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“The world doesn’t owe you anything and nobody is asking you to do it.” In this video, Paul Auster discusses the challenges faced by novice writers, the importance of reading accomplished authors, and why the writing life isn’t for everyone.
Biographer Walter Isaacson asks the digital community for help in editing his next book; writer George Saunders discusses his techniques for crafting short stories; Wendy Lesser on the role of literature in contemporary society; and other news.
This week, people are adjusting their lives to the arctic conditions that have invaded much of the country. The weather is beyond our control, which gives it an otherworldly and spiritual quality. From historic military battles to cancelled softball games, the weather has had a profound impact on the human race and individuals. Write a poem about a time the weather affected your life. Use imagery that symbolizes the ancient, omnipresent, and indifferent soul of nature: a sapling sheathed in ice, June moonlight on a broken window, a flashbulb thunderstorm over an evacuated swimming pool. The weather is different for every life. Put yours to poetry.
The Millions previews the most anticipated books of 2014; Roxane Gay mines the troubling notion that female protagonists must be likable; Smashwords founder Mark Coker reported that the self-published e-book distributor added around 25,000 authors last year; and other news.
“Success is entirely dependent upon constancy of purpose.” In this clip, various authors offer observations and advice regarding the fundamentals of writing and how to achieve literary prosperity.
In this video, Tom O'Bedlam captures the beautiful loneliness of snow through his interpretation of "The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens.
Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch has caused a spike in ticket sales at the Frick Museum; Paul Theroux reads “The Letter Writers” by British author Elizabeth Taylor; Dorothea Lasky discusses the power of poetry; and other news.
First founded in Iowa City in 1958, December, the storied literary magazine resurrected last month after being shuttered for nearly three decades, is currently considering submissions for its first annual literary awards.
The Jeff Marks Memorial Poetry Prize and the Curt Johnson Prose Awards in Fiction and Creative Nonfiction will include three first-place prizes of $1,500 each and three honorable mention awards of $500 each for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. The winning works will be published in the Spring 2014 issue of December. The deadline is February 1.
Poets may submit up to three poems of any length; prose writers may submit a short story or essay of up to 8,000 words. The entry fee is $20, which includes a copy of the Spring issue. Submissions will be accepted online via Submittable or can be sent by mail to Gianna Jacobson, Editor, December, P.O. Box 16130, St. Louis, MO 63105.
All entries will be considered for publication. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but writers are asked to notify the editors upon acceptance of work elsewhere. Previously published work, either in print or online, will not be considered.
Finalists will be selected by December’s editorial staff; final judges will be Stephen Berg in poetry, Mary Helen Stefaniak in fiction, and William Kittredge in creative nonfiction.
The biannual December’s Revival Issue was published last month and is currently available for individual purchase and by subscription. Visit the December website for more information and complete submission guidelines.
The Daily Beast offers a life-affirming reading list; Kitchen Sink Press has donated its archives to Columbia University; test your literary knowledge with a quiz gleaned from Jeopardy champion Tom Nissley’s A Reader’s Book of Days; and other news.
“I just keep going.” In this clip, taken from a 2010 interview with Bill Moyers, author Louise Erdrich discusses motherhood, managing expectations, and how she always finds time to write.
