Thursday’s Work-in-Progress

by Erika Dreifus on
4

Good news on a few fronts. Mainly, I’m cautiously pleased with the status of the commissioned short story that I’ve been working on. And I’ve completed a draft of my next article assignment for The Writer magazine. Two big items on my to-do list, nearly ready to check off.

I’ve also started preparing my presentation for a November 13 appearance with the Jewish Historical Society of New York, and I’m steeling myself to plunge into the one I need to write for a visit to my home congregation in New Jersey on November 18–it will be a friendly crowd there, but a big one! And I’ve set myself an ambitious topic: “Why Is This Jewish-American Writer Different from (Some) Other Jewish-American Writers?” (Fortunately, I was greeted with so many “I loved your book!” comments when I was at the temple for Rosh Hashanah that my confidence is up. Plus, my mom’s friends have committed themselves to a home-baked cookie brigade for an extra-special Oneg Shabbat that evening!)

But it’s not all sunshine and roses. Several more rejections have (already) come my way this week, including my second rejection from a “top-tier” residency program. I know–such is life, and such is a writer’s life, in particular.

In other news, assuming that my doctor gives her okay when I see her today, I’ll be returning to my “day job” next week. I have been incredibly lucky with my recovery from last month’s surgery, and, as I’ve been reminded as the bills have begun coming in, incredibly lucky to have a job with pretty excellent insurance benefits. (I am also incredibly lucky to have amazing colleagues and coworkers who have not only showered me with get-well wishes and gifts, but also have pitched in to take over my responsibilities during my medical leave.)

I am looking forward to getting back to my “away from home” office. Still, I know that I will also be returning to that eternal challenge of sustaining and nurturing a writing practice with so much of my time and energy going elsewhere (as I know many of you understand quite well!). Wish me luck!

The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
  • Fascinating essay by Jennifer Solheim on “polyphony and its translation” in Nathacha Appanah’s The Last Brother. (See my much less ambitious but equally enthusiastic take on The Last Brother here.)
  • Stuart Nadler reflects on the stories that did not make it into his collection, The Book of Life.
  • Another excellent writing prompt from Midge Raymond.
  • And there’s an intriguing exercise embedded within this Q&A between Deborah Treisman and David Long, too. (Long is the author of this week’s short story in The New Yorker.)
  • A routine visit to the Wordamour blog brought not only a new post to read but also a surprise gift: a lovely microreview of Quiet Americans!
  • Need some humor in your day? Check out this book trailer, featuring Julie Klam and Timothy Hutton.

    • Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • “The 5th Annual Micro Award is now open for submissions through Dec 31, 2011.  The Micro Award is presented annually for flash fiction not exceeding 1000 words.  Stories of all genres published originally in 2011 are eligible.  Editors may submit two stories; writers may submit one.  The winner of the $500 prize and all other finalists will be announced on Feb 29, 2012.” No entry fee indicated. (via @TaniaHershman)
  • From the current issue of WritersWeekly.com: “We’re out of feature articles! QUERY US! WritersWeekly pays $60 on acceptance for features averaging around 600 words. See our guidelines HERE.”
  • Paid internship opportunity at Smithsonian magazine (Washington): “A six-month, full-time, paid, writing internship is available at Smithsonian magazine in Washington, D.C., beginning January 2012. The job involves writing, blogging and producing multimedia for the magazine’s Web site and writing for the print magazine’s “Around the Mall” department. Candidates should have a proven aptitude for writing and Web-journalism skills. A recent undergraduate or graduate degree is a must.”
  • Don’t forget that the October issue of The Practicing Writer is now online and contains a slew of no-cost competition listings and info on paying submission calls.
  • Harvard University Press (Mass.) is looking for a Publicist.
  • Converse College (S.C.) seeks a Director of Publications.
  • CancerCare, Inc. (New York) is advertising for a Senior Writer/Editor.
  • The University of Warwick (U.K.) has posted announcements for a Professor of Creative Writing and for an Assistant or Associate Professor in Creative Writing.
  • From the University of St. Thomas (Minn.): “The Department of English announces a tenure-track position in creative writing at the assistant professor level, with preparation and a publication record appropriate to the teaching of an introductory multi-genre creative writing course as well as intermediate and upper-level courses in more than one of the major creative genres (fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction).”
  • The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is advertising for an Assistant Professor in Creative Writing, Creative Non-Fiction/Margaret R. Shuping Fellow. “Entry-level, tenure-track position. Candidates must have established strong literary reputations, at the national and/or international level, in Creative Non-Fiction. Requirements include BA (MFA preferred); substantial, ongoing publication; at least two years college teaching experience; and commitment to teaching undergraduates and mentoring young writers.”
  • From the University of Massachusetts-Boston: “Tenure-track position in poetry-writing, beginning September 1, 2012, at a lively, diverse urban university in a department with over 480 undergraduate majors, over 100 master’s students in literature, composition and creative writing, and an MFA program in creative writing. Responsibilities include teaching poetry and craft workshops, literature classes, and the pedagogy of creative writing, as well the future directorship of the MFA program.”
  • The University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop “seeks a poet of national prominence for a position on its permanent faculty in poetry, at the rank of Associate or Full Professor.”
  • The Harvard University Department of English “is seeking a Briggs-Copeland Lecturer in poetry, with responsibility for teaching two undergraduate writing workshops per semester. Five-year untenured appointment to begin July 1, 2012. Two books (not including chapbooks) plus significant publications & teaching experience expected.”
  • “The Viterbo University [Wisc.] English Department seeks applications for a tenure-track position in creative writing with emphasis in poetry at the rank of assistant professor. Preference will be given to applicants who can also teach modern/contemporary British literature.”
  • From the Rochester Institute of Technology (N.Y.): “Situated within a vibrant technological university, the English Department seeks a teacher, writer, and scholar for a tenure-track position in Creative Writing, with a specialization in fiction and expertise in the practice of Electronic Literature/Digital Arts.”
  • From the University of Notre Dame (Ind.): “We seek a fiction writer, at the assistant professor level, to teach primarily in our well-established undergraduate-and-graduate-level Creative Writing Program. Fiction writers who have published at least one novel or collection of stories with a nationally recognized press are encouraged to apply.”
  • “The English Department at Missouri State University, located in Springfield, Missouri, anticipates an August 2012 opening for an Assistant Professor-Creative Writing (fiction), tenure-track.”
  • From Brooklyn College of The City University of New York: “The Department of English invites applications for a tenure track position in the teaching of the craft of fiction in the undergraduate English program.”