Literary World at a Glance: 11/18/20

By Hannah Paige

News:

The Authors League Fund is accepting applications for writers who have been impacted by Covid to receive grant funds.

“Since 1917, the Authors League Fund has helped professional authors, journalists, poets, and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health-related problems, temporary loss of income, or other misfortune.

Most of those we help suffer severe health problems but have inadequate insurance; some face eviction; many are older writers whose income has ceased through no fault of their own.

The Fund exists to help professional writers continue their careers with dignity by providing no-strings-attached “loans” to pay for pressing expenses. Repayment of this emergency support is not required.”

https://authorsleaguefund.org/

 

#BoxedOut Campaign still going strong

The campaign against Amazon to support and strengthen independent booksellers was launched in October. For more information on how to participate in the campaign, you can visit the American Booksellers Association website.

The New York Times also published a piece on the relevancy of this movement and why it’s important to keep this effort moving.

WordTech Communications LLC is holding a reading period for full-length poetry manuscripts.

Dates: November 1–December 31 (e-mail submission). Recent authors: Arlene Biala, Judith Brice, Rhina Espaillat, Charles Brice, Lee Herrick, George Keithley, Lehua Taitano. Publication in 2022. Guidelines: www.wordtechcommunications.com/deadline-list.htm.

 

Meet Me at 5 a.m. (A rotating list of resources for the dedicated writers)

One of the most important lessons for writers to learn in their study of the craft and their path to becoming a published author is to trust the work. The terrible sentence had to be written in order for you to write the one that makes you sit back in your chair, sip your coffee and say to yourself, “Wow, so that’s what it is to write. This is the magic of words.” Anne Lamott’s famous essay “Shitty First Drafts” is widely read by writers everywhere for a reason; its message is imperative to embrace.

In this week’s segment of Meet Me at 5 a.m., we look to a fantastic article in Poets & Writers about trusting the work. It is especially relevant during these times, when those of us in the creative fields can feel discouraged and unproductive. The guilt surrounding the unproductivity of artists during stressful times is abounding in conversations. I encourage my fellow writers to turn to pieces such as these, to be reminded to trust the work, and to have faith in themselves as creative people.

Literary World at a Glance: 10/28/20

By Hannah Paige

News

The New England Review’s Vermont Reading Series was held on October 10th. It featured four new poets: Sarah Wolfson, Sara London, Rahat Huda, and Emily Arnason Casey. The NER hosts many different reading series throughout the year and is proud to showcase new and established writers alike. Portions of the readings can be seen on their YouTube channel.

NER Announces their 2020 Award Winners

https://www.nereview.com/best-american-pushcart-and-more/

The Sun Journal recently released this interview with one of their authors: https://thesunmagazine.org/news/best-thing-about-fiction-john-holman

It is a celebration of fiction.

They are also open to submissions, so send this New England journal your work for consideration!

Meet Me at 5 a.m. (A rotating list of resources for the dedicated writers)

This week we’re introducing a new section to The Literary World at a Glance just for writers. No, you do not have to write at 5 a.m. to read this section, but being a writer is about being disciplined. Anyone can say they want to write a (insert here your chosen genre i.e novel, chapbook, book of essays, the next great Blockbuster screenplay, etc.) but to be a writer takes dedication. It takes drive and a willingness to work, constantly, and to learn always. You must come to the page every day. You must always be aware of the world around you. You must be adapting to the creative industry, and that means developing the kinds of skills that will help you along in your career as a writer. This new section aims to guide you (yes, you, the 5 a.m. writer, the 9 p.m. while your children sleep writer, the I-have-twenty-minutes-between-clients-writer) in becoming the best writer you can be. There will be technical resources and creative resources, articles, videos, prompts; as is always the rule with creating—nothing is off limits.

https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/front-lines-emotional-white-space/

This fantastic essay featured recently in Writer’s Magazine emphasizes an age-old lesson of writers: an oldie but a goodie. Just because you’ve heard the “show don’t tell” advice for writing better fiction doesn’t mean it’s not something writers should always be aware of working on their craft.

Need some inspiration in hitting the page every day? Playing with writing prompts is a great way to flex those creative muscles. Poets & Writers posts new prompts regularly.

Here are their latest fiction and nonfiction prompts to get you back to the page:

Fiction

 “[Dad] pronounced the word ‘nudity’ as though a fruit fly had just flown into his mouth—he spat as he said it. The word mainly made me think of the potatoes whose jackets my mother peeled off every evening before she dropped them into the water,” writes Marieke Lucas Rijneveld in her debut novel, The Discomfort of Evening, translated from the Dutch by Michele Hutchison, which won the 2020 International Booker Prize.

The observations of the young narrator couple a unique perspective, one that actively accrues knowledge, with the power of setting the tone for and foreshadowing the novel’s eventual tragedy, threading through it a wire of tension and grief. As a character study, write a chapter through the eyes of a child. What is most urgent to this young mind, and how can the reader sense through the subtext what is to come?

—Poets & Writers

Nonfiction

In Ten Meter Tower, a short film by Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson featured in the New York Times, participants climb a ladder to a ten-meter-high diving board at a public pool, calculating their risks and fears before they decide to jump into the water or head back down to safety. The tight shot of the diving board, the self-motivating monologues, and the slow-motion recordings of the jumps are captivating.

“Our objective in making this film was something of a psychology experiment: We sought to capture people facing a difficult situation, to make a portrait of humans in doubt,” say the filmmakers.

Write a poem that imagines what thoughts and feelings would run through your head (and body) before and after a leap from the board into the water.”

—Poets & Writers

Hit the Road (Literary Travel Spots)

What better way to celebrate the Halloween season than taking a literary road trip to a place of particular inspiration for one of literature’s favorite spooky authors?

Salem, MA is perhaps the best city in the United States to celebrate this season of falling leaves, crisp days and supernatural stories. Nathanial Hawthorne is a leading writer in all-things-spooky, championing the kind of literature that was made for this time of year. He lived and worked in Salem, MA. The House of the Seven Gables, though never a home for Hawthorne himself, was frequented by him when he came to the house to visit his cousin. The home would come to be the inspiration and backdrop for his acclaimed novel The House of the Seven Gables. The site is still in existence today and is appreciated by Halloween and literature enthusiasts alike.

The Gables, as it’s fondly referred to, was built in 1668. Over the years, it has been owned by several different families, operating as a home, varying businesses, a school, and a home for immigrant education, inspired by Jane Addams’s Hull House. Now, the Gables has been converted into a well-known museum and seaside gardens. Throughout the year, it hosts events, lectures, and school programs.

The Gables can be visited virtually or in-person, as long as you purchase your tickets in advance.

https://7gables.org/visit/plan-your-visit/

There are plenty of other literary sites in Salem to see while you’re there. The city is teeming with bookshops and history. Stop in at one of the historic independent bookstores while you’re there! This editorial assistant is a fan of Colum McCann, in case anyone was wondering.

Best Poetry Book for 2019/2020

Love Poems from Vermont by Jon Meyer (Brilliant Light Publishing) has recently been awarded First Place in Poetry 2019/2020 by Readers Reviews Readers Choice Awards, and a Second Place Award in the Travel/Nature category. Also, Best Regional Book and Best North East Book for 2019/2020. (awards images)

 
 

The National Readers Choice Awards Reader Views is highly rated among top awards globally, and for this first collection of poems (soon to be followed by a second volume, Can Love Save the Planet?) we’re pleased to see such a positive reception.

Susan Violante, the Director of Contests had this to say:

“I knew I wanted to read Love Poems From Vermont by Jon Meyer as soon as I saw the book. It is a beautiful collection of pictures and poetry presented to readers in the perfect package.”

“The author did an amazing job expressing an array of different ways we can experience love through short poems, visuals, and insight and inspires readers to reflect their own love experiences while enjoying the beautiful pictures as the words linger within.”

Love Poems from Vermont serves as a treasure map to locate the visual and poetic delights that give Vermont its reputation as a haven for the soul. Like the intensity of fresh love where the lover thinks of the beloved night and day, each short poem will last long after you close the book, and prompt you to pick it up again.

 
 

With over 60 poignant poems in all, each is embedded in a color photo image of a beautiful place in Vermont. Jon receives each poem and then begins his search for the perfect photo image, to pair with the words. Love Poems from Vermont is the result of 16 years of attentive and dedicated writing, and much traveling.

Embark on an inspired Vermont road trip and discover a love of your own, either online at the author’s website, Indiebound.org, or at your local independent bookstore.

The Time Is Right To (Self) Publish Your Book

Many writers are using social media tools and finding routes towards making themselves known to readers, eventually gathering an audience and a loyal following for their work. These new pathways often do not involve a traditional publishing house, as authors have turned to independent small publishers, cooperatives, online magazines and journals, blogs, and self-publishing. The Internet has indeed changed everything related to book publishing.

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