San Francisco: Inspiration 1.3
Jason Bayani of Kearny Street Workshop (right) talks about the importance of being engaged in a writing community and building relationships by attending reading series and other events.
San Francisco: Inspiration 1.2
Joyce Jenkins of Poetry Flash (left) talks about the role of community for writers in San Francisco with Janis Cooke Newman of the Grotto.
San Francisco: Inspiration 1.1
The Resources for Writers in San Francisco and the Role of Community panelists, from left: Jamie Fitzgerald of Poets & Writers, Stacey Lewis of City Lights Books, Laura Moriarty of Small Press Distribution, Joyce Jenkins of Poetry Flash, Janis Cooke Newman of the Grotto, and Jason Bayani of Kearny Street Workshop.
Moving to the City
"It can be warm and cold here at once." Poet Josh Lefkowitz recites a poem about New York City in a short film by Chris Follmer, which was a winner at the 2014 Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival.
Julie Iromuanya
Deadline Approaches for Nelson Algren Short Story Award
Submissions are currently open for the Chicago Tribune’s Nelson Algren Literary Awards. The annual prize is given for a short story written by a U.S. writer. The winner will receive $3,500 and possible publication in the Chicago Tribune’s weekly literary supplement, Printers Row Journal. Four finalists will each receive $1,000, and five runners-up will each receive $500.
Using the online submission system, submit a story of up to 8,000 words by Saturday, January 31. There is no entry fee. A panel of fiction writers and literary professionals will judge; the winners will be announced by June 1.
Ben Hoffman won the 2014 prize for his story “This Will All Be Over Soon,” about a man coping with the kidnapping of his wife. After four rounds of judging, judges Yiyun Li, Peter Orner, and Roxana Robinson selected Hoffman’s story from twenty-four hundred entries, almost double the number of entries in 2013. Other recent winners include Erika Schmidt, Jeremy T. Wilson, and Billy Lombardo.
Established in 1981 by Chicago Magazine and administered by the Chicago Tribune since 1986, the Nelson Algren Short Story Award has helped launch the careers of writers such as Stuart Dybek, Kim Edwards, and Louise Erdrich. The prize is named after American fiction writer Nelson Algren (1909–1981), who wrote several novels including The Man With the Golden Arm (1949) and A Walk on the Wild Side (1956).
Photo: Nelson Algren (credit Stephen Deutch/Chicago Tribune)
Joan Didion’s Favorite Books, Robots Learn Your Handwriting, and More
Amazon debates; technical emphasis in English classes; Claudia Rankine’s double NBCC nominations; and other news.
Geeking Out With Junot Díaz
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz talks about the impact comic books had on him as he was growing up, as well as their cultural and literary significance. His novel The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao (Riverhead Books, 2007) was just named the best novel of the twenty-first century to date by a BBC Culture critics' poll.
Junot Díaz Novel Named Best of 21st Century, Prison Book Ban Lifted, and More
W. H. Auden and Charlie Hebdo; Arabic Fiction Prize longlist includes more women; literary podcasts; and other news.
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Guantánamo Diary
Mohamedou Ould Slahi's memoir, Guantánamo Diary, documenting his thirteen years in the prison, was published this week by Little, Brown. In this animated documentary from the Guardian, Slahi's brother, attorney, and book editor discuss how the book was written and declassified.
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