Fr** Writing Info and Help
We recently had in our weekly chat a young writer who felt information about writing wasn't readily available without cost beyond his/her means. To prove my point that fr*e information
is readily available, please read the latest installment of Erika Dreifus' The Practicing Writer.
Many other sources are available at little or no cost. A listing can be found at The Writer's Chatroom website. http://writerschatroom.com Visit the markets and/or education pages. Read through these blog entries.
WRITERS READ! Writers are constantly researching new markets for their work. Writers are constantly doing their homework, if they wish to be published abundantly. I'm not trying to be harsh--just honest. Our goal here is to help and support. But, being realistic about the amount
of work involved outside of the actually writing, is important.
Oh ... another hurtful truth: There is no quick money to be made by writing. Yeah, yeah, you say. We've all heard stories about how an author got a multi-million dollar deal with the first book. Look at J.K. Rowling. Bill Clinton got an $8 Million advance for his memoirs. Uh-huh.
Most of us have never been the President of the United States and don't have that kind of
name recognition--even if part of that recognition came from his exploits with women who
were not his wife. And most of us, obviously, didn't dream of the Harry Potter series.
Please pardon any typos or missing/added spaces in the following newsletter. I can assure
you they were not Erika's fault, but the fault of my problematic, ongoing, formatting issues-which I hope to have repaired very soon.
Enjoy The Practicing Writer. Subscribe if you'd like. She only sends out one per month and
won't sell your email address to anyone.
Linda J. Hutchinson
Freelance Writer/Copywriter
www.lindajhutchinson.com
linda@writerschatroom.com
THE PRACTICING WRITER Web site: http://www.practicing-writer.com/
Writing" Blog: http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com/ Supporting the Craft and Business of Excellent Writing Volume 3, No. 8: September 2006 Editor: Erika Dreifus, Ed.M., M.F.A.,
Ph.D. Copyright (c) 2006 Erika Dreifus--------------------------------------------
This newsletter is going out to *1460* subscribers. Welcome to our new readers, and welcome back to the regulars! We value our subscribers, and we protect their privacy. We keep our subscriber list confidential. If you find the information here useful PLEASE PASS THE NEWSLETTER ON--in its entirety--to your writing friends, students, and teachers. Thanks!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This newsletter is sent by subscription only. For instructions on subscribing or unsubscribing, please scroll to the end. Thank you!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Editor's Note: What's New
2. Article/Lessons Learned
3. Featured Resource
4. Upcoming/Ongoing Contests, Competitions, and OtherOpportunities of Interest
5. Submission Alerts!!!
6. Blog Notes
7. Conference/Course/Event Calendar
8. Newsletter Matters~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. EDITOR'S
NOTE: WHAT'S NEW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello, practicing writers (and a special welcome to those of you joining us via the wonderful recommendations we recently received in the WhidbeyIsland Writers Association Newsletter and the PayingWriterJobs list): It's hard to believe that September is already upon us, but
here we are. I've had a great summer, and I hope you have, too (or winter, depending on
where you are reading this). I've been lucky to have acceptances and publications continue throughout the season (along with some rejections, to be sure).
As you may have seen blogside, one my most recent publications is one that means a lot to
me; since it is both very short *and*accessible online (*and* has a connection with this
month's feature article, an interview with Sands Hall), I thought I'd tell you a little bit about
it. "Rio, 1946" is a piece of (very) short fiction. It's actually an excerpt from my novel manuscript. And it began as part of an overnight exercise on point of view (more years ago
than I care to reveal) in an Iowa Summer Writing Festival workshop taught by Sands Hall.
The timing here is just perfect: I'd already snagged the interview with Sands that you'll find
a few lines down when I found out "Rio, 1946" had been accepted for publication and I'm so happy to be able to present the interview and the fiction simultaneously.
Since many of you know that family history is something I write about in both fact (for familyhistory/genealogy magazines) and fiction, I'll add that there's another reason the publication of "Rio,1946" means so much just now. The piece is rooted in my family history: exactly 60 years ago--in August 1946--my paternal grandmother's parents, who had fled
Nazi Germany for Brazil in 1940, sailed from Rio toward New York. My great-grandfather,
who in a number of ways inspired my novel's character of Max Haguenauer, died at the
Marine Hospital on Ellis Island on September 1. My great-grandmother was able to spend the next 25 years reunited with her daughter (my grandma, who had been in New York since the late 1930's), and become a big part of my dad's life, too. You'll find "Rio, 1946" in the current *Pedestal Magazine*: http://tinyurl.com/fhzan
Here's wishing everyone a super September.
Best,
ERIKA
P.S. You may have noticed our Web site is slightly out-of-date (I haven't yet been able to
post last month's "Featured Resource" on the Resources page, for instance). Our
extraordinary Web designer, Michael Borum, and I have been making some behind-the-
scenes (or screens) changes; I hope to have updates, including news about some fall events, posted very soon. Thanks for your patience!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. ARTICLE/LESSONS LEARNED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DELVING INTO THE TOOLBOX: An Interview with Sands Hall by Erika Dreifus
It's a true joy for me to present this interview with Sands Hall, one of my first fiction teachers (and one of the finest writing teachers out there today). Sands is a graduate of the Iowa
Writers' Workshop and holds a second MFA in Acting; her experience as a director, actor, and playwright gives her a unique perspective on the writing process. In addition to her work as a freelance editor, she facilitates private workshops; she is also on the staff of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and teaches for conferences such as the Iowa Summer Writing
Festival, as well as for theUniversity of California, Davis, Extension Programs,where she was recently honored with an Excellence inTeaching and Outstanding Service Award. Sands is the author of the novel, *Catching Heaven* (a Ballantine Reader's Circle selection and a Willa
Award Finalist, Best Contemporary Fiction). Her produced plays include an adaptation of
Louisa May Alcott's*Little Women* and the drama *Fair Use*. She is an Affiliate Artist with The Foothill Theatre Company and lives in Nevada City, a historic mining town in the foothills
of the Sierra Nevada in California. Recently Sands "talked" with your editor via e-mail about
her latest book, *Tools of the Writer's Craft* (Moving Finger Press, 2005):
Erika Dreifus: What inspired you to write and publish *Tools of the Writer's Craft*?
Sands Hall: I'd been teaching and editing for a number of years and found that I was scribbling similar comments, again and again, in the margins of student and client manuscripts. I decided to put those thoughts into organized form, and the essays became a sort of shorthand, as in,
"see my thoughts about this in the attached." Then I began to include them in course packs of various classes, as a way to ensure that everyone in a given class would share a sensibility and nomenclature. I was often told they were useful, but thought that getting them officially published would be an arduous task--until my blessed editor, Steve Susoyev, and Moving Finger Press decided to see them into print. The book also includes exercises. These started as assignments I gave myself, to try and solve particular writing problems, and at some point I began to assign them to students. (Editor's Note: For a sample exercise, see http://tinyurl.com/h82tr ).
As a teacher I find them extremely useful: when an entire workshop is working on the same exercise, with the same focus and objectives, the discussion is similarly focused, on a specific
and particular craft problem. The result is that what is learned in the writing (and critiquing)
of, say, 300 words, can be applied by the writer to a whole manuscript, the larger endeavor.
It is exciting and gratifying to see the leap in ability and understanding that the exercises
create in a workshop of diligent and generous writers. In most other art forms an artist practices every day: a dancer does plies, a painter takes on "studies, "someone longing to get better on the mandolin plays scales. The exercises in the book offer a way to practice writing.
As often as not the pieces generated wind up as part of a larger piece, although that needn't be the reason for tackling them.
ED: How do you see readers integrating these two parts of the book, "The Essays," and "The Exercises"?
SH: The section of the book that contains the exercises is called "Put it to Work," and that pretty much explains the idea. The essays offer theory and the exercises offer a way to put
that theory into practice. In my experience, one gets better--more effective--as a writer by reading, writing, critiquing writing (by which I mean, reading with a discerning eye as to what particular writers, published or unpublished, are doing); then reading and writing and
discerning some more.
ED: As it happens, the book opens with an extensive discussion of "Making Workshops Work." In my experience, this is an often-underemphasized aspect of writing instruction. What has l
ed you to place such importance on it?
SH: Not long after *Tools* was published a (discerning) reader wondered why "Making Workshops Work" is the first of the essays in the book, rather than, as she thought it should
be, the final one. I thought it a fair question, as it's true that the essay assumes some
knowledge of the craft issues discussed in the rest of the volume. It says a lot about my own passions that I lead off with that essay. In the last five decades workshops have tended to
focus on what a writer is doing that does not work rather than what does, with the result that the"learning process" and environment are ones that can humiliate and demean rather than encourage and support. Of course this rests largely on the shoulders of the facilitator of a given workshop, the tone and the system--the "workshop methodology" if you will--he or she sets
or insists upon. I think workshops, for a long while, were a bit like that image we have of a
ballet class painted by Degas, where the ballet master has a long stick with which to rap or pummel a ballerina's unaesthetic or unruly calves and arms, accompanied by words of degradation; this was intended to improve technique, and certainly created legendary dancers.
I have come to believe that this kind of teaching, teaching with abuse and fear, is simply old-fashioned, patriarchic, but it still goes on. (I've had students, inculcated in this tradition, tell me they don't feel they've had a "good" workshop if they don't feel shredded at the end of class.) Yet there have always been masters and choreographers who work more, dare I say, lovingly, enthusiastically, positively, and the result is just as lovely and "correct"--and certainly more pleasurable for the artists involved. The essay is an effort to encourage another way to participate in a workshop, although these are certainly not new notions. In addition, it took me such a long time, when I was in the Iowa Writers' Workshop, to figure out just what a workshop was supposed to accomplish, and I wish I'd known some of that when I started the program, rather than just beginning to get the point of it at the end of those two years. So the essay is
also an effort to pull these ideas together, and intended to help students get a jump start on the workshop process; above all, I hope they will examine and own the idea that the more they put into critiquing the writing of others, the more they will take back to their own efforts.
ED: Some of the material in this book was happily familiar to me as your former student. How has yourvision/definition of "tools of the writer's craft" evolved over the years you've been teaching and writing?
SH: It has to do with that idea of "a dancer does plies" articulated above. There are some
things one cannot be in control of: basic talent, luck, timing. But there are things a writer can control, and one of those is to be the best writer he or she can be. In the end, art is largely a matter of the craft it takes to create that art: one can write one great song byaccident, or shape clay into something brilliant once or twice without "knowledge," but those artists that endure, whose work stays with us, at some point grew into or grasped elements of what it is that created--sustained and improved--what they did before. That's craft, and it seems to me by attempting to pinpoint and discuss various components of artful storytelling--vivid writing,
who is telling the story, rendering life into art--one might grasp some tools that can be manipulate with *purpose*--a very important word to me--to create effective writing.
ED: You have experience as an actor, director, playwright, novelist, and, obviously, essayist. How do you see the "tools of the writer's craft" crossing and/or overlapping genres?
SH: Well, I certainly hope your readers will be inspired to buy the book and find out. Seriously, the essays do describe elements of my theater experience that have proven useful to me as a writer, and I've had any number of students who have said that it is some theatrical metaphor or image that allowed them to grasp some aspect of writing that had otherwise eluded them: turning down the sound on a scene to underscore the idea of show versus tell; the idea of what
a reader "sees" as the curtain goes up, or a camera fades in, to illustrate character; the idea of point of view as a camera; to name a few.
ED: What are you working on now?
SH: My new novel, *Xie*, is currently in New York. Like my previous novel, *Catching Heaven*, *Xie* has three narrators, but this novel also dances across a lot of history: one narrator is a playwright, living now, who is writing a play based on a trove of letters written between 1869 and 1920 by a woman who gets inspired by the women's suffrage movement.
Of course I've had to write those letters, and even some portions of the play, so it's required
a lot of research. I've had a wonderful time and hope my readers will too.
ED: Thank you, Sands! *Tools of the Writer's Craft*by Sands Hall Moving Finger Press, 298 pages.Paperback, $15 To find out more about Sands Hall and her work, visithttp://www.sandshall.com/ .
(c) Copyright 2006 Erika Dreifus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. FEATURED RESOURCE: Sands Hall's "Checklist for a Scene"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As noted above, you'll find the elements of Sands Hall's "Checklist for a Scene," from her book, *Tools of the Writer's Craft*, at our blog:http://tinyurl.com/h82tr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. UPCOMING/ONGOING CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
OF INTEREST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everett Southwest Literary Prize c/o English Department University of Central Oklahoma
100 University Drive Edmond, OK 73034 http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/english/creative/everettaward.htm(need full link)
Deadline: October 15, 2006 Entry fee: $15 Judge: Rilla Askew NEW AWARD!!! This new
annual award, open to students and faculty members residing in Oklahama, New Mexico, or Texas,will alternate among short story, novel, poetry, and biography/non-fiction genres. The inaugural award of $5,000 will be given for an unpublished short story collection. See Web site for more information.---------------------------------------------------
Hugo House Horror Story CompetitionRichard Hugo House1634 11th AvenueSeattle, WA 98122http://www.hugohouse.org
Deadline: September 10, 2006 (received) Entry fee: $5 Open to writers resident in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington, this competition invites original and previously unpublished horror stories."We are not looking for hack/slash horror; what we arelooking for
is strong writing with interesting characters and situations." 5,000 words, maximum. "The winning entry, as judged by Seattle-area writers, will receive $250 and a public reading at the Haunted Hugo House Halloween Party on October 31, 2006."----------------------
Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism Scholarships Nieman Foundation Attn: Jenny Davis One Francis Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138http://tinyurl.com/eb2ox
Deadline: September 15, 2006 (received) NO APPLICATION FEE Offers "a limited number
of registration-fee scholarships to the conference for working domestic and international journalists. Scholarship recipients are still responsible for travel and meals not provided at the conference." See the Web site for detailed application instructions depending on your location. This year's conference will be held inBoston November 17-19, 2006. -------------------
Radcliffe Institute Fellowships 34 Concord AvenueCambridge, MA 02138 http://www.radcliffe.edu/fellowships/apply/index.php
Deadline: October 2, 2006 (postmarked; this is the deadline for creative artists, humanists,
and social scientists; the deadline for natural scientists and mathematicians is December 4, 2006) NO APPLICATION FEE Previously known as the "Bunting Fellowships" (and limited
to women), this program welcomes applications from women and men from across the United States and throughout the world. Fellowships include stipends of up to $60,000 for one year "with additional funds for project expenses." Fellows also receive office/studio space and access to Harvard University's libraries and other resources during the fellowship year (September 2007-June 2008). "Since this is a residential fellowship, we expect fellows to reside in the Boston area during that period and to have their primary office at the Institute so that they
can participate fully in the life of the community." --------------------------------
Sonnet Writers 1st Annual Sonnet Contest (submit via e-mail) http://www.sonnetwriters.com/?page_id=860
Deadline: October 15, 2006 (received, by midnight EDT) NO ENTRY FEE INDICATED NEW CONTEST!!!The 1st Annual Sonnet Contest welcomes previouslyunpublished work (must not have received a prize inany other contest, either). "Sonnets previously posted on sonnetwriters.com and any other blog or website are allowed, provided they have not been awarded any prize money or been restricted by copyright agreements. "Entries must be sonnets. One entry per author. "Anentry may consist of up to 3 individual sonnets." Note that *all* entries may be published on Sonnetwriters.com and/or in future Sonnetwriter.com
printed anthologies. Prize winners receive $200 (firstprize); $100 (second prize); $50 (third prize). See the Web site for full guidelines and submission instructions. (via CRWROPPS, http://lists.topica.com/lists/crwropps )-----------------------------------------
Sustainable Arts Society Residencies P.O. Box 1 Blue Ridge, GA 30513
http://www.sustainable-arts.org/residencies.html Deadline: November 1 (received), for residencies January through May Application fee: $25 Open to "creative individuals over 21 with a passionate commitment to their art form and respect for living sustainably among
others and the natural world," this program holds two application cycles per year. "Completed application packages should be received by SAS three months in advance of your earliest preferred residency date."---
*Third Coast* Poetry and Fiction Awards Department of English Western Michigan
University Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5331 http://www.wmich.edu/~thirdcst/Contests_homepage.htm
Deadline: October 15, 2006 (postmarked) Entry fee: $15/manuscript: "Each fee entitles
entrant to a 1-year subscription to *Third Coast*, an extension of an existing subscription,
or a gift subscription. "Judges: Chang-rae Lee (fiction) and Carolyn Forche (poetry) Open
"to all writers unassociated with the judges or *Third Coast*, " this competition awards
$1,000 and publication to the winners. "Any previously unpublished short story or stand
alone novel or novella excerpt of up to 9,000 words is eligible for the fiction contest; up to five unpublished poems totaling no more than 12 pages are eligible for the poetry contest."---
*Vanity Fair* Essay Contest(submit via e-mail)http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/pressroom2
Deadline: September 30, 2006 (received, by midnight E.D.T.) NO ENTRY FEE Vanity Fair magazine has announced the topic of its latest essay contest: "What is reality to Americans today? And did we ever have a grasp of it?" Essays, which must be no longer than 1,500 words (excluding title and any notes or bibliography), must be received by midnight E.D.T. on September 30, 2006. The competition is open to legal residents (18 years of age or older) of
one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of entry. Essays may be co-authored by two authors. According to the announcement, there will be "one grand prize of $15,000, a trip to Donnini, Italy, including economy-class airfare and six nights of accommodation at the Santa Maddalena writers' colony, and a Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 fountain pen." Second prize is $5,000 and a Montblanc Boheme fountain pen. Third prize is $1,000 and a Montblanc StarWalker Fine Liner. The grand-prize-winning essay will be published at www.vanityfair.com. "Grand-prize winner(s) may be required to sign Vanity
Fair's standard authorc ontract assigning the magazine all worldwide copyright rights to the essay."-
*Wild Blue Yonder* Short Fiction Contests (submit via e-mail or send hard copy to)WBY Contest, c/o Lighthouse Writers Workshop 2123 Downing StreetDenver, CO 80205 http://lighthousewriters.org/wildblueyonder.htm
Deadlines: every other month (October 15, December 15, February 15, etc.) NO READING
FEE "at this time" Each issue of *Wild Blue Yonder* features a theme. Short stories must address this theme "in some manner, even if it's tangential." Theme for the October 15
deadline is "Renew." Each writer may submit one story per reading cycle; stories should run
no longer than 2,500 words. Winner receives $250, publication in*Wild Blue Yonder*, the Frontier Airlines inflight magazine, and on the Web site, www.gowildblueyonder.com , and a complimentary online or in-person writing workshop from Lighthouse Writers.---------
*Writer's Market* Freelance Writing Success Stories Contest (submit via e-mail to writersmarket(at)fwpubs(dot)com) http://writersmarket.com/ (scroll down the page; note
that the announcement will remain on the public section of WritersMarket.com only until September 14,2006; information will be limited to subscribers thereafter) Deadline: December 1, 2006 NO ENTRY FEE This contest seeks true, first-person success stories "on some aspect
of freelance writing success, whether it's your first byline, the crazy things you went through
to secure a book quote, or how you were able to get exclusive access to an interview subject. "Prizes include a $250 contract to have the story published in *2008 Writer's Market* (first place); a$150 contract to have the story published in *2008 Writer's Market* (second place);
a $100 contract to have the story published in *2008 Writer's Market*(third place). Submissions should run 800-1,500 words. (Editor's Note: In an e-mail message, *Writer'sMarket* Editor Robert Lee Brewer specified that the contest is open to unpublished work only.)===================================================
Find even more contests and competitions--NONE of them charging entry, reading, or processing fees--in our possibility-packed "Guide to No-Cost Literary Contests and Competitions," updated TWICE each year (most recently this summer) to keep information current. Now the e-book contains 239 listings, none of them limited to the residents of a single state or province! (More value for all our readers.) Download the preview with sample listings right here:http://www.lulu.com/content/84652~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. SUBMISSION ALERTS!!!
Beginning with its Fall 2006 issue, *The King's English*, an international online literary
journal publishing novellae, personal essays, book reviews,and poetry, becomes a paying market. (Book reviewers should note that "Reviewed books DO NOT need to be current--
we're interested in what you're reading. Our primary interest is 20th- and 21st- century fiction/essays in English; will consider an occasional how-to book on the craft of writing. "
Will pay$20/story or essay, $10/review, and $10/poem (maximum of $20/poet per issue).
Full guidelines at http://thekingsenglish.org/ (via Duotrope's Digest,http://duotrope.com/ ).
House* begins its next reading season September 1. Pays $50 minimum for poetry; $200 minimum for fiction and nonfiction; $150 for "Lost and Found. "Note that "the word-length
limit is roughly 10,000. "Submit via postal mail.http://www.tinhouse.com/index.htm
*Coyote Wild*, an online quarterly of speculative fiction and poetry, will consider work for its APRIL issue September 1-30. "Adores" flash fiction; also publishes fiction, poetry, and critical and humorous essays. Pays $.01/word for fiction and nonfiction and $10 flat fee for poetry. Looks for first electronic rights, with six months exclusivity from the date of publication, plus archival rights. Submit via e-mail.http://coyotewildmag.com/CoyoteWildGuidelines.html (via Duotrope's Digest)---------------------------------------------------
Deadline Extended! In our May newsletter we noted that editor Jennifer Bove was looking for submissions for an anthology called *Wild with Child: Adventures of Families in the Field*. "Parents, guardians, friends, educators, and counselors are encouraged to submit lively, engaging essays and anecdotes about outdoor adventures with kids of all ages (from pregnancy to teen). Whether working or playing your expedition qualifies." Submissions encouraged worldwide, from men and women. Submit up to 2 stories, no more than 2,500 words each. Previously published work is OK if you retain copyright. $100 honorarium for one-time publication rights. The submission deadline is now October 1. More information: http://tinyurl.com/mgzut (thanks to the PayingWriterJobs list for the deadline update, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/payingwriterjobs)
The Spring 2007 issue of *Parabola* magazine, a quarterly journal "devoted to the exploration of the quest for meaning as it is expressed in the world's myths, symbols, and religious traditions, with particular emphasis on the relationship between this store of wisdom and our modern life," will focus on"Faith." Deadline: October 6, 2006. This is a paying market for articles, translations, retellings of traditional stories, and reviews. Visithttp://www.parabola.org/magazine and click "parabolamagazine," then "Editorial Guidelines" for the appropriate information.----------------------------
For a new anthology to be published in winter 2007 by Seal Press and titled *The Bigger, The Better, TheTighter the Sweater: Beauty, Body Image, and Other Hazards of Being Female*, women writers are invited to submit personal narratives (2,500-8,000 words) "that have at their hearts a funny story but that aim higher or delve deeper without the need to be politically correct or particularly uplifting. [The anthology] will help paint an entertaining and realistic portrait of our feelings and attitudes about our bodies with all their complexities and contradictions." Co-editors Samantha Schoech and Lisa Taggart "are looking, first and foremost, for truly funny writing. But, humorous anecdotes are not enough. These humor pieces will also be exceptionally well-written personal essays by women willing to explore the complexities of their relationships with their bodies and appearances. Tell secrets, admit defeat and triumph, expose underbellies, be honest. We are particularly interested in voices that may not get much coverage in the mainstream." Submit via e-mail or postal mail by October 15, 2006. Payment: $100 plus two books. More information including list of likely topics at the Website: http://www.sealpress.com/submissions/index.html---------------------
For a Summer/Fall 2007 special issue themed "Come Together~Occasions, Ceremonies, and Celebrations,"*Crab Orchard Review* seeks work "that covers the multitude of ways that our world, our media, and ourselves mark the public and private, communal, familial, and individual holidays, rituals, and rites of passage we define and define ourselves around."Send "original, unpublished poetry, fiction, or literary nonfiction in English or unpublished translations in English (we do run bilingual, facing-page translations whenever possible). Please query before submitting any interview." Postal submissions only. "Writers whose work is selected will receive $20 (US) per magazine page ($50 minimum for poetry; $100 minimum for prose), two copies of the issue, and a year's subscription." Deadline for these submissions: October 31, 2006. More information:http://www.siu.edu/~crborchd/guid2.html -----------------
The Canadian literary journal, *Descant*, is now accepting submissions of previously unpublished poetry, fiction, non-fiction, essays, art, and photography for general and themed issues (on Fashion, for Fall 2007, deadline October 31, 2006; on Iran, for Winter 2007, deadline December 31, 2006). No simultaneous submissions. Submit via postal mail. Pays$100 on publication. http://www.descant.on.ca/submit.html---------------------
OV Books, the book imprint of *Other Voices* magazine, invites short fiction submissions for its third book. Titled *A Stranger Among Us*, the anthology will be distributed by University of Illinois Press and is slated for a late 2007 release. "A STRANGER AMONG US will focus on stories of cross-cultural collisions/bonds, encompassing a wide variety of ethnicities, races and nationalities. Any work that tells the story of what happens when a member of one culture finds him/herself in relationship with members of an "other" culture is eligible." See the Web site for hypothetical plot samples and to find submission instructions (8,000-word limit; snail mail submissions only; previously published material acceptable; submission deadline December 31, 2006). http://www.othervoicesmagazine.org/ (Thanks to CRWROPPSfor the initial news about this opportunity; thanks to Gina Frangello from OV Books for indicating via e-mail that payment for each published story will be $100.)--------------------------
Add *Ploughshares* to the list of (paying) literary journals now using online submission systems. Checkout this beta version at http://www.pshares.org/submit~~~
6. BLOG NOTES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The newsletter's published just once each month, but there's *always* something new at our Practicing Writing blog. Among the past month's posts:--They Like Us! They Really Like Us!--Great Beginnings--New Magazine for Single Mothers (Pays: $150-$1,000)--No-Cost Contest: Canadian Writers Collective--MFA Material--Group M35 Magazine (Pays: $100-$500)--An Ethical Question--New Editorial Calendars for Children's Magazines Please drop by and visit (and comment!) at http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com~~~~~~~
7. CONFERENCE/COURSE/EVENT CALENDAR~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wiregrass Literacy and Literature Festival of the Deep South Valdosta, GA14-16 September 2006 http://www.valdosta.edu/getlit----------------------
Omaha Lit Fest Omaha, NE 15-16 September 2006 http://www.omahalitfest.com/----
A Memorial for Stanley Kunitz 92nd Street Y New York, NY September 2006 http://tinyurl.com/hflea---------------------------------------------------
Göteborg Book Fair Göteborg, Sweden 21-24 September 2006 http://tinyurl.com/n3937--
Fall for the Book Festival George Mason University Fairfax, VA27 September-5 October 2006 http://www.fallforthebook.org---------------------------------------------------
Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival Waterloo Village Stanhope, NJ 28 September-1 October 2006 http://www.grdodge.org/poetry/main.htmNational Book Festival National Mall Washington, DC 30 September 2006 http://www.loc.gov/bookfest-----------
Frankfurt Book Fair Frankfurt, Germany 4-8 October 2006
http://www.frankfurt-bookfair.com/en/portal.php~~
8. NEWSLETTER MATTERS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Information contained in THE PRACTICING WRITER is collected from many sources, with the purpose of providing general references. It is researched to the best of our ability but readers should verify information when necessary and appropriate. THE PRACTICING WRITER and its editor/publisher disclaim any liability for the use of information contained within. Thank you for subscribing.---------------------------------------------------
For updates and additional opportunity listings between newsletters, please check in with our"Practicing Writing" blog:http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com/ .-----------------
ABOUT THE EDITOR: Based in Massachusetts, Erika Dreifus has published many short stories, essays, book reviews, and articles. She holds graduate degrees in education, history, and creative writing; she teaches workshops and seminars and coaches writers individually. She is a Contributing Editor for *Chattahoochee Review* and an Interdisciplinary Advisor for the Lesley University Low-Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing. Please visit her Website, http://www.practicing-writer.com/ , to learn more about Erika's work.-------------
Missed a newsletter issue? Want to review our articles and opportunity listings? Check out our archived messages (for subscribers only) at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/practicing-writer/--------------
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posted by Linda J. Hutchinson @ 9:48 AM
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