49 Writers Weekly Round-Up

As the madness of holiday preparation winds down, a period of rest settles in. A short one.

Here at 49 Writers, we’re gearing up for 2010, starting with a new advertising opportunity for authors and booksellers. As you’re probably aware, 49 Writers has been a labor of love, a way for Andromeda and I to give back to the community of writers that has nurtured us over the years. We’ve resisted organizing as an official non-profit, though we’re starting to partner with some wonderful groups to offer writing workshops (more on that soon!).

But like most authors, our coffers often come up closer to empty than full. As readership at 49 Writers has grown beyond our best expectations, it’s tempting to click the easy little Google button that would clutter our space with middleman-heavy ads, but we’re resisting that too, for the moment. Instead, we’re offering ad space directly to our readers that, at $10 per month (with no continued commitment), won’t make us rich, but it feels like a nice way to help others get the word out while tipping our bank balance ever so slightly. We’ll post your book cover or other appropriate photo linked to the URL of your choice, with a title and a caption, along with our books and those of our monthly featured authors in our sidebar. So talk to your publisher or run your own numbers: you don’t have to sell many books to recoup ten bucks a month. Email me at debv@gci.net to get started.

We’ve got a manuscript critiquing service in the works for next year, too – more on in the next couple of weeks.

While we’re on the topic of labors of love (and smart online exposure!) heartfelt thanks go to all of this year’s 49 Writers featured authors, along with all who answered our call for 2010. The response overwhelmed us, leaving us wishing we could squeeze more months in a year. The result: we’ve got a stellar line-up for 2010, and equally fine folks on tap, with priority consideration, for 2011. Starting with 2010, we look forward to hearing from:

Joan Kane (January)
Mary Katzke (February)
Barry Zellen (March)
Kim Rich (April)
Heather Lende (May)
Charles Wohlforth (June)
Rich Chiappone (July)
Cinthia Ritchie (August)
Peggy Shumaker (September)
Don Reardon (October)
Tricia Brown (November)
Tom Sexton (December)

Also in 2010: United States Artists (see our post on Perry Eaton’s big award earlier this week) has released details of upcoming artist residencies supported through the Alaska AIR (Artist in Residency) program. With a $1 million investment from Rasmuson Foundation, artists who have already received a fellowship from USA can apply to participate in the program, which partners them with an Alaska arts organization for 30 days of learning, creating, collaborating and sharing. January will bring residencies with Susan Power (The Island Institute), who turned to writing fiction after reading the works of Native American writer Louise Erdrich. Power is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux, and her stories are informed by her Native heritage. In February, Lê thi diem thúy, (also of The Island Institute)will visit; she is a poet and solo performance artist who left her native Vietnam by boat in 1978 with her family and who writes about the experiences of Vietnamese refugees living in the United States, in her words, the “floating casualties of history.”

Finally, kudos to Alaskan author Stan Jones, with thanks to the Alaska Professional Communicators for bringing the news to our attention: Jones received favorable write-ups recently in both People magazine and Entertainment Weekly. As reported on the APC website, a review in the December 7 issue of People gave Jones’ book Village of the Ghost Bears 3 out of 4 stars, calling it “the fourth book of this enchanting series set in Alaska,” adding that Jones has “created a richly populated universe you’ll be sorry to leave.” Entertainment Weekly reviewer Tina Jordon gave Village of the Ghost Bears an A- in her November 24 review, saying “Jones delivers a finely laddered plot…but the real fun, as always, lies in the dozens of mini-lessons he gives on hardscrabble Alaskan life.”