Want to read more short stories?

Check out Kevin Brockmeier's 50 Favorite Stories, courtesy of Oxford American.

This would be a fun list to save, then slowly search out and read each one. A fabulous summer project!

Wag's Revue Call for submissions for Issue 3

Website: http://www.wagsrevue.com/submit.php

Type: Call for Submissions

Reading Fee: None!

Looking for: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-Fictions

Accepts: Electronic submissions encouraged

From their site:

Aspiring to marry the rigors of print with the freedoms of the internet, Wag's Revue is an online quarterly of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. Its first issue featured new fiction from Brian Evenson, and interviews with Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Dave Eggers, n+1 co-founder Mark Greif, and author Wells Tower. The second issue, which just hit the net, features an interview with T. C. Boyle, creative micro nonfiction by Stephen Elliot, anagrams of Shakespeare sonnets by K. Silem Mohammad, and much more. Check out both issues at www.wagsrevue.com

Scion Press seeks Vampire Short Fiction and Poetry

For a print anthology, Deadline Aug 28, 2009

• Contact Name : Leslie Ormandy

• Contact E-Mail : ceo[at]scionpress.com

• Deadline Date (if any) : 28-Aug-2009

• Publication Type : Print Anthology

• Website : http://www.scionpress.com

• Genre(s) : creative fiction, horror, science fiction, fantasy

• Details : Scion Press is soliciting submissions for short fiction and poetry about vampires. We ask only that it be original, creative, and fun, and that your prose bring the vampire to life for the reader. We do not want derivative fiction or fan fiction. We want original to you. Length: Stories: under 8000 words, Poems: under 60 lines (and our personal preference is unrhymed). Submission via Snail Mail.
  

• Will consider simultaneous submissions

• Full guidelines at http://www.scionpress.com

• Postmark date: August 28, 2009

• Sign contracts by Sept 30, 2009

• Publication date: May, 2009

Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for stories

They have many books in development and are looking for your inspirational stories!

Website: Chicken Soup for the Soul:

Type: Call for Submissions

Deadline: Multiple Deadlines, Depending on Book

Details from their site:

We have many Chicken Soup for the Soul books in development and are adding new titles all of the time. We are always looking for new stories and poems and hope you have some for us to consider. Take a look at the list of our future book topics to see if you have a story or poem on a subject we are looking for and then please submit it to us.

Twitter and Book Marketing:

Publishers Weekly has a short but interesting article called A Tweet Treat (#fb) about a new kind of author book promotions called Tweetfests.

Are you on Twitter? If you are an author, or an aspiring author, it might be time to start tweeting! Twitter is basically a blog that limits you to 140 character per post, and people can subscribe to your blog, or they can go to your twitter site and read your tweets. One of the wonderful aspects of twitter is that you can interact with your follower who can reply to your tweets (called @replies), or send you direct messages. Twitter also integrates with your cell phone so you can send and receive tweets as text messages - just be sure that you have an unlimited text plan before you sign up for that option.

How to start a twitter account:

1. Go to Twitter.com

2. Create an account

3. Find some people to follow either by seeing who on your email address book is on twitter by using their Find People Tool, or their search tool. When you follow people, they will usually follow you back.

4. Post some tweets.

That's it!

If you'd like to follow LAwritersgroup.com on twitter, once you've signed up for your own twitter account, go to http://www.twitter.com/lawritersgroup and click on Follow.

New Plains Review call for submissions

They seek quality fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction for its Fall 2009 issue. (#fb)

The New Plains Review is the recent literary home of such authors as Stephen Dunn, Billy Collins, Galway Kinnell, and Julianna Baggott. From their site:

We are interested in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that is thoughtful and compelling, but otherwise we do not have any specific guidelines for style or subject matter. We no longer arrange issues with thematic topics. On occasion, we do publish issues with special sections; always look at our Special Section announcements on our website before submitting.

For more information on how to submit: http://www.libarts.uco.edu/english/newplains/index.htm

LifeBytes Call for Paid Submissions for Online Dating Anthology

http://www.lifebytesbook.com

This just in to LAwritersgroup.com:

Mariann O'Connor and her writing partner, Sharon Sommerhalter, are working on an anthology. It is a series book called, LifeBytes(TM), Real Stories ...The first book is about on line dating experiences. We are looking for a diverse group of stories from every segment of society.

If a story is chosen, the writer will be paid a standard anthology fee.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:
We are accepting submissions for "LifeBytes...Real Stories of Online Dating" (est. publication date Fall 2010). Who doesn't love sitting around with friends and family over coffee or a cocktail sharing stories about life, work and love? LifeBytes is interested in YOUR Online dating story. Make a cup of coffee or stir up a cocktail and tell us your cyber dating adventures - the good, the bad and the ugly! "LifeBytes...Real Stories" will be a compilation of the true stories that singles love to share with one another about the ups and downs of searching for Prince (or Princess) Charming.We are looking for evocative stories that can be funny, poignant, provocative, scary, weird, sexy, edgy or happy. We're looking for the full range of experiences that make online dating such an adventure.

Writers whose work is chosen for publication will receive payment for their story in the market range of $50-$100 (word count dependent).Our extended deadline is September 15, 2009.For complete submission guidelines please visit our website.

Rough Copy magazine seeks poetry submissions

http://roughcopy.net

Rough Copy magazine, online magazine for creative writing, short stories and artistic expression, is soliciting poetry submissions for its Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 issues.

Visit their submissions page to see where to send your work. We heard that all submissions will receive a reply within two weeks, and that simultaneous and previous submissions are okay. How much do we love that?! Go forth and submit.

Create your own animated short film on Xtranormal.com

Here is site that lets you create your own short film in an easy to use online interface! Fun for writers who have written a short film and want to see it come to life.

A quick note about their fine print terms of use. From their site:

"All content of any type on the Site is the property of Xtranormal. Though you remain the owner of your personal content, by posting personal User Content on the Site you automatically grant Xtranormal and all other users a full licence to use such User Content"

Granting them and everyone on their site a free license notwithstanding, it might be a great way to show off your screenwriting skills.

Website: www.xtranormal.com

Robert Frost Foundation 2009 poetry contest:

Annual Poetry Award for poems written in the "spirit of Robert Frost."

• Website: http://frostfoundation.home.comcast.net/~frostfoundation/wsb/html/frostsite1215/home.htm
• Deadline: Poems should be postmarked (or emailed) between March 1,
  2009 and September 15, 2009 to be considered for the 2009 award.
• Reading Fee: $10.00 per poem
• Award: Unclear

Visit the website and click on 'Poetry Award' for more information on
submission guidelines.

Writing a Screenplay?

John August explains how to write better scene descriptions in an easy-to-follow video: johnaugust.com - Writing better scene descriptions

Go to www.johnaugust.com for tons of useful information about screenwriting. In the above link, John works through writing a scene on video, so that you can observe how he works to improve his scene description.

Call for Poems: Anon Poetry

A poetry magazine which uses a blind review system to select its works is calling for submissions.

Anon is a "print-based poetry magazine where poems are assessed anonymously." After a submission is accepted, then they publish the poet's name. They are now accepting submissions for their next magazine. They are looking for thoughtful and interesting poetry no longer than 40-50 lines.

Please go to http://www.anonpoetry.co.uk/submissions for more information. Follow the submission instructions carefully as any attempt to include your name on your submissions will result in disqualification. If your work is published, your name will be listed with the poem.

If you want to be considered, you should submit soon.

Check out the Poets & Writers Database of Small Presses and Publishers

Poets & Writers has a small but growing database of small presses and publishers that would come in handy for any writer looking to submit work for publication.

Find out whether they take online submissions, simultaneous submissions, the genre they publish and their reading periods.

Screamfest Screenwriting Contest - Early Deadline June 15

9th Annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival & Screenplay Competition announces its call for entries.

Prizes include cash, software and an amazing trophy.

Genre(s) : Horror / Thriller

Deadlines and submission fees:

• (Early) June 15th $30


• (Regular) July 15th $50


• (FINAL) Aug. 15th $60

For more information and to download the submission form go to:

http://www.screamfestla.com/

Attn Kindle Subscribers

The Official LAwritersgroup.com blog is now available on Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C75A86

Read Reviews of Literary Magazines on NewPages.com

http://www.newpages.com/magazinestand/litmags/

Reviewed Magazines Include:

Alligator Juniper
Bayou
Beloit Fiction Journal
Creative Nonfiction
Cutbank
Gulf Stream Magazine
The Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review
Hunger Mountain
Iron Horse Literary Review
JMWW
The Ledge
Manoa
Memoir (and)
New Orleans Review
PALABRA
Slice Magazine
The Sycamore Review
Third Coast
Western Humanities Review
Willow Springs
Word Riot

Phoebe MacAdams Whispers an Invocation and We Find Connection in the Commonplace

Sanora Bartels reviews Phoebe MacAdams’ latest book of poetry released by Cahuenga Press, Strange Grace and you can read it here at www.LAwritersgroup.com.

A response to "Should Creative Writing Be Taught?'"

An article by Louis Menand in The New Yorker:

Menand just published a well-written, and intriguing article in the The New Yorker entitled "Show or Tell, Should Creative Writing be Taught?"

He recounts the history of informal writing workshops to the creation of university level degree programs in creative writing, which he posits are a fairly recent development in the history of the creation of creative writers. Using many references such as John Barth's 1985 article in the Times Book Review entitled Writing: Can It Be Taught?, as well as Mark McGurl's book, The Program Era, he examines whether or not writing workshops, either informal or institutionalized, are worthwhile endeavors for both authors and readers. He poses the question: "Is the rise of the creative-writing workshop, as McGurl claims, “the most important event in postwar American literary history”?" He later writes the profound statement that "Writers are products of educational systems, but stories are products of magazine editorial practices and novels are products of publishing houses."

The article is a worthwhile read, and at the end, he injects his own experience of participating in writing workshops and how they've affected him in the long-term:

"I don’t think the workshops taught me too much about craft, but they did teach me about the importance of making things, not just reading things. You care about things that you make, and that makes it easier to care about things that other people make."

As someone who is somewhat adverse to institutional learning environments, but who has participated in, and run, many writing workshops that concentrate on the creation of new work, I have witnessed the joy that writers get from creating something they never expected they would invent, and how the act of creation itself keeps them coming back week after week. If a writing workshop makes you feel productively creative, then it has served it's purpose.

Brenda Ueland wrote in If You Want to Write,

"...at least I understood that writing was this: an impulse to share with other people a feeling or truth that I myself had. Not to preach to them, but to give it to them if they cared to hear it. If they did not - fine. They did not need to listen. That was all right too."

What she is saying here, and what I agree with, is the motivating factor to write should not be to gain, but rather because you love. If you gain from it, so much the better. If a writing workshop or a university degree feeds your love, feeds your passion, then participate. If writing alone feeds your love and your passion, then don't participate. Either way, write because you love.

New Writers Group starting on Thursday

There's still time to join Sanora's group! Learn more about how our groups work:

How the LAwritersgroup.com 8-Week General Writers Group Works

Each Group is Unique
Each of our groups are unique, in that we have new creative writing exercises we use in every group (save for a few oldies but goodies)? So if you've already participated in a group and would like to participate again, you don't have to worry about repeated creative writing exercises.

How the Meetings are Structured
Our groups meet once a week in eight-week cycles.
Each meeting is broken up into two sections: Creative Writing Exercises, and Feedback.

Creative Writing Exercises
During the creative writing portion, we do three improvisational creative writing exercises via writing prompts. This is the major portion of our night: getting words on the page. We do not allow laptops. We write the old fashioned way.

Feedback
The feedback portion of our meeting is something everyone participates in. All writers can bring work in for critique, and all writers are encouraged to give feedback. We have guidelines that we follow for our critique session so that the feedback remains constructive, and we also have guidelines regarding how much work each writer can bring in each meeting.

Who can participate?
We are open to all kinds of writers. Whether you are new to writing, or a seasoned veteran, you will get a nearly full notebook of new material out of the 8-weeks. We've had all kinds of aspiring and published writers participate in our groups: poets, essayists, screenwriters, comedy writers, all kinds of fiction writers, songwriters, journalists, and even attorneys who want to do some creative writing.

Do we Teach Writing?
This is a writers group. A peer-to-peer group of writers who get together once a week to create new work and support each other by giving and receiving feedback on works-in-progress. Although we are not formally teaching writing, you'd be surprised the things you pick up in these groups just by listening to and interacting creatively with other writers. We provide a safe space to tap into your own creativity and generate new work and solicit opinions from your other group members on writing you bring in for critique. We may offer more instructive seminars in the future, though, so keep your eye out!

How We Started
LAwritersgroup.com began five years ago. We started a writers group because we wanted to get creative and write with other writers for an evening once a week, and as some of our members started moving out of town, we put up a website to keep in touch with them. Before we knew it, people found our website, and contacted us, wanting to participate, and we grew from there!

If you have any additional questions about our groups, send an email to nicole@lawritersgroup.com or visit LAwritersgroup.com.

Real Simple's Second-Annual Life Lessons Writing Contest

Real Simple's seeks 1,500 word essays about first realizing you were a grown-up.

Contest description (from the Real Simple website):

When did you realize that you had become a grown-up? Perhaps it was when you first paid taxes or met your son’s first girlfriend. Whether the experience was difficult, funny, easy, or bittersweet, share your lesson and you could win.

Enter Real Simple’s second-annual Life Lessons essay contest and you could have your essay published in Real Simple; win round-trip tickets for two to New York City, hotel accommodations for two nights, tickets to a Broadway play, and a lunch with Real Simple editors; and receive a prize of $3,000.

For more information and submission details, go to:
http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/inspiration-motivation/second-annual-life-lessons-essay-contest-00000000013682/

First Person America Seeks Sumissions

Stories, Videos, and Photographs Reflective of Our National Economic Crisis

Competition information as listed on website:

Artists: We are looking for short memoirs and essays, documentary films, and photographs that depict Americans from all walks of life. We are especially interested in stories that are unique to your family, your community, your town, your region – that capture the idiosyncratic things that are happening where you live - the slices of life that, taken together, will give us a First Person picture of America in 2009 – the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful.

Submission Guidelines:
Writing submissions – up to 2,500 words.
Film and video submissions – up to five minutes, excluding credits.
Photography submissions - may include up to five photographs, with or without accompanying text of up to 100 words per image.

Submission deadline: June 30, 2009

For more information: http://www.hardtimes.firstpersonarts.org/