THE PRACTICING WRITER
Supporting the Craft and Business of Excellent Writing
Volume 9, Number 1: February 2012
ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!!!
Editor: Erika Dreifus
Copyright (c) 2012 Erika Dreifus
http://www.erikadreifus.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Editor’s Note: What’s New
2. Article/Lessons Learned
3. Featured Resource
4. Upcoming/Ongoing Contests, Competitions, and Other Opportunities
5. Submission Alerts!!!
6. Blog Notes
7. Newsletter Matters
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1. EDITOR’S NOTE: WHAT’S NEW
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Greetings, practicing writers!
So much to celebrate and share. First things first – the very first issue of *The Practicing Writer* was dated February 2004, which means that this newsletter is now eight years old. Thank you all for subscribing over the years, and special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to let me know how much you appreciate the newsletter. I’m also particularly grateful to those of you who have let me know when a lead you discovered here produced some happy results for your writing practice.
As you know from the off-schedule message I sent out during January, I recently celebrated the first anniversary of the publication of my story collection, *Quiet Americans*. Just in time, the great news came that *The Jewish Journal*, the largest Jewish weekly outside New York City, had recognized *Quiet Americans* as a Notable Book of 2011. A few days later came the stunning alert that the book had been named a 2012 Sophie Brody Medal Honor Title. (The Sophie Brody Medal is administered by the American Library Association “to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature.” For more information about the award, please see http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/brody.)
It has all been so affirming. And so appreciated.
As if all of that weren’t enough, I was also surprised with the good news that I’d been nominated for the first annual “Above & Beyond” award, organized by the team at the BeyondtheMargins.com to recognize “any writer who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help fellow writers.” My congratulations to the winner, Johanna Harness, and to all of my fellow nominees.
None of these anniversaries and acknowledgments would have happened without YOU – the community of practicing writers. I’m glad and grateful to be among you.
With every best wish for February and *your* writing practices,
ERIKA
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2. ARTICLE/LESSONS LEARNED: *YOUR PATH TO PUBLICATION*, BY KIM WRIGHT
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*Your Path to Publication: A Guide to Navigating the World of Publishing*, by Kim Wright. Press 53, 192 pages. Paperback, $15.95; Digital, $3.99.
Review by Erika Dreifus
If you want to learn how to smartly and sanely navigate “the experience of publishing and all that comes with it,” you have several options. You could read infinite blogs or a year’s worth of writing magazines. You could attend a few writing conferences. Or you could read Kim Wright’s new book, *Your Path to Publication: A Guide to Navigating the World of Publishing*.
If Wright’s name is familiar, that may be because we interviewed her here nearly two years ago, shortly after her debut novel, *Love in Mid Air*, was released. At the time, I mentioned that I’d met Wright back in 2003, when I was completing a low-residency MFA program in creative writing and she, a veteran freelancer, was brought in to talk to the graduating students. Her talk that day helped fuel and organize my own post-graduate freelancing efforts, for which I have remained very grateful.
When her first novel was released, Wright had been a full-time writer and book author for 25 years. But she learned a lot on the road to and through publication as a novelist, and she shares those insights in her new book. As she correctly notes, there are plenty of resources available to help writers *write* their books. This guide, however, focuses “on what happens after your book is finished.” It supplies “an exploration of the things” that Wright wishes she had known at the start of that journey. This means that the book is likely to be most helpful for writers of fiction and/or nonfiction who are hoping to land agents and larger contracts, or who have perhaps already signed with agents and are just entering the selling stage. (Poets, this probably isn’t the book for you.)
Wright’s lively voice and anecdotes from her own and others’ experiences move the book seamlessly through chapters focused on getting early readers’ reactions to the work; networking; conferences, workshops, and MFA programs; searching for and signing with an agent; selling the book; contracts; working with editors and publicists; and “what to expect once your book is out.” One later chapter also gives a nod to “indie authors” and “the brave new world of self-publishing.”
The conference guidance is among the clearest I’ve seen in its breakdown of “lecture-style,” “workshop-style,” and “pitch” types. The nuts-and-bolts details on selling and contracts are invaluable (and generous: Wright is open about her own advance and how she basically earned it back through foreign-rights sales alone). Throughout, Wright wants you to remember that “selling and marketing a novel involves an extended series of choices and negotiations.” Although writers are not in total control throughout this process, “we do have some control, and the decisions that we make early on are monumental in determining what will ultimately happen to our books and our careers.” Wise words, followed by equally wise specifics and advice.
A few caveats: I don’t necessarily agree with *every* bit of advice offered here. Wright’s approach to using Facebook, for instance, is quite different from mine. I suspect that her discussion of low-residency MFA programs relies too heavily on her familiarity with the program at Queens: It is questionable, to say that least, that “usually” these programs pair each student “with an instructor and a few other students” with “classes continu[ing] to be conducted online.” The emphasis on writing colonies and lengthy retreats may make some of us jealous and others frustrated: Even if I were to win a residency in the near future, it’s hard to imagine sufficient time off from my “day job” to permit me to connect two discrete retreat moments with a sentence that begins “Fast forward three weeks….” Finally, I was surprised by the proofreading misses here, including the back cover’s promise of “sound council on how writers can persevere”; the “council” error recurs throughout the book.
But those are minor issues. The book overall is a highly readable and informative guide to exactly what it promise to cover: navigating the world of publishing. I recommend it.
*My thanks to Press53 for the complimentary review copy.*
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3. FEATURED RESOURCE: WHERE TO PUBLISH FLASH NONFICTION/MICRO-ESSAYS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing super-short nonfiction these days? Not sure where you might be able to place your own flash nonfiction or micro-essays? Wondering where to see other examples of such writing for inspiration, enjoyment, and/or instruction? Check out this new list – a mix of paying and nonpaying venues.
Where to Publish Flash Nonfiction & Micro-Essays
http://www.erikadreifus.com/?p=10809
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4. UPCOMING/ONGOING CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OF INTEREST
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Artist at Pine Needles Residency Program
http://www.smm.org/scwrs/programs/artist
Deadline: February 24, 2012
NO APPLICATION FEE
“The Artist at Pine Needles residency program invites natural history artists or writers to spend 2 to 4 weeks to immerse themselves in a field experience, gather resource materials, and interact with environmental scientists and the local community. The setting for the Artist at Pine Needles project is the James Taylor Dunn Pine Needles Cabin, located just north of the village along the St. Croix River [Minn.]. Applications will be accepted from writers and visual artists who focus on environmental or natural history topics. Participants will have an opportunity to interact with environmental scientists and to create links between their art, the natural world and the sciences. As part of the program, artists will be encouraged to design an outreach project to share their work with the local community and to contribute an original work for the benefit of the research station. Housing and rustic studio space is provided for the artists’ choice of a 2 to 4 week residency.”
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Flatt Prize for Literature
http://flattprize.com/submission.htm
Deadline: February 29, 2012
NO ENTRY FEE
“Submit a short story of no more than 3,000 words for consideration for the Flatt Prize for Literature. The theme for the short story is to be inspired by the title ‘INTERRUPTED’.” Prize includes $1,000 and publication.
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Lambda Literary Foundation Mid-Career Novelists’ Prize
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/mid-career-novelist-prize/
Deadline: February 17, 2012
NO ENTRY FEE INDICATED
“The Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists’ Prize will be presented annually at the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony. The award, made possible by James Duggins, PhD, consists of two cash prizes of $5,000.” The prize recognizes “emergent LGBT authors who have written and published at least three novels or two novels and substantial additional literary work such as poetry, short stories, or essays.”
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Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award
http://www.lotuspress.org/
Deadline: March 1, 2012 (received)
NO ENTRY FEE
“This competition is open to African American poets only. If you have already had a book published by Lotus Press, you are ineligible. However, inclusion in a Lotus Press anthology does not disqualify you. Any other serious African American poet, whether previously published or not, may submit a book-length manuscript for consideration.” The award for a poetry book manuscript confers a $500 cash award plus publication of the manuscript by Lotus Press, Inc., in early 2013.
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Nantucket Island Poetry Contest
http://www.nantucketdirectory.com/poetry/
Deadline: March 1, 2012 (received)
NO ENTRY FEE
“Your poem about Nantucket Island or about life on Nantucket Island could be on the cover of The Nantucket Directory. The winning poet will receive $250 and have his or her work published in the print and online editions of the 2013-2013 Nantucket Directory….Submit up to three unpublished poems written in English and about any aspect of Nantucket Island or life on Nantucket.”
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Silent Spring Essay Competition
http://www.carsoncenter.uni-muenchen.de/about_rcc/silentspring_essay/index.html
Deadline: March 15, 2012
NO ENTRY FEE INDICATED
“Fifty years ago, the world was rocked by the publication of a quiet tirade against the chemical industry. Rachel Carson’s *Silent Spring* exposed the dangers and risks of everyday chemicals and commonplace practices; it launched the modern American environmental movements and also influenced similar movements all over the globe. In commemoration of fifty years of *Silent Spring*, the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society is soliciting essays from junior and senior scholars which analyze the impact and reception of Silent Spring as well as the legacy of Rachel Carson.” The “junior” category is for students aged 13-18 and offers a $1,000 prize for 1,000 words (or less). The “senior” category is for “anyone aged 19 and above” and awards $2,000 for 2,000 words (or less). NB: Essays must address one or more questions from the set listed on the website.
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Sozopol Fiction Seminars
http://www.ekf.bg/sozopol/apply/
Deadline: March 7, 2012
NO APPLICATION FEE
“The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation is pleased to offer its fifth annual summer fiction-writing seminar in the ancient town of Sozopol, Bulgaria. Fiction writers from Bulgaria and fiction writers from English-speaking countries, including but not limited to the U.S. and the U.K., are invited to apply. Ten scholarships to attend the Sozopol Fiction Seminars will be given to five fiction writers working in English and five working in Bulgarian. The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation will cover tuition fee, room and board, in-country transportation and 50 percent of the international travel expenses.” The 2012 seminar will take place May 24-27, 2012.
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Tarcher/Penguin Next Top Artist Competition
http://www.tarchertopartist.com/
Deadline: March 2, 2012 (received)
NO ENTRY FEE
“Tarcher/Penguin, one of the premier publishers of personal growth books for nearly 40 years, is hosting a national creativity competition to celebrate two classic, bestselling creativity programs: *The Artist’s Way* by Julia Cameron and *Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain* by Betty Edwards. The competition consists of two parts – writing and drawing – and you are free to enter one or both competitions. Writing and drawing entries will be judged on their technical merit as well as their artistic expression.” The writing competition “is open to novel and novella-length fiction as well as narrative nonfiction.” Submitted work should not have been published previously or awarded any prior prize. Semifinalists will be contacted March 23 to submit full manuscripts. Julia Cameron will choose the winner. “The winning piece will win a cash prize of $5,000 and a manuscript review by a Penguin editor.” (via http://twitter.com/gothamwriters) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. SUBMISSION ALERTS!!!
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The next deadline for submissions to the *Contrary* magazine is March 1. Publishes original commentary, fiction, and poetry. Pays: $20, via Paypal. http://contrarymagazine.com/
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*Kaleidoscope* Magazine, which “creatively focuses on the experiences of disability through literature and the fine arts,” is planning an issue “on the theme of ‘Appreciating the Small/Simple Moments in Life.’ In the midst of our daily struggles there can be moments in which a small kindness, or the simple gesture of another, makes us feel as if all is right with the world. They are the instances that usually do not involve much, if any, preparation or planning. These are the small things that can make the biggest differences. These can be times of joy experienced in the midst of sadness, or of peace and contentment in the midst of chaos. They can be shared or solitary experiences, moments of transcendence that fulfill us. They are also those moments that, if we are not paying attention, can slip right past us. Share one or more of those moments with us, in poetry, fiction, or personal essays.” Deadline is March 1, 2012. Pays: $10-$125. See http://www.udsakron.org/news/detail.asp?id=10 for more information.
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*The Southern Review*’s current submission season closes March 1. “We seek to publish the very best new fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and literary essays by established and emerging writers. ” Pays: “$25 per printed page with a maximum payment of $200 for prose and $125 for poetry, plus two copies of the issue in which the work appears and a one-year subscription.” http://www.lsu.edu/thesouthernreview/
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“The American South is a haunted place – full of ghost stories, native legends, persistent devils & angels, souls sold at the crossroads, and moon-eyed maidens living in the Okefenokee. The South’s best writers – Faulkner, O’Connor, McCullers – all keep this sense of the otherworldly in their fiction. In this spirit, Q & W Publishers is looking for submissions for an anthology of short fiction and non-fiction that explores the fantastic, eerie, and bizarre side of the American South.” Pays: $50/accepted piece, plus one copy of the anthology. Deadline is also March 1. http://www.qwpublishers.com/anthology-the-old-weird-south/
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And still another South-based submission alert! Housed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “*Southern Cultures* covers all aspects of the region’s mainstream and marginalized cultures—through interviews, essays, articles, personal reminiscences, poetry, fiction, reviews, and surveys on contemporary trends. We are a peer-reviewed quarterly and welcome well-written submissions year-round from authors, scholars, and anyone else with insights into our region.” Upcoming deadlines include March 5, 2012 (for the annual Music issue), and June 1, 2012 (for a Remembering the Civil War issue). Pays: “We pay $250 for essay-length pieces and $100 for shorter works.” http://www.southerncultures.org/
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“The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is currently open to poetry, prose fiction, and creative nonfiction submissions….We publish (very) tiny, compressed prose creations of 600 words or less. We use Submishmash for all submissions. We value form, character, and words that fit to both. Experimentation is interesting. Experimentation for the sake of appearing experimental is less interesting. We like close reading and close writing. We like to feel what we read before we understand.” Pays: $50. http://matterpress.com/journal/
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“*The Chattahoochee Review* is seeking poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for a special focus issue on Irish Literature to be published in late 2012.” No deadline specified. Pays: “We typically pay $50/poem and $25/page for prose. Payment for reviews, interviews, plays, and art is determined on an individual basis.” http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpccr/submissions.htm
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From *New Ohio Review*: “Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, we are raising our honoraria to $20 per page of prose and $30 per page of poetry (minimum payment $50).” http://www.ohio.edu/nor/
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6. BLOG NOTES
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The newsletter is published just once each month, but there’s *always* something new at our Practicing Writing blog: fresh market news, current contest and job listings, links to writing-related articles, newly-discovered craft and business resources, and so much more. Regular blog features include:
–Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities
–Quotation of the Week
–The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers
–Thursday’s Work-in-Progress
–Friday Find for Writers
Please visit, and comment! http://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/practicing-writing/
And for those of you practicing writers who are interested in matters of specifically Jewish cultural interest, please also visit My Machberet (http://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/my-machberet). For the curious, “machberet” is the Hebrew word for “notebook”.
Recent writing-focused posts there include:
–Lilith Magazine Extends Contest Deadlines
–Step Right Up to the Jewish Book Carnival
–Anthology Seeks Work from Jewish Women Writers
–Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat
–Does Your Kid Love Books?
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7. NEWSLETTER MATTERS
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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.
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For updates and additional opportunity listings between newsletters, please check in with our “Practicing Writing” blog, http://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/practicing-writing.
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ABOUT THE EDITOR: Based in New York City, Erika Dreifus is the author of *Quiet Americans: Stories*, a 2012 Sophie Brody Medal Honor Title. She is a Contributing Editor for *The Writer* magazine and *Fiction Writers Review* and a member of the advisory board for *J Journal: New Writing on Justice*, and has taught for Harvard University, the Cambridge (Mass.) Center for Adult Education, and the low-residency MFA program in creative writing at Lesley University. Please visit http://www.erikadreifus.com to learn more about Erika’s work, and go directly to http://www.erikadreifus.com/quiet-americans/book-clubs to arrange for her to visit your book club!
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