The Wednesday Web Browser

  • “We Need to Talk About Your Amazon Sales Rankings” is an amusing video/book trailer from husband-and-wife authors John Yunker and Midge Raymond.
  • For someone who’s never even been married (and is not a child of divorced parents, or a matrimonial lawyer, or therapist), I probably know a lot more about divorce than I should. To be sure, these two divorce-related poems, published recently through YourDailyPoem.com, resonated.
  • Fear of conducting interviews getting in the way of your freelancing? (It’s happened to me.) Linda Formichelli busts your excuse.
  • Also from and for the freelancing files: sage advice from Kelly James-Enger on “the best place for new writers to pitch.”
  • The December Practicing Writer newsletter went out to subscribers yesterday, and I’ve been worried about some line-spacing glitches I’ve seen in my own (and others’ forwarded) copies. I’m hoping that my template isn’t corrupted. It’s such a basic template that it’s tough for me to guess what the problem is. In any case, everything looks tip-top in the copy I’ve posted on my website.
  • Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

  • Paying internship opportunities with Tablet Magazine in New York City. Application deadline: December 3, 2010.
  • “Creative Nonfiction is seeking narrative blog posts to reprint in our upcoming Food issue. We’re looking for: interesting, true stories that focus on food, including restaurant reviews; tales of meals gone awry; secrets, tips and kitchen short cuts; confessions from cooks, chefs and/or servers; an examination of the kitchen life; and so on. Narrative, narrative, narrative. Posts that can stand alone, 2000 words max, from 2010. Something from your own blog, from a friend’s blog, from a stranger’s blog.” Pays: “We will contact individual bloggers before publication and pay a flat fee for one-time reprint rights.” Nomination deadline: November 29, 2010.
  • WriterAbroad shares paying markets for personal essays–and samples of her own published work with each.
  • The Terry Pratchett Prize recognizes unpublished novels by authors “resident in the UK, other countries of the British Commonwealth, and the Republic of Ireland.” The competition seeks “stories set on Earth, although it may be an Earth that might have been, or might yet be, one that has gone down a different leg of the famous trousers of time (see the illustration in almost every book about quantum theory). We will be looking for books set at any time, perhaps today, perhaps in the Rome of today but in a world where 2000 years ago the crowd shouted for Jesus Christ to be spared, or where in 1962, John F Kennedy’s game of chicken with the Russians went horribly wrong. It might be one day in the life of an ordinary person. It could be a love story, an old story, a war story, a story set in a world where Leonardo da Vinci turned out to be a lot better at Aeronautics. But it won’t be a story about being in an alternate Earth because the people in an alternate Earth don’t know that they are; after all, you don’t.” No entry fee indicated. Deadline: December 31, 2010. Prize includes an advance payment against royalties and publication by Transworld Publishers, a division of The Random House Group Limited.
  • The December Practicing Writer newsletter is very much in the works! Subscribers should expect their e-copies before month’s end. Not yet a subscriber? Join us! It’s free, and we keep your email address to ourselves.
  • The Cup of Comfort folks are running a “Favorite Holiday Memory Story Contest,” with $100, free books, and online publication to be awarded to the author of the grand prize-winning story. They’re looking for true stores “that detail a cherished holiday memory.” No entry fee. Deadline: December 5. (via KatCop13)
  • Gettysburg College (Pa.) has released the current guidelines/application instructions for its Emerging Writer Lectureship. No application fee. Deadline: January 28, 2011. Details in this pdf.
  • “The Department of English and the BFA program at Stephen F. Austin State University [Texas] seek applications for a tenure-track assistant professor of creative writing, with genre concentrations in literary non-fiction and poetry; secondary preparations or interests may be cross-discipline: creative writing and technology, environmental literature and writing about the environment, multicultural literature, film topics or travel writing.”
  • Two jobs at Northern Michigan University: Assistant Professor of English (Creative Writing-Nonfiction) and Assistant Professor of English (Creative Writing-Fiction).
  • “The Undergraduate College of Rosemont College [Pa.] invites applications for an adjunct instructor to teach Creative Writing Non-Fiction in the Spring 2011 semester.”
  • Savannah College of Art & Design (Ga.) seeks a Writer, UCLA is looking for a Media Relations Coordinator, and the Galloway Family Foundation (D.C.) would like to hire a Writer/Researcher.
  • Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

  • Dalkey Archive Press is currently accepting applications for paid internships in its Dublin and London offices. “The expectation is that one or both of these internships will become full-time positions within a year.” Applicants must be EU residents or legally permitted to work in the EU, among other requirements.
  • Words and Images has posted its 2011 submission guidelines: “Words and Images is accepting submissions for the 2011 issue. We are pretty eclectic (erratic?) in our tastes, and will therefore consider pretty much anything. Genre fiction, experimental work, Literature (with a capital L): whatever you have that you’d like to throw our way, just so long as it’s unpublished. We are also looking for two dimensional representation of all forms of visual art. For submissions across all genres we would prefer works that in some way highlights this year’s theme: Resurgam, a latin word that means ‘I will rise again’.” Pays: “We pay contributors in one copy, and $20 per poem and/or printed page of prose. We pay visual contributors $30 per piece.” (via Duotrope.com)
  • From the latest WritersMarket.com newsletter: “Songwriter’s Market has a new editor—actually two editors at the moment, and they’re looking for your submissions to the 2012 Songwriter’s Market! Send pitches for articles on the craft and business of songwriting to Adria Haley between now and November 30. E-mail pitches to adria(dot)haley(at)fwmedia(dot)com with the subject line: 2012 Songwriter’s Market Submission. Remember: Start your pitches with your article idea (or ideas). Don’t start off talking about yourself—unless you’re a famous songwriter like Willie Nelson or Lady Gaga.
  • WritersWeekly.com is looking for feature articles (pays: $60) and success stories (pays: $40).
  • Plenty of submission calls (from paying journals) and no-fee contest/competition info in our latest newsletter, which went out to subscribers at the end of last month and is now online for everyone to read.
  • Weber State University (Utah) “invites applications for one tenure-track position [assistant professor] in fiction writing, to begin August of 2011, depending on funding.”
  • “The Department of English at Christopher Newport University [Va.] invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track [assistant professor] faculty position in creative writing, effective August 2011.”
  • “The Department of English at Rollins College [Fla.] invites applications for a one-year visiting assistant professor position, beginning August 2011, to replace faculty on sabbatical leave. The teaching load is three (3) courses per semester for two semesters, including Introduction to Creative Writing (covering fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry) and Advanced Fiction Workshop; one or two courses in composition or literature possible.”
  • The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (N.Y.) is looking for a Science Writer/Editor, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (D.C.) seeks a Development Writer, and Earth Island Journal (Calif.) invites applications for Managing Editor position.
  • Friday Find: Paris Review Interviews

    So, for anyone who may not have already heard about this: The Paris Review is now offering the complete archive of its very esteemed interview series online, free of charge. And according to Dwight Garner, “If there’s a better place to lose yourself online right now, I don’t know what it is.”

    (I thought I remembered at least some of the interviews being available electronically, albeit as PDFs, which wasn’t always a lot of fun. But, hey, what do I know?) In any case, this is very nice, indeed. Enjoy!

    P.S. Happy Halloween, and see you back here on Monday!

    Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

  • The October 7 issue of the Writing World newsletter included this announcement from editor Moira Allen: “We’re getting low on articles here at Writing-World.com. We use two feature articles each month, and we need more. We accept original articles AND reprints — including articles that have appeared in other writing publications (preferably print as there’s less overlap in audience) and excerpts from books (including e-books) on writing.” Guidelines and pay rates are available online.
  • Calling all Irish practicing writers (“people born or normally resident in Ireland”): This year, the Francis MacManus Short Story Competition is accepting entries until December 31, 2010. This contest looks for previously unpublished work suitable for radio broadcast. Entries are welcome in English or in Irish. “The author of the overall winning story will receive €3,000 with prizes of €2,000 and €1,000 awarded to the second and third prize winners.” No entry fee indicated.
  • The Run for Grub Scholarship was founded by Grub Street member Catherine Elcik who ran a marathon in July to raise money to cover the cost of workshops for four students. Each of the four scholarships covers the cost of a 10- or 6-week workshop of your choice, anytime in the 2011 calendar year. To be eligible, you must be taking your first multi-week workshop at Grub Street OR taking your first multi-week workshop in a genre that is new to you (i.e. you are a fiction writer taking screenwriting for the first time, or a poet taking a memoir class, etc).” No fee to apply. Deadline: November 1, 2010 (applications must be received via email by 5 p.m. EST that day).
  • By this time next week, our Practicing Writer newsletter subscribers will have received their November issues via e-mail. Not yet a subscriber? Sign up now! It’s free, and we’ll keep your e-mail address private. This way, you won’t have to wait for the issue to be reprinted online to take advantage of the no-cost competition information, paying calls for submissions, and other newsletter resources.
  • “Colgate University seeks to fill a tenure-track position in fiction writing, rank of assistant professor, beginning fall term 2011.”
  • “The Brief-Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing at Eastern Kentucky University seeks a Visiting Fiction Writer for the Spring 2011 semester. The successful candidate will attend the program’s Winter Writing Residency in Lexington, Kentucky from January 1st – 9th, 2011, where, among other duties, she or he will teach an intensive fiction workshop. After the Winter Residency, the Visiting Writer will teach two online courses for the MFA program, a fiction workshop and a class in contemporary literature. Although the Visiting Writer must attend the Winter Writing Residency as a guest of the MFA program (with travel, lodging, and meal expenses provided by the university), this position does not require that the Visiting Writer relocate to Kentucky.”
  • South Dakota State University is looking for a “tenure-track assistant professor of English to teach courses in Creative Writing, with an emphasis in Fiction.”
  • “The University of Memphis seeks applications for the position of Assistant Professor in Creative Nonfiction. Secondary genre in poetry or fiction desired.”
  • “Drake University seeks an outstanding teacher and active writer to teach courses in fiction writing. A secondary specialization in new media, genre fiction, or literature in translation is desirable.” This is an assistant-professor position.
  • Rowan University (N.J.) is looking for an Assistant Professor, Creative Writing, “with expertise and 3 years college-level teaching experience in one or more of the following areas: fiction, creative nonfiction, children’s stories, or introductory creative writing.”
  • The University of the Pacific (Calif.) seeks a Managing Editor, Connecticut College is looking for an Alumni/Advancement Writer, and Catholic Relief Services (Md.) is advertising for a Copy Editor.