. [[George Garrett (poet)|George Garrett]], one of AWP's founders, planned the first gathering with help from the [[National Endowment for the Arts]]. Presenters included [[Elliott Coleman]], founder of the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, [[Paul Engle]], founder of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, poets [[Josephine Jacobsen]] and [[Miller Williams]], and novelists [[Ralph Ellison]] and [[Wallace Stegner]], among others.

The AWP Conference & Bookfair has shown significant growth since the early 2000s, transforming from a small conference of only a couple thousand attendees, 300 exhibitors, and less than 200 events to over 12,000 attendees, 800 exhibitors, and 550 events today.

The 2023 conference, held in [[Seattle]], had over 9,000 attendees and 563 on-site exhibitors at the bookfair.<ref>{{cite web |last1=op de Beeck |first1=Nathalie |title=At AWP23, Programs Celebrate Milestones and New Arrivals Get in the Game |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/91739-at-awp23-programs-celebrate-milestones-and-new-arrivals-get-in-the-game.html |website=publishersweekly.com |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>

Every year, conference presenters include winners of literary prizes, including the [[Booker Prize|Man Booker Prize]], the [[National Book Award]], the [[National Book Critics Circle Award]], the [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]], the [[Pulitzer Prize]], as well a [[MacArthur Fellows Program|MacArthur]] and [[Guggenheim Fellowship|Guggenheim]] fellows. Past lectures and readings have featured [[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie]], [[Margaret Atwood]], [[Anne Carson]], [[Michael Chabon]], [[Sandra Cisneros]], [[Don DeLillo]], [[Rita Dove]], [[Jennifer Egan]], [[Louise Erdrich]], [[Nikki Giovanni]], [[Terrance Hayes]], [[Seamus Heaney]], [[John Irving]], [[Ha Jin]], [[Erik Larson (author)|Erik Larson]], [[Carolyn Forché]], [[Roxane Gay]], [[Ursula K. Le Guin]], [[Jonathan Lethem]], [[Barry Lopez]], [[Jhumpa Lahiri]], [[Chang-rae Lee]], [[Alice McDermott]], [[Joyce Carol Oates]], [[Sharon Olds]], [[Robert Pinsky]], [[Annie Proulx]], [[Claudia Rankine]], [[Marilynne Robinson]], [[Karen Russell]], [[Richard Russo]], [[Cheryl Strayed]], [[Amy Tan]], [[Natasha Trethewey]], [[Derek Walcott]], [[Colson Whitehead]], [[Jeanette Winterson]], and [[Tobias Wolff]].<ref>[https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/archive_overview "Conference Archives and Photo Albums"], Association of Writers & Writing Programs.</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Past and future conferences<ref>{{Cite web |title=Association of Writers & Writing Programs |url=https://www.awpwriter.org/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=www.awpwriter.org |language=en}}</ref>
!#
!Year
!City
!State/Province
!Country
|-
!'''1'''
|1973
|[[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]
|{{Flag|District of Columbia}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
! '''-'''
|1974-1977
| colspan="3" |''Hiatus''
|-
!'''2'''
|1978
|[[San Francisco]]
|{{Flag|California}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''3'''
|1979
|[[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]
|{{Flag|Tennessee}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''4'''
|1980
|[[San Antonio]]
|{{Flag|Texas}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''5'''
|1981
|[[Seattle]]
|{{Flag|Washington}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''6'''
|1982<ref>{{cite news |last1=Domini |first1=John |title=Pens before butter: The AWP’s survival network |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_boston-phoenix_1982-04-20_11_16/page/n61/mode/1up |access-date=2024-08-20 |work=The Boston Phoenix |date=1982-04-20}}</ref>
|[[Boston]]
|{{Flag|Massachusetts}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''7'''
|1983
|[[St. Louis]]
|{{Flag|Missouri}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''8'''
|1984
|[[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]]
|{{Flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''9'''
|1985
|[[San Diego]]
|{{Flag|California}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''10'''
|1986
|[[Chicago]]
|{{Flag|Illinois}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''11'''
|1987
|[[Austin, Texas|Austin]]
|{{Flag|Texas}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''12'''
|1988
|[[San Francisco]]
|{{Flag|California}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''13'''
|1989
|[[Philadelphia]]
|{{Flag|Pennsylvania}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''14'''
|1990
|[[Denver]]
|{{Flag|Colorado}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''15'''
|1991
|[[Miami]]
|{{Flag|Florida}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''16'''
|1992
|[[Minneapolis]]
|{{Flag|Minnesota}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''17'''
|1993
|[[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]
|{{Flag|Virginia}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''18'''
|1994
|[[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]]
|{{Flag|Arizona}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''19'''
|1995
|[[Pittsburgh]]
|{{Flag|Pennsylvania}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''20'''
|1996
|[[Atlanta]]
|{{Flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''21'''
|1997
|[[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]
|{{Flag|District of Columbia}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''22'''
|1998
|[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]
|{{Flag|Oregon}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''23'''
|1999
|[[Albany, New York|Albany]]
|{{Flag|New York}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''24'''
|2000
|[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]
|{{Flag|Missouri}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''25'''
|2001
|[[Palm Springs, California|Palm Springs]]
|{{Flag|California}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''26'''
|2002
|[[New Orleans]]
|{{Flag|Louisiana}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''27'''
|2003
|[[Baltimore]]
|{{Flag|Maryland}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''28'''
|2004
|[[Chicago]]
|{{Flag|Illinois}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''29'''
|2005
|[[Vancouver]]
|{{Flag|British Columbia}}
|{{Flag|Canada}}
|-
!'''30'''
|2006
|[[Austin, Texas|Austin]]
|{{Flag|Texas}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''31'''
|2007
|[[Atlanta]]
|{{Flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''32'''
|2008
|[[New York City]]
|{{Flag|New York}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''33'''
|2009
|[[Chicago]]
|{{Flag|Illinois}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''34'''
|2010
|[[Denver]]
|{{Flag|Colorado}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''35'''
|2011
|[[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]
|{{Flag|District of Columbia}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''36'''
|2012
|[[Chicago]]
|{{Flag|Illinois}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''37'''
|2013
|[[Boston]]
|{{Flag|Massachusetts}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''38'''
|2014
|[[Seattle]]
|{{Flag|Washington}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''39'''
|2015
|[[Minneapolis]]
|{{Flag|Minnesota}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''40'''
|2016
|[[Los Angeles]]
|{{Flag|California}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''41'''
|2017
|[[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]
|{{Flag|District of Columbia}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''42'''
|2018
|[[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]
|{{Flag|Florida}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''43'''
|2019
|[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]
|{{Flag|Oregon}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''44'''
|2020
|[[San Antonio]]
|{{Flag|Texas}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''45'''
|2021
| colspan="3" |''Virtual'' (due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kellogg |first=Carolyn |date=2022-03-30 |title=The largest annual writers convention re-emerged last week. Here's AWP by the numbers |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-03-30/the-largest-annual-writers-convention-re-emerged-last-week-heres-awp-by-the-numbers |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>)
|-
!'''46'''
|2022
|[[Philadelphia]]
|{{Flag|Pennsylvania}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''47'''
|2023
|[[Seattle]]
|{{Flag|Washington}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''48'''
|2024
|[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]
|{{Flag|Missouri}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''49'''
|2025
|[[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]
|{{Flag|California}}
|{{flag|USA|name=United States}}
|-
!'''''50'''''
|''2026''
|''[[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]]''
|''{{Flag|Maryland}}''
|''{{flag|USA|name=United States}}''
|}

==Magazine==
{{Infobox magazine
| title           = The Writer's Chronicle 
| image_file      = 
| image_size      = <!-- (defaults to user thumbnail size if no size is stated) -->
| image_alt       = 
| image_caption   = 
| editor          = 
| editor_title    = 
| previous_editor = 
| staff_writer    = 
| photographer    = 
| category        = 
| frequency       = 6 Issues per Year
| circulation     = 40,000
| publisher       = AWP
| founder         = 
| founded         = 1967
| firstdate       = <!-- {{Start date|year|month|day}} -->
| country         = [[United States]]
| language        = English
| website         = 
|italic title=no
}}
''[[The Writer's Chronicle]]'' is a source of articles, news, and information for writers, editors, students, and teachers of writing. Published six times a year, each issue features essays on the craft of writing, as well as interviews with authors.

==Awards sponsored==
AWP sponsors six contests, and also provides an extensive listing of literary grants, awards, and publication opportunities available from organizations and publishers throughout North America. Their contests include the [[List of AWP Award winners|AWP Award Series]], the George Garrett Award, the Small Press Publisher Award, the Intro Journals Project, the Kurt Brown Prizes, and the National Program Directors' Prize.

===AWP Award Series===
Annual contests are held in four categories, with the winner receiving a cash honorarium and publication of their book-length collection.

====Sue William Silverman Prize for Creative Nonfiction====
Named for author [[Sue William Silverman]], the prize is awarded to a book-length collection of creative nonfiction, with publication through the [[University of Georgia Press]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Sue William Silverman Prize for Creative Nonfiction |url=https://ugapress.org/series/sue-william-silverman-prize-for-creative-nonfiction/ |website=ugapress.org |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>

====James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel====
Formerly named the AWP Prize for the Novel, the prize was renamed for author [[James Alan McPherson]] in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=#AWPSpringJAM May Kickoff |url=https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/writers_news_view/4952 |website=awpwriter.org |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref> The prize is awarded to a novel, with publication through the [[University of Nebraska Press]]. Previous publishers of the award winners include [[New Issues Poetry & Prose|New Issues Press]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel |url=https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/series/the-james-alan-mcpherson-prize-for-the-novel/ |website=nebraskapress.unl.edu |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>

====Donald Hall Prize for Poetry====
Named for poet [[Donald Hall]], the prize is awarded to a book-length collection of poetry, with publication through the [[University of Pittsburgh Press]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry |url=https://upittpress.org/prize/donald-hall-poetry-prize/ |website=upittpress.org |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref>

====Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction====
The Grace Paley Prize is an American [[literary award]] presented by the Association of Writers & Writing Programs. The award carries a prize of $5,000 and a publishing contract with the [[University of Massachusetts Press]].<ref name="McGrathCourse">{{cite news |last1=McGrath |first1=Charles |title=The Family History Is Grim, but He's Plotted a New Course |work=New York Times |date=15 January 2011|id={{ProQuest|839953280}} }}</ref>

== Controversies ==
[[Vanessa Place]] was removed from the 2016 Los Angeles Subcommittee to satisfy concerns of the AWP membership after Place received criticism for a Twitter art project where she retyped the entire text from the 1936 novel ''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone with the Wind]]'' in an effort to call attention to the novel's inherent racism.<ref>[https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/writers_news_view/3716/update_regarding_the_awp_los_angeles_2016_subcommittee "Update Regarding the AWP Los Angeles 2016 Subcommittee"], Association of Writers & Writing Programs.</ref> While some have argued the Twitter account was meant to scrutinize and call attention to stereotyping and racism in ''Gone With the Wind'', others accused it of being racist or insensitive itself, which resulted in not only the removal of Place from the subcommittee, but also a number of [[Vanessa Place#Criticism|other literary organizations canceling appearances by Place]].

In anticipation of the 2016 AWP Conference & Bookfair in Los Angeles, some members of the organization objected to what they felt was a lack of programming specific to literature and disabilities. A petition was started that claimed the [[#How Events Are Selected|subcommittee responsible for selecting the events]] rejected all proposals having to do with disability, while some sources responded this claim was erroneous, the Deaf & Disabled Writers Caucus is not a panel but a networking event.<ref>{{cite web|title=Response to Members' Concerns|url=https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/writers_news_view/3812/response_to_members_concerns|publisher=Association of Writers & Writing Programs|accessdate=August 19, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Logue|first1=Josh|title=Disabilities and Writing|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/03/28/writing-program-association-continues-debate-access-members-disabilities|website=Inside Higher Ed|accessdate=March 28, 2016}}</ref> AWP implemented changes for the 2016 conference to further efforts to provide increased accommodations for disabled attendees, which included an onsite location where attendees could report accessibility issues, improved signage, and reserved seating throughout the conference, as well as updates to the Accessibility Services throughout the event.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Morgan Teicher|first1=Craig|title=M.F.A. Update May 2016: How the American Creative Writing Community Can be Made More Inclusive|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/mfa/article/70267-m-f-a-update-may-2016-how-the-american-creative-writing-community-can-be-made-more-inclusive.html|website=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=May 6, 2016}}</ref>

For the 2017 AWP Conference & Bookfair in [[Washington, D.C.]], the number of proposals related to literature and disability increased, and the subcommittee accepted twenty of them for inclusion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Communities of the 2017 AWP Conference & Bookfair|url=https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/writers_news_view/4069/communities_of_the_2017_awp_conference_bookfair|publisher=Association of Writers & Writing Programs|accessdate=August 1, 2016}}</ref> At each conference, AWP provides many accessibility services including ASL interpretation, cued speech transliteration, computer assisted real time captioning, assistive listening devices, braille programs, accommodations for those requiring an attendant or assistant, and much more to attendees who need these services.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/accessibility|title=AWP: Conference & Bookfair Accessibility Services|website=www.awpwriter.org|publisher=Association of Writers & Writing Programs|access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>

== Notes ==
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{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Association of Writers and Writing Programs}}
[[Category:Poetry organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:American writers' organizations]]
[[Category:Literary societies]]