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.”
- “The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has acquired the largest private collection of items to bring new context and perspective to the life and literary impact of poet Phillis Wheatley Peters (c.1753–1784), including one of the few manuscripts written in the poet’s hand.”
- From The Atlantic: “Use our new search tool to see which authors have been used to train the [AI] machines.” (Gift link provided.) And in related news: “You Just Found Out Your Book Was Used to Train AI. Now What?” (from the Authors Guild).
- “How to Pitch Me or Anyone About Anything”: tips from podcast host Nina Badzin (including the text of a successful sample pitch).
- On a similar theme: Leigh Stein’s “How to Ask a Stranger for a Blurb” discusses how to do just that—also with a sample text. (Check also my take on that topic.)
- And over on My Machberet, you’ll find a slew of opportunities for Jewish writers and writing. And
And a quick reminder that the October issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0 will go out to subscribers a bit later this morning. (Subscribers, monitor your inboxes!) If you’re not (yet) a subscriber, the new issue will be posted online. Have a great weekend.
