Dzanc Books is publishing three exciting titles this month.

We kicked things off with Robert Coover's The Brunist Day of Wrath. In a recent review at the Wall Street Journal, Howard Schneider called the book "[T]he best, most impressive novel I've read in years."

Sara Veglahn's The Mayflies is a poetic exploration of loneliness and transformation. The Mayfliescompassionately approaches ways we might survive our repetitions and find our way home.

Sankya by Zakhar Prilepin is the newest title title out of our DISQUIET imprint. Translated from Russian by Mariya Gusev and Jeff Parker, Prilepin's fantastic novel tells the story of Russian anarchists, who violently oppose the state of their government. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the current tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Read the first chapter here.

Dzanc Books Update

Literary master and meta-fiction champion Robert Coover's long await The Brunist Day of Wrath, sequel to his award-winning The Origin of the Brunists, is both a scathing indictment of fundamentalism and a careful examination of a world where religion competes with money, common sense, despair, and reason.

Stephen Grahm Jones' Not for Nothing, a novel written in second person, is a twisty noir thriller about an ex detective living in his home town's lone storage facility.

 Byrd is Kim Church's debut novel Told through letters and sharply drawn vignettes about a young woman who gives birth to a son-Byrd-and surrenders him for adoption without telling the father, little imagining how the secret will shape their lives.

Visit http://www.dzancbooks.org/

News from Calamari Press

Calamari Press is pleased to announce the release of NICETIES: AURAL ARDOR, PARDON ME by Elizabeth Mikesch: http://calamaripress.com/Niceties.htm

Also forthcoming soon (March 1) is DEEP ELLUM by Brandon Hobson & a re-issue of TRAVEL NOTES by Stanley Crawford. 

SLEEPINGFISH is also now open for submissions. The bad news is that Sleepingfish issue ∞ will be the final issue, the good news is that it will be indefinitely ongoing (online). Posted recently was the first issue of Process News  (before they changed the name to CITY MOON)—a newspaper that David Ohle & Roger Martin published in the early 70s to 80s: http://sleepingfish.net/13/001_Process_news.htm

If you're in Seattle next week for AWP, Calamari Press will be at table CC27. Brandon Hobson & Elizabeth Mikesch will be there too. Stop by & say hi. 

Otherwise, Calamari Press is also offering omakase-inspired selections of books in packages of 5 (for $40) and 8 (for $50): http://calamaripress.com/chefs_selection.htm

The 2014 Leapfrog Fiction Contest is open for entries from January 15 to May 1.

What to Enter

The contest is for Adult Fiction and Children's Fiction (middle grade and YA only*). Any novella- or novel-length work of fiction, including short-story collections, not previously published** is eligible. The minimum length is 22,000*** words; there is no maximum length.

All unpublished stories submitted in short-story collections will automatically be considered for publication in Crossborder.

* Middle grade fiction is loosely defined here as novels for 4th-8th graders, usually featuring a protagonist in that age group. YA or young adult novels can be for age 13 and up, approximately. If you are unsure whether your novel is YA or adult, it is fine to indicate "YA/adult." We are not picky about labels. We do not accept picture books for young children or any books with color illustrations.

** Previously self-published books that have no more than 100 copies in circulation will be considered "unpublished" and may be submitted. Short stories that have been published in literary journals may be included in collections.

*** "Why can't my manuscript be less than 22,000 words?" We have set this as a rough minimum because a certain length is needed to create a book. Even 22,000 words makes for a tiny book indeed, in height, width, and thickness. Anything less, and there would be no spine possible. A "long" short story might run 20,000 words, and would not make a stand-alone book. If your manuscript is just under that minimum, but you feel it is strong and large in concept, though short on words, we will not automatically disqualify it from the contest. Be sure that if it is for children it is for at least an advanced 8-year-old. To get a sense of our middle grade books, take a look at the novels of BB Wurge or Mick Carlon (you can use the "search inside" feature on Amazon).

Scrivener

Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft.

Writing Manhattan is a new map guide, pinpointing more than 75 significant literary spots.

How to Make Your Writing (a Little Bit) Better

2013 Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway

BJ Ward is the author of Jackleg Opera: Collected Poems 1990-2012, forthcoming in September, 2013, as part of the IO Poetry Series (North Atlantic Books). His other books areGravedigger's Birthday, 17 Love Poems with No Despair, and Landing in New Jersey with Soft Hands. His poems have been featured on Poetry Daily, NPR's "The Writer's Almanac," and New Jersey Network's "State of the Arts," as well as in publications such as Poetry,TriQuarterly, and Painted Bride Quarterly. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and two Distinguished Artist Fellowships from the NJ State Council on the Arts. He co-directs the Creative Writing degree program at Warren County Community College. To read more of Ward's work visit the Poetry Foundation or Painted Bride Quarterly.

Want to study with BJ Ward? At the 2013 Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway, BJ will be leading two exciting, new workshops: the Algonquin-Style Poetry Workshop and one day of the Creative Writing Sampler. He will also be leading an Advanced Poetry section and available for tutorials. Click here to find out more. 

Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Bird by Bird

Anne Lamott seems immediately like your new best friend—funny, sunny, spiritual. This book can teach you how to write wonderfully, though its lessons are as much about life as they are about writing.

— Diane Sawyer

826 National Store

Co-founded by Dave Eggers and Nínive Calegari in 2002, 826 National is an organization of nine non-profit tutoring and writing centers that serves 30,000 students in eight cities across the country. Free one-on-one tutoring attention in our vibrant writing labs empowers students to be playful and imaginative, hone their writing and thinking skills, and flourish as published authors. 

For philanthropic creative types who want to support the development of young voices — and find some out-of-this-world gifts that give back this holiday season — check out our online store! All proceeds help to fuel our endlessly fun and formative after-school tutoring programs, writing workshops, and field trips for under-resourced youth.

We sell a plethora of items that would delight all writers young and old, students, teachers, and even coffee drinkers! Behind every Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the 21st century lies one of our Emergency Novel-Finishing Kits, or at very least our “Are You Absolutely, Positively, Wholeheartedly Ready to Publish Your Novel?” poster. For amazing parents and teachers we’ve crafted the Don’t Forget to Write collection, featuring over 100 creative writing lessons for elementary and secondary students. For kiddos we have the world famous 826 Pocket Activity Book and Cartoon Activity Book, as well as our declarative Future Author tees. And we have so much more, including signed benefit books from famous authors, 826 student publications, t-shirts, coffee mugs, snuggies, and tote bags.

-Claire and the 826 crew

10 Things That Should Never Stop You from Writing Your Story

NaNoWriMo

From MUG (http://manhattanusersguide.com/):

November's a-comin', bringing with it many dark and stormy nights, thanks to the annual event held therein: National Novel Writing Month.

Since 1999, NaNoWriMo has had one goal and one goal only—to get a 50,000-word novel out of you, from scratch, in a month's time.

The clock starts November 1 and ends 11:59:59pm on November 30. Last year, 256,618 participated, 36,843 of which met the deadline. 

It's not without its critics, but we love the idea. The folks who created the write-a-thon are explicit that it's about output—get the words down, edit later. 

Success is gutting it out. But excellent novels have emerged from the enterprise, too, including Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants and Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus. 

Need pre-game motivation? Read Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird.

#2 pencil not your thing? Scrivener is the best writing software, bar none.

And there's no law that says you have to write in isolation. Follow@nycnowrimo on Twitter and get lots of useful info, including where and when there are gatherings of fellow NaNoWriMo-ers.

The end.

Or maybe the beginning.

Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing

Summary: Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing. Written by Michele DeFilippo, owner of 1106 Design, this book offers an insider’s perspective as to the steps necessary to create a high-quality book. In just 88 pages, Publish Like the Pros takes the confusion out of self-publishing and gives authors the six steps to publishing quality professional books that don’t scream “I’m self-published!!” 

From the Author: Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing is a must-read for new authors who want to get it right when self-publishing their books. Self-publishing is a perplexing and ever-shifting landscape; it’s easy for new authors to get taken in by self-publishing companies that promise the moon but don’t deliver. The self-publishing author will find everything he or she needs to get started, including cover design, book titles, typesetting, editing and proofreading, and a special chapter on book distribution, pricing and marketing. Written by a book designer with years of experience working with both first-time authors and seasoned publishers, Publish Like the Pros speaks directly to new authors who want to publish a book that they can feel proud of and that sells!

About the author: Michele DeFilippo owns 1106 Design, a Phoenix-based company that works with authors, publishers, business pros, coaches, consultants, speakers . . . anyone who wants a beautiful book, meticulously prepared to industry standards. 1106 Design offers top-quality cover design, beautifully designed and typeset interiors, manuscript editing, indexing, title consulting, and expert self-publishing advice.

Myth, Mountain & Imagination

A Getaway for Poets & Writers August 18-24
WRITE IN WALES. Join us in the mountains of Wales for a unique writing retreat. Make progress on your book or poetry while immersed in the breathtaking landscape which inspired the legend of King Arthur. Take advantage of plentiful writing time, workshops, organic meals & relaxing by the lake. All genres & levels.
Learn more

Artist/Teacher Institute (aTi)

July 29 - August 3, 2012Held at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey - Intensive residential summer program offering writing, art and performance workshops for artists and teachers. Educators can earn 40 hours of PD credit. Co-sponsored by Arts Horizons, Stockton & the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.  Learn more

The Association of Writers & Writing Programs

AWP provides community, opportunities, ideas, news, and advocacy for writers and teachers. We support over 34,000 writers, 500 college and university creative writing programs, and 100 writers' conferences and centers.

Advanc­ing works of art and elec­tronic media.

Map Lit­er­ary pub­lishes poems, prose poems, short sto­ries, self-contained novel excerpts, essays, man­i­festos, hyper­text and new media works, author inter­views, book/cultural reviews, and art/photography. 

The New Inquiry is a space for discussion.

The New Inquiry is a space for discussion that aspires to enrich cultural and public life by putting all available resources—both digital and material—toward the promotion and exploration of ideas.

 The New Inquiry is a 501(c)3 non-profit and is not affiliated with any political party, government agency, university, municipality, religious organization, cadre, or other cult.

Handwritten manuscripts and journal entries...

Iowa Summer Writing Festival

These pages refer to our 2011 Iowa Summer Writing Festival, now past. The updated pages for the 2012 program will be posted in mid-February.