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Friday Finds for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
2

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

  • ICYMI: Thoughts (mine and others’) on litmag submission fees.
  • Intriguing post on what was new (and what was not so new) this seventh time Cathy Day taught her novel-writing class.
  • A reminder that there’s usually something interesting to read and learn over on the NYT “After Deadline” blog, which offers “newsroom notes on usage and style.”
  • Big congrats to John Vanderslice on the forthcoming publication of his story collection, Island Fog. Check these posts for John’s account of how this collection came to be written and found its publishing home.
  • And if you’re looking for a recorded literary event to enrich your weekend, check out this conversation between Junot Díaz and Toni Morrison, courtesy of The New York Public Library.

    • Have a great weekend, everyone.

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    The weekly collection of writing-related resources, news, and reflections to read over the weekend.

  • Many congratulations to Stephanie Vanderslice on being named Arkansas Professor of the Year. (If you didn’t catch our Q&A with Stephanie regarding her recent book, Rethinking Creative Writing in Higher Education: Programs and Practices that Work, it’s archived here.)
  • A big thank-you to The Kenyon Review for posting audio of Elie Wiesel’s acceptance speech on November 8, when he received the 2012 Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement.
  • Agree with the idea that the Internet has become a realm of (too much) niceness? Roxane Gay suggests that you think again.
  • I’m still laughing over this McSweeney’s item: Raymond Carver’s OKCupid profile, edited by Gordon Lish.
  • Like many of you, I’ve got Alice Munro’s latest, Dear Life, on my tbr list. Munro’s Q & A with The New Yorker‘s Deborah Treisman only increased my interest.

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

    From My Bookshelf: A Wedding in Great Neck, by Yona Zeldis McDonough

    by Erika Dreifus on
    4

    Today marks the release date for A Wedding in Great Neck, the latest novel by Yona Zeldis McDonough. My Machberet wishes Yona a hearty Mazel Tov!

    Some of you may recognize Yona for her role as fiction editor for Lilith magazine. I can still remember picking up the phone in my kitchen 10 years ago when Yona called to let me know that she and the magazine wanted to publish my short story (which the magazine retitled “Polar Region”). Yona is responsible for affirming and advancing the work of so many fiction writers, especially those of us on the emerging end of things. We owe her a lot.

    Which is one reason why I was so happy to be offered a complimentary advance reading copy of A Wedding in Great Neck, and why I’m equally pleased to give it a public shout-out here. If you follow me on Goodreads, you know that I read this hefty book in all of two days. It’s a family story–reminiscent of tales spun by Jonathan Tropper and Joshua Henkin–that takes place in a brief span (in this case, a single wedding day). There are lots of Jewish characters, some of whom you’ll likely respond to more positively than others. (Personally, I wanted to shake teenaged Justine more than once, especially each time she began spouting off against Israel.)

    Here’s wishing Yona and her new book much success as they meet the world together.

    The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    Welcome to the Wednesday collection of gleanings from the Web:

  • Noted by The Cincinnati Review: “We receive about 1,500 poems, stories, and essays a month through our online submission manager, and many of those submissions get read by our staff, who have noticed the following trends. . . .”
  • The latest author to contribute to the “My First Time” column on David Abrams’s wonderful blog is Susan Woodring, describing her first telephone conversation with her agent. (P.S. Huge congrats to David on the selection of Fobbit, his forthcoming novel, for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program.)
  • Next week will bring the June issue of The Practicing Writer, which will feature a Q&A with Midge Raymond, author most recently of Everyday Writing: Tips and Prompts to Fit Your Regularly Scheduled Life. Right now, you can learn more about the book and enter a giveaway on Goodreads.
  • Speaking of giveaways, there’s also still a bit of time remaining to leave a comment and be eligible for one of our own Short Story Month Collection Giveaway Project offerings.
  • Poet Diane Lockward shares the qualities that draw her to (or repel her from) online literary journals.
  • Who can’t benefit from a refresher course on the comma?

    • The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • There’s a lot to absorb in this Fiction Writers Review interview with Joan Leegant. Stick with it to the end–especially if you’re one of us writers who didn’t have a first book published in our twenties (or thirties).
  • Daniel Nester asks, “What are the ‘rules’ of a creative writing workshop?”
  • On a related note, Lily Hoang presents the syllabus for the first MFA workshop (fiction) that she’s teaching.
  • And while we’re still talking about pedagogy: Congratulations to Stephanie Vanderslice, whose book Rethinking Creative Writing is now available in hard copy as well as in e-book version. (Stephanie is running a contest to mark this milestone: check her blog for details, and revisit our interview here.)
  • There are some real gems in this issue of Nieman Reports, “Writing the Book.” Given the source, the material will appeal especially to nonfiction writers, but there’s likely something useful for all practicing writers in these virtual pages. Sections include:”Concept to Content,” “Platform to Audience,” and “Voice to Visual.”
  • It’s the last day for you to become eligible to win a free copy of Quiet Americans!