Sycamore Review at AWP 2006

The Blog Has Left the Building

2006-03-15T23:42:00.000-05:00

Hey, this little guy (awpblog) is all tuckered out. If you'd like to see us again, please visit us at our main site.

Eats: Iron Cactus

2006-03-11T02:29:00.000-05:00

Back in Lafayette we have this place called the Neon Cactus. Completely different experience than the Iron Cactus, a great multi-level bar and grill in downtown Austin. Crazy prompt service, and the margaritas did not disappoint. Great enchiladas, but that ain't hard, and I kind expected to have my previous enchilada experiences challenged in Texas. But their was also some of the best salsa I've ever tasted. As someone who has their salsa delivered to their house from very far away in discreet unmarked boxes by people who study the science of setting mouths afire, I was pleasantly surprised.

Sitting in the Corner

2006-03-10T17:43:00.000-05:00

Now that I've recovered from the delayed flights of yesterday, (thanks NWA for the delays and rerouting) it's been really wonderful being at the Sycamore Review table, speaking with people about our newest issue. There's been a lot of positive comments about moving to the square format.

But the real prize of the day was eating plantains at the Cuban restaraunt--there's no place at Purdue I can get them.

If you're at AWP, swing by table #245 and say hello. Go to the corner of the room where the Pedagogy discussions are being held, then go to the end of aisle 200. We have candy!

--Beth Lyons, Poetry Editor

Serano's Cafe

2006-03-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

We had an amazing dinner at Serano's Cafe yesterday. It's at 111 Red River St, Symphony Square, and they made the bet chicken I ever put in my mouth. If you're staying at the Marriot, it's about a block north. If you're at the Hilton, it's a little further, but worth the jog. Reasonably priced ($9-19). They've got vegetarian dishes food for those of you who care about that sort of thing.

Check out the link for directions. The service = kind of slow.

Day Two: Where's Marianne?

2006-03-10T11:30:00.000-05:00

Day Two is kind of slow. We've been manning the booth, but foot traffic is down significantly. If you're in town, please stop by.

In other news, Marianne Boruche is AWOL. We heard that flights out of Indianapolis were fouled up, so it looks like she's either very late or still in Indy.

Day One: Stick a Fork in Me

2006-03-09T19:55:00.000-05:00

If it is possible for a single man to hand out seventy hundred thousand promo postcards and about as many submission guideline brochures, that is how many I personally handed at the AWP today. I met a lot of fellow writers and editors, and Purdue Writing Program Don, Porter Shreve, personally introduced us to the Backwards City Review editors, who are wonderful human beings.

We got called out by the Crazyhorse people (several former members of which now staff our magazine) on our passing resemblance to their fine magazine. We sewed the seeds of an internet empire with Gerry Canavan. We started up some issue trades with Zone 3 and Literal. Some other stuff I'm too tired to remember. All in all, an eventful day.

So, if you want one of our cool postcards with a painting by William Auten, come by and check us out (table 245).

G'bye

Here Comes the Sun

2006-03-09T14:53:00.000-05:00

So, I felt sick. Kind of nauseous, kind of headachy. I'd been at the table (245!) for over five hours.

Finally, Daryll-Lynne came back from the 'Form and Formlessness' panel and spelled me, and I went outside to get some air.

Let me tell you - the sun in Austin had some kinda restorative effect, some kinda magic, awesome, wonderful effect.

Most Wanted

2006-03-09T12:36:00.000-05:00

If you have any information concerning the above pictured...person...please alert the authorities.

Paris Review: Design Gab

2006-03-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

Just talked to Caitlin over at the Paris Review table. They've recently started listing contributors on the cover of the issue. We've been thinking about doing something something similar. The upside is, it allows people to see all the great stuff in your issue without flipping through it. On the other hand, we like the unadorned look of art on the cover. It's something that we're thinking about.

Three Reasons Why We Love AWP

2006-03-09T11:24:00.000-05:00

1. Free candy.
2. A lot of writers.
3. These guys, who stopped by the table and chatted.

There are a couple talks I want to go to later in the afternoon, but I already skipped one at 10:30 in order to stay here at the table and hang out. It's more fun than I thought it'd be just to see who's walking around.

Greg Rappleye, who we're a big fan of, stopped by, too, and gave a shout out to Laura Donnelly, one of our Editorial Assistants. Laura, if you're out there, we miss you!

Married to the Sea

2006-03-09T11:08:00.000-05:00

In semi-not-really AWP related news, Drew of Toothpaste for Dinner and Natalie of Natalie Dee have combined Wonder Twin powers in the form of a new comic, Married to the Sea. These are quite possibly the two funniest people in the world, and they will win the Nobel Prize someday.

Check out Married to the Sea

Barney is Not a Purple Dinosaur Today

2006-03-09T11:01:00.000-05:00

You just can't keep Barney down. He's hardly recovered from last night's rendezvous with the staff of Blackbird (Virginia Commonwealth Uni) and he's out here at the Bookfair hobnobbing with the floorwalkers and buying coffee for people he's just met.

It just goes to show you that you can't keep a good man down.

Stop by and meet him, as well as the rest of the Sycamore staff. We've got candy.

Day One, AM: Start Your Engines

2006-03-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

Things are just getting started here. We've got our booth all set up and are going to check out the other presses and journals. We'll be reporting from various colloquia and panels an such. If you're at the conference come check us out at the end of the 200 aisle, booth 245.

Syamore Advisory Boardmember Marianne Boruche is expected to make an appearance .

Stay tuned.

Eats: Habana Calle 6

2006-03-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

If you were a good little conference-goer and got yourself a spot in the Hilton, be advised that you are in the general vicinity of the best Cuban restaurant I've even eaten at (and I was born in Miami).

Habana Calle 6 did us right from start to finish (although BTH and bro felt that the drinks could have been stronger). If you're of the carnivorous persuasion I highly recommend anything with their marinated pork in it. The black beans and rice was not too shabby either. There's vegetarian fair if you're some kind of vegetarian, and they got this thing called a Tres Leche Cake, soaked in whole milk, condensed milk, and some other kind of milk (whipped cream?) that'll kill you dead.

It was pretty cheap, about 7 dollars for a sandwich and 12 dollars for entrees. Do yourself a favor. 709 East Sixth, metered parking.

P.S. If you're driving there, don't park under the trees outside. You know why.

Setting Up

2006-03-08T21:10:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure who decided that Mark Leahy (Fiction Editor) and I should take the 6:00 flight out of Indianapolis to get to AWP in Austin, but unfortunately, I think it was me. Luckily, everything ran fine. I'm a little paranoid about plane security, and I kept replaying a bizarre made-up scene in which I was pulled aside for a random search and the Sycamore Review postcards I had in my backpack (500 of them - we'll be giving them out for free!) would somehow match a terrorist criteria.

But the government in this country doesn't think literature is a threat...

After Barney Haney (Managing Editor) and his little brother Jeremiah rolled into town around 2:30, we went over to set up the bookfair table. If you're here at AWP, we're at table 245, if you're not, just imagine a gigantic conference center hall with concrete floors, rows and rows of blue-swathed tables, and about six mini-forklifts tooting their airhorns at every possible opportunity. We're all the way in the back left corner - I'm not sure yet whether this will be a blessing or a curse. But Barney and Mark both pointed out that The Paris Review is just a couple tables down from us, so our spot can't be too bad.

We're sharing our space with Parlor Press, which is based out of Purdue University, just like Sycamore is, and so about two-fifths of the table is covered in books I know nothing about (oops!), which makes me feel a little weird, gearing up for tomorrow's talk fest:

"What's this book about?"
"Dunno."
"What's this one about then?"
"..."

But the table looks pretty good. I bought four little metal book-holders back at Office Max in Indiana, and we're using them to hold open copies of the issue to some of the Dennis DiPasquale and Donald Bowers images. And Daryll-Lynne Evans (Editorial Assistant) showed her true colors as she skillfully designed a multi-height display of the postcards, flyers and issues.

Walking out of the Bookfair, I saw some pretty snazzy booths, and I think I'll take notes over the conference on what we can do diffferently next year in Hot-Lanta.

Tomorrow we'll be at the Bookfair starting at 8:00, and if we can catch some airwaves, we'll be blogging from our table. Stop by and we might take your picture and talk about you on the internet.

Gearing up for AWP

2006-03-03T16:13:00.000-05:00

We here at Sycamore Review are gearing up for AWP in Austin. I'm leaving with Mark, SR's Fiction Editor, on an early, early plane on Wednesday so we can set up the table at the bookfair and be ready for Thursday's influx of writers. Barney, our Managing Editor, has left already - he's driving, and visiting friends - and will meet us in Austin on Wednesdsay. I keep going back to the gigantic AWP Schedule .pdf to double check that I haven't forgotten about something I really want to see.

Meanwhile, there are things that must be done. The English Department's copy lady seems to have put our order for "How to Submit to Sycamore Review" flyers on hold, and our freebie postcards won't be ready to pick up until Monday or Tuesday. And there's a "Who's Going to Man the Table" sign-up sheet on the office door that no one seems to want to sign...

But we're all excited. We're hoping to meet Tony Hoagland, who judged our 2005 Wabash Prize for Poetry, as well as hear him read. And Mark and I both are hoping to meet up with past mentors (Janet Burroway and Martha Collins, respectively).

We'll be blogging away at AWP, posting pictures and anecdotes here rather than at our usual site (http://www.cla.purdue.edu/sycamore), so check back.