Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

  • Some helpful hints on breaking into Writer’s Digest magazine.
  • Teachers & Writers Collaborative (T&W) has once again been invited to nominate a fiction book for the Ellen Levine Fund for Writers award, which is administered by the New York Community Trust. The annual award established by Ellen Levine is given to an author who has previously published (not self-published) a print edition of one or two books of fiction, and who doesn’t currently have a publishing contract for a second or third book of fiction. The winner of the Ellen Levine Fund for Writers award receives $7,500. In 2008, the first year of the award, one of T&W’s nominees, Gabriel Brownstein, won the award for his novel I Was Here, But I Disappeared. In 2009, Kathleen Lee received the award for her novel Taxi to Elsewhere. The 2010 Ellen Levine Fund for Writers award went to Travis Holland for a novel in progress, Windsor Park. Submissions to be considered for nomination by T&W should include contact information for the author (mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number(s)), a brief bio of the author listing the one or two works of fiction already published, an outline of the book, and 75-80 pages of the manuscript. Submissions should be mailed or hand-delivered to: Amy Swauger, Teachers & Writers Collaborative, 520 Eighth Ave., Ste. 2020, New York, NY 10018. Submissions will not be accepted via e-mail or fax. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed. The deadline for submitting work to T&W is 5:00 PM (Eastern), Monday, May 2, 2011. T&W will review submissions and select one to nominate for the award. The winner of the 2011 award will be notified by the New York Community Trust in late summer/early fall. Please send questions regarding the 2011 Ellen Levine Fund for Writers award to aswauger@twc.org, or call 212-691-6590.” (NB: Teachers & Writers does not currently maintain a website listing for this opportunity, which is reprinted here with permission.)
  • Jabberwocky is seeking poetry of any length and prose of up to 5K words (this is firm). Payment is $.01 per word for fiction and $10.00 per poem. Payment is upon publication. For examples of the kind of work we like, please see our archives.” (found via Duotrope)
  • “Signal Fire provides residencies in the Mt. Hood National Forest to selected artists from a range of practices. Each summer we bring the artists out to the forest and provide them with food, maps, a bicycle, battery power and shelter for work and sleep space.” There are two week-long residencies for eight artists. In 2011, these residencies will take place July 9-15 and July 17-22. “The artists stay in large 12×12 wall tents. They are supplied with kitchen utensils and food for self-served breakfast and lunch. Each tent is set apart from the others, but within a short walk to a base camp. Signal Fire organizers are stationed at the base camp, available for emergency and unforeseen needs. Additionally, the group gathers for dinner each evening, served at the base camp.” NB: “At this time, we do not offer travel stipends, but are able to offer places to stay in Portland for people arriving from away.” No application fee. Deadline: April 1, 2011.
  • Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.) seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor of English (Fiction Writing).
  • Luther College (Iowa) is looking for “a Visiting Instructor or Assistant Professor of English, a one-year leave replacement position beginning Fall 2011; potential for renewal.” Details: “Full time teaching load (three courses fall, one course January Term, three courses spring). English is a collegial, thirteen-member department with a strong commitment to interdisciplinary learning. Teaching responsibility will likely include Paideia I, Creative Writing: Poetry and Fiction, The Writer’s Voice, Rhetoric, and American Novel. Paideia I is an interdisciplinary reading/writing/research course required of all first-year students with a common syllabus across 36 sections. For a full program description, see http://www.luther.edu/paideia/.”
  • Columbia College-Chicago is advertising for an Assistant Professor in Creative Writing-Poetry.
  • Dartmouth College (N.H.) seeks a Senior Writer, the American Museum of Natural History (N.Y.) is looking for a Development Coordinator/Writer, and Village Voice Media (Houston) is taking applications for a position as Arts & Culture Editor/Writer.
  • The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

  • Mentioned this already on My Machberet, but it’s worth re-presenting: Last week, Cynthia Ozick was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jewish Book Council. Read Ozick’s reflections “on what it is to write as a Jew in America” here.
  • Virtual Book Tours 101, a guest post for Grub Street Daily, provides basics and background.
  • Nina Badzin adds a new post to her Twitter Tips series.
  • Former Alaskan David Abrams pays tribute to one of the state’s favorite sons, poet John Haines, who passed away earlier this month.
  • Since I have always found endings to be among the most challenging aspects of short-story writing, I really appreciated this post on the subject from Robin Black (for Beyond the Margins).
  • Speaking of short stories: Fiction Writers Review is launching a “Journal of the Week” giveaway feature, and the inaugural offerings are three free subscriptions from One Story.
  • Looking for some guest-blogging opportunities (and not concerned about getting paid)? Check out this call (for poet-bloggers) from Chloé Yelena Miller, and this one from First Person Plural, the blog of The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md.
  • In the unlikely case that you haven’t heard yet about Téa Obreht and her debut novel, The Tiger’s Wife, this New York Times profile will clue you in. (I haven’t read the novel yet, but I did love this Obreht story in The Atlantic.)
  • Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

  • “The Chattahoochee Review is under new editorship but very much alive and well. Please bear with us as we make this transition. We will be unveiling an exciting new website in the months to come. Meanwhile, keep the submissions and subscriptions coming.” Guidelines and pay rates are published at http://chattahoochee-review.org.
  • “The Haiku Foundation, as part of its mission to expand opportunities for writers of English-language haiku, created the HaikuNow! international contests in 2010. Prizes are awarded for English-language haiku in three categories: traditional, contemporary and innovative.” First-prize winners in each category receive $100, and honorable mentions receive $25. “All winning poems will be featured on The Haiku Foundation web site and permanently archived.” No entry fee. Deadline: March 31, 2011.
  • Contest opportunity for Minnesotans: “Welcome to the third year of Northwoods Woman Short Fiction Contest! We look for well-written short stories that would appeal to women ages 35-65.” Prize: $200 plus publication in Northwoods Woman. Stories should be unpublished and no longer than 1500 words. No entry fee. Deadline: April 15, 2011.
  • Attention, Arkansas poets! Poetry is one of the categories for this year’s Individual Artist Fellowships ($4,000) from the Arkansas Arts Council. No application fee. Deadline: April 22, 2011.
  • “In keeping with Kent Cottage’s [Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada] history of inspiration for resident artists and writers, including such historical figures as Rockwell Kent and A.E. Harris, the [Landfall] Trust has been hosting writers since 2005. The Trust is now inviting Expressions of Interest from established writers who are interested in the 2011 two-week Writer-in-Residence program from September 17 to 30, 2011. During this two-week period, the successful applicant will be supported through the use of the fully equipped cottage, free of charge, as an inspirational setting for his or her writing, with an expectation that there will be a public presentation of work forthcoming during or after the residency.” No application fee indicated. Deadline: March 31, 2011.
  • Drake University (Iowa) seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor of English-Poetry. “Drake University seeks an outstanding teacher and active poet to teach courses in poetry writing and poetic traditions. Secondary specialization in multicultural lit and/or critical race studies is desirable. 4/3 load, all undergraduate, including a First Year Seminar in fall term. (FYS is an interdisciplinary, topic-oriented writing-intensive course for entering students. See http://www.drake.edu/dc/firstyear/ for more information.)”
  • Poets & Writers, Inc., (N.Y.) is advertising for an Information Technology Assistant. “The IT Assistant is responsible for assisting in the maintenance and development of Poets & Writers’ Web site, pw.org, as well as assisting in the maintenance of Poets & Writers’ network, desktop systems, and software. This is a half-time position that reports to the Director of Information Technology.” NB: “Familiarity with the literary community is a plus.”
  • The University of Oregon is looking for a Director of Communications, George Mason University (Va.) seeks a Senior Writer, and Brandeis University (Mass.) welcomes applications for a Communications Coordinator position.
  • The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

  • Having championed the work of Henry James in the past (including among some unreceptive MFA classmates), I was intrigued by Jay Parini’s take on James’s “afterlife.”
  • From The Missouri Review‘s Evelyn Somers Rogers: some thoughts on why some manuscripts get rejected.
  • Diane Lockward presents poet Jehanne Dubrow’s collection, Stateside, which I’ve been meaning to read for quite awhile. Must. Get. To. It.
  • The ever-reliable Midge Raymond offers up another provocative writing prompt.
  • To celebrate the success of her Dollars & Deadlines blog, freelancing expert Kelly James-Enger is offering a special giveaway.
  • And speaking of freelancing, over on Beyond the Margins Necee Regis shares tips to help freelancers stay sane.
  • Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

  • A new poetry contest (open to residents of Washington, D.C., Maryland or Virginia) is being administered in conjunction with the upcoming Bethesda Literary Festival. Cash prizes of $500, $250, and $150.Winners will be honored at a special event during the Bethesda Literary Festival, held April 15-17, 2011. Winning poems will also be posted on the Bethesda Urban Partnership Web site.” No entry fee indicated. Deadline is coming up fast: March 11, 2011.
  • Want to submit your manuscript to Coffee House Press? Take note of these remarks: “Coffee House Press will only accept submissions during two annual reading periods: March 1 – April 30 and September 1 – October 31. Submissions postmarked outside of these two reading periods will not be considered or returned. In addition, until further notice, Coffee House Press will not accept unsolicited poetry submissions. Please check this web page periodically for future updates to this policy.” (Thanks to Duotrope for the heads-up on the reopened submission window.)
  • “‘Tales from the South’ radio show, in conjunction with William F. Laman Public Library and the 2011 Arkansas Literary festival, is looking for great true stories. Top three stories will receive $100 each, and writers will read their winning story on the internationally-syndicated radio show on Tuesday, April 12, 2011….” NB: “Writers must currently live in the South (currently limited to Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama) or be from the South originally.” For this call, they’re looking for literary memoirs connected to the following Jorge Luis Borges quotation: “Any life is made up of a single moment, the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is.” Download the full guidelines for this “Telling Tales: Writing Contest for the Arkansas Literary Festival” at the website. There is no entry fee, and the submission deadline is March 13, 2011. (via Femministas)
  • Opportunity for Vermont poets: “Governor Peter Shumlin and the Vermont Arts Council invite you to submit nominations for the appointment of a new Vermont Poet Laureate.” There is no fee involved to nominate/apply, and the position confers a $1,000 honorarium. Deadline: March 25, 2011. (via @LeneAGary)
  • News from the BBC National Short Story Award: Electronic submissions are being accepted for the first time, and the deadline has moved up to May 5. “The Award is one of the most prestigious for a single short story, with the winning author receiving £15,000.” No entry fee indicated. (via @TaniaHershman)
  • The Asian-American Writers’ Workshop (N.Y.) is advertising two part-time positions: Development Associate and Program Director.
  • “St. Lawrence University [N.Y.] invites applications for a one-year, visiting position in creative non-fiction and minority American literatures.”
  • Appalachian State University (N.C.) is looking for a Visiting Assistant Professor of English (Fiction Writing). “The candidate offered the position will teach exclusively Introduction to Fiction Writing.”
  • The University of East Anglia (U.K.) welcomes applications for a Lectureship in Literature.
  • Northeastern University (Mass.) seeks a Staff Writer, AASCU (D.C.) is looking for a Speech Writer/Senior Editor, and Ragan Communications (Ill.) invites applications for a Copy Editor position.