The Wednesday Web Browser

Congratulations to our friend John Griswold on all of the accolades he and his novel, A Democracy of Ghosts, have been accruing. Find out more about the author and his book by revisiting our September 2009 interview.
==========
Sometimes, it really doesn't take a whole lot to make me happy. Seeing online appreciations in recent days for two admired authors--Patrick Modiano, whose work I discovered my junior year in college, and Ludwig Lewisohn, whose 1928 novel The Island Within I've written about before--has really helped lift my spirits this week.
==========
It's that time of year again: The New York Writers Coalition (NYWC) is holding its annual Write-a-Thon on Saturday, June 12, in NYC. This year, the fundraising effort to benefit the NYWC's free writing programs for the formerly homeless, at-risk youth, seniors, and others, will offer a complementary (and complimentary) online component for people who wish to participate from afar. (I've participated in and written about the Write-a-Thon in the past.)

Practicing Philanthropy: How Writers Can Contribute to the Greater Good

PRACTICING PHILANTHROPY: HOW WRITERS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE GREATER GOOD

By Erika Dreifus

Even in healthy financial times, writers who aren't named J.K. Rowling or James Patterson don't often have abundant funds to spare for charitable contributions. And when the economy suffers, writers' incomes suffer, too. But writers can help their favorite causes in many ways other than writing checks. Especially as the holiday season approaches, it seems appropriate to consider some of these possibilities.

1. The "Write-A-Thon": Perhaps some of you have seen the short article in a recent issue of The Writer magazine in which I described my participation in the New York Writers Coalition's past two Write-A-Thons. As I explained there, I've always backed my friends and family members by pledging to support their walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, and other physically demanding charitable activities. For the NYWC's Write-A-Thon, I asked for their sponsorship and raised hundreds of dollars that went directly to the NYWC, a nonprofit community writing organization that provides free writing workshops throughout New York City for at-risk youth, adult residents of supportive housing, formerly incarcerated people, seniors, and others who often struggle to voice their experiences. If you'd like to see the Write-A-Thon model in action right now, check out the efforts under way at Dzanc Books, a nonprofit publisher (link provided at this article's end).

2. The Auction: Some months ago, author Tayari Jones raised over $2,500 to assist the victims of the June 2007 Dunbar Village (Florida) attacks. How did she do it? She set up an eBay auction and enlisted literary types to contribute what they could: autographed books, manuscript critiques, and even, from this practicing writer, a set of e-books. But this is far from the only example of an auction featuring writer-related goods and services for a common cause. As I draft this article, the folks at Grub Street, a literary center that was a significant part of my prior writing life in Massachusetts, are preparing for their own "literary silent auction" fundraiser. See the link at this article's end to check out the intriguing items on Grub's auction block and the names of participating authors.

3. The Anthology: One example that comes to mind here is Telling Tales, a 2004 anthology edited by Nadine Gordimer. All the book's contributors (among them multiple recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature) waived royalties/fees, so the book's profits could benefit programs responding to the HIV-AIDS crisis. A more grass-roots case might be Stories of Strength, which emerged from the AbsoluteWrite.com discussion boards in an effort to contribute to disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

4. The Book Donation: Countless book donation programs exist to build (or rebuild) library collections, promote literacy, and accomplish other reading-related goals. If you're a published author, consider donating copies of your book(s). If you're a writer who also happens to be an avid book buyer, consider donating some used texts. You can start by looking into the book donation policies at your local library. Googling "book donation" will produce thousands of links to additional book donation programs. Again, check the links at the end of this article for some suggestions.

5. The Volunteer Service: Writers have so many professional skills to share: editing, proofreading, translating, etc. For instance, I've voluntarily proofread a congregational history published by my synagogue. Another writer I know has edited a book whose sales benefit an alumnae association. Examples abound. You may have already done something similar. If not, think about it!

6. The Hat Tip: This one is oh-so-easy (and inexpensive!). Whether you e-mail a writer directly to tell her how much her poem or essay means to you, or you credit her market research (ahem) when you use it for your own newsletter or blog, it's charitable to tip your hat to your fellow writers. Writers are particularly sensitive to words – and silences. This month I'd like to thank the Hayden's Ferry Review blog for naming The Practicing Writer a "Website of the Week" and the soon-to-be MFA student who sent me an e-mail message telling me how much she appreciated the site as a "refuge." You've earned yourselves some good karma!

As writers, we may not always earn lots of income to give away. But writing by no means excludes us from contributing to the greater good.

Relevant links:
New York Writers Coalition Write-A-Thon
http://nywriterscoalition.org/writeathon.htm

Dzanc Books Write-a-Thon
http://emergingwriters.typepad.com/dzanc_books/2008/10/write-a-thon.html

Tayari Jones on the auction to benefit the victims of the Dunbar Village tragedy.
http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/archives/2008/04/weve_done_somet.html

Grub Street, Inc.,'s Literary Silent Auction
http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=169

National Public Radio on Telling Tales
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4201842

AbsoluteWrite.com forum section on Stories of Strength
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=86

Book Donation Programs page compiled by the American Library Association (includes links to international programs)
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/hqops/library/libraryfactsheet/alalibraryfactsheet12.cfm

© 2008 Erika Dreifus. May not be reprinted without permission.

(A version of this article originally appeared in The Practicing Writer, November 2008.)

Writing for a Good Cause (Part Two)

Longtime Practicing Writing readers may recall that last year, I participated in the New York Writers Coalition's 2nd Annual Write-a-Thon, raising funds for this terrific organization. Time flies; the next NYWC Write-a-Thon is coming up very soon, on Saturday, May 17.

For those unfamiliar with it, the NYWC has quite an admirable mission:

NY Writers Coalition Inc. (NYWC) provides free and low-cost creative writing workshops throughout New York City for people from groups that have been historically deprived of voice in our society. We also publish our workshop participants' writing and organize public readings of their work. Writing with others in an atmosphere of respect and acceptance, participants discover the value of their own stories, gain confidence and a stronger sense of self and become less isolated from themselves and from society. By creating a community of writers and leaders from diverse backgrounds, we galvanize the voices of the marginalized and create opportunities for all writers to connect with the larger community. NYWC's goal is to create an inclusive city, one that is aware of the diversity of voices within it and honors the lives of all of its citizens.

By participating in the Write-a-Thon, I'm able to help the NYWC fulfill this mission--and I get some writing done in the process. So I've signed on to participate once again this year (the 2008 Write-a-Thon is slated for Saturday, May 17).

If you'd like to add your support, please consider making a donation. And if you'd like to learn more about the NYWC, you can do so here. Thank you!

Writing for a Good Cause

On Saturday, June 9, I spent the day at the New York Writers Coalition 2nd Annual Write-A-Thon. Having raised $461 (raising a minimum of $100 was required, and here's a big public thank you to all my donors!) to support NYWC programs, I'd earned a ticket to a terrific day at the New York Center for Independent Publishing (previously the Small Press Center).

Soon after I arrived, I entered a classroom for a writing workshop. I have to admit that it was strange--though by no means unpleasant--to find myself not in the role of the workshop leader this time! The actual leader, who regularly leads NYWC workshops, took us through two sets of prompts/exercises. In each case, after we'd finished 15-20 minutes of independent writing, we reconvened as a group. We had the option of reading our work aloud for the group's response. It all had to take place within the following guidelines:

1) You can ignore the writing suggestions and and write whatever you want to. You can also keep writing after the workshop leader calls people back to the group. This workshop is for you to use for your own writing however best it serves you.

2) We discourage 'observing' or 'auditing,' so we ask that you at least attempt to write something, or spend time thinking about writing, even if it's staring at a blank page, making notes, freewriting or doodling.

3) You don't have to read aloud what you just wrote. But if you do decide to share your work with the group, please only read what you wrote in this writing time, not something you brought in or wrote earlier in the Write-A-Thon.

4) Only say what you like and what you remember when you are talking about others' writing. The writing we are hearing is all brand new so it's too early in the writing process for critiques or suggestions. It's ok not to respond to every piece.

5) What is written here will be treated as fiction, and will be discussed that way. This means referring to the characters or the narrator of the piece rather than saying something like, 'I like the part where YOU ran away from home at age 12 after YOUR mother yelled at you.'

6) What is written here, and what is said here, is confidential.

After the workshop came lunch (sandwiches, pasta salad, and cookies). Because this was a writers' event, there was also plenty of coffee (and Diet Coke) available throughout the day.

At 1:30PM author Chris Baty gave us a "pep talk." I'd say it worked: I was pepped up sufficiently to decide--and I declare publicly right here and now--that I am going to sign up this year for his brainchild, National Novel Writing Month.

After the talk ended, I settled in with some stories-in-progress I'd brought along, and actually got some long-delayed revising done. That may not seem too impressive, but these days, any uninterrupted daylight attention I give my fiction is indeed precious.

There was something extremely inspiring about sharing the space, the time, and the occasion with so many other writers. There we sat in rooms throughout the building. Some people had brought laptops. Others, like me, scribbled away in notebooks. It may sound corny, but there really is something to be said from the momentum that comes from other people's writing (or typing) within view (or hearing).

The day definitely served me well. And I'm proud to have contributed to the work of the NYWC in the process. I'll be back!

Thanks to GalleyCat for letting me know about this event in the first place!