Reading List

This blogster, "Twenty-Five Books in Thirty Days," is going through creative nonfiction writers dealing with place. List of classics.

Books as Works of Art

I got a link today to show off really charming sculptures made of books. When you want to do something besides read a book, I guess.

Quote

"To a clear eye the smallest fact is a window through which the infinite may be seen."

-Thomas Henry Huxley, biologist and writer (1825-1895)

Online Writer Markets

Below is a list of websites for online writer markets, passed on by a friend who got it from the memoir writing class she's taking at a local bookstore. I didn't check the links.

(Hopefully) helpful links:
Online market search (mostly literary journals):
http://duotrope.com/
http://www.newpages.com/
http://portal.webdelsol.com/
http://www.clmp.org/ (Council of Literary Magazines and Presses)

Magazines with calls for submissions and great lists of publications:
http://www.pw.org/ (includes agent database)
http://www.writersdigest.com/
http://www.awpwriter.org/magazine/

Great resources for freelancers (including job listings)
http://www.mediabistro.com/
http://www.woodenhorsepub.com/
http://www.erikadreifus.com/resources/where-to-publish/

Writing for radio
http://newscript.com/

Writers Market (includes Poets Market. Pay for online services and/or
buy print edition. Lists agents.)
http://www.writersmarket.com/

Start with a Bang

Standard advice: Start your story in the middle of action. Readers want to be grabbed and pulled in. Those books that start with lengthy descriptions of weather, for example, are so 18th century.

Today's tidbit is from Booklist, which reviews umpteen million books for "librarians, book groups, and book lovers--from the trusted experts at the American Library Association," as they put it. Two middle school librarians (nobody goes to junior high anymore?) put together a list of great first lines, but regardless of your specialty, it's a fun list. Here's a sample:

“That nice Mrs. Kramer lied to me about third grade.”
–from Marty McGuire by Kate Messner (Scholastic 2011)

I'd love to hear what your favorite first lines from CNF books are!

Tweet Stories

Interesting: http://stories.twitter.com/.

How we looooove stories!

Finding a Focus

Awash in detail? Have a notion for a story?

See what others have to say about zeroing in on what your piece is about in this rerun of a Poynter chat about finding your focus.

http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/writing-tools/141685/live-chat-today-practical-tips-for-finding-a-focus-when-writing/

Advice for Unfolding Your Story

niemanstory Nieman Storyboard

How do you unfold a story that keeps the reader going?http://bit.ly/id0nzu

New "Funds for Writers"

New issue of this helpful newsletter is up at http://www.fundsforwriters.com.

Some tidbits:

From EDITOR'S THOUGHTS:

"I'm often asked in conferences or online chats, 'If you could give one piece of advice to writers, what would it be?' Without a doubt, it would be to write more and publish slowly. I've seen too many people hurt by doing the opposite."

WORDS OF SUCCESS

"Without promotion something terrible happens. . . Nothing!"

~P.T. Barnum

Free!

The Practicing Writing blogger is making a couple of resources about markets for book reviews and essays available free. She says:

One provides a directory of paying markets for book reviewers, and the other one lists dozens of paying markets for essayists. The most recent updates for both guides were completed last December.

The time is coming to say good-bye to updating--and selling--these two guides, too. But before they disappear from view (which will happen on August 1, 2010), I want to give you all the opportunity to access them (free of charge). They're still available on the site that has handled the sales from the start:

categories: resources, markets

More People to Twitter-Stalk

By way of Jevon Bolden, we have a list of book folks she has enjoyed following on Twitter. Learn why--and where you can get more tips on finding good editors at her site, Embrace the Impossible.

Read and Write

Go read essays on craft from the Nieman Storyboard site. It'll be good for you!

And then go write something.

My life has been full of way to much grist for the mill lately (i.e., chaos and family disasters), but I'm trying to take notes so I can write about it later. Probably muuuuch later, when I can bear to think about it.

Chautauqua Writers' Festival

The Chautauqua Writers' Festival convenes this year from June 17-20 on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution and the shores of Lake Chautauqua in western New York state. It's a four-day festival where participants can choose to work in any genre. There are daily workshops with a faculty member, open mics, genre and publishing panels, readings, writing time, and great music. The past couple of years, participants often stay at the Athenaeum, a historic 19th-century inn with endless porches and wicker. In creative nonfiction this year, the faculty are Tom French and Jacob Levenson. Diana Hume George is a co-director, and if you have questions after visiting the website, contact her at diana@coaxPA.com.

Here's the link:
http://writers.ciweb.org/writers-festival

Been List-less? No More!

Starting from a list of 80, the brains at Niemann brought it down to a less intimidating number of great stories of the decade. Happy reading.

Feeling Down about Writing?

Don't hold back! And read this post on copyblogger about why you should hate your own writing (as opposed to someone else's, I guess) to top things off.

1 Contest, 1 Job, 1 Residency

Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest Deadline Extended to March 3. We realize now that we made a strategic mistake in moving the deadline up this year for the Press 53 Open Awards, so we are returning to the March 31 deadline we used for our first two years. Six categories, six industry-professional judges, six beautiful etched-glass awards, and 16 opportunities for publication. Visit www.press53.com/OpenAwards_2010.html for entry details.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Full-time. Application Review Begins: January 25, 2010. The English Department seeks to foster the writing culture of Whitworth University by stressing writing in all courses, cultivating a sensitivity to language, its power and complexity, and a commitment to training good writers through working cooperatively with the Whitworth Writing Center. We are seeking evidence of exceptional teaching and significant publication in Creative Nonfiction. Preference will be given to candidates who have expertise in a second genre in creative writing, and in composition. Teaching load: three courses in Fall, one course in compressed January Term, three courses in Spring; courses taught will include Creative Nonfiction, Intro to Creative Writing, Composition, and possibly a topic of the candidate's choosing. More information at www.whitworth.edu/Administration/HumanResources/Pdf/EnglishFacultyCreativeWriting.pdf.

Writers’ Residency Writers in The Heartland is now taking applications for its 2010 season. Writers in the Heartland is a writing colony for creative writers in all genres. The colony is located in Gilman, Illinois, approximately
90 miles south of Chicago. It is located on a beautiful 32-acre wooded site with lakes and walking paths. A limited number of one-week residencies are available for September 3-10 and October 1-8. All lodging and food is included. Writers must reside in the Midwest region or have some Midwest connection. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2010, to be considered. Decisions will be announced on or around July 1st. All submissions are peer reviewed by three person panel. For further information about applying to Writers in the Heartland, see our Web site or contact us at writersintheheartland@gmail.com.

Creative Nonfiction Opportunities

A grab bag of calls for submission (2), contests (2--very long-winded postings from the people in charge), and positions. Good luck!

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

Naugatuck River Review, a journal of narrative poetry, welcomes submissions for the Summer 2010 issue. Submission guidelines: The winter submission period is an open (no fee) submission and is from January 1 – March 1st at midnight. We accept electronic submissions only through our ONLINE SUBMISSION MANAGER at http://naugatuckriverreviewsubmissions.com/. Contributors will be rewarded with a copy of the journal. We are not in a position to pay you otherwise, but hope the journal is worth much more than the cost of its paper. During the submission period ONLY please submit no more than 3 unpublished NARRATIVE poems of no more than 50 lines through the online submission manager. Please remove your name from your file, as the poetry is read blind by our editorial staff. Questions? Feel free to email us at naugatuckriver@aol.com. Multiple submissions are discouraged, but simultaneous submissions are fine, as long as you inform us right away if your poem is accepted elsewhere. Publishing rights revert to the author after the initial publication period. We prefer work that has not been previously published.

Diverse Voices Quarterly http://www.diversevoicesquarterly.com is a new online literary journal looking for submissions from all walks of life. Our second issue is available for download here: http://www.diversevoicesquarterly.com/2009/second-issue-available-now. Deadline for submissions is 02/15/10.Personal essays/creative nonfiction: 3,000 words MAX. Send only one essay at a time. –Simultaneous submissions are accepted but multiple submissions are not, unless you wish to send in artwork at the same time. Please query first. –We will not read any material previously published online; this includes works published in other online journals or from any message board or blogs. –While we will read submissions from everyone, the work MUST BE in English. –Be sure to include your last name and type of submission in the subject line (Example: Kaling – Short Story Submission). –Include a cover letter, a short bio, and your complete contact information in the body of the e-mail. –Only attachments are accepted, either as MS Word (.doc or .rtf) or WordPerfect (.wpd) files. Pasted-in submissions WILL BE deleted. –Send your submissions to: submit@diversevoicesquarterly.com.

CONTESTS

EVENT 2010 Non-Fiction Contest http://www.douglas.bc.ca/visitors/event-magazine/contestdetails.html -- $1,500 -- Three winners will each receive $500 plus payment for publication in EVENT 39/3. Other manuscripts may be published. Preliminary judging by the editors of EVENT. Final Judge: Lynn Coady is the author of the novels Strange Heaven (1998), Saints of Big Harbour (2003), and, most recently, Mean Boy (2006). She has also published a short story collection, Play the Monster Blind (2000). Her non-fiction has appeared in magazines and newspapers across Canada. She has been nominated for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction, as well as the Rogers Writers’ Trust Award, and is a recipient of the Dartmouth Book Award, The Canadian Authors Association Jubilee Award and the CAA Award for Authors under Thirty. In 2005 she received the Canada Council’s Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for an artist in mid-career, and in 2007 she received the Writers Guild of Alberta George Bugnet fiction prize for Mean Boy. She lives in Edmonton.
Writers are invited to submit manuscripts exploring the creative non-fiction form. Check your library for back issues of EVENT with previous winning entries and judges' comments. Contest back issues are available for $9 (CAN$13 for overseas residents). Postage and GST included. To purchase a print copy now, visit http://www.douglas.bc.ca/visitors/event-magazine/online-sales.html. Note: Previously published material, or material accepted elsewhere for publication, cannot be considered. Maximum entry length is 5,000 words, typed, double-spaced. The writer should not be identified on the entry. Include a separate cover sheet with the writer's name, address, phone number / email, and the title(s) of the story (stories) enclosed. Include a SASE (Canadian postage / IRCs / US$1). Douglas College employees are not eligible to enter.
Entry fee: Multiple entries are allowed, however, each entry must be accompanied by a $29.95 entry fee (includes GST and a one-year subscription; make cheque or international money order payable to EVENT). Those already subscribing will receive a one-year extension. American and overseas entrants please pay in US dollars. Deadline for entries: Postmarked by April 15, 2010. Send entries to: EVENT, Non-Fiction Contest, PO Box 2503, New Westminster, BC, V3L 5B2 Canada; Phone: 604-527-5293 Fax: 604-527-5095. Email: event@douglas.bc.ca.

Tiny Lights Essay Contest Guidelines 15th Annual Contest Deadline: February 19, 2010. http://www.tiny-lights.com/contest.php. Tiny Lights invites entries that feature a distinctive voice, discernible conflict and an eventual shift in the narrator's perspective. We are looking for writers who weave the struggle to understand into the fabric of their essays. This year, we offer 5 prizes in the "Standard" category and 3 "Flashpoint" prizes.
We can only consider unpublished work, or previously published material for which the author holds rights. Rights revert to author after publication in the hard copy edition of Tiny Lights. Each essay must be accompanied by an entry fee: $15 for first essay, $10 each additional essay. Make checks payable to: Tiny Lights Publications. Mail to: P.O. Box 928, Petaluma, CA 94953. SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) recommended for feedback/contest notification. One envelope for multiple submissions OK. Essays may be submitted in one of two categories: STANDARD (no longer than 2,000 words) or FLASHPOINT (no more than 1,000 words). Please indicate preferred category on ms. Entries should be typed and double-spaced. Cover letters are optional, but ideally the title page of the manuscript should include author's name, complete address, e-mail, phone number, and essay word count. Essay title and page number in header or footer OK. Author name should not appear there. Personal essay requires writers to communicate the truth of their experiences to the best of their abilities. While no theme restrictions apply to this contest, we will not consider essays that celebrate brutality or gratuitous violence. Tiny Lights does not accept poetry, short stories, or material written for children. Entry fees for inappropriate submissions may not be returned. Entries must be postmarked by Feburary 19, 2010. Prizes will be awarded as follows: First Place: $350; Second Place: $250; Third Place: $150; Two Honorable Mention Prizes: $100 each. Three FLASHPOINT prizes of $100 are also offered. Awards will be determined by a panel of judges. Final authority rests with the Editor-in-Chief, Susan Bono. Winners will be posted at www.tiny-lights.com by April 10, 2010. Winning essays are subject to editing before publication. Final copy must be approved by writer. No essays will be published in hard copy or online publications without author's permission. All contestants will receive a hard copy of Tiny Lights' contest publication featuring the winning entries.
A few words about hard copy submissions: I know it's old-fashioned, cumbersome and expensive for you to send us your entries via snail mail. Someday, I'm going to have to invest in the software that allows us to manage electronic submissions. But until we learn to enjoy scrolling through hundreds of essays on computer screens, you'll just have to put up with us sprawling on couches and beds, sitting at the kitchen table or in a sunny window or a rocking chair or a dentist's waiting room, reading every single word you send us. We're old-fashioned enough to believe that's important. § One way to save $$ on postage is to submit your entries in a 6" x 9" envelope, which allows it to be sent at letter rates. A 2,000 word essay folded in half with entry fee and SASE should not exceed the U.S. Postal Service's ¼" thickness limit, and costs about half of what the same material sent in a larger envelope does. (Do NOT expect a 6 ½" x 9 ½" envelope to get the same treatment!) Tiny Lights can live with the fold down the middle at those rates! While we're on the subject, please avoid business letter-sized envelopes for entries. Thrice-folded manuscripts are bad news. (Just imagine more than 4 of them open in a pile and you'll start to see what I mean.) § Here's why we recommend a SASE with a single "Forever" stamp (or letter stamp of your choice): By the time the winners are decided, the judges have formed some impressions of your work, even if it didn't place. It only takes a moment to jot these thoughts down, and if we have a SASE, we will send them to you, along with a nice rejection letter. Oftentimes, we will use the first page or two of your essay for this feedback, which can actually help remind you months later where your essay has been. (Of course, you keep meticulous records of where you submit, don't you?) There's no need to include postage for the entire manuscript's return, since you have other copies in your computer. § Speaking of returns, I have a weird confession. Crazy as it sounds, if you have entered our contests before and haven't gotten your SASE back, I probably liked your essay too much. At the end of every contest there are losing entries that are so good, I want to write the authors personally. But whenever I think about doing it, I feel guilty, because I have no real explanation for not choosing them, except someone has to lose, and then I get busy, and 8 months or a year later, I'm ashamed to see these manuscripts still in my office, so I hide them until they are so old I figure everyone's moved on and I can throw them away. Don't think for a minute I'm proud of this behavior. I'm telling you because it's just more proof that you never know what an editor really thinks about your work. So don't be unduly influenced by anything they do. § Any more questions? Additional inquiries may be addressed to editor@tiny-lights.com.

POSITIONS

Norwich University. Visiting Instructor/Assistant Professor of English—Creative Nonfiction/Advanced Writing. The School of Humanities at Norwich University invites applications for a one-year English faculty position to begin fall 2010. Preference will be given to candidates holding the PhD (ABD considered). This position will teach courses in freshman composition, world literature surveys, & English program electives. Documented expertise in creative non-fiction & advanced writing is welcomed. To apply: please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, names, addresses, & telephone numbers of three references, & a Norwich application, to: English Faculty Search, via e-mail: jobs@norwich.edu. Candidates must have U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident status. This is a one-year appointment with the possibility of extending this position to a second year. Applications must be received no later than February 5.

Gilman School, an independent boys’ school in Baltimore, announces its search to award the fifteenth Tickner Writing Fellowship to a writer in fiction, poetry, playwriting, or creative non-fiction. Responsibilities include teaching one senior elective in creative writing each semester, organizing a series of readings, advising the literary magazine, & working one-to-one with students in the Tickner Writing Center. Salary: $30,000, plus full benefits package. To apply: Send CV, cover letter, three confidential letters of recommendation, & a writing sample consisting of either 10 published poems or up to 30 pages of published prose to: Mr. Patrick Hastings, Director of the Tickner Writing Center, Gilman School, 5407 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210. Firm deadline for receipt of all materials is January 8, 2010.