ARCHIVE FOR Jenna Blum

Dear Friends of literature,
 
I’m writing about GrubStreet, the writing community that changed my life. When I first came to Grub, it consisted of a handful of hopeful people. Grub’s founder, Eve Bridburg, had graduated from Boston University’s Creative Writing M.A. program a few years before I did, and in 1998, I asked Eve for a job. Few people would employ a writer whose career experience consisted of a few published short stories and a decade’s worth of food service, but Eve hired me. That’s the generous belief Grub was founded on: encouraging people who are passionate ...

FINALLY: It's that time of year when we can ALL be writers on the road! If you're like me, you may be planning something that looks like this:  click this link. You know you want to.  And in case you're wondering what to read on your Holiday Roooo-oooo-oooo-oad, here are my summer reading picks.

The Literary Thriller Pick.

A.X. Ahmad's debut novel THE CARETAKER is my literary thriller pick of the summer. How often do you get a book from a guy who writes with the beauty of Jhumpa Lahiri AND spins a story that ...

Are you like me?  Do you often think of writers' conferences as JACOB JAVITZ CENTER-SIZED WAREHOUSES PACKED WITH WRITERS JOCKEYING FOR POSITION, saying things like "WHO published you? Realllly. Huh. HOW many books did you sell? HOW many print runs? You don't KNOW? Ha ha.   Hmmmm..." while their gazes drift over your shoulder to see if somebody else more important has walked into the room? Maybe you envision writers' conferences as seething seas of one-upsmanship; tons and tons and tons and tons of books you MUST read; panels and readings you MUST go to (or remain ETERNALLY MENTALLY UNENRICHED ...

In honor of so many friends publishing novels this spring, I thought I'd provide stories from many writers on the road: our Best & Worst Book Tour Moments. Probably every single writer, including yours truly, has dealt with Invisible Audience Syndrome:  readings where NOBODY SHOWS UP. But in case you think you're all bad-@$$, these writers have dealt with thieves, stalking exes, ghosts and jail. Enjoy!