Friday Find: The Best of the AWP Pedagogy Papers 2009

I'm actually not going to attend the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference this year (for those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's coming up pretty soon in Chicago). But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy perusing a selection of AWP "pedagogy papers" now posted online. The 20 one-pagers compiled for this mini-collection--determined to be "the best" of the many papers submitted this year--span multiple instructional levels and genres, and they're bound to give you some ideas for your own teaching practice.

I'm especially happy to see some familiar names in this year's batch of "the best," and I send warm congratulations to my good friend Rachel Hall and to my former MFA classmate Sylvia Hoffmire for making the cut. I'm also pleased to see a topic that was at the core of an AWP panel presentation I collaborated on many years ago--the role of "work" in fiction--resurfacing in David Lumpkin's paper ("Make Your Characters Work: Jobs and Three-Dimensional Plots in Short Fiction").

Have I piqued your interest yet? You can download the full document here. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

John Updike, 1932-2009

In case you haven't heard by now, the literary world lost one of its giants this week: John Updike passed away.

I have to confess I haven't read as much Updike as I probably should have by this point in life, though reading through the tributes I've been inspired to go back and read some of the big books I've missed (Rabbit and Bech, that means you). I'm also going to be sure to read his very last book, which will be out later this year (it's a collection of short stories).

As usual, the Literary Saloon has rounded up some of the coverage. Take some time to read at least a few of the pieces about this major American author. What I don't yet see listed there, but recommend heartily, is this article in the Boston Globe, and the video at NYTimes.com.

The Wednesday Web Browser: Better Blogging, Fiction Finalists, and Rules for Requesting Review Copies

Check out Deonne Kahler's excellent article on "How to Craft an Irresistible Blog."
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Find out which writers/works of fiction have been named finalists in this year's Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature.
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Having trouble obtaining review copies? Maybe you need to read these tips.

Thirteen Ways of Looking at My Latest Cold

Given that I've been fighting my (very) latest cold for the past several days, it seems a particularly appropriate time to share with you my latest publication, a poem that's part of a special section in the new issue of Babel Fruit. The section features poems that are clearly inspired by previous works/poets. It's pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

My contribution,"Thirteen Ways of Looking at My Latest Cold," which developed from an assignment in one of Matthew Lippman's online classes, can be seen here. (Yes, I know the link to my Web site isn't working, and I'm hoping that the editor will soon fix that and capitalize "My" in the poem's title as well, but I've asked her twice now and I can't do more than that!) And check out all the other work in the issue by visiting the table of contents.

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

Got gardening poems? Horticulture magazine may be interested in publishing them. Check out the news on Poetic Asides, and click through to the magazine's guidelines.
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Hurry up if you're interested in this British Columbia-based opportunity (the deadline is 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28). "The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) and the Public Art Committee invite submissions of unpublished, original poetry for display at a public art project to be developed at parks along Whistler's Valley Trail. The public art project is known as Poet's Pause." Fee paid for each poem will be $200 (presumably in Canadian funds). Download the guidelines here.
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Undergraduate college students are welcome to submit up to three poems and/or up to two short stories for a contest held in connection with the Lex Allen Literary Festival at Hollins University. The competition confers cash awards of $100 in each genre. No entry fee. Deadline: February 13, 2009 (noon). Check the Web site for more information.
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By week's end, subscribers will have received our February "Practicing Writer" newsletter. Celebrating its fifth anniversary this month, the newsletter is still free, still keeping subscriber e-mail addresses confidential, and still providing reliable news writers can use. Join us!
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And, as always, some college/university jobs for your consideration:
Poet-in-Residence, University of Central Oklahoma
Assistant Professor of Writing and Literature, Johnson State College (Vermont)
Professor of Poetry Writing (rank open), Hampshire College (Massachusetts)
Corporate and Foundation Relations Writer, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Massachusetts

Friday Find: The Latest from My Favorite "Emerging Writer"

In case you've been wondering what my favorite "emerging writer" has been up to lately, wonder no longer. The writer in question, who is now nearly 5 1/2, caught Inauguration Fever and spent some time and effort early this week putting her feelings on paper.

How cute is that?

Congratulations to Sage Cohen

For awhile now I've been admiring Sage Cohen's writing and teaching, and I've been following the news of her two "babies": her book, Writing the Life Poetic, which will soon be released by Writer's Digest Books, and her little boy, Theo, who arrived in September. Sage has a truly remarkable perspective on life, and a beautiful way of expressing that perspective. You can get a glimpse of her "can-do" attitude in this new column. Congratulations on all your blessings, Sage, and kudos on your dedication to creating your own good news!

The Wednesday Web Browser: Pre-Publication Process, MFA Faculty on Their Programs, and Gary Shteyngart's Advice for Novelists

Over on Lisa's blog, Vicki Forman guest-blogs on the pre-publication process for her forthcoming, Bakeless prize-winning memoir.
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The first MFA Faculty Forum is now under way over at Tom's place. Great opportunity to hear some nuts-and-bolts about a variety of programs.
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On the lighter side: Gary Shteyngart offers a "Guide to Being a Novelist." (via Nextbook)

Inauguration Lit

Talk about politically-inspired fiction! Thanks to Book Bench for passing along this link to a serialized novella on Slate.com, written by Curtis Sittenfeld. Check it out (if you can tear yourself away from watching the inauguration). Enjoy this historic day!

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

Crossed Genres, "the magazine of science fiction and fantasy with a twist," is accepting submissions for Issue Four until 11:59 pm US EST on January 31. This issue's focus will be "crime": "This covers all various sub-genres of Crime: Detective fiction, whodunnits, legal thrillers, spy stories, you name it. And as always, all Fiction and Cover Art submissions must combine this genre with Science fiction ad/or Fantasy." Pays: $10. Note also a current contest run by Crossed Genres: "The Write What You Know Contest," which asks entrants to "write an article of knowledge." There is no application fee. Winners will receive standard compensation plus free ad space on the magazine's site. Deadline: January 31. For general guidelines, click here. For contest guidelines, click here.
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Find out what new San Francisco Chronicle Book Editor John McMurtrie has in mind for the paper's book review section in this interview. (via Book Publicity Blog)
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Image, a literary/arts quarterly focusing on work that "that is informed by—or grapples with—religious faith," is celebrating its twentieth birthday. This interview with its founders, Gregory and Suzanne Wolfe, marks the occasion.
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Meet Vivian Chum, a new junior agent at Prospect Agency, whose fields of interests include, in fiction: romance, young Adult, literature, thrillers, science-fiction, graphic novels; in nonfiction: history, politics, law, memoirs, biographies.
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Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Creative Writing (nature writing), Bath Spa University (UK)
Assistant Professor of English, University of Dubuque (Iowa)
Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing (poetry), University of Montana
Public Relations Specialist, Marymount Manhattan College (New York)
Public Information Specialist, Idaho State University

Friday Find: Andrew's Book Club

(OK, so I'm a little disorganized this week--I forgive myself! You weren't meant to have the pleasure of reading this post until tomorrow (Friday), but we all make mistakes; all of our mistakes should be this "serious." Enjoy, and have a good weekend!)

Oprah's got competition! Andrew Scott is a fiction writer who thinks that short story collections deserve a lot more attention than they receive (and don't we agree?). But Andrew is doing something about it. Something good.

Here's the reasoning, in Andrew's own words:

Each month, I select two short story collections that readers and writers of short stories should support. The idea is simple. We should buy short story collections and support this important art form, especially if we’re writers and ever hope to publish our own books of short stories. But if I buy Antonya Nelson’s new collection and you buy the new Jim Shepard book of stories, and our friend Sally buys Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock (soon in paperback!) and your mom buys Cathy Day’s The Circus in Winter, then the publishing numbers are scattered all over the place.

Move over, Oprah. I’m taking over. You do a fine job. I’m glad you’re back to selecting living writers for your book club. But you haven’t chosen a book of stories, to my knowledge, so I’m asking you to step aside. I’m sure you’re relieved.

Andrew has announced the first two selections (check his site to find out what they are!), and like a nice, obedient, new club member, I've already purchased one of them (one I was definitely planning to read, but probably would have waited for the library to offer me, to be perfectly honest). I love Andrew's dedication and enthusiasm, and I really want to see where this project may go.

(By the way, I discovered Andrew's Book Club thanks to the wonderful folks at Fiction Writers Review, who are also certainly doing their share to serve the short story.)

"New" Poems by Langston Hughes

One of the poems that left a deep impression on me way back in high school was Langston Hughes's "A Dream Deferred" (that's how I've always remembered its title, but I'm seeing it listed online as both "A Dream Deferred" and "Harlem"--can anyone help me understand that?).

So I was very interested to discover, in the latest issue of Poetry magazine (and thankfully published online), that a rare books cataloger at Yale University recently unearthed three Hughes poems, all of which are seeing their first known publication now. Read Arnold Rampersad's explanatory article, which contains links to all three poems, too.

The Wednesday Web Browser: Jim Shepard on Historical Fiction, Lisa Romeo on Beginnings, and My Machberet Update

Jim Shepard shares insights on writing fiction that works with "historical or real events." Good, solid stuff there. (Thanks to Luna Park for the link.)
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Take a few moments to read Lisa Romeo's smile-and-chuckle-inducing take on the challenges of "beginnings" right here.
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Over on My Machberet ("machberet" being the Hebrew word for "notebook"), I've recently posted about the Sydney Taylor Book Awards, a call to hear from Jewish women writers, and an opportunity to publish film reviews on Nextbook (warning--that's not a paying gig, as far as I can tell, but there IS a non-cash grand prize for the "best" review). If you haven't visited My Machberet in awhile (or ever), I invite and encourage you to do so. But please be forewarned that it's my refuge from contentiousness and the dialogues des sourds I encounter too many other places. It is unabashedly pro-Israel.

I've had a really hard couple of weeks, so please, I beg you, do not post anti-Israel comments there (or here). I simply will not approve them. Believe me, I know what all the anti-Israel arguments are these days. It's extremely unlikely anyone can tell me something I haven't already read/heard, and it's basically impossible that you'll change my mind on this one.

Please remember that these blogs are my very own virtual living rooms: They're my parties, and I'll maintain the tenor that I want to. Todah rabah/thank you, and I hope those of you with particularly Jewish literary and cultural interests will nonetheless stop on by.

In Praise of Natalie Wexler

You know what happens when you revisit the site of a good friend who writes? You are even more impressed with your friend's grasp of writing (and other matters), and you feel even luckier that this person is your friend. That's what happened to me a few days ago when I checked in with my pal (from a shared Iowa Summer Writing Festival workshop more than a decade ago), Natalie Wexler.

Natalie, an essayist and an historical novelist, has posted an archive of excellent original columns on her site. The pieces stretch back to August 2007, and are sure to interest anyone interested in the following topics: self-publishing; the early history of the Supreme Court (one of Natalie's particular fields of expertise and a subject central to her novel, A More Obedient Wife); writing about "bit players in history"; researching one's historical fiction; and much more.

And to hear even more about/from Natalie, read our own archived interview from 2007.

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

Meet literary agent Ellen Pepus via Chuck's interview here. "[Pepus] represents narrative nonfiction, including history, true crime, science, adventure, and memoir, as wehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifll as self-help, health and diet, food and cooking, travel, entertainment, popular culture, how-to and humor. She also represents a wide range of fiction, including literary, historical, mystery, women's fiction and romance, erotica, thrillers, fantasy and general commercial fiction. She does not handle science fiction, young adult, children's, short stories, poetry or screenplays." (You can also count on Chuck to report on agent Stephen Barbara's newsworthy move to Foundry Literary + Media.)
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Litmus Press is currently accepting new manuscripts for its poetry series. "We are interested in unpublished book-length manuscripts...of innovative poetry or cross-genre works written in English." Deadline: February 15, 2009. Details here. Note that for its translations series, queries are welcome throughout the year. (via NewPages.com)
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The Wordsworth Trust (UK) is looking for a Poet in Residence, whose term will run from May 2009 to April 2010. There is no application fee. Eligibility/details/guidelines available here. Hurry: Deadline is January 23, 2009.
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Whortleberry Press invites submissions for a "Mystery/Detective" story anthology. Pays: $10/story. Deadline: March 15, 2009. More information at the press Web site (click "writer's guidelines" toward the bottom of the screen). (via Duotrope.com)
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Again, there aren't a whole lot of jobs out there right now--many of the academic (teaching) jobs have already begun or are about to begin interviewing. But I'll keep looking for those teaching--and nonteaching university--jobs!
Assistant Professor of Creative Writing (fiction and creative nonfiction), Point Park University (Pennsylvania)
Publications Manager, Lehman College/CUNY (New York)

Friday Find: Featured Resources for Practicing Writers

Over on my Web site, you'll find a "Resources" page designed to assist practicing fictionists, poets, and writers of creative nonfiction. A considerable chunk of the page is devoted to a chronological listing of the resources spotlighted in each month's Practicing Writer newsletter. The newsletter will soon celebrate its fifth birthday, so I think this is a good time to remind you of the years' worth of "finds" you can peruse via a single screen. Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend.

Two Twists on New Year's Resolutions for Writers

Not all writing-related resolutions must involve waking up an hour earlier to draft a few hundred words, or sending out a certain number of submissions each month. Just consider these two approaches:

The Book Publicity Blog has posted a set of (mainly) publicity-related resolutions you might want to adopt, especially if you have a new/forthcoming book. For example: "Set up a Google Alert for your book (or all your books if you’re a book publicist)." And "Make sure an author’s web presence is established early, as in, by the time galleys are sent to the media (typically four-six months before a book goes on sale)."

And since there's a considerable amount of business e-mail in most practicing writers' lives--requesting guidelines, pitching article ideas, submitting stories or essays or poems, corresponding about assignments, dealing with invoices and payment, etc.--we can surely benefit from a refresher course on how to handle e-mail communications via "10 Business E-Mail Etiquette New Year's Resolutions." Truly excellent material there.

The Wednesday Web Browser: Conference Call, Promotion via Book Groups, and Jayne Anne Phillips's New Novel

Our friend from Fernham, Anne, who is planning a June conference in New York City, is in search of creative writers influenced by Virginia Woolf. Interested? Click here for more information.
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The indefatigable Josh Henkin is back with book group-based book promotion ideas, this time featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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When La Kakutani touts, I listen. Based on this review, Jayne Anne Phillips's new novel, Lark and Termite, goes to the top of my tbr list.

Revision Time

The past couple of days--for reasons I'm not quite ready to broadcast on the blog--have been among the most atypical and challenging days of my life. So the good news I received yesterday from the editors of a journal I'm going to keep unnamed for the moment was especially well-timed. Basically, these editors had solicited a short story from me, and were coming back with a great deal of enthusiasm--along with several suggestions for improvement.

Now, this is a story that has already been published in the UK (so it would technically be "new" in a North American publication). It has received honors in a number of contests. A number of agents and editors seem impressed by it. It is, arguably, one of the two or three best stories I've written.

It's a story I began writing about six years ago and published back in 2005. It's a story I've further revised per some agent suggestions. And it's the story that opens my collection, which has already "gone out" time after time after time.

So you might think that at this late date, I'd be closed to further revisions. You'd be wrong.

On the contrary, I am really excited about the ideas these editors have shared with me. Of course, I don't think it hurts that their e-mail began and ended with major compliments for the story and expressed clear enthusiasm for and interest in publishing it. As I told them in my response message, this story means a lot to me, and their extremely thoughtful, sensible, and specific suggestions make me grateful.

These revisions may not be easy, and in the end I may not be able to complete all of them to everyone's satisfaction. But I'm eager to try.

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

The Kenyon Review has announced its aecond annual Short Fiction Contest for writers under the age of thirty. "Richard Ford will be the final judge. Submissions will be accepted February 1st-February 28th, with the winner announced in late spring. Submissions must be 1200 words or less. There is no entry fee." Prize includes publication in the Winter 2010 issue and a scholarship to attend the 2009 Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Full guidelines here.
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For updates on how the economic downturn is affecting inflight magazines, click here.
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Five fellowships from New York University's Postdoctoral and Transition Program for Academic Diversity are open to graduate students in the final year of dissertation-writing; postdoctoral students who have completed dissertations within the past three years; and "professionals transitioning to academic careers (for those in fields for which the doctorate is not the terminal degree)." Deadline: January 15, 2009. No application fee. Details here.
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"Kaplan Publishing, the publisher of a broad range of educational and consumer books by and for nurses, physicians, paramedics, and other healthcare workers, is now accepting stories for a new and exciting anthology, To The Rescue: Stories from Healthcare Workers at the Scene of Disaster." Pays: $100, plus two copies. Deadline: February 21, 2009. See the announcement posted on the AbsoluteWrite.com forums.
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Applications for the Summer Poet in Residence Program at the University of Mississippi (deep in the heart of Faulkner country) are due by January 15, 2009. There is no application fee for this residency, which is designed "for poets who have at least one book (either published or under contract) and no more than two books. Details about the residency program (which offers a travel reimbursement and a $1,500 honorarium) and application instructions, are available here.
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"ReadMe Publishing is offering a FREE writing contest for all poets where winning poems will receive cash prizes and the top entries will be published in a print collection." Seeks poems "covering life in a daily setting." Prizes range between $10-$50. See the announcement here.
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Not too many university-based jobs to report this week, but I still managed to find a few:
Staff Writer, Northeastern University (Massachusetts)
Media Specialist in the Office of Public Relations, Langston University (Oklahoma)
Editor, University Magazine, University of Michigan

An Unexpected Farewell

A week ago my family lost a beloved friend, who also happened to be our Senior Rabbi Emeritus. I mentioned this still-shocking loss on my other blog a few days ago. But I hadn't yet figured out how I'd write about it here.

Yesterday, the New Jersey Jewish News published an article about Rabbi Barry H. Greene. And I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Simply on the writing front, "Barry," as I was privileged to call him, was a staunch champion of all my work. Most recently, he complimented this review, and, knowing my family as he did, e-mailed his appreciation for this blog post.

He also always did his best to "connect" me whenever he could. The NJJN piece includes a sidebar about his work on the newspaper's Board of Trustees; I am quite sure that it was my telling an editor (at his urging), that Barry had referred me that facilitated my writing a number of book reviews for the paper in the 1990s.

The most significant writing I've done this past week is the text of my family's public tribute to him. I'll leave this post with those words, which appeared in The New York Times on Monday.

GREENE--Rabbi Barry H. One summer Saturday 30 years ago, Rabbi Greene welcomed us to our first service at Temple B'nai Jeshurun. On that morning we could not yet realize how much we would come to love and depend on him. Over the years, he has enriched our lives in countless ways with his wise and loving guidance and friendship. We will miss him always. The Dreifus Family