writing life

Those of you who know me know that Daphne Uviller is my beloved friend/sister-type whose backyard I got married in and who coedited the anthology Only Child with me.  So it brings me HUGE pleasure to spread word this morning about Daphne’s new novel, Super in the City, which goes on sale TODAY.

I seriously love this book, and not just because Daphne is my friend.  A comic mystery about a young woman who becomes the superintendent of her parents’ Greenwich Village brownstone, Super is, well, super. Publishers Weekly called it “…gleefully unpretentious… undoubtedly smarter and funnier than most other girls-in-the-city novels,” and Kirkus called Super “a funny, enjoyable caper.” The lovely and talented Elizabeth Gilbert christened it “intelligent candy.”  But find out for yourself. You can buy Super on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

For those in NYC, join me at Daphne’s readings, which you can learn about here.

A confession: I was so geeky excited about this friendlaunch that I took myself to the Border’s at Columbus Circle last night to see if the book was on the shelves.  And there it was, smack on the New Paperbacks table, as pictured here. When a friend as dear as Daphne publishes a book, it’s nearly as fun as when it’s my own.

Actually, maybe moreso.

Twice the fun and half the fret?!

(Congrats, my coed, YOU DID IT!!!!!!)

Just went up over at AlterNet: Will Creativity Become a Victim of the Economy?

This is the layoff that just keeps giving–writing-wise, at least 🙂

Have a good weekend, everyone!

For those in NYC, an event to get one’s mind off the recession and onto…the future.  The last Girls Write Now event like this I attended pretty much blew me away. Here’s the story:

We just had to do a full-on review of Mama, PhD here at GWP (better late than nevah, we say!).  And I just had to post this trailer.  Because I laud authors who get savvy to using new media, and because, well, as an aspiring Mama PhD (got the PhD part, still working on the Mama part), I just can’t seem to get enough of this book.

Day 1 following the news of my husband Marco’s surprise layoff.  A heartfelt round of gratitude to everyone who has called, emailed, twittered, tweeted, Facebooked, and texted support over the last 36 hours!  I promise to post more regularly again soon.  I’ve just been a little, well, preoccupied, you could say.

In the meantime, I wanted to send a shout out to Laura for her post yesterday, which truly cheered me up.  I find optimism contagious, and though many are seriously suffering right now, I think Laura’s insights about the future are spot on.

Pssst…please pass it on!

Thinking in Public
A Workshop for Engaged Scholars

Instructor: Deborah Siegel, PhD, author Sisterhood, Interrupted and Only Child; creator of the Girl w/ Pen blog

Description:  What does it mean these days to be “an engaged scholar”?  For many it means writing for and engaging with a public wider than one’s peers.  This workshop is for the academically-inclined writer who wishes to extend her reach, the researcher who longs to write something other than grant proposals, the professor or administrator curious about blogging, the scholar who dreams of publishing a commercial book, a magazine article, an op-ed.

In today’s competitive marketplace of ideas, thought leaders increasingly desire a voice in the popular sphere.  Often, academic culture puts restraints on how, what, and where scholars think they can write.  For a variety of reasons, academically-trained writers often find themselves unprepared to address a broad public.  Many are taught to subordinate themselves to their topics, yet taking a public stance means putting yourself in your piece—and more.  To write for popular media in today’s publishing climate, you must be able to craft engaging, accessible, non-technical prose that appeals to an audience far outside your area of expertise.  These skills can be learned.

Thinking in Public is a hands-on, on-site workshop covering the how, what, and where of reaching a wide public through the written word.  These full and half-day trainings are designed to help researchers, scholars, and policy “wonks” bridge the translation gap and is tailored to meet participants’ needs.

Among topics covered: techniques for de-jargonizing and enlivening prose; the importance of narrative; common pitfalls; why “making it pop” is not equivalent to “dumbing it down” or “selling out”; overcoming internal hesitations, institutional scorn, and other obstacles to broader engagement.  Participants are encouraged to come with findings, perspectives, or ideas for stories they aspire to turn into popular books, non-academic articles, or use as platforms for a blog.  The workshop will help jumpstart individual projects, demystify next steps, empower, persuade, and inform.

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Well, actually, what a day for reflecting! The life unexamined is hardly worth living, right? So having caught the spirit from myriad friends and loved ones (especially this one), I decided to record:

2008 was the year I got married. It was also the year my two grandmothers passed away.

2008 was the year this blog went “group,” turning into a vibrant public forum for feminist critique. It was the year I gave public lectures about feminism at 12 colleges, taught 13 writing workshops and series, consulted with myriad women’s research organizations, became a writing coach, joined my first Board.

It was the year that I learned having a child would not come so easily, the year Marco and I together adopted a cat.

It was the year we elected Obama.  And so, so much more.

With hope and deep gratitude, optimism and wonder, I’m ready for 2009. May it be a happy, healthy, prosperous, gentle, kind, wonderful, love-filled year for all those in the GWP community…and all those far beyond.

(More in this vein–because I just couldn’t seem to stop–over at 85 Broads!)

Like much of the world, I’ll be laying low for the rest of the week.  So I thought I’d do one of those reflective-type posts before I sign off for a few days.  Here goes…!

Looking back at 2008, I think about how much I’ve learned about sustaining a life as a feministy writer. For me, it’s been about weathering ups and downs, and continuing to cultivate that ongoing sense of flexibility around the other things I do (talks, workshops, private coaching, consulting for orgs). And it’s also become, increasingly, about community.

It’s been just a few months since Girl w/ Pen went group, and already I’m thinking, how did this blog ever live without these ladies?!  Our bloggers have each selected their favorite post so far to highlight in the next e-blast, which will go out at the beginning of the new year.  (If you aren’t “subscribed,” you can do so at top right!)

As I recently told The Happiness Project, I don’t believe in resolutions that aren’t fun to keep. So on that note, I offer the writers among you a few to try on for 2009:

1. Write what moves you
2. Try a new genre
3. Let go of the “shoulds.”

And in this time of economic downturn, for those of us writing for pay it’s also probably helpful to manage expectations, keep it real, and continue to diversify revenue streams. But despair not. As GWP blogger and fulltime book editor Laura Mazer reminds us, crisis in the publishing industry can also mean opportunity. I’m with Laura in sending all the writers among us encouragement and hope. Your perspectives NEED to be heard.  Now, perhaps, more than ever…!

So “write on,” as they say.  Grab hold of that public voice and get it out there in 2009.  And in the meantime, Happy Holidays to the GWP community, of which I feel so honored to be a part.

Thank you to those who responded to my question about what helps you stay on track with long writing projects the other day! The collective wisdom out there always humbles me. Writing can be so isolating, but I think it helps hugely when we share our difficulties and, importantly, our strategies for keeping it going. So in that spirit, here’s what some of you said:

Sez Dawn, of This Woman’s Work:
“Sanity comes from accepting that my life doesn’t have a neat, predictable schedule and not fighting that too hard. Writing around kids and clients (and currently without childcare) means missed opportunities and making myself crazy about that just makes me crazy — it doesn’t help. So acceptance. (sigh) Which is hard.”

Sez Anniegirl:
“Setting word counts and periodic deadlines for myself is helpful but sometimes taking a day or two away from the project lets me recharge or think or mentally reboot myself when I am wondering who the hell will I ever sell this to. I recall a writer who recommended physical activity as a way to literally run or walk yourself past the low spots or over the humps. I find I do my best writing while thinking during a workout. All I need is about 4 miles under my feet to get back on track.”

Sez Alison Piepmeier, of Baxter Sez:
“A little more than three years ago, I was at the beginning of writing my book on zines by girls and women….I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to say, and I got to the point of realizing that my writing days were done. Unbeknownst to me, I had already written the last intelligent thing I was ever going to write. The semester was about to start, I hadn’t finished a chapter, and I was sliding into a pit of despair.
Fortunately, I encountered Conseula at a campus meeting on a day that I was trying not to cry, and she, too, was feeling pretty despairing about her own writing project. So we decided to start a writing group. Claire, Conseula, and I have been a writing group ever since. It’s fantastic. The group buoys us emotionally, keeping us from staying long in those places where we feel like we have nothing to say, and it helps us to be productive: all three of us have finished book manuscripts in the time we’ve been together.”

Alison posts guidelines for starting such a group right here. Really great guidelines. I second them all!

Got more suggestions, wisdom to share? Keep it coming, GWPenners! I learn from you.

According to the Second Annual “Women And Major Magazines Cover Stories Monitor”, women were the full photo subject on 22 covers, earned 65 full photo cover story bylines and eight full photo cover credits, of the total 203 issues in 2007 of Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, Newsweek and Time.  Not so good.  Feh.