November 22nd, 2010
"What I really wanted was every kind of life, and the writer’s life seemed the most inclusive."
—Susan Sontag
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene transcribed every Monday from the notes in the margins of our romance novels 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.
Look what's here! It's our 2011 winter workshop schedule, and it's a great one. Check out our website to view brand-new classes in self-publishing, speculative fiction, the modern epic, and even comics. To see the complete list of winter offerings (and to search for the ideal class for you), go to http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=402, where you can read descriptions and register online. The online registration process is very easy, but if you have questions or need help selecting a course, please call 617.695.0075 and any of our staff will be happy to assist you.
How do you write popular fiction with literary depth? How do you tackle the hands-on, practical issues of writing genre and genre-influenced fiction like plotting, starting a story, ending a story, keeping track of plotting and themes. . . and make your work smart? In a world in which literary lions like Junot Diaz and Cormac McCarthy win Pulitzers for works that build upon pop fiction, the writing of the smart page-turner that uses both literary and genre tropes has never been more dynamic. This class, which addresses specific topics requested by Grub students, will teach writers of romance, mystery, science fiction, erotica, supernatural or suspense fiction how to strengthen their literary potential while getting a grip on the "nuts and bolts" aspects of writing popular fiction. Classes will entail the workshopping of your stories and novel chapters, exploring the terrain of the genres, the use of writing and idea-generating exercises, and discussion of the magazines and publishers looking for your sort of fiction. While this class expands upon topics covered in Grub's "Writing the Smart-Page Turner" class, it is open to all but recommended for those with previous workshop experience. (10 Tuesdays from 6:30-9:30pm each night. Begins January 11th. $455/$430 members. Learn more or register now!)
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Chris, Chip, and Eve
The P.S. The Grub Street staff will be giving thanks on November 25th and 26th, and will be back in the office as stuffing-stuffed versions of ourselves on Monday, November 29th. Happy Thanksgiving!
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.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday-Sunday, December 4-5th, 9:00am-4:00pm, The Murky Middle
If you’ve written at least 50 pages and feel lost in the murky middle of your novel, this class will help you forge a path toward the story’s climax.
Instructor: Lisa Borders
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday-Sunday, December 4-5th, 9:00am-4:00pm, The Hook and the Book
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.
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, December 4th, 9:00am-4:00pm,Workshop Your Website or Blog
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 seminar is only for those who already have a designed website or active blog. Submit the URL(s) of your website and/or blog to chip@grubstreet.org by noon on Tuesday, November 30th. If you have a blog, also submit two of your best posts that could be discussed in class. The instructor will prepare thorough critiques of each site before class so submitting URLs as early as possible is appreciated. Amy Marcott is a web writer and editor at MIT who blogs frequently and assists with web redesigns and incorporating new technologies into online strategies.
Instructor: Amy Marcott
Register now! $115.00/$95.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, December 4th, 9:00am-4:00pm, The Confident Writer
If you had more faith in your writing, what would you do? Submit more work to magazines? Finish that draft of your novel? Share your nonfiction in public? Receive critiques with delight? In a world where writers are often asked, "What novels have you published?" it can be difficult to build the confidence we need to progress. In this one-night seminar, we'll view our writing through an honest and encouraging lens, learning the art of positive self-talk and interpretation, while also finding ways to celebrate and inspire. Led by a writing teacher and psychology grad who has specialized in self-esteem, we'll practice tried and tested techniques including self-talk, community building, the praise sandwich, achievable goal-setting, arts activism, and alternative methods of showcasing our work. If possible, please come with two 500 word samples of your writing or excerpts from a longer piece, which you would be willing to share.
Instructor: Sue Williams
Register now! $115.00/$95.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, December 5th, 9:00am-4:00pm, Jumpstart Your 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.
Instructor: Grace Talusan
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, December 5th, 9:00am-4:00pm, Poetry Revision Clinic
"A poem is never finished," wrote Valery, "only abandoned." In this workshop, we will spend the day exploring different methods of revision – focusing on such techniques as storyboarding, reconsidering form, and attending to imagery and language. We will also try out a variety of revision protocols that can be used in writing groups. Participants should bring two to three poems (at any stage – from idea to completed draft) that they are interested in revising.
Instructor: Ben Berman
Register now! $115.00/$95.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
DAYTIME INTENSIVE: Monday-Friday, December 6-10th, 11:00am-2:00pm, Week-Long Revision Clinic
Whether it's exploring the possibilities of an initial draft or adding the final touches, revision is a process no successful writer can do without. This week-long intensive course will teach the crucial concepts of revision.
Instructor: Cam Terwilliger
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
READING AND OPEN MIC: Thursday, December 9th, 8:00-10:00pm, Fall Season Showcase
Join Grub students from the Fall 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 in Fall 2010. And yes, 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 headquarters.
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00-10:00pm, Find Your Memoir
This 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.
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00-10:00pm, Childhood Firsts
Our earliest memories are often the most enduring and revealing. Whether we want to write poetry, fiction or nonfiction, these memories—of joy, triumph, shame, terror, betrayal, discovery—can lead us to the most resonant themes of a lifetime, themes that can give focus and shape to longer projects. Flannery O’Connor famously said: “If you’ve survived your childhood, you have enough material to write about for the rest of your life.” In this seminar we will write with courage and exuberance to plumb these memories, hear them sing, and see how they connect and reverberate. Students working in different genres are encouraged to attend.
Instructor: Leslie Lawrence
Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00-10:00pm, Become a Critical Creative: The Art of the Literary Review
Earning a living as a writer is notoriously difficult, especially without a diversified portfolio. Critical reviewing is an excellent way to build income and identity, all while maintaining a connection to one’s art. Taught by a veteran of the publishing industry and long-time book reviewer, Becoming a Critical Creative explores the development of a distinct perspective that writers can apply to the areas in which they work. The seminar evaluates key examples from leading critics and discusses the successful—or unsuccessful—methods of their approach. It covers the most common forms of reviewing—short form, long form, capsule, academic, pop—and the publications in which they appear. It also shares strategies for securing work as a reviewer and for creating the kind of voice that grabs a reader’s attention. Students are encouraged to submit review samples before class that the instructor and class can workshop. If you'd like to submit samples, please send them as an attachment by Sunday, December 5th, to chip@grubstreet.org.
Instructor: Marisa Pagano
Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00-10:00pm, Ask the Agent
Janet Silver, Literary Director of the Zachary Shuster Harmsworth agency, brings more than three decades of experience as an acclaimed editor and publishing executive to her work as a literary agent. In this Grub Street seminar, you will sit down with Janet and ask her any question that’s on your mind about the role of the agent and get an insider’s view of the life of a literary agency.
Instructor: Janet Silver
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
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: Wednesday, December 1st, 7pm, Major Jackson
Major Jackson is the author of three collections of poetry: Hoops (Norton: 2006) and Leaving Saturn (University of Georgia: 2002), winner of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize and finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award. His third volume of poetry Holding Company has recently been published by W.W. Norton. Major Jackson is the Richard Dennis Green and Gold Professor at University of Vermont and a core faculty member of the Bennington Writing Seminars. He serves as the Poetry Editor of the Harvard Review.
FREE, The Suffolk University Poetry Center, 3rd Floor, Sawyer Library, 73 Tremont Street, Boston.
--READING: Tuesday, December 7th, 6-7:30pm, Marianne Leone
Grub friend (and recent Taste of Grub reader) Marianne Leone will read and discuss her beautiful new book Knowing Jesse. All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the JESSE COOPER FOUNDATION. Stellina will provide free appetizers and have a cash bar. Q & A and signing to follow reading.
FREE, Stellina's Restaurant, 47 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472
--CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Amazon Studios is a new website where filmmakers and screenwriters can submit scripts and test films for the chance to get their movie made. Test movies must be at least 70 minutes, but they don’t have to be made on a full budget. Now through Dec. 31st, 2011, Amazon Studios will give away a total of $2.7 million to the winning submissions, which will be selected monthly. Amazon Studios will award $100,000 to the best script and $1 million to the best movie submitted by December 31, 2011 for the final 2011 Annual Awards. For a full article about this, check out: http://www.mediabistro.com/ebooknewser/amazon-is-getting-into-the-movie-business_b3613
--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 2011. 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, 2010. Residencies will begin in February 2011. There is a $15 Application fee. To apply, visit www.writersroomofboston.org.
--CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Used Furniture Review
Used Furniture Review is a new online literary magazine, now accepting submissions in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and photography. Please visit and submit here: http://usedfurniturereview.com/.
--BAND FOR HIRE: Blueprint Jazz Trio
If you were at Taste of Grub, you surely caught the jazz stylings of the Blueprint Trio. They were generous enough to donate their time at our event, and we're immensely thankful to them. If you're looking for a Trumpet - Bass - Drums trio for weddings, cocktail hours, corporate events, fundraisers or any of the many holiday events around the corner, contact Patricia Gately at pgately@berklee.net for further details.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where like the sassafras in our root beer float, we offer you the chance to win a prize. We didn't have ANY guesses to this question last week, so here's a second chance: Name three famous authors who were under five feet tall. Email your answer and your postal address to whitney@grubstreet.org. First correct respondent wins a J.P. Licks gift card.