Intimate Revenge

MFA Writing Mentor Roger Boylan's new piece the Boston Review--"Intimate Revenge: Writing the Troubles."



http://www.bostonreview.net/BR33.5/boylan.php

Svoboda Workshop (TIMES AND LOCATIONS added)

Terese Svoboda's workshop from 10 am to 1 pm on Oct. 11 in Higgins 206 is entitled "Writing from Resarch." It is a cross-genre workshop in which you are invited to present and discuss your projects that involve research--whether it's a novel, nonfiction, memoir, or poetry. Ms. Svoboda would like to see a brief description of your project (one paragraph) and a sample of writing in advance. The project need not be far advanced--projects in early stages are welcome.

To participate, please email me and attach your paragraph and sample no later than 8 am, Tuesday Oct. 7. Space is limited to 12 participants. If there are fewer than 12 writers submitting work, then the remaining spaces will be available to auditors.

Also, if you live nearby, PLEASE attend Ms. Svoboda's reading on Oct. 10 at 7:30 in the Student Center Theatre. In order to preserve funding for these events, we need AUDIENCES. And if you haven't already, check out Svoboda's most recent book, Black Glasses Like Clark Kent. It's a good book and relevant to current political circumstances.

bc

Terese Svoboda Comes to WestConn on October 10

Terese Svoboda, whose recent novel, Black Glasses Like Clark Kent, has been nominated for the National Book Award, will give a reading on Friday, October 10 in the Student Center Theater at 7:30pm. A book signing and light reception will follow. All are cordially invited.

On Saturday, October 11 she will give a writer's workshop from 10:00a to 1:00p. Light refreshments provided. Seats are limited, so please check back shortly for sign-up info.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call Laurel at (203) 837-8878.

New posting

Howdy!

Though things have slowed down considerably for Overton Photography due to the hectic pace of this semester for me, to keep my photography skills sharp I do freebees for associates from time to time, primarily women-owned businesses. So at your leisure, check out my Webpage: www.overtonphotography.com

I've added some new photos and be sure to check out the "Food Glorious Food" Web page under the "Portfolio" section. Warning: do not view these photos on an empty stomach. It'll make your mouth water.

I'm thinking Ed Kurpis might find some inspiration since some of his writing is food related. Sorry, Ed, no pictures of grapes...yet.

Love, Peace and Elbow Grease,
Lisa S-O

Anton in Show Busniess

Hello all,

I'm in the cast and just want to share. Show opens on October 10, 2008. Call 203.623.7560 for reservations.

Aaliyah

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Hi all. a newspaper article this morning tipped me off to the ALA's Banned Books Week, going on right now:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/25439

Here's a link to the ALA's site:
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.cfm

support intellectual freedom!

The Hartford Courant Covers the New Haven Film Festival

Hello All,

Please check out the cover story in today's Cal section of the Courant on this weekend's New Haven Underground Film Festival -- at University of Hartford.

Honoring Veterans

Hello All,

The university is floating the idea of hosting a day of honor for Veterans on campus; I've been asked to query whether any of our MFA-ers (or former MFA-ers) who are Vets would have any interest in participating is such a program by reading some of their work having to do with their experience in military service. If so, please let me know as soon as possible.

bc

Black & White

The following is an e-mail regarding the campus literary publication, Black and White.

Black & White would like to invite you to submit your work and encourage the submission of work by your graduate and undergraduate students alike. We have an especially difficult time raising awareness for the journal among graduate students since the entire Black & White staff is comprised of undergraduates (although graduates are welcome to participate), and we ask that you mention the publication to your students.

The deadlines for the Black & White, Spring 2009 submissions are Sept. 30, Oct. 31 and November 30, 2008. Contributors who submit work by the October deadline will be notified as to whether their work was accepted before the winter break. Submissions can be sent to wcsujournal@gmail.com. There are no restrictions on content or form, and we accept artwork as well.

For those students interested in working on the journal, our meetings are held on the top of floor of the student center every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. The room varies between 226, 228 and 202A, but if you go up the stairs you can see which room we happen to be in. There is regular work for:
staff writers (featured weekly in the Echo)
editors
layout editors
business, marketing and PR managers
recording engineers
voice actors
event planners
and many more

We also encourage faculty members to stop by and observe at least one meeting this semester.

Our goal last year was to create a high quality publication in which our contributors could be proud to have their work published. While we did manage that, we spent most of the first semester waiting for content, and the second semester scrambling to put the book together with the few remaining club members. This year we aim to not only produce a high quality publication, but create a functioning editorial environment and business-like organization in which club members can gain valuable experience, and which can expand in any way there is a desire to among club members. Some club members, for example, are currently working on producing a live WestConn-themed murder mystery with WXCI on Halloween night. And as you may have noticed, we now have a weekly section in the echo. There is discussion among club members about creating a business and marketing team to raise awareness for the magazine to a national level.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Sincerely,
Kevin McNulty-DeNunzio

Jake Kara

Opportunity to Meet Jhumpa Lahiri

Ms. Lahiri has agreed to hold a meeting with select students Nov. 5. It would be from 4:30-5:30 in Haas library. 5 slots have been reserved for MFA students.

If you would like to take one of those 5 slots, please reply to me immediately. First come, first serve.

bc

On the Go with TravelingMom.com

Hi everyone. A few exciting bits of news....

My essay Ah Wilderness appears in TravelingMom.com in three parts, along with a "hints" sidebar I wrote at the editor's request. You may recall the essay from my thesis.

One good thing leads to another... I've been asked by TravelingMom.com to become their 'resident sanity expert' and will be writing the weekly Sanity section of the ezine, as well as posting as a regular blogger for the site.

These are paying gigs, by the way!

Another essay from my thesis, BabyMaking 101, has been accepted for the November issue of the literary journal, MotherVerse. I've also been asked by the editor to submit an essay for a upcoming anthology being published.


Anne

Who Needs Agents?

The following form Springwise newsletter, Sept 18 (http://www.springwise.com/weekly/2008-09-18.htm)

Authonomy is a new community (from Harper Collins) that invites unpublished and self-published authors to post at least 10,000 words of a fiction or non-fiction manuscript for visitors to read online.

Visitors can review and recommend books, and can showcase their five favourite submissions on a virtual bookshelf that's viewable from their profile page. Authonomy keeps track of the number of recommendations a book receives and ranks writers accordingly. Readers are also ranked, based on how good they've been at spotting books that make it to the top of Authonomy's charts. To help authors make it from computer screen to printed book, once a month the top five books are delivered to the desks of an editorial board made up of international HarperCollins commissioning editors.

The website is free to use both for readers and writers, and HarperCollins hopes the wisdom of the crowds will help them unsource potential hits that individual editors or agents might otherwise miss, or just don't have the time to read. Needless to say, the site could also prove to be a good marketing tool once manuscripts are actually published, since authors won't have to build a fan base from scratch.


http://www.authonomy.com/about.aspx

Namesake Shooting Script

I couldn’t find a copy of The Namesake screenplay online, so I got one from Searchlight. I posted it on Blackboard Vista for OMG3, but if anyone outside the course wants a copy, just email me.

Bob

New Haven Underground Film Festival Come to University of Hartford

The Fifth Annual New Haven Underground Film Festival
Takes Place On September 27 at the University of Hartford


WEST HARTFORD, CT, AUGUST 18, 2008 – The Fifth Annual New Haven Underground Film Festival is returning to Connecticut on Saturday, September 27, with a full-day slate of provocative, entertaining and just plain odd movies. The festival, which claims, “it is so underground that’s in not in New Haven,” will be held at the Wilson Wilde Auditorium at The Gray Conference Center at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT. The program will run from 12:00pm to 7:00pm, and admission for the full-day event is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for seniors and students with ID.
This year’s event takes a different programming approach by offering three different categories of films. Part One celebrates “Skewered Perceptions,” with films that question how we see each other and ourselves. Among the titles being presented are “The Dungeon of Dr. Dreck,” the latest feature from veteran underground filmmaker Michael Legge, and “Icons,” Neal Thomassen’s wicked send-up of legendary pop culture figures.
Part Two of the festival explores “Reinventing the World,” which determines how people and places take on new identities in response to changing times. Among the films presented here are “Plan 9 from Syracuse,” the critically acclaimed documentary feature from Ryan Dacko, and “Greetings from Havre de Grace,” Mark Scalese’s off-beat documentary short.
Part Three of the festival is the “Directors Showcase,” honoring the work of two highly esteemed underground film artists. The festival will offer a very rare public screening of the “Harsh Light,” an award-winning 1997 short drama from E.B. Hughes, and the world premiere of “London Betty,” the latest feature from Thomas Edward Seymour.
University of Hartford student filmmaker Ryan Davis has a short appearing in the festival. “This is a chance to showcase the work of the Cinema Studies program at UHart,” Says Leslie Dallas, the festival’s managing director and an adjunct instructor in Cinema Studies. Ms. Dallas is a graduate of the prestigious UCLA film school and brings credits in features and television to her work with students. “It’s a pleasure to see students acknowledged.” Sarah Lasley, a student at Yale, also has a short in this year’s festival. The directors hope more students will submit work and use the festival as a showcase for up and coming creative talent.
“This year’s festival offers a rich mix of dramatic, comic, non-fiction and surreal offerings,” says Phil Hall, festival director, Film Threat contributing editor and author of the books “The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies” and “Independent Film Distribution.” “We are bringing in the finest new talent in underground cinema, including a pair of student filmmakers enjoying their first major exposure. Plus, we have major underground talent such as Michael Legge, E.B. Hughes and Thomas Edward Seymour represented here. The festival literally offers something for everyone.”
For more information, visit the festival’s web site at www.nhuff.com.

(Full festival schedule is attached; high-res photos are available upon request).









The 2008 New Haven Underground Festival Schedule

PART ONE: SKEWERED PERCEPTIONS
Films that question how we see each other and ourselves

12:00pm Introduction by festival director Phil Hall.

12:05pm "The Pod" (Directed by Jeremiah Kipp, New York City). A young couple finds their relationship severely tested when they are introduced to a dangerous new drug. A disturbing psychological drama, starring cult filmmaker Larry Fessenden ("Habit," "Wendigo") as the unsavory drug dealer.

12:30pm "Icons" (Directed by Neal Thomassen, Manchester, CT). A distraught Santa Claus, financially strapped due to "outsourcing," tries to make ends meet by bringing in a pair of new roommates: the Easter Bunny and Cupid. A wickedly funny satire of cultural symbols, with unlikely guest appearances by various fairy tale, cartoon and comic book legends.

12:50pm "Dark Room" (Directed by Ryan Davis, Danvers, MA). A young would-be Romeo discovers that his latest conquest forgot to mention something important...she has a jealous husband! Student filmmaker Ryan Davis creates a taut, jolting mini-thriller.

1:00pm "The Dungeon of Dr. Dreck" (Directed by Michael Legge, Weymouth, MA). Veteran underground filmmaker Michael Legge's latest feature finds a mad scientist and his zombie sidekick in a new line of work: hosting a TV horror movie program. The film also includes an eye-popping 3-D sequence (special 3-D glasses will be provided for the screening).


PART TWO: REINVENTING THE WORLD
Films that discover how people and places take on new identities

2:30pm "Gloria Mundi" (Directed by Sarah Lasley, New Haven, CT). Student filmmaker Sarah Lasley helmed this bold, audacious experimental short about a group of college students whose communication skills redefine the concept of person-to-person interactions.

2:45pm "Greetings from Havre de Grace" (Directed by Mark Scalese, Fairfield, CT). In this charming documentary, an unusual town name on an I-95 exit sign in Maryland leads filmmaker Mark Scalese to discover an enchanting seaside location that has repeatedly reinvented itself over the years.

3:10pm "Exposed" (Directed by Noah Cooper, New Haven, CT). A journalist who authored a harsh expose on corrupt cops suddenly finds himself running from the very, very long arm of the law. This compelling short film is fraught with stylish paranoia (and just who is that sexy lady in the sports car?).

3:20pm "Plan 9 from Syracuse" (Directed by Ryan Dacko, Syracuse, NY). How far would you go to get a Hollywood contract? Indie filmmaker Ryan Dacko took the long way – running from Syracuse, NY, to Hollywood in a bold attempt to gain the attention of a prominent producer. Along the cross-country route, he discovered an America he never knew existed – and an inner strength that he never tapped before.


PART THREE: DIRECTORS SHOWCASE
A celebration of the finest in underground cinema

5:00pm "Harsh Light" (Directed by E.B. Hughes, Ocean City, NJ). One of the best short films of the past decade returns for a rare public screening. This gritty, award-winning 1997 production follows a washed-up boxer who finds himself in the middle of a drug ring turf battle. Harsh black-and-white cinematography and Stan Hunter's haunting jazz score beautifully frame this notable work of art.

5:25pm "London Betty" (Directed by Thomas Edward Seymour, Plainville, CT). Thomas Edward Seymour, whose "Land of College Prophets" won the Best Picture Award at the 2005 New Haven Underground Film Festival, returns with the world premiere of this enchanting comedy-adventure. Broadway actress Nicole Lewis ("Rent," "Hair") makes her feature film debut as a plucky British journalist whose first American assignment involves the investigation of a corrupt, perverted small town mayor. Daniel von Bargen ("Super Troopers," "Malcolm in the Middle") plays Betty's reclusive publisher, while Seymour co-stars as her petty thief boyfriend.

Hello All,

I would like to highlight your publications, jobs, internships, and enrichment projects on the program website--this will be a huge help in promoting the program to prospective applicants. Would you please fill out the form below and return it to me in a response here or by email? Much thanks!

Publications since entry into the program (link for online publications or publication citation for print publications--and would love to get a photocopy of the publication if you can provide it):


Enrichment project was/is (organization, if appropriate, and nature of project):


Internship/practicum was/is (organization and nature of project):


Jobs (either while in program or after completion--full-time, freelance, contract, part-time, etc.):


Other successes:

The Namesake

Couple of important Namesake dates:



October 29--screnning of the film on campus

November 5--Lahiri's reading/talk on campus



At some point Mira Nair, the director of the film, will be on campus, too, but I don't have her dates.



More info on locations later, but all events will be on the Midtown campus.

Minority Fellowship Opportunity with The Village Voice

For those interested who meet the criteria. If not, pass the word:

The Mary Wright Minority Fellowship

The Village Voice is taking applications for the fall 2008 Mary Wright Minority Fellowship. The Mary Wright fellowship is a fulltime, three-month writing job with the Voice that provides an opportunity to work alongside veteran Voice journalists. We're looking for recent college graduates with impressive clip files who can demonstrate that they have unique story ideas, excellent writing skills and a desire to do non-intuitive, deeply reported stories about New York City.

This position pays $500 per week, and applicants should be prepared to pitch several original story ideas in an interview. Send a cover letter, resume and recent writing samples to: Tony Ortega, Editor, Village Voice, 36 Cooper Square, NY, NY 10003 or to tortega@villagevoice.com. Questions about the fellowship may also be directed to former Mary Wright fellow and current Voice staff writer, Chloé A. Hilliard, at chilliard@villagevoice.com.

Good luck!

Lisa S-O

Best American Poetry 2008

The new BAP is out, and I'm pleased to announce that Sentence has the honor of being included again! George Kalamaras's "Francis Ponge is on Fire" appeared in Sentence 5.

AWP in Chicago

Anyone planning to attend the AWP conference in Chicago this year? If anyone's planning to go and is willing to spend some time minding the Firewheel/Sentence table, I can look into having the program cover registration fees. Let me know.

http://awpwriter.org/conference/index.php

bc

David Foster Wallace Dies

Sad news for those that remember the essays, David Foster Wallace died this weekend. Although I found our reading for OMG difficult - I gained considerable respect for him in a book titled Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/books/14wallace.html

"30 Under 30"

Hi all:

My first feature was just published in Westport Magazine, September 2008. Interviews with 30 people under 30 who are finding success:

http://www.mofflymedia.com/Moffly-Publications/Westport-Magazine/September-2008/30-Under-30/

It looks MUCH better on the glossy page (more pictures!!) but you can get the jist if you don't feel like dishing out the 5 bucks for the real thing.

Enjoy!

Kalyn

The Shift Movie

Hello!
Check out this neat website I came across. You can find it here:

http://theShiftMovie.com

Thanks for reading!

Abdul

Some nice news

Hey folks, I just got some nice news I wanted to share.

Over the summer I sent out a couple of my essays to a writing contest sponsored by the Southern Illinois Writers Guild and John Logan College.

To my great surprise, the 2 blind submissions I sent took both first AND second place as best creative nonfiction.

"What Counts" took first place.
"Black Gold" won second.

Both will appear in their annual anthology as well as in my upcoming thesis!

The contest is a nationwide competition, and for me it's a rare victory, since I don't send much of my stuff out. Good to win the 2 cash prizes, but more than that it feels nice to be acknowledged.

--Ed

Short Story Fiction Submissions (Radio Show)

Hi all - I received an email about this call for short story submissions to radio show that's local in my area. Maybe I'll hear some of your stories read on the air this fall? Best, Alexis

Sponsoring Group Name: WXOJ LP FM
Show Name: SHORT STORY FICTION SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED
Submission Due Date: Wednesday December 31st, 2008
Submission Fees: none
Website: Lit1033.com
City, ST: Northampton, MA

At 1:00 PM every Tuesday, on WXOJ LP, 103.3 (Valley Free Radio),
Lit103.3 airs the reading of one or two short stories. If a story is selected for airing it will also be available in print and podcast form on the show's website at http://www.lit1033.com. Each show consists of one or two stories with a total word count of 6,000-9,000 words.

If you would like to submit a story for consideration, email it to lit103.3@comcast.net. DO NOT SEND IT AS AN ATTACHMENT, rather, include it in the body of your email, together with any biographical or other relevant information you'd like read before/after the broadcast.

Because the reading is over the public airwaves FCC guidelines apply.
Like Norman Mailer in The Naked and the Dead, the reader can fug around with words to a certain extent, but if the overall sexual content is too explicit it won't work. The explicit original story will be available on the website.

Direct questions and submissions to Alan Vogel at lit103.3@comcast.net

Contact: Alan Vogel
lit103.3@comcast.net
Contact: Alan Vogel
agvogel@comcast.net

The Namesake--Free Copy

A reminder that those of you who live in the Danbury area can obtain a free copy of The Namesake at the Midtown campus bookstore.

Script Reading in New York

Hello everyone-

Thanks again to all who watched the performance of my script If Not You at the residency. I am pleased to announce that the script was chosen by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and will be performed in New York on September 22, 2008.

The script is now called, Return to Darfur as the previous title wasn't a hit in New York.

Thanks to Louisa for all her hard work in making this happen.

The website contains more information. If you're going to be in the New York area during that time stop by I'd love to see you.

Click here: Playreading Hosted by Arlene Dahl - Mon 22-Sep-08 5:30 PM. A calendar event on New York Emmy® Awards

http://www.nyemmys.org/en/cev/217