Friday Finds for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Treasure Chest
Writing-related resources, news, and reflections to enjoy over the weekend.

  • Jane Friedman considers “How to Avoid the ‘Extra’ Work of Social Media.”
  • This New Yorker podcast like a real treat: “George Saunders Reads Grace Paley and Barry Hannah.”
  • Some sobering talk on “little magazines.” (via @Scratch_Mag)
  • “Unless they were dousing a fire or spilling coffee, they were ‘poring’ over the reports, not ‘pouring.'” This and other helpful reminders courtesy of After Deadline.
  • ICYMI: The October issue of The Practicing Writer went out to subscribers this week.

    • Have a great weekend, everyone!

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen

    Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • A gorgeous meditation for the Days of Awe by Richard Chess.
  • Etgar Keret explains why Yom Kippur is his favorite holiday (translation by Sondra Silverston).
  • Irving Kristol’s only published short story, re-published on Mosaic this week, features an post-World War II encounter in France between an American Jewish GI and an Auschwitz survivor.
  • Have you perused the amazing collection of archived summary-reviews of major works of American Jewish fiction over on the Fig Tree Books website?
  • Last, but by no means least: David (D.G.) Myers, whose many areas of expertise included Jewish literature, passed away last Friday. Please take a few moments to read through some tributes to him.

    • Shabbat shalom, and an easy/meaningful fast to all who will be observing the Yom Kippur holiday.

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Between Rosh Hashanah celebrations/family time and the challenges of a nasty cold, I haven’t been quite so productive, writing-wise, this past week. Things are continuing to hum along at work at Fig Tree Books, so that’s very nice. I received my contributor’s copy of the 2015 Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market in the mail this past week, too, and I’m glad to have it.

    I also managed to send out the October issue of The Practicing Writer, which includes a Q&A with my gifted friend Sara Lippmann about her new story collection, Doll Palace. And yes, I’m already at work on the November issue, which will spotlight another very talented writer–John Vanderslice–and his new collection, Island Fog.

    So, what’s new with all of you?

    Sunday Sentence

    by Erika Dreifus on
    1

    Compulsion-Web

     

    In which I participate in David Abrams’s “Sunday Sentence” project, sharing the best sentence I’ve read during the past week, “out of context and without commentary.”

    “‘Oh, Italy isn’t so bad since that fellow Mussolini took charge,’ his brother declared. ‘The country is under control.'”

    Source: Meyer Levin’s Compulsion, which Fig Tree Books (my employer) will be re-releasing next spring.