THE PRACTICING WRITER

Web site: http://www.practicing-writer.com "Practicing Writing" Blog: http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com Your editor on Twitter: http://twitter.com/erikadreifus

Supporting the Craft and Business of Excellent Writing

Volume 7, Number 2: March 2010

Editor: Erika Dreifus

Copyright (c) 2010 Erika Dreifus

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IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor's Note: What's New 2. Article/Lessons Learned 3. Featured Resource 4. Upcoming/Ongoing Contests, Competitions, and Other Opportunities of Interest 5. Submission Alerts!!! 6. Blog Notes 7. Around the World: Literary Event Calendar 8. Newsletter Matters

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1. EDITOR'S NOTE: WHAT'S NEW
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Hello, practicing writers!

I have had some really nice things happen with my writing lately, and I look forward to telling you all about them...in due course. For now, I'm happy to present to you the March issue of our newsletter. It features an interview with memoirist Melissa Hart which I hope you enjoy! Looking ahead, I'm working on two more excellent interviews for upcoming issues, and I'm eager to bring those to you as well.

I wish all of us a pleasant and productive March!

All best, ERIKA


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2. ARTICLE/LESSONS LEARNED: *Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood*: An Interview with Melissa Hart
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*Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood*: An Interview with Melissa Hart

by Erika Dreifus

Melissa Hart is the author, most recently, of the memoir *Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood* (Seal, 2009). She teaches journalism at the University of Oregon and memoir writing for U.C. Berkeley's online extension program. Her essays have appeared in *The Washington Post*, *The Los Angeles Times*, *The Advocate,* *High Country News*, *Orion*, *The Chronicle of Higher Education*, and *Writer's Digest*. She lives in Oregon with her husband, their young daughter, and too many cats and dogs.

Melissa is ALSO, like yours truly, a contributing editor for *The Writer* magazine. (I always enjoy her "Literary Spotlight" columns profiling individual journals.) I am thrilled to present this Q&A with Melissa here.

Please welcome Melissa Hart.

Erika Dreifus (ED): Melissa, *Gringa* is your second memoir. Can you please describe the connections between the two books, as well as what motivated you to write *Gringa* specifically?

Melissa Hart (MH): I wrote my first memoir, *The Assault of Laughter* (Windstorm, 2005) as my Master of Fine Arts thesis at Goddard College. Inspired by teachers Jacqueline Woodson and Mariana Romo-Carmona, I wanted to tell the story of the first year in my life after my mother came out as a lesbian and lost custody of me and my two younger siblings. This was 1979; throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, women who came out routinely lost custody of their children to homophobic court systems. I thought it was critical that my story, as representative of many, come to light.Â

But . . . I was a young writer, and I felt that I could tell the story more skillfully a decade later. I wanted to explore the idea of growing up Anglo, heterosexual, and seemingly devoid of identity in multicultural Los Angeles with a lesbian mom, a brother with Down syndrome, and a deep desire to be a Latina. I expanded the year in *Assault* to include all the years of my adolescence, from the day my mother left my father to my post-college graduation trip with her to Spain. I'm indebted to Seal's senior editor Brooke Warner for helping me to shape the memoir as a coming-of-age story and a history of my mother's and my relationship, which prevailed in spite of homophobia on the part of both the legal system and my father.

ED: Both of your memoirs reveal a great deal about your family members. How have these family members reacted to your writing about and publishing your collective stories? How have their reactions affected your writing processes?

MH: My father and I have been estranged for almost two decades. My stepmother and I e-mail occasionally, and she felt that *Assault*, in particular, gave her insight into our troubled relationship. My mother is a writer, as well, and she's incredibly supportive of my work. She accompanied me on part of the book tour for *Gringa*. It's worth noting that she asked me not to write about a few elements of our story, and I honored that. My sister is also deeply supportive; she's told all her friends about the book and helped to organize a reading/signing event in her hometown. My brother has Down syndrome, and he doesn't read, but he does enjoy telling and retelling stories about how my sister and I used to dress him up like a girl.

ED: Food plays an important part in *Gringa*, and each chapter ends with an unconventionally-presented "recipe." How did the idea to include these recipes develop?Â

MH: I fell in love with recipes in the context of prose stories when I discovered Laura Esquivel's *Like Water for Chocolate*. I loved how her recipes reflected the characters' motivations and relationships. Then I came across Ruth Reichl's books, and then Diana Abu-Jaber's marvelous *The Language of Baklava*. Both authors incorporate recipes into their memoir, and I had these wonderful goofy recipes such as Frito Boats and my mother's Tortilla Flats which were so important to me as a child. I took so much comfort in food as an adolescent--still do, in fact--and I wanted to offer up some of these recipes to readers as one more way to illustrate key themes and plot points in the book. Food also became a symbol of culture, or lack thereof, when I was an adolescent. I adored my boyfriend's mother's authentic Mexican dishes, for example, and being able to make a savory salsa or a dozen tamales became my benchmark of acceptance into his culture.

ED: What was the biggest challenge you faced in writing *Gringa*?

MH: The biggest challenge I faced in writing *Gringa* was not knowing quite what the book wanted to be. Initially, it looked like a series of linked essays that were all over the place in content and theme. My agent at the time, Michelle Andelman, reined me in and noted with great insight that the memoir format might work better as a method of telling the story. In *Gringa*'s next incarnation, I included several chapters between "O Christmas Tree" and "Citizens of the World"--chapters which explored further my problematic relationship with my boyfriend--but my editor felt that they disrupted the coming-of-age trajectory of the story. I cut five chapters and wrote five new ones in a two-month period. I'm a really slow writer, so getting these out and polished on a tight deadline was challenging.

Creating the book trailer for *Gringa* was also extremely challenging. Last summer, a colleague at the journalism school taught me FinalCut Pro and I became writer, director, food stylist, chef, actress and cat wrangler for this rather goofy trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrQKInQRMis

ED: How did *Gringa* find its home with Seal Press?

MH: Michelle Andelman shopped the book around to a few publishers, and we felt a special affinity for Seal and for Brooke, in particular. Seal Press publishes exciting books on unexpected topics related to women, and Brooke enjoyed the humorous social commentary that informs so much of the book. I'm so happy to have worked with Seal; this is a dynamic publishing house with a professional and devoted staff.

ED: What else would you like to tell us?

MH: I teach a memoir writing course for U.C. Berkeley's online extension program which is open to all (details at: http://extension.berkeley.edu/cat/course551.html ). I post my upcoming workshops pretty regularly on both my website and my Facebook fan page. I love teaching and working with other writers; I come away inspired and excited to sit down at my computer.

Thank you so much, Melissa!

To learn more, please visit http://melissahart.com

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3. FEATURED RESOURCE: National Association of Memoir Writers Monthly Newsletter
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Although many National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW) resources are limited to paying members, the monthly newsletter is available to all. Includes articles on memoir, writing prompts, and more. Visit http://www.namw.org/news/namw-newsletter/ to peruse the archive and subscribe at www.namw.org (you'll receive a complimentary e-book, "Begin Your Memoir Today).

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4. UPCOMING/ONGOING CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITES OF INTEREST
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*The American Prospect* Writing Fellows Program http://www.prospect.org/cs/about_tap/fellowships Deadline: April 1, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE

This program "offers journalists at the beginning of their career the opportunity to spend two full years at the magazine in Washington, D.C., actively developing their journalistic skills. Each fellow will write a minimum of three to four full-length feature articles. Fellows will also regularly write shorter, online pieces and blog daily....We are seeking candidates who are opinionated and comfortable generating article ideas rather than relying on assignments. A passion for blogging is appreciated." One-year commitment required. "After that year, the *Prospect* and the fellow will evaluate and determine whether to renew for a second year. The fellowship pays under $30,000 the first year and includes health and dental benefits."

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European Week Against Racism Writing Competition http://socialinclusion.southdublin.ie (click "Competitions") Deadline: March 19, 2010 NO ENTRY FEE INDICATED

"To mark European Week Against Racism, the Social Inclusion Unit, South Dublin County Council, will hold a competition which aims to combat racism and to celebrate culture diversity of people living in Ireland today. Everybody can participate...by conveying your personal message against racism through a submission of writing (poetry/prose) maximum 500 words." Cash prizes for three winners and six runners-up. Download poster and entry form at the Web site. NB: There is a companion competition for children.

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failbetter.com Tenth Anniversary Novella Contest http://www.failbetter.com/Novella.php Deadline: May 15, 2010 NO ENTRY FEE

Celebrating failbetter.com's tenth anniversary, this competition will award $500 for a novella ("8,000 words and up, and suitable for serial publication"). Be SURE to read the guidelines, and initial entries should run no longer than 5,000 words. "We'll let you know if we'd like to read the rest."

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The Glass Woman Prize http://www.sigriddaughter.com/GlassWomanPrize.htm Deadline: March 21, 2010 NO ENTRY FEE

"The Seventh Glass Woman Prize will be awarded for a work of short fiction or creative non-fiction (prose) written by a woman. Length: between 50 and 5,000 words. The top prize for the seventh Glass Woman Prize award is US $600 and possible (but not obligatory) online publication; I will also award one runner up prize of $100 and one runner up prize of $50, together with possible (but not obligatory) online publication. Subject is open, but must be of significance to women. My criterion is passion, excellence, and authenticity in the woman’s writing voice. Previously published work and simultaneous submissions are OK. Previous Glass Woman Prize winners are welcome to submit again. Copyright is retained by the author."

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Kachemak Bay Writers' Conference Scholarships http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu/scholarships.htm Deadline: March 15, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE

"A limited number of partial and full scholarships are available for application covering the $325 registration fee only. Transportation to and from Homer (Alaska) and conference activities, housing and incidentals are the recipient's responsibility. Previous recipients of a scholarship may not be considered."

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Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships http://www.poetryfoundation.org/foundation/prizes_fellowship.html Deadline: March 31, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE INDICATED

"Five Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships in the amount of $15,000 will be awarded to young poets through a national competition sponsored by the Poetry Foundation, publisher of *Poetry*. Established in 1989 by the Indianapolis philanthropist Ruth Lilly, the fellowships are intended to encourage the further study and writing of poetry." Applicants must be U.S. citizens, between the ages of 21 and 31 as of March 31, 2010.

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Madeleine P. Plonsker Emerging Writer's Residency Prize http://campus.lakeforest.edu/press/lfcp/&now/plonsker.html Deadline: April 1, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE

"Each spring, Lake Forest College, in conjunction with the &NOW Festival, sponsors emerging writers under forty years old--with no major book publication--to spend two months in residence at our campus in Chicago's northern suburbs on the shore of Lake Michigan. There are no formal teaching duties attached to the residency. Time is to be spent completing a manuscript, participating in the annual Lake Forest Literary Festival, and offering a series of public presentations. The completed manuscript will be published (upon approval) by &NOW Books imprint, with distribution by Northwestern University Press. The stipend is $10,000, with a housing suite and campus meals provided by the college." Currently, applications are invited from emerging poets. The anticipated dates for the residency will be February-March or March-April 2011.

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The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers http://www.mccullerscenter.org/fellowships.php Deadline: April 1, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE

Named in honor of the parents of Carson McCullers, this fellowship "will be offered for the fall semester of 2010, the fellowship to begin the first week of September and to end the first of December. During this period of time, the Smith/McCullers Fellow will reside in a spacious private apartment in Carson McCullers' childhood home, the Smith-McCullers House. The Fellow will be provided with a stipend of $5,000 to cover costs of transportation, food and other incidentals."

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Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/wergle/we_guidelines.php Deadline: April 1, 2010 NO ENTRY FEE

"Now in its ninth year. We seek today's best humor poems. Total cash prizes have been increased to $3,600, with a top prize of $1,500."

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Wesleyan Writers Conference Scholarships and Fellowships http://www.wesleyan.edu/writing/conference/register.html Deadline: April 2, 2010 (received) NO APPLICATION FEE

"Scholarships are awarded competitively, and applicants are judged on the basis of promise shown in their work. Entries should consist of work in one genre: fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Several scholarships provide full tuition, room, and board, but most offer smaller awards, covering a part of the Conference tuition. Several teaching fellowships are available and are awarded to outstanding applicants who have completed book-length manuscripts....You need not send a deposit with your fellowship or scholarship materials. If you are certain you will attend the conference, however, do send the $75 deposit and registration form immediately, before completing the rest of your application. The deposit guarantees you a place at the Conference if you should not win an award."

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5. SUBMISSION ALERTS!!!
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From the folks at *Hobart*: "Submissions will reopen for our next 'general' issue after a short break to get caught up, on March 1, 2010. (It turns out we need longer to get caught up and catch our breaths than we'd assumed or hoped.) Pays: $50-$150, "depending [on] total number of printed stories, available funds, etc., but we are guessing most contributors will receive around $100." http://www.hobartpulp.com

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*Mslexia*, the U.K.-based magazine "for women who write," plans an upcoming "new writing" section comprising poetry and fiction on the theme "Into the Deep": "Plunge pool, ocean floor or plumbing emotional depths - how deep do you go?" Deadline: March 19, 2010. Pays: "The basic rates for New Writing are GBP25 per poem, and GBP15 per thousand words of prose. Visit http://mslexia.co.uk/info/submit.html for more info.

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Also based in the U.K., Iron Press is reviewing submissions for an anthology of new humorous verse. Poems should be for adults and "can be written in any form and on any subject, but they must aim to be humorous." Note that poems may have been published or broadcast elsewhere, "providing the date of publication or broadcast is no earlier than 1990," but cannot have appeared in another anthology of humorous verse. Deadline: March 31, 2010. Pays: "If your work is included you will receive a copy of the anthology and a small payment." More info: http://www.ironpress.co.uk/anthology.html

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*Now & Then* ("the Appalachian magazine") is taking submissions for its upcoming themed issue "Appalachian High" until March 31, 2010. "Fiction, news and feature articles, interviews, and personal essays are accepted. Writing can include information gleaned from diaries, letters, and family histories, as well as standard research and reportage. Clearly label any first-person piece as either a fiction or nonfiction essay." Pays: "modest honorarium" and copy. See http://www.etsu.edu/cass/nowandthen/default.aspx

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Now based at the Black Mountain Institute/University of Nevada, Las Vegas, *Witness* will include in its 2011 volume a portfolio on the theme of "Blurring Borders": "In addition to general submissions, we invite work that addresses border crossing, immigration, and diaspora communities, or that confronts boundaries and margins related to community, ethnicity, sexuality, and language. The portfolio will be paired with content from the April 2010 Black Mountain Institute panel, also titled 'Blurring Borders,' with Junot Diaz, Yiyun Li, and Pablo Medina." *Witness* publishes stories, essays, memoir, and poems, and "favor(s) work with an international focus." Submission deadline is April 1, 2010. Pays: $10/printed page. Visit http://witness.blackmountaininstitute.org/submit for more information.

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New journal: "Published four times annually, *The Pedestrian* celebrates the variety and wonder of life, inviting readers and writers to explore more attentively the ordinary, everyday facets of their experience. We invite them to walk through familiar territory as if first encountering it. These quarterly walks take an approach different from standard intellectual publications, which race through reports, analyses, and persuasion while too often presenting multifaceted lives in mere glosses and stock narratives. Instead, we propose a leisurely saunter through our quarterly topics, equipped with an eye for detail, an awareness of the overlooked, and an empathetic curiosity about the people and the things encountered." Will publish 8-12 essays per print issue. Pays: $25-$600 on acceptance. Check the site for more information about the quarterly issues (the next deadline is April 15, 2010, for an issue with the theme of "tools"). Also look for an announcement about the quarterly contest (which offers a prize of $500 and does not appear to charge an entry fee). http://thepedestrian.org

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"*The Christmas Spirit* is a book project we have contracted with St. Martin's Press for the fall of 2011, but they want the completed manuscript by the spring of 2010. Debbie Macomber has agreed to write the foreword. We seek *true* stories that emphasize the significance of the Christmas season. We get caught up in the busyness of the season--the shopping, the family drama, and the event planning, and we lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Sometimes, through God's grace or what some call a twist of fate, we're able to step back and grasp the real meaning of Christmas and our lives are enriched. These are the kind of stories we want." Pays: "a $50 honorarium and at least one free copy of the book." Deadline: May 1, 2010. Visit http://www.christmasspiritbook.com for more info.

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Based in Australia, *Mascara Literary Review*" is particularly interested in the work of contemporary Asian, Australian and Indigenous writers." Considers fiction, poetry, essays, reviews and translations. Pays (Australian writers): $75 for two or more poems, $50 for reviews, and $50 for essays. http://mascarareview.com (via Duotrope.com)

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For an excellent article complete with tips on writing for paying publications on subjects related to mental disability/health, see Laura Yeager's recent feature at http://writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/005860_02032010.html (full link needed, please cut and paste in a new browser as necessary).

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More markets! Updated versions of both THE PRACTICING WRITER'S DIRECTORY OF PAYING ESSAY MARKETS and the DIRECTORY OF PAYING MARKETS FOR BOOK REVIEWERS are now available! Check them out (and peruse the free sample listings) at http://www.lulu.com/erika-dreifus .

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6. BLOG NOTES
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The newsletter is published just once each month, but there's *always* something new at our Practicing Writing blog: fresh market news, current contest and job listings, links to writing-related articles, newly-discovered craft and business resources, and so much more.

Regular blog features:

--Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities --Quotation of the Week --The Wednesday Web Browser --Friday Find

Plus these treats:

--What Does "Submission-Ready" Mean to You? --From My Bookshelf: Recent Reads --Titles as Prompts

Please visit, and comment! http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com

And for those of you practicing writers who are interested in matters of specifically Jewish cultural interest, please also visit My Machberet, accessible at http://machberet.blogspot.com (for the curious, "machberet" is the Hebrew word for "notebook"). Recent writing-focused posts there include:

--Jewish Book Week: Guest Post from Andrew Sanger --Spring Fiction Preview from The Jewish Week --Notes from Around the Web --Forward Arts & Culture Editor Dan Friedman in Cleveland --NYC Event Tomorrow: Writers on View (Fourth Annual Writers Read) --Goldberg Prize Welcomes 2010 Submissions

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7. AROUND THE WORLD: LITERARY EVENT CALENDAR
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"Writing the Life Poetic" Workshop with Sage Cohen (The Inkwell on Blog Talk Radio) http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theinkwell Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Free.

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Workshop, Reading, and Q&A with Midge Raymond Tacoma, Wash. U.S.A. http://www.artisttrust.org/node/13890 Saturday, March 6, 2010 "Free and open to all - but RSVP requested."

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Teleclass with Linda Formichelli: "The Care and Feeding of Editors" U.S.A. http://bit.ly/d8uIG6 Tuesday, March 9, 2010 The teleclass is free. "If you have unlimited long distance, you won't pay for the call, but if you pay for calls by the minute, it will appear on your bill."

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A Reading and Conversation with Major Jackson Baruch College/CUNY New York, N.Y. U.S.A. http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/wsas/academics/writer_in_residence/mjackson.htm (full link required; please cut and paste in new browser if necessary) Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Free.

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Virginia Festival of the Book Charlottesville, Va. U.S.A. http://vabook.org March 17-21, 2010 "These five days of mostly free literary events are open to the public as we honor book culture and promote reading and literacy."

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York Literature Festival York, England U.K. http://www.yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk March 18-28, 2010 “Many events are free.”

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StAnza 2010: Scotland's International Poetry Festival St Andrews, Scotland U.K. http://www.stanzapoetry.org March 17-21, 2010 Some events are free.

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"Poems About Washington, D.C." Library of Congress Washington, D.C. U.S.A. http://www.loc.gov/poetry/events.html Tuesday, March 23, 2010 Appears to be free.

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The Kenyon Review Reading Series: Margot Singer Gambier, Ohio U.S.A. http://www.kenyonreview.org/events-spring-10.php Thursday, March 25, 2010 Appears to be free.

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Are you planning a literary event (conference, exhibition, etc.)? I'd love to feature more events (especially happenings taking place outside the United States) in this space. I'm looking ONLY for events that offer complimentary admission. (I can find plenty of information on those that charge registration fees on my own!) Information on fee-charging events that offer discounted admission for students will also be considered. Please contact me via the Practicing Writer Web site, http://www.practicing-writer.com , to let me know about your event. Thanks in advance!

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8. NEWSLETTER MATTERS
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Information contained in THE PRACTICING WRITER is collected from many sources, with the purpose of providing general references. It is researched to the best of our ability but readers should verify information when necessary and appropriate. THE PRACTICING WRITER and its editor/publisher disclaim any liability for the use of information contained within. Thank you for subscribing.

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For updates and additional opportunity listings between newsletters, please check in with our "Practicing Writing" blog: http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com.

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ABOUT THE EDITOR: Based in New York City, Erika Dreifus has published prose and poetry in dozens of magazines, journals, newspapers, and other publications. She is a Contributing Editor for *The Writer* magazine and a member of the advisory board for *J Journal: New Writing on Justice*, and has taught for Harvard University, the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Center for Adult Education, and the low-residency MFA program in creative writing at Lesley University. Please visit http://www.practicing-writer.com to learn more about Erika's work.

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