Congrats All Around...

Congratulations to several current and former MFA-ers for their recent successes:

• Tonia Shachter ('07) is in a new position as writer for Cartus.
• David Holub had work accepted at McSweeney's Internet Tendency
• PJ Moretti and Bob Kalm were named recipients of Jason Hancock and Sodexho Scholarships, respectively, from the Division of Graduate Studies
• Writing Mentor Lou Orfanella has launched a new small press, The Last Automat at www.thelastautomat.com

Keep us posted on your publications, jobs, awards, etc.!

Hurry Up and Read This!

Hi everyone. I wanted to share some fun news. My friend, Abby Markes-Beal, has co-authored a new book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Speed Reading," with Pam Mullan. The book will be released and available for sale Tuesday, June 3. It contains everything a reader needs to know for learning the secrets for reading better and faster, both on paper AND on-screen -- certainly something that can be helpful during a semester!

I took Abby's speed reading course years ago and really got a lot out of it.

To celebrate the launch, Abby and Pam are holding two separate teleconferences next week -- there's no charge -- to talk about speed reading,their experiences teaching it, and the contents of the book. They hope the sessions will be interactive and encourage participants to ask any questions about speed reading and/or the book's contents.

To sign up, just go to Abby's website at www.RevItUpReading.com

I think there are two ways this may be interesting for current or past students of the MFA program. First, learning ways to read faster and boost comprehension can be valuable. Second, it's interesting to see how authors are promoting their books using virtual tools like websites and teleseminars.

1080 WTIC Radio Segment On Young Writers Friday 8:20 a.m.

* Speakers, & Rock [THE ROOF OFF] The House Bands, $166,000, Dublin Trip...

Lionel Bascom On WTIC 1080 Friday Morning With Ray & Diane ...


***********Still Time To RSVP

LINK TO YOUNG WRITERS HOME PAGE:
Lionel Bascom, Maya Polan
Keynote Speakers
For Young Writers
11th Annual Dinner

ELEVEN YEARS AFFIRMING YOUNG WRITERS;
MORE THAN $166,000 GIVEN TO CONNECTICUT'S BEST

MUSICAL LINEUP
Jen Allen Big Band &Postive Downside

Young Writers Trust Home Page & New Post

Business Writing Opportunity

Folks, Tamiko Toland from Strategic Insight contacted me about a long-term, part-time writing position (they are also potentially interested in an intern). Sounds like something that might interest several of you. Info from Tamiko below.

SI is currently seeking a part-time writer/researcher to help grow our in-depth reports business. We will consider either an intern or a graduate, but in either case greatly prefer someone who is considering a long-term opportunity. The work will involve research both within our proprietary databases and more general reviewing of other available information. The subject matter is variable annuities and retirement income; although we would love to find somebody who is already familiar with this subject matter, we will consider any candidate who is intelligent and curious.

The candidate must be an independent worker with strong computer skills and an ability to collate and analyze material. Our main offices are in New York, but we will not require much travel to the City except as necessary for training on the databases and collaboration with staff located there. We have a fairly strong telecommuting culture at the company and I currently work from my Danbury home office four days a week.

Strategic Insight is a privately-held company based in New York that has provided data and analysis to the mutual fund industry for more than 20 years. The variable annuity arm of our organization has began in 2000 and serves most of the large insurance companies that manufacture variable annuities. We currently have two products in this group, and I am responsible for writing weekly industry commentary. The new reports business will expand on this work by providing in-depth reports to global and domestic clients.

Please encourage any interested applicants to contact me directly. ttoland@sionline.com

Whatever happened to that girl...what's her name?

Hello all,

I've been out of the loop for a while on a leave of absence for a whole butt load of family issues, but I will be jumping back into the swing of things come this August. Yikes!

As to what I have been up during my absence...well, a lot...almost too much and I feel burned out. When I took the leaves of absence I was deathly afraid that my writing skills would go to pot. Idle minds are the devil's workshop and all that mess, so I applied for a freelance writing gig with a local newspaper published east of the river called "The Reminder News." It was a way for me to explore my non-fiction side for a while, as well as sharpen my photography skills (a hobby of mine) as they required photos to accompany the copy. It doesn't pay much ($35 per article) but I wasn't doing it for the money; I needed writing samples to use for other writing jobs I might apply for in the future.

After my first few baby steps (the publication of my first article), I plunged whole in and started cranking them out, some times covering two to three stories per week. Since October of last year I have pumped out 25+ articles for the East Hartford and Glastonbury editions of the paper. I still freelance for the paper but I take few assignments; I'm at the point where I can be picky about what I cover.

One good thing that came out of all these assignments was the sharpening of my photography skills. I had been interested in photography for what seems likes forever in my book, but I didn't start learning the science and art of photography until 1999. With every story I covered, people would ask me to forward them the photos so they could use it for their Web site or whatever. After a while I said to myself, "Self? It's time to start charging these people!"

So that's what I'm doing, I'm charging people. I started a photography business and launched my Web site: http://www.overtonphotography.com/. By the way, don't be too impressed with the site should you decided to visit; the site is a template I pay a subscription for. Anyway, to get the word out, I started attending women's business luncheons (well, just one actually) and the whopping $35 fee for rubbery chicken and rice paid off. A women-owned business contacted me last week and hired me for two jobs to do some product shots for marketing material. This is the fruit of my labor from one of the jobs:

Yummy looking, isn't it? The plus for this shoot was that all the cookies were baked specifically for the shoot so I got to take home free cookies of every kind you could possibly imagine once I was done. Yeah, I know, it's a tough job....

I guess that's it for now. So to all you writers, I recommend branching out into a different art medium, be it music, photography, painting...explore the other facets of your creativity. It's a lot of fun and oh so surprising.

Lisa S-O

CSM essay

My essay on what it's like being a Shoe Guy came out in the Christian Science Monitor last weekend. Read it here.

Closing on the Finish...

Round Three - Almost Done!

Here's my dining room table - showing the assualt of one semester's work. Congratulations to all of you who've made it

to the fourth and final round - Don, Nick, Kayln, Vonda, Marc, Fletch, and Kim! Everyone have a great summer and...keep writing!

Kathy

Disappointed Psalms

Folks, many of you have kindly asked about getting a copy of my new little book, Disappointed Psalms; here's a 25% discount for you:
=============
A Meritage Press Announcement
DISAPPOINTED PSALMS
Poems by Brian Clements
ISBN-13: 978-0-9794119-4-6
ISBN-10: 0-9794119-4-7

Meritage Press is delighted to announce the release of Disappointed Psalms by Brian Clements. This poetry collection is published as the recipient of the Colombian Poetry Gift sponsored by Meritage Press.

After years of working exclusively in the prose poem, Brian Clements shifts in Disappointed Psalms to short bursts, in turns raw and lyrical, that turn the languages of war and religion, so frequently aligned, against themselves. Combining short phrases from The Book of Psalms and catch phrases from the post-9/11 cultural reservoir with Clements's own lamentations on lost faith, these short poems and the litany that closes the book, like all the best political poems, attempt to wrest the ability to make meaning from the hands of spin doctors, liars, dissemblers, and would-be builders of empire.

PRE-RELEASE SPECIAL OFFER
To celebrate the release of Disappointed Psalms, Meritage Press is pleased to offer a special disounted pre-release arrangement good through June 30, 2008. You may order the book for $12.00 (a 25% discount from the book's $16 retail price) plus free shipping/handling for orders throughout the United States.
(For non-U.S. orders, please email us first at MeritagePress@aol.com.)

Send a check made out to "Meritage Press" to
Eileen Tabios
Publisher, Meritage Press
256 North Fork Crystal Springs Rd.
St. Helena, CA 94574
For more info: MeritagePress@aol.com
**************

"G-O-O-D-B-Y-E" at Heliotrope

My latest short story, "G-O-O-D-B-Y-E-" is now live, up at the online magazine Heliotrope.



Heliotrope is an interesting magazine, fueled by ads and run by the gang at the popular website FantasyBookSpot.com. It's a biannual and pays well — 10¢ a word — and promptly. Check it out.

Million Writers Award Notable Stories of 2007

I learned today that my story "Through the Monkey Glass" which appeared online in Susurrus Magazine was one of 164 Notable Stories of 2007, as part of storySouth's Million Writers Award.
Unofficial counts put the number of nominations at over 1,000, which were received from readers and editors of online publications. Any story published online at a publication with an editorial process was eligible.
The list of Notable Stories will be pared to 10 by the end of the month with a winner named.

Dave