NEWS: The New York Times writes that despite "general panic in the book publishing industry," literary magazines--thanks to small staffs, low overhead, and specialized audiences--are thriving.

OPINIONS: Lee Gutkind laments waste of paper--by his university and by his doctor--and Richard Ford ponders writing, as "work." Plus, Steve Almond on the most offensive thing about fake memoirs. 

INTERVIEWS: In honor of the release of Lit From Within, Prairie Schooner posts an interview with Dinty W. Moore, in which he discusses Buddhism, generating new material and how he fits it all in. Plus, Moby-Duck author Donovan Hohn makes a guest appearance on Fresh Air (check out an excerpt from the book in The Best Creative Nonfiction Vol. 2).

SCANDALS: 60 Minutes accuses Greg Mortenson, best-selling author of Three Cups of Tea, of fabricating content and using charity donations for "book-related expenses." Melville House posts a rundown of Mortenson's "insane defense," noting that "when 60 Minutes shows up at your book signing, fleeing out the back door just makes you look worse." Plus, James Frey will appear on Oprah, again.  

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. 

Almost Human: Making Robots Think (W.W. Norton)

By: Lee Gutkind - $29.95 $14.95

A remarkable, intense portrait of the robotic subculture and the challenging quest for robot autonomy. 

The high bay at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University is alive and hyper night and day with the likes of Hyperion, which traversed the Antarctic, and Zoe, the world's first robot scientist, now back home. Robot Segways learn to play soccer, while other robots go on treasure hunts or are destined for hospitals and museums. Dozens of cavorting mechanical creatures, along with tangles of wire, tools, and computer innards are scattered haphazardly. All of these zipping and zooming gizmos are controlled by disheveled young men sitting on the floor, folding chairs, or tool cases, or huddled over laptops squinting into displays with manic intensity.  

Award-winning author Lee Gutkind immersed himself in this frenzied subculture, following these young roboticists and their bold conceptual machines from Pittsburgh to NASA and to the most barren and arid desert on earth. He makes intelligible their discoveries and stumbling points in this lively behind-the-scenes work.   

Click here to watch Lee's guest appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The CNF Daily Twitter Contest is one more way to get your work into CNF. We've chosen the top 9 tweets to appear in #41 and are now on the lookout for more. 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:

MARCH 22  

equifox Nihilistic spring. Cherry blossoms, pavement, damp cigarette butts. Police: Why are you naked? Naked Man: Why you got clothes on? #cnftweet

MARCH 22

artmercenary Smoke, like storm clouds, obscures the horizon. Friends flee homes before advancing flame. I feel guilty for worrying about dinner. #cnftweet 

MARCH 14 

devakali The mockingbirds sing until midnight: a wild chorus of drunken revelers, misled by the streetlights into thinking it's morning. #cnftweet

MARCH 9 

karriehiggins Salt Lake City makes me a pilgrim against my will, every street measuring degrees from Temple Square, zero meridian, holy heart. #cnftweet  

All of the past winners are available on our profile page under the "Favorites" tab. 

ONLINE CLASSES 

This summer CNF is offering three concentrated classes to jump start to your summer writing project--whether you're looking to branch into a new area of writing or trying creative nonfiction for the first time.  

"This is my first online course, and I am pleased ... by the length and breadth of this class, by the requirements and the quality of feedback. To date, I believe this class provides tremendous value for the investment," former CNF student Laura Tokie said. 

Summer classes run for four weeks, June 20 - July 17, and are limited to 12 students per section. 

Visit our website to register and to view complete course details. Sign up before June 6 to take advantage of an early registration discount!

Travel & Nature Writing is all about exploring the world around you--whether through a trip to Marrakesh or a walk in your local park. Participants will learn techniques to observe in detail, record their experiences, and turn those experiences into essays that will be of interest to a wide readership. 

Writing the Personal Essay explores the form, considering the balance between truth and subjectivity, how to turn the personal stories into compelling reading, and how to convey emotion through writing. 

Immersion Writing explores the genre in which the writer observes, participates in, and otherwise intimately explores his or her subject. Immersion writers practice what author Gay Talese has called "the art of hanging out," becoming a part of the stories they write and investigating the world around them with a writer's eyes.

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.   

Registration includes a 4-issue subscription to Creative Nonfiction. Please note: due to space limitations, registrants may withdraw anytime until classes begin on June 20, 2011, but will forfeit a non-refundable application fee of $35. No refunds will be granted once classes begin.