蜜桃传媒

Two hundred attend reading co-hosted by 蜜桃传媒 Rose O鈥橬eill Literary House to kick off AWP conference.

It was standing room only鈥攊f you could get in the door at all鈥攆or the Moon Jelly reading at the National Aquarium at the Baltimore Inner Harbor March 4.

There were 200 in attendance at the reading鈥攃o-hosted by 蜜桃传媒 Rose O'Neill Literary House, through the Small Literary Arts Center Coalition鈥攖o kick off the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference. Moon Jelly was what is known as an 鈥渙ffsite鈥濃�攁n event that takes place outside of the regular conference programming. AWP is an annual gathering for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers, held in different cities across the country. It sees around 10,000 attendees each year.

鈥淚f there are people who don't believe that poetry and the literary arts transform lives, the Moon Jelly reading would convince them. It was one of the best readings I've been to in my life,鈥� said James Hall, director of the Rose O'Neill Literary House.

While Moon Jelly was not the first offsite event the Lit House has hosted, it was the first hosted as part of the Small Literary Arts Center Coalition (SLACC), which also includes Boutelle-Day Poetry Center (Smith College) and Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts (Bucknell University). It also served as a launch reading for issue 12 of Cherry Tree: A National Literary Journal @ 蜜桃传媒.

The Moon Jelly reading featured literary giants and prolific writers: Victoria Chang, Leila Chatti, Diamond Forde, Francisco M谩rquez, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Paisley Rekdal, Chet'la Sebree, and Patricia Smith.

M谩rquez and Rekdal are both contributing writers in Cherry Tree issue 12. M谩rquez read his poem 鈥淢ontr茅al,鈥� which was published in the issue, on Wednesday night. He also read a poem about moon jellyfish.

A playful name to acknowledge the moon jellyfish exhibited in the Jellyfish Invasion exhibit, the reading took place adjacent to it and the dolphin viewing area.

鈥淭he love and community in the room was palpable,鈥� said Nicole Hatfield '21. 鈥淭hat paired with being at the aquarium at night surrounded by dolphins, manta rays, jellyfish, and more immediately reminded me of how amazing life can be.鈥�

Ahead of the reading, attendees were invited to an after-hours walkthrough of the aquarium's Blue Wonders exhibit.

鈥淚've been to a number of AWP offsites, and they're usually in bars and restaurants,鈥� said Julia Armstrong '15. 鈥淚 never would have expected for something like [the aquarium.] And it wasn't just the reading, but a special after-hours walk through of the Blue Wonders exhibit. There's something extra spectacular about getting to go to a place like a museum or zoo after hours; you kind of feel like a kid again, having access to something exciting and unusual.

鈥淟eila Chatti is one of my writerly heroes, and to hear her read her work out loud was a dream come true,鈥� Armstrong added.

Offsites not only provide an opportunity to hear authors you know read from work you love, but they provide a venue to discover new work too.

鈥淚 am obsessed with so many of those writers now,鈥� said Siobhan Luckey '27. 鈥淓specially Patricia Smith.鈥�

This is Luckey's first time attending AWP and first time attending a reading of this scale.

鈥淯sually, the readings at the Lit House are one person; seeing eight incredible writers was amazing,鈥� they said.

Luckey is one of four student interns the Lit House brought to the conference this year. Several other Washington students鈥攁nd many alum鈥攚ill also attend the conference.

SLACC hosts virtually programming annually to benefit the students at each institution. The Moon Jelly reading was their first in-person event.

鈥淎ll of our collaborations with Smith and Bucknell have been virtual. Those workshops have been smash successes; but it was high time for an in-person meetup,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淧lus, the chance to team up with our alumni base to offer an event for Washington grads in Baltimore to come together was too irresistible to pass up.鈥�

鈥淚'm still in awe and so very grateful for how people showed up for us and our readers,鈥� said Amber Taliancich, assistant director of the Rose O'Neill Literary House. 鈥淲e went from worrying if people would even come to realizing we were creating one of the most magical AWP moments for hundreds.鈥�

In the days following the reading, AWP attendees have approached the Cherry Tree booth in the conference bookfair to give their congratulations and praise for the event.

鈥擬acKenzie Brady '21