Book Booty!

On Monday I received this in the mail:

It's a box of all of the books, literary journals and magazines I collected (some at great discount, some practically thrust at me as the booth attendants were preparing to break down and go home) at the AWP. There was no way these were going to fit into my suitcase, so I had my mom mail them to me. I'm super excited to add them to the pile of unread magazines and library books next to my bed read them.

I'm most looking forward to reading Tender Hooks by Beth Ann Fennelly. She was a panelist at one of the sessions I went to and read some of her poetry, which was wonderful--moving and funny and powerful. After reading her bio on the back of the book, and seeing she's an assistant professor of English a the University of Mississippi, I flipped to the Acknowledgements section, and sure enough, there was Ann Fisher-Wirth.

Ann was one of the instructors at a writing workshop I attended nearly six years ago (the other instructor started out the week mistaking me for one of his ex-girlfriends--he was there with his wife and two young kids--and even after he saw my name was Andrea, not Adrian, he still had to ask if I had ever lived in Yukon Territory. Uncomfortable). M was three years old (and I wasn't yet pregnant with the twinsies). At four days, it was the longest I had been away from him (I had only spent one overnight--a bridal shower turned bachelorette party--and one women's ski weekend away from him before), and I loved it (and, of course, payed dearly when I returned). Ann was such a fun, inspiring person. It was the first time I had taken writing seriously since my journalism "career" got derailed after three semesters in college, and I feel like it was the first step in a very slow and protracted process of becoming a "writer" (still working on it!). (Boy I'm into the parentheses today, aren't I?)

Also at the AWP bookfair, Writer's Digest Books was handing out coupons for 40% off titles on their website plus free shipping. I took the opportunity to order three books I've been wanting to get for a while, but have not gotten because I already have a pretty good sized stack of craft (of writing) books that I never use. But these will be different! I swear!

The books:

Writer Mama by Christina Katz

Writing the Life Poetic by Sage Cohen (I took Sage's Poetry for the People Class last spring, and while I wasn't in a good head space for it at the time, it was a good class, and I produced at least two decent poems).

Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul