Friday Finds for Writers

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

  • The benefits of reverse-outlining, according to fictionist Aaron Hamburger.
  • Big news from the Poetry Foundation: Robert Polito will be its next president.
  • So many people have been recommending “Salon’s Guide to Writing a Memoir” this week, but I can’t get past Lauren Slater’s advice–which reminds me how much (and why) I loathed Lying, which I was required to read as an MFA student. (Too bad, too, because I’d admired Slater’s previous memoirs.)
  • I love this free, downloadable “success chart” that’s offered on poet Kelli Russell Agodon’s blog.
  • Steve Almond explains “Why I Write Smut: A Manifesto.”
  • Have a wonderful weekend, all. 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).

  • “Spirit First is pleased to announce its fourth annual meditation poetry contest. Poetry submissions may be of any length and any style but must have a theme of meditation, mindfulness, stillness, or silence. Poems may reflect any discipline, any faith, or none. Poems must be previously unpublished.” Deadline: January 31, 2013 (received). Cash prizes: $175/$125/$75. No entry fee. (via WinningWriters.com)
  • Here’s a contest that will award $100 worth of Amazon vouchers: the Clickinks Poetry Competition. “With the start of the New Year we all become focussed on making resolutions and turning over a new leaf. This is why we would like you to write a poem on ‘new beginnings’. The competition is open to applicants of all ages, whether you are a budding or experienced writer, we want your poems! It can be written in any style, as long as it’s no more than 45 lines and must be your own work.” Deadline is February 11, 2013. No entry fee.
  • I’m happy to report that Pamelyn Casto’s newsletter devoted to flash literature is back! This free resource is “devoted to markets, contests, and publishing news for short-short literature 1,500 words or fewer (including short-short fiction, prose poetry, haibun, flash memoirs, flash creative nonfiction, flash plays).” (Be forewarned that not every market included in this newsletter pays, and you may find some fee-charging contests, too. Nonetheless, I subscribe, and you can, too.
  • NYC writers! Applications are open for the 2013 Center for Fiction Emerging Writers Fellowship, which provides an array of benefits (including a $4,000 grant and writing space). Ten writers will be chosen for 2013 fellowships. No application fee. Apply by February 15, 2013.
  • Monmouth University (N.J.) is looking for an Assistant Professor, Creative Nonfiction; the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, is advertising for an Assistant/Associate Professor and Writer-in-Residence; Southwest Minnesota State University seeks an Assistant Professor of English (Creative Writing); Naropa University (Colo.) invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Writing and Poetics; and Full Sail University (Fla.) is in search of an Associate Course Director for Creative Writing.
  • Friday Finds for Writers

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

  • Another awesome sample syllabus – this time, for Cathy Day’s Ball State University course in Literary Citizenship.
  • On my tbr list: Little Raw Souls, a story collection by Steven Schwartz. Enjoy this excellent interview with Schwartz on the Fiction Writers Review website.
  • Richard Blanco will be the official poet of the presidential inauguration on January 21.
  • Love these experience-based thoughts from Lisa Romeo on “the freelance jobs we seek vs. the jobs that find us.”
  • And speaking of freelance writing – check out this post on how one writer connected with her “dream editor” on LinkedIn.
  • Have a good weekend, everyone. 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.

  • Attention, Canadian poets! “The Arc Poetry Soci­ety is seek­ing pro­pos­als for the pos­i­tion of Poet-in-Residence. The 2013/2014 pro­gram will rep­res­ent Arc’s 4th vir­tual res­id­ency; Tim Bowl­ing is cur­rently filling the pos­i­tion. This is a vir­tual res­id­ency, so the Poet in Res­id­ence will not be required to relocate.” Pays: “The con­tract fee for the poet in res­id­ence will be $9,000 (sub­ject to con­firm­a­tion of fund­ing), which will be paid on a monthly basis. Stand­ard writer’s fee rates will apply for pub­lic­a­tion in Arc.” No application fee. Deadline: February 15, 2013.
  • Speaking of poetry: The University of Iowa’s International Writing Program “is proud to present an online, seven-week poetry writing course this February. The course will include seven live online sessions and will be conducted via virtual classroom software. The course is free of charge and all sessions will be conducted in English.” Participation will be limited to fifteen writers, and international writers “are encouraged to apply.” Deadline: January 28, 2013.
  • Bronx residents: Applications for the BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) Awards are now available. These awards “provide direct support to individual Bronx artists who create literary, media, visual, and performing works of art. 25 BRIO grants of $3,000 each are awarded to Bronx artists. BRIO award winners complete a one-time public service activity.” There is no application fee. Deadline is Friday, January 25, 2013.
  • The River Teeth Nonfiction Conference “is offering four scholarships to students currently enrolled in writing programs (graduate or undergraduate). Registration fees will be waived for the recipients of the scholarships. All other expenses (travel, room, board) are the responsibility of the scholarship recipient.” Apply by March 1.
  • From Carol Tice, of the “Make a Living Writing” blog fame: “[M]y guest-post well is nearly dry, so it’s a good time to pitch me ideas. For those who don’t know, I pay $50 a post (and it’s pretty competitive to get an assignment, so bring your best idea we haven’t covered before!) Read my guidelines first, if you want a chance at getting a post approved.” (NB: I’ve had the good fortune to guest-post for Carol, and I recommend the experience highly!)
  • Friday Finds for Writers

    The weekly collection of writing-related resources, news, and reflections to read over the weekend.

  • You know, I usually think that my mom raised me right and that I do a decent job with thank-you notes. Alas, the first installment of The Memorious Guild’s Guide to Literary Etiquette made me realize that I still have a ways to go.
  • Also on the etiquette theme: Debbi Ridpath Ohi describes what encourages her to promote others’ work through her @inkyelbows feed–and what has the opposite effect. And Nina Badzin explains how Twitter is like “a writer’s endless holiday party“. (And while we’re talking about Twitter: If you haven’t uploaded a header photo yet, GalleyCat has some advice for you.)
  • Every so often, I like to check in with the After Deadline blog for “newsroom notes on usage and style” from The New York Times.
  • This week brought my latest “First Looks” post about new/forthcoming books for Fiction Writers Review. Go on over and see what I spotlighted this month (hint: Oprah and I have something in common).
  • “It took me something like twelve years of sending work to AGNI to finally break in,” writes Jehanne Dubrow. “The writing life is like that: a decade of sending out poems, maybe every year, maybe twice yearly, to a place that feels so right for one’s work but that keeps saying no (or maybe, no thank you). And then, one day, a yes arrives, usually in a way so quiet and understated that the acceptance feels inevitable.”
  • Have a great weekend, everyone. See you back here on Monday.