AWP Dispatch: NEA Grant Apps

At nine a.m. on the first day of AWP, informational sessions already provided the practical advice sought by conference attendees. Much of what was reviewed during this morning’s panel on “Applying to the National Endowment for the Arts: Helpful Hints for Arts Organizations” is readily available at www.nea.gov and www.grants.gov, but John Parrish Peede, Director [...]

Book Review: From Pitch to Publication

As I’ve mentioned before on Mots Justes, I spent three weeks at Cambridge University this summer studying creative writing. Prior to arrival, we were given reading lists, both required and recommended, and this guide to publication by British literary agent Carol Blake was among the former. I would not have picked it up otherwise: on [...]

Literary Journal Submissions: Don’ts

Yesterday Mots Justes shared some tips on how to put together a submission that will endear you to the editors and staff of a literary journal. Here’s what not to do:

Don’t use fancy letterhead. Readers are interested only in the content of the cover letter and especially the submission. And don’t package your submission [...]

Literary Journal Submissions: Do’s

One of the advantages of working on a literary journal is that you learn pretty quickly how to submit your own work. Having just processed two contests at Southern California Review, I can attest how a simple thing like a SASE with correct postage makes the job of journal editors and staff so much easier. [...]

Letters to the Editor

One of the things I do in my spare time—which I have more of since I left my magazine editorship—is serve as (volunteer) editor-in-chief of Southern California Review (SCR), the literary journal published by the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California. So, even though I’m in Cambridge for three weeks [...]