In This Edition...
To include your news, send your articles to: swells@ashland.edu
Residency Preference Sheet & Information Form Due June 15
All students must return the Residency Preference Sheet to Sarah Wells by June 15. Details about the Summer Residency and Preference Sheet are below.
Workshop Packets Due July 1
All students must submit electronically the manuscripts/packets they intend to workshop during the summer residency by July 1 to swells@ashland.edu. Please use .doc or .rtf file formats. All students and faculty will receive their packets for each workshop session electronically no later than July 7. Hard copies will be distributed at the student orientation July 13.
Financial Aid
Students applying for financial aid need to have all of their forms submitted to the Financial Aid office as soon as possible in order to process your loan applications. The priority deadline has passed, but you should still be able to apply for aid. The following forms are required for your financial aid application:
Step-by-step instructions for applying for financial aid can be found on the AU Financial Aid website. Be sure to follow the instructions for Graduate Students.
To include your news, send your articles to: swells@ashland.edu
The following events are not sponsored by the Ashland MFA Program and are posted for informational purposes only.
Coffee House Chat Sessions for the Spring
We will not have chat sessions scheduled between spring and summer semesters. Beginning in Fall 2008, an MFA Online Community Forum will be opened for dialogue across genres and classes. This will be a message board format with the opportunity for chat sessions as well.
Open Mic Event in Mansfield
An open mic (poetry and music) will be at Temple Court Coffee and Dessert at 21 E. Temple Court in Mansfield (downtown, in the brick lot next to the BMV). Starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 19th.
Main Street Books Poetry Workshop / Critique Session
The first monthly poetry workshop / critique session will be on Tuesday, June 24th, at Main Street Books on Main Street in Mansfield. That will go from 6-8 p.m. Attendees should bring copies of their poem for the rest of the group to read and critique. Snacks and drinks to share are encouraged. The store will provide coffee.
The Nightsun Conference
Gerry LaFemina, currently at Frostburg State University and director of the Frostburg Center for Creative Writing, will be hosting, and teaching, a conference this summer at the Gunther Hotel in Historic Frostburg, Maryland. The Nightsun Conference is July 31 thru August 3. Gerry is an amazing teacher. He will be working with the poets. Fiction Writers will have a chance to work with Richard Peabody, and Creative Non-Fiction writers will work with Barbara Hurd. There will be a special luncheon with pulitzer prize winner Stephen Dunn! Frostburg is located on the western edge of Maryland. Check out the website: http://www.frostburg.edu/cwcenter/nightsun%20conf.htm
Poet's Weekend
Also, this summer, Aug 8-10, there is a wonderful opportunity to work with both Mary Ann Samyn and Kelly Moffett at a two-day Poet’s Weekend in Roscommon, Michigan, at The Ralph A. MacMullan (or RAM) Center. The RAM Center is a DNR-owned and operated conference facility. It’s in a beautiful wooded setting on the north shore of Higgins Lake. Though the “dorms” look like cabins and are named after the Great Lakes, the lodging is not overly rustic. There’s heat and air-conditioning. There’s also wireless internet (for a small fee). Roscommon is less than 3 hours drive from Detroit. For more information contact Mary Ann at MaryAnn.Samyn@mail.wvu.edu.
To include your news, send your articles to: swells@ashland.edu
2008 Residency: July 13 through July 26
Student Activities Committee
Students interested in organizing social activities and readings during the residency should email Sarah Wells swells@ashland.edu.
Schedule Changes
David Wojahn will not be participating in the summer residency this year; in his place, we have invited Eric Pankey and Jennifer Atkinson to read and present a craft seminar together. Visit the website for information about Pankey and Atkinson.
Ruth Schwartz and Kathy Winograd have swapped reading times in the schedule as well.
Craft Seminars & Reading Schedule
Craft Seminars and readings are free and open to the public. Feel free to distribute the flyer and post it for your writing community!
Visiting Writers & Faculty Books
Books by the visiting writer or faculty member presenting at readings and craft seminars will be sold before and after his/her lecture/reading. All of the visiting writers' and faculty members' books will be available at the bookstore throughout the residency.
Pre-Residency Retreat
Unlike indicated in the summer residency packets that were mailed today, the plans for a pre-residency retreat have been cancelled. If you would like any tourist information about Amish country, please contact Sarah Wells or Joanne Lehman. Maps of Amish country will be available the first day of the residency.
To include your news, send your articles to: swells@ashland.edu
Elsewhere Announces 2008 Scott Russell Sanders Prize
Elsewhere is pleased to announce that it will be reading submissions for the first annual Scott Russell Sander Prize for nonfiction. Sanders will act as the final judge for the contest and write a brief introduction to the winning essay, which we will also be publishing as a limited-edition chapbook. The press and print-run are TBA. In addition, the winning writer will receive an engraved antique compass. The winner will be announced in late fall and will be published in the Winter 2008 issue of Elsewhere. Five finalists will also be published.
NO ENTRY FEE, Final Judge: Scott Russell Sanders
Reading Period: April 1, 2008-July 4, 2008
Visit http://elsewherejournal.org/contest.html for contest guidelines and additional information.
Dante's Heart: A Journal of Myth, Fairytale, Folklore, and Fantasy Call for Submissions: Wolves & Wolf Folklore
Submissions due June 15, 2008
Dante's Heart: A Journal of Myth, Fairytale, Folklore, and Fantasy (www.dantesheart.com) is calling for submissions of art, poetry, fiction, essays, book reviews, or lyrics that explore the folklore of the wolf and the contradictions of the wolf as character, figure, and symbol in contemporary culture whether in the U.S. or around the world. Whether the subject is Little Red Riding Hood or the decimation of the Arctic or Fenris chained by the gods, Dante's Heart fresh and invigorating work. Send submissions digitally to editors@dantesheart.com.
We are especially interested in finding out where we are, here at the near start of the 21st century, in looking at wolves as potent, alarming, or attractive creatures. What does the wolf mean to us today, and what do past stories or art about wolves mean to us today? How in our current folklore do we use, fear, celebrate, or learn from wolves?
Work submitted will be considered for publication in a special issue of Dante's Heart in Fall 2008.
Our blog is also hosting an ongoing discussion of wolf folklore at:
http://dantesheart.blogspot.com/2008/02/questions-about-wolves.html
Omnidawn Poetry Prize
Submissions due June 30, 2008
The 2008 Omnidawn Poetry Prize is Omnidawn Publishing's first annual contest for a first or second full-length collection of poems by a poet writing in English. The contest will be judged by Marjorie Welish, with a cash prize of $2,000 and Fall 2009 publication by Omnidawn Publishing. Manuscripts will remain anonymous until a winner is selected.
The $25 entry fee entitles entrants to one free Omnidawn title of their choice, if they enclose SASE with postage. The prize winning book will be produced, distributed, and advertised to Omnidawn standards and will also meet the Green Press Initiative standards and have the Green Press Initiative statement on the copyright page. The book will be printed using the same archival quality acid-free paper and full four-color cover used for other Omnidawn books. As with other Omnidawn books, we will encourage the winning poet to participate in the design of the book, including choice of typefaces, cover colors and artwork, with all stages subject to the approval of the winning poet. The book will be distributed worldwide by Omnidawn's distributor, Independent Publishers Group, and will be advertised along with other Omnidawn books in Poets & Writers Magazine, American Poetry Review, American Book Review, Rain Taxi, and other publications. All costs, including production, distribution, and advertising will be fully paid by Omnidawn. In addition to the $2,000 cash prize, the winning poet will also receive 100 copies of the book free of charge.
(For complete guidelines, more about Omnidawn, and a complete list of our publications, visit www.omnidawn.com.)
Rattle Announces its Next Themes for Issues #30 & #31
Next winter’s issue, #30, will feature the work of cowboy/western poets. If you happen to be a rancher/cowboy/western poet, send us your unpublished poems and essays by August 1st. Next summer, issue #31 will feature a tribute to African-American poets. Deadline: February 1st, 2009. After that we’ll be featuring formal verse, but that’s too far down the road to be thinking about now.
And please remember that we’re always open to regular submissions—about 75% of the poems in every issue are open to any style, genre, or poet. We always enjoy reading submissions, and accept them by email and hardcopy, year-round. Visit www.rattle.com/submissions.htm for guidelines.
Benu Press Social Justice and Equity Award in Creative Nonfiction:
Benu Press is a small, independent press committed to publishing creative nonfiction, poetry and fiction. They believe in the transformative power of literature. To that end, they seek to publish inspiring and thought-provoking books about the practical dimensions of social justice and equity. Visit http://www.BenuPress.com for details. Contest dates: May 5 through July 25, 2008.
To include your news, send your articles to: swells@ashland.edu
A Room Of Her Own Foundation Invites Applications for
Literary Gift of Freedom Award
Deadline: October 31, 2008
A Room Of Her Own Foundation (http://www.aroomofherownfoundation.org/) is dedicated to helping women artists achieve the privacy and financial support necessary to pursue their art. To this end, the foundation annually provides an award of $50,000 to a woman writer.
The foundation's 2009 Literary Gift of Freedom Award will be given to an American woman writer who is a U.S. citizen and will be living in the U.S. during the grant period.
Acceptable genres for this grant are poetry, playwriting, creative nonfiction, and fiction.
Visit the foundation's Web site for complete program guidelines. (Please note: The program requires an application fee.)
RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10012001/giftfreedom
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
Duotrope's Digest
For those of you who find keeping track of where your submissions are and how long they've been there, this handy database is the perfect tool for organizing your submissions while at the same time giving average response times from each journal or publisher. It is free as long as they continue to receive donations and support. It also provides descriptions and expectations for each journal represented on the site.
River Teeth on the Web
Trying to trace down an essay from River Teeth? You can access River Teeth through the Ashland University website for free! Visit the Ashland University Library Resources page to find current and back issues of River Teeth on the web. http://www.ashland.edu/library/aupubs.html
Michigan State University Libraries - Grants & Scholarships
The Library at Michigan State University has compiled a comprehensive, up-to-date list of scholarships and grants broken down by category, demographics, and level of education. This is a free, public resource. Grants are not exclusively for MSU students - these are national and regional grants open to anyone who qualifies. Students are encouraged to research the thousands of grants available for graduate students, writing students, and other categories you may fit in.
The Practicing Writer eNewsletter
The Practicing Writer (http://www.practicing-writer.com ) and the Practicing Writing blog (http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com ) features free monthly e-newsletters with tips for writers as well as upcoming contest deadlines.
To include your news, send your articles to: swells@ashland.edu
Faculty, Staff, and Student News
Send in your relevant news to post here. Your news will help your fellow writers find out where you're getting published and broaden the opportunities to get work out there. I'll be glad to include your recent publications, appointments, and happenings here each month. Email swells@ashland.edu with your news.
Joy Gaines-Friedler
Joy's first book of poems, Like Vapor was published by May Apple Press. The book can been viewed and purchased from www.mayapplepress.com, as well as at www.amazon.com. Sample poems are posted on her website: www.Joygainesfriedler.com
Joanna Robinson
Joanna had her essay "Mars" selected for publication in an upcoming issue of The Southern Review.
Jill Christman
Jill has an essay called "The Bear" coming out in the July issue of Wondertime magazine that will feature a photo of our 4-year-old, Ella, posing in front of a backdrop of a giant grizzly bear.
Stephen Haven
Feature articles and/or reviews of Haven's memoir THE RIVER LOCK: ONE BOY'S LIFE ALONG THE MOHAWK appeared in May and June in three upstate New York newspapers, The Schenectady Gazette, Syracuse New Times and The Amsterdam Recorder. Haven also had a book signing at the Ann Arbor Book Festival, where he served with University of Michigan MFA Director Eileen Pollock as a panelist in a discussion on the nature of MFA Programs. He had lunch at the festival with two students from the Ashland MFA Program, Joy Gaines-Friedler and Dorothy Brooks.
Sonya Huber
Sonya's essay, "Anointing of the Sick" is out in the latest issue of Hotel Amerika.
Sonya was interviewed about Opa Nobody with the Weekly Reader from Mankato, MN online at http://podcaster.gcsu.edu/podcastdata
Robert Root
Rowman and Littlefield will publish a paperbound edition of The Nonfictionist’s Guide: On Reading and Writing Creative Nonfiction this summer. Better yet, the new edition is available at a 25% discount as a “Special Online Pre-Publication” price until August 28, 2008. The hardbound edition, published in November 2007, is still available at a 15% off 0nline Discount price. (See particulars below.) You can access the book at www.rowmanlittlefield.com by typing Nonfictionist’s Guide into the search box.