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.”
- So far, I’ve only read one of the Lauren Groff pieces under discussion in Laura Spence-Ash’s “Reading Two Groff Companion Pieces” post on the Ploughshares blog. But I’m intrigued—I want to read the Groff novella that still waits for me and return to Spence-Ash’s craft-focused analysis. Maybe this weekend???
- From the New York Society Library: “June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, and we present a list of relevant recent arrivals covering a wide variety of subjects and genres, including a rich selection of novels.” (You don’t need to be a library member to take note of the titles!)
- Working with adverbs: tips from Allison K. Williams.
- Happening virtually (and at no charge) next week: the Schomburg Center Literary Festival: Reading the African Diaspora, which “expands the center’s long tradition of championing authors of African descent from across the globe and publications that celebrate Black history and culture.”
- It’s been a rough week for this Jewish writer (and for a number of my friends). I explain why—and present a concluding ray of inspiration—within the latest Jewish-lit links on the My Machberet blog. I’d be grateful if you’d take a look.
Have a good weekend, all.
Finally!
“Adverbs aren’t your enemy—but they’re subcontractors rather than friends. Invite them in to serve their purpose; bid them farewell when the job is done.”
It annoys me when writing teachers hate on all adverbs equally. They exist in the language for a reason. They serve a purpose. Moderation in all things, including adverbs, but they have their place!
Yes!