The Practicing Writer 2.0: August 2024
Featuring 45+ fee-free opportunities that pay for winning/published work. Serving writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction for more than 20 years.
Welcome, new readers, and welcome back to the regulars.
For updates and additional opportunities between newsletters, please check the “Practicing Writing” blog and follow me on Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.
If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Editor’s Note
Success Stories
Featured Resource
Contests, Competitions, and Other Opportunities (NO FEES TO ENTER/APPLY; PAYING OPPORTUNITIES ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)
Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)
Blog Notes
Newsletter Matters
1. EDITOR’S NOTE
Greetings, practicing writers:
In the weeks since last month’s issue posted, I was scheduled to travel near (to Philadelphia, for a special weekend with gal pals I’ve known since middle school) and, earlier in July, far (to Israel, for a Jewish literary conference in Jerusalem, after which I lingered for a few days in Tel Aviv). At the last minute, I was unable to join the group in Philly (don’t worry—everything is fine). Which I guess gave me even more time to reflect on the other journey.
I haven’t (yet) written much about the conference, which was convened by the Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute. In part, that’s because it wasn’t open to the public, and Chatham House Rules applied.
But I can tell you that it was deeply meaningful for me to speak on a panel that was held at the National Library of Israel.
This trip to Israel came just about six months after my January journey there with my congregation (which I mentioned in our February issue and again in mid-March). Among my current observations: Although you might not glean this from mainstream media coverage—and despite the seeming normalcy of busy cafés and restaurants—in Israel, the ongoing trauma of October 7 and the war remains inescapable.1 On this eve of the 300th day of this nightmare, it’s particularly painful that what I wrote here in March about the fate of Israeli writers whom Hamas captured on October 7 and brought to Gaza as hostages requires still more tragic updates.
You may recall that in describing a PEN America webpage devoted to “Israeli and Palestinian Writers and Artists: The Toll of War,” I wrote:
Updates have been promised. I hope to soon find there profiles for poet and children’s author Amiram Cooper (still being held hostage) & poet Judih Weinstein Haggai, z”l (murdered; her body remains in Gaza). Both of them, along with retired journalist Oded Lifshitz and historian Alex Dancyg (both of whom are included on the PEN America page), hail from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the several communities in southern Israel that Hamas attacked on October 7.
Last week, Alex Dancyg’s death in captivity was confirmed. Amiram Cooper’s death in captivity was announced in June, along with that of fellow Nir Oz resident Chaim Peri—whose posthumously-released children’s book I purchased in Israel and am determined to read, despite my poor Hebrew.
May every living hostage be released; may the dead be returned to their families; and may the war end and peace prevail on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border, and beyond.
And may the literary world, too, be a better place. (I’m not going to belabor this here, but there’s been enough unpleasantness this past month—including still more anti-Israelist antisemitism, which I continue to track here and here—that I could do so.)
Instead, let’s move on to the issue’s contents.
With all best wishes for all of you and your writing practices,
ERIKA
P.S. I am grateful when you share this newsletter, in its entirety, with your networks. But if you choose to share only certain listings, please respect my work of research and curation and credit your source—ideally, with a link back to this newsletter. Thank you so much.
2. SUCCESS STORIES
From Caitlin Cacciatore:
In April, you highlighted the Zoetic Press Nonbinary Review’s call for their “Heredity” issue. My poem “To Build a Home” was recently published in the issue and in podcast form through Zoetic Press’s Alphanumeric Podcast. I wanted to thank you again for your dedication to this newsletter. Its value to me as a practicing writer is simply immeasurable.
And from Gabriela Denise Frank:
I wanted to thank you for adding the Fern Academy Prize to your list of Markets & Jobs for Writers back in April. I submitted an essay that I really believed in, one that received several encouraging declines from top tier journals but hadn’t yet found a home...and I was completely shocked to find out that I had won. I kept rereading the email because I couldn't find that familiar sentence that started with, “Unfortunately...”.
This is the sort of prize that can potentially change a writer’s life. I’ve been trying to find literary representation and a home for my debut novel, which was my top reason for applying (although being paid for creative work is always a welcome and still-rare occurrence). Nothing is for sure, but this opens a door that has long been closed for me. I’m so grateful to you for your generosity and all the labor that’s entailed in sharing these opportunities.
Reminder: Please share news from your writing practice that may be connected with this newsletter, or my blogs/other resources. I love to celebrate and amplify in this space!
3. FEATURED RESOURCE(S)
Writer Unboxed has offered us a twofer: Michael Castleman’s “Why Today’s Authors Are Being Scammed More Than Ever Before—and How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off” and Victoria Strauss’s “Cheated, Swindled, or Scammed: What’s a Writer to Do?” address a subject I’m sure we all wish we didn’t need to know about—but must.
4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
IOWA SHORT FICTION AWARD AND JOHN SIMMONS SHORT FICTION AWARD
Entries: August 1-September 30 (postmarked). For “annual prizes awarded to two collections of stories. Writers who have yet to publish a book-length volume of fiction are eligible to apply, and winning manuscripts are published by The Iowa Press.”PETER BLAZEY FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: August 12. For Australian residents. “Up to $17,000” is awarded “to further a work in progress for those writers in the non-fiction fields of biography, autobiography and life writing.”WATERFORD POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: August 12. Open to all writers currently living on the island of Ireland, this prize “has emerged from the influence of the late Waterford writer Seán Dunne whose poetry continues to inspire.” Note: “It is highly advisable that entries are not currently submitted elsewhere for consideration.” Prizes: “First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat, Ardmore in 2025 (This prize valued €350 is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be awarded in lieu). Second prize €350 plus attendance at a designated writing course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat, Ardmore in 2025 (This prize valued €250 is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be awarded in lieu). Third prize €200.”LIGONIER VALLEY WRITERS FLASH FICTION CONTEST
Deadline: August 15. “This year’s topic: thunderbirds, phoenixes, and other mythological birds.” Short stories must be 1,000 words or fewer. Prizes: “The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Three honorable mentions will not receive cash prizes but will be published with the other winners at LVW’s website. All six winning stories will be edited by a professional editor. Their authors will also receive a one-year complimentary membership to Ligonier Valley Writers.”PRAGUE-UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE CREATIVE RESIDENCIES
Deadline: August 20. “Do you have a breathtaking project you would like to work on during your residency in Prague? Prague City of Literature offers an opportunity to writers and translators to live and work in the beautiful city center where historical architecture meets modern and vibrant city life.” Eight two-month residencies will be offered. Among the selection criteria: “at least one already published literary work (not private editions) or two already broadcast or published radio plays or one already realized or published theater play or at least one translated work by a Czech author.” Each resident is provided with “free accommodation, travel expenses are reimbursed and a stipend of 15,000 CZK (approx. 600 euros) per month is provided.”JAN MICHALSKI FOUNDATION RESIDENCIES
Deadline: August 26. Swiss-based program “is open to all kinds of writing and all languages” but “does give priority to literary writers and translators. The residencies can be for either individuals or pairs of participants in the case of projects involving more than one discipline. Each year some forty authors from around the world, from emerging writers to seasoned veterans, are able to count on a certain period of time dedicated to a literary project. A percentage of the residencies are dedicated to nature writing, a form of fiction or creative non-fiction that raises awareness of nature, prepares for a sustainable future, and helps to better understand socio-environmental interconnections and the impact of human actions on nature.” Residency awards cover travel costs and include a weekly allowance of CHF 400.ON THE PREMISES SHORT STORY CONTEST #44
Deadline: August 30. “For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which one or more characters with significant expertise in some area matter to the story. The expert(s) DO NOT have to be the story’s main character(s), though it’s fine if they are–the judges won’t care either way. We’re also open to the idea that your story’s character(s) with expertise might be either wrong, or frauds, or idiots. (Or they’re legitimate experts!) However, the idea of expertise, and at least one person who has it (or doesn’t?) has to matter to the story.” Winners receive cash prizes ($250/$200/$150 and $75 for honorable mention) and publication.RSL V.S. PRITCHETT SHORT STORY PRIZE
Deadline: August 30, to request one of “50 free entries to low-income writers based in the UK”; note the recommendation to apply earlier, as “these entries are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.” Confers “a £1,000 Prize for the best unpublished short story of the year.”RSL GILES ST AUBYN AWARDS FOR NONFICTION
Deadline: August 30. From the Royal Society of Literature. “Three annual awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000, and one of £2,500 – are available for authors engaged on their first commissioned work of non-fiction” for a general readership. Writers must be resident in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland; “only books due to be published in the UK or ROI, by UK- or ROI-based publishers, will be considered.”TONI BEAUCHAMP PRIZE IN CRITICAL ART WRITING
Deadline: August 31. Considers “submissions of work that have been written (or published) within the last year. A variety of creative approaches and formats to writing on the visual arts are encouraged, and can include thematic essays, exhibition reviews, and scholarly essays.” Confers one first-place prize of $3,000 and two runner-up awards of $1,000 each. Publication in Gulf Coast for winner; possible publication for runners-up.THE NORTHWIND WRITING AWARD
Deadline: August 31. “Sponsored by Raw Earth Ink and facilitated by tara caribou to shine light on little-known exceptional writers. Overall we are looking for writing which stirs our emotions, paints vivid imagery, is high-caliber or underappreciated, and is memorable. Categories include Prose Poetry, Poetry, Short Fiction, and Non-fiction/Essay/Memoir….Writers must reside in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, or Australia to participate. All winners and honorable mentions will be published in the annual Northwind Treasury. First place winners in each category receive $100, a copy of the current year Northwind Treasury, a promotional interview with one of our editors, and other special prizes.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)POETRY ARCHIVE NOW! WORDVIEW 2024 COMPETITION
Deadline: August 31. “We want you to have the opportunity to join the Poetry Archive collections by recording yourself reciting or reading your poem out loud and sending it to us to care for and share worldwide.” Be forewarned that only 20 submissions will be compensated (£100).PRESENCE SHORT STORY AWARD
Deadline: August 31. From Kinsman Quarterly. “We have reopened the Presence Award by popular demand to include short stories that highlight ghosts and/or spiritual entities imposing on the natural world. We specifically want unique stories incorporating the cultures, traditions, and/or histories of BIPOC and underrepresented communities. Stories should lean towards psychological terror instead of excessive use of gore….Short stories can be between 1000-5000 words. Top winners receive prizes up to $500 and publication within the Presence collection and the Kinsman Quarterly literary journal.VAL WOOD PRIZE FOR CREATIVE WRITING
Deadline: August 31. “We invite you to write ‘Letters to My Love’. Whether it’s a heartfelt letter to a significant other, an expression of unspoken feelings, or a unique voice.” Open to writers worldwide. Entries may take the form of a letter or a story. No poetry. “The entry isn’t limited to just romance or love and any genre can be covered as long as it is not unnecessarily violent or gruesome and the subject of the competition is included.” Prize: “The winner of the competition will receive £100 and a signed copy of a Val Wood book.”ACADEMY FOR TEACHERS “STORIES OUT OF SCHOOL” FLASH FICTION CONTEST
Deadline: September 1. “Teachers have the most fascinating, difficult, and important job on the planet, and their workdays are filled with stories. Yet teachers seldom appear in fiction. This annual contest, for teachers and non-teachers, was created to inspire great stories about teachers and the rich and crazy world of schools.” Entries must be “between 6 and 749 words” and the story’s protagonist, or its narrator, must be a K-12 teacher (although contest entrants need not be teachers). Confers a $1,000 prize.SUREL’S PLACE RESIDENCIES
Deadline: September 1 (for residencies taking place January-May 2025). These month-long residencies in Idaho are open to “professional visual, literary, and performance artists: painters, writers, musicians, architects, filmmakers, and choreographers… any artist who needs a place to focus.” Residency awards include free rent, utilities, and wi-fi as well as a “modest living stipend of $100 per week” and a $300 travel stipend.SOUTH ARTS INDIVIDUAL ARTIST CAREER OPPORTUNITY GRANTS
Deadline: September 3 (for activities taking place January 1-June 30, 2025). “South Arts recognizes that more than an invitation to participate in a significant milestone opportunity is required. Even with stipends or payments, overall expenses can make such an opportunity inaccessible. South Arts offers Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grants to ensure that artists from our region can take advantage of significant opportunities. The Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grant supports a milestone opportunity in an artist’s career that will likely lead to substantial career advancement. Grants of up to $2,000 are available.” To be eligible, applicants must, among other criteria “be a United States citizen, lawfully admitted to the US for permanent residence, or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the US” and “be a resident of the South Arts Region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee.”HODDER FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: September 10. “Given to artists and writers of exceptional promise to pursue independent projects at Princeton University during the academic year. Potential Hodder Fellows are composers, choreographers, performance artists, visual artists, writers, translators, or other kinds of artists or humanists who have ‘much more than ordinary intellectual and literary gifts’; they are selected more ‘for promise than for performance.’ Given the strength of the applicant pool, most successful Fellows have published a first book or have similar achievements in their own fields; the Hodder is designed to provide Fellows with the ‘studious leisure’ to undertake significant new work.” NB: “Hodder Fellows spend an academic year with Princeton, but no formal teaching is involved. A $92,000 stipend is provided for this 10-month appointment as a Visiting Fellow. Fellowships are not intended to fund work leading to an advanced degree. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply.”PRINCETON ARTS FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: September 10. “Awarded to artists whose achievements have been recognized as demonstrating extraordinary promise in any area of artistic practice and teaching. Applicants should be early career visual artists, filmmakers, poets, novelists, playwrights, designers, directors and performance artists—this list is not meant to be exhaustive—who would find it beneficial to spend two years teaching and working in an artistically vibrant university community.” NB: “Although the teaching load is light, our expectation is that Fellows will be full and active members of our community, committed to frequent and engaged interactions with students during the academic year. A $92,000 a year stipend is provided. Fellowships are not intended to fund work leading to an advanced degree. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply.”RADCLIFFE FELLOWSHIPS
Deadline: September 12 (for applications in humanities, social sciences, and creative arts). On-site, academic-year fellowships confer “a stipend of $78,000 plus an additional $5,000 to cover project expenses. Please note that if you are a US citizen or permanent resident coming from a home institution based in the US, you can opt to have your stipend paid through your home institution or to you directly.” NB: “In addition to the stipend, project expense allowance, and additional funds to aid in relocation mentioned above, fellows receive office or studio space in Byerly Hall—in Radcliffe Yard—and full-time Harvard appointments as visiting fellows, granting them access to Harvard University’s libraries, housing, and athletic facilities. If fellows would like to hire Harvard undergraduate students as Research Partners, we will cover their hourly wages. During the fellowship program, fellows are also offered several professional development opportunities.”SYDNEY TAYLOR MANUSCRIPT AWARD
Deadline: September 13. From the Association of Jewish Libraries, this award “recognizes unpublished manuscripts of Jewish fiction targeting ages 8-13. The award was established by Sydney’s husband Ralph Taylor to encourage aspiring authors of Jewish children’s books. It was first awarded in 1985. The winner receives a cash award of $1000. The committee defines an unpublished author as not having previously published any works of fiction for young readers. This includes self-published as well as commercially published work. The manuscript must be a work of fiction in English with universal appeal of Jewish content for readers aged 8-13 years, both Jewish and non-Jewish. It should reveal positive aspects of Jewish life. Short stories are not acceptable.” NB: “While AJL cannot guarantee publication, the prize money has been an incentive for writers with varying experience to try their hands at writing for this genre. The award carries prestige in the publishing world and several Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award winners have subsequently been published.”
REMINDER: Some opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into the new month. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important reminder about additional opportunity listings!
5. SUBMISSION ALERTS
Recently re-opened for submissions: CINCINNATI REVIEW’s weekly online miCRo feature. “For fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid works, each piece should be 500 words maximum. For poetry, submit poems 32 lines or less. For drama, scripts should be about three minutes in performance.”
Also recently re-opened (and remaining so until October 15): CONSEQUENCE FORUM, which considers submissions “for our print publication (Consequence journal), our website (Consequence online), or our blog (Consequence substack). Please note that all subs need to address in some manner the consequences of war or geopolitical violence.”
General submissions at FLASH FROG will re-open August 1. They publish “flash fiction only (no poetry or CNF please).”
GORDON SQUARE REVIEW is scheduled to re-open August 1 as well, for poetry, fiction, and “brief nonfiction.”
Also re-opening for submissions (of poetry and visual art) August 1: HARBOR REVIEW.
NASHVILLE REVIEW is open for submissions of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and translation for the month of August (comics and art are welcome year-round). NB: “We cap the number of submissions to be considered at 750 per section to ensure a reasonable response time. If we reach our submission cap before the end of the month-long reading period, submissions will close early.”
At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “We’re looking for all the same dark fiction, crime and noir as our usual submissions, but with a target length between 1,000 and 2,000 words, and aligned with the monthly submissions prompt.” For submissions August 1-4 (for the September issue), they seek work as follows: “Baseball is winding down, football is starting up. Basketball players are at camp, and hockey players are on ice. Meanwhile, Uncle Nicky can’t stay away from the track. That’s right, this month, we want stories about sports. About the dreams involved. About the gambling. About the competition. About the broken bones. If it involves sports and it’s noir, we’ll see you at the finish line.”
SHORT FICTION, which “aims to showcase the most carefully crafted, deeply considered, simply brilliant short stories from the UK and beyond” (except from the USA), is open for submissions until August 11.
At last check, BERKELEY FICTION REVIEW, which “accepts short fiction, comics, and art,” appeared to be scheduled to reopen for submissions August 15.
August 15 is also the deadline for ORCA’s next literary issue. NB: “We offer 100 fee-free submissions each month.”
Noted on the guidelines page for ECOTONE (“the literary magazine dedicated to reimagining place”): a fee-free submissions window between August 29 and August 31. “During this window, we especially welcome work from groups historically underrepresented in literary publishing.”
THE AMPERSAND REVIEW, which “accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays,” is open until August 31. “In keeping with our mandate to foster literary culture in communities within Canada, priority may be given to submissions written by those who reside in Canada.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)
IN THE MOOD, “a pop culture journal about the things we like to watch,” is open until August 31 for submissions on the theme “Period Piece”: “Stuck in the past? We want to hear about it. For our 11th issue we are looking for submissions on period pieces. From ancient times (Last Temptation of Christ) to recent past (Uncut Gems) we want to hear your take on how films have represented, invented, or misunderstood a previous era. Send us personal pieces, film diaries, fan fiction, and experimental pieces on anything set in the past. This could be a specific film, era or historical figure, an aspect of filmmaking (candlelight in Barry Lyndon), or a broader trend in film history or present.”
New venue: EDGE CITY, from Noco Books, welcomes “short works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art” until September 1. “We are interested in seeing your coolest and most original works, irrespective of genre. Submissions to EDGE CITY are open to writers anywhere, with no preference for where they are based.” (Hat tip:
.)NOCO BOOKS is also considering “book-length manuscripts of literary nonfiction or fiction, experimental prose, or collections of essays or criticisms. We are especially interested in works of nonfiction from authors in the PNW.” At the moment, “submissions are always open”; I confirmed with the publisher via email that the press confers royalties (as well as small advances).
Posted by founder Jessica Walrack on Twitter: “ALL THINGS FREELANCE WRITING is now accepting pitches from freelance writers. We’re looking for articles of around 800-1000 for our audience of freelance writers. Rates are $300 per piece.” (Per response to my inquiry, there was no deadline indicated as of July 12; hat tip here to The Writer’s Job Newsletter.)
New venue: UNORTHODOX STORIES, which “serves as a venue for stories which truly push the boundaries….It is particularly open to writers who either have no paid writing credits yet, or have that special story they can’t find a home for despite slogging through rejection after rejection.” Note: “Submissions open year round, but the reading period will be from the first to the fifteenth of each month, so if you submit August 1st and are accepted for example, on the fifteenth, you will be published August 30th. If you submit the 16th, your story will be read September 1st.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)
Reminder: Make it a habit to check the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL website, where titles in development are posted. Note: “If this is your first time, please visit our Story Guidelines page.” (NB: In case you’ve caught this bankruptcy-related news, the anthology website states: “Our book business is not part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. While that business works on sorting out its financial challenges, we continue to publish our books as usual and we look forward to reading your submissions and considering them for our upcoming titles!”)
Reminder: THE FORGE, which “publishes one prose piece per week selected by a rotating cast of editors,” opens for free submissions on the first of each month (except for September and December). “If there is no free link, we’ve hit our quota.”
Reminder: There’s a rolling deadline (the 25th of each month) for OFF TOPIC PUBLISHING’s Poetry Box, which supplies subscribers with a poem “printed postcard-style” along with tea and chocolate. Poems should be no longer than 15 lines (“including blank lines”).
Reminder: PARANOID TREE, which welcomes fiction, creative nonfiction, and prose poetry (with a word limit “~400 words”), is always open for submissions.
Reminder: RIDDLEBIRD, which features “literary fiction and personal essays,” has “decided to try a rolling submission system. We will be open year round, but capped at 50 a month.”
Reminder: ROUGH CUT PRESS seeks “experimental work of all genres by writers and allies of the LGBTQIA community. To get a sense of what we publish please read some of our former issues. We don’t know what we like until we see it. Each month we announce a different theme, but don’t worry if the work you submit doesn’t quite fit: we often build issues around work that takes us by surprise.”
Reminder: , which aims to “revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful,” selects one story for publication each month and considers reprints.
Reminder: VAST CHASM, which publishes “bold work that explores the expansive human experience, including flash and short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and other nonconforming work,” considers submissions “year-round, on a rolling basis, for our quarterly online issues.”
Reminder: WRITE OR DIE is open for author interviews and creative nonfiction year-round. Regarding the latter: “We are interested in essays that focus on the writing life and especially love work where the personal intersects with the critical. We love essays that examine how publishing, reading, teaching, spirituality, sexuality, identity, obsession, labor, and family shape writing.”
REMEMBER: Some venues listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for submissions, too. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important reminder about additional opportunity listings!
6. BLOG NOTES
The newsletter is published just once each month, but there’s always something new on the Practicing Writing blog:
(Monday) Markets and Jobs for Writers (including fee-free/paying opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletter)
(Friday) Finds for Writers
#SundaySentence
Occasional Notes from a Practicing Writer
Please visit, comment, and subscribe.
Interested in matters of specifically Jewish literary and cultural interest? Please also visit the My Machberet blog (“machberet” is the Hebrew word for “notebook”). And be sure to consult our collection of Jewish Writing Resources.
7. NEWSLETTER MATTERS
Information contained in The Practicing Writer is researched carefully but readers should always verify information. Any necessary corrections, when discovered, are added post-publication within each archived issue. The Practicing Writer and its editor disclaim any liability for the use of information contained within. Thank you for following/reading.
We value our subscribers, and we protect their privacy. We keep our subscriber list confidential.
About the editor: Erika Dreifus is a writer, teacher, and literary consultant whose books include Birthright: Poems and Quiet Americans: Stories. A Fellow in the Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute and an adjunct associate professor at Baruch College/CUNY, she lives in New York. Please visit ErikaDreifus.com to learn more about her work and follow her right here on Substack, on Facebook, and/or on Twitter, where she tweets (mostly) “on matters bookish and/or Jewish.”
Outside Israel, most mainstream press coverage on this conflict focuses on the ongoing trauma suffered by Gazans. (I hope that we can agree that the images we see published are heartbreaking, even if we may disagree as to whom to hold responsible for the suffering of innocent people.) But everywhere I went in Israel, I was repeatedly reminded of how much we do not learn from the press elsewhere. Which is one reason why I have posted this. And why I recommend to you
’s recent “Photo Essay from Tel Aviv.” And why, as I prepare to post this newsletter, I’m compelled to ask you to remember the twelve Israeli children—Druze children—who were killed this past weekend when Hezbollah launched a rocket that landed in their soccer field.