Taking a Short Break

Hey, everyone. I'm going to take a few days off (heading away for a long weekend this evening). Look for more news right here by the middle of next week. You all be well in the meantime.

Another No-Cost Contest

Yet another contest (no entry fee) to tell you about. Found this one at placesforwriters.com.

The PEARLS Short Fiction Contest seeks original, unpublished fiction (up to 750 words) on the theme of "Mundane Evil." Submit your work electronically so that it's received no later than June 15, 2006. Winner receives $50 (I'm guessing this will be offered in Canadian currency) and the winning story will be published on the Pearls Writers Group Web site. Note: no simultaneous submissions.

For more information, see that Web site.

April Newsletter Now Available

The April issue of our monthly Practicing Writer newsletter went out to subscribers (more than 1300 of them) on Sunday. As usual, the newsletter is packed with submission calls, contest and scholarship opportunities, and more.

This month's feature article is an interview with anthology editor Camille Cusumano. And subscribers also learned about an updated contest e-book reserved exclusively for them.

Archived issues are restricted to our subscribers, too (there's no fee to subscribe, and we keep our subscriber list confidential). You can, however, read the current issue online at FreelanceWriting.com. Enjoy!

Thumbs Up for David Rivard

I met poet David Rivard a couple of months back, when he gave a reading during the Lesley University low-residency MFA program's winter residency. He's a great poet and a great guy (as the writer friend with whom I attended the reading--a neighbor of Rivard and his family--attests). So I was really pleased to see Robert Pinsky's glowing review of Rivard's new book, Sugartown, in the Washington Post. If Rivard is reading near you, go hear him!

Call for Submissions: "Works of Witness"

For an upcoming special section, Hayden's Ferry Review, a literary journal based at Arizona State University, is looking for poetry, fiction, essays, and visual art "that explore social and political injustice on any scale, give a voice to the voiceless, raise a call for awareness and act as a catalyst for change."

The journal's editors read year-round. Payment is $25/page (maximum of $100), plus two copies of the magazine and a one-year gift subscription. Submission deadline for this special section: July 30, 2006. Full guidelines are available here.

Attention, translators!

A new poetry anthology, to be edited by Jan Greenberg and published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., is looking for English-language translators working with published international poets who would write a poem inspired by a work of art. "The poems in their original language will be published side by side with their translations, along with the artwork. Artworks can be from any period in that country's history, but they must be in a museum collection."

Poems/images "must be appropriate for young readers ages ten and above. The poem should be no more than fourteen lines and not previously published in the United States." Submission deadline: September 15, 2006. Selected work will receive honoraria of US$100 ($100 per poem and $100 per translation). Full information about this call can be found here.

Call for Submissions: Family Adventures

Yet another call for essays I've learned about from WrittenRoad.com. This time the announcement is for a new anthology (prospective publisher: Travelers' Tales) called Wild with Child: Adventures of Families in the Field. Editor Jennifer Bové seeks tales of "roughing it" in the outdoors with kids. "Parents, guardians, friends, educators, and counselors are encouraged to submit lively, engaging essays and anecdotes about outdoor adventures with kids of all ages (from pregnancy to teen). Whether working or playing your expedition qualifies." She's looking for pieces "that read like good fiction and reveal something about the bonds we form with children when we strike out into open spaces." International submissions are encouraged, and the announcement specifies that both men and women are welcome to submit.

You can submit up to 2 stories, no longer than 2,500 words each. Previously published work may be submitted if you retain the copyright. $100 honorarium will be paid for one-time publication rights. Submission deadline: July 1, 2006.

For more information and additional submission instructions, check Bové's blog.

Arranging a Poetry Collection

If you're a poet, short story writer, or essayist, you've probably spent some time (and maybe a lot of time) thinking about ways to structure a collection. In the April Writer's Digest, Paola Corso offers some tips on how poets can go about this. And the article is available online, too.

Win a Trip with Nick Kristof

Aspiring journalists will want to look into this contest from The New York Times. Open to current undergraduate or graduate students (including those who will graduate in June), who are at least 18 years of age or older, and who are enrolled in an American college or university, it offers an expenses-paid trip to the developing world with Pulitzer Prize winner Nick Kristof, Op-Ed and TimesSelect columnist.

Grand prize package includes a $1,000 stipend, a round-trip airplane ticket, all trip-related meals, lodging and transportation, plus the chance to submit for possible publication a regular report in the TimesSelect section of NYTimes.com and in the New York Times newspaper. There's NO FEE to apply. The application deadline is April 12.

Application includes a 700-word essay explaining "why you would like to go on a reporting trip to the developing world with Nick Kristof and what in your background is relevant, along with your completed application, names of at least two references (at least one of whom is a faculty member) and any supporting documentation including writing samples and photographs." Finalists will have to mail their official transcripts to the contest partner's address. Note: submissions become property of The New York Times Company and will not be returned. Read the full rules, plus a letter from Nick Kristof, at the Web site.

(Thanks to the wonderful Practicing Writer who alerted me to this contest.)

Novelist at Work: Allegra Goodman

Maybe you've already seen the excellent article for fiction writers tucked into the "Science Times" section of yesterday's New York Times. If not, you'll have to register to read Gina Kolata's "Writer Depicts Scientists Risking Glory for Truth and Truth for Glory" online. Meantime, here's a summary:

Allegra Goodman's new novel, Intuition (Dial Press), is, in Kolata's words, "a tale about life in a science lab that rings so true and includes details so accurate and vivid that [scientists] say they are left reeling."

Goodman is not a scientist. So some have wondered how "an outsider, someone who has not been bathed in the culture and mores of science," "could get it so right?"

Well, apparently her research process has something to do with it. And that's what the article details.

To return to one of my favorite arguments--writing what you know does not necessarily mean writing what you have (already) lived. You can learn to know what you write, too.

Another No-Cost Contest

Attention, Dr. Who fans: check out this essay contest (there's no entry fee indicated):

"Announcing the 'Why Should We Love Doctor Who?' Contest

Deadline: April 14, 2006
Prize: $25.00
Word Limit: 2,000

In honor of Doctor Who arriving on the SciFi Channel, finally, the editors at Borderblur are sponsoring our first contest. We are ready to love Doctor Who, we really are, but we know nothing about it (gasp).

Base your essay on the title 'Why Should We Love Doctor Who?' You may interpret this as the new show, the old show, the person(s) Doctor Who, however you see fit. Be creative. The limit is 2,000 words.

The winner will receive a prize of $25.00. The winning entry and the two runners-up will be posted on Borderblur.com to be viewed and worshipped by all.

Email entries to borderblur(at)gmail.com
Please include 'Doctor Who Contest' in the subject line.
More information about the Borderblur journal at www.borderblur.com or http://www.borderblur.com/Submissions.html.

Source: Craigslist.

Call for Essays: Women Writers on Traveling Solo

Sometimes I just can't keep up with Seal Press and their submission calls. It's a good thing I've just checked in over at WrittenRoad.com where I found news about this new Seal project: Go Your Own Way: An Essay Collection by Women Writers on Traveling Solo. Edited by Faith Conlon, Ingrid Emerick, and Christina Henry de Tessan, this book is planned as a companion volume to A Woman Alone, which was published in 2001.

The editors are looking for "original, personal stories by women on the experience of traveling alone - the highs, the lows, and everything in between - in all corners of the globe." They're seeking essays "that evoke a rich sense of place and present a strong narrative arc. Traveling alone as a woman can be thrilling and liberating, it can also be challenging and occasionally terrifying (if only momentarily). We are interested in stories that might reveal an insight, provide a glimpse into another culture, offer advice - in short, writing that informs, intrigues, and inspires." Primarily looking for global (outside the U.S.) travel. Submit your work by May 15, 2006. See the Seal Press Web site for a list of sample topics and submission instructions. Payment: $150 plus two books.

Write What You Know?

Fiction writers often encounter the dictum to "write what you know." But what does this really mean? How do you do it without re-hashing your own life story? If you're in the Boston area, you're invited to Grub Street, Inc., for a seminar on April 6. We'll talk together about the limits and liabilities of the principle as well as some more rewarding (if sometimes risky) ways to employ it. The workshop will include short exercises plus excerpts from John Gardner, Mario Vargas Llosa, and others. Bring your thoughts and questions about work-in-progress and possible new projects. To sign up, visit the Grub Street site.

"Portrait of the Scholar as a Young Novelist"

Jenny White is a social anthropologist. And now she's a published novelist, too. Read her account of her newfound identity at InsideHigherEd.com.

Call for Fairytales

Wild Child Publishing is now accepting submissions for its fairytale contest. They're looking for original (or retold) fairytales, 2500 words maximum. Submissions will be accepted until May 10, 2006. There's NO ENTRY FEE.

Eight winners will have their work featured in the June issue, and will receive a $25 prize (winners may choose to have the prize awarded as a check [US residents], an international money order [residents outside the US], or an Amazon gift certificate).

For more information/instructions, click here.

Call for Submissions: Poem, Revised

It had been awhile since I last visited inkygirl, but I checked in yesterday and found an announcement that will very likely interest the practicing poets out there.

Marion Street Press is looking for poems--accompanied by rough drafts and poets' comments on the revision process--for a book to be published in 2007: Poem, Revised. Poets whose work is chosen for the book can opt for a $25 payment or $50 worth of Marion Street Press books. They'll also receive two copies of Poem, Revised.

Submission deadline is September 1. For more information about the project, including submission instructions, visit the Marion Street Press Web site.

Discovery at the Doctor's Office

Yesterday mid-morning I put the computer to "sleep" and headed over for a quick medical appointment (everything's fine!). While I waited to hear my name called, I flipped through the magazine collection (doesn't every writer do this?) and found an intriguing new offering: Wondertime. I liked it, so I've done a little bit of follow-up research.

According to its Web site, Wondertime, produced by the editors of Disney's Family Fun, is dedicated to "helping parents nurture their children's love of learning. A blend of how and why, Wondertime inspires moms of infants through 6-year-olds to see the world through the eyes of their children, and to celebrate the wonder of this all-too-fleeting time."

Although the magazine is not accepting unsolicited work at the moment, the editors are currently looking for a particular kind of contribution: "For a new section of Wondertime in which parents swap their experiences, techniques, and general tricks of the parenting trade, we would like to hear your answers to the following question: What are your favorite ways to teach your child basic manners--please and thank you, friendly greetings, acceptable interruption techniques (Excuse me!), and other everyday niceties?" If your letter (with attribution) is published, you'll receive $75. For more information/submission guidelines, click here.

The Short Story 101

Want some short story reading (or teaching) suggestions? The Danforth Review, a Canada-based online literary magazine, recently asked 27 writers to detail the curriculum they'd bring to class, "if they were asked to teach an introductory level course on 'the short story.'" Check out the results.

Call for Submissions: Literature of the American Apocalypse

As Green Mountains Review prepares for its twentieth anniversary the journal plans a special double-issue on "Literature of the American Apocalypse." They're seeking work (poems, essays, and stories), "darkly comic or deadly serious, that centers on American dread, inspired by everything from the current Administration's war on terror and war on privacy, to continuing threats of environmental degradation, nuclear annihilation, world-ravaging disease, corruptions of culture and language, takeover by clones and computers, natural disasters that some say are caused by global warming and others say are acts of an angry god, or whatever else can be imagined by an end-of-days mind." Submissions will be read throughout this year (including summertime). Anticipated publication date is May 2007. Payment will be $20/page. For more information, read the announcement.

And Speaking of Book Reviews...

Speaking of book reviews, here's my latest, a review of Tamar Yellin's Kafka in Brontëland and Other Stories, posted over on JBooks.com.

Resource for Book Reviewers

Most publications that publish book reviews--especially those that publish daily, weekly, or monthly--seek reviews of new books only. Of course, the definition of "new" can vary. Some less frequently published literary journals will review books published within the past six to twelve months; if you read your local newspaper's book reviews chances are only the most current releases are getting any attention there.

New book reviewers often want to know how (and where) they can find out about new books. They're especially interested in finding out how to locate books that haven't yet been published--this gives them the time to pitch a review, secure an assignment, and write a review that will indeed be "current."

There are lots of ways to go about this--and I cover them all with the writers who study book reviewing with me. But this morning I learned about a new resource that will interest poetry book reviewers in particular. It's a list of spring 2006 releases compiled by the Academy of American Poets. Check it out here.

Writers Who Smoke

Like many others, I was very saddened yesterday to learn about Dana Reeve's death. There's a lot behind my reaction, and I'm not going to delve into it all. But part of it is definitely related to the fact that I've lost a loved one to this disease, and I know how terribly its victims suffer, however bravely.

Since my aunt's illness--she died almost exactly ten years ago--I've been a rabid anti-smoker. Yes, it's true that even non-smokers (like Dana Reeve) are diagnosed with this cancer every year. But the truth remains that the vast majority of lung cancer cases (80%-90%) are among smokers. Smoking is the single most preventable risk factor for the disease. And of the non-smokers who fall victim to it, experts agree that secondary smoke inhalation (Dana Reeve's work as a singer brought her into many smoke-suffused environments) may well be a cause.

At my MFA program, I earned something of a reputation for both pleading with others not to smoke, and for staying away from the clusters of "smoking writers" gathered in bars and elsewhere. Frankly, this behavior isolated me from a lot of conversations and socializing. Good. Having watched my aunt prepare to leave her three then-twentysomething children--and now watching all her grandchildren grow up without their grandmother--I was also offended by the hypocrisy of the writers who would wax eloquent to (childless) me about how much their children mattered to them and the joys of parenting. I often wanted to tell them: "If you want to see your children grow up--and spare them what my cousins went through tending their mother on her deathbed--put out that damn cigarette."

In Betsy Lerner's The Forest for the Trees (an absolutely wonderful book about writing and publishing), we read that "the only place you're likely to find more alcoholics than an AA meeting is a writing program." She may be joking, but it's also highly probable, judging merely from the drinking that also went on in my MFA program. But I wonder about lung cancer cases among writers, too. I can't believe that writers are not overrepresented here. And now that we're realizing that secondary smoke can be so harmful, I have to wonder about lung cancer cases among those writers live with, too.

I can't make others quit smoking (I've tried, and in one case am still trying, if in a less nagging manner), but I can try to protect myself from their secondary smoke.

When I began attending the annual conferences of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), I was stunned by how pervasive the smoking was. I could barely spend more than five minutes in one of the conference hotel bars or restaurants without becoming nauseated.

Last year, the conference was held in Vancouver, and the smokers had to take it outside. While I'm skipping this year's conference, I'm truly happy to know that it's taking place in Austin, Texas, which recently enacted a ban on smoking in public places as well.

I hope AWP will continue to hold its conferences in cities that look out for the health of their citizens and tourists. Yes, the writers who smoke may be inconvenienced a bit. I wish the audiences who went to hear Dana Reeve sing had been similarly inconvenienced.

Call for Submissions: Teaching Miracles

Attention, teachers! Adams Media (publishers of the Cup of Comfort series) is now developing an anthology tentatively titled Teaching Miracles. From the editor's announcement: "The book will contain true stories written by people of all ages--that celebrate the ability of the shared classroom experience to positively influence our lives. They are stories that show that education doesn't just come from books, and also that it's not just a one-way street, flowing from teacher to student." The editor seeks "concise, heartfelt stories that express what you gained from your experience in the classroom, be it a specific incident, milestone, or an ongoing process that enabled you to grow personally or professionally."

Contributors will receive $50, plus a copy of the book. "The author whose story is chosen as the most inspirational will receive $100." Submission deadline: April 1.

For more information, click here.

Call for Submissions: Futurist Fiction

High Country News, a newspaper that focuses on the American West, is planning a one-time science fiction issue, "imagining what the West might look like in 50 years, if we were to create what Wallace Stegner once called 'a society to match the scenery.'" The newspaper seeks stories of a sustainable future in the American West. "We're not looking for idyllic utopia, necessarily, but a realistic assessment of people and their place in the landscape." Since the winning story (or stories) will complement a dark tale (the West during a massive drought), "we're looking for something to balance the grimness. A few positive trends that we've identified in recent years include a growing ecological restoration movement, dense, 'New Urbanist' development in lieu of sprawl; and blossoming local economies.

The submission deadline is March 30, 2006. Word limit: 3,500 words. Payment: $.30/word, on publication. Send via postal mail--no simultaneous or multiple submissions.

For the full announcement, click here.

(Via PayingWriterJobs)

E-book Updates

I'm always working to keep the e-books updated with current and correct information. I weed out publications that are no longer in business (or paying for submissions), add new possibilities, and so on. This week I've just updated the directory of paying markets for book reviewers. AND I've revised (and expanded) the primer on low-residency MFA programs. You can find them both here. Be sure to download the free previews!

Something for Food Writers/Fiction Writers

Here's a little something passed along to me from a fellow practicing writer. The announcement comes from the Food Writing ezine.

"Food Writing, a bi-weekly ezine, is sponsoring a short story contest. There is no fee to enter your short story with food as an ingredient, but you must be a subscriber to Food Writing (it's free; subscribe now at www.food-writing.com).

Rules: 500 words maximum. Food must be included in the short story. It can be the main character or in the background but food is essential! Three winners will be awarded $50 each plus publication in Food Writing ezine and on the Food Writing website. Winners will be chosen by three judges including the publisher of Food Writing.

Deadline: April 21, midnight.
Winners Announced in the May 2 issue of Food Writing.
Other: No fee to enter but must be a subscriber of Food Writing, a free online newsletter. 500 maximum word count. Email entry to: FoodandFiction@yahoo.com ."

And speaking of free online newsletters, the March issue of our own "Practicing Writer" (for fictionists, poets, and writers of creative nonfiction) went out to subscribers last Friday. Archives are available to subscribers only, but you can read the current issue republished here.

Another Student Writing Contest

Found out about this one by checking in at the MediaBistro MBToolbox, one of my favorite sites to visit.

The Nation is running a Student Writing Contest. According to the magazine's Web site, they're seeking "original, thoughtful, provocative student voices to tell us what issue is of most concern to their generation." Do that in 800 words (maximum) and submit only one original, unpublished work (work may have been published in a student publication) by March 31.

The winner receives $500 and a magazine subscription; the winning essay will be published in the magazine and featured on the magazine's Web site. Five other finalists will receive $100 each along with magazine subscriptions, and their work will be published online. There's no entry fee indicated, and the contest is open to all high school students and undergraduates at American schools, colleges and universities. For more information and submission instructions, click here.

Literary Festival Prizes

Attention, college students! The Hollins University Literary Festival takes place on April 8, 2006, and the celebration includes fiction and poetry prizes for undergraduate college students. Submit up to three poems and/or up to two short stories for top prizes of $100. "All entries must include the name and city and state of the author's college and the author's contact information (e-mail or phone number)." There's NO ENTRY FEE indicated. Submission deadline: March 17, 2006. Click here for more information/instructions. Good luck!