October 17th, 2011
"Writing stopped being fun when I discovered the difference between good writing and bad and, even more terrifying, the difference between it and true art. And after that, the whip came down."
—Truman Capote
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene brought to you every Monday from the gilded outhouse near Grub Street's world headquarters. As always, if you are receiving this email in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.
We wanted to give a shout-out to the 150+ individuals who signed up for our mailing list at the Boston Book Festival this past weekend. We had a great time meeting you and telling your literary fate, and hope you enjoy receiving the Rag.
The first section of this course sold out in record time, so we've added a second section. The class is geared specifically for students wishing to write and get personal essays and columns published. Each week, we will examine work that appears in both local and national newspapers, magazines, websites and other media outlets. Then, we write a personal essay or column that adheres as closely to that publication's format and style. We will do a few in-class exercises, and will also spend time learning how to pitch essays and columns to editors --- how to find the right market, write a cover letter, and position the writer as an "expert" in their chosen topic or angle. The goal: by the end of the course, students will write and revise at least three personal essays or columns and send them out for publication. This class is taught by the fabulous Ethan Gilsdorf, and takes place for six Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30pm at Grub Street headquarters. Begins October 26th.
Don't forget! An Evening With Grub Street is coming up on October 25th at 7pm, and features readings by Gregory Maguire, Anita Shreve and Tayari Jones. All proceeds benefit Grub Street's programming and outreach. Tickets are complimentary for members of the Directors' Circle, and can also be purchased online. Hope to see you there!
The 110 writers below have joined or renewed their Grub Street memberships in the past month (September 19 - October 17th), and we are so glad to have them. A huge thank you to all of them for supporting our programming and outreach efforts--we couldn't do it without their support. Want to make the list and help us get to 1,000 members by the end of the year? Learn about the benefits of membership or sign up today.
Muse Members ($500 and up)
|
Lisa DeSiro Tara DuKor-Jackson Richard Dunfey Rosalyn Feldberg Peg Foley Natalie Forssell Andrea Fox Neville Frankel Thomas Gagnon Martha Gangemi Ralph Gilbert Maria Green Suzanne Greenwald Elizabeth Greywolf Nate Gubin Farrah Haidar Alma Hart Alice Hawrilenko Lisa Heiserman-Perkins Erica Holthausen Sarah Ignatius Thomas Joaquin Simone John Eithne Johnson Rosamond Jones Matthew Jordan Yana Karezin Sarah Kim Sandra Kohler Stephen Macone Rhonda Mann Lisamarie Manning Stephen Masse Katie Maxim Elizabeth and Robert McAfee Jennifer McInerney Susan Mills Doris Montgomery |
Stephanie Moore Marilyn Morgan Deborah Murphy Gomes Naomi lambo Mary Overton Shan Overton Melissa Paddock Sydney Pierce Jason Powalisz Arjun Rao Emily Ray Alexandra Reisman David Riese Karen Robinson Mary Rock Katherine Rooks Dave Sanfacon Christian Schlubach Stephanie Schorow PJ Schott Mary Lou Shields Miriam Sidanius Preety Sidhu Andra Skaalrud Melissa Skepko Sarah Smurr Karen Soorian Katie Strunk Marcia Szymanski Donald Terhune Astrid Thayer Roxana Von Kraus Jim Walker Jamie Wallace Paula Webster Ellen Wilbur Julie Williams Katherine Wolff |
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Eve, Chris, Rowan and Sean
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: Friday, October 21st, 11:00am-2:00pm, 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
*ONE SPOT LEFT* $65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ. Register Now. Not a member? Become a Grubbie today!
SEMINAR: Friday, October 21st, 11:00am-2:00pm, First Time Children's Book Authors/First Publications
In this seminar, editor/agent Maribeth Sanabria, whose clients include Grub’s own Beth Raisner Glass, will help you lay a foundation for getting your first publication credit. This seminar is designed for the beginning writer who has put pen to paper, but is unsure what to do next.
Instructor: Maribeth Sanabria
Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, October 22nd, 10:00am-5:00pm, Plotting the Novel
Starting with Aristotle and working through three contemporary authors’ ideas about plotting, this course will offer several plot forms to help you rethink your novel’s structure and the vital connection between character and plot.
Instructor: Michelle Hoover
Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, October 22nd, 10:00am-5:00pm, Developing Family Members as Characters
In this class, we'll use writing exercises to develop the characters that just happen to be our family members. We'll also read and discuss exceptional examples of family member characterization in published memoirs, and use these examples as models for our own writing. Come prepared with family stories and ready to write!
Instructor: Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, October 22nd, 10:00am-5:00pm, Get Unstuck: How to Fix, Patch, and Improve Your Plot
This one-day seminar covers the fundamentals of plotting and character development, with an eye toward getting past those "sticking points" that often slow the writing process.
Instructor: Micah Nathan
Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.
FUNDRAISER: Tuesday, October 25th, 7pm - 10pm, An Evening With Grub Street
Mingle, nosh, clink glasses, and enjoy fantastic readings by Anita Shreve, Gregory Maguire and Tayari Jones. All proceeds from the evening benefit Grub Street and fund our programming and outreach. RSVP online now.
$500/couple, complimentary for members of Grub Street's Director's Circle. Mohr & McPherson gallery, 460 Harrison Avenue, Boston.
TEEN WRITING: Saturday, October 29th, 11am - 1pm or 2pm - 4pm, Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP)
Do you like to write poems, lyrics, stories, novels or screenplays? Come to 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. Morning and afternoon sessions focus on fiction and poetry. View all the sessions and reserve your FREE space in the class of your choice.
FREE, Grub Street HQ.
LUNCHTIME WRITING: Wednesday, November 9th, 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 – a series recently profiled in the Boston Globe. 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: Tom Meek
FREE, Grub Street HQ.
FREE LECTURE: Thursday, November 10th, 6:30-8:30pm, An Evening With Barry Eisler
Barry Eisler recently shocked the publishing world when he turned down a half-million-dollar advance from a traditional publisher in order to self-publish his next two novels. Since then, he has been outspoken and optimistic about the unprecedented choices writers have in the new world of publishing: legacy, indie, and hybrid. A strong advocate of writers taking advantage of their new opportunities and determining their own fate, Mr. Eisler will talk for roughly 30-45 minutes and then take questions. A book-signing will follow. Part of Grub Street’s "Publish It Forward: Writers and Industry Pioneers Leading Change" 2011-2012 Lecture Series, sponsored by the NEA.
Instructor: Barry Eisler
FREE,Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, MA. Reserve your spot 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.
--POETRY READING: Monday, October 17th, 8pm, Robert Pinsky
Come to the
launch of Blacksmith House Poetry's 39th Season. First featured reader is Robert Pinsky, who will read from his new collection, Selected Poems. Visit the website for information on the entire series: http://www.ccae.org/events/blacksmith.html
$3,
CCAE, 56 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
--READING: Wednesday, October 19, at 7:00 pm, Steve Almond reads from God Bless America
Join the Brookline Booksmith as they break the seal on Steve Almond's most ambitious collection of stories yet, featuring characters on the outskirts of the American dream. The author of such books as The Evil B.B. Chow, (Not That You Asked), and Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, Steve Almond has had work featured in the Best American Short Stories and Pushcart Prize collections as well as in such magazines as Tin House and Zoetrope. Steve says:"A short reading will be followed by homemade cupcakes. If you can, please RSVP via this site, so we can make sure we bring enough cupcakes: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=247041368675696"
FREE, Brookline Booksmith. 279 Harvard St., Brookline
--CELEBRATION: Thursday, October 20th, 3-4pm, Massachusetts Book Awards Ceremony
The annual meeting of Massachusetts Center for the Book and celebration of the 11th Annual
Massachusetts Book Awards. A light reception follows the program. RSVP to massbook@simmons.edu or 617.521.2719.
FREE, Grand Staircase, Massachusetts State House, Beacon Hill, Boston
--Reading: Saturday, October 22nd, 2:20 pm., The Dot Four
The Dorchester Arts Collaborative invites you to a reading by the Dot
Four as part of Dorchester Open Studios. The Dot Four - Meg Campbell,
Jean Knox, Sandra Kohler, and Cornelia Veenendaal - are a quartet of
poets living in Dorchester who offer poems of experience, informed by
decades of rich experience not only as writers, but as teachers,
mothers, gardeners, involved citizens of their community, observers of
city life and the natural world.
FREE,
The Pilgrim Church, 540 Columbia Road, Dorchester, MA 02125
--READING/BOOK LAUNCH: Sunday, Oct 23th, 3PM, Katrina Ávila Munichiello
Katrina Ávila Munichiello reads from her new book "A Tea Reader: Living Life One Cup at a Time," a collection of essays from across the globe, each inspired by a simple cup of tea.
FREE, Concord Bookshop <http://www.concordbookshop.com/>
--READINGS: Beth Raisner Glass reads from Blue Ribbon Dad
Grub instructor Beth Raisner Glass has a busy fall! She has upcoming readings of Blue Ribbon Dad on October 29th at Lesley University, Friday, November 4th at the Boston Children's Museum, and Sunday, November 13th at the Reach Out and Read Family day at the Seaport Hotel. Check out her website for all details about these events and more! http://www.bethglass.com/
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where like wearing alligator skin pumps in the Everglades, we offer you the chance to win a prize. This British author, who was born into an impoverished family and worked as a child slave in a London factory, became the most popular author in England at the age of 25. Email your answer to whitney@grubstreet.org. The first correct respondent wins a Starbucks gift card for a coffee treat.
Last week's trivia: The cliché "making a Frankenstein" only makes sense if you take a psychological or similar tack on the creation of the MAN. Frankenstein is Dr. Frankenstein, not the creature. Winner: Christine Cooper.
