May 8th, 2012
"This is activist work, this is sacred work, this is also dangerous work.”
—Julia Alvarez on writing, during her Muse keynote speech
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 so tired we have to send it out on Tuesday) from the final round of the Extra Pulp Vs. Homestyle Orange Juice Contest 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.
What a Muse! We are still buzzing with all the great energy from the 750+ attendees, authors, editors, agents, sponsors and volunteers who attended the Muse this past weekend. All of us at Grub Street are so thankful to you for making it a fantastic event. We want to say a special thanks to Julia Alvarez and Richard Nash, our keynote speakers for the weekend. Each of them so perfectly encapsulated the "muse" and the "marketplace" in their enthralling and inspiring talks.
We're wowed by the 2,000+ tweets (!!!) from attendees, and are enjoying reading some press, as well as your feedback forms, emails, and blog postings. We especially liked the nod in Boston.com, Randy Susan Meyer's "Musing on the Muse," Dell Smith's "How to Survive a Writer's conference," Lauren Vargas's great Storify summary, and Dan Blank's straight-from-the-conference video about making money in publishing. If you're on Twitter, keep the Muse love alive by searching for #Muse2012, and if you come across any other blog postings, tweets or articles you'd like us to link to in the Rag, send them to whitney@grubstreet.org (or @GrubWriters)! Thanks again for making the Muse weekend a pure joy from beginning to end. Stay tuned next week in the Rag and on our blog for more post-Muse news, photos, and videos.
There's no way the Muse could have happened without the help from the following fantastic volunteers: Sharon Abra Hanen, Laura Aberle, Len Abram, Barbara Adelman, Wes Alwan, Sarah Banse, Cailin Barrett-Bressac, Elyse Bartlett, Matt Biewener, Sarah Binns, Anne-Marie Bono, Cat Bryant, Sally Bunch, Sarah Cadorette, Donna Copman, Kristen Cosby, Beverly C-W, Sunny Davidson, Emily DiPietro, Aaron Devine, Maggie Dolan, Bob Dorff, Kerri Donnelly, Ruth Duarte, Janice Dvorak, Rachel Freedman, Barbara Gildea, Ariel Goldberg, Jennifer Hawkins, Irene Gravina, Alicia Gregoire-Poirier, Katie Hunt, Cynthia Johnson, Marjan Kamali, Chelsea Lowe, Nadine Lynn Johnstone, Donna MacLearn, Zachary Mills, Melissa Moriarty, Angela Mouradian, Kayleigh Shoen, Mark O’Sullivan, Karen Parkman, Emma Pattee, Kelly Robertson, Melissa Robinson, Shubha Sunder, Amy Tighe, Abby Travis, Randy Veraguas, Jameson Viens, Jason Walcutt, Elizabeth Wallace, Linda K. Wertheimer, Kassmin Williams, John Williamson, and Stephanie Zahareas. Thanks to all of them for everything they did to make the conference a big success.
At the keynote lunch on Sunday, we spoke about Grub Street's scholarship fund, which keeps our community open, affordable and thriving. There are many writers out there who are not able to attend Grub Street classes without assistance, and Grub Street's scholarship fund helps us reach as many of them as possible by offering offer partial-tuition scholarships to all our multi-week workshops, free spaces in our Novel Incubator and Non-Fiction Career Lab, free spaces in our Teen Writing Camps, and scholarships to the Muse and the Marketplace conference.
We were thrilled and humbled by the response we received from you. It was wonderful to see so many of you stand up and pledge your support for writers. If you weren't at the Muse, or if you haven't yet had a chance to contribute, please visit our website and donate today. A donation of any amount helps. $250 sponsors a writer by giving them a partial tuiton scholarship to Grub Street's workshops, and makes a tangible impact on their writing lives. The excellent work our fellow writers produce has the power to affect each of us, and the ability to make a profound difference in the world. Thank you for your support!
Want to know the best way to keep writing now that the Muse is over? Take a class! You'll meet fellow writers while staying productive and inspired. And we're not going to lie: the deadlines are nice too. Starting in May, we've got a whole new array of multi-week workshops, including Screenwriting II: Beyond Hollywood Structure, 6 Weeks, 6 Poetic Forms, Meditation and Writing, Jumpstart Your Writing, and Poetry: Revising the Words. In just a week or two, our entire summer schedule will be online, too. Visit our website to sign up today.
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Eve, Chris, Rowan, Sean and Lauren
The P.S.: You may be saying, "Where is the Department of Congratulations?" Our response is: "Down the hall, take a left, and look for it next Monday."
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.
DAYTIME SEMINAR: Friday, May 11th, 11:00am-2:00pm, How to Write Riveting Scenes
In this workshop, we'll look at some of the best scenes ever written, and investigate what it takes to write a scene that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
Instructor: Steve Almond
Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.
DAYTIME SEMINAR: Friday, May 11th, 11:00am-2:00pm, 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
*3 spots left* $65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
DAYTIME SEMINAR: Friday, May 11th, 11:00am-2:00pm, Surviving the Slush Pile
Ever wonder what happens after you click submit and your story is sent through cyberspace to a literary magazine? This course, led by a journal editor and author, will take you through the maze of the submissions process from submissions peccadilloes to editorial hallelujahs. We’ll take a close look at opening lines and final paragraphs through the lens of narrative; and we’ll also talk about cover letters, bios, and story format. Relying on exercises and prompts, our focus in the second half will be on stirring up our creative minds and sending you – and your work, into the world of publication. Please bring a copy of a story you are working on; we'll use it for an in-class exercise.
Instructor: Catherine Parnell
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
MEMBER EVENT: Saturday, May 12th, 12:00pm to 2:00pm, Grub Street Book Club
The Grub Book Club offers a chance to read and discuss great books with a focus on reading from a writer's perspective. The book club's next pick is the novel The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Jonathan Franzen wrote that "reading The Art of Fielding is like watching a hugely gifted young shortstop: you keep waiting for the errors, but there are no errors. First novels this complete and consuming come along very, very seldom." For more information or to join our book club please contact sean@grubstreet.org.
MUST BE A CURRENT GRUB STREET MEMBER TO ATTEND. MEMBERS MAY BRING FRIENDS.
Instructor: TBA
Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 19th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Prose That Packs a Punch
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll use Carol Bly’s technique of empathetic questioning to identify moments of vague prose in our drafts and turn that vague, nonspecific prose into prose that packs more character-creating, world-defining specificity into every page.
Instructor: Alexandria Marzano- Lesnevich
Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 19th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Point of View Intensive
Point of view is one of the most important decisions you'll make about your story or novel. In this class, we'll survey your options with examples from literature, from the old-fashioned omniscient narrator to modern first-person present, and discuss the consequences of each. We'll discuss free-indirect style, psychic distance, and a host of other related topics. And we'll do exercises designed to try out various points of view and see your own work from different angles. Come to class with a short story or a section of your novel.
Instructor: Chip Cheek
$95/$115 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 19th, 10:30 am- 5:30 pm, Poetry Revision Clinic
Perhaps the most difficult acts of writing are the acts of revision. How do we know when a poem is finished? How do we know what should change and what should remain? In the first half of this seminar we'll take a hard look at some revisions of some more well-known poems to articulate a working definition of revision, to observe the choices involved in the making of great poems, and to develop a list of principles by which to revise our poems. In the seminar's second half we'll apply these principles to our work. Participants are expected to bring a poem that they would like to revise, which they'll work on and have the opportunity to share at the seminar's end. Participants can also expect to leave the seminar with more examples of revision to examine on their own.
Instructor: Scott Challener
$95/$115 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 19th, 9:30 am- 4:30 pm, Writing Dialogue
This workshop is designed for playwrights, screenwriters, novelists, and short fiction writers interested in writing crisp, realistic-sounding dialogue. We will study several great scenes from films, plays, and fiction to break down what makes the dialogue so effective. Students will write scenes, receive feedback and then rewrite the scene to make the dialogue stronger. Topics explored will include creating subtext, hiding exposition, working with slang, and how to get the characters in your head speaking with a voice of their own. You will learn how to break down a scene into beats and intentions, and approach the scene as an actor would. Most importantly, during the workshop portion, we will act out your dialogue so you may hear it the way dialogue is meant to be heard-– out loud.
Instructor: Mark Fogarty
*3 spots left* $95/$115 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 19th, 10:30 am- 5:30 pm, Selfauthor-ity
If you are alive, you have stories that are aching to be told. Good writing—or, true writing—comes from a place of self-authority. You are the expert on your life experiences, carrying a vision of the world that is uniquely yours. In this seminar, we will explore methods of accessing the authentic voice, as well as ways to become your own best reader. In close readings of published autobiographical work, we will explore the concepts of perspective and voice. Please bring a short piece (up to three pages) to share with the group. Whether you’re knee-deep in a memoir or interested in exploring other forms of personal writing, this seminar will help you help you uncover the most appropriate, creatively fulfilling ways to express your autobiographical narratives.
Instructor: Suzanne Guillette
$95/$115 members, Grub Street HQ.
EVENT: Wednesday, May 23rd, 12:30pm-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: Jeremy Lakaszcyck
FREE, Grub Street HQ.
EVENT: Thursday, May 24th, 11:00am-1:00pm, Speech! Elements of Successful Speech-Writing
For non-fiction writers, platform is key. Agents look for it. Publishers require it. But what is it? In a nutshell it’s proving yourself an expert in your field, and giving speeches is part of the process. This course will help you develop successful speeches, covering everything from creating learning objectives to researching subjects, from how to estimate the length of your speech by its word count to personalizing dry statistics.
Instructor: Carolyn Roy-Bornstein
Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.
SEMINAR: Friday, May 25th, 11:00am-2:00pm, Writing the Dark, Messy Matter
Be it in fiction or in nonfiction, the difficult, messy, complicated, bewildering, upsetting and chaotic moments can make for the most compelling reading. But how do we capture characters (real or fictionalized) grappling with the dark matter of their lives? In this one-day intensive workshop, we will show you how. After examining exemplary passages that demonstrate the various ways to transform raw experience into artful prose, students will choose an event from their own lives, then write about it in various styles and tones-- serious, comic, tragic, ironic, etc.-- fictionalizing if they choose. We’ll share these orally and at least one exercise will be revised in-class and workshopped a second time. The goal is to generate powerful passages-- both in scene and exposition—that will move your readers and potentially be the kernel of a larger fiction or nonfiction project. Come to class with notes about three unresolved moments or events in your life that you’d like to explore.
Instructors: Ethan Gilsdorf and Ted Weesner
*1 spot left* $50/$65 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Friday, May 25th, 11:00am-2:00pm, Subtext: From Fact to Truth
We're all familiar with the situational truth of stories -- who, what, where, when. But how do you get to the real truth? How do you render scenes and events to make emotion felt, transcending the basics of plot? How do you make the unspoken, and the unspeakable, course and glimmer through? In readings, exercises, and conversation, this workshop will help you -- as both writer and reader -- understand how the most resonant stories weave in emotion with subtext and undertones, creating works that haunt and shimmer and hum with something more than plot alone.
Instructor: Christina McCarroll
$50/$65 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, May 26th, 10:00am-5:00pm, The Art of Language
In this seminar, we will take a close look at that most fundamental building block of story: language. Too often, as writers we pass over the crucial choices we make every time we select a word or construct a sentence, and in this seminar, we will slow down and examine such decisions in detail. We will closely read selections from authors such as Sandra Cisneros, James Salter, and John Edgar Wideman, exploring the range of linguistic choice from lyrical to minimalist, experimental to traditional. When does figurative language serve narrative and when does it become a hindrance? How do we adapt language to specific situations such as opening sentences, transitions, and endings? The seminar will include numerous craft exercises designed to help all of us expand our palettes as writers, and please bring a short story or novel chapter, as we will conduct a language-oriented workshop for each participant. By the end of the weekend, we will have an enhanced appreciation for the small choices underlying any successful narrative, as well as a new set of skills to apply to our own work.
Instructor: Adam Stumacher
$95/$115 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP:Saturday, May 26th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Managing Time in Fiction & Non-Fiction
Whether your writing covers the span of one hour or thirty years, unravels a mystery, or depicts multiple simultaneous plotlines, the structure of any narrative form requires us to think about time. In this class we’ll look at the relationship of time to action, ways for the past (or future) to emerge through discovery or disclosure, time slowed, sped up, and skipped, timelines as a way of understanding your material and choosing what to present, the relationship of time and point of view, and ways to keep track and help the reader keep track, too. Also includes discussion of backstory, what’s important about it, and how it can emerge. We’ll look at published examples and do a few writing exercises to clarify and organize time in our work. Great for writers of both fiction and non-fiction.
Instructor: Jennifer De Leon
$95/$115 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Thursday, May 31st, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Time Management for Writers: Section A
An intense 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
$50/$65 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Thursday, May 31st, 6:00pm-9:00pm, How to Create an Irresistible Narrator
Many a short story, novel, and memoir have gone unpublished because the author fails to create a strong narrator, one who can act as a wise and entertaining guide to the reader. In this class, we'll examine the work of Ford, Salinger, Austen and others-- and try an in-class exercise-- in an effort to make sure your next narrator isn't just strong, but irresistible.
Instructor: Steve Almond
$50/$65 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Thursday, May 31st, 6:15pm-9:15pm, No to All That: Dealing with Writerly Rejection
From J.K. Rowling to Stephen King, almost all writers face rejections. Even if you're in good company, it's easy to grow discouraged and feel like sending your work is a waste of time. Learn how to keep those rejections in perspective and keep trying. Readings will come from On Writing by Stephen King, Rotten Rejections by Andre Bernard, Annie Lamott, and blogs. We'll also work on how to write a cover letter for a literary submission and how to find places that might be good matches for our work.
Instructor: Clara Silverstein
$50/$65 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Thursday, May 31st, 6:15pm-9:15pm, Go Deeper, Baby: Writing Meaningful Erotica
In this one-night seminar, we'll celebrate erotic fiction looking at why it's both emotionally valuable and increasingly popular. Drawing on well-respected authors such as Anais Nin and Steve Almond, we'll explore what makes a sexy story sexy, while also tapping the transformational qualities of the genre. Come along with a willingness to be open about feelings and sensations, and you'll leave with a short, sexy story of your own. All sexual and gender identities warmly welcomed. Led by an instructor who regularly publishes erotica and views it as some of her most meaningful work.
Instructor: Sue Williams
$50/$65 members, Grub Street HQ.
SEMINAR: Thursday, May 31st, 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, who has published with three indie presses, 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, obtain blurbs and reviews, 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 Masih
$65/$50 members, 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.
--Support The Baffler
Yes, all that little magazines offer any more is wonkery, moralism, programs of salvation, or similar forms of boredom. Then there's The Baffler, now headquartered in Cambridge, which offers satire and cultural muckraking alongside dazzling selections of contemporary fiction, poetry, and graphic art. Its mission? To publish the most destructive possible criticism using the highest possible literary and intellectual standards.
Someone's got to do it. You don't expect the monied class to pay us for the privilege, do you? Their kickstarter fundraiser ends Thursday, and they've nearly made it to our goal, without which they get nothing. Nothing! Don't let nothing happen. Pitch in. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/781473995/the-baffler-magazine (They've only got $1600 to go!)
--POETRY CONTEST: Breakwater Review
Breakwater Review would like to announce its Inaugural Poetry Contest, offering $500 in prizes with no entry fee! The Judge: Gail Mazur, whose distinguished work includes six books of poetry, most recently Figures in a Landscape, (Chicago 2011) following Zeppo's First Wife: New and Selected Poems (Chicago, 2005), winner of the 2006 Massachusetts Book Award, a finalist for the 2005 Los Angeles Times Book Prize and for the 2006 Paterson Poetry Prize. Gail is Distinguished Writer in Residence at Emerson College and the founder of the Blacksmith House Poetry Series in Cambridge, MA. The Prizes: The top three winners will receive cash prizes of $300, $150 and $50, respectively, along with publication in Breakwater Review Issue 7, forthcoming this June. Only one poem per entrant.Submit online and read full contest details at www.breakwaterreview.com. All entries will be automatically considered for publication in Breakwater Review Issue 7. Deadline: May 15th. Because we are a student-run online literary magazine—and we sympathize with writing all those little checks—there is no entry fee for this contest! Breakwater Review is the flagship literary magazine of the UMass Boston MFA Program.
--WORKSPACE: Co-Working Space for Writers in Cambridge
Several science journalists/authors are renting space at Geek Offices in Inman Square and have two more desks available if other writers are interested. Rent is $160/mo and includes your own furnished cubicle desk with unlimited 24/7 access, utilities, WiFi, coffee, printing, mail, kitchenette, showers and lockers. (for phone we suggest SKYPE or other VoIP). A six month lease is required. Writers who focus on science are preferred but such a focus is not required. Parking is available in a nearby garage for $150/month. On street metered and Cambridge permit parking is also available. Click here for a photo of the space. Address: 1035 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA--a neighborhood with lots of restaurants and cafes. Available Immediately. Contact Phil McKenna @ phil.mckenna08@gmail.com for additional info.
--COLLOQUIUM: July 12th-13th, State Of The Union: Diversity & Poetic Craft
The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program is pleased to announce State of the Union: Diversity and Poetic Craft —a two-day intensive taking place as part of its summer 2012 residency, scheduled for July 12–13 on the Pine Manor College campus. Designed to encourage cross-pollination between styles and approaches to poetry, State of the Union will offer a series of craft classes and elective seminars for both MFA students and interested writers in the greater community. The panel discussion with faculty and visiting poets and Keynote talk with Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Dunn are both FREE and open to the public.
For course descriptions, dates and times, a detailed audit policy, and a downloadable registration form, go to: http://www.pmc.edu/mfa-classes-for-audit.
--WORKSHOP: Berkshire Writing Workshop
Long-time Grub instructor Alison Lobron is excited to be directing the Berkshire Writing Workshop, a new week-long summer writing program in Great Barrington, Mass. For a limited time, the BWW is offering a 10 percent discount just for Grub members! With classes in Fiction and Memoir, the workshop offers a great opportunity to get lots of writing done while enjoying a week in the lovely Berkshires at the height of summer season. (Think Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow. . . and, yes, writing too!) The program runs from July 8 to July 13. See more details at www.simons-rock.edu/berkshire-writing-workshop. Grub members: Please make sure to identify yourself on the registration form. Questions? Email Alison at alison@alisonlobron.com.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where like feeling too tired for a massage, we offer you the chance to win a prize. At the Muse conference, Ethan Gilsdorf laid out the 7 habits of highly effective writers. What are they? Email your answer to whitney@grubstreet.org. The first correct respondent wins a Starbucks gift card for a coffee treat.
Last week's trivia: Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich took his pen name, Sholem Aleichem, from a Hebrew expression meaning "Peace Be Upon You." Winner: Bev Strain.
