The Pittsburgh Creative Nonfiction Literary Festival For Readers, Writers & Publishers By: Elizabeth Ross It was with more than a little apprehension that I ended up entering the Frick Arts Building Cloisters on November 13th, for the 412 Media Fair. I had no idea what to expect, as I have been essentially disconnected from the local literary community for well over a decade, and was pleasantly surprised to see the entire room encircled with display tables. I had not been aware that the literary awakening I had seen reported in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette was so all encompassing, embracing so many different forms of literary expression. Cutting edge and traditional publications were scattered about the room, showing that the youthful bloom could easily coexist with the hardy perennial. Even where there was some overlapping of intended audience that could have created competition, the conference itself fostered camaraderie amongst the publishers. The first day was a series of lulls between near maddening rushes of participants, as we all tried to offer at least a little tidbit of information to all the passersby. The voluminous echoes of the conversations would have seemed incongruous with the gilded religious iconography on the walls and the classic pillars of the hall that surrounded the autumnally barren cloister garden on any other occasion, but not that day. It was as though the faces long ago committed to silent observation were being given voices themselves for the day, to rejoice in a modern day appreciation of at least one art form. I didn't manage to look in on any of the lectures on the first day, at least not for a long enough period of time to catch anything. My day was split between staying at our own table, and viewing what the other tables had to offer. It gave me great pleasure to acquaint myself with the new face of the community I had been absent from for so many years. More than anything else, it was like a sort of homecoming for me, both when I remained inside, and when I wandered out to take a breather. Memories of years past when I had wandered regularly on the University of Pittsburgh campus came unbidden; from the warm spring days of walking barefoot on the outskirts of the campus, near the Carnegie Museum, to the cold winter evenings with friends in the Cathedral of Learning, speaking in hushed tones so as not to leave our conversations echoing against the vaulted ceilings. By the end of the first day, my nervousness had |
settled, but it would return with a vengeance the next morning, as I knew I had to start the day on the stage. We arrived early enough for me to have a little time to speak with the other panelists, and our moderator, something that helped a little in clipping the wings of the butterflies in my stomach. I don't know how many of the other moderators handled their own panels, but Dinty W. Moore was a pleasure to deal with during our discussion. His informal, and typically comic-like style was reassuring. I have been on both sides of discussion panels many times in the past, and it is insufficient to say that there is a world of difference between the two. There is something altogether frightening about facing an audience that is not captive, and has the ability to steer the subject matter at least a little. I had been a panelist in discussions that quickly fell to the full control of the audience, leaving my fellow panelists and I scrambling for sufficient information to satisfy the questions. This one was thankfully within the grasp of all the members of the panel, while providing our audience with some of the information that they needed. I had honestly wondered how effective it had been and was gratified to hear from at least one observer that our panel was the first in the conference to allow for audience participation. Later in the day, I managed to sit in for parts of a presentation by Richard Nash, from Soft Skull Press. "Independent Publishers Who Won't Die" was part lesson on the history of Soft Skull Press, and part visionary commentary on the relevance of independent publishers in the publishing industry at large. Nash presented his theories about the future of publishing as though they were basic, common sense facts; a style fitting for one who has managed to keep his publishing house afloat, sometimes in spite of the large houses. It was amusing to hear of his own success with authors who moved on to the "greener pastures" of larger publishing firms only to have their works enjoy a much lower level of success. Before attending the 412 Conference, I had several misgivings about events of this kind; something in the back of my mind continually made me wonder exactly how useful they really could be to writers and editors. My general cynicism left these activities on a list not altogether different from Amway conventions bent on bleeding money and hope from well-meaning masses. Based on what I saw in Pittsburgh, I must encourage anyone who wishes to move forward in writing or editing to attend conferences if they can afford it. Now, I am hoping to see 412 - The Pittsburgh Creative Nonfiction Literary Festival For Readers, Writers & Publishers continue in the future, and to see supporters of RWJ attend. |