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• This is "Classic"
• Is this procrastination?
• An Explanation and An Apology
• Boo Hoo!
• Rejection Correction: The Playlist

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This is "Classic"

Just when you thought there was nothing more to say about "street lit", Omar Tyree steps up to the plate. He likes to call his books "urban classics", though. (I don't know if you can declare your own work to be "classic", but I don't want to split hairs.)

So Mr. Tyree is calling it quits. Apparently, the market has gotten to raunchy for even him. Although he believes himself to be the founder of the genre, he says that the readership has failed to evolve. Apparently he tried to write a wee bit more seriously and the readers gave him no love. He says women readers wrote to him having tantrums because he is not as exciting a writer as Zane. (Entire article here.)

Here's a snippet:

That replacement of significant voice had nothing to do with the publishers preferring "street lit" over "responsible lit." It had all to do with an urban audience who preferred grit over polish. And that love for grit, crime, sex, broken hearts, drama, and other bullshit, reinforced the sales that I enjoyed for Diary of a Groupie in 2003, and What They Want in 2006. These were both books where I wrote about the subjects of sex, idolization, blackmail, and black women getting their fantasy freaks on, that urban readers had begun to love from my good friend Zane, and her various Sex Chronicles. Again, I can't knock a sister for expressing her inner freak. I would want a woman confident enough to show me what she got as well, just not on every other page.

As you all know, I am chillaxing in the Adirondacks, so I can't spend too much time thinking about this drama. But check it out. Tell me what you think in comments.

Posted at 03:13 PM | Comments (4)
Category: The Writing Life

Is this procrastination?

I made a Wordle of what I wrote today!

Posted at 09:47 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

An Explanation and An Apology

Cross My Heart and Hope You Die (love the title!) is a forthcoming collection of personal essays about break up. When Michael Taeckens asked me to contribute, I jumped at the opportunity. For one, I am crazy about Michael and also the other contributors are so fabulous. Sadly, when it comes to break up stories, I’ve got lots of material. Jaw-dropping material. Don’t even get me started.

Well, I couldn’t even get myself started, even with such great material such as the boyfriend who snorted my diet pills when I was at work. (After years of on-and-off again, that was the last straw. Forget the pun.) I even had garden variety drama like the One Who Wouldn’t Commit. Or the one who was committed, but to somebody else. (That’s a heartbreaker. Funny. Tragic. And it involves AWP, a fake chinchilla coat, Rita Dove, a historic Baltimore blizzard, a boy named Sue, and a drink called a “Green Sneaker.” There’s even a coda. Yesterday, he had the nerve to try and add me as a friend on Facebook!) So there was no shortage of inspiration.

But I couldn’t write it. Not one of the stories. It seems I have a block against writing about people I know. Maybe this is why I am a fiction writer, rather than a memoirist. I felt like I was narc-ing on these men, although they are a loutish bunch and by and large deserve to be shamed in a public forum. But I just couldn’t do it. I can’t explain it even to myself. It’s not like I am too high-minded to explore the revenge angle. I sat at my computer and had no idea where to start. I don’t know how to write first person when it’s me. My mind was racing, full of ideas, and I couldn’t cough up a word past “I”.

So sorry, Michael. Cross my heart, I really wanted to participate. I guess I am just not cut out to tell the truth. Sigh.

Posted at 08:43 AM | Comments (3)
Category: The Writing Life

Boo Hoo!

Due to low enrollment, Split Rock Arts Program has canceled the last week of workshops and that includes the one I planned to teach. In a way, I am glad to have my summer back, but I was looking forward to the experience. I have never been to Minnesotta. Sniff. Sniff.

Posted at 02:01 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Rejection Correction: The Playlist

Posted at 08:22 AM | Comments (5)
Category: The Writing Life

Take Some Advice from Soul II Soul

Remember that song? Keep on moving/Don't stop/like the hands of time. It's track 1 on my rejection recovery CD. I am posting a version of it today in honor of all the folks who have emailed to say that Bread Loaf has sent out its rejection letters. At least six friends didn't get in this year. I am giving the same message to everyone. IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING.

Rejections happen. Rejections hurt. And I am not saying that it wouldn't have been fabulous for you to have been accepted with a scholarship. It would have been a great experience, but not being admitted does not mean that your writing is not good, that your book is not important. (Just think about the way you evaluate other people's work. Would you say Gee, I thought this book was really good until I found out the author didn't get into Bread Loaf!)

I was rejected from Bread Loaf three times before I was admitted with a juicy fellowship. Just think about that. Three times, I wasn't good enough to get in, but then, *bam*, a fellowship? You have to know there is a certain randomness there. Another example: Three times I wasn't even chosen as a runner-up for the Hurston/Wright Award. I looked at their yearly rejection as the antidote to my New Year's optimism. Then, in 2000, *bam*, first prize. The year before when I sent excerpts from the same novel, *goose egg*.

So, to all of you that got the thin envelope from Bread Loaf yesterday, have yourself some ice cream. You can email me and I'll send you a cyber hug. Then, get back to your desk. You have important work to do.

Posted at 07:48 AM | Comments (5)
Category: The Writing Life

The Mentoring Campsite Rules

I must confess that I love reading Dan Savage's advice column. I read it on line and I also listen the "Savage Lovecast." Great stuff. I never post about it here because, well, it's not that type of blog! However, here is an exception.

I was checking out the column today, and he referred to the "campsite rule." He meant it in reference to dating much younger people. The Campsite Rule is that you have to leave them in better shape than you found them. I nodded in agreement, as that seems like a pretty reasonable boundary.

Then, I thought that the same should be true for writing mentors and workshop leaders. I have seen people just broken down in workshop by a cruel workshop leader. I have seen people get critiques of thier work that leave them never wanting to write again. These mentors/leaders have broken The Campsite Rules.

My beloved RC always obeyed TCR. I couldn't quite understand it when I was a student. There was once this guy in our workshop who was TERRIBLE. He wasn't in the program; he was more of a gate-crasher. His work was some of the worst I have seen to date. You should have seen the eye-rollling from those of us In The Program. And even worse from those of us With Aid. But RC lead the dicussion and even silenced the student who was prepared to go through line by line pointing out cliches.

I went to RC's office after class, as I was prone to do. He was such a wonderful teacher that I wanted to get all the face time I could without crossing the line over into stalking territory. I asked him why he didn't tell that guy how terrible he was. RC shrugged and said, "Why?" He then explained that the goal of the creative writing class is to get everyone jazzed to revise. "I am not in the business of getting anyone to quit."

Posted at 07:59 AM | Comments (5)
Category: The Writing Life

Way Back Wednesday

When I was in the eleventh grade, I wrote a short story called "The Pursuit of Michael Thomas." I wrote a lot of short stories back then, but I submitted this one for a contest at Pace Academy, an exclusive Atlanta private school. So exclusive, in fact, that I had never heard of it.

Short version of this story is that I won the contest. In my bio, I mark this as the start of my writing career. And perhaps it is.

I am posting here the story. It's short. Just about five pages, double spaced. It contains every mistake I warn my undergrads about. I am really fast and loose with the adverbs, for example. My characters have rather fancy names. (What is it about being a young writer that makes you want to name characters "Mignon" and "Angelique"?)

I remember my mother typing it for me. We argued about a line on the first page. The character in my original said, "Don't talk so loud!" and my mother made me change it to "loudly". (No one had told us about the adverb rule.)

I am sort of proud of this story, bad as it is. I wasn't a happy teenager. By the time I made it to tenth grade, I have been to four schools in as many years. I was sort of an invisible girl. Medium brown complexion, hair that wasn't tossable. Only one pair of designer jeans-- a gift from neighbors for whom I babysat. Picture me, writer in a school that stressed math and science. Every term I brought home my report card, 2As, 2Bs, 2Cs. Enough to get by.

I would not have had the confidence to enter the contest were in not for Mrs. Patricia Ramon, the English teacher who noticed that I was the only person to finish East of Eden, all 400-some pages. (I loved it.) She showed me the contest notice.

"Would you be interested in something like this?"
"Yes, ma'am."

So here it is. My little story. My precious beginning.

Posted at 11:40 AM | Comments (2)
Category: The Writing Life

I, Too, Have Had The Assistant's Blues

Like KJA over at The Root, I have also served as a writer's assistant. I won't say too much about my experiences, but I will say that it is a hard and personal job. Most people end up with the assistant's gig because they respect the writer whom they assist. I don't think anyone comes out the other side with that shame sheen. How could you? As the assistant, it's your job to keep the person's public self looking good. This, of course, means you see the private self which isn't always so cute.

I am not giving any clues as to which sister-writer I helped keep it together, but I will tell you that I did get my feelings hurt sometimes. But more importantly, I learned a lot about what was ahead of me as a black woman writer. When I read KJA's article in The Root, I cringed at the anecdote about the writer being afraid to praise a black student's writing for fear of seeming "biased."

I watched my own boss deal with such situations, and there is no good way out. I watched her navigate a lot of treacherous highway. I didn't always agree with how she handled it, but I was paying attention, and taking notes. I don't look back at my time as a writers assistant as the happiest time of my life, but I am glad I did it. Although the publishing world has on a few occaisions shown me nastiness that caught me by surprise, my assistant years gave me, at the very least, a glimpse of what was to come and I've done my best to be ready for it.

Posted at 07:50 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Writers & Readers, DC

This is a photo I just received from an event I did in DC last year. I didn't post about it at the time because I was waiting for the photos, and then life happened. You know how that is.

I want to report on it anyway, because it was such a wonderful and enriching project. "Writers & Readers" is a book club/lecture series for GED students in the Washington, DC area. It's sponsored by the State Education Department. If you are a writer in the DC area, see if you can work with this organization. Get your books to people who need them.

Posted at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

24th Annual Celebration of Black Writing

Just a heads up for those of you in Philly. I'm going to be participating in the 24th Annual Celebration of Black Writing in Philadelphia. May 22-24.

I'm on a panel called "Violence In Our Communities" along with Sapphire, Nathan McCall, W. Marvin Dulaney, Solomon Jones, Chuck “D”. My child of the 80's heart is going pitter-pat. I am dying dying to ask Chuck D (would I call him "Mister D?") what he thinks about his former co-revolutionary, Flavor Flav. Do I dare? Will be able to keep from bellowing "Bass! How low can you go?" (That was my jam, freshman year.) And Sapphire! I was crazy about her when I was in college.

Oh, and also, I am giving a panel called "Opportunities For Writers." It's basically what we do here. I want to get the word out to writers about opportunities like artists colonies, workshops, grants, etc.

Posted at 11:34 AM | Comments (2)
Category: The Writing Life

PEN Blog Posts

I am running out the door to today's PEN events:

Fiction from Fact: This is a panel about using historical events in fiction.

Memoir and Reportage: An African Perspective: This is about the mix of public and private history.

Believer Magazine Event. (You know I love me some Believer.)

The Pen Cabaret: Starring BILL T. JONES. (I'm all over it.)

Meanwhile, you can see my reports from yesterday over at PEN.

Posted at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

PEN Festival Here I Come!

Today I am headed over to the PEN World Voices Festival. Many thanks to Dr. Alexandrova who got me on my feet again. I am going to hop on the subway loaded down like an old lady on the Greyhound. I'll have my cough drops, my aspirin, some trail mix (so I won't be taking drugs on an empty stomach), water bottle... but I will be there!

Here is the agenda for today:

3:30-5pm: Writing The Story of Life in Fact and Fiction.
Writers who have used the same material for fiction and for autobiography are going to talk about the choices and process. This summer I read A.M. Homes' novel "In A Country of Mothers" and her memoir "The Mistress' Daughter". I was sometimes quite disoriented because there were whole passages in common between the two books. I am eager to hear her talk about it on the panel.

5:30-6:30: Leaving Home
Debut novelists from five different countries talk about writing from a country other than home. As a person whose debut was called Leaving Atlanta, you can see how I would be into this.

8pm: "Wristcutters"
This is a screening of a film based on Etgar Keret's short story "Kneller's Happy Campers."

Posted at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

So Disappointed!

I was so thrilled a couple of weeks ago to be chosen as a special correspondent for the Pen World Voices Festival. I was assigned a certain number of events and I was to attend the sessions and the blog on the pen site. Today at 6pm was to be my first assignment: "History In The Mirror" --three writers talk about art and activism. I was dying to meet Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainaina.

Sadly, I think I am just too sick to go. Even if I were to try to be a hero, my coughing would disrupt the event. I went to the doctor today and she prescribed me some cough medicine with codeine--guaranteed to know me out-- but I didn't take it because I was hoping to be healthy enough to go.

Well, I'm not.

(And I'll just end with that pun.)

Posted at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Dare I Take the "ONE STAR CHALLENGE?"

John Scalzi is daring writers to post the skankiest amazon reviews posted about their books. My first thought was "How funny! I'll do it!" Afterall, self-deprecating is the new black these days. So I tootled over to amazon to look at the one-stars. It wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. So then, I thought I wouldn't participate. But THAT is the same as backing down from a challenge. Besides, not participating would be in the category of "fear/shame" and am I not working hard to get those nasty trolls out of my life and my consciousness?

So, with no further ado. Here are my ugliest amazon reviews for The Untelling. Weirdly enough, nobody hates on Leaving Atlanta. Well, almost nobody...

See, look at me. Stalling. Why is this so hard? Okay. Here goes.

Continue reading this entry

Posted at 12:03 PM | Comments (6)
Category: The Writing Life

An Opportunity, A Remembrance

I've just found out that McSweeny's is taking applications for the the Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award. The award is for a woman, 32 years old, or younger. Amanda was a friend of ours who passed away in 2003, at the age of 32.

thx, Erika.

Posted at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Mom Friendly, I Swear!

I got a google alert today letting me know that somebody was blogging about me. I must say those little notices warm my heart. I happily clicked the link to find that The Shelf Life was commenting on the fact that "50 States of Literature" picked Leaving Atlanta as the best of Georgia.

Then, I looked more closely and saw what she had written. I would be lying if if I didn't say it didn't hurt my feelings a litle bit. The long of the short of it is that she didn't approve of the choice. I would still be whimpering if she was basing this on having read the book, but her objection was that she just didn't like the description. She even asks readers for other suggestions of what better represents Georgia. "As a mom" she doesn't think she could stomach my book.

Sigh.

Posted at 08:34 AM | Comments (5)
Category: The Writing Life

Fantastic Things Are Happening

to people who read this blog!

Jelani Cobb won the race for delegate in the 5th congressional district and he will be representing it as a committed Barack Obama delegate at the convention in Denver. (Y'all rememeber Jelani, right?)

Sarah Schulman has been elected as a Fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities at New York University.

Shelley Ettinger won a summer residency from the Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts. (I had never heard of it, but now I want to apply!)

Camille Dungy's second book of poems will be published by Red Hen Press in 2010.

Sibongible Lynch is doing her first reading at Clayton State University as part of the launching party for the literary journal, The Cygnet. (They're publishing two of her poems and a short story.)

Dolen Perkins-Valdez will have her first novel, Wench, published by HarperCollins!

Got more news? Tell me about it!

Posted at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

SCHOLARSHIPS TO SPLIT ROCK!

I've just found out that there are scholarships available for the Split Rock Summer Arts Programs! I'll be teaching a class all about the coming of age story, so you can just imagine how thrilled I was to find out about the scholarships. You should visit the site to see which one is best for you to apply. There is even one designated for African American artists.

And how did I find out about this opportunity? Erika over at Practicing Writing! You should sign up for her free newsletter.

Posted at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Ah, Youth!

Every now and then, I run into some artifact from my past. In this case, it was the 2001 edition of Grants and Awards Available to American Writers. Nowadays, the Grants and Awards is a searchable database, but back in the day, it was a soft-bound book you could hold in your hands.

I found my copy in a box labeled "Leaving Atlanta." I ordered the book in 2001, when my first novel had been accepted for publication, but had not yet been produced. My copy of the book is full of highlighted passages and notes scrawled in the margins. You would not believe my level of fabulousness. Pulitzer Prize? Highlighted in green. Beside such awards as The Rome Prize which were designated as internal nomination only I wrote "research this." I even identified prizes for which my friends would be eligible.

That year, I applied for everything. With my tired desk jet printer I produced letter after letter... "Dear Sir/Madame, I am writing to find out more information.... enclosed is a SASE..." I loved working so hard on creating opportunities for myself. I even wrote to George Washington University to inquire about the Jenny McKean Moore Writer in Residence position. Six years, and three application cyles later, I actually ended up with the job-- and loved every minute of it.

There is something to be said for the wide-openness with which a young writer approaches the world. I want that self back. I want to be that young lady who has the confidence of having a book accepted for publication, but hasn't yet known the heartbreaks that come along with putting herself out there.

I still apply for everything, but it's different now. Not as much fun. Years ago, a jaded older writer said to me, "Apply for everything. Every day I hear about someone getting something they don't deserve. It's only a matter of time before the same thing happens to you!" I am ashamed to say that I have even repeated these words as my own.

I know it's almost April, and a little late to make New Year's resolutions, but I am hereby resolving to recapture the eager young writer who lives somewhere inside of me. I am going get that joy back. I am going to cup all that optimism in my hands like a winking firefly.

Posted at 04:26 PM | Comments (2)
Category: The Writing Life

Back Up Plans

Since I got the ixnay from MacDowell, I did some research on writers retreats that you have to pay for. (MacDowell and many others are free; this is why there is such a rigorous admittance process. For the ones listed here, the only issue is whether your money is green.)

"My Retreat" in upstate NY. Looks pretty nice and the room rate is about $50 a night. No services. This seems to be just a lovely place to crash. You have to feed yourself.

OMG. "La Muse". This one is in France! If the US Dollar wasn't in the toilet, it would be almost sort of affordable. George Bush is ruining my summer!

This is the "Porches" retreat in Virginia. It looks pretty, but the sort of old-Virginia, plantation vibe weirds me out. But $300 a week....

Who would pay $2700 a month for this?????

Okay, that's all I could come up with. Anybody else know a good place? I really need to get away this summer.

(Photo is from my stay a couple years ago at Gibraltar Point Artist Retreat in Toronto!)

Posted at 11:11 PM | Comments (1)
Category: The Writing Life

REJECTED!

I got my rejection letter from MacDowell yesterday. I can't say I was shocked-- I've applied about six times, and only been accepted twice. And hardly anyone gets in two years in a row. But still, rejections suck. A lot.

March-April make up the high season for rejections. Late December and January is application season and everyone walks around all high on what-if. But reality hits in early spring. Thank goodness for the time change. When I came home from work and saw the thin envelope from MacDowell, the sun was still out and it was warm enough that I didn't have my coat on.

I am walking around now on pins and needles. I only applied to two colonies this year because I was embroiled in all manner of personal drama and failed to get my applications in on time. The best bet is to apply to four colonies in order to get a summer spot. So, this time I may be forced to *gasp* write AT HOME.

Fingers crossed for Blue Mountain, y'all.

Posted at 07:18 AM | Comments (5)
Category: The Writing Life

Ouch. Deborah Gregory's Sad Story

I met Deborah Gregory about a million years ago at the very start of my writing career. I was about twenty-six at my first paying gig at a community college in Baltimore. She was on a panel talking about "The Cheetah Girls" and also liposuction. All I remember is that she was dressed from the rooter-to-the-tooter in cheetah patterned clothing and I thought "what is THAT all about?" Well, it was about The Cheetah Girls, a gizzlion-dollar empire based on Gregory's books. Apparently Disney is making all the money. (and I mean ALL of it.)

Gregory said she's pocketed $125,000 over the last nine years in option fees and payments for her title as co-producer of the movies. Although she's asked for them, she has never gotten "net profit participation statements" from Disney, spelling out details of expenses and revenues. If anyone is getting rich on this formidable franchise, Gregory noted, it's not the woman who created it.

Here is the GalleyCat quick-and-dirty summation and the longer article in the LA Times. And just in the interest of keeping it real, you have to make note that Black Enterprise called foul way back last year.

Posted at 01:07 PM | Comments (2)
Category: The Writing Life

Just Say No... Nicely

Here's part three of my what-do-when post. I'm thinking of starting a little advice column. So email me your writing related questions. Okay, onto the post. Here's the scenario: you have just read the letter from an events organizer inviting you to give a reading. You have carefully evaluated the offer and you have concluded that these people must be crazy. What's the best way to say no?

Always say "no, thank you". Never say "hell, no!" Whenever someone asks you to do a reading, it is a compliment. Even if it is a really really crappy offer like "We would like you to travel to the middle of nowhere, teach a workshop, give a reading, and have lunch with our graduate students for $500, excluding travel." Think about it. The organizer could have asked any writer in the country to perform this unreasonable task, but for some reason she chose you. (And most likely because she likes your work, not because she thinks you're a cheap date.) So when you decline, do so graciously. Use the word thank you. Use it twice. If you can, google the organization and say something about it in the message. All you want is not to do the gig, you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

If the money isn't sufficient, offer to do the gig, not for more money, but for reduced responsibility. If they ask you to do a reading and a workshop, tell them you'll just do the reading. They will get the message that you'd be willing to do more if they come up with more cash. (Chances are, they are offering you all they have, anyway.) If they can't alter the terms, refer to the first point of this post.

Do not send them your resume to make the case for more money. If they are inviting you, they probably are aware of your credentials. Sending your resume is the equivalent of donning a English accent and saying, "Have you any idea who I am!!!" If you have evaluated the offer and you just don't want to do it, just say no... really nicely.

The honorarium offered is usually an expression of the resources available, not an expression of your worth. So don't give yourself a complex if you get asked to read at a public library for $100. That's probably all they have. Even if the reading is at a major university, you could be getting the offer from a junior professor who is using the cash in her personal book budget to invite you out. If this is the case, she won't tell you because she doesn't want you to know that the Department wouldn't sponsor your visit. (This has happened to me.) Furthermore, the person inviting you may have never been asked to speak for money, so when you turn your nose up at $100 for what is essentially an hour's work, you will alienate that person for life. And what's the point of that?

Never forget: All you want is to get out of doing the gig. And remember this-- someone who asks you to read for free today, may very well hook you up with something really attractive in the future-- if you play nice.

Posted at 08:25 AM | Comments (3)
Category: The Writing Life

You're Invited... Now What?

This is part two of the post I started on Monday concerning opportunities offered at AWP and other conferences. It is not unusual to meet someone who may promise to invite you to give a reading. Imagine yourself in the hotel bar and someone says, "Hey, would you like to come to our campus and give a reading." Of course, you'll say "yes," even though you don't know the terms of the invitation.

A few days, or weeks later, you may receive an email from the person formally inviting you. This letter should have the terms-- how much your will be paid and what is expected of you for the visit. Hopefully, they are offering you a zillion trillion dollars. Sometimes the offer is more modest. How do you decide if you want to do the event? Here are some things to consider.

Who is inviting you? If the invitation comes from someone you respect and admire, definitely consider doing the event even if the money is too low and the workload is a bit too intense. You may even go so far as to google the person. If someone is asking you to work for little or no money, they know it's a favor and they will remember you as "gracious". (And for women, especially, that's a really good reputation to have. A double standard, I know, but it's true.)

Where is the event located? Key West in the winter? Well you should offer to pay them for the opportunity. Chicago in February? Not so much. But also, look at how far you will have to travel and factor in time, effort, and wear and tear.

Do you need publicity? As an organizer of a reading series which works on a very limited budget, I try and approach authors who have brand new books. These writers are more likely to give a freebie in an effort to boost sales in the crucial six-months after publication.

Is the asking organization one you respect? If the organization is a worthy cause donate your time if you have it spare.


Next: How to say no.

Posted at 10:09 AM | Comments (1)
Category: The Writing Life

See You Sunday?

Hello, New Yorkers. I'll be reading at Sunday Salon, on February 10 along with Tony D'Souza, Matthew Cheney, and Frances Madeson. It happens this coming Sunday at Stain Bar, located in 766 Grand Street in Williamsburg. Time: 7pm.

Posted at 07:19 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Post AWP Advice

First off: don't worry. I will not blog about AWP all week. This will probably be the last one, particularly since we got hundreds of applications (amazing!) for the MFA at Rutgers-Newark and I will be crazy busy sorting through the pile choosing our next exciting group of writers. (Maybe I'll post on do's and don't for applications. Does that sound like a good idea?)

But meanwhile on to the the question at hand. Often after attending conferences, writers will start receiving invitations to read, conduct workshops, submit to journals, etc. Several of my younger writers pals have asked me how to handled these situations. Today's installment is about what to do about editors and agents who are on the make at the conference.

An agent invites you to submit. Go ahead and do it, if you feel the work is ready to be seen by the public. Don't get all carpe-diem and send it out too early. The agent is not holding her breath waiting for you submission. She's much rather see it when it is ready. If it makes you feel better, you can send her a note, thanking her for her interest and promise to send it on when the manuacript is it in tip-top shape. If she says send it anyway. I'd advise you to beg off. Also remember, sending to an agent isn't agreeing to representation. It's like going on a date. Just do a little look-see and determine if you're interested. Also, it's good to keep in mind that agents invite lots of people to submit. So, be hopeful, but don't become too invested.

An editor invites you to submit. If you have an agent, call her right away and do whatever she says. If you don't have one yet, it might be a good idea to get one first, particularly if the editor is from a big scary cut-throat NY house.
I have a brilliant-but-young friend who got a cold call from an editor who read an article his community activisim in The Washington Post. Well, actually, the editor called me because she heard that I know everybody and while I don't, I did know this kid. I told her that I was going to put him in touch with my agent before letting her talk to him. Afterall, can you imagine what would happen if a big publisher were to call a young, 20-something, writer out of the blue? He'd agree to anything. I put my terrfic agent on the case and I am happy to report that there is a happy ending to ths story. Rather than limit the process to the cold caller, the proposal was submitted broadly and several editors were interested. The manuscript ended up at auction. And in a year or so it will be in bookstores!

Posted at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Opportunities

This just in:

Woodstock A-I-R, a residency program for photographers of color, is taking applications. (thanks Sarah for the tip!)

The gorgeous journal, Ninth Letter, is doing a special issue on music. Tyehimba Jess is editing. For the first time, they are accepting email submissions.

QWOCMAP is offering 4 free video Training Workshops for queer women of color. (Thx Maria!)

And remember, if you take advantage of an opportunity you found here, let me know so I can spread the good news!

Posted at 03:12 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Off To Key West!

I am on my way to the Key West Literay Seminars. I'll be back in a few days, but I am taking my laptop and my digital camera, so there will be reports and photos. One member of our blog community, Jaci, won a scholarship, so I will be looking forward to seeing her there.

Meanwhile, I better sign off and find my sunglasses and sunscreen!

Posted at 06:46 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Sweet Carleen

Carleen Brice, friend o' the blog, and author of the Essence Book Club pick, Orange Mint and Honey, noticed that I seemed a little, well, exhausted here on the blog. She sent me a perfect pick me up-- homemade orange-mint bath salts. Big hugs Carleen. I really really appreciate it.

Posted at 05:01 PM | Comments (1)
Category: The Writing Life

To AWP, or not to AWP

I recently got an email from a blog community member with one line: Should I go to AWP? My answer: It depends.

"AWP" is the annual meeting of the Associated Writing Programs and this year it is in NYC and it is sold out. So, any answer I give is probably for next year.

I went to my first AWP back in 1997, when I was a graduate student at The University of Georgia. While I was there, I struck up a friendship with Jewell Parker Rhodes who offered me the chance to be her protege at Arizona State University. A month later, I was driving across the country to start a new life.

So, this would make it seem that my answer is YES! GO TO AWP.

But not so fast. I think the question is what you hope to gain. AWP is a good place for finding out a little more about the business of writing and teaching writing. You are not likely to meet an agent, but you may meet someone who runs a really cool small press. If you are a "literary" writer or poet, you may make connections that can lead to invitations to give paid readings at universities.

Some people complain that AWP is to cliquey. I cant say this is exactly false. You will see lots of people squealing "Oh my God!" while hugging enthusiastically. Your first time out, you may feel like a gate-crasher at a family reunion. But folks are generally pretty nice, particularly at the bar.

AWP also gives you a chance to meet the directors of various MFA programs, pick up brochures, meet students in the programs and ask them real candid questions. (Talk to them at the bar, after 10pm, and you'll get the truth!)

The diversity factor can be an issue, but I am happy to report that AWP has come a long way since it was jokingly referred to as "All White Poets." There are many panels discussing the issues that affect writers of color, and you will often find writers of colors on panels that have little to do with ethnicity. (imagine that!)

One real drawback is the matter of cost. By the time you pay to register, get your plane fare, and hotel-- this little venture can easily run you in the area of $1000. That's about how much it costs to be a bridesmaid. (Ask me how I know.) I wouldn't recommend that you go into debt to attend AWP, but if you have the cash (or outside funding), I'd say go ahead.

Okay. Those are my thoughts. I've got to scram. I'm headed to the Key West Literary Seminars tomorrow!!

(Here's a link to the pictures I took at last year's conference.)

Posted at 12:06 PM | Comments (2)
Category: The Writing Life

Do The Hustle!

I was cruisng Galleycat when I saw a picture of a black person and almost choked on my croissant aux amandes. Tbe brother in question is Troy Tompkins who managed to get himself a profile in the NYT. What's his claim to fame? Apparently, he managed to get Simon and Schuster to take a look at his self-published YA novel by writing a press release and signing it "Alan Chase". There is no Alan Chase; he just thought that it would make him seem classiser if he seemed to have a real publicist. (It's cheaper, too. Let me tell you.)

Now, there is a little controversy as to whether Tompkins is being rewarded for being dishonest. That whole part of the conversation goes into the yawn-zone for me.

The thing that makes me wonder is whether or not it seems to other folks that black writers seem to get attention for thier ability to hustle, self-promote, and beat the system, but how much talk is happening about our actual writing?

Posted at 06:48 PM | Comments (4)
Category: The Writing Life

Much Love to Our Guest Bloggers!

This year, a number of members of our blog community were kind enough to share thier experiences with the rest of us. As we bid goodbye to 2007, I wanted to thank them for thier contribuitions. Here's a little recap of thier generous offerings:

Ladylee kicked off the year by taking an artist date to The Junkman's Daughter in Atlanta. (Remember when we were all doing The Artist's Way? We might have fallen off the wagon, but we all fell off together.)

Remica Bingham wrote about bringing her family together with her of book of poems, "Convergrance."

Camille Dungy wrote in memory of Phebus Ettienne, who passed away last March.

Jacqueline Jones LaMon fell in love with her novel all over again.

Renee Simms-- writer, mother, teacher-- reminds us that sometimes, when it comes to writing, you just have to "jazz your way through."

Summer Reports: Nicole sang the Cave Canem Song; LeConte and Terri went to VONA and said it saved thier lives; and Felicia brought back the 411 from the Tin House Workshops.

Martha Southgate provided the "Director's Cut" of her NYT article, Writers Like Me.

Tara Betts gave a brief history of Slam, and a glimpse at the future of poetry.

And just last month, Sarah Schulman reminded us why everyone loves Grace Paley.

Thank you, thank you, so much for sharing with us. I look forward to more group-love in 2008!

Posted at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Holday Dos and Don'ts

It's that time of year again. It's time to go shopping for the writers in your life. As we all know, there is a fine line between a good gift and one that sort of sucks. Here's a little help to get your good intentions on track.



DON'T give a book on How to Get Published. The last thing a writer needs is outside pressure to produce results. It's like giving your single sister and book called "You, Too, Can Find A Man!" It's just not nice.

DO give a book about writing. For beginners try Bird by Bird by Anne Lammot. I also recommend On Moral Fiction for people who are father along. This gift shows that you take their writing seriously, that you respect thier intellectual activities.



DON'T give a book that is very similar in plot to a project that he or she is working on. I know you just want the writer to know are thinking of her, but it is such a buzz-kill to find out just how many people have already explored your idea. For example, when I was working on Leaving Atlanta, the last thing I needed was a copy of Toni Cade Bambara's book on the same subject. Of course I understand that there room enough for more than one book on the same topic, but Those Bones Are Not My Child, would have been a disaster as a holiday gift.

DO give a book that is thematicaly related. If your friend is writing a story about mother-daughter relationships, she couple probably enjoy a book on the same theme set in a completely different era or setting.



DON'T give a pen just because you like what it looks like.

DO give a gift certificate to a pen shop. Many writers like a nice pen, but choosing a pen is like choosing a pair of jeans or a handbag. You really need to handle it and try it out first.



DON'T get too specific. The writer in your life will appreciate writing-related gifts, but dictionaries, thesauri, pens, and journals may be just a little on-task sometimes.

DO give her something just shows that you appreciate her and know that she works hard. You can make any gift a meaningful gift for a writer if you affix a card. A sinple gift like a bath set can become a vote of confidence for the writer in your life if you put a little note saying "I know you have been working hard on your novel. Here's a little something to help you relax."

Posted at 10:31 AM | Comments (2)
Category: The Writing Life

Tonight's The Night!

Tonight is the National Book Awards dinner! Natasha T., who is judging the poetry award, invited me to come along. (Yes, she asked me. I did not beg. Very much.) I won't be live-blogging the event--I don't want to be blackberrying under the table like I never been nowhere before-- but I will take pictures, but only when it seems appropriate, as I would not want to embarrass my host by going all paparazzi on Edwidge Danticat.

Luckily for everyone, some of my favorite bloggers are not so reserved, so for the blow by blow, visit Ed over at The Return of The Reluctant.

P.S. After having to be almost CARRIED OUT of the Hurston/Wright Awards due to my high heel situation, I am sort of taking it easy on the shoes this time.

Posted at 07:13 AM | Comments (1)
Category: The Writing Life

This is NOT my Lucky Sweater

I bought the sweater picture here when I was living in Arizona. It was about 103 degrees outside. The purchase of the sweater was an expression of my confidence that I would get into Yaddo. Just after I mailed the application, I fell in with a rough crowd, the Name-It-And-Claim-It Crew. "You have to put it out there in the universe that you are going to The Yaddo!"

I did want to make it clear to the universe that I planned to spend January in upstate New York. That I had every intention of spending the winter of 2001 drinking hot chocolate with famous people while working on my masterpiece. And besides, you can get a fluffy wool sweater really cheap in Arizona.

So, I bought the sweater.

And I didn't get in. Everytime I went into my walk-in closet (which doubled as an office in those days) the sweater mocked me and all my positive thinking.

Flash forward to one year later. The tags were still on the sweater. Arizona was still the third hottest state in the union. I received a letter in the mail. The MacDowell Colony had granted me a winter residency for 2003!

I took the sweater with me and when I arrived, I tore the tags off with my teeth.

Posted at 10:03 AM | Comments (2)
Category: The Writing Life

The Big O Speaks!

Oprah has announced her new book club pick: Love In The Time of Cholera. There was a time in my career when I sort of dreamed of winning the Oprah lottery. Remember when she used to pick books by unknowns? Well, over Galleycat, folks are noticing that the book club picks and getting maler and maler. And Jennifer Weiner puts her two cents in.

I wonder if the great O goes out of her way to make sure that she doesn't appear too partisan to the demographic groups to which she belongs. In other words, does she try not to pick too many books by, say, black people, or say, women, in an effort to seem unbiased. I think we have all been in that situation ourselves.

I have been asked to nominate a writer for this or that thing and often another black woman writer would come to mind. I have been to known to hesitate, Would it look funny for me to pick another sister? But then, I figure, other people have no qualms about picking someone that shares their demographics. And besides, how could I look a black woman writer in the eye and tell her that I thought she was the best pick for the position, but I didn't pick her because she was a black woman writer?

Oh the absurdity of our American (writing) Lives.

Posted at 11:42 AM | Comments (6)
Category: The Writing Life

Knock Knock! Who's There?

Two exciting publishing opportunites!

Kore Press is now taking applications for the 2008 Short Fiction Awards. This is a contest for a short story which will be published as a lovely stand-alone chapbook. Judge: Lydia Davis

Washington Writers' Publishing House (WWPH) will accept manuscripts from Washington and Baltimore area poets and fiction writers for its annual book competition. The winning manuscript(s) will be published in the fall of 2008.

Posted at 01:07 PM | Comments (1)
Category: The Writing Life

Memories of Bread Loaf

I was on flickr and found a message from Charles Rice-Gonzalez. I followed the link and discovered his photos from Bread Loaf. They make mine seem so lame and genteel. On the up side, there is nothing like looking at photos of writers in motion to cheer up a Wednesday afternoon.

Posted at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Girls Write Now

Girls Write Now is celebrating ten years of connecting high school girls with writing mentors. Won't you please come out to our fundraising birthday celebration on October 18? It's in NY. I'm reading and so is Janice Earlbaum. Not totally convinced? What if I told you that it we be held at the fabulous The Slipper Room on the Lower East Side? What if I told you that it is a yet another sparkly luxlotus project?

Well, if that doesn't impress you, what about this?

Girls Write Now provides at-risk high school girls with emerging writing talent the unique opportunity to be custom matched with a professional woman writer who serves as her individual mentor and writing coach, meeting with her weekly for one entire school year, and for up to four years.The year is punctuated by three public readings, college and career prep seminars, a social action series, field trips to cultural events, and endless opportunities for scholarships and publication. The magic of the program is reflected in a solid nine-year track record, a 65-percent member retention rate, a 100-percent college acceptance rate, an annual anthology of original writing, and the seven-genre portfolios each student emerges equipped with each season.

So shall I see you there?

Posted at 06:18 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Won't Ask, Can't Tell, Won't Say, Why Ask

As any writer with a new book will tell you-- it's a rare experience to be interviewed by someone who has actually read your book. I have been asked several times to prepare five or six questions for an interviewer to ask me. I've shown up at the studio with the questions printed up. The first couple of times, I was surprised by this, but my publicist convinced me that this was a good thing. After all, if I was the one writing the questions, I would know the best way to answer them to put the book in a good light. I never quite got comfortable with this.

There are a couple of stories in the blogosphere today that have put this subject on my mind again. The first concerns the Tyra Banks Show. Apparently, after reading the essay Violet Blue published in O Magazine, Miz Banks invited her to be on the show. Imagine Violet's Blue's surprize when she found out the producers of the show had written out her answers in advance! (The whole sordid tale, here.)

I know the above is just the Tyra show and we aren't expecting any deepness there, but still.

Continue reading this entry

Posted at 08:30 AM | Comments (1)
Category: The Writing Life

Opportunities For Writers

There are some deadlines coming up, so here's a post.

Indiana Review wants your funk! They taking submissions for a special section "Focus On The Funk." Deadline is the end of the month. Read my interview with the editor.

The Isherwood Foundation gives $4,000 grants to writers who have published at least one book of fiction. Deadline, Oct. 1 (I have applied about a zillion times w/o any luck. If you win it, email me and tell me how!)

StoryQuarterly and Narrative magazines announce their annual contest. Over $5,700 in prizes are up for grabs.

Good luck, y'all, and if you win, email me so I can post an announcement. You know how much I looooove good news!

Posted at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Meet Guest Blogger, Tara Betts

You may remember about a year ago when I wrote a post about poet, Tara Betts. I had just heard her at a spoken word event in Washington, DC. The event struck me because Tara, who got her start in slam poetry-- even appearing on HBOs "Def Poetry Jam"-- was completing her MFA from New England College. I watch her her negogiate the scene in that DC coffee shop. At just 32, she was an elder in the crowd. I knew there was a story there. When she was invited to the 2007 National Poetry Slam to participate in "Legends of Slam" I asked her to bring a report back. To be honest, I was anticpating a piece that I could title "Life After Slam," or something like that. But as always, Tara avoids the obvious and the simple. You'll find her post below.

Posted at 07:33 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

My How We've Grown

I ran across this digital copy of my first author photo. I took this picture in the year 1999 after I got word that A) my book would be published and B)my publisher would not pay for a photo. (At this stage in my life, I had never even heard of Marion Ettlinger!)I didn't know what to do. A girlfriend said her boyfriend was a professoinal photographer and he lived in New Mexico. I was living in Arizona and I figure that a trip to the next-door state seemed reasonable.

The trip was 8 hours by car and New Mexico was a much higher altitude and it was COLD. Furthermore, New Mexico has a pretty significant tourist trade, so the only room we would afford was located the east side of Espanola-- the black tar herion capitol of the nation.

The boyfriend showed up and took this photo of me against the wall of a Super 8 hotel. I felt fortunate that it came out as well as it did.

Posted at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Planning Your Writerly Summer

Mail bag!

Just curious - what does it take to get your dance card so completely filled in for the summer? Do you get a break before you start up the round of applications and inquiries for next year? Can you tell us how much time/effort went into organizing your summer schedule? --AT

Thanks, AT, for your question. Below you'll find some tips!

Continue reading this entry

Posted at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Links and Such

What's the next best thing to going on Oprah? Pretending to have gone on Oprah!

There are grants available for NYC artists of color. Deadline is Sept 26, so get cracking!(thx sarah)

DC writers, don't forget that Frank X Walker and I are judging the PW Writers Exchange Award.

PEN-USA is accepting nominations for the 2008 Book Awards. Anyone can nominate, but the book must have been published in 2007 and the author must live west of the Mississippi.

Ed Champion emailed to say that the Science Fiction world doesn't get hung up on age when deciding who is a "new" writer.

Posted at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

The Privilege of "Youth"

In November, I will be 37 years old, which will make me 2 years over the hill. The hill I am thinking about in particular is the "young writer" category. Every year there are "exciting" lists of the best new writers under a certain age. Twice this month, I have been asked if I were under thirty-five. "Oh darn," the person said. "I wanted to nominate you for something."

I have always felt a little iffy about such lists-- it's even worse now that I have aged out. My question is what does age have to do with what is new in writing. My concern has grown as I have worked with many fine writers who are over 35, over 45, over 55, who are busy writing thier first novels. These writers are certainly new writers, but they are not going to be eligible for these splashy lists.

I now am wondering if these lists are inherently biased in terms of socio-economic class. Think about it. Most of what anyone, not just writers, accomplish at a young age has much to do with that person's family background. It takes a few years for the boot-strappy among us catch up with the accomplishments of the silver-spoon crowd.

Why shouldn't these lists of new writers be determined by the author's publishing history? I know that "Best New Writers Who Have Published Two or Fewer Books" doesn't have the same ring of "Best New Writers Under 30", but it makes a whole lot more sense.

Posted at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Info-train!

Each of the students in my class at Callaloo is asked to bring in a writing resource or opportunity and share it with the class. Gimbiya (on the right) and Nicole (in the middle) made thier offerings today. The info was too good to keep to ourselves.

Gimbiya told us about about yahoo group, CRWROPPS-B. This listserv will keep you abreast of contests, deadlines, etc.

Nicole gave us a 2-fer. She first told us about duotrope.com.

a database of over 1925 current markets for short fiction, poetry, and novels/collections. ...free services we offer writers and editors, including a free online submissions tracker for registered users.

She then told us about the Gwendolyn Brooks Literary Awards.

Thank you for sharing with us!

Posted at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

One Week Down, One To Go!

Well, the first week of Callaloo is over. Here are my students from the first session. You can see that they are a nice looking bunch of folks, but what you can't see is that they are really smart.

Posted at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Funky Q&A With Abdel Shakur

Abdel Shakur is the editor of Indiana Review. I met him this past February at the AWP Conference in Atlanta. He's a baby-faced brother, with an old-school aesthetic. Yesterday, he sent me an email telling me that he was about to start accepting submissions for a special issue on Funk. I was a little confused.

T: For some reason when I think of Indiana, "funky" isn't exactly what comes to mind. Actually, for me, nothing much comes to mind. Well, the Jackson 5, but that was a long time ago. What has possessed Indiana Review to "Focus on the Funk" ?

A: Well, I should say right off the top that Indiana Review's editorial staff is comprised of MFA students in Indiana University's creative writing program. Although Indiana may not be the funkiest place you can imagine (even though "I'm going back to Indiana," is the hit!), we have a diverse group of writers with some very funky aesthetics.

T: So how did you come up with the idea? And then, was it hard to get it approved?

A: Actually, I really wasn't trying to do a special issue this year. The editor position at IR is for only one year, and a lot of my focus this year is on strengthening the magazine as an institution. But I was soliciting work for the new issue and I contacted poet Thomas Sayers Ellis. He sent me a beautiful series of photographs he took at the James Brown memorial in Harlem. That got me to thinking. I saw James Brown in concert when he came to Bloomington last year;he had this energy that was just so, so, good. That energy is one of the essences of funk for me. Plus, my dad raised me on P-Funk, so it's a family thang as well.

T: What is "Funk" exactly?

A: George Clinton said that funk has the power to move and re-move, and I think that's a good place to start. Instead of trying to define exactly what funk "is," it's probably a lot more productive to describe what it does. Funk is completely dynamic and organic. It's all about change and subversion. Like a hamhock in your cornflakes. The purpose of the special section is not necessarily to make IR the arbiters of funkiness, but to offer our readers a range of engaging interpretations of funk. Hopefully we'll feature some work that makes you want to jump back and kiss yourself.

T: If people want to submit, where can they go for more info?

A: You can find more information at our website and blog. When our reading period opens September 1 st (we'll still be accepting regular submissions, by the way) if you have work you'd like us to consider for this special section, please mark it "Attn: Funk Editor". Indiana Review can only contain so much funk, so we'll only be reading for this section during the month of September. Any submissions after that will be returned.

T: "Funk Editor." I bet you love that. Are you having that printed on your business cards? OK, let's play a game. I name something and you say funky or not funky.

A: Okay

T:The Brand New Heavies?
A: Funky.
T: Preternaturally funky.

T: Nina Simone?
A: The high priestess of funk. Check out "Mississippi Goddamn"

T: Golf?
A: It's just not funky. Lo siento. However, Tiger Woods-- despite himself, funky at times.

T: Geckos?
A: Unfunky. Salamanders-- funky, definitely.

T: Cat Stevens?
A: Possibly funky. They don’t let him fly on airplanes no more.

T: Yoga?
A: No offense to yoga, but not funky.

T: Toni Morrison?
A: Sula’s got some funk.

T: Orchids?
A: Beautiful, but not funky.

T: Kevin Federline?
A: Dirty, certainly. Funky? No.

T: Barack Obama?
A: It's too early to tell. But Michelle, on the other hand, has a PhD in Funk.

Posted at 02:55 PM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Summer Report: The Cave Canem Song

by Guest Blogger, NICOLE SEALEY

In 2004, I applied and was accepted to Cave Canem’s (CC) New York regional poetry workshop with Patricia Smith and, as my mother would say, “[began] to smell myself” soon after. In other words, I got cocky. I just knew I was a shoe-in for the summer retreat that same year. I mean, I got into Patricia’s workshop, and she’s an award winning stage and page poet. How hard could it be? So, I decided to apply for—and get into—the summer retreat, and wear the coveted title of “fellow” humbly. All that to say, I did not get in that year…or the next.

Though I’ve been writing creatively since I was eight (even won an essay contest in 3rd grade for my letter to Santa), I wasn’t quite ready to be a poetry fellow. CC knew this and demanded more of me and my work. Come to think of it, I am grateful for that time and the opportunity that followed. Rejection gave me the time needed to ready myself and my writing. In 2006, I was accepted. The third time was definitely my charm.

To prepare I began thinking about subjects I want to write about, writing in different forms and reading, reading, reading. I thought a lot about women in prison and teen-aged mothers. I tried my hand at Sonnets and Villanelles (my favorite form). I read Tyehimba Jess’ Leadbelly, Terrance Hayes’ Hip Logic, Patricia Smith’s Teahouse of the Almighty and others. And, after all that, I was still felt unprepared and anxious—not at all knowing what to expect or what they expected of me. This was just the prep, the warm-up…CC would be the intensive, and I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.

Continue reading this entry

Posted at 07:58 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Guest Bloggers , The Writing Life

A Room of My Own or Just One I Can Borrow

I don't know when I became such a whiner and a diva. I wrote my first novel, Leaving Atlanta, in two places-- on a wobbly picnic table crammed onto my tiny porch overlooking a parking lot and in a corner of a walk-in closet. Despite my humble beginnings, I am now looking for a ideal spot to do my work.

(I should say that I am only an entry-level diva. Maya Angelou , a more practiced diva, writes in a 5-star hotel. She takes all the paintings off the wall, and orders up a bottle of sherry, while her driver waits outside. I am thinking more of a clean space. 4 walls. Maybe access to a coffee machine. No phone or email. Perhaps a water dispenser and flowers once a week?)

Here are the options:

My very own apartment. After all, I am paying a grip to live up in here; modest though the accommodations may be, I might as well use every inch of it. I do have an extra room, but it's not open and inviting like my studio at MacDowell. Also, my neighbors can be sorta, well, LOUD.

The public library. It's within walking distance. I am a writer, not a sculptor, so it's not like I have to drag a lot of equipment around with me. The downside is that the library is not always open and I can't leave anything there for another time. But the upside is lots of reference materials.

Random coffee shops. There are many in this area. But is it right just to sit and sit and sit? I am not going to drink fifty cups of coffee to earn my keep. Also, people come in and are loud sometimes. AND, I am a bit of a chatterbox. I can distract myself talking to strangers.

The last options are rented writing spaces. There are two in NY that I know of.

The most famous is The Writers Room

For more than twenty-five years, The Writers Room has offered writers a tranquil, creative setting to pursue their work. A non-profit organization, the Room offers subsidized workspace that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. As testament to the productivity of the place, in 2005 there were more than four dozen fiction and non-fiction publications and several films optioned and plays by writers put into production.

Maud has just posted about The Mercantile Library's "Writers' Studio"

The Merc offers each writer a private desk, a personal locker, an up-to-date reference library, comfortable chairs, electrical outlets for portable and laptop computers, wireless access to the internet, and a refreshment lounge located on the premises.

All writers in residence at the Merc also receive a complimentary Library membership. A Merc Membership gives access to one of the best fiction and mystery collections in the country, all our mainstream and literary periodicals, use of the Reading Room, and advance notice and free or reduced price admission to all of our terrific programming.

As you can imagine these things cost money. The Merc will run between $100-130 a month and The Writers Room is about $120-150 a month.

Whatever I decide, I need to do it soon. I don't want to lose the momentum I gained at MacDowell!

Posted at 07:51 AM | Comments (3)
Category: The Writing Life

Back To Life, Back to Reality

Well, my time here at MacDowell is over. The seven weeks were well spent. I’ve posted my final word-o-meter below. I cam here with the goal of writing fifty good-looking pages and I am leaving with one-hundred. I’ve also gained something else. I am feeling at home again with my manuscript.

For “Tombstone Tuesday”, I went around to the various studios to find the names of writers that you would recognize. I felt especially moved by the names of those writers who have passed away. What I didn’t post on the blog were the signatures of the writers whom we haven’t heard of who are still chugging away.

There are so many names on the wall of folks I know—I’ve met them at festivals, conferences, etc. Some of them signed their names on the wall ten years ago, but they haven’t yet published. I don’t know where they are today, but I hope that they are still writing, still making art. I hope they are at home with their manuscripts (their paintings, their sculptures, or compositions) and still moving forward.

I have had the pleasure and privilege of meeting dozens of artists in all different fields, at all different levels of their careers. There are whippersnappers just starting out and veterans taking breaks from the limelight. Some people are in residence for the whole summer, while others could only take two weeks away from their jobs, kids, lives. Being here reminds me that there are many ways to be an artist. You just make the most of the time and opportunities that you have. No matter what our positions are, I think we all – to quote Renee Simms—“jazz” our way through.

Before I end this post, I want to thank you all for hanging in there with me and the blog. I know haven’t posted as often as I usually do and being here, I am sort of out of the loop of things happening in the literary world. Thanks for stopping by anyway. Thank you for all the letters, cards, and care packages you sent. I know everybody is busy, so thank you thank you for sharing your time with me.

I’m hitting the road now. I’ll post again as I get myself settled.

Love,

Tayari

Posted at 07:31 AM | Comments (1)
Category: The Writing Life

Summer Report: Tin House Workshops

FeLicia Elam, a member of our blog community, attened the Tin House Summer Writers Workshops this summer. Now that she's back, I asked her a few questions. See our Q&A below. (If you are interested in summer workshops in your area, visit the AWP website or pick up a copy of Poets & Writers Magazine!)

Q&A with FeLicia Elam:
Tayari: How did you first start attending workshops? How did you choose the Tin House workshop?
FeLicia: Attending workshops came as a natural progression of my writing career. Initially I wrote stories until I felt comfortable sharing them. Then I found a critique group and stayed with them for three years, completing nine stories and getting two published. When I wanted a challenge as a writer so I could grow, I started attending week-long, intensive workshops.

This year I was accepted into Tin House at Reed College in my new city, Portland, Oregon. I applied to Tin House because they have an excellent quarterly magazine and a publishing company. Additionally, Tin House is known for pulling in top notch writers, and their students have a habit of returning. I have attended two ten-week long workshops here and could tell how much my writing has improved.

Once you decided on Tin House, how did you decide which writer you wanted to work with?
I had to select three teachers from the short story section in order of choice; not all workshops give that option. I got my first pick, Colson Whitehead. He’s one of today’s top writers, well-respected with four published works since 1999. A key to getting the most from workshops is to choose carefully. Find a writer who writes similarly to you. If you’re not familiar with the writers, read some of their work and then determine who best fits your style.

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Posted at 08:13 AM | Comments (4)
Category: Guest Bloggers , The Writing Life

Who is Harriet Klausner?

Is she the nicest woman in the book world? A secret agent of Amazon.com? Who knows, but Bloggasm has been looking into it. Kelausner has submitedt more than 12,000 on-line reviews since the year 2000. It seems that most of all her reviews are positive, which sort of hurt my feelings since I thought the 5 stars she gave me on amazon were something special. (Ten stars if you add up the scores for both books.)

Some authors complain that she reads books too quickly-- after all, at 12,000 books in 7 years, she is averaging more than four books a day. I did notice that she mis-identified the character "Kenny" in Leaving Atlanta. She calls him Octavia mother's boyfriend, when Kenny is really the mother's brother. (He is called "Uncle Kenny" throughout the text!)

I wasn't sure if this was due to quick reading or to certain assumptions that people make about working class households, particularly female-headed ones. More than one reviewer made this mistake, although I deliberately didn't give Octavia's mother a boyfriend. I often use this example in my classes to illustrate that sometimes you work really hard to avoid stereoptypes and your readers can put them in for you.

But back to Klausner-- the funny this is that most people are so annoyed that she gives so many positive reviews. I just think of her as the anti-Kirkus. They don't really read the books either, but they procede to slam just about everybody.

(thx ed for the link)

Posted at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Tombstone Tuesday!

Dudley Randall, publisher of Broadside Press stayed here. I love thinking of Dudley Randall, that great warrior of poetry who hustled so hard for so long, putting his feet up in the The Watson Studio. (This studio currently occupied by a composer, Yevgeniy Sharlat. I must thank him for letting me take a look around.)

You may remember when I first got here that I mentioned that some studios are pretty fancy? Well, this one is-- inside and out!

Posted at 12:12 PM | Comments (1)
Category: The Writing Life

Dag-nabbit!

I am so sorry! I made a mistake last month when I said that this was the year for New Jersey Artists Grants for writing. It's next year. So sorry for the inconvenience and any disappointment!

Posted at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)
Category: The Writing Life

Beyond the McMillian Moment

In yesterday’s NYT, Martha Southgate wonders why there are so few African American writers of literary fiction. She asked around and gets the opinion of writers and publishers alike. (She even has a quote from me.)

As is de rigueur for such conversations, some space is given to what I am calling "The McMillian Moment." This occurred when the publication of Terry McMillian’s blockbuster, Waiting to Exhale, made it clear that black people read books, too. This was reason to celebrate, but the sinister flip side of this statement has gone unchallenged: that a white readership will not send a book by a black writer to the top of the charts. And, the sad reality, that books by African American authors seldom reach the middle of the charts either.

In Southgate’s article, Calvin Reid, a senior news editor at Publishers Weekly says it’s about economics, not race-- but the two have never been separate in this country. It’s true that publishers are reluctant to sign up an author whose books do not have good sales records. Large corporations cannot satisfy their shareholders with stacks of gorgeous reviews but no accompanying revenue.

The result of this is a lack of support for diversity and innovation in the field of African American literature. Let’s just think about it. Across the board, literary fiction sells fewer copies that mysteries, romances, thrillers and other genre fiction. If you are an author of literary fiction that doesn’t have access to the “wider population”, you must write something that will appeal to a broad swatch of the population to which you do have access. This means that work that is experimental, quirky, disturbing, lengthy, etc. has very little chance of making acceptable numbers to ensure another contract for its author. I know this is true of all writers—publishing is a nasty business-- but it provides a special challenge for African American writers.