The Wednesday Web Browser

Honestly, sometimes these lists of imminent book releases overwhelm me. I already have a huge list of titles tbr. Now I have to add more! See what the latest batch of "Most Anticipated Summer Reading 2010 and Beyond", courtesy of The Millions, adds for you!
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Win a free spot in Linda Formichelli's Write for Magazines e-course.
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In case you missed the announcement late last week, W.S. Merwin is the new U.S. Poet Laureate.
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A columnist for The New York Times's Opinionator blog describes how she puts her columns together--and where she finds her ideas.
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My latest batch of Jewish literary links collects snippets by or about Michael Chabon, Allison Amend, Gary Shteyngart, Shalom Auslander, and Allegra Goodman.

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

Our July newsletter is just about ready to go. As usual, it's packed with info on no-fee competitions and submission alerts. Plus, this month we feature an interview with poet and professor Kimiko Hahn, who has a new book, Toxic Flora, out from Norton. Not yet a subscriber? It's never too late to join us! (The newsletter is free, and we do not share our subscribers' e-mail addresses.)
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In case you missed the announcement last week, you can now download (for free) our guides to paying markets for essayists and book reviewers. Enjoy!
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The SEVEN-CIFA Essay Competition asks writers "to submit a first-person narrative describing enterprise solutions to poverty that are faith-based, faith-inspired, or interfaith efforts. Illustrations may come from any domain, including healthcare, education, consumer products, human rights, and others; examples must represent innovative private solutions to public problems." The competition will award two prizes of US $5,000 each." No entry fee indicated. Deadline: October 15, 2010.
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From Bucknell University (Pa.): Tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of English (Creative Writing), entry-level (no more than four years of full-time post-doctoral teaching experience at the time of appointment), beginning August 2011. Minimum Requirements: MFA or Ph.D. and teaching experience required. Preferred Qualifications: Record of publication in fiction strongly preferred.
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From the University of North Carolina-Pembroke: Assistant Professor of English/Interim Editor of Pembroke Magazine, a "full-time two-year interim position, beginning August 2010. Teach classes in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and other creative writing courses--3/2 teaching load--and also edit a well-established magazine with a distinguished history whose previous editors have been award-winning authors. Applicant should have an MFA or equivalent from a recognized program, teaching experience, publication in reputable literary magazines, and, preferably, experience editing a creative writing magazine. Rank and salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.
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College of the Canyons (Calif.) seeks a Public Information Writer/Photographer, DePaul University (Ill.) is looking for a Senior Writer, and St. John's University (N.Y.) seeks a Writer.

Friday Find: Free Guides to Paying Markets

As some of you may remember, in my former (freelancing) life, I offered a slew of writing-related e-books for sale. As the years passed--and as I transitioned into a full-time staff job--I didn't have sufficient time to update each e-book as frequently as I wanted. Other reasons prompted me to bid farewell to those guides: The guides to paying fiction and poetry markets, for instance, seemed less relevant once Duotrope became such an established and vital (and free) site. So, over time, I retired several of the guides, making each of them available at no charge for a period of time before sending them to the great virtual beyond.

Ultimately, I was maintaining (and updating, twice each year) two guides. One provides a directory of paying markets for book reviewers, and the other one lists dozens of paying markets for essayists. The most recent updates for both guides were completed last December.

The time is coming to say good-bye to updating--and selling--these two guides, too. But before they disappear from view (which will happen on August 1, 2010), I want to give you all the opportunity to access them (free of charge). They're still available on the site that has handled the sales from the start: I warn you that you may need to jump through some hoops to access them (you may need a free account on that site, for instance). If you have any trouble, please contact the help staff at the site. I simply have no ability to fix any technical problems you may encounter there.

But let's be optimistic! Let's hope that you can access whichever book you want (or both, if that's the case), and that the markets I've researched and updated over the years bring you--and your writing practice--much success!

Friday Find: YOUR Reading Recommendations

As part of our Short Story Month Collection Giveaway Project, many of you were kind enough to share, in the main giveaway post's comments, the titles of collections you've loved and/or are looking forward to reading. Now, following the sage example of the folks at the Fiction Writers Review site, I've decided to compile those recommendations so that we can all appreciate them one more time, in one lovely list. I hope I haven't missed anyone or make any mistakes (please correct me if I have).

Thanks again. You practicing writers are awesome! What a resource this list is (especially for anyone seeking summer reading suggestions).

Kathi Appelt, Kissing Tennessee
Poe Ballantine, Things I Like About America (Erika's note: I'm not entirely certain this is a book of fiction, but I've enjoyed Ballantine's work in The Sun, so, we'll keep it!)
Kevin Barry, There Are Little Kingdoms
Charles Baxter, Through the Safety Net
Jorge Luis Borges, Fictions
T.C. Boyle, Wild Child and Other Stories
Kevin Brockmeier, Things That Fall from the Sky
Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
Raymond Carver, Cathedral
Julio Cortazar, All Fires the Fire
Phillip F. Deaver, Silent Retreats
Charles D'Ambrosio, The Point
Edwidge Danticat, Krik? Krak!
Anthony Doerr, The Shell Collector
Howard Goldowsky (ed.), Masters of Technique: The Mongoose Anthology of Chess Fiction
Richard Ford, A Multitude of Sins
Richard Ford, Rock Springs
Ben Fountain, Brief Encounters with Che Guevara
Petina Gappah, An Elegy for Easterly: Stories
Lisa Glatt, The Apple's Bruise
Allegra Goodman, The Family Markowitz
R.W. Gray, Crisp
Amy Hempel, Collected Stories
Jhumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth
Kelly Link, Stranger Things Happen
Lydia Millet, Love in Infant Monkeys
Alice Munro, ("Anything")
Joyce Carol Oates, Faithless: Tales of Transgression
Flannery O'Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge
Mary Otis, Yes, Yes, Cherries!
ZZ Packer, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Lydia Peelle, Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing
Benjamin Percy, Refresh, Refresh
Laura Pritchett, Hell's Bottom, Colorado
Annie Proulx, Fine Just the Way It Is
Eric Puchner, Music Through the Floor
J.D. Salinger, Nine Stories
George Saunders, Pastoralia
Lore Segal, Shakespeare's Kitchen
Sam Shepard, Day Out of Days
Lara Vapnyar, Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love
Patricia Volk, All It Takes
Hannah Tinti, Animal Crackers
Wells Tower, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
David Foster Wallace, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Eudora Welty, The Golden Apples

We Have Two Winners!

Congratulations to commenters #24 (John Vanderslice) and #2 (Cara Holman), who, with some help from Random.org, have triumphed and emerged as winners of our short story collection giveaway project offerings. John and Cara, please e-mail me and let me know which book you prefer (first e-mailer gets first choice). Please include your mailing address--I will order the books and have them shipped to you asap.

Thanks to everyone for participating!

Friday Find: Free Books (Short Story Month Collection Giveaway Project)

I know, you're all getting tired of my yammering on about the Collection Giveaway Project. Especially if you're kind enough to be following me on Twitter.

But we are entering the Project's LAST WEEKEND. This is your LAST CHANCE to win one of the two collections I'm offering (Susan Perabo's Who I Was Supposed to Be or Margot Singer's The Pale of Settlement) and/or any of the books that have been promised by other participating bloggers (you'll find them all listed and linked at the end of this post).

Good luck to everyone who has entered to win a book so far...and for all of the procrastinators out there, you don't have much longer to join in!

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

The Wednesday Web Browser

Happy 50th Birthday to To Kill A Mockingbird.
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Philip Graham writes about French memoirist Jacques Lusseyran and the power of the spoken voice.
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Linda Formichelli offers 7 tips for freelancing at Starbucks (and similar locations).
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Creating Van Gogh reaches its 100th post (and gives us a nice shout-out--thanks!). Especially if you're interested in historical fiction, Creating Van Gogh is a blog to follow.
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You still have a few days to win free short story collections! Check out the list of the Collection Giveaway Project's participating bloggers at the end of this post.

Friday Find: Free Books!

Just a reminder that in the spirit of Short Story Month, Fiction Writers Review is coordinating a multi-blogger "Collection Giveaway Project." If you're a blogger and want to participate (by running a short story collection giveaway yourself), there's still plenty of time to do so, and you can read the details here.

There's also still plenty of time to win one of the books others (including me) are offering as their giveaway prizes, including (so far) collections by Robin Black, Skip Horack, Joshua Furst, Susan Perabo, and Margot Singer.

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

Friday Find: Author Radio Interview Tips

I've only been interviewed on the radio once--so far--so I was interested to see these author radio interview tips on The Book Publicity Blog.

Have a great weekend, all. (And if you haven't yet signed up to win one of the short story collections I'm offering to buy and send you, please do so! If you want to host a giveaway of your own as part of a Short Story Month celebration, even better!) See you back here on Monday.

The Wednesday Web Browser

On the Barrelhouse blog, Dan Brady argues that the Poetry Foundation's move away from blogging (see last week's Web Browser) is a bad move.
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When agent Julie Barer talks, I listen. So should you.
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Don't forget about the short story collection giveaway project!
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When I catch my breath, I'm looking forward to reading Nathan Englander's short story in the current New Yorker. Englander's Q&A with Cressida Leyshon piqued my interest, too.
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Note the new category label for "blogging." So overdue. Someday, maybe (after I've caught my breath and read the aforementioned story), I'll go back through archived posts and relabel them. (Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen, though!)

Short Story Month 2010: The Collection Giveaway Project

UPDATE, 5/31: Congratulations to commenters #24 (John Vanderslice) and #2 (Cara Holman), who, with some help from Random.org, have triumphed and emerged as winners of our short story collection giveaway project offerings. John and Cara, please e-mail me and let me know which book you prefer (first e-mailer gets first choice). Please include your mailing address--I will order the books and have them shipped to you asap. And thanks to everyone for participating!

Remember last month, when I stumbled on the National Poetry Month Poetry Book Giveaway? Well, all of the wonderful energy and ideas behind that project made me think that a similar enterprise should be undertaken for May, which has lately become something of an unofficial Short Story Month (as Poets & Writers recently noted, crediting organizations such as the Emerging Writers Network for the development).

Because I have such huge respect for the work of Anne Stameshkin and the entire team over at Fiction Writers Review (FWR), I contacted Anne to see if FWR might want to take on the considerable work involved with hosting a multi-blog "Short Story Collection Giveaway" this month. Fortunately, Anne agreed, and FWR is the hub for the project, and that's where you'll be able to check the full list of participating bloggers (improve your chances for winning by entering multiple giveaways, and get to know some bloggers who love short story collections in the process!).

Now, following the rules that FWR has come up with, I am happy to recommend to you two story collections. On May 31, I'll announce the names of two winners selected at random from the comments section for this post. And then I'll purchase two books and mail one to each lucky winner.

To participate in Practicing Writing's portion of Short Story Month 2010: The Giveaway Project, I'm asking you to add a comment here, telling us about (or at least the name of) a collection you love or one you're looking forward to reading. Comments that don't mention a specific collection will not be eligible for the giveaway. Comments should be submitted no later than noon (U.S. Eastern) on Monday, May 31 (Memorial Day here in the U.S.), and I'll have the winners' names posted before midnight.

And now (drum roll, please)...I am delighted to announce the two story collections that this practicing writer will be purchasing and sending to two lucky winners:

First, we have Who I Was Supposed to Be (published in 1999 by Simon & Schuster), written by Susan Perabo. One of the bright lights that sustained me through my MFA program was my friendship with Susan Perabo, a gifted teacher (her "large group" workshops and craft seminars were among my very favorites) and equally gifted writer. I read Susan's debut collection, Who I Was Supposed to Be, very soon after meeting the author at my first residency in May 2001. And then I reread it, bought it for friends' birthdays, etc. I even mentioned it right here on the blog three years ago. And now I'll buy a copy for one of you.

Meantime, in preparing this post, I discovered a terrific interview with Susan that I hope you'll all take a few moments to listen to. If you're very time-pressed, skip ahead and read through some of the praise that the book received from The Los Angeles Times and The Baltimore Sun. Who I Was Supposed to Be was named a "Book of the Year" by the Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, and The St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Moving on to the second book I'll be delighted to purchase and send to a lucky winner, allow me to present The Pale of Settlement (published in 2007 by the University of Georgia Press), written by Margot Singer. This is another book I have mentioned here before. (I've also written about it for Kenyon Review Online.) Winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, the Reform Judaism Prize for Jewish Fiction, and the Shenandoah/Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers, The Pale of Settlement is also another book that I've been unable to stop recommending to others.

But don't just take my word for it. Read excerpts from one of the stories on the National Endowment for the Arts website. Check out interviews with Margot Singer in The Southeast Review Online, Reform Judaism magazine, and the old Nextbook (now Tablet) site. And listen to Alan Cheuse discuss the collection for NPR.

Want to win one of these books? Remember, to be eligible, you need to submit a comment to this post, telling us about (or at least the name of) a short story collection you love or one you're looking forward to reading. Comments that don’t mention a specific collection will not be eligible for the giveaway. If your comment doesn't link to your personal site, please leave your e-mail address for me to use if I need to contact you about your prize. I look forward to reading all of your recommendations, and I thank you for participating in any way you are able: commenting, joining the giveaway project as a participating blogger, or even simply spreading the word.

Poetry Book Giveaway Results

Update on our National Poetry Month Poetry Book Giveaway: 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!

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.

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!)

News About Some Published Practicing Writers

I love drafting posts with the express purpose of congratulating practicing writers on their publication successes. Today, we're celebrating Lori Ann Bloomfield and Alison Ashley Formento.

Lori's novel, The Last River Child, was recently published by Second Story Press. Lori was kind enough to send me an e-mail with this note: "Way back in July 2008 you posted that Second Story...was looking for fiction manuscripts. I had just finished writing my first novel, so sent it off to them. Well, they bought the manuscript! It came out in Canada last fall and is being released in the US this month. I've been wanting to share my happy story with you for a while and to thank you for your part in my success story. Please encourage your readers to keep writing and to keep submitting!" Lori, I think you've just encouraged them! (By the way, Lori is also the power behind a "First Line" blog, which provides fiction writers with some inspiration. And for those of you on Goodreads, Lori is hosting a book giveaway there this month. Now I may have to join yet another social networking site!)

Alison Formento's children's picture book, This Tree Counts!, was published earlier this month by Albert Whitman & Company. Alison and illustrator Sarah Snow have done an outstanding job with this book. How do I know this? Alison apparently reads Practicing Writing attentively enough to know that I have a young niece and nephew, and she very graciously offered to send a copy to share with them. Some of you may know that my niece is developing into a very picky reader (you can't begin to know how much this bothers me), but both she and her little brother were fully caught up in Alison's story when Grandma read it to them for the first time the other day. I can't come up with a better "review" than that.

I thank both Alison and Lori for sharing the news of their successes so generously with me. Let's give them a big round of virtual applause, shall we?

J Journal Giveaway

Remember when I told you about J Journal: New Writing on Justice? If you don't remember, click back to that post. I'll wait.

So, the editors of this quality print journal have added me to its editorial advisory board. And they've nominated my story, "For Services Rendered," for a Pushcart Prize. I am honored and grateful.

But enough about me! The purpose of this post is to let you know that J Journal will be giving away three copies of its fall 2009 issue. What do you need to do to become eligible for this giveaway? Simple--become a fan of J Journal on Facebook. The three winners will be selected randomly from the fan base as of February 15, 2010 (which also happens to be the deadline for submissions for the spring 2010 issue).

P.S. Selections from the fall 2009 issue may be read online. Visit J Journal's main site and click "current issue."

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities

First things first: Find out who won our market e-book giveaways here!
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Sage Cohen has announced a scholarship (worth $250) for one of her Poetry for the People online classes. The courses (Level 1 and Level 2) begin in mid-January, and scholarship applications will be welcomed through Monday, December 28. There's no application fee. (By the way, Sage has recently signed her second book deal with Writer's Digest Books: We can look forward to The Productive Writer: Success Strategies for Writing More and Selling More, to be released in 2010. Congratulations, Sage! I, for one, am already looking forward to that book!)
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Attention, Canadian poets! The Arc Poetry Magazine Poet in Residence opportunity is open to Canadian citizens "with a strong background in the practice of contemporary poetry." This "virtual residency" will run from October 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. The Poet in Residence provides mentoring and feedback to "poets whose work shows promise." The selected poet will also produce a commissioned work for publication in Arc and will travel to help promote the launch of the issue containing his/her work. Pays: "The contract fee for the poet in residence will be $9,000 [Canadian dollars], which will be paid on a monthly basis. Standard writer's fee rates will apply" for the work that appears in the magazine. Deadline: January 31, 2010 (received). There is no application fee.
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From the Poets & Writers contest blog: "The M Restaurant Group, China-based sponsor of the Shanghai International Literary Festival, is offering two three-month residencies in China and India to writers of any nationality working in English. One residency, in the bustling city of Shanghai, will take place before March 2011, and the India residency—located, by contrast, in a somewhat isolated area near the southern town of Pondicherry—will occur between November 2010 and February 2011. Each residents will receive one thousand dollars in addition to airfare, lodging, and meals (or, in the case of the Shanghai resident, a stipend to cover meals). Poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers are all eligible." Deadline: January 15, 2010 (received). No application fee indicated.
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For those practicing writers residing in my former state of Massachusetts: 2010 Artist Fellowships in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction will be awarded in sums of $7,500/fellowship and $500/finalist. Applications will be accepted through January 25, 2010. There is no application fee indicated.
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From MomBloggersClub.com: "If you would like to share blogging tips or your perspective on mom blogging, here's your chance to do it. We're looking for blogging how-to articles, opinion pieces, and essays about mom blogging to be featured in the weekly member newsletter and published here on the Mom Bloggers Club. Word count: 400-800 words." Pays: "$25 per article that will be paid via PayPal one month after publication." Will consider "exceptional" reprints.
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From the University of Central Oklahoma: Seeking "Writer in residence, novelist and/or short story writer; play/screenwriting experience desirable. Teach two classes per semester, including advanced novel or short story writing and introductory creative writing classes; serve on M.F.A. and M.A. thesis committees in creative writing; participate in co-curricular activities in support of the creative writing program."
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Bowling Green State University (Ohio) seeks a Writer/Communication Specialist, the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) seeks a Senior Staff Assistant with significant writing responsibilities, and Hendrix College (Ark.) is looking for an Associate Director of the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language.

Friday Find: Free Market Guides!

[UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you all for the comments. I'm always interested in what you've been up to and what your future goals may be. I really appreciate the participation here.

Our two winners (per the random number generator) are #2 (Rob) and #9 (Joan Bailey). Rob and Joan, please e-mail me to claim your prize. Please indicate which e-book you would like to receive, and the e-mail address where you'd prefer to receive it. Congratulations!]

So, in case you missed Monday's announcement, I've just completed the latest updates for both of our market directories. One provides information on publications that pay essayists, and the other concentrates on paying venues for book reviewers.

I update these guides twice each year (admittedly, not the most exciting work in the world) to check links, make sure each publication is still in business AND is indicating its guidelines AND pay rates online, and, when we're lucky, add new finds. You can see what each guide is all about, and peruse sample listings, by clicking here.

Now, here's the fun part. Since this evening marks the conclusion of Chanukah, I'm going to offer a giveaway. Actually, I'll offer two giveaways. I'm feeling generous.


Our two lucky winners will each be able to select a free copy of the e-book of his/her choice. To enter, please leave a comment on this post telling us about a) the publication you're proudest to have added to your credits in 2009 OR b) a publication you're hoping to crack in 2010. Please be sure to leave your name AND check back at the blog on Monday morning (12/22) when the winners--who will be selected randomly--will be revealed. Please note that any winner who does not contact me by Tuesday midnight (U.S. Eastern time) will forfeit the prize.

Sound clear? Oh, and one more thing--this blog's comments are moderated, so don't worry if your comment doesn't appear right away.

Thanks for playing, and good luck!

The Wednesday Web Browser

Live from Bowdoin College: "Matt O’Donnell, Camille T. Dungy, and Jeffrey Thomson, co-editors of From the Fishouse: An Anthology of Poems that Sing, Rhyme, Resound, Syncopate, Alliterate, and Just Plain Sound Great, along with fellow poets Adrian Blevins, Emily Warn, and Bowdoin Writer-in-Residence Anthony Walton, will read poems to celebrate this new collection." Follow the Webcast here, tonight at 7:30 p.m. (U.S. Eastern).
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Lisa Romeo interviews Grace Bauer, Guest Editor of Prairie Schooner's new Baby Boomer issue. (Bonus: journal subscription giveaway!)
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BJ Epstein has announced that she'll be blogging a bit less frequently for the next few weeks, but for a very good reason: She is in the process of moving "in order to take up a post as a lecturer in literature and translation" in an English university. Congrats, BJ!
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And just for fun: Fernham reveals what it's like to have the Clintons dining at the next table.

The Wednesday Web Browser

Our friend John Griswold ("Oronte Churm") reviews Isherwood on Writing, finding that "the main interest for me is listening to [Christopher] Isherwood deliver what amounts to a long craft talk."
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For a different sort of craft lesson, check out the regular "Poetry Workshop" feature on Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides blog.
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To reveal or not to reveal--that is, so often, the memoirist's question. Especially when writing about family (including children). And this week, it's a question up for debate on the NYTimes.com "Room for Debate" blog (and, with a slightly different slant, on the same site's Motherlode blog, too).
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More opportunities to take a Renegade Writer e-course: "Magazine Writing Basics" and "Get Unstuck! for Freelancers" will award free basic admission through no-fee competitions. Details here. Deadline: Spetember 7.