What’s In a Signature Line?

WHAT’S IN A SIGNATURE LINE? by Barbara Beckwith First, for those who don’t know: a signature line is text that automatically appears at the bottom of every email you send or respond to. John McDaid uses different “sig lines” in four contexts. He uses one for personal emails that end with just his name and […]

Unconventional Formats

UNCONVENTIONAL FORMATS by Barbara Beckwith I’ve always been fascinated by novelists who dare to eschew usual first or third person, or other narrative conventions, and still create a satisfying story. Julie Otsuka’s The Buddha in the Attic, concerning Japanese “picture brides” brought to the U.S. in the early 1900s, is told from the “we” point of view. Remarkably, […]

Reportback: Writers’ Day Camp, October 24, 2020

REPORTBACK: WRITERS’ DAY CAMP  WITH CHARLES COE October 24, 2020 by Shannon O’Connor   by Shannon O’Connor   Charles Coe has been doing his Writers’ Day Camp for a while, but I had never gone until October of this year. I went because lately I have been trying to stretch my writing muscles in different […]

Translation Panel – May 1, 2019

REPORTBACK: TRANSLATION PANEL  MAY 1, BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH The translation panel co-sponsored by the NWU Boston chapter and the Brookline Booksmith Transnational Series featured three literary translators – J. Kates, Danielle Legros-George, and Emma Ramadan, on a panel discussing the art and work of literary translation and their recent work. The panel was moderated by Martha […]

Writer Alert: American Geosciences Institute

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) – an organization based in Alexandria, VA – has failed to pay six writers a total of $7,907.20 for work commissioned by AGI and delivered to AGI for publication in EARTH Magazine. AGI ceased publication of EARTH Magazine with the April 2019 edition and has since refused to pay these writers for the work AGI assigned […]

Experiencing the Public Good

by John L. Hodge   EXPERIENCING THE PUBLIC GOOD By John L. Hodge                     My wife and I gained some important insights about America by visiting the Netherlands. During our recent two-month stay there, we saw the workings of an important societal glue that is often missing here – the concept and practice of […]

Twelve Tips on Finding and Keeping a Mentor

Twelve Tips on Finding and Keeping a Mentor The dictionary defines a mentor as “a wise and loyal advisor.” For writers, it’s often a more experienced writer who volunteers to give you feedback on your writing and/or advice or your writing career. How do you find and keep one? Here are some tips from National […]

A Search Engine is Your Best Friend

Perhaps you could write an article or a book without using a search engine, although I don’t see how—or why. If you use facts that are less incontrovertible than the sun rising each morning, you must verify them to avoid potential litigation. But that’s only the beginning. After you complete your work and set out […]

Getting Help With Grievances

If you haven’t been paid for your work, your publisher said one thing and did another, or your story was turned into a video game and you haven’t seen a dime, the Grievance and Contracts Division is here to help. We’ve won over $1.5 million for members since we started keeping records. But before you […]