Taking a Trip
Write an essay about a trip that you've taken during which you were in search of something. What were you in search of—family connection, relaxation, adventure? What did you find? Was it what you expected?
Jeffrey Eugenides's Advice to Young Writers, Working with Iraqi Poet Saadi Youssef, and More
Jeffrey Eugenides shared career advice in a speech to ten young writers; Mashable lists five new companies aiming to improve the experience of reading e-books; novelist Dennis Lehane has promised to include the person who returns his missing beagle in his next book.
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Saudi Novelist Turki al-Hamad Arrested for Tweets, Philip Roth is Not on Twitter, and More
A Saudi novelist, Turki al-Hamad, was reportedly arrested in the Saudi kingdom after questioning Islamic fundamentalism via Twitter; Carolyn Kellogg, Michael Schaub, Roxane Gay, and other book critics discuss their ten favorite books of 2012; Gawker created a list of "least important writers"; and other news.
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Someone's Knocking on the Door
Write a story about the following scenario: One woman knocks on the door of another woman's house. She wants something. She lies to get what she wants. Who is she? Does she get what she wants? How does the woman who answers the door respond? Do they know each other?What happens next?
Make a List
Write a poem that is a list of people, places, and/or things that you long for.
Randy Susan Meyers's Homemade MFA, Peek Inside Random House, and More
The Morning News collected a large group of writers and asked them their thoughts on the important events of 2012; the Spectator asked its writers which great books they most hate; author Randy Susan Meyers details helpful advice on creating a personalized writing program; and other news.
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The Twelve Days of Bookselling
Politics & Prose, the twenty-eight-year-old independent bookstore in Washington, D.C., had a little fun with the classic Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas," with plenty of coffee and books to keep readers happy through the holiday season.
Maya Apocalypse Reading List, Sheila Heti on Art and Commerce, and More
Penguin Group has settled with the Department of Justice over the e-book pricing lawsuit; Roxane Gay reminds us there are writers who live places other than New York City; the Los Angeles Times has a reading list for the Maya apocalypse; and other news.
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Write Cool
In the January/February 2013 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, memoirist Debra Gwartney offers guidance on how to write about traumatic experience. "When the action is hot, write cool," Gwartney says. "Stand back. Let your prose breathe. Don't try to convince the reader to feel a certain way—avoid yanking on the easy emotion. Instead, trust the language you've selected, the images you've constructed, the relevant detail, and give the reader plenty of room to reach the feeling independently." Write an essay about a traumatic experience from your life or the life of someone close to you, following Gwartney's advice.
Natalie Diaz
The author of When My Brother Was an Aztec (Copper Canyon Press, 2012) and one of the twelve debut poets selected by Rigoberto González to be featured in the current issue of the magazine, reads a poem on the PBS NewHour.
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