News from Scribbler authors, NaNoWriMo, Maggie Anton and more

Dear Scribblers,

Well, it’s back to regular work weeks as the Jewish holidays have finally wound down. It’s already starting out as a great new year for two Scribblers contributors. Leah Kaminsky who wrote Silent Night, has been chosen by the Australian Poetry Centre as Cafe Poet in Residence at Cafe Loco in Melbourne, Australia. As she puts it, “poetry and coffee – heaven!” And Tania Hershman, who wrote The Hand, will become the new editor of Southword in December 09. Southword is the literary magazine of the Munster Literature Centre in Ireland. The one-year post means Tania will judge next year’s Sean O’Faolain short story competition. Mazal Tov to both Leah and Tania. Keep up the great work! And if you’re already a contributor to Scribblers and have exciting literary news to share, be sure to send it our way.

And if you’re going to be anywhere Seton Hall University in New Jersey, be sure to attend Anya Ulinich’s talk at the Slavic Club Room. Ulinich won the 2008 Goldberg Prize for Jewish Fiction for her novel, Petropolis.

November seems to be the month for exciting Jewish book happenings. So much so, that the North Shore Jewish Community Center in Marblehead Mass, has declared November Jewish Book Month. There are some great events and readings going on if you find yourself on the East Coast. Read more about these great offerings, here.

November also marks the 15^th Annual Kansas City Jewish Book Fair, where Maggie Anton, author of  Rashi’s Daughters will be just one of the distinguished guests at the event. Read more about the fair here.

And finally, on a personal note, I have officially signed up for NaNoWriMo this year – aka – National Novel Writing Month. NanoWriMo encourages everyone and anyone to write a novel of 50,000 words or more between November 1 and November 30 each year. You’re officially a winner if you cross the finish line with a minimum of 50,000 words by November 30.

Now that I’ve blurted it out here, I’m going to feel doubly obligated to complete this crazy assignment. I’m also now going to ask as many of you as possible to undertake this challenge too. Head over to the site and sign up. It’s a daunting task, but as Chris Baty (founder of NaNoWriMo) states, the secret weapon to writing a book is having a deadline.

Please feel free to check in on me and make sure I’m making my word count (which is approximately 1700 words per day – phew).  In addition, I’m also hoping to attend NaNoWriMo’s Night of Writing Dangerously in San Francisco (and I don’t even live in San Francisco!), where I will join hundreds of others in writing all night long. However, in order to attend, participants must raise a minimum of $200. Proceeds from the event will fund National Novel Writing Month’s free creative writing programs in hundreds of schools and communities around the world. And that’s why I’m drawn to this project. Anything that encourages others to take up creative writing is a plus in my book. Please visit my fundraising page here and sponsor me. Donate $1 or $1,000, whatever you like. Thanks for listening to my shameless plea.

And, as always, keep scribbling

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