Quotation of the Week: Leslea Newman

by Erika Dreifus on
5

“[W]hy I think you need courage as a writer is that at every step of the way you need the courage to believe you have something to say, you need the courage to make this a priority in your life, because often there are the other people saying you need to get a job, or why are you wasting your time, or whoever’s voice is in your head, so you need courage for that. You need the courage to show your writing to someone else, whether it’s people in your writing group, or your spouse, or a potential agent, or a potential magazine editor. So then, you need the courage to keep going when your writing is turned down, as it probably will be—I don’t know any writer who hasn’t had that experience. And then, you need the courage once it’s accepted to put it out int he world, and hear what people think of it, you’ll need the courage to live through bad reviews, most likely, or tepid reviews, you’ll need the courage to stand up to people who disagree with you, you’ll need courage in the face of offending people—every step of the way, you’ll need the inner core of strength, or what we say in Hebrew, ‘koach‘ to get you through.”

Source: Lesléa Newman, interviewed by Renée Olander in The Writer’s Chronicle, May/Summer 2011.

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
  • Cash, books & journals, and a seal of approval from Joyce Carol Oates are up for literary grabs in the latest Hint Fiction contest. There’s no entry fee, but hurry up with that short-short-short story, because the deadline is April 30. (via @katcop13)
  • From Fly Rod & Reel, for fiction or nonfiction: “The Robert Traver Fly-Fishing Writing Award is our sport’s exclusive opportunity to get your original manuscript read by fly-fishing-writing professionals and possibly published in FR&R. The Robert Traver Fly-Fishing Writing award carries a $2,000 First Prize, from the John D. Voelker Foundation, sponsor of the award; a Second Place award of $750 will be included this year; Third Place, known as the Rusty Gates Memorial Honorable Mention Award, is $250. The ranks of past winners include Pete Fromm, Seth Norman, Keith McCafferty, Richard Chiappone…” Deadline is May 16, 2011.(via Writing-world)
  • Attention, writers in Scotland! “Biggar Museums Trust Brownsbank Committee, in partnership with Creative Scotland, is offering Brownsbank Cottage as a
    funded retreat     from June through to September to Scottish-based writers. Retreats may be of one, two, three or four months’ duration.” There is no application fee indicated, and in addition to the retreat space a stipend of GBP 750/month will be awarded. But hurry–applications are due April 29.
  • Before I leave for Boston and The Muse & the Marketplace Conference on Friday, I will be sure to send out the May issue of The Practicing Writer newsletter, as always packed with no-fee competitions and calls for submission (paying calls, only!). If you’re not yet a subscriber, sign up now so you’ll have the weekend to start perusing and pursuing all the possibilities.
  • From Fort Hays State University (Kansas), news of an Assistant Professorship (non tenure-track with possibility of renewal): “An ideal candidate will be able to teach writing courses that are part of the Writing Concentration, a track within the English major that prepares students for professional careers in writing and editing. The standard teaching load in the department is 12 hours per semester and includes freshman composition. PhD preferred. Expertise in the areas of creative nonfiction, composition/rhetoric, long-form narrative, digital media, editing/publishing (print, online, or both), or interdisciplinary work preferred. Nonacademic publications in regional or national venues or a book desired. Candidates are expected to have excellent teaching skills. Ability to support student literary journal or other existing and future projects is welcomed.”
  • Fitchburg State University (Mass.) is advertising for a temporary, one-year Assistant Professor position in Professional Writing: “Teaching responsibilities include Creative Writing, Feature and Magazine Writing, Editing and Publishing, Creative Nonfiction, and Fiction Writing, as well first-year writing and Introduction to Speech. A background in Rhetoric and Composition is desirable. Ph.D. and previous college teaching experience required.”
  • Birkbeck College (London) has posted announcements for two positions: Lectureship in Creative Writing (fiction & creative nonfiction) and Lectureship in Creative Writing (poetry).
  • Savannah College of Art & Design (Ga.) seeks a Writer, the University of Michigan is looking for a Senior Writer, and Schoolcraft College (home of The MacGuffin in Michigan) invites applications for a part-time Editorial/Publishing Assistant position.

    • Notes from Around the Web: Literary Links for Shabbat

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • Very proud to share with you my latest poetry publication, a poem titled “Emor,” on the New Vilna Review site.
  • Speaking of poetry, The Forward‘s Arty Semite blog continues its celebration of National Poetry month here.
  • Mazel tov to the winners of this year’s Canadian Jewish Book Awards.
  • Among those appearing in the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature (April 25-May 1, 2011, in New York) are Israeli authors Agi Mishol, Yael Hedaya, Asaf Schurr, and Evan Fallenberg.
  • Every time I see the call for applications for Write On for Israel I wish I were in high school again (almost).
  • Yes, you have yet another opportunity to win a free copy of my story collection, Quiet Americans!
  • Something I’ll be working on this weekend: my presentation for an upcoming (May 5) conference here in NYC on “German-Speaking Jews in New York City: Their Immigration and Lasting Presence.”

    • Shabbat shalom!

    Friday Find: Savvy Book Marketing Secrets

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    If you’re already subscribing to Dana Lynn Smith’s “Savvy Book Marketer Newsletter,” then you’ve probably already downloaded and gobbled up your copy of the “Savvy Book Marketing Secrets” ebook. But if you haven’t yet accessed this useful guide, it isn’t too late at all. Just go here.

    Enjoy, and have a lovely weekend. See you back here on Monday!

    Thursday’s Post-Publication Post: FWR’s Short Story Month Collection Giveaway Project

    by Erika Dreifus on
    12

    UPDATE: Congratulations to Frume Sarah (Commenter #5 below) and Becky Wolsk (Commenter #6). You are collection giveaway winners! I will email each of you with more information shortly. Thanks to everyone for participating.

    Those of you who have been following this blog for awhile may recall two salient facts. First, around this time last year, I offered a special giveaway: two short-story collections (by Susan Perabo and Margot Singer), in conjunction with the Collection Giveaway Project, an initiative coordinated by Fiction Writers Review (FWR) in celebration of Short Story Month (May). And second, I’m now a contributing editor for FWR, and it’s in that capacity that I am once again promoting the CGP as well as participating in it.

    First, the promotion part: You can find details about the 2011 CGP on the FWR site, and I very much hope that plenty of you will choose to take part on your own blogs.

    Second, the participation part: This May, I will once again award two short-story collections, one each to lucky commenters who shall be selected at random. This year, the collections I’m spotlighting are Midge Raymond’s newly reissued Forgetting English and my very own Quiet Americans.

    I have been a fan of Midge Raymond’s work for years. In fact, I reviewed the first edition of Forgetting English for FWR back when the collection was published by Eastern Washington University Press as winner of the Spokane Prize. In its 2011 incarnation, hot off the presses this spring, the book includes two new stories. You can read an excerpt here. (By the way, Midge is also an instructive and engaging blogger, especially on writing-related topics, and definitely worth following on Twitter, too. First, though, make sure you read the guest post she shared with us right here on Practicing Writing last week as part of her virtual book tour.)

    At this point, I don’t think you need much more introductory material about my story collection, Quiet Americans. After all, you’ve been reading pre-publication and post-publication posts for months. But I am very happy to have an occasion to offer another giveaway of my book. Now that Quiet Americans is available for Kindle, I’ll be able to award either a paperback OR e-copy, so please keep that in mind should you emerge as a giveaway winner. (For now, it seems that only the previous edition of Forgetting English is available for Kindle, so the choice there will be between the new edition in paperback and the older one for e-reading.)

    All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me about one collection you’ve read since last year’s giveaway. Title, author, press, and a line or two about what’s most memorable about it for you. The Collection Giveaway Project and Short Story Month more broadly are intended to celebrate short stories and the people who read and write them. So let’s get a big discussion (and reading list) going.

    Comment anytime up to 12:01 a.m. (U.S. Eastern time) on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. At some point that day, I’ll turn to the trusty random number generator to select and announce our two winners. Please remember that I do have a day job, so I may not get to make the announcement until evening. Thanks for your patience—and for your participation!