May 10th, 2010
"You should always be trying to write a poem you are unable to write, a poem you lack the technique, the language, the courage to achieve. Otherwise you're merely imitating yourself, going nowhere, because that's always easiest."
— John Berryman
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday from the traveling chicken coop currently housed 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.
We've waited far too long to bring you this edition, so we better dive right in. First up, fabulous Grub instructor and board member Ethan Gilsdorf had his first book, Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, named a Must-Read Book by the Massachusetts Book Awards! We are very excited for him--and proud, too! We're also proud (but not surprised) that one of Ethan's students, Lisa Sinicki, won Honorable Mention in the Maine Literary Awards for an essay she worked on with Ethan. Another longtime Grubbie, Iris Gomez, just had her debut novel, Try To Remember, published and it's now available for purchase at your favorite bookstore or from Amazon. Another Grubbie, Saborna RoyChowdhury, wrote to us with a heartwarming story about her just-published novel. She says, "Over the years, I have taken three Grub Street courses in novel writing from Jeffrey Kellogg. It is because of his encouragement and unwavering faith in me that I was able to finish this novel. This class helped to give me the confidence I needed to continue writing." Saborna's book is available on her website, www.sabornaroychowdhury.com or at Amazon. Grubbie Tilia Klebenov Jacobs traveled to San Francisco recently to accept two literary awards for selections from her memoir in progress, Letters from the Basement. Both awards were from the Soul-Making Literary Competition, and both were runners-up for the Linda Joy Myers Memoir Prize. Next, the good news keeps rolling in for Grub instructors these days: both Grace Talusan and Ben Berman have pieces published in the current issue of Solstice. There's also good news from two Grubbies named Amy: Amy Yelin was just awareded a scholarship to the Norman Mailer Colony in Provincetown, and Amy Van Aarem had a piece published in Notre Dame Magazine. Former intern (and soon-to-be MFA student at U Mass!) Aaron Devine has a story in the second volume of The Inman Review (available at fine Cambridge establishments, including 1369 Coffeehouse). Maine-based Grub member Lisa Goell Sinicki just found out that her essay, “Lobster Lover,” won honorary mention in the Maine Literary Awards. She's another of Ethan Gilsdorf's protegees, and worked with him through our manuscript consultation program. Another fabulous Grubbie, Mike Schiavone, just won First Place in the 2010 Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Award, after having his work critiqued by Grub instructors Sue Williams and Stace Budzko. Grubbie Steve Macone wrote in to tell us he sold a piece from a Grub class. He says he "took Michelle Seaton's (awesome) Tour of The Essay class. The week we were supposed to do the collage essay I started with a collage style piece but it quickly became not a collage and not nonfiction at all. I kept working on it since it was fun. Anyway, AOL News bought it and ran it!" Self-described "faithful but distant" Grubbie Ann Connery Frantz, who lives in Lancaster, just received notification that she has been named the recipient of the 2010 Dr. Neila C. Seshachari Award for the best fiction published in Weber -- The Contemporary West during 2009. And last but never least, Grubbie Margaret Holmes had a short story accepted by roger, an art & literary magazine, which originates at Roger Williams University. Larger-than-life congratulations to all of you!
Looking for a fun and writerly summer sport? There is still room on The Word-Slingers, Grub Street's official softball team. Games are on Sundays from May-August around the Boston area. For more info, contact captain Becky Tuch at zenbex@hotmail.com. (P.S. The team especially needs women!)
Have you been keeping pace with Cathy Elcik as she trains for her marathon (and raises money for Grub)? If not, you're missing out: a few times a week, Cathy updates her fantastic blog, and lately she's been tweeting as she runs--and we mean that literally. Check out the blog at http://runforgrub.blogspot.com/, and find her on Twitter at @runforgrub. Just yesterday, Cathy made it halfway to her goal of $2150 to fund scholarships for first-time Grub students, and today's blog entry features a great interview with a fellow Grubbie, Mike Schiavone (also touted in the Department of Congrats above).
They were a dream team, and yet their night ended in nightmarish defeat. Last Thursday, the Grub Spelling Team--Allison Adair, Christopher Castellani and Whitney Scharer-- competed for the fourth year in a row in the First Literacy Corporate Spelling Bee Challenge, an event that raises money for literacy programs in Boston. Correctly spelling such doozies as loquacious, androecium and khat, the team triumphed in the semi-finals, only to move on to the championship round where they crashed and burned on kiang. In case you didn't know, the Tibetan kiang is "the largest of the wild asses"--and that's pretty much what the Grub team felt like when they lost. Congratulations to our arch-nemesis, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for taking home the big spelling trophy this year.
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Chris, Chip and Alexis
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.
LUNCHTIME WRITING WORKSHOP: Wednesday, May 12th, 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. For 45 minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some cool writing exercises. 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. Led by the talented and gracious Jen Elmore.
FREE, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
ONE-DAY WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 15th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Mapping the Memoir
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf
This jam-packed, expanded one-day version of the popular one-night seminar will help writers who are beginning to write a memoir (or want to write a memoir) find a shape and form for their story.
*SOLD OUT* $115/$95 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
ONE-DAY WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 15th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Cinefiction: Learning Fiction From Film
Instructor: Tim Horvath
According to the Internet Movie Database, twenty-thousand films have been derived from novels. Clearly, the written word stirs filmmakers’ imaginations, but how can fiction writers also gain from a scrutiny of the medium of film? We’ll look at stories and books that have been adapted to the screen, from Brokeback Mountain and The Ice Storm to Slumdog Millionaire, and discuss what has been gained and lost. Then, we’ll look at effective cinematic examples of character and plot and consider how techniques such as point of view shots, subjective shots, montage, jump cuts, close-ups, establishing shots, dissolves, cutaways, and so forth might be pulled from the large screen onto the page.
$115/$95 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
ONE-DAY WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 15th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Our Lives in the Middle Ages
Instructor: Judah Leblang
This is a workshop for writers of a certain (middle) age, according to their own definition. Based partly on James Atlas’ book My Life in the Middle Ages, and partly on the instructor’s own experience in facing ‘50’ and beyond, this session will explore how we can use the universal themes of aging—letting go, dealing with physical illness, the earning of hard-earned wisdom, and laughing at our own foibles—as the raw material for personal essays, memoir vignettes, radio commentaries, etc. In this day-long session, we will examine the work of writers such as Nora Ephron, David Sedaris and others, and then write on a series of prompts, which touch on themes of growing older and (hopefully) wiser. We will share ideas to strengthen and further develop these drafts. Finally, we’ll share ideas about getting our work ‘out there’ through publication in various media, including literary journals, newspapers, and on-line publications.
$115/$95 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 15 - Sunday, May 16th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM each day, The Terrible Familiar: Writing Literary Darkness Tastefully and Effectively
Instructor: Adrian Van Young
Writing a dark domestic drama but can’t quite make the conflict pop? Penning a tale of the supernatural that wants to be taken seriously? Inhabiting a villain or scoundrel who refuses to be plausible? This weekend workshop is geared towards writing from the dark side without the melodrama or the sometimes fatal constriction of genre. By looking at the dark successes of some of our best writers, and through lively in-class exercises in everything from non-linear narrative structure to writing first-person unreliability, you will become a seasoned hand in writing violence, both physical and emotional, creating nuanced, relatable villains, mastering the finer points of dark and uncanny description, and making the dark hopes and desires of your characters seethe upon the page, among other strange things not dreamt of in our philosophy.
$220/$195 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.
ONE-DAY WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, May 16th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Jumpstart Your Writing
Instructor: Grace Talusan
This one-day weekend version of one of our most popular courses has a very clear mission: spend the day writing. Through a series of fun directed writing exercises, we will explore the terrain of fiction and some non-fiction: mining for material, constructing characters and settings, shaping vivid dialogue, understanding point of view, and finding your voice. We will discuss the process of writing and the strengths and weaknesses of the work we produce in class. We will read and discuss published stories in regards to craft, then write exercises inspired by the stories. A supportive and generative experience for both new and practicing writers. Limited to 15 students.
*THREE SPOTS LEFT* $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.
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: Sunday, May 23, 3-5pm, Brain, Child Magazine's 10th Anniversary
Join a gathering of writing and reading moms to celebrate Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers as they toast ten years of publishing and a brand-spanking-new 2010 Utne Independent Press Award for social/cultural coverage. Following brief comments from local writers Catherine Newman, Tracy Mayor, Katherine Ozment, Nell Beram, Sarah Buttenwieser, Karen Dempsey, Laura Fokkena, Martha Nichols, Norah Piehl, Robin Schoenthaler, Audrey Schulman and Patricia Stacey, we'll meet and mingle with co-founders and co-editors Stephanie Wilkinson and Jennifer Niesslein, bond with fellow Brain, Child readers and writers, and browse or buy contributors' books. New and/or shy moms especially welcomed. Coffee, tea and sweets will be served, with an option to retire afterwards to a local pub for more conversation. For more info, check out Brain,Child's fan page on Facebook.
FREE, Grub Street Headquarters, 160 Boylston St., Boston, 02116.
--READING: Tuesday, May 11th, 7pm, AGNI Release Party featuring
Michelle Hoover, Wyn Cooper, Valerie Duff, and Mark Slouka
AGNI hosts a reading and release party to launch the new spring issue, which includes work by Charles Simic, Lia Purpura, Paul West, Melissa Green, Alex Lemon, Major Jackson, Marjorie Sandor, and many others, plus a major interview with poet Donald Hall. For further information contact agni@bu.edu (or 617-353-7135) or visit AGNI Online at www.bu.edu/agni.
FREE, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre 949 Commonwealth Ave., Boston (Green Line B, Pleasant St.)
--READING: Monday, May 17th, 7pm, Four Stories Boston Spring 2010 Season Finale
The Evening’s Theme: Me, Myself, and I: Stories of Solitude, Solipsism, and Individuality. Featuring readings by: Timothy Gager, Lauren Mackler, Joanna Smith Rakoff, and Shankar Vedantam, with comedian and writer Steve Brykman as guest host. Plus the Four Stories style of literary investigation: ask the best question, win a free drink!
FREE, The Enormous Room, 567 Mass Avenue (Central Sq./Redline T-stop), Cambridge, MA 02139
http://www.fourstories.org
--CONFERENCE: May 15th, all day, Compleat Biographer Conference
The first Compleat Biographer Conference will be held on May 15, 2010 at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The conference, run by the Biographers International Organization (BIO), will focus on the practical aspects of the craft and art of biography. It also aims to create a setting in which biographers can meet and share experiences with other biographers. Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers, best-selling authors, agents, archivists, librarians, and biographers of all sorts are making Boston their destination. Don't miss this event! Check out www.biographersinternational.org.
--WRITING RETREAT: May 21/23 or June 25-27, Lake Sunapee Writing Retreat
Join us on the Lake for a Writer's Retreat. Spend a weekend writing in the serene setting of Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. You will have time to relax and gather with fellow writers in an environment that fosters creativity. Retreats are scheduled for May 21-23 and June 25-27. For a brochure and registration form, visit www.wordsinplay.net <http://www.wordsinplay.net> or email dmckew@wordsinplay.net.
--SEEKING SUBMISSIONS: Writer 2.0
Pagan Kennedy is starting up a new web magazine, Writer 2.0, about the future of publishing. Motto: We predict the future so that you can make a living. Questions asked: What will the word "book" mean in five years? Who will pay for journalism? And how will writers survive and thrive in the new economy? The magazine will feature original reporting, success stories, and opinion pieces. We welcome submissions, especially from people who are willing to investigate literary trends, new genres, publishing innovations and such. Go to http://www.writer2point0.com to check it out.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where, like the goat who wished he could be a pony, we offer you the chance to win a prize. Which winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama was born on this day in history? Winner receives ice cream from J.P. Licks.
Last week's answer: Chuck Palahniuk has Are You There God, It's Me Margaret on his bedside table because he's working on a new novel based on the structure of Blume's book with "Margaret" as a character, who wakes up in hell and has to make the most of it. Winner: Reyna Clancy.