“Writing is a solitary pursuit,” said award-winning author Robin Hemley, explaining why he has “no patience” for belonging to a writer’s group. You might argue that Robin has reached a level in his career where he doesn’t need feedback from other writers. He is an accomplished writer of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. He directs the […]
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AWP Nugget: Tips for Writers Looking for the Tenure-Track Teaching Job
March 8, 2013 
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BOSTON — You love to write. You need to earn a living. Why not teach what you love? You’re not the first person to think of that. Every person with an MFA has entertained that fantasy, and many more writers beyond that. Here at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs 2013 conference, four writing […]
Read moreAWP Nugget: Hey Writers, Let’s Meet Up in Person in Seattle in 2014!
March 7, 2013 32 Comments
BOSTON — One emotion I have always felt at the AWP creative writers conference is jealousy. Jealousy of the talent and success of the panelists and readers. Jealousy of the way so many writer attendees approach literary editors on the Bookfair floor without fear. But, mostly, jealousy of how so many attendees have made the […]
Read moreMFA Nugget: Lessons From My Failed Residency Workshop
January 8, 2013 41 Comments
MONTPELIER, VERMONT — This post is an attempt to find some positives in an otherwise not-so-pleasant workshop experience here at my MFA in Writing residency with the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Here is a list of things I promise not to do next summer, at my final residency: I will remember to say something […]
Read moreMFA Nugget: The Dynamics of a Writing Workshop
January 6, 2013 28 Comments
MONTPELIER, VERMONT — One thing I’ve learned in writing nonfiction is that when you write about others, there is no way of knowing what might cause offense. So if this post describing different types of workshop participants pisses off my current workshop mates, I will live with the result. I should note I am not […]
Read moreWhat Would You Like to See on The Artist’s Road?
December 20, 2012 28 Comments
This is your chance, dear readers, to weigh in on the types of posts you’ll see over the next year on The Artist’s Road. I’ve arranged below a list of categories into which Artist’s Road posts could most comfortably be fit. It’s a bit of a challenge, because while this blog has a theme–living the […]
Read moreIs Kickstarter the Answer for Aspiring Authors?
December 1, 2012 20 Comments
Few unpublished novelists or memoirists are able to convince a publisher to consider their work until it is complete. But it can be daunting to spend months or years bringing a book to completion with no assurance it will ever be published. Established authors can at times secure advances based on book proposals and a […]
Read moreWrestling with Art vs. the Market
October 9, 2012 18 Comments
We all know William Shakespeare appealed to the common man, with stories that touched on moral truths built upon jokes about sex and farting. He followed a path well paved by giants like Euripides, who in a tragedy about the slaughter and enslavement of a population slips in a fat joke. I can imagine a […]
Read moreMFA Nugget: Standing Naked Before Your Peers
June 30, 2012 17 Comments
How often in life do you lay yourself bare and invite people to inspect your every birthmark, wrinkle, and fold of fat? Beauty pageant contestants spend five minutes on stage in a swimsuit. When I competed in solo and ensemble festivals, I would sing for five minutes in front of three judges, then leave the […]
Read morePeer Critique Leads to Award-Winning Writing
June 21, 2012 48 Comments
It won the 2012 Sidney W. Vernick Award in Nonfiction by fwriction: review, and now the literary journal has published my essay, “September 12th,” online. I’m delighted The Artist’s Road readers have a chance to read a bit more of my creative writing should they choose. But I’m moved by what I’ve learned from this […]
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