Practicing Writer Newsletter
Supporting the Craft and Business of Excellent Writing
Published 09/2010 ( reprinted with permission )
THE PRACTICING WRITER
Supporting the Craft and Business of Excellent Writing
Volume 7, Number 8: September 2010
Editor: Erika Dreifus http://www.erikadreifus.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Erika Dreifus
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This newsletter is going out to *3455* subscribers. Welcome to our new readers, and welcome back to the regulars!
We value our subscribers, and we protect their privacy. We keep our subscriber list confidential.
PLEASE PASS THE NEWSLETTER ON--in its entirety--to your writing friends, students, and teachers. If you'd like to share news about a particular competition or a submission alert with other writers, please credit THE PRACTICING WRITER for the find! Thanks for respecting the efforts of your volunteer editor/publisher!
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This newsletter is sent by subscription only. For instructions on subscribing or unsubscribing, please scroll to the end. Thank you!
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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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Greetings, practicing writers!
Have you heard the news? We have a new website!
At www.erikadreifus.com, you're now able to read both the Practicing Writing and My Machberet blogs, learn more about my own writing practice, and consult reorganized and updated resources for fiction writers, poets, and writers of creative nonfiction. If you haven't yet stopped by, please do so soon.
As I've said elsewhere, the site remains a work-in-progress, and I'll be adding more resources and writing advice as quickly as I can.
For those who are starting a new school year, extra good wishes, and for everyone, here's to continued productivity with our writing practices!
All best,
ERIKA
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2. ARTICLE/LESSONS LEARNED: CRAFTING THE PERSONAL ESSAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH DINTY W. MOORE
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Crafting the Personal Essay: An Interview with Dinty W. Moore
By Erika Dreifus
I met Dinty W. Moore a number of years ago through the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, of which he is now president. His concern for writing pedagogy, and his particular expertise in nonfiction, impressed me at the start, and they continue to inspire me. When I learned about his newest book, *Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction*, I asked him instantly if he'd participate in an interview for the newsletter. Graciously, he agreed.
Dinty W. Moore's memoir *Between Panic & Desire* was winner of the Grub Street Nonfiction Book Prize in 2009. His other books include *The Accidental Buddhist* and *The Emperor's Virtual Clothes*. He has published essays and stories in *The Southern Review*, *The Georgia Review*, *Harpers*, *The New York Times Sunday Magazine*, *The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine*, *Gettysburg Review*, *Utne Reader*, and *Crazyhorse*, among numerous other venues. Moore is a professor of nonfiction writing at Ohio University.
Please welcome Dinty W. Moore
ERIKA DREIFUS (ED): Dinty, what inspired you to write *Crafting the Personal Essay*, and why at this time?
DINTY W. MOORE (DWM): I've noticed that the world of literary or creative nonfiction has been dividing itself as of late into two distinct camps: memoir and narrative journalism. I love to read and write in both of these sub-genres, by the way, but I hate to think that the personal essay, perhaps the oldest and certainly one of the most flexible forms of literary nonfiction, is going to be forgotten. So perhaps this book will help to re-introduce the genre to a modern audience. I have to give a nod to Patrick Madden here as well, and all of the great work he has done to preserve the classic essay at his site Quotidiana.Â
ED: Whom do you envision as the ideal reader(s) for this book? What do you hope readers will gain from it?
DWM: The urge to share our best thoughts, to display our carefully-constructed ideas and discoveries to other souls, is fairly universal. That's why so many folks in all walks of life and situations decide at some point that they want to be writers. Too often, though, these beginning writers - and when I say beginning, I mean the 65-year-old as much as the 19-year-old - have a limited view of their options: poetry or fiction, a novel or a memoir? The field of possibilities is so much wider.
Frankly, there is a pretty good market for the essay too: from women's magazines, to The New York Times, to literary magazines, to the Huffington Post.
ED: In this book, you emphasize the importance of curiosity. You quote Phillip Lopate on where to start one's writing: "...what do we need to generate nonfiction?: I would say, curiosity. It sounds more tepid than obsession, but it's a lot more dependable in the long run. You follow out a strand of curiosity and pretty soon you've got an interesting digression, a whole chapter, a book proposal, a book." What are *you* curious about these days, Dinty? What might be generating some of *your* nonfiction?
DWM: Well, it is a bit of a cliche, I'm afraid, but I've just reached a certain age (okay, fifty-five, if you must know) where I am meditating pretty regularly on the idea that my time on this planet is not endless. Not in a morbid way, but just as a discernable fact. I hope certainly to have another thirty or forty years to cause trouble in this world, but the truth is, I'm likely a good ways past my halfway point. So what do I do with that? How does that change perspective?
I'm in the very early stages of a project that will – I hope – widen the lens on these concerns. What I know about this book project so far is that it will be a quirky, individual, memoirist/essayistic hybrid look at mortality, heaven, hell, myths of the afterlife, and Dante Alighieri.
But that's what I imagine about the book here at the beginning. Every book I've written has been very different from my intention by the time I reach the end.
ED: Part One of this book attends to a variety of personal essays: memoir, contemplative essays, lyric essays, spiritual essays, gastronomical essays, humorous essays, nature essays, and travel essays. Part Two helps writers reach readers and includes a section on publication. If your editor/publisher had given you an unlimited page count, what other topics, if any, might you have wanted to cover in the book?
DWM: Writing a book is hard enough. You want me to make it longer?
Perhaps I would add more about the importance of enjoying the process of writing, or writing because the activity *itself* is satisfying. I just came from a writer's conference where too much of the talk was about author platforms, big publishing deals, agents, and book jacket design. Those are interesting topics certainly, but quite distracting from what is important about writing in the end.
ED: Many of this newsletter's readers will likely be familiar with a particular recent blog post of yours, written as editor of *Brevity*, a prominent online journal featuring "concise literary nonfiction." In this post (http://brevity.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/should-brevity-charge/ ), you explained some recent circumstances that were inducing the journal to consider requiring a submission fee, and you sought feedback from commenters. The post drew nearly 300 comments and a great deal of attention elsewhere.
Now that a few weeks have passed, please tell us what you think about first, the responses that the post generated, and, second, how likely it is that Brevity will indeed be instituting a fee.
DWM: I was pleased by the level of discussion about our idea. Instead of focusing on the idea that *Brevity* is bad for considering this fee, or *Brevity* is right to consider this move, many of those who commented on the blog and elsewhere grasped immediately that this was a larger issue, related to major changes in the distribution model in publishing. Clay Shirky has written about this at length in his books *Cognitive Surplus* and *Here Comes Everybody.* Everything we thought that we knew about supply, demand, pricing, access, gatekeepers, and reading is changing, as fast as we can boot up our browsers. You don't have to like this idea, but it is happening.Â
As far as what we will do – I'm still mulling it over, still asking smart people, and reading Shirky's new book to help me decide.
ED: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?
DWM: We have a steady stream of information on nonfiction writing and publishing, and on some of the ongoing changes in online publishing, over at the Brevity blog: http://brevity.wordpress.com/ .
We are also looking for guest bloggers, so if you have something to say on the topics of literary publishing, literary magazines, nonfiction writing, or digital publishing, feel free to send us a message at brevitymag@.... Check the blog first, though, to see our format.
ED: Thanks so much, Dinty!
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3. FEATURED RESOURCE: WWW.ERIKADREIFUS.COM
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Please pardon the brazen self-promotion, but I'm pretty proud of this new site (even if there's still content to be added). I'm especially happy with the "Resources" section, where I hope I'll be able to continue providing useful information for all of you well into the future. Please visit early and often; as I say, the site is still something of a work-in-progress, and you'll be finding even more tools and tips there as time goes on.
http://www.erikadreifus.com
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4. UPCOMING/ONGOING CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OF INTEREST
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American Antiquarian Society Fellowships for Creative and Performing Artists and Writers http://www.americanantiquarian.org/artistfellowship.htm Deadline: October 5, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE
These fellowships are intended to help produce "imaginative, non-formulaic works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history." Fellowships provide "for a period of uninterrupted research, reading, and collegial discussion at the Society, located in Worcester, Massachusetts." Stipends for four-week fellowships are $1,350 for fellows residing on campus in the Society's scholars' housing; $1,850 for fellows residing off campus.
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Cullman Center Fellowships http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/36/node/29202 Deadline: September 24, 2010 (received) NO APPLICATION FEE
The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers awards fellowships to people whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. "The Cullman Center looks for top-quality writing from academics as well as from creative writers and independent scholars. It aims to promote dynamic communication about literature and scholarship at the very highest level - within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows' published work." Fellowships provide a stipend of up to $60,000, an office, a computer, and full access to the Library's physical and electronic resources.
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Annie Deeny Award http://www.tyroneguthrie.ie/artists_grants.html Deadline: September 30, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE
"The Annie Deeny Memorial Prize was launched by distinguished poet Fleur Adcock in May 2004. Mrs. Annie Deeny was a teacher and a mother of six children who, although she wrote, never sought to have her work published. This perpetual prize is in her memory to encourage someone in a similar situation to write and to publish. It provides a two-week residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig." Apply by completing the standard application form on the site and following the additional instructions.
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Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize http://www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org/site/sections/news/literary_prize.html Deadline: October 15, 2010 (received) NO ENTRY FEE
"Each year a question or quote exploring Franklin's relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000-1500 words by two groups: young people and professional writers. The winner of the Young Writers Prize [ages 18-25] will receive GBP 500 while the winner of the Professional Writers Prize will receive GBP 1000 with publication of their essays in the British Daily Telegraph, and at www.BenjaminFranklinHouse.org....The Franklin quote for interpretation in 2010 is: 'In politics, what can laws do without morals?' Entrants should interpret this quote for its significance today."
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Hint Fiction Contest http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/hintfiction.php Deadline: October 11, 2010 NO ENTRY FEE
"For this contest, Gotham Writers' Workshop welcomes the expertise of Robert Swartwood, editor of *Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories of 25 Words or Fewer* (to be published in November by W.W. Norton). Mr. Swartwood will select the winner from the finalists in this competition." Per the guidelines, your submission should run no longer than 25 words (examples are provided with the contest information). Prizes: a 10-week writing workshop, $100, a one-year subscription to *The Writer*, publication in Gotham's 2011 course catalog, and, of course, "bragging rights."
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Ledig House International Writers Residency Program/Amazon.com Translator Fellowships http://www.artomi.org Deadline: October 20, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE
"Ledig House International Writers Residency is located approximately two and a half hours north of New York City in the town of Omi, in the scenic Hudson River Valley. Writers and translators from all fields are encouraged to apply for a residence lasting anywhere from one week to two months. Up to 20 writers per session - 10 at a given time - live and write on the stunning 300-acre grounds and sculpture park that overlooks the Catskill Mountains. Ledig House provides all meals, and each night a cook prepares dinner. Days are reserved as quiet hours, while evenings afford a more communal environment. During each session, several guests from the New York publishing community are invited for dinner and discussion. Bicycles,a swimming pool and nearby tennis court are available for use. Unless otherwise arranged, writers must provide their own transportation to and from Ledig House. A colony car will be sent to pick writers up at the train station in nearby Hudson, New York. All writers should be proficient in English." NB: Translators should also note the availability of the 2011 Amazon Translator Fellowships: "Supporting the work of translators is a major part of the Ledig House mandate and with this support from Amazon.com our organization is able to dramatically increase the scope of this mandate. Three fellowships will be awarded; each will be one month in duration. Translators of all languages are welcome to apply. If you would like to be considered for an Amazon.com Translator Fellowship, please follow the general application guidelines. In the required description of your work to be completed at Ledig House, please be sure to state that you would like to be considered for an Amazon Translator Fellowship. The application deadline is October 20, 2010. Candidates are free to request a residency during the spring or fall 2011 session."
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Liverpool Lennon Poet Competition http://www.beatlesstory.com Deadline: September 10, 2010 (5 p.m., Liverpool time) NO ENTRY FEE
"Calling all poets across the globe! Are you a John Lennon fan or passionate about poetry? Then this is your opportunity to enter the world's first Liverpool Lennon Poetry Competition....Poets from across the world are encouraged to enter unpublished verses in three categories, which celebrate the life of the music legend. The UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy will lead a team of judges who will award our winning Poets the prestigious title of Liverpool Lennon Poet 2010." Categories include: Performance Poet, Paper Poet, and Schools Performance Poet. For the Paper Poet category, prizes will be GBP 100/GBP 50/GBP 25. Performance poets must be able to perform at the local Poetry Slam on Saturday, November 6, 2010. Performance Poet prizes will be GBP 1000/GBP 250/GBP 100.
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Transparent Narrative Writing Contest http://thetravelersnotebook.com/contests/transparent-narrative-writing-contest-g\ rand-prize-300-free-tuition-to-matadoru or http://bit.ly/9sKSXQ Deadline: September 10, 2010 (5 p.m. EST) NO ENTRY FEE
From the Matador Network ("both an online travel magazine and a thriving social network. Or, more simply put, it's a community"): "Over the last few weeks we've been seeing some really interesting new travel narratives, and we decided to run a contest. The winner gets $300 plus free enrollment to the travel writing program at MatadorU [worth $350]. The winning story, along with honorable mentions will be published here at the Traveler's Notebook. Even if you're a professional writer who doesn't necessarily need classes, consider this about the U: you get lifetime access to our forums and Market Blog, with leads and writing opportunities researched and curated by Matador editors, along with all future Pro Modules we publish on new media strategies, branding, SEO, and other areas of continuing education." NB: "Part of the focus of this contest is to encourage 'transparent' writing. This is a prose style where the narrator narrates events/scenes as he or she perceived them at ground-level." For examples and additional information, visit the site.
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Trias Residency for Writers http://www.hws.edu/trias Deadline: November 1, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE
"The Trias Residency for Writers at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., is a one-year appointment for an accomplished poet or fiction writer. Structured with an engaged, workign artist in mind, academic expectations allow for sustained interaction with our best students while also providing the freedom necessary to produce new work. During the high-residency fall semester, writers run one workshop on campus. In the low-residency spring semester, writers make scheduled campus visits and run a small tutorial through electronic media." For this residency, the program seeks "a writer of national or international reputation with well-received book publications and a demonstrated ability to teach undergraduate students." Pays: $70,000 plus benefits, housing, and an office.
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Tufts Poetry Awards http://cgu.edu/pages/6056.asp Deadline: September 15, 2010 NO ENTRY FEE
"The Tufts poetry awards - based at Claremont Graduate University - are not only two of the most prestigious prizes a contemporary poet can receive, they also come with hefty purses: $100,000 for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and $10,000 for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. This makes the Kingsley Tufts award the world's largest monetary prize for a single collection of poetry. And for most poets who have just published their first collection of verse, $10,000 should keep the pen scribbling." Works submitted must be a book (Kingsley Tufts Award) or a first book (Kate Tufts Discovery Award) published between September 1, 2009, and September 1, 2010. Work must be written originally in English by a poet who is a citizen or "legal resident alien" of the United States." More details and the entry form are available at the website.
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5. SUBMISSION ALERTS!!!
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Editor Robert Lee Brewer has announced a call for submissions for the *2012 Poet's Market*. "I'm interested in many different poetic topics, but especially those that will help poets find success in publishing and marketing their poetry." Pitches are due by September 7, 2010. For the full call, please visit http://bit.ly/9LOgRG
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For its winter 2010 issue, *SubTerrain* plans a journal with a theme of "Regret." Will consider fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and commentary. This Canadian journal pays $25/poem and $25/page for prose (presumably in Canadian dollars). Submission deadline for this issue is September 15. http://subterrain.ca
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The next submission period for *Nashville Review* will run from September 1 to October 1. This journal publishes literary fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and comics, and pays $100 for fiction, nonfiction, and comics ($25 per poem). http://www.vanderbilt.edu/english/nashvillereview/submit
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Montreal-based *Matrix* magazine seeks "Zen-inspired poems in forms that are related or have been shaped by it such as haiku, tanka, haibun, and the collaborative renku." Contributors will be paid (per an e-mail from one of the issue editors). Deadline: October 31, 2010. http://www.matrixmagazine.org/submissions
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"Crab Orchard Review is seeking work for our Summer/Fall 2011 issue focusing on writing exploring the people, places, history, and new directions that have shaped and are reshaping the American South. All submissions should be original, unpublished poetry, fiction, or literary nonfiction in English or unpublished translations in English (we do run bilingual, facing-page translations whenever possible). Please query before submitting any interview. The submission period for this issue is August 10 through November 1, 2010. We will be reading submissions throughout this period and hope to complete the editorial work on the issue by the end of March 2011. Writers whose work is selected will receive $25 (US) per magazine page ($50 minimum for poetry; $100 minimum for prose) and two copies of the issue." http://craborchardreview.siuc.edu/special.html
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*The Iowa Review* receives unsolicited manuscripts during the fall semester only (defined as September, October, and November). The journal publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, and interviews. "We pay $1.50 per line for poetry ($40 minimum) and $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). Reviewers receive $50 per review. Contributors also receive two free copies of the issue in which their work appears." http://iowareview.uiowa.edu/node/54
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*Tampa Review* "considers submissions postmarked between September 1 and December 31 each year for publication in the following year." Does not consider simultaneous submissions. Pays: $10/published page (for prose or poetry), plus one copy and a discount on additional copies writers may wish to purchase. http://www.ut.edu/TampaReview
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*Ninth Letter* accepts fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews from September 1 to April 30 (postmarked). "We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work." Pays: $25/printed page, on publication, plus two copies of the issue in which the work appears. http://www.ninthletter.com
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*Descant* (Canada) has announced a 2011 themed call on "Renovations": "Rewriting Pride and Prejudice as a zombie novel. A DJ layering Led Zeppelin overtop Frank Sinatra's crooning. Or Peter Mayle struggling against faulty plumbing, stripping a Provencal farmhouse to its joists and studs to create something new - all are renovations. Descant wants to create a space where Holmes on Homes can meet Oulipo lipograms. We want to read about new kitchens and bathrooms. Explore those spaces which exist both on the page and off. We want stories and poems that renovate what literature can do. Reuse. Recycle. Renovate." Pays: $100 (on publication). Submission deadline is March 15, 2011. http://www.descant.ca
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New publication! "*Jewish Stories* publishes short fiction with Jewish themes or content. Judaism does not need to be the central focus of the story. We welcome submissions from Jews and non-Jews. We are most interested in stories under 7,500 words, but we will consider stories up to 15,000 words." Pays: $.01/word, via PayPal. For more information, see http://www.jewishstoriesmagazine.com . (via Duotrope.com)
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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 --Thursday's Pre-Publication Post --Friday Find
Please visit, and comment! http://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/practicing-writing/
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://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/my-machberet/ (for the curious, "machberet" is the Hebrew word for "notebook"). Recent writing-focused posts there include:
--Notes from Around the Web --Jewish Literary Festival Writing Contest Announced --Jewish Book Carnival: Part Deux --My Machberet Receives a Beautiful Blogger Award
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7. AROUND THE WORLD: LITERARY EVENT CALENDAR
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Brisbane Writers Festival South Brisbane, Queensland Australia http://www.brisbanewritersfestival.com.au September 1-5, 2010 "Brisbane Writers Festival retains its commitment to bringing together an extraordinary range of international, national and local writers, both renowned and emerging, in a range of free and ticketed sessions."
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John Jay College Book & Author Series: Dr. Jessica Stern, author of *Denial: A Memoir of Terror* New York City U.S.A. http://events.cuny.edu/eventDetail.asp?EventId=28345 Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Free and open to the public.
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Jewish Book Council Twitter Book Club: By Fire, By Water Online http://jewishbooks.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/twitter-book-club-by-fire-by-water Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Free.
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Poetry Off the Shelf: Valerie Martinez and Silvia Curbelo Chicago, Ill. U.S.A. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/programs/events.html Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Free admission.
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The Business of Writing: A Symposium Ann Arbor, Mich. U.S.A. http://lsa.umich.edu/english/grad/mfa/eventsCalendar.asp Friday, September 24, 2010 This event "is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required."
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National Book Festival: A Decade of Words and Wonder Washington, D.C. U.S.A. http://www.loc.gov/bookfest Saturday, September 25, 2010 "The festival, a celebration of the joy of reading for all ages, is free and open to the public."
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An Evening with Sena Jeter Naslund Montgomery, Ala. U.S.A. http://www.writersforum.org/calendar/default.aspx Wednesday, September 29, 2010 "The event is free and open to the public."
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Local Authors' Book Fair, Book Slam and end of festival party London (SW11), England U.K. http://www.clapham-junction.com/en/events-and-attractions1/sw11-literary-festiva\ l/ Thursday, September 30, 2010 "Limited places so book places in advance...."
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Brattleboro Literary Festival Brattleboro, Vt. U.S.A. http://www.brattleboroliteraryfestival.org September 30-October 3, 2010 All events are free and open to the public.
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Jewish Authors Conference: Writing for Adult Readers New York City U.S.A. http://jewishbookcouncil.org/news.php?item.36 Sunday, October 3, 2010 *Your editor will be attending (and moderating a panel). NB: You can save $20 on the conference fee by registering before September 15. Conference will include kosher breakfast and lunch.
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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 www.erikadreifus.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://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/practicing-writing/
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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. Her story collection, *Quiet Americans*, will be published in January 2011. 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 (Mass.) Center for Adult Education, and the low-residency MFA program in creative writing at Lesley University. Please visit http://www.erikadreifus.com to learn more about Erika's work.
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Missed a newsletter issue? Want to review our articles and opportunity listings? Check out our archived messages (for subscribers only) at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/practicing-writer/
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This newsletter may be duplicated/forwarded as long as it remains unaltered and is replicated in its entirety. If you find this information valuable please pass the newsletter along to your writing friends. Thank you!
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We'll be delighted to have you join us! To subscribe to this newsletter, please send a blank e-mail to practicing-writer-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Supporting the Craft and Business of Excellent Writing
Volume 7, Number 8: September 2010
Editor: Erika Dreifus http://www.erikadreifus.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Erika Dreifus
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This newsletter is going out to *3455* subscribers. Welcome to our new readers, and welcome back to the regulars!
We value our subscribers, and we protect their privacy. We keep our subscriber list confidential.
PLEASE PASS THE NEWSLETTER ON--in its entirety--to your writing friends, students, and teachers. If you'd like to share news about a particular competition or a submission alert with other writers, please credit THE PRACTICING WRITER for the find! Thanks for respecting the efforts of your volunteer editor/publisher!
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This newsletter is sent by subscription only. For instructions on subscribing or unsubscribing, please scroll to the end. Thank you!
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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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Greetings, practicing writers!
Have you heard the news? We have a new website!
At www.erikadreifus.com, you're now able to read both the Practicing Writing and My Machberet blogs, learn more about my own writing practice, and consult reorganized and updated resources for fiction writers, poets, and writers of creative nonfiction. If you haven't yet stopped by, please do so soon.
As I've said elsewhere, the site remains a work-in-progress, and I'll be adding more resources and writing advice as quickly as I can.
For those who are starting a new school year, extra good wishes, and for everyone, here's to continued productivity with our writing practices!
All best,
ERIKA
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2. ARTICLE/LESSONS LEARNED: CRAFTING THE PERSONAL ESSAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH DINTY W. MOORE
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Crafting the Personal Essay: An Interview with Dinty W. Moore
By Erika Dreifus
I met Dinty W. Moore a number of years ago through the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, of which he is now president. His concern for writing pedagogy, and his particular expertise in nonfiction, impressed me at the start, and they continue to inspire me. When I learned about his newest book, *Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction*, I asked him instantly if he'd participate in an interview for the newsletter. Graciously, he agreed.
Dinty W. Moore's memoir *Between Panic & Desire* was winner of the Grub Street Nonfiction Book Prize in 2009. His other books include *The Accidental Buddhist* and *The Emperor's Virtual Clothes*. He has published essays and stories in *The Southern Review*, *The Georgia Review*, *Harpers*, *The New York Times Sunday Magazine*, *The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine*, *Gettysburg Review*, *Utne Reader*, and *Crazyhorse*, among numerous other venues. Moore is a professor of nonfiction writing at Ohio University.
Please welcome Dinty W. Moore
ERIKA DREIFUS (ED): Dinty, what inspired you to write *Crafting the Personal Essay*, and why at this time?
DINTY W. MOORE (DWM): I've noticed that the world of literary or creative nonfiction has been dividing itself as of late into two distinct camps: memoir and narrative journalism. I love to read and write in both of these sub-genres, by the way, but I hate to think that the personal essay, perhaps the oldest and certainly one of the most flexible forms of literary nonfiction, is going to be forgotten. So perhaps this book will help to re-introduce the genre to a modern audience. I have to give a nod to Patrick Madden here as well, and all of the great work he has done to preserve the classic essay at his site Quotidiana.Â
ED: Whom do you envision as the ideal reader(s) for this book? What do you hope readers will gain from it?
DWM: The urge to share our best thoughts, to display our carefully-constructed ideas and discoveries to other souls, is fairly universal. That's why so many folks in all walks of life and situations decide at some point that they want to be writers. Too often, though, these beginning writers - and when I say beginning, I mean the 65-year-old as much as the 19-year-old - have a limited view of their options: poetry or fiction, a novel or a memoir? The field of possibilities is so much wider.
Frankly, there is a pretty good market for the essay too: from women's magazines, to The New York Times, to literary magazines, to the Huffington Post.
ED: In this book, you emphasize the importance of curiosity. You quote Phillip Lopate on where to start one's writing: "...what do we need to generate nonfiction?: I would say, curiosity. It sounds more tepid than obsession, but it's a lot more dependable in the long run. You follow out a strand of curiosity and pretty soon you've got an interesting digression, a whole chapter, a book proposal, a book." What are *you* curious about these days, Dinty? What might be generating some of *your* nonfiction?
DWM: Well, it is a bit of a cliche, I'm afraid, but I've just reached a certain age (okay, fifty-five, if you must know) where I am meditating pretty regularly on the idea that my time on this planet is not endless. Not in a morbid way, but just as a discernable fact. I hope certainly to have another thirty or forty years to cause trouble in this world, but the truth is, I'm likely a good ways past my halfway point. So what do I do with that? How does that change perspective?
I'm in the very early stages of a project that will – I hope – widen the lens on these concerns. What I know about this book project so far is that it will be a quirky, individual, memoirist/essayistic hybrid look at mortality, heaven, hell, myths of the afterlife, and Dante Alighieri.
But that's what I imagine about the book here at the beginning. Every book I've written has been very different from my intention by the time I reach the end.
ED: Part One of this book attends to a variety of personal essays: memoir, contemplative essays, lyric essays, spiritual essays, gastronomical essays, humorous essays, nature essays, and travel essays. Part Two helps writers reach readers and includes a section on publication. If your editor/publisher had given you an unlimited page count, what other topics, if any, might you have wanted to cover in the book?
DWM: Writing a book is hard enough. You want me to make it longer?
Perhaps I would add more about the importance of enjoying the process of writing, or writing because the activity *itself* is satisfying. I just came from a writer's conference where too much of the talk was about author platforms, big publishing deals, agents, and book jacket design. Those are interesting topics certainly, but quite distracting from what is important about writing in the end.
ED: Many of this newsletter's readers will likely be familiar with a particular recent blog post of yours, written as editor of *Brevity*, a prominent online journal featuring "concise literary nonfiction." In this post (http://brevity.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/should-brevity-charge/ ), you explained some recent circumstances that were inducing the journal to consider requiring a submission fee, and you sought feedback from commenters. The post drew nearly 300 comments and a great deal of attention elsewhere.
Now that a few weeks have passed, please tell us what you think about first, the responses that the post generated, and, second, how likely it is that Brevity will indeed be instituting a fee.
DWM: I was pleased by the level of discussion about our idea. Instead of focusing on the idea that *Brevity* is bad for considering this fee, or *Brevity* is right to consider this move, many of those who commented on the blog and elsewhere grasped immediately that this was a larger issue, related to major changes in the distribution model in publishing. Clay Shirky has written about this at length in his books *Cognitive Surplus* and *Here Comes Everybody.* Everything we thought that we knew about supply, demand, pricing, access, gatekeepers, and reading is changing, as fast as we can boot up our browsers. You don't have to like this idea, but it is happening.Â
As far as what we will do – I'm still mulling it over, still asking smart people, and reading Shirky's new book to help me decide.
ED: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?
DWM: We have a steady stream of information on nonfiction writing and publishing, and on some of the ongoing changes in online publishing, over at the Brevity blog: http://brevity.wordpress.com/ .
We are also looking for guest bloggers, so if you have something to say on the topics of literary publishing, literary magazines, nonfiction writing, or digital publishing, feel free to send us a message at brevitymag@.... Check the blog first, though, to see our format.
ED: Thanks so much, Dinty!
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3. FEATURED RESOURCE: WWW.ERIKADREIFUS.COM
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Please pardon the brazen self-promotion, but I'm pretty proud of this new site (even if there's still content to be added). I'm especially happy with the "Resources" section, where I hope I'll be able to continue providing useful information for all of you well into the future. Please visit early and often; as I say, the site is still something of a work-in-progress, and you'll be finding even more tools and tips there as time goes on.
http://www.erikadreifus.com
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4. UPCOMING/ONGOING CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OF INTEREST
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American Antiquarian Society Fellowships for Creative and Performing Artists and Writers http://www.americanantiquarian.org/artistfellowship.htm Deadline: October 5, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE
These fellowships are intended to help produce "imaginative, non-formulaic works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history." Fellowships provide "for a period of uninterrupted research, reading, and collegial discussion at the Society, located in Worcester, Massachusetts." Stipends for four-week fellowships are $1,350 for fellows residing on campus in the Society's scholars' housing; $1,850 for fellows residing off campus.
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Cullman Center Fellowships http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/36/node/29202 Deadline: September 24, 2010 (received) NO APPLICATION FEE
The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers awards fellowships to people whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. "The Cullman Center looks for top-quality writing from academics as well as from creative writers and independent scholars. It aims to promote dynamic communication about literature and scholarship at the very highest level - within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows' published work." Fellowships provide a stipend of up to $60,000, an office, a computer, and full access to the Library's physical and electronic resources.
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Annie Deeny Award http://www.tyroneguthrie.ie/artists_grants.html Deadline: September 30, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE
"The Annie Deeny Memorial Prize was launched by distinguished poet Fleur Adcock in May 2004. Mrs. Annie Deeny was a teacher and a mother of six children who, although she wrote, never sought to have her work published. This perpetual prize is in her memory to encourage someone in a similar situation to write and to publish. It provides a two-week residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig." Apply by completing the standard application form on the site and following the additional instructions.
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Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize http://www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org/site/sections/news/literary_prize.html Deadline: October 15, 2010 (received) NO ENTRY FEE
"Each year a question or quote exploring Franklin's relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000-1500 words by two groups: young people and professional writers. The winner of the Young Writers Prize [ages 18-25] will receive GBP 500 while the winner of the Professional Writers Prize will receive GBP 1000 with publication of their essays in the British Daily Telegraph, and at www.BenjaminFranklinHouse.org....The Franklin quote for interpretation in 2010 is: 'In politics, what can laws do without morals?' Entrants should interpret this quote for its significance today."
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Hint Fiction Contest http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/hintfiction.php Deadline: October 11, 2010 NO ENTRY FEE
"For this contest, Gotham Writers' Workshop welcomes the expertise of Robert Swartwood, editor of *Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories of 25 Words or Fewer* (to be published in November by W.W. Norton). Mr. Swartwood will select the winner from the finalists in this competition." Per the guidelines, your submission should run no longer than 25 words (examples are provided with the contest information). Prizes: a 10-week writing workshop, $100, a one-year subscription to *The Writer*, publication in Gotham's 2011 course catalog, and, of course, "bragging rights."
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Ledig House International Writers Residency Program/Amazon.com Translator Fellowships http://www.artomi.org Deadline: October 20, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE
"Ledig House International Writers Residency is located approximately two and a half hours north of New York City in the town of Omi, in the scenic Hudson River Valley. Writers and translators from all fields are encouraged to apply for a residence lasting anywhere from one week to two months. Up to 20 writers per session - 10 at a given time - live and write on the stunning 300-acre grounds and sculpture park that overlooks the Catskill Mountains. Ledig House provides all meals, and each night a cook prepares dinner. Days are reserved as quiet hours, while evenings afford a more communal environment. During each session, several guests from the New York publishing community are invited for dinner and discussion. Bicycles,a swimming pool and nearby tennis court are available for use. Unless otherwise arranged, writers must provide their own transportation to and from Ledig House. A colony car will be sent to pick writers up at the train station in nearby Hudson, New York. All writers should be proficient in English." NB: Translators should also note the availability of the 2011 Amazon Translator Fellowships: "Supporting the work of translators is a major part of the Ledig House mandate and with this support from Amazon.com our organization is able to dramatically increase the scope of this mandate. Three fellowships will be awarded; each will be one month in duration. Translators of all languages are welcome to apply. If you would like to be considered for an Amazon.com Translator Fellowship, please follow the general application guidelines. In the required description of your work to be completed at Ledig House, please be sure to state that you would like to be considered for an Amazon Translator Fellowship. The application deadline is October 20, 2010. Candidates are free to request a residency during the spring or fall 2011 session."
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Liverpool Lennon Poet Competition http://www.beatlesstory.com Deadline: September 10, 2010 (5 p.m., Liverpool time) NO ENTRY FEE
"Calling all poets across the globe! Are you a John Lennon fan or passionate about poetry? Then this is your opportunity to enter the world's first Liverpool Lennon Poetry Competition....Poets from across the world are encouraged to enter unpublished verses in three categories, which celebrate the life of the music legend. The UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy will lead a team of judges who will award our winning Poets the prestigious title of Liverpool Lennon Poet 2010." Categories include: Performance Poet, Paper Poet, and Schools Performance Poet. For the Paper Poet category, prizes will be GBP 100/GBP 50/GBP 25. Performance poets must be able to perform at the local Poetry Slam on Saturday, November 6, 2010. Performance Poet prizes will be GBP 1000/GBP 250/GBP 100.
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Transparent Narrative Writing Contest http://thetravelersnotebook.com/contests/transparent-narrative-writing-contest-g\ rand-prize-300-free-tuition-to-matadoru or http://bit.ly/9sKSXQ Deadline: September 10, 2010 (5 p.m. EST) NO ENTRY FEE
From the Matador Network ("both an online travel magazine and a thriving social network. Or, more simply put, it's a community"): "Over the last few weeks we've been seeing some really interesting new travel narratives, and we decided to run a contest. The winner gets $300 plus free enrollment to the travel writing program at MatadorU [worth $350]. The winning story, along with honorable mentions will be published here at the Traveler's Notebook. Even if you're a professional writer who doesn't necessarily need classes, consider this about the U: you get lifetime access to our forums and Market Blog, with leads and writing opportunities researched and curated by Matador editors, along with all future Pro Modules we publish on new media strategies, branding, SEO, and other areas of continuing education." NB: "Part of the focus of this contest is to encourage 'transparent' writing. This is a prose style where the narrator narrates events/scenes as he or she perceived them at ground-level." For examples and additional information, visit the site.
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Trias Residency for Writers http://www.hws.edu/trias Deadline: November 1, 2010 NO APPLICATION FEE
"The Trias Residency for Writers at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., is a one-year appointment for an accomplished poet or fiction writer. Structured with an engaged, workign artist in mind, academic expectations allow for sustained interaction with our best students while also providing the freedom necessary to produce new work. During the high-residency fall semester, writers run one workshop on campus. In the low-residency spring semester, writers make scheduled campus visits and run a small tutorial through electronic media." For this residency, the program seeks "a writer of national or international reputation with well-received book publications and a demonstrated ability to teach undergraduate students." Pays: $70,000 plus benefits, housing, and an office.
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Tufts Poetry Awards http://cgu.edu/pages/6056.asp Deadline: September 15, 2010 NO ENTRY FEE
"The Tufts poetry awards - based at Claremont Graduate University - are not only two of the most prestigious prizes a contemporary poet can receive, they also come with hefty purses: $100,000 for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and $10,000 for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. This makes the Kingsley Tufts award the world's largest monetary prize for a single collection of poetry. And for most poets who have just published their first collection of verse, $10,000 should keep the pen scribbling." Works submitted must be a book (Kingsley Tufts Award) or a first book (Kate Tufts Discovery Award) published between September 1, 2009, and September 1, 2010. Work must be written originally in English by a poet who is a citizen or "legal resident alien" of the United States." More details and the entry form are available at the website.
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5. SUBMISSION ALERTS!!!
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Editor Robert Lee Brewer has announced a call for submissions for the *2012 Poet's Market*. "I'm interested in many different poetic topics, but especially those that will help poets find success in publishing and marketing their poetry." Pitches are due by September 7, 2010. For the full call, please visit http://bit.ly/9LOgRG
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For its winter 2010 issue, *SubTerrain* plans a journal with a theme of "Regret." Will consider fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and commentary. This Canadian journal pays $25/poem and $25/page for prose (presumably in Canadian dollars). Submission deadline for this issue is September 15. http://subterrain.ca
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The next submission period for *Nashville Review* will run from September 1 to October 1. This journal publishes literary fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and comics, and pays $100 for fiction, nonfiction, and comics ($25 per poem). http://www.vanderbilt.edu/english/nashvillereview/submit
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Montreal-based *Matrix* magazine seeks "Zen-inspired poems in forms that are related or have been shaped by it such as haiku, tanka, haibun, and the collaborative renku." Contributors will be paid (per an e-mail from one of the issue editors). Deadline: October 31, 2010. http://www.matrixmagazine.org/submissions
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"Crab Orchard Review is seeking work for our Summer/Fall 2011 issue focusing on writing exploring the people, places, history, and new directions that have shaped and are reshaping the American South. All submissions should be original, unpublished poetry, fiction, or literary nonfiction in English or unpublished translations in English (we do run bilingual, facing-page translations whenever possible). Please query before submitting any interview. The submission period for this issue is August 10 through November 1, 2010. We will be reading submissions throughout this period and hope to complete the editorial work on the issue by the end of March 2011. Writers whose work is selected will receive $25 (US) per magazine page ($50 minimum for poetry; $100 minimum for prose) and two copies of the issue." http://craborchardreview.siuc.edu/special.html
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*The Iowa Review* receives unsolicited manuscripts during the fall semester only (defined as September, October, and November). The journal publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, and interviews. "We pay $1.50 per line for poetry ($40 minimum) and $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). Reviewers receive $50 per review. Contributors also receive two free copies of the issue in which their work appears." http://iowareview.uiowa.edu/node/54
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*Tampa Review* "considers submissions postmarked between September 1 and December 31 each year for publication in the following year." Does not consider simultaneous submissions. Pays: $10/published page (for prose or poetry), plus one copy and a discount on additional copies writers may wish to purchase. http://www.ut.edu/TampaReview
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*Ninth Letter* accepts fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews from September 1 to April 30 (postmarked). "We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work." Pays: $25/printed page, on publication, plus two copies of the issue in which the work appears. http://www.ninthletter.com
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*Descant* (Canada) has announced a 2011 themed call on "Renovations": "Rewriting Pride and Prejudice as a zombie novel. A DJ layering Led Zeppelin overtop Frank Sinatra's crooning. Or Peter Mayle struggling against faulty plumbing, stripping a Provencal farmhouse to its joists and studs to create something new - all are renovations. Descant wants to create a space where Holmes on Homes can meet Oulipo lipograms. We want to read about new kitchens and bathrooms. Explore those spaces which exist both on the page and off. We want stories and poems that renovate what literature can do. Reuse. Recycle. Renovate." Pays: $100 (on publication). Submission deadline is March 15, 2011. http://www.descant.ca
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New publication! "*Jewish Stories* publishes short fiction with Jewish themes or content. Judaism does not need to be the central focus of the story. We welcome submissions from Jews and non-Jews. We are most interested in stories under 7,500 words, but we will consider stories up to 15,000 words." Pays: $.01/word, via PayPal. For more information, see http://www.jewishstoriesmagazine.com . (via Duotrope.com)
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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 --Thursday's Pre-Publication Post --Friday Find
Please visit, and comment! http://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/practicing-writing/
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://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/my-machberet/ (for the curious, "machberet" is the Hebrew word for "notebook"). Recent writing-focused posts there include:
--Notes from Around the Web --Jewish Literary Festival Writing Contest Announced --Jewish Book Carnival: Part Deux --My Machberet Receives a Beautiful Blogger Award
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7. AROUND THE WORLD: LITERARY EVENT CALENDAR
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Brisbane Writers Festival South Brisbane, Queensland Australia http://www.brisbanewritersfestival.com.au September 1-5, 2010 "Brisbane Writers Festival retains its commitment to bringing together an extraordinary range of international, national and local writers, both renowned and emerging, in a range of free and ticketed sessions."
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John Jay College Book & Author Series: Dr. Jessica Stern, author of *Denial: A Memoir of Terror* New York City U.S.A. http://events.cuny.edu/eventDetail.asp?EventId=28345 Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Free and open to the public.
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Jewish Book Council Twitter Book Club: By Fire, By Water Online http://jewishbooks.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/twitter-book-club-by-fire-by-water Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Free.
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Poetry Off the Shelf: Valerie Martinez and Silvia Curbelo Chicago, Ill. U.S.A. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/programs/events.html Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Free admission.
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The Business of Writing: A Symposium Ann Arbor, Mich. U.S.A. http://lsa.umich.edu/english/grad/mfa/eventsCalendar.asp Friday, September 24, 2010 This event "is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required."
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National Book Festival: A Decade of Words and Wonder Washington, D.C. U.S.A. http://www.loc.gov/bookfest Saturday, September 25, 2010 "The festival, a celebration of the joy of reading for all ages, is free and open to the public."
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An Evening with Sena Jeter Naslund Montgomery, Ala. U.S.A. http://www.writersforum.org/calendar/default.aspx Wednesday, September 29, 2010 "The event is free and open to the public."
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Local Authors' Book Fair, Book Slam and end of festival party London (SW11), England U.K. http://www.clapham-junction.com/en/events-and-attractions1/sw11-literary-festiva\ l/ Thursday, September 30, 2010 "Limited places so book places in advance...."
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Brattleboro Literary Festival Brattleboro, Vt. U.S.A. http://www.brattleboroliteraryfestival.org September 30-October 3, 2010 All events are free and open to the public.
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Jewish Authors Conference: Writing for Adult Readers New York City U.S.A. http://jewishbookcouncil.org/news.php?item.36 Sunday, October 3, 2010 *Your editor will be attending (and moderating a panel). NB: You can save $20 on the conference fee by registering before September 15. Conference will include kosher breakfast and lunch.
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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 www.erikadreifus.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://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/practicing-writing/
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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. Her story collection, *Quiet Americans*, will be published in January 2011. 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 (Mass.) Center for Adult Education, and the low-residency MFA program in creative writing at Lesley University. Please visit http://www.erikadreifus.com to learn more about Erika's work.
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Missed a newsletter issue? Want to review our articles and opportunity listings? Check out our archived messages (for subscribers only) at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/practicing-writer/
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