Every year, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (or AWP) has a big writer's conference and book fair. This year it was at the convention center in Kansas City, MO from Feb 7th-10th (It was very early this year because the event normally happens in March.) This was the second time Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine had a table at the event.
Last year our table ended was way out in the boonies. But this year, we were very lucky to get a spot closer to the middle of the convention center, which meant we got to meet so many more people!
It was great to hear from people who had heard of our magazine before, or from those who said that their family car would always say, "The Door Is Ajar", but the best ones are always the people who stand a distance squinting at our sign and then all of a sudden it clicks and they light up with excitement!
We want to give a special shout-out to Alternating Current Press, Tofu Ink Arts Press, and Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry for all being wonderful table neighbors!
The latest edition of the magazine, 30 Spring 2024, arrived a few days before we flew out, so we were lucky enough to be able to show it off on the table. We received lots of compliments on how the overall design and especially how beautiful the cover art looks (random people send us beautiful things!)
The 2024 Spring Issue officially comes out on March 5th 2024, so you can still pre-order a copy using this link:
We also participated in a scavenger hunt for independent magazines and presses spearheaded by Chestnut Review. This was a great way to get indie publishers to work together. Out of everyone who got their's signed, stickered or stamped, four people were selected at random and won $50! Congratulations to the winners! We handed out all of our cards by the second day, and we heard after the event from Chestnut Review that most people started their journey with us!
Probably our favorite thing from doing these kind of in-person events is getting to meet our contributors in person! We had so many stop by the booth and we remember to ask to take pictures! (Sorry for not tagging anyone individually, next time we need to remember to jot down everyone social media handles)
Thank you to everyone who bought a copy of the magazine, bag, or subscription, and to everyone who signed up for our newsletter!
Our big goal for next year is to host a panel or an off-site reading. Stay tuned for more details!
We are super excited to see everyone next year at AWP 2025 in Los Angeles, CA; March 26th-29th!