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Amaranth Borsuk's Between Page and Screen, forthcoming from Siglio Press, is an "augmented-reality" book of poems. Think of it as a digital pop-up book: Get a copy of the book (or print out a preview and try it for free at betweenpageandscreen.com), turn on your computer's webcam, and the animations will appear on your screen.
The Chicago Police Department has begun a voluntary writing workshop for officers; Melissa Febos interviews poet and professional dog trainer Susie DeFord about the pros and cons of self-publishing; ten suggested pairings of local craft beers with independent bookshops; and other news.
Using Lorrie Moore's "How To Be An Other Woman" from Self-Help (Knopf, 1985) as inspiration, turn a personal experience into a twelve- (or more) step, how-to manual. The piece can be a simple enumerated list, or it can be more detailed, conveying a broader story; but use the second-person, and keep it instructional.
"Then a Ploughman said / Speak to us of Work." This video showing the process of printing a short excerpt from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet may be a wee bit slow at times, but what did you expect? It's letterpress!
Barely South Review, the literary journal of the MFA program at Virginia's Old Dominion University, has announced its first writing contest.
The Norton Girault Literary Prize for fiction, which will alternate annually with awards in poetry and creative nonfiction, offers one thousand dollars and publication in Barely South.
The 2012 judge is Cristina García, whose debut novel, Dreaming in Cuban (Knopf), was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1992. Her other novels include The Agüero Sisters (Knopf, 1997), Monkey Hunting (Knopf, 2003), A Handbook to Luck (Knopf, 2007), and The Lady Matador's Hotel (Scribner, 2010).
Fiction writers may submit a story of up to 25 pages via snail mail or Submittable, the online submission system, until February 29. Results will be announced in April.
Amazon may be in the process of opening a brick-and-mortar store; the moving Chrysler commercial featuring Clint Eastwood that aired during the Super Bowl was co-written by poet Matthew Dickman; the Brooklyn Public Library looks at evidence that perhaps Herman Melvile met Edgar Allan Poe; and other news.
Find a blank notebook, and for one week fill it with whatever strikes you—images, photographs, cut-out excerpts from articles or books, notes on matchbooks, maps, drawings, and your own writing. At the end of the week, use this material as inspiration for a story.
Record the advertising slogans and advertising copy that you encounter throughout the day. Pick one slogan/catchphrase or a brief selection of advertising copy and incorporate it into a poem, without mentioning the object or service being marketed.
The New Yorker examines the plagiarism scandal of Q. R. Markham; Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the hero of Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, was arrested last year for domestic abuse; Open Culture lists a compendium of writing rules from famous authors; and other news.
It was truly inevitable that publishing folks would get a hold of this particular meme. And so, here we have it: "(The Inevitable) Sh*t Agents and Editors Say," starring agents Michelle Brower and Brandi Bowles and editor Katie McHugh.
