An independent organization dedicated to the publication of books in hybrid genres.
Monday, March 17, 2014
AWP Seattle Recap
This year's AWP Conference took place in Seattle from February 27-March 1, and as ever, we had a table at the fantastic book fair, and for the first time ever, we had RMP temporary tattoos in two different styles:
It was a terrific and eventful AWP for RMP. We debuted our newest release, All Movies Love the Moon: Prose Poems on Silent Film, by Gregory Robinson, with pre-launch copies for sale, a book signing, and a reading. We got to see and meet with so many of our authors, truly one of the best parts of AWP each year. With an awesome crew of table workers, we sold books, promoted our contest, talked about hybrid genres, gave out buttons and bookmarks, and RMP tattooed any available and willing hands, forearms, wrist, and foreheads.
We had five author signings at the table, including Kim Henderson, Dinty W. Moore, and Kelcey Parker, below:
Rose Metal Press authors also participated in two off-site readings. On Friday night Kelcey Parker, Aaron Teel, and Sierra Nelson read at an off-site reading in conjunction with Cortland Review and Toadlilly Press:
On Saturday night, Gregory Robinson and Kim Henderson participated in an off-site reading held in conjunction with Anomalous Press, Boston Review, Gold Line Press, and Ricochet Editions:
A number of our authors also participated in AWP panels, including on Saturday afternoon when Kelcey Parker spoke about her novella-in-flash, Liliane's Balcony, at a panel called "Please Mind the Gap: Innovative Approaches to Writing Historical Figures" with RMP co-founder Kathleen Rooney and fellow authors Cathy Day, Caitlin Horrocks, and Gretchen Henderson:
Thanks to everyone who stopped by our table, picked up a book at a signing, attended a panel, came to an off-site reading, and/or wore a RMP tattoo or button; thanks to our authors for participating in all of those events; thanks to all the other presses and journals who hosted events with us; and thanks to everyone who helped at our table!
We can hardly wait to see you all next year in the Twin Cities!
On Saturday night, July 21, Rose Metal hosted an event in honor of I Take Back the Sponge Cake at the Black Squirrel in Washington, D.C. We were thrilled to have two local poets kick off the event: Maureen Thorson, reading angry feminist rhyming poems, and Jill Leininger, reading her series of prose poems inspired by the artwork of William Kentridge.
In the main event for the evening, Sponge Cake authors Loren Erdrich and Sierra Nelson read collaboratively from their popular lyrical choose-your-own-adventure, and the images from the book were projected on a screen next to them. Loren and Sierra allowed the audience to choose their own path through Sponge Cake, using the cheers of the audience in response to each option to determine which path to take. After several adventures, Loren and Sierra answered audience questions about the book, including about how they collaborated on the poetry and artwork.
It was a fabulous night of poetry and art! Thanks to all who attended and read and to the Black Squirrel for providing the space. Photos and video below!
Maureen Thorson reading feminist rhyming poems
Jill Leininger reading prose poems inspired by the work of William Kentridge (art on the screen)
Loren and Sierra begin the first adventure through I Take Back the Sponge Cake
In this video, Loren and Sierra discuss their collaborative process. Lighting in the video is poor, but the discussion is awesome!
Rose Metal Press spent February 29 through March 3 rocking AWP Chicago! It was a great week and we loved getting to see so many of our friends, authors, and other small presses in the underground maze of the bookfair and at offsite readings and events.
Thanks to all the RMP readers old and new who stopped by our bookfair table to pick up copies of our books! Here's us and our table on Day 1, all bright and shiny (On Day 4 our table was still bright and shiny, but us, less so.) We were excited to have FOUR news books since last year's AWP: They Could No Longer Contain Themselves, Betty Superman, The Louisiana Purchase, and the brand-new-launching-at-AWP I Take Back the Sponge Cake. Rose Metal Press authors participated in 3 offsite readings and 4 book signings at the table.
On Wednesday, February 29, Tiff Holland, author of Betty Superman, and Loren Erdrich and Sierra Nelson, authors of I Take Back the Sponge Cake read at Weeds Tavern as part of a joint reading with Lowbrow Press and Hopewell Editions. Upcoming RMP author Nicelle Davis also read at the event.
Here's a photo of Loren and Sierra reading collaboratively and showing off the book's artwork. They had the audience vote on which choose-your-own-adventure word to pick and the journey continued on from there. This is a video of part of that reading's audience adventure!
On Thursday night, March 1, Sean Lovelace and John Jodzio of They Could No Longer Contain Themselves read at Simone's Bar with readers from Bateau Press, Burnside Review, Slope, Interrupture, and Versal. Here are a couple photos from the reading and a video of part of Sean's flash story about Memphis.
Saturday night, March 3, Adam Golaski, author of Color Plates, and Loren Erdrich, one half of the collaborative genius behind I Take Back the Sponge Cake read at The Beauty Bar with readers from Gigantic Sequins, Big Lucks, Knee-Jerk, and Magic Helicopter. Here's Loren at the Beauty Bar with the newly launched Sponge Cake!
All the readings were terrific and we send out big thanks to all the presses and journals that organized and participated in the readings!
We had a busy Friday and Saturday--we participated in a well-attended 9 a.m. panel on fiction chapbooks on Friday morning, and met up at various times with exciting new RMP authors Aaron Teel (author of chapbook winner Shampoo Horns, due out this summer), Dinty W. Moore (editor of The RMP Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction, due out in September), and Kelcey Parker (author of the novella-in-flash Liliane's Balcony, publishing fall 2013), as well as hanging around through those last frantic hours of the bookfair on Saturday. Things get pretty crazy there at the end, with broke writers running wild beneath the fluorescent lights trying to find books they promised themselves they'd buy before they left. We took cover behind the table and offered up our new credit card scanner!
Thanks also to everyone who stopped by our table to say hello, check out our books, snag some of our sweet new buttons, and find out about Rose Metal Press! We miss you all already! See you in Boston next year if not before!
