April 11th, 2011

Grub Street News

Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene brought to you this week by the screaming teenyboppers dying for your autograph. As always, if you are receiving this e-mail in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.

Sustaining Membership Has Its Benefits, And So Will You.

Do you love Grub? Maybe you've been a member for years, or maybe you just took your first class a few months ago and it made a huge difference in your writing life. Now, we have a new opportunity for you to give back and make a difference to other writers: Sustaining Membership. For $120 a year (that's just ten bucks a month for those of us who'd rather write poetry than wield a calculator), you can make a difference to a writing center that's growing and needs your support. Plus, Sustaining Members get one free seminar a year (a $65 value), so this membership pays for itself if you were planning on taking a class.

Do you really love Grub? Consider joining our brand-new Director's Circle, comprised of Grub Street's most loyal supporters and leaders. You'll help shape the literary landscape of our city in a time of unprecedented change for writers and publishers. Help Grub Street keep literature alive and thriving! In recognition of their generosity and leadership, Director’s Circle members enjoy exclusive special events, opportunities to help shape our literary community, and access to all that Grub Street has to offer. Membership in the Director's Circle begins at $1,000 and details and benefits are here: http://bit.ly/directorscircle.

Success! Michelle Toth's Annie Begins

Today we bring you a success story from one of Grub's oldest and dearest friends. We're proud to announce that board member Michelle Toth's debut novel, Annie Begins, was published on April 4th by (sixoneseven) books, the new independent publishing company that Michelle founded last fall. Michelle first began drafting her book in Lisa Border's weekend Novel Writing Workshop many years ago, and through the years Michelle has come to rely on people she's met through Grub Street to help her through the process. As Michelle says, "It is an example of utilizing the Grub community for crafting, editing, copyediting, marketing, publicity, and general support/networking for producing a self-published work." Annie Begins is so far a quarterfinalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and you can read a free Kindle excerpt, download the whole book for $2.99, or buy it in paperback. (Rag Editor's disclaimer: don't buy this book unless you want to immediately stop what you're doing and spend the next eight hours reading--it sucks you in that quickly!) Michelle has a great blog chronicling her publishing process, anniebeginsthebook.blogspot.com, and will be leading a session at the Muse called "A Path to Publishing: Finding Yours."

David Foster Wallace's The Pale King

Be sure not to miss this one-of-a-kind event to celebrate one of the most anticipated novels of the year: The Pale King, by David Foster Wallace. Harvard creative writing professor and author Bret Anthony Johnston will read an excerpt from the book, and be joined by some of our favorite literary magazines: AGNI, The Normal School, Post Road, Redivider, Salamander, and a new magazine, The Common, from David Foster Wallace's alma mater, Amherst College. Books may be purchased at 20% off up until the official publication date of April 15. Each purchase includes a free drink ticket for the event. Purchases the day of the event will be at full price, but will also include a free drink ticket. Co-sponsored by Grub Street and Newtonville Books. The event is free and will be from 2-4pm on Saturday, April 16th at Union Street Restaurant in Newton Centre.

Tweet For a Seat at "Cocktail Hour With the Francos"

New Twitter contest! From 5pm today through 5pm on Friday, just complete the following sentence on Twitter: “James Franco should work at Grub because ______." Include @GrubWriters and the hashtag "#musefranco" in your tweet. You'll win a pair of tickets to "Cocktail Hour with the Francos" at the Muse and the Marketplace conference on Saturday, April 30th (worth $120! Includes free books!) Read full guidelines and details on our website.

One Daily Article At a Time

Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Chris, Chip, and Eve

Muse Spotlight

For the next three weeks, The Rag will be spotlighting a “Muse” (craft) session and a “Marketplace” (publishing) session that will be offered at our annual conference, The Muse and the Marketplace. We hope you’ll be able to enjoy these sessions in person the weekend of April 30-May 1st and the Park Plaza Hotel. For all details, including registration info, go to www.museandthemarketplace.com.

Muse Spotlight: Grub Street National Book Prize Winners
This week, we highlight two of our National Book Prize winners, who will both be leading sessions at the Muse, and teaching FREE sessions at the Grub main office on Thursday, April 28th (Thursday sessions are for Grub members only). Gina Ochsner, winner of our 2011 Fiction prize, will lead "Magic Realism: When Heaven and Earth Collide" and Rahna Reiko Rizzuto will lead "My Mother Will Hate Me, and Other Reasons Never to Write Your Memoir."

Gina Ochsner lives in Keizer, Oregon and divides her time between writing and teaching with the Seattle Pacific Low-Residency MFA program. Ochsner has been awarded a John L. Simon Guggenheim grant and a grant from the National Endowment of Arts. Her stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, Glimmer Train and the Kenyon Review. She is the author of the short story collection The Necessary Grace to Fall, which received the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and the story collection People I Wanted to Be. Both books received the Oregon Book Award. A novel entitled The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight was published by Portobello Press and from Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt in 2009.

Rahna Reiko Rizzuto is the author of the memoir, Hiroshima in the Morning, a winner of the Grub Street Book Prize in Non-Fiction and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the novel, Why She Left Us, which won an American Book Award in 2000. She is also a recipient of the U.S./Japan Creative Artist Fellowship, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the L.A. Times and Salon. She is Associate Editor of The NuyorAsian Anthology: Asian American Writings About New York City, and teaches in the MFA program for creative writing at Goddard College.

Grub Events

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.

FEATURED DAYTIME WORKSHOP: 6 Tuesdays, 2:30-5:30pm, begins April 19th, Into the Wild: Writing the Travel/Nature Narrative
If you're looking to take travel or nature writing out for a spin, seasoned freelance writer Ethan Gilsdorf, who contributes to the Boston Globe, New York Times, wired.com and Salon.com, is offering a new class to show you the ropes: "Into the Wild: Writing the Travel/Nature Narrative." In this experiential class, we'll workshop at least one essay you may be working on, and we'll look at the some of the masters -- Bill Bryson, Alain de Botton, Wendell Berry, Thoreau, etc -- as well as new works published in magazines like Outside, Tin House and worldhum.com for inspiration (We'll also discuss how to publish your travelogues and meditations). Here's the cool part: We'll get you out in the field. Because this class is held in the daytime, you'll be sent on reporting exercises to give you travel writing skills that take advantage of Grub's wonderful no-man's location amidst Chinatown, Freedom Trail and CollegeLand. Plus, at least one essay you do must be written about an adventure taken during the term. Bring your hiking boots.
$305/$280 members, Grub Street HQ.

TEEN PROGAM: Saturday, April 16th, 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.
This week, there are three sections during both the morning and afternoon sessions: Fiction, Poetry, and Food Writing. Come ready to write new stories and scenes! YOU MUST BE AGE 13-18 TO REGISTER-- NO EXCEPTIONS. Visit our website to sign up.
FREE, Grub Street HQ.

SEMINAR: Thursday, April 21st, 6:30-9:30pm, Making Choices in Revising Your Fiction
You've got a draft, you've heard some feedback – now you've got more work to do. Revision is essential to finishing a piece of fiction, and it's all about making choices. This seminar will consider some of the challenges of the process: How do you apply feedback to your fiction? How do you figure out what's the best revision for the story you’re telling? We'll look at examples and discuss a variety of approaches. Then we'll go through a set of exercises to help move your own revision process forward. Bring 3 copies of a story or novel excerpt, maximum 15 pages.
$65/$50, Grub Street HQ. Register now.

SEMINAR: Thursday, April 21st, 6:30-9:30pm, How To Perform Your Work Like A Pro
These days, a writer’s work isn’t done when the manuscript is perfect. Whether you’re embarking on a book tour, recording for the radio, making the rounds of the local story slams, or even recording your work for an audio magazine, you need to be good at reading your words aloud. In this session, we’ll listen to some examples of successful audio narration by professional readers as well as writers reading their own work, and we’ll discuss how you can use your speaking voice to make your written words effective. We’ll also briefly go over some of the opportunities out there for submitting spoken-word literature. Participants should be ready to do some impromptu reading aloud themselves!
Instructor: Henriette Lazaridis Power
$65/$50, Grub Street HQ. Register now.

SEMINAR: Thursday, April 21st, 6:30-9:30pm, The Short Novel: From Sketch To Draft in 90 Days
The reading appetite for shorter novels appears only to be growing. For writers, there’s a great opportunity to write a forceful piece of fiction that takes not years, but months to draft. In this seminar we will workshop project ideas—taking into consideration: organic shape, tone and style—and also take apart several published models of the form. We will also work out a writing schedule that reasonably allows a working part-time novelist to get the job done. Please bring to class: a paragraph synopsis of the novel as you presently envision it, and the first three pages of chapter 1.
Instructor: Ted Weesner
$65/$50, Grub Street HQ. Register now.

SEMINAR: Thursday, April 21st, 6:30-9:30pm, Find Your Memoir
Finding the heart of your memoir can be vexing. What story do you want to tell? How do you tell it? How can you make your reader care about your life? 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. We will discuss how to narrow and frame your life experiences in memoir, and examine some common structures for telling the story, with the goal of ultimately helping you find the heart of what story to tell. Quick exercises will help you "map" your memoir's scope --- the time frame, theme, plot, character arc, and key moments. We will discuss chronological time vs. narrative time, and dilemmas of "truth" and memory as it relates to recovering and recreating the past. Please bring a brief and rough (under 300 word) summary of a real or potential memoir project.
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf
$65/$50, Grub Street HQ. Register now.

SEMINAR: Thursday, April 21st, 6:30-9:30pm, Poetry Jam
Do you want to experiment with writing poetry? Are you looking to get back to those poems you wrote a while ago? Are you in a rut with your writing and in need of a jumpstart to find a fresh approach? Or are you a prose writer who needs to cross train by flexing some poetry muscles? Poets of all levels are welcome in this one-night workshop in which we'll experiment with various poetry games, collaborations, and exercises. You'll leave with some drafts of poems and with a toolbox of writing exercises to help you keep writing on your own. Be prepared to write, collaborate, and have fun.
Instructor: Rebecca Morgan Frank
$65/$50, Grub Street HQ. Register now.

SATURDAY SERIAL: Saturday, April 23rd, 10:00am-12:00pm, Muse and Marketplace 101: Hone Your Networking Skills Before the Big Conference
Are you hoping to get your big break at this year’s Muse or another writing conference? It could happen, but you will not have a shot at bonding with an agent or book editor unless you come prepared and find ways to make yourself shine. A veteran journalist, who’s also an experienced conference schmoozer and public speaking instructor, will give tips on how to not only survive a huge writers’ conference but come away with contacts for a lifetime. In a two-hour session, you’ll learn ways to craft questions that resonate with a speaker rather than annoy them. You’ll get ideas on how to make the most of your time not just at workshops, but in the halls and at lunch, where the best networking often happens. Is it okay to approach that best-selling author sitting in the lounge chair? You bet. But do your homework.
Instructor: Linda K. Wertheimer
FREE (but $3-$5 donation appreciated), Grub Street HQ. Register now.

--GRUB STREET SOUTH: Thursday, April 28th, 7pm, Writing Suspense
In this workshop, taught by the fantastic Hallie Ephron, the class will talk about what makes suspense work, including the variety of tools a writer can use to create suspense and to modulate it, and how to manage suspense in a book-length work. Hallie Ephron is an award-winning mystery reviewer for the Boston Globe. She is the author of several popular books, including the recently released Come and Find Me, a suspenseful novel about a recluse who works and lives online and must brave the “real world” when her sister goes missing. Hallie’s titles include 1001 Books for Every Mood and The Everything Guide to Writing Your First Novel. Ephron lives near Boston, Massachusetts. This is a free event, however, reservations are required. Please call Buttonwood at 1-781-383-2665 to reserve.

MEMBERS-ONLY LEGAL ADVICE: Wednesday, May 4th, 10th & 26th, 2:30-5:30pm, Members-Only Offering: Free Legal Consultations for Writers
Now that you've attended the 2011 Muse and the Marketplace, there are probably a million questions running through your head on the next steps to getting published and/or protecting your work. Maybe you want clarification on confusing clauses in publishing contracts, advice on whether to register the copyright in your latest piece, or a few basic tips on what legal issues exist for budding writers. While he may not be able to answer every question you have, Attorney Mitchell Bragg of Ascentage Law, PLLC will be offering free 30-minute consultations to help explain the law as it applies to aspiring, emerging, and established writers. This is meant to provide writers at all stages in their career with basic answers to legal questions and issues they may be facing. All sessions are by appointment only; to reserve a slot please email mab@ascentagelaw.com. Be sure to arrive early to your appointment and be prepared with specific questions. Only active Grub Street members may participate.
Instructor: Mitchell Bragg
FREE (but $3-$5 donation appreciated), Grub Street HQ. Register now.

Be sure to check out our website for a comprehensive view of upcoming events.

Spreading the Love

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.

--Call for Interns: The Drum Literary Magazine
The Drum Literary Magazine needs your help at Grub's Muse and the Marketplace conference. We're looking for people to help us record audio for our flash-fiction contest (see the Muse program for details), as well as to help us record some of the Muse panelists who will be stopping by to record work they're contributing to the magazine. If you're good at putting people at ease, and if you're able to do some basic recording tasks (not to worry: we'll show you how it's done), please contact us at editor@drumlitmag.com. Recording with The Drum during the Muse is a great way to meet authors and to help us spread Literature Out Loud.

--READING: Wednesday, April 20th, 7pm, Rooms Down the Hallway reading series, the hallway gallery, Jamaica Plain
Save-the-date and attend the sequel to last month's launch of Boston's newest literary series, Rooms Down the Hallway! an evening of art and local fiction at the hallway gallery.  Hosted by Dawn Dorland Perry and sponsored by gallerist Brent Refsland in JP.  Featuring sexy stories, flash fiction and prompts for your own inspiration by Grub Street instructors Stace Budzko and Sue Williams.  Part reading, part writing lesson!  Email dawndorland@gmail.com with questions, or to have your work considered for this new monthly series.  
the hallway gallery, 66a South Street, Jamaica Plain. thehallwayjp.com

--JOB POSTING: Newtonville Books
Newtonville Books, an independent full-service bookstore in Newton, MA, is seeking an energetic book-lover for part-time work. Applicants must have a general knowledge of books and a passion for reading. Retail experience a plus, bookselling experience a huge plus. Applicants should also be comfortable talking about books with customers and offering suggestions for the perfect book. Other duties include operating a cash register, organizing sections and displays, reading book reviews, writing staff picks, and assisting with author events. A car is also a must, as public transit to Newtonville is not reliable. Currently, we are looking to hire someone for 2-4 days a week. Interested candidates should send an email explaining your interest in the position and your literary interests along with resume and hours of availability to mary@newtonvillebooks.com. No phone calls or drop-ins, please. MUST be an avid reader who loves to talk about books. Location: Newton, MA Compensation: $8.50/hr or commensurate with bookstore experience This is a part-time job.