November 22nd, 2011

Grub Street News

Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene brought to you every Monday (except when we're laid low) from the staff member whose bid is closest to the actual retail value without going over at 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.

Registration Underway For Winter 2012 Workshops!

Can you believe it? Winter 2012 is upon us! We have a record 110 evening, morning, afternoon, and weekend workshops to choose from, as well as more daytime seminars in every genre.

Brand-new this winter are classes in playwriting, humor writing, short film writing and production, self-publishing, haikus, sex non-fiction, the middle of novels, networking skills, social media, and even the art of search engine optimization (SEO). To see the complete list of winter offerings (and to search for the ideal class for you), go to http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=402. The online registration process is very easy, but if you have questions or need help selecting a course, please call 617.695.0075 and any of our staff will be happy to assist you.

Winter Workshops and Seminars (click for full list)

Viva the DIY/Small-Press Revolution! 
How to Make Your Prose Sing (and Why It Should)
How to Write Riveting Scenes
The Basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Writers
Teen Writing Camp: Workshopping Your Writing
Legal Issues in Self-Publishing and eBook Publishing
The Who What Where and Why of eBooks
Humor Writing
Writing the Big Moments 
Building Your Platform
Screenwriting II: Beyond Hollywood Structure
Prose Studio
So You Want to Be a Writer?
What Kind of Kids’ Writer Am I?
The Non-Fiction Book Proposal
How I Met My Narrative
Social Media Trends in Author Promotion
Mastering Twitter: Beginning Course for Authors 
Screen and Stage...to the Page! Using the Techniques of Playwrights and Screenwriters to Write Pop Fiction
Developing the “I”: Perspective & Voice in Memoir
Playwriting I
Meditation and Writing
Teen Writing Camp: Generating New Writing
The Happy Middle
Yoga and Writing
Crafting Your Voice
Using History and Research to Enrich Your Narrative
Writing the Dark, Messy Matter
Muse and the Marketplace 101: Hone Your Networking Skills Before the Big Conference
The Sex Writer: Erotica and Sex Nonfiction
Fiction II: Revising With Intention
Writers Breaking Rules: Playing with Form in Creative Nonfiction

Grub Street Internship Opportunities

Welcome, New Members!

The 127 writers below have joined or renewed their Grub Street memberships in the past month (October 17th- November 22nd), 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.

Our Daily Best

• Grub Street's on the move...to 162 Boylston Street
• Publish It Forward Lecture Series: Barry Eisler Part 1 (video)
• Friday Five-O: When should I start book two?

Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Eve, Chris, Rowan and Sean

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.

WEEKEND SEMINAR: Saturday, December 3rd, 10:00am-5:00pm, Basics of the Personal Essay
Looking to translate all those meaningful experiences and insights into a personal essay? In this class, we will spend time both free writing and studying various approaches towards shaping our material into essays. You can expect to leave here at the end of the day with one completed draft and a number of ideas for future essays.
Instructor: Ben Berman
$115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.

Register Now

WEEKEND SEMINAR: Saturday, December 3rd, 10:00am-5:00pm, Jumpstart Your Blog
Instructor: Amy Marcott
* SOLD OUT* Click here to join waiting list.

WEEKEND SEMINAR: Saturday, December 3rd, 10:00am-5:00pm, Structure as Solution: Form and the Personal Essay
Instructor: Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
* SOLD OUT* Click here to join waiting list.

WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday-Sunday, December 3-4th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Advanced Writing for Radio
In this advanced workshop you will learn not only how to write a radio piece but we'll pay special attention to how to get it accepted for air. You will learn how to write for the ear, the rules of broadcast style and how to pitch public radio editors and producers. This class will pay extra attention to how to refine a pitch and how to distinguish a workable idea from a not-so workable one. Students should plan to come to class with a solid idea or first draft of a radio piece. No prior experience in radio is necessary, nor any prior Grub Street classes. This workshop is open to all. Taught by an instructor who was a producer for NPR's nationally syndicated program "The Connection” and a six-and-a-half-year producer for CNN.
Instructor: Jennifer Mattson
$220/$195 members, Grub Street HQ.

Register Now

WEEKEND SEMINAR: Saturday, December 3rd, 10:00am-5:00pm, Writing the Non-Fiction Book Proposal
Learn all the elements that are critical to putting together a successful non fiction book proposal. Come armed with a laptop (or pen and paper) and be prepared to work on the spot and share ideas. We will brainstorm elevator pitches, get started on killer bios, and begin stitching together a marketing platform that will make your book irresistible to agents and editors. In addition, you will see examples of great and not-so-great drafts and learn how to make important decisions about what to include and what to leave out. You will come away with a clear plan for achieving your goals from an insider with years of experience working with agents, publishing executives, book publicists and and a cross section of local and national media.
Instructor: Katrin Schumann
$115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.

Register Now

WEEKEND SEMINAR: Sunday, December 4th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Jumpstart Your Writing: Creative Non-Fiction Focus
Instructor: Judah Leblang
* SOLD OUT* Click here to join waiting list.

WEEKEND SEMINAR: Sunday, December 4th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Workshop your Website or BlogDo you have a website and/or blog but want to learn ways to enhance the design and content? Looking to broaden your reach or boost your professional appeal? This class will offer a venue for receiving feedback on your online presence. Along the way, you’ll learn strategies for more effective design, navigation, usability, search engine optimization, and content. We’ll also do some writing exercises to help your work stand out.
Note: this seminar is only for those who already have a designed website or active blog. Submit the URL(s) of your website and/or blog to rowan@grubstreet.org by noon on Tuesday, November 29th. If you have a blog, also submit two of your best posts that could be discussed in class. The instructor will prepare thorough critiques of each site before class so submitting URLs as early as possible is appreciated. Amy Marcott is a web writer and editor at MIT who blogs frequently and assists with web redesigns and incorporating new technologies into online strategies.
Instructor: Amy Marcott
$115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.

Register Now

WEEKEND SEMINAR: Sunday, December 4th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Jumpstart Your Memoir
One of our most popular courses has a very clear mission: to get you started on your memoir. Through a series of fun directed writing exercises, we will explore the terrain of memoir writing: mining for material, constructing characters and settings, shaping vivid dialogue, understanding point of view, and finding your voice. We will discuss the process of writing and the strengths and weaknesses of the work we produce in class. We may read and discuss some short published texts in regards to craft, then write exercises inspired by the texts. A supportive and generative experience for both new and practicing writers.
Instructor: Grace Talusan
* 2 spots left* $115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.

Register Now

WEEKEND SEMINAR: Sunday, December 4th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Writing Literary Darkness Tastefully and Effectively
Instructor: Adrian Van Young
* SOLD OUT* Click here to join waiting list.

OPEN HOUSE: Thursday, December 8th, 5:30-6:30pm, Novel Incubator Open House
Join instructors and students from Grub Street’s new year-long Novel Incubator program for a short presentation and Q&A. We will answer all your questions about curriculum, logistics, the submission process, workload, and anything else that comes to mind. We know this is a big commitment, so we want to make sure to give interested students as much information as possible to make the decision about whether to apply and how best to present themselves in their applications.
Instructor: Lisa Borders and Michelle Hoover
FREE, Grub Street HQ.

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.

--READING: Thursday, December 1st, 7pm, Heidi Legg
In her debut novel My Evangeline, Heidi has created Eve LeBlanc -- a twenty-first-century incarnation of the Acadian heroine of Longfellow’s great epic poem, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie. Brimming with irreverence, young Eve LeBlanc finds her fate shaped by political strife in Quebec and the inexorable lure of romantic love.  As Quebec votes on the 1995 referendum for independent statehood, eighteen-year-old Eve, a promising artist, must choose between the American man she loves, powerful family ties, and her close friendship with a key figure in Quebec’s sovereignty movement as well as its suspiciously narrow defeat.
FREE, Harvard Coop, Harvard Square.

--HOLIDAY TEA: Sunday, December 4th, 1:30-4pm, The Women’s National Book Association/Boston Chapter Holiday Tea Featuring Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry is the author of over 20 books and has twice won the Newbery Medal, the award given for the “most distinguished contribution to American Literature for Children”. Her newest book, Bless This Mouse, was published in March. Enjoy this WNBA/Boston holiday tradition--Bring a children’s book to donate to the Women’s Lunch Place-- Win fabulous raffle prizes--Indulge in the sumptuous Copley Plaza high tea.
$30 for members, $35 for nonmembers, $150 for a table of 5, The Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 St. James Avenue (Copley Square).

--READING/TALK: Monday, November 28th, 6pm, Everyone's An Expert with Jamie Cat Callan
It’s true. We’re all an expert in something. Maybe you’re the only one who knows the best places to go clamming on the Cape. Or perhaps you built your own workshop and have a great tale to tell. Perhaps it’s your delicious baking experiences, that popular blog and how you did it all while raising a family on the South Shore. So why not share your hard-won expertise in a book? Come learn how to streamline your ideas, structure your book, create a writing schedule, finish your book within a year, and how to get published and win the attention you so richly deserve! Sponsored by Riverhaven Books. More info at http://www.riverhavenbooks.com/apps/calendar/.
FREE, Hearth N' Kettle, Rte. 18, Weymouth, MA.

--WORKSHOPS: Pine Manor College Invites Local Writers to Audit Graduate-Level Creative Writing Classes
Pine Manor College is pleased to announce that a select number of graduate-level creative writing courses will be open to the public for auditing during the winter residency of its Solstice MFA Program, scheduled from December 30, 2011 to January 8, 2012. Classes are open to serious writers working at all levels; auditors are encouraged to complete the advance preparation requirements for any MFA class they wish to attend. The registration fee is $30 per course for Solstice graduates/$40 per course for the general public; the deadline for enrolling as an auditor for winter 2011 Residency is Friday, December 23, 2011. For course descriptions, audit policy, and a downloadable registration form, go to: http://www.pmc.edu/mfa-classes-for-audit.