Million Writers Award Needs Genre Judges

If you’ve been reading this blog a while, you know that I go crazy around here when it’s time for the Million Writers Award. But guess what? I don’t have to have all the fun alone. Jason Sanford, who runs the award, is looking for preliminary judges, particularly people who are familiar with SF/F/H, crime, or romance.

I did this job last year, and plan to do it again this year. It was incredibly rewarding, and it introduced me to publications and writers I continue to follow. Jason writes:

So if you are an experienced writer, reader, or editor in the fields of horror, SF, fantasy, romance, or crime fiction, please apply by e-mailing me at lapthai (circle a sign) yahoo (dot) com.  Be sure to tell me why you’d make a good preliminary judge (i.e., mention your writing, reading and/or editing experience).

I wholeheartedly suggest you get involved if you’ve got the appropriate background and interest.

Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon

For the next several days, I will be participating in the 2nd annual Write-A-Thon in support of Dzanc Books. Thursday through Sunday, I will receive a writing prompt and will produce short stories in honor of Dzanc. What you can do to help is go to this link, find my name (Erica Naone) in the list, and sponsor me. Any amount will be most appreciated. I’ll track my participation on this blog, and if you’re interested in seeing what your sponsorship helped produce, I will send you the raw drafts at your request.

Dzanc does tons of stuff that’s worth supporting–they put out the online magazine The Collagist, edited by the ever-awesome Matt Bell, as well as the literary journal Monkeybicycle. They publish the annual Best of the Web anthology, and a bunch of interesting short story collections. They also do a lot to support writers. The Dzanc Writer in Residency Program is an educational outreach program aimed at youth literacy, the Dzanc Prize provides financial support to a writer of literary fiction, and the Dzanc Creative Writing Sessions are very affordable online writing workshops.

What’s more, the people involved are very nice and very dedicated to sharing their love of great literature. It’s sort of random that I feel connected to a bunch of writers based in Michigan and the work they’re doing in Michigan schools, etc, but such is the nature of the Internet. They’ve been kind to me, they’ve helped me to discover a lot of great fiction, and they’re doing their best to make that same sort of help broadly available.

This is what they say about the Write-a-Thon:

With the economy still not up to speed, traditional means of raising funds – writing grants, corporate sponsorships, etc. – have become less successful.  Here at Dzanc, we like to try and make raising money both as fun, and valuable, an experience as possible.  With this in mind, last year we came up with an alternative and interactive plan which we believed not only furthered our mission but was something those participating in would enjoy. Based on the feedback we received, we were right.
…

Our goal for this event, considering there are over 2000 writers in the Emerging Writers Network, is $20,000, or, an average of $10 raised per person.  To put this in a proper context, that would pay for just under 3 full Dzanc Writer in Residence Programs, or the Dzanc Prize plus approximately 2 full DWIRPs.  We will obviously be thrilled to find out after the fact that we were shortchanging ourselves with that goal. We do hope each and every member of EWN, and those who have become fans of Dzanc, will participate in our inaugural Write-A-Thon.

I’d love to give back a little to them, and I’d love for your help in doing so. It helps to know that even getting Dzanc $10 would be doing my part. But to sweeten the deal, I’ll buy any book from Dzanc’s catalog for one randomly selected person who gives to the Write-A-Thon on my behalf. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to see you through their system, so if you do decide to donate, please comment on this post or drop me an e-mail. I’ll select and announce a winner by Wednesday, December 23, and you’ll get the book as a belated holiday present. 🙂

Thanks so much for your help, and please leave any questions in the comments.

Make Chris Baty Sing

Nanowrimo is having a fundraising drive on Tuesday, November 24, and if enough money is raised, founder Chris Baty has promised to write and record a song, and make a video that includes interpretive dance. People, I love this event. I know there are plenty of deserving places where you could send your money, but please consider making a donation on the 24th. I get really excited when I read about what they have planned if they can make their donation goals for the month. For one thing, they’ve promised year-round Nano, which would make me very happy.

That is all.

Short Story Month Becomes a Book

Short Story Month in May launched a barrage of awesome posts by Dan Wickett, Matt Bell, and Steven McDermott into my feed reader. All three wrote a slew of insightful, cogent reviews of stories and story collections.

I couldn’t keep up as a blogger, and I didn’t even try–Wickett reviewed 100 short stories in the month of May, and I found myself exhausted by my 10 posts earlier this month on the Million Writers Award finalists. Yeah.

The bigger tragedy was that I couldn’t keep up as a reader. I couldn’t even keep up with the posts, let alone the stories and collections they pointed to. I remember scrolling through my feed reader feeling like I was committing a crime by marking as read. Those posts could serve as a useful reading guide for months or years to come.

The good news is, that’s what they’re becoming. Dan Wickett announced on the Emerging Writers Network that Dzanc Books will collect 160 Short Story Month essays (by the three above, joined by Aaron Burch, who is now in my feed reader, but wasn’t in May) in a book, which will be available to people who donate $10 or more to Dzanc.

That’s an offer I’ll take. Dzanc is absolutely worth supporting, and this is a book that’s absolutely worth buying.

Support Salt Publishing

Dan Wickett at the Emerging Writers Network writes that Salt Publishing, which publishes about four short-story collections a year, is in dire financial straits. He’s calling on people–via a post by Tania Hershman–to support the press by buying a book from them. As Dan points out, it’s important for those of us who love the short form to support the presses that work to make it available.

I decided to pick up Hershman’s book, The White Road, since the description grabbed me:

What links a café in Antarctica, a factory for producing electronic tracking tags and a casino where gamblers can wager their shoes? They’re among the multiple venues where award-winning writer Tania Hershman sets her unique tales in this spellbinding debut collection.

Fleeing from tragedy, a bereaved mother opens a cafe on the road to the South Pole. A town which has always suffered extreme cold enjoys sudden warmth. A stranger starts plaiting a young woman’s hair. A rabbi comes face to face with an angel in a car park. An elderly woman explains to her young carer what pregnancy used to mean before science took over. A middle-aged housewife overcomes a fear of technology to save her best friend. A desperate childless woman resorts to extreme measures to adopt. A young man’s potential is instantly snuffed out by Nature’s whims. A lonely widow bakes cakes in the shape of test tubes and DNA.

A number of these stories are inspired by articles from science magazines, taking fact as their starting points and wondering what might happen if . . .? In these surreal, lyrical stories, many of which are only a few pages long, Tania Hershman allows her imagination free reign, as her characters navigate through love, death, friendship, spirituality, mental illness and the havoc wreaked by the weather.

I love science fiction, but I also love fiction that makes room for science. I’m looking forward to receiving my book.

Check out Salt Publishing’s Story Bank deal, too. After I get my book, I’m going to consider it.