VCCA IS CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING FELLOWSHIPS:DEADLINE TO APPLY: JUNE 15, 2012

NEW! 2 Fellowships for Social Media Artists

VCCA is breaking ground with two new fellowships specifically for the emerging genre of social media artists. These fellowships are for artists new to VCCA.

Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, VCCA is offering two fully funded, six-week fellowships for artists who are using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube. The fellowships are for artists who are exploring ways to seamlessly integrate the social media platform into the work itself, thus finding new and compelling ways to use social media as a tool of self-expression. The fellowships are accompanied by a $2,000 stipend.

Craig Pleasants, VCCA Program Director says, “the artists selected for these fellowships will be working in ways that move art from the gallery or museum to the web, seeking ways to free art from geographical and temporal constraints. We are not defining social media artwork for this fellowship, leaving that to the artists who are pioneering this field, but the finished work must be presented on the web and be fully accessible to the netverse. We expect that the successful work will be tied to the logic of social media as well as being conceptually rich.”

The deadline for applying is June 15, 2012.This opportunity is for artists who have not previously been in residence at VCCA.

Residencies must take place between October 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013.

via Special Programs Now Accepting Applications | VCCA: Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

…While the stories themselves are hardly equals — Daisey’s was a hard-hitting exposé about industrial exploitation, Sedaris’s essays are light and personal — they both raise the question of what’s permissible in the context of a nonfiction program.“Some of his characters are made up. You can’t use a nonfiction label and do that,” said Heard, the editorial director of Outside magazine. “Hilarious dialogue is the license he gave himself. . . . [But] if it’s nonfiction, you just can’t do that.”

via The David Sedaris dilemma: A fine line between ‘realish’ and real – The Washington Post.

Friday, May 18, 2012, 7 PM–FREE EVENT: Learning How to Laugh with author Jim Minick

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The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans

This writing contest for U.S. military veterans and active duty personnel is hosted by The Iowa Review and made possible by a gift from the family of Jeff Sharlet (1942–69), a Vietnam veteran and antiwar writer and activist. The contest is open to veterans and active duty personnel writing in any genre and about any subject matter.

Judge: Robert Olen Butler

Prize: $1,000 plus publication in The Iowa Review

Deadline: June 15, 2012

Entry fee: $15

Click the link for contest rules:

via The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans | The Iowa Review.

BREVITY

To celebrate Robin Hemley’s new book, A Field Guide for Immersion Writing: Memoir, Journalism, and Travel, we are launching a quick contest.  You have one month, until May 11th, to immerse yourself, in something.  If it is water, be sure that you can swim. If it is honey, watch out for bears.

Here are the details:

For centuries writers have used participatory experience as a lens through which to better see the world at large and as a means of exploring the self. Immersion writing encompasses Immersion Memoir (in which the writer uses participatory experience to write about the Self), Immersion Journalism (in which the writer uses the Self to write about the world), and Travel Writing (a bit of both: the writer in the world and the world in the writer).  Types of immersion writing within these broad categories include: the Reenactment, the Experiment, the Quest, the Investigation, and the Infiltration.

Immersion, by the way, is defined as involvement in something that completely occupies all the time, energy, or concentration available.

So, choose one of the immersion modes and knock yourself out, except we are only allowing you 500 words.

Yes, you heard us right: 500 words, or fewer.

Robin Hemley, Director of the Nonfiction Writing Program at Iowa, and celebrated author, will be the judge. First prize is a copy of A Field Guide for Immersion Writing: Memoir, Journalism, and Travel and $50, second prize is a signed copy of the immersive The Accidental Buddhist, and third prize is a showercap.  All three winners will be published on the Brevity blog.

Deadline May 11th, 2012.  Mail your entries to brevitymag(at)gmail.com with Immersion as the first word in your subject heading.

Immerse Yourself, Briefly: A Contest « BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog.

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There are still spaces available in this coming Saturday’s seminar “Say What? Writing Better Dialogue by Thinking Dramatically” with play

wright Enrique Urueta. This seminar is for fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, playwrights, screenwriters, anybody whose dialogue could use improvement.

Whether you write fiction or drama, your ability to capture a reader’s attention and drive your story forward depends heavily on dialogue. But what makes good dialogue? How does dialogue drive a narrative? And how will thinking dramatically improve your writing? We’ll discuss what makes good dialogue work and practice a variety of exercises that will hone your ability to craft believable and effective dialogue. 9am-1pm, $55 members, $60 non-members. Register online or come by during open hours. See our website for details: http://writerhouse.org

The seminar will be followed at 2pm by a FREE discussion with Enrique Urueta: “Does This Play Make my Brown Look Gay? Writing at the Intersection of Race and Sexuality” Playwright Enrique Urueta discusses his experience writing in the context of race and sexuality. His award-winning plays Learn to Be Latina, The Danger of Bleeding Brown, and Forever Never Comes have been presented across the country. Free and open to the public.

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» On Friday, March 23, 9:30am-Noon, join us for Erika Dreifus’s seminar on freelance writing. This session will provide an overview of the varied opportunities that exist for writers to transform their own knowledge and interests into freelance bylines. Although we’ll use a shared pursuit–writing itself–as a starting-point, we’ll also discuss how to incorporate participants’ own professional and avocational expertise into a freelance writing practice. We’ll cover basic freelancing how-tos with plenty of time for your questions. For details and to reserve your space, see the WriterHouse Class site.

» On Friday, March 23, 9:30am-Noon, join us for Bella Stander’s seminar, Book Publishing 101. Topics covered in this seminar: setting realistic goals; making a marketing plan; pitching your book; dealing with publicists, booksellers and media; bookstore events and readings. Attendees must have a forthcoming or recently published book from a commercial trade publisher, a publishing contract with a commercial trade publisher, or a literary agent. This seminar is not suitable for self-published authors or those whose books are produced by subsidy publishers. For details and to reserve your space, see the WriterHouse Class site.

» New seminar just added for May. Saturday, May 5, 2012,  1:00pm-5:00pm  Setting the Stage in Fantasy Writing, Instructor: Leona Wisoker. Even if your world is fantastic, it needs to feel real. Learn how to work with real-world elements such as food, clothing, and the natural environment to draw your readers into your imaginary universe. Through writing exercises and discussion, you’ll see what kinds of details make your fantasy writing three-dimensional.

This seminar will be followed at 6:30 by a potluck dinner and discussion of food in fantasy writing, with author Leona Wisoker. Register for the seminar now.

» Friday February 3, First Fridays Art Opening for Robert Boucheron’s “The Imaginary City,” a series of pen and ink drawings of buildings, streets, and towns.  The scenes recall European and American cities of the nineteenth century and earlier, drawn freehand and to scale.

» Thursday, February 9, 7pm, “Making a Graphic Novel” with Caroline Preston, author of The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures. Author Caroline Preston will discuss how she created a graphic novel The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt and marketed it through social media and bloggers. This novel was on the list of best historical novels of 2011 by Kirkus reviews and the Boston Globe said “… its vintage graphics and sweet, sincere storytelling make it a pure pleasure.” Preston is the author of three previous novels: Jackie by Josie, Gatsby’s Girl , and Lucy Crocker 2.0

» Saturday, February 11, 9am-1pm, Seminar: Honest Writing–Finding Your Voice. How do we define honest writing in fictional narratives? How do we get to that place where we write honestly and truly? How useful are the labels we apply to different prose styles, and must we ultimately choose between Hemingway’s minimalism and Faulkner’s stream of consciousness? Short readings and in-class writing exercises will help us think more critically about these kinds of questions. We’ll also discuss when and how we should imitate other voices we love.

» Thursday, February 16, 7pm, Sci Fi/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction group reading. Come hear readings from the group that meets the first Tuesday of each month (see member events above). Great stories, fine (if strange) company, food & beverage — how can you go wrong? Come join us for a journey to other worlds and experiences.

» Saturday, March 10, 2-5pm, Writing From Home with author Meg Medina. In partnership with the Jefferson-Madison Regional Libraries, WriterHouse presents Latina children’s book author Meg Medina. Come to an afternoon of hands-on writing experiences to help you tap into your family roots for stories that bind readers together across generations and cultures. Register at bigread@jmrl.org. Free and open to the public.

» Join us on Wednesday, January 18th at 7PM for “The Art of Responsibility of Narrative Nonfiction Writing” with Jonathan Coleman. Coleman is the bestselling author of Exit the Rainmaker, At Mother’s Request and Long Way To Go and co-author of the New York Times bestseller West by West, with basketball legend Jerry West. This event is free and open to the public.

» Curious about how writing conferences work? On Sunday, February 5 at 2PM, WriterHouse will be hosting a panel discussion that features participants in veterens of events like Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Tin House, the Key West Literary Seminar and Juniper. They’ll provide you with an insider’s  view on preparing a winning application, what to expect at the event, and how to make the most of your conference experience!

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Press Release: Deadline Nearing for SELC Nature Writing Contest

Writers and journalists have just over a week to send submissions for SELC’s 17th annual Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment.  Submissions must be received by Friday, January 13, in our Charlottesville headquarters.

>> Contest requirements are below, and more information can be found on our website.

SELC welcomes three new judges panel this year. Silas House, an award-winning author of The Coal Tattoo and co-author of Something’s Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal, Bruz Clark, president and treasurer of the Chattanooga-based Lyndhurst Foundation, and Paul Sloan, former Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

SELC’s writing contest two categories: Book, for non-fiction books (not self-published), and Journalism, for newspaper, magazine writing, and online writing that is published by a recognized institution (e.g., newspaper, university or non-profit organization) and is journalistic in nature.  Prizes of $1,000 are awarded to the winner in each category.

* Submissions must have been published during calendar year 2011, be at least 3,000 words, and relate to the natural environment in at least one of SELC’s six states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee or Virginia.
* Send 16 copies to Reed Award, SELC, 201 W. Main Street, Ste. 14, Charlottesville, VA  22902. Include at least one copy in original format; Journalism entries must include a CD or email (dmoore@selcva.org) with text to verify word length. Submissions cannot be returned.

This year’s judges include:
Joel K. Bourne, Jr.-Contributing writer and former Senior Editor for the Environment at National Geographic.
Bruz Clark-President and treasurer of the Chattanooga-based Lyndhurst Foundation.
Jim Detjen-Director, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Michigan State University.
Hannah Fries-Associate Editor and Poetry Editor of Orion magazine.
Nikki Giovanni-Grammy-nominated poet, University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech.
Silas House-Award-winning author Interim Director, Loyal Jones Appalachian Center; Berea College.
Janet Lembke-Author of Because the Cat Purrs  and almost 20 other nature books.
Bill McKibben-Author and journalist, co-founder “350.org,” scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College.
Deaderick Montague-Civic leader, teacher and writer, Vice President of SELC Board of Trustees.
Janisse Ray-Poet, activist, teacher and award-winning author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood.
Charles Seabrook-Former environmental reporter for Atlanta Journal-Constitution; book author.
Paul Sloan-Former Deputy Commissioner Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Donovan Webster-Author and journalist, Deputy Editor of award-winning Virginia Quarterly Review.

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