Wanted: 51 amazing moms! Are you or do you know a mom who's made a real difference in her community's schools? We want to hear about it! We'll be selecting one outstanding mom from every state to receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC to attend Parenting's 2012 Mom Congress on Education and Learning conference April 29-May 1, 2012. The 51 lucky winners will be celebrated at a three-day event where they'll connect with the nation's leading education experts and moms across the country to exchange ideas about the best ways to improve our nation's schools.
To enter, submit a photo and a 300-word essay telling us about what you or the mom you know has done to make a difference. The deadline for entries is February 15, 2012. Read the official rules here.
Do you keep a journal - or wish you could get one started? Literary Mama wants to help.
Three times a month, I'll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation - just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.
And who knows? Maybe you'll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you'll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you'll enjoy re-reading it months--and years--down the road.
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"Stuart rose from the ditch, climbed into his car, and started up the road that led toward the north . . . As he peered ahead into the great land that stretched before him, the way seemed long. But the sky was bright, and he somehow felt he was headed in the right direction."
from Stuart Little by E.B. White
Essayist
1899-1985
In a letter to his readers, White had this to say about his stories: "And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too -- truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act."
Journal Entry: What "truth" do you find in this quote? Describe a time you watched your child dust himself off and take a step in a new direction.
Congrats to these LM staffers!
Jessica DeVoe, E-Zine and Blog Editor: "A blog post I wrote about assistive technology is featured in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of TEACHING Exceptional Children."
Ginny Kaczmarek, Assistant Editor in Poetry: "My poem, Lament, was the featured Poem of the Day on the Louisiana Poetry Project website on January 4, the anniversary of my friend Helen's death. In it, I try to grapple with living in one of the most violent cities in America, especially when the violence becomes personal. I also have a multibook review, "Required Reading," a discussion of six excellent books of poetry by women poets, upcoming in the March/April issue of Women's Review of Books."
Suzanne Kamata, Fiction Co-Editor: "An excerpt from The Screaming Divas, the unpublished novel that I referred to in my Literary Reflections essay Writing After Midnight was published in Hunger Mountain."
Nicole Stellon O'Donnell, Column Editor: "My novel-in-poems, Steam Laundry, is available this month from Boreal Books, an imprint of Red Hen Press. Based on archival research, it tells the story of Sarah Ellen Gibson, who followed her husband north in 1898. Gibson left her husband and fled to Fairbanks with another man in 1903. Two of the poems from Steam Laundry, "River Town" and "Raven," appear in the Winter Solstice issue of Cirque (pages 63 and 64)."
Katherine Barrett, Reviews and Profiles Editor: "I have a new short story, Shelter, in Zouch Magazine."
Don't miss our newest columns, stories, poems, book reviews, or blog posts. ... and then share our columns, stories, poems, book reviews, and blog posts with your friends.
Thanks!
Creative Nonfiction is seeking essays by and about nurses for a new collection, Becoming a Nurse: Real Stories of Nurses, Their Lives and Their Patients.
Most Americans will be hospitalized at some point in their lives, and nurses will be their most consistent point of contact with the health care establishment. While doctors have long been the subjects of the more glamorous pop culture depictions of medicine, nurses provide the day-in, day-out care for patients and families.
But what motivates nurses to enter, and to stay in, this demanding profession, and how are their daily lives affected by ongoing changes in the healthcare system? Becoming a Nurse will present readers with the world of medicine from the perspective of nurses in hospitals, in-home care programs, long-term care facilities, hospices, and the armed forces as they tell stories that recall and recreate the most salient moments of their careers.
We are looking for writers who can write dramatically and vividly about this profession for a collection of essays, which will be published by Creative Nonfiction. Essays can be from 2,500-5,000 words but should be written in a narrative form, with scenes, description, vivid characters and a distinctive voice. To submit, please send your manuscript to:
Creative Nonfiction
Attn: Becoming a Nurse
5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Please include a word count on the first page of the essay, as well as your contact information and an SASE or email address for response. Any additional questions can be directed to information [at] creativenonfiction.org. Submissions must be postmarked by January 31, 2012.
Do you keep a journal - or wish you could get one started? Literary Mama wants to help.
Three times a month, I'll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation - just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.
And who knows? Maybe you'll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you'll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you'll enjoy re-reading it months--and years--down the road.
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My five-year-old daughter slammed the door and threw her backpack on the kitchen floor. Ignoring my greeting, she simply looked at me with tear-filled eyes. A few seconds later, the tears flowed and she choked out a recap of that afternoon's kindergarten recess:
"She said she wasn't my friend.
She said I couldn't swing with her.
She said my hair looked stupid."
And then: "Why was she so mean?"
Journal Entry: Write about a time your child was hurt by a friend. How did you respond and what specific actions did you take? Explore any feelings and memories the episode brought to mind of your childhood friendships.
It's not too early to start planning for World Read Aloud Day: March 7.
World Read Aloud Day is one way LitWorld uses the power of story to cultivate literacy skills in the world's most vulnerable children.
On March 3, 2010, the one-day effort reached 35 countries and 40,000 participants. On March 9, 2011, it reached 60 countries and all 50 states and 200,000 participants. This year, they're hoping for one million!
How will you participate on March 7th?
As an individual? With your school or organization? At the signature event in New York City? Register here to stay informed of the details.
Subcontract Opportunity Announcement: Blog Expert
The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) has been contracted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health to enhance the coordination and reach of effective messaging to mothers on the "Break Time for Nursing Mothers" provision of the Affordable Care Act. As part of this effort, the USBC is seeking an individual or organization with expertise in blogging to this audience, to promote the "Break Time" law through a series of posts to be published on identified target blogs. Individuals or organizations with related blogging experience are invited to respond to this request for proposals. Applicants may be located anywhere in the continental United States.
Download the complete announcement, including application instructions here.
If you have questions related to the content of this announcement or subcontract opportunity, please submit them on our FAQ page. We will respond to all questions on this link within 2 business days. This will ensure that all applicants have access to the same information.
Do you keep a journal - or wish you could get one started? Literary Mama wants to help.
Three times a month, I'll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation - just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.
And who knows? Maybe you'll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you'll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you'll enjoy re-reading it months--and years--down the road.
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A survey conducted in late 2007 by FranklinCovey revealed that 35 percent of their 15,000 customer respondents break their New Year's resolutions by the end of January. When asked why, nearly 40 percent said they had too many other things to do, but 33 percent said they were not committed to the resolutions when they set them.
Are you making resolutions for the new year? Adding any writing or journaling goals to the list?
Best-selling authors and organizational/time management experts Stephen Covey and Julie Morgenstern have these suggestions to help you be more successful:
- Think of your resolutions as goals
- Set only one or two realistic goals
- Write down your goals
- Take baby steps
- Track your progress
- Reward yourself
- If you slip up, recommit
Need more inspiration? Use the SMART acronym:
- Be Specific: Your goal should answer the 5ws (who, what, where, when, why). Then, make sure your goal is:
- Measurable: It should have concrete criteria for measuring progress.
- Attainable: It requires you to stretch a little but isn't out of reach.
- Realistic/Relevant: You believe you can accomplish the goal; you believe it is worthwhile.
- Time-bound: The goal has a deadline.
Journal Entry: Write two writing-related goals. Feel free to use this worksheet -- it's worked well for me the past several years.
For years, Literary Mama has linked all the books mentioned on our site to Amazon, and through their affiliate program the site earns pennies on reader purchases of books via these links. The pennies add up and generate occasional Amazon gift certificates which serve as a token (and thoroughly insufficient) thanks for the volunteer work our editors do.
We're excited to start 2012 by moving from Amazon to an affiliate program with Powell's Books in Portland. The program works the same way - reader purchases of books linked on our site will translate into small gift certificates for our editors - but now we'll be supporting an independent bookstore with unionized employees. I hope you will find the links easy and useful. Please support your fellow writers by shopping Powell's!
Motherhood & Words™ 2012 Writing Retreat
Thursday, February 23 - Sunday, February 26, 2012
Faith's Lodge. Danbury, Wisconsin
Cost: $650 for single room, $550 for shared room (separate beds)
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Join LM Literary Reflections Editor Kate Hopper for a weekend retreat for mother-writers. You'll write, share your writing, discuss challenges with craft, and have time to connect with other mother writers in the luxury and quiet of Faith's Lodge. Group meetings and individual conferences will help support you as you delve more deeply into your writing and learn to take risks on the page.
Faith's Lodge is located on 80 acres in Northwestern Wisconsin near the town of Webster, less than a two-hour drive from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, less than one hour from Duluth/Superior, and about four hours from Madison. The mission of Faith's Lodge is to provide a place where parents and families facing the serious illness or loss of a child can retreat to reflect on the past, renew strength for the present, and build hope for the future.
But you need not have experienced the loss of a child to attend the retreat. The Motherhood & Words Retreat is for all mother writers. (But a portion of the proceeds from the retreat will benefit the children and families served by Faith's Lodge.)
The Lodge has eight guest suites, and we can accommodate up to 10 people for the retreat. Each guest suite features a private bath, fireplace, balcony/patio, flat screen TV, DVD player, small fridge, and coffee maker. Meals are included.
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Contact Marquetta Nickols at Faith's Lodge at 612-825-2073 or marquetta (at) faithslodge (dot) org to register.
Contact Kate with questions.