Poets and Writers Inc- Grants for Literary Events

Poets & Writers Inc. is now accepting applications for Tucson literary events that take place during our new fiscal year (which begins July 1). The Readings/Workshops program provides small matching grants for public readings and creative writing workshops. Sponsoring organizations apply on behalf of a particular writer, but we encourage writers to pass on information about the R/W program to their hosts. Applications must be received at least eight weeks in advance of the event. Complete guidelines and an application are available at http://www.pw.org/funding. Cheryl Klein Poets & Writers, Inc. 2035 Westwood Blvd., Suite 211 Los Angeles , CA 90025 phone: (310) 481-7195 or email at cklein@pw.org.

Kate Eltham- from Electrical Alphabet, IS AUTHONOMY AUTHENTIC

Reprinted from an article at ElectricAlphabet. Read the original article here.

For those who’ve not discovered it yet, Authonomy is HarperCollins UK’s social networking experiment for authors. Authors can upload all or part of their manuscripts to an online community. The best ranked submissions, based on the community’s votes, are read by HarperCollins editors. Members also have chance to converse and swap critical feedback.

I’m not a member of Authonomy and am certainly not in a position to judge whether Alexander’s account is accurate. But regardless of whether HC editors are reading full manuscripts or not, the move toward POD sales of members’ books is disquieting.

My best friend’s favourite adage is “It’s all about managing expectations.” HarperCollins have clearly encouraged certain expectations among aspiring authors flocking to the site. Authonomy’s tag line is “Beat the Slush” which holds out to authors the promise of catching the attention of publishers who are seeking fresh new talent. In the original media release that accompanied the announcement of Authonomy, HarperCollins stated:

For aspiring authors the site is both a new route to publication with a leading publishing house and a genuine base from which to build a long-term following online.

U.S. House of Representatives approved increase funding for Arts and Humanities- contact your Senators

Great news! Contact your Senators today. On June 26, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $15 million increase for both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for FY 2010. Currently funded at $155 million, this increase would bring both agencies’ budgets to $170 million. In Arizona Please take two minutes to contact Senators Kyle and McCain at write to your Senators and urge them to support this important funding increase! Help us continue this important work by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund. If you are not already a member, play your part by joining the Arts Action Fund today — it’s free and simple.