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 literary news from around the Web.

  • Mark your calendar for next Wednesday’s Jewish Book Council/Jewcy Twitter Book Club. The featured guest is Jami Attenberg, author (most recently) of The Middlesteins.
  • Tablet magazine’s correspondent met recently with Shani Boianjiu in Israel; the result is this profile of the author of The People of Forever Are Not Afraid.
  • Crash course in the history of Jews in Russia, courtesy of Lea Zeltserman (responding, it must be said, to a problematic remark made by Shimon Peres).
  • Want to win a copy of the English translation of Eduardo Halfon’s The Polish Boxer? Read (and comment) here, by Sunday afternoon.
  • The latest issue of JewishFiction.net went live this week. From its editor, Dr. Nora Gold: “In this all-women’s issue, you will find 14 wonderful works of fiction, originally written in Yiddish, Spanish, Hebrew, and English, by authors originating from the Ukraine, Argentina, Israel, England, Canada, and the United States. And with Chanukah just around the corner, we bring you also a Chanukah story from Israel (“Roller Coaster”).” (I’m proud to say that I am the author of one of those 14 works!)
  • And last, but not least, I’m about a week into my gig as the Association of Jewish Libraries Writer-in-Residence. Come join the fun (and discussions) on the AJL Facebook page!

    • Shabbat shalom–and warm wishes for a joyous Hanukkah.

    Fun Facts About My Year in Jewish Books (2012 edition)

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Last year, after I wrote here about “My Year in Jewish Books,” I offered a follow-up post on my “other” blog (which focuses on writing and publishing in the world beyond Jewish books), in which I analyzed the data I’d compiled about my recent reading. Out of curiosity, I decided to do something similar for this year’s Jewish reading record, which I posted on Tuesday.

    Here’s a breakdown of the 33 titles mentioned in Tuesday’s post: (more…)

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Eduardo Halfon’s “The Polish Boxer,” a Giveaway, and the Return of the “Is-It-Really-a-Novel?” Question

    by Erika Dreifus on
    12

    If you’ve made it past the ridiculously long post title, maybe you’ll bear with me a moment longer.

    Remember back in July, when we were talking about the categories of novels and (linked) short-story collections? Remember that I described some difficulties that I had encountered reading Shani Boianjiu’s novel, simply because it was being presented and marketed as a novel–and I saw it more as a story collection?

    Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Or somewhat the same thing. My latest book review, published last week in The Jewish Journal, discusses Eduardo Halfon’s The Polish Boxer (translated, as I note in the review, by a group of translators: Daniel Hahn, Ollie Brock, Lisa Dillman, Thomas Bunstead and Anne McLean).

    The review begins: (more…)

    My Year in Jewish Books (2012 edition)

    by Erika Dreifus on
    6

    Last year, I found it useful (and kind of fun) to look back on “my year in Jewish books.” So, borrowing some of the same introductory wording, I’m going to attempt to do something similar for 2012.

    Reviewing my reading for 2012 (thank you, Goodreads!), I can see that I do not and would not ever limit my reading to “Jewish books” exclusively. (By the way, I define “Jewish books” as books with substantive Jewish content/themes. In my view, non-Jewish authors can write “Jewish books.” And Jewish authors can write books that don’t strike me as particularly Jewish. I read several of those books this year, too.)

    But this year, as usual, I did read quite a few books that fall within the “Jewish book” category. And, as an advocate for Jewish literature, I’m proud of that.

    Below, you will find these books presented in the order in which I read them. (more…)

    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 Random House Publishing Group is excited to launch three new digital imprints, alongside the existing digital imprint LOVESWEPT, that will feed today’s savvy readers by bringing the best, the boldest, and the newest voices directly to them. To the already-existing LOVESWEPT imprint for romance and women’s fiction, RHPG will add the following digital-only imprints: ALIBI, for mystery/suspense readers; HYDRA, for sci-fi/fantasy enthusiasts; and FLIRT, for the rapidly-growing college-age New Adult audiences.” Submission guidelines & FAQ available here.
  • The 21st Annual ‘Austin Chronicle’ Short Story Contest welcomes submissions postmarked by December 10, 2012. $1,500 to be divided among the five winners. Manuscript to be published in early winter in The Austin Chronicle. “Contest is open to Texans and non-Texans alike.” No entry fee indicated. (via CRWROPPS-B)
  • Attention, writers-who-teach: “Each year, NEH offers tuition-free opportunities for school, college, and university educators to study a variety of humanities topics.” Next summer’s offerings include a lot of literary-flavored options, such as “Voices from the Misty Mountains: Appalachian Writers and Mountain Culture,” “The Centrality of Translation to the Humanities: New Interdisciplinary Scholarship,” and “Don’t Deny My Voice: Reading and Teaching African-American Poetry.” Most application deadlines appear to be March 4, 2013, and I’m not aware of any application fees (although I haven’t check each seminar’s requirements).
  • For those who live and work in Minnesota/western Wisconsin: “The Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota is launching the Resident Artist Research Project (RARP), an expansion of its museum artist in residence program, and is seeking to fill two artist residencies for exceptionally inventive, purposeful, and stimulating work.” Application deadline is December 21, 2012. No application fee. “Schedule: Average 8 hours per week, flexible depending on individual projects. Term: 12 weeks total, from 01/28/13 through 04/21/13. Compensation: $4,000 term stipend plus $500 materials budget and up to $2000 in exhibit installation or special performance support per residency.” (via WomenArts Theatre Funding News)
  • And speaking of Minnesota: The Loft Literary Center (Minneapolis) invites proposals for 2013 summer adult in-person and online classes. Deadline: December 14, 2012.
  • The Gilman School’s (Baltimore) Tickner Writing Fellowship application deadline is approaching (December 11). At this time, they are seeking an emerging poet or playwright. “Responsibilities include teaching one senior elective in creative writing each semester, organizing a series of readings, advising the literary magazine, and working one-to-one with students in the Tickner Writing Center. The Tickner Fellow only teaches every other day, allowing ample time for independent writing projects.” No application fee.
  • Subscribers to The Practicing Writer had all weekend to peruse the submission calls and no-fee contest opportunities in the December issue newsletter. If you’re not among them, you can find the issue here.