Site Review: Word Tango

Site Review: Word Tango

Writing Doesn’t Have to be a Solo Sport by Emily Jaeger, Features Editor One challenge of online communities is creating a warm, welcoming environment in the absence of a physical meeting. Word Tango, which offers remote writing workshops and an online community for fiction and genre writers, is not revolutionary in its concept. Where Word…

Site Review: LitReactor

Site Review: LitReactor

Gaming the Workshop by Emily Jaeger, Features Editor The team behind LitReactor, a literary website that offers online classes and writers’ workshops, a features magazine, a podcast, and a Reddit-esque community chatroom, doesn’t shy away from bold claims. On their about page, they boast: “If you’re passionate about reading and/or writing, this is the only website…

Site Review: Trish Hopkinson

Site Review: Trish Hopkinson

The Un-“Selfish Poet” by Emily Jaeger, Features Editor Blogger and poet Trish Hopkinson immediately sets the spunky and erudite tone for her site with the subheading: “The Selfish Poet.” This head-on foray into the world of semi-promotional, semi-informational poet websites is both witty and refreshing in its honesty. Hopkinson does devote half of her site (2/4…

Latest Read: Handling the Truth by Beth Kephart

Latest Read: Handling the Truth by Beth Kephart

The Medium and its Messenger by Richard Gilbert Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart. Gotham Books, 254 pp. Here’s three good reasons to read Beth Kephart’s book on writing memoir: her lapidary prose; her vision of memoir as an instrument of inquiry and transcendence; and her superb annotated list of recommended…

Site Review: Sarah James

Site Review: Sarah James

The Possibilities of Poetry by Emily Jaeger, Features Editor Sarah James, which began as poet Sarah Leavesley’s promotional website, has evolved into a cache of reviews of indie poetry and interviews with poets, and is still evolving. Leavesley, a poet and playwright with a background in journalism, is the author of four collections of poetry: plenty-fish,…

Site Review: Bill and Dave’s Cocktail Hour

Site Review: Bill and Dave’s Cocktail Hour

A Literary Blog with a Twist by Emily Jaeger, Features Editor The bantering banner of Bill and Dave’s Cocktail Hour is the perfect introduction to the general vibe of this web-blog that combines literary arts, politics, cartoons and more: quirky but crucial, conversational but intellectual. The founders, best-selling and award-winning authors Bill Roorbach (The Girl…

Richard Gilbert: Word by Word

Richard Gilbert: Word by Word

Writing’s Values—Intelligence, Sensitivity & Beauty—Challenge Me By Richard Gilbert, Contributing Editor “The ability to forgive oneself … is the key to making art, and very possibly the key to finding any semblance of happiness in life.”—Ann Patchett English departments inherently espouse reverence for thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and comely expression. I codified this recently for myself while…

Richard Gilbert: My Dog Tale Published

Richard Gilbert: My Dog Tale Published

Relearning the Essay What our crazy canine teaches me (again) At last I’ve documented our family dog’s epic weirdness—and, well, mine. My essay “Why I Hate My Dog” explains on Longreads. Bottom line and fair warning to the rescue-minded: every adult pound dog I’ve known or heard about has suffered from scorching separation anxiety. Belle’s is…

Woven Tale Press Editor Jo Ely | In Her Own Words

Woven Tale Press Editor Jo Ely | In Her Own Words

 Writing My First Novel Jo Ely [dropcap]I[/dropcap]f truly committed, one can always find time to write–poet Salena Godden gets up at 4 am, and short story writer and novelist Jacqueline Crooks would write on buses and trains, commuting to her seven-day-a-week job. Not many people have that kind of commitment, and I am no exception. I…

Writing—an elusive art of wisps and webs

Writing—an elusive art of wisps and webs

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]riting is such an elusive art. Writers are often cagey about the origin of their creations when asked where the story started. Not every story is explainable. There are the kinds that start with a wisp of an idea, which is flushed out after years of research. Other stories draw the writer into its web,…