Volume 9, Issue 18
May 3, 2009

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FUNDS FOR WRITERS

Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

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Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others. Use information
listed at your own risk. FundsforWriters gives no warranty to
completeness, accuracy, or fitness of the markets, contests and grants
although research is done to the best of our ability.

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PAID SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
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need to know and the questions you should be asking when
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offs and scams.

Don't miss this informative free tele-class when VIP Authors
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Details: http://vipauthors.com
 

                 
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EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
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Read newsletter online at: http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFW.htm
Read past issues at: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?fundsforwriters

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NOTE:
While Plenty appears to be up-to-date, I found a source
that confirmed that Plenty Magazine no longer publishes,
and in fact, their material was bought up by Mother
Nature Network. No more magazine as of two months ago.
Dang, these mags are dropping like flies!

http://www.plentymag.com/guidelines.php

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A GRANT, A RETREAT, AND POETRY WRAPPED UP IN ONE

WITS (Writers in the Schools) is a group in Houston, Texas
that combines writers and school children, infusing into
schools a love of writing. The end of April, they took a
grant from Shell Oil and held a retreat at The Houston
Arboretum and Nature Center, inviting children to enjoy
nature while listening to poetry developed from the past
year's programs.

From the WITS website:

Although the focus of the organization's work takes place
in inner-city public schools, WITS also teaches children in
art museums, hospitals, community centers, private schools,
and juvenile detention centers. WITS years of experience
have shown that creative exploration and the resulting self-
confidence can have a positive effect on the self-esteem of
almost any child, regardless of race, gender, or economic
standing.

Their site boasts 35 volunteer writers, all with serious
credentials. WITS is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization.
That often makes people sigh and walk away from such a
creative idea like WITS and its mission, but you can find
an existing non-profit, partner with it, and pull off such
a similar program as this. Consider these ideas:

1. Teach children to write in a museum
2. Take stay-at-home moms to a park to write
3. Draw nine-to-five workers away to a retreat setting
4. Advise the recently unemployed how to enter the writing scene
5. Combine teachers and children's writers for a weekend
   of literary discussion
6. Meet to cover the arts in a healthcare environment
7. Provide business tools to the artistic
8. Bridge history and the literary arts in a state park,
   museum or historical location.

So what if you're not a non-profit? Partner with one or
consider going it as a club, a group, a serious bunch of
writers interested in spreading knowledge. Seek corporate
sponsors from your community. Solicit funds from your state
arts or humanities councils.

I'm always trying to entice writers to think outside the
norm, using their creative senses to originate marvelous
opportunities for themselves and other writers.

Add a grant writer to your mix, and no telling what type
of funds you can find.

Writing is everywhere. Use a retreat or special event to
remind the world.

    Hope

http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/hopeclark

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GRACIOUS...A NEW EBOOK!

FEROCIOUS PROMOTION FOR THE TIMID AUTHOR

Emphasizing the self-publishing author, the joint authorship
of Gwynne Spencer and C. Hope Clark penned a 64-page ebook
packed with ideas on how to make those sales. With an emphasis
on selling locally and regionally, the book gives you hope
and savvy advice through the occasional sprinkling of cute
weener dog paws throughout.

Being small doesn't mean you can't be ferocious.

www.fundsforwriters.com/ferocious.htm

 
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http://www.fundsforwriters.com/Kentucky_Retreat.htm

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WORDS OF SUCCESS
 
"One of the characteristics of a winning human being is that
they always view themselves as a do-it-yourself project."

-- Napoleon Hill, author

 
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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
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Hi Hope,
 
I so enjoy your newsletter. It is so inspiring and never
fails to make these tired fingers go once more back to my
keyboard.

Years ago, after sending in hundreds of query letters and
proposals I was down and out. I had a little building beside
my house in Lake Placid Florida that I wrote in. I liked to
call it my chalet. As I sat there in a puddle of tears an
anger arose in me and I said into the wind, "If I have to
paper these walls with rejection slips, I will...but I will
get published."

Two years later we were smack dab in the cross hairs of three
hurricanes within 40 days. We had a pine tree come through the
roof, a sound I will never forget. Over the next couple of
months, as we prepared to move, I noticed the mildewed, yellowed
pieces of paper over all the walls of my writing room. I had not
even realized that I had indeed papered the walls with my rejection
slips. They had been there so long, I no longer saw, nor feared
rejection.

One year later I received my first publishing contract for
Engaged! A Devotional to Help a Bride Navigate Down
the Aisle and am happy to say my next book An Unexpected
Detour, the Path of the Sandwich Generation will be published
in October 2009.

Moral of the story: Face your Goliaths. Let your anger be
constructive and sometimes that tiny little stone called
persistence, will fell your Goliath.
 
Thanks again,
Sandy Lovern
www.Engaged-devotional.com
EMail: SLovern162@aol.com

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ARTICLE
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Three Offbeat Ways to Find Story Ideas

By Beth Bartlett
 
Every writer has heeded the call of 'write what you know,'
but there are great story ideas right in your own backyard,
if you know where to look.
 
Call up the local convention center.

Want to interview a mortician who performs magic in his
spare time, quiz an expert on crop circles or find the
ultimate treasure trove of quotes about any subject? Your
local convention center hosts hundreds of meetings every
year, and often will give you a calendar of upcoming
conferences, special events and contact information. Call
the conference organizer ahead of time and ask about a
one-day press pass; be prepared to offer up your article
idea and some clips so they know you're a professional
writer, although some may not even ask. A few may also
offer to arrange interviews with speakers or experts in
attendance, but sometimes you get the best quotes just
talking with attendees in the vendor room or at a reception.
In addition to conferences, look at special events as well,
from fundraisers to art shows and retreats; while I attended
one conference, I discovered another meeting, an African-
American women's inspirational retreat, in the same building.
After a quick phone call to the local paper, I had an
assignment to cover the retreat and met some truly amazing
ladies.  I've interviewed people at conferences about UFOs,
beer can collecting, antiques, writing, magicians, art,
religion, food, medicine and tourism, which led me to our
next secret stash of great ideas.
 
Discover your own state's tourism website.

In nine years of writing about business travel, I've
learned that each state keeps a fully-stocked website
full of goodies for the freelancer, from story starters
to event calendars. While perusing a tourism site across
the country may be like a mini-vacation, sticking to your
own state or those within driving range gives you a great
opportunity to build on your residential knowledge and
find new ways of looking at your home turf. Click on the
'Media' section, and you may find historical FAQs, free
newsletters, photo libraries, and press releases; often,
you'll find out about an event or attraction in your region
you may not have known about. A local's viewpoint will
often provide a much-sought unique spin for regional
magazines, from the best shopping deals to a behind-the-
scenes look at a well-known attraction.
 
Crash a reunion (or at least go to your own.)

Dread that family reunion every year? Your attitude will
change when you look at that crowd as dozens of human
interest stories. Who was a World War II hero? Who spent
time in the Peace Corps? Who has a great story about Carlos
Santana at Woodstock? Head for the older relatives, and ask
them about their most memorable moments; you'll get more
than you can possibly use. Or, just sit in on a conversation
already underway, which can clue you in to irresistible stories.
If you've already exhausted the details of your own family, ask
your friends if they need a pal to go with them to their own
reunion; not many will refuse the offer of back-up support.
 
With these handy tips, you can find enough inspiration to
keep your keyboard busy for months to come; just remember to
smile when someone asks you, 'Where do you get all your ideas?'

BIO
Beth Bartlett's writing clips include articles for Writer's
Digest, Absolute Write.com, Writing for Dollars.com, Meetings
South, Meetings MidAmerica and Mental Floss.

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COMPETITIONS
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CARRIE McCRAY MEMORIAL WRITING AWARDS
http://www.myscww.org/conference/mccrayawards.php
---
$15 ENTRY FEE - This fee is per author, not per submission.
Named in honor of one of the SCWW founding members, the
Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Awards is open to all
registered attendees of the 2009 South Carolina Writers
Workshop conference in Myrtle Beach in October 2009. 
Work must be original and unpublished. First Place - $500.
Second Place - $100. All entries must be received by August
14, 2009.

Short Fiction Word Limit: 4,000
Novel - First Chapter (s) Word Limit: 4,000
Non-fiction Word Limit: 4,000
Poetry Limit: 40 lines

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ORLANDO PRIZES by AROHO
http://aroho.org/orlando41509.php
---
$15 ENTRY FEE
The Orlando Prizes are limited to women writers who are U.S.
citizens. Four categories - $1,000 awards in each category.

Short Fiction - Deadline September 1, 2009. Maximum 20 pages.
Nonfiction - Deadline September 1, 2009. Maximum 25 pages.
Poetry - Deadline October 1, 2009. Maximum 90 lines.
Sudden Fiction - Deadline October 1, 2009. Maximum 1,000 words.

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WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC SCIENCE JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIPS
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=249000028
---
Deadline May 15, 2009. The intensive one-week program (September
13-19, 2009) invites applications from professional writers,
producers, and editors working for print, broadcast, radio,
and Internet media. Through seminars, lab visits, and field
expeditions, OSJ Fellows gain access to new research findings
and fundamental background information in engineering, marine
biology, engineering, geology and geophysics, marine chemistry
and geochemistry, and physical oceanography. All fellows
receive a travel allowance and room and board for one week.
 

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GRANTS
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A STUDIO IN THE WOODS RESIDENCY
http://www.astudiointhewoods.org/
---
Changing Landscapes is a 6-week residency based on the premise
that Southern Louisiana can be seen as a microcosm of the
global environment, manifesting both the challenges and
possibilities inherent in human interaction with the natural
world. We ask artists to describe in detail how the region
will affect their work, to propose a public component to their
residency and to suggest ways in which they will engage with
the local community. Recipients will be given $3,000 as a
stipend and $1,000 towards materials. Deadline June 19, 2009.
Artists may apply for their first, second, third & fourth
choice of 6-week residency dates from the following:

September 28 - November 6, 2009
November 9 - December 19, 2009
January 4 - February 12, 2010
February 22 - April 2, 2010

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KIPLINGER FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.KiplingerProgram.org
---
The Kiplinger Program gives you the time and training you
need to report and produce in-depth multimedia public
affairs projects. The 24-week program begins with hands-on
practice in producing and editing podcasts, slide shows,
and videos. You'll receive coaching from award-winning
journalists, multimedia producers and social media experts,
plus study the impact of digital media on public affairs.
In addition, the program pays for you to take courses in a
wide range of subjects, from video and audio production to
Web design, creative writing or economics. The fellowships,
based at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The
Ohio State University, offer a $20,000 stipend plus
excellent benefits, including tuition. Deadline: July 31, 2009.

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AMERICAN SOCIETY ON AGING
http://www.asaging.org/asav2/awards/description_mindalert.cfm?submenu1=mindalert
---
Recognizing innovative programs, products, or tools that
promote cognitive fitness in later life. Examples of products
or tools that promote cognitive fitness include television or
radio programs, curricula, Web sites, books, videos, games,
and museum exhibits. Winners receive $1,500 cash, complimentary
conference registration, and more. NOTE: Applicants must be
members of ASA; you may join when you submit your proposal
online (individual membership: $75-$185).

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FREELANCE MARKETS
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THE BARK
http://www.thebark.com/content/submission-guidelines
---
The Bark, which is enjoyed by 250,000 readers, is a bi-monthly
magazine about life with dogs; we pay homage to the age-old
relationship between our two species. With each issue, we
seek to bring our readers a literate and entertaining spectrum
of dog-centric articles and stories. While much of our content
is assigned in advance, we also wish to provide a forum for
writers who have a special appreciation for dogs.

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MUTINEER MAGAZINE
E-mail: writers@mutineermagazine.com
http://www.mutineermagazine.com/contact.php
---
Mutineer Magazine is a fine beverage publication unlike any
other you've ever read. Founded by Sommelier Alan Kropf and
beer expert JJ Bagley, Mutineer Magazine covers all things
fine beverage with an emphasis on wine, beer and spirits.
Send us a sample of your work and tell us a little bit about
yourself and what you are interested in writing about.

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SUBTROPICS
http://www.english.ufl.edu/subtropics/submit.html
---
Subtropics seeks to publish the best literary fiction, essays,
and poetry being written today, both by established and emerging
authors. We will consider works of fiction of any length, from
short shorts to novellas and self-contained novel excerpts. We
give the same latitude to essays. We appreciate work in
translation and, from time to time, republish important and
compelling stories, essays, and poems that have lapsed out of
print. For stories and essays, Subtropics pays a flat fee of
$1,000 ($500 for a short short) for North American first serial
rights. Poets are paid $100 per poem.

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JOBS
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FEATURES WRITER
Location Sanford, NC
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?Media=Newspapers/Wires&JobID=797429
---
Seeking a well-rounded lifestyles/feature reporter to cover
religion, the arts and other goings-on in our area. The
position is hourly and is 30 hours a week. Knowledge of page
design (we use InDesign) is a plus, and some copy editing.

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REPORTER (2 positions)
Location Geneva, NY
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?Media=Newspapers/Wires&JobID=1047604
---
General assignment reporter positions available immediately.
Strong writing and people skills required. We're looking for
hardworking, curious and creative individuals to cover a
variety of assignments in the scenic Finger Lakes region of
upstate New York.

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SPORTS WRITER
Location Kirksville, Missouri
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?Media=Newspapers/Wires&JobID=1047610
---
Seeking a sports writer/editor to lead an award-winning
department. Qualifications include a degree in journalism
and/or practical experience in the field, excellent writing
and editing skills, as well as pagination abilities and a
desire to put forth the effort needed to direct coverage of
11 area high schools and a Division II university. The ideal
candidate will also possess photography and graphics skills.

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PUBLISHERS/AGENTS
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TIMBER PRESS
http://www.timberpress.com/contact/guidelines.cfm
---
Timber Press welcomes submissions pertaining to gardening,
ornamental and edible horticulture, garden design,
sustainability and green living, food and drink, natural
history, and Pacific Northwest regional topics.

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STOREY PUBLISHING
http://www.storey.com/about/proposals.php
---
The books we select to carry out this mission include titles
on gardening, small-scale farming, building, cooking,
homebrewing, crafts, part-time business, home improvement,
woodworking, animals, nature, natural living, personal care,
and country living.

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ALPHA WORLD PRESS
http://www.alphaworldpress.com/submission_guidelines.htm
---
Our specialty is publishing books by, for and about lesbians,
although we are open to reading manuscripts from, by, and for
non-lesbians. Currently accepting submissions of fiction,
non-fiction, and poetry. Please send a one page query letter
describing your work. Include a short bio and information about
the potential audience.

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SPONSORS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ENJOY A GREAT READ AND HELP SAVE A LIFE
 
Fans of Jodi Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper" will love
"Sixtyfive Roses:  A Sister's Memoir," a "beautifully
written, deeply moving and profoundly honest" literary
memoir, the story of two sisters growing up in the shadow
of a fatal illness, and a family fighting for a child's
life. 

May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness month. 
5% of proceeds from every book sold will be donated
to Cystic Fibrosis foundations in Canada and the U.S. 

www.sixtyfiverosesthebook.com
 
"Read this book.  Your life will never be the same."
~ Story Circle Network

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AWARD WINNING NOVELIST, STORY WRITER WILL EDIT YOUR WORK

Winner of the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC Chapel Hill,
Richard Krawiec has published novels, story collections, plays,
poetry, feature articles, and Young Adult biographies. He's won
national awards and regional awards, been nominated for the
National Book Award, and Pushcart Prize.

It's hard to publish these days. 
Let Mr. Krawiec help you prepare your work for publication.

http://home.mindspring.com/~rkwriter/id2.html

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ANHINGA WRITERS' STUDIO 2009 SUMMER WORKSHOPS

Join us from July 29-August 1 in Gainesville, Florida,
for The Anhinga Writers' Studio 2009 Summer Workshops!

Coursework in general fiction, romance, mystery, poetry,
and narrative nonfiction. Guest of Honor Charlaine Harris,
author of the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries on which HBO
series TRUE BLOOD is based. One-on-one agent, editor, and
instructor meetings are available, as well as manuscript
evaluations. Full tuition:  $395, $375 through May 15.
Single-day rates available. info@anhingawriters.org

http://www.anhingawriters.org/

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WAR POETRY CONTEST - LAST CALL

8th year. Fifteen cash prizes totaling $5,000.

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A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

July 17-19, 2009

"A Weekend of Freelance Hope in Kentucky"

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/Kentucky_Retreat.htm

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IT'S TIME TO TURN YOUR BOOK IDEA INTO A MEGA SELLER

Mark Victor Hansen, the founder and co-creator of the Chicken
Soup for the Soul series, has made millions in book sales and
information products. He has established the Mega Book
University event for passionate authors with great ideas, a
manuscript or published work. This is a rare opportunity to
connect and mingle with top literary agents, publishers, and
other experts sharing their immense knowledge and insider
secrets with you.

Event Date: June 5th-7th '09. 

http://www.flourishingbooksales.com

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WORLDWIDE FREELANCE MARKETS - Serving the freelance writing
community for 10 years. Come and try our searchable database of
writing markets from North America, Europe and around the world. 

http://www.worldwidefreelance.com

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http://www.fundsforwriters.com/adrates.htm 

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BUSINESS STUFF
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C. Hope Clark
E-mail: hope@fundsforwriters.com

140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036

http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2009, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326

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