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High school teacher Sarah Hope tells "the story that hurts to tell" as part of the Story Project, a storytelling series at Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The theme of the event, held earlier this month, was Healing.
Christina Baker Kline novels move from mid-list to bestseller; a day in the life of Meg Wolitzer; two authors consider the strength of the adage “write what you know”; and other news.
"Pigeons on the grass, alas..." While the quality of the audio is rather poor, this clip from 1934 offers a fascinating glimpse of Gertrude Stein talking briefly and then reading part of her libretto from the opera "From Four Saints in Three Acts."
This week, have your character either lose or find an object, pet, or set of directions. Explore how this event opens up unexpected possibilities for your story. Will two characters meet for the first time because of this mishap? Will your protagonist be late arriving somewhere as a result?
A Room of Her Own Foundation is currently accepting submissions to its annual book prizes for women writers. The To the Lighthouse Poetry Book Prize is given annually for a poetry collection; the inaugural Clarissa Dalloway Book Prize will be given annually for a book of “everything but poetry.” The winner of each prize will receive $1,000, publication by Red Hen Press, and up to $1,000 in travel expenses to promote the book. The deadline is next Tuesday, April 1.
Kate Gale, the managing editor of Red Hen Press and editor of the Los Angeles Review, will judge the Clarissa Dalloway Prize. C.D. Wright will judge the To the Lighthouse Poetry Book Prize.
Women poets may enter the To the Lighthouse Poetry Book Prize by submitting a manuscript of 48 to 96 pages (two-thirds of which must be unpublished); women fiction and nonfiction writers may enter the Clarissa Dalloway Book Prize by submitting a manuscript of 50,000 to 150,000 words. Novels, novellas, memoirs, biographies, young adult literature, and graphic novels are eligible. The entry fee for both prizes is $20; entrants may submit using the online submission system or by postal mail to A Room of Her Own, Attn: TTL or CD Book Prize, P.O. Box 778, Placitas, NM 87043.
Sarah Wetzel won the 2013 To the Lighthouse Poetry Book Prize, judged by Tracy K. Smith, for her collection River Electric with Light. The winner of the 2012 prize, chosen by Evie Shockley, was Leia Penina Wilson for her collection I built a boat with all the towels in your closet.
Founded in 2000, A Room of Her Own is a nonprofit organization that works to support women writers. Their mission is “to inspire, fund, and champion works of art and literature by women.” AROHO, which is committed to Virginia Woolf’s belief that “women need money and a room of their own if they are to write,” has channeled more than $1 million into awards, fellowships, and opportunities for women writers. Visit the website for more information.
Editor's Note: As of April 4, 2014, the deadline for both the To the Lighthouse Poetry Book Prize and Clarissa Dalloway Book Prize has been extended to July 31.
Kiese Laymon on the politics of black male action; Patrick Leigh Fermor book and Tennessee Williams short story each published after an eighty-year wait; Scribd’s new travel book section; and other news.
The author of the debut poetry collection Everything We Call Ordinary, forthcoming later this year from Tourane Poetry Press, presents "Family, Culture, and How a Poet Makes His Bread" at a recent TEDx event at San Jose State University.
Have you tried writing a tanka, ghazal, or triolet? This week, try working in a form that’s unfamiliar to you. You can even adapt an existing draft to fit a form, or come up with your own constraints and pattern. For a list of forms and their descriptions, consult the list of Poetic Forms and Techniques compiled by the Academy of American Poets.
British prison officials defend ban on books; the unconventional path to a writing career; the benefits of writing in the Midwest; and other news.
"We kind of lose that sense of wonder that we have with language," says Thom Caraway, the poet laureate of Spokane, Washington. "Any toddler or kindergartener is running around just saying words out loud because they like how they sound." Caraway, who recently hosted a pizza and poetry night at Balboa Elementary Montessori in Spokane, discusses why young children have a way with words and talks about his own experience with poetry.
