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Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

by Erika Dreifus on
2

heirloomsHeirlooms Has Arrived!

One of this week’s highlights: the arrival of my pre-ordered copy of Heirlooms, the debut collection of linked stories by my friend Rachel Hall. This is a gorgeous book (yes, go ahead and judge this one by its cover!).

You’ll discover more about Heirlooms and its wonderful author in the October issue of The Practicing Writer, which should be going out in just a couple of days. (Rachel will be the featured Q&A participant.)

In the meantime, however, I recommend that you read this terrific interview, published on Saturday over on The Rumpus. (more…)

Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

242.jpeRevision Strategy?

Several days ago, a rejection came in for one of my poems, one that I didn’t happen to have out (currently) elsewhere. This is a poem that I thought might also match well with a venue that doesn’t seem to take simultaneous submissions. So when I considered “next steps” for the poem, I went to revisit the “new” venue’s guidelines.

Which is where I saw that said venue also prefers poems no longer than 18 lines.

I’d already figured that it might be time to apply additional revision to this poem. And the fact that the poem exceeded the 18-line limit helped jump-start the process in this case.

Next time I need to revise a poem and can’t quite begin to envision how to go about it, I may use a similar approach—even if the guidelines don’t compel me to do so.

Oh—I did, then, submit the poem anew. Stay tuned for the outcome! (more…)

Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

dollar-sign-mdMonday 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). (more…)

Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

checklist-1316848_1280I Did It!

It doesn’t feel as though I’ve “accomplished” much, writing-wise, over this past week, but in the spirit of Lisa Romeo’s annual “I Did It!” lists, I’ll share a few things that I have managed to do over the past seven days.

  • Finished reading Robin Black’s wonderful Crash Course: Essays from Where Writing and Life Collide.
  • Began editing the Q&A (with Rachel Hall, author of Heirlooms) that will appear in the next issue of The Practicing Writer.
  • Began reading an advance copy of Alexandra Zapruder’s Twenty-Six Seconds, in preparation for a future Q&A.
  • Had a phone call with a program manager who might—might!—report back soon with good news about a way for a rejected AWP panel to find new life offsite next February in Washington.
  • Filed my August stats and updates for Poetry Has Value. (Not sure when they’ll be posted, though.)
  • Kept to the day-job’s blogging schedule and posted a new installment in our series of features spotlighting books that have won the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. (Up this month: Eileen Pollack’s In the Mouth: Stories and Novellas.)
  • Drafted some remarks about Quiet Americans and practiced them for a panel event taking place tomorrow.

    • (more…)