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On “Jewish” Writing: Reflections on Tablet Magazine’s New Fiction Series

by Erika Dreifus on
11

As someone who spends a lot of time reading, writing about, and promoting Jewish literature—including, and perhaps especially, Jewish fiction—I’m mystified by the direction that Tablet magazine appears to be taking with its new fiction series.

Tablet, as you may know, bears the trademarked tag line, “a new read on Jewish life,” and describes itself as a “daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture.” It’s a magazine that I admire and enjoy; I was delighted when it added original fiction to its mix this fall. But that delight has turned to puzzlement–and a degree of dismay. (more…)

Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
7

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).

  • News from Robert Lee Brewer, who edits a slew of books for the Writer’s Digest folks: “I want to announce that we’re planning to put together a new Market Book: 2014 Guide to Indie Publishing. This guide will be loaded with listings for self-publishing companies, freelance editors, freelance designers (books, e-books, and websites), and great expert advice on the business of indie publishing. This is where you may enter the picture. We need pitches for articles that would be relevant to people looking to self-publish books, whether in print, digitally, audio, or some other crazy new-fangled way.” (I apologize for getting this to you so late: Pitches are due Wednesday, October 24. Good luck to all!)
  • I wish I’d had the chance to apply for this one! “The Posen Foundation is pleased to announce the Posen Society of Fellows, which recognizes eight outstanding doctoral students and fiction writers from around the world. Fellows will be awarded $40,000 over the course of two years and invited to attend an annual meeting led by senior scholars and writers. The Fellowship supports doctoral students who are writing their dissertations on modern Jewish history and culture, and fiction writers working on a Jewish-themed novel or short story collection. Eligible scholars must have completed their comprehensive exams before the award date; eligible writers should not yet have published their first book.” No application fee. Deadline: January 13, 2012. (via @NaomiDanis)
  • Attention, Virginia poets (defined as those born in or currently residing in Virginia). It’s time for submissions for this year’s Graybeal-Gowen Prize from Shenandoah and the Virginia Poetry Center. This is an annual prize of $500 (plus publication) for a single poem. No entry fee. Deadline: November 15, 2012.
  • Next, something for the Georgians among us: Creative Loafing‘s 2013 Fiction Contest has as its theme “The Meaning of Life.” Cash prizes ($500/$100/$50) and publication for the winners. No entry fee. Deadline: November 16, 2012. (via CRWROPPS-B)
  • And an opportunity for our Canadian friends: Canadian Women in the Literary Arts (CWILA) “seeks to support a female Canadian writer (poet, novelist, storyteller, scholar) as its resident critic for a calendar year. The aim of the residency is to foster vital criticism that promotes public awareness of women’s literary and critical presence in Canadian letters. Specifically, the critic-in-residence will work on critical essays and/or book reviews and submit them to one or more Canadian review venues (print or web)….The residency is virtual, so the writer will be free to work from home.” Stipend: $3,000. No application fee. Deadline: November 1, 2012. (via fundsforwriters.com)
  • From WritersWeekly.com: “We’re out of features! We pay $60 for around 600 words; non-exclusive electronic rights only. Our guidelines are here: http://www.writersweekly.com/index-markets.htm.”
  • “We need a full-time managing editor at The Sun, a nonprofit, ad-free magazine in its thirty-ninth year of publication. This position is in our editorial office in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.”
  • “The College of Humanities at the University of Arizona is seeking exceptionally well-qualified applicants for the position of Executive Director of the Poetry Center, one of the nation’s leading centers for the study and celebration of poetry.”

    • Want to check out some recent teaching-job announcements? Keep reading! (more…)

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    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.

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

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

  • First up: This Shelf Awareness piece throws a lot of light on how Leslie Brody’s new book, The Last Kiss, took form. Note the roles of bookstore events, a writing workshop, and those ever-powerful prompts.
  • And speaking of memoir: “Your Memoir Is Too Much About You,” says Ethan Gilsdorf.
  • Pretty funny piece by Shalom Auslander. Here’s a taste: “In the first place, it is true that I turned 40 this year, and it is equally true that, for the 40th time, my writing did not make it into the New Yorker’s ‘Forty Under Forty’ issue, or Granta’s ‘Forty Under Forty’ issue, or the LA Times’s ‘Forty Faces Under Forty’ issue, or the Guardian’s annual ‘Forty American Writers Under Forty to Watch’, or even McSweeney’s ‘Forty Writers Under Forty Who Live Near Us in Brooklyn and We Hang Out With Quite a Bit or At Least Would Like To’.”
  • Alas, it’s unlikely that I’ll make it to the South Dakota Festival of Books anytime soon, but David Abrams’s lovely account makes me feel almost as if I was right there with him this year.
  • Interesting account of one professor’s foray into an online creative-writing course–as a student–with the University of Phoenix.

    • Have a great weekend, all. See you back here on Monday!

    Friday Finds for Writers

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

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

  • Let’s start with an important question, raised this time in the context of Michael Chabon’s latest novel: “Can a white author write black characters?” Tanner Colby says yes. (via Page-Turner)
  • Next: Poet Mark Doty describes “the hardest job in publishing: editing an anthology.”
  • What happens when writers don’t finish the job they’ve contracted to do? For some authors who received advances from Penguin–for books they ultimately didn’t deliver–the answer is now: lawsuits. (via Publishers Lunch)
  • Definitely worth reading: Cathy Day’s “next big thing” is Literary Citizenship.
  • Last, but by no means least (and, I believe, very much in the spirit of literary citizenship): Many of you know that I’ve been part of the Fiction Writers Review community for some time. FWR is currently undertaking a writing-focused fundraiser (“The Great Write Off”). I’m not able to participate as fully as I’d like to right now, but I *have* made a contribution to support the overall project. If you’ve ever appreciated any of the content on the FWR site, perhaps you’ll consider doing the same. Thank you!