June 1st, 2010

Grub Street News

Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday (except when we are hosting Memorial Day BBQs) from the supersized sandbox 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.

Ta-da! Announcing our Summer workshop calendar

Summer's here, and the writing is easy! Our wonderful lineup of 6- and 10-week workshops has just been posted, and seminars and weekend workshops are coming later this week. We're pleased to be offering all sorts of great new classes this term, including daytime intensive courses, which meet every afternoon for a week—like writing boot camps. We've also got a new fiction class called Secrets of Horror and Suspense , a cool poetry class called 10 Weeks, 10 Poems, 10 Questions and a great new humor class, Finding Funny. Of course, we have all your favorites as well, like Novel In Progress, Fiction I, Jumpstart Your Writing, 6 Weeks, 6 Essays, The Non-Fiction Book Proposal, and many more! Check out all the courses at www.grubstreet.org and call us at 617.695.0075 to sign up.

It's still spring

Just because our Summer schedule is available doesn't mean it's the end of spring quite yet. Grub's spring term runs through late June, and on June 12-13th we've got a weekend of great courses including Out of the Slush Pile and Into Print and The Rise of Flash Fiction, and on June 17tha night of seminars including Troubleshoot Me, the Skill of the Interview and more! Check out all details below.

On the scene : Jenna Blum's book launch

Last Thursday was the book launch for Grub instructor and friend Jenna Blum's new novel, The Stormchasers. After being introduced by our very own Christopher Castellani, Jenna read excerpts of her book to an enormous crowd at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Jenna took questions from the audience and then signed books for over two hours (!!) at the Brookline Booksmith before heading to her launch party at Boston's beautiful Hampshire House. How many Grubbies were in attendance? Too many to count, since Jenna is one of our most beloved instructors, but we spied Dell Smith, Henriette Powers, Leslie Greffenius, Sonya Larson, Whitney Scharer, Michael Borum, Matthew Biewener, Becky Tuch, Kathy Crowley, Chris Abouzeid, Necee Regis, Cecile Corona, Nichole Bernier, Lisa Borders, Christiane Alsop, Barb and Ron MacLean, Stephanie Ebbert, Michelle Seaton, Javed Jahangir, Eric Grunwald, Marc Foster and many more! Crazy for book launch news? Next month we're celebrating three more Grubbie launches: Michelle Hoover's The Quickening on June 29th, Lynne Griffin's Sea Escape on July 6th, and Ilie Ruby's The Language of Trees on July 20th.

Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Chris, Chip, Eve 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.

LUNCHTIME WRITING WORKSHOP: Wednesday, June 9th, 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.
FREE, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP: June 12th & 13th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Out of the Slush Pile and Into Print
Instructor: James Scott
Publication in literary magazines is one of the best ways for emerging writers to achieve credibility, recognition, and a larger readership. Yet, the quantity and diversity of literary magazines can be daunting for submitters. Do you have stories that are polished and ready to be seen by a literary magazine editor, but are unsure of how to prepare a cover letter or pick the magazines best suited for your work? Or have you been submitting for a while, but worry you might be doing something wrong? In this weekend seminar, students will learn to navigate the literary magazine landscape. We will discuss how you can position your story for the best possible read and common mistakes made by submitters, study examples of “good” and “bad” cover letters, workshop first pages of student manuscripts, discussing what’s likely to engage a reader or dismay them from continuing with the story, and learn how to determine which magazines are appropriate for your work. In addition, students will draft their own cover letters and leave the class with a specific and personalized submission plan. We will also discuss the role of networking in the submission process and how to successfully pursue contacts made at conferences and other literary venues.
$220/$195 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP: June 12th & 13th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, The Freelancing Payoff
Freelance isn’t just a way to make extra income—it could one day be your income. Join Eric Butterman, who has written for Glamour, ESPN.com, and numerous other publications, as he shows you how to turn one assignment into many and how to expand your horizons from field to field. “There’s many misconception in this business—like that you can’t follow up with phone calls after you send out a magazine pitch,” Butterman says. “Half my business is directly attributed to the phone and we’ll drill through phone calls together so I can show you how to do them correctly.” But before you ever pick up the phone, you need to pick your brain for the right magazine idea. “From sources to use, to a snappy headline, to making your pitch into the voice of the magazine, the pitch needs to be done just right or you just won’t get assignments. We’ll come up with them together on the spot so you can see how the mindset works.” Students in Butterman's 5-week courses have landed $1,000-and-up articles--while the class was still going on. The same timeframe resulted in assignments for New York Magazine's Daily Intelligencer, USA Today and more.
$220/$195 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, June 12th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, The Rise of Flash II
Instructor: Tara Masih
This is a seminar for writers who took the first Rise of Flash weekend workshop AND for others who have experimented with the flash form prior to this class. We’ll look at new examples of contemporary flash stories (by writers such as Randall Brown, Kim Chinquee, Bruce Holland Rogers, and more), then concentrate on exercises that experiment with different forms and lengths. The goal of this class is to spend more time on workshopping and editing, as condensation and pacing are crucial tasks to master in this genre. Participants may also bring unpublished flash stories written outside of class for feedback (max. 1,000 words).
$115/$95 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP: June 12th & 13th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, The Hook and the Book
Instructor: Sorche Fairbank
Most literary agents receive at least one hundred query letters each week, yet respond positively to a very select few - generally less than two percent, and decisions on writing samples are often made within the first five pages. Would yours make the cut? Do you know the secrets to writing a winning query? Join agent Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank of Fairbank Literary Representation for a weekend of intensive query and writing critique, lessons on the basics of a powerful synopsis, help on the first five pages, review of a laundry list of Dos and Don’ts, and group and one-on-one analysis of your submission package. Please prepare and email to chip@grubstreet.org no later than 5pm Tuesday, June 8th, a query letter of no more than 400 words, and the first five pages of your manuscript (double spaced, single sided, 12pt font, pages numbered) for the instructor, and bring four copies of the query and the first five pages to the first class for group review. Limited to 12 students.
Important: On Day One, bring four copies of your query letter of no more than 400 words. Also bring four copies of the first five pages of your manuscript (double spaced, single sided, 12pt font, pages numbered). Note: you will be reworking your query and first five pages between classes.
For Day Two: Please bring thirteen copies of your reworked query and first five pages. If the class size is smaller than 12, you will be notified on the correct number of copies.
$220/$195 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

READING AND OPEN MIC: Monday, June 14th, 8PM - 10PM, Spring Season Showcase
Join Grub students from the Spring 2010 term, plus two of our award-winning instructors, 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 spring. 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, MA.

SEMINAR: Thursday, June 17th, 7-10pm, Ask the Agent
Instructor: Irene Goodman
Legendary literary agent Irene Goodman, visiting for one night only from New York, will offer an insider’s view into the life of a literary agency. You’ll learn how to pitch agents and how not to pitch them, how agents make decisions, how the business works, what happens once you have an agent, how fiction and nonfiction projects get developed and more. Come with questions. Irene Goodman’s agency has been in business for over 30 years, and represent a wide range of commercial fiction, literary fiction, and non-fiction. Their authors have over 120 appearances on the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Walden, and Bookscan bestseller lists. For more information about Irene and her agency, see www.irenegoodman.com.
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

SEMINAR: Thursday, June 17th, 7-10pm, Troubleshoot Me
Instructor: James Scott
Asking the proper questions about your writing can lead to the greatest improvements. A great editor, of course, can provide such a sounding board. Weak writing, however, often doesn't find its way to an editor's desk. Trying to figure out how to make that next leap alone can often be frustrating. In this class, using one to two pages of students' own writing that has proved troublesome, exemplifies a recurring problem, or just isn't quite working, we'll concentrate on finding our weaknesses and developing exercises and strategies to turn them into strengths. The instructor will also offer each a student a manual with strategies to address each common issue.
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

SEMINAR: Thursday, June 17th, 7-10pm, The Skill of the Interview: Getting People To Talk
Instructor: Elaine McArdle
The return of this sold-out seminar from 2008! In non-fiction writing, including memoir, the richest material often comes from the people who lived the event. But how do you get them to open up to you? Whether you're trying to get your mom to recall her childhood or to get a complete stranger to describe a crime they witnessed, the key is building a relationship of trust -- and honoring that. We'll learn practical tips for finding sources, getting them to agree to talk, establishing the rules of the interview (on the record? background only?), and helping them tell their stories in their own voices. We will also touch on how to place interviews and profiles in journals and magazines. A useful seminar for any writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry or screenwriting who needs to conduct this type of research.
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

SEMINAR: Thursday, June 17th, 7-10pm, The Poem and the Idea
Instructor: Elisa Gabbert
Poems that describe a heron or the moon can be nice, but what sets the one you remember apart from all the rest? Chances are it’s an interesting idea. This seminar will explore poetry as a manifestation of thought, examining the ways in which poems communicate complex ideas (be they overt ideas, diffuse ideas, or meta ideas through conceptualism), the overlapping territory of poetry and philosophy, and the difference between the poetic idea and other modes or tropes, such as imagery, description, narrative, and abstraction. Class time will be divided between lecture, discussion, and in-class reading, with an emphasis on discussion. A reading packet will be distributed, including poems by Rae Armantrout, Anne Carson, Maggie Nelson, Wallace Stevens, and Jon Woodward. Students are encouraged to bring a poem of their own for discussion (and, if desired, revision) from the perspective of the poetic idea.
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ, 160 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

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 AND CONVERSATION: Thursday, June 3rd, 5pm, Conversation with Jayne Anne Phillips and Christopher Lydon
PEN New England cordially invites you to join a conversation with Christopher Lydon and Jayne Anne Phillips. Jayne Anne Phillips was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia. She is the author of four novels, Lark and Termite, a 2009 National Book Award Finalist, MotherKind, Shelter and Machine Dreams, and two collections of widely anthologized stories, Fast Lanes and Black Tickets. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, and a Bunting Fellowship. She has been awarded the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction (1980) and an Academy Award in Literature (1997) by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
FREE, Upstairs on the Square, 91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge.

--READING: June 4th, 8pm, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Michelle Hoover, and Ben Mazer
Joanna Smith Rakoff has written for The New York Times, Time Out New York, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Vogue, O: The Oprah Magazine, and other publications. Michelle Hoover teaches writing at Boston University and Grub Street and has published fiction in Confrontation, The Massachusetts Review, Prairie Schooner, and Best New American Voices, among others. Ben Mazer’s poems appear frequently in international periodicals, including Fulcrum, Harvard Review, Salt, Verse, Jacket, Boston Review, Agenda, and The Wolf.
FREE, Out of the Blue Art Gallery 106 Prospect Street, Cambridge.

--READING: Wednesday, June 9th, 5:30-7:00pm, Ann Hood reading from The Red Thread
Ann Hood will discuss her new book The Red Thread at Stellina Restaurant. Stellina will provide antipasti and there is  a cash bar.
FREE, Stellina Restaurant, 47 Main Street, Watertown.

--WORKSHOPS: FREE Creative Writing Class at JP Library!
Get writing this summer!  Whether you want to try something new or renew an old passion, this fun, laid-back class is for you.  Bring old pieces or start new ones – we’ll guarantee to get your creative juices flowing.  Taught by writer and MFA candidate Abby Machson-Carter.  Five Thursdays: June & July, 6:30-8:00 pm. First Class: Thursday, 6/17. Class dates: 6/17, 6/24, 7/1, 7/15, 7/28. To Register, email Abby amagnacarta@gmail.com.
FREE, Jamaica Plain Library, Jamaica Plain.

--PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT "WRITE IT LIKE IT IS" WORKSHOPS IN NEWTON
If you’ve ever wanted to write about your life experiences without censors, editors, or critics, now is your chance. In response to specific prompts and guided exercises, you are encouraged to let go of inhibitions about "getting it right" and tap in to your authentic voice. Sharing is optional but encouraged. It’s not a therapy group, though it may be therapeutic. It’s not a writing class, though you will learn new, practical tools for self-expression and techniques for developing your writing practice. The next workshop is on Sunday, June 13, 9:30 am – 1:00 pm in Newton Highlands. Address provided upon registration. Cost: $60. Limited to 8. Plus, weekly groups forming now in Newton Highlands: Thursdays, 6:30 – 8:30 pm; Fridays, 1:30 – 3:30 pm, starting June 24 & 25. Cost: $35/group (eight-week minimum). Facilitated by Grub member and psychotherapist Debbie Sosin, LICSW. For details, visit www.deborahsosin.com, email debbie@deborahsosin.com, or call 617-448-5769.

Email Marketing by