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.”

• The latest issue of The Practicing Writer went out to subscribers yesterday morning. (You can also access it online.) More than 40 no-fee, paying opportunities—and much more—within.
• “We call on every writer to ask their publishers for cover credits for the people who translate their work.” (I’ve signed on to the open letter that you’ll find at the link—because maybe, someday, my books WILL be translated!)
• “Ten Things Nobody Tells You About the Publishing Industry” (Kilby Blades/Publishers Weekly).
• Mini-craft lessons from graduates of Stony Brook University’s BookEnds novel-fellowship program compose a series of posts titled “What My Mentor Taught Me.”
• And of course, over on the My Machberet blog, you’ll find a fresh set of Jewish literary links (this week’s installment features a short list of upcoming free, virtual events).

Have a wonderful weekend!