Hipster Hair at AWP

I have long curly hair that my younger sister inaccurately calls a “Jewfro.” When I walk on the typical street on an even more typical day, I see that most males have straight hair that is quite short. I pointed this out to my roommate, and he who just happens to have short and straight hair explains that the reason for the paucity of long-haired fellows is that “your long, curly, unkempt hair is ugly.” I have not  again asked his opinion regarding hair. When I went to the AWP (Associate Writing Program) Conference, I discovered to my complete and utter joy that curly hair was the majority. There were people with curly hair tied with hair ties, curly hair that ran past their shoulders, curly hair that continued to rise above their heads like one of those Arabian hats, curly hair that scissored left then right, curly hair like cotton candy,  curly hair like a teddy bear, and curly hair everywhere. While you might not understand the joy I had at seeing such curly haired goodness, you just need to imagine a boy who has been told day after day after day that “you need a haircut. If you had a bigger nose, then-oh nevermind-you are Jewish.” I loved the conference for the proliferation of talented writers, but I also loved it for the curly hair. They made curling irons for a reason, and this conference was a perfect advertisement for that fact.