Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

From LaChance Publishing: "We're gearing up for an eye-opening anthology called Women Reinvented. It will feature inspiring, first-person, TRUE stories of up to 2,400 words by women who have made new lives for themselves. Have you?" Paying opportunity (although pay rates are not disclosed in the announcement I've linked to, the publisher's Web site indicates payment to be "up to $150.")
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According to the Guide to Literary Agents blog, agent Diane Freed of FinePrint Literary Management "is looking for nonfiction projects in the categories of advice/relationships, spirituality, inspiration, health/fitness, memoir, narrative nonfiction, popular culture, lifestyle, women’s issues, the environment, and humor. Her fiction interests generally are commercial and literary fiction, including women’s commercial fiction."
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Entertainment Weekly (Los Angeles) "is offering a part-time editorial internship starting in mid-September. The position pays $10/hour and will last three months. In addition to office duties such as transcribing, interns will have the opportunity to write for the magazine and/or its website, EW.com."
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According to MediaBistro's job listings (you'll need a free subscription to access them), MediaBistro itself is looking for an "Essay to Memoir" instructor.
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"The Department of English at Pomona College seeks a distinguished writer of fiction for appointment to the Roy Edward Disney '51 Professorship in Creative Writing. Responsibility to teach creative writing and literature courses of one's own choosing; load negotiable. The Roy E. Disney Chair is a senior appointment; salary commensurate with rank and accomplishment."
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"The English Department of Willamette University invites applications for the tenure-track Hallie Brown Ford Chair in Writing. We seek a fiction writer of distinguished achievement who is dedicated to the teaching of writing and prepared to work with the department on developing the curriculum in creative writing. Substantial publication and an MFA or equivalent are required. The Ford Chair will customarily teach four courses per year and organize a series of readings and other events. Salary is competitive."
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"Penn State York invites applications for an Assistant Professor of English (tenure-track, 36 weeks)to begin August 2010 or as negotiated. Responsibilities: Teach creative writing (poetry preferred) and business writing (both intermediate and advanced). Administer undergraduate writing program and oversee writing tutoring. Secondary responsibilities may include one or more of the following: teaching introductory and advanced theatre arts, philosophy of literature/literature of philosophy, American literature after 1865, and/or introductory composition; and/or supervising student literary magazine."
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"Western Michigan University invites applications for a tenure-track academic year position in Creative Writing (Fiction), to begin December 14, 2009, at the rank of Assistant Professor, pending budgetary approval."
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New England Law (Mass.) is looking for a Publications Writer/Manager; Smith College (Mass.) seeks an Assistant Editor; and Rutgers (N.J.) is looking for an Editor/Writer.

Friday Find: ATA Translation Blog Trekker

Thanks to Brave New Words for pointing me to this list of translation- and interpreting-related blogs, compiled by the American Translators Association.

Have a wonderful week-end, everyone. See you back here on Monday.

After the Retreat: A Guest Post by Chloé Yelena Miller

AROHO Retreat: Digestion
Second of two guest posts by Chloé Yelena Miller

AROHO, pronounced as one word, is the acronym for A Room of Her Own.

Oneness was the unofficial theme of this year’s retreat. A group of 80 or so women gathered in the red desert to share ideas, challenge each other, and form one community.

I wanted to write this blog post at the weeklong retreat. In my creaky bed, I tried to summarize what was happening. But even at the airport returning home, I was overwhelmed.

So I asked AROHO friends on Facebook what their favorite moments were:

Barb Johnson, Gift of Freedom Award Winner and author of More of This World or Maybe Another, wrote, “Rita Dove. Transcendent readings. Wonderful conversations. Dancing. Discovering that hummingbirds chitter.”

Jennifer Mattson, NPR contributor and instructor, added, “Rita Dove, twice. Conversations with Barb Johson, hiking and the Georgia O'Keeffe tours.... and of course late nights with the roomie.”

“Two moments: The first evening, one of the women explained the perseids (she goes somewhere each year to see them), which was a first clue this would be an interesting, informed group. Also, Meredith [Hall]'s exercises for memoir writing” were oral historian Abbie Reese’s favorite memories.

Summer Wood, Gift of Freedom Award Winner and author of Arroyo, shared: “Ellen [McLaughlin]'s phenomenal monologue following Rita [Dove]'s lovely, generous reading. I thought I was going to explode out of my skin.”

I filled up a notebook. I wanted to remember Mary Rose Betton teaching us about reading our work aloud, starting with our natural voice (which can be found by simply saying, “uh huh”). I wanted to remember Rita Dove saying: “After a project, I promise myself to do something completely different. Something that scares me.” On writing for public radio said, Jennifer Mattson said: “Always mumble when you write. Read and write at the same time.” I keep thumbing through the notebook.

Many women arrived planning to write throughout the days. Since I work alone from home, I wanted to meet people and attend classes. I tried not to sit in my room, but rather talk with other writers who were up for conversation.

I mentioned in the previous post that I attended Smith College, an all-women’s school. Perhaps because I'd already experienced being part of a supportive, all-women’s network, I was particularly interested in finding honest critiques of my writing.

Luckily, author Laura Fraser’s workshop on creative nonfiction did just that. She was firm and clear. I’d read her book An Italian Affair before leaving. I knew she was successful in her freelance career. She was candid in class, shared tips with us and encouraged us to be precise. She noted the “one rule.” Every piece, paragraph, and even sentence should have one point. She recommended On Writing Well by William Zinsser, and as I reread the book on the plane, it reverberated with Laura's points and her writing. She helped the students in the class trust each other, ourselves and our writing enough to want it to be as good as possible.

There were moments the setting distracted me from the writing. It turns out that I am as afraid of coyotes’ howling as I am of sleeping in a room with an unlocked door that opens up to the outside. This retreat caught me a little off guard with how rural it was. This Jersey girl needs a tougher skin.

That said, I’ve never been anywhere where the stars shone as brightly as they did at night. I’d also never felt as safe and as challenged as I did there.

As soon as I got back home, I took a long, hot shower and then logged into Facebook to find my new friends. I trust that some of us will be sharing writing for years to come and prompting each other not only to write, but to write well.

Thank you to everyone who worked to organize this wonderful retreat.

The Wednesday Web Browser

Tips on what not to include in the message accompanying the submission of poetry you're sending to the editor of a new journal. Pay attention, people!
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The latest from the After Deadline blog: Watch out for these spelling traps.
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And a guilty indulgence: a review of Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead. Brideshead Revisited remains one of my all-time favorite novels (and television miniseries). But that bowdlerized film version, I boycotted!

What Are We Doing?

Late last week, Lisa Romeo posted a fantastic post that began with these lines: "When it seems as if I'm busy, busy but getting nowhere, I write a DOING List. Not a TO DO list, but a look-what-I'm-doing/accomplishing/what-I-have-in-the-works list. Sort of like a motivation-approbation-affirmation rolled into one."

Lisa then shared her latest "doing list," and it was (not surprisingly, if you follow Lisa and her work) quite impressive. I loved the thinking that inspired it, so over the weekend, I decided to try drawing up a doing list of my own. Here goes:

...finishing a book review for a favorite site...submitting an essay to another couple of journals (and thinking of more possibilities to try once the September submissions floodgates open)...preparing the September issue of The Practicing Writer, which will include an interview with author John Griswold...preparing another author interview for the Practicing Writing blog...reading a review copy that arrived last week...preparing more items for both my blogs...reminding myself of the September 15 deadline to submit a poem for a themed journal issue and challenging myself to just write the thing already...

My list actually doesn't make me feel as much approbation or affirmation as I think the project is intended to. Instead, it points out to me the paucity of "creative" work I am doing. At the same time, I have to remind myself that I do hold a full-time, 9-5 job. (If I had another 40 hours each week to focus on writing, I do believe that I'd get a lot more writing done!) And while the writing-related work that I am doing at the moment may not necessarily be advancing my own "corpus" all that much, I do take a great deal of satisfaction in advancing the work of others and engaging with the literary community through my newsletter and blogs.

The list does, however, motivate me: to do more. Right after I finished it, I stopped reminding myself of that September 15 deadline and just sat down to continue writing the damned thing. However the piece eventually turns out, I am just glad to be engaged in it.

What about you? What does your own "doing" list reveal? What's on it, and what does the act of writing it out tell you?

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

The Department of English at CUNY's Brooklyn College "invites applications for a tenure track position in the teaching of the craft of poetry, both in the Master of Fine Arts in Poetry program and in the undergraduate English program. The candidate should be conversant with late 20th and early 21st century poetry -- postmodern and post-colonial poetic communities and practices such as ethnopoetics, language-based poetry, performance poetry, e-poetry, gender- and culturally-based poetry -- as well as with the canon and prosody."
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From the Creative Nonfiction newsletter: "With our newfound success publishing blogs in our Best CNF collections...we've decided to expand our horizons and will now be accepting blog nominations for upcoming journal issues. Please note, blog nominations will be accepted only through our online submission manager and only during specific reading periods. We are currently accepting blog nominations until August 31, 2009. We're looking for: Vibrant new voices with interesting, true stories to tell. Narrative, narrative, narrative. Posts that can stand alone, 2000 words max, from 2009. For more information, or to nominate a blog, click here." Pays: "We will contact individual bloggers before publication and pay a flat fee for one-time reprint rights."
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Attention, poets & fiction writers from New Jersey: It's your turn to apply for the Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award from Poets & Writers, Inc. While the "all-expenses-paid visit" to New York City provided to the winners may not seem all that exceptional if you live in the Garden State, each awardee also receives a $500 honorarium, a public reading, and an optional one-month residency at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Wyoming. Plus, your journey to NYC won't be just any ordinary trip via the PATH or New Jersey Transit: this New York City visit will facilitate meetings with editors, agents, publishers, and other writers. Deadline is December 1, 2009. There's no entry fee.
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For a collection to be titled Permanent Vacation: Living and Working in Our National Parks, Bona Fide Books is looking for "literary essays about your experience working in our [U.S.] national parks, from Denali to the Everglades, Yellowstone to Yosemite. Some go seeking commune with nature; others to escape. Diverse park experiences are desired. Although we enjoy tree-hugging epiphanies, we also want to read about day-to-day life, and the societal implications of living in the park. What happened there, and how did it influence your life? Writers will receive $100 for their story and one copy of the collection." Deadline: January 5, 2010.
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New online lit journal: The Enchanted Conversation, still under construction but accepting submissions, is a place "where lovers of fairy tales can write and read and find community." Pays: $.04/word for articles, flat rate of $10 for poems, and varying rates for art. Accepted contributors must have Paypal accounts. (via Worldwide Freelance Writer)
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Ohio University is looking for a Senior Manager, Internal Communications; Washington & Jefferson College (Penn.) seeks a Communications Specialist/Writer; and Willamette University (Ore.) is looking for an Associate Director of Media Relations.
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Last but not least: I'm polishing the next issue of The Practicing Writer. Our September newsletter, replete with more opportunity news, will go out to subscribers next weekend. Don't miss it!

Friday Find: Book Publishing Glossary

I love a good glossary. And this one, from Nathan Bransford's blog, is an excellent one covering book publishing. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

The Practicing Writer's Quandary: Discussing Your Work in Progress

Thanks to my day job, which validates time spent scanning The Chronicle of Higher Education's Web site, I've become a fan of the posts at the group "Brainstorm" blog. And I'm a particular fan of Gina Barreca, a professor of English and feminist theory at the University of Connecticut. In addition to simply being very engaging and well-written, Barreca's posts often touch on aspects of writing and/or teaching writing.

Here are the opening paragraphs of a recent post titled "Should You Discuss Your Work in Progress?":

I recently learned a lesson about a serious need to shut up. I'm 52 years old and my whole life people who have my best interests at heart have told me not to have a big mouth when it comes to announcing my ambitions, wishes, projects, or loves.

I wish I had listened sooner, better, or at all. I wish, particularly, that I had NOT said anything to anybody about the fact that I am editing a collection titled Make Mine a Double: A Celebration of Women and Drink.

Especially if you keep reading that post, you, like me, might start to think about the wisdom of making your own projects known.

For me, the issue materialized not long after I read Barreca's post. On my next visit to Brian Klems's Questions and Quandaries blog, I found a post addressing the legality of writing sequels to famous books. Which caught my attention because about three years ago I began musing about a sequel of my own, to a very famous book, indeed.

That project hasn't gone anywhere (admittedly, my efforts have been far too feeble). But here's the point: As soon as I considered blogging about the Questions and Quandaries post, which I thought presented a worthwhile topic for Practicing Writing, I couldn't help thinking about the one from Barreca.

And I wondered just how much to share about my own possible sequel while blogging about the Klems post. Even if I might receive some excellent advice that could jumpstart the project, I just don't think I can - or should - go public with it.

I'm not talking about sharing the idea with just two or three trusted writer friends. Or even sharing a manuscript excerpt - should one ever be ready! - in a workshop or writing group, although that certainly does require a leap of faith. But I'll admit that I haven't always been comfortable mentioning my sequel idea to potential agents (even agents with sterling reputations) who wanted to know what they might eventually expect beyond my story collection. So you can imagine how I might agonize about sharing it more widely.

Like on a blog.

So, fellow practicing writers, what do you think? Does any of this resonate? And at what point in a project do you feel "ready" to tell a wide circle of others what you are working on?

The Wednesday Web Browser

Herewith, this Wednesday's choice Internet morsels:

Like Chloé Yelena Miller, Deonne Kahler attended the recent A Room of Her Own writers' retreat, and shares her enthusiasm for the week.
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Scott McLemee profiles Adam Robinson, who is a graduate student in the creative writing program at the University of Baltimore and the "publishing genius" behind Publishing Genius Press.
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Finally, please check my other blog for some recent Web items relating to the world of Jewish writing and literature.

From My Bookshelf: Vacation Reads

Well, I managed to read all four books I had with me on vacation. I won't mention one of them, because I really did not enjoy it, and I think it has already received more publicity than it merits, but the other three are well worth your attention:

--Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It is Maile Meloy's latest story collection. Sad, creepy, and oh-so-smoothly-crafted. The story "The Girlfriend" is still haunting me.

--Fearless Confessions: A Writer's Guide to Memoir. Stay tuned for an interview here on the blog with this book's super-smart author, Sue William Silverman.

--Unnamed novel. I think it's generally bad form to publicize the titles of books you have under review before the actual review appears. So you'll have to wait a little while to hear about this one. But you WILL hear about it (my editor is expecting the review on Saturday, which is going to be a bit of a challenge, but I'm up for it!). Sorry for the delay.

What have you all been reading lately?

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

From Robert Brewer/the WritersMarket.com newsletter: "CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS! You know those great informational articles in the front of Writer's Market and Poet's Market? Well, I'm currently accepting pitches for the 2011 editions until September 1, 2009. If you've got a great article idea (or ideas), send your pitch to [robert(dot)brewer(at)fwmedia(dot)com] with the subject line "2011 Writer's Market Query" for Writer's Market or "2011 Poet's Market Query" for Poet's Market. I do NOT want fiction or poetry. I want article ideas that will help writers get their fiction, poetry, and nonfiction published, sold, promoted, marketed, etc. If you're unsure, pick up a copy of Poet's Market or Writer's Market to read what gets published in the front of the book." (Note from Erika: In the past, I have understood these articles to be paying assignments, so I am assuming that while there is no specific mention of payment here, writers will indeed be compensated.)
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Attention, Canadian fiction writers! Biblioasis welcomes submissions for the fifth annual Metcalf-Rooke Award, which recognizes an unpublished manuscript of book-length short or novel-length fiction. There is no entry fee, and the prize includes a publishing contract, $1,500 (presumably in Canadian funds), and lots of publicity. Deadline: September 30, 2009. (via placesforwriters.com)
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Opportunity for those in the greater Boston metro area: "The Artist-in-Residence Program (AIR) at Fruitlands [Harvard, Mass.] seeks contemporary artists whose work compliments the collections and landscape. The resident artist participates in a season long study of the museum as reflected in their artwork. Any artist may apply, including those who work includes poetry, painting, fabric, pottery, sculpture, music & sound, new media and site specific installations. During the selection process, the artist's vision and its relationship to the institutional mission and the goals of this program are more important than the specific artistic medium." Pays: honorarium. Lots more info at the Web site. No application fee indicated. Deadline: November 15, 2009. (via Mira's List)
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Over on the Guide to Literary Agents blog, you can meet agent Elisabeth Weed, who tells Chuck Sambuchino that she "would love to do more literary fiction" (she'd also "love to find a great new voice in women's self-help").
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The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), based in Urbana, Ill., is accepting applications for a ReadWriteThink Online Publications/Content Specialist and for a Senior Director, Marketing and Membership Development.
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George Mason University (Va.) is looking for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Poetry.
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The University of Iowa seeks an Editor; St. John's University is looking for a Writer; and the University of Michigan is hiring a Student Affairs Program Manager (whose duties include managing the Visiting Writers Series and assisting the MFA director).
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Finally, if you missed the August issue of The Practicing Writer, an opportunity-filled resource for fictionists, poets, and writers of creative nonfiction, you'll find the issue reprinted at freelancewriting.com. If you're not yet a subscriber, be sure to sign up so you get the September issue as soon as it's available!

Friday Find: Post-MFA Fellowships

Here's a goodie from our archive: a compilation of fellowship and writer-in-residence positions of particular interest to new/recent MFA grads. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Follow-up on The Atlantic's Latest Fiction Issue

Just wanted to follow-up on my earlier mention of The Atlantic's latest fiction issue and point you to some of the work I most enjoyed and am still thinking about. You can access each piece here.

--"The Laugh," a story by Téa Obreht (see also the interview with Obreht)
--"Furlough," a story by Alexi Zentner (see also the interview with Zentner)
--"Eyes on the Prize," an essay by Alice Sebold adapted from The Best American Short Stories 2009.

Have you had a chance to read the issue yet? What impressed you? Please share, in comments (but do recall that I will be on the Internet only intermittently this week and therefore it may take some time for your moderated comment to appear).

The Wednesday Web Browser

I loved reading this account of how Erica Eisdorfer's novel, The Wet Nurse's Tale, reached publication. (Hint: The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
competition had something to do with it! Thanks to Susan Bauer for alerting me to this great success story.)
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New blog alert: On The MFA Chronicles, you can follow a group of writers through the first year of their graduate programs.
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And last week on Nathan Bransford's blog, Lauren Baratz-Logsted guest-posted on the topic of "the fine art of getting blurbs."

Subscriber Successes

Congratulations to newsletter subscribers Adrienne Ross and Carol Bowman on their recent successes.

Adrienne's essay, "Startling Epiphany," took third place among prose submissions in this year's Portia Steele Awards. And Carol's story, "Repairing a Broken Doll," appears in the latest Workers Write! anthology, Tales from the Couch.

As always, please remember that I LOVE hearing about successes that come your way via a discovery in our newsletter or on this blog. Please, please, share your good news, and let me brag about you!

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

This practicing writer is on vacation this week, but before leaving, I prepared a number of posts for you. Enjoy, and see you back here "live" next week!

Kent State University (Ohio) seeks an individual "to coordinate and assist in the planning, management and outreach of the Wick Poetry Center."
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Eastern Illinois University is looking for an Assistant Professor of English: "Tenure-track position in Creative Writing. We seek candidates with expertise in one or more of the following: playwriting and screenwriting, fiction, poetry, nonfiction. Publication in area of specialization and competence in teaching of creative writing at undergraduate and graduate levels required. Successful candidate will be able to contribute to our two-year MA program with concentrations in Creative Writing, Literary Studies, and Professional Writing and to our undergraduate major and General Education curricula. We seek excellent teachers with wide interests and creative promise. PhD by date of appointment."
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The University of Nottingham (UK) sseeks to fill two Lecturer posts within the Department of Writing and Creativity in the School of English Studies: "We would welcome interest from practising creative writers and from academics that also publish creative work and have an interest in teaching creative writing. Applications from any area or period of English studies and any creative literary genre (drama as well as fiction and poetry) are invited. Applications are also welcome from those with interests in other creative genres (such as life-writing and travel writing), or who work with popular or more technical forms of creative written expression."
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The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award confers a $10,000 prize to an American writer age 35 or younger for a novel or short story collection. There is no entry fee. Books must be written for adults and must have a publication date between January 2009 and December 2009. Submission must come from the publisher. Deadline: August 28, 2009.
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Submissions are invited for a Seal Press anthology to be titled Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation. Detailed call available at the Web site. Deadline: September 1, 2009. Reprints may be accepted. Pays: $50 plus two copies.
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Gemini Magazine's Flash Fiction Contest offers $100 and magazine publication to the winner (and publication for three writers who receive honorable mentions). Up to one thousand words, any style, any theme. No entry fee. Deadline: August 31, 2009. (via CRWROPPS)

Friday Find: Words of Love

Today is my nephew's third birthday. Like his older sister, little S. gives me endless joy, love...and ideas to think and write about.

As fortunate as he is, my nephew hasn't had the easiest start. Perhaps his greatest challenge is childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). If you're not familiar with this motor speech disorder, you're not alone: I hadn't heard of it before S. was diagnosed.

In the words of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, "Children with CAS have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for speech. The child knows what he or she wants to say, but his/her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words." (You can also learn a lot about CAS from the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association. And I'll refer you to this post on my sister's blog for additional personal insights.)

His language obstacles notwithstanding, my nephew is already an avid bibliophile (he's pictured here on a recent library visit--photo credit courtesy of his mom). Children with apraxia of speech commonly encounter difficulties in learning to read, spell, and write as well as in learning to speak. So his road to full immersion in the world of words that means so much to me is likely to be significantly slower than I'd like it to be. At the same time, however, in these three years he has brought such added richness and joy to my life, and to the lives of all his family members (and, I daresay, to his dedicated therapists, who seem to find him as sweet and beguiling as we do!), that, despite all my degrees and publications, I can't begin to describe in words myself.

Happy Birthday to my precious nephew, with my love always.

Reflections on the Current Creative Writing Consulting Controversy

When I drafted yesterday's post mentioning Abramson Leslie Consulting, the new firm offering services for prospective graduate students in creative writing, I had no idea about the storm that was brewing in the blogosphere around it. As I suggested in the post, there's been controversy concerning similar ventures for prospective undergraduates. But I have to admit that the speed and intensity of the opposition to Abramson Leslie has surprised me. So I've been reading the objections as I've discovered them (for just a sampling, see the comment threads here and here). And I've been trying to formulate my own response, wondering why I did not react to the discovery of the new enterprise with the same vehement dismay so many others have.

My first reflection: Maybe I'm simply jaded. After all, I attended a high school where it was common for students to "train" locally with a private SAT "coach." I worked with one. Would I have attained Harvard admission and National Merit Scholarship eligibility "on my own," without the structure of my tutor's assignments and the time I spent reviewing sample tests with her? Possibly. Was I too intimidated/crazed by the insane level of competition within the top stratum of my high school class to risk a bad test performance? Yes. Does the fact that I also had the transcript (four years of challenging coursework and high grades), recommendations, mini-essays and personal statement, and everything else that was required to confirm the test results and affirm the appropriateness of both the Harvard admission letter and the ultimate National Merit Scholarship award I received mean anything? I think so. But some might have doubts.

Then I thought: Maybe I'm simply less focused on the portfolio review portion of the services. That, after all, seems to be the aspect driving much of the online upset. Maybe my experiences are leading me to consider instead the broader array of services the new firm says it's offering, like helping prospective applicants draw up lists of potential schools. Maybe I'm thinking of all the time I've spent responding to strangers' e-queries concerning low-residency MFA applications/admissions. Brief exchanges I've sustained gratis, but if people really wanted my personalized response to their questions and my extended attention, I did charge for the service back when I was freelancing and adjuncting full-time. I can envision doing so again if appropriate.

And that is at least in part because it is established professional practice to do so. I do not see a difference, for example, between the consulting services for MFA applicants that are offered by respected organizations like Grub Street or the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop and those from Abramson Leslie. Except, of course, for the fact that Seth Abramson (whom I do not know personally although we are both contributors to the second edition of Tom Kealey's Creative Writing MFA Handbook) sure seems to have made a lot of enemies. And the curious situation that no one seems to be complaining as strenously about other organizations' apparently higher fees.

Then, when I read protests about the products of consultations presenting inflated impressions of applicants' inherent abilities, I recalled that my own MFA application submission was workshopped multiple times (and, horrors, even reviewed by a paid Grub Street consultant). Not, it's true, because I wanted to polish it for the MFA application, but because I was seeking to perfect that first novel chapter for an agent/publication. So how representative of an applicant's (my) inherent ability was that writing sample? How representative is any sample that's been critiqued (and hopefully, improved) thanks to the paid work of trained, professional others?

There's another point the anti-Abramson Leslie voices are making that I keep thinking about. It goes something like this: Abramson Leslie is "unethical" and "disgusting" (to cite two adjectives I've seen) because it's not only morally wrong to give people who can and are willing to pay the fees a presumed advantage in this process. The endeavor will also lead to a sort of corruption of the (presumably, heretofore unadulterated) arena of artistic talent that is a graduate writing workshop and program, not merely because candidates will henceforth be admitted on the basis of work that isn't really representative of their abilities, but also due to the tragic consequence that their peers will have to suffer through reading utterly abysmal original work when they could have enjoyed the gorgeous prose or poetry of someone more innately gifted—who didn't (or couldn't) pay for an application portfolio review.

Well, I hate to break this news, but in my experience, at least, the system just isn't that pure. There is plenty of abysmal work being circulated in graduate writing workshops. And, again, for quite some time now, people have paid good money for other consultants, conferences, and workshops to improve their work (whether with the express intent of using the advice for graduate writing program applications or not).

I think, too, that those who are arguing against the portfolio review may not see it the way that I do. Based on my reading of the Abramsom Leslie Web site, for instance, I understand the consultants to be individuals who, as workshop teachers and other editorial consultants have done before them and will continue to do whether or not the new venture succeeds, will offer critiques and suggestions, not rewrites. If the client can't apply the suggestions or think through questions the critiques raise, s/he actually isn't going to be able to improve his or her work very much. And if s/he can, in fact, apply sound suggestions and engage with the critiques, maybe s/he is even more of an ideal candidate than one might have thought before the consultation began.

Finally, and with a bit of faith in the process, I am hypothesizing that someone who is truly unable to write poetry or prose at a level appropriate for graduate school may similarly lack a solid undergraduate transcript. Or strong recommendations. Or a satisfactory critical essay/GRE scores/statement(s) about herself or the books that have meant the most to her. I expect that someone applying to a graduate program in creative writing will present multiple qualifications in the application package. I am hoping that would-be graduate students in creative writing don't waste the time they spend assembling these packages. Because if the writing sample truly were the only thing that mattered, there'd be no need for full applications in the first place.

But I hear the critics. Some of them I know, from other online discussions, at least. I respect them. I am still thinking about what they have to say. What say you?

The Wednesday Web Browser: On Writers Past, Present, and Future

This week's New Yorker includes a fascinating article on the famed Little House series and its authorship. The article appears to be available only to subscribers or in print, but if you're free at 3 p.m. (ET) today, writer Judith Thurman will be answering questions in a live chat. As of yesterday, the site was accepting questions for Thurman ahead of time.
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We might be forgiven for being a little envious of this guy.
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You've probably heard about consultants who help students apply to college (which can be a controversial topic, as the response to a recent NYT article recently proved). Now, there's Abramson Leslie Consulting, offering "services for applicants to graduate creative writing programs," provided by recent graduates of the Iowa Writers' Workshop (services are currently limited to applicants in fiction and poetry).

Guest Post: Chloé Yelena Miller on Preparing for a Writing Retreat

Please extend a warm welcome to our guest blogger, Chloé Yelena Miller, whom you may remember from a previous post. Today, Chloé shares some thoughts as she approaches a writing retreat. She'll be back with another post once she has returned home. Chloé has poems published or forthcoming in Alimentum Journal, Lumina, Privatephotoreview.com, South Mountain Poets Chapbook, Sink Review and The Cortland Review. Her manuscript, Permission to Stay, was a finalist for the Philip Levine Prize in Poetry. She teaches writing online for Fairleigh Dickinson University and edits Portal Del Sol. She received an M.F.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a B.A. from Smith College.

A Women’s Writing Retreat: One Woman’s Treat and Necessity
Chloé Yelena Miller

I have never seen a desert, and I am obsessed with Georgia O’Keeffe. The Writers’ Retreat, hosted by A Room of her Own, adds writing to the mix of a desert landscape and O’Keeffe’s home. What could be better?

I have been in love with O’Keeffe’s work since I first saw an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as a child. The landscape that helped to form her art was so different from my own setting: urban New Jersey. I remember sitting cross-legged on the carpet in my parents’ living room looking through her oversized book One Hundred Flowers. This upcoming retreat feels like a homecoming as visual art brings me to a writing space.

A black and white portrait of Georgia O’Keeffe has been pinned over my desk since high school. It has traveled with me from New Jersey to Massachusetts to Italy to New York and finally to Michigan. This year’s retreat’s theme is “My Country is the Whole World” (Virginia Woolf.) Perfect.

We all need more time and space to write. While I am working part time and have been dedicating much of my time to my writing this last year, being surrounded by other writers and attending classes (far from laundry, bills to pay, and other time-
consuming tasks) can only spur my writing, editing of past work, and contemplation of ideas. I truly can’t wait. (On the other hand, there is a pile of procrastination that must get done before I can leave.)

I enjoy the company of forward-thinking, creative women. There are always potential risks to gathering folks around one aspect of themselves, but since we will have two - writing and our gender - in common, we shouldn’t have any problems. I imagine this will be similar to my experience at Smith College. I chose Smith College not because it was an all-women’s school, but because of the type of motivated students it attracted. There is indeed something special about being surrounded by women.

I look forward to attending classes, writing and hopefully talking at length to the other writers. I will be in a workshop led by Laura Fraser, whose book An Italian Affair I recently gobbled up in three evenings. From the memoir, I think she is a woman after my own heart. I have been doing some freelance writing and hope to improve my hand at not only being honest, but including facts in my writing (a puddle-jump from my poetry.) I promise you the same in a blog post when I return.

I hope to return rejuvenated and with a long list of books to read, craft challenges, ideas for future pieces and if I’m lucky, the start to a few new pieces.

Aside from small festivals and short workshops, I haven’t returned to the humble state of student for some time. As a writing teacher, I know how important this is. I was a poetry writing graduate student at Sarah Lawrence College and attended the Western Michigan State University’s program in Prague (where I met our lovely, creative and energized Erika) and was a resident at the Vermont Studio Center. I learned something new in each program.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, as perhaps it might keep me honest), I will be finishing teaching an online course during the retreat. I hope I will have some time every day to log into the class and grade papers as they come in. I’m a wee bit nervous about combining the two activities and doing both well simultaneously. I will also admit that while I can’t wait to see the desert, I am not someone who loves the heat. I will report back about how hot “dry heat” really is.

Writing students must expect as much from the program itself as from the other students. We all have a lot to do to prepare. I’ve been reading works by the authors who will be there, listening to interviews online, and tweaking my own writing for workshops. I’m ready.

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

The weekend move went spendidly, and I am now ensconced in a wonderful new home. Thanks to all of you who wrote in, privately or here on the blog, with your good wishes. But given the press of events, I hope you'll excuse me for not offering a typical Monday morning post.

Instead, I'll point you to a resource I learned about from the divine Deonne Kahler: Mira's List. I can't believe I didn't know about this amazing repository of grant, fellowship, residency, and other information.

Also, the Fund for Women Artists (now known as WomenArts) has just released its latest newsletters for theatre and film/video artists. Many of the opportunities described therein are open to everyone (including writers outside film/theatre/video, and artists who are not women!), so check those out as well.