Erika Dreifus

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

• I still haven’t had time to watch the recording yet myself, but I’m betting that last week’s Narratively Academy conversation, in which Jane Friedman and Lee Gutkind chatted “about the state of the publishing industry and how writers can break through the noise,” is worth my time, and likely yours, too.
• Posted yesterday on My Machberet: the weekly Jewish Lit Links, with items including the Jewish Writers Caucus at the upcoming #AWP26; free online events (one revisiting the children’s books of Lore Segal and another featuring the co-editors of Ruptured: Jewish Women in Australia Reflect on Life Post-October 7); discounted tuition for My Jewish Learning’s new creative-writing workshops; and recent reflections from yours truly (and other Jewish commentators) regarding PEN America.
• From the Library of America: “Inaugurating a series of programs to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, authors and scholars Michael Gorra, Wendy S. Walters, and Brenda Wineapple discuss four classic short stories, each written within fifty years of the American Revolution, that imaginatively explore the meaning of that founding moment: Washington Irving’s ‘Rip Van Winkle,’ William Austin’s ‘Peter Rugg, The Missing Man,’ and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘My Kinsman, Major Molineux’ and ‘Legends of the Province House.'” This is a free online event (March 12); registration required.
• “Ingram Content Group has announced the launch of Covered a new digital catalog and galley service designed to help publishers share titles with booksellers, librarians, and media, while also facilitating ordering. The beta launches this fall to a select group of publishers, with broader industry availability and competitive pricing to follow in 2027. The platform is intended as a cost-effective competitor to Above the Treeline’s Edelweiss and NetGalley.” Ed Nawotka reports for Publishers Weekly.
• And coming soon (today!): the March 2026 issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0. It’s packed with dozens of current opportunities for writers that do not charge submission/application fees and do offer payment/funding. Nothing hyperlocal, either. New readers always welcome!

Wishing everyone a good weekend.