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NEWS
Earlier this month VIDA, a women's literary organization, published "The Count." A survey of writers published and reviewed in top lit mags and journals, sorted by gender, the post revealed an industry overwhelmingly dominated (on the page, at least, if not actually in editorial offices) by men.
In response, many editors and writers suggested explanations for the disparity: maybe women simply submit their work less; maybe editors are actually biased towards men's writing; maybe more books by men are reviewed because more books by men are published.
We, too, were pretty shocked by the numbers. And, of course, we immediately wondered how Creative Nonfiction would stack up; we suspected--or hoped, at least--that CNF's count would be more balanced.
So, we did a little count of our own. Here's what we found:
Women submit work to Creative Nonfiction at a much higher rate than men. 59% of the unsolicited manuscripts currently sitting on our shelves were submitted by women. And here's the breakdown for our last three contests, on average and individually:
Contest Submissions: Average for 2010
And, on the publication front, we did a pretty basic count of the contributors to the three issues since the redesign. Admittedly, three issues is a relatively small sample size, and although it might be fun to go into more detail--for instance, we find it very interesting that all three "Pushing the Boundaries" pieces so far have been written by women--we do sort of need to get back to work making a magazine.
But, for what it's worth, here's how CNF's contributors break down by gender, for 2010 overall (50-50), and by issue:
Published Writers: Average for 2010 
We admit, we hesitate to draw too many sweeping conclusions about What It All Means, at this point. We're pleased to provide some solid evidence that women are writing and sending out their work, and we're happy to have provided a home for great writing by--and, we hope, for--both men and women.
In other news, Creative Nonfiction congratulates the following winners of our MFA Program-Off:
Winner: Sonya Dunning, University of Idaho, Moscow - "for(e)closure"
Finalists: Amy Merrick, Pacific University - "The Great Lakes Walk" Heather Frese, West Virginia University - "Sombreros" David Newman, Louisiana State University - "A Conventional Flight Plan" Jed Bickman, The New School - "Calcutta/Kolkata" |
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Submission Deadlines
| March 16, 2011
ANGER & REVENGE |
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EVENTS
 Environmental essayist Jennifer Lunden received the $1,000 Robert Fragasso Animal Advocate Award for Best Essay about Animals for "The Butterfly Effect," an essay of cause and effect,exploring not only the author's obsession with butterflies, but the delicate mysteries of monarch migration and the conservation work of Ro Vaccaro, The Butterfly Lady of Pacific Grove, CA. Read Jennifer's full essay in #40.
Jennifer Lunden resides in Portland, ME, where she writes about nature, health, and industrialism, drawing largely from her personal experiences with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). The illnesses, she says, have turned her into an environmentalist. Currently she's working on a book, One Canary Sings: Notes from an Industrialized Body.
This award was made possible by a generous contribution from the Fragasso Financial Advisors, an independent investment planning firm in Pittsburgh, PA. The award is named for Bob Fragasso, the firm's chairman and CEO, who has demonstrated his long-held compassion for animals as a board member of Animal Friends, a no-kill animal shelter and resource center in Pittsburgh. Mr. Fragasso continues to support animal-friendly dialogue through his support of this award and his selection of Jennifer Lunden as its recipient.
Jennifer accepted her award and read from her winning essay during "An Evening with Creative Nonfiction," a recent CNF reading at the KGB Bar in New York City. (Stay tuned for more details on upcoming KGB events!)
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DISTRACTIONS:
WHAT WE READ WHEN WE SHOULD BE WORKING
INTERVIEWS: A new blog by Inside Higher Ed offers new literary podcasts featuring Lee and Sam Gutkind on the making of Truckin' with Sam and CNF editors on magazine production. CRITICISM: The New York Times Book Review condemns the direction of the modern memoir, bemoaning that in "the age of oversharing" the genre has become cluttered with banal stories by unremarkable writers. The Rumpus defends the form, and Sean Manning, one writer slammed in the Times' review, argues back. (Several days later The Millions offers advice on how to react to bad reviews with grace.) GENDER: VIDA posts "The Count," an exploration of gender bias in publishing and sparks responses from The New Republic and Slate. Plus, Brevity, The Southern Review and Tin House weigh in with their own numbers. AND AN ESSAY: Sandeep Jauhar (a Becoming a Doctor contributor) publishes his new essay, "Out of Camelot, Knights in White Coats Lose Way," in the New York Times. |
SUBMISSION CALLS
ANGER & REVENGE Postmark Deadline: March 16, 2011 For an upcoming issue, Creative Nonfiction is seeking new essays about anger and revenge, true tales of frustration and retribution, long-buried memories of outrage and reprisal--or the absence of either. We're looking for stories that explore the lost art of the thoughtful diatribe, illustrate the beauty of the lyrical barb, invent elaborate secret plots, and generally don't play well with others. Essays must be vivid and dramatic; they should combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information, and reach for some universal or deeper meaning in personal experiences. We're looking for well-written prose, rich with detail and a distinctive voice. Creative Nonfiction editors will award $1,000 for Best Essay and $500 for runner-up. GENERAL Accepted Year-Round We are always on the lookout for true stories, well told, about any subject. For complete guidelines and to view other upcoming CNF issues and contests, please visit us online. SECTION QUERIES Accepted Year-Round Have an idea for a literary timeline? An opinion on essential texts for readers and/or writers? An in-depth working knowledge of a specific type of nonfiction? Pitch us your ideas; Creative Nonfiction is now accepting query letters for several sections of the magazine. Learn more here. |
| cnftweets
The CNF Daily Twitter Contest is one more way to get your work into CNF. Check out the ten top tweets in #40 and participate daily for the chance to be published in an upcoming issue!
Still not sure what we're looking for? Here are a few recent winners, to serve as examples and inspiration:
JANUARY 22
maturetraveler "I told you so" will come later. We have an agreement, made before we started back-packing. My husband won't curse me before noon. #cnftweet
JANUARY 13
suelick Holding his trembling hand over the rail of the hospital bed, she can't help thinking that if he were a dog, she would let him go. #cnftweet
JANUARY 8
rgibson103 Two stickers on my computer: one "I voted" and another "My vote counted." The memory of both foggy, I wonder which time was which. #cnftweet
JANUARY 5
gruntleme The radiator grunts suddenly like an old man awake: joints popping, half rising. We are all too tired for the moves we must make. #cnftweet
All of the past winners are available on our profile page under the "Favorites" tab.
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| ONLINE CLASSES
You asked and we listened: the online classes are back.
Starting in April, we're offering new sessions of both Basics in a Nutshell and Writing the Personal Essay. Plus, we've packed the spring schedule with five new online classes that attack the genre from all angles.
Classes run for 10 weeks beginning April 4, 2011. Sections are limited to 12 students; register in advance to guarantee your space! Visit our website to view complete course details and to register.
Basics in a Nutshell will introduce writers to the basics of creative nonfiction, exploring both the techniques used to gather information and the literary skills needed to turn bare facts into personal and compelling essays.
Writing the Personal Essay takes a close look at the writing and research skills needed to write a memoir or personal essay. We'll discuss how to best use essential literary elements such as detail, dialogue, structure, and description, as well as how to collect information through interviews, research, and other methods.
Writing and Editing Your Blog explores how to write successfully in a genre that is barely a decade old. Writers will learn how to use literary techniques and blogging technology in order to engage an audience.
Travel Writing focuses on the fundamental aspects of travel writing--from shaping story ideas to getting published. Participants will learn how to apply interviewing and research techniques, reporting, immersion skills, and the basic elements of narrative writing to create absorbing travel stories.
Writing the Nonfiction Book Proposal examines how craft the various sections of a book proposal--combining sales pitch, book outline, manuscript, and marketing strategy--and explains what steps to take afterward to pursue publication.
Advanced Memoir/Personal Essay Writing is designed for those who have already explored the basics of personal writing, and wish to move on to a larger project or more challenging forms. Participants can choose to work either on sections of a memoir or on personal essays in a variety of styles, learning how to structure chapters or essays, incorporate research into personal writing, develop character, use descriptive language effectively, and more
Immersion Journalism plunges students into the genre in which the writer observes, participates, interviews, and otherwise intimately explores his or her subject. We will take an in-depth look at the history and craft of this style of nonfiction writing. Students will learn important fly-on-the-wall techniques such as sharp observation, skillful note taking, laid-back interviewing, and how to organization and structure immersion stories.
Visit our FAQ page for additional information, or if you don't find what you need, direct questions to course instructor Anjali Sachdeva at sachdeva[at]creativenonfiction.org.
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