A March Whirlwind (of the Literary Sort)

Hi Friends,

Sometimes I think life would be so much easier if I didn’t have a a day job. If I didn’t have to think about fundraising, hiring student interns, hosting launch events, or crafting remarks to deliver before a festival crowd. Wouldn’t it be nice to focus purely on writing?

But then I have a month like the last one, directing Amherst College LitFest and going to a massive conference with The Common, and I realize once again how much energy, inspiration, and most of all, companionable community this work gives back to me.

LitFest was a particular joy this year. I loved seeing The Common’s interns throng around Pete Buttigieg, and watching him respond thoughtfully and unhurriedly to their questions. Interviewing Jamaica Kincaid, a true legend, was unforgettable. (Watch the video here.) The audience offered her two standing ovations. We heard brilliant poetry from both students and award-winning poets and prose from an array of accomplished alumni authors, many of whom have become my friends over the years.

Live events satisfy a particular craving these days. I think we are still hungry for them after our pandemic-era deprivation. Joining together for books (or art, or movies, or a No Kings rally) is also a welcome solace when we feel powerless in the face of horrifying global events. These days, I feel a constant need to remind myself of the existence of smart, well-intentioned, curious people. I find them everywhere in the literary world, and for this I’m tremendously grateful.

The week after LitFest, The Common took off for Baltimore to attend AWP (the Association of Writers and Writing Programs). AWP is an annual gathering of literary folks—writers, editors, readers, professors, administrators, publicists, agents, translators—from all over the country. The Common sets up a booth to sell issues, and, new this year, merch!

There are usually about 12,000 of us at AWP, so it’s overwhelming and utterly exhausting. (And the reason this newsletter is a month late!) But I love turning a corner of the fluorescent-lit bookfair and seeing a grad school classmate from fifteen years ago, an author I published at the begining of their career, or an old mentor I can never thank enough. And I wouldn’t have all these wonderful people in my life if I didn’t work with them: edit their short stories, raise money to publish them well, seek their advice about social media, attend their panels and festivals.

At this year’s AWP, a big topic of conversation was the sorry state of book reviews. Most newspapers, small and large, have cut back or eliminated entirely their coverage of books. Not only are authors and publishers short-changed by this, but the curious public as well. Gone are the days when someone reading the paper for the sports scores could catch a glimpse of an interesting book. We are left with litte more than a swamp of vituperative or vacuous reactions on Amazon.

What to do? Should The Common publish more reviews? Is there a larger (regional or national) solution we can be a part of? How can we revive the art of criticism and bring it back to a general audience? I’m not sure yet. But AWP sparked these conversations and ignited in me a fire to do something that I haven’t felt for a while. If I didn’t have my day job(s), I wouldn’t have a way to turn my depression into inspiration. (If any of you are brainstorming along similar lines, I’d love to hear from you!)

While that new conversation burns in the background, I am also turning my attention to SURRENDER, of course, which comes out in a little more than two weeks! April 14! If you’ve preordered, you’ll likely receive your copy in the next couple of days. Send me a picture! Post to social media! Request a copy from your local library! Review on Goodreads! (You’d be surprised how much Goodreads matters. See complaints above about the state of reviews.)

You’ll hear from me again on pub day (or thereabouts). Below is a reminder of where I’ll be when (new dates and details added since last time). My newly refreshed website also has all the details.

See you on the road!

Yours,
Jen

@jen_acker

Obligatory buy links: Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.