Blog Day for Patry Francis

The call to participate in a blog day for Patry Francis attracted my attention because I'd just enjoyed reading her profile here on Literary Mama. To learn that she's too ill, right now, from cancer treatment to promote her book, The Liar's Diary, attracted my sympathy.

I don't know Francis, and I confess I haven't read her book, but having just started work on a publicity plan for my own book, I feel terrible at the thought of someone publishing a book and not being able to support it with readings and other events. It's like putting your kid on a school bus for the first day of kindergarten and saying, "Bye! Good luck! See you at the end of the year!"

So if my writing about her writing can help raise attention to her work, I'm happy to participate. Here's an excerpt from her profile that struck a chord with me:

I really admire writers who can get a lot of work done when their children are small. I was never one of them. For me, trying to understand who each child was and what they needed to grow and develop their own talents took all the creativity I had. There was no room for me to ponder the inner life of characters. Though I made many outlines and filled notebooks with ideas for the novels I hoped to write, nothing much was finished while there was a child under six in the house.

Writing, if it’s genuine and honest, is an act of supreme empathy. In writing a novel, I struggle to understand my characters, to accept their strengths and weaknesses, to allow them the freedom to be themselves (even when it doesn’t fit in with my plans), to celebrate them, forgive them and then to let them go. When you think of it, it’s very similar to the arc of parenting.

I also think my dedication to my work, both when I met with success and during the long years when I didn’t, has had a positive influence on my children. It’s taught them that if you truly love what you do, the process itself is always the greatest reward.

I have always loved my role as a mother, but I am also grateful to have something that is all my own. As my children are growing older and beginning to leave home, there is a sense of nostalgia and even loss, but that is counter-balanced by the joy I have in my other life: my work. Knowing that mom is busy and happy is also making the transition easier for the children. And, oh yes, one more thing: they are so proud of me.

And now go check out her blog, where she's got many more lovely reflections on writing. And then (don't forget!), check out her book, which sounds like a good creepy read for a winter's night.

Reading Recommendations from Regan McMahon!

Author Regan McMahon (Revolution in the Bleachers: How Parents Can Take Back Family Life in a World Gone Crazy Over Youth Sports) currently featured in Profiles (who also happens to be the deputy book editor at the San Francisco Chronicle) has some book recommendations for Literary Mama readers.

McMahon says: "I loved the book I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile. I reviewed it for the San Francisco Chronicle. Those co-authors have a new one coming out this spring about mothers' dirty little secrets. They manage to maintain a fun, supportive tone while presenting serious issues mothers grapple with, and, amazingly, avoid being judgmental. Everyone I know loved Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein, about her experiences with infertility, beast cancer, almost adoption and ultimate successful pregnancy. I haven't read it yet, though.

"As far as mothers who write in general, there's Berkeley writer Beth Lisick, author of the story collection Everybody Into the Pool and a new book [out now] called Helping Me Help Myself: One Skeptic, Ten Self-Help Gurus, and a Year on the Brink of the Comfort Zone; Nina Marie Martinez, author of the novel Caramba!; Yiyun Li, author of the story collection A Thousand Years of Good Prayers; and Micheline Aharonian Marcom, author of the novel The Daydreaming Boy, who also has a new book coming out in March called Draining the Sea."

We’d love to see some of these authors in upcoming Profiles. If you’d like to interview an upcoming or favorite mother-writer, we’re on the lookout for writers in our Profiles department, so give us a holler. Email the Profiles editors at lmprofiles AT literarymama DOT com.

The new Our Bodies, Ourselves

Former LM columnists and editors Andrea Buchanan and Heidi Raykeil have contributed chapters to the new Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth (March, 2008). Andi, author of Mothershock and coauthor of The Daring Book for Girls, wrote the chapter on adjusting to new motherhood; Heidi, aka The Naughty Mommy, wrote a chapter on getting your groove back after childbirth.

Glimmer Train Family Matters

Guidelines for the FAMILY MATTERS category:
We are interested in reading your original, unpublished short stories about family!

We don’t publish stories for children, I’m sorry.
It's fine to submit more than one story or to submit the same story to different categories.
When we accept a story for publication, we are purchasing first-publication rights. (After we've published it, you can include it in your own collection.)

To make a submission: Please send your work via our new online submission procedure.
It’s easy, will save you postage and paper, and is much easier on the environment.
Just click the yellow Submissions button above to get started!

Dates:
The category will be open to submissions for one full month, from the first day through
midnight (Pacific time) of the last day of the month. Results will be posted at www.glimmertrain.org.

January. Results will be posted on April 30.
April. Results will be posted on July 31.
July. Results will be posted on October 31.
October. Results will be posted on January 31.

Reading fee:

$15 per story.

Prizes:

1st place wins $1,200, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 20 copies of that issue.
2nd-place: $500
3rd-place:$300

Other considerations:

Open to all writers.
Stories–about family–not to exceed 12,000 words.(No minimum, though it's rare for a piece under 500 words to read as a full story.)
This category has stimulated lots of questions about fiction/non-fiction/creative non-fiction, since many people have significant real-life stories they want to write. It seems to us that a substantial proportion of fiction submissions are heavily rooted in actual experience, which is entirely fine with us, but we do want stories to READ like fiction and anything we publish is presented as fiction. (Also, sticking too tightly to "truth" can limit the larger truth that fiction is able to reveal.) I would certainly recommend changing details that would allow the real-life people to say, Hey, that character is--without a doubt--me. I hope that makes sense.

We look forward to reading your work!

"Backstory: Emily Listfield on her novel, Waiting to Surface."

Though Waiting to Surface is a novel, it is based very closely on a my real event in my life – my husband’s disappearance. Though writing it was cathartic for me, as a mother, I was concerned the entire time I was working, about what the effect on my daughter would be. Writers are often faced with the dilemma of how to balance their creative needs versus the desire not to hurt the people in their lives … but when children are involved it is even more difficult.

At the time the events described in the novel occurred, I was the features director of Self Magazine. My husband, George Dudding, was a sculptor whose work had been bought by everyone from Si Newhouse to the Metropolitan Museum. We had been married for ten years and our daughter, Sasha, was six. My husband had gone down to Florida to visit a friend. He was depressed and we were going through a rocky period.

I was sitting in my office on an August morning when the police in Florida called to tell me my husband had disappeared essentially without a trace. At the time, they thought he had probably drowned. There were indications that he was suicidal. But… they couldn’t find his body. The coast guard had scoured the shore by helicopter and found nothing.

Within a couple of days, the police changed their minds. They believed a body would have washed up and that my husband was alive someplace. The coast guard totally disagreed and said that because of the tides that night, if he had gone out just 100 yards, his body would have been washed out to sea. I hired a private detective who after weeks of work came to believe that George had died either accidentally or intentionally, but that his body would never be found.

To me the hardest part was coming to accept that I would never really know what happened that night. Every night Sasha would ask what the detectives found out that day. I do believe he died that night, and that’s eventually what I told her. She was young enough to accept it without question.

Waiting to Surface is about that first year, from the initial phone call to learning how to live with that uncertainty and find love again. I waited a number of years to begin writing, and when I did, I promised Sasha that she could read it when it was published. This October, when it came out, she was thirteen. The time had come. I was incredibly anxious as I explained to her that this was my version of what happened but she had every right to form her own narrative. She told me she was very proud of me for writing it and couldn’t wait to read it. When we got home that day, I asked her if she would like to read it now. I had worried about this day for years, imagining every outcome. But Sasha turned to me and said,

“You know, Mom, I think I’m going to read Harry Potter instead.”

I had to smile. She will read the book when she is ready. As a mother and a writer, that is the best possible outcome.

By Emily Listfield.

Women Writing on Family: Writing, Publishing, and Teaching Tips by U.S. Women Writers

Seeking submissions for a book about women writing about family....

Foreword: Robbi Hess, Journalist, co-author, Complete Idiot's Guide to 30,000 Baby Names (Penguin Books); Editor, Byline Magazine

Afterword: Suzanne Bunkers, Professor of English, Minnesota State University, editor of Diaries of Girls and Women: a Midwestern American Sampler (University of Wisconsin Press).

This is a book not just on writing but tips for women writing about family. Possible subject areas you might address include: Markets; why women write about family; using life experience; critique groups; networking; blogs; unique issues women must overcome; formal education; queries and proposals; conference participation; family scheduling; self-publishing; teaching tips; family in creative nonfiction, poetry, short stories, novels.

Practical, concise, how-to articles with bullets/headings have proven the most helpful to readers. Please avoid writing about "me" and concentrate on what will help the reader.

Word total for 1-2 articles based on your experience:
1,900 minimum; maximum 2,100. Two articles preferred.

If submitting 2, please break them up fairly evenly in word count.

No previously published or simultaneously submitted material, please.

Deadline: February 28, 2008

Contributors receive a complimentary copy and contributor's discount on additional copies. It is common for compilation of an anthology to take upwards of a year, but we will be in touch with updates on securing a publisher.

Co-Editor Rachael Hanel is a freelance writer and college instructor in Madison Lake, MN. The first chapter of her memoir was named runner-up for the 2006 Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction at the Bellingham Review and appears in the Spring 2007 issue. The chapter was also a semifinalist for the 2006 Gulf Coast Creative Nonfiction Award. She teaches personal essay and editing. Her website is www.rachaelhanel.com

Co-Editor Carol Smallwood has written, co-authored, and edited 18 books such as Michigan Authors, for Scarecrow, Libraries Unlimited. Her work has appeared in English Journal, Clackamas Literary Review, Phoebe, The Writer's Chronicle, The Detroit News, several others including anthologies; she's in Who's Who of American Women. A chapbook is forthcoming from Pudding House; a co-edited anthology is with an agent. A recent book is
http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?vID=68601&vLang=E&vHR=1&vUR=2&vUUR=1

Please send your topics first before writing (to avoid possible duplication) along with brief descriptions and 65-70 word bio with your present position, relevant publications, awards or honors. Use FAMILY for the subject line and submit to Rachael at rachael_hanel@yahoo.com

*In our experience, most publishers return rights to individual contributors variously after publication. However, because we am still seeking a publisher, we cannot speak to those rights specifically at this time. Contributors will be asked to sign a release form from the publisher and therefore will be have the opportunity to agree to the details of the contract or withdraw one's work at that time.

The Writer Mama scholarship

Christina Katz is pleased to announce that she is giving one full scholarship for each of her four scheduled Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff classes this year.

Information about the scholarship for the first class of 2008 is now posted. For complete guidelines, please visit: The Writer Mama scholarship.

The application deadline is one week only: Sunday, January 13 - Saturday, January 19 at midnight.

The recipient will be announced by midnight, January 26th

The recipient will be announced by midnight, February 26th in The Writer Mama blog and in The Writer Mama zine.

Please feel free to spread the word about the scholarship, even if you do not intend to apply!

This is a full scholarship (value $175.00). The recipient commits to participating fully in the class, delivering all six assignments on time.

Thanks for spreading the word!

In the writing-for-publication spirit,

Christina Katz

Who We Are

Jenny Hobson is Literary Mama's new Profiles Copyeditor. Jenny lives, blogs, knits, and does GIS in an Ohio River town in West Virginia. She lives with her husband and preschooler daughter. Her blog can be found at Hobson's Choice.

Selected Shorts Writing Contest

Taken from Yahoo Groups CRWROPPS

2008 Selected Shorts Writing Contest

http://www.symphonyspace.org/shorts/writing_contest

The 2008 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize
with guest judge Amy Hempel

The winning submission, selected by Amy Hempel, will be read as part of the Selected Shorts performance at Symphony Space on May 21, 2008. The story will be recorded for possible later broadcast as part of the public radio series. The winner will receive $1000.

Story requirements:
Submit a single short story that addresses the question or the general theme, Are We There Yet? You may interpret this question however you please.

Note that the other stories in the Selected Shorts program on May 21, 2008 are all stories that take place in transit - in cars on road trips, on planes and trains, or walking from one place to another - but we also welcome submissions that use the theme of the evening, "are we there yet?," as a diving board into other literary territory. Your story must have a title.

Make sure your name and contact information appear on the first page of your story. If you are submitting by email, this information needs to appear on the first page of the attached Word document. Include page numbers.

Your story must be no more than 4 double-spaced typed pages in length
(we recommend 12 pt, Times New Roman font).

Deadline
All submissions must be received by March 14, 2008. To be specific, email submissions must be received by 5pm Eastern Standard Time. Mailed submissions must arrive with the day's mail.

Where to submit your story:
Email your submission as a Word attachment, with "CONTEST" in the subject line of the email, to
shorts(at)symphonyspace.org (replace (at) with @)

Mail to
CONTEST, Selected Shorts
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway
New York, NY 10025.

MomsRising

Dear MomsRising Member,

NEW YEAR'S POP QUIZ: What's Maternal Profiling?

a. The practice of selling stiff undergarments that promise a return to one's pre-pregnancy profile.
b. How the Oprah Show executives determine their prime demographic.
c. Employment discrimination against a woman who has, or will have, children.
d. Routine stop and searches of swerving minivans to check if violence is being perpetrated via flying food between minors.

ANSWER: c. Maternal Profiling was recently reported on as one of the new buzzwords of 2007 in the New York Times (and members of MomsRising were credited with introducing this term into our national consciousness!). They defined it as:

"Employment discrimination against a woman who has, or will have, children. The term has been popularized by members of MomsRising, an advocacy group promoting the rights of mothers in the workplace."

SPREAD THE WORD: Join us in our New Year's resolution to help stamp out Maternal Profiling. Share this term with friends and family by forwarding this email: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_friend_KEY=2295. You can also read about how others experience Maternal Profiling on our blog, and if you're so moved, share your story of Maternal Profiling at the end of the blog as well.

*Click here to read more about Maternal Profiling, including how it impacts you & comment on our blog: http://www.momsrising.org/node/710

*P.P.S. Read the recent New York Times article which includes Maternal Profiling and MomsRising here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/weekinreview/23buzzwords.html

Want to Write a Novel?

Always wanted to write a novel? Does your parenting schedule keep you from attending a local class? The answer is here: Masha Hamilton's online novel writing workshops. You can take the class in your pajamas, while breastfeeding, even in bed.

There is still room in the Level I ten-week online classes which will open January 15th and run through March 25th, 2008.

Masha is a mother, a novelist and an inspiring, brilliant teacher. She teaches her workshops on two levels: one, for beginning novelists and the other for those who are well into a manuscript. Her teaching techniques are inspiring, her feedback is generous and insightful. She encourages building a warm and supportive community and truly bringing your writing to the next level.

Take a ten-week online novel-writing class from Masha!

Dates: Jan 15 through March 25.

Novel Writing I is right for any writer who has been thinking about starting a novel or is up to halfway through. The class will include weekly lectures, critiques, and exercises aimed at helping you see your work freshly. We’ll motivate you as we cover discovering the essence of your novel (and learning how to convey it in a single sentence), as well as the importance of the opening chapter. We’ll discuss where to start the story, how to create a strong protagonist, the dramatic arcs of major characters, choosing a point of view, and exploring the voice of your novel as well as individual characters within it. We’ll analyze scene and delve into the dramatic possibilities created by strong dialogue. We’ll also look at setting, pacing, profluence and psychic distance. Finally, we’ll consider the business end – where and how to market your novel manuscript – and you’ll get guidance on the next step. Limited to twleve students. $500 for ten weeks.

Classes are small to allow for lots of individual attention to manuscripts.

Questions?

Email Masha for more information, or to register!

Enthusiastically recommended by Susan Ito, Life in the Sandwich columnist, creative nonfiction co-editor and previous fiction co-editor.

skirt! Magazine

Skirt!® Magazine is looking for essay submissions:
Contributor Guidelines for Writers/Authors
Skirt!® Magazine
7 Radcliffe Street, Suite 302
Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: (843) 958-0027
Fax: (843) 958-0029
Email: editor@skirt.com

We want every issue of Skirt!® to reflect the variety and diversity of women’s lives and interests. Surprise, entertain and charm us!

Essay Submissions

Skirt!® publishes eight to 14 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women’s interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view.

All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,200 words. Submissions over 1,200 words will not be considered. Payment for articles and other submissions varies. Skirt! buys one-time rights. We reserve the right to edit articles for length and content.

Format: You may send your manuscript via e-mail to editor@skirtmag.com (preferably as a RICH TEXT FORMAT, or .RTF, attachment), or by regular mail to the attention of the Editor. Manuscripts which come to us via regular mail cannot be returned unless you include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). We prefer submissions via e-mail.

Bio: Please enclose a brief (2-3 sentences) biographical sketch with your cover letter or manuscript so that we will have it on hand if we print your article. Submissions without bio, name, or address will not be considered.

Deadlines: We read submissions year-round for themed issues (click here for a list of the 2008 themes) and the submission deadline for each issue is the first of each month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on).

Note: We consider each manuscript on spec. Even if we express an interest in an essay, we cannot guarantee publication. Even when an article is selected for an issue, it may be pulled at the last minute due to lack of space. We try to make sure this doesn’t happen, but it is often unavoidable.

Tips:

Skirt!® is an open-minded publication.
“Women and women’s interests” shouldn’t limit your choice of topic. If it does, we may not be the right market for you.
We’re not interested in the conventional or predictable.
Be familiar with the content of our magazine before submitting.
Please submit previously unpublished articles only.
Response time: We try to respond to all submissions promptly, but due to the volume we receive it is not always possible to do so. Please be patient; it can sometimes take 6 to 8 weeks for a response. If it has been more than 8 weeks, feel free to inquire about your submission via e-mail. No phone calls please.

Art & Photography Submissions

Cover Art: We feature a different color photo, painting, or illustration on Skirt’s cover each month. If you are an artist or photographer and would like to submit slides or photos of your work, send via regular mail (Skirt!® 7 Radcliffe, Suite 302, Charleston SC 29403) and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return. You can also submit pieces via e-mail (editor@skirtmag.com). We do not pay for cover art, but we do publish a bio of the artist with information on how she can be contacted by readers who may be interested in viewing and/or purchasing prints or originals.

Photos: In every issue, we have a page featuring a B&W photo by a female photographer. Photography submissions (see “Cover Art” for submission details). Photos should be vertical, high res, and 11×17.

PLEASE NOTE: Skirt! will not be held responsible for the loss or damage of ANY submissions for possible inclusion in the magazine.

Fiction/Poetry

Skirt!® does not publish fiction. The poems we publish are solicited from previously published authors. We do not respond to fiction or unsolicited poetry submissions.

Thank you for thinking of Skirt!®

The Baby I Turned Away

Jessica Berger Gross writes about infertility, adoption and making difficult choices in, The Baby I Turned Away. Read her essay in the Life section of Salon.com