RADAR Productions and Michelle Tea have put together an amazing benefit that’s happening in NYC this Saturday, March 24th. Come see a powerhouse line-up up of writers and artists, while supporting a great project (RADAR Lab, the annual 11-day queer writers retreat). Information on the event and how to get tickets are below.
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RADAR Productions’ East Coast Benefit – Saturday, March 24, 2012
RADAR Productions hosts its first East Coast fundraiser to benefit the 4th annual RADAR Lab. The fundraiser takes place from 7pm – 9:30pm at The Strand Bookstore (828 Broadway) in Greenwich Village. Light refreshments provided with a cash bar. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased in advance at https://www.brownpapertickets.
RADAR Lab is an 11-day, queer-centric retreat for writers and artists. The retreat is free of charge, and is hosted by RADAR’s Artistic Director, Michelle Tea, Program Manager, Ali Liebegott, and Managing Director, Elizabeth Pickens. The Lab has been held annually for the last three summers in Akumal, Mexico. All writers and artists work independently on projects and share progress during daily communal meals and discussions. Each year, there is a featured guest writer; in 2012 the featured guest is Rhodessa Jones, Cultural Odyssey co-director and founder of Medea Project – Theater for Incarcerated Women. Writers attending the 2012 Radar LAB include Jonathan Katz, Ariel Schrag, Miguel Gutierrez, Brontez Purnell, Erin Markey and many more.
RADAR Productions is a San Francisco-based non-profit that produces literary happenings around the Bay Area and beyond. Founded in 2003 by writer Michelle Tea, RADAR conducts presenting, commissioning, professional development and touring programs that stimulate the production of queer and underground literature.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices held in California this summer. Here are more details on why you should consider submitting.The Lambda Literary Foundation is proud to announce details for the 2012 Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices, the only queer writers residency in the world. The Retreat will be held July 28 – August 4, 2012 on the campus of the American Jewish University (AJU) in Los Angeles.
Faculty include Dorothy Allison (pictured) teaching the Fiction workshop, Cris Beam teaching the Nonfiction workshop, Jewelle Gomez teaching the Poetry workshop, and Alex Sanchez teaching LLF’s first ever workshop in Young Adult Fiction.
“We are thrilled with this year’s stellar lineup of faculty,” said LLF Executive Director, Tony Valenzuela. “They will mentor another gifted group of writers who will have their lives transformed by this Retreat. Lambda Fellows represent the future of LGBT literature.”
The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices was established in 2007 as the newest program of the Lambda Literary Foundation and is the first of its kind ever offered to LGBT writers: a one-week intensive immersion in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. The retreat is an unparalleled opportunity to learn from the very best writers in the LGBT community.
Applicants of the Retreat submit twenty pages of fiction/nonfiction or 10 pages of poetry that are evaluated for craft, creativity and originality. Eight to twelve students per workshop are accepted into the competitive program where they spend the week working on their manuscripts and attending lectures by publishing industry professionals. Ability to pay is in no way part of the decision-making process and scholarships are available. The LLF Writers Retreat Fellows have gone on to publish an impressive array of works.
I’m so excited that my new book, The Secrets of Great G-Spot Orgasms and Female Ejaculation will be out in October from Quiver Books. Yup, that means I have two books coming out in one month (the other one is Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica)! This is my third book for Quiver, which specializes in sex ed books with photos. I like to think of them as erotic educational coffee table books.
The publisher has original photography shot for each book it publishes, and I was especially excited to learn that famous second-generation pornographer (who I profiled in my Village Voice column years ago) Holly Randall was the photographer for this project! I even got to be on set one day, which was a ton of fun. Quiver’s books are marketed toward straight couples and do a brisk business at Barnes & Noble, so the photography reflects that: it’s softcore and pretty heteronormative.
When I wrote The Anal Sex Position Guide for them, I specifically told them that I would be discussing male anal pleasure and pegging (strap-on anal sex with female givers and male receivers), and I wanted there to be photos of both in the book. This was a departure from all past books, and seemed to be way out of their comfort zone, but they agreed to it. It made me so happy!
When we talked about the G-spot book, once again, I challenged them. If I am was going to write a book about the G-spot, I wanted to speak to lots of folks with G-spots, including women who have sex with women. So, I wanted my book to feature images of women having sex with men and with other women (they aren’t ready for people of other genders, trust me). While Quiver has published one book about lesbian sex, it has never done a book that depicts different sexual partnering side by side. Again, they agreed! I also got to pick the models for the woman/woman pairing, so I recommended Lexi Belle and India Summer, two women I have had the pleasure of directing who I know really enjoy having sex with women. I’m happy about how the book looks, and can’t wait to see it on the shelves.
You can pre-order it now from Amazon for 36% off the cover price.
I’m hitting th
e road on tour this fall, and you can see my schedule here.
I’ve been told that I am a great writer many times by friends and strangers who have read my short stories. I was wondering, how do I go about getting my works published? I’m not sure where I should begin to showcase my talents.
You should start by finding as many web sites, publications, email lists, and books that list calls for submissions. I don’t know what kinds of stories you write, so I can’t give you specific places to look, but there are writers associations on the Web, magazines like Poets & Writers, and lots of guides and lists with calls for submissions. Research what kinds of publications—sites, magazines, anthologies, etc.—have published work like yours, and find out if they take unsolicited submissions. Sometimes you have to write a query letter first; other times, you can send a manuscript right off the bat. Be sure to follow the call for submissions or the writer’s guidelines; as an editor, I get so frustrated when people don’t follow the simplest instructions (like, no email submissions, or enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope). Take the plunge, and send your work out into the world!