GRIND WRITERS NEWS - JULY 2014 by GRIND WRITERS **

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July 2014

Grind Writers News July 2014

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3 BC Writers Autonomous Fan Region 3 How often do you get to write poetry with bill bissett!

3 Congratulations Renee

Malcolm van Delst reading from her experimental novel The Low Self-esteem Reading Room. Her talk will also include some of the illustrations she’s been doing for it. Wednesday, August 6, 7-10pm at Interurban - 1 East Hastings (at Carrall)

Patricia Morris reading from her novel-in-progress Disappearance of Darkness, about a photographer in the DTES who is part of gentrification.

colleagues

4 7 letters to write before you turn 70 4 Yes, okay, you do need to know this 5 Avoid these clichés like the plague 5 Careful to whom you liken your characters: Scarlett Johansson wins damages in book character lawsuit

5 Are you missing out on something important when you type?

6 Places to go, things to do, people to see

6 A chance to hear Susan Musgrave reading—live in Vancouver

The 9 must-read mystery books of 2014 “The members of [CBC Radio’s] The Next Chapter's longtime mystery panel, J.D. Singh, P.K. Rangachari and Margaret Cannon reconvened to bring listeners their top picks for this year's best mystery novels. [and] recommended a long list of books from both Canadian and international writers. “J.D. Singh is the co-owner of the Sleuth of Baker Street bookstore, Margaret Cannon is the mystery book columnist for the Globe and Mail and P.K. Rangachari is a mystery lover and professor at McMaster University.” Read all about the top nine mysteries.

7 Wordplay – in the Royal City 7 Submit. (you know you want to) Contests and calls for submissions

7 Platform-platform-platform: but do

you really know what it is (and isn’t)?

9 How to upload your ebook, step by step

10 Grind Writers – where we meet, when & why

11 First sentences of 100 classics 11 The free-write photo prompt: just try it!

Grind Writers News July 2014

Saturday July 12, 2-4pm at Centre A - 229 East Georgia St.

3 How to support your published

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Grind Writers out there reading:

autonomous

who won won the 2014 Canadian Authors National Literary Award for Poetry in June for her book Children of Air India.

How often do you get to write poetry with bill bissett!

The other shortlisted books by poets Tom Wayman and Catherine Graham were excellent as well. Congratulations Renee Saklikar!

Poetry with bill bissett Finding our voices n saying them Thurs., July 31 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fri., August 1 9am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3:30pm

Joseph Boyden won the Fiction Prize for The Orenda and Charlotte Gray won the Canadian History prize. Check out the past prize winners.

Fee: $244 - Deposit: $61 Scholarships and Bursaries are available for all Island Mountain Arts Programs, Link here for details. To register go to the website for into. Accommodation Info 2014-ForStudents

Island Mountain Arts is located in Wells, BC Where is that, you say? MAP for more information contact: Program Outreach Assistant Tatiana Eresman www.imarts.com

Grind Writers News July 2014

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Congratulations to Vancouver poet Renee Saklikar

BC BOOKS

7 letters to write before you turn 70 From a curious website called The Art of Manliness which under one tab called “Manly Skills” has wondrous knowledge such as How to use a Chainsaw Safely and a video on How To Unclog a Toilet Like a Plumber. But there under another section called “A Man’s Life” is this little gem of an article that is quite right: we women, too, could do with writing these 7 letters. Shall I tell you what they are and ruin your fun in poking around this helpful site? Certainly not: so here’s the link and proceed at your own risk… past those other goodies on How to Field Dress and Butcher a Rabbit or How to Enter a Room Like a Boss, and 7 Ways to Excape Zip Ties.

Friends don't

Yes, okay, you do need to know this. Some exceedingly wise advice for the DIY author, if you must:

11 Tips for Editing Your Own Writing

let friends read Ayn Rand -Flannery O'Connor

How to support your published colleagues …and encourage the VPL to buy books you want to read 

Go to vpl.ca

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Under Locations & Hours: click *Contact Us*

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Scroll way down to Library Departments

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Then: Suggest a Purchase

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Try to provide title, author (last name first); ISBN #, publisher, date of publishing and they will ask you who the audience would be for it and how you heard about it.

Grind Writers News July 2014

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P.S. It has a lovely section on “Dress & Grooming” with delightful articles on How to Buy a Suit or When and How to Tuck In Your Shirt but . . . nary a syllable on washing. You know what I mean, ladies.

Avoid these 12 clichés like the plague! But those 12 are only the tip of the iceberg, the icing on the cliché cake. Learn to think outside the box going forward, and invent your own creative phrases, dude. Don’t touch clichés with a ten-foot pole!

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The "B is for Book Box" community book station has just opened on the 3100-block of East 8th Avenue, aimed at the "many children attending East Vancouver's Thunderbird Elementary school [who] have never been inside a public library." Full story

As luck would have it, The Cliché Site lists clichés as far as the eye can see –- hundreds and hundreds of them, searchable alphabetically. You’ll be in seventh heaven. It’s got everything but the kitchen sink.

What happens in your brain when you [hand] write.

And Steve has listed 1600 clichés, the old fox. He definitely went above and beyond the call of duty, and you can take that to the bank.

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A welcoming place for your gently used books – for kids

Fascinating article. And while you’re at it, here’s a list of

BUZZWORDS

to add to your Do Not Resuscitate vocab list.

How technology rewrites literature

Scarlett Johansson wins damages in book character lawsuit Be careful to whom you liken your characters -- up with which they just may not put. “Johansson was awarded about $3,600 Cdn. in damages after suing a French author for including a character in his novel that is described as bearing a remarkable resemblance [her].”

Here’s the story.

"In the early days of word processing you'd often hear the complaint that novelists were writing too much – not shaping as they used to when they had to work on a typewriter," says the poet and author Blake Morrison.

Writers including Tom McCarthy and Joe Dunthorne consider whether the coming of computers and the net has changed the way they write in another intriguing article.

Grind Writers News July 2014

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Oh they are bad, they are bad

Places to go Things to do People to see A chance to hear poet Susan Musgrave read— live in Vancouver

POETIC JUSTICE

Wed. July 16 – 7–9:30 pm at the Cottage Bistro 4468 Main Street, Vancouver TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON Features Micheal Heatherington, Susan Musgrave and Steve Noyes plus open mic.

Come early to the Heritage Grill for lunch with music, usually jazz. Excellent breakfasts are served till 3 pm. Stay for June schedule:  June 22 – Dominic DiCarlo, Navaro Franco, Franci Louann (host Alan Hill)  June 29 – Sonja Grgar, Deborah Kelly, Janet Kvammen (host Franci Louann) *Plus—an open mic session. We encourage your donations ($5 if you can) to support our poets. Everyone is welcome. Please help our generous host location as well with your orders. We close most long weekends and in July and August. Over the summer, you might enjoy Poetry in the Park, Wednesday evenings, 6:30 at the band shell in Queen’s Park. Visit us on Facebook. Check our website or our features’ bios. More info: Franci Louann, Coordinator for Poetic Justice flouann@telus.net

PANDORA’S BOOK CLUB 2nd Wednesday of the month 6:30–8:30 pm - Britannia Branch Library 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver

Suggested donation a the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More info: pandorascollective.com.

From Franci Louann, PJ Coordinator: “For a good time,” visit www.poeticjustice.ca to see what we’ve got planned for Sunday afternoons in New Westminster.

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3-5pm Sunday afternoons in the Back Room at the Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St., one block west o the Columbia Sky Train Station, New Westminster

Wor I

play W

presented by the Royal Canadian Literary Arts Society

Free Monthly poetry-generating drop-in Prompts provided Not a critique group: “Let’s have some fun!” B.Y.O..T. (bring your own tools) in the Back Room at the Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St. More info from: secretary@rclas.com

Bring your favourite passages, points of interest, and share your reading experiences. Drop-ins are welcome. Presented by Pandora’s Collective. Hosts: Mary Duffy & Sita Carboni. More info here. Grind Writers News July 2014

Submit. (you know you want to)

Contests and calls for submissions Roundup of poetry contests here

The winning creative nonfiction piece will be published in the Winter 2014 issue, and the winner will be interviewed for Malahat lite, the magazine's monthly e-newsletter, in late 2014.

More info here. Deadline: August 1 (postmarked or emailed)

2014 Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize Contest – The Malahat Review Prize: $1,000 to one winner. Entry fee: $35 CAD for Canadian entries - $40 USD for entries from the US - $45 USD for entries from elsewhere. Additional entries are $15 (from anywhere). The Malahat Review invites entries from around the world for its annual creative nonfiction contest. Personal essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, travel writing... if it's real and creative, we want to read it.

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A contest open only to women (sorry, guys) Deadline: July 15, 2014 Room's Annual Writing Contest: 2014 Categories: Fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction Prizes Per category --First prize: $500 + publication in Room --Second prize: $250 + publication in Room --Honourable mention: publication on Room's website

“Got a poem?” Submit any subject, any style, any length, any number, any time by e-mail or by mail with SASE. Previously published poems and simultaneous submissions are welcome. The Great American Poetry Show, P.O. Box 69506, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Email: info@tgaps.net. Website: www.tgaps.net (Caveat emptor – check it out).

Contests by deadline date

We will frown or smile upon your piece, and reply within 1 week (2 weeks max) with a muffin or a tumbleweed. Multiple submissions are allowed, but single submissions are preferred. All things minimalistic and mind-slicing wanted. The occasional selfless snark and sneer accepted. True wit appreciated, along with foldable grit, pocket-size memoir moments and frame by frame congeniality. Perspective: any—as long as artfully executed and self reflecting; avoid sending ego balloons and unintended mirroring. Mirrors and led wanted. Gates, doors, and attics most appreciated. THERE’S MORE—READ SUBMISSION GUIDELINES HERE

Deadline: August 30 Short Story Contest – Climate Change Theme No entry fee Though the contest is global, we really hope to highlight Vancouver writers and their stories. Winners receive $100 USD in the form of a Paypal payment or Amazon gift card. This contest is being hosted by Cli-Fi Books, which archives and features climate change themed books, short stories, and prose. The contest is also allied with 100,000 Poets for Change, an annual event that thousands of artists and authors, from all over the world, participate in each year. Winner announced by Sept. 27. More info and the rules are here: Story submission form here:

Ongoing submissions

1966 - An online journal of creative nonfiction, seeks pieces of literary nonfiction with a research component— anything from immersion memoir to nature writing to reportage to travel writing to—? For submission guidelines: www.1966journal.org. The Quotable This online magazine wants writerreaders to submit stories based on their monthly prompts. Info here.

Holler Box Rolling submissions year-round. All submissions are completely free. You may submit in multiple genres. If so, send a separate submission per genre. If your submission does not get accepted you may continue to submit, we encourage it. Please wait at least 30 days before submitting something new. Read the guidelines: https://thehollerbox.submittable.com/su bmit. Submissions that do not follow the guidelines may not be considered. Geist Emerging Writer-of-the-Month Emerging writers are invited to submit short written works online. Read the FAQ.

Sassafras Literary Magazine continued….. Grind Writers News July 2014

cul Dead Beats The Beats are dead; long live Dead Beats - focused on bringing you the highest quality literature from talented unpublished writers. We are happy to receive submissions from everyone, regardless of experience, of poems, short stories (max. 2000 words), experimental pieces and reviews, the best of which we will publish on the site. If you would like to submit some of your work please send it in the body of an email to: deadbeats@live.co.uk. We aim to reply to all emails, though this may take some time given the number of submissions we receive. http://www.deadbeats.eu/submission

Are you over 60? - Wit and Wisdom of the Sages Have insightful stories you’d like to share with your grandchildren? Great Depression/ WW2/ Vietnam era? Seeking narratives up to 3,500 words. Send manuscripts, or for guidelines email jnjscher@yahoo.com. Anderbo.com -- “Best New Online Literary Journal.” Publishes writers in fiction, creative nonfiction), and poetry. We’re always looking for new voices. We’ll also consider nonfiction features, short memoirs, novellas, published-book excerpts, photography, essays, and photo essays. Now in our 9th year! For submission information and guidelines, visit www.anderbo.com. Changes in Life A monthly online newsletter is seeking personal essays from women of all ages. New writers are encouraged to submit their work. For details and submission guidelines, see www.changesinlife.com. Signature Editions - they only publish Canadian writers:

The Evening Street Review The ESR is centered on the belief that all men and women are created equal. Reads poetry/prose submissions yearround. Replies in 3 months or less. Sometimes includes comments. Send 4–6 poems or 1–2 prose piece. 7652 Sawmill Rd., #352, Dublin, OH 43016 or editor@eveningstreetpress.com. For contests and guidelines visit: www.eveningstreetpress.com. Subterranean Blue Poetry Subterranean Blue Poetry is an Internet Poetry and Art Publishing Café. We thrive on new original words and New Age art. All poets and their poetry are welcome and we are especially looking for homegrown poets from the Canadian first nations/American Indian Community; Quebec; small town Canada; international poets and anyone who was ever considered “the other.” New Age art offerings are for the masthead of each issue. Read all info here. Regime magazine - Short stories, poetry & performance writing. Not only do they want your work but they offer that you can tack $20 on your submission and they’ll send you back a detailed onepage critique. Note: do your due diligence. Read it all carefully. Full submission info here Coastal Spectator A new arts-based review and commentary site operating independently out of the U. Vic. We want to publish, on our home site, one new poem each week for

Grind Writers News July 2014

a year, so if you have a new piece of work -- that is a haiku or up to 25 lines long -- do submit. Read all about it here. Multimedia journal: 5OVER4 5 OVER 4. New multimedia journal seeks cross-genre work made by jazzy, creative people who embrace the unknown. Poetry videos, multi-media sculpture, hand-stitched book art, JPEGs collaged with audio, sound poems via video chat, interactive projects. Live and online events. Web: 5over4.blogspot.com. Email Monique Avakian: monava9@gmaom Pithead Chapel “An online journal of gutsy narratives” We’re looking for engaging stories told in honest voices. Most of all, we want to feel something. We want to reach the last word and immediately crave more. We want your work to leave a brilliant bruise. Send us your gutsiest narrative and we’ll do our best to get your voice heard. Submission guidelines here.

Royal City Literary Arts Society

First Inaugural Fred Cogswell Award for Excellence in Poetry Now open for submissions Cash Awards: First: $500 * Second: $250 CAD Fred Cogswell (1917-2004) was a prolific poet, editor, professor, life member of the League of Canadian Poets, and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Judge: distinguished writer, George Bowering Details available here on the Society’s website.

(why not.)

What we do and don't publish: Look through the titles on our website and you'll get a pretty good idea of the kinds of books we're interested in. Where to send your manuscript: We do not accept submissions by fax or e-mail, and do not discuss concepts over the phone. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama - check website for submission guidelines. R

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Submit.

LISTINGS FOR LITERARY MAGAZINES OF EVERY TYPE, EVERYWHERE, FOR EVERYONE: Ctrl+Click me PLACES FOR WRITERS has interesting resources. For example, “Places to Publish: Can Lit” and “Publishers – Canada.” Plus continuous updates about who’s looking for what. If you have a piece to place, this might be a good place to start the hunt.

How to Upload Your eBook step by step Perry Wilson, a thriller, mystery and fantasy writer based in New West, creates online writing courses and offers critique services for other writers. (Twitter @PerryaWilson) She sent this out via Meetup’s Vancouver-Writers-Social-Group. Hi, all: the meeting tonight was lively and one of the discussion was about uploading ebooks. I promised a link to my presentation slides and here it is: http://wp.me/P24YEy-Ot

Twisted poets Literary Salon The 2nd Wednesday and 4th Thursday of every month at The Cottage Bistro 4468 Main Street, Vancouver More info

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Grind Writers News July 2014

(you want to, don’t you?)

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Submit.

Grind Writers Group Meeting Schedule WHERE WE MEET

The Grind Gallery Café 4124 Main Street at 25th Ave. In the back room 10 am–12:30 pm WHY WE MEET Nobody knows.

HOW WE MEET

They’ve kindly let us meet in the Back Room for the last 7 years. And cudos to them for their support of the arts in general.

Malcolm leading the group through a Vancouver outdoor neighbourhood project on interactive writing

The Grind provides gallery space to many local artists. Appreciate if you buy something while you’re there to support the Grind and their support of us Please email before you attend the first time. We occasionally meet outside.

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Malcolm van Delst giving a mini-workshop on Interactive Storytelling at the Grind. Her experimental novel is posted on Authonomy.

THANKS to Mr & Mrs Kim, the Grind’s owners.

free write photo prompt Set the timer. Don’t think it. Just start writing.. Keep going No stopping. No editing (that comes later). Just keep going in the flow.

Or . . . try one of these as a writing prompt*

100 Best First Lines of Novels A screaming comes across the sky. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. I am an invisible man. The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Mother died today. For a long time, I went to bed early. * Of course, if using one of these prompts you to write the next It was the day my grandmother exploded. great novel, you’ll have to rework that first sentence. It was a pleasure to burn. I write this sitting in the kitchen sink——and 89 more . . .

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15 minutes.

Forget everything else and just write.