Breaking! - Scholarship Opportunity - Susie’s Writing School
We Have A Winner: Donna Minkowitz
Update: we have a winner!
I am delighted to announce the first winner and recipient of my writing and publishing school scholarship, sponsored by Nancy Snyder.
Allow me to introduce Donna Minkowitz. Many of us came to know Donna as a rule-breaking journalist at The Village Voice in the late 80s and 90s. This was at a time when almost all gay and lesbian reporters were in the closet. She went undercover into the craziest Christian moral majority groups ever, and came back to report the political chaos that haunts us to this day. She wrote a piece on Matthew Shepard few of us will ever forget, and later, her story on Brandon Teena is what inspired the film Boys Don’t Cry. I am a regular reader of her blog.
Donna wrote me that she is working on a new novel different from anything her readers have seen before. Perfect.
Most veteran writers, consider changing genre or style as their career develops. We’re artists who happened to get paid for one thing that was a “hit” even though our talent is usually a lot brighter and more imaginative. I, myself, started out as a poet, who had no clue that one day I would become known for sexual politics. That sort of thing happens all the time.
When you switch genres, you need a fresh look at how to pitch a project— and revisit the publishers and editors, who’d be best suited to gain a new audience. It’s a little maddening, but it’s also — don’t tell anybody — a little exhilarating to be working in fresh territory.
My two fall classes that are probably best for this endeavor are the following:
Inside the Publisher’s Brain
Writing the perfect pitch letter
Take a look at my catalog and see if any of the others speak to you as well.
Congratulations, Donna!
I’d also like to think the other applicants to this year‘s scholarship fund. I’d gladly work with any one of them; I thought each proposal was excellent. I hope they’ll allow me to keep them on my “list,” because if we have further generous donors, I’d be delighted to come back to them.
Announcing a social justice scholarship for writers, editors, and indie presses—
Susie Bright’s writing and publishing school is pleased to announce a scholarship opportunity for the upcoming series of 2023 fall courses.
The scholarship is donated by activist and writer, Nancy Snyder. Snyder writes nonfiction: book reviews, and the life of bibliophiles and literacy on social activism. She misses her friends, colleagues, and comrades who helped her decades ago and (and continue to do so). She honors them by finding new and veteran voices who will carry on the good fight.
Thank you, Nancy!
This section of my blog is called “Publishing Chops.”
It’s all about writers, journalists, and publishing. I’m speaking to my peers.
—Behind the scenes, gossip, true tales from crypt. I think some hardcore readers/bookworms will enjoy it too.
However! If you want turn off email notification for ”Publishing Chops,” you can.
Go to your account page and under “Email notifications” uncheck, or check, whichever email notifications you’d like to stay abreast of.
This particular scholarship is designed for the writer, small press publisher, or editor.
This scholarship is for (1) student, (1) class, and will be determined by the Susie Bright Writing School.
Consider yourself invited!
Please see the class offerings here:
https://literarykitchen.net/book-publishing-and-success-master-classes-with-publisher-author-editor-and-producer-susie-bright/
Submissions:
Email Susie your name, address and phone number, along with a sample of your writing under 2500 words, and, a brief history list of anything you published or written in the past that you’d like to bring to my attention.
<susie@susiebright.com>
(Please double space all, 12pt type, serif font please).
If you’d like me to become aware of your blog, social media, podcast or whatever you do in public, add that too!
Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, are all wonderful.
Deadline:
Mail your application by September 5th to:
<Susie@susiebright.com>
Subject Line: Scholarship
Decision:
Susie will choose the scholarship recipient by September 10th, and set up the enrollment in the class of choice.
Personal note:
I have known Nancy since we were both part of the Underground radical high school press (The Red Tide) in the 1970s. She was an inspiration to me— being a little bit older and a tremendous writer, even as a teenager. The confidence we had as young women who turned our high school upside down to make progressive changes is something I will never forget.
We also learned the power of the press, the “carpe diem” of self knowledge and practical smarts. We had no inside connections, no nepotism, no money— and yet we transformed the course of women’s liberation, labor, civil rights, and the antiwar student movement in Los Angeles. —Among other things!
Now we are both in our 60s and those early lessons have never loss their impact. Many of us from our high school newspaper days went on to profound lives in publishing and the arts.
Would you, yes you— like to offer a scholarship?
Many of you are aware how many excellent writers are on fixed incomes and budgets that don’t allow for any wiggle room.
You know how much mentoring means in our world!
If you would like to contribute to my school scholarship fund, please write to me at susie@susiebright.com, and I’ll send you more details. Thank you to all of the good friends who suggested it.