Greetings, friends!
I’m short on time and energy today, so let’s skip the personal essay and get right into it. There’s been interest in scheduling another virtual “no-audience” reading—this is essentially a sharing circle where every attendee is required to participate. Each person gets 5 minutes on the virtual mic, which includes the time it takes to introduce your piece. We don’t workshop pieces in-session, but you can choose to solicit private feedback, though I recommend just letting yourself perform without receiving critique. If you’re interested in participating, please vote on a date:
Also, any ideas for a cuter name for this than “no-audience reading”?
NEW PERK
In case you missed it, I’m offering a new perk: free 30-minute 1-on-1 chats with yours truly to discuss your writing process, creative obstacles, and anything else that might aid your relationship to the literary arts. These expanded office hours will be held Saturdays after Sit & Write.
Paid subscribers will have the opportunity to claim at least one slot each month. I’ll start putting a link to the sign-up form behind a paywall at the end of each newsletter, so scroll all the way to the bottom if you’d like to claim a spot.
SIT & READ
This December, the little book club that could will be reading its 14th book: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. We’ll split the novel into 2 chunks, meeting to discuss each half on 12/13 and 12/27. If you’d like to participate, email collectivelit@substack.com by December 1st. Got questions? Check out the Sit & Read FAQ.
Synopsis:
Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal—an experience that shocks him to his core. Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She’s traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive’s best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him. When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.
SIT & WRITE
It’s time to work on that thing you’ve been avoiding! If you’re new to Sit & Write, please read this before attending.
WHEN: Saturday, 11/25, 11:00am-2:00pm ET
WHERE: ZoooOOOoom
LINK: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88356268900?pwd=VahVh6w4wJimkKvk4EUheBa0wuRGEf.1
MEETING ID: 883 5626 8900
PASSCODE: 134865
OTHER EVENTS
Wednesday, 11/22, 5:00pm ET: The Writing Room @ Iffy Books (Philadelphia). “Come co-work with other writers in three 40-minute units of silent writing. Writers and projects of any type welcome. 10-minute breaks and accountability check-ins between units. BYO coffee, water, computer chargers, notepads, etc.” (FREE/IN-PERSON)
Wednesday, 11/22, 7:00pm ET: Moonstone Arts Live Poetry @ Fergie’s Pub (Philadelphia). Featuring readings by Savannah Cooper-Ramsey, Pheralyn Dove, and Joseph Farley. (FREE/HYBRID)
Friday, 11/24, 9:30pm ET: The Friday Collapse Open Mic. “We will be featuring NY legend George Wallace and one of the hottest poets in the bay, Lourdes Figueroa. Open Mic sign up will open up on Monday, November 20th. Hosted by E. Lynn Alexander and PCR.” (FREE/VIRTUAL)
Saturday, 11/25 8:00am ET - Sunday, 11/26, 8:00am ET: International Reading for Freedom of Expression & Solidarity with Palestine. “We gather writers from around the world for a 24 hour reading in support of Palestinian writers, Palestinian voices in diaspora, and their allies. We gather in the spirit of fundamental respect for life and liberation. As individual poets, artists & writers, and representatives of independent arts organizations, we call for an end to all ongoing genocidal aggression globally. We condemn the collective punishment of Palestinians, we condemn actions that perpetuate cycles of violence, and we call for a global commitment to protect freedom of expression and critical dissent.” (FREE/VIRTUAL)
Sunday, 11/26, 6:00pm ET: Scribes on South @ Tattooed Mom (Philadelphia). “A poetry reading and open mic. The reading begins with a 20-minute featured reader and then moves through the open mic list for the rest of the night. Open mic readers have 5 minutes. There will be a space for poets to sell books. … This reading’s featured readers are Olivia Zarzycki and Sophie Peters.” (FREE/IN-PERSON)
Monday, 11/27, 6:30pm ET: LIVE at the Writers House @ Kelly Writers House (Philadelphia). “This month’s program features members of the group Queens of the Penstroke, a Philadelphia-based writing group that meets at Kelly Writers House. Members of the group will read selections from a performance piece in progress that focuses on their experiences with the carceral system.” (FREE/IN-PERSON)
Tuesday, 11/28, 7:30pm ET: Beth Kephart @ Parkway Central Library (Philadelphia). “Exploring how various forms of paper tie to our memories, legacies, and inner archives, Kephart’s new illustrated memoir My Life In Paper was born from the aftermath of her father’s passing.” (PAY WHAT YOU WISH/IN-PERSON)
Tuesday, 11/28, 8:00pm ET: Black Lawrence Press Virtual Reading. “A reading with poets Rachelle Escamilla, Erin Hoover, and Jessica Morey-Collins. This final installment of the 2023 Black Lawrence Press Reading Series is free with Zoom registration.” (FREE/VIRTUAL)
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
OPPORTUNITIES
DEADLINE 11/30: Black Lawrence Press’s open reading period closes. They’re seeking: Poetry (chapbook and full-length collections), Fiction (chapbooks, full-length collections, novellas, and novels), Creative Nonfiction, Biography & Cultural Studies, Anthology Proposals, and Translation. “We also heartily welcome hybrid work and collaborative manuscripts.” (BOOK PURCHASE IN LIEU OF SUBMISSION FEE/PAYS ROYALTIES)
DEADLINE 11/30: River Heron Editors’ Prize submissions due. “Poets may submit up to 3 poems, 5 pages maximum. … The winning poem and four finalists’ poems will be announced in January 2023. The selected poems will be published on February 1, 2024.” There’s also a non-contest submission category with the same deadline and a $3 submission fee. ($15 SUBMISSION FEE/$500 PRIZE)
DEADLINE 12/1: Proposals due for Cooper Street Workshops at Rutgers Camden. “Great workshops meet participants where they are, appealing to and engaging with writers at all experience levels. We rely on instructors to help publicize their workshops, so strong connections to a community are a plus. … Our instructors are compensated.” (NO SUBMISSION FEE/PAY UNSPECIFIED)
DEADLINE 12/3: Applications due for the The One Story Writing Circle. “Join a small cohort of fiction writers looking to devote a year to improving their craft and process. Circle members will receive access to select One Story classes for the 2024 calendar year … In addition, they will attend monthly asynchronous online meetings designed to help them set goals and create and maintain their writing practice, surrounded by a supportive community of writers from across the country and the world.” No scholarships available. ($650 TUITION/VIRTUAL)
DEADLINE 12/15: The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts submissions due. “We accept fiction and creative nonfiction, as long if they are compressed in some way. Work is published weekly, without labels, and the labels here only exist to help us determine its best readers. Our response time is generally 1-5 days. Also, our acceptance rate is currently about 2% of submissions.” (NO SUBMISSION FEE/PAYS $50)
DEADLINE 1/1: Submissions for The 27 Club anthology due. The anthology, to be published by Castle Carrington Publishing, seeks poetry and art about famous people who died at age 27. (NO SUBMISSION FEE/PAY UNKNOWN)
STARTING 1/17: The Stafford Challenge. “The Stafford Challenge is a commitment to join a community of poets who are writing a poem every day for a year, starting January 17, 2024, inspired by the legendary poet William Stafford who made it a practice to craft a daily poem. As part of this endeavor, we offer monthly Guest Poet Zoom events featuring accomplished poets who'll impart their wisdom, share their work, offer inspiration, and celebrate the magic of poetry. Our roster includes distinguished poets such as Kim Stafford, Naomi Shihab Nye, and more.” (FREE, BUT DONATIONS WELCOMED/VIRTUAL)
ROLLING SUBMISSIONS: Brookline Books seeks proposals for “history and general nonfiction books concerning the Greater Philadelphia region, including neighboring states New Jersey and Delaware. We are dedicated to highlighting the lives of Pennsylvanians—both common and renowned—and notable events that deserve to sit on the history shelves of readers around the world.” (NO SUBMISSION FEE/PAY UNKNOWN)
Find even more opportunities via my Instagram highlights! (IG account required)
Got an event, opportunity, or accomplishment to share? DM @collectivelit on Instagram or send details here.
Alright friends, that’s all for today.
Warmly,
Julian Shendelman
www.collectivelit.com
P.S. If you are a free subscriber, you will see a message below that says “this post is for paid subscribers.” That’s just the paywall I mentioned at the beginning! Don’t worry, you’re not missing any content, just the free 1-on-1 Office Hours sessions.