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WVU This Week June 20, 2012
Quote of the Week
"Sometimes I can better describe a person by another person's reaction. In a story in my first book, I couldn't think of a way to sufficiently describe the charisma of a certain boy, so the narrator says, "I knew girls who saved his gum." Amy Hempel (December 14, 1951) is an American short story writer, journalist, and teaches creative writing at Bennington College and at Harvard University
If you have a favorite Writer's quote you'd like to share for Quote of the Week send to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Be sure to include name of author, birth/death date, and your name.
*** A Birdie Told Me - Writing Markets
by Birdie
Summer Solstice contest
http://www.scribophile.com/contests/summer-solstice-contest/
Deadline: June 30
The summer solstice is the point in time when the Earth's axis is most tilted towards the Sun. It's also the longest day of the year, and has long been associated with rituals, supernatural happenings, and miraculous events. Here at Scribophile, they have a tradition of sacrificing errant apostrophes to Hermes, the patron deity of literature and poetry.
Back in the distant past, people used to think that evil spirits were free to go where they would on Midsummer's Day and Midsummer's Eve. To get everybody into the spirit of things (har har), they're holding a more open ritual this year in the form of their monthly writing contest, themed around Slipstream.
If you haven't heard of Slipstream before, it's a genre (or effect) that mixes together mainstream fiction and sci-fi/fantasy (or "speculative") fiction. Slipstream is the kind of fiction where everything seems normal at first, but as you read there's something that's just a little off—and you can't always put your finger on what it is, either. Bruce Sterling, who coined the term, described it as "writing which has set its face against consensus reality ... [it] makes you feel very strange." Sci-fi critic Rich Horton is a bit clearer: "Slipstream tries to make the familiar strange– by taking a familiar context and disturbing it with Science-fictional/ fantastical intrusions."
If you're still not sure entirely what's going on, check out the work of Margaret Atwood or Jonathan Lethem, two critically-acclaimed authors who often work in this style.
The best examples (Atwood and Lethem certainly qualify) can make you look at your surroundings in an entirely different way that neither "pure" genre or "pure" mainstream fiction can accomplish. What better way to celebrate Midsummer this year?
So gear up in June and submit your fictional works of 2500 words or fewer which fall into the slipstream category.
Prizes
1st Prize: $50 via PayPal
2nd Prize: $25 via PayPal
Rules
Your entry must be a piece of fiction totaling 2500 words or fewer as counted by Scribophile.
Entries must be received before midnight on June 30, 2012 (UTC time), and winners will be announced within two weeks of that date.
Entries will be judged by the Scribophile staff. Decisions are final.
Only one entry is allowed per member. Multiple entries will all be disqualified.
Work must have Public visibility on Scribophile until winners are announced.
Winners must have a valid Paypal account, or they won't be able to send the prize money!
Submission Guidelines
To enter the contest, post your work on Scribophile and check the box that says "Enter this work into the Summer Solstice Contest". Your work will automatically be considered. The checkbox will be visible until the contest deadline, which is in UTC time.
Entry is free, but you'll need karma points to publish your work. You can earn karma points by writing critiques of work by other members.
***Spotlight
Sonja Herbert has been a member of WVU since 1997. In June, her first book, a memoir called, Carnival Girl: Finding God in the Aftermath of War, was published by Cedar Fort. You can buy it at Amazon and in any other bookstore. You can read more about Carnival Girl and Sonja by going to http://www.germancarnivalgirl.com/
WVU congratulates Sonja and wishes her continued success.
If you know of WVU members and former members who have been published or
accomplished their goals, send the specifics to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
***Upcoming MFA Courses
MFA Courses are always free to annual, 3-year, and lifetime members.
Classes starting June 21 Registration ends June 23
MFA 209 Point of View Basics
Classes starting June 28 Registration ends June 30
MFA 210 The Art of First Person
Classes starting July 5 Registration ends July 7
MFA211 The Art of Third Person
Classes starting July 12 Registration ends July 14
MFA 212 What is a Plot?
Classes starting July 19 Registration ends July 21
MFA 213 The Art of Sequencing
Classes starting July 26 Registration ends July 28
MFA 214 Describing and Withholding
***F2K Free Creative Writing Course
http://writersvillage.com/free
Be the first to know when registration opens again, and have some fun.
It's free.
Join F2K Social at http://writersvillage.com/free
***Upcoming WVU Classes
Check the Schedule for course listings.
Register now for upcoming June & July classes.
Classes Starting June 20 Registration ends June 23
B113 Constructive Feedback, facilitated by Melissa Anne
F108 Creativity in a Box
N104 Writing Short Non-Fiction Part 1
P204 Poetry Triggers - Using Beginning Lines as Poetry Starters,
Classes Starting June 27 Registration ends June 30
B142 Blockbusters
F102: Romance Writing Part A
F300 Crafting Stories for Children
N132 So, You Want to be a Travel Writer
Classes Starting July 4 Registration ends July 7
B109 Writers Way Part 2 facilitated by Janet Smith
C100 Comedy Writing Part 1
F114 Doing it With Dialogue
F200 Independent Novel Workshop
N124 Writing for a Living
Classes Starting July 11 Registration ends July 14
F110 Where Creativity Lives
F230 So, You Want to Build a Fictional World, Do You? Part 2
F146 Let's Make a Scene
N110 Writing Articles Part 2, Prerequisite N108
P158 Poetry Triggers - Going Over the Edge
Classes Starting July 18 Registration ends July 21
B101 WVU Orientation,facilitated by Melissa Anne
F186 Writing Boosters - Story Starters #3
F242 Science Fiction Workshop
N118 Writing for Magazines Part 4, Prerequisite N116
N106 Writing Short Non-Fiction Part 2, Prerequisite N104
Classes Starting July 25 Registration ends July 28
F158 Beyond the Elements: Six Memos for the Next Millennium
F208 Writing the Screenplay – Part 2, Prerequisite F206
N140 Writing the Memoir
MFA303 Blank Verse Part 1
***Help is an Email Away!
For answers to many WVU questions, contact Support.
