December 28th, 2010
"For last year's words belong to last year's language / And next year's words await another voice."
—T.S. Eliot
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday (except after the Christmas break) by the Pha-a-a-a-ntom of the Office 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.
Grub Street makes writers better writers, builds literary careers, creates audience for good work...and needs your help. Click here to donate.
With the generous support of donors, we've run inspiring creative workshops for underserved populations like teens and seniors, who otherwise might not have access to the literary arts. We've put over one million dollars into writers’ pockets, employing them as teachers and fueling the creative economy of our state. And we've helped writers at all levels do their best work by engaging them in enriching workshops and readings, and by creating a vibrant community of people passionate about books and literature. Grub Street is proud to be keeping the written word vibrant, healthy and alive. Please consider making a donation today to help us keep doing our important work.
We know you understand the transformative power of words and language, and in these difficult times for arts organizations, we are more grateful than ever for your commitment to writers and literature. Thank you.
The short film linked below visually captures what Grub Street does and why it matters. In it, you'll follow Jenn De Leon on her Grub Street journey as a student, teacher and author, and see the many ways Grub helps writers realize their dreams and aspirations.
Help us continue to help writers. Be a part of the Grub Street community by making an end-of-year donation today.
We're back...or are we? The Grub Street office will be operating with limited staffing this week, and will reopen for real on Monday, January 3rd at 10am. In our absence, feel free to register for winter workshops on our website. Happy New Year!
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.
NEW WORKSHOP! Begins January 9th, 6 Sundays, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Novel in Progress II
You’re in the middle of your novel manuscript, and you have a fairly good idea where it’s going, but some sections just don’t seem right. This course is designed to help writers at this stage better understand what's working and what's not in their work, and to develop greater clarity and insight when returning to challenging passages. We'll operate on the premise advocated by the late Andre Dubus, who was a proponent of reading work aloud to hear the poetry and to find the clunkers. Pages will not be shared in advance; rather, we'll briefly re-look at various aspect of craft (opening pages, voice/tone, character development, setting, dialogue), after which students will read aloud 3-5 pages for the class to critique. Workshop discussions will try to identify where the prose is alive and how to improve sections where it’s not. One-on-one half-hour meetings with the instructor will be scheduled for the last class to share revised pages and to discuss the scope of the project as well as next steps. Please bring opening pages of your novel to the first class. Note that this class is designed for students who’ve taken fiction workshops in the past, are comfortable discussing manuscripts in process, and who have made some significant headway on their books.
Instructor: Lara JK Wilson
$305/$280 members, at Yoga Mandala in Winchester.
SEMINAR: Monday, January 10th, 6:30-9:30pm, Everything a Writer Needs to Know about the Law
This course will provide writers at all stages in their career with a basic understanding of what they need to know about the law. Attorneys Jenny Milana and Mitchell Bragg will share their inside scoop and offer a fun and exciting look at the law as it applies to aspiring, emerging and established writers. Through an interactive activity and Q&A, attendees can expect to learn: the importance of registering the copyright in your work; what it means to be a "work for hire;" why a trademark for your business is a good idea; what tricks attorneys use in contracts that cause confusion; how to negotiate your own contract even if you have an agent or publisher; why it is important to plan for the future; how to create a business plan to house your projects; and so much more! This is an open forum workshop, so bring your notebook, a pen, and plenty of questions.
Instructor: Jenny Milana
Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
SEMINAR: Monday, January 10th, 6:30-9:30pm, Social Media for Writers
You know you should be Tweeting, but you don’t know where to start. You’re not even sure how Twitter – or the many other social networking sites out there – will help your writing career (let alone your craft). In this very practical and generative seminar, literary agent Lauren MacLeod will guide you through the world of social media and explain how and why it works for aspiring, emerging and established writers. If you don’t have a Twitter account yet, you’ll sign up for one this very night with Lauren’s help; by the end of the night, everyone will have Tweeted something and gained at least 12 followers. You will come away empowered with the “do’s and don’ts” of social media and gain some understanding not just of how to do it, but how to do it well.
Instructor: Lauren MacLeod
Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
SEMINAR: Monday, January 10th, 6:30-9:30pm, Considering Self-Publishing
With publishers cutting back severely on book acquisitions, technology leveling the playing field and a surge in recognition for independent authors, there’s never been a better time to self-publish. If you’re wondering whether it’s the right route for you and what the implications are, this seminar will give you the tools and information you need. After looking in-depth at the current context and the four basic cases for opting to self-publish, it will explore the pros and cons of each case to help you make a well-founded decision. A series of questions and exercises will also help you determine whether the work you’re considering self-publishing meets the highest possible standards of quality.
Instructor: Sharon Bially
Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
SEMINAR: Monday, January 10th, 6:30-9:30pm, Great Ideas: Selling and Writing the Science Nonfiction Book
There's a burgeoning market for science nonfiction books. Fortunately they're much easier to sell than fiction or memoirs. All you need is a great idea--and a great proposal. In this seminar, you'll learn everything you need to know to market your science or medicine book to a publisher. You'll learn about the state of the science nonfiction publishing industry, what editors are looking for, what readers are looking for, how to find the best agent for your project, and how to craft a winning proposal. We'll analyze both successful and failed science books published in the past few years, giving special attention to the different styles of Malcolm Gladwell (author of Outliers) and Steven Pinker (author of Blank Slate). You'll also learn what to expect when you do sell your book--and the challenges you'll face when you must actually get the research and writing done by a deadline. We might also address special topics such as e-books, Amazon, and endorsements.
Instructor: Ogi Ogas
Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
SEMINAR: Monday, January 10th, 6:30-9:30pm, What's Your Tense?
You know the characters and you have an inkling about the plot, so you sit yourself in front of the computer and prepare for brilliance to emerge. You’re reasonably sure of the setting and point of view, but which tense should you choose – present or past? It may sound like a small decision, but each tense brings implications and limitations beyond basic verb conjugations, and the wrong decision could set you back. In this class, we will investigate the pros and cons of past and present through in-class exercises and discussion. Bring a page of fiction or nonfiction to find out how a fresh approach to its tense could open up new possibilities and make an already good story great.
Instructor: Jenn Scheck-Kahn
Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.
SATURDAY SERIAL: Saturday, January 15th, 10:30am-12:30pm, Approaches to the Memoir
It’s been said that when a person dies, a library dies with them. How will some of your library live on? “Memoir” usually implies an autobiography in book form, an effort too daunting for many. In this Serial, Bill Buffett will speak about other ways he’s used to leave some his library behind. He urges others to think about it. The group will explore many ways to leave something behind besides grandma’s candlesticks or writing a “Memoir.”
Instructor: Bill Buffett
FREE, Grub Street headquarters.
LUNCHTIME WRITING: Wednesday, January 19th, 12:30-1:15pm, 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. Led by one of our award-winning instructors or ambassadors. Best of all, you’ll leave lunch with some new ideas to ponder for the rest of your day...and beyond. No need to RSVP-- just come!
Instructor: Jennifer Elmore
FREE, 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.
"Spreading the Love" has just settled down for a long winter's nap, and will return on January 3rd. Happy reading, everyone!
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where like the plum in your pudding, we offer you the chance to win a prize. What booze-loving author dedicated one of his books to "Dr. Cointreau"? Author and book, please. 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: Alfred Lord Tennyson started writing poetry when he was five and had written a 6,000-word poem by the age of ten. Winner: Glenn Myers.
