November 28th, 2011
"Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene brought to you every Monday from the crocheted tissue box holder we plan on regifting 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.
Gift certificates, gift memberships, editorial consultations, passes to the Muse and the Marketplace conference: all this and more could be under the yule log this year for the writer in your life. Visit our holiday guide online now, and give the gift of Grub this holiday season! Order by 12:00pm on Monday, December 19th to receive pre-Christmas delivery. Shipping is free, to your house or theirs.
We've got new, bigger, better scholarships coming your way for the new year. We're psyched that we're now able to offer TWENTY scholarships a year, for $200 each. Recipients may use their scholarship at any time in the year and toward any class they desire, though not for Muse and the Marketplace tuition or manuscript consulting. There are four application deadlines throughout the year—one in each term. The next deadline is December 19th, so visit our scholarship page to apply now.
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.
Grub is sending out our big annual mailing, and we need your help! We'll be stuffing and sealing 3,000 envelopes, so there's plenty of work for all. The fun starts next Monday (December 5th) and continues all week. Available volunteer hours are:
Monday, December 5th: 10am - 6pm
Tuesday, December 6th: 10am - 6pm
Wednesday, December 7th: 10am - 6pm
Thursday, December 8th: 10am - 6pm
Friday, December 9th: 10am - 6pm
If you're free and would like to help out, please email sean@grubstreet.org to let him know you're coming. You'll have a great time chatting with fellow writers as you compete to see who can put stamps on the fastest, and we'll give all volunteers gift cards for holiday treats. Thanks so much for your help.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Blog
Do 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.
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.
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.
SEMINAR: Monday, December 12th, 6:30-9:30pm, Dynamic Scene Writing
Instructor: Michelle Hoover
* SOLD OUT* Click here to join waiting list.
SEMINAR: Monday, December 12th, 6:30-9:30pm, How to Use Your Obsessions to Jumpstart Your Writing
Instructor: Steve Almond
* SOLD OUT* Click here to join waiting list.
SEMINAR: Monday, December 12th, 6:30-9:30pm, Creating Complex Characters
Instructor: Lisa Borders
* SOLD OUT* Click here to join waiting list.
SEMINAR: Monday, December 12th, 6:30-9:30pm, Grub Self Publishing Network (GSPN) Seminar: Successful Self Publishing
Instructor: Michelle Toth
* SOLD OUT* Click here to join waiting list.
SEMINAR: Monday, December 12th, 6:30-9:30pm, Time Management for Writers
An intense one-night seminar on finding the time to write, and using that time well. We'll talk about powerful personal habits, mastering distraction technology, when and how to give yourself a coffee break, and making the most of every writing minute.
Instructor: Ben H. Winters
*3 spots left* $65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 13th, 6:30-9:30pm, New Approaches to the Personal Essay
Instructor: Kim Adrian
*2 spots left* $65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 13th, 6:30-9:30pm, How to Figure Out Why Your Manuscript Was Rejected (or: Yeah, But Is Any Editor Going to Read on to Page 2?)
Writing's all fun and games, until the rejections start piling up. In this intensive (though informal!) workshop, we'll aim to make sure your stories, or essays, draw the reader in, rather than leaving them in the dark. We'll take a second look at your opening pages, as well as the opening pages of works by Lorrie Moore, Saul Bellow, and others, in an effort to understand how to create a strong, independent narrator. Note: participants should bring in the first 500 words of a manuscript — ideally a manuscript that's been rejected. In fact, it would be best to bring in two manuscripts. Please resist the urge to rewrite them. Bring two copies of excerpts (one for Steve to mark up as you read).
Instructor: Steve Almond
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 13th, 6:30-9:30pm, Crafting the Pitch Letter for Nonfiction Projects
In this seminar, you will learn how to write killer pitch letters (AKA “query letters” or “cover letters”) for submitting essays, op-eds, articles and feature stories to editors of magazines, newspapers, literary magazines, and online publications, and for submitting nonfiction book proposals to agents. (Sorry, we won’t discuss how to pitch short fiction or novels.) We'll look at top mistakes that writers make and examine pitch letters that actually worked. We'll also see how to leverage your background and expertise to best present yourself, even if you don't have a lot of publishing experience. Optional: Bring 15 copies of a draft of any pitch letter (it’s OK if you’re not sure how to write one) for a piece you are currently working on and we’ll try to quickly workshop as many of them as we can.
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 13th, 6:30-9:30pm, From Writer to Marketer
From the moment a book is bought, the work itself changes. What has long been an expression of the writer’s artistic impulse suddenly becomes a product, to be categorized, branded, and marketed. Tips and techniques on how to handle the transition from creating to selling from an author who has recently gone through it. How can you embrace your self-promoter side while staying true to the artist within? And, most importantly, how can you continue to write?
Instructor: Anna Solomon
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 13th, 6:30-9:30pm, Ask the Agent
In this Grub Street seminar, you will sit down with an accomplished literary agent 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.
Instructor: Joanne Wyckoff
Level: For Everyone
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
OPEN MIC: Wednesday, December 14th, 7:00-9:00pm, Fall Season Showcase
Join Grub students from the Fall 2011 term, plus two of our award-winning instructors, as they read (for 5 minutes each) from recent work. You'll hear great fiction, non-fiction, poetry and maybe even a screenplay. Reading slots open only to students who've taken courses, seminars or weekend workshops in the fall of 2011, but anyone can come to listen. Limited to 15 readers. Everyone gets free snacks and drinks. Sign-ups begin at 6:30pm. A great event for current Grubbies and those who want to check us out.
FREE, Grub Street HQ.
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.
--EVENT: Monday, November 28th, 7pm, Text and conText
A series by writers and artists about craft and the creative process.
Featuring Aaron Naparstek, writer/blogger and founder of Streetsblog, and Inga Saffron, writer, journalist and architecture and design critic at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
FREE, Arsenal Center For the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA.
--READING: Monday, November 28th, 7pm, Steve Almond and Billy Giraldi
Join Grub instructor Steve Almond for his last Boston reading of God Bless America before he leaves on his book tour to parts unknown. Steve will be reading with Grub instructor emeritus William Giraldi, author of the fantastic Busy Monsters.
FREE, Porter Square Books, Porter Square.
--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.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where like Vermilion Friday, a day with special deals on cranberry sauce, we offer you the chance to win a prize. At age four, this poet (born today) told his parents he saw God put his head in through the window. Email your answer to whitney@grubstreet.org. The first correct respondent wins a Starbucks gift card for a coffee treat.
Last week's trivia: 0% of all commercially raised turkeys in the U.S. are conceived naturally. Winner: Melanie Yarbrough.