Summer Literary Seminars Kenya is now accepting applications for the 2008 program, December 13-28 in Nairobi and Lamu. SLS produces a blended program of workshops, lectures and unique cultural experiences, and has hosted faculty such as Dave Eggers, George Saunders, Padgett Powell, Denis Johnson, Jayne Anne Phillips, and Binyavanga Wainaina. Academic credit is available through Concordia University. See a list of program activities here.

Poetry Politic: A Blog in 50 Days provides daily political poetry news — from September 15th through November 4th, 2008 — brought to readers “by the citizens at Wave Books.” Thus far on the site “Dream Occupation,” a poem by J.W. Marshall and Muriel Rukeyser’s FBI File – no kidding – the whole thing as a PDF download – as well as links to some of the original works cited in the document. Much more chilling to view than I had at first thought it would be. Certainly a blog worth watching to steel us through these 50 days.

Can intelligent literature survive in the digital age?
The Independent
September 14, 2008

“Is the paper-and-ink book heading the way of the papyrus scroll? Can serious literature survive in the brave new world of web downloads, e-books and ever-shortening attention spans?”

In addition to John Walsh’s commentary on the subject, several experts are called upon to predict the future in “What’s the word?”: Clare Alexander (agent), Sue Thomas (new-media lecturer), Tracy Chevalier (author), Santiago de la Mora (google-guy), Richard Ovenden (librarian), Jeremy Ettinghausen (publisher), Chris Meade (digital convert), and Andrew Cowan (teacher).

Comp/Creative Writing: Illinois Valley Community College, located in North Central Illinois, anticipates filling this position to begin January 2009. Glenna Jones, Director of Human Resources.

The Department of English at Salisbury University is accepting applications for the tenure-track position of Assistant Professor in creative writing specializing in fiction. November 17, 2008.

The English Department of Bowling Green State University seeks applicants for the Arts & Sciences Distinguished Visiting Writer. The successful candidate will be in residence spring 2010; teach one workshop in our BFA program and one workshop in our MFA program; give a reading and a lecture; and advise theses. Dr. Kristine L. Blair. Screening of applicants will begin March 16, 2009 and continue until the position is filled.

The School of Arts and Humanities at The University of Texas at Dallas invites applications for a tenure track position, rank open, in Creative Writing, with an emphasis on prose fiction.

The College of Idaho announces a tenure-track position in environmental literature and creative writing (non-fiction prose) at the Assistant Professor level to begin fall 2009. Application review will begin on November 1.

The Washington College Department of English seeks to hire a tenure-track Assistant Professor with specialization in creative writing (poetry). Dr. Kathryn Moncrief, Chair, English. Applications must be received by Nov. 1, 2008 for full consideration.

University of Central Oklahoma: Teach First-Year Composition classes and serve as Executive Editor of New Plains Review; qualified applicants may teach occasional Creative Writing classes, as needed by the department. Dr. David Macey, English department Chair.

Marshall University tenure-track position; rank open. Ph.D. in Creative Writing required at time of appointment; strong record of creative publication; teaching experience; primary area in creative non-fiction with secondary emphasis in fiction or poetry or literature or screen writing. Donna Spindel, Interim Chair English.

Iowa State University Assistant Professor of English in creative writing. Tenure-track. Beginning August 2009. Accomplished writer in one genre with the ability to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in a second genre for the newly-formed MFA program in Creative Writing and Environment. Interviews with selected candidates may be conducted at the AWP Conference in Chicago (2009). Apply online by November 1, 2008.

San Jose State University, California: Creative Writing – Fiction/Non Fiction. John Engell, Chair, Department of English & Comparative Literarture.

Central Michigan University, Creative Writing: Fiction. Tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of English. Dr. Marcy Taylor, Chair, Department of English Language and Literature. Screening of applications will begin on October 20, 2008, and continue until filled.

Texas State University MFA program invites applications for a tenure-track position in poetry writing. Prof. Tom Grimes, Chair, Poetry Search Committee, Department of English,

“The Man Booker Prize 2008 shortlist was announced Tuesday September 9. Two first-time novelists, Aravind Adiga and Steve Toltz, survived the cull of the longlist from thirteen novels to just six. Pevious winners of the Booker Prize, John Berger and Salman Rushdie, failed to make this year’s shortlist and Sebastian Barry is the only novelist shortlisted for this year’s prize to have been previously shortlisted (in 2005).

“Linda Grant, winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2000 and longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2002, is the only female author to make the shortlist of six. She is joined by Philip Hensher, longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2002 and a Booker judge in 2001, and the widely-acclaimed Indian writer Amitav Ghosh.”

The Man Booker Prize 2008 shortlisted novels are:

Aravind Adiga The White Tiger (Atlantic)
Sebastian Barry The Secret Scripture (Faber and Faber)
Amitav Ghosh Sea of Poppies (John Murray)
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs (Virago)
Philip Hensher The Northern Clemency (Fourth Estate)
Steve Toltz A Fraction of the Whole (Hamish Hamilton)

The winner of the Man Booker Prize 2008 will be announced October 14.

Editor and Online Program Manager, Poetryfoundation.org
The deadline for applications is September 25, 2008.

Job Description
The role of editor of poetryfoundation.org includes the following responsibilities:

Provide editorial direction to staff editors, producers, and consultants in order to publish the site’s frequently updated content. This includes acquiring and approving all articles and other content such as feature articles, podcasts, and other audio and visual features.

Work with other Foundation program senior managers to publish online content and information from all program areas at the Foundation.

Develop marketing plans and campaigns to promote the website as needed.

Direct the process by which poems and other materials about poets and poetry are added to the site’s archive. This includes supervising the permissions process for all published content.

Collaborate with other editors at the Foundation on poetry issues and judging of awards as necessary.

The role of online program manager includes the following responsibilities:

Manage the technical staff and consultants who design and develop the site’s user interface to ensure the quality of the user experience.

Manage technical consultants, including developers, usability experts, and hosting providers, to ensure the security and performance of the underlying technical infrastructure.

Develop and execute plans to steadily increase traffic to the site, including managing the process for gathering and reporting web traffic data, search results, and web traffic marketing plans, and establishing partnerships with other websites important to the mission of the Foundation.

Qualifications

Extensive background and familiarity with contemporary poetry

Extensive experience with managing editorial processes, including web publishing processes.

Strong knowledge of web technology and web design

Substantial project management experience

B.A. degree or greater in English literature or computer-related studies

The DIGITAL ART WEEKS program is concerned with the application of digital technology in the arts. Consisting of symposium, workshops and performances, the Digital Art Weeks program offers insight into current research and innovations in art and technology as well as illustrating resulting synergies in a series of performances during the Digital Art Weeks Festival each year, making artists aware of impulses in technology and scientists aware of the possibilities of application of technology in the arts.

Interrupt
October 17-19, 2008
Rhode Island

Interrupt is a festival celebrating writing and performance in digital media, busting onto the scene in Providence, Rhode Island. Events are hosted by Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design. The festival is continuing in the tradition of Brown’s E-Fest, but is expanding/augmenting it, and also streamlining into Pixilerations.

Participating artists will share work that in some way addresses the theme of the festival: Interrupt. In computing, an interrupt is a command sent to the processor to get its attention, and indicates a need for change. We understand “interruption” as a useful metaphor for imagining the role of digital arts practices in contemporary society. The festival is being organized with the aim of showcasing arts practices hybridized not only by digital mediation, but by a spectrum of cultural practices including electronic poetry, information design, net art, video art, interactive music, and performance art.

“Don’t know your French flaps from your headbands? Here’s a guide to the arcane terminology of the book world…[read it here]”

By Rachel Toor
The Chroncicle of Higher Education
August 11, 2008

The organizers of the Frank Stanford Literay Festival – a three-day event in Fayetteville, Arkansas – are looking for help to honor a few central figures in Stanford’s creative career by supporting their travel to participate in the festival.

Sponsors will be acknowledged in promotional materials and in a commemorative, hand-sewn program designed by Cannibal Books. Sponsors will also receive a broadside of a poem from Stanford’s final book, You, designed and printed collaboratively between Lost Roads Publishers, Cannibal Books and Effing Press. Sponsors will also be verbally recognized at all events, which include a Small Press Reading, several Stanford readings, two panels, a screening or Irving Broughton’s legendary Stanford biopic It Wasn’t a Dream It Was a Flood, and a marathon reading of Stanford’s epic poem The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You.

Donations are tax deductible and payable to Lost Roads. For more information, query Matthew Henriksen at frankstanfordfes-at-gmail.com.

The English Department at Western Kentucky University seeks applicants for the following position: Distinguished Visiting Professor in Creative Writing (Poetry), Summer 2009

Duties: Teach a four-week intensive three-credit undergraduate/graduate workshop sometime during Summer 2009. Give a public reading.

Renumeration: $10,000 + housing

Requirements: Significant teaching experience, at least one published book

Review of applications begins October 31, 2008, and will continue until position is filled. Each applicant must submit a letter of interest, a vita, a copy of one of his/her books, and two letters addressing his/her teaching expertise, to:

Dr. Tom C. Hunley
Department of English Chair
Distinguished Visiting Creative Writing Professor Search Committee
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11086
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1086

1. Seeking Submissions from Practicing Librarians (U.S. and Canada) for The Published Librarian: Successful Professional and Personal Writing (publisher: American Library Association)

Foreword: Bob Blanchard, Adult Services Librarian, Des Plaines Public Library. Contributor to Illinois Library Association Reporter; Thinking Outside the Book: Essays for Innovative Librarians (McFarland, 2008)

Introductory Note: Wayne Jones, Head of Central Technical Services, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Ed., Ontario Library Association, Access; Ed., E-Journals Access and Management (Routledge, 2008)

Contributors need significant publication credits in order to write practical, concise, how-to articles to help the reader. No previously published, simultaneously submitted, co-authored material. Two articles sharing the range of your publishing experiences: 1900-2100 words total; for example, one article could be 1000 words, another 900-1100 words on another topic. Librarians with ethnic backgrounds serving diverse cultures are encouraged. Contributor’s sign an ALA Writer Agreement before publication. Compensation: a complimentary copy, discount on additional copies

Possible topics: marketing, online publishing, where to send reviews, research skills for historical novels, diversity in publication, ideas from students for YA books, using tools like BIP to locate publishers for your books, storytellers turned picture book authors, interviewing, networking, using a technology edge, promoting your books at conferences. Using issues librarians face such as censorship in poetry, essays, memoir, short stories, columns.

The deadline for current cycle of submissions is October 30, 2008.

Please submit 3-4 topic proposals with a 65-70 word bio beginning with your library of employment, highlighting your publications. Place LIBRARIANS/your name on the subject line to: [email protected]

2. Seeking Submissions from Practicing Librarians (U.S.) for Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook (publisher: American Library Association)

Foreword: Kathy Barco, READiscover New Mexico: A Tri-Lingual Adventure in Literacy (Sunstone Press, 2007); children’s librarian, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Public Library

Afterword: Edith Campbell, Media Director, Arlington High School, Indianapolis. Indiana Libraries, Viewpoints; http://campbele.wordpress.com

Articles by practicing academic, public, school, special librarians sharing their experiences on how U.S. librarians are not tied to computers inside libraries: how librarians partner, outreach, and market libraries in their communities. Librarians with ethnic backgrounds serving diverse cultures are encouraged.

One article, 1900-2100 words; no co-authors. Practical, concise, how-to contributions are needed.

Possible topics: workshops at senior centers, story hours at community swimming pools, innovative literacy outreach, partnering with artists and writers, creative youth participation, effective advocacy with elected officials, working with the media.

The deadline for current cycle of submissions is October 30, 2008.
Contributor’s sign an ALA Writer Agreement before publication. Compensation: a complimentary copy, discount on additional copies,

Please submit 3 topic proposals (each 3-4 sentences) in descending order of choice–hopefully your first will not have been already taken. Please also send a 65-70 word bio beginning with your library of employment, title, highlights of your community library outreach activities, awards, and related professional contributions. Place PARTNERS/your name on the subject line to: [email protected]

*****

Editor Carol Smallwood, MLS, has written, co-authored, edited 19 books such as Educators as Writers and Thinking Outside the Book: Essays for Innovative Librarians. Her work has appeared in English Journal, Clackamas Literary Review, The Detroit News, and several others including anthologies. Pudding House Publications published her 2008 chapbook.

Speaking of beer – many thanks to the NewPages supporters who have been contributing to the blog beer fund! Now that school has started up again and I’m back in the classroom, your support means all the more (and goes much faster…). Add to that: I’ve joined a bowling league. I only did so under the promise that it was really a drinking league using bowling as the guise. Our team name? We’re still working on it, but here’s one I liked: We Make Obama Look Good.

CHARLES OLSON: Language as Physical Fact
University of Arizona Poetry Center
1508 E. Helen St.
Tucson, Arizona
October 10 – 11, 2008

A Conference and Exhibition sponsored by Chax Press.

“The Pew Internet Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Internet explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. The Project is nonpartisan and takes no position on policy issues.”

Recent reports/memos include (visit the site for complete data):

Podcast Downloading 2008
Mary Madden Sydney Jones
8/28/2008
As gadgets with digital audio capability proliferate, podcast downloading continues to increase. Currently, 19% of all internet users say they have downloaded a podcast so they could listen to it or view it later. This most recent percentage is up from 12% of internet users who reported downloading podcasts in our August 2006 survey and 7% in our February-April 2006 survey. Still, podcasting has yet to become a fixture in the everyday lives of internet users, as very few internet users download podcasts on a typical day.

Search Engine Use
Deborah Fallows
8/6/2008
The percentage of internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of just under one-half (49%). With this increase, the number of those using a search engine on a typical day is pulling ever closer to the 60% of internet users who use email, arguably the internet’s all-time killer app, on a typical day.

Home Broadband 2008
John Horrigan
7/2/2008
Some 55% of all adult Americans now have a high-speed internet connection at home. The percentage of Americans with broadband at home has grown from 47% in early 2007. Poorer Americans saw no growth in broadband adoption in the past year while at the same time nearly one-third of broadband users pay more to get faster connections.

Writing, Technology and Teens
Amanda Lenhart Sousan Arafeh Aaron Smith Alexandra Rankin Macgill
4/24/2008
Teens write a lot, but they do not think of their emails, instant and text messages as writing. This disconnect matters because teens believe good writing is an essential skill for success and that more writing instruction at school would help them.

Once again, the NewPages Book Reviewers have outdone themselves with a unique selection of books. Stop by and check out these reviews:

Dear Everybody
Novel by Michael Kimball
Alma Books, September 2008
Reviewed by Josh Maday

Vacation
Novel by Deb Olin Unferth
McSweeney’s, September 2008
Review by Matt Bell

Liam’s Going
Novel by Michael Joyce
McPherson & Company, July 2008
Review by Rav Grewal-Kök

In the Land of the Free
Flash Fiction by Geoffrey Forsyth
Rose Metal Press, July 2008
Review by Sean Lovelace

New World Order
Stories by Derek Green
Autumn House Press, June 2008
Review by Dan Wickett

Sound + Noise
Novel by Curtis Smith
Casperian Books, September 2008
Review by Matt Bell

Bill’s Formal Complaint
Poetry by Dan Kaplan
The National Poetry Review Press, March 2008
Review by Micah Zevin

Lands of Memory
Stories by Felisberto Hernández
Translated from the Spanish by Esther Allen
New Directions, July 2008
Reviewed by Josh Maday

Who Can Save Us Now?
Brand-New Superheroes and their Amazing (Short) Stories
Ed. by Owen King and John McNally
Free Press, July 2008
Review by Matt Bell

In Hovering Flight
Novel by Joyce Hinnefeld
Unbridled Books, September 2008
Review by: Christina Hall

FREAKS READ showcases gay literature, erotica in East Village
by Scott Stiffler
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Aug 28, 2008

Just as the city’s gays were starting to clean up their act, along comes a bold and unapologetic happening that puts specific elements of gay life behind the mic and back on the front burner.

Working in the tradition of literary salons set in literate saloons, FREAKS READ is a new monthly event whose gay bar location and 21-plus policy guarantees exposure to the sort of provocative adult content on which urbane LGBTs used to thrive.

Founder and host Charlie Vazquez books the unconventional talent.

“We call it FREAKS READ because we started the reading as part of Freak Week, a week of events leading up to Pride,” he said.

In the true spirit of Pride and all things freaky, Vazquez sorts through the submitted material to ensure the poetry and fiction on display is filled with enough sex, gore and out there concepts to provide LGBTs with an antidote to the encroaching world of baby carriages, Jamba Juice franchises and other soul-crushing hallmarks of urban hetero-assimilation…[read the rest]

On Sunday, Sept. 7, the Christopher Morley Knothole Association will present a “Day of Literature in the Park: Poetry and Prose Picnic.” The event will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Christopher Morley Park, located on Searingtown Road in Roslyn Estates, New York.

The Knothole Association will present live readings and interpretations of classic works of literature. Local residents can be part of the fun by bringing their own poems or novels to read from and then share what they believe the author is saying, what the author’s history is, and why that work of literature has significant meaning. The Day of Literature will be held outdoors under the shade tree at the Knothole, itself the preserved study of Christopher Morley.

It’s not to late to change your life: Small Press Traffic announces a call for applications for the position of Executive Director, to begin employment on January 1, 2009. Deadline for application September 15, 2008.

I just got a note from Rusty Barnes about his newest literary endeavor, starting right now as a blog and seeing where interest might take it: “I’m doing periodic blogposts as well as interviews and reviews and publishing fiction and poetry, all of which is related to rural literature, Appalachian literature, and redneck/white trash literature in general. It’s at friedchickenandcoffee.blogspot.com. Right now I have a couple poems and a story posted, and interviews scheduled with Ron Rash and Silas House, as well as a review of Jayne Pupek’s Tomato Girl.”

Hartwick College Department of English and Theatre Arts invites applications for a full-time, 3-year position in fiction writing commencing September 2009 (pending final administrative approval) at the rank of assistant professor. Dr. Robert Bensen, Acting Chair, English and Theatre Arts. November 15, 2008.

University of Michigan Department of English Language & Literature invites applications for the Helen Herzog Zell Visiting Professorship in Creative Writing visiting appointment in fiction, which is a three-year appointment (through April 30, 2012), with potential renewal for two additional years (through April 30, 2014). Candidates should be emerging writers (no more than one or two books published or under contract) who have achieved distinction in their writing & excellence in their teaching or who have demonstrated the promise of such distinction & excellence. Send letter of application, c.v. & short writing sample (25 pages) by November 10 to: Professor Sidonie Smith, Chair, Department of English Language & Literature, University of Michigan, 3187 Angell Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003.

Arkansas Tech University invites applications for a tenure-track, assistant professor in fiction writing, beginning August 11, 2009. Dr. Carl Brucker, Head, Department of English. November 25, 2008.

The 2009-10 Stadler Fellowship offers professional training in arts administration & literary editing in a thriving, university-based poetry center, while also providing the Fellow time to pursue his or her own writing. December 6, 2008.

The Creative Writing Program, New York University seeks a renowned fiction writer of national reputation who will play a leading role within the Creative Writing Program, & will hold a tenured appointment in the Department of English. Position to begin September 1, 2009, pending final administrative & budgetary approval.

University of California, San Diego, Department of Literature is seeking a poet to teach in a thriving undergraduate program & new MFA program. November 15, 2008.

Colby-Sawyer College has an opportunity for an innovative and energetic full-time Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing in the Department of Humanities. This is a tenure-eligible faculty position available in late August 2009. October 15, 2008.

Narrative Magazine announces the winners of the 2008 First-Person Story Contest:

First Place ($3,000) Gina Ochsner On Principle
Second Place ($1,750) Heather Brittain Bergstrom Celilo Falls
Third Place ($1,000) Holly Wilson Night Glow

Ten Finalists ($125 each)
Alethea Black Mistake
Abby Frucht But You’re Not
Lisa Fugard The Ghost of Anton Viljoen
Ed Gray Freedom Cross
Barb Johnson Turn It Up
Twister Marquiss Spectator Sports
David Peters The Dressing Room
Marc Petersen Shopping in the Middle of the Night
Debra Spark 46
Terese Svoboda Recon

Glimmer Train has just chosen the three winning stories of their June Fiction Open competition! This quarterly competition is open to all writers and all themes.

First place: Shimon Tanaka of San Francisco, CA, wins $2000 for “The Suit”. His story will be published in the Fall 2009 issue of Glimmer Train Stories.

Second place: Christine Sneed of Evanston, IL, wins $1000 for “Twelve + Twelve”. Her story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories.

Third place: Horatio Potter, also of Wilsall, MT, wins $600 for “Summer Help”. His story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing his prize to $700.

Word count range: 2000-20,000. Submissions may be sent for the September Fiction Open using our online submissions system.

Spying on Professors Proposed by NAS
From John K. Wilson
Blog: College Freedom

The National Association of Scholars announced plans for monitoring campuses [“The Argus Project“], and it’s getting some well deserved criticism.

In defense of NAS, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with monitoring what colleges do, and protecting the rights of students and faculty is a good thing. I wish that progressives had some organization that did this, now that NAS, FIRE, Students for Academic Freedom, NoIndoctrination.org, and many others are monitoring campuses.

However, what makes the monitoring by NAS wrong is the ideological nature of it. Note how they proclaim that they will be scrutinizing “politicized teaching” or “slights to conservative students.” Neither of these are violations of student rights (and, of course, slights to liberal students will be ignored). Indeed, it is the attempt to banish “politicized” teaching that threatens academic freedom and free speech on campus.

As I argue in my book Patriotic Correctness, it’s time for progressives to form an activist organization that will monitor violations of liberty on campuses (especially the campuses ignored by the right-wing groups), and protect the intellectual freedom of right-wingers, left-wingers, and everyone in between. If you’re interested in helping with this (whether you’re conservative or liberal), please contact me at [email protected]

The 2nd annual Words Alive Literary Festival celebrates a rich literary heritage providing a showcase for Canadian authors. One day of author readings, public readings, workshops, panel discussions and storytelling including poetry with music and art. This year’s presenters include:

Allan Briesmaster
Allyson Latta
Anthony De Sa
Barry Dempster
bill bissett
Brenda Byers
Christopher Dewdney
Fay Wilkinson
Heather Whaley
Jim Blake
Karolyn Smardz Frost
Kelley Armstrong
Kim Michele
Marie Campbell
Mary Swan
Maureen Jennings
Maureen Scott Harris
Menaka Thakkar
Peter Unwin
Uma Parameswaran
Valentino Assenza

The English Department at Western Kentucky University seeks applicants for the following position: Distinguished Visiting Professor in Creative Writing (Poetry), Summer 2009. Dr. Tom C. Hunley, Department of English, Chair, Distinguished Visiting Creative Writing Professor Search Committee. October 31, 2008.

Illinois Valley Community College, located in North Central Illinois, anticipates filling this position to begin January 2009. Glenna Jones, Director of Human Resources.

”The Black List’ highlights African-American luminaries
By Mekeisha Madden Toby
Detroit News
Article Last Updated: 08/25/2008 12:05:06 AM PDT

The African-American experience is not relegated to February, declares film critic Elvis Mitchell, whose HBO documentary “The Black List: Volume One” premieres tonight.

A Detroit native and former New York Times film critic, Mitchell, 50, has moved behind the camera, and with the help of acclaimed photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders created “The Black List,” a series of interviews with African-American luminaries in literature, sports, entertainment and politics, including Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

In addition to touring all over the country to promote “The Black List,” he hosts “Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence” on Turner Classic Movies (TCM), interviewing the likes of Emmy- and Tony-winning actor Laurence Fishburne and comedic legend Bill Murray. Mitchell’s show will return in January.

Here’s what Mitchell had to say about the film — which he dedicated to the late Bernie Mac — and other subjects…[read the rest]

Tuesday, August 26, 2008 from 8-9:30pm PST. Three rounds of open mic. The lightning round (30 seconds) and spotlight round (five minutes) will feature several designated poets who signed the open mic list ahead of time at Listen & Be Heard Poetry Cafe. The third round will be for poets who are listening to call in and share one poem. Hosted by Martha Cinader Mims. Scheduled to be featured are Bill Vartnaw, Olivia Johnson, Dana Teen Lomax and Gerald Schwartz.

An interview with Barry Unsworth, winner of the Man Booker Prize in 1993 for his novel Sacred Hunger, has recently been posted on Littoral: The blog of the Key West Literary Seminar. Unsworth discusses the effects of expatriate life, of aging, and the role historical fiction plays in understanding our past and our present.

Here, he comments on how age has affected his writing: “With time I have grown more sparing with the words. I think less of fire-works and flourishes. I try to get warmth and color through precision of language. This is more difficult, I think, which may be why I find writing novels so challenging and exacting.”

And on public appearances, he comes to this: “There is also a division of persona in the way the writer is perceived, the discrepancy between the effects of his books and the impression he makes when the reader gets to talk to him or listen to him. It has to be admitted that there will often be an element of disappointment here. The best of us goes into the book. We are not, with some rare and spectacular exceptions, so brilliant or wise or witty as might have been hoped or expected. Far from it. And perhaps the lure of readings and talks and panels, and all these public forums, is simply a doomed desire to live up to the promise, to not disappoint.”

Read more of the interview on Littoral.

Barry Unsworth will deliver the John Hersey Memorial Address to open the second session of the 2009 Key West Literary Seminar.

The English Department at The University of Texas (Austin), in conjunction with the Michener Center for Writers, seeks applicants for the James A. Michener Chair in Creative Writing (Fiction). November 1, 2008.

The MFA program at Texas State University, invites applications for a tenure-track position in poetry writing. The program’s permanent poetry faculty are Cyrus Cassells, Roger Jones, Kathleen Peirce, and Steve Wilson. Prof. Tom Grimes, Chair, Poetry Search Committee. November 1, 2008.

The Department of English of Texas State University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in English position, with a specialty in fiction writing.

The English Department at Trinity College seeks to hire an actively-publishing poet to fill a tenure-track Assistant Professorship in Poetry Writing and Literary Studies. Paul Lauter, Chair. November 1, 2008.

Colby-Sawyer College has an opportunity for an innovative and energetic full-time Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing in the Department of Humanities. October 15, 2008.

The Wheaton College Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track position in Creative Writing – Creative Nonfiction. Dr. Sharon Coolidge, Chair. November 14, 2008.

Posted by John DeNardo on the SFSignal: What Are the Essential SF Books of the Last 20 Years? The post is open for and includes numerous comments from readers.