Erika Dreifus

Most Fridays the Practicing Writing blog shares writing and publishing resources, news, and reflections to peruse over the weekend. But it’s been an excruciating week for so many of us. And frankly, I’ve paid next-to-no attention to garden-variety news from the writing and publishing spheres.

On Wednesday, however, I received an email from Facing History and Ourselves, a Boston-based global nonprofit organization that I’ve admired for many years. The email introduced a “mini-lesson” titled “Processing Attacks in Israel and the Outbreak of War in the Region.”

The resource isn’t perfect. (What resource is?) But one of its segments impressed me as something that, though intended for educators and students, could be clarifying for writers as well, in our work and in the rest of our lives. It’s a section titled “Avoiding Antisemitic and Islamophobic Tropes in Discussing Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”

• It’s that time of year: I’m utterly unable to keep up with all of the best-of-year book lists that are popping up everywhere. Thankfully, Largehearted Boy tracks and links them all.
• “Words I Will Remove From Any Manuscript I Am Privileged to Line-Edit”—some quick tips from Allison K. Williams.
• From Publishers Weekly/Diane Patrick: “Serving Writers and Readers: African-American Literary Organizations.”
• If it’s Friday, you’ll find a fresh batch of Jewish literary links over on the My Machberet blog.
• And, a little bit early, the December issue of The Practicing Writer went out this morning. You’ll also find this issue posted (until January’s replaces it) right here on this website.

Have a good weekend.