Erika Dreifus

Three quick updates from my desk.

1. My publisher pays out royalties for Birthright: Poems once each year, in January, and this week I received the payment for 2021 sales. In truth, it was a lot smaller than previous years’ payments, and so my latest donation to Sefaria is correspondingly smaller, too. We’ll see what I can do to up the numbers in 2022.

2. The latest issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0, which went out to our faithful subscribers on Monday, happens to suggest some ways that you can help me with those numbers. That’s because this issue marks a milestone: I’ve been preparing and sharing these newsletters for EIGHTEEN YEARS. So I offered a few ideas for celebrating, and yes, they include ways to support my books! But the issue ALSO features another amazing array of fee-free competitions and calls for writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Nothing that’s listed is limited to the residents of a single city/state/province; everything pays for winning/published work. Be sure to check out the new issue, and, if you’re not yet a subscriber, please join us (it’s free!).

3. I’ve gone back to school! It’s been a while since I’ve taught a class in-person, but this week brought the start of our spring semester and my return to campus. I’m teaching a course in Contemporary Jewish Literature that’s cross-listed for Jewish Studies and Comparative Literature.

Curious about the readings?

Check this post on the My Machberet blog for details.