Narrative Nonfiction

Reading List

2011-12-24T13:20:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-15T18:15:00.004-05:00

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

2011-12-15T17:59:00.000-05:00

"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

2011-12-01T12:34:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-01T11:46:00.004-05:00

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

2011-11-02T17:08:00.000-04:00

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

How we looooove stories!

Finding a Focus

2011-10-30T23:35:00.004-04:00

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

2011-04-11T14:45:00.000-04:00

niemanstory Nieman Storyboard

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

New "Funds for Writers"

2011-01-14T15:43:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-06-25T11:46:00.005-04:00

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

2010-06-18T17:26:00.002-04:00

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

2010-06-18T15:30:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-30T15:05:00.001-04:00

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!

2010-04-08T17:55:00.004-04:00

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?

2010-02-25T22:09:00.003-05:00

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

2010-01-15T14:31:00.003-05:00

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

2010-01-06T14:04:00.003-05:00

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.

Contests for Creative Nonfiction Pieces

2009-12-31T13:59:00.002-05:00

Contests for Creative Nonfiction Pieces culled from free e-mail list. I've slapped these in here with little regard for formatting, grammar, etc. These all have 2010 deadlines. Good luck!

Symposium on Place
Deadline: January 15

Center: A Journal for the Literary Arts invites submissions for a symposium on the importance of place in creative nonfiction, to appear in its next issue. We encourage you to consider place from a variety of perspectives. What is its role in the essay? in memoir? in literary journalism? How do concerns about conveying a sense of place affect your own work? In what ways do you see issues of place animating the work of others? How is place specific or general? Must place be physical or is it temporal as well? Submissions should be between 750 and 1000 words. Email your submission, in a .doc format with "symposium" in the header line, to cla@missouri.edu. Please include a short bio in the body of the e-mail. Inquiries to barberse@missouri.edu. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2010.

MFA Program-Off

postmark deadline: January 28

http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/submittocnf.htm#programoff

Win a reading at the 2010 AWP Conference in Denver, publication in the summer 2010 issue of CNF, and bragging rights for your program! Judge: Barbara Lounsberry, co-author (with Gay Talese) of Writing Creative Nonfiction: The Literature of Reality. Guidelines:Contest is open to any student currently enrolled in an MFA creative writing program. Submissions should be typed, double-spaced, no more than 3,000 words, and unpublished. This is a blind read; your name should appear only in the cover letter, and each page of the manuscript should include the title of the piece. No excerpts will be considered; your submission should be a single and complete piece. Only one submission per author will be considered. Please send submission and a cover letter with your name, university, complete contact information and title of the work to: Creative Nonfiction Foundation, Attn: AWP Program-Off, 5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202, Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

Dorothy Churchill Cappon Essay Contest

deadline: May 18

New Letters: A Magazine of Writing and Art http://www.newletters.org/PDFs/2010%20Contest%20Guidelines%20.pdf or enter online at www.newletters.org.

$1,500 prize. All entrants will be considered for publication and will receive a one-year subscription to New Letters.* 1. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify us if work is accepted elsewhere. Submit unpublished work only. No refunds will be issued. 2. Enclose with each entry: a. $15 for first entry; $10 for each entry after. $15 entry includes cost of a one-year (four issues) New Letters subscription, an extension of a current subscription, or a gift subscription. Make checks payable to New Letters Literary Awards. *Entries from outside the United States receive all contest privileges except the subscription. b. Two cover sheets-the first with complete name, address, e-mail/phone number, category, and title(s); and the second with category and title(s) only. Personal information should not appear anywhere else on the entry. c. A stamped, self-addressed postcard (optional) for notification of receipt and entry number. d. A stamped, self-addressed envelope (optional) for a list of the winners. 3. Manuscripts will not be returned. No refunds will be issued. No substitutions or revisions. 4. Entries essay are not to exceed 8,000 words. 5. Multiple entries are welcome with appropriate fees. 6. Current students and employees at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and current volunteer members of the New Letters and BkMk Press staffs, are not eligible. • All entries are considered for publication • First runners-up will receive a copy of a recent book of poetry or fiction from our affiliate BkMk Press • One winner and one runner-up will be selected in the three categories (poetry and fiction contests as well) • Winners will be announced mid-September 2010 • $1,500 prize money paid upon publication in our awards issue. Submit electronically at www.newletters.org, or mail entries to: NEW LETTERS LITERARY AWARDS, University House, 5101 Rockhill Road, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110.

The First Annual Normal Prize in Fiction And Nonfiction

Normal School

Nonfiction Prize: $1,000 & Publication

Final nonfiction judge: David Shields

GUIDELINES: 1. All submissions must be 10,087 words or less, double-spaced, numbered, 12 pt. font, with NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ON MANUSCRIPT. 2. Entry fee: $20 per submission. Please make checks out to "The Normal School." 3. MANUSCRIPTS should be accompanied by a cover sheet with the following information: title, genre, word count, author's name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Of this information, ONLY THE TITLE should appear on the manuscript itself. 4. All submissions must be previously unpublished (print or electronic media). 5. Simultaneous submissions ARE allowed as long as you notify editors should your piece be accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions ARE allowed, but each submission must be accompanied by the entry fee. 6. Manuscripts will not be returned. Please do not send your only copy. If you want verification that we have received your manuscript, please send a self-addressed, stamped postcard. 7. Postmark submissions by FEBRUARY 12 and send to: The Normal School, Normal Prize Contest - "Genre," 5245 N. Backer Ave., M/S PB 98, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740. All entrants will receive a complimentary issue of The Normal School. Winners will be announced before the Fall 2010 issue via email. All entries will be considered for publication. For questions, please visit www.thenormalschool.com, or e-mail us at normalprize@thenormalschool.com.

Literary Anthology/Contest

deadline: February 27

Sponsored by Outrider Press in affiliation with TallGrass Writers Guild

E-mail: outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net.

Planned publication date: late summer/early fall 2010. Working title: Seasons of Change. We interpret broadly, and welcome work on seasonal changes in the natural world, but also socio-economic change; change of scene; and deep personal change as well. Previously published material and simultaneous submissions OK. Award of $500 each for poetry and prose. Also: 2nd and 3rd places and honorable mention. All winners receive Featured Reader status at the Kick-Off Reading at Chicago Tribune Printers Row Literary Festival, the nation's third-largest book fair of its kind (depending on CTPRLF scheduling). Each published contributor receives a free copy of the anthology. Entry fees for each category are $16 ($12 each for TWG members). Current annual U.S. TWG membership fee of $45 ($25 for students w/xerox of valid photo ID) includes six 12-page newsletters each year. An entry form for the 2010 Anthology/Contest (available w/SASE, if not attached to these guidelines) must be completed and accompany each entry category. To obtain, e-mail: outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net. Prose: 2,500-word limit per entry; sections from longer works accepted. Each entry must have a separate reading fee. NO LIMIT ON NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS. Submission Guide: (for complete guidelines, e-mail outriderpress@sbcglobal.net. Send two copies of each manuscript (ms.) Plus disk as follows: HARD COPY - Double-spaced manuscript on one side, on 8.5"x11" unlined white paper. Single-spacing okay for poetry. Only laserjet, inkjet or letter-quality dot matrix acceptable; plus: Four-sentence bio; plus: ELECTRONIC - Provide ms. and bio (separate files, please) on small capacity flash drive or CD, using Windows Rich-Text-Format (RTF) or Microsoft Word (not Works). Package your CDs safely to prevent damage. Specify word processing program on label + author's name and e-mail address. No MAC. Include name, address, phone/FAX numbers (w/area code) and e-mail addresses on first sheet of fiction; each sheet of poetry. Your phone number and e-mail address are required on every item. Include a stamped, self-addressed #10 (business size) envelope (SASE) for response. Mss. shredded/recycled, not returned. Include a stamped, self-addressed postcard to have receipt of ms. confirmed. FOR COMPLETE GUIDELINES WITH REQUIRED ENTRY FORM: outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net. Telephone: 219-322-7270 or toll-free 866-510-6735.

Seventh Glass Woman Prize

deadline: March 21, 2010 (receipt date)

http://www.sigriddaughter.com/GlassWomanPrize.htm

The Seventh Glass Woman Prize will be awarded for a work of short fiction or creative nonfiction (prose) written by a woman. Length: between 50 and 5,000 words. The top prize for the seventh Glass Woman Prize award is $600 and possible (but not obligatory) online publication; I will also award one runner-up prize of $100 and one runner-up prize of $50, together with possible (but not obligatory) online publication. Subject is open, but must be of significance to women. My criteria are passion, excellence, and authenticity in the woman's writing voice. Previously published work and simultaneous submissions are OK. Previous Glass Woman Prize winners are welcome to submit again. Copyright is retained by the author. There is no reading fee. Previous winners are welcome to submit again for any subsequent prize. Submission deadline: March 21, 2010 (receipt date; anything received after that date will be considered for a future prize). Notification date: June 21, 2010. The winners will be announced on Web site. Submissions will not be returned or otherwise acknowledged except for the winner announcement. I promise that every submission will be read with respect and with my commitment to the voices of women in this world. One submission per person per prize submission period, by e-mail, with "Glass Woman Prize Submission" in the subject line and the text pasted in the body of the e-mail (no attachments!) to: glasswomanprize@comcast.net, or in hard copy and via regular mail, to: Beate Sigriddaughter, 333 East 16th Avenue, #517, Denver, CO 80203. IMPORTANT: If submitting by e-mail: - "Glass Woman Prize Submission" in subject line; text in body of e-mail; please put your e-mail address in the body of the e-mail as well. I will regretfully ignore and delete submissions of anything other than specified above, for example: submissions with any kind of attachment*, more than one piece of writing in a given prize reading period, more than 5,000 words, poetry, or submissions without "Glass Woman Prize Submission" in the subject line of the e-mail. *Please note that some fancy e-mail stationery comes across as attachment; try to avoid using that, as you run the risk of having your entry deleted.

POSITIONS

Emerson College - Nonfiction Writer

The Department of Writing, Literature, and Publishing seeks a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Creative Nonfiction writing. An M.F.A. or other terminal degree, or equivalent professional experience, with a significant national publication record including at least one published book, are required. Essential to the position will be the teaching of undergraduate workshops, graduate level workshops in a thriving M.F.A. Program, as well as courses in column writing, feature writing, and the literature of narrative nonfiction. Ability to teach literature courses that focus on minority and diverse cultures is also essential. Additional faculty responsibilities will include maintaining professional development and scholarship activities, academic advising and participation on faculty and College committees. Emerson College values campus multiculturalism as demonstrated by the diversity of its faculty, staff, student body, and constantly evolving curriculum. The successful candidate must have the ability to work effectively with faculty, students, and staff from diverse backgrounds. Members of historically under-represented groups are encouraged to apply. See Web site for a full listing of academic positions: www.emerson.edu/academic_affairs/faculty/Faculty-Employment.cfm. Send a letter of application, a curriculum vita, and writing sample to Search Chair, Nonfiction Writer, The Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing, Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. Have your dossier sent to the same address. Review of applications began December 15 and continue until the position is filled.Postal Address: Search Chair, Nonfiction Writer, The Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing, Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. Online App. Form: http://www.emerson.edu/academic_affairs/faculty/Faculty-Employment.cfm.

Louisiana State University - Postdoctoral Researcher/Resident Scholar, The Southern Review

This is a two-year non-renewable 12-month appointment and carries a salary of $32,000 & benefits (Pending final administrative approval). Preferred start date is August 1, 2010. The Scholar will commit 20 hours per week to editorial duties at The Southern Review & teach one class per regular semester in the English Department (courses assigned by departmental need and/or Fellow's expertise). Required Qualifications: Terminal degree (MFA, PhD or equivalent); one year editorial experience on the staff of an established literary journal. Additional Qualifications Desired:Ability to demonstrate the following: editorial expertise with fiction, nonfiction, & poetry; a broad knowledge of literature, especially contemporary; basic computer skills; a solid understanding of publishing, especially small presses & literary magazines. Special Requirements: All candidates must be eligible to work in the United States; ability & willingness to work some holidays. Flexible scheduling of hours may be available. Responsibilities: handles manuscript review & selection, proofreading, circulation development, fundraising support & conference participation; teaches one class per regular semester for the English Department; produces new works of prose or poetry culminating in a public presentation the final semester of the residency. An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check. Application deadline is January 4, 2010 or until a candidate is selected. Apply online at: www.lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu Position #034688.

Bookshelves for Our Writing

2009-12-30T19:04:00.002-05:00

We write. We read. We never seem to let go of our books, so of course we have bookshelves. Check out this cool blog full of pictures of, er, off-the-wall ways to store books, called Bookshelf. I love it!

Essays for Marie Claire

2009-12-28T11:30:00.002-05:00

Info garnered and condensed from a profile of Marie Claire on MediaBistro:

A good section for freelancers to pitch is "Bulletin," which the magazine describes as "a news section with attitude."

If you're willing to share your personal details, the "Love/Sex" section is supposed to "enlighten and amuse readers" with narratives about women's emotional lives. Two examples: a piece about a two-year online love affair, where the writer never met the guy face-to-face; how a woman came to grips with her boyfriend's huge, lurid tattoo.

For long-form features, concentrate on having a news angle.

Contact info: Marie Claire, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019

As with all magazines, you should read the magazine to get a feel for what they publish and the tone they take. Call the magazine to find out which editor to pitch your idea to.

Highly Amusing Words to Query By

2009-12-23T14:25:00.003-05:00

The Behler Publications blog recently contained this sarcastic entry regarding the query letters that would-be authors send.

The publisher deals mostly in nonfiction. Mission statement: "We publish personal journeys with socially relevant themes: stories dealing with how people are influenced and changed by their experiences, and how they deal with those repercussions. Not only do we want strong, honest characters, but also strong attention to voice and development. We look for books where readers say, "I'm a better/more thoughtful/smarter person for having read this book."

Booking It

2009-12-18T13:40:00.004-05:00

Here's a practical tip sheet for handling book signings. The notion of such an event is daunting--and I've certainly heard horror stories (no people showing up; no books showing up)--and here's a handy-dandy list of how to make the event go well, before, during and after. The advice was put together by publicist and author Randy Ray (www.randyray.ca) and author and publishing consultant Barbara Florio Graham, www.SimonTeakettle.com.

Narrative: The Tweet

2009-12-16T15:38:00.002-05:00

As opposed to "Narrative: The Movie." Anyway. Here's a note from the Creative Nonfiction December newsletter. (And, it seems as if the revamped publication is going to be more like a magazine than a literary journal. And it'll be quarterly. Wait . . . I thought it was quarterly.)

The Great Twitter Experiment

By now, the CNF Daily Twitter contest is nothing new. After six months, it has officially become a bona fide online community of micro-essayists. But here's a reminder: A handful of CNF Tweets will appear in the "new" CNF.

That's right, the CNF Daily contest is another way to get your work in print. Micro-essays, after all, are still essays.

Still not sure what we're looking for? Here are a few recent winners, to serve as examples and inspiration:

November 27
JHammons My grandmother's Thanksgiving recipe: tumbler of vodka. No ice. #cnftweet

November 30
spitballarmy The $10.90 debt hung on for months, the rain turned their dusty Oklahoma town to mud, but the train always came at the right time. #cnftweet

December 3
inthemilk Errors often produce the finest results. Think: Post-it Notes. Think: Chocolate chip cookies. Think: My youngest son. #cnftweet

December 5
sarahgilbert went to feed chickens on winter's coldest day, feathers were everywhere, 2 girls shivering after what must have been battle royale. #cnftweet

All of the winners are available on our profile page under the "Favorites"tab, and the finer details of the contest are below:

Can you tell a true story in 130 characters or less? Think you could write twenty CNF-worthy tweets a day? Go for it. We dare you. There's no limit and submitting is easy. Simply tag your creative nonfiction tweet with the trending topic #cnftweet, and then hit "Update." That's it.

Our editors pick a daily winner and re-tweet the best of the day.

CNF Mag Calling for Submissions

2009-12-08T22:06:00.001-05:00

Creative Nonfiction is currently seeking four types of submissions:

1) End of Life Stories

2) Essays by current MFA students

3) Animal essays

4) General Submissions

The official calls are available here: http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/submittocnf.htm.

E Is for Evergreen

2009-12-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

"Evergreen" in the term publications employ to describe articles that can be used at any time. Such articles aren't limited to only one season, for example ("How to Build a Christmas Tree from Twist-Ties" in April? I think not). They don't rely on current events to make them worth reading (Who would want to read "President Gives Patriotic Speech at Old Folks Home" 10 days after it happened?). Evergreen articles are the kind of articles editors like to have on hand--they can be dropped in whenever there's space to fill.

Creative nonfiction articles are often evergreen because the focus is not on "just the facts, ma'am." Sometimes the article has a "news hook"--some bit of information that connects it to current events. (Practical aside: Having a news hook can increase your chances of getting the article published. Once I sent a piece to the New York Times' back-page-essay editor; she loved it, but chose not to run it because it didn't link to anything making headlines at the time.) But even when there is a hook, it's enjoyable to read the story years later.

Case in point: At a Nieman conference on narrative nonfiction years ago, I went to a session on narrative in spot news. One of the examples was a story about a building contest (tallest tower made of Oreos). The story mentioned the winner--some white-bread boy who got a $20,000 scholarship--but focused on the runner-up who, because of the contest, got what she really wanted, a room of her own at home. You can read the entire story at Bob Baker's Newsthinking; it's item No. 8 (it's worth your time to read the Baker's whole article).

As in this instance, many narratives spring from news items. It's just that, even if you know how the story ends, the unfolding of the story is what captures the reader.

Conferences, Job Openings

2009-11-27T15:00:00.007-05:00

Culled from the crwropps free e-mail list (with minimal editing on my part).

Call for Submissions for scholarly and creative submissions for a National Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference entitled “The End?” to be held at Indiana University in Bloomington from March 25th-27th, 2010. We are especially interested in creative submissions! We are looking for graduate student writers to give readings of their work that engage with the conference theme either thematically or formally (or both). Readings that challenge notions of endings, structure, or traditional formal boundaries, are all welcome, along with work that engages with the conference theme within the piece itself, through narrative or language. This conference hopes to examine how endings and limits are depicted, along with how we surpass (or are constrained by) them as writers. Other topics might include, but are not limited to: Endings as beginnings / beginnings as endings; The end of genre, crossing genre; Translation; The apocalypse and apocalyptic literature; The end of the human; Violence, death, grief, trauma; Moments of crisis; War; The ends of the earth; Fringe, margins, outlines; The future of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, etc. We encourage proposals for individual projects as well as panel proposals organized by topic/theme/form. Again, we are committed to involving as much creative work as possible in the conference and representing a wide variety of writers. Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words describing your work and its relation to the conference theme, as well as five representative pages of creative work and as a short description of yourself, by January 15th, 2010 to iugradconference@gmail.com. Graduate Student Advisory Committee, Department of English, Indiana University.

Nonfiction Symposium Call for Entries. Center: A Journal of the Literary Arts invites submissions for a symposium on the importance of place in creative nonfiction, to appear in its next issue (spring 2010). We encourage you to consider place from a variety of perspectives. What is its role in the essay? in memoir? in literary journalism? How do concerns about conveying a sense of place affect your own work? in what ways do you see issues of place animating the work of others? How is place specific or general? Must place be physical or is it temporal as well? What role does craft play in the development of place? Submissions should be between 750 and 1000 words. Email your submission, in a .doc format with "symposium" in the header line, to cla@missouri.edu. Please include a short bio. Inquiries to barberse(at)missouri.edu. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2010.

Call for applications: Emerging Writer-Lecturer, Department of English. One-year appointment, beginning August 2010, for a creative writer who plans a career that involves college-level teaching, to teach three courses per semester, including Introduction to Creative Writing and an advanced course in the writer's genre, as well as to assist with departmental writing activities. Mentorship for teaching and assistance in professional development provided. M.A., with a concentration in creative writing, M.F.A., or Ph.D. with creative dissertation, required. Teaching experience and literary magazine publications are essential. Competitive salary. To apply, send letter of application, curriculum vitae, names of three references, and a 5-10 page writing sample to: Emerging Writer Lectureship, Department of English, Campus Box 397, Gettysburg College, 300 N. Washington St., Gettysburg, PA 17325, postmarked by January 29, 2010. Electronic applications will not be accepted. Do not send entire monographs, books, etc. Gettysburg College is a highly selective liberal arts college located within 90 minutes of the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area. Established in 1832, the College has a rich history and is situated on a 220-acre campus with an enrollment of over 2,600 students. Gettysburg College celebrates diversity and welcomes applications from members of any group that has been historically underrepresented in the American academy. The College assures equal employment opportunity and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, and disability. Postal Address: Emerging Writer Lectureship, Department of English, Gettysburg College, 300 North Washington Street, Box 397, Gettysburg, PA 17325. Phone: (717) 337-6750; Fax: (717) 337-8551; TDD: (717) 337-6833.

Assistant Professor of English - Creative Nonfiction Writing.
Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN. Posted: 11/17/2009, full-time. Responsibilities: Teach creative nonfiction writing at junior through graduate levels. Teach first-year composition and related academic writing. Contribute to a program of scholarship within the discipline,student advising, service to the University and community, and other associated faculty duties. Contribute to interdisciplinary teaching and distance learning delivery. Involvement in activities that support Bemidji State University's signature themes: Environmental stewardship, Civic engagement, Global/multicultural understanding. Minimum Qualifications: MFA in writing and/or PhD in English with specialization in writing creative nonfiction. Significant and appropriate publications. Teaching experience in university level courses.
Ability to teach upper division and graduate level courses. Ability to teach first-year composition. Teaching excellence, student-centered. Knowledge of and interest in diverse cultures and populations. Also desirable: Experience in literary publishing, professional writing, teaching first-year composition and/or second-year academic writing. Ability to teach literature at all levels. Ability to teach introduction to creative writing. Application Procedure: Apply online at http://agency.governmentjobs.com/bemidji /default.cfm. Send materials to: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/bemidji/default.cfm. Bemidji State University, 1500 Birchmont Drive NE, Bemidji, MN 56601. Contact: Susan Hauser, Chair, Department of English, E-mail: shauser@bemidjistate.edu, Phone: (218) 755-3355.

The Reginald S. Tickner Writing Fellowship is an annual writer-in-residence position named in honor of Reginald Tickner, whose 41-year career at Gilman impacted thousands of Gilman students. http://www.gilman.edu/program/arts_mcreativew_ticknerwritingfell.asp. Each year, the Tickner Fellow: Directs the Writers at Work Series, a yearly program of bringing writers to campus to give a reading and work with classes for a day. Advises Paragon, the school’s award-winning literary magazine, published at least twice each year. Teaches one section of Creative Writing to seniors every other day in addition to leading occasional creative writing projects in other English classes. Consults one-to-one with students on their writing as part of the Tickner Writing Center and inindependent study. Uses his/her non-teaching day for activity related to personal writing projects and shares the process with students and faculty. The Reginald S. Tickner Writing Fellowship is a one-year, 32-hour per week position. The salary is approximately $30,000; full benefits package available. Interested applicants should send resume, cover letter, threeconfidential letters of recommendation, and samples ofpublished writing to: Patrick Hastings, Director of the Tickner Writing Center, Gilman School, 5407 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210. Materials must be RECEIVED by NO LATER THAN January 8.

New College of Florida. The Humanities Division announces an opening for a Writer in Residence, spring semester 2010 (February-May). The successful candidate will have two published books or the equivalent, two years’ experience teaching creative writing, which can include instruction as a graduate student, & be strongly committed to playing an active role in the community of our residential honors college. MFA, MA, or equivalent degree preferred, but experience considered. Writers whose work engages multiethnic experience and/or issues of identity especially encouraged. The Writer in Residence will be responsible for teaching two semester-length writing courses (preferably one multigenre introductory course & one course in the applicant’s specialty), & will give at least three public readings. We have particular interest this year in candidates with experience in prose. Salary: $22,725 for .75 FTE, with no benefits. Send curriculum vitae, letter of application, writing sample, dossier with three letters of reference & official transcript, & two course proposals (one for an introductory level course & one more specialized course) to: Dr. Robert Zamsky, Chair, Search Committee, Division of Humanities, New College of Florida, 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL 34243-2109. Review of applications will begin December 1 & continue until position is filled. For disability accommodations, contact Chair a minimum of five (5) days in advance at (941) 487-4360. AA/EOE.

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 nonfiction. 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.

The Department of English, Creative Nonfiction Assistant Professor. Review Date: Review of applications will begin January 4, 2010, and will continue until the position is filled. Salary: Commensurate with rank and experience. Date of Appointment: August 2010. Description of Responsibilities: Teach Creative Nonfiction to a diverse population of undergraduate students as part of a vibrant, multi-genre creative writing program. Maintain a significant publication record. Required Qualifications: MFA in creative writing, with significant publication history and an interest in working with students from a variety of cultures. Preferred Qualifications: Teaching experience that promotes global perspectives and awareness at the undergraduate level. To Apply: Submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, a copy of transcripts, three current letters of reference, and 10 - 15 pages of published creative nonfiction electronically to: http://oswego.interviewexchange.com/candapply.jsp?JOBID=15980. For additional information, contact Robert O'Connor at robert.oconnor@oswego.edu. Official transcripts are required prior to hiring.

The Department of English at Ohio University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Creative Writing: Non-Fiction. POSITION NUMBER: PN109914. SALARY: Commensurate with experience and education. We seek candidates of established achievement who have published at least one book. The successful candidate is expected to teach; publish and direct creative work; and participate in departmental/university governance. Expected to teach at both graduate and undergraduate levels. We are seeking a candidate with a commitment in working effectively with students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. Position available September 2010. Further information about Ohio University can be found at the University's web site:http://www.ohio.edu. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Ph.D or MFA by September 1, 2010. A published book preferred. TO APPLY: Applicants are asked to complete the online application and supply all supporting documentation by mail. (Curriculum Vita "may" be attached electronically but is required with US Mail Application packet.). Please submit via U.S. Mail: Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, a 20 pp. writing sample, and three current letters of recommendation to Department of English, Ellis 360, ATTN: Creative Writing Search, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701. Review of applications will begin Friday, November 6, and will continue until the position is filled. Interviewing at MLA.

Phillips Academy. An independent, coeducational, secondary boarding/day school in Andover, Massachusetts with a diverse community of students & faculty is seeking a Writer in Residence to fill the Roger F. Murray Chair in Creative Writing beginning in the academic year 2010-2011. The term of appointment is two years with a possible renewal. The writer-in-residence is expected to teach two seminar classes (maximum 15 students per class) in creative writing per term. Minimum requirements include at least one published book & experience in the teaching of creative writing at the university or secondary level. A number of prominent writers have held this fellowship since it was established in 1978. The salary is competitive with similar university appointments. The committee will continue to accept applications until the position is filled & will begin reviewing applications on November 15. The academy welcomes applications from diverse racial & ethnic backgrounds. Please send resume & letter to: Creative Writing Search Committee, Dean of Faculty, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA 01810. For more information, please visit www.andover.edu. Background check required. EOE.

Time for Lists of Best Books

2009-11-25T17:26:00.005-05:00

It's time already for may lists regarding 2009's best this-and-that. Here's a nine of 10 books on the 'best books' list from a New York Times blogger, Dwight Garner. The 10th book was fiction.

A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster, By Rebecca Solnit

Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath, By Michael Norman and Elizabeth Norman, “stirring and humane military history . . .”

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, By Novella Carpenter, “Fresh, funny and jagged around the edges . . . about the author’s attempts to start a busy farm on a deserted lot in an Oakland ghetto.”

When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political Childhood, By Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, “delicate, discerning memoir . . . reads like a peculiar bedtime story.”
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, By T.J. Stiles, “A mighty — and mighty confident — biography"

Family Properties: Race, Real Estate and the Exploitation of Black Urban America, By Beryl Satter, "A panoramic and often personal retelling of Chicago’s race-driven real-estate wars . . ."

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, By Richard Wrangham, “A new theory of human evolution . . . in plain-spoken, gripping language.”
Tall Man: The Death of Doomadgee, By Chloe Hooper, "A haunting, morally complicated examination of the death of an aboriginal man in a small-town Australian prison."

Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places, By Bill Streever, "flinty and tough-minded look at a vanishing world . . ."

Calls for Submissions

2009-11-25T14:52:00.005-05:00

Awaken Consciousness Magazine is actively seeking submissions of articles, personal essays, poetry and (very) short fiction. All submissions should be 750 words or less. We accept thoughtful, well-written work on topics relating to personal development, health & wellness, natural medicine, spirituality, psychology or consciousness. Please see guidelines here: http://readacm.com/submit/.

Fifth Wednesday Journal is accepting submissions for the Spring 2010 issue. Submissions for this issue will close on December 31, 2009. We publish poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and black and white photography. All work must be submitted with our online submissions manager. Please visit the website for complete guidelines and instructions. www.fifthwednesdayjournal.org.

The Survivor's Review, a not-for-profit online journal encouraging the creative expression of cancer survivors, is seeking stories, essays and poems by those who are intimately familiar with the cancer journey. If you have written a piece that explores the heart of what it means to be a cancer survivor or caregiver, please consider submitting your work to us. Submissions accepted at: www.survivorsreview.org. Our word count is flexible, but most of our features range from 100 to 1,000 words. Please visit our site and contact us with any questions. Question: Who is a cancer survivor? Answer: Anyone living with a history of cancer from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life.

Tattoo Highway, an online journal of prose, poetry and art, is now reading for TH/20: "Detours." Deadline, Jan. 10, 2010. Submissions to: http://www.tattoohighway.org. GENERAL GUIDELINES: Our tastes are eclectic. We like fresh, vivid language, and we like stories and poems that are actually about something -- that acknowledge a world beyond the writer's own psyche. If they have an edge, if they provoke us to think or make us laugh, so much the better. We strongly suggest reading a previous issue or two before submitting. While we particularly welcome poetry and short "screen-reader-friendly" prose or cross-genre pieces (less than 1000 words), we do on occasion publish longer work. We encourage hypertext and new media (Flash .swf) submissions, also photographs and original graphics. All readings are "blind" (authors' names and other identifiers are removed). Writers may submit up to 2 prose pieces. While we prefer to see work that has not been previously published, we do consider work that has appeared in small-circulation print journals. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know promptly if you place a piece elsewhere. HOW TO SUBMIT: Email submissions to submissions@tattoohighway.org, as Rich Text Format (RTF) attachments or as plain text in the body of your message, and with TH20 in the subject line. For hypertext and Flash submissions, provide us with an URL where we may view the work online.

Porter Gulch Review invites submissions of poems, short stories, screenplays, paintings, drawings, photographs or anything else that can be transferred to paper. Written works must be less than 5,000 words each. Up to four poems or two short stories. Typed, single-spaced, one copy only and no staples. Include a cover letter with your address, phone, email, titles of submissions and a 2-3 sentence playful bio. Include a disk with files of literary or art works and mark on the disk your name and names of pieces included. Any originals of artworks should have your contact information on the back. Mail in 9X12 envelope to Porter Gulch Review, Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drove, Aptos CA 95003. E-mail all files including bio to PGR@cabrillo.edu as well. Website: http://www.cabrillo.edu/publications/portergulch/.

2009-11-13T18:09:00.004-05:00

OK. I've tried three times to deal with the copy below, listing calls for submissions. Something gets screwed up every time. In this case, some e-mail addresses disappeared. Just go to the website and get the details. If I don't post this today, I'm afraid I'll never get it out!

Versal

Deadline: Jan. 15

Versal wants your poetry, prose, and art for its eighth issue due out in May 2010. Internationally acclaimed literary annual published in Amsterdam, bringing together the world's urgent, involved & unexpected. See Web site for guidelines and to submit: http://versal.wordsinhere.com. Inquiries (only) can be directed to: . Deadline: January 15, 2010.

Crash

Deadline for first issue: Dec. 15

http://www.cra.sh/

Crash is an online literary journal celebrating the spontaneous, amorphous, and surreal. Embracing spontaneity, we consider a variety of genres from across the literary spectrum. Honoring amorphism, we support liberation of literature from boundaries imposed by traditional forms. Finally, Crash brings a diversity of enjoyable styles together, creating a surrealistic effect unique to each issue.

Each submission may include 1-10 works, but the total word count of the works included must not exceed 3,000 words. For example, you could send one short story that is within 3,000 words, or three flash fiction stories that are within 1,000 words each. You could also send up to ten poems or prose pieces if their combined total falls within the 3,000 word range.
Gulf Stream

Deadline: Dec. 15 for No. 2

http://w3.fiu.edu/gulfstream/guidelines.asp

Gulf Stream is now accepting submissions for Issue No. 2 of Gulf Stream Online. This is a special issue for us--it's our twentieth anniversary! Come be a part of South Florida's premier literary journal. We are currently reading submissions until December 15. Submit online only at http://fs8.formsite.com/gulfstream/form385843734/index.html.

We publish poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Past contributors include Sherman Alexie, David Kirby, Richard Blanco, Dennis Lehane, Ha Jin, Ann Hood, Susan Neville, Naomi Shihab Nye, Virgil Suarez, Catherine Bowman, Maureen Seaton, Jim Daniels, Stuart Dybek, Len Roberts, Peter Meinke and Jill Bialosky. For further information and submission guidelines, please visit our Web site at http://w3.fiu.edu/gulfstream/guidelines.asp.
damselfly press

Deadline: Dec. 15 for No. 10

damselfly press, an online literary journal for women selected as Best of the Web 2009 by Dzanc Books, is pleased to announce the publication of our ninth issue and call for submissions for the tenth issue. We are seeking electronic submissions of original fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by female writers slated for online publication in January 2010. As always, we welcome a myriad of women's voices from new and experienced writers.The deadline to submit for the tenth issue is December 15th, 2009.
Nonfiction editor: nonfiction@damselflypress.net. Visit the damselfly press Web site: http://damselflypress.net to read the latest issue and learn more about the journal.
Connotation Press (food writing)

http://connotationpress.com/index.php/from-plate-to-palate

The online arts and literary magazine Connotation Press is seeking food writing from the creative writer's perspective. If you're a creative writer in any genre who is also interested in food writing or who is currently involved in food writing, please submit your tasty morsels to Amanda McGuire, the Food and Wine feature editor at Connotation Press . Bon Appetit!
Permanent Vacation: Living And Working In Our National Parks - Anthology

Deadline: Jan. 5

http://www.bonafidebooks.com/permanent-vacation/

Bona Fide Books seeks literary essays for a collection about life and work in our national parks. Diverse park experiences desired. Although we enjoy tree-hugging epiphanies, we also want to read about day-to-day life, and the societal, environmental, and existential implications of living in the park. What happened there, and how did it influence your life? Writers will receive $100 for their essay and one copy of the collection. Deadline: January 5, 2010. See www.bonafidebooks.com for guidelines.

Fifth Wednesday Journal

Deadline: Dec. 31

www.fifthwednesdayjournal.org
Fifth Wednesday Journal is accepting submissions for the Spring 2010 issue. Submissions for this issue will close on December 31, 2009. We publish poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and black and white photography. All work must be submitted with our online submissions manager. Please visit the Web site for complete guidelines and instructions.

The Breakwater Review

http://www.breakwaterreview.com/ (submit online at Web site)

The Breakwater Review, the online literary journal run by students in the creative writing MFA program at the University of Massachusetts Boston, is seeking high-quality submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis (currently reading for the June issue). We are considering fiction under 5,000 words, nonfiction under 3,000 words, or 3 to 5 poems. We look forward to reading your best work. The Breakwater Review is particularly interested in discovering new and interesting voices and welcomes submissions from previously unpublished writers. For more information, visit the Web site www.breakwaterreview.com.
PARENTHOOD?! - Anthology

Deadline: Jan. 4

http://www.cityworkspress.org/submit.html

City Works Press seeks poetry, fiction, prose and art on motherhood and/or fatherhood for our upcoming anthology. Give us your moments of sublime joy as well your dark nights of the soul. Talk about birth, nursing, relationships, adoption, same-sex parenting, high tech conception, loss, etc. Tell us what it means NOT to have children. Limit 2,500 words for fiction/prose or 4 poems. Attach short bio. Send e-mail or hard copy submissions by JANUARY 4, 2010, to: City Works Press, ATTN: Mamas and Papas, San Diego City College, 1313 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101. ; www.cityworkspress.org.
Daughter/Father Stories - Anthology

Deadline: Dec. 15

Seeking Female Writers to to share how your father's character, personality, and/or actions (in-actions) influenced your development, for the opportunity to be included in an anthology to be published in June 2010. Details for submission can be found at www.daughterstory.blogspot.com. Deadline is December 15, 2009. No longer than 1,200 words, your narrative should be emotionally moving and tangible with descriptive imagery readers can relate to via sight, sound, smell, touch and taste.

E-mail your full name, address, daytime phone number, and e-mail address. Your story MUST be submitted as a .doc attachment, or in the body of the e-mail, double-spaced in 12pt. font, Times New Roman. Any other format will not be read. In the subject line include your year of birth and a one-word theme for your narrative. Also include a bio-a short paragraph (of about 50 words or less) about you, promoting your latest book, project, etc.
What Doesn't Kill You... - Anthology

Deadline: Dec. 31

http://www.press53.com/whatdoesntkillyou.html

What Doesn't Kill You... a new anthology coming from Press 53 in Spring 2010 is looking for stories of struggle-real or imagined, physical or mental. We're looking for eight stories to run alongside the seven we have already requested from some of today's top award-winning writers. Stories can be fiction or nonfiction, from 100-10,000 words.

Contributors will receive a complimentary copy of the anthology plus the opportunity to buy unlimited copies at a discount. Contributors will also have one page in the back of the anthology for his or her bio, photo, and story comments. There is NO reading fee. Please limit your submission to one story. Previously published works are acceptable, so long as the author holds all rights and no previous publication agreement is violated. DEADLINE: Submissions will be accepted until the New Year rings in at midnight December 31, 2009. Send your submission via e-mail attachment to co-editor Murray Dunlap--see Web site.
Hot Metal Bridge

The University of Pittsburgh's creative writing journal, Hot Metal Bridge, is seeking submissions in all genres, but particularly poetry! See our submission guidelines here: http://hotmetalbridge.org/?page_id=915.
Stone's Throw Magazine

Stone's Throw Magazine (www.stonesthrowmagazine.com) welcomes submissions in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, reviews and art. Prose should be submitted one story or essay at a time, limited to 5,000 words. Reviews of current fiction, nonfiction and poetry (1500 words or less) will be considered. We're also interested in receiving brief accounts of daily life from around the world. Working on issue 5.

Please paste your submission into the body of your e-mail rather than sending an attachment and include a bio of no more than 100 words. The subject line of your e-mail should read: Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Art, or Review and it should include the title of the piece and your last name.

Authors retain copyright and there is no compensation for publication. However issues will be archived and available online.
Kartika Review

Kartika Review is accepting submissions for upcoming issues of our online Asian American literary magazine.

We accept: fiction, flash fiction, creative nonfiction (memoir, reportage, essays, letters), poetry and visual art by Asian American artists. We are a quarterly journal We read submissions all year. Simultaneous submission are okay, but please notify us immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere. Full submission guidelines, including the e-mail addresses for submitting work, are available at our Web site: http://www.kartikareview.com/submit.html.

Kartika Review serves the Asian American community and those involved with Diasporic Asian-inspired literature. We scout for compelling Asian American creative writing and artwork to present to the public at large. Our editors actively solicit contributions from established virtuosos in our community in hopes their works here will inspire the next generation of virtuosos. We also want to promote emerging writers and artists we foresee to be the future powerhouses of their craft. Ultimately, Kartika strives to create a literary forum that caters to and celebrates the wordsmiths of the Asian Diaspora.
shady side review

Call for Submissions: shady side review is seeking prose under 1,000 words and poetry of any length for Volume 2. shady side review seeks work that exhibits the gritty side of life: cigarette butts that litter sidewalks, a half-drunken bottle of whiskey left on the porch, the empty corridors of a dead mall - work that encompasses the underbelly of society, whether it be rural or urban. shady side review publishes both upcoming and previously published writers. Please visit the Web site for more details: http://www.shadysidereview.com.
The New Anonymous

Deadline: Feb. 1 for issue No. 2

www.thenewanonymous.com

The New Anonymous is now accepting submissions for its second issue. The New Anonymous is a print journal whose contributors and editors will remain forever nameless. Not only is all work published anonymously, but The New Anonymous blindly screens and edits its submissions, i.e., the submission, editorial, and publishing process is anonymous from beginning to end. Our goal is to serve as a safehouse where writers-both up-and-coming and well established-can not only question the creative process but also, in the words of Freud, "play." We are now reading submissions in all genres for our upcoming second issue and hope you'll join us in continuing this unique endeavor. For submission guidelines, orders, and more information, visit our Web site at: www.thenewanonymous.com. Deadline for this issue: February 1, 2010. Questions? E-mail us: thenewanon@gmail.com.
What Makes You Stronger: Real Talk About Breast Cancer

http://whatmakesyoustronger.atwc1.com/calls-for-submissions

We want your true stories about your journey, the journey of a loved one or your secondhand experience as caregiver or medical professional. We want the anger, the despair, the "Why me, Lord?" and the moment you realized, that despite the ravages to your body, the body of the loved one or the person in your professional care... you gained strength from the experience. Tell us about it, keep it real, nothing is taboo. The aim is to strengthen those who've just begun the journey, form a support community by mentorship, for those desiring it, prayer and daily inspirational thoughts, coping strategies for the pain, recipes that tempt the appetite and anything else that you wish to share.

Guidelines: All essays/stories should be nonfiction narratives, written in the first-person. Focus on one or a few selected moments; do not send rants or political speeches. Essays/Stories should be titled. Essays/Stories should be between 100 - 650 words and poems restricted to 40 lines. No funky fonts, please. Please include a brief bio (1-3 sentences) at the end of your submission and forward a headshot (neck and shoulders) to or .

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Feel free to repost and forward!
Puerto del Sol Issue 45.1 (Summer 2010) and 45.2 (Winter 2010)

Deadline: March 31

Puerto del Sol, now in its 45th year of publication, is a nationally distributed journal dedicated to providing a forum for innovative poetry, prose, drama, critical and theoretical work as well as artwork from emerging and established writers and artists. Puerto del Sol is reading submissions through March 31, 2010.

In our latest issue, you'll find work by Helen DeWitt, Jenny Boully, Blake Butler, and many others.

Puerto del Sol is especially interested in reading submissions of reviews and short plays or excerpts from longer plays for our upcoming Summer 2010 issue.

The Winter 2010 issue will be film and popular culture themed-if you wish to submit work that fits this theme, please mark your submission clearly in the notes field.

Writers can submit their work exclusively through our online submission manager. Submit one story, book review, play, essay, set of (or link to) artwork, set of 3-5 poems, or set of 2-4 short short stories at a time, all in a single document, and please wait for our response before submitting again.

For more information about Puerto del Sol, visit: www.puertodelsol.org. To submit work, visit: www.puertodelsol.org/submissions.
DRT Press - Anthology

Deadline: March 1

Is your child easy to love, but hard to parent? DRT Press is seeking personal essays written by parents of children with ADD, ADHD and/or other mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders for a book about the experience of parenting children with such conditions, for publication (expected) in January 2011. Compensation includes 10 copies of the completed book and unlimited discounted copies. Payment may be offered. The book will be co-edited by author/editor/publisher Adrienne Ehlert Bashista, Publisher, DRT Press and Kay Marner, a freelance writer who contributes regularly to ADDitude magazine, and blogs for ADDitudeMag..com. Soft deadline for submissions is March 1, 2010. For more information visit http://www.drtpress.com/anthology.html. Questions may be directed to .
Emerging Edge Publishing

http://www.emergingedgepublishing.com/home

Stories, poems, and articles about relationships with individuals who have made an impact on your life. Must be non-fiction. Based on honest and introspective stories of life-lessons learned and sometimes humorous reflections on life and relationships. Stories about an unique individual whose relationship with that person has changed your life forever. Examples: personal relationships with everyday people like mother, father, sibling, teacher, mentor, etc. * We especially like humorous and introspective stories.

No payment. Author will get one copy of the book. Please write: "TRUE RELATIONSHIPS STORIES" in the title of the e-mail. Submit your story, poem or article to . Stories must be between 500 to 2,000 words or more. Poems should reflect on the topic of relationships and be more than 10 lines long. Articles can be a personal reflection or opinion on relationships from a male perspective. Must be between 500 to 1,500 words or more. Please address questions to .
Conte

http://www.conteonline.net/

The editors of Conte, an online journal of narrative writing founded in 2005, announce an open submissions call for poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Recent contributors include Jim Daniels, William Hathaway, E. Ethelbert Miller, and Kenneth Womack. Visit for specific submission guidelines and past issues.
The New Plains Review

Deadline: Jan. 15 for Spring issue

The New Plains Review, the recent literary home of such authors as Stephen Dunn, Billy Collins, Galway Kinnell, and Julianna Baggott, seeks quality fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.

http://www.libarts.uco.edu/english/newplains/

We are interested in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that is thoughtful and compelling, but otherwise we do not have any specific guidelines for style or subject matter. We no longer arrange issues with thematic topics. On occasion, we do publish issues with special sections; always look at our Special Section announcements on our Web site before submitting. We do accept simultaneous submissions. We do not accept previously published work. Your submission gives us permission to publish your work online. At this time, we do not pay upon publication. Each submission is, however, automatically eligible for the editors' prize.* Submit your poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction by January 15 for our Spring Issue to >. Allow 6-8 weeks for response. Attach submissions in either Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). Please include type of submission (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction) in the subject line.

Back issues of New Plains Review are $10, when available. E-mail

newplainsreview@yahoo.com or call our office at 405-974-5613 to place an order.

*On occasion, an editors' prize is awarded. Student writing prizes are also awarded periodically. These prizes will be announced on our homepage.
Mom Egg

Deadline: Dec. 31 for Spring issue

The Mom Egg, an annual journal, seeks flash fiction, prose, poetry and art for its Spring 2010 issue, which will be a print issue on the theme of "Lessons". The Mom Egg publishes work by mothers about everything, and by everyone about mothers and motherhood. Details on the site ("Submit"); you can also download a special online issue free ("Current Issue") and see samples from back issues. Deadline Dec. 31, 2009.http://themomegg.com.

SPIRITS ART/LITERARY MAGAZINE

Deadline: Dec. 20

Now Accepting:

Short Stories of 1,500 Words or Less
One Act, One Scene Plays
Photography
Sketches
Paintings
Essays
Poetry

Submit all work to: . Include your full name, e-mail address and a bio of 100 words or less.
Silk Road Review

Silk Road Review, a Literary Crossroads, invites submissions of poetry, fiction and nonfiction for upcoming issues. The magazine will celebrate its fifth year of production and expand to two print issues per year in 2010. This is a great time to submit your work to the magazine.

We are interested in publishing compelling and finely crafted writing from locations around the world. We are also producing a special issue on "secret places" and welcome writing that would fit the topic.

Silk Road takes submissions through our online submissions system.

Visit Silk Road's Web site for more information on the magazine and how to submit.

http://silkroad.pacificu.edu.

Bayonet

Deadline: Jan. 1

bayonet, a print DIY art and literature magazine, is looking for submissions for its first issue. poetry, flash fiction, and short non-fiction attached in .doc format will be considered, as well as any type of visual art in a jpg or pdf format. Please e-mail the co-editor, Charlotte at
2 anthologies

I have several publishers interested in the two projects listed below. It's enormously difficult and time-consuming to process e-mail submissions, so unless you live outside the U.S, please send all submissions via USPS along with an SASE to June Cotner, PO Box 2765, Poulsbo, WA 98370

WISDOM OF WOMEN: THOUGHTS AND POEMS FOR EVERY STAGE OF YOUR LIFE (Previously titled Girls Night Out and A Woman's Book of Poetry for the Soul) Over the past decade I've received wonderful submissions from female writers that never quite fit the particular theme of my general "inspirational books." These are poems and prose about womanhood, stages of life, memories, and everything in between. I would love to add a few more high-quality selections--poetry or prose. Unlike most of my other anthologies, there are no prayers in the book, but there is a chapter on Spirituality. The content of WISDOM OF WOMEN is much "edgier" than my other books. Chapters include: 1) The Strength of Us; 2) Relationships; 3) Motherhood; 4) Ordinary Life; 5) Self-Image and Beauty; 6) Aging Gracefully; 7) Heartache and Healing; 8) Joy and Gratitude; 9) Friendships; 10) Shared Experiences; 11) Spirituality; 12) Reflections; and 13) Inspiration. I particularly need submissions for chapters printed in bold. The submissions should not have an "I am woman, hear me roar" tone, but more "this is my experience as a woman." The collection will be for women to turn to when they need encouragement, understanding, inspiration, and to reflect upon the great blessings of being a woman. This book easily spans two generations and is geared to women in their late 20s to early 60s and possibly beyond. Submission date closes March 31, 2010.

GOOD DOG! BAD DOG! FUNNY DOG! A compilation of "funny dog" stories. Two publishers have expressed interest in this project. The word limit ranges from 180 to 600 words. My goal is to create a book as humorous as Marley and Me by John Grogan. Please put "FUNNY DOG STORY" on the lower left-hand corner of your envelope. Submission date is open.

I have several publishers interested in the three projects. It's enormously difficult and time-consuming to process e-mail submissions, so unless you live outside the U.S, please send all submissions via USPS along with an SASE to June Cotner, PO Box 2765, Poulsbo, WA 98370

Please feel free to forward this call to other writer friends and groups. Also, please visit www.junecotner.com for additional calls for submissions.
Silver Boomer Books - Anthology

http://silverboomerbooks.com/submissions.html

A Pinch and a Dash -- recipes from home and long ago

Silver Boomer Books seeks submissions for an anthology tentatively identified as A Pinch and a Dash - recipes from home and long ago. Submissions of prose and poetry should be submitted pursuant to these guidelines by January 15, 2010. The focus of the anthology is family or friendship memories associated with a particular meal or food. We're asking for the recipe as well as the poem or prose about it.

You will be asserting you have the right to publish the recipe in your name. If it is copied from a cookbook, it doesn't work. If you use the same ingredients and describe the process differently, you have written an original work. The combination of ingredients cannot be copyrighted; the text somebody else wrote is. Send poetry or prose and recipe, and consider our earlier anthologies, Silver Boomers, Freckles to Wrinkles, and This Path for examples of style. Follow the guidelines set out later on this page.

Flashlight Memories

Silver Boomer Books seeks submissions for an anthology tentatively identified as Flashlight Memories. Submissions of prose and poetry should be submitted pursuant to these guidelines by March 15, 2010. The focus of the anthology is childhood reading. What events in your childhood led you to become a reader for life? Did you crawl between the sheets with a book and a flashlight? Did a friend or family member influence you? What books drew you into the world of literature? Send poetry or prose, and consider our earlier anthologies, Silver Boomers, Freckles to Wrinkles, and This Path for examples of style. Follow the guidelines set out later on this page.

How We Want It:

Electronic submission is preferred, with the manuscript or poem pasted into the body of the e-mail. We are giving first preference to poetry of less than 50 lines, and prose not exceeding 1500 words. Poetry shorter than 12 lines tickles the editor in charge of formatting and stands a good chance of being used if the quality's there. We ask for one-time rights. If the submission has been previously published, cite each prior publication. If prior publication history is not included (including "This piece has not been published") the piece will not be considered. We require that a 50-100 word biographical sketch, written in third person, be included with the submission. See the SilverBoomers.com authors page for sample bios. Entries not meeting this requirement will not be considered.

Silver Boomer Books reserves the right to edit text for grammar, spelling, punctuation and minor syntax errors -- that's what editors do. We consult with the author before making major changes.

Please don't submit material you sent previously for a Silver Boomer Book as we have that and will be contacting authors if we feel the work would fit in future anthologies.

Electronic submissions: E-mail us at .

Identify the anthology, either as "A Pinch" or "Flashlight" in the subject line.

Still on the subject line type "Submission -- Prose: Name of Entry" Substitute your title for "name of entry" and for poetry substitute "poetry" for "prose."

Do not put more than one poem or piece in one e-mail.

In the body of the e-mail type this information:

Your name
Your pen name if you desire to use a different name

Your mailing address

Your e-mail address

Your telephone number

Previous publication history of your submission

Word count for prose, line count for poetry. In counting lines for poetry, start with the first line and count each line to the last including blank lines.

A 50- to 100-word biographical sketch of yourself written in 3rd person. See the Silver Boomers authors' page for style.

Cut and paste your entry into the body of the e-mail.

Multiple submissions are welcome but must be in separate e-mails with all information listed above in the e-mail with each entry.

In submitting your entry, you represent:

The work you are submitting is your work.

You have the rights to the work and have not previously conveyed exclusive rights to any other publisher.

You agree to the terms and conditions set out on this page.

Postal Mail Submissions:

Postal Mail Submissions require prior permission from Silver Boomer Books, 3301 S 14th Suite 16 - PMB 134, Abilene, TX 79605.

What You Get:

Payment is $5 for poetry and $10 for prose plus a contributor's copy. If you label it prose but we think it's poetry, we'll pay the poetry rate. In addition, contributors will be allowed to purchase copies of the work at an author's price for two years following the initial release. All payments are upon publication. Your name and story/poem title will be listed on the Web site for two years. You will be allowed to post to the authors' blog on the Silver Boomers Web site so you can publicize signings and speaking engagements as well as comment on the experience.

2009-11-10T09:45:00.003-05:00

With all the ways to self-publish these days, it's becoming a viable option. (And it's not using a vanity press.) Here's an item that was in John Kremer's free e-newsletter about someone who did well self-publishing. Credits are after the item. I have no qualms plugging John's material. He is very generous with time and information to authors.

self-publishing success story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 2002, Rosemary Thornton wrote and self-published a book about Sears homes, The Houses That Sears Built. Here is what she had to say about that experience:

What a crazy bold move that was. At first, I feared I might end up giving those 1,000 copies away to friends and family for Christmas presents for the next 40 years. But then the New York Times called and they wanted to do a story on Sears homes, and they quoted my book.

Next came PBS History Detectives, A&E's Biography, CBS Sunday Morning News and more.

In Summer 2004, my book was a featured category on Jeopardy!

In 2006, I made it to the front page of the Wall Street Journal (above the fold).

Perhaps most importantly, this self-published book provided me with a thoroughly delightful career and income for five years and continues to sell well at Amazon.com.

Copyright 2009 by John Kremer
-----
John Kremer, editor, Book Marketing Update newsletter
author, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, Sixth Edition
Open Horizons, P.O. Box 2887, Taos NM 87571
575-751-3398; Email: JohnKremer@bookmarket.com
Web: http://www.bookmarket.com

Note from John: For more inspiring stories about successful self-published authors, order John Kremer's Self-Publishing Hall of Fame ebook via http://www.bookmarket.com/orderform.htm. 254 pages of incredible stories and great tips from those who have sold millions of copies of their books. Only $20 for a quick downloadable Word ebook.

If You Write It, You Should Read It

2009-11-06T16:05:00.002-05:00

Go check out the autumn 2009 issue of this publication, described in this note from the editor, Lauren Kessler:

Etude: The Journal of Literary Nonfiction

In this issue…

> THOMAS GIBBS, M.D. struggles to help a patient.

> MICHELLE THERIAULT searches for sea otters.

> MARC DADIGAN goes to the fights.

> KATHERINE GRIES tries to get a good night’s sleep.

>JOHN R. CORRIGAN remembers important lessons.

>In LISTEN UP, our audio feature, JACK HART, national writing coach and author of A Writer’s Coach, talks about narrative techniques in news writing.

>In WIDE ANGLE, our multi-media feature, Etude’s own MICHAEL WERNER and KATIE CAMPBELL chronicle the experiences and transformative art of World War II-era pacifists at Camp Waldport on the Oregon coast.

Plus…

>ISOLDE RAFTERY interviews the inestimable (and delightfully curmudgeonly) Barbara Ehrenreich.

>TERESA BARKER explores books that place little actors on a big stage.

>LAUREN KESSLER bids adieu to another book manuscript.

>Our thoughtful reviewers comment on seven new literary nonfiction books on topics ranging from western wildfires to British birds, from boat building to fine art collecting, from life in an urban hospital to the joys of house remodeling.

Etude is published quarterly by the Literary Nonfiction program at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication.

As always, we encourage and invite your comments. Use the “contact us” link on the magazine’s website.

Look for our WINTER 2010 issue on January 31.

All back issues are archived at our site.

--
Lauren Kessler
www.laurenkessler.com

Editor, Etude Magazine
Director, graduate program Literary Nonfiction
latest project, ThinHouse.net

__._,_.___

Quote

2009-11-06T12:51:00.001-05:00

Understand this, I mean to arrive at the truth. The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it.

--Agatha Christie, author (1890-1976)

For Those Who Twitter

2009-11-04T17:12:00.001-05:00

Writers Digest's list of agents on Twitter
http://twitter.com/WritersDigest/agents

WD's list of publishers on Twitter
http://twitter.com/WritersDigest/publishers

and a blog:
http://guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/

Peeking into the Publishing World

2009-10-14T17:45:00.004-04:00

From GalleyCat, a brief comment on how more editors are shifting to become agents. Oh, the ever-changing world of publishing!

Assistants & Resources

2009-09-10T21:26:00.002-04:00

I really want an assistant, someone willing to put together my clips, call magazines to make sure an editor listed on the masthead is still there, scan my published articles into my computer, chase down miscellaneous facts to flesh out a scene, etc., etc.

I've heard of virtual assistants; today I came across a Web site for certified authors' assistants. And on the site, there was a list of author resources, including On Becoming an Author," "Ten Powerful Strategies for Writing a Nonfiction Best Seller," and "Ten Things Rookie Authors Do to Mess Up Their Nonfiction Book Success." Take a gander.

And I'd love to hear from anyone who uses an assistant--where you found the person, what he or she does for you, how it's working out.

Call for submissions

2009-07-24T17:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Writers,
We are now seeking submissions for our fall edition. The deadline is September 21st. The Rio Grande Review is a nonprofit bilingual publication run by students of the MFA in Creative Writing at The University of Texas at El Paso. All genres and visual art forms are considered for publication. Prose: 5,000 words, Poetry: 10 pages. We accept works in English and/or Spanish.
To view our complete submissions guidelines, visit our website at www.riograndereview.com
We look forward to reading your submissions!
Sincerely,
Rio Grande Review EditorsSahalie, Miranda & Silvana

RIO GRANDE REVIEW
University of Texas at El Paso
PMB 671500
W. University Avenue
El Paso, Texas 79968
(915) 747-7012
editors@riograndereview.com www.riograndereview.com

Gay Talese's Writing Day

2009-07-16T20:29:00.001-04:00

Do you have an ascot?

http://ow.ly/hqKN

Markets

2009-06-24T14:26:00.004-04:00

From the e-newsletter put out by Worldwide Freelance (http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/).
I hesitate to post these because most of them pay very little. On the other hand, literary magazines usually pay nothing; a little money is a step up from nothing.

WRITING MARKETS

MIAMI HERALD TRAVEL SECTION, USA
Travel section: "Well written, well researched stories that we cannot easily get on the wires get our attention." Will accept finished manuscripts on spec only. Rates range from $300 for a lead, $200 for a normal-length article, $25 for photographs used in black-and-white and $75 for photographs used in color, with a cap of $500 for a story/photo package with multiple images.
Guidelines: http://www.miamiherald.com/816/story/8006.html

MOMSENSE, USA
http://www.christianitytoday.com/momsense/
Nurturing mothers from a Christian perspective with articles that both inform and inspire on issues relating to motherhood and womanhood. Published bimonthly. Paying market. Guidelines: http://www.christianitytoday.com/momsense/content/info.html

MIDSTREAM, USA
A monthly Jewish review. Welcomes submission of manuscripts that deal with Jewish life and culture, current Jewish affairs,political, social, and cultural, in America and in Israel. Each issue contains many articles, at least one short story (fiction),and 5-10 poems. Length: articles: 2,000 to 4,000 words; fiction: 2,000 to 5,000 words. Pays $0.05 per word, $25 for poems.
Guidelines: http://www.midstreamthf.com/writerguide.html

MOMENTUM, CANADA
The magazine for the self-propelled. For people who ride bikes. Providing urban cyclists with the inspiration, information, and resources to fully enjoy their riding experience and connect with local and global cycling communities. Pays between $15 and $50 for an article, and $10 to $30 for a photo or illustration.
Guidelines: http://www.momentumplanet.com/about/get-involved

US-CHINA TRAVEL NEWS
The main areas of interest are China and North America, but also have a continuing interest in Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, Australasia, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Most stories are 800 to 1,400 words and conclude with a "Know Before You Go" sidebar that lists hotels, restaurants, clubs, tours, and attractions. Welcomes both veteran and novice writers. Pays $35.
Guidelines: http://www.usctn.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=35

MIDWEST TODAY, USA
Quarterly general interest magazine covers a variety of subjects, including news, sports, politics, entertainment, the arts, religion, poetry, fitness, outdoors, travel, exclusive interviews with Midwest-born celebrities, people profiles, the environment, nostalgia, economics, agriculture, humor, consumer issues, and more. Pays "a modest fee."
Guidelines: http://www.midtod.com/new/writers_guide.html

METRO, AUSTRALIA
A national, refereed journal that is published four times per year. Australia's oldest, continuously published film and media magazine, having been published since 1968. Specializes in longer articles,reviews, interviews and analysis of Australian, New Zealand and Asian cinema, television and new media. Paying market.
Guidelines: http://www.metromagazine.com.au/writers.html

Search 750 markets in the publication's free markets database. And there's a European Edition.

More Bits of Info

2009-06-24T14:09:00.004-04:00

I have a ridiculous love of miscellaneous bits of information. Reading these consumes an impractical amount of my time. But they are so interesting! Here's a place to learn all sorts of writing/publishing stuff:

For anyone interested, the July 2009 issue of the Southern Review of Books newsletter has been posted.

Do you know the percentages of books sold by various retailers? You may be surprised at what we found.

Other stories include:
1. For first time ever, more POD than conventional titles published in 2008
2. Breaking news from the book barons
3. Top-flight faculty announced for Boston author-publisher classes
4. Little, Brown to publish book on 'missing link' fossil
5. Publishers Weekly's Ed Nawotka joins Publishing Perspectives
6. News about bookstores, publishing, marketing and promotion
7. Where do consumers buy books? Here's the latest data
8. SIBA introduces 'The Okra Picks,' a southern-fried book list
9. How bad is it - and what is the book business doing to cope?
10. BookExpo America attendance down a bit less than expected
11. AAP reports April sales up, but still down for year to date
12. Update journalism: Latest skinny on past Southern Review stories
13. Georgia author specializes in books on Virgin Mary apparitions
14. Bookstore manager details experience with Espresso book machine
15. The publishing revolution: News of e-books and other new media
16. Lightning Source now providing books for Espresso book machines
17. Useful information and free services for writers
18. Arcade Publishing files for Chapter 11 protection
19. Berean Christian Stores seek Chapter 11 protection
20. News about self-publishing and vanity presses
21. Oldest indie bookstore in nation, Conkey's, going out of business
22. Shaman Drum in Ann Arbor closing at end of June
23. Marketing books: what works and what doesn't
24. Atlanta author promotes first novel by visiting 100 indie bookstores
25. Authors swear by Twitter, but hype undercut by study
26. Milestones: Records and news of note in book publishing
27. Fanny Howe wins $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
28. News of chicanery, dishonesty and tort-feasing in the book business
29. Author Robert Vaughan to keynote Harriette Austin Writers Conference in Georgia
30. Major upcoming trade shows, book fairs and book festivals

Web site for the latest information on books, manuscripts and publishing properties we're brokering.

Noel Griese, Editor, Southern Review of Books, Anvil Brokers/Anvil Publishers, Atlanta, Georgia

A Year of . . .

2009-05-30T16:54:00.005-04:00

We should all take heart in the books I've been seeing on the library's "New Nonfiction" shelf: people have written about the year they've "lived biblically," read the Oxford Unabridged, gone without buying anything made in China . . . The take-away message is that if these guys can snag a book contract, well, by gum, so can we. Now, if I could just find the thing to spend a year doing.

This week I read A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy by Sara Bongiorni. On little more than a whim, Sara convinces her husband to go along with the idea of not buying anything made in China to see how difficult it is to do for a family of four (having two kids brings up the issue of Christmas a lot). The book chronicles the year's struggles with finding sunglasses, deciding how to classify a product that has a Chinese-made component, and other people's reactions to the boycott, etc.

I remain unperturbed about China's place in the world economy, but it struck me how important the reader's perception of the narrator is in these "year of" books. I'd rather not spend an entire book with a narrator I consider ho-hum. I've worked out a rough formula, along these lines:

If you like the narrator, the topic doesn't matter much.
If you're obsessed with the topic, you care only that the narrator is competent and credible.
If you don't care much about the topic, the narrator ought to be funny or brilliant or beyond ordinary in some way.

As writers, we have to recognize that not everyone is going to like us. If we tried to be universally liked, I expect the result would be blandly pleasant (as opposed to pleasantly bland). To write this "year of" sort of book, a person puts herself on the line. Way too much like high school, unfortunately. With any luck, however, we focus on an honest portrayal and take our chances with who likes us.

Nieman Suspends Narrative Conference

2009-05-30T15:50:00.004-04:00

Ouch! Journalism's financial woes are spreading to peripheral organizations. Money troubles have led the Nieman Foundation to suspend its annual Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism. According to the Boston Globe, the foundation will get 8 percent less in endowment payments for its next fiscal year, beginning July 1. The foundation is taking other cost-cutting measures as well, such as having fewer Nieman fellows and scaling back its Nieman Reports.

Organizing

2009-05-18T11:04:00.001-04:00

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.
―A. A. Milne

In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.
―Carl Jung

Hang in there until the story makes sense to you--and your reader.
―Lois Baron

Oh, That Web Site We All Need

2009-05-17T02:22:00.004-04:00

Here's a surprising statistic: According to the Make Information Pay seminar,* 5.3 percent of sales are made from awareness raised by an author’s Web site.

The Book Publicity Blog has a post and lots of excellent comments on why you should have a Web presence NOW (or no later than four months before your book comes out). My first impulse is to grouse about yet another thing to do. But, speaking for all the writers who are shy, miserable at small-talking and glad-handing, and otherwise antisocial, we should be relieved to market ourselves in the vast halls of the Internet where we are a step away from real people.

*To learn more about this seminar, see the article on the Southern Review of Books.

Gaping Void Art

2009-05-16T13:08:00.005-04:00

The illustration posted on my blog is on an automatic feed. I don't choose each day what art to put up, but normally I find this artist witty. He draws these pieces on the back of business cards. Occasionally, I'm offended by his work, such as the art I find today ("Pussy"). I grant that some men may have this world view, but I hate that word pussy, even if it refers to cats. I'd block the feed, but--embarrassing but true--I'm afraid I won't figure out how to unblock it later.

Just Ask Yourself . . .

2009-05-06T13:34:00.002-04:00

Raymond Obsfeld, in Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes, advises

When you finish reading a scene, ask yourself, "So what?" Is this scene necessary?" Read the scenes before and after the one in question and ask yourself if it really matters. Does whatever happens deserve its own scene? Could the information be placed in one of the neighboring scenes?

category: craft

10 Mistakes to Avoid

2009-05-05T07:32:00.003-04:00

The blog Holt Uncensored has useful list of 10 mistakes writers make a lot.

Pat Holt, the author, also has an interesting take on The Horse Boy's father being so media savvy--the story of a father who takes his autistic son to Mongolia for, um, horse therapy.

category: craft

The 4x6 Scene

2009-05-01T00:16:00.002-04:00

The hallmark of creative nonfiction is the scene. Any fool journalist can give you anecdote. James V. Smith Jr. in The Writer's Little Helper advocates listing each scene in your story on a 4x6 index card. These cards can be shuffled around to decide how to you tell your story.

On each card, jot down what happens in the scene--action, players, and setting.
State the purpose of the scene: (1) move the story line ahead; (2) introduce or develop character(s); (3) introduce or worse a problem; (4) solve a problem; (5) set up later scenes; (6) create atmosphere or develop setting; or (7) present information or data.
Identify a singular element to highlight: action, conflict, imagery, invention, irony, dialogue, or suspense.

Later in the book, Smith explains the last bullet item, calling it the ACIIIDS test. It's his contention that each scene should contain all these elements, with one dominating.

Action--the level of movement or activity ("impending," "incidental," "overt," "urgent," "frenetic").
Conflict--the level of argument or contention ("tension" to "fatal").
Imagery--the level of visual cues ("suggested" to "determinate").
Invention--the level of creativity in a scene ("cheap trick," "blink-blink," wondrous smile," "expletive," "WOW!").
Irony--the level of wit, or sense of humor, in a scene (from "subtle" to "take your breath away").
Dialogue--the level of conversation ("internal" to "imbroglio").
Suspense--ranging from "invisible" to "nail-biter."

Muscles, Development Of

2009-04-30T10:04:00.000-04:00

Three items:

Watching The Unusuals, a new cop show, I had to admire Jeremy Renner's well-buffed muscles, displayed nicely at the beginning of episode 3 (about a minute in). Bespeaks lots of time at the gym. I really admire the work those muscles represent.
One of my sisters-in-law has naturally admirable musculature. She has--without doing anything--toned, beautiful, sculpted, Linda Hamilton movie star arms. Regardless of how much I ever work out at the gym (which I haven't been doing at all), I will never have arms like that.
A day or so ago, flipping open a magazine randomly, I saw a piece advising bicyclists how to strengthen their arms/upper body. In a series of photos, a woman demonstrated the exercises described. I was happy to see that she looked like a regular, real woman, not an impossibly skinny model, but noted her arms didn't look amazing. Then I turned the page. The last exercise involved holding yourself in a full push-up position while raising one arm at a time up behind your back holding a weight. In that photograph, her arms were a portrait of muscles at work. When push came to shove, she had awesome arms.
The lesson: Some people are naturally good writers. Everyone can benefit from practice. Lots of writing needs only solid, not spectacular, skills. But great writing is a combination of talent and effort. The proportion of talent to practice varies for each person.

Marvelous Midwest Memoirs

2009-04-29T23:49:00.004-04:00

This woman named Haven Kimmel wrote a memoir, A Girl Named Zippy, and then followed it with She Got Up Off the Couch. They focus on her life in Mooreland, Indiana, which is amazingly close to where I grew up. I love this woman's writing. She has the drollest (most droll?) sense of humor. One example:

Just a glance at persimmons reveals them to be suspicious fruits and yet we ate them constantly. Joyce put them in jams and pies, she even made something with the word "pudding" in the title although of course it was not real pudding because it wasn't chocolate and it didn't come from a box. I was too polite to point the truth out.

I picked up one of her novels (The Solace of Leaving Early) from the library; as of page 9, I still like it, which is a relief. Mostly I am relieved because some people write funny, engaging nonfiction and then disappoint me with their fiction. I find this to be especially tragic when the author involved wrote a "how to write" book that I love. Well, this holds true for Anne Lamott (Bird by Bird, the writing book, and Hard Laughter, her first novel). I've never bothered to track down any novels by writing guru Natalie Goldberg (Writing Down the Bones, etc.).

category: reading

The Writer's Crisis Line

2009-04-24T21:28:00.002-04:00

Today's amusing blog post: If only we had an emergency hot line for publishing emergencies . . .

Sneaking a Peak at the London Book Fair

2009-04-24T00:00:00.003-04:00

Check out a report in the Practicing Writing blog about what it's like to go to the London book fair.

Awards Awarded

2009-04-23T23:48:00.003-04:00

Pulitzers of note (commentary quoted from AP story):

FEATURE WRITING: Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times

DeGregory was honored for what the Pulitzer board called her "moving, richly detailed story" about a neglected young girl, discovered in a roach-infested room, unable to talk or feed herself, who was adopted by a new family.
DeGregory spent six months watching the girl and her new family. She tracked down the girl's birth mother, the officer who rescued the girl, the doctors who examined her, the foster care worked who found her a home. Additional information came from hundreds of pages of police reports, medical records and court documents.
The St. Petersburg Times said more than 1 million people read "The Girl in the Window" online. It generated e-mails from 1,200 people worldwide.

HISTORY: "The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family," by Annette Gordon-Reed.

Gordon-Reed, a professor of law at New York Law School, explores several generations of the Hemings clan and, according to the judges, "casts provocative new light" on the relationship between the nation's third president and his slave.

The Pulitzer board said she was the first African-American to win the history prize.

BIOGRAPHY: "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House," by Jon Meacham.

The book was described by the judges as an "unflinching portrait" of Jackson, written in "agile" prose that brings Jackson's story to life.

GENERAL NONFICTION: "Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II," by Douglas A. Blackmon.

Blackmon, the Atlanta bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, has written extensively about the use of African-Americans as forced laborers in the nation's coal mines, lumber camps, railroads and plantations in the early 20th century. . . . The judges called the book a "precise and elegant" work that "rescues a multitude of atrocities from virtual obscurity."

In addition to the Pulitzers being announced, the 2009 Northern California Book Awards were doled out. Of interest to this crowd: Richard A. Muller, Physics for Future Presidents, won in the general nonfiction category. Noted Berkeley composer John Adams' Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life won in the creative nonfiction category.

Part of the Collective Memory

2009-04-23T23:40:00.002-04:00

From a piece on memoirs in Haaretz:

Literary researcher Dr. Shilhav Kest of Bar-Ilan University is focusing on the moment when private memory becomes public, collective - on what she calls "memory narrative." She uses the term to describe memoirs of certain World War II survivors, as distinguished from canonical Holocaust literature like that of Primo Levi, Eli Wiesel and Aharon Appelfeld. In her doctoral thesis, Kest defines this form of narrative as a genre unto itself, in which literary elements and the act of bearing witness are closely intertwined.

Give Up Writing? Never.

2009-04-19T16:16:00.002-04:00

Toni McGee Causey posts about figuring out when to quit writing. Amen, sister!

Toni currently writes fiction. Two of the funniest books I've read in years are from her: Bobbie Faye's Very (Very, Very, Very) Bad Day and Bobbie Faye's (Kinda, Sorta, Not Exactly) Family Jewels. She's got a third coming. And the series will be carried by Wal-Mart, even though there's lots of swearing in them, under new names that I can't remember right now but are on the Web site BobbieFaye.com.

What Not to Do in Creative Nonfiction

2009-04-18T18:01:00.003-04:00

A book reviewer in The Oregonian laments that the author of Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species.
"bogs down in tedious details and only in the last chapter focuses on the Wildlife Lab that, in the reviewer's opinion, should have been the frame the story hung on.

I haven't read the book. I don't know if the reviewer mistook the writer's intent. But I glean from the review some points to consider in the writing of a book:

Do we know the point of the book we're working on?
Does the reader know the point of the book? Did we tell her straight out what we are trying to do? If not, why not? In the aforementioned review, it's possible that the writer was telling the story she wanted to tell
Do the details we use bolster the point? It's so easy to fall in love with the details we unearth as we research.

Quotation: Work!

2009-04-16T04:04:00.001-04:00

Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.
— David Pollack, football player

category: quotations

Quotation

2009-04-08T18:08:00.000-04:00

A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

— Maya Angelou, poet

To Market, to Market

2009-04-08T17:51:00.001-04:00

From Twittering around: Here's a new blog on book publishing and publicity. Same title as the topic. If the content is as straightforward as the blog title (Book Publishing and Publicity), you might want to add this to your Favorites.

category: resources

Two Bons Mots for Writers

2009-04-08T11:35:00.004-04:00

Garrison Keillor puts out every weekday the Writer's Almanac, which includes a poem and a list of writers whose birthday it is. For today, he listed, among others, Seymour Hersh and Barbara Kingsolver, with quotes from each worth taping to your wall. (Unclear when or where they uttered these words of wisdom.)

From Hersh, this: "I don't make deals, I don't party and drink with sources, and I don't play a game of leaks. I read, I listen, I squirrel information. It's fun."

Barbara Kingsolver: "It is harrowing for me to try to teach 20-year-old students, who earnestly want to improve their writing. The best I can think to tell them is: Quit smoking, and observe posted speed limits. This will improve your odds of getting old enough to be wise."

Also, when I was looking at Kingsolver's Web site, I came across this, in the FAQ section:

From Francine [Prose] I remember learning three specific, helpful things that might qualify as rules. They were:
Your first sentence (or paragraph) makes a promise that the rest of the story (or novel) will keep.
Give your reader a reason to turn every page.
Keep a very large trash can beside your desk.
I follow these faithfully, though I've updated the wastebasket to a recycling box. Now, lest anyone turn blue, I'll offer up a few more things I've figured out over the years which might qualify as rules. Maybe there will be ten. We'll see.
Show, don't tell. Everybody knows this rule, and most of us still break it in every first draft. Be ruthless. Throw out the interior monologue.
Be relentlessly descriptive. Use details from every sense you own.
Set your scenes in places you know well. Otherwise, your details will be bogus.
Know what your theme is. If you can't express what you intend to get across in a concrete sentence or two (or for a novel, a few paragraphs), do you really think anyone else is going to get it? Write it out for yourself, point blank. Then toss it, and return to your story with a better sense of direction.
Write with nobody looking over your shoulder. After your book's published, you can worry about whether the subject is commercial, how your mother will like the steamy sex scenes, etc. But while you're writing, your only worthy concern is defining your particular passion and giving it a voice.
Revise, revise, revise, revise. Fill up that recycling box. A first draft is a work of construction; the seventh one is the work of an artist.
Don't wait for the muse. She has a lousy work ethic. Writers just write.

category: quotations

Market: Unsent Letters

2009-04-07T17:30:00.002-04:00

Oh, the places I go on the Internet! Here's a paying market for letters you've written (or might have written) but left unsent. If your letter is accepted, Unsent Letters pays $10. There's no mechanism for determining if the letters are factual (that is, that the situation described is factual, not that someone actually wrote the letter and then stashed it away waiting until this Web site was created to submit it), but I trust that any you submit will be!

category: markets

Will the Public Pay for Long, Detailed Stories?

2009-04-07T02:35:00.000-04:00

Amid the Seattle Post-Intelligencer closing and the shocking talk of the Boston Globe being shuttered, I ran across an interesting approach to the public getting news: a pay-per-story kind of arrangement.

An article in Always On reports on Spot.Us, wherein (real, ordinary, joe public) people can make small donations to cover the expenses of producing a local news story. "Local" in this case being the San Francisco Bay area. The resulting investigative piece, researched and written by (real, trained, experienced) journalists, gets published on the Spot.Us site. The Center for Media Change put the project together in an attempt to fill a growing local news hole. One of the stories up for donations would focus on the deteriorating Oakland infrastructure (a troubling tale of policy and potholes, I guess).

Crowdfunding has been used for making movies and supporting indie bands, among other things.
(No, I had never heard the word "crowdfunding" before five minutes ago, although the examples and citations on the pbwiki show people have been doing this for years, including Obama in microfinancing his campaign.)

Another such experiment is under way in Minnesota, according to Media Shift, where a full-time journalist is funded to cover news in the community online. The Media Shift piece explains a lot more about how crowdfunding might function in journalism. Fascinating stuff. Seriously. I'd use an exclamation point here, but I'm not an ! kind of writer.

The Media Shift story has examples of how individuals have used crowdfunding. Writing about this reminds me that someone years ago in the Goucher MFA alum crowd hooked into an online "hub" where people could look through creative projects and decide what to donate to. She was working on a book. In return, the donors got various reports, depending on their level of support. Unfortunately, I don't know how the project turned out. I vaguely remember that a hub didn't have many writers involved, so I don't know if she attracted the kind of interest (and $) she needed. Obviously, whether this works has a lot to do with finding people interested in the story you want to tell.

Brits Don't Do Narrative?

2009-04-06T14:03:00.002-04:00

Interview with Henry Porter, British editor of Vanity Fair:

"We [Vanity Fair] survive in the internet age because we have still got something that other people can't do, which is to tell a really good narrative. It makes you understand a story in a way that no other medium does," Porter explains of a magazine that in its most recent edition offers detailed insights into the economic meltdown in Iceland, the changing notion of the American Dream and the Bernard Madoff scandal. These are given treatments over nine, 12 and 16 pages respectively.

Porter says finding regular work with Vanity Fair is "very simple, to absolutely put all your effort into reporting, no short cuts, do the 40 calls, because you always pick up stuff. Transcribe your notes – don't think you remember them – then work on the art of narrative." Composition is an important part of a Vanity Fair piece, which might run to 7,000 words.

Another of my hobby horses comes up in the interview: Writers need to get out and do stuff besides write. A regular contributor, Langewiesche (inane aside: a name that poor guy has been having to spell his whole entire life, I'm sure), who writes in the current edition of Vanity Fair about Somali pirates hijacking yachts in the Gulf of Aden, got the assignment in part because Langewiesche has been an airline pilot and sails his own boat. As Porter puts it, "He understands stuff like navigation. . . . He understands the technical stuff and he can talk to pilots and radar operators--that's a really rare thing in journalism, to have someone who has had a practical life."

Parsing Writing for Info

2009-04-04T17:59:00.003-04:00

Let's consider how much you can impart to a reader without spelling everything out. The human brain doesn't need a lot of data to come up with assumptions. For whatever reason, the brain dislikes blanks the way radio dislikes empty air. For example, here's a recounting of what I did in five minutes this afternoon. In brackets I've put facts that a reader could glean from why I put.

I take the dirty saucer into the kitchen, see that the dishwasher hasn't been unloaded, and put the dish on the counter. My brother was right when he'd argued before the home renovation that my family needed a second dishwasher--one to take the dirty dishes while the first waited to be unloaded.
I'd opted for a second oven instead.
[Now you know that I own a home, have a brother, and like to bake or roast meat.]
I get the orange juice out again, noting that we're out of milk, wondering if my husband is out shopping, and pour a little into my glass. I put the juice back into the fridge and look in a few places until I find the liquid measuring cup. I pour the juice in, find that's a third of a cup, give a thought to pour in a little more to make it an even half (easier to do the math when I write down calories and fiber), put the juice back into the drinking glass, rinse the measuring cup, and balance it on the edge of the dish drainer, which is piled with the pans from last night's meal.
[New data: I'm married to a man who doesn't always tell me where he's going. I'm probably on a diet--who else measures their food? I'm tidy--I dealt with the measuring cup before I drink my juice. Someone washes the dishes after a meal but no one dries and puts them away.]
I drink the juice, the final flourish after my egg, bacon, and scrambled egg sandwich on whole wheat. The glass gets rinsed so the pulp won't dry and prove too much for the dishwasher, and I stack my dishes on top of the few dirty items already on the counter--a cutting board, two paring knives, three spoons, two cereal bowls.
[Info: My diet isn't stringent or I don't follow it well. There are other people in the household, ones who don't tidy up after themselves.]

Something to think about.

Patsy Sims put together a book analyzing what writers impart from the choices they make in their details and wording, Literary Nonfiction: Learning by Example. It's possible to overanaylze, certainly it's possible to ascribe to writers more intent than actually went into the writing, but it's also an education to see what the reader (in this case Patsy) takes from what is written.

Time Sinks

2009-04-02T03:27:00.005-04:00

Trying to get going on social media is about as exhausting as going to a party where I don't know anyone. At least I don't have to worry if there's something stuck in my teeth while I try to widen my pool of acquaintances.

Marketing Writing via Twitter

2009-03-28T12:40:00.003-04:00

John Kremer, book marketing maven, shares his game plan for getting more traffic on his Web site. It's the kind of thing you can do to market your own Web site, which can either (1) serve as your platform to impress publishers with or (2) promote the book(s) you've written.

Of course, as Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me host Peter Sagal said this morning, since NPR has now done a feature on Twitter, it may be a dying trend already. Ha!

category: resources

When Your Writing Isn't Going Well

2009-03-26T01:27:00.002-04:00

Crummy day? Find something that makes you laugh. It's good for you. After I told a friend about a particularly depressing series of events, he sent me a link to this site, FMyLife. Something in here should get a chuckle from you, however grudgingly.

And then go write.

Stupid Things People Say to Writers

2009-03-21T14:13:00.002-04:00

I bet you've heard at least one of the "Stupid Things People Say
to Writers" at Editor Unleashed . . .

http://tinyurl.com/cgusme

CNF: Revealing the Editing

2009-03-19T12:47:00.002-04:00

A Pittsburgh City Paper story highlights an unusual move by the lit mag Creative Nonfiction: posting the editing of three essays on the journal's Web site. Lee Gutkind, editor, decided he wanted to show reader how the journal changed the shape of the essays by deleting the beginnings.

He says it's unusual for literary journals to mess with the structure of pieces they publish. That surprised me: as a magazine editor of commercial magazines, I have no qualms about moving (and changing) anything needed to strengthen the piece (I run it by the writer afterward).

I haven't looked at the three pieces posted other than to see that the deleted copy is highlighted in yellow and added copy in green, but in general I agree with Lee that often the writer starts at the wrong place. Going further, writers often end at the wrong place, too. It's hard to resist the urge to tie things up in a pretty little bow.

Narrative Magazine, P.S.

2009-03-18T11:31:00.003-04:00

The only category in which I'd submit a piece to Narrative Magazine is Readers' Narrative. No reading fee is charged in that category. Although no payment is made for publication, that's standard for literary magazines anyway.

Narrative Magazine: Let's Rant

2009-03-17T20:10:00.002-04:00

Here's a good argument against dealing with Narrative Magazine, which charges people a "consideration fee" (boo, hiss) to submit pieces there. The piece is on , which describes itself as the "Internet literature magazine blog of the future."

Riveting Biography

2009-03-13T00:49:00.001-04:00

The Washington Post gave this book, Wedlock, enthusiastic praise for research and a story well told. The subtitle tells the thrust of the story: The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore.

War Memoirs

2009-03-12T00:33:00.003-04:00

Featured on Fresh Air 3/5/2009
Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood,
By Donovan Campbell

Blurb: After graduating from Princeton, Donovan Campbell, motivated by his unwavering patriotism and commitment, decided to join the service. In this immediate, thrilling, and inspiring memoir, Campbell recounts a timeless and transcendent tale of brotherhood, courage, and sacrifice. As commander of a forty-man infantry platoon called Joker One, Campbell and his men were assigned to Ramadi, that capital of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province that was an explosion just waiting to happen. After seven months of day-to-day, house-to-house combat, nearly half of Campbell’s platoon had been wounded, a casualty rate that went beyond that of any Marine or Army unit since Vietnam.

“…an outstanding narrative of the Iraq War.” ~ Publishers Weekly Starred Review

If you buy it from public radio, it gets a percentage.

The book was reviewed by the Washington Post along with two other war-based memoirs:

MISSION: BLACK LIST #1
The Inside Story of the Search for Saddam Hussein -- As Told by the Soldier Who Masterminded His Capture
By Eric Maddox with Davin Seay HarperCollins. 266 pp. $25.99

and

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education
By Craig M. Mullaney

The Post reviewer liked The Unforgiving Minute the best; he said the other two ignore some basic questions about the war on terrorism.

Nonfiction Writing Contests

2009-03-08T21:09:00.002-04:00

Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest
deadline: July 31, 2009

http://www.dreamquestone.com

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream. Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original.
Guidelines:
Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Postmark deadline: July 31, 2009
All contest winners will be announced on August 31, 2009
Prizes:
Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.
Entry fees:
Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story.
Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.

To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”

Mail to:
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for further details or to enter!

No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember, in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One

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for DC Residents
26th Annual Larry Neal Writers Competition
deadline: March 19

26th Annual Larry Neal Writers Competition in poetry, short fiction, essay, and dramatic writing, with separate awards for adults and youth.

New this year: The Big Read Special Recognition Award for Creative Expression, for essays on the theme of courage.

No fee to enter. Deadline: March 19.

Visit website for entry instructions:
http://dcarts.dc.gov

=====================

Writing It Real No-contest Contest
deadline: March 31

Writing It Real’s (www.writingitreal.com) No-contest Contest is reading poetry (up to three poems) and creative nonfiction (up to six pages double spaced) submissions now.

Every entry receives detailed response from Sheila Bender via e-mail. First-, second-, and third- place winning pieces will be published in Writing It Real with the authors’ permission, and each winning author will receive a half-hour phone or email consultation with Sheila Bender about writing and/or publishing.

The entry fee of $45 entitles the entrant to a year’s subscription to Writing It Real ($30 dollar value, in-depth instructional weekly articles on writing and publishing and discounts on online classes) as well as the emailed detailed response.

Contest entry deadline is March 31 (postmarked or uploaded).

Complete guidelines and information on mailing and/or uploading submissions at: www.writingitreal.com/page.php?p=essay_contest or email

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Bellevue Literary Review 2010 Contest
deadline: August 1

http://www.blreview.org/Contest/Contest%20index.htm

The Bellevue Literary Review Prizes recognize exceptional writing about health,
healing, illness, the mind, and the body. First prize is $1000 and publication
in the Spring 2010 issue of the Bellevue Literary Review.

$1000 Bellevue Literary Review Carter V. Cooper Memorial Prize for Nonfiction --
Judged by Phillip Lopate

Deadline: August 1, 2009.

Prose should be limited to 5000 words. Previously published work cannot be considered.
Entry fee is $15 per submission. For an additional $5, you will recieve a
1-year subscription to the BLR. For complete guidelines and to submit your
work, visit www.BLReview.org. (Feel free to contact info@BLReview.org with any
questions.)

==========

Press 53
deadline: March 31

8 Categories (Poetry, Flash Fiction, Short-Short Story, Short Story, Genre Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Novella, and Young Writers [13-17]).

8 Industry-Professional Judges

8 Personalized Etched-Glass Awards

17 Opportunities for Publication in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology

Complete guidelines for entry are at www.Press53.com

================

Tiferet Writing Contest
deadline: April 1

Tiferet: A Journal of Spiritual Literature invites your submission for our 2009 Writing Awards in Poetry and Prose. Prizes are $500 in each genre. TIFERET publishes writing from a variety of religious and spiritual traditions. Our mission is to help reveal spirit through the written word and to promote peace within the individual and in the world.

You may also choose to up your entry fee to $29 and receive a one-year subscription (two print and two digital issues) plus one FREE ISSUE of the magazine (176 pages, $14.95 value)--just $29 for a $58.95 value

Entry fee is $15 for one story or essay or up to six poems. The deadline is April 1, 2009. Visit www.tiferetjournal.com and click Writing Awards for details and to enter.

==============

Gulf Coast Contests
deadline: March 31

http://www.gulfcoastmag.org

The 2009 Gulf Coast Contests, awarding publication and $1,000 each in Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction, will be judged by Brigit Pegeen Kelly (poetry), Antonya Nelson (fiction), and Dinty W. Moore (nonfiction).

Guidelines: Submit one previously unpublished story or essay (25 double-spaced pages max) or up to five previously unpublished poems (10 pages max). Indicate your genre on the outer envelope. Your name and address should appear on the cover letter only. Include a SASE for results. Manuscripts will not be returned.

Your $20 reading fee, payable to "Gulf Coast," will include a one-year subscription.

Postmark deadline: March 31, 2009.

Send Entries to:
Gulf Coast Prize in [Genre]
Department of English
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3013

==================

TallGrass Writers GuildLiterary Anthology/Contest Guidelines
Sponsored by Outrider Press in affiliation with TallGrass Writers Guild
deadline: extended to March 31

E-mail outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net.

Planned publication date: late summer/early fall 2009. Working title: Fearsome Fascinations. We interpret broadly; can mean fascination wi th the paranormal as well as snakes and spiders, and dangerous/extreme sports, addictions and the allure of Forbidden Fruit: Bad Boys, Vamps, flirty married bosses, vices, etc. Especially interested in poetry.

Previously published material and simultaneous submissions OK. Award of $1000 in cash prizes for First ($500 each for poetry and prose) . Also: 2nd, 3rdplaces, + Hon. Mention. All winners receive Featured Reader status at the Kick-Off Reading at Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest, the nation’s third largest book fair of its kind (depending on CTPRLF scheduling). Each published contributor receives a free copy of the anthology.

Entry fees for each category are $16, reduced to $12 each for TWG members. Current annual U.S. TWG membership fee of $45 ($25 for students w/xerox of valid photo ID) includes six 12-page newsletters each year. An entry form for the 2009 Anthology/Contest (available w/SASE, if not attached to these guidelines) must be completed and accompany each entry category. To obtain,20email: outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net.

Prose: 2500 word limit per entry; sections from longer works accepted. Reading fee for each entry: $16 US/$12US-TWG member. For 2 prose entries per person: $32US/$24US-TWG member; for 3: $48/$36, etc.

NO LIMIT ON NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS.

NEW INFORMATION: Judge: We delighted to have secured the services of Diane Williams as judge. She is an award-winning writer/educator, and author of Performing Seals. She has studied abroad on a variety of fellowships, currently teaches at Chicago's Kendall College, and has a memoir-in-progress.

Submission Guide (for complete guidelines, email outriderpress@sbcglobal.net. Send two copies of each manuscript (ms.) Plus disk as follows:

§ HARD COPY – Double-spaced manuscript on one side, on 8.5”x11” unlined white paper. Only laserjet, inkjet or letter-quality dot matrix acceptable; plus: Four-sentence bio; plus:

§ ELECTRONIC – Provide ms. and bio (separate files, please) on small capacity flash drive or CD, using Windows Rich-Text-Format (RTF) or Microsoft Word (not Works). Package your CDs safely to prevent damage. Specify word processing program on label + author’s name and e-mail address. No MAC.

§ Include name, address, phone/FAX numbers (w/area code) and e-mail addresses on first sheet of fiction; each sheet of poetry. Your phone number and e-mail address are required on every item.

§ Include a stamped, self-addressed #10 (business size) envelope (SASE) for response. Mss. shredded/recycled, not returned. Include a stamped, self-addressed postcard to have receipt of ms. confirmed.

Postmarked no later than March 31.

FOR COMPLETE GUIDELINES WITH REQUIRED ENTRY FORM: outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net. Telephone: 219-322-7270 or toll-free 866-510-6735.

================

Word & Sound Creative Writing Contests 2009
deadline: June 30
http://AlbertAnthonyFoundation.googlepages.com

Sponsored by the Albert Anthony Foundation for Cultural Arts, Grants, & Scholarships
Post Office Box 5464, Columbus, Mississippi 39704-5464 / 662.240.0232

Word & Sound Creative Writing Contests are open to writers across the globe and judged by prominent writers (TBA) in the area of expertise. Winners selected/notified: September 30. Winnings disbursed: December 30. Prizes: $100, $75, $50, $25 with sponsorship/$50, $40, $30, and $20 without sponsorship for first place, second place, third place, and honorable mention awarded at judges’ discretion. Entries must be original work and neither be a previous contest winner nor previously published. Submit Cover Page, Titled Entry, Short Biography (50-75 words of most interesting aspects of writer’s creativity or most important points of writer’s life), and Self-Addressed-Stamped-Envelope (SASE) with a Check/Money Order in the appropriate amount payable to AAF, c/o Contest Coordinator, Post Office Box 5464, Columbus, MS 39704-5464.

JUDGES
Published writer Willie Williams: part owner of Broadside Press and others TBA.

[section 1 is Poetry; section 3 is Short Short Story; section 4 is Short Story]

SECTION 2 - ESSAY CONTEST
Reading Donation: $4 per essay ($10 for up to 3 entries)

GUIDELINES: Submit a Cover Page, Titled Entry, Biography, SASE, and Entry Donation c/o Essay Contest Coordinator.
· Submit up to 3 original Opinionated Essays on any subject (1,200 words maximum), typed/computer generated, double-spaced on 8-1/2 x 11 inch white sheets with one-inch margins and no other markings. Include word count at end.
· Cover Page contains (1.) Name of Contest in the upper left corner; (2.) author’s Full Name, complete Mailing Address with Zip Code, Area Code & Telephone/Cell Number, and Email Address in the upper right corner; and (3.) Essay Title centered (or numbered and flush left, if more than one).

NOTE: Entries in 2 or more contests may be separated by a smaller envelope and packaged in one larger envelope; only one SASE is required.

Short Bio may be included at the bottom of the Cover Sheet. Entries are recycled after judging.

====================

To Twitter about CNF

2009-03-06T15:12:00.002-05:00

I'm obviously a total fledgling when it comes to Twitter, but John Kremer--major book marketing guru--has a cache of info on using Twitter to promote your books, products, services, and Web sites. I went to a couple of John's workshops at the Erma Bombeck writers' conference. He knows a ton and is always sharing what he knows--it's a great attitude!

Six-Word Memoir Contest

2009-02-20T23:53:00.000-05:00

Check in at Powell's Books to learn more about two books of six-word memoirs from writers famous and obscure. And then take a crack at writing your own.

In Powell staff words: "Simply post a comment containing your six-word autobiography below — a general summation, not limited to love or heartbreak. (But really, is it ever about anything else? Sigh.) We'll pick 10 finalists, to be featured on our blog, and submit them to the HarperCollins panel of judges, who will choose the soon-to-be-published author.

Deadline for submitting is midnight (PST), April 15, 2009. Click here for official contest rules."

Literary Terms--A Tangle

2009-02-19T11:40:00.001-05:00

More amusing writing. This piece from Harper's (by way of someone else's blog) explains literary terms. I've long been ruefully amused by the term creative nonfiction.

That Whole Social Networking Thing

2009-02-18T23:20:00.003-05:00

This piece about why Facebook is for old fogies (who has ever heard of young fogies?) made me laugh, partly because I am frikkin' stressed about the need to get aboard that whole social networking bandwagon so I can brand myself as a writer (doesn't that sound painful?), build a platform to improve my chances of selling a book, and grow my business (stupid expression; the best thing I grow is weeds. Who wants a weedy business?).

Picking Back Up, Take 2

2009-02-17T00:52:00.003-05:00

What I was saying before I zoned out and hit Send was, when I'm reading a book, I can go on faith that "day in the life" approach will add up to something by the end, assuming the characters are interesting and the author writes well. In an article, I want to be clued in sooner. Seems counterintuitive, now that I put this down in black and white. That is, an article ends more quickly than a book, so the point will be apparently more quickly--but I, in truth, I want the point faster because I know the form is so much shorter than a book.

(I'm sorry I made you wait so long to finish a thought that now seems convoluted anyway.)

Picking Back Up

2009-02-10T23:23:00.003-05:00

While I've been hiding from my blog responsibilities, I've started listening to Anne Tyler's book Digging to America (fiction). It is not a book with a burning question that pulls one through the story. At this point, it feels like an aimless, albeit pleasant, drive through the countryside.

The nonfiction equivalent would be a long "day in the life" piece. In a book, I can go on faith. In an article, I'd

Why Be an Essayist

2009-01-11T01:40:00.002-05:00

Here's the beginning of Wendell Barry's poem "VII," which I think is really lovely. The poem appeared in The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor January 7 (and was pointed out to me by my lovely colleague Cheryl):

VII

by Wendell Berry

I would not have been a poet
except that I have been in love
alive in this mortal world,
or an essayist except that I
have been bewildered and afraid,
or a storyteller had I not heard
stories passing to me through the air,
or a writer at all except
I have been wakeful at night
and words have come to me
out of their deep caves
needing to be remembered.

category: quotations

Fighting Off Writing Demons

2009-01-10T01:59:00.002-05:00

Maryn McKenna on the WriterL e-mail list (subscription-only) suggests a book for keeping you from going crazy while you're writing: The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield (his site has excerpts and reviews). She says she usually reads one of the many one- or two-page chapters each day. She applauds it for "dispelling--or at least helping you to name and identify--your own internal resistance."

Anyone read it & have any thoughts? Or have another book to recommend for dealing with writing (as opposed to the joy of having written)?

I'm gonna click over to my library's catalog now to see if I can find a copy of The War of Art.

category: resources

Got Writing Resolutions?

2009-01-08T01:14:00.001-05:00

Having the beginning of the year in the middle of winter is a stupid idea, at least for those of us stuck in climes with cold and gray weather at this time of year. A new resolution would take hold better in spring, when the environment is energetically sprouting new (and colorful and interesting) stuff too.

Putting on the optimist's viewpoint momentarily, however, if we start digging ourselves a new habit now, by spring we'll be seeing the results right along with Earth's celebrations in the northern hemisphere, at least.

My writing ambitions for 2009:

Produce a narrative nonfiction project every quarter.
Revise a piece every quarter.
Submit a piece every quarter to a literary journal.
Submit six queries for narratives to magazine editors.
Analyze 12 narratives published by others.
Write a book proposal and submit it to at least one agent.

To accomplish goals, you have to break them down into specific actions. For example:
Task: Revising my work and analyzing that of others. (At the beginning of each week I'll pick which pieces to work on.)
Time: 3 to 4: 30 p.m., when my daughter does her homework.
Place: Kitchen island (to keep an eye on my daughter, who does her homework at the dining room table).
Reward: An hour of guilt-free reading in my favorite chair.

I tell you honestly: it is hard to be an ambition person who is lazy.

What are you planning for your writing this year?

Craft Essays on Brevity

2009-01-07T12:09:00.000-05:00

How recently have you checked out the nitty-gritty writing craft advice by writers who know what they're talking about on Brevity, an online publication featuring CNF of 750 or fewer words? [Possibly the world's longest question, there.] What are you waiting for?

See Writers Weschler and Birnbaum in Boston

2009-01-06T23:47:00.002-05:00

Artdaily.com lists a cozy conversation between New Yorker writer Lawrence Weschler and writer Robert Birnbaum. Takes place Wednesday, January 28 at 6:30 p.m., in the intimate setting of the ICA’s Water Café. Put on by the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Tickets: $8 general admission; $5 members, students, and seniors; (617) 478-3103 . Café menu available during the event.

They won't be chatting about CNF, per se, however. They'll be discussing two books (Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: Expanded Edition, Over Thirty Years of Conversations with Robert Irwin [Has anyone seen a longer title on a book??] and True to Life: Twenty-Five Years of Conversations with David Hockney) that present opposing accounts of the history of modern art and the significance of the artists’ work within that context.

Lawrence Weschler, a New Yorker staff writer for more than 20 years, is the author of a dozen books of creative nonfiction, including the 2006 collection of essays Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. Robert Birnbaum is editor-at-large of the literary cultural Web site www.identitytheory.com, where he has interviewed many authors, including Sebastian Junger.

Weschler will sign books immediately after the talk.

Time to Register for Boston Conference

2008-12-19T14:49:00.001-05:00

Here's the announcement for the Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism:

Telling True Stories in Turbulent Times
March 20-22, 2009, in Boston, Massachusetts

This year's conference will provide the perfect venue to address the dramatic changes happening in the industry and connect with peers to learn new ways to work and flourish in a rapidly changing environment.

In addition to Gwen Ifill (Washington Week) and Jon Lee Anderson (The New Yorker), Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz (The Plain Dealer) is a keynote speaker at the conference. Complete information, including speaker bios, an online registration form, and conference schedule, is available online at www.nieman.harvard.edu/narrative2009/.

The $375 early-bird registration discount for the 2009 Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism ends Jan. 15, 2009.

Grin a Little

2008-11-22T02:59:00.000-05:00

The November newsletter produced by the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop is now online. Three of the items:

ROOKIE MISTAKES

Self-publishing authors often make them; self-publishing veteran Judy Cullins offers five to avoid.

NOW BOARDING...
In his new book Globejotting, Dave Fox provides a tutorial on documenting far-flung journeys without distracting yourself from the travel experiences themselves.

WIN FRIENDS, INFLUENCE PEOPLE

In October, This American Life explored stories of climbing to be No. 1. The show, broadcast on 500 public radio stations weekly, also accepts submissions.

12 Tips at Christmas

2008-11-21T01:00:00.001-05:00

A little gift from the blog A Book Inside: useful links in 12 categories. For example, On the seventh day of Christmas, A Book Inside gave to authors . . . Two inexpensive ways to go on a virtual book tour.

Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself mentioning Christmas gifts, but hey, I have library books that are now due in December, so we're not that far off.

Promoting Books--A Never-ending Story

2008-11-20T02:53:00.000-05:00

From John Kremer's free e-newsletter:

Marketing your book through social media
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you've been thinking of marketing your books using social media such
as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc., check out this blog post:
http://www.atlantaclickadvisor.com/2008/10/marketing-social-media.
It's a good post on the basics of social marketing.

Personally, I have pages on most of these social media websites and
also write several blogs, but I find them primarily a waste of time in
promoting books. Too time-consuming. That's why they're just a really
small option in what I'm teaching in my Ten Million Eyeballs course.

In that course, I focus on the quick, easy, fast, effective, cheap ways
to market your books, products, and services online.

If you're interested in pay per click advertising, you can read more of
Eric Werner's blog at http://www.atlantaclickadvisor.com.

Esquire's Best

2008-11-19T02:34:00.001-05:00

For it's 75th anniversary, Esquire has selected its best stories, including "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold."

Writer's Survival Guide

2008-10-30T05:26:00.004-04:00

In my never-ending quest to procrastinate, I browsed through a writing advice book: The Writer's Survival Guide by Rachel Simon. It's clear she has been a working writer, and she has solid counsel to pass along. I particularly liked chapter 2, "Big Emotions and States of Mind." Simon lists

Competitiveness--a seething desire to best everyone else
Confidence
Contemplativeness
Ego--"a rigid self-perception of supposed perfection"
Energy
Envy
Feelings of failure--"a shudder of vast disappointment in ourselves"
Feelings of inferiority
Guilt
Insecurity
Inquisitiveness
Laziness
Loneliness
Love/Hate--"contradictory epiphanies about our work"
Meaningfulness--"a glow of dignity from engaging in purposeful activity"
Paranoia
Passion
Pride
Shame--worrying about what will happen when everyone realizes that you are a fraud.
Spiritual contectedness

The general antecdotes to the negatives among that list are found in chapter 3: setting boundaries; celebrating every accomplishment; committing to ourselves that our writing is valuable; believing in our own inner voice; exhibiting humility, discipline, patience, and tenacity; and having writing friends.

Of course she describes and expounds. She sometimes sounds too New Age-y for me, but pretty much I agree with her views.

New Literary Journal Seeks CNF

2008-10-29T03:31:00.001-04:00

Emprise Review (http://www.muttsbane.com) is a monthly literary journal in search of high quality, compelling work.

Deadline for submission is the 20th of each month. The editors will contact you regarding our decision between the 20th and 25th.

All submissions should be original and sent as attachments with Emprise and the submission category in the subject line.

We accept submissions in photography, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and are in particular need of the latter for the upcoming issues. Guidelines.

Quote

2008-10-16T12:12:00.002-04:00

I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.

— Frank Lloyd Wright

quote

2008-10-10T13:35:00.001-04:00

Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.

— Gloria Steinem

Social Networking for Writers

2008-08-30T06:48:00.001-04:00

Social networking for writers. Hmmmm. To tell the hard truth, "social" and "writer" don't always belong in the same sentence. But everyone's talking about it, and I look at it this way: I want to know what it is so I can decide if it's going to help my career.

John Kremer's Book Marketing Tip of the Week mentions a site that lists free teleseminars and webinars (there's a stupid word). One of the freebies is "Publicity Through Social Marketing: Why Every Author Should Be Involved with Web 2.0." You can listen to the piece, which originated June 4, 2008.

OK, the bottom line is that discussions about social networking for writers assume that you have written a book because you're an expert on a topic and that your focus remains on that topic. Therefore, it makes sense for you to post comments and articles on that topic far and wide; these comments and articles mention in an offhand way that you've written a book on the subject and list your Web site. On your site, you provide interesting content and overtly market your book.

For nonfiction writers whose books stay in a particular field, this social networking approach can work. For writers like me, who hop, skip, and jump from topic to topic (biotechnology to food to screen doors), I'm thinking there are two approaches: 1) set aside time to social network for each book; and 2) try to network in the same pool as other creative nonfiction writers.

What do you think?

By the way, Scott Fox is the guy who created the Web site that lists these freebies. According to Kremer, Fox is an author conducting research for his next book about online marketing. The Web site offer listings of free teleseminars, webinars, webcasts, and online classes for marketing technology, publishing, search engine optimization, sales, training, and education. Sharing the listings with people proves the wide and inexpensive reachof the Internet. To submit your free teleseminars and online classes, go here: http://www.freeteleseminarlist.com/submit-webinar.html. Kremer notes that "Fox is also making money from the online ads, Google ads, and links to his other websites where he sells books and services."

category: resources

Bad Habits to Avoid (or Break)

2008-08-29T14:58:00.002-04:00

Wanna be a successful writer? Ten habits to avoid on Freelance Writing Gigs.

Immersing Your Reader

2008-08-29T06:54:00.000-04:00

In creative nonfiction we hear a lot about immersion--how the writer plops herself into the action and re-creates that on the page. One problem that comes in describing an environment is in handlling unfamiliar terms.

Most lines of work have words, phrases, usages, sometimes equipment, that are unfamiliar to people outside that field. For example: To doctors, a patient presents with symptoms. A quilter miters corners. A newspaper zones its metro tabs.

I've been thinking about this matter as read Court of the Air, a fantasy novel. The writer plops you down in a blizzard of new words. Some are new words for objects we recognize; other words are as original as the thing they refer to (steammen being a "people" whose bodies are machines). Maybe I should be flattered that the author believes readers can sort out what is meant. Instead, I'm feeling assaulted by having to figure out so many words before I can figure out what's going on in the story.

Most people can figure out a term by its context. Court of the Air just takes this approach to the extreme.

One trick is to describe something, then introduce the term itself. I like this better than using a word, then describing what it is in a clause set off by parentheses or dashes.

Another approach is to paraphrase instead of using a direct quote when a person uses technical terms.

You want to immerse readers in the environment, but think about whether you want to lead them in gradually or throw them in to a world of unfamiliar words. Once you've decided, make sure you show the manuscript to someone who is a stranger to that environment you're writing about--and be prepared to throw a few life preservers into your manuscript if needed.

Aren't Agents Always on Our Minds?

2008-08-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Many writers seem to see agents as more of a mystery than how the universe got created. Because I've been a journalist (at least, that's what I chalk it up to), I refuse to be intimidated by anyone, including agents.

The September issue of Poets & Writers has a Q&A with Molly Friedrich. Most of her clients write fiction, but the piece sheds light on how people can approach agents, how agents make decisions, and . . . stuff. Just read the piece, OK?

Contests for Creative Nonfiction

2008-08-27T17:26:00.003-04:00

This list is pulled from the September 2008 Poets & Writers. Notice that several are from state art councils--you should check into what's available from your own state's council.

Although you may not be ready to submit for some of these opportunities, such as the Princeton fellowship, tuck these away for future reference. It's always good to know what's out there.

American Antiquarian Society
Fellowships for Historical Research
At least three fellowships are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers for monthlong residencies at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, to research pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. A stipend of $1,100 and on-campus housing is provided; fellows residing off-campus receive $1,600. The fellowships support research on any subject as long as it produces high-quality creative work for the general public, such as historical poems and novels. Residencies may take place any time in 2009. Submit 10 copies of up to 25 pages of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction, a resumé, two letters of recommendation (sent directly to AAS by the references), and a five-page project proposal by October 5. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE, call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
American Antiquarian Society, Fellowships for Historical Research, 185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609-1634. (508) 471-2131. James David Moran, Director of Outreach.
jmoran@mwa.org
www.americanantiquarian.org/artistfellowship.htm

American-Scandinavian Foundation
Writing Fellowships and Grants
Fellowships of up to $20,000 and grants of $4,000 will be given annually for study and research in Scandinavia to poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators of literature. Submit up to 15 pages of poetry, up to 20 pages of prose, or up to 10 pages of translated text in English along with the original work, a project proposal, a resumé, and three letters of reference with a $20 entry fee by November 1. Visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.
American-Scandinavian Foundation, Writing Fellowships and Grants, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016. (212) 879-9779.
grants@amscan.org
www.amscan.org

Arizona Commission on the Arts
Artist Project Grants
Up to five grants of $5,000 will be given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to support the completion of a project. Residents of Arizona who are not enrolled for more than three credit hours at a college or university are eligible. Submit up to five pages of poetry or prose, a resumé, and a project description by September 18. There is no entry fee. Visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.
Arizona Commission on the Arts, Artist Project Grants, 417 Roosevelt Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003-1326. (602) 771-6501. Christopher Burawa, Literature Director.
info@azarts.gov
www.azarts.gov

Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference
Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes
Publication by Graywolf Press and a fellowship to attend the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in Middlebury, Vermont, is given annually for a first book by a poet, a fiction writer, and a creative nonfiction writer. Linda Gregerson will judge in poetry, Percival Everett in fiction, and Sue Halpern in creative nonfiction. Submit at least 50 pages of poetry, a novel or short story collection of 150 to 450 pages, or a creative nonfiction manuscript of 150 to 300 pages with a $10 entry fee between September 15 and November 1. Send an SASE, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines. (See Recent Winners.)
Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753. Jennifer Bates, Coordinator.
bakelessprize@middlebury.edu
www.bakelessprize.org

Briar Cliff Review
Writing Contests
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Briar Cliff Review will be given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. Submit three poems or up to 6,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee, which includes a copy of the prize issue, by November 1. Call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
Briar Cliff Review, Writing Contests, Briar Cliff University, 3303 Rebecca Street, Sioux City, IA 51104. (712) 279-1651. Tricia Currans-Sheehan, Editor.
tricia.currans-sheehan@briarcliff.edu
www.briarcliff.edu/bcreview

Chautauqua Literary Journal
Writing Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Chautauqua Literary Journal is given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, or an essay. This year’s contest is open to poets. Robin Becker will judge. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than six pages with a $20 entry fee by November 15. Send an SASE, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines. (See Recent Winners.)
Chautauqua Literary Journal, Writing Contest, P.O. Box 28, Chautauqua, NY 14722. Jill Gerard, Editor.
clj@uncw.edu
writers.ciweb.org

DIAGRAM
Hybrid Nonfiction Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication in DIAGRAM will be given annually for an essay that incorporates writing in other genres, or unique textual or visual elements. Ander Monson and Nicole Walker will judge. Using the online submission system, submit an essay of up to 10,000 words with a $15 entry fee by October 30. E-mail or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
DIAGRAM, Hybrid Nonfiction Contest, 648 Crescent Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Ander Monson, Editor.
editor@thediagram.com
www.thediagram.com/contest.html

Georgetown Review
Literary Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Georgetown Review is given annually for a single poem, a short story, or an essay. All entries will be considered for publication. Submit a poem, short story, or essay of any length with a $10 entry fee ($5 for each additional entry) by November 15. Visit the Web site for complete guidelines. (See Recent Winners.)
Georgetown Review, Literary Prize, 400 East College Street, Box 227, Georgetown, KY 40324. Steven Carter, Editor.
georgetownreview.georgetowncollege.edu

Graywolf Press
Nonfiction Prize
An advance of $12,000 and publication by Graywolf Press is given annually for a book-length work of creative nonfiction by a writer who has published no more than two books in that genre. Robert Polito will judge. Submit a manuscript of 175 to 400 pages by October 1. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
Graywolf Press, Nonfiction Prize, 2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, St. Paul, MN 55114. Katie Dublinski, Editorial Director.
www.graywolfpress.org

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Writing Fellowships
Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers “on the basis of stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment.” Submit a career summary, a statement of intent, and up to three published books by September 15. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE or visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Writing Fellowships, 90 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016. (212) 687-4470.
fellowships@jsgmf.org
www.gf.org

Harvard University
Radcliffe Institute Fellowships
Fellowships of up to $70,000 each, an office space at the Radcliffe Institute, and access to the libraries at Harvard University are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to allow them to pursue creative projects. Fellows are expected to reside in Boston during the fellowship period, which lasts from September to June. Poets who have published at least 20 poems in the last five years or a book of poetry and who are in the process of completing a manuscript are eligible. To be considered for a fellowship in fiction or creative nonfiction, applicants must have a contract for publication of a book-length manuscript or at least three shorter works published. Writers who are graduate students at the time of application are not eligible. Submit up to 10 poems, one or two short stories, a recent book chapter, or an essay totaling no more than 30 pages; three letters of reference (sent directly to the institute by the references); a curriculum vitae; and a project proposal by October 1. There is no entry fee. Call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines. (See Recent Winners.)
Harvard University, Radcliffe Institute Fellowships, Fellowship Office, 8 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. (617) 496-1324.
fellowships@radcliffe.edu
www.radcliffe.edu/fellowships

Missouri Review
Editors’ Prizes
Three prizes of $3,000 each and publication in Missouri Review are given annually for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Submit up to 10 pages of poetry or a story or essay of up to 25 pages with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Missouri Review, by October 1. Send an SASE, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
Missouri Review, Editors’ Prizes, 357 McReynolds Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. (573) 882-4474. Speer Morgan, Editor.
www.missourireview.com

New Rivers Press
MVP Competition
Three prizes of $1,000 each and a standard royalty contract are given annually for book-length manuscripts of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by emerging writers. The winning works will be published by New Rivers Press and distributed nationally through Consortium. This year, the prizes in prose are only open to writers who reside in Minnesota or New York City; the prize in poetry is open to all U.S. writers. Submit a poetry manuscript of 50 to 80 pages; a collection of short stories, novellas, or personal essays of 100 to 200 pages; or a novel or memoir of up to 400 pages with a $20 entry fee between September 15 and November 1. Visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.
New Rivers Press, MVP Competition, 1104 Seventh Avenue South, Moorhead, MN 56563. Donna Carlson, Managing Editor.
carlsond@mnstate.edu
www.newriverspress.com

New York Foundation for the Arts
Artists’ Fellowships
Fellowships of $7,000 each are given biennially to poets and creative nonfiction writers on the basis of the excellence of their recent work. Grants alternate yearly with fellowships in fiction. Writers who are at least 18 years old, have lived in New York State for at least two years prior to application, and are not enrolled in a degree-granting program are eligible. Using the online submission system, submit up to 20 pages of poems by October 6, or up to 20 pages of creative nonfiction by October 8. There is no entry fee. Visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines. (See Recent Winners.)
New York Foundation for the Arts, Artists’ Fellowships, 155 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10013-1507. (212) 366-6900, ext. 240. David Terry, Awards and Creative Development Officer.
fellowships@nyfa.org
www.nyfa.org/afp

North Carolina Arts Council
Writers’ Fellowships
Fellowships of $10,000 each are given biennially to North Carolina poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and literary translators. Applicants must have lived in North Carolina for at least one year prior to the application deadline and may not be enrolled in an academic or degree-granting program during the fellowship year. Fellows must maintain their residency throughout the grant period. Submit up to 10 poems or 20 pages of prose, a resumé, and a statement of purpose. Literary translators should also submit the original work. The deadline is November 3. There is no application fee. Call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.
North Carolina Arts Council, Writers’ Fellowships, Department of Cultural Resources, Raleigh, NC 27699-4632. (919) 807-6512. Debbie McGill, Literature Director.
debbie.mcgill@ncmail.net
www.ncarts.org

Princeton University
Hodder Fellowships
Three fellowships are given annually to writers of exceptional promise to pursue independent projects in the humanities at Princeton University for an academic year. Each fellowship includes a $60,000 stipend. Typically the fellows are poets, novelists, creative nonfiction writers, and translators who have published one highly acclaimed work and are undertaking a significant new project that might not be possible without the “studious leisure” afforded by the fellowship. Fellows are required to live in Princeton during the 2009–2010 academic year. Preference is given to individuals outside of academia, and PhD candidates are not eligible. Submit up to 10 pages of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction, a resumé, and a project proposal of two to three pages by November 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
Princeton University, Hodder Fellowships, Lewis Center for the Arts, Program in Creative Writing, 185 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542. (609) 258-4096. Janine Braude, Contact.
jbraude@princeton.edu
www.princeton.edu/arts/fellows

Pulitzer Prizes
Prizes in Letters
Three prizes of $10,000 each are given annually to U.S. writers to honor the most distinguished books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) in the United States during the previous year. For books published between June 15 and December 31, 2008, submit four copies, an author biography, and a photograph with a $50 entry fee by October 15. Visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.
Pulitzer Prizes, Prizes in Letters, 709 Journalism Building, 2950 Broadway, Mail Code 3865, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027. (212) 854-3841. Sig Gissler, Prize Board Administrator.
www.pulitzer.org

Southern Indiana Review
Mary C. Mohr award
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Southern Indiana Review is given annually for a poem, short story, or work of creative nonfiction. This year’s award is given for a work of creative nonfiction. Susan Neville will judge. All entries will be considered for publication. Submit an essay of up to 25 pages with a $15 entry fee ($5 for each additional essay) by October 1. Call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.
(See Recent Winners.)
Southern Indiana Review, Mary. C. Mohr Award, University of Southern Indiana, 8600 University Boulevard, Evansville, IN 47712. (812) 464-1855. Ron Mitchell, Editor.
sir@usi.edu
www.southernindianareview.org

Wisconsin Arts Board
Artist Fellowship Awards
Seven fellowships of $8,000 each are given biennially to Wisconsin poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to support continued artistic achievement. Writers living in Wisconsin who are not full-time students pursuing a fine arts degree are eligible. Submit five copies of up to 15 pages of poetry or 25 pages of prose, a curriculum vitae, and a personal statement by September 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the Web site for the required application and complete guidelines.
Wisconsin Arts Board, Artist Fellowship Awards, 101 East Wilson Street, 1st Floor, Madison, WI 53702. (608) 266-0190.
www.artsboard.wisconsin.gov