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Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen

Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish news, primarily of the literary variety, from around the Web.

  • I’m going to have to reread this article about Jewish-American poetry – I somehow can’t quite buy the suggestion that “all poetry is Jewish.”
  • “In honor of the centennial of Abraham Sutzkever’s birth, SLS Lithuania is proud to announce a poetry translation contest, to be judged by Ed Hirsch.” Note that there is an entry fee for this contest. “The winner will receive a full scholarship at SLS Lithuania, as well as a $500 travel stipend. The winning entry will be translated into Lithuanian, and read at a celebration in Vilnius on the centennial, on July 15, 2013.” (via The Forward)
  • In the latest issue of their online journal, the fellows from LABA: House of Study “take a close look at the intersection between food and power and how Jacob used his knowledge of this connection to pull off one of the biggest heists in Jewish tradition.”
  • I missed what looks to have been an intriguing event at the Center for Jewish History on the subject of Jewish participation as “culture brokers” in publishing-the book trade. Luckily, there’s video from the evening, which I hope to watch this weekend.
  • Et tu, National Geographic?

    • Shabbat shalom.

    Success!

    by Erika Dreifus on
    4

    It wasn’t that long ago that I mentioned new courses being offered under the auspices of the Tikvah Fund. I also mentioned that I’d applied for admission to one of those courses.

    I’m delighted to share that I have been admitted to the course I applied for: “Zionist Thought and Statesmanship,” taught by Professor Allan Arkush. (I was also tempted by Dara Horn’s “When Bad Things Happen to Good People: Divine Justice and Human Creativity in Jewish Literature,” but that course meets during the day, and I couldn’t swing that with my work schedule.)

    If you’re curious, the syllabus for Professor Arkush’s course is online. I can’t wait to get started!

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: What’s Coming Soon

    by Erika Dreifus on
    3

    I’m back at the day job today. (Not every university job comes with an automatic and lengthy “winter break.”) But I had a lovely long weekend. Got a lot done, and managed to relax, too. And I have another four-day weekend to look forward to just around the corner, so I’m pretty happy.

    Among the projects I worked on during the past few days: the January issue of The Practicing Writer, our free monthly e-newsletter. The new issue will go out to subscribers just before the new year, and I happen to think it’s a pretty good one. It’s never too late to subscribe – or to recommend it to your writing friends and colleagues!

    Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Monday brings the weekly batch of no-fee competitions/contests, paying submission calls, and jobs for those of us who write (especially those of us who write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction).

  • The Google Journalism Fellowships program “is aimed at undergraduate, graduate and journalism students interested in using technology to tell stories in new and dynamic ways. The Fellows will get the opportunity to spend the summer contributing to a variety of organizations….There will be a focus on data driven journalism, online free expression and rethinking the business of journalism. The 10-week long Fellowship will open with a week at the Knight Foundation and end with a week at Google, split between Google News and YouTube. Participating organizations are based in Berkeley, CA, Columbia, MO, Cambridge, MA, St. Petersburg/Miami, FL, New York, NY and Washington, DC. They include the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Investigative Reporters & Editors, the Knight Foundation, Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, Poynter, Nieman Journalism Lab and ProPublica.” NB: “Fellows will receive a stipend of $7,500 USD for 10 weeks during the summer of 2013 (June-August) and a travel budget of $1,000 USD.” Apply by January 31, 2013. No application fee.
  • Published poets (with a minimum of three books) who live in the Greater Montreal area may want to consider applying to be “Poète de la Cité”: “The Poète de la Cité will embody the city’s soul, testifying to its creativity and effervescence, boldness and fears, diversity and harmony, bumps and bruises, joys and jubilations. With a purse of $25,000, this residency will extend over two years, from September 2011 to June 2013. In part, it will take place at the Maison du Conseil des arts de Montréal, in the aptly named Édifice Gaston-Miron, where the poet will have a work space. In addition to writing, the poet will undertake a series of public activities at the Maison du Conseil des arts de Montréal. The Poète de la Cité will also launch an annual poetic event, to be organized in conjunction with the Conseil.” There is no application fee indicated. Deadline: February 15, 2013. (via @alacarteblanche)
  • The Academy of American Poets (New York) is advertising for an Associate Director/Director of Content and for a Programs Assistant.
  • Boston-based job: “Grub Street seeks a part-time (18 hrs/week) Development Associate to work as part of its development team. The Development Associate will act as the administrative assistant for the entire development department, attend meetings, assist with all fundraising activities, and handle myriad communications tasks throughout the year. This is a brand-new position at Grub Street, and may evolve over time. “
  • “The Earlham School of Religion (ESR), a Quaker seminary [Ind.], seeks candidates for a teaching faculty appointment within the Ministry of Writing emphasis to teach introductory and advanced writing courses, advise divinity students with a Ministry of Writing emphasis, facilitate the annual Tom Mullen Ministry of Writing Colloquium, and give input into the development of and subsequent selection of writers for a ‘Writers in Residence’ program.”
  • “The Department of English at the University of Wisconsin Colleges invites applications for a full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor of English at its UW – Waukesha campus to start in the fall of 2013. The successful candidate will demonstrate experience teaching first-year college writing courses, and preferably in creative writing and/or a range of composition courses, developmental to advanced. Possession of a graduate degree in Composition/Rhetoric and/or Creative Writing is preferred.”
  • Harry S Truman College of City Colleges of Chicago is advertising for a Poetry Writing Lecturer, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, invites applications for an “on-going pool” of Part-time Temporary Lecturers in Creative Writing.

    • Merry Christmas to everyone who is celebrating!

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    The weekly collection of writing-related resources, news, and reflections to read over the weekend.

  • There’s lots of press these days about Ayana Mathis, but this Salon interview, which follows her “long path to sudden fame,” is, I think, one that will especially interest Mathis’s fellow writers.
  • Samples of query letters to literary agents that worked, courtesy of GalleyCat.
  • I haven’t read it yet, but this week the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) has released its latest report on the academic job market.
  • Warning: Kelli Agodon’s dispatch from a writing retreat may make you jealous!
  • I don’t know how he does it, but David Abrams always presents the most interesting posts about upcoming books to look forward to in his “Front Porch Books” features. The December 2012 edition is no exception. (Hint: Reviewers, you’re likely to find at least title or two of interest here.)

    • Have a great weekend, everyone. See you back here on Monday!