Words of the Week: Ambassador Michael Oren

by Erika Dreifus on
2

“Unfortunately, we Israelis observe several minutes of silence every year. We stand in silence for the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, for our soldiers who fell defending the state, and for the victims of terror. We stand in silence for the five Israeli tourists recently murdered by a Hezbollah suicide bomber in Bulgaria. And we will stand in silence tomorrow for our athletes who were senselessly killed at Munich. We stand in silence because we remember and honor, and we stand in silence because this is the loudest expression of our humanity.”

Source: Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, for The Washington Post‘s “On Faith.”

Beautifully said, Mr. Ambassador. Thank you.

Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Munich, Sound & Silence

by Erika Dreifus on
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Last Friday on this blog, and on My Machberet, I linked to a new piece of mine that had just appeared on The Forward‘s Arty Semite blog. Titled “Remembering Munich, in Fact and Fiction,” the brief essay references ongoing calls for a moment of silence to take place at the impending ceremony that will open the 2012 Olympics, a moment in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes who were murdered at the Munich Summer Games 40 years ago. It also presents some of the “backstory” surrounding “Homecomings,” one of the stories in my short-story collection, Quiet Americans.

What happened in Munich 40 years ago is part of that story. The central characters, Nelly and Josef Freiburg, German Jews who immigrated to the United States in the 1930s, return to Europe for the first time in 1972–and their trip overlaps with the Summer Games. I began writing “Homecomings” when I was an MFA student, and in the “Arty Semite” post I recall some distressing comments that emerged when the story was workshopped.

“Homecomings” isn’t available online, but I’ve recently recorded two brief excerpts (in a single audio file) that you can hear by clicking here. (FYI: “Simone” is a French relative with whom Nelly and Josef are staying. Everything else should be easy enough to follow. And by the way, my recording skills are quite new–you’ll hear more about that sometime soon.)

I’ve been thinking about this sad anniversary all summer, and thinking about the victims and their families. You can be sure that Munich will be on my mind on Friday, when the opening ceremony takes place. I’m immensely grateful to Bob Costas, who has promised that even if the International Olympic Committee refuses to give 60 seconds of silence to the murdered athletes then, he will do so.

May these London Games open, take place, and close in peace.

Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

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

  • First up: Robert Lee Brewer is seeking and will pay for contributions to the 2014 editions of Writer’s Market, with a pitch deadline of August 8; Poet’s Market, with a pitch deadline of August 8; and Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, with a deadline of August 15.
  • From Poets & Writers, Inc.: “Each year, P&W invites fiction writers and poets from a selected state to apply for the [Maureen Egen Writers Exchange] award. This year, eligible writers are residents of Alaska who have never published a book, or have published only one full-length book, of fiction or poetry….The winner in each category will each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to meet with top literary professionals, including editors, agents, publishers, and prominent writers. While in New York, winners will also give a public reading hosted by Poets & Writers. In addition, each winner is invited to spend a month at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Banner, Wyoming.” There’s no application fee. Deadline is December 1, 2012.
  • The Costa Short Story Award is “a brand new Award for a single short story that will run in association with the Costa Book Awards but be judged independently of the main five-category system. The new Award is for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words by an author aged 18 years or over and written in English. The author’s primary residence must have been the UK or Ireland for the past three years…. Entrants need not have been previously published but publishers and agents may submit entries on behalf of authors….A panel of five judges will select a shortlist of six entries which will be revealed in November. The public will then be invited to vote online for their favourite story from the six finalists. The winner will be announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony on 29th January 2013 and will receive £3,500; two runners-up will each receive £750.” Deadline: September 7, 2012. No entry fee indicated. (via Writing-world.com)
  • Coming soon: The August Practicing Writer. Don’t miss it!
  • From Carol Tice, who with Linda Formichelli runs the Freelance Writers Den: “We’re having a contest that…ends July 31st. Grand prize — Linda and I are each going to give out one free year’s stay in Freelance Writer’s Den, along with a whole mentoring package designed to kick your career into high gear. We know that times are tough out there still for many writers, and want to offer an opportunity for those who haven’t been able to afford the Den to get in there.” No entry fee.
  • For those in the Houston area: “Writers in the Schools (WITS) is looking for 10-12 writers who can teach the joy of creative writing to young people. Employment is part-time, typically 2-6 hours of teaching one day a week from September – May. A yearlong commitment is required; however, writers who are selected to be on the WITS roster are not guaranteed immediate teaching opportunities. The pay is $55 per teaching hour. In addition to teaching, the job duties include preparing lessons, responding to student work, and compiling anthologies of student writing at the end of the school year.”
  • “The English Department at Smith College [Mass.] seeks a fiction writer with a distinguished record of publication and commitment to teaching to serve as the Elizabeth Drew Professor of English for a 2-3 year term, to begin in the fall of 2013. Previous recipients include Anita Desai, Elinor Lipman, Sue Miller, and Kurt Vonnegut. This half-time position offers an annual salary of $52,000 and a housing allowance; college-owned housing may be available. One writing workshop (course limited to 12 students) to be offered each semester.”
  • ODC Dance (San Francisco) is looking for a Writer-in-Residence, Yaddo seeks a Development Manager to work in its New York City office, and Richard Hugo House (Seattle) is advertising for a Marketing Coordinator.

    • Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    For the weekend: some writing-related reflections, news, and resources to enjoy.

  • Let’s begin with an item from ASJA’s “The Word” blog, in which freelancer Margie Goldsmith tells us “How to Conduct a Successful Interview.”
  • Next up: “The more I looked at stories where I’d never read past page one, the more I realized how many of them lacked clarity. Even as I read, I never really knew what was going on. Or I couldn’t keep the characters straight. Or I couldn’t picture the physical details being thrown my way. And this lack of clarity was preventing me from being engrossed enough to turn the page.” So writes Robin Black, in a terrific (and for this practicing writer, wonderfully timely) “rerun” Beyond the Margins post on story beginnings.
  • “What’s the state of American fiction today? VPR Presents Washington Post Book Critic Ron Charles. He speaks at the Vermont College of Fine Arts with VCFA President, Thomas Greene, about the decision not to award a Pulitzer Prize for fiction last year, how books are selected for review, and why people really read ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’.” I’m setting aside some time this weekend to listen.
  • This will also require some sustained attention: a list of the 20 most popular freelancing-related posts of the year (so far) on Carol Tice’s blog.
  • Finally, I’m very proud of this piece, “Remembering Munich, in Fact and Fiction,” which went live on The Forward‘s Arty Semite blog yesterday. The “fiction” in question is my own (“Homecomings,” a story in Quiet Americans). I may have more to say about this post next week. For now, I’ll just be grateful if you read it.

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

    Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen

    Every Friday, My Machberet presents a set of Jewish Literary Links to close out the week.

  • First, and in case you missed it, I devoted a post on my “Practicing Writing” blog earlier this week to some reflections on Israeli author Shani Boianjiu’s forthcoming novel, The People of Forever Are Not Afraid.
  • Next, the latest Jewish Book Carnival went live earlier this week. This month’s Carnival marks the project’s second anniversary.
  • Lilith fiction editor (and prolific author in her own right) Yona Zeldis McDonough is the Association of Jewish Libraries Facebook Writer-in-Residence for the month of July.
  • On Monday, the Jewish Book Council hosted author Francesca Segal, who chatted with readers via Twitter about her recasting of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence in her own recent novel, The Innocents. You can read the transcript if you missed the fun. And take note of the next JBC Twitter chat, featuring Joshua Henkin and The World Without You in September.
  • Finally, yours truly has a piece up on The Forward’s Arty Semite blog, “Remembering Munich, in Fact and Fiction.” (That would be in my fiction: in “Homecomings,” a story in Quiet Americans.

    • Shabbat shalom.