Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: My “Well Versed” Debut

by Erika Dreifus on
4

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Two weeks ago, I attended a panel event, held at the Center for Jewish History here in Manhattan, that helped launch a new book, Holocaust Literature: A History and Guide. And last Friday, my account of that event was posted on the “Well Versed” blog of The Jewish Week, a New York-based newspaper that I subscribe to.

It’s my debut post for Well Versed, and I hope it signals many to come–and perhaps even some bylines within the paper itself. We shall see.

Meantime, here’s the opening of the post:

Definitions can be tricky. Just try to find agreement on what qualifies (or not) as “Jewish literature.”
Perhaps equally arguable: any effort to define “Holocaust literature.”

In their new book, “Holocaust Literature: A History and Guide” (Brandeis University Press), David Roskies and Naomi Diamant propose some striking new terms.

Intrigued? Please keep reading!

(cross-posted on My Machberet)

Monday Markets for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

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

  • For our friends who are resident in the United Kingdom: “The Jane Martin Poetry Prize…is delighted to invite entries for the 2013 competition. The competition will be judged by experts drawn from across the literary world and academia. We are thrilled that this year the panel will include Gillian Beer and Caroline Bergvall. Building on the success of 2012, the 2013 winner will receive not just a cash prize of £1000, but the opportunity to give a reading at a high-profile poetry event at which the prize will be awarded.” No entry fee. Deadline: March 15, 2013.
  • Based in Canada, “Sterling is a literary journal for everyone’s stories. We accept fiction, poetry and graphic content from writers at all levels. Each issue of Sterling has its own look and feel because we love printed material. It’s also a way to celebrate our ongoing triumphs over the blank page.” Pays: “Contributors can choose between $25 or two copies of the journal.” Submission deadline: March 24, 2013. (via placesforwriters.com)
  • “Oxford University Press and the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University are pleased to announce a call for contributors to the Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography (DCALAB).” Pays: “Entries range from 500-2500 words and come with an honorarium of 10 cents per word (in OUP product) or 5 cents per word by check.”
  • From Austin Peay State University (Tenn.): “Applications are invited for the position of Assistant Professor-English with a specialization in Creative Writing-poetry. This is a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track position to begin August, 2013.”
  • The Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University (Mass.) is advertising for a staff writer.
  • The Poetry Foundation (Chicago) is looking for an Editor for Poetry magazine.

    • Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    Treasure ChestWriting-related resources, news, and reflections to read over the weekend.

  • The New York Times spotlights writing by veterans, and workshops and journals that are supporting it.
  • Recently, Writer Abroad attended TIPE, The Independent Publishing Event in Zurich. “Here are some of the things she learned.”
  • This is getting to be a habit. Every week, it seems, I can’t resist sharing one of Carol Tice’s posts with you. This week’s offering: “The New Freelance Writer’s Quick-and-Simple Guide to Getting Started.”
  • On a related note, check out Don Vaughan’s advice on “5 Ways to Land Freelancing Assignments.”
  • Judging by how often I’ve seen them mentioned this last week, I sense that I should be telling you something about Bookish and Vine. But neither one has grabbed my attention yet (my adoration for The Totally Hip Video Book Reviewer notwithstanding). What am I missing here?

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

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Boston-bound!

    by Erika Dreifus on
    4

    muse10Boston’s amazing Grub Street has opened registration for its always-fabulous annual conference. This year, The Muse and The Marketplace will take place May 3-5th, 2013, in Beantown’s Park Plaza Hotel.

    I’ll be there. How about you?

    On Sunday afternoon, I’ll be moderating a session titled “Grubbie Guide to Writing Contests, Conferences, and Residencies.” I know that we’ll all learn a lot from Sheri Joseph (it would be easier to name the residencies she hasn’t won than those she has) and Douglas Trevor, whose honors include the Iowa Short Fiction Award (which resulted in the publication of his collection The Thin Tear in the Fabric of Space). It’s going to be a great session (#8K, if you want a registration shortcut).

    I’m so looking forward to this particular trip. This conference is always terrific; I always love returning to Boston; and, above all, it will be springtime!

    Monday Markets for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

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

  • The February issue of The Practicing Writer went out to subscribers late last week. Plenty of no-fee contests and paying calls included there.
  • “The Cheryl Strayed/VIDA Memoir Scholarship will provide for one recipient the full registration fee for the Wild Mountain Memoir Retreat, March 15-17th 2013. The scholarship, provided by an anonymous donor, will be awarded to a female writer of demonstrated financial need and literary promise.” Deadline is February 14, 2013. No application fee.
  • Those of you in the NYC area: Gigi Rosenberg will be leading a free session on “Grantwriting for Artists: Perfecting Your Proposal,” on the afternoon of Thursday, February 14.
  • Canada-based Arc Poetry Magazine “is look­ing for sub­mis­sions of poetry—or prose about poetry—that takes the North as its pole star. We are look­ing for writ­ing from the North and/or about the North in its many guises. We don’t take the North as a given and encour­age sub­mis­sions that engage with and chal­lenge ideas and his­tor­ies of the North. We encour­age sub­mis­sions of diverse North­ern voices, poetry styles, and lan­guages (sub­mis­sions in Eng­lish, French, Inuit lan­guages, Dené, and Cree are wel­come; how­ever, sub­mis­sions in lan­guages other than Eng­lish should be accom­pan­ied by author-approved translations).” Check the site for more guidelines and pay rates.
  • Westminster College [Utah] invites applications for an assistant professor in Fiction Writing, the New York Public Library is looking for a Production Assistant to join its Live from the NYPL series, and The University of Baltimore’s School of Communications Design seeks a published fiction or literary non-fiction writer for a half-time contractual position.