I’m still not up to speed on book trailers—maybe because I don’t quite understand their purpose, or maybe simply because I’m too lazy to investigate. But here’s a good place to start: in anticipation of a forthcoming memoir, poet Sandra Beasley started thinking about book trailers, which led her to decide to learn how to animate some of her poems. The process as she describes it feels doable, and the results (now on YouTube) are admirable.
As Sandra notes, “Why do this? These videos will never supplant the poems themselves. I don't expect to monetize them. Enjambment tends to get lost, unfortunately, which means in some ways you have to compromise the poem to make this work.
“But anything that gets your poems to a ‘slightly’ different audience than before intrigues me. It's the same reason we put poems on buses and subway cars--and in that spirit, try to choose poems that translate to a public and attention-span-challenged space.”
Start here with Part 1 of Sandra’s posts (links to subsequent posts are at the end of Part 1; Part 2 is where you can read the nitty-gritty about how to put together your own video).
And be sure to check out Sandra’s poem “Vocation” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-qd5OnTR3s&feature=player_embedded
Monday, November 30, 2009
Contest for Long Short Stories
A contest for those who—like me—can’t keep it short:
THE LONG STORY CONTEST, International (formerly The Long Fiction Contest, International), now in its 17th year, has become the premier competition for writers of stories that don't fit the conventional limits imposed by the economics of small press publishing. Named for A. E. Coppard, one of the leading British writers of the 1920's, whose first story was rejected only because it was too long--12,000 words--the contest attracts writers from all over the world. In order to acknowledge and encourage entries from outside the United States, the word International has been added to the title. All submissions must be in English and entry fee in U.S. dollars.
Manuscript Length: 8,000-14,000 words (30-50 pages double spaced).
Manuscript Genre: Single story (may have multi- parts or be a self-contained novel segment)Deadline: December 15, 2009 postmark. Winner announced by late Spring 2010.
Award: 2010 A. E. Coppard Prize for Fiction. Winner--$1000. and 25 copies, plus 10 press kits to news sources of choice. All entrants receive a copy of the prize chapbook.
Entry Fee: $15. US funds. Additional MSS in same envelope $10. US each. Check made out to WECSP. Entry fee is not refundable.
Format: Cover Page with Title, Name, Address, Phone, E-mail. Second Title Page, no name. No name on MS. Easy to read type or print, double spaced. Do not bind MS.
Judging: Blind judging. All stories coded before judging. Judge: Tom Smith, The Christmas Shopper
SASE for announcement only. Use #10 envelope. No manuscripts can be returned. They will be recycled.
Simultaneous Submissions OK. Multiple submissions are not a problem. Please let us know if story accepted elsewhere. Unpublished (Previous publication of small parts of ms. OK with acknowledgments). Published on the Internet is Published and cannot be considered.
NO Restrictions on style, method, or subject matter. We respect the full range of literary writing.
Mail to:
Long Story Contest, International
White Eagle Coffee Store Press
P.O. Box 383
Fox River Grove IL 60021
Use USPS First Class Mail. More information: http://whiteeaglecoffeestorepress.com/page4.html
THE LONG STORY CONTEST, International (formerly The Long Fiction Contest, International), now in its 17th year, has become the premier competition for writers of stories that don't fit the conventional limits imposed by the economics of small press publishing. Named for A. E. Coppard, one of the leading British writers of the 1920's, whose first story was rejected only because it was too long--12,000 words--the contest attracts writers from all over the world. In order to acknowledge and encourage entries from outside the United States, the word International has been added to the title. All submissions must be in English and entry fee in U.S. dollars.
Manuscript Length: 8,000-14,000 words (30-50 pages double spaced).
Manuscript Genre: Single story (may have multi- parts or be a self-contained novel segment)Deadline: December 15, 2009 postmark. Winner announced by late Spring 2010.
Award: 2010 A. E. Coppard Prize for Fiction. Winner--$1000. and 25 copies, plus 10 press kits to news sources of choice. All entrants receive a copy of the prize chapbook.
Entry Fee: $15. US funds. Additional MSS in same envelope $10. US each. Check made out to WECSP. Entry fee is not refundable.
Format: Cover Page with Title, Name, Address, Phone, E-mail. Second Title Page, no name. No name on MS. Easy to read type or print, double spaced. Do not bind MS.
Judging: Blind judging. All stories coded before judging. Judge: Tom Smith, The Christmas Shopper
SASE for announcement only. Use #10 envelope. No manuscripts can be returned. They will be recycled.
Simultaneous Submissions OK. Multiple submissions are not a problem. Please let us know if story accepted elsewhere. Unpublished (Previous publication of small parts of ms. OK with acknowledgments). Published on the Internet is Published and cannot be considered.
NO Restrictions on style, method, or subject matter. We respect the full range of literary writing.
Mail to:
Long Story Contest, International
White Eagle Coffee Store Press
P.O. Box 383
Fox River Grove IL 60021
Use USPS First Class Mail. More information: http://whiteeaglecoffeestorepress.com/page4.html
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Here’s what we’ll be cooking/eating tomorrow, if all goes as planned~~
Spiced Nuts
Crudités & Green Goddess Spinach Dip
Pimento Cheese
The Classic Martini
The Robert Burns*
Breast of Turkey & Roulade**
Cornbread Stuffing
Classic Cranberry Sauce
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Gratineed Mustard Creamed Onions
Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes***
Brussels Sprouts Cockaigne****
Wine
Pumpkin Pie
Gingerbread
Coffee & Tea
*Yes, how literary. Steve is in charge of cocktail and wine selection. Here’s some background, and a recipe, though our recipe calls for Drambuie instead of absinthe.
**Prepped by the fabulous Butcher’s Block shop in Alexandria, NOT by me! Gravy, too, in a hopeful attempt to create a stress-free kitchen for a change, though the turkey directions are a little on the vague side, stressing me out already (i.e. “cook for 1.5 to 3 hours”).
***With marshmallows this year, at Steve’s request. Last time we did the marshmallows, they caught on fire…oops!
****From The Joy of Cooking; “cockaigne” is the name they give to their most special recipes…I think I’m remembering it was the name of their family house or something? This is one of the few recipes that make brussel sprouts taste good.
Spiced Nuts
Crudités & Green Goddess Spinach Dip
Pimento Cheese
The Classic Martini
The Robert Burns*
Breast of Turkey & Roulade**
Cornbread Stuffing
Classic Cranberry Sauce
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Gratineed Mustard Creamed Onions
Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes***
Brussels Sprouts Cockaigne****
Wine
Pumpkin Pie
Gingerbread
Coffee & Tea
*Yes, how literary. Steve is in charge of cocktail and wine selection. Here’s some background, and a recipe, though our recipe calls for Drambuie instead of absinthe.
**Prepped by the fabulous Butcher’s Block shop in Alexandria, NOT by me! Gravy, too, in a hopeful attempt to create a stress-free kitchen for a change, though the turkey directions are a little on the vague side, stressing me out already (i.e. “cook for 1.5 to 3 hours”).
***With marshmallows this year, at Steve’s request. Last time we did the marshmallows, they caught on fire…oops!
****From The Joy of Cooking; “cockaigne” is the name they give to their most special recipes…I think I’m remembering it was the name of their family house or something? This is one of the few recipes that make brussel sprouts taste good.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
More on Hollywood in the Thirties
Poet John Guzlowski emailed these reading suggestions as follow-up to my post about Fitzgerald in Hollywood:
“Several years ago there was a great book on Writers and Hollywood by Tom Dardis: Some Time in the Sun: The Hollywood Years of F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Nathanael West, Aldous Huxley and James Agee.
“Dardis is wonderful, smart and interesting. He also wrote a great book on drinking and American writers in the 20th cent called The Thirsty Muse. If you haven't read it, do yourself a favor.
“By the way have you read, Fitzgerald's stories about being a writer?* They are collected in his Pat Hobby Stories. They are very good.
“I was crazy about Fitzgerald for a long time and read much about him. Budd Schulberg (who wrote "On the Water Front") worked with Fitzgerald and wrote a very good novel about going on an assignment with him to write a script about a winter carnival at Dartmouth! It's called The Disenchanted. A sad, sad novel.”
*Yes, I love The Pat Hobby Stories, which are on my “favorite books bookshelf.” From the back of my old Scribner’s paperback: “…Fitzgerald was able to satirize not only the vulgar, hallucinatory climate of Hollywood in the late thirties but also his own bitter captivity inside it.” I just reread the first story, where down-on-his-luck Pat thinks he has a way out, only to discover he's more down on his luck and expendable than he had imagined.
From the end of "Pat Hobby's Christmas Wish," the big boss says,
"Like someone should have cracked down on you, Pat. But you were an amusing guy in those days, and besides we were all too busy."
Pat sniffed suddenly.
"I've been cracked down on," he said. "Plenty."
"But too late," said Gooddorf...
“Several years ago there was a great book on Writers and Hollywood by Tom Dardis: Some Time in the Sun: The Hollywood Years of F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Nathanael West, Aldous Huxley and James Agee.
“Dardis is wonderful, smart and interesting. He also wrote a great book on drinking and American writers in the 20th cent called The Thirsty Muse. If you haven't read it, do yourself a favor.
“By the way have you read, Fitzgerald's stories about being a writer?* They are collected in his Pat Hobby Stories. They are very good.
“I was crazy about Fitzgerald for a long time and read much about him. Budd Schulberg (who wrote "On the Water Front") worked with Fitzgerald and wrote a very good novel about going on an assignment with him to write a script about a winter carnival at Dartmouth! It's called The Disenchanted. A sad, sad novel.”
*Yes, I love The Pat Hobby Stories, which are on my “favorite books bookshelf.” From the back of my old Scribner’s paperback: “…Fitzgerald was able to satirize not only the vulgar, hallucinatory climate of Hollywood in the late thirties but also his own bitter captivity inside it.” I just reread the first story, where down-on-his-luck Pat thinks he has a way out, only to discover he's more down on his luck and expendable than he had imagined.
From the end of "Pat Hobby's Christmas Wish," the big boss says,
"Like someone should have cracked down on you, Pat. But you were an amusing guy in those days, and besides we were all too busy."
Pat sniffed suddenly.
"I've been cracked down on," he said. "Plenty."
"But too late," said Gooddorf...
Lee Gutkind to Lead Master Workshop at Writer's Center
This is a great opportunity to learn from a true master:
The Writer's Center is pleased to announce that one of the leading figures of creative nonfiction, Lee Gutkind, will lead a master workshop this winter at The Writer's Center.
STYLE AND SUBSTANCE: THE CREATIVE NONFICTION TRIPLE CHALLENGE
7 - 9:30 p.m. Monday, Feb 8, Tuesday, Feb. 9, Thursday, Feb. 11, and Friday, Feb. 12
Fee: $300 for members; $350 for nonmembers
Whether you are writing memoir or writing about science, business, or history, the writer, to be successful, must find a way to communicate interesting and vital information along with his or her ideas and feelings--through scene or narrative.
Those are the first two challenges in creative nonfiction: Style or story blended with substance or fact. And then there's focus/theme--the awesome final challenge: What does all of this information plus narrative mean to the reader, to the writer, and to the world? What do we want our readers to think or do after they read our essay or our book?
These are the three challenges facing the nonfiction writer today--often the vital prerequisites of publication and communication.
In this workshop, Lee Gutkind, founder and editor of the landmark magazine Creative Nonfiction, will lead you through the creative nonfiction writing process from beginning to end. He will demonstrate the writer's pitfalls and the ways in which the writer might fulfill the creative nonfiction triple challenge.
In the first class, Gutkind will discuss and demonstrate the classic structure of creative nonfiction--how style and substance come together. In the second class, Gutkind will be joined by his colleague, Dan Sarewitz, a columnist for the journal Nature, and co-director of Arizona State University's Consortium for Science Policy & Outcomes. Sarewitz and Gutkind will focus on perhaps the most difficult of the three challenges: finding meaning in your work. For the third and fourth sessions students will be asked to write a short narrative that combines style, substance, and meaning--and share their work with the class.
This is a master workshop. To apply, you must submit 5 hard copy pages of a creative nonfiction piece (it can be an excerpt from a longer work). Please do not register for this workshop before you are admitted. Submission deadline for this workshop is January 4. Check the website for details.
To learn more about Lee Gutkind, please visit him at http://www.leegutkind.com/
The Writer's Center is pleased to announce that one of the leading figures of creative nonfiction, Lee Gutkind, will lead a master workshop this winter at The Writer's Center.
STYLE AND SUBSTANCE: THE CREATIVE NONFICTION TRIPLE CHALLENGE
7 - 9:30 p.m. Monday, Feb 8, Tuesday, Feb. 9, Thursday, Feb. 11, and Friday, Feb. 12
Fee: $300 for members; $350 for nonmembers
Whether you are writing memoir or writing about science, business, or history, the writer, to be successful, must find a way to communicate interesting and vital information along with his or her ideas and feelings--through scene or narrative.
Those are the first two challenges in creative nonfiction: Style or story blended with substance or fact. And then there's focus/theme--the awesome final challenge: What does all of this information plus narrative mean to the reader, to the writer, and to the world? What do we want our readers to think or do after they read our essay or our book?
These are the three challenges facing the nonfiction writer today--often the vital prerequisites of publication and communication.
In this workshop, Lee Gutkind, founder and editor of the landmark magazine Creative Nonfiction, will lead you through the creative nonfiction writing process from beginning to end. He will demonstrate the writer's pitfalls and the ways in which the writer might fulfill the creative nonfiction triple challenge.
In the first class, Gutkind will discuss and demonstrate the classic structure of creative nonfiction--how style and substance come together. In the second class, Gutkind will be joined by his colleague, Dan Sarewitz, a columnist for the journal Nature, and co-director of Arizona State University's Consortium for Science Policy & Outcomes. Sarewitz and Gutkind will focus on perhaps the most difficult of the three challenges: finding meaning in your work. For the third and fourth sessions students will be asked to write a short narrative that combines style, substance, and meaning--and share their work with the class.
This is a master workshop. To apply, you must submit 5 hard copy pages of a creative nonfiction piece (it can be an excerpt from a longer work). Please do not register for this workshop before you are admitted. Submission deadline for this workshop is January 4. Check the website for details.
To learn more about Lee Gutkind, please visit him at http://www.leegutkind.com/
Monday, November 23, 2009
Stephen Elliott: How to Write about Your Family
DC writer Paula Whyman organized an amazing event on Friday, hosting Stephen Elliott at a packed reading at Teaism. Stephen, who is on a wild, self-organized, nationwide tour of reading in people’s houses and at venues beyond the typical bookstore, read from his new book, The Adderall Diaries: A Memoir of Moods, Masochism, and Murder. He told us he was reading different parts of the book at each event (a nice trick, considering he will have been on the road for more than three months when the tour winds up). He’ll be touring until December 18, and if you have the chance to see him read, I call this a "must see."
If you’ve ever read his work, you know that it is incredibly intense and dark and honest: reading his autobiographical novel Happy Baby was a memorably wrenching experience (one of the most powerful books I've read, though I recommend it cautiously...it's that brutal). So I had to ask his advice on something that often comes up in my classes (okay, and in my own life, too), worrying about the reaction of family/friends when they read certain stories.
He gave a great answer, which I’ll paraphrase, since I was too mesmerized to think of taking notes:
First, don’t even worry about anyone’s reactions until the piece is going to be published. This is simply the wisest comment on the whole subject—obviously, the story can change in progress or not get written or be written but live only in a file drawer. He also noted that you shouldn’t imagine that the person you don’t want to read the piece won’t find it…they always, always do.
Disguise characters so that it’s not obvious who you’re writing about.
Then, he suggested that you let the pertinent person/people read it before the work is being published, rather than after publication. Inevitably, people will react in one way or another, but he said that people will not want to be the one who “stops” a book/story from being published. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but sure: who will come out and demand that you rip up that contract?
Writers need to own the story and own their actions. As he said, “I’m a writer, and this is what I do.” We write stories, and sometimes they’re not pretty and sometimes they involve people we know.
Finally, he noted that if you’re going to go into this sort of territory, you need to go in all the way. You can’t create art by going only halfway. That is, if you’re going to write the story about your father, write the truth of that whole story: don’t hold back.
Great, great advice…I plan to steal this all next time the subject comes up in one of my classes.
And here’s my fun fact about Stephen Elliott: this artsy writer exploring with bare honesty the dark, wrenching, difficult corners of his life, has a fantasy football team. !!! My mouth literally dropped open when I heard this, and I was even more charmed and mesmerized than I had been before (even though his quarterback is the annoying Tony Romo, from DC’s archrival Dallas Cowboys).
You can read more about the event and see some photos at Paula Whyman’s blog.
Stephen Elliott's essay "Why I Write."
If you’ve ever read his work, you know that it is incredibly intense and dark and honest: reading his autobiographical novel Happy Baby was a memorably wrenching experience (one of the most powerful books I've read, though I recommend it cautiously...it's that brutal). So I had to ask his advice on something that often comes up in my classes (okay, and in my own life, too), worrying about the reaction of family/friends when they read certain stories.
He gave a great answer, which I’ll paraphrase, since I was too mesmerized to think of taking notes:
First, don’t even worry about anyone’s reactions until the piece is going to be published. This is simply the wisest comment on the whole subject—obviously, the story can change in progress or not get written or be written but live only in a file drawer. He also noted that you shouldn’t imagine that the person you don’t want to read the piece won’t find it…they always, always do.
Disguise characters so that it’s not obvious who you’re writing about.
Then, he suggested that you let the pertinent person/people read it before the work is being published, rather than after publication. Inevitably, people will react in one way or another, but he said that people will not want to be the one who “stops” a book/story from being published. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but sure: who will come out and demand that you rip up that contract?
Writers need to own the story and own their actions. As he said, “I’m a writer, and this is what I do.” We write stories, and sometimes they’re not pretty and sometimes they involve people we know.
Finally, he noted that if you’re going to go into this sort of territory, you need to go in all the way. You can’t create art by going only halfway. That is, if you’re going to write the story about your father, write the truth of that whole story: don’t hold back.
Great, great advice…I plan to steal this all next time the subject comes up in one of my classes.
And here’s my fun fact about Stephen Elliott: this artsy writer exploring with bare honesty the dark, wrenching, difficult corners of his life, has a fantasy football team. !!! My mouth literally dropped open when I heard this, and I was even more charmed and mesmerized than I had been before (even though his quarterback is the annoying Tony Romo, from DC’s archrival Dallas Cowboys).
You can read more about the event and see some photos at Paula Whyman’s blog.
Stephen Elliott's essay "Why I Write."
C.M. Mayo's "Spellbinding, Heartbreaking Tale"
Congratulations to C.M. Mayo, friend and guest blogger, whose new novel The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire was named to Library Journal’s list of “best books of 2009.” Catherine was in my writing group for many years, so I know how hard she worked on this lovely book and how much she deserves this honor!
From Library Journal:
“Once upon a time, there was a little half-American boy who briefly became heir to the Mexican throne—until his distraught parents sued the doomed Emperor Maximilian for his return. As in the best historical fiction, Mayo's sparkling first novel transforms a forgotten historical footnote into a spellbinding, heartbreaking tale filled with drama and fascinating characters.”
From Library Journal:
“Once upon a time, there was a little half-American boy who briefly became heir to the Mexican throne—until his distraught parents sued the doomed Emperor Maximilian for his return. As in the best historical fiction, Mayo's sparkling first novel transforms a forgotten historical footnote into a spellbinding, heartbreaking tale filled with drama and fascinating characters.”
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