Finds for Writers
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.”
- Looking ahead, Literary Hub anticipates some highlights of the 2021 literary calendar.
- And looking back, Victoria Strauss writes: “It’s time again for Writer Beware’s annual look back at the schemes, scams, and assorted crazy sh*t we encountered in 2020 (and I’m not even talking about the pandemic).”
- In the mood to write this weekend? Need the push of a prompt? You might want to check out the The University of Iowa Alumni and Friends Flash Writing Contest, which begins at 4 p.m. (CST) Friday, January 15, 2021, and runs through 4 p.m. (CST) Sunday, January 17, 2021. “At the start of the contest, we’ll provide you with a genre, character, and specific object to incorporate into your story. The rest is left up to your imagination. Submissions must be 1,000 words or less and composed in their entirety during the contest weekend. All entrants will receive the same writing prompts, which will be posted here at 4 p.m. (CST) Friday, January 15, 2021.” (Note: I’m posting this for craft/writing purposes only, since the winner of the “adult” category doesn’t appear to win a $ prize.)
- For The Writer, Dana Shavin explores “What Do Pushcart Prize Nominations Really Mean, Anyway?”. (For the record, I’m very proud of and grateful for my four nominations to date—two in poetry, two in fiction [with one fiction nomination resulting in a “Special Mention”]— but I don’t typically include all of that information in cover letters or bio notes.)
- And, as always, you’ll find a fresh set of Jewish-lit links posted over on the My Machberet blog.
Have a good, safe weekend, everyone.
