Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities 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).

  • New fellowship opportunity: “Princeton Fellowships in the Creative and Performing Arts, funded in part by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will be awarded to artists whose achievements have been recognized as demonstrating extraordinary promise in any area of artistic practice and teaching. Applicants should be early career poets, novelists, composers, visual artists, conductors, musicians, choreographers, playwrights, designers, graphic novelists, film makers, performers, directors, and performance artists — this list is not meant to be exhaustive — who would find it beneficial to spend two years working in an artistically vibrant university community.” NB: “While Fellows need not reside in Princeton, they will be required to spend a significant part of the week on campus. A $75,000 salary is provided.” No application fee indicated. Deadline: February 15, 2013.
  • “The Great Plains Writers’ Conference, in cooperation with South Dakota State University’s American Indian Studies Program and American Indian Education and Cultural Center, invites submissions to the first annual Great Plains Emerging Tribal Writer Award. The award is meant to encourage tribal writers in the early phases of their writing lives and to honor those of extraordinary merit and promise. The winner will receive an award of $500 and be invited to read at the Great Plains Writers’ Conference at SDSU March 24-26, 2013. This year’s conference focuses on examining the legacy of Vine Deloria, Jr. Writers from the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Minnesota who have published no more than three creative works in distributed periodicals may submit materials in fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, or the screenplay (20 double-spaced pages maximum) or poetry (15 pages maximum). There is no application fee.” Deadline: January 15, 2013. (via CRWROPPS-B)
  • “The Charlotte Observer is seeking a paid reporting intern to cover the arts for online and print. The reporter will work with the Observer’s arts staff covering a range of news and feature stories on the Charlotte-area’s thriving arts scene. Duties include reporting and writing about local people and organizations, including visual art, theater, pop music, classical music, and dance. Applicants must have journalism writing experience, and a background or interest in the arts (any discipline), and be proficient or experienced in social media, reporting and producing videos and online publishing.”
  • “The Penn State Altoona English Program is taking applications for a one-semester teaching residency in fiction and creative nonfiction. The residency is designed to offer an emerging writer substantial time to write and offers a salary of $10,000 in return for teaching one general education level introduction to creative writing workshop during the Fall 2013 semester (August 26-December 20). The resident writer will also give a public reading and work informally with our English majors. We are looking for a writer with publications of fiction and creative nonfiction in literary magazines. Emphasis will be placed on the quality of the work submitted. You will be expected to live in the Altoona area during residency for the Fall 2013 semester. Benefits and housing are not included.”
  • (more…)

    Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: Eduardo Halfon’s “The Polish Boxer,” a Giveaway, and the Return of the “Is-It-Really-a-Novel?” Question

    If you’ve made it past the ridiculously long post title, maybe you’ll bear with me a moment longer.

    Remember back in July, when we were talking about the categories of novels and (linked) short-story collections? Remember that I described some difficulties that I had encountered reading Shani Boianjiu’s novel, simply because it was being presented and marketed as a novel–and I saw it more as a story collection?

    Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Or somewhat the same thing. My latest book review, published last week in The Jewish Journal, discusses Eduardo Halfon’s The Polish Boxer (translated, as I note in the review, by a group of translators: Daniel Hahn, Ollie Brock, Lisa Dillman, Thomas Bunstead and Anne McLean).

    The review begins: (more…)

    Listen to Etgar Keret Read from “Suddenly, A Knock on the Door”

    On November 15, I had the great pleasure and privilege of attending an event featuring Israeli author Etgar Keret. Held at Baruch College of The City University of New York, the session was titled “The Real and the Imagined: Talk and Reading with Etgar Keret,” and it featured readings from Keret’s latest collection, Suddenly, A Knock on the Door. Directly after the reading, Keret headed to the airport for a flight home to Israel, interrupting his tour to return to be with his family during Operation Pillar of Defense.

    A friend had hoped to join me at Baruch, but that didn’t work out. So I took my trusty iPhone–equipped with its iTalk application–along instead. And I recorded the session to share via e-mail with my friend after the fact. (My learning how to e-mail a large audio file could be a story in itself, but I’ll spare you those details.)

    The event’s organizer contacted Keret’s agent and asked if it would be OK for me to post the audio publicly. To my delight, the answer is YES!

    So, I happily present to you: Etgar Keret. (If you have the new collection and want to follow along as Keret reads from it, you can go ahead bookmark “What Animal Are You?” and “Healthy Start”–both of these stories were translated by Miriam Shlesinger, by the way–before you click here to begin listening.)

    NB: I couldn’t upload the file directly to my website–it’s too large. So I’ve attempted to use the file-sharing program that helped me send the file to my friend. I hope it works! (The file will expire on December 25, so please listen soon!)

    Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities 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).

  • “The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard is offering a new research and study opportunity: a short-term visiting fellowship for individuals to work on special projects designed to advance journalism.” No application fee. Application deadline: November 19, 2012.
  • Frequencies, “a new biannual journal of artful essays” that “challenge the current non-fiction prescription” is published by Two Dollar Radio. Essay submissions are accepted “on a rolling basis.” Send completed essays only. Pays: “We do pay cash money.” http://twodollarradio.com/frequencies-about.htm (via NewPages.com)
  • “The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation offers its sixth annual summer fiction writing seminar in the ancient town of Sozopol, Bulgaria. The seminar program consists of intensive daily fiction workshops, roundtable discussions, guest lectures and literary readings by faculty and participants. Fiction writers from Bulgaria and fiction writers from English-speaking countries, including but not limited to the U.K. and the U.S., are invited to apply. A total number of ten applicants will be selected for participation and funding.” No application fee. Application deadline is March 15, 2013, for the May 2013 seminar.
  • Coming soon–the November issue of The Practicing Writer. As usual, it will feature an array of no-fee competitions and paying call information. If you’re not yet a subscriber, join us to get your copy quickly!
  • “Considering making a career in literary translation? Already embarked on your course but feel you could do with more help and support? If so, you might be one of the talented emerging translators we’re looking for to participate in the 2013 BCLT Translator Mentoring Scheme (1 January – 30 June 2013). Launched in 2010, the scheme has already produced fourteen mentorship ‘graduates’ in languages ranging from Catalan to Polish. Several of the previous mentees have had work published as a result of contacts made and skills honed during the mentoring process. Mentors and mentees work together in a combination of face to face meetings and also through online communication such as email or Skype. Mentees should expect to commit an average of one day a week to the programme. Each mentee receives receives a bursary of £500 plus reasonable expenses.” No application fee. Apply fast (by October 31, 2012).
  • Louisville Magazine seeks a Staff Writer, the Austin American-Statesman (Texas) is looking for a Social Media Editor, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Md.) is advertising for a Writer/Editor.
  • Teaching jobs continue after the jump. (more…)

    Friday Finds for Writers

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

  • First up: Here are two very different takes on the MFA degree that I’ve run across this week: Brett Ortler’s generally positive assessment of his experience with “poetryland” on the Virginia Quarterly Review blog (h/t @DanielNester), and a more cynical view of “MFA Fever” on the Chronicle of Higher Education‘s site from the pseudonymous “Henry Adams.”
  • True words of wisdom from author Kyle Minor: “Advice to My Younger Self.” (Although I can’t help realizing that I may have broken point #22 by posting the links just above!)
  • Every issue of Shelf Unbound magazine is a treat, but the current issue, focusing on books in translation, is a special gift.
  • Am I getting jaded? Neither of this week’s two big awards announcements–finalists for the National Book Award and the latest Nobel literature laureate–piqued my interest much.
  • Finally, two worthy posts regarding litmags and submissions thereto. First: Becky Tuch’s “Myths About Lit Mags” over on the Ploughshares blog. And then, take a look at what a whole slew of editors have to say about what to include in your cover letter. I’m only sorry I discovered these posts too late to include it in the “resources” section of the handout that participants will receive tomorrow in my Philadelphia workshop, “Publish Your Work!” (you can still register, by the way!).
  • Have a great weekend, all. See you back here on Monday.