December 15th, 2009
"Whatever you think, be sure it is what you think; whatever you want, be sure that is what you want; whatever you feel, be sure that is what you feel."
— T.S. Eliot
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Tuesday by the beribboned staff at 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.
Volunteers, we desperately need your help this holiday season! We have 1800 letters that need to go out by the end of the day next Tuesday. As always, we can offer a convivial atmosphere, Starbucks treats courtesty of Grub Street, and that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from helping out your favorite non-profit. Hours for volunteering are:
Thursday, 12/17, 9am - 6pm
Friday, 12/18, 9am - 6pm
Monday, 12/21, 10am - 5pm
Tuesday, 12/22, 9am - 6pm
Please email whitney@grubstreet.org if you'd like to help out. Thank you so much! We truly can't do it without your help. If you can't make any of those volunteer times, we can also put together stack of letters that you can take home and stuff over the weekend. Just let us know.
Join for 2010 at 2009 rates!
On January 1st, we’ll be increasing our base membership fee to $60, but if you renew this month, you’ll get the $50 price.
Renew for as many years as you want. Buy a gift membership for a friend. Like the Forever Stamp, if you buy now, this price is good forever. And as you know, Grub Street membership entitles you to great benefits, including discounts on ALL our classes and events (for example, members now save fifteen dollars on the cost of one-night seminars), discounts at local independent bookstores, parking discounts and more. Click on http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=34 to join or renew today.
Cheers,
Whitney S., Sonya, Chris, Whitney O. and Alexis
The P.S.: The Grub Street office will be closed from December 23rd - January 3rd, reopening on January 4th for all your writing needs. If you want to register for a winter course, act now! Instead of letting your spot be lost in the holiday shuffle, call us at 617.695.0075 to register today.
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, DECEMBER 15th:
Plotting the Novel
Child’s Play: The Art of Writing for Children and Young Adults
Click links to access descriptions to these seminars.
OPEN MIC AND READING: Wednesday, December 16th, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Fall Season Showcase
Join Grub students from the Fall 2009 term, plus instructors Jim Scott and Lisa Borders, as they read (for 5 minutes each) from recent work. You’ll hear great fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and maybe even a screenplay. Open only to students who’ve taken courses, seminars or weekend workshops this fall. Everyone gets free snacks and drinks. Sign-ups begin around 8pm. A great event for current Grubbies and those who want to check us out. Bring friends!
FREE, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston.
Weekend of Manuscript Consultations: Saturday, February 13th, between 10am-3pm
Looking to polish your work before an agent sees it at The Muse and the Marketplace? Want to get immediate, one-on-one feedback from a Grub instructor? Throughout this Saturday, various members of our creative writing faculty will be meeting individually for thirty minutes with writers who have submitted 25 pages of their work ahead of time. The 25 page writing sample – usually long enough to include a complete short story, a novel chapter, a substantive personal essay, a short play, a series of poems, or a screenplay excerpt – is often needed when applying to MFA programs, teaching positions, fellowships, residencies, etc. The session includes yummy coffee and doughnuts. Deadline for submissions is 5:00pm on January 28th. See all details, including the list of consultants, here. <http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=172> Each consultation costs $140. It's a total steal-- normally it would cost $250! Sign up for as many as you'd like.
$140, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
UPCOMING SEMINARS ON JANUARY 11th, 2010:
The Rules of Writing: How to Use Them & When To Break Them
The Elusive Art of the Query Letter, Or How to Hook an Agent in 400 Words or Less
Food Writing
Pen to Paper to Poem
Click links to access descriptions to these seminars.
Be sure to check out our events calendar for a comprehensive view of upcoming events.
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.
--FELLOWSHIPS: Writers' Room Fellowships Offer Free Workspace
The Writers' Room of Boston, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides affordable, quiet, and secure workspace in downtown Boston for area writers, is now accepting applications for four fellowships for 2010. The fellowships award use of the Writers' Room to Boston-area residents at no cost for one year. The submission deadline for applications is December 31, 2009. Residencies will begin in February 2010. There is a $15 application fee. To apply, visit www.writersroomofboston.org.
--PINE MANOR COLLEGE invites local writers to audit graduate-level creative writing classes
Pine Manor College is pleased to announce that a select number of graduate-level creative writing courses will be open to the public for auditing during the January Residency of its Solstice MFA Program, scheduled from January 1–10, 2010. Classes are open to serious writers working at all levels; auditors are encouraged to complete the advance preparation requirements for any MFA class they wish to attend. For course descriptions, audit policy, and a downloadable registration form, go to: www.pmc.edu/mfa.
--ESCAPE TO GUATEMALA: Study Writing on Beautiful Lake Atitlan with Ann Hood, Joyce Maynard and Christopher Castellani
If you are looking to treat yourself to some time away from the harsh Boston winter, and want to make the time count by devoting a big chunk of it to your writing, come to Lake Atitlan from February 13-21, 2010 for a week of writing workshops with (recent Taste of Grub featured author) Ann Hood, legendary fiction and non-fiction writer Joyce Maynard and novelist/Grub artistic director Christopher Castellani. Better yet, Grub Street members get a 10% discount on tuition costs. Check out the extensive details and photos here http://www.joycemaynard.com/Joyce_Maynard/WRITING_WORKSHOPS.html or contact Chris Castellani directly if you have questions: chris@chriscastellani.com.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where, like setting your watch to Old Faithful, we offer you the chance to win a prize. What Irish writer, who wrote her first novel in only three weeks, was born on this day in the 1930s? (This week's quiz question is also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GrubWriters, if you prefer your quiz questions tweeted). First correct respondent gets free ice cream from J.P. Licks.