Thursday’s Work-in-Progress

It has been a busy week! And a very good one. Herewith, a few highlights. (There was actually one anti-highlight–it has to do with a negative review of my book. But especially in light of all the things that are going so well in my writing life these days, I’m trying not to focus on it. Which is not to say that you won’t hear more about it later!)

  • You know that commissioned story I keep mentioning here? Well, I finished some (small) requested revisions for it last weekend. So if everything goes smoothly, it shouldn’t be too long before I can share it with you. I really can’t wait!
  • A few days ago, I sold a rant-like essay that I’ve been working on for awhile, too. I’ll let you know when the piece is online.
  • I’ve been working hard on polishing and practicing the speech I’ll be giving at my home congregation tomorrow evening. The title is “Why Is This Jewish-American Writer Different from (Some) Other Jewish American Writers?” (For those who may not be familiar with the tradition, the title plays on an essential line in the Passover Haggadah.) I hope to be able to turn the text into an essay, too. We’ll see.
  • Last, but not least, last Sunday I had the privilege of meeting with the Jewish Historical Society of New York City. Since it was a local event, some members of my fan club were able to attend (including my parents and my niece, pictured below). Much of my presentation focused on the work of other “third-generation” writers who are grandchildren of refugees from and survivors of Nazi persecution. If that subject sounds familiar, that may be because you’re thinking of a piece I wrote earlier this year for Fiction Writers Review. In Sunday’s talk, I updated that material to include mentions of Natasha Solomons’s new novel and Julie Orringer’s work-in-progress, as well as incorporating some remarks about and poems by Jehanne Dubrow and Erika Meitner. I wrapped up the presentation with a brief reading from my own book of short stories, Quiet Americans.
  • All of this and a “day job,” too? I know. Especially since things have been extra-intense at that job lately, I am really looking forward to the Thanksgiving mini-break!

    The Wednesday Web Browser for Writers

  • Eavesdrop on an intense discussion among litmag folks concerning the practice of charging fees for online submissions.
  • Sometime over the past couple of days, I was clued into the redesign of the Welcome Table Press website. So I clicked over to take a look. Among the finds there: the text of Jerald Walker’s superb essay, “The Suspension of Belief: On Being a Practitioner & a Teacher of the Essay in the Age of Skepticism.” I recall being enraptured by Walker’s presentation at the first Welcome Table Press symposium on the essay in April 2010, and I’m so glad to have the essay in pdf.
  • One fiction writer nears her MFA graduation. Check out her thesis–and reflections thereon.
  • Thinking about making the switch to freelancing? Do the math.
  • Quick profile of Amina Gautier, author of the new, Flannery O’Connor award-winning story collection, At Risk. (I’ve been looking forward to this book–I was awed by a story of Gautier’s that I read a few years ago in The Chattahoochee Review. (h/t @Dolen)
  • Also TBR: Don DeLillo’s new story collection, The Angel Esmerelda. (h/t @davidbcrowley)
  • Some thoughtful ideas on “Diversionary Tactics, or How to Lose Your Readers.”
  • Last, but not least: the November Jewish Book Carnival is online, replete with links to news, reviews, and interviews featuring Jewish books & authors.
  • Thursday’s Work-in-Progress

    So far, November is humming along. I had an article due on November 1 and another on November 3, with a book review promised for November 7. All three deadlines were met ahead of time. (That’s kind of my habit. Of course, the November newsletter went out to subscribers before October ended. Even at the “day job,” a big project I’m helping with had a massive deadline – for an important communique to go out – on November 1. And we managed to send it before 9 a.m. the previous day.)

    Moving right along, I’m preparing for a talk that I’ll be giving here in New York on November 13, and for another in New Jersey a few days later.

    Plus, I’ve been approaching a few more potential publicity opportunities for Quiet Americans.

    What’s new with all of you?

    Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

    • Really interesting opportunity for poets in the five boroughs of New York City: “Poets House is proud to inaugurate its Emerging Poets Residency Program. Funded by a generous grant from the Jerome Foundation, this program offers focused, rigorous and nurturing peer support, as well as a robust professional network of contacts and advisors who assist each emerging poet with his or her artistic development. The program includes weekly workshops, mentoring sessions, guest speakers, free access to Poets House’s events and resources and culminates in a final reading. Childcare and transportation support is available for participants.” There is no application fee. Deadline: December 1, 2011.
    • “The Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival is pleased to announce the establishment of the ‘Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize.’ The Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize, a cash award of $400, will be awarded to the best Brooklyn-focused non-fiction essay or short story which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. We are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages who can render Brooklyn’s rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer’s actual experiences in Brooklyn. From the collection of selected Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize submissions, five authors will be selected to read from their work and discuss their Brooklyn stories with the audience at our December 16, 2011, Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival program in partnership with St. Francis College in the Maroni Theatre. These stories and several other submitted stories will be published on the Brooklyn Film and Arts Festival website and made available to the public.” There is no entry fee. Deadline: November 25, 2011. (via Poets & Writers)
    • Tomorrow, Orion magazine opens for a (brief) window during which unsolicited work may be submitted. The window closes on November 15, 2011. NB: “No unsolicited poetry, please.”
    • paid media project internship (20 hrs/week) is available with the California Council for the Humanities (San Francisco). Pays: $15/hour.
    • The November issue of The Practicing Writer went out to subscribers on Saturday. As usual, the newsletter features LOTS of paying calls and no-fee competitions for poets, fictionists, and writers of creative nonfiction. If you’re not a subscriber, you can find the current issue here.
    • Nonprofit Quarterly (Boston) seeks a Senior Online Editor, the Children’s Literacy Initiative (Philadelphia) is looking for an Executive Director, and Columbia University (New York) invites applications for a Director of Publications (req. #064000).
    • Fitchburg State University (Mass.) seeks an Assistant Professor (English/Professional Writing): “Full time, tenure track assistant professor position in English Studies, with a specialty in creative nonfiction and fiction writing. Courses include, but are not limited to: Feature and Magazine Writing and Editing and Publishing, as well as first-year writing. Development of new courses that support the English Studies curriculum is also required. All courses will have a focus on writing in the digital environment as well as for traditional media.”
    • “The Department of English at Northern Michigan University invites applications for a tenure track position in creative writing: Fiction. MFA or PhD required. Expectations include publications, successful teaching experience at the college level, the ability to teach undergraduate and graduate workshops, and undergraduate composition and/or literature courses.”
    • From Colorado State University: “Assistant Professor of Creative Writing:

      Nine-month, tenure-track appointment with a 2-2 courseload to begin August 15, 2012. Specialization in Fiction and Creative Nonfiction.”

    • “The Department of English and Communications at Norwich University [Vt.] invites applications for a tenure-track English faculty position in creative writing, with specialization in creative nonfiction and poetry, to begin fall 2012. All faculty teach a 4/4 schedule of courses; for this position, the schedule will include freshman composition, world literature surveys, and introductory and advanced creative writing.”

    Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

  • “The Missouri Warrior Writers Project, in partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council, is pleased to announce a contest and call for submissions for its national anthology of writing by veterans and active military service personnel of Afghanistan and Iraq about their wartime experience.  This experience includes deployments and those who have never been deployed.  Transition back into civilian life is also a topic of interest for this anthology. The contest will award 250.00 each to the top entries in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.  All entries will be considered for publication in the anthology.  There is no entry fee.” Deadline: December 31, 2011.
  • Shenandoah is currently publishing two completely new online issues a year (with regular updates and supplements and a blog that never closes) and is open for submissions of previously unpublished work in the areas of poetry, short stories, short short stories, creative nonfiction, interviews and reviews….” Pays: “Payment will coincide with publication.”
  • From last week’s WritersWeekly.com: “We’re out of success stories! Have a Freelance Success Story to share? We pay $40 on acceptance, non-exclusive electronic rights only. Success stories run around 300 words but we’re very flexible. Our guidelines are here: http://writersweekly.com/misc/guidelines.php.”
  • By the end of the month, subscribers will have the November issue of The Practicing Writer at their fingertips. Don’t miss out on all of the additional paying calls and no-fee contests listed there! If you don’t already subscribe (it’s free, and your email address is kept confidential), now’s the time to do so.
  • The Center for Asian-American Media (San Francisco) is looking for a Publications Coordinator (half-time position November 14-December 31, 2011; full-time January 1-February 15, 2012).
  • The National Writing Project (Berkeley, Calif.) seeks a Development Specialist.
  • Sojourners (Washington) invites applications for a Digital and Social Media Associate.
  • “Bennington College [Vt.] seeks two published writers of distinguished literary accomplishment to teach a broad spectrum of essential works in the history of literature to highly motivated undergraduates. One position will be full-time, one part-time; both positions are benefits eligible. In keeping with our commitment to the teacher-practitioner model, we seek writers of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction (including narrative journalism) whose own interests and abilities as teachers will shape our future curriculum.”
  • “The Department of Literature and Languages at The University of Texas at Tyler invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Creative Writing on a nine-month contract starting in fall 2012. Required qualifications include MFA in Creative Writing or Ph.D. in English with specialization in creative writing by August 15, 2012 and experience in teaching writing at college level.”
  • “The English Department at Smith College [Mass.] seeks a poet with a distinguished record of publication and commitment to teaching to fill a 2-3 year term as the Grace Hazard Conkling Writer-in-Residence. The appointment will begin in the fall of 2012. Previous recipients include Elizabeth Alexander, Henri Cole, Eleanor Wilner, and Nikky Finney. We welcome applications from all locations on the aesthetic spectrum, from highly formal verse to language poetry.”
  • “The Department of English in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Columbia College Chicago seeks applications for a tenure-track position in Creative Writing – Poetry, beginning August 2012 (contingent upon funding). Qualifications include at least one published book (poetry); a solid record of magazine/journal publications; MFA, PhD, or equivalent; and college-level teaching experience.”
  • “The Department of English at East Carolina University [N.C.]…seeks applicants for a position in Poetry Writing at the assistant professor level to begin August 13, 2012. Successful candidate will teach graduate and undergraduate poetry workshops in the Creative Writing Program and literature courses….”
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies seeks a Writing Program Coordinator/Outreach Instructor. “Work in a team environment teaching and creating online and in-person workshops in mostly noncredit. Prefer a candidate who has published and taught fiction (genre and/or mainstream/literary) with poetry and creative nonfiction a plus. Should have experience coaching/critiquing writers, teaching online and in-person, program planning, budgeting, marketing. Master’s degree (or near completion) with relevant professional experience required.”
  • “The Department of Creative Writing at San Francisco State University seeks candidates for an approved tenure-track position in Creative Writing, fiction with a secondary emphasis in creative nonfiction, at the level of Assistant Professor, to begin Fall 2012, subject to financial ability.”