Author Archive

Home » Archives for Erika Dreifus » Page 655

Friday Finds for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
6

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

  • You know, I usually think that my mom raised me right and that I do a decent job with thank-you notes. Alas, the first installment of The Memorious Guild’s Guide to Literary Etiquette made me realize that I still have a ways to go.
  • Also on the etiquette theme: Debbi Ridpath Ohi describes what encourages her to promote others’ work through her @inkyelbows feed–and what has the opposite effect. And Nina Badzin explains how Twitter is like “a writer’s endless holiday party“. (And while we’re talking about Twitter: If you haven’t uploaded a header photo yet, GalleyCat has some advice for you.)
  • Every so often, I like to check in with the After Deadline blog for “newsroom notes on usage and style” from The New York Times.
  • This week brought my latest “First Looks” post about new/forthcoming books for Fiction Writers Review. Go on over and see what I spotlighted this month (hint: Oprah and I have something in common).
  • “It took me something like twelve years of sending work to AGNI to finally break in,” writes Jehanne Dubrow. “The writing life is like that: a decade of sending out poems, maybe every year, maybe twice yearly, to a place that feels so right for one’s work but that keeps saying no (or maybe, no thank you). And then, one day, a yes arrives, usually in a way so quiet and understated that the acceptance feels inevitable.”

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

    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.

  • Beautiful, haunting essay on Tablet by David Goldstein, about his grandfather (a Holocaust survivor), and a visit to the grandfather’s village.
  • Another moving “3G” story I discovered this week: “Marcy Rosen had never seen a photograph of her grandfather, Morry Chandler, as a young man. He is a Holocaust survivor, and all pictures from his childhood were lost or destroyed. But then Marcy found a pre-World War II film from his hometown in Poland on the Museum’s website. And she spotted his fourteen-year-old face among a group of children and teens smiling at the camera.”
  • Some background regarding how my novel excerpt, “Rio, 1940,” made its way to the current issue of JewishFiction.Net.
  • From the Association for Jewish Studies: “We are on our way to Chicago for the AJS 44th Annual Conference! Keep an eye on Facebook and and Twitter (@jewish_studies) for updates throughout the meeting. We’ll be using the hashtag #AJS12. Hope to see many of you there!” Conference runs December 16-18.
  • Don’t forget: The December Jewish Book Carnival will go live after sundown tomorrow evening. Please stop back here to see everything we have in store for you this month!

    • Enjoy the conclusion of Hanukkah, everyone, and Shabbat shalom!

    On Changes in Jewish-American Writing

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Last week, as I wrote in a post published yesterday on The Forward‘s “Arty Semite” blog, I attended

    a panel with an intriguing title: “Contemporary Jewish-American Writing: What Has Changed?” Equally interesting, especially when attention is being paid to gender (in)equities in publishing, the panel proposed to discuss how women writers, in particular, have influenced the shifts. Although the event didn’t address all of its anticipated questions, it left me considering how my own recent reading in Jewish books — works whose content reflects an engagement with identifiably Jewish subjects, such as Jewish history, prayer, ritual, language and Israel — may reflect some of those shifts and changes.

    Please go on over to The Arty Semite to keep reading.

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: The Potential of “Unfinished” Work

    by Erika Dreifus on
    8

    Last July, I noted some boosts in my writerly productivity. I discerned several factors in that happy development, including

    the extent to which I’ve been taking to heart [advice] from Midge Raymond’s Everyday Writing: Tips and Prompts to Fit Your Regularly Scheduled Life. As part of her counsel on ways to meet our writing goals, Midge advises: “Don’t dismiss unfinished projects.” She explains: “I’ve found many gems in long-abandoned projects….Never abandon old ideas; you never know when they’ll suddenly be relevant. Revisit all your ‘old’ stories, poems, or essays at least once a year.” (more…)