The AWP Conference is in Chicago this year so I thought I’d honor all the attendees with another excerpt from my husband’s smell dictionary and offer to buy a drink for the person who writes the best smell entry for “The Smell of Chicago.”

The Smell of Old Books

The smell of old books is the turbinate spiral atop calligraphic letters,
the wheeze of dust exhaled from the patted down upholstery of an attic-banished ottoman, and the dignified smoothness of polished marble. It is unquestionably
brown, with swirls of tan or white. It is the smell of earned authority: part aging binding, flaking ink, and part the yellowing crack of antediluvian paper. It is the clack of hard-heeled footsteps. It is a handshake, and a standing invitation. When you walk into an old bookstore, antique, with shelves of books compiled upon themselves, the aroma is so powerful it hums. Level of Intensity: 5-10 (3-16-03)

Free Drink Offer

I will buy a drink for the person who writes the best description of “The Smell of Chicago.” To enter, type your description into the comment area below (be sure to leave you email address in the field so I know how to get in contact with you). On Friday night/Saturday morning I will announce and contact the winner and buy them a drink of their choice at a bar near AWP. You must be at AWP and able to check email to win.

Entries will be judged on the quality of writing and on how well I, an anosmic, can imagine the smell. The best entries are those that treat the smell like a character or compare the smell to other sensory experiences (sight, sound, touch, etc.). So give the smell a personality and describe how he/she/it looks and feels.

Judges: Me (Heather Ackmann, my husband Alan Ackmann, and Camilla Medders).

So come on you creative writers! I want to know what Chicago smells like (especially when it is raining!)