February 22nd, 2011
"When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell the students to make their characters want something right away even if it's only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time."
—Kurt Vonnegut
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 celebrating our Presidents) from the private detectives moonlighting as support staff 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.
Gina Ochsner has been named the winner of Grub Street’s National Book Prize in Fiction for her novel, The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Ochsner receives $1,000 and will lead a class on the craft of fiction at our Muse and the Marketplace conference April 30-May 1, 2011. She will also lead a free craft class for members in our space the evening of Thursday, April 28th. Ms. Ochsner will be traveling to Grub Street from her home in Keizer, OR.
Grub Street also enthusiastically congratulates two finalists for their terrific books: Jessica Francis Kane's The Report (Graywolf Press) and Andrew Foster Altshul's Deus Ex Machina (Counterpoint).
Grub instructor and novelist Michelle Hoover served as head juror for the prize. Hoover called Gina Ochsner’s The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight “refreshing in substance, gorgeous in style, and heart-rending in sensibility.” For her full citation, see the Book Prize main page.
We remain ever-grateful to the anonymous donor who makes the Grub Street Book Prize possible. Without this grant, we would not be able to reward so many deserving writers and bring them to Boston from all over the country.
Lots of great stuff on the Grub Street Daily this week: Advice on facing the blank page learned at mortuary school, cutting out distractions at a writing residency, handy resources for writers on the internet, and writing prompts that draw from drama and prove that the gun's not the point of your story.
The Boston Phoenix is putting together their Best of Boston list, and we'd love to win the "Best Literary Gang" category. If you think we deserve it, click on the link to vote for us now, and thank you!
Did you know that it costs Grub Street over $100,000 to put on our annual literary conference, The Muse and the Marketplace? Each year, our fantastic sponsors help underwrite the cost of the event, and get the opportunity to advertise their businesses while supporting a great non-profit. If you own your own business or work somewhere that would benefit from advertising to an active arts audience of over 10,000 people, sponsoring the Muse might be right for you! Check out the sponsorship packages online, and email whitney@grubstreet.org for more details. Benefits of sponsorship include acknowledgement on all promotional materials, tickets to the conference, invitations to special VIP parties with visiting authors and agents, and much more.
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.
TEEN WRITING: Saturday, February 26th, 10am - 12pm or 1pm - 3pm, Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP)
Do you like to write poems, lyrics, stories, novels or screenplays? Join Grub Street’s Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP), a FREE creative writing workshop for Boston-area high schoolers. Our students, age 13-18, come from a wide variety of schools in the Boston area, and enjoy cool writing exercises, mingling with fellow young writers, snacks, and an optional open mic. After four great years YAWP has already been recognized by the Boston Globe as Boston's hub for writing teenagers.
Morning and afternoon sessions focus on fiction and poetry. View all the sessions and reserve your FREE space in the class of your choice.
EDITORIAL HELP: Saturday, March 5th, 10:00am-3:00pm, Weekend of Manuscript Consultations
Looking to polish your work before an agent sees it at The Muse and the Marketplace? Want to get immediate, one-on-one feedback from a Grub instructor? Throughout this Saturday, various members of our creative writing faculty will be meeting individually for thirty minutes with writers who have submitted 25 pages of their work ahead of time. The 25-page writing sample -- usually long enough to include a complete short story, a novel chapter, a substantive personal essay, a short play, a series of poems, or a screenplay excerpt -- is often needed when applying to MFA programs, teaching positions, fellowships, residencies, etc. The session includes yummy coffee and doughnuts. All consultations will take place on Saturday, March 5th, 2011, between 10am-3pm. Deadline for submissions is 12:00pm on Thursday, February 17th. See all details here.
$140.00, Grub Street HQ. Register Now.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 7th, 6:30-9:30pm, Crafting the Pitch
In this seminar, you will learn how to write killer cover letters for submitting essays to literary magazines, non-fiction book proposals to agents, and articles to editors of magazines, newspapers and online publications. We'll look at the basic elements of a pitch, or "query," letter, explain what editors look for, talk about ways to tailor pitches to specific publications, and examine real pitch letters that actually worked. We'll also look at top mistakes that writers make and show how to leverage your background and expertise to best present yourself (even if you don't have much publishing experience). Bring 15 copies of a draft of any pitch letter for a non-fiction project you are currently working on (optional), and we'll critique as many of them as we can.
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ. Register Now.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 7th, 6:30-9:30pm, You’ve Decided to Self-Publish: What Now?
So, you’ve decided to self-publish? Congratulations! But...what now? With an infinite number of options for how to proceed, this choice is difficult. It’s also highly strategic, with the potential to shape your writing career. This seminar will give you the tools to self-publish in a way that will help you meet your specific self-publishing goals. After examining those goals and the reasoning behind them, it will walk you through the various options, including budgetary considerations, and help you determine which one is the best match for you.
Instructor: Sharon Bially
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ. Register Now.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 7th, 6:30-9:30pm, Guided Open Mic With Steve Almond
Here’s your chance to show off your writing skills by reading your work to an eager audience and any guest authors, editors or literary agents who drop by. What makes this particular open mic extra special (and unforgettable!) is that it will be hosted by author Steve Almond, who is known for giving excellent readings. Steve will be on hand to talk about what makes a good reading – from how to pick the right excerpt to how to perform that excerpt like a professional. To participate, please bring a FIVE-MINUTE excerpt of your fiction, poetry or non-fiction to the session and sign up for a reading slot when you arrive. Please note that a five-minute reading usually consists of no more than 600 words. We will hold readers to a very strict five-minute limit.
Instructor: Steve Almond
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ. Register Now.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 7th, 6:30-9:30pm, Ask the Agent
In this Grub Street seminar, you will sit down with accomplished literary agent Ann Collette, of the Rees Literary Agency, to ask any question that's on your mind about the role of the agent and get an insider’s view on life inside 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 nonfiction projects get developed and more. Come with questions. The agent will tell all.
*3 SPOTS LEFT*, $65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ. Register Now.
SEMINAR: Monday, March 7th, 6:30-9:30pm, Think Small, Think Smart: How to Publish Beyond the Big Houses
For many reasons, new and established writers are moving their publications to smaller presses. Join an industry professional for an intensive discussion on alternatives to larger presses. Topics will include how to make yourself appealing to small presses, how to approach them, handle contract issues, market/promote, handle your book tour in line with your book distribution, and make your readings successful. Small press publishing has its challenges, but armed with this knowledge, you can make it work for you.
Instructor: Tara L. Masih
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ. Register Now.
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, February 22nd, 7pm, Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Harvard Book Store is pleased to welcome Yale law professor Amy Chua for a discussion of the differences between Eastern and Western parenting techniques and her new memoir, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. This book has been generating a lot of press and buzz in the parenting world and should be a fascinating discussion.
FREE, Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
--READING: Sunday, March 6th, 1:30pm, A Private Lunch with Roberta Gately
SU WNBA Boston is hosting "A Private Lunch with an Author" on Sunday, March 6, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. at The Red House Restaurant in Cambridge. Over lunch, debut novelist Roberta Gately will discuss her book, Lipstick in Afghanistan. Gately transports readers to a small Afghan village in the months after 9/11. Elsa, a young nurse and volunteer for a French relief organization, has left behind her life in Boston in the hope of finding a purpose in her life by providing aid and medical care in Afghanistan. As she struggles to prove herself, Elsa’s work leads her to two relationships that will change her life. The cost is $40 for WNBA members and $50 for guests, but Grub Street members may attend at the member price. In addition to lunch, attendees receive an autographed copy of Lipstick in Afghanistan. Only 14 seats available for this exclusive event so sign up soon!! Registration form is on the website: www.wnbaboston.org, or contact Lisa Braxton at Lisabraxton@hotmail.com.
$50/$40 WBNA and Grub members,
The Red House Restaurant, 98 Winthrop Street, Cambridge.
—READING: Sunday, March 7th, 7pm, You've Been Storied
Join Kneerim and Williams literary agency for an evening of the best of Boston's MFA students. Hosted by Paul Harding, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Tinkers.
Free, Middlesex Lounge, 315 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA.
--SCREENWRITING/FILMMAKING PARTY: Sunday, March 6th, 8pm, Filmmaker's Shindig
Where Storytellers in need find storytellers in deed. Music, House Photographer, & Short Film Viewings, Hosted by Chuck Slavin & Jenna Lunarno. There's an opportunity to have your short pieces screened on the TVs during this classic party. If you are interested, please contact info@filmmakersshindig.com. The shorts should be completed works of under 15 minutes and in DVD format. Visit www.filmmakersshindig.com
for news, announcements, updates and pictures of the last Shindig!
FREE, Improv Asylum, 216 Hanover Street, Boston, MA.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where like juggling Jell-O, we offer you the chance to win a prize. This female author, dressed in a pant suit, met Noel Coward coming out of the Algonquin Hotel. Coward told her she almost looked like a man. "So do you," she replied. Name the female author. 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: Ernest Hemingway's wife, Elisabeth Hadley Richardson, left her seat on a train to get a drink, and when she returned all of Hemingway's manuscripts had been stolen. Winner: Gianna Kinsman.
