Grub Street Rag, 3/29/2010

"It should not be denied... that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road has always led West."

— Wallace Stegner

Grub Street News

Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday by the little old woman who lived in a rainboot 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.

Why is that string tied around my finger? Oh yeah, the Manuscript Mart deadline is this Wednesday!

Go West, Ye Grubbies

This year, the AWP conference and its 8,000+ writers take over (Whitney's hometown of) Denver from April 7th-10th, and Grub Street will again have a strong presence. If you plan to attend the conference, be sure to swing by our table at the BookFair, where we will be featuring friendly Grubbie faces, some info on our organization, and, every day from 2:30-3:00, free artisanal cookies and milk. Yup, it’s just like that after-school snack you used to get in grade school, except more delicious. In between snack breaks, you should also sit in on the many panels featuring Grub instructors, board members and friends. Next week's Rag will feature the Grubbie Guide to AWP, with a complete listing of all panels featuring Grub folks.

We want YOU, even in Denver.

If you are indeed going to AWP and would like to take a shift at the Grub Street table at the BookFair, please contact Chip at chip@grubstreet.org. The shifts are 1.25 hours and require you only to chat with people as they stroll by the table, maintain a friendly and inviting demeanor, and answer basic questions about Grub. We may also ask you to serve the cookies, but that also means you get to eat them.

“The Drum at The Muse” Flash Fiction Contest!

The P.S.: The first evening of seminars from our new Spring schedule are taking place next Wednesday, April 7th. If you want to write erotica, make your characters come alive on the page, learn how to start a blog or how to handle negative feedback, don't miss out on these great classes! Details below.

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.

FREE CLASS: Tuesday, March 30th, 12:30 PM - 1:15 PM, Brown Bag Lunch Series
Do you work downtown and want to fit some writing into your day? Or do you have a schedule that gives you free afternoons instead of evenings? Bring your lunch and come on over to Grub Street for a Brown Bag Writing Workshop – a series recently profiled in the Boston Globe. For 45 minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some cool writing exercises. Led by the inimitable Dan Pritchard. Best of all, you’ll leave lunch with some new ideas to ponder for the rest of your day and beyond. No need to reserve a spot; just come to 160 Boylston Street, 4th Floor.
FREE, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

SEMINAR: Wednesday, April 7th, 7-10pm, Go Deeper, Baby: Writing Meaningful Erotica
Instructor: Sue Williams
Do you find sexy stories liberating and fun? If so, why not try writing them yourself?
In this one-night seminar, we'll celebrate erotic fiction looking at why it's both emotionally valuable and increasingly popular. Drawing on well-respected authors such as Anais Nin, Susie Bright and Steve Almond, we'll explore what makes a sexy story sexy, while also tapping the transformational qualities of the genre. Come along with a willingness to be open about feelings and sensations, and you'll leave with a short, sexy story of your own. All sexualities warmly welcomed. Led by an instructor who regularly publishes erotica and views it as some of her most meaningful work.
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

SEMINAR: Wednesday, April 7th, 7-10pm, The Body on the Page
Instructor: Gregory Mone
Part of the challenge of creating real, convincing characters lies in describing them physically. Using examples from great and abysmal books, we’ll discuss how to choose the right details, deliver these details within the flow of the story, and use them to reveal more about both the individuals being observed and the narrator or character observing them. We’ll examine the merits of citing a few well-chosen features versus the page-long catalog of physical distinctions, review some of the science of facial appearance (a real field!), and debate the real function of describing a character’s looks – are we trying to conjure an image in the reader’s head or unveil something about the individual’s inner life? We’ll engage in a number of exercises, too. Working off slides, participants will compose descriptions of individuals in photos, then compare our versions and discuss the differences. The overall goal: Bringing your characters to life.
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

SEMINAR: Wednesday, April 7th, 7-10pm, How to Handle Feedback
Instructor: Lynne Griffin
Athletes and singers engage in regular practice, receiving ongoing coaching and feedback to enhance performance. For the writer, positive feedback as well as constructive criticism serve an equally valuable purpose. This workshop will delve into the importance of finding trusted readers, along with how to do so. We’ll discuss techniques for examining positive, negative, and conflicting feedback—specifically how to incorporate it into a manuscript or story. If you’re planning to workshop a piece in a class at Grub Street or preparing to meet with an editor or agent at this year’s Muse & the Marketplace conference, join Lynne for an informative evening aimed at honing this all important skill set. Additional topics will include learning about craft by critiquing other writers’ work, working with a writers’ group, as well as knowing when it’s time to stop workshopping a piece.
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

SEMINAR: Wednesday, April 7th, 7-10pm, Workshop Your Website or Blog
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 your website and/or blog to Grub Street when you register. If you have a blog, also submit links to 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.
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP: April 17th - April 18th, 9-4pm each day, Writing For Radio
Instructor: Jennifer Mattson
One of our most popular weekend workshops is back! Description: Public radio is a writer's dream come true. From commentaries to personal essays, memoir to satire, it's a perfect place to pitch your wackiest ideas. But writing for broadcast is nothing like print. It's a beast all its own. Whether it's the distinct voice of This American Life or the fast-paced daily news of All Things Considered, NPR is one of the most exciting places for today's storytellers to air their work. Problem is most people don't know enough about broadcast to navigate their way through the NPR system, no less a radio script. In the first day of this intensive two-day seminar, you will learn the basics of how to write for the ear, the critical differences between print and broadcast, how to read your copy on air, and how to pitch your stories. On the second day, participants will begin writing a radio script so that by weekend's end each student will have some version, finished or not, of their ideal radio piece. There will be an opportunity for you to receive feedback as well as share your thoughts with others. Taught by an instructor who is a former producer for NPR's nationally syndicated program "The Connection” and a six-year producer for CNN.
$220/$195 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP: April 17th - April 18th, 9-4pm each day, Writing the Hard Truths
Instructor: Kathleen Willis Morton
Exploring ways to approach difficult topics in memoir and narrative non-fiction, artfully and with compassion, we’ll write about the things most people don’t want to talk about: death, traumatic events, and taboo subjects in ways that will be digestible to the reader although the subject matter is a hard dose to swallow. We will not be writing with intent on psychotherapeutic results, though this is often the byproduct when difficult experiences and situations are the subject matter we plumb for story. Craft comes first; crisis is merely the setting for our narratives.
$220/$195 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

ONE-DAY WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, April 17th, 9-4pm, Recipes and Remembrances: Personal Essays About Food
Instructor: Clara Silverstein
Registration Deadline: April 13th
Food can be the starting point for compelling personal essays, from a remembrance of a beloved grandparent to a humorous account of a cooking disaster. Writers including Ruth Reichl, Patricia Volk, and R.W. Apple have made this kind of essay an established part of the literary landscape. The challenge is to use a favorite recipe or a memorable meal in an essay that also relays a larger truth about the human condition. In this class, we will read published essays, brainstorm about topics, and do in-class writing exercises designed to help you convey your experiences with food in a way that will resonate with readers.
$115/$95 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

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

Special Thanks to Our Muse Presenters and Sponsors

Each week until the Muse and the Marketplace conference on May 1st and 2nd, we'll be spotlighting one of the authors, editors or agents who will be leading a workshop, as well as one of our fabulous sponsors. This week, a look at author Jennifer 8 Lee, who will be leading a workshop called "Secrets of Being Your Own Book Publicist" on Sunday afternoon at the Muse, and appearing on the "Promotion and Publicity" panel on Saturday.

Jennifer 8. Lee is the author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, a book on Chinese food in America that hit #26 on The New York Times best seller list. She worked for nine years as a reporter at The New York Times, where she still helps out on social media. She is the lead judge in the Knight News Challenge, which gives away $5 million to news innovation every year. In addition, she is co-chair of the Asian American Writers Workshop’s board of directors, a former member of the Poynter Institute’s National Advisory Board, and a judge in the Robert F. Kennedy courage in journalism awards. She graduated from Harvard with a degree in applied math and economics.

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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.

--POETRY READING: Wednesday, April 7th, 12 - 1:00pm, Poetry at Noon featuring Jenny Desai
Grub member Jenny Desai studied Classics and Medieval Latin at Harvard College before earning a master’s degree in fine arts at the University of Michigan, where she was a recipient of the Hopwood Award in Poetry. After completing a Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University, she worked in a variety of capacities in publishing, including a brief tenure as a literary agent and translation-rights broker, and a stint as the managing editor of the now-defunct San Jose Magazine. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including the impact of cochlear implants on deaf culture, and the intersection of biology and violence. Her poetry has been published in numerous journals, including The Birmingham Review, The Beloit Poetry Journal, The MacGuffin, The Harvard Quarterly, Ascent, and Plainsongs. She is currently—and perennially—at work on a collection of poems.
This event is open to the public and there is no fee. Reservations are not required.
FREE, The Boston Athenaeum, 10 1/2 Beacon Street, Boston.

--READING: Thursday, April 15th, 6pm, Elizabeth Strout - Ploughshares Reading
Ploughshares and Emerson College welcome you to the Ploughshares Reading Series on April 15 featuring Elizabeth Strout, guest editor of the Spring 2010 issue of Ploughshares Literary Magazine. There will be an exclusive RSVP-only reading at 6 p.m at the Bright Family Screening Room in the Paramount Theatre. Please RSVP by going to http://www.pshares.org/events/rsvp.cfm. Heidi Pitlor, editor of the Best American Short Stories series, will introduce Strout's reading.
FREE, Paramount Theatre, 559 Washington Street, Bright Family Screening Room, Boston, MA 02111.

--READING AND MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA: Friday, April 16th, 7-9:30pm, Steve Almond's Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life
Harvard Book Store is excited to host New York Times best-selling author STEVE ALMOND, as he presents Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, a musical extravaganza in celebration of his new book about obsessive fandom. The evening will include literary explorations of classic hits by Styx, Toto, and other bands you are now ashamed to admit you once loved, along with other selections from the book, which Publishers Weekly calls "a hilarious riff on the power of music." The show will close with a live set by the utterly rocking Boris McCutcheon & The Salt Licks. With a life that’s spanned the phonographic era and the digital age, Steve Almond lives to Rawk. Like you, he’s secretly longed to live the life of a rock star, complete with insane talent, famous friends, and hotel rooms to be trashed. Also like you, he’s had to settle for the life of a rabid fan, one who has converted his unrequited desires into a (sort of) noble obsession. Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life traces Almond’s passion from his earliest (and most wretched) rock criticism to his eventual discovery of a music-crazed soul mate and their subsequent production of two little superfans. Along the way, Almond reflects on the delusional power of songs, the awkward mating habits of drooling fanatics, and why Depression Songs actually make us feel so much better. Tickets available at http://www.harvard.com/events/press_release.php?id=2491. If you want to avoid the buck service charge, call 617-661-1515 or visit Harvard Book Store.
A few extra inducements:
*Steve will be giving away strange candy bars as door prizes
*Five lucky folks will win personally designed mix CDs
*The Brattle serves booze
*After-reading Dance Party!
$7, Brattle Theatre, Harvard Square.

Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where, like having one hundred words for buffalo, we offer you the chance to win a prize. In Carlos Ruiz Zafon's Shadow of the Wind, why does Julian Carax's father have a room in their apartment filled with crucifixes? Winner receives ice cream from J.P. Licks.

Last week's answer: In author Brady Udall's short story, featured on This American Life's "In Dog We Trust" episode, the two brothers try to drown their pet armadillo, but the creature is amazingly resilient and they do not succeed. Winner: KL Pereira.

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