Banned Books Week

It's Banned Books Week!

Every year during the last week of September, libraries and bookstores around the country raise awareness about censorship by holding events and putting up displays featuring books that have been challenged or banned in the U.S.

This year, Banned Books week runs through October 2 and you can see if there are any events in your area here

Some of the notable books banned in the past include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Recent challenges include Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

The American Library Association, one of the sponsors of Banned Books week, points out that "The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society."

Let's exercise our First Amendment rights and read a banned book! What are some of your favorites you know have been challenged in the past? Which banned books are among your favorites of all time?

Happy reading!

Anthology Accepting Essays on Teaching

Are you a current or recent graduate student who has experience teaching creative writing? If so, you can submit an essay on creative writing pedagogy for possible inclusion in the anthology Dispatches from the Classroom: Graduate Student Essays on Creative Writing Pedagogy.

The editors of the anthology are looking for essays "linking the theoretical foundations of creative writing pedagogy with practical classroom application." They are interested in essays examining pedagogical practices for poetry, nonfiction and drama, but not fiction.

The editors suggest that "ideal essays will briefly discuss an aspect of creative writing instruction (including relevant pedagogical theory), but will focus mainly on how this aspect translates to classroom practice, and will include personal experience and examples."

Submission details:
Essays should follow MLA documentation format and may run from 5-15 pages, but preference will be given to shorter lengths. Supplementary materials including course documents, assignments, or class handouts are encouraged, but should not be submitted independently. Reprints are acceptable if the editors are notified. All submissions should include a cover note with an author bio and the title of the essay. Submissions must be sent to the editors by e-mail at dispatchesfromthefront@yahoo.com by November 19, 2010.

Happy writing!



*Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com.

Applications due soon for 2011 Hedgebrook Writers in Residence program

Women authors from around the world attend the Hedgebrook Writers in Residence program to focus their energies, mingle with like-minded writers and hone in on their craft. The program is now accepting applications for their 2011 retreat. All applications must be postmarked by September 23, 2010.

Located on Puget Sound's lovely Whidbey Island, the retreat allots each of the six selected authors her own cottage and meals. Dinners are enjoyed communally at a shared farmhouse kitchen. This gives the author not only space and solitude for her own writing but also a supportive community that further encourages the creative process.

And here's some great news: you do not have to be an established author to apply. An applicant is selected based on the merit of her proposal and on the quality of her writing. This means that all unpublished women authors are eligible.

So, what have you got to lose? Send in your application and maybe you'll be the next member of the worldwide Hedgebrook family. It may just be, to quote the Hedgebrook website, "The Alchemy of Time & Space, Solitude & Community" that will jumpstart your literary career.

Author Randall Platt Wins WILLA Literary Award

Congrats to local author Randall Platt, winner of the 2010 WILLA Literary Award! The nationally-recognized award, which honors Pulitzer Prize winner Willa Cather, annually celebrates remarkable published literature that emphasises a woman's experience in the west. Her novel, Hellie Jondoe, was selected by a panel of twenty-one professional librarians. Set in 1918, the historical novel centers around a plucky thirteen-year old orphan and pickpocket (Hellie, of course) who heads west in order to seek a better fortune than the one she began with -- only to become an unwitting caretaker for two other children along the way. The young adult novel is the eighth title by Platt, whose website describes her writing as, "...for adults and young adults and those who don't own up to being either."

To learn more about Randall Platt, her collection of titles, and how her modeling career has influenced her writing life (and vice versa), visit her website.