When in Philly: A Selection of Offsite Events at This Year’s AWP

It’s been over two years since the last in-person AWP in San Antonio, and as writers very anxiously prepare themselves for literature’s biggest ever summer camp reunion, many are wondering how to spend their evenings catching up with as many of their colleagues as possible. If you are one such writer, the following might help. (For more events, you can check out the offsite listings at AWP.)

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23

Memoir Monday
Featuring Emily Maloney, Edgar Gomez, Alysia Li Ying Sawchyn, and Kristin Keane, and hosted by Lilly Dancyger.
Head House Books, 619 S 2nd St. 7 to 8:15pm

Wednesday Night Poetry at The Fire
Confirmed poets include: JP Howard, Jessica Cuello, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Sarah Browning, Chloe Martinez, Nicole Callihan, Jen Karetnick, Sarah M. Sala, Meghan Sterling, Julia K. Dasbach, Julie Bloemeke, and more. WNP is the longest running consecutive weekly open mic series in the country and The Fire is Philly’s oldest open mic.
The Fire, 412 W Girard Ave. 7 to 9pm, $10

​​MoCo Underground & Readings on the Pike Offsite Reading!
Featuring Chris Gonzalez, Melissa Scholes Young, Sofia Fey, K.B. Carle, Jose Hernandez Diaz, Taylor Byas, Zach Powers, Hananah Zaheer, and more.
1219 Vine St. 7 to 9pm

Voicemail Poems at the Pen & Pencil Club
Readings from Voicemail Poems contributors Jason B. Crawford, Warren C. Longmire, Sarah Matthes, Sadie Dupuis, KB, Loisa Fenichell, Raena Shirali, and Daniel Nester.
Pen & Pencil Club, 1522 Latimer St. 8 to 10pm

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THURSDAY, MARCH 24

Emerge
Hosted by Natalie LIma, featuring readings by Gabriel Dozal, Libby Flores, Minda Honey, Jared Jackson, Marcos Damían León, Shanda McManus, Ofelia Montelongo, Elizabeth Owuor, Annabelle Tometich, Christine Kandic Torres, David Joez Villaverde.
The Raven Lounge, 1718 Sansom St. 5:15 to 6:30pm

Women’s Voices, Women’s Stories: An Evening of Memoir
Featuring readings by Jeannine Ouellette (The Part That Burns), Athena Dixon (The Incredible Shrinking Woman), Jayne Martin (The Daddy Chronicles), Gina Frangello (Blow Your House Down), and Lilly Dancyger (Negative Space).
A Novel Idea on Passyunk, 1726 E Passyunk Ave. 6 to 7:30pm

Poems & Stories by the Cheburashka Collective in Solidarity with Ukraine
Readings by poets, translators, and writers, including Katya Bratt-Pfotenhauer, Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach, Anna Fridlis, Anna Halberstadt, Hilah Kohen, Olga Livshin, Neon Mashurov, Gala Mukomolova, Luisa Muradyan, Alina Pleskova, Bela Shayevich, Larissa Shmailo, and Lana Spendl.
Slought Foundation, 4017 Walnut St. 6 to 8pm

The Experimental Issue: Mizna’s Offsite Reading
Featuring readings from George Abraham, Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman, Tracy Fuad, Glenn Shaheen, Yasmine Rukia, and Issam Zineh.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, 3645 Lancaster Ave. 6pm

The Claw: A Reading
Readings by Piyali Bhattacharya, Ariel Delgado Dixon, Stephanie Feldman, Carmen Maria Machado, Sara Nović, and Asali Solomon. Cosponsored by The Lucid Fiction Program and The Creative Writing Program. Register here.
Kelly Writers House Arts Café, 3805 Locust Walk. 6 to 8:30pm

BSL, The OS, 11:11, & CMP at Lot 49 Books
Readings from Black Sun Lit, The Operating System, 11:11 Press, and Contra Mundum, featuring Vidhu Aggarwal, Steven Alvarez, Jared Daniel Fagen, Rainer J. Hanshe, Ginger Ko, Danika Stegeman Lemay, Elæ Moss, Vincent James Perrone, and David Leo Rice.
Lot 49 Books, 1713 S 6th St. 6 to 9pm

​​The Iowa Review & Michigan Quarterly Review Reading
Featuring contributors Evan Anders, S. Erin Batiste, Jerri Bell, Katie Berta, Ru Freeman, Camille Guthrie, Bret Shepard, and Stella Wong.
MilkBoy Philadelphia, 1100 Chestnut St. 6:30 to 8pm

The Arkansas International & Massachusetts Review Present: An Evening of Poetry & Prose
Featuring readings by Krys Malcolm Belc, Leila Chatti, Joseph Earl, Mag Gabbert, Mark Mayer, Raena Shirali, and Marcela Sulak.
Art in the Age Tasting Room, 116 N 3rd St. 6:30 to 8:15pm

Strange Theater
Featuring readings by Matt Bell, Jen Fawkes, Joy Baglio, James Han Mattson, Hilary Leichter, Alex Difrancesco, and Melissa Scholes Young.
Love City Brewing, 1023 Hamilton St. 6:30 to 7pm

Mockingbird and Okay Donkey!
Featuring readings by Aubrey Hirsch, Jennifer Fliss, DW McKinney, K.C. Mead-Brewer, Naz Knudsen, Tara Campbell, Veronica Montes, Madeline Anthes, Dani Putney, Ellen Rhudy, and Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez!
Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine St. 7 to 9pm

A Reading by Birds LLC, Fence, Fonograf Editions, & the CSU Poetry Center
Featuring readings Sommer Browning, Lauren Hunter, Vanessa Jimenez Gabb, Jennifer Kronovet, Krystal Languell, Jessica Q. Stark, Anne Lesley Selcer, Rodrigo Toscano, Charles Valle, Jan Verberkmoes, Sean Williamson, and Tobias Wray. BYOB.
PhilaMOCA, 531 N 12th St. 7 to 10pm

Hannah Tinti, Mira Jacob, Jai Chakrabarti, & Marie-Helene Bertino—Small Odysseys: 35 Stories
Edited by Hannah Tinti and published in partnership with the Selected Shorts literary radio program and live show, Small Odysseys presents never-before-published short stories by contemporary authors.
Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St. 7:30 to 9pm

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FRIDAY, MARCH 25

Writers Walk through Philly
Ways of Walking, New Door Books invites Explore Philadelphia in the company of local writers such as Nathaniel Popkin, Rahul Mehta, Mickey Herr, David Hallock Sanders, and Ann de Forest, in honor of New Door Books’ Ways of Walking. Walks will leave the Pennsylvania Convention Center every half hour starting at 2 pm.
Blue Stoop Booth, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St. 2 to 4:30pm

Omnibus House Party with WR, PBQ, & RHPFeaturing readers from Writers Room, Painted Bride Quarterly, & Red Hen Press: Norman Cain, Keyssh Datts, Lauren Lowe, Sarah Browning, Kyle Brown-Watson, Sadie Shorr-Parks, Paul Siegell, Kazim Ali, Carlos Allende, Jan Beatty, Melanie Conroy-Goldman, Lara Ehrlich, Carleton Eastlake, Beth Gilstrap, Sadie Hoagland, Jim Peterson, Diane Thiel, John Weir, Joan Nockels Wilson, and Yuvi Zalkow.
Ross Commons, Drexel University, 229 N 34th St. 6pm

A TriQuarterly Reading
Hosted by Parneshia Jones and featuring readings by Amina Gautier, Kien Lam, Colleen O’Brien, Cynthia Dewi Oka, and Talin Tahajian.
The Notary Hotel, Autograph Collection, 21 N Juniper St. 6pm

Office Hours & Bespoke Crossover Reading
Readings by poets including Kazim Ali, CAConrad, Benjamin Garcia, Kai Coggin, N.K. Iguh, Meghan Pinto, Jerome Murphy, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Wo Chan, Andrea Cárdenas, Irene Villaseñor, Sarah M. Sala, and C. Quintana. Lineup is subject to change.
Tabu Bar, 254 S 12th St.

SEMO Press & Laurel Review Offsite Reading
Featuring readings by Mary Biddinger, Whitney Collins, Robert Long Foreman, Juan Morales, Jessica Reed, Caleb Tankersley, John Vanderslice, and Ursula Villarreal-Moura.
Cartesian Brewing, 1326 E Passyunk Ave. 6 to 7:15pm

Tinderbox Editions Reading
Featuring readings by Laynie Browne, BK Fischer, Athena Kildegaard, Cindy King, Carley Moore, Kevin O’Rourke, Bo Schwabacher, Lesley Wheeler, and publisher Molly Sutton Kiefer.
Chapterhouse Cafe & Gallery, 620 S 9th St. 6pm

Adroit Journal, Deep Vellum, Gulf Coast, Noemi Press, & Pleiades Offsite Reading
Featuring readings by Aurielle Marie, Megan Fernandes, Ananda Lima, Ruben Quesada, Angela Voras Hills, Sophia Terazawa, Mike Soto, Derrick Austin, Karyna McGlynn, Cynthia Arrieu-King, Jackson Bliss, and Megan Kaminski.
Loews Hotel Whiskey Room, 1200 Market St. 6 to 8pm

Iterant Mag, Gigantic Sequins, Rose Metal Press, & Ruth Stone House at Young American Cidery
Featuring readings by Aaron Angello, Kristin Bock, Michael Chang, Loisa Fenichell, Mónica Gomery, Ben Grossberg, John James, Candace Jensen, Elizabeth Deanna Morris Lakes, Molly Ledbetter, Ben Pease, Leanne Ruell, Sasha Stiles, and Bianca Stone.
Young American Hard Cider, 6350 Germantown Ave. 6:30 to 8pm

Getting Off(site): A Sex and the Single Woman Event
Featuring contributors from the Sex and the Single Woman anthology: Melissa Febos, Seema Reza, Minda Honey, Natalie Lima, Melissa Faliveno, and Kate Crawford. Followed by Broad Hall’s Friday night dance party with Rich Medina (reduced $5.00 cover for reading attendees).
Broad Hall, Divine Lorraine Hotel, 699 N Broad St. 8 to 9:30pm

Choice Words: Writers on Abortion Benefit for Abortion Liberation Fund
Featuring readings Kazim Ali, Cherise Pollard, Saida Agostini, Camonghne Felix, Daisy Fried, Teri Cross Davis, Caitlin McDonnell, Julie Kane, Kristen Ghodsee, Purvi Shah, Susan Rich, Josette Akresh-Gonzales, Ellen McGrath Smith, Elæ Moss, and Larissa Shmailo. Optional donations benefit the Abortion Liberation Fund.
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Samuel MV Hamilton Building, 128 N Broad St. 8 to 10pm

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SATURDAY, MARCH 26

Growing From Our Roots: An Asian Debut Author Showcase
Featuring readings by Jean Chen Ho, Shelly Wong, Kyle Lucia Wu, Haolun Xu, Joan Kwon Glass, Jessamine Chen, Bo Schwabacher, Natasha Rao. Sponsored by Kundiman South. Hosted by Joshua Nguyen & Susan Nguyen.
1219 Vine St. 7 to 8pm

Gritty Surrealism: An Absurd Philly Party
Featuring life advice Philly-style from Marie-Helene Bertino, Carmen Maria Machado, Asali Solomon, R. Eric Thomas, and Gritty, played by Kristen Arnett, plus a dance party with DJ John “The Liberator” Morrison. $15.00 in advance, $25.00 at the door. Tickets include three complimentary drinks. Hosted by Blue Stoop, American Short Fiction, Electric Literature, and Lanternfish Press.
1906 Rittenhouse Square. 8 to 11:45pm