January 10th, 2011
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
—Mark Twain
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday by the secret curmudgeons 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.
There's a storm a-comin'! We are cancelling all Wednesday, January 12th classes (day and evening) due to the impending snow. Tuesday night (January 11th) classes will run as scheduled. Please check our website homepage for the latest updates.
Grub Street Snow Policy: For evening courses, we post cancellations on our homepage by noon the day of the class. For daytime courses, we post cancellations by 5pm the day before the scheduled course. For all weekend courses, we post cancellations by noon on Fridays.
Due to popular demand, all evening courses at Grub now run from 6:30-9:30pm. If your class starts this week, don't forget about the new timing.
Cool music. Dancing. Really great readings by fantastic writers. Swanky cocktails. What do you think of when you picture The Best Literary Party of the Year? We are putting together an event committee to work with us to imagine and plan our annual gala. If you have great ideas, energy and enthusiasm for event planning, email Whitney (whitney@grubstreet.org) to learn more. Time commitment and roles vary.
The development and grant-writing intern will assist the Development Director with a variety of tasks, including helping out with all grant-writing work for the entire life cycle of a grant (research, proposal, follow-up and reporting), assisting with direct mail projects, and helping with our annual fall fundraiser. Necessary skills: experience writing grant proposals or willingness to learn, excellent writing and communication skills, ability to work with minimal direction and an enthusiasm for fund-raising and the literary arts. We prefer a 3-6 month commitment for this internship. Please email your resume and a brief letter stating your interest in the internship to whitney@grubstreet.org.
When Robert Pinsky was appointed as Poet Laureate in 1997, he created the Favorite Poem Project to celebrate poetry in American's lives. It's a really cool program, and now fifty of the videos of are online for your perusal. The collection showcases individual Americans reading and speaking personally about poems they love, like "At Melville's Tomb" by Hart Crane, "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks, and many others. Click here to watch the videos now.
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.
SEMINAR: TONIGHT! 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: TONIGHT! Monday, January 10th, 6:30-9:30pm, Social Media for Writers
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.
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
SEMINAR: TONIGHT! Monday, January 10th, 6:30-9:30pm, Considering Self-Publishing
If you’re wondering whether self publishing is the right route for you and what the implications are, this seminar will give you the tools and information you need.
Instructor: Sharon Bially
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
SEMINAR: TONIGHT! 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
*Sorry, this free class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*
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.
WEEKEND WORKSHOPS COMING UP ON JANUARY 29th-30th:
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: Tuesday, January 11th, 7pm, U35 @ The Marliave: A Reading Series for Apostate Youth Aged 35 & Younger
This month's readers are Fulcrum editor Stephen Sturgeon and Emerson MFA poetry candidate Melissa Watt.
Stephen Sturgeon is editor of Fulcrum: an Annual of Poetry and Aesthetics. His first collection of poems, Trees of the Twenty-First Century (Dark Sky Books) is scheduled to appear in Spring 2011. His poems have appeared in Boston Review, Harvard Review, Jacket, Dark Sky Magazine, Tuesday; an Art Project, and elsewhere.
Melissa Watt originates from Florida but has been a Bostonian for five years. A writer since childhood, she is now happy to be an MFA candidate in Emerson's creative writing program. More details at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104378372962783.
FREE, The Marliave, 10 Bosworth Street, Downtown Crossing, Boston.
--READING: Monday, January 24, 2011, 7:00 PM, Seth Mnookin uncovers The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear
Harvard Book Store is pleased to welcome journalist Seth Mnookin as he discusses the controversy around childhood vaccines and his new book The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear. Read full details about the event and the book by clicking here.
FREE, Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138
--RETREAT: Meet Your Muse on Lago Maggiore -- Poetry, Prose and Joy: A week of creative expression in northern Italy -- May 4-12, 2011
Writers of all levels of experience and of all genres are invited to enjoy a magical week of creative expression. The days will include a mix of writing, sharing, short excursions, and discussions about craft. The writing sessions will inspire you to tap into your creative spirit, awaken your powers of observation and find your voice. You can choose to participate in any or all of the writing programs. Lago Maggiore, often called the Lake of Dreams, is an ideal setting to ignite your muse or to just relax and retreat. Grub Street members receive a **$200 Discount** For full brochure with all the details visit: http://wordsinplay.net/retreats/travel-retreats/lago-maggiore-2011
--WORKSHOP: Friday, February 11th, 8-5pm, Self Defense for Writers and Filmmakers: A Workshop for Artists and Attorneys
Writers and filmmakers need to understand their legal rights and how to defend themselves from those who may seek to exploit them. Production companies and distributors often know all the tricks of the trade, while writers and filmmakers know little about how to protect themselves. This seminar is geared toward both artists and attorneys representing artists. It explains how a writers and filmmakers can prevent problems by drafting an agreement that properly secures underlying rights and encourages the other party to live up to the agreement by adding performance milestones, default penalties and arbitration clauses. In the event of a dispute, participants learn what remedies are available to enforce their rights. Related topics include creative approvals, typical compensation and terms of studio contracts, merchandising deals, and negotiating tactics and strategies. The seminar includes more than 100 pages of useful contracts, checklists, forms and materials.
$45.00 Artists & Writers/$150.00 Non-Member Attorneys, Fish & Richardson, One Marina Park Drive, Boston. To RSVP for the event, click here.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where a laundry room for laundry lists, we offer you the chance to win a prize. This author came up with the famous "naughty but nice" real-cream TV ads. 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: Mark Twain, whose fabulous quote is featured at the top of this newsletter, liked to write in bed and often dressed in his pajamas to receive visitors. Winner: Steve Brykman.