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Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
  • Based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “Southern Cultures covers all aspects of the region’s mainstream and marginalized cultures—through interviews, essays, articles, personal reminiscences, poetry, fiction, reviews, and surveys on contemporary trends. We are a peer-reviewed quarterly and welcome well-written submissions year-round from authors, scholars, and anyone else with insights into our region.” Upcoming deadlines include March 5, 2012 (for the annual Music issue), and June 1, 2012 (for a Remembering the Civil War issue). Pays: “We pay $250 for essay-length pieces and $100 for shorter works.”
  • An interesting project is going on with two Canadian literary journals (both journals routinely pay their contributors). “In the fall of 2012, The Malahat Review and The Fiddlehead will celebrate the writing of each other’s regions, with the former publishing an East Coast issue and the latter a West Coast issue. Writers with strong connections to either or both regions are invited to submit to the issue that will best provide their work the most apt and safe harbor.” Submission deadline is May 15, 2012.
  • The January issue of The Practicing Writer went out to subscribers late last week. If you’re not yet a subscriber, you can read the current issue–and check out all of the no-fee competitions and paying submission calls–right here.
  • I’ve sung the praises of Duotrope.com for poets and fiction writers before: I’m delighted to see that the site will soon expand to cover creative-nonfiction markets, too!
  • Ohio University seeks an Assistant Professor of English (Creative Writing-Fiction).
  • From Hamline University (Minn.): “The Creative Writing Programs (CWP) invites applications for a tenure-track position in fiction to begin in August 2012.”
  • From Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts: “The English/Communications Department seeks candidates for a full-time, temporary faculty position in Creative Writing and Literature, to begin January 17, 2012, with the possibility of renewal. The successful candidate will teach a wide range of creative writing and literature courses and offer courses in the general education program, including composition.”
  • “The English Department at Portland State University [Ore.] invites applications for a tenure-track 1.0 FTE position as an Assistant Professor in Nonfiction Writing to begin in September 2012.”
  • California State University, Northridge, plan to hire an Assistant Professor in Screenwriting.
  • The University of Maryland University College seeks a Web Communications Writer-Editor, the University of Chicago Medical Center Development team is looking for a Senior Writer, and the National Constitution Center (Philadelphia) invites applications for an Editor-in-Chief position with Constitution Daily, the center’s blog.

    • Thursday’s Work-in-Progress

    by Erika Dreifus on
    4

    I was hoping to squeeze in some especially productive writing time this week between Christmas and New Year’s. After all, I was scheduled to go to my “day job” just two days. One of those days dropped away when a winter cold worsened and I decided to take yesterday off.

    For a brief morning moment, my mood brightened. Unanticipated “free” time! Somehow, I’ve never quite accepted the idea that on a “sick day” I’m not necessarily going get a lot of writing done. That, in other words, I’m staying home precisely because I lack the energy and clarity of thought to work. That I should just succumb to naps and cable news and maybe reading a magazine article or two and let the writing slide. But invariably, I relearn my lesson each time.

    Which means that I haven’t exactly maximized this week writing-wise. Before 2011 ends this weekend, though, I’ll have sent out the January 2012 Practicing Writer newsletter (thank goodness for my work-ahead ethic). Hopefully, I’ll have at least started the two review assignments that require my prompt attention. And maybe I’ll have made some progress on one more project.

    You see, earlier this month, I dove into Brian Klems’s “12-Day Plan of Simple Writing Exercises,” which concludes with these instructions: “Gather everything you’ve written over the previous 11 days. Pick your favorite. Edit it, polish it and either try to get it published or post it on the Web to share with the world. Be proud of yourself and your work.”

    Well, I’ve selected my favorite piece. I’ve begun editing and polishing it, but much more revision awaits me. In all likelihood, that work will continue well into 2012. (For one thing, the piece began as a poem, but seems to be edging into essay territory.)

    What about you? What are the works-in-progress that you will be carrying into 2012? I’d love to know, if you’re willing to tell me.

    The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2
  • Faye Rapoport DesPres recently published such a good post on rejection on her blog that she inspired me to go back and dig up a short essay of mine on the same subject.
  • On the Fiction Writers Review blog, Celeste Ng reflects on naming practices in fiction–and provides some links to online name generators you may want to try.
  • I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I have sometimes managed to turns peeves and annoyances into fee-garnering writing (for one example, see this essay). So naturally, Midge Raymond’s latest writing prompt caught my eye.
  • Kelly James-Enger suggests “5 Things for Freelancers to Do Before Year’s End.”
  • Feeling a bit crunched? Worried that you aren’t writing during this holiday season? Lori Ann Bloomfield shares tips for making sure you don’t neglect your writing practice.
  • If you haven’t heard about the latest Facebook changes, Robert Lee Brewer will help you get oriented.
  • It has been quite a long time since I’ve shared a New York Times “After Deadline” post (on grammar, usage, and style). Here’s an example of what you’ve been missing.
  • From David Abrams: A gorgeous look at the year in book covers.

    • Please tune in tomorrow, when I’ll share the story behind my first commissioned short story, “Fidelis,” which is currently airing on NPR.

    Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • Call for submissions on “Southern Sin”: “Creative Nonfiction and the Oxford Creative Nonfiction Writers Conference & Workshop are looking for essays that capture the South in all its steamy sinfulness–whether you’re skipping church to watch football, coveting your neighbor’s Real Housewife of Atlanta, or just drinking an unholy amount of sweet tea. Confess your own wrongdoings, gossip about your neighbor’s depravity, or tell us about your personal connection to a famous Southerner headed down the broad road to Hell. Whether the sin you discuss is deadly or just something that would make your mama blush we want to hear about it in an essay that is at least partially narrative–employing scenes, descriptions, etc. Your essay can channel William Faulkner or Flannery O’Connor, Alice Walker or Rick Bragg; it can be serious, humorous, or somewhere in between, but all essays must tell true stories, and must incorporate both sin and the South in some way. Usually the wages of sin is death, but this time we’re making an exception. The best essays will be published in Creative Nonfiction #47, and CNF and Oxford will be awarding multiple cash prizes (amount TBA).” Deadline: May 28, 2012.
  • From The First Line: “We are looking to fill some slots for our Favorite First Line section for 2012. Between now and the end of January, send us a 500-800 word critical essay about your favorite first line from a literary work. Payment is $20 for an accepted essay.”
  • Attention, DC-area writers! Leslie Pietrzyk has kindly posted the following: “The Jenny McKean Moore Free Community Workshop is one of the best deals in the DC writing world. Each year, a writer comes to DC to be in residence at George Washington University, and part of their obligation includes teaching a FREE, semester-long writing class. Yes, FREE. All you have to do is follow the application directions and keep your fingers crossed that your manuscript will be accepted. That’s right, even the application process is FREE! (Thank you, Jenny McKean Moore.)” You’ll find all of the details and application instructions here.
  • Interesting WritersWeekly.com article on “lucrative niches in children’s writing.”
  • “New to the 2012 Muse and the Marketplace conference, Grub Street is soliciting “Hour of Power” suggestions from presenters all over the country. We are looking for authors, editors, agents, publicists or literary industry professionals with a compelling topic they’d like to share with a group of up to 50 aspiring and emerging fiction and non-fiction writers. You can lead a lecture with Q&A, a discussion class, a panel, a series of writing exercises, or a combination of the above. Accepted presenters receive free tuition to the conference on the day of their presentation, breakfast and lunch, invitations to a private Kick-Off party. If you have books, we will sell those at the event. Travel and accommodations are not included. To apply: first, read some samples of previous Muse sessions here: http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=687. Then, fill out our online submission form: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HOP2012 by January 16th, 2012. Winners will be notified by January 23rd. This year’s conference will be held May 5-6, 2012 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.”
  • From Emerson College (Boston): “The Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing seeks a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Magazine Writing and Publishing to teach a range of magazine publishing courses. The initial appointment is for the 2012-13 academic year beginning September 1, 2012.”
  • Simmons College (Boston) seeks a Writer/Editor, Tulsa World (Okla.) is looking for a Feature Writer, and the Center for Fiction (New York) invites applications for a Webmaster position.

    • Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled
  • From The Glen Workshops: “We’re thankful for another generous grant from the Davis Foundation that will enable us to continue to increase our scholarship opportunities in 2012. Full and partial scholarships are available for both Glen West and Glen East, to be awarded based on both need and quality of work. You may apply to any class, even if it’s closed for registration. However, if you wish to guarantee a spot in a workshop, even if you do not win a scholarship, you must register for an available workshop and pay the $150 deposit. All writers, visual artists, and songwriters are invited to apply! **No scholarships are available for seminar classes.” Deadlines are January 15 for Glen East and March 15 for Glen West.
  • This list of nonfiction competitions is worth a look, especially for UK & Commonwealth writers.
  • “During the month of January, Matter Press will be open for submissions of a prose collection (prose poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction). During the submission period, please use Submishmash to submit your 25–40 page manuscript, each piece under 600 words to us. Individual pieces in your manuscript may have appeared in journals, both in print and online, as long as the entire collection itself is unpublished.” There is no reading fee. “Matter Press will have a one-time only print run of 300 copies of the winning chapbook. The author will receive $500 and 25 copies.” (via CRWROPPS-B)
  • “Grub Street [Boston] seeks a part-time, temporary Communications Assistant to assist in planning our annual literary conference, The Muse and the Marketplace, in May of 2012. The Communication Assistant will work closely with the Muse team, helping to post and organize information on the website, generate email communications, and create and organize conference materials. The ideal candidate will have superb web, office, and design skills, with strong experience with HTML, Microsoft mail merge, and online databases. A passion for creative writing and a sense of humor are also appreciated! The Conference Communications Assistant will work approximately 10 hours/week for 15 weeks total, broken down as follows: December: 1 week January: 4 weeks February: 4 weeks March: 4 weeks April: 4 weeks Start date is flexible, but we’d like the position to start as soon as possible.” Apply by noon on Wednesday, December 14.
  • From Western Washington University: “The Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Creative Writing position beginning September 2012. M.F.A. or Ph.D. in Creative Writing, Screenwriting, English, Film Studies, or related field required by August 2012.”
  • “The University of South Dakota invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of English with specialization in fiction writing. Expertise in a second genre is highly desirable. Expertise in Native American literature is desirable but not required.
  • “The English Department at St. Lawrence University [N.Y.] invites applications for a one-year, full-time position in fiction writing beginning Fall 2012. The successful candidate will teach both levels of our introductory and advanced fiction writing courses, and will also be expected to offer a section of the department’s research methods/theory course.”
  • “Hofstra University [N.Y.] seeks a writer of literary nonfiction for an anticipated tenure-track assistant professor of English. Interest in disability studies, a second genre, or a second area of concentration is desirable. Strong record of publication and teaching required.”
  • From the University of Central Oklahoma: “The Department of English invites applications for a one-year, full-time, non-tenure-track appointment as Writer in Residence for the 2012-13 academic year. We are seeking an individual with a strong publication record in poetry and creative nonfiction who has demonstrated excellence in teaching at the college level.”
  • The University of Iowa seeks a Writer/Editor, Cardinal Stritch University (Milwaukee) is looking for an Interactive Media Writer/Editor, the ASPCA (New York) invites applications for a position as Manager, Media & Communications.