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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS

REFLECTION ON A WRITER'S BIRTHDAY

Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm in my sixth decade, and as I sit here at the computer wondering how to define this point in my life, I realize I'm okay with it all. 

First of all, I have family. My heart goes out to those missing theirs, and I see on Facebook several of my fans who have lost spouses in the last two years. A day doesn't go by that I do not silently wish them well. That's an adaptation I do not look forward to. Maybe I won't have to. 

I am not blind, however, to the fact that sometimes folks look at me as an older woman first before they see what I'm about. Especially in person. Everyone does it to a certain degree, making preliminary assumptions about someone due to their years, hair color, and lines around their eyes. I fight hard not to do that, and I work hard to avoid judging others. I can control me. I cannot control them. 

I avoid saying the word retirement. I retired from another profession that served me well, and few people realize that. But that's okay. I am the sum total of my past, and what you see today is fine with me.

As many of you know, I work out at a strength gym, something I started earlier this year. My lovely son is a trainer, and he is proud his mother attempts to stay fit...getting fitter. It's a way of giving my middle finger to Father Time, I guess, and to be honest, it makes people respect me more. I wear my leggings and tank tee to the coffee shop when checking on my books or grabbing a coffee. Frankly, I started doing that to promote the gym, as a walking billboard for it since I know a few folks around here, but the respect I've received has utterly amazed and thrilled me. 

But more so than appearance, more importantly, being healthier helps me think, gives me ideas, fleshes out my days with more energy. My posture is better. My thinking clearer. 

My writing is near and dear and precious. Becoming more adept at  wordsmithing thrills me more than just about anything in the world. Someone thanking me for my books is the ultimate high. For that moment I am not just an old woman. 

One of the most important aspects of becoming older for a writer is gathering the depth, breadth, and history of stories. That time has leant itself to me in the form of more sentences, more vocabulary, and more books. I have this incredibly deep well of material to mesh into stories and years of practice to do it with. 

That said, I didn't start writing my stories until age 44. I didn't publish until age 52. I thought I was old both times. Now here I am, living the life I want to live. I'm not a New York Times Bestselling author, but I am a happy one still paving her life, dictating how to live it to my satisfaction. 

There are lots of worries in becoming and remaining a writer. It's not an simple profession, despite what non-writers may envision. But it can be an incredibly gratifying one, mirroring you to the world so that they aren't so quick to interpret you through only appearance. Being a writer can make you seem oh so wise, not only to others but to yourself as well, and self-esteem is very important. 

"People ask: “Would you or would you not like to be young again?” Of course, it is really one of those foolish questions that never should be asked, because there is no real answer. You cannot be young again. You cannot unroll that snowball. There is no “you” except through your life you have lived. But apart from that, when you rise from what somebody calls “the banquet of life,” would you want to sit down to it again? When you have climbed the hill, and the view is just breaking, do you want to reclimb it? A thousand times no! Anyone who honestly wants to be young again has never lived, only imagined, only masqueraded. Of course, if you never eat, you keep your appetite for dinner."

~Jane Ellen Harrison - great classics scholar and linguist, September 9, 1850–April 15, 1928.

16697465 © Ongap | Dreamstime.com
 

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Featured article

How to Conduct an Interview Journalistically

By Orrin Konheim

While a journalistic interview seems like a chummy experience at first glance, it can often be a complicated dance. The interviewer has to build rapport and keep the subject engaged in conversation while also keeping in mind that the person you are talking to isn't your customer or boss.

As someone who has worked most of the past dozen years freelance, I often liken it to that of a substitute teacher (a job I have also suffered) in that you have to maintain boundary lines with your subjects or you'll get walked all over.

As you start to talk with the source, there's usually a sussing out on both sides. It self-consciously happens in every conversation but this is a heightened experience since the stakes are higher.

From your end, you're trying to figure out what kind of a source they are. Nearly all sources have something they want out of it: They could have something to promote (often more the case in soft journalism), they could have a message they want to get out, or they need to look good (especially in the case of a publicity representative). If not, why are they participating?

To what degree do they have skin in the game and how far are they willing to go to control the final product?  I find it best not to be overt about the transactional nature of this relationship. If they see you as little more than a promotional vessel, let them be the first to put their foot in their mouth with that mistaken assumption.

In the interim, show your professionalism. This is what's at stake for them: The source is taking a leap of faith that their story is in good hands.

But there's a catch: You can only show them so much. The person you interview is not your boss.

At the very end of something like 80% of all interviews I have ever conduct ed, there will be the uncomfortable moment when the subject asks if they see the piece before it goes to publication. The answer is always no. But here's the kicker: You have the upper hand. You already have the answers and you are free to publish it. At that point, you can stop interviewing them and write your story. Remember, you are being chummy, but it is a transaction and they're asking you to do something that will compromise your job.

At the same time, in most situations with regard to local journalism, you absolutely need to be diplomatic at the very least. Outright hostility is not going to go over well and if you get a complaint, it could even cost you standing or your job. This is why it's important to be cordial but clear about your boundaries.

The best thing to do is show them a well-written piece illustrating the industry standard like this. 

What you can do is read quotes back to the source AT YOUR DISCRETION.

You also should mention that it's not your final copy that goes into print because it goes through an editor anyway.  It's a good-cop-bad-cop variation where I say "oh, I'd love to help you, but the editor has his rules."

Besides, this can been prone to happen when an editor (hopefully, you won't have one of these) puts you in a bad situation. I once wrote a story about a local stamp and coin store and the editor made the unusual decision not to have me to correspond with the stamp owner about areas of concern. I told the stamp owner next time he called that I was unable to discuss the piece any further. He rightfully got very upset that I broke a promise to him. A few years later, I passed by his shop and I apologized about the whole thing. On another occasion, an editor asked me to grill the subject to the point of exhaustion and I had to perform the most tactful of high wire acts in explaining how not in control I was.

Some sticky situations can also originate from the subjects. In a story of a Salvadorean pupeseria and the owner's son originally gave a great interview but decided that there was sensitive material that his father didn't want to share about an ongoing Civil War.  I had to make a hard decision about how to proceed. I compromised with him about not writing new material or asking the owner new questions but I researched around what I didn't have and published an article with more quotes from outside family members than originally planned.

As is often the case with most participants who are iffy about participation, they ended up liking the article despite their momentary hesitation.

And that's what your job is about: Extracting information while building trust.  As previously mentioned, you can't do it by being transactional. In other words, you can't entice them with what you can give them (technically you can, but it doesn't work well, despite what TV shows like "Inventing Anna" will have you believe). On the other hand, you can promise that if they weigh in on this important story, it will be faithfully told and that the process will be as unintrusive as possible on their time. It's an art. If done right, most subjects will see the benefit of following your lead.  

BIO: Orrin Konheim is a freelance writer centering in local journalism with publication credits in over three dozen publications over the past dozen years including the Washington Times, the Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Gothamist, and Virginia Magazine. His body of work can best be seen at https://muckrack.com/orrin-konheim.
 

4675760 © Vladyslav Surnin | Dreamstime.com
 

COmpetitions

Registration Closes Oct. 1 for Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop

The Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop has a limited number of seats available for the Oct. 20-22 gathering. Registration deadline: Oct. 1 (or a sellout).

It’s a workshop for writers of all genres and all levels of writing experience. The classes are offered multiple times. Keynote speakers at meals will not only inspire and educate you but entertain you as well. Best of all, it offers time away for you to refuel.

The workshop will feature celebrated comedians and authors, including "Cathy" cartoonist Cathy Guisewite, "Saturday Night Live" legend Laraine Newman, New York Times bestselling authors W. Bruce Cameron and Adriana Trigiani, screenwriter Cathryn Michon, improviser and comedian Dion Flynn, and award-winning author Katrina Kittle.

The $499 fee includes all meals, keynote talks, choice of dozens of workshops, and a complimentary virtual package of the keynotes and Pitchapalooza. Discover more and register here. For the virtual option only, the registration fee is $79. From the comfort of your home (think: pajamas!) you can enjoy the keynote talks and Pitchapalooza, participate in a live chat with other writers joining virtually or tap back in later at your convenience.

Register here.

= = = = 


WHEN FICTION COMES TRUE SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://oprellepublications.submittable.com/submit
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 31, 2022. First place $250, featured writer in our newsletter, story posted on our blog, certificate. Second place $150, story posted on our blog, certificate. Third place $100, certificate. A genre always eager to be our outlet for our frustration and dissatisfaction is dystopian fiction. We challenge our writers to write, in 600-3,000 words or less, a short story that takes place in a dystopian setting. All subgenres of fiction are accepted such as, action, romance, mystery, thriller, etc. We’re looking for something deeply stirring, with powerful language and allusions that give us goosebumps.

LETTER REVIEW PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://letterreview.com/letter-review-prize-for-poetry/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 31, 2022. First place receives $1000 USD and publication at Letter Review. Second place receives $50 USD and publication. Third place receives $50 USD and publication. A longlist of twenty and a shortlist of ten will be acknowledged, who will also have the option to discuss publication. The Prize is open to writers from anywhere in the world. To enter costs $20 USD for up to six poems. Entry is $35 USD for 12 poems, and $45 USD for 18. Each poem should not exceed 70 lines. No subject or style restrictions.

BLUE MOUNTAIN ARTS POETRY CARD CONTEST
https://www.sps.com/contest-3
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. First prize $350. Second prize $200. Third prize: $100. Poems can be rhyming or non-rhyming, although we find that non-rhyming poetry reads better.

SATOR NEW WORKS AWARD
https://twodollarradio.submittable.com/submit/165189/sator-new-works-award-submission
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. The Sator New Works Award will be awarded to a book-length work of either fiction or non-fiction by an author who identifies as trans or nonbinary. The submitted manuscript must be an original work of at least 30,000 words in length, written by one author, in English. The selected work will be published by Two Dollar Radio in 2024, and will receive a $3,000 advance on publication.

TREEHOUSE CLIMATE ACTION POEM PRIZE
https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/prizes/treehouse-climate-action-poem-prize
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline November 15, 2022. Given to honor exceptional poems that help make real for readers the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment at present. Established in 2019 with generous support from Treehouse Investments, the prize will honor three poets. First place will receive $1,000; second place, $750; and third place, $500. In addition, all three poems will be published in the popular Poem-a-Day series, which is distributed to 500,000 readers. Poems may also be featured in the award-winning education series Teach This Poem, which serves 35,000 educators each week. US citizens and residents only. Poets may submit only one poem for consideration.

ALICE FAY DI CASTAGNOLA AWARD
https://poetrysociety.org/awards/annual-awards/poetry-society-of-america-awards
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. Poetry Society of America members can enter all awards for free.
For ten pages of poetry from a manuscript-in-progress. $1,000 award. 

OTHER POETRY SOCIETY OF AMERICA POETRY CONTESTS
https://poetrysociety.org/awards/annual-awards/poetry-society-of-america-awards
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline December 31, 2022. Poetry Society of America members can enter all awards for free.
Emily Dickinson Award - $250 for a short poem no longer than 16 lines. 
Cecil Hemley Memorial Award - $500 - For a narrative poem. 
Lyric Poetry Award - $500 - For a lyric poem on any subject. 
Lucille Medwick Memorial Award - $500 - For a prose poem.
George Bogin Memorial Award - $500 - For a selection of four or five poems that use language in an original way to reflect the encounter of the ordinary and the extraordinary and to take a stand against oppression in any of its forms.
Robert H. Winner Memorial Award - $2,500 - For a manuscript of 10 pages by a mid-career poet who has not had substantial recognition. Open to poets 40 and over who have published no more than one full-length collection of poetry. Poets who have not published a poetry collection are eligible.

THE WRITER MAGAZINE FALL SHORT STORY CONTEST
https://www.writermag.com/contests/
$25-30 ENTRY FEE. Early deadline October 25, 2022. Last call deadline November 8, 2022. Submit works in any genre – fiction OR nonfiction – in less than 2,000 words for your chance to win $1,000 and publication in our magazine. Our grand-prize winner will receive $1,000, our second-place winner will receive $500, and our third-place winner will receive $250. The first-place story will also appear in a print issue of The Writer. 

PORTER FLEMING LITERARY COMPETITION
https://www.themorris.org/porter-fleming-literary-competition/details/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline February 13, 2023. Open to Writers ages 18 and older who reside in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The competition is administered, with the support of the Porter Fleming Foundation, by the Morris Museum of Art, the first museum in the country to focus on the art and artists of the American South. $7,000 in cash awards. 

Literary competition categories:
Fiction—Short stories only (2,500 words maximum)
Nonfiction—Article or essay (2,500 words maximum)
Poetry—(Up to three poems per entry, not to exceed five pages total per entry)
One-Act Play—(Professional format required; limited to fifteen pages, double-spaced) 

 

GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING

 

MASSACHUSETTS STARS RESIDENCIES
https://massculturalcouncil.org/education/stars-residencies/faqs/
Deadline October 25, 2022. STARS Residencies support three-day-plus residencies that bring students and teachers together with practicing artists, scientists, and humanists to create rich cultural experiences. These residencies help youth build confidence, discover hidden talents, explore the natural world, understand their place in history, and rise as leaders in their community. Residences must last a minimum of three days. Grants range from $2,500 to $6,100. Cultural partners can be either independent teaching artists, scientists or humanists, or a nonprofit organization that provides the teaching artist, scientist, or humanist to lead the residency.

WNDB MENTORSHIPS
https://diversebooks.org/programs/mentorship-program/
Deadline September 30, 2022. The Mentorship program aims to support writers and illustrators by pairing them with an experienced professional in the field.  Our mentors work one-on-one with a mentee and their completed draft of a manuscript over the course of a year, offering advice to improve craft and to better understand the publishing industry. The writing mentorships are available to diverse writers or any writers or illustrators who have completed a full draft of a manuscript for children or teens featuring a diverse main character or diverse central subject matter. The illustration mentorship is available to any diverse illustrator who has a portfolio and several sample illustrations completed.  

AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY FELLOWSHIPS
https://www.americanantiquarian.org/artistfellowships
Deadline October 5, 2022. The American Antiquarian Society offers visiting fellowships for historical research by creative and performing artists, writers, film makers, journalists, and other persons whose goals are to produce imaginative works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history, literature, and culture. Successful applicants are those whose work is for the general public rather than for academic or educational audiences. The fellowships will provide the recipients with the opportunity for a period of uninterrupted research, reading, and collegial discussion at the Society, located in Worcester, Massachusetts. At least three fellowships will be awarded for residence of four weeks at the Society at any time during the period January 1 through December 31. The stipend will be $2,000 for fellows residing off campus. Fellows will not be paid a travel allowance. 

ATLANTIC COUNTY ARTS RENEWAL GRANTS
https://atlanticcityartsfoundation.org/grant
Deadline October 27, 2022. Open to Atlantic Count, New Jersey artists whose income was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Applications will be reviewed by a panel appointed by the South Jersey Cultural Alliance. Twenty-two $1,000 grants will be awarded. 

  

FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS

NEWS FROM NATIVE CALIFORNIA
https://www.heydaybooks.com/roundhouse/
A quarterly magazine connecting readers to the West Coast’s original voices, News from Native California publishes essays, news stories, poems, artwork, and tribal histories about and by Indigenous people. Informing and inspiring readers since 1987, this first-of-its-kind publication celebrates and honors the culture, heritage, and social justice work of Native Californians—past, present, and future. 

PATH OF ABSOLUTE POWER ANTHOLOGY
http://dyskami.ca/news.html
Deadline December 31, 2022. Dyskami Publishing Company is seeking short story submissions for our upcoming superhero fiction anthology. Stories will be set in the fictional comic book universe of the Absolute Power tabletop role-playing game (the second edition of the Silver Age Sentinels RPG) and is a thematic follow-up sequel to the Path of the Just (2003) and Path of the Bold (2004) anthologies published by Guardians of Order. This anthology will contain traditional short story fiction and is not a LitRPG or GameLit work, however; the powerful, dramatic narratives should be decoupled from role-playing game mechanics. Stories should explore the actions of heroes, villains, and neutrals as they navigate the enticement of great power in a world of normal people. Length: 3,000 to 7,000 words. Pays 5-12 US cents/word (depending on author experience/profile/publications). 

THE SUN
https://www.thesunmagazine.org
Seeking short stories and personal essays for The Sun magazine that will make the editors laugh. When you message the editor, provide a summary of your piece. They only read finished stories and essays. If 
interested, they follow up and ask you to email the submission. Direct message https://twitter.com/Barelyoutofblue (Anna Gazmarian). Pays Nonfiction/Fiction $300 to $2,000 and Poetry $100 to $250. The Sun is an independent magazine that uses words and photographs to evoke the splendor and heartache of being human.

I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
http://icareifyoulisten.com/about/
Currently accepting pitches from guest authors interested in discussing the issues in our creative ecosystem. Pays $500 for 1,500 words. Query Amanda Cook, Editor at editor@icareifyoulisten.com. I Care If You Listen (ICIYL) is an award-winning multimedia hub for living music creators powered by American Composers Forum (ACF).

AUDUBON MAGAZINE
https://www.audubon.org/news/how-pitch-stories-audubon
For more than a century Audubon magazine has used explanatory and advocacy journalism, as well as stunning original photography and illustration, to celebrate the joy and wonder of birds and to inform its readers about the natural world, inspire them to care passionately about that world, and motivate them to take action on its behalf. Pitch Jessice Leber, Senior Editor at jleber@audubon.org. Our editors are interested in shorter pieces that generally run fewer than 1,200 words for both our quarterly print magazine and website. We also consider a wide range of freelance pitches for longer pieces, from in-depth investigations and trailblazer profiles to package features and reported or personal essays; these usually range from around 1,500 words to 4,000 words, and our sweet spot is about 3,000 words. For online news articles, explainers, Q&As, and other stories that typically run less than 1,200 words, we pay $.50/word, but the rate may rise with time commitment and reporting intensity. We expect writers to stick closely to the assigned word count and we pay based on the final word count. Pay for longer essays is $1/word but can go up depending on the piece. Pay for features, both in print and online, is $1.50/word. Feature packages equivalent to a six-page story in print start at a $2,500 project fee and rise from there. 

TALK POVERTY
https://talkpoverty.org/
Interested in pieces about technology and electricity in marginalized communities in the US. Have a pitch about a tech fix for a policy problem that backfired? A place still missing a basic technology? A memoir about getting access to something? Email Mara Pellittieri, Editor in Chief at mpellittieri@americanprogress.org. Seeking a mix of graphic journalism, first person essays, poetry, and other forms. Budget is about $1,000 per piece.

KINDRED
https://www.parents.com/kindred/
Pitch Kelly Glass, Editorial Director. Seeks pitches from Afro Latinx writers with stories that tell a family experience while resisting the white gaze. What stories about your family, families in your community, or your experiences parenting have you been looking to tell? Pitch us at kindred@dotdashmdp.com.
Pays $250 to $400+, depending on the length.

 

Publishers/agents

HEYDAY BOOKS
https://www.heydaybooks.com/about/
Heyday promotes civic engagement and social justice, celebrates nature’s beauty, supports California Indian cultural renewal, and explores the state’s rich history, culture, and influence. Heyday works to realize the California dream of equity and enfranchisement. Also, Heyday’s California Indian publishing program brings books by and about Native Californians to press.

GROUNDWOOD BOOKS
https://houseofanansi.com/pages/groundwood-submissions
Groundwood Books publishes award-winning literary picture books, fiction, poetry, nonfiction and graphic novels from Canada and around the world. Before submitting, prospective authors are encouraged to visit a library or bookstore to familiarize themselves with our books in order to judge their work’s compatibility with our publishing program. 

COACH HOUSE BOOKS
https://chbooks.com/About-us/Submissions
Coach House publishes innovative poetry, literary fiction, drama and select nonfiction. We do not publish children’s books, cookbooks, fantasy, historical romances, memoirs, mysteries, science fiction, or self-help books. We publish primarily Canadian authors. 

DUNDURN PRESS
https://www.dundurn.com/resources/submissions
We are an independent and Canadian-owned publisher of contemporary trade fiction and nonfiction. Our books amplify and elevate exceptional writers and reflect the world, satisfy curiosity, enlighten, and entertain.
We are currently accepting literary fiction and literary nonfiction such as memoir. We are also seeking nonfiction across numerous genres. We will be closing submissions in November 2022, so be certain to email your manuscript or proposal by October 31, 2022. Note that being a Canadian press, the majority of their authors are Canadian. 

FREEHAND PRESS
https://freehand-books.com/submissions/
Freehand publishes innovative and literary novels, short story collections, graphic literature, and works of creative non-fiction.  We do not currently publish poetry, young adult fiction, or children’s books. We only publish Canadian authors.

HACHETTE AUSTRALIA
https://www.hachette.com.au/submissions/
Hachette Australia is one of Australia’s largest publishers and we are always looking for the opportunity to publish great stories. We are not accepting fiction submissions at the moment, but we do welcome submissions from nonfiction and children’s book writers who are residents of Australia or New Zealand. We are not looking for science fiction/fantasy, horror, illustrated books, cookbooks, poetry, screenplays or academic works. 
 

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