October 18th, 2010
"Write when there is something that you know; and not before; and not too damned much after."
—Ernest Hemingway
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday from the center of the hydrangea bush 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.
A Taste of Grub is right around the corner--do you have your tickets yet? Spend an evening wining and dining with acclaimed authors Anita Shreve, Marianne Leone, Chuck Hogan and Regie Gibson, and support Grub Street at the same time. We've got lots of fun surprises planned, and we can't wait to see you there! Tickets at http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=32.
Bid on fantastic items and support your favorite creative writing center while you're at it. Are you looking to publish your novel or memoir? In week two of our auction, we're especially excited to be auctioning off Manuscript Feedback Sessions with some of the nation's top literary agents, including Lane Zachary, Katherine Fausset and Foladé Bell. Writing short stories instead? Bid on a Literary Magazine Feedback Session with Jeanne Leiby, editor of the esteemed Southern Review. We've also got KILLER State Street Pavilion Red Sox seats for the date of your choice in 2011, a two-night stay in a Cape Cod B&B, and much more. All auction proceeds support Grub Street's programming and outreach. Bidding ends on Sunday night--don't miss out!
The sun was shining at the second annual Boston Book Festival, and we had a great time catching up with Grubbies old and new at our booth on Copley Square. It was a jam-packed day, and we were frankly overwhelmed by all the great events and workshops. In addition to the great Grub Street workshops and the panels featuring Grubbies like Michelle Hoover, Daphne Kalotay and Ann Hood, one Grub staff favorite (and not just because of the great title) was "My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me," a session on fairytales featuring authors Kelly Link and Kathryn Davis and moderated by Harvard's Maria Tatar. And we're proud to report that all nine Grub workshops and events sold out--proving that Boston is a great town for writers as well as readers. Huge thanks to the women behind the festival for all their hard work, Emily D'Amour Pardo and Debbie Porter.
We had almost 400 people join our mailing list at the Boston Book Festival, where we were raffling off not one, not two, but THREE Grub Street memberships. Competition was fierce, but...drumroll...our randomly selected winners are Megan Rice, Ellen Freeman Roth and Kate Estrop!
Congratulations as well to our 2010 Writer Idol, Ben Janse. The first page of Ben's story, "Up, Up" was read aloud to a panel of four literary agents at the "Writer Idol" event on Saturday. Though there was initially some dissent among the judges, Ben's funny and engaging piece was declared the favorite of the event. Instead of the car and record deal Ben may have been expecting as an "Idol," Ben will be receiving a more writerly prize of a one-year Grub membership. Huzzah!
The Run for Grub Scholarship was founded by Grub Street member Catherine Elcik who ran a marathon in July to raise money to cover the cost of workshops for four students. If you’d like to be considered for one of these four awards, check out the details on our website and then tell us your story about how you’d benefit from taking a free Grub Street class. But whether your application makes us laugh or cry, keep your letter to one, single-spaced page, and email it to runforgrub@grubstreet.org. Deadline extended to November 1st, 2010 at 5pm EST.
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Chris, Chip, and Eve
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.
SALON: Friday, October 22nd, 11am-1:30pm, Who Does She Think She Is?
Motherhood can make writing a challenge, and even a source of guilt. Is it possible to be a good mother and also pursue your artistic and literary passions? Is it harder for women with children to attain the same level of critical and commercial success as men with children? The documentary film Who Does She Think She Is? explores this question as it applies to four women in the visual and performing arts. We’ll watch the film (82 minutes) and use it as a jumping-off point for our own discussion of writing and motherhood. All are welcome-- not just mothers. A light lunch will be served. Hosted by Grub instructor Jane Roper, author of the forthcoming Baby Squared and writer of the popular blog of the same name.
$10 donation appreciated, Grub Street headquarters.
BOOK PARTY : Monday, October 25th, 7:00pm, Bruce Machart’s The Wake of Forgiveness
Many of you will remember longtime Grub instructor Bruce Machart, who taught with us in the early 2000s. Since that time, Bruce has gone on to publish one of this fall’s most buzzed-about novels, The Wake of Forgiveness. To congratulate Bruce, we will be attending his reading and inviting everyone who attends to an after-party at a location near the bookstore. Don’t miss this opportunity meet or see Bruce again and get your hands on a great book!
FREE, Porter Square Books.
DAYTIME INTENSIVE: Monday-Thursday, November 1-4th, 11:00am-1:00pm, Writing Your Legacy
Most of us take great pains to ensure that our loved ones will inherit our material wealth; few of us are as deliberate about ensuring that our stories and values will live on. An “ethical will” is a document that will guarantee just that. Often described as a “kind of love letter” to those we will leave behind—be they children, grandchildren, friends or colleagues, it is a way to create a spiritual legacy. Whether we are young or old, a serious writer or a complete beginner, we can create that legacy and, in the process, become more intimate with ourselves. In this four-session workshop we will write from prompts, i.e; This is the world I come from... or These are the causes I have fought for... or This is one of the experiences that had the most impact on who I became... Come with a laptop or notebook and a willingness to dig deep. Sharing is entirely optional.
Instructor: Leslie Lawrence
$140/$120 members, Grub Street headquarters.
Be sure to check out our website for a comprehensive view of upcoming events.
Grub Street wants to promote YOU! Please send events for consideration to whitney@grubstreet.org. Bonus points and undying gratitude for submitting your event info in the same format as the events below. 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 cannot 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: Monday, October 18th, 7pm, Four Stories Boston
The evening’s theme: 'Til Death Do Us Part: Tales of love and expiration!" Featuring readings by: Alex Beinstein, former radio host for the interview-based show Tomorrow with Alex Beinstein; David Dickerson, author of House of Cards: Love, Faith, and Other Social Expressions; Daniel Gewertz, longtime journalist with work in the Boston Herald, Harvard Magazine, and The New York Times, and prize-winning storyteller from the "All-Star MassMouth Story Slam;” and Grub Street instructor Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, recipient of a 2010 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award in Nonfiction and the 2009 Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction.
Plus mingling, eating, drinking, and the Four Stories style of literary investigation: ask the best question; win a free drink!
FREE, The Enormous Room, 567 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA.
--READING: Wednesday, Oct. 20th, 5 pm, Mary Oliver
Oliver’s poetry, with its lyrical connection to the natural world, has firmly established her in the highest realm of American poets. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for American Primitive and the National Book Award for Poetry for New and Selected Poems, Volume One, Oliver continues to influence generations of younger poets. Swan, Oliver’s 20th book of poetry, was released Sept. 14th.
Free, Houghton Chapel at Wellesley College, MA.
--READING: Wednesday, October 20th, 6:00 p.m. Ethan Gilsdorf
As part of the Boston Public Library’s Author Series, Ethan Gilsdorf presents a visual and verbal tour through his book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms (now available in paperback). The award-winning travel memoir investigates fantasy and gaming subcultures – from Dungeons & Dragons players to World of Warcraft addicts, from Harry Potter fans to live-action role-players. “Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks” also recounts the author's quest to make peace with his geeky past and accept his "inner geek." In a slide-lecture, the author will discuss his book and the appeal of fantasy and gaming, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
More info: http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com.
FREE, Boston Public Library, Central Library, Boston Room, 700 Boylston St.
--AUTHOR EVENT: Saturday, October 23rd, 2-4 p.m., Novelist Lynne Griffin at NRAS Writers Workshop
Novelist and Grub Street instructor Lynne Griffin, author of Sea Escape and Life Without Summer, will present "Fact Collides with Fiction: The Rise of Issue-Related Stories and What Fiction Can Teach." Throughout history, stories have served the vital purpose of connecting us to one another through universality of experience. Stories entertain, enlighten, energize, and, of course, educate. Lynne will discuss the rise of issue-driven fiction, as well as how personal and professional experience informs story-telling. In a publishing climate that demands standout stories and writers with platform, Lynne will talk candidly about the art and science of writing fiction, the role of the marketplace in choosing story details, and the trend toward branding authors. She’ll share her own journey from nonfiction expert to novelist, read from her own issue-driven fiction, and answer questions in an open forum.
FREE G.A.R. Hall, 157 Old Main Street, Marshfield.
--READING: Wednesday, Oct 27th, 7PM, Rick Moody and Jabari Asim
Rick Moody, author of The Four Fingers of Death, and Jabari Asim, author of A Taste of Honey: Stories.
FREE,
Newtonville Books, 296 Walnut St, Newton. Commuter train to Newtonville stop.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where like a bearded lady in haute couture, we offer you the chance to win a prize. This poet had so many money problems at university that he joined the army under an assumed name. Tell us the poet and his army alias. Email your answer and your postal address to whitney@grubstreet.org. First correct respondent wins a J.P. Licks gift card.
Last week's answer: Alexandre Dumas and Roger De Beauvoir had such a strong friendship that when Dumas found De Beauvoir in bed with his wife, Ida Ferrier, he didn't throw him out of the house. Instead, he allegedly said, "It's a cold night. Move over and make room for me." Winner: Melissa Moriarty.