Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

  • I’ve mentioned this no-fee contest in a previous issue of The Practicing Writer, but since the deadline is approaching, it’s probably worth mentioning again: “This year sampad is delighted to be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabindranath Tagore with Inspired by Tagore an international writing competition. Tagore was a hugely influential South Asian poet and many sampad projects have celebrated his legacy or been sparked by a line of his poetry….There are 2 categories: one for writers aged between 8 and 15, one for writers aged 16 and over. Entries can be poetry, short stories or reportage, and writers can submit up to 6 pieces of work, maximum length 400 words, using Tagore’s poetry and writing as a starting point.” Cash prizes and publication. Open to writers around the world. Deadline: January 31, 2012.
  • From WritersWeekly.com: “We’re Out Of Features! QUERY US! WritersWeekly pays $60 on acceptance for features averaging around 600 words. See our guidelines HERE.”
  • “The American South is a haunted place — full of ghost stories, native legends, persistent devils & angels, souls sold at the crossroads, and moon-eyed maidens living in the Okefenokee. The South’s best writers — Faulkner, O’Connor, McCullers — all keep this sense of the otherworldly in their fiction. In this spirit, Q & W Publishers is looking for submissions for an anthology of short fiction and non-fiction that explores the fantastic, eerie, and bizarre side of the American South.” Pays: $50/accepted piece, plus one copy of the anthology.”
  • From the Kentucky Arts Council: “BOOKSTORE SEEKING LOCAL AUTHOR BOOKS FOR SALE Bakery Blessings & Bookstore @ the Bar in Lexington is accepting local, Kentucky author books for sale on consignment. More info: Jan(at)aprilword(dot)com.”
  • Something for my fellow New Yorkers: Free writing workshops around Manhattan on January 10 and 11. Check them out and pre-register.
  • From Colby College (Maine): “Position in Fiction Writing starting September 2012 to teach 1-3 sections of Introduction to Fiction (English 278). Applicants must have a MFA or equivalent, publication, and evidence of teaching effectiveness at the college level.”
  • The Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University (Mass.) seeks a Staff Writer, Melville House Publishing (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is looking for a Publicist, and Carleton College (Minn.) seeks applications for a Publications Writer/Editor.
  • Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

  • André Aciman writes about Irène Némirovsky.
  • Joan Leegant’s remarkable, Israel-set short story, “Beautiful Souls,” was chosen by Ron Carlson as winner of the 2011 Colorado Review Nelligan Prize. It is extraordinary, as is Leegant’s novel, Wherever You Go, which I finished reading on New Year’s Day. Hope to write more about Leegant’s work soon.
  • The New York Times reviews the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s Emma Lazarus exhibit.
  • More cultural news from NYC: Next week marks the start of the 21st annual New York Jewish Film Festival.
  • Looking for some book-club possibilities? Check out the Jewish Book Council’s themed reading lists.
  • Can you believe that it’s been almost one whole year since my short-story collection, Quiet Americans, was published? To celebrate this anniversary, I’m offering three free copies of my book. There’s no cost to enter this giveaway and the guidelines couldn’t be simpler. Read more here.
  • Shabbat shalom!

    Friday Find: Free Books!

    As hard as it may be to believe, my short-story collection, Quiet Americans, is almost one year old! Its official pub date was January 19, 2011.

    To celebrate this milestone, I’m offering three lucky people free copies of the book. If you’re in the U.S., you can have a signed print copy. If you’re outside the U.S., I can offer you a Kindle copy. (If you’re in the U.S. and prefer a Kindle copy, you can opt for that instead of the print version. It will be totally up to you. And if your name is chosen and you already own a copy and would prefer to gift one instead, we can do that, too.)

    All you have to do is follow me on Twitter OR “like” my Facebook page.

    That’s it. Simple.

    Prizewinners will be chosen randomly and announced on January 19, 2012. Of course, if you follow me on Twitter AND like my Facebook page, you will improve your chances of winning.

    I’d love it if you’d spread the word. (Even if that decreases your own chances, you’ll earn karmic points.)

    Thank you so much. Have a great weekend, and see you back here on Monday!

    UPDATED: To avoid confusion, let me explain that there will be a total of 3 winners. I wish I could spare up to six print copies right now, but I just can’t!

    Thursday’s Work-in-Progress: Non-Writing Writing Resolutions

    How many of you have made New Year’s resolutions concerning your writing practice this year? Let me see those virtual hands!

    As you know, one week ago I was content with simply resolving to get a few projects under way before midnight on December 31. I’m happy to tell you that I did write and submit the two reviews I mentioned; I did send the newsletter out; and I did continue working on that prompt-into-poem-into-essay project (yes, that one has indeed carried me into 2012).

    But with the surfeit of resolution-related posts that I’ve seen on others’ blogs lately, and the actual arrival of the new year, I think that I’m finally ready to make a few long-term resolutions regarding my writing practice. The funny thing is, none of them will require any writing. And not one of them is really new. (more…)

    The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    New Year's cake decorated by my niece. Photo © Joanna Dreifus.
  • Susan Woodring shares generous New Year’s wishes for practicing writers. Meantime, here are some excellent New Year’s resolutions from independent publicist Dana Kaye (thanks to @_joycastro for pointing me to the latter).
  • @SocialDialect recommends a post that features 10 blogs about blogging, “because we can all use more resources.”
  • The New York Times profiles the Hmong American Writers’ Circle–and its preoccupations. (See also the sample writings.)
  • The Millions previews highly anticipated books coming in 2012. (Hint for those who want to build a book-reviewing practice–you may find some forthcoming titles for review pitches here.)
  • In case you’ve ever wondered exactly what a “poetry chapbook” is, Brian Klems explains.