Blog Break

Here's wishing everyone a good weekend. And a very happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans. See you back here after the 4th.

Attention, Manitoba Writers!

The Winnipeg Public Library invites applications for a Writer-in-Residence position, which will begin November 1, 2006, and last for eight months (subject to funding).

Applications are welcome from residents of Manitoba who have published at least two books professionally. "Previous experience in teaching, writing or as a manuscript evaluator/editor/mentor would be an asset."

There's a salary of $2,500/month. Application deadline: July 14, 2006. There's no application fee.

For more information about the residency and application instructions, click here.

New Magazine Looking for Short Story (Pays: $100)

A new Illinois magazine for St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia is looking for a short story to be published in its inaugural (Winter) issue. Called metro 31 (referring to Route 31, which runs through all three towns), the magazine will pay $100 for the story within 30 days of publication (in this case, by December 5). "While this opportunity is open to any and all writers, being knowledgeable about St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia is a huge plus."

Read the full announcement here.

Literary Magazine Suspending Publication

I'm sad about this. A few days ago I received a letter from Daniel Caplice Lynch, editor-in-chief of New York Stories. Over the past few years I've submitted several stories to this literary magazine, and I've frequently received kind and encouraging responses.

Unfortunately, my work never made it into the magazine's pages. In this latest note I learned that New York Stories is at the end of its run with the summer issue (although this information does not yet seem to be on the Web site). It will be missed.

More on Winnow Press

Remember what happened with Winnow Press and its most recent First Fiction contest? No? Well, you can reread this post to refresh your memory. And then read an update from Kevin Larimer in the new Poets & Writers.

New Grant Program for New York City Artists of Color

A new program will award grants ($250-$2,500) "to support new works in all areas of visual, literary, and performing arts in the creation, development, and/or completion stages."

Administered by the Urban Artist Initiative/New York City (comprised of the Asian American Arts Alliance, Association of Hispanic Arts, Harlem Arts Alliance, and Queens Council on the Arts, with the Bronx Council on the Arts and New York Foundation of the Arts), the program is currently open to applications "from individual artists of color of African, Asian, and Latino descent who reside in the five boroughs of New York City."

Full guidelines and application available here. Application deadline: July 20, 2006. There's no application fee.

Updated, Expanded No-Cost Contest Guide

It's summer, which means it's time for the semiannual update for our Guide to No-Cost Literary Contests and Competitions. I've gone through the e-book once again, weeding out "dead" programs as well as those that are now charging reading/application/entry fees. And I've still managed to add a net gain of 18 opportunities! As usual, none of them are limited to the residents of a single state or province (I could have included those and upped the total number of competitions, but that wouldn't have made the guide as valuable for all of you). And I think 239 contests/competitions is still pretty good.

There are opportunities here in every genre, for writers at every level. Check it out here, and download the free preview (with sample listings).

Get to Know Her: Cheryl Reed, New Books Editor, Chicago Sun-Times

Cheryl Reed was recently named books editor of the Chicago Sun-Times; she's succeeding Henry Kisor. Find out what she's planning for the books section and glean a few pitching tips (useful for both book authors and reviewers) in this article from The Navigator.

Poems Sought (Pays: $75/poem)

Blue Ridge Country magazine is looking for short, substantial free verse poems to publish in conjunction with upcoming photo essays.

Established in 1988, BRC is a regional bimonthly magazine covering the mountains of nine states (Web site: http://www.blueridgecountry.com). Poets should be native to, living and/or working in or otherwise connected to the mountain regions of its coverage area: VA, WV, NC, SC, TN, KY, MD, GA, AL.

Topics and deadlines:
Jan/Feb 07 - A Fading Light (winter) - October 10
March/April - The Country Church - December 10
May/June - Mountain Creatures - February 10
July/August - The (Appalachian) Trail - April 10
Sept/Oct - Side Roads and Dirt Roads - June 10
Jan/Feb 08 - Written in Stone (winter; rock/stone/natural/human-made) - August 10

Send poems to Cara Ellen Modisett, Editor, via e-mail at cmodisett(at)leisurepublishing(dot)com, or via postal mail, 3424 Brambleton Ave. SW, Roanoke VA 24018.

ERIKA'S NOTE: Ms. Modisett has indicated via e-mail that the magazine pays $75 for any accepted poem, and purchases first rights only. (And if you're curious, I've published a short piece online with BRC.)

Attention, New Jersey Writers!

Applications are now available for New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Fellowships. This year's categories include: Crafts; Interdisciplinary Performance; Photography; Playwriting; Poetry; Prose; and Sculpture.

Recent awards have ranged from $7,000 to $10,000.

No application fee; online application deadline: July 17, 2006; postmark deadline: July 19.

More information here.

Crime Writing Contest

Here's a contest the folks at PropertyRoom.com told me about.

But first, I have to admit I'd never heard of PropertyRoom.com. So I spent some time at the Web site to find out about it. It's a "full-service online auction site serving law enforcement, local, and state governments nationwide." It manages "seized and stolen property from more than 500 law enforcement agencies" and offers that property to consumers. There's lots more background (and press) at the site.

So here's the contest they're running. There's no entry fee--but you will have to register at their site to participate.

The Perfect Crime Writing Contest asks you to select a product listed on the site. Then "think about who has owned it, how it was acquired, and why it ended up on a police auction website. Then let your imagination run free and write a creative short story." Guidelines and samples provided at the site.

The prize is not a cash award--but it sounds pretty good: a Maui Vacation Package (valued at $4,500) which includes: two roundtrip economy airline tickets, 5 days/4 nights at the Maui Prince Hotel in Maui, and car rental for five days.

(Just an editorial reminder: always check the "terms and conditions" [and privacy policies] when you register with any Web site!)

Learning About "Let's Go"

Quite a few of my college friends spent their undergraduate summers as researcher-writers for the well-known Let's Go travel guides. At our recent reunion, we revisited some of their experiences (and my failure to obtain a Let's Go job, due, I am sure, to my utter inability to answer this simple interview question: "Tell us how you'd direct someone from Mather House [one of the upperclass Houses] to the T [subway] station." OK, so I have a terrible sense of direction. Did that mean I had no hope as a travel writer?).

So with Let's Go recently on my mind again, I was intrigued by this article in Sunday's Boston Globe on how the staff members do their jobs these days. If you're a travel writer, or a Let's Go reader, you'll appreciate it, too.

Attention, Wyoming Writers!

Entry forms are now available for the 2007 Neltje Blanchan Memorial Award, a $1,000 prize recognizing a Wyoming writer whose work, in any genre, is inspired by nature, and for the 2007 Frank Nelson Doubleday Award, a $1,000 prize that honors a Wyoming woman writer "of exceptional talent in any creative genre." These prizes are administered by the Wyoming Arts Council, and you can find out more about them here. (No entry fees; deadline: August 8, 2006).

I learned about these awards from a great resource for writers in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West, Wyolitmail, a weekly newsletter you can also look into at the above Web site.

Calls for Essays from Cup of Comfort

(Just received this list of manuscript needs for the popular Cup of Comfort anthology series from editor Colleen Sell. Note that the information is not yet posted on the Cup of Comfort site, where you can also check out sample stories, but will be shortly.)

"CALL FOR INSPIRING PERSONAL STORIES

A Cup of Comfort is a popular anthology (book) series featuring inspiring true stories about the extraordinary experiences of “ordinary” people. We are currently seeking submissions for three new volumes:

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR WRITERS

Only another writer can truly understand what it’s like to aspire to become and to be a writer. For this anthology of true stories celebrating (and commiserating) the writing life, we seek compelling, insightful, and exceptionally well-written personal essays from writers of every persuasion and level of experience.

Possible themes include but are not limited to:
* Mentors or teachers
* Overcoming challenges in becoming a writer, in your life as a writer, or in the
writing process
* Milestone(s) in your journey to become a writer or as a writer
* Discovering and/or heeding the call to become a writer
* Writers groups; the camaraderie of other writers
* Why you write
* Transcending self-doubt, fear, criticism, rejection
* What writing has taught you about life
* What life has taught you about writing
* Discovering/following your muse; what inspires your writing
* Best or worst writing experience and what you learned/gained from it
* Finding/making time/space to write

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR DOG LOVERS

As any dog lover will attest, dogs are, indeed, our best friends… and so much more. They’re also our helpers, heroes, champions, teachers, and beloved family members. For this volume, we seek heartwarming true stories that speak to the amazing bond between dogs and the people who love them. Stories can focus on any experience/theme that demonstrates how a dog has inspired and/or enriched the life/lives of a human(s).

Possible themes include but are not limited to a dog’s:
* Devotion and loyalty
* Courage
* Amazing feats
* Role as a member of a family or community
* Companionship
* Therapeutic effect on a human
* Unique relationship with a person
* Unique relationship with another pet or animal
* Inspirational effect on one or more people
* Amusing, endearing, exceptional ways

We do NOT want sad stories about a pet’s suffering or death. However, stories can be about the life of a dog that is now deceased and can include a fond farewell to a lost pet—provided the story isn’t solely about the pet’s death.

Submission Deadline: August 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR SINGLE MOTHERS

As Oprah Winfrey has often said, parenting is the most difficult and important job in the world. It can be even tougher for single mothers, who face all the usual parenting challenges plus another whole set of unique ones. But single motherhood -- whether by choice or by chance -- also brings many untold rewards, for both moms and children. For this collection of personal essays celebrating single mothers, we seek uplifting true stories about the joys and the difficulties of single mothering. The majority of stories selected for publication will be written from the single mother’s point of view, but we will also consider stories written by the children of single mothers as well as by third parties with intimate knowledge of (and the permission of) the single mother and her child(ren).

Possible themes include but are not limited to:
* Juggling the myriad responsibilities of single motherhood
* Raising sons or daughters solo/without fathers
* The support of family, friends, other mothers
* Having/navigating adating/romance/social life
* Hard lessons learned
* Busting myths about single mothering
* Defying stereotypes about single moms and/or children of single moms
* Overcoming adversity
* Self-acceptance and self-respect in a society that sometimes disparages single mothers
* Unconventional wisdom(s) gained
* Blessings, joys, and rewards of being a single mother or the child of a single mothers
* The unique bond between a single mother and her child(ren)
* The courage, resilience, ingenuity, devotion, accomplishments, and/or integrity of a single mom
* Why you chose single motherhood (if by choice) and how you’ve made it work
* The unexpected and/or under-recognized advantages, joys, and/or rewards of being a single mother or having a single mother

Submission Deadline: December 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.

SUBMISSION SPECS

* $500 grand prize (one per book); $100 (each) for all other stories published
* Author receives one complimentary copy of book
* Story length: 1,000 to 2,000 words
* Stories must be original, true, uplifting, typed, and in English
* Simultaneous submissions acceptable
* Previously published material acceptable--EXCEPT for stories that have been or will be published in a widely distributed, mass market anthology or magazine
* Each submission must include the following:
Author's name
Author's mailing address
Author's phone number
Author's email address
Story title
Story wordcount

* Submit by email or mail:

EMAIL: In the subject line, cite the Cup of Comfort volume (i.e., Dog Lovers). Copy and paste (or type) the story into the body of the email (no attachments. One story
per email. Send to: cupofcomfort(at)adamsmedia(dot)com or wordsinger(at)aol(dot)com

MAIL: You can send more than one story per envelope. Include self-addressed, postage-paid envelope for each submission. Send only the paper copy of the story; do not send computer disks or CDs. Mail to:
Cup of Comfort
Adams Media
57 Littlefield St.
Avon, Massachusetts 02322, USA

Please direct questions and suggestions to: cupofcomfort(at)adamsmedia(dot)com or wordsinger(at)aol(dot)com. We cannot accept phone calls."

Copyright 2001-2006, Adams Media Corporation, an F+W Publications Company. Reprinted by permission. (Thanks to the Renegade Writer blog for the lead.)

New (No-Cost) Story Contest from Writer's Digest

In case you haven't yet heard, changes are afoot at Writer's Digest. For one thing, the magazine is now published bimonthly, rather than each month. (Keep that in mind when querying.)

For another, there's a new contest (it appears to be replacing the "Your Assignment" challenge in each magazine/published each month on the Web site). It's called "Your Story," and like the new magazine schedule, it will offer a new challenge every other month (publicized both in the magazine and on the Web site).

Here's the deal: "We'll provide a short, open-ended prompt. In turn, you'll submit a short story of 750 words or fewer based on that prompt. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. The winner will receive $100 and publication in an upcoming issue of Writer's Digest."

There is NO ENTRY FEE. One entry per person. Writer's Digest obtains first-time rights to the winning and runner-up stories. Submit via the online submission form at the Web site (that's also where you'll find the current prompt).

The deadline for this first contest is July 10; winners will be announced in the December 2006 issue and on the Your Story winners page at WritersDigest.com.

A Bloomsday Blog Post

As you may know, today, June 16, is the anniversary (the 102nd anniversary, to be precise) of Bloomsday. As D.T. Max's article in the current New Yorker explains, Bloomsday is "the date on which the events in James Joyce's 'Ulysses' take place. There will be the customary commemorative celebrations surrounding Leopold Bloom's famous walk through Dublin: public readings and festivals in cities around the world, including Dublin, New York, Berlin, Paris, St. Petersburg, and Melbourne. In Budapest, two hundred or so academics will convene a Joyce symposium--the twentieth to be held on Bloomsday."

Alas, all is not golden and celebratory. Read the New Yorker article to find out why.

Book Contest Updates

If you're a novelist or short story writer looking for contests that lead to publication and other prizes (including cash) you'll want to streamline your search with our e-book directory of literary contests for book-length fiction. It's just been updated, with much more detail to each listing. Download your free preview with sample listings--and tips for contest entrants--here.

I hadn't updated this e-book since December, so several links had changed and some contests had to be removed, too. Notably, two contests previously run by Lewis-Clark Press had to be taken out.

When I checked in with the editor at Lewis-Clark (LC) Press (I had to e-mail her because the press does not appear to have a Web site--sometimes a bad sign in itself if only because it signals an antiquated approach to marketing) about the Lewis-Clark Discovery Award and the Lewis-Clark Expedition Award, I was surprised to hear back that the press is no longer running any contests. I was even more surprised to discover that the Press will now read submissions year-round--for a $10 fee.

The press calls this a "no-risk fee," because they promise to refund the fee if they select your manuscript for publication, and they'll send you one of their past titles if they don't. But somehow, I don't think this is going to sit well with many members of the literary community, however honest the intent behind it.

I have to admit I'm leery about it myself, especially now that I've done a little more research and discovered an article that reveals how unhappy one LC contest winner was with her published book. Apparently Billie Travalini's work was published with a number of typographical flaws. Only 500 copies were issued, and the book was not available on Amazon.com.

So, of course, I've removed the LC Contests from our e-book. And I can't see myself submitting my own work to that press, especially for a fee....

By the way, the e-book also includes a list of additional resources to consult for contest guidance. What I've learned about Billie Travalini's experience makes me especially glad I've included a link to Laura Backes's article on "How to Tell if a New or Small Press is Legitimate." Though the article is targeted to children's writing/publishing, its wisdom transfers easily to the market for grown-ups, too.

Introducing the New Poet Laureate: Donald Hall

According to today's New York Times, the Librarian of Congress is to name New Englander Donald Hall the nation's 14th Poet Laureate today. I'm sure we'll be hearing lots more about this very soon. (Hall will succeed Ted Kooser.)

For New York-based Writers

Also found this part-time writing opportunity--an internship in New York paying a "small monthly fee and out-of-pocket expenses"--over at craigslist:

We are a non-governmental independent media company working on issues of poverty, disease and hunger in poor and least developed countries. We are looking for writers with experience in covering meetings, conferences, press briefings and conducting interviews. This is an internship position at the United Nations. Please respond with a detailed resume and bylined stories. This internship position calls for considerable time spent at the Secretariat covering a wide range of events, conducting interviews, making presentations and interacting with Ambassadors at Permanent Missions to the UN. Please own a laptop and digital camera. Ability to upload stories onto the Web and perform layout functions on the company website will be considered an added asset.

See the announcement for yourself (with contact information) here.

Publishers Weekly Seeks Reviewers

Publishers Weekly--yes, that Publishers Weekly--is looking for reviewers with expertise in the following fiction categories:

--Historical Romance
--Romantic Suspense
--African-American Commercial Fiction
--Street Lit
--Chick Lit
--Family Sagas

If you're interested, they want to see a short e-mail query including your qualifications and relevant publication credits. You should also e-mail your resume (paste it within the message).

You can find contact information at the craigslist announcement.

Regional/Local History Authors Sought

Just caught this interesting announcement:

The History Press is searching for historians and archivists who are interested in publishing regional and local history books about Massachusetts and Connecticut.

History Press books focus on a particular town or region. We have developed a variety of series that 1)provide authors with guidance on how to present their work and 2)attract readers and encourage sales. We also accept books for publication on history subjects not captured by the series we have established.

The History Press is a traditional trade publisher, meaning that we handle all stages of publishing including financing, sales, marketing, and distribution and compensate in the form of royalties. We are not a vanity press. For more information and to view our catalogue, see historypress.net or e-mail the New England Commissioning editor, Maureen Benes.

For more information, read the full announcement at H-Net and/or visit the publisher's Web site.

And Speaking of Ethics

And speaking of ethics, this is just a friendly reminder to other writing newsletter editors/publishers that the contest and submission call information I post both in the newsletter and on this blog is the product of my own research and writing.

When I quote directly from a listing, I use quotation marks; when I don't, it's my own writing, and I'd appreciate it if you did not republish it without my permission. Or, at the very least, attribution.

Just look through this blog (or recent issues of our newsletter) for examples. You'll see that whenever I locate a writing or publishing opportunity from another blog/announcement list/Web site/newsletter rather than discovering it on my own I list (and link) the source. It helps us all to know about good resources for locating these opportunities, even if some of them may be "competitors."

I believe attribution is the polite and ethical way to go, and I'm always happy to find others practicing a similar code of writerly/editorial conduct. So I send warm thanks to those of you who already do link to this blog whenever you pass along information you find here, and I hope one day we'll all be doing the right thing as far as this is concerned.

Book Reviewing

If you're looking for some pointers on book reviewing, click on over to Critical Mass, the excellent (and still relatively new) blog from the National Book Critics Circle. As contributor John Freeman noted last week, John Updike's own six rules for reviewing, though now more than 30 years old, still offer an excellent guide to ethical reviewing practices.

Jim Lehrer at Harvard

It's Commencement time this week here in Cambridge. Which means it's Reunion time, too. Which means I'm going to spend the next couple days catching up with old friends and not spending very much time at the computer at all.

But if you want some writing-related material in the meantime, you might read the speech journalist Jim Lehrer delivered at Harvard's Commencement yesterday. His main point was more about politics than writing (consider that fair warning) but there are plenty of writing-related tidbits included. I especially like Lehrer's own guidelines on the practice of journalism (starting with "Do nothing I cannot defend" and "Cover, write and present every story with the care I would want if the story were about me").

Have a great weekend.

Editorial Update from Ascent

Ascent, a Canadian quarterly journal "of yoga and engaged spirituality," has updated its editorial calendar/themes. Note that "on average, we pay 10 to 20 cents per published word (Canadian funds), paid upon publication. We give a fee of $50 for book or CD reviews."

From My Bookshelf

The Inquest
by Jeffrey D. Marshall
Hardscrabble Books/University Press of New England, 2006
288 pp., $24.95

I admit that I'm biased a) toward historical fiction and b) toward historical fiction written by authors who, like me, have some professional training in history. So when I saw that UPNE was publishing this novel by Jeffrey D. Marshall, who is Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist at the University of Vermont and editor of A War of the People: Vermont's Civil War Letters, I was immediately intrigued.

Marshall's debut novel is inspired by the true story of a Vermont woman--Experience "Speedy" Goodrich--who died in 1830 after having an abortion. Marshall presents the story through three first-person accounts of individuals who played some role in the story, especially in the inquest that followed Speedy's death: Charles Daggett, a student at the University of Vermont medical school accused of procuring (and, in the eyes of many, performing) the abortion; Stephen Decatur Parker, another student who is asked to record the proceedings of the inquest because of his unusual shorthand skills; and Nancy Goodrich Proctor, Speedy's sister.

Only Parker is a wholly invented character. Marshall cleverly (if somewhat disappointingly) leaves out accounts from others involved in the case by opening the book with a note titled "About These Accounts." The narrator of this note is Charles Adams, a former prosecutor for the State of Vermont who explains that he was dissatisfied with the original inquest and had decided "to inquire of several persons most familiar with the facts of the case whether they would set down their recollections, in narrative style, for my edification." He then adds that of the individuals whose testimony he solicited, only Daggett, Decatur, and Proctor responded.

It was a very smart choice to open the book with Daggett's narrative. Daggett has the most knowledge of the case; he's central to everything else that occurs; the reader finds herself caring about what happens to him at least as much as--if not more than--what happens to Speedy herself. In some ways, it's not difficult to imagine his section of the book as a stand-alone novella, although the other two sections do round out the story.

Throughout, Marshall conveys a tremendous amount of historical information. Those interested in the history of science will learn a lot about medical education in the early 19th century; the history of New England comes alive here, too. And then, of course, there's the historical context of this particular story of an abortion.

Like many other works of historical fiction, this one appends an "Author's Statement" which throws light on how Marshall developed and researched his book. Somewhat atypically, at least in my reading experience, the statement appears as part of a Reading Group Guide which presents not only some questions for group (or class) discussion, but a Q&A with Marshall, too.

"In the end," Marshall says in his Author's Statement, "I am not sure that I have done justice to Speedy and the other real characters by presenting the story as historical fiction, but I hope I have suggested something closer to the truth about the times they lived in than I could otherwise do. I hope, as well, that the story will prove entertaining and thought-provoking." He has, and it does.

Changes at The Danforth Review

The Danforth Review, an online journal based in Canada, has revised its publication/submission policies. Beginning in September, they'll publish four new short stories every three months (September, December, March and June). They'll receive/review submissions in the month prior to publication (in other words, August, November, February, and May, respectively). For more information, check the new guidelines. Accepts simultaneous submissions (identify as such when submitting); looks for unpublished work only; pays $100 (CDN) for a short story. "International submissions are encouraged."

Another No-Cost Contest

Found out about this one first from the Writing-World.com newsletter; then I asked the Prize Administrator for details, which I've reprinted below. For more information, you can check with him, too:

Write for the BCSA 2006 prize

Fact or fiction – both are welcome in the writing competition run in 2006 by the British Czech and Slovak Association. A first prize of £300 and a second prize of £100 will be awarded to the best 1,500 to 2,000-word pieces of original writing in English on the links between Britain and the Czech/Slovak Republics, or describing society in transition in the Republics since 1989. Topics can include history, politics, the sciences, economics, the arts or literature.

The writer of this year's winning entry will be presented with the prize at the BCSA’s annual dinner in London in November 2006. The piece will be published in the December 2006 issue of the British Czech and Slovak Review.

Submissions are invited from individuals of any age, nationality or educational background.

Entry is free. Entries should be received by 30 June 2006. An author may submit any number of entries. The competition will be judged by a panel of experts. The writer of the prize-winning entry will be notified by 30 September 2006.

Entries should be submitted by post to the BCSA Prize Administrator, 24 Ferndale, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3NS, England, or by e-mail to prize(at)bcsa(dot)co(dot)uk.


Submission guidelines

All entries must be in English, prose, typed with double-spacing and no more than 2,000 words in length.

To ensure objective and anonymous judging the writer's name must not appear anywhere on the piece itself.

The title must appear on the first page of the entry.

All entries must be accompanied by a cover sheet, which should include the following information:

* the writer's name, address, home telephone/fax number, e-mail address and date of birth;

* the title of the piece and the word count;

* a signed statement verifying that the submission is an original piece of writing by the writer and has not been previously published, and that any citations are complete, correct and acknowledged in due form;

* a note of how the entrant learned about the competition.

The BCSA’s decision on the winning entries will be final. Entries are subject to the rules of the competition, which are available free on request from the BCSA Prize Administrator at the addresses given above, or by phone on +44 (0) 1892 543206. Copies of this notice are also available free from the Prize Administrator.


www.bcsa.co.uk March 2006

Good luck!

Submission Materials Sought

Still have copies of your successful cover letters, query letters, synopses, or related materials? The Writers Institute is looking for such items to reprint in its annual market directories. Buys one-time print rights and unlimited electronic rights. Pays $25. See the announcement at FreelanceWriting.com.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman

Among the many items in yesterday's New York Times that are likely to appeal especially to writers (it was tough for me to decide which front-page Arts section article to read first: the review of Neil Hanson's Unknown Soldiers: The Story of the Missing of the First World War, or the John Updike profile) you should have caught Michael Winerip's "On Education" piece, "It's a Tough Life, to Live It and to Write It, but It Just Got a Little Better." The article describes teenager Jessica Atkinson, a remarkable writer, and her remarkable teacher, Rene Miles. Prediction: Jessica Atkinson will have a book out one day, and probably one day in the not-too-distant future.