Friday Finds: Five Ways to Benefit from AWP (Without Attending the Conference)

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Although it may be somewhat difficult to believe (depending on how much time you’re spending on Twitter this week, and how many writer-types you follow), not everyone is attending the annual conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) right now.

And here’s something that may be even more surprising: There’s plenty to gain and glean from a quick-and-easy trip (no luggage! no airport delays!) to the organization’s website.Here are five examples:

  • Searchable database of writers’ conferences, centers, residencies, festivals, and retreats.
  • Online guide to writing programs (graduate and undergraduate).
  • Selection of craft-focused articles from AWP’s magazine, The Writer’s Chronicle.
  • Selection of career-advice articles from the AWP Job List.
  • “Advice for Grantseekers from the National Endowment for the Arts,” a podcast from last year’s conference (scroll down to Episode 12; many of the other episodes on this page are limited to listeners with [membership] eLink access, but Episode 12 is available to all.

    • AWP membership does offer, as they say, some privileges. But everything I’ve listed just above is available to anyone who visits the site.

    Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

    Thursday’s Work-in-Progress: All About Book Reviewing

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
    SOME of the print galleys and advance reading copies (ARCs) awaiting my attention.

    I have book reviewing on the brain right now.

    Part of that is due to the number of reviews I’ve been writing lately (and the assignments remaining yet-to-checked-off my to-do list). Part of it might have to do with two of my recent reviews having appeared online within the past few days. One of those reviews looks at Natasha Solomons’s new novel, The House at Tyneford, and the other was assigned to note the paperback release of Johanna Adorján’s An Exclusive Love: A Memoir (trans. Anthea Bell).

    And part of is surely connected with the survey I’ve devised for book reviewers/book bloggers who use NetGalley.

    That last item is something I devised to help me with an article-in-progress in which I’m writing about NetGalley’s usefulness to me (and others). If you’re a reviewer/blogger who has used or is using NetGalley, I’d be so grateful if you’d take a few moments and complete the survey. It’s quick and painless, I promise! Thank you in advance for your time, and thanks to those of you who have already participated.

    The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • Last week brought some buzz–including a New York Times article–about an author whose unsellable manuscript scored a deal as soon as a pseudonymous byline entered the picture.
  • The Poets & Writers contests blog presents a Q&A with Jennifer Perrine, who has won multiple contests and competitions.
  • You know how I’m always reminding you that I’m a #writerwithadayjob? Well, with my appearance on writerwithadayjob.com, it’s official! (Thanks to Aine Greaney for the affirmation, and for introducing me to your excellent blog.)
  • For the next five days I expect to be seeing a lot on Twitter from the folks heading to Chicago for the annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference. With the help of the #AWP12 hashtag, that is.
  • And speaking of AWP–allow me to leave you with this creation, “Annual Conference: 8,000 Writers Expected,” written and read by Rebecca McClanahan.

    • Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

    by Erika Dreifus on
    4
  • Quick deadline for this one: Two paying summer internships are available at the Nieman Journalism Lab in Cambridge, Mass. From the announcement: “We’re interested in journalism innovation and the future of the news. Our summer interns will be right in the thick of that work, reporting and writing stories on traditional news organizations, online-native startups, nonprofit outlets, technology companies, social media platforms, and all the other players influencing how we learn about our world.” Applications are due March 2.
  • The Australian journal Meanjin has reopened to poetry submissions only. Right now they’re taking hard-copy submissions only, but the guidelines page notes that the journal is “in the process of moving to a new digital submissions service.” Pays a “minimum” fee of $50 (Australian) for poetry.
  • “Instituted in the fall of 2005, the Edith Wharton Essay Prize is awarded annually for the best unpublished essay on Edith Wharton by a beginning scholar. Graduate students, independent scholars, and faculty members who have not held a tenure-track or full-time appointment for more than four years are eligible to submit their work. The winning essay will be published in The Edith Wharton Review, a peer-reviewed journal indexed in the MLA Bibliography , and the writer will receive an award of $250.” There is no entry fee. Deadline: April 30, 2012.
  • From WritersWeekly.com: “DigitalGrandparent.com looking for guest bloggers. Read the blog, if you have a great idea for a post that suits our style, please send to maryan at ontext dot com. $40 stipend per 600-800 words.”
  • “Writing About Your Mother and/or Father” is the title of an upcoming event that will be run by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). Scheduled for March 6 at 6 p.m. (Eastern), this event will be available via live webcast free of charge.
  • From Newcastle University (U.K.): “The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics wishes to appoint a part-time (0.4 FTE) lecturer with expertise and publications in Creative Writing (Prose). We are seeking applicants who will contribute to teaching across both undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes, as well as supervise PhDs. We particularly welcome applications from candidates who can contribute to and see opportunities to develop the resources of the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts, a university research centre based in the School.”
  • It’s nearly the end of the month. You know what that means! I’m putting the finishing touches on the March issue of The Practicing Writer. It will be emailed to subscribers midweek. As always, free of charge; as always, featuring only fee-free competitions & paying gigs for poets, fictionists, and writers of creative nonfiction.
  • Northwestern University (Ill.) is looking for a Senior Writer, Abrams Media (New York) seeks an Editor for its “soon-to-be-launched chef-focused site,” and Living Beyond Breast Cancer (Haverford, Pa.) invites applications for a position as Writer and Website Coordinator.