Friday Find: 92nd Street Y Virtual Poetry Center

Let me tell you, it's tough enough for us New Yorkers to manage to attend even a fraction of the literary events in NYC. And we live here! Obviously, it's much harder when you live elsewhere.

That's why all of us should be grateful to this Virtual Poetry Center from the 92nd Street Y:

"In a renewed effort to share with a wider contemporary audience some of the great literary moments which the Poetry Center has presented across the decades, this page (to be regularly updated) features archival recordings by some of the best writers of our time."

Caution: Some programs are available only in excerpted form. Still, the chance to watch/hear from Chinua Achebe, David Grossman, Cynthia Ozick, Frank McCourt, and so many other literary luminaries (poets and prose writers) is a sheer gift.

Have a great weekend, all. See you back here on Monday!

(cross-referenced as the "featured resource" in the May issue of The Practicing Writer, which will go out to subscribers today.)

Thursday's Pre-Publication Post: Thank You, Deborah Eisenberg

If you've been following my pre-publication posts, you already know that the material in my forthcoming story collection, Quiet Americans, has a great deal to do with my grandparents' identities and experiences as Jews who escaped Nazi Germany in the late 1930s. And while only three of the seven stories in the book were written during the time I was an MFA student, suffice to say that more than just a few of the pieces in my thesis were similarly inspired.

This didn't seem to worry two of my three thesis readers. But the third did express a reservation: "Too much grandparents and too much Holocaust."

My faith in Henry James notwithstanding (recall the Jamesian dictum to allow the writer his/her donnée and criticize only what is made of it), that reader's comment lingered (obviously!), and its impact wasn't fully assuaged even when other, equally wise authority figures told me otherwise. During the past several days, however, the old warning has finally lost some of its sting. And for that, I am grateful to author Deborah Eisenberg.

Eisenberg, who has earned a mention here on the blog before, has a volume of collected stories out now. The release has prompted a profile on Tablet magazine, which begins as follows:

“I believe that people are what happened to their grandparents,” Deborah Eisenberg says.... “I’m not sure I can articulate this,” she continues, “but I’m in the generation that was brought up close enough to the war, the Holocaust, the camps, and yet was protected, to a degree that is amazing to think about now, in a world of synthetic safety. And I would say there was a current of anxiety that any child would have picked up on, probably continuing for several generations, underneath the very, very, very tense kind of perfect world in which I grew up.”

Thank you, Deborah Eisenberg, for somehow--in a way I'm not sure I can articulate--validating my book, and the path that brought me to it.

The Wednesday Web Browser

Recommended reading: Allegra Goodman's excellent short story in this week's New Yorker and the accompanying Book Bench Q&A. (I'm wondering if other readers will find the story as sad as I do. I know that part of my emotional reaction is some kind of nostalgia wave for Cambridge, Mass., where the story is set, but still....)
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Scott McLemee interviews Weber Studies editor Michael Wutz on how the journal is "doing more with less."
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What are your favorite "sexy" literary selections? Gina Barreca wants to know.
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21 Things for Authors to Tweet About On Twitter (speaking of, you can find me at @erikadreifus).
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I hated rankings back when I was in high school and our GPAs seemed to determine our futures, and rankings of any kind still make me squeamish. But you should probably take a look at this "tiered" list of literary journals. Just be sure to pay attention to all of the qualifying comments/caveats.
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Don't forget! You have until 12:01 a.m. (U.S. Eastern) on Sunday, May 2, to sign up for our poetry book giveaway.

Quotation of the Week: Various Journal/Magazine Editors

"I'm sorry."

Such was the response of pretty much every editor who addressed an audience member's question/complaint about slow submission response times during the panel on "The State of the Essay in the Publishing Marketplace" at Welcome Table Press' inaugural symposium, "In Praise of the Essay: Practice & Form," which took place here in NYC last Saturday. (Whew! That is one long sentence I just wrote!)

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

Tin House has announced the theme for its Spring 2011 issue: The Mysterious. (What's a bit mysterious to me is the fact that a deadline of September 30 is listed; since Tin House is not open to unsolicited submissions between May 31 and September 1, I'm inferring that you can submit work for this issue EITHER before May 31 OR during September.) "We realize that it is spookily far in advance, but we wanted to get a jump on reading stories, poems, and essays about the unknown and the unknowable, from quantum physics to what lies in the depths of the soul, from unexplainable phenomenon to interpersonal mysteries." Note also that "our summer and winter issues are not themed, and Tin House considers submissions for all upcoming issues regardless of theme." See the guidelines for more info.
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New Young Translators' Prize: "In honour of Harvill Secker’s centenary in 2010, celebrating 100 years of publishing quality international writing, Harvill Secker and Waterstone’s have teamed up to recognise the achievements of young translators at the start of their careers. This is an annual prize, which will focus on a different language each year. To tie in with Argentina’s role as guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the inaugural prize will centre on Argentinian writer Matías Néspolo’s short story ‘El hachazo’." The prize is open to translators between the ages of 16 and 34. There will be a £1,000 prize, and there is no entry fee. Deadline: July 31, 2010. (via Publishers Weekly)
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Anthology to be titled Appalachian Folklore: Dark Tales of Superstition and Old Wives' Tales seeks stories up to 2,500 words. Deadline: September 1, 2010. Pays: $.03/word plus one copy. Check the guidelines to learn more (via Duotrope)
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A few paid internship listings: Yakima Herald-Republic (Wash.), the Chronicle of Higher Education (D.C.), and the Center for Ecoliteracy (telecommuting and Berkeley, Calif.).
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Oklahoma State University is looking for a Visiting Professor in Poetry. "One year appointment or two one-semester appointments, rank open, beginning August 2010. MFA or Ph.D. in Creative Writing with significant poetry publications and teaching experience required. Teaching 2 workshops per semester. Salary competitive."
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F+W Media seeks a "results-driven manager to serve as Managing Editor for F+W Media's Writer's Digest brand, responsible for managing the editorial staff, allocating resources across projects as needed, and ensuring all book-related products (whether print or online based) get done on time at an acceptable quality level. Work with designers, production dept., and marketing staff as quality control from contract signing to the printer. Make sure that the finished products are what the company intended."
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Duke University Libraries (N.C.) is looking for a Director of Communications, Suffolk University (Mass.) seeks a Senior Writer/Editor, and the University of Notre Dame (Ind.) is looking for both a Senior Writer/Editor and a Web Content Editor.
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Coming soon! The next issue of our monthly newsletter, The Practicing Writer. Should go out by week's end. Don't miss it!

Friday Find: 10 Questions to Ask an Agent Before You Sign

As Guide to Literary Agents blog contributor Felice Prager astutely notes, "Authors are often so excited about finding representation that they sign an agreement without knowing if the agent is an ideal match. In addition to agreement-specific issues regarding money and terms, there are other questions you should ask before you sign anything." Here are Prager's 10 such questions. I sure wish that I'd seen them before I signed with my first agent, a perfectly nice person but, as it turned out, "not quite right" for me.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend. See you back here on Monday!

Thursday's Pre-Publication Post: Meet My Grandparents (and the Rabbi Who Married Them)

As I've mentioned before, the animating spirits behind my forthcoming story collection, Quiet Americans, are my paternal grandparents, Jews who left Germany in the late 1930s. What seems to surprise some people is that rather than having immigrated to the United States together, my grandparents met and married here in New York. This photograph was taken at their wedding in January 1941. The bridal couple is toward the right side of the photo: Grandma is wearing a corsage and Grandpa is touching her shoulders.

I'm not sure when I started to imagine some of the emotions of that wedding day. Given the engagements and weddings I've seen in my lifetime, and given our own family's closeness, it was, and remains, very hard for me to envision a wedding where not only are no parents of the bridal couple present, but none have even met or spoken with their child's spouse.

But that was my grandparents' situation. My grandmother had left her parents behind in Germany; they were eventually able to immigrate to South America and join her brother there. My grandfather's biological parents were both long dead by the time my grandfather reached adulthood, and the woman he called mother was trapped in Europe (soon after this photo was taken, however, she did manage to get to New York, where she moved in with the newlyweds).

Not all of this has made its way into the book (some of it, frankly, seems more apparent in my abandoned novel). But now that you are sharing this pre-publication journey with me, I wanted to introduce you a little more fully to two of the "real" people behind Quiet Americans.

P.S. On the far left side of the photo you will see Rabbi Herbert Parzen, who officiated at the wedding (he also performed my parents' wedding ceremony 25 years later). Rabbi Parzen was himself married to one of my grandmother's American-born cousins--Sylvia--who was instrumental in helping to arrange my grandmother's immigration. Part of "Uncle Herbert"'s rabbinic life was dedicated to serving as a chaplain for Jewish prisoners in New York. Which may be why this call for Judaica items from Jewish Prisoner Services International, which I discovered via the Association of Jewish Libraries just last week, has resonated with me. My family and I will be checking our own collections to see what we can donate. Perhaps some of you can, too.

The Wednesday Web Browser

Historical fictionists: Take note of John Vanderslice's thoughts on "knowingly parting from fact," prompted by his attendance at an AWP panel in Denver.
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A mini-craft lecture on writing with empathy, courtesy of Tayari Jones.
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I'm not doing a very good job keeping up with all of the Poem-A-Day prompts on Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides blog, but I did catch (and love) this one. Time to get back to a certain poem-in-progress!

Quotation of the Week: Saul Bellow

There is much to appreciate in the wonderful collection of Saul Bellow's letters to other writers that the New Yorker has published this week. (You'll need a subscription to access the correspondence online.)

The letters contain a great deal of deep, seriously-considered material. But I couldn't help focusing on one relatively short missive to Philip Roth, dated December 26, 1957.

Roth had evidently sent Bellow an early story, "Expect the Vandals." With a little online digging, I discovered that the story was published in Esquire about a year later, in December 1958. A quick recheck of Roth's literary biography confirms that at the time, he had yet to publish a book (his first, Goodbye, Columbus, was released in 1959).

Which makes Bellow's closing comments to a virtual stranger ("Dear Philip Roth") all the more meaningful:

"Look, try Henry Volkening at 522 Fifth Ave. My agent. A very good one, too. Best of luck. And forgive my having the mss. so long. I should have read it at once. But I don't live right."

Anyone know if Roth followed the recommendation?

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

Creative Nonfiction is seeking essay submissions for a new book project, Immortality, to be published by Southern Methodist University Press. They're looking for new essays "from a variety of perspectives on recent scientific developments and the likelihood, merits and ramifications of biological immortality. We're looking for essays by writers, physicians, scientists, philosophers, clergy - anyone with an imagination, a vision of the future, and a dream (or fear) of living forever." Submissions must be postmarked by August 6, 2010. The journal "typically" pays $10/printed page.
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Fiction or literary nonfiction writers from North or South Carolina: The Novello Literary Award "gives Carolina writers an opportunity to have their work published and distributed nationally. The winning author receives a book contract with [Novello Festival Press], which includes publication of the work and a $1,000 advance against royalties. The winner will be announced in Fall 2010, and the work chosen will be published in Fall 2011. The award is underwritten by the Cold Mountain Foundation, which was founded by award-winning and best-selling author Charles Frazier and his wife, Katherine." Deadline is May 1. There is no entry fee.
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"Creative writers whose work in any genre reflects a keen awareness of the natural world and an appreciation for both scientific and literary ways of knowing are invited to apply for a weeklong writing residency at Mount St. Helens. The Mount St. Helens Field Residencies will take place July 18-24, 2010, with a base camp near Randle, WA, and will be held in conjunction with the 2010 Mount St. Helens Science Pulse, a gathering of ecologists and research scientists who are engaged in field work on Mount St. Helens. Residency writers will be able to join ecologists on field trips to various locations on Mount St. Helens, interact informally with scientists, and to focus on writing projects that embody creative responses to the volcano and its varied landscapes and the role of volcanic landscapes in the imagination and culture of the Northwest." Deadline: May 1, 2010 (received). There is no application fee; there IS a $1,000 honorarium.
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The University of Wisconsin-Madison seeks a Teacher and Program Coordinator, Continuing Education in Writing. A master's degree and relevant experience required. "Candidates should have published and taught genre fiction and show evidence of competencies in most of the following: teaching writing skills, coaching and critiquing writers, program planning and evaluation, staff and ad hoc teaching supervision, excellent interpersonal skills, conference speaking, classroom management, teaching via distance as well as face-to-face, grant writing, personal computer and educational technology skills, budget management, and experience with non-traditional delivery systems."
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The Macondo Foundation (San Antonio, Texas), founded by Sandra Cisneros, is looking for an Executive Administrator: "The Macondo Foundation is conducting a national search for an Executive Administrator. Responsibilities include: fundraising, organizational business administration, event planning and public communications."
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Grinnell College (Iowa) is looking for an Editorial Director, Smith College (Mass.) seeks a Director of Campaign Communications, and Claremont Graduate University (Calif.) invites applications for an Assistant Director of Media and Online Relations.

Friday Find: Guide to Pronouncing Writers' Names

I loved this post by Fiction Writers Review Editor-in-Chief Anne Stameshkin, linking to a most useful resource: a guide to pronouncing writers' names. No longer must you wonder how to say "Michael Chabon" or "J.M. Coetzee"--or be (even unwittingly) embarrassed by your mispronunciations.

I've blogged before about the misspellings my name seems to inspire in print/online, but you might be surprised by the mispronunciations. Usually, it's just my surname that causes problems: "DRAY-fus" or "DREE-fus" instead of "DRY-fus." More astonishing, to me at least, is that sometimes a not-so-mellifluous "Eh-REEK-ah" precedes some version of the last name. Um, no. (I'll just add that when a "DRAY-FOOS" [variable syllabic stress] comes from the vocal chords of a French-speaker, it's never held against that person! When appropriate--and when I was doing dissertation research in Paris it was quite often appropriate--I've relied on such pronunciation myself.)

But my focus on the pronunciation of my own name means that I sometimes stumble over others'. I remember the first time I mentioned the name of New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman in front of a writer who actually knows her. "It's TREEZ-man," he said, icily.

While we're on the subject of names, you may enjoy this post from my other blog, on author Allegra Goodman's English and Hebrew bylines (and my own--sort of).

Have a great weekend, everyone. See you back here on Monday.

Thursday's Pre-Publication Post: Consolidation Time

The Practicing Writer Web site is now approaching its sixth birthday. So much in my writing life has changed since it was launched in the summer of 2004. I've moved to a new city; shifted from freelancing and teaching to a full-time (albeit writing-and-editing-intensive) office job; added poetry-writing to my personal practice; established the Practicing Writing and My Machberet blogs; started a Twitter feed; expanded the subscriber list for The Practicing Writer newsletter from 400 to more than 3,200 readers; and, oh yes, finally found a home for my short story collection, Quiet Americans.

I don't believe that the original site has kept up with the times. I've often thought that if I were re-starting my online presence, I'd do it through a blog-based platform (Wordpress seems to be a common choice). And I've often wished for a single, easily-edited and super-flexible space in which I could base myself, my writing (of all kinds), and my services for writers. Consolidation seems most appealing!

I've also thought that it's probably time for me to add some kind of direct merchandising/sales capacity to my site; those of you who haven't been completely satisfied by Lulu's handling of the e-book sales will probably agree.

Now that Quiet Americans is on its way, it seems to be the perfect time to take a good, solid look at what my primary Web presence should be--and work to create it. So I've been reaching out to designers for ideas about their processes, products, and prices. I'm learning a lot, but I'd love to glean the benefits of YOUR experiences and insights.

Which author sites do you particularly admire? Why? Based on your own experiences as an author (or as a reader), what advice can you offer me as I pursue this? What do you wish someone had told you before you (or your designer) built (or rebuilt) YOUR main site? And are there any designers out there whom you'd recommend?

I am really looking forward to your comments. I say it often, but it can't be overemphasized: I am tech-challenged! I will appreciate all the help that you can offer!

The Wednesday Web Browser

Zachary Watterson's excellent interview with Charles Johnson focuses on literary mentors and friends. (And don't miss the link to Johnson's take on writing workshops at the end.)
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Want some tips on how to write a good profile? Check out this advice from Linda Formichelli.
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I was happy to see that Creating Van Gogh (a.k.a. John Vanderslice) took me up on the recommendation to read Kathryn Stockett's The Help, and even more pleased to read his own thoughtful response to the book. Another recent post reminded and convinced me to get my hands on William Styron's posthumously-published The Suicide Run.
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Gina Barreca and Steve Almond may have written two entirely different pieces about the recent Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Denver, but I found one interesting convergence in their posts. (Do you see what I see?)
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I really liked Robert Lee Brewer's Monday poetry prompt: "Pick a city, make that the title of your poem, and write a poem." And then I realized/remembered why I might appreciate this particular prompt.

Quotation(s) of the Week: Courtesy of Crazyhorse

Received via e-mail yesterday from Crazyhorse journal. Check out the quotations mentioned within, and consider others to send to Crazyhorse!

Crazyhorse Quick-Quote Contest
Do you have a favorite quote about writing, the creative process, or the writing life? E-mail it to Crazyhorse to enter it into the Crazyhorse Quick-Quote Contest.

20 winners receive a free subscription to Crazyhorse.
Winning quotes will featured within the perpetual quote-display box at www.crazyhorsejournal.org and e-mailed to all.

E-mail in quotes by writers, for writers – anything to do with writing. For example:

"That's all we have, finally, the words, and they had better be the right ones."
--Raymond Carver

"The blood jet is poetry and there is no stopping it."
--Sylvia Plath

"From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached."
--Franz Kafka

"Why do writers write? Because it isn't there."
--Thomas Berger

"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat."
--Edgar Allan Poe

E-mail your entry to crazyhorse(at)cofc(dot)edu
subject line: Quote

Enter by midnight, April 17, 2010.

Quotes should be no more than 190 characters (30 words or less).

20 winners receive a free subscription to Crazyhorse.

Winning quotes featured within the perpetual quote-display box at www.crazyhorsejournal.org and e-mailed to all.

One quote per contestant.

Quotes judged by the Crazyhorse Editorial Intern team: we’ll also compile as many entries as we can and e-mail them back for everyone to read.

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

If I were a science fiction writer, this Science In My Fiction Contest would definitely be for me. "Here's how it works: Authors write a science fiction or fantasy short story which is inspired by a scientific discovery or innovation made or announced within the past year. It can't be peripherally added: the science must be integral to the story. Writers must include a link to a relevant article or study of the applied science when they submit their stories." There appears to be no entry fee, and there are cash prizes. Deadline is June 30, 2010. Good luck! (via PayingWriterJobs)
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Posted on AbsoluteWrite.com: "Beginning with the June issue, the First Coast Register will begin adding short fiction to its mix of features, and we're looking for submissions of 1,000 words or less from First Coast writers, or stories related to the First Coast (Greater Jacksonville, the Beaches and St. Augustine, Fla.) written by writers familiar with the area." Pays: $100/story, on publication.
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Use your words to win a free essay-writing class! Submit your entry (no fee) by April 14. (Wish you'd found out about this sooner? I told my Tweeps last Wednesday!)
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McNeese State University's (La.) Department of English and Foreign Languages and the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing seek an Assistant/Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, Fiction....The [selected individual] will conduct and coordinate the graduate fiction workshop and teach form and theory of fiction, graduate genre-based literature courses, and some undergraduate courses which may include composition and literature survey courses. Additional responsibilities include directing M.F.A. theses and serving on graduate thesis committees, assisting in the coordination of visiting writers, advising and recruiting graduate students, editing The McNeese Review (which is transitioning from a scholarly to a literary journal), continuing creative activity, serving on department and university committees, and contributing to program development and assessment. Standard teaching load is 4 classes in the fall and 4 in the spring though release time can be expected for editing The McNeese Review.
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Rowan University (N.J.) is looking for a Full-Time/Temporary Instructor/Assistant Professor of Creative Writing. "Expertise and 2 years college-level teaching experience in one or more of the following areas: fiction, creative nonfiction, children's stories, or introductory creative writing....M.A./M.F.A. required. Candidates should be actively writing and publishing their work, preferably in more than one genre. Special consideration will be given to candidates with teaching experience on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, teaching the novel or memoir, or editing the literary journal."
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The University of Massachusetts-Lowell seeks a part-time Web Content Writer, the Brown University Sports Foundation (R.I.) is looking for a Communications and Marketing Manager, and the Academic Success Center at the University of Dubuque (Iowa) seeks a full-time Writing Tutor.

Poetry Book Giveaway for National Poetry Month 2010

UPDATE, MAY 2: Congratulations to #14 and #25 (Kelly Luce and newzoopoet), who won the Random.org lottery! Please e-mail me with your mailing addresses and your title preference--whoever writes to me first will get "dibs." Congrats to the giveaway winners, and thank you all for playing along!

MANY thanks to Practicing Writer "Jublke" whose comment on a previous post prompted me to mosey on over to Kelli Russell Agodon's blog, where I learned more about a Poetry Book Giveaway project for National Poetry Month 2010.

Briefly, Kelli is encouraging the reading and sharing of poetry by building a community of bloggers willing to give away two books of poetry to readers who comment on their blogs. One book can be the blogger's own, and one must be by another poet. (Thankfully, I'm writing this post just in time: Kelli is only taking new blogger names and posts until midnight tonight [April 10], so if you're interested in participating as a blogger-who-will-give-books-away, hurry on over to Kelli's blog for instructions.)

Now, let's get down to business: I don't have a book of poetry to my credit (yet!), so the two books I'll be giving away are:

Here, Bullet, the important, multiple award-winning book by Brian Turner which I finally had the opportunity to read earlier this year. To learn more about this collection, described by its publisher as "a harrowing, beautiful first-person account of the Iraq War by a soldier-poet," click here.

and then, there's

Poetry magazine's April 2010 issue. Now, I know that this isn't technically a book of poetry, but it is a sort of mini-anthology (in this particular case, complete with Q&As with the published poets), and anthologies are allowed. I just subscribed to Poetry for the first time this year, and I'm hoping that sharing this issue will encourage others to subscribe as well (if not to Poetry, then to another journal that publishes poems).

And, honestly, it may be only because Here, Bullet is my latest purchase that I'm able to give that one away. I'm simply too attached to all the other poetry books--it may be significant that I own considerably fewer books of poetry than of prose, and many the poetry books I received as gifts or bought at readings--to give any of them away.

So, if you're interested in receiving either Here, Bullet or the April issue of Poetry, please simply leave a comment here. I'll be selecting the winners (with the help of the ever-handy random number generator) on May 2, so leave a comment by 12:01 a.m. (U.S. Eastern) that day. Books will be mailed (anywhere in the world!), at my expense, after that.

One final note: Do check Kelli's blog for a list of other participating bloggers--you may want to make some other blog visits and comment elsewhere, too.

Good luck to all!

P.S. Please remember to check back to see if you've won. Any prizes that aren't claimed by Wednesday, May 5, will be forfeited. (I'll be traveling the weekend of April 30-May 2, so if I don't get to post until the end of the day on May 2, don't worry! I will post!)

Friday Find: Hitting It Out of the Park--An Interview with Kim Wright

(A version of this interview also appears in the April 2010 issue of The Practicing Writer.)

HITTING IT OUT OF THE PARK: An Interview with Kim Wright

By Erika Dreifus

About seven years ago, when I was completing a low-residency program in creative writing, Kim Wright was brought in to talk to the graduating students about freelancing. Her talk that day helped fuel and organize my own post-graduate freelancing efforts, for which I have remained very grateful.

So when I saw that this veteran freelancer had become a debut novelist, I was intrigued. I asked Kim if she'd be willing to be interviewed. Happily, she agreed!

Kim Wright lives in Charlotte, N.C. She has been a nonfiction writer for 25 years, and Love in Mid Air (Grand Central Publishing, 2010) is her first novel. She is an adjunct faculty member of the low-residency M.F.A. program in creative writing at Queens University of Charlotte, and her hobbies are travel, wine collecting, and ballroom dance.

Please welcome Kim Wright!

ERIKA DREIFUS (ED): Kim, although you are a "debut" novelist, you are a veteran freelancer. When did fiction-writing become a part of your writing practice, and how did you begin to pursue it?

KIM WRIGHT (KW): Yes, I worked 25 years as a freelance nonfiction writer, but I always played around a little with fiction on the side. "Played around" may be the wrong term since I desperately wanted to write a novel. It's just that fiction is so tough to publish - relative to nonfiction, at least - that it always seemed like a bit of a pipedream.

I started Love in Mid Air about eight years ago and worked on it hard for two years. Then I put it down for two years and that break turned out to be really important in the life of the novel. Because when I picked it back up I was able to read it more objectively, almost as if someone else had written it. I slashed whole scenes, did a major revamp of the structure, cut out characters...all things that would have been hard to do earlier.

And through this whole process I continued to work on the craft elements of fiction by going to conferences, studying with people like [Queens MFA director] Fred Leebron, and creating my circle of "writing buddies" who are now my first readers and most trusted counsel. There are really three women scattered across the country who are my lifeblood in this process and I can't imagine having gone through this without them. A month I spent at MacDowell Colony was also pivotal, both to building my confidence and connecting me to some fellow writers whom I respect. My single biggest piece of advice for aspiring writers - especially novelists who work on things for so long at a time - is to assemble a support group. Open the door and walk out. You have to know people and I don't just mean people who can introduce you to their agents, although God knows that helps. I mean people who can help you survive the actual writing.

ED: Love in Mid-Air features a late thirtysomething protagonist, Elyse Bearden, who lives in Charlotte. As the novel opens, Elyse is on a flight and becomes acquainted with a fellow passenger (Gerry). The rest of the novel follows from this encounter. I'm curious about the sequence in which you wrote the book. Did you actually begin writing with the airplane and airport scenes? How challenging was it to integrate the several significant flashbacks (I'm thinking especially of scenes involving Elyse and her longtime best friend, Kelly) with the forward-moving narrative?

KW: In the beginning, the book covered a three- year time span. It started with Elyse separating from her husband and moving out with her child. She met the lover Gerry about mid-point in the book. I realized I needed more tension...plot and structure have always been the toughest elements of craft for me and, I suspect, other writers who come out of a literary background. So I tightened the time frame to nine months and had Elyse meet her lover before she leaves her husband.

This created two new problems. Some people might consider a woman who has an affair while married inherently unlikeable. Oh well, I can't help that. But the other problem was just as you say, that the tight time frame and faster pace made inserting the flashbacks trickier. I worked some of the flashback info into real-time conversations between Elyse and Kelly and tried to insert the other flashbacks into points where people tend to ruminate in real life, i.e., when Elyse is taking her walks, in the shower, or driving a car. Isn't that when we all start to think about the past?

ED: At some point in my reading, I began to discern connections between Love in Mid Air and Madame Bovary. Both books present us with a female protagonist, unhappy in her marriage, who is a mother to one child (a daughter). Both protagonists are married to health professionals (Charles Bovary is a quasi-medical doctor, and Elyse Bearden's husband is a dentist). Both Dr. Bovary and Dr. Bearden are loving fathers and basically decent men, if perhaps unfortunate matches for their wives. And, for their respective eras, both books include some pretty steamy material. Then, late in your novel, Madame Bovary actually becomes part of a discussion among Elyse and her friends. With all of that said: Did you deliberately give Elyse Bearden the same initials as Emma Bovary? To what extent were you conscious of previous literature dealing with infidelity and/or divorce and how did those works inspire (or limit) you in the writing process?

KW: I don't think anyone else has noticed the EB connection between Elyse Bearden and Emma Bovary so go to the head of the class!!! (Editor's Note: My undergraduate and graduate teachers in French history and literature will be pleased to hear this!) Yes, I was very conscious of Madame Bovary while writing the book and a lot of the connections you've commented on were deliberate. When the women read Madame Bovary for their book club I have Elyse say that she thinks Emma would have gotten away with it if she'd only had a cell phone. I've always liked that line because it's the sort of thought that triggered my desire to pay homage to Flaubert's book in the first place. Would a modern-day Emma Bovary not only survive, but thrive?

ED: Where were you when you found out about the starred review Love in Mid Air received from Publishers Weekly? (A starred review that begins, I may add, with the words "Wright hits it out of the park in her debut....") What was it like to receive that review? What happened after that in terms of plans to promote and publicize the novel?

KW: I sold the book in December of 2007 and Grand Central said they'd bring it out in March 2010. It seemed like I was going to have to wait forever. Then 2008 and 2009 were pretty bad years for me, not just because of the long countdown to publication but because of all sorts of things that happened in my personal life. I was in a major funk.

So on Monday, January 4, the first working day of the new year, I get up, get my coffee and stumble into my computer and there it is waiting in my in-box, a starred review from Publishers Weekly. I literally screamed. And to make it even better, I had said to a friend at a Christmas party, "All I really want is for somebody somewhere to tell me that I knocked it out of the park, but no one ever says that in publishing. Publishing is about always feeling that you're getting closer but you're never there. They just never pay you those kinds of full out, no holds barred compliments." And then there it was in the review, a first line saying the very words "hits it out of the park." It changed my life. Everyone started paying more attention. And I have the feeling 2010 is going to be a bloody great year for me.

ED: Is there anything else you'd like us to know, Kim?

KW: That I am the most accessible person in the world. I'd love to speak to book clubs, either virtually or in person, I'm always available for interviews online or in any other format, and I love to speak to groups. (Editor's note: Anyone who would like to arrange an interview, signing, book club meeting, etc., should contact Kim's publicist, Elly.Weisenberg[at]hbgusa[dot]com.) And also that I'm working on both a second and a third book. One is a sequel to Love in Mid Air, told from the point of view of Kelly and advancing the story ten years when the women are almost fifty. The other is about the world of ballroom dance. Kind of Love in Mid Air Meets Dancing With the Stars.

ED: Sounds great! Congratulations and thank you, Kim!

To learn more about Kim Wright and her novel, please visit the Love in Mid Air Web site and/or join the novel's Facebook fan page.

Thursday's Pre-Publication Post: Permissions, Continued

So, last week I told you about my initial foray into the world of permissions. I'm glad to tell you that there's already an update to share.

Briefly: I have, indeed, heard back from the Big Publishing House I mentioned last Thursday. They e-mailed me with a request for further information. And here's what they asked for:

--the page number in the book where the excerpt appears
--anticipated number of book copies to be published
--whether the book is a trade volume, a textbook, or a scholarly work
--estimated price of the book
--the book's market (U.S., Canada, worldwide)
--whether the book will be published in hardcover or paperback (or both)
--scheduled date of publication
--daytime phone number
--desired term of license

After some consultation with my publisher, I sent off an e-mail with the replies. Now it's back to waiting. I really hope the Big Publishing House comes back with something generous (or at least, reasonable). Think good thoughts for me, please!

The Wednesday Web Browser

Dzanc Books has announced which authors will be included in Best of the Web 2010 when it is published in June.
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Poet and professor Kimiko Hahn on inspiration, cultural identity, and the language of science. (Stay tuned for an interview with Kimiko Hahn in The Practicing Writer within the next few months, focusing on her new poetry collection, Toxic Flora.)
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Cate Marvin on poetry, motherhood, and the James Merrill House residency.
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This is another year when, alas, I will not be attending the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference, which gets fully underway tomorrow. But thanks to Twitter, I'll be following what attendees have to say about it using hashtag #awp10.

Quotation of the Week: Steve Almond

People, Twitter is seriously great for discovering nifty, blogworthy quotations. Take this discovery via @The_Rumpus, who found it via @CherylStrayed

"If asking contributors to write for free then collecting 50K is good karma, what’s bad karma?"
--Steve Almond

Source: An e-mail exchange published in The Coachella Review.

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

Among the many tidbits tucked into the April issue of The Practicing Writer (which went out to subscribers last week): the Stowe Prize, a new $10,000 award to "recognize a United States author whose written work makes a tangible impact on a social justice issue critical to contemporary society"; the Writers' Dojo Residencies at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology; submission alerts for a slew of publications, including Glimmer Train, Subtropics, and a new "novella digest"; and so much more.
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From Sage Cohen: "Would you love to take the Poetry for the People Level 1 or Level 2class starting in early May but can’t afford it? Then you qualify for The Poetry for the People Scholarship. And the time to apply is now!" Application deadline: April 15. No application fee. There will be one scholarship awarded per online class, and I can tell you from my own student experience that Sage is an excellent teacher.
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"Barrelhouse board member and all-around DC art scene hero Philippa Hughes is looking for writers to write short blog posts about the DC art scene for The Pink Line Project website, specifically the Art Chat section. The purpose of Art Chat is to provide the emerging collector and art enthusiasts with information about the DC art scene, to inspire them to participate in the community of people who are culturally curious, to provide accessibility to an otherwise intimidating and seemingly unwelcoming world." Pays: $50 for minimum 300 words. Check link above for details.
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"A Cup of Comfort® is a bestselling book series featuring uplifting true stories about the experiences and relationships that inspire and enrich our lives. These personal essays are written by people from all walks of life and provide unique personal insights into powerful universal truths. Now, Cup of Comfort has once again joined hands with REDBOOK magazine to sponsor a true story contest! Enter the Cup of Comfort/REDBOOK Your Love Story Contest for a chance to win $1,000, have your story excerpted in REDBOOK magazine, and publish your story in A Cup of Comfort for Couples!" No entry fee. Deadline: April 20, 2010.
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From MediaBistro.com's job announcements (free access, but you need to register to see the full posting): "mb LEARN is looking for a dynamic, spirited instructor to teach our Novel Writing class in New York starting in mid-April. This class meets for 12 weeks and will take students through the process of writing a novel, focusing on the market and publishing process as well as the craft of writing. Throughout the class, students will turn in pages for critique by the teacher and fellow students, producing up to 100 pages of a draft by the end of the class. Ideal candidate will be a recently published novelist or editor who works with novels. Classes run several times throughout the year, so there is an opportunity for continuous teaching."
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"The Penn State Altoona English Program is taking applications for a one-semester teaching residency in fiction writing. The residence, designed to offer an emerging writer substantial time to write, offers a $5,000 stipend and an additional $5,000 allowance to cover room and board in return for teaching one sophomore-level creative fiction writing workshop during the Fall 2010 semester (August 23-December 16). The resident writer will also give two readings and work informally with our English majors. Benefits are not included. We are looking for a writer with publications in literary magazines. Emphasis will be placed on the quality of the work submitted. A Master's degree in Creative Writing or English is required. Teaching experience is preferred. The application should consist of a writing sample (one short story or ten pages from a novel); a CV, including publishing history; and one or more letters of recommendation. Send to: Emerging Writer Residency, Dr. Thomas Liszka, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Job # 31665, Penn State Altoona, 3000 Ivyside Park, Altoona, PA 16601-3760. Review of applications will begin May 17, 2010, and continue until the position is filled. For additional information about Penn State Altoona, please visit our web page at http://www.aa.psu.edu."
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Johnson C. Smith University (N.C.) is looking for an Editor (Web Content), the University of South Florida seeks a Webmaster, and the New York Public Library is looking for a Deputy Director for its Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

Friday Find: National Poetry Month Programs and Resources

Established in the U.S. by the Academy of American Poets 14 years ago, National Poetry Month is now celebrated each April. Check out this page for details on this year's programs, events, and resources. Have a great weekend, and see you back here on Monday.

Thursday's Pre-Publication Post: Permissions

My story collection, Quiet Americans, begins with two quotations (epigraphs) leading into the larger work. I've always wondered if I'd need permission to use them, but until recently, I didn't have a particularly urgent reason to find out.

Well, now that my book is slated for publication, a reason has arrived! The press that will be publishing my book is too small to have a full-fledged legal department of its own, so my first impulse was to send an e-mail message to a group of lawyer friends. But I soon decided that I should just keep digging on my own. Directly.

Both of the quotations are quite short. One is taken from a translated novel; the other, from a translated Nobel lecture.

A few days ago, I contacted the U.S. publisher of the translated novel (a publishing company which is big enough not only to have its permissions/rights department referenced on its site, but which also requires several weeks to process these requests). So, I wait.

For the Nobel lecture, I simply e-mailed the specified contact in Sweden and explained that I was writing to find out what I needed to do in order to include the line from the lecture as an epigraph for my collection. The response was swift and sweet: "You do not need our formal permission to make quotations."

Wonderful! Let's hope that the other response arrives soon and proves to be equally uncomplicated.

I'd love to hear from other practicing writers with permissions tales to tell. Or perhaps some tips or resources to share?