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Thursday’s Work-in-Progress: Five Years In, Five Things to Appreciate About Being a #Writerwithadayjob

by Erika Dreifus on
18

This week marks a small milestone in my working life: Five years ago, I left my full-time freelancing/adjuncting practice, which had itself followed a period in which I combined an academic appointment with freelancing and adjuncting. Five years ago, I returned to a desk job in an away-from-home office, Mondays through Fridays, 9 to 5.

In other words, five years ago this week, I became what I sometimes append to my tweets: a #writerwithadayjob.

And I’ve been really lucky. I landed in an environment where I work with smart, generous people, and I tend to agree with the policies and philosophies of the organization’s leadership. As I know from previous experiences, it’s not at all nice when you aren’t in that kind of congenial environment.

But as a writer with a day job, I’m also grateful for some aspects of my job that have particularly enriched and improved the quality of my writing life. Here are five of them. (more…)

The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Time for the midweek melange of writing-related tidbits culled from my online wanderings:

  • B.J. Epstein reflects on Caryl Phillips and the “passionate engagement” of fiction.
  • Some lessons that I  know I still need to learn: brackets, commas, and dashes.
  • “Wendell E. Berry, noted poet, essayist, novelist, farmer, and conservationist, will deliver the 2012 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. The annual lecture, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), is the most prestigious honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.”
  • Especially for the teachers among us, but with relevance for all: two takes on email.
  • “Words we love too much,” courtesy of The New York Times.
  • “The Science (Not Art) of the Magazine Pitch,” by Kathryn Roethel, who has successfully pitched The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and other national pubs. (via @LisaRomeo)
  • In a blog post analyzing our ability (or lack thereof) to separate writers from their writing, Celeste Ng reminds me of my own reluctance to knowingly endorse/support/devote precious reading time/money/mental energy to the works of anti-Israel writers. As I’ve recently attempted to explain here.

    • Quotation of the Week: Buzz Bissinger

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    “I like being outspoken. I think that’s the way you should do it. I can be excessive. I know that. But more, in my mind, is always better than less as long as it is honest and from the heart, not some TMZ gotcha.”

    –Buzz Bissinger

    This quotation resonated for me. Strongly–and for reasons that are too complicated to get into here.

    I read it within the first few pages of my first subscription issue of Creative Nonfiction, which arrived recently and features Lee Gutkind’s interview with Bissinger. I’m so glad that I’ve finally subscribed!

    From My Bookshelf: AMERICAN DERVISH, by Ayad Akhtar

    by Erika Dreifus on
    6

    In a “Dear Reader” note on his website, author Ayad Akhtar writes:

    Growing up in the “heartland,” I became acutely aware that my peers didn’t know what to make of Islam. It wasn’t ignorance; they were good, smart people. They’d just never been exposed to it. Since then, exposure to Islam has grown, for all the wrong reasons.

    In writing American Dervish I wanted to share my sense of Islam in America. To render for the reader Islam’s beauty, its simplicity, and vivid spirituality. All of which I wanted to express in an American setting, in an American idiom.

    But as with so many religions, Islam’s beauty comes with troubling traditions. In writing the book, one of things I discovered was that I could not write about Islam truthfully without also exposing the fuller spectrum of my experience in Muslim-America.

    A few days ago, I finished reading American Dervish. It is an important and provocative novel, and I recommend it highly. I’m still thinking about it. In particular–and not surprisingly for a blog post appearing on My Machberet–I’m thinking of how to respond to this question in the “Reader’s Guide” section of Akhtar’s website: “What did you think of the relationship between Islam and Judaism in the novel?” (more…)

    Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2
  • Received via email: “The spring issue of online literary journal Revolution House will feature a special section dedicated to all forms of creative nonfiction. One lucky CNF author will receive an editor’s choice cash award, as well as the first-ever print issue of the magazine. Submit by February 20th to be considered. More information can be found at http://revolutionhousemag.com/?page_id=54.” NB: I’ve been told that the prize for this (exceptional) editor’s choice winner will be $35-$50.
  • Did you miss our February newsletter? As usual, packed with paying calls and no-fee contest info.
  • Canada-based carte blanche has a March 1 deadline for its spring issue (May publication). “At carte blanche we believe there is more than one way to tell a story. Our mandate is to provide a venue for narrative of all forms from fiction and nonfiction, to poetry and photo essays.” Pays: “carte blanche pays a modest honorarium per submission. We hope to increase the amount in the future.” (via placesforwriters.com)
  • On My Machberet yesterday, I introduced an unusual pair of writing contests, both addressing “The Catskills and the Holocaust.”
  • “Girton College is delighted to invite entries for the 2012 Jane Martin Poetry Prize. Now in its second year, the prize is a key part of the College’s support for poetry and will be of interest to all those serious about literary excellence.The competition will be judged by experts drawn from across the literary world and academia. We are thrilled that this year the panel will include Bernard O’Donoghue and Gwyneth Lewis. Building on the success of 2011, the 2012 winner will receive not just a cash prize of £1,500, but the opportunity to give a reading at a high-profile poetry event at which the prize will be awarded. The closing date for submissions is 16 March 2012. For full information, including the rules of the prize, please download our flyer.”NB: Entrants must be resident in the U.K. and over 18 years of age.
  • Some changes in the Madeline P. Plonsker Prize (notably, an earlier deadline: March 1; see also that only the first 200 submissions will be considered). “We invite applications for a writer under forty years old, with no major book publication, to spend two months (February-March or March-April) in residence at Lake Forest College. Cross-genre works are always welcome. Beyond this, even residency years (with odd year deadlines) look for prose writers. Odd residency years (with even years deadlines) look for poets.” This means that poets are eligible this year. “There are no formal teaching duties attached to the residency. Time is to be spent completing a manuscript, participating in the annual Lake Forest Literary Festival, and offering a series of public presentations. The completed manuscript will be published (upon approval) by &NOW Books imprint, with distribution by Northwestern University Press. The stipend is $10,000 with a housing suite and campus meals provided by the college.”
  • “Indiana University seeks a 1-Year Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing to teach graduate and undergraduate poetry workshops, as well as literature courses in contemporary poetry. Appointment to begin Fall 2012. Expertise in African-American, Asian-American, Latino, and/or anglophone African-Caribbean literature desirable. A book and MFA required. Previous college-level teaching experience preferred. 2/2 annual teaching load plus thesis advising.”
  • From Columbia University (New York): “The Writing Program announces a full-time position as Lecturer in Discipline to teach poetry in its undergraduate and graduate program, effective July 1, 2012. The initial appointment will be for 1 year with the possibility of renewal for 2 more years. Salary is commensurate with experience. All candidates must have published at least one book with a nationally recognized press and have significant literary publications.”
  • From Sheffield University (U.K.): “The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, wishes to appoint [a] Writer in Residence specialising in fiction.” This is a part-time, two-year position.
  • Weill Cornell Medical College (New York) seeks a Writer/Editor, the Brooklyn Public Library is looking for a Copy Editor, and Stars and Stripes (Washington) invites applications for a position as Editor (Website Copy).