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Any and all debates about climate science aside, I for one am sick of it being 50 degrees and sunny at Christmas. When I was a child, there was always snow at Christmas (and school was uphill both ways, blah blah blah, GET OFF MY LAWN!), and the spate of seasonal songs that describe the proliferation of frozen precipitate were simple descriptions of reality rather than the series of cruel jokes they seem to be now (apologies for the egregious alliteration). All the same, it’s my favorite time of year, and we here at GSF are taking a break over the next two weeks to enjoy family and holiday cheer, so you won’t see another Roundup until early January. This week, though, we have the usual suspects, plus a radio play about writing at the end. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, see you in the New Year!
We’d love to hear your feedback. Please let us know what you think in the comments and if there are certain types of information you would like to see in the Roundup. Also feel free to tweet at us (@freelancingrads) with any ideas or questions. Have a great writing week!
Just one this week, but she's a good one ("actively working" is always a good sign)…
Jordan Hamessley has joined New Leaf Literary & Media as a Literary Agent after a decade working as an editor and is actively working to build her client list.
Seeking:
Fiction: Picture Books; Middle Grade; YA; select adult Horror and Science Fiction
Nonfiction: STEM-related Picture Books
“She is always looking to find stories that bring the queer experience to the children’s space across all age ranges.”
Jordan is accepting queries via email at query@newleafliterary.com. More information about submissions may be found here.
This Week: Short Fiction and Writing About Writing (So meta! Much wow!)
Boulevard Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers—Submissions due December 31st, 2017 (Short Fiction Contest—$$$ Award, Consideration for Publication)
Who: Writers who have never published a book of fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction with a nationally distributed press
What: Work of short fiction up to 8,000 words. Winner receives $1,500 and publication in Boulevard.
Entry Fee: $16
To Submit: Contest guidelines and a submission form may be found here.
The Writer Your Writing Life Contest—Submissions due January 1st, 2018 (Essay Contest—$$$ Award, Publication)
What: A personal essay no longer than 2,000 words about the life of a writer. Winner receives $1,000 and publication in The Writer.
“Any topic is fair game, so long as it pertains to some aspect of writing.”
To Submit: Contest guidelines and a submission form may be found here.
Mysterious Space Phenomena! Government Secrets! Philosophies of Manual Labor!
Jennifer March Soloway, Associate Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Jennifer has an idea for a book she’d like to see and it sounds fascinating: “Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program–aka ‘Space phenomena’.” Source Tweet
Seeking:
Fiction: Children’s Picture Books; Middle Grade; YA; select Literary and Commercial Adult Fiction
Nonfiction: Meh.
“Regardless of genre, she is actively seeking fresh new voices and perspectives underrepresented in literature . . . She is open to any good story that is well written with a strong, authentic voice. Surprise her!”
How to Submit: Jennifer is accepting submissions at soloway@andreabrownlit.com. Submission guidelines may be found here.
Follow Jennifer on Twitter @marchsoloway.
Curtis Russell, President and Principal Agent at P.S. Literary
Curtis wants to sink his teeth into a good non-fiction book on the value of work–something in the vein of Matthew Crawford’s Shop Class at Soulcraft. Source Tweet
Seeking:
Fiction: Literary; Commercial; Mystery; Thriller; Suspense; Romance; Young Adult; Middle Grade; Picture Books
Nonfiction: Business; History; Politics; Current Affairs; Memoir; Health; Wellness; Sports; Humor; Pop Culture, Science, and Psychology
How to Submit: Curtis is accepting queries at query@psliterary.com. More information and submission guidelines may be found here.
Follow Curtis on Twitter @CurtisPSLA.
Ejusdem Generis
The number of Christmas movies and television shows that suddenly appears on Netflix and in the cable listings toward the end of November is truly mind boggling. Of course, for the majority of the twentieth century this flourishing of holiday narratives would have taken place in the medium of the printed word: magazines, newspapers, even novellas. This holiday, take a break from lamenting the slow demise of print media, our collective loss of “an elegant weapon, for a more civilized age,” and listen to another disappearing medium. Twenty-two years ago, This American Life (at the time known as Your Radio Playhouse) produced a Christmas special in which the not-yet-totally-famous David Sedaris and friends wrote and performed a radio play about a group of writers taking a writing class aimed at creating and selling Christmas stories. It’s hilarious and all too familiar. Check it out here, and have a wonderful holiday.