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Julia Fierro, founder of the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop in Brooklyn, New York, speaks on the desire to portray the new American woman's experience in her debut novel, Cutting Teeth (St. Martin's Press, 2014). Fierro is featured in "The MFA Alternatives: Independent Writing Workshops" by Michael Bourne, in the new issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
Penguin Random House restructures operations; the lost pulp novel of Gore Vidal; the usefulness of literature; and other news.
Marysue Rucci, editor in chief at Simon & Schuster, speaks about her immediate response and connection to the story and characters from We Are Not Ourselves, a forthcoming debut novel from Matthew Thomas. Read more on the backstory of this novel in "A Day in the Life of a Publishing House" by Michael Bourne, in the new issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
As everyone recovers from, and reacts to, the shocking announcement that the popular cartoon character Hello Kitty is not a cat but a human girl, take a moment to think about how leaving certain details ambiguous could enhance or detract from a character’s impact in a story. Do you have any characters that have elements of their backstory, or ambiguous qualities, that are never explained? If you have a character whom you feel is hiding something for whatever reason, write a scene in which this secret is revealed.
Murakami to publish another new book this December; Neil Gaiman returns to the world of American Gods; Infinite Jest in Legos; and other news.
In this video from the Cortland Review, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet offers a glimpse into her home and shares how her life in Virginia has influenced her work. Emerson discusses the pros and cons of journal writing in the September/October 2014 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
This week write a poem that sets out to explain an item, idea, or process. Begin the title with “How...” or “Three Reasons Why...” or some other phrase that introduces what is about to be explained. Maybe you will pick apart a particular habit you have, or analyze a fear that seems illogical. Don’t feel obliged to reach a concrete conclusion. Instead, see where the thought pattern takes you. Is this poem really about why you think bunk beds are unsafe, or does it begin to address something else?
D.C. Public Library works with the homeless; Bruce Springsteen pens a children's book, Sherman Alexie and Jess Walter launch a podcast; and other news.
Anne Curzan, an English professor at the University of Michigan, continues to be fascinated with language. In this TED talk, she offers insight on how words make it into dictionaries and who decides whether "YOLO" is, in fact, a word.
The finalists have been announced for the inaugural Write a House residency, a new program through which a formerly vacant home in Detroit is renovated and given permanently to a creative writer.
The ten finalists are Lydia Conklin of East Sandwich, Massachusetts; Matthew Fogarty of Columbia, South Carolina; Adam Morris of San Francisco; Anne Elizabeth Moore of Chicago; Jason Reynolds and Casey Rocheteau, both of Brooklyn, New York; Aisha Sabatani Sloan of Los Angeles; Valerie Vande Panne of Detroit; Darryl Lorenzo Wellington of Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Monika Zobel of Bremen, Germany. Finalists' bios can be found on the Write a House website.
The winner will be announced on September 19, and will be invited to move into his or her new house soon thereafter.
Write a House received roughly 350 applications in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from throughout the United States and abroad. “Many of our best applicants came from right here in Detroit,” the organizers wrote in an announcement on the Write a House blog. “There were many excellent and inspiring submissions, and if we could give a home to every talented writer who applied, we would.”
The organization plans to open applications for its next house in early 2015.
The judges were Write a House cofounder Toby Barlow, along with poets and writers Billy Collins, dream hampton, Major Jackson, Sean MacDonald, Michael Stone Richards, and Tamara Warren. Finalists were selected based on the quality of their work and for their potential to contribute to the neighborhood and the literary culture of Detroit.
For more information on Write a House, read an article on the program currently featured in the September/October issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
Photo: The first Write a House property, located in Detroit’s Banglatown neighborhood. Credit: Andy Kopietz.
