Friday Finds for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Treasure ChestWriting-related resources, news, and reflections to read over the weekend.

  • It’s always a treat to receive Diane Lockward’s poetry newsletter. If you’re not a subscriber, I highly recommend that you become one! Here’s the latest (April) issue.
  • Not surprisingly, some of the more astute commentaries on Amazon’s acquisition of Goodreads have come from Steve Almond and Porter Anderson.
  • Speaking of Amazon: Do you think it should change its policy on Kindle book returns? I do, which is why I’ve signed the Change.org petition that Galleycat brought to my attention this week.
  • Acronyms decoded: pay terms for freelancers.
  • Congratulations to Kelly James-Enger on the launch of Improvise Press and the new edition of Six-Figure Freelancing (and special thanks to Kelly for the complimentary digital review copy that she offered me–I’m gobbling it up!).

    • 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 links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • Mazel tov to the inaugural class of the Posen Society of Fellows.
  • More background on The Tower, the new publication I mentioned here recently.
  • Dispatch from the Twin Cities: “Jewish Arts Lab, or Why I’m a Jewish Artist.”
  • Win a book bundle from the Jewish Book Council (U.S. entrants only, enter by 4:00 p.m. EST, April 10).
  • Perhaps my most exciting #JLit discovery of the week: the redesigned website of the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature!

    • Shabbat shalom!

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: The Inspiration of “The Year of Living Autobiographically”

    by Erika Dreifus on
    8

    TomHopA couple of days ago, a good friend who is also a writer emailed me to check in on things. The message included an inquiry about what I’m writing these days. I didn’t feel as though I had a whole lot to report (although I do have a cluster of interesting freelance assignments on my to-do list). Instead, I mentioned in my response that I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, and that I’ve found this reading even more inspiring than usual. As an example, I referenced a book that those of you who follow me on Twitter or Goodreads may recall my mentioning: Ayelet Tsabari’s The Best Place on Earth.

    But there’s another book that I want to cite here. You won’t find it on Amazon or Goodreads or IndieBound. Not yet, anyway. Its title is The Year of Living Autobiographically, and its author is Thomas Israel Hopkins. (more…)

    Writing Contest for High School Students Celebrates Jewish-American Heritage Month

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Received via AMJHISTORY:

    Writing Contest for High School Students Celebrates Jewish-American Heritage Month

    (New York, March 29, 2013)–To celebrate May’s Jewish-American Heritage Month, high school students are invited to compete in a writing contest to honor Jewish contributions to American culture. Entrants will prepare an essay on the topic: “Which Jewish-American Do You Most Admire?” The winner will receive a grand prize of $180 and the runner-up will receive $100. In addition, both winning essays will be published on www.freshinkforteens.com, printed in The Jewish Week, and archived on the Jewish-American Hall of Fame website www.amuseum.org/jahf. The winners’ schools will also be acknowledged, and both students will receive a Jewish-American Hall of Fame medal. (more…)

    Monday Markets for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    5

    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).

  • Black Balloon Publishing has news for novelists and short-story writers: “We’re thrilled to announce the Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize, an award for a previously completed manuscript which comes with an award of $5,000 and a Black Balloon Publishing deal. Submissions for entry will be accepted between April 1 and May 6th. Only complete, previously unpublished works of fiction of over 50,000 words will be eligible. Please submit an excerpt of up to 4,000 words in a .doc or .docx file between April 1 and May 6th.” There is no entry fee. (via GalleyCat)
  • A quick check-in with the Chicken Soup for the Soul website reveals a number of upcoming deadlines for anthologies-in-progress, including “a book for Canadians about everything winter,” a book on dating, and “a multitasking Mom’s survival guide.” Paying projects.
  • The low-residency MFA program at the University of California, Riverside, is looking for a Visiting Assistant Professor of Poetry.
  • “The Department of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock invites applications for a nine month tenure-track Assistant Professor (R97278) to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in professional writing, including grant writing.”
  • Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing (Fiction).
  • Poets & Writers, Inc. (New York), is looking for a Development and Marketing Associate.
  • The April issue of The Practicing Writer went out to subscribers this weekend. You can also read the current issue–replete with no-fee competition listings and paying calls for submission–online.