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.”

- From Cincinnati Review: “Our Top Three Submission-Etiquette Reminders.”
- Excellent post from Barbara Linn Probst over on Jane Friedman’s site on “Getting Book Endorsements (Blurbs): What to Remember, Do, Avoid, and Expect.”
- From Shelf Awareness: “In England, the run up this week to Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend includes the Reading Agency and BBC’s Big Jubilee Read campaign, celebrating great books from authors across the Commonwealth to coincide with the Queen’s festivities. To create the list, 10 iconic titles were selected from each decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, and organizers say the campaign ‘will enable readers to engage in the discovery and celebration of great books, while shining a spotlight on lesser-known works and authors deserving greater recognition.’ Note that ‘there’s also a roster of Big Jubilee Read events organized by the Reading Agency and Libraries Connected. Run in collaboration with six regional Libraries Connected Networks, the series will be streamed on YouTube and accompany the Big Jubilee Read booklist, exploring six key themes influencing writing, including journeys and migration, multiculturalism and diversity.'”
- Amplify Writers seeks survey participants “who are pursuing creative writing as a career.” (You might win some books if you participate.)
- And there’s another nifty set of Jewish-lit links posted over on the My Machberet blog.
ICYMI: The June issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0 is out. Opportunities, success stories, and more!
Have a great weekend.
