I had an amazing time at AWP this year in Minneapolis. Of the seven years I’ve gone I’ve never met as many friends, sat in fantastic panels, and overall, simply connected with other artists as I did this year. Something in the water up north. One of the many highlights was joining a group of war writers for dinner and drinks and hearing how excited the entire community is about forthcoming work as well as the great work already out there. Meeting and befriending artists like Katey Schultz, Andria Williams, Amber Jensen, Colin and Lauren Halloran, and many others just reaffirmed my belief in the power of writing communities and mutual support. I also had the opportunity to reconnect with dear friends Siobhan Fallon and Pete Molin, as well as Brandon Lingle, Ben Busch, Jay Moad, and Brian Turner (photo).  All in all, I return to Tallahassee reinvigorated and extremely grateful.