Markets, Markets

Early Tuesday morning our newsletter went out to subscribers, so they were the first ones to hear this news:

And now, an important update: During May I also somehow managed to update two of our excellent e-books. As always, I've removed "dead" listings, checked and updated links, and added new possibilities for you to pursue. So now's the time to get your new directories of "Paying Essay Markets" and "Paying Markets for Book Reviewers." As usual, you can download complimentary previews of each guide for sample listings: http://www.lulu.com/erika-dreifus.

Please note that I will continue to update these two e-books, as well as the Primer on Low-Residency MFA Programs and the Guide to No-Cost Literary Contests and Competitions. It's clear to me that a real need exists for these four texts. Their contents are not easily found elsewhere (if at all). Practicing writers seek them out.

Now, you may recall that a year ago I made one of our e-books available at no cost, because I saw that similar resources were available, also at no cost, elsewhere on the Web. That was our directory of paying short story markets. I haven't updated that book in a year.

Now's the time to withdraw that directory from further circulation. I don't want any of you referring to a resource that's increasingly out-of-date, regardless of the cost (or lack thereof). So at the end of June, I'll be removing that book from our offerings.

At that time I'll also withdraw three other e-books, including the directory of paying poetry markets and the contest directory for writers of book-length fiction. I'm not seeing enough need to merit the very time-consuming updates, and again, I'm not willing to offer you "aged" material, even gratis.

So here's the deal: The four e-books I'll continue to update will remain available for purchase. And you newsletter subscribers are the first to know that throughout the month of June, you'll be able to "buy" the other four e-books AT NO CHARGE. After June 30, those four titles will be retired. So please get your copies, and tell your writing friends to visit http://www.lulu.com/erika-dreifus so they can benefit, too.

Getting to Know Them: Custom Publishers

Looking for more magazine markets to get to know (and pitch)? Check out this very helpful post from "Renegade Writer" Linda Formichelli. The post describes what "custom publishers" are and tells you where to find them (and their publications). Thank you, Linda!

Thirty Years Ago at Bread Loaf

Over at The Return of the Reluctant readers have been treated recently to two installments of diary entries covering Richard Grayson's experiences at the famed Bread Loaf Writers Conference--back in 1977. Excellent reads (especially with the hindsight factor factored in), but make sure you have the time to appreciate them sufficiently.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming...

No Monday morning market listings today, I'm afraid. It's a holiday, and I'm also putting the finishing touches on the June newsletter, which subscribers can expect to receive tomorrow morning. Have a great day, all!

Housekeeping

Faithful blog visitors--and I know there are a few of you out there!--may be noticing some "redecorating" here at the blog, with new sidebars for book reviews and author interviews. I suppose one personal side effect of all the recent brouhaha over a "book reviewing crisis" has been a renewed motivation to try to archive more of my reviews online. So look for some blasts from the past (I'll try to keep everything relatively recent) to appear here in the coming days/weeks.

Friday Find: "Greatest Endings of All Time"

As a fiction writer, I find endings one of the most difficult aspects of the craft. So naturally I was intrigued to read Roy Peter Clark's recent Writing Tools post on the "greatest endings of all time."

The post reminded me that as often as we see "how-to" articles advising us on ways to begin stories and novels, comparable suggestions for endings are far less plentiful. Quite possibly that's because, as Clark notes, "It's not easy to write about endings. To appreciate a great ending, you need to experience the whole work. Disembodied endings can seem like uprooted trees, ripped from their life source."

That makes me appreciate Clark's post all the more. I find his analysis of excerpts from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, and The Grapes of Wrath truly instructive.

Any of you care to add to the list? Any more "types" of endings, or excerpts, you can share here? And any strategies for writing endings to your own work(s)?

Adventures in Historical Fiction: An Interview with Natalie Wexler

Great news just in from Natalie Wexler, whose novel, A More Obedient Wife, has won a bronze medal in this year's Independent Publisher Book Awards competition (historical/military fiction category). Congratulations, Natalie!

In honor of this wonderful development, here's a reprint of an interview with Natalie; the original version appeared in the April 2007 issue of The Practicing Writer.



ADVENTURES IN HISTORICAL FICTION: AN INTERVIEW WITH NATALIE WEXLER

by Erika Dreifus

I met Natalie Wexler in a workshop taught by Sharon Oard Warner at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival several years back. At the time, we were both immersed in the workshop's focus on "Discovering Your Novel." I was captivated by Natalie's work at that early date, and I remained riveted as I read through my copy of her finished book, A More Obedient Wife: A Novel of the Early Supreme Court, this winter.

Natalie Wexler lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two children. A former Supreme Court clerk, she was an associate editor of The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1800 until its completion in December 2006. She has also written a number of feature articles and essays, and currently teaches workshops on the personal essay at The Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Recently Natalie responded to a series of questions about her work posed by yours truly.

ERIKA DREIFUS (ED): Natalie, A More Obedient Wife is a story of two women from early American history--two Hannahs (Iredell and Wilson)--who were married to Supreme Court Justices (two Jameses--Iredell and Wilson). Please tell us a little more about these women: who they were, how their lives intersected, and why you decided to write a novel about them.

NATALIE WEXLER (NW): The two Hannahs were very different. I'll give you what is known about them historically: Hannah Iredell--in her early 40s when the action of the novel takes place--was intelligent and unusually well-educated for her time, but extremely, possibly even pathologically, shy. When her husband was appointed to the Court, the family moved from their home in Edenton, North Carolina, to the new federal capital--New York at first, and then Philadelphia. It's clear, from the letters she wrote that have survived, that she found it extremely difficult to participate in the society of what is sometimes called "the republican court." Although the United States was a republic, the only real governmental model Americans had was monarchy, so they borrowed some of its trappings: levees, tea parties, formal "evenings" held by the wives of the President and various Cabinet members, etc. In addition to feeling pressured to attend these events, Hannah Iredell had the burden of dealing with her mother-in-law, who arrived from England shortly after the Iredells moved to New York and turned out to have a serious drinking problem.

I know much less about Hannah Wilson, because fewer of her letters have survived, and I've found only one letter written to her by her husband. (James Iredell, in contrast, wrote to his wife nearly every day that he was away from her--which, because Justices had to travel the country riding circuit--was often.) But it's clear, from the Gilbert Stuart portrait of her that has survived, and which I've used for my cover, that she was quite attractive. She's also much younger than Hannah Iredell during the period covered by the book--19 in 1793, when we first meet her, and 24 when it ends in 1798. We know from letters (including an amusing one from John Quincy Adams, which is included in the book) that in 1793 James Wilson--then a 51-year-old widower with six children--saw her in church one day when he was riding circuit in Boston and immediately fell madly in love with her. By the time he left town ten days later, he had proposed. When Hannah accepted, shortly thereafter, many observers concluded that the attraction was Wilson's great wealth--a reasonable conclusion, given that he wasn't particularly handsome and by all accounts lacked personal charm. But the interesting thing is that, a few years later, when he had a spectacular financial downfall and landed in debtor's prison, Hannah Wilson stuck by him rather than going home to mother.

The two women's paths crossed because their husbands were friends. They first met in late 1794, when the Wilsons, riding the Southern circuit together, stayed with the Iredells in Edenton--the Iredells had moved back there the previous year. But in 1798, after Wilson's financial affairs had worsened, the two women had a more extended period of contact. Wilson had essentially fled to Edenton in late 1797, to avoid another arrest by his creditors, and in early 1798 his wife joined him there. He died in Edenton that August, after which Hannah Wilson--penniless and exhausted from caring for her dying husband--moved in with the Iredells for several months.

I decided to write a novel about these women because I felt drawn to them, and there simply wasn't enough information available to allow me to write a biographical, nonfiction account of their lives. There were lots of unanswered questions--gaps left by the letters and other documents that have survived--and I wanted to answer them. The only way I could really do that was to invent some of the answers.

ED: What's your advice for anyone contemplating (or in the process of) writing a novel based on the life of a "real person"?

NW: First of all, choose someone who's dead-- preferably long dead. Personally, I wouldn't have felt as free to invent if I had been writing about people who were living, or whose children or even grandchildren were living. But even if you don't have compunctions about that, there are potential legal problems that could arise if you're fictionalizing the lives of people who are still around.

Beyond that, I'd say it's important to learn as much as you can about the real person you're writing about, but at the same time you shouldn't feel too bound by what you've learned. That is, you want to get at the essential character of the person, if you can, but you also have to bear in mind that a novel needs a plot, and a good amount of significant detail, neither of which may be provided by the historical record. And obviously, you'll also need to omit detail that just clutters up the narrative (for example, I eliminated a few siblings of some of my characters--there were just too many to keep track of).

I'll also say that in some ways I found it helpful to be writing about real people. I constructed elaborate timelines, based on the historical record, for each of my two couples. I used long sheets of paper, which I'd roll out and consult whenever I was stuck wondering what was going to happen next. On the other hand, I found myself up against certain constraints as well. For instance, my two main characters--the two Hannahs--don't meet until halfway through the book, and the reader doesn't even hear from Hannah Wilson until about a third of the way through. But that was the way events happened to unfold: the most eventful part of Hannah Iredell's life (at least for purposes of the novel) was from 1790 to 1793, and the most eventful part of Hannah Wilson's life didn't begin until 1793.

ED: Please tell us about some of your favorite research discoveries from your work on this novel.

NW: I immensely enjoyed doing research in two books that were published in the early 19th century--The American Frugal Housewife and The Family Nurse. Both were written by Lydia Maria Child, who was an interesting person in her own right (she was an ardent abolitionist, and also the author of the poem, "Over the River and Through the Woods"). Based on some hints in the letters about Hannah Iredell's character, I decided to make her something of an expert on household hints and home remedies, and I borrowed extensively from Mrs. Child's books. Some of the herbal home remedies have come back into fashion, like senna as a laxative (I found some in an herbal tea at my local supermarket). Others were just downright weird, like the cure for "Dropsy in the Head," thought to be brought on by "unnaturally forcing the intellect of children." The recommended cure was to shave the child's head and apply "a poultice of onions slightly stewed in vinegar," while bathing the feet in "warm water with mustard in it." I actually had Hannah Iredell subject one of her children to this treatment.

ED: Throughout the novel, which relies on diary and letter forms, the language seems particularly authentic for the late 18th-century setting. I'm struck by how many nouns are capitalized ("My true World, my very universe, is left behind in Edenton--a poor thing, as the Bard once wrote, but mine own."). Please tell us a bit about that stylistic aspect of the text, and any challenges that came up for you as a 21st-century writer employing it.

NW: Actually, I was surprised by how easily I was able to assume an 18th-century voice. At first, I started writing the novel in the third person because I didn't think I could sound like an authentic 18th-century person, but then I tried writing in the first person and found that I could do it well enough to satisfy a 21st-century reader. (Of course, I don't know if I'd be able to fool a real 18th-century person, but fortunately there aren't any of those around.) It must be a result of having spent countless hours reading 18th-century letters, even before I started doing research for the novel, as an editor of a documentary history of the first ten years of the Supreme Court (which is where I first came across the story of the Iredells and the Wilsons).

I think adopting the style of the era was immensely helpful in transporting myself to that particular place and time, and in conjuring up the people I was writing about. As for the capitalization, I've long been fascinated, in reading 18th-century letters, by what people chose to capitalize. You would think that they'd capitalize only the important words, but for some people it appears to have been more or less random. And some people used capitalization much less than others. (I won't even broach the subject of spelling, which was a real free-for-all--but I decided to use standard modern spelling, so as not to distract the reader too much.) I decided to use a more or less random system of capitalization for Hannah Iredell, because I thought it made her voice seem more archaic and I conceived of her as the more old-fashioned, backward-looking of my two main characters. Hannah Wilson's capitalization is more in line with our modern system (i.e., it's just used for proper nouns and the first words of sentences), because I saw her as the more modern of the two. It was an easy way to help distinguish the two voices.

ED: You've published this book on your own. Tell us how you came to decide to self-publish it.

NW: Frankly, self-publishing wasn't my first choice. I had an agent, but was unable to find a publisher. Once my agent gave up, after about 20 rejections, I tried to find a publisher on my own (I'd been advised it would be very difficult to find another agent at that point, because the manuscript had already been sent to most of the major publishing houses), but soon realized that wasn't going to work. I was only trying small publishing houses, but even many of those won't look at unagented manuscripts.

At first I was hesitant to self-publish, because it seemed like an admission of defeat, but ultimately I decided it made more sense than just letting the manuscript gather dust in a drawer. I wanted my friends and family to be able to read it in a manageable format, and there were certain markets I felt I could target--people interested in Supreme Court history, and people who live in or visit Edenton (where you can actually tour the James Iredell House). And I hoped that I might be able to reach some segment of the general public as well, though I knew it would be difficult.

ED: What made you choose Lulu.com among all the other Print on Demand (POD) companies?

NW: The main reason was that Lulu would allow me to keep the price low--or so I thought. With POD, the price really goes up with the number of pages. So, if your book is only 200 pages or so, your price can be competitive with books published by regular publishers, but my book is about 450 pages. I looked at some other companies and found that the minimum price for my book would be something close to $30. That struck me as way too high for a paperback novel by a first-time novelist. I wanted to keep the price under $20 if I could. Lulu allowed me to take no royalties, which helped to keep the price low--although, with the 40% mark-up that most retailers demand, the retail price would still be just over $20 ($21.08, to be exact). But--at least at the time I agreed to the contract--the book was for sale on the Lulu website for the wholesale price, $13.56. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, Lulu unilaterally decided to charge the retail price on its Web site, so the only way for me to keep the price under $20 is for me to sell it myself--or lose money on every retail sale.

ED: What surprised you most about the publishing process?

NW: I suppose the biggest shock for me was that getting an agent didn't automatically lead to getting published. That may sound naive, but I knew many good writers who'd had a hard time finding an agent, and I had one more or less fall into my lap. I wasn't even looking for an agent yet, because I hadn't finished the novel, but the sister of a friend of mine--who is one of the best-known agents in New York--heard about the novel and signed me up on the basis of 30 pages. She has a reputation for being pretty critical, but she apparently just fell in love with my novel. So I assumed that if she had that kind of reaction, it wouldn't be that hard to find just ONE publisher who felt the same way. Alas, I was wrong.

ED: How did you locate the book's cover image (Gilbert Stuart's Mrs. Thomas Bartlett [Hannah Gray Wilson])? How did you acquire permission to use it?

NW: Locating the portrait of Hannah Wilson was easy--it had already been reproduced in one of the volumes of the documentary history of the Supreme Court that I had helped to edit. (The vast majority of the letters and other documents I incorporated into the novel had been collected and copied by the staff of the documentary history project before I joined it, so I owe them a huge debt of gratitude.)

Obtaining permission to use the portrait wasn't particularly difficult either. I knew that the original was at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, so I contacted them. I had to pay $130, get their approval of the cover design, and send them two complimentary copies of the book. But it was well worth it--I'm very pleased with the cover, and I feel really lucky that such a beautiful portrait of one of my characters existed.

ED: What advice do you have for anyone else considering self-publishing/using Lulu?

NW: I think you need to go into self-publishing with realistic expectations. I think it works best for nonfiction, actually--books that are useful and that people will seek out for their usefulness, with or without the imprimatur of a "real" publisher. Fiction is a harder sell even when you don't self-publish, and I think many people assume that if you couldn't find a publisher for your novel, it can't be any good. It's extremely difficult to get a self-published book reviewed anywhere. And of course, you can't even get it into the vast majority of book stores across the country.

That having been said, if you can think of a few likely target audiences--as I could--it might well be worth it. I'm hoping the book will be for sale at the Supreme Court gift shop, for example, and at a couple of shops in Edenton that cater to people who come there for the historical buildings. And even if your book comes nowhere near the New York Times bestseller list, I can tell you that it's incredibly gratifying to get enthusiastic feedback from even a few people.

Editor's Note: Download a preview excerpt from Natalie Wexler's novel here.

(c) Copyright 2007 Erika Dreifus

A Literary Evening in New York

Let's just say that I've never been a fixture on any party circuit, literary or otherwise. Which made my attendance Monday evening at the first annual awards reception and ceremony for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature all the more exceptional. I am so glad that I was able to be there (though I admit I wasn't brave enough to snap any photos--apologies)! But you can still get a descriptive account of the event, courtesy of Publishers Weekly, by clicking here.

And I'd like to offer a big public thank you to the Jewish Book Council for organizing the evening so well (and for the book-filled "goody bag"). Please invite me again!

Student Success Stories

Reading A. Papatya Bucak's latest essay on the Chronicle of Higher Education's Web site yesterday (I loved her first column, too, and you'll find that piece linked within the new one) I was reminded of something important. And that is the fact that for me, one of the best parts of the job of teaching writing has always been learning about my students' successes after our work together has ended. Whether they tell me about a publication, an MFA acceptance, or an award, I am always pleased when former students let me know about their achievements.

So please consider this post a formal invitation: If any of you reading this are former students of mine with good news to report, please contact me via my Web site and let me know! (Warning--I may have to brag about you on the blog!)

Monday Morning Listings

Without any ado, here are this week's listings.

I am so glad to be able to publicize this--it's something I've known about for awhile but couldn't really post. But now The Missouri Review has "gone public" with its plans for its revamped book review section. They're looking for experienced reviewers to participate, and they'll pay more for the section's expanded scope, too. See the announcement/call for proposals at TMR's blog.

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And speaking of good news for book reviewers (yes, contrary to popular belief there is some good news in that realm): Are you looking for more paying markets for your book reviews? The latest edition of The Practicing Writer's Directory of Paying Markets for Book Reviewers is now available. Download the free preview with sample listings here.

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Savannah College of Art & Design (Georgia) seeks a Professor of Contemporary Writing. See the Chronicle of Higher Education announcement for more information.

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California State University (Fresno) is looking for a half-time Administrative Support Assistant for its graduate creative writing program. "Assignments will be varied and complex and specific to the needs of a professional literary writing program." See the detailed announncement at HigherEdJobs.com for more information.

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Essay contest (no entry fee) from The Nation magazine is now open to "all high school students and undergraduates at American schools, colleges, and universities." Contest is seeking 800-word essays on "the most important issue for young people in the 2008 presidential campaign." Winner will receive $1,000, publication in print and online, and a subscription. Five finalists will receive $200 each, publication online, and subscriptions. Details and submission instructions here. Deadline: May 31, 2007.

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New publication: "a.magazine: nonfiction narratives of africa—due to launch in 2007—is the first exclusively nonfiction literary magazine dedicated to publishing Africa’s stories by writers from across the globe, and, most importantly, emerging and established writers who call the continent of Africa their home. a.magazine is published quarterly, available in U.S. bookstores and to subscribers worldwide." Pays: $100-$500. See the post at AbsoluteWrite.com.

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Thinking of pitching the Los Angeles Times editorial page? You may want to read this profile of its new editor.

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Hold off on any pitches/submissions to American Heritage. It's suspending publication.

Friday Find: The New York Review of Magazines

Take some time this weekend to peruse The New York Review of Magazines 2007. Among my favorite sections so far:

"The Nursery Of Genius" ("A brief survey of ten magazines of influence")

"What Are They Reading?" ("reading habits of some of our favorite magazine people")

"Death Has A Blog" (on the "Magazine Death Pool")

And a number of magazine reviews.

Enjoy!

The Importance of Being "Erika Dreifus"

This is especially for those practicing writers who have names that inspire some creative spellings--or misspellings. (Hint: "Erika Dreifus" is one such name.)

I don't have a middle name (my mother, whose parents also chose not to bestow a middle name on her, married at age 20 and began using her maiden name as her middle name; Mom figured her daughters would behave similarly). Plus, as my mother has always insisted, "We thought your first name was so beautiful, you didn't need a middle name."

And it's probably just as well, because I have my hands full with the two names I do have. It's not enough for me to check on my bylines/publications by Googling "Erika Dreifus." I have to try "Erica Dreifuss," "Ericka Dreyfuss," and a panoply of other possibilities. When I tried one of those "options" recently, I found a book review ascribed to me that I didn't write. I posted a comment at that site (with the correct spelling of my name included).

So here's a friendly suggestion for those practicing writers in similar situations: Remember that you may have more bylines (or Internet citations) than you've counted on, depending on how carefully others attend to your "real" name.

As for the rest of you, you lucky souls named "John Smith" or "Jane Jones," don't think this post lacks any relevance for you. If you're a writer, you have a responsibility to spell other people's names correctly. Editors' names, in particular. Not convinced? Maybe Brian Klems or Judith Kallos will persuade you.

From My Bookshelf: Suite Française

Now that the paperback edition of Irène Némirovsky's Suite Française has been released, the novel may be reaching a whole new group of readers. This might therefore be a good time to post the review I wrote when the hardcover appeared (particularly since just a few days from now translator Sandra Smith will receive the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Translation Prize in New York specifically for her work on this novel).

The original version of my review appeared in The Missouri Review 29:3 (Fall 2006).

Suite Française: A Novel
By Irène Némirovsky
Translated from the French by Sandra Smith
Alfred A. Knopf, 2006, 416 pp., $25.00


Virtually every review I've seen of this exceptional, unfinished war novel sets it within the context of its writing--it was penned in tiny print on precious paper during the very war it describes--and also frames it with the story of its author's tragic death: Irène Némirovsky, a Russian-born writer of Jewish descent whose family fled the Bolsheviks in 1917 and settled in France two years later, was arrested in July 1942. Deported to Auschwitz, she died the following month, at the age of 39. Her husband was deported and killed shortly thereafter.

But their two French-born daughters survived, along with a valise containing family papers. For decades they didn't read these papers; they didn't know Suite Française existed. The book wasn't published in France until 2004; this year it became a bestseller in translation in the United States.

Deservedly so. Comprised of two sections (Némirovsky apparently envisioned a massive five-part tome; an appendix of her notes provides some of her ideas for other volumes), the book is divided into "Storm in June," which focuses on the fall of France in June 1940, and "Dolce," set in a German-occupied French village the next spring.

Némirovsky was an experienced novelist by the time she was writing Suite Française; it's worth noting that she'd also written a biography of Chekhov (also published posthumously), and his influence shows in this work. It doesn't seem to be a novel in draft form; the prose is seamless and often gorgeous, as in this description of Paris under an air raid:

All the lights were out, but beneath the clear, golden June sky, every house, every street was visible. As for the Seine, the river seemed to absorb even the faintest glimmers of light and reflect them back a hundred times brighter, like some multifaceted mirror. Badly blacked-out windows, glistening rooftops, the metal hinges of doors all shone in the water. There were a few red lights that stayed on longer than the others, no one knew why, and the Seine drew them in, capturing them and bouncing them playfully on its waves.

On a more substantive level, this book's central accomplishment is its incisive and realistic fictional depiction of France and the French, first, under encroaching German invasion, and then, under occupation. It’s true that the portraits of various individuals, couples, and families fleeing Paris in "Storm in June" won't surprise, say, anyone familiar with the opening moments of René Clément's 1952 film, Jeux Interdits (Forbidden Games), with its images of refugees clogging roads while bombs fall from above. Nor will the variety and degrees of moral challenges, and the ways in which people fleeing Paris (or, in "Dolce," those living alongside the occupant) face them, shock anyone who already appreciates that not every French citizen could be categorized as either a collaborator or as a resister (not to mention that "collaboration" and "resistance" themselves took infinite forms). But if this history is new to you, prepare to be impressed not only by how Némirovsky evokes this complex historical moment, but by what she evokes, too.

Which leads to another point. While much of the press surrounding this book has focused on the circumstances of its author's death, far less attention has gone toward her life. In this respect, neither readers nor reviewers have been particularly well served by the omissions in the translation of the French version's preface. These omissions, including a mention of how much the famous collaborationist and anti-Semitic writer Robert Brasillach admired Némirovsky's early work, would have informed us of an uncomfortable yet significant aspect of her biography: her own apparent antipathy toward Jews and Judaism.

It's perfectly accurate and correct to describe (and promote) this book as the writing of a Holocaust victim, and there's no question that Némirovsky's fate was tragic. But once again, the full history is more complex. And despite the omissions, enough remains here, especially in the appendix of correspondence primarily between Némirovsky's distraught husband and those from whom he sought help for his wife after her arrest, to suggest it.

In one letter, for example (addressed to the German ambassador in Paris), Némirovsky's admittedly ever more frantic husband argues that his wife should be freed because it is "both unjust and illogical that the Germans should imprison a woman who, despite being of Jewish descent, has no sympathy whatsoever--all her books prove this--either for Judaism or the Bolshevik regime." Under the occupation Némirovsky also contributed (pseudonymously) to Gringoire, a newspaper with a reputation, to put it again in her husband's words to the German ambassador, for "certainly never [having] been well-disposed towards either the Jews or the Communists." After the Liberation, many French writers were blacklisted and otherwise punished for appearing in such publications; Brasillach, for one, was executed.

We're bound to learn more about Irène Némirovsky's life when Jonathan Weiss's biography, published in Paris in 2005, is released in English this fall. Whatever we may find out then, Suite Française stands on its own merits as an exceptionally well-told story, authentic in every way, of France and the French in the early years of one of the most difficult episodes of their history.

Administrative Note

Sorry to have to do this, but due to a rash of spammy comments, I've had to enable comment moderation here. Thanks for your understanding!

Prescribed Reading

If Jerome Groopman had been offering his freshman seminar on "Insights from Narratives of Illness" when I arrived at Harvard College 20 years ago, chances are that I'd have applied to be a part of it. But this Sunday he offered all of us who won't ever have that opportunity a glimpse into the course syllabus in "Prescribed Reading," which appeared in the New York Times Book Review.

The course seems predicated on the idea that "No insight into [medicine's] more existential aspects is found in clinical texbooks, properly devoted to physiology, pharmacology, and pathology. Rather, it is literature that most vividly grapples with such mysteries, and with the character of physician and patient."

Readings begin, he tells us, with Tolstoy's novella The Death of Ivan Ilych. The class also includes Richard Selzer's Letters to a Young Doctor (one of the books I most appreciate having been assigned as an MFA student; the nonfiction story that has stayed with me most from that book--the story of Imelda--turns up specifically in Groopman's piece).

"Prescribed Reading" will definitely intrigue anyone interested in the literary depiction of medical experience. And for more reading tips in this area, see this astonishing database.

Monday Morning Market Listings

Good morning, practicing writers. Below, the results of my latest research!


Gotham Gazette "is seeking pitches from free-lance journalists interested in writing for our award-winning on-line publication on New York City policy and politics." Pays: $250-$500. Check the detailed announcement at Idealist.org.

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DesiLit Magazine (online) is open for submissions until May 21, 2007. "Submissions be either about South Asia and the diaspora, or be by submitters from South Asia or the diaspora." Paying market. See guidelines for articles, fiction, humor, poetry, reviews, and art here.

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Grandparents.com has recently posted two freelance positions posted over at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Job News. Each pays $20/hour. One calls for a copy editor, and the other seeks a fact checker. Scroll to the first set of listings (All Media, NYC/Tri-State area). The positions were posted on May 9.

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Booktrust (London) has a position open for a Young People's Coordinator (Projects and Prizes). "We are looking for a coordinator to work on our prizes and projects, including the high profile Nestlé Children’s Book Prize and the Booktrust Teenage Prize. The successful applicant will have an interest in children’s literature and experience in communications and organising events." This looks like a full-time position, with an application deadline of May 18. See the announcement at the Booktrust Web site.

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Publishers Weekly is looking for a full-time Children's Book Review Editor. See the announcement at mediabistro.com (free registration required).

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The Raven Chronicles is "closed for submissions until further notice."

and

body&brain magazine has suspended publication.

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Last, but definitely not least: There's a newly updated edition of our directory of paying essay markets available! Check it out today (you can download a free preview with sample listings).

Friday Find: Creative Writing at CUNY

Today's "find" is actually a work-in-progress. It's a project I've had a small part contributing to (certainly not on the technical side of things, but for some of the content). It's an umbrella site for Creative Writing at The City University of New York (CUNY). Please check it out and follow the site's growth and development (it just launched this week!).

The Perils of Book Reviewing

Lots of links around the Web to London-based novelist Lionel Shriver's Telegraph piece on the perils of wearing the book reviewer's hat when one is also a "creative" writer (Shriver is the Telegraph's chief fiction critic). Read it here.

"Seventy Faces," A Poem by Richard Chess

Longtime blog readers already know how much I admire poet Richard Chess. So it's no surprise that I'm delighted to point you to "Seventy Faces," which appears today on Poetry Daily. This lovely poem is included in Rick's new collection, Third Temple, which I've just pre-ordered (that TBR pile is just getting bigger all the time, but when Third Temple arrives it will go right to the top).

Typewriter Chic

Looking for a gift idea for the MomWriter in your life (or a hint to offer those who may not have thought ahead)? Check out this typewriter necklace. I'm not a mom, but when I saw this item on my sister's blog I mentioned it to my/our mom, who immediately ordered it for me as a birthday present (yes, I've recently celebrated a birthday, and yes, it was great, thanks!). I've been wearing this necklace almost every day since then. I just love it. When she first saw me wearing the necklace my three-and-one-half year-old niece, who calls me by a nickname she invented that begins with "H" (don't ask), wanted to know, "Why are you wearing a letter 'E' around your neck?" I explained, then asked, "What other words start with 'E'?" Never miss an opportunity to talk shop with the practicing writers of the future!

Monday Morning Market Listings

Good morning, all. And good luck with this batch of opportunities.

"Mastheads.org seeks 750 to 3,000-word humorous and reflective essays on the changing landscape of magazine writing and the print publishing world, by new and seasoned magazine writers and editors. Selected essays will appear in a book anthology for Spring 2008 release. Word limit: 2,500 words. Typical pay: $100-$200, plus 3 books. Please e-mail for full guidelines: submissions[at]mastheads.org." Click here for the craigslist announcement.

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If you're a college student with some experience in film criticism, you may want to look into the Frank Capra Award, an essay competition offered by Film International. "This contest is open to any undergraduate student, currently enrolled at an institution of higher learning (or set to graduate in spring 2007) and working towards a bachelor's degree in any field." Invites submissions of "any original piece of written scholarship, previously unpublished and authored solely by the applicant, involving film criticism, history, or theory." The winner receives $500, a year's subscription to Film International, and publication of the winning submission. Deadline: June 1, 2007 (received). There's no entry fee. Be sure to read the full guidelines and download the required form here.

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The MetLife Foundation Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition is open to submissions until Friday, June 1, 2007. "Through this competition, Repertorio Español would like to bring awareness to subjects and issues of vital importance to the Hispanic community, celebrate Hispanic culture in the United States by promoting and developing these works, and most importantly to highlight and encourage playwrights to continue writing these plays by providing a forum for these works." Plays "must deal with subjects and characters that resonate with Hispanics living in the United States." Scripts may be written in Spanish and/or English (winning play will be translated into Spanish). Prizes include awards ($500-$3,000) and a full production for the grand prize-winning play. New and un-produced plays are "preferred." No entry fee indicated. As always, check the full guidelines for eligibility and submission instructions at the Web site.

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The Emily Dickinson First Book Award "recognizes an American poet who is 50 years of age or over and has yet to publish a first book of poetry." In addition to publication and manuscript promotion, the winner receives a $10,000 prize. There is no entry fee. See the contest page at the Poetry Foundation for more information (submission period is May 15-June 15, postmarked).

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Embassy, a Canadian publication covering international issues, politics, and policy, is looking for a Toronto-based weekly contributor. "The position entails writing one news article every week, covering a beat that includes the international consulates in Toronto, international business, and trade forums. The successful applicant must be able to develop leads, sources and story ideas and work independently from their own home or office." Pays: $150/week (presumably in Canadian dollars). For more information, see the announcement at Jeff Gaulin's Journalism Job Board.

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The New Quarterly, featuring "Canadian writers and writing," is looking for poems, stories, and essays for its upcoming "real estate issue." Submissions should be received, by mail, by the end of June 2007 (send work to the attention of Kim Jernigan). Montreal writers are also invited to submit prose, poetry, visual work, translations, and more "in short...n'importe quoi" for a "Montreal issue" (see the guidelines for a special submission address). Pays $200 for a short story or novel excerpt, $200 for an essay, $30 per poem or "postscript" story. Check the guidelines and note that the editors are NOT looking for any material other than work for the special issues until September 2007. (via Duotrope.com)

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Metropolitan State University (Minnesota) seeks a half-time, tenure-track assistant professor in creative writing. See the announcement at HigherEdJobs.com

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Speculations is an online resource "for writers who wish to break into or increase their presence within the science fiction, fantasy, horror, and 'other' speculative fiction subgenres." Check out its Market Chat section in particular.

Now Online

Think Virginia Woolf was the first to come up with the "room of one's own" concept? Read my essay, just posted at JBooks.com, and think again.

And Still Further Thoughts on "When Student Writing Crosses the Line"

We're now about two-and-a-half weeks beyond the terrible events at Virginia Tech, and the subject of "deciding when student writing crosses the line," as Joseph Berger's most recent "On Education" column in the New York Times is titled, is still very much with us.

You can read Berger's column here. See also Jim Papa's editorial on "Criminalizing the Creative" from the April 29 edition of Newsday. (Papa is a poet and essayist who teaches creative writing at York College of The City University of New York.)

(For earlier posts on this topic, with links, please begin here.)

Marathon Reading in New York City Next Thursday, May 10

Each morning, not very long after I finish posting, I head out to my (still relatively new nonacademic) job at The City University of New York (CUNY). And as you may have noticed from time to time in my posts over the past few months, I've been getting to know a lot about the different parts of the University--including the truly amazing collection of writing programs that fall under the CUNY umbrella.

Now we can all get to know these writing programs even better, through the writers on their faculties. Many of these writers--including Michael Cunningham, Billy Collins, Tom Sleigh, and many more--will be taking part in a "Marathon Reading" at CUNY's Graduate Center. The event is slated for Thursday, May 10, beginning at 4PM. Check out details here.

Two More Opportunities

Two more opportunities to tell you about:

First, the Department of English and Theatre at Eastern Kentucky University is looking for a fiction writer for a tenure-track appointment (rank of assistant professor). See the announcement at the Chronicle of Higher Education.

And the second comes from the Richard Hugo House in Seattle:

Richard Hugo House is accepting applications for its arts residency program - the "Hugo Huts"- that will provide two writers with subsidized housing in Seattle's historic Belltown Cottages, plus the opportunity to teach in the Hugo Writing Classes.

Each writer will begin his or her residency on September 1, 2007, with a term of 12 months, subject to a month-to-month approval of the Parks Department. The below-market rent does not include utilities. Applications are due by June 1.

Read the full announcement here. No application fee indicated.