Last Day to Sign up **CLICK** for Residency Workshops!!

If you have not yet registered for your residency workshops, please take a moment and do it now. As of tomorrow morning - Wednesday, July 1st - all remaining seats will open up to non-students.

New Story at 3:AM

Happy to have a new piece of flash fiction out, published at the venerable 3:AM Magazine.
Here's a direct link to the story, called Something, Anything.

(This story has been lurking in My Documents for - wow- almost five years. And I've been tinkering with it all this time, adding, subtracting, improving, finding better words. I'm glad I held onto it and found the right place for it.)

Out of Office Until July 9

I will be vacationing until July 9, so if you have any questions, concerns, issues, etc. please contact Laurel at 203-837-8878 or richardsl@wcsu.edu.

Call for Submissions

Hello everyone - As you may know, one of my entrepreneurial ventures is called Press Pause NowTM, a unique retreat, workshop, and coaching program whose purpose is to help successful women rethink, refocus, and reenergize their lives.

I am pleased to announce that Press Pause Now will be publishing an anthology, tentatively scheduled for early 2010. This inspirational and motivational collection of nonfiction essays and articles will focus on stories about women and their "press pause moments," those points of transition when they have decided to take a different path, pursue a passion, or go after a goal or dream.

Deadline for submissions is midnight, September 25, 2009. For more information and complete submission guidelines please visit The Press Pause Now Anthology Project.

Shuttle Info for Bradley International Airport

As those of you who have flown into JFK or LaGuardia know, CT Limo does not provide shuttle service from Bradley International. I have found a service that does: Tobi's Limo
Their cost for an SUV carrying 6 or less riders is $450, which includes fare, parking, and 18% gratuity. If six ride, the cost per person is $75, for five riders, the cost is $90 and so one down to one. If you are interested in flying into Bradley instead of JFK or LGA, please contact me immediately so I can see whether there will be a large enough group to book this limo. I would then put you all in touch with each other via email so that you can all book your flights with arrival times as close together as possible, because you would all be meeting the limo at one time, in one place.

Thanks,

Laurel

Residency Workshop Signups

I'm pleased to announce online signups for the residency workshops. Signups prior to July 1 are for students currently in the program only. Graduates who are teaching workshops or giving readings at the residency may attend workshops on space-available basis and may sign up after July 1.

Please go to http://www.wcsu.edu/writing/mfa/workshops.asp and sign up as soon as possible. The process should be self-evident once you get there. Click the workshop name to read a description.

Some of the workshops require advance work. If you sign up for one of them, go ahead and get started on what you can do without further instructions. Laurel or I will be sending out more information and each workshop's email list.

Please complete your workshop registration no later than the end of June--as of July 1, all remaining seats will be made available to non-students.

If I can start a blog - so can you.

Since all my "clips" from the 80s and 90s are passe - I finally started a blog. Check out the link below to see the first entry on "latebloomer " - my retirement speech! (Yikes - did I really sign all those papers a month ago ?) It's easy to do ( start a blog - not retire!). Just sign in (above), go to create a blog, fill in a few entries - and start writing.


http://lhayden.blogspot.com/

Daniel reading in East Haddam Saturday

Hey guys,
Just a heads up to tell you that I'll be reading from LARRY'S KIDNEY ("The book WestConn helped make happen!") this Saturday at 2 pm at Burgundy Books in East Haddam.* Would love to see any of you who can make it. And can't wait for the August residency. Ymm, ymm: chicken with wild rice and that thicker-than-thick gravy ...


DANIEL ASA ROSE


(*bring your own picnic starts at noon)

Mentor Requests

Some of you have told me that you've sent mentor requests to me, but I've still only received a few. It seems that I'm not receiving some of these messages for some reason. If you have sent your request, please re-send it to me today and confirm that you've used the correct email address: clementsb@wcsu.edu

Sorry for the trouble,
bc

Sharing My Article Featuring Liz Lange

Here is my latest Sanity article, which features an interview with Liz Lange, maternity fashion designer. I met Liz when we both were speakers at the Women in Business Summit in March.

You can also read the back story about my interview with Liz by reading my blog post at TravelingMom.com called Meeting Liz Lange.

Enjoy!

Mentor Requests Now

Hey folks, have only received a few mentor requests--tomorrow is the deadline!

bc

Music Business Seminar

For anyone interested in music as a business, there is going to be a fantastic workshop/seminar this Saturday in Northhampton, MA. It's called Music as a Business and features Sherri Winston, accomplished Jazz Flutist, Performer, and Lecturer. The fee is very reasonable - $35 for the two-hour program. Check out the weblink for more information.

Miranda: Always something going on over there...

From Ron Samul, WestConn MFA grad:

We are starting a series at Miranda Editor's Blog based on Writing Scams on the Internet, how to avoid them, being professional, and how to work smarter as a writer and a professional in the writing markets. These post started the series. Check them and if you have comments or would like to write about your own experience or views, we would like to continue this conversation.

Writers are looking for opportunities in this economic down-turn and we want to give them some knowledge about predatory websites and services that can be costly and humiliating. Check out the articles, and feel free to comment or better yet, write about your experience or views and we will post them. Feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested in this coversation. Be well.

Part I - Freelance Jobs - making money, not spending money
Part II - Freelance Jobs - making money, not spending money

Nickelodeon's Script Writer's Review

I'm please to announce that I was selected to participate in Nickelodeon's Script Writers Review at the 13th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF). I'm looking forward to the two-day workshop on June 25 & 26, where I will have an opportunity to get extensive feedback from programming executives at the network.

I submitted the spec script, "Ego Trippin'," for Nickelodeon's teen hit series True Jackson VP. I'm sure it will be an intense two days, but I'm looking forward to it.

First-Semester Student Options

To All 1st-Semester Students:

During your first semester, I assign mentors to you who I believe to be a good fit for your background and interests. After the first semester you will have the opportunity to request the mentors you work with.

Meanwhile, in order to assign your mentors, I need to know which registration plan you will be using in the Fall. Please review PAGE 2 of this document closely: http://www.wcsu.edu/writing/mfa//pdf/2008-09%20Tuition%20and%20Fees.pdf and let me know no later than June 18 which option you are electing to take. The options can be a bit confusing, so please call me if you have any questions.

In short:

• If you are in-state, full-time tuition is cheaper than the extension rate
• If you are out-of-state, full-time tuition is more expensive than the extension rate, but the full-time rate makes you eligible for more GI benefits (if you are military) and more student loans.

Please be sure to let me know which option you prefer. If I don't hear from you by the 18th, Laurel will have to contact you directly.

Mentor Requests for Fall

To All Post-1st-Semester MFA Students:

Please submit to me (clementsb@wcsu.edu or 203-837-3953) no later than June 18 your requests for Fall mentors. You may download and submit the form here: http://www.wcsu.edu/writing/mfa//pdf/Mentor%20Request%20Form%20rev.pdf or you may simply type up your selections and send them to me. Please be sure to list 2nd and 3rd choices for each course other than Thesis Courses. Thesis students have top priority for requests, then students working in Writing in the Primary Genre courses, then all others as seem fitting to me according to genre with some preference given to early requestors. As usual, I will attempt to grant as many requests as possible.

If you have already submitted a mentor request to me, you must resubmit it! If I have not received a response from you by June 18, I will assign your mentors as I see fit.

Dan Rose in New Canaan tonight!

Because we all look up to him like our older, cooler cousin...

CORRECTION: Daniel's reading tonight (june 11) is at the New Canaan Library, 151 Main St.

Latest Sanity Column

Can you picture the perfect vacation? If so, then how do you translate it from a dream to a reality?


Learn how by reading my latest Sanity article at TravelingMom.com . Quoted expert this week is Carmen Lund, MFA graduate Carmen Palmer's mother and New Haven, CT-based artist.

Daniel Asa Rose at Elm Street Books on June 11

Relative to the last post, I subscribe to BookTour and see this entry for Daniel:

Daniel Asa Rose (author of Larry's Kidney: Being the True Story of How I Found Myself in China with My Black Sheep Cousin and His Mail-Order Bride, Skirting the Law to Get Him a Transplant--and Save His Life):
Elm Street Books
Thursday, June 11, 7:30 PM
35 Elm St., New Canaan, CT, 06840

-- Holly

Witness the Power of Larry's Kidney

“A satisfying, hysterical page-turner that will captivate fans of travel writing and family narratives, with special interest for anyone who's helped a loved one through serious illness.” Publishers Weekly (* Starred review)

"A side-splitting tour de force that … will resonate with readers concerned about the plight of American patients who may be relegated for years to an organ transplant waiting list.” (Library Journal)

"One of the funniest, most touching and bizarre nonfiction books I've read. A remarkably talented writer, a great book." Boston Globe

"Mr. Rose writes a gripping tale, especially notable for its revealing look at modern China." Wall Street Journal

“Serves as an enjoyable testament to the lengths to which we sometimes go to help family.” Washington Post

"Skillful, funny, fascinating." The New York Observer

“Like nothing else you’ve read, pitch-perfect dialogue, hilarious and heartbreaking.” Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

“Quirky, charming, Rose is a gifted writer and good company. The master of dialogue.” Miami Herald

“With its humor, sensitivity and shocking twist at the end, ‘Larry's Kidney’ is a literary trip worth taking. Delightful.” Birmingham News

“’Larry’s Kidney’ delivers.” New York Daily News

“An immensely entertaining, effervescent book crammed with colorful characters and zippy dialogue.“ Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Just as important as the book’s deeply moving and enormously comical entertainment value are the deep insights into the world of organ transplants. Required reading for the medical community as well as the general public.” Health & Medicine Week/Biotech Week

“Witty, wild, and wacky.” The Providence journal

“Side-splitting.” San Antonio Express News

“Sometimes slapstick, sometimes caustic, Larry's Kidney is also sweet and thoughtful as Daniel finds himself improbably falling in love with China.” Shelf Awareness

“You’ve never read a book like this. And if you have, please tell me what bookstore you go to, because I want to buy any other books that weave love, China, family, and internal organs into an amazing and touching tale. For everyone else, it’s probably easier to just buy Daniel Asa Rose’s book.” A J Jacobs

“In this hilarious, moving book, Daniel Asa Rose and his cousin Larry set out like Sancho Panza and Don Quixote in search of a mail order bride and human organs, running into classic Quixotic misadventure along the way. In short, that very rare thing--a wonderful story told by a wonderful writer.” Rich Cohen

Good Article from the Huffington Post

A great article by Gretchen Rubin that appeared on The Huffington Post called, "13 Tips For Actually Getting Some Writing Done."

Two Stories, One Theme

Sometimes you revisit the same themes, settings, and ideas. Other times you apparently visit a place and time twice in the same instant. To wit, two stories of mine went live yesterday on two different online magazines thanks to the magic of awkward scheduling.

Over at Clarkesworld, my story of MIT students creating a Lovecraft emulator, Walking with a Ghost is live. (And for semiliterates, there's a podcast reading by Kate Baker).


Also launching yesterday was the first fiction issue of Innsmouth Free Press, which features stories and, oddly, hard news reporting from that mythical North Shore town. I wrote them a piece of flash fiction, a "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" redux called And Then, And Then, And Then...

So basically, I'm missing New England more than I thought I would. Or, at least, California isn't as sunny as I was told it would be!