Readers and Writers

It's All About Community

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Seattle to attend Winter Institute, the annual gathering of independent booksellers, sponsored by the American Booksellers Association. For the better part of a week, booksellers gather to discuss what works and what doesn’t, to learn about new books on the horizon, to celebrate each other’s successes, and to share their journeys. This was the first year since 2019 that Winter Institute was held in person, and you could feel the joy.

As a debut writer, this was my first visit to Winter Institute, and it was wonderful. I have long supported independent bookstores, but to have a chance to talk with booksellers from around the country was fascinating. I learned how one owner has sold half his business to his employees. I heard how another had gone from one shop to three, with her staff supporting her all the way. And then there were the challenges—the events that no one goes to, the new employee that thinks working in a bookstore means being able to read at work, the difficulties during lockdown. I was so impressed with the dedication to books but, even more, with the dedication to community. To create a space that is inclusive and welcoming and supportive. To be a vital part of the community where they work and live.

We also talked about the unique way that the bookseller community shares with each other. Prior to becoming a writer, I worked in finance/marketing and in higher ed. I remember attempts at working with other companies and institutions, but they were rarely successful. The need to compete always won out over the need to share. But booksellers don’t think that way. They are eager to share their best practices, their successes. They want to tell each other about the things that failed, too, so perhaps someone else can avoid a misstep.

Next week, I’ll head back to Seattle for the AWP conference, which is the annual gathering of writers. It is three days of panels and readings and discussions. There’s an enormous bookfair, featuring literary journals, small presses, writing programs, and local booksellers. There are off-site readings and dinners and drinks with friends. It is exhausting and overwhelming and, for me, a highlight of my year.

My first AWP was ten years ago in Boston during a snowstorm. I knew no one, and I went to panels all day, every day, with one hour set aside for the bookfair. I filled a journal with notes. I discovered many new writers. I made lists and lists of books and writers I wanted to read. But I was alone. Although I learned a lot, I felt like an outsider. I saw people running up to others and giving them a hug, waving at friends across crowded lecture halls, restaurants and bars packed with writers.

A year later, AWP was in Seattle, and I had just published my debut story with One Story. They featured the story at their booth. The managing editor had me sign a copy for a reader; she told him I was going to be famous one day. The editor-in-chief told me to send all my friends over to get a copy. I didn’t tell her, but aside from the friends I now had at One Story, I hardly knew anyone else. But to see my story prominently displayed at their booth brought me to tears.

And now, nine years later, I’m returning to Seattle. So much has changed. I went to grad school and received an MFA. I’ve been to multiple summer writing conferences, and I’ve met and befriended so many writers. I was the founding editor of a literary journal. I’ve made writer friends on social media. My debut novel, Beyond That, the Sea, is coming out from Celadon Books in less than three weeks. I am no longer an outsider looking in.

For the first time, I’m moderating a panel at AWP; the panel is about becoming a debut novelist, and I’m thrilled to have John Manuel Arias, Vanessa Chan, Jinwoo Chong, and Jamila Minnicks by my side. Publishing a debut novel is a thrilling and amazing thing, but it is also full of ups and downs, and the goal of this panel is to be transparent, to share with those who attend the most important things that we have learned over the course of our individual journeys. I can’t wait; it’s going to be a wonderful conversation.

At that first AWP, all those years ago, I couldn’t have guessed that in 2023 I would be moderating a panel and publishing my first book. Perhaps most importantly, I had no idea how the writing community would be so central to my life. It has given me so much—it’s a supportive, inclusive world that’s centered on reading and writing. It makes sense, I think, that booksellers and writers create similar worlds of community. I am looking forward to seeing my friends, to learning about new books and writers, to talking about writing. To sharing our highs and our lows. I love this writing world, and I feel so lucky to be part of it.  

See you in two weeks!