Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
  • First things first. Our March Practicing Writer newsletter is now available (went out to subscribers over the weekend). You’ll find numerous no-cost competitions and paying calls in it. Go take a look, if you haven’t already seen it.
  • Susan Bernofsky’s Translationista blog alerts us to fellowships to help beginning translators attend the annual conference of the American Literary Translators Association. No application fee indicated. Deadline: May 15, 2011.
  • Mark your calendars: Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) will receive submissions for its next print anthology of short fiction and poetry between June 1, 2011, and September 1, 2011. “Stories must be set in Mississippi and clearly capture a Southern tone.” Will consider previously published work. Pays: “GCWA will pay $25.00 and one copy OR five free copies to contributors whose work is selected for one-time publication rights.”
  • The TEAK Fellowship (N.Y.) is looking for a Summer Institute Humanities Teacher. “The curriculum seeks to improve the students’ writing and critical reading skills, and build a strong foundation for high school Humanities courses in rigorous academic environments. A syllabus has been created based on the theme of ‘American Voices’ however there is flexibility to make some modifications.”
  • “The Department of English and Writing in the College of Arts and Letters at The University of Tampa seeks a creative, innovative individual with significant professional accomplishment to serve as the founding Director of a new low-residency MFA in Creative Writing. This is a 12-month administrative position with teaching responsibilities, to begin June 1, 2011.”
  • “Lander University, a public comprehensive university in the upstate region of South Carolina, seeks a qualified candidate for a tenure track, Assistant Professor in English….The successful candidate will have a terminal degree (MFA or PhD or equivalent) with a concentration in creative writing, and outstanding promise as a writer and teacher. Duties will include teaching composition, all levels of creative writing, as well as teaching other writing and composition classes.”
  • The University of Maryland seeks a Speechwriter/Communications Specialist, the University of New Mexico is looking for a Technical Writer, and the National League of Cities (D.C.) plans to hire a Writer/Editor.
  • And last, but definitely not least: You can still win a free copy of my short-story collection, Quiet Americans. One last giveaway (for now, at least) over on the Guide to Literary Agents blog.

    • Friday Find: Grub Street Daily

    by Erika Dreifus on
    3

    Today, I’m happy to share with you a new blog, Grub Street Daily, brought to us by the fine folks at Grub Street, Inc., which too-modestly describes itself as “a non-profit creative writing center dedicated to nurturing writers and connecting readers with the wealth of writing talent in the Boston area.” But you don’t need to be a Bostonian to benefit from the new blog. I’ve already added Grub Daily to our blogroll (and not just because I’ll be guest-blogging there soon). It is quickly becoming a super-solid resource for writing advice, exercises, and ruminations on the writing life. Take a look.

    (This is also a good time to mention that registration is now open for Grub Street’s annual Muse & the Marketplace conference. Yours truly will be among this year’s presenters this year. Hope to see some of you there!)

    Have a good weekend. See you back here on Monday!

    Thursday’s Post-Publication Post: How to Help An Author Out

    by Erika Dreifus on
    5

    I’m one lucky gal. When my friends and family started hearing that my book of short stories, Quiet Americans, was going to be published, they didn’t only ask me about ebook availability.

    They also asked how they could support me.

    I had a few ideas–and I was and remain overwhelmed by the generosity others have shown me. But I can’t help wishing that I had known/been able to point them to John Kremer’s list of “30 Ways to Help a Book Author You Love” from the start. (NB: The original link seems to be broken; here’s an updated link, with “51 Ways, which I’ve added in 2020—prompted by the FB “Memories” feature.)

    Kremer is a book-marketing guru, and I discovered his list this week (thanks to another marketing maven, Dana Lynn Smith). The best thing about it is that it’s still useful to me: Even if my friends and family were kind enough to offer their assistance pre-publication, most of Kremer’s suggestions can still be used now that the book is out.

    For instance:

    1) Buy your friend’s book. Encourage other friends to buy the book. Go to your local library or bookstore and encourage them to buy the book. Buy books as gifts.

    Or:

    16) Suggest catalogs, associations, and other special sales opportunities. If you receive mail order catalogs that feature books like your friend’s book, tell her about the catalog. The same with associations, groups. corporations, etc. that might be interested in buying bulk copies of your friend’s book.

    Or:

    25) Recommend your friend’s book to your reading group. If you belong to a reading group, suggest your friend’s book as part of your reading program. Or at least tell your reading group about the book.

    You get the idea. It’s a terrific list, and I am grateful to have it.

    Why don’t you peruse it, too? And then, if you think of any other tips that could be helpful, please share them here!

    The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • Maybe you weren’t able to make it to the recent Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) panel on “The Good Review.” Or maybe, like me, you were lucky enough to be in the audience that morning, but you’d like to revisit all of the wonderful insights that were shared that day. In either case, you’ll be glad to know that Fiction Writers Review is presenting a series of the panelists’ talks online. First up: Jeremiah Chamberlin. (Also coming this week: Charles Baxter, Stacey D’Erasmo, and Keith Taylor.)
  • The next issue of The Practicing Writer will feature an interview with author Ellen Meeropol (House Arrest). One subject touched on in the interview is the challenge of writing about politics in fiction. In this blog post, Ellen shares additional ideas on that subject.
  • In the Wall Street Journal, writing professor Dean Bakopoulos explains “How Reading Junot Diaz Can Help America Prosper.” (via @FictionWriters)
  • Interesting review-essay in the Boston Globe on writing about the death of a loved one. (via @JewishMuse)
  • And on a personal note: My precious nephew (age 4 1/2) is becoming a practicing writer! As with many other activities, writing is harder for him than it should be, and we’re all extremely proud of each and every advance. No one is prouder than his devoted Mommy (my sister).

    • Quotation of the Week: Ernest Hemingway

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    “From things that have happened . . . and from all things that you know and all those you cannot know, you make something through your invention that is not a representation but a whole new thing truer than anything true and alive, and you make it alive, and if you make it well enough, you give it immortality….That is why you write and for no other reason.”

    –Ernest Hemingway

    This quotation arrived via degrees: quoted by Joyce Carol Oates, cited by Ruth Franklin, in Bookforum (with a final hat tip to Jessica Handler).