advance blurbs for The Write Life

Some delightful back cover blurbs have come in for my next nonfiction book, The Write Crowd:Literary Citizenship & The Writing Life, forthcoming in Dec ’14 from Bloomsbury:

"Lori A. May's The Write Crowd reminds us that writing need not be such a lonely life, solitary as it is. The literary universe provides limitless opportunities to help other writers, meet other writers, and support one another. Type an e-mail, review a book, start a reading series, form your own small press: help keep literature alive and strengthen your own connections and understanding. An indispensable book for those new to writing careers and a valuable reminder for those who've faced the blank page for years and years."
-- Dinty W. Moore, Professor and Director of Creative Writing, Ohio University, and author of The Mindful Writer

"A thoughtful, much-needed exploration of the relationship between the individual writing life and the larger community of writers and readers. Lori A. May draws from her own experience and that of many other writers and editors to offer a comprehensive view of the necessary phenomenon we only recently have come to call literary citizenship. The Write Crowd offers specific and authentic ways--some quick and simple, others a greater investment--through which writers can be strong literary citizens."
-- Anna Leahy, Associate Professor of English, Chapman University, and author of Constituents of Matter, editor of Power and Identity in the Creative Writing Classroom, and editor of TAB: The Journal of Poetry & Poetics

Available December 2014 from Bloomsbury
Pre-order on Amazon

For more info, visit www.loriamay.com/writecrowd.html

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The Write Crowd: Literary Citizenship & The Writing Life

I’m delighted to share this news: my next nonfiction book, The Write Crowd: Literary Citizenship & The Writing Life, is forthcoming in December from Bloomsbury!

Writing may be a solitary profession, but it is also one that relies on a strong sense of community. The Write Crowd offers practical tips and examples of how writers of all genres and experience levels contribute to the sustainability of the literary community, the success of others, and to their own well-rounded writing life. Through interviews and examples of established writers and community members, readers are encouraged to immerse themselves fully in the literary world and the community-at-large by engaging with literary journals, reading series and public workshops, advocacy and education programs, and more.

In contemporary publishing, the writer is expected to contribute outside of her own writing projects. Editors and publishers hope to see their writers active in the community, and the public benefits from a more personal interaction with authors. Yet the writer must balance time and resources between deadlines, day jobs, and other commitments. The Write Crowd demonstrates how writers may engage with peers and readers, and have a positive effect on the greater community, without sacrificing writing time.

See the Table of Contents and advance blurbs here: www.loriamay.com/writecrowd.html

Available December 2014 from Bloomsbury
Pre-order on Amazon

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where does silent talent go?

“Every now and then I search for signs of her writing on the Internet, but I don’t think she’s ever published anything. Breaks my heart because she was amazing.” – Junot Diaz, “MFA vs. POC” in The New Yorker

Junot Diaz is the author of This Is How You Lose Her and the co-founder of the Voices of Our Nation Workshop. In this New Yorker piece, Diaz talks about his MFA experience—and the experiences of many still today. The above quote is what spoke to me most; how many people have you come across in your life that displayed a talent/passion for something, only to disappear into another life or, perhaps, an unnoticed life?

Whatever your passion, whatever your dream…. Speak up. Be heard. Be seen. And, whenever possible, help someone else be heard. 

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literary citizenship in print, online, and in your backyard

I couldn’t be happier to see so much discussion of late on the topic of literary citizenship. This is a topic near and dear to me and one I’ve had the pleasure of discussing at a number of MFA programs and community writing events over the years. We can never discuss this topic too much. Our involvement in the community—as writers, as readers—only nets good, as far as I’m concerned. Whether helping a small press get off the ground through volunteer hours, or sharing a recommended read with a booklover at work, a little good goes a long way in fostering not only our literary and cultural communities, but our regular old day-to-day life as people.

One of my earliest exposures to the notion of literary citizenship came by way of Carolyn See’s resourceful book, Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers (Ballantine, 2002). Not long after that, I discovered Kate Gale (publisher and editor of Red Hen Press) discussing the topic at conferences and writing residencies. (By the way, do have a look at this lovely Q&A with Kate Gale over at Poets & Writers.) While the concept of being community-minded certainly wasn’t new, the topicality and significance stuck with me. I took the lessons from others to heart, being mindful of my own community involvement, and since 2009 I’ve been offering sessions at grad programs, conferences, and elsewhere—anywhere—where others share an interest in fostering our arts, encouraging fellow writers, and giving something tangible back to the community.

Over the years, dozens of folks have shared their thoughts, experiences, and tips on literary citizenship. Every time I see an article or blog post about how we can authentically engage with others and help sustain a thriving community of writers, my heart sings. There has been so many active and thoughtful writers discussing this topic, and I hope this discussion continues. More is more. It’s through others that I learned the value of literary citizenship. It’s through others that I have felt valued in my own communities. We should all feel that, to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves, to feel that our efforts as writers, artists, and human beings matter—and it matters most when we impact others’ lives. That’s what literary citizenship is all about.

While I’m happy to share my own resources from over the years, I’ll save those to the end of the blog post (because this is not about me). What I really want to do is share some great resources and discussions from others that I’ve seen in print and online. Have a look, share these with your peers, and feel free to post additional resources you’ve come across. I’m not sharing an exhaustive list by any means and I welcome seeing what else you’ve come across on the topic!

Recent and Wonderful Pieces about Literary Citizenship

• “5 Ways To Be A Good Literary Citizen,” by Allison Amend, in Writer’s Digest link
• “How to Be a Good Literary Citizen,” by Joey Franklin, in the Nov/Dec ’13 print issue of Poets & Writers (pg 97-100)
• “The Eight Questions Writers Should Ask Themselves,” by Roxane Gay, at AWPwriter.org link
• Author Stephanie Vanderslice discusses the topic with Ploughshares this month in “Writing in a Changing World: Craft, Readership, and Social Media” link

Additional Discussions & Resources (in no particular order)

• Renegade Writers’ Collective in Burlington VT shares this post, “What is a literary citizen?” link
• Author Dinty W. Moore has shared a number of posts on the subject over at the Brevity blog, including this one from August 2008:“Be an Open Node: Blake Butler on Literary Citizenship” link
• Author Kelly Davio shares her thoughts in “The Most Obnoxious Squeak” (Feb 2010), “Kelly’s Rules for AWP” (Jan 2011), and elsewhere on her website
• In Oct 2011, editor Shannon Cain wrote “The Power of Literary Citizenship” for the Kore Press newsletter. Author Leslie Pietrzyk re-posted it here on her blog.
• In Jan 2013, Stephanie Vanderslice wrote “The Geek’s Guide to the Writing Life: Literary Citizenship and Finding Your Tribe or, 6 Degrees of Anna Leahy” for Huffington Post link
• Author Cathy Day developed and teaches a class on literary citizenship at Ball State University link; you’ll also find more resources on Cathy Day’s author website link
• In Sept 2011, Fiction Writers Review shared author Anna Leahy’s “The Future of Literary Citizenship: A Review Essay” link
• On her blog, writer Ashia H. Lane contemplates the value of community and literary citizenship after graduating with an MFA link 

And, finally, from the ‘Lori A. May archives’

• "Get involved: Play an active part in the writing community," online link from the May 2010 of The Writer (pg 8-9), in which I interview author Matt Bell, agent Andrea Hurst, editor Leah Maines, and author/editor Kate Gale
• “Out with the Old, in with the Do,” a blog post from December 2009 on resolving to be a more active literary citizen link
• “AWP: A First Report for the Snowbound Conference,” in Brevity, from March 2013, in which I recap the Boston AWP panel, “Being a Good Literary Citizen” link
• In Nov 2009, I offered a seminar for English MA students at Eastern Michigan University: “Literary Citizenship, Then & Now: A Reflection of 19^th C American Poetry”
• I’ve also offered contemporary discussions and workshops on the topic at a number of MFA and undergrad programs, including Arcadia University, Converse College, Macomb College, Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, Oklahoma City University, Owens College, University of King’s College-Halifax, Wilkes University, and University of Western Ontario. Note: If you’re interested in knowing a bit more about these sessions, feel free to contact me—or the directors of these programs!

What does it all mean? It means, largely, we’re invested in our community. It means writers and readers have an abundance of ideas for putting positive energy into our communities. And, it certainly means there’s room for even more discussion.