Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Subscriber Success Story

ourplaceI can’t overemphasize how much I love hearing good news from newsletter and blog subscribers, especially when that good news stems in some small way from a piece of information that I’ve passed along. So I’m grateful to Atar Hadari for making my Monday this week with the following message:

Dear Erika,

Just a note to thank you for drawing my attention to Wordrunner echapbooks. Their Spring chapbook is my novella “Our Place”, three stories about how a man loses pieces of his life on a religious kibbutz in Israel. They’ve been a joy to work with, and even paid money.

This is the link, in case you’re not on their mailing list.

http://echapbook.com/fiction/hadari/index.html

All best,

Atar Hadari

Truly, it’s messages like this one that make all of the time and effort I put into the newsletter and blog so worthwhile. (It’s a bonus when I can go right ahead and read the work that has been recognized, and, as in the case of Hadari’s fiction, find it to be fresh, provocative, and moving.)

By the way, Wordrunner’s current submission period runs until May 31, and it’s open to poets.

Monday Markets for Writers

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).

  • Not much time left to enter the “Heroes of Geriatric Care” competition from the John A. Hartford Foundation: “We need heroic stories! We need stories that convey how a person with geriatric expertise (in any profession and discipline) can save the day when those without couldn’t get the job done; where special knowledge and hard-won skill in geriatric training programs make a difference in peoples’ lives. Enter our contest by April 15th and share your heroic story of exemplary geriatric care. The top prize winner will receive $3,000 and your story will be shared widely.” NB: “Stories must be true….” There is no entry fee. A second prize ($1,000) and third prize ($500) will be awarded.
  • The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md., is currently taking applications for its Emerging Writer Fellowship program. “We welcome submissions from writers of all genres, backgrounds, and experiences in the following genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Emerging Writer Fellows will be featured at The Writer’s Center as part of a special celebration and reading. Fellows living within a 250-mile radius of the center will receive a $250 honorarium, and all others will receive $500.” There is no application fee, and the deadline is May 3, 2013.
  • “Recommended Reading, a magazine by Electric Literature, publishes one story a week, each chosen by today’s best authors and editors. Though Recommended Reading features original fiction as well as reprints, we will only consider previously unpublished stories during our spring submission period. Before submitting, please take some time to read Recommended Reading, especially the first issue in every volume, in which we showcase original fiction recommended by Electric Literature. Recommended Reading publishes fiction ranging in length from 2,000 to 10,000 words, and pays each contributor $300.” Current submission period closes May 1. (via @bookfox)
  • “Earlham College [Ind,] invites applicants for a one-year visiting assistant professor for the 2013-14 academic year with the ability to teach Creative Writing, as well as general education and literature courses in the applicant’s specialty. The position is renewable for up to two additional years.” (via David Ebenbach)
  • “SUNY Potsdam invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Creative Writing — Poetry.”
  • The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University (Ohio) is looking for a Program Manager, and Other Press (New York) is advertising for a Publicity/Marketing Assistant.
  • Monday Markets for Writers

    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).

  • Black Balloon Publishing has news for novelists and short-story writers: “We’re thrilled to announce the Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize, an award for a previously completed manuscript which comes with an award of $5,000 and a Black Balloon Publishing deal. Submissions for entry will be accepted between April 1 and May 6th. Only complete, previously unpublished works of fiction of over 50,000 words will be eligible. Please submit an excerpt of up to 4,000 words in a .doc or .docx file between April 1 and May 6th.” There is no entry fee. (via GalleyCat)
  • A quick check-in with the Chicken Soup for the Soul website reveals a number of upcoming deadlines for anthologies-in-progress, including “a book for Canadians about everything winter,” a book on dating, and “a multitasking Mom’s survival guide.” Paying projects.
  • The low-residency MFA program at the University of California, Riverside, is looking for a Visiting Assistant Professor of Poetry.
  • “The Department of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock invites applications for a nine month tenure-track Assistant Professor (R97278) to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in professional writing, including grant writing.”
  • Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing (Fiction).
  • Poets & Writers, Inc. (New York), is looking for a Development and Marketing Associate.
  • The April issue of The Practicing Writer went out to subscribers this weekend. You can also read the current issue–replete with no-fee competition listings and paying calls for submission–online.
  • Friday Finds for Writers

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

  • She had me at hello. Here’s the first line from Rebecca Meacham’s recent guest post for the Ploughshares blog: “First, a confession: I’m lousy at prioritizing fiction writing.
  • Another thoughtful post from Cathy Day, this time on the topic of “professionalization” and creative-writing programs.
  • Lots of good stuff in this Rumpus interview with author and editor Matthew Salesses.
  • Should undergraduates attend the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference? Interesting reflections (and experiences) on The Missouri Review‘s blog.
  • Courtesy of The Review Review: differing views on litmag submission fees.
  • Have a great weekend. See you back here on Monday.

    Monday Markets for Writers

    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).

  • “Open City, an online magazine published by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, documents the pulse of metropolitan Asian America as it’s being lived on the streets of New York right now. Covered by the Wall Street Journal and NPR, a collaborative partner with the New Museum and the Museum of Chinese in America, Open City grants a $5,000 fellowship, career guidance, and publishing opportunities to five Creative Nonfiction Fellows to write and produce both short-form and long-form editorial content on the vibrant immigrant communities of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. If you’re an emerging creative nonfiction writer looking for financial support, a place to publish and career mentorship, apply to become a Creative Nonfiction Fellow.” Apply by March 25. No application fee.
  • “Issue 10 of Workers Write! will be More Tales from the Cubicle and will contain stories and poems from the office worker’s point of view. Drop us a line if you have a question. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2013 (or the issue is full). Submit your stories via e-mail to: cubicle@workerswritejournal.com, or send a hard copy to: Blue Cubicle Press, P.O. Box 250382, Plano, TX 75025-0382. Word count: 50 to 5,000 words. Payment: Between $5 and $50 (depending on length and rights requested). We will consider previously published material.” (via NewPages.com)
  • Two Dollar Radio, which publishes “books too loud to ignore,” has reopened for submissions. (via @Duotrope)
  • “Kepler’s Arts & Lectures is looking to expand its Events Team by hiring an Events Director. This is a leadership position that offers an opportunity to make a major positive impact on the cultural life of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area overall. The position will require hands-on engagement. It is ideal for an experienced literary events producer who has significant relationships and experience and is ready to move to the next stage of his or her career.
  • “Waldorf College [Iowa] is seeking a permanent, full-time Assistant Professor of Creative Writing to direct the Creative Writing major; teach techniques and workshop courses in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction; and mentor thesis writers.”
  • “The Department of English at Kansas State University invites applications for a visiting assistant professor serving as a one-year replacement in poetry beginning August 18, 2013.”