Dialectic Testament of Survival
Faceted brilliance
Hi Friends:
Because writer’s block isn’t easily pushed over, this issue includes:
A sip…
The muse contends that Push Pop Sour is slutty, as well as slushy and sweet…
“The Freedom to Publish... Is Also the Freedom to Read and... Write What You Want.” -Ta-Nehisi Coates
A shout out…
Like a developing mind, mineral crystals can be dissected, adorned, and polished. Perhaps this was why author and poet Sapphire devoted a decade to teaching adult
literacy.
Formerly known as Romana Lofton, she is the military kid who joined the counterculture movement and chose her pen name partly because she was fascinated with gemstones, but more likely to reclaim the belligerent Black woman stereotype from the Amos ‘n’ Andy TV series.
An alumna of the City College of New York (BA, 1983) and Brooklyn College (MFA, 1993), she first developed her poetic skills as a member of the Nuyorican Poets Café. Active since 1987, her initial published works were poetry; however, she is best known for writing the novel Push, which was adapted into the multi-award-winning film Precious (2009).
A former recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Scholarship in Poetry (1994), she is the poet who became the center of a National Endowment for the Arts controversy. A sexual assault survivor who defines her writing as based on real-life observation, she deserves acclaim for her unsparing and empowering depictions of the unpleasant side of urban life.
A chaser…
American Library Association: An Interview with Sapphire:
A sentence…
Prompts inspired by Push:
“Is life a hammer to beat me down?”
“One thing I say about Farrakhan and Alice Walker they help me like being black.”
“Show me what’s inside the crystal ball. She look at it a long time then say, Ahh Negrita, you don’t want to know.”
“I bite my fingernails till they look like disease, pull strips of my skin away. Get Daddy’s razor out cabinet. Cut cut cut arm wrist, not trying to die, trying to plug myself back in.”
“I say I drownin’ in river. She don’t look me like I’m crazy but say, If you just sit there the river gonna rise up drown you! Writing could be the boat carry you to the other side.”
“I wanna say I am somebody. I wanna say it on subway, TV, movie, LOUD. I see the pink faces in suits look over top of my head. I watch myself disappear in their eyes, their tesses. I talk loud but still I don’t exist.”
“Some folks got a light around them that shine for other peoples. I think that maybe some of them was in tunnels, and in that tunnel, maybe the only light they had was inside of them. And then, even long after they escaped that tunnel... They still be shining for everybody else.”
“My students and I knew that their poverty was the result of a race, class, and gender system skewed against them. They were poor and uneducated by design, from de facto segregated school systems to gender discrimination and violence. The system was not just stacked against them; it was falling down upon them and crushing them.”
A snack pairing…
Fort Ord, CA, is no longer an active military base. In addition to being the birthplace of Sapphire, it was famous for its military cow, particularly S.O.S. Creamed Ground Beef on Toast.
A sweet melody…
Located in Monterey County, CA, no single style of music defined Fort Ord; however, while serving in the US Army and pursuing stardom, Jimi Hendrix was stationed and performed, and then later iconically performed during The Monterey Pop Festival (1967):
A book list…
A few titles with a protagonist navigating psychologically complex experiences:
Leslie, by Omar Tyree
Out, by Natsuo Kirino
The Girlfriend, by K.L. Slater
Paint It Black, by Janet Fitch
Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler
The Burning Girls, by C.J. Tudor
The Glutton, by A.K. Blakemore
Rootless, by Krystle Zara Appiah
The New Husband, by D.J. Palmer
The Reformatory, Tananarive Due
Friend Request, by Laura Marshall
A Piece of Cake, by Cupcake Brown
We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough
This Close to Okay, by Leesa Cross-Smith
All Her Little Secrets, by Wanda M. Morris
A literary listicle…
Fort Ord, CA, is the birthplace of Sapphire and was the first integrated US military base after President Truman’s 1948 executive order to desegregate the armed forces. Its inspiration includes:
Quality brews at The Brass Tap;
The artwork at Old Capital Books;
The healthy simplicity of Randy Seamoss;
World-class performances at Just Jazz Foundation;
An opportunity to get lit by the mesmerizing scents and beautiful designs at Johnny Wicks Candles; and
The five miles of coastline and trails that reflect the Black and Filipino contributions to the state and local area, Fort Ord Dunes State Park.
A few useful tips…
On writing dialectically/using local color:
Research local history;
Research local urban lore;
Describe the landscape in detail;
Include regional character archetypes;
Study the local ethnic and racial culture;
Write to evoke genuine emotional resonance;
Use humor and irony to highlight peculiarities.
All characters must be relatable to human experiences;
Focus on observation and immersion by spending time in the depicted setting;
Describe the impact of the natural setting on characters’ lives and daily patterns;
Include regional speech patterns, idioms, and colloquialisms to create authentic dialogue;
Consider using a narrative frame that allows an educated observer or an outsider’s perspective; and
This is a genre where the quality of the writing must match the framework of the natural environment and its impact on the characters being written about.
A few contests…
Raleigh Review Flash Fiction Prize
River Teeth Nonfiction Book Prize
Walking in the Dark Poetry and Flash Competition
A creative collective…
October 15th
A few creative resets…
Multi-Date Options
A fee-based accountability/retreat/workshop opportunity…
Single Session
October 15th
Playing with Form: Exploring New Shapes & Structures in Storytelling with Jenny Tinghui Zhang ($59 - $119)
October 18th
Short Fiction Craft Essentials with Chaitali Sen ($59 -$119)
October 22nd
Applying for Writer Resources: A Guide to Grants, Residencies, and Workshops with Amanda Wenger ($59 - $119)
October 25th
Act Like a Writer, Think Like an Editor: Getting Your Manuscript Ready ($75 - $85)
October 29th
Creating the Thriller Antagonist(s) with Richard Z. Santos ($59 - $119)
November 1st
A few fellowship/grant/scholarship opportunities…
Edward Albee Foundation Grants
Economic Hardship Reporting Project Grants
Toronto Metropolitan University CERC Migration and Bridging Divides Journalism Fellowship
A retreat/residency opportunity…
Banff Spring Writers Residency
A teaching artists’/sponsorship opportunity…
NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship Program
A few freelance opportunities…
Grassroots Thinking seeks reportage, analysis, commentary, interviews, and essays focused on an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist lens.
Medscape is interested in reported features exploring the human side of working in medicine.
New Naratif seeks writers, journalists, researchers, scholars, and activists passionate about various issues in Southeast Asia.
Yellow Scene Magazine seeks beat reporters in the Boulder area.
A few submission opportunities…
American Literary Review seeks poetry, fiction, and essays submissions.
Banshee seeks fiction (including flash), nonfiction, and poetry from Irish and international writers of any background.
Faun by Midnight seeks literary fiction.
Full Bleed seeks submissions of collaborative projects that combine word, image, and design between writers and artists on the theme of Inheritance.
Ghoulish Tales seeks short comedic stories that celebrate all things spooky.
Kismet Magazine seeks style-forward pieces with broadly interpreted mystical, spiritual, and religious elements.
Metastellar seeks science fiction, fantasy, and horror flash fiction.
Split Lit Press seeks unpublished essay collections, memoirs, and nonfiction/hybrid full-length book manuscripts.
The Suburban Review is seeking submissions on the theme of Untrue.
Tales of Horror seeks literary stories of the weird, chilling, and horrific.
Third Coast Magazine seeks poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama.
A few sessions & workshops…
October 14th
Contemporary Creative Writing: Story Craft: Tricks With Time
Exploring and Expanding Creative Instincts with Florence Limb
First Draft: A Literary Social
Online Poetry Workshop with Poet–in–the-Community Jenny Mitchell
October 15th
Black Girls Write Too Writers Club
BWOC Fall Series: Exploring Arts Administration as a Career
Shadow Histories Across Genres: a Webinar Workshop for Emerging Writers
October 16th
October 17th
October 18th
October 19th
October 20th
October 21st
WLT Off the Beaten Craft: Writing for Tabletop Roleplaying Games with Erin Roberts
Multi-Date Options
Clicking the Pen: Writing Your Lunch Hour
Creative Community Writing Session
Monday: Write Into the Week with Elle
Friday Evening Shut Up & Write! Session
A critique group/open mic/shared reading…
October 19th
A few virtual artist/author/creative events…
October 15th
October 16th
October 18th
Ghost Stories with S. Salazar, Stephanie M. Wytovich, and Lauren Davis
October 19th
October 20th
October | Lavender Literary Society: Eric C. Wat x Alice Y. Hom
A few virtual book/script clubs and discussions…
Book Group: The Lowlife by Alexander Baron
Brown Girl Book Club: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Contemporary Romance Book Club
Lattes and Literature: Book Club for Moms
The Library of Performing Arts Play Club: Underdog, by Suzan-Lori Parks
PICKUPANOVEL Book Club - Kallocain by Karin Boye
Postmarks & Paperbacks: Frankenstein
Rewilding Noir Online Book Club
Tuesday Night Book Club: Yevgeny Zamyatin, We
Turning Pages: A Book Club for Women Who Are Ready for What’s Next
Virtual Romance Book Club: Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca
And a final thought…
Hi there,
It’s a lunar eclipse, which is believed to bring closure or resolution to events that have been unfolding over time.
In essence, we are at a universal turning point, and the consequences of what happens during a lunar eclipse are believed to be long-lasting and potentially life-altering.
That said, play the lottery, dear Reader, and know that this post includes embedded links; if you purchase a book after clicking on one, I will earn a commission.
Take it easy,
