One of the largest literary conferences in the U.S. delights and surprises, always. February 28th, 2024 Dear Writers, Thank you for signing up for Writing with Hart: News and Opportunities for Writers. I’m so glad you’re here! Shout out to my friend Miriam Gershow whose book of stories, Survival Tips, comes out in March. See all ofContinue reading “AWP Recap: Grief, TikTok & Diverse Writers”
Tag Archives: Down syndrome
What Makes You Fearful & Deeply Uncomfortable?
Go out and pursue it. December 2, 2023 Dear Writers, Last Tuesday, I walked into a hospital room and found a man lying on the ground groaning in pain. It was up to me to figure out what was wrong with him and how to help. It turned out he’d fallen and had a horrificContinue reading “What Makes You Fearful & Deeply Uncomfortable?”
50,000 Words in 30 Days?
Here’s Why NaNoWriMo Works for Me. November 1,2023 Dear Writers, First, a shout-out to my colleague and former personal essay-writing student Diane Gottlieb, editor of the brand-new anthology Awakenings: Stories of Bodies & Consciousness in which numerous storytellers weigh in on their relationships with their bodies and minds. I’m particularly interested in Diane’s new anthologyContinue reading “50,000 Words in 30 Days?”
Publish Personal Essays to Build an Audience for Your Books
October 2, 2023 Dear Writers, Thank you for signing up for Writing with Hart: News and Opportunities for Writers. I’m so glad you’re here! First, a shout-out to my former University of Oregon journalism student who recently published Where We Call Home: Essays from the Lands, Seas, and Skies of the Pacific Northwest. I ran into herContinue reading “Publish Personal Essays to Build an Audience for Your Books”
Listening is Writing, Too
Why authors need podcasts. February 2, 2023 Dear Writers, Thank you for signing up for Writing with Hart: News and Opportunities for Writers. I’m so glad you’re here! Enormous congratulations to two of my former writing students on their publications last month. Diane Gottlieb, editor of Emerge Literary Journal, had this piece published I Didn’t Have SexContinue reading “Listening is Writing, Too”
Playtime for Writers!
What would happen if you allowed yourself to write without expectation of publication? December 1, 2022 Dear Writers, On Tuesday, I had a truly lovely glass of strawberry cider and some superb garlic rolls with my Eugene colleague—young adult novelist J.C. Geiger. We got to talking about what the brain scans of humans look like whenContinue reading “Playtime for Writers!”
It’s Okay to Take a Break from Writing…
Before you spontaneously combust. November 1, 2022 Dear Writers, Thank you for signing up for Writing with Hart: News and Opportunities for Writers. I’m so glad you’re here! Right away, a Big Confession: I didn’t send an October newsletter. Life got really messy at the end of September. I’m talking emotional trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia .Continue reading “It’s Okay to Take a Break from Writing…”
Impatience is the Enemy of Writers
Sometimes a story needs to sit in a drawer for a month . . . or a year. September 1, 2022 Dear Writers, Thank you for signing up for Writing with Hart: News and Opportunities for Writers. I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been thinking a lot about the revision process this week, because I finally hadContinue reading “Impatience is the Enemy of Writers”
Article Pitches that Sold to Magazines & Newspapers
Pitching an article is an art-form. Make sure the topic you’re pitching checks one or more of these boxes: Is the topic new, or treated in a new way? Is the topic relevant to readers of that specific publication? Is the topic surprising? Here are three of my pitches that recently sold. Sold to TheContinue reading “Article Pitches that Sold to Magazines & Newspapers”
Raccoons, Raptors & Girls on the Run
How Volunteering Deepens your Characterization, Setting & Sensory Details First, a shout-out to my dear sister-in-law, poet Amanda Smith-Hatch. April is National Poetry Month; Amanda’s poetry centers me and renews my gratitude for small, lovely actions like making my bed in the morning (see her “Paean to Morning” in Plants and Poetry) and challenges meContinue reading “Raccoons, Raptors & Girls on the Run”
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