Erika Dreifus

Each week (typically Fridays), the Practicing Writing blog offers writing and publishing resources, news, and reflections to peruse over the weekend.

• “The Myth of ‘My Publisher Did Nothing for My Book'” is the title of Kathleen Schmidt’s latest Publishing Confidential post. In the sub-heading: “A negative publishing experience doesn’t mean nothing was done for a book. Plenty was probably done, but the work is invisible.”
• From the Authors Guild: “Do you have wisdom about writing or publishing that you’d like to share with your fellow writers? Teaching a workshop can be a rewarding way to give back to the community while also monetizing your talents and building your career. You have the knowledge—you just need to know how to prepare a writers’ workshop and execute it well. Learn how to offer your own virtual workshops from author Esmé Weijun Wang, founder of The Unexpected Shape Writing Academy.” This free event is happening online Tuesday, January 27; a recording will be available for those who cannot attend live.
• This “Better Brainstorming” exercise (written up by Mary Shaver for Teachers & Writers) is aimed toward “teaching early writers to generate ideas for fiction.” But this not-so-early writer (ahem) may soon try it out, too.
• Last Friday’s edition of Ron Charles’s Book Club newsletter for The Washington Post) included a wonderful spotlight on “And That’s True Too: The Life and Work of Lore Segal,” an exhibit that opened yesterday at the Leo Baeck Institute in New York (where, some of you may recall, I serve as a trustee). “Drawing on photographs, manuscripts and rare books, the exhibition traces the life and literary legacy of Segal (1928-2024), who escaped Nazi-occupied Vienna as a child on a Kindertransport and went on to become a novelist, translator, children’s author and teacher in the United States. At the exhibit opening Thursday, Toni Kalem [read] from Segal’s 1964 autobiographical novel, Other People’s Houses ([recording], 6:30 p.m. ET). Her final story collection, Still Talking, will be released by Melville House on March 10. The New Press will republish Other People’s Houses, Shakespeare’s Kitchen and Her First American over the next three months.”
• The above item was cross-posted in this week’s “Jewish Literary Links” on My Machberet, where you can find lots of other current news about awards, events, and more.

Have a good weekend, everyone. And for all of us in a stormy path–stay safe and warm!