December 1st, 2009

Grub Street News

Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Tuesday from our very favorite travel plaza near Grub Street's world headquarters. As always, if you are receiving this e-mail in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.

Second sections of popular seminars open now

You asked for it: We've added new sections for two of our most popular seminars: Plotting the Novel and Child's Play: The Art of Writing for Children and Young Adults. Both will take place on Tuesday, December 15th, and details are below. Call soon--there has been a lot of interest in these great classes!

Breaking news: Andre Dubus III To Host Adaptations III: Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 7:30PM

Have you ever been embroiled in one of those "which-is-better-the-book-or-the-film" conversations? If so, you know they can get pretty heated. Imagine, then, how you'd feel seeing your book altered and shaped to the silver screen. On December 10th, you can hear exactly how it feels from four fantastic writers: Tom Perrotta, Elinor Lipman, Richard Russo and just-announced host/emcee/moderator Andre Dubus III (House of Sand and Fog). We will see scenes from Russo's Nobody's Fool, Lipman's Then She Found Me, and Perrotta's Little Children and hear the authors read the corresponding scenes from their books, along with some behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the process of the adaptation. This event takes place at the Coolidge Corner Theater and sells out each year. To buy tickets, which are $12 for Grub & Coolidge members and $15 for non-members, you must call the Coolidge at 617.734.2501 OR visit the Coolidge website. See you there!

Such a talented bunch

When we sent out the Department of Congratulations a few weeks ago, we listed two Grubbies who were included on a list of fifty to receive the "Glimmer Train Best Start" award for the openings of their books-in-progress. We also asked people to write in if they were on the list, too, and it turns out that two more Grubbies were also honored: Jean Lee Marquis for her novel-in-progress Victor Kim, and Hillary Kaylor for her essay for "For What It's Worth." We're at 8% of the list and counting. . . go Grub!
 
Cheers,
Whitney S., Sonya, Chris, Whitney O. and Alexis

Grub Events

In addition to our ongoing workshops, Grub Street offers numerous writing-related events around town. See our website for a long-term view of all we do. Ready to sign up? Call us at 617.695.0075 and we'll get you on the list.

REMINDER: SOLD-OUT SEMINARS TAKING PLACE TONIGHT:
Funny Is the New Deep
Plotting the Novel
Child’s Play: The Art of Writing for Children and Young Adults
Click links to access descriptions to these seminars.

REMINDER: SOLD-OUT SEMINARS TAKING PLACE DECEMBER 9th:
Obsessive Writing
Mapping the Memoir
Ask The Agent
Click links to access descriptions to these seminars.

TEEN PROGRAM: YAWP (Young Adult Writers Program)
Saturday, December 5th, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Are you – or do you know – a teen who likes to write poems, lyrics, stories, novels or screenplays? Come to YAWP, a free monthly teen writing workshop for Boston-area teens 12-17. YAWP provides writing exercises in small groups, feedback from working writers, pizza and inspiration. You provide the energy to write, share your work, and try new things. Please sign up in advance by emailing info@grubstreet.org or calling Whitney Ochoa at 617.695.0075. See website to sign up for specific groups such as poetry, screenwriting, fiction, graphic novel, songwriting, etc.
FREE, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston

EVENT: Adaptations III
Thursday, December 10th, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
The third installment of one of Grub Street's favorite series returns on Thursday, December 10th at 7:30 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Join an all-star lineup of acclaimed authors -- including Richard Russo, Elinor Lipman and Tom Perrotta-- as they read short excerpts from their novels, show the corresponding scenes from the film versions, and discuss the "translation" from page to screen. Films discussed include Russo's Empire Falls and/or Nobody's Fool, Lipman's Then She Found Me and Perrotta's Little Children and/or Election. Sure to be a lively, fun, informative and inspiring evening. Tickets are $12 for members of the Coolidge and Grub Street, and $15 for non-members, and are available exclusively from the Coolidge Corner Box Office: 617.734.2501.

SEMINAR: Workshop Your Website or Blog
Monday, December 14th, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Instructor: Amy Marcott
Do you have a website and/or blog but want to learn ways to enhance the design and content? Looking to broaden your reach or boost your professional appeal? This class will offer a venue for receiving feedback on your online presence. Along the way, you’ll learn strategies for more effective design, navigation, usability, search engine optimization, and content. We’ll also do some writing exercises to help your work stand out. Note: this course is only for those who already have a designed website or active blog. Submit the URL(s) of y our website and/or blog to sonya@grubstreet.org when you register for the class. If you have a blog, also submit two of your best posts that could be discussed in class. Amy Marcott is a web writer and editor at MIT who also assists with web redesigns and incorporating new technologies into online strategies.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston

SEMINAR: More and Less: Varieties of Minimalism and Maximalism
Monday, December 14th, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Instructor: Tim Horvath
Consideration of style is typically something we save for late in the writing process, but it often jumps off the page when we read. Scratch the surface of terms like "minimalist" and "maximalist" and you'll find a variety of ways of stripping down or amping up one's prose, and equally various reasons for doing so. By looking at authors like Raymond Carver, Amy Hempel, and Kevin Canty and comparing them with authors like David Foster Wallace, Annie Proulx, and Stanley Elkin, we'll see how our writing can benefit from experimenting at both extremes, plus we'll get a new view of the middle ground. The evening may culminate in a fantasy baseball game in which the mins and maxes square off for bragging rights; literary history will never be the same.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston

SEMINAR: Your First Page: Friend or Foe
Monday, December 14th, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Instructor: Sorche Fairbank
It’s common knowledge that rejection rates in this industry are up around 98 percent, and you have likely felt this bitter sting on more than one occasion, but do you really know why? Do you suspect that even when agents request your material, they sometimes don’t read after the first page? You may be right.
Join an eye-opening session with agent Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank and dig into the murky world of rejection, and the impact, good or bad, of your first page Learn what some standard rejection phrasing means (agent-speak), why decisions are too-often made on the first page, find out if you are guilty of one or more of the top twenty reasons for rejection, know when to listen to advice and when to chalk things up to subjective difference, and through an intense critiquing session, learn how best to turn your “no”s into “yes”s or at least “maybe”s.
** Send by email (to sonya@grubstreet.org) a one-page synopsis or query letter, and your first page, no later than 12PM on Thursday, December 10th. For class, please also bring three other random pages out of the first 25, and be prepared to have your work critiqued with other members of the class. Also, feel free to bring in a sampling of some rejection phrasing that has had you perplexed or particularly frustrated.
All students will receive handouts and a critique of their first page. Limited to 15 students.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston

SEMINAR: Plotting the Novel
Tuesday, December 15th, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Instructor: Michelle Hoover
Have you started your novel but feel a sense of indecision encroaching your progress? Have you written hundreds of pages and now need to pull the bloody mass together into a workable book? Do you have a sense of dread that the pages you’ve left behind you are “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”? Starting with Aristotle and working through three contemporary authors’ ideas about plotting, this course will offer several plot forms to help you rethink your novel’s structure and the vital connection between character and plot. The goal is that, by the end of the evening, you will have a new outline for your book that gives your creation grounding but also leaves you open for further exploration and discovery.
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston

SEMINAR: Child’s Play: The Art of Writing for Children and Young Adults
Tuesday, December 15th, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Instructor: Beth Raisner Glass
All work and no play…you’ve heard it before, but when it comes to writing for children, you can do both! Have you ever thought, I have a great book idea for children! or, I’ve always wanted to write for young people, but how do I begin? Join children’s author, Beth Raisner Glass as she leads an introductory seminar exploring the craft and thrill of writing literature for children. Whether you fancy writing a picture book, a chapter book, a middle grade novel or a Y.A. (Young Adult)--and you know you have-- come and experience what this unique genre is all about. In this seminar you will not only hear first hand what it takes to write for the incredible child through teen audience but you will also get a peek into the world of publishing and promotion. Writing for children is a craft that when honed and nurtured, can blossom into a work of art that stays with the reader for a lifetime. In this seminar, you will learn how authors go from inspiration to publication. You will be introduced the art of revision, the structure of a picture book. a chapter book and Y.A. book and even learn about the relationships between authors, illustrators, editors and publishers. If you have ideas you’d like to turn into books for children, this is a hands on writing seminar you do not want to miss!
$45/$40 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston

Be sure to check out our events calendar for a comprehensive view of upcoming events.

Spreading the Love

Grub Street wants to promote YOU! Please send events for consideration to whitney@grubstreet.org. Our apologies in advance if we cannot fit you in. Please note that we do the best we can to evaluate requests, and do privilege requests from members, but can not be held responsible for the quality of these events and programs or the legitimacy of contests. We expect that readers will do their own due diligence before sending their work or their money to any individual or organization.

--READING: December 2nd, 7pm, Steve Almond reading from This Won't Take But a Minute, Honey
Harvard Book Store is excited to host local author (and Grub Street Advisory Council member) Steve Almond (Candyfreak, My Life in Heavy Metal) as he reads from his new book, This Won't Take but a Minute, Honey, and discusses why he chose to publish the book using Harvard Book Store's Espresso Book Machine. Audience members will be able to buy their own special editions of the book—to be printed up during the reading. This Won't Take but a Minute, Honey is a quirky resource for budding writers, a sort of freaky Strunk and White. Read through in one direction to find tiny little short stories of a page each. Flip the book over and find mini essays on the psychology and practice of writing. Whichever way you look at it, you're sure to find a nugget of inspiration for your next project.
FREE, Harvard Book Store, Harvard Square.

--DINNER AND READING: Wednesday, December 2nd, An Evening of Fantasy Food and Literature
If you haven't yet been able to catch one of the events for Ethan Gilsdorf's new geek and gamer travel memoir Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms, here's a great way to hear the author read from the book and eat a fantasy meal at the same time. The folks at Arte Dominum have invited Gilsdorf to headline their next "Arts Night" Dinner Event --- a reading plus an incredible meal --- at the intimate Prose restaurant in Arlington, MA (352 Massachusetts Ave, 781-648-2800), on Wednesday, Dec 2 at 7pm. As you hear two "sets" from the author, you will be wined and dined in style, be entered to win a free copy of Ethan's book (not to mention the chance to win other geeky prizes like books, t-shirts, and games during the "Geek Trivia Contest") --- all for the low price of $27. Chef/Owner Debbie Shore will prepare a seasonal buffet spread that will please both serious foodies and wayward hobbits. Order your tickets here: http://www.artedominum.com.

--CHOCOLATE TOURS: Saturday, December 5th, 10am - 6pm, Taza Chocolate Open House
Old school Grubbies will remember our classy office space at 561 Windsor Street in Somerville. Now, that building houses one of the best chocolatiers in the nation: Taza Chocolates. If you’ve ever wanted a firsthand look at the inside of a chocolate factory (and the building where the Grub dream began), now’s your chance! Just in time for the winter holidays,Taza is opening its doors to the public for chocolate tastings and tours of the factory. Tours run from 10 AM to 6 PM, and are free and open to the public.
Taza Chocolate, 561 Windsor Street in scenic Union Square, Somerville.

--PLAY: November 19th - December 27th: Capote's A Christmas Memory and Grace Paley's The Loudest Voice adapted for the stage and directed by Wesley Savick
Underground Railway Theater pairs two heartwarming journeys into the foibles of the holiday season. Joyful, whimsical, and rich with humor, both are told from the point of view of children - one a girl, one a boy - and set in the '30's - one in the Bronx, one in Alabama. In A Christmas Memory, Truman Capote recalls his close friendship with another social outcast, his wildly eccentric older cousin, and the enduring spirit for life they shared. Grace Paley's The Loudest Voice takes us to a Russian Jewish immigrant school where "without shame" gentile teachers annually staged the Nativity. The inspired Wesley Savick crafts the perfect holiday alternative with an intergenerational cast, puppetry, music, and fruitcakes. **One of the special events connected with the show is a birthday celebration on Sunday, Dec. 6th, following the 2pm performance.  Grace's family will be in attendance to celebrate her legacy, and local authors, including Grub's own Chris Castellani, will share anecdotes and read from her work. Discounted tickets are available for $17.50 (reg. $35) by quoting discount code TRUGRACE either online at www.centralsquaretheater.org, or on the phone at 866-811-4111.

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