News
Grind Writers
photo/ Margo Lamont
June 2013
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Grind Writers
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BC writers – autonomous fan region
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How do you make a living writing?
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13 yr old Grand Forks student wins the writing contest
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Jane fans: listen up Writing jobs
2013 meetings schedule Sun
May 26
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June 23
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Thanks to Mr & Mrs Kim, the Grind owners, for allowing us meet in their Back Room for the last six years - and for their support of the arts in general – they provide gallery space to many local artists.
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Please buy something while you’re there to support the Grind
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Dec 15? – to
10am til 12:30pm Grind Gallery Café 4124 Main Street at King Edward Ave. In the back room
When “critique” is attack The missing link Deliciously irreverant piece on MANAGING REJECTION
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Submit. (you know you want to)
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How an agent knows the market Writing retreats and conferenes in BC & beyond
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Mo’ MO
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Summer dreams – it’s coming
Free-write picture prompt: C’mon, just do it!
be decided
blog roll Grind Writer Susan L. Greig’s blogs: The Métis Raconteur SLG’s FineArt blog
“One thin dime, one tenth of a dollah“ for every typo or blooper you find. Enjoy yourself.
Grind Writers’ blog
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autonomous How do you make a living in the writing world? A BC author explains
bC BOOKS
June 13 – 7 to 9:30pm $15 Studio 104 * Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby
13 yr old Grand Forks student wins the writing contest
A special worksop hosted by the Burnaby Writers’ Society
Making a Living Writing with Sylvia Taylor
Avery Nordman, a 13 year old student from
Registration is required: info@bws.ca or phone 778-398-0321.
Grand Forks, B.C., is the winner of the Getting published and making a living isn't just about writing anymore – it's about building a solid foundation—a platform—of credibility and expertise. For experienced and emerging writers alike, we need to build our presence from the ground up, with good planning, good tools, good materials and creative flair. Sylvia Taylor is an award-winning writer, editor, educator, and communications specialist in Metro Vancouver. A past director of the Federation of BC Writers for 13 years and current director for the Arts Council of Surrey, she consults with authors and entrepreneurs, teaches writing-related skills, and is a popular conference presenter and adjudicator.
World Literacy Canada's Write for a Better World writing contest. Full story
World Literacy Canada (WLC) received 1,300 short stories from students in grades 5–8 from every province and territory in Canada for the Write for a Better World 2013 writing contest. The winning stories
Her works have appeared in anthologies and genre magazines in Canada and the US; she was shortlisted for the CBC National Literary Awards. With over 400 articles in print, she has editcoached over 100 book manuscripts. Heritage House Publishing released her historical literary memoir, The Fisher Queen: A Deckhand’s Tales of the BC Coast, in September 2012. The Burnaby Writers’ Society is a not for profit society. Writers helping writers for over 40 years.
were selected by best selling Canadian author Eric Walters because they were beautifully crafted and epitomized the ideals of global citizenship. The top ten winning stories can be read online. Full story
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(items from VIWF news)
BOOK TALKS book club Britannia Branch Library 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver nd 2 Wednesday of the month 6:30 – 8:30 pm Bring your favourite passages, points of interest, and share your reading experiences. Drop-ins are welcome. Schedule and books: June 12- The Year of
Jane fans. Listen up.
Magical Thinking by Joan Didion July 10 - Dance Dance
Dance by Haruki Murakami
Want to write some Jane? The Derbyshire Writers’ Guild wants you (http://www.dwiggie.com/) Welcome to the home of the Derbyshire Writers' Guild at Dwiggie.com. We
are a community of readers and writers of Jane Austen fan fiction, and we have one of the oldest and largest archives of Jane Austen-based stories on the internet. Our stories expand on the universe created in Jane Austen's novels and explore the possibilities she left out. Come and join the fun!
How does this site work?
Epilogue Abbey: Archive of stories that take place in the same time period as Jane Austen's novels and stay relatively true to her work.
Fantasia Gallery: Everything else! Modern stories, time-shifted stories, stories with fanciful elements, and more irreverent stories.
DWG Message board for new stories and chapters.
Tea Room for conversations about Jane Austen and a great deal more.
JAFF Library for the discussion of published Jane Austen-based novels and other books of interest to Dwiggies.
A Novel Idea message board and archives for non-Jane Austen-based stories.
Baronetage for profiles of Dwiggies from around the world.
Aug 14 - A History of
Reading by Alberto Manguel Sept 11 - My Antonia by
Willa Cather Oct 9 - Clouded Leopard by
Wade Davis Nov 13th - Notes from
Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky Dec 11 - Beyond Belief:
My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill Jan 8, 2014 - Perfume:
The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind Feb 12 – Books We Love -
Book Recommendation Night March 12 - Love in the
Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Presented by Pandora’s Collective Hosts: Mary Duffy and Sita Carboni / More info here.
Writing jobs Freelance gigs at MEDIABISTRO.com
and recommended as a site by our own BC blogger, “Raincoaster,” Lorraine Murphy, who just got a gig from Media Bistro writing about recycling every 2 weeks for, she said, good money. http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/ 4
New book from uber bookfixer/editor, Elizabeth Lyon
When “critique” is attack
THE MISSING LINK: Subtext is one of the most elusive and powerful elements of craft.
Sexism and Silence in the Literary Community: why he wishes he’s spoken out more often
Literally meaning what lies beneath the text, it is an undercurrent, a hidden agenda, a vibe, a reinforcement of theme—and it exists in what is implied but not explicitly spelled out. It has impact because what you don’t say is often more powerful than what you do say. The Oregon author and editor demystifies the techniques involved in writing subtext, and offers examples and excerpts from multiple genres. Lyon uses the same incisive and clear instruction that she is so well known for in Manuscript Makeover. For many writers, adding subtext is the missing link to writing powerful prose.
BY: John Paul Fiorentino “Zoe Whittall's recent viral poem, ‘Unequal to Me,’ exposes the
Can order for your Kindle, Nook, or Kobo reader $2.99 (50 pgs.)
prevalence of sexism in literary book reviews by performing a simple, clever
Deliciously irreverent piece on managing Rejection
trick. In this found poem, Whittall takes lines from book reviews of women authors and switches the pronouns to male. In doing so, she reveals the absurd ways that women
Rejection Sucks and Then You Die: How to Take a Dear Sad Sack Letter (and Shove it) by Alexis PAIGE
are addressed, commodified, and fetishized in a ‘literary" context.’” Rest of article here.
http://therumpus.net/2013/04/rejection-sucks-andthen-you-die-how-to-take-a-dear-sad-sack-letter-andshove-it/
Vancouver poet Daniela Elza’s “10% Solution” to handling literary rejections here on page 5.
LITERARY MAGAZINES LISTINGS FOR EVERY TYPE OF LITERARY MAGAZINE 5
• October: poems inspired by family • November: ghazals • December: poems inspired by food
Please include the month in which you would like your work to be read in the subject line of any emailed submissions. For more information, check out our full submissions guidelines here.
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Submit.
Call for submissions Reading January–June 1, 2013 The Marie Alexander Series seeks submissions for an anthology of flash sequences. Send up to 10 pages (double-spaced, 12 pt. type, 1-inch margins) of prose sequences, each segment of which contains fewer than 500 words. Send PDF files, with cover letter, to Wesley Fairman (anthology@mariealexanderseries.com), with “anthology submission” in the subject line. Previously published material OK. Put name and e-mail on all documents. We will accept submissions January 1–June 1. Read all the info here.
you know yo u want t o
Contests and calls for submissions Contests
Call for submissions Deadline: July 15 Wising Up Press/Universal Table Seeks submissions for a Wising Up anthology, I-THOU IN AN UPDOWN WORLD: Lasting Friendships Across Deep Divides. Poetry, fiction, memoir and creative nonfiction on the theme of maintaining genuine friendship across deep difference and/or disparity. Full description and guidelines here.
Contest Antigonish Review The Great Blue Heron Poetry contest Deadline June 30, 2013 Please read the submission rules here. 2014 Ken Konsky Novella Contest Opened May 1st and runs til August 1st Read the complete guidelines: http://www.quattrobooks.ca/submissions/ Quattro Books will publish the best novella manuscript by a Canadian author as part of their 2014 publishing list. The contest is open to Canadian writers who reside in Canada. Novella manuscript should not less than 20 000 words or more than 40,000 words. Please take a look at the type of novellas Quattro publishes; we publish literary fiction and do not publish genre fiction (Science fiction or Romances.)
Call for submissions Deadline: July 15 Vallum Test your limits : submit a maximum of 3 poems of up to 60 lines per poem.E ntry Fee: $20 per submission (includes a 1-year subscription to Vallum) 1st Prize: $750 2nd Prize: $250 + publication in Vallum). Mail to: Vallum Poetry Contest PO BOX 598, Victoria Station Montreal, QC. H3Z 2Y6 Canada. Or enter online: http://vallummag.com/contestrules.html editors@vallummag.com (queries only)
Calls for submissions listed by deadline date
Call for submissions 2013 Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize Deadline: August 1, 2013 (postmarked or emailed) Prize: $1000 CAD Entry fee: $35 CAD for Canadians $40 USD for US residents $45 USD for entries from elsehwere Enter a piece of creative nonfiction (literary journalism, memoir, personal essay, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, etc.) between 2000 and 3000 words in length. Full guidelines on our website
Call for submissions Roundup of poetry contests here. Call for submissions Literary Review of Canada (LRC) Submissions beginning May 1st for publication July/Aug–Dec 2013 For 2013, each issue will feature poems that share a common form or theme. (Jan-May issues already called out). During the months devoted to a given form, the subjects will vary, and vice versa. As always, we welcome unsolicited, unpublished, original submissions, provided that they fit one of the categories outlined. Here is the remainder of the 2013 publication calendar to help guide submissions:
Call for submissions Deadline: October 1 The Chattahoochee Review: Animals. Inventive or classic variations of the “animal” theme welcome. Send relevant fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Please note call for submissions in cover letter. Online submissions now available: at: http://thechattahoocheereview.gpc.edu
• July/August: ekphrastic poetry, i.e. pieces inspired by other art forms (visual, film, music, etc.) • September: prose poems
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Submit …
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Thanks to Bonnie Nish’s Pandora’s Collective enewsletter for many items. You can subscribe to her newsletter by emailing her: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca
Ongoing call for submissions The 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/submit Submissions that do not follow the guidelines may not be considered.
Call for submissions No deadline as at Jan 2013. Two-Countries: Daughters and Sons of Immigrant Parents seeks poems, essays and flash memoir. For details, please go to this link.
Ongoing call for submissions The Evening Street Review The ESR is centered on the belief that all men and women are created equal. Reads poetry/prose submissions year-round. Replies in 3 months or less. Sometimes includes comments. Send 4–6 poems or 1–2 prose pieces. 7652 Sawmill Rd., #352, Dublin, OH 43016 or editor@eveningstreetpress.com. For contests and guidelines visit: www.eveningstreetpress.com.
Ongoing calls Call for submissions 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
Ongoing call for submissions “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)
Ongoing call for submissions 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.
Ongoing call for submissions Geist Emerging Writer-of-the-Month Emerging writers are invited to submit short written works online. Read FAQ. Ongoing call for submissions 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.
Ongoing call for 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. Ongoing call for submissions Anderbo.com -- “Best New Online Literary Journal” -- publishes writers in fiction, “fact” (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.
Ongoing call for submissions The Quotable This online magazine wants writer-readers to submit stories based on their monthly prompts. Info here.
Ongoing call for submissions 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.
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 one-page critique. Note: do your due diligence. Read it all carefully. Full submission info here.
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3rd Annual GEIST Erasure Poetry Contest
How an Agent http://nelsonagency.com/ Knows the Market Agent Kristin Nelson tells us to “think like an agent” in her monthly newsletter and has some ecellent suggestions around sussing out the market for your work:
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Deadline August 31, 2013. Read the guidelines! The 3rd Annual Geist Erasure Poetry Contest is now underway! We invite you to transform "Exhibit 37: Hawthorn Branch," a prose poem from Cottonopolis by Rachel Lebowitz, into your very own prize-winning work of art.
Random House - HarperCollins - Hachette - Simon & Schuster - Penguin - Macmillan
“At conferences, ask editors to name ten story lines they've seen in their submissions piles recently. That's a much more useful question then "what's hot," and the answer will be a lot more telling then anyone's guess at the next trend.
Up for grabs: literary fame, fortune and, of course, the infamous Geist Erasure Trophy.
Submit …
Peruse publisher catalogs and see what is going to release in the next year. Guess what? They are all available online for free! Here are some links, but Google "[publisher] catalog," and you'll find the links.
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Calling all poets! 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 a year, so if you have a new piece of work -- that is a haiku or up to 25 lines long -- do submit. We can pay $25 for each poem published, and once its week on the site is over, it will be placed in a poetry archive onsite. We see it as a new way to introduce new or pending books of Canadian poetry. By "new" we mean book published in 2012. If you've just signed a poetry deal, then this is a good way to let the world know. Read all about it here. Ongoing calls for submissions Multimedia journal: 5OVER4 5 OVER 4. New multimedia journal seeks cross-genre work made by jazzy, creative people who embrace the unknown. Poetry videos, multimedia 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@gmail.com
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“Go to the bookstore. Barnes & Noble, your favorite indie shop, etc. Pick ten new (yes, new) releases in your genre. Better yet, pick twenty. Now read the back covers. What do the stories have in common? Are there several about the same type of character (say, a nephilim-mermaid hybrid with a weredemon for a boyfriend)? Now scrutinize the covers. What do they have in common? As a whole, do they suggest stories that are dark and dangerous or lighthearted and upbeat? At this point, you're probably thinking, ‘Wait, if the books are already on the shelves, doesn't that mean the trend is over? Doesn't that mean that editors have already moved on to looking for other things?’
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You can sign up for Kristin’s e-newsletter here (bottom of page) or read the Nelson agency blog Pub Rants (“A Very Nice Literary Agent Indulges in Polite Rants About Queries, Writers, and the Publishing Industry”) here.
Writing retreats and conferences this summer in BC — and beyond Lunch included To register, visit www.bcwriters.ca Of contact Loreena Lee at lroeena@dragonlee.ca
Kaslo, BC July 11-14 with Holley Rubinsky For writers with a good start on a project who appreciate motivation, feedback and some semblance of a schedule. Look forward to good food, good company and thousands of words. Maximum 5.
Word on the Lake May 24, 25, 26 Salmon Arm th The Shuswap Association of Writers proudly presents its 10 annual Word on the Lake: a festival for readers and writers.
Mystery Camp! with Deryn Collier July 29-Aug. 2. Tons of fun for writers working on a mystery or fictions writers needing to know more about building suspense. Maximum 6. Contact Holley Rubinsky (holley@telusplanet.net) More info: http://www.holleyrubinsky.com
Presenting stories, readings, workshops and blue pencils too will be George Bowering, Anthony Dalton, Lucas Myers, Shelagh Jamieson, Blu & Kelly Hopkins, Garry Gottfriedson, Jacqueline Guest, Andreas Schroeder, Daniel Woo, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Eileen Cook, Mona Fertig, and Mike McCardell.
Sage Hill Summer Writing Experience 2013 July 22 – Aug. 1 Lumsden, Saskatchewan This is a 10-day session for writers at three basic levels of proficiency in a variety of genres. * The Introduction to Fiction & Poetry is for novice writers consisting of daily workshops and individual meetings in both genres. At Sage Hill, the workshops are primarily group sessions coupled with individual meetings for writers at intermediate stages in their career. * The Colloquia, a series of focused one-on-one sessions, is for writers who are well advanced (often with full manuscripts in development) with occasional group sessions to discuss markets, theory and craft. The summer program is augmented by public readings by all faculty and the Kroetsch Keynote address delivered by an important literary figure. Intro to Writing Fiction and Poetry - Facilitators: Kimmy Beach & John Gould Fiction Workshop - Facilitator: Helen Humphreys Fiction Colloquium - Facilitator: Lawrence Hill Poetry Workshop - Facilitator: Priscila Uppal Summer Poetry Colloquium - Facilitator: Ken Babstock Non-Fiction Workshop - Facilitator: Denise Chong Application Deadline: May 10, 2013 Apply online at www.sagehillwriting.ca/adults/registration
Ten $100 bursaries are available. For all the details on the contest and complete information about the festival, go to www.saow.ca Like us on Facebook at “Word on the Lake”
Convergence Writers’ Weekend June 14-16 New Denver, BC Tune up your writing with environmental author Alanna Mitchell Looking for a spring tune-up for your writing? A chance to improve your imaginative writing skills through working with mentors and peers will be provided at this second annual retreat weekend at the Heart’s Rest Retreat Centre. Participants will also consider how to overcome the paralyzing despair that often accompanies the steady media diet of bad news about the environment. Key presenter and mentor for the Convergence Weekend is best-selling nonfiction writer Alanna Mitchell, author of Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis. Convergence Weekend participants will also work with local authors Almeda Glenn Miller, Verna Relkoff and Tom Wayman, who will serve as workshop conveners. The workshops will consider writing by participants on any theme, but the focus of the Weekend's discussions will be on "Writing a New World:" overcoming despair in order to imagine a better world.
Write on the Beach June 9 – one day event Crescent Beach Presented by the Federation of BC Writers: 4 Workshops over the day: "Specific and Concrete" - Writing - Publishing – Platform-building, given by experienced presenters. Federation of BC Writers members - $65 Students & Seniors - $50 Non-members - $105
New Denver author Sean Arthur Joyce will speak on exploring the injustices of the past as a route to a re-imagined future. Registration is now open for the Weekend, which is limited to 25 participants. Cost is $350, which includes presentations, 9
More on retreats and conferences this summer in BC and beyond workshops, one-on-one sessions with Alanna Mitchell, plus all meals from dinner June 14 to lunch June 16. A number of scholarships are available for youth between 15 and 30 years of age.
Readings in Town
More information, including how to register, is available at www.heartsrest.com/convergence/convergence-writersretreat/ Last year's Convergence Weekend saw 25 participants from the West Kootenay and beyond enjoy writing workshops, meals, and talks on social justice themes. This year's event is sponsored by the United Church of Canada, the Columbia Basin Trust, the Trust's Community Initiatives Program, and the Heart's Rest Retreat Centre.
TWS The Writers' Studio Reading Series. Next one: Thurs. June 6, 2013 8–10 pm Cottage Bistro 4470 Main Street @ 29th -- Ivan and Karen, Reading Series Cohosts
Rural Writers in Residence
Information, dates for future evenings and names of readers, here:
September 26–29 Outside Smithers, BC Registration has begun for the 2013 Rural Writers in Residence. Considering the success of last year’s event, we expect this year’s to fill up quickly, so be sure to register before the July 1st early registration deadline. Registration fee includes all meals, workshops, and events. Prices as follows (please note discounted rates for Federation of BC Writers members): Early registration (ending July 1): $325 Full registration (after July 1): $375 FBCW members’ rate: $275 early registration; $350 full registration. This year again the Banner Mountain Lodge will be our venue! Our presenters this year are Eden Robinson, Laura Robinson and Daniela Elza. For more information about these three writers, please see Retreat Details page. To register or get more info: Registration page
Mo’ MO:
The Ongoing Saga of MO YAN & his Nobel Prize for Literature The refusal of Nobel laureate Mo Yan to discuss politics raises a question: do cultural figures in China have a responsibility to be dissidents? "I just want to write," says Mo Yan. Mo
Yan directly addressed a main controversy that surrounded him since his win: "Should Nobel laureates take on more social responsibility?" His answer was a firm negative. Full story
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free-write photo prompt: The view from the hammock. Write the W5 (who, what, when, where,
photo/ Margo Lamont
why) of the viewer’s mental narrative, lying there, suspended, gazing up.
Free-writes:
1 easy rule
Write what comes to mind when you look at the photo: what does it evoke for you?
Don’t think – just start writing. Write for 15 minutes by a timer. Don’t stop. Don’t go back (you can edit later. Just see where it goes .... Bring your output to the next Grind Writers. 11
It’s coming in August. At Trout Lake. Email me if you’d like to volunteer at a Grind Writers’ table. Noon to 5 pm
The Grind Writers News ©2013
Margo Lamont
e: margolamont@gmail.com b: http://wildsynapticleaps.blogspot.com/ previous issues: http://issuu.com/grindwriters/docs
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