Dear Readers,
Greetings on a rainy, gloomy day! I just have a quick correction to make (already made on the original post but it doesn't hurt to tell you now as well)—the link to writer Mary Beth Ellis on this previous post about Mira's List fans' residency experiences was wrong. The real website link should be this: http://www.blondechampagne.com in case you want to read more about Mary Beth. Sorry for the mistake.
If any others would like to send me a couple photos from a residency they did in the last year or so, one they found on Mira's List, please send them to me as jpgs (no larger than 400 KB) and write a few words on what the place was like and what you did there. I need to know:
1. name of place and location (and link if you have it)
2. your website link (if you have one and if you'd like me to link your name to it)
3. whether or not you want me to post your full name
Thanks!
Mirabee
Showing posts with label PERSONAL NOTE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PERSONAL NOTE. Show all posts
Residency Testimonials & Pics from Mira's List Fans!
Hi Everyone, Today I just wanted to share with you a handful of pictures and comments by artists who found residencies on Mira’s List. If you have any photos (no larger than 400 kb) and would like me to post one or two from your residency or the work you did at a residency you found on my blog, please send them to me: mirabartok@yahoo.com, along with a brief statement about your time there. Also include a link to your website if you have one. Thanks!
Enjoy, Mirabee
From composer and sound artist Charlie Williams:
Enjoy, Mirabee
From composer and sound artist Charlie Williams:
Here is a picture of me at Arteles Creative Center in the remote Finnish woods. I am doing sound recording in the forest for some computer-interactive documentation of sound and space with a photographer I met there. Another thing I did at the residency was write one song every day with fellow resident Emma Hooper, based on a different Wikipedia article. Those are up at http://emmaandcharlie.
bandcamp.com/album/wikipedia- daily-challenge
Massachusetts artist, Julie Lapping River:
Artist, Sara Everett:Hi Mira, I would love to share how wonderful our experience was at the
Soaring Gardens residency in rural Pennsylvania two summers ago, which we discovered on your blog. We were provided with a gorgeous studio and living accommodations next door in a lovely older home with beautiful grounds. We applied as a group of three artists working collectively and had a fruitful, inspiring and rewarding three weeks. The best ever!!! The three of us, Diane Travis, BZ Reily and I (Julie Lapping Rivera) began a true collaboration from that point forward. I am attaching a pic. Thank you Mira!
JulieHi Mira! I just wrapped up my third residency of 2011, two of which I discovered through Mira's List. Thanks so much for all you do; couldn't be more thrilled for your success with "The Memory Palace" :)The snowy picture was taken when I was a writer in residence at ISLAND Hill House. In northern Michigan, on days when I'd see the thermometer rise above 0 and celebrate the warmer weather, I met the inspiration for my second book. The story is here: http://tinyurl.com/3eztk8j
The second of the Reading Room at the American Antiquarian Society, where as an artist in residence I studied broadsides from the American Revolution. This was the daily view from my office. Here, I wrote about balancing the book I began at ISLAND Hill House with studying an entirely different topic: http://tinyurl.com/6cyxb65
Hello Mira!
In November of 2010 I was lucky enough to get to go to the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT, USA "the land where painting all day every day is the rule, not the exception. The oasis where every meal is served with artists & writers to dine with galore." Which I applied to after following a link on your blog. I have changed the course of my life because of it and now try to live as close to a residency lifestyle as I can!
Thanks for your wonderful work,
Sara
A Shout Out to All Mira's List Fans: Please Send Me Your Residency Pictures!
Hey Mira's List loyal fans:
Please send me one to two great images (a jpg of no higher than 500 because I have slow internet service) from a wonderful residency you had the past couple years. The only rule is that you had to have found the residency on Mira's List. And please send me a one sentence statement about the place and your experience. If you do this, I will not only love you but I will post some of these here and there as a way of inspiring others. The photograph can be of anything from that place—the land, the house, the studio, you, you at work, your art, whatever. And make sure you tell us what the name of the residency is and where.
Send the above to: mirabartok@yahoo.com and I'll post these little tidbits from time to time. Thanks!
Mirabee
Please send me one to two great images (a jpg of no higher than 500 because I have slow internet service) from a wonderful residency you had the past couple years. The only rule is that you had to have found the residency on Mira's List. And please send me a one sentence statement about the place and your experience. If you do this, I will not only love you but I will post some of these here and there as a way of inspiring others. The photograph can be of anything from that place—the land, the house, the studio, you, you at work, your art, whatever. And make sure you tell us what the name of the residency is and where.
Send the above to: mirabartok@yahoo.com and I'll post these little tidbits from time to time. Thanks!
Mirabee
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for Up-to-Date Info
I know I've said this before but just in case you missed it—when I am on the road and cannot post on my blog because of time constraints or brain fog, I always at least bleep things out to the world on twitter and my Mira's List Facebook page. And what I do on those sites is something I don't do on this blog, which is post about arts jobs, editing gigs, writing awards, public art commissions, etc. I re-tweet some great stuff from other sites too. So if you already have a twitter account, you should follow me. Go here: http://twitter.com/#!/miraslist.
And if you are already on facebook, you should 'like' my page so you can get updated info on your FB feed: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MIRAS-LIST/72394590508.
Okay....off to try to figure out how to make some money past December because things are looking a bit grim these days. Having a so-called 'bestselling' book doesn't necessarily mean you actually make any money, at least not at the moment it doesn't.
Wish me luck—and check out my twitter feed and FB page. A lot of people have found some great things there that they didn't find on my blog. These are hard times and you can't leave a stone unturned or a tweet untweeted. :-)
xoxo Mirabee
And if you are already on facebook, you should 'like' my page so you can get updated info on your FB feed: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MIRAS-LIST/72394590508.
Okay....off to try to figure out how to make some money past December because things are looking a bit grim these days. Having a so-called 'bestselling' book doesn't necessarily mean you actually make any money, at least not at the moment it doesn't.
Wish me luck—and check out my twitter feed and FB page. A lot of people have found some great things there that they didn't find on my blog. These are hard times and you can't leave a stone unturned or a tweet untweeted. :-)
xoxo Mirabee
United States Projects: Micro Financing Grants for Artists
Hey everyone, I am back! For a short while at least. I have been in the Midwest, doing readings and events for my book. I have some great opportunities to post soon, either later today or later this week. Sorry I have been out of touch. It’s been an exhausting month with no mental space left for my blog.
More later....for now, I just wanted you to check out this other Kickstarter like micro-finance site for artists called USA Projects, sponsored by unitedstatesartists.org. The only catch is you have to already be recognized as a grant-winning artist in some way, which leaves out a bunch of you. You have to have gotten some kind of major award (like a Guggenheim, a Pollack-Krasner grant or even a smaller award like a Puffin Foundation award). That said, I think that donations tend to be larger and they also provide matching grant possibilities for each project. Check them out and I'll be back soon with some deadines: http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/help/faq
Cheers,
Mirabee
More later....for now, I just wanted you to check out this other Kickstarter like micro-finance site for artists called USA Projects, sponsored by unitedstatesartists.org. The only catch is you have to already be recognized as a grant-winning artist in some way, which leaves out a bunch of you. You have to have gotten some kind of major award (like a Guggenheim, a Pollack-Krasner grant or even a smaller award like a Puffin Foundation award). That said, I think that donations tend to be larger and they also provide matching grant possibilities for each project. Check them out and I'll be back soon with some deadines: http://www.
Cheers,
Mirabee
Remembering 9/11
Hi everyone,Just wanted to say that my thoughts are with all of you who lost someone on 9/11 ten years ago. I was not in New York that day but knew several people who were and a couple people who survived the World Trade Center tragedy.
One of my favorite blogs, BibliOdyssey, did a tribute to New York today with several antique pictures of a bird’s eye view of the city. Here's the link to a lovely and uplifting homage of that beloved town: http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2011/09/birds-eye-new-york.html
I'm off to Cleveland, then Chicago and Michigan and will be traveling for book events until the end of the month. I will post when I can....
Mirabee
Thanks Everyone
Hey Everyone,
I hope you all survived the terrible hurricane/tropical storm that hit the east coast of the US this weekend. We only lost power and had some nearby trees fall down but that was it. Friends in VT and NC were much more hard hit. :-(
Anyway, thanks to the few of you who donated to Mira's List after my last post. I really appreciate any donation, even if it is small, like $5. It all helps to keep this blog going.
I have some new things to tell you about but will save that for later this week or weekend....lots of deadlines coming up in September and October so if you are thinking about applying for a residency or grant, now is the time to get those applications out there.
More later....love y'all!
Mirabee
I hope you all survived the terrible hurricane/tropical storm that hit the east coast of the US this weekend. We only lost power and had some nearby trees fall down but that was it. Friends in VT and NC were much more hard hit. :-(
Anyway, thanks to the few of you who donated to Mira's List after my last post. I really appreciate any donation, even if it is small, like $5. It all helps to keep this blog going.
I have some new things to tell you about but will save that for later this week or weekend....lots of deadlines coming up in September and October so if you are thinking about applying for a residency or grant, now is the time to get those applications out there.
More later....love y'all!
Mirabee
Some Random Advice from Mirabee on Grants, Fellowships, Residencies and Contests
Hi everyone,
Lately I have been getting a lot of mail—actually, I always get a lot of mail—and much of it the last month has been about some of the same things so I thought I would just post a list of some FAQs that keep ending up in my inbox. It is almost September, after all, and Sept. 15th is a big date for application deadlines. October is the big month for Fulbright deadlines.
Before I go into that though, a reminder, if you write me at:
mirabartok@yahoo.com, please make sure you check ALL my FAQs before writing, okay?
Here is the FAQ link for applying for grants and Fellowships: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/07/faqs-grants.html
Here's the link for residencies, art colonies and retreats: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/09/faqs-residencies-artist-colonies.html
For Fulbright Awards: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/04/fubright-grants-inside-scoop.html
Okay, on to those random questions of yours:
1. HELP ME PLEASE! I am desperate! I need a grant right now! Can I apply for a grant that would start next month?
No. For most grants or large fellowships you must apply nine months to a year in advance. However, if you need emergency funding, check my sidebar on the right hand side for some links to emergency funding organizations.
Also--PLEASE DO NOT SOUND DESPERATE in your application. No foundation wants to give money to people who sound like victims. It is better to present yourself as a resourceful person. Tell them how many other places you are applying to and what you are doing to get out of your unfortunate situation.
2. If I write a nice letter to you, asking you to help me find a grant or a special residency, will you help me?
Nope. PLEASE DO THE WORK. I do this for free. I know I am crazy. I get barely any donations. I think I make less than two cents an hour doing this. Actually—not even that much. Basically, I bring you to the water but you have to fish for yourself, okay? There are special circumstances where I do help individuals, like a couple people who have limited internet access because they are living in countries like Iran and China where important sites are censored and blocked from view. Otherwise—do the work yourself.
3. I run a residency (or a grant foundation) and want you to post my deadline announcement. What's the best way to send you info?
NOT in a pdf. NOT in a word doc. Please send a BRIEF announcement in the body of an email to mirabartok@yahoo.com and include deadline date, cost if there is on, stipend or award if there is one, location and something descriptive about the program. Also, which disciplines can apply. And please send me info way in advance. Thanks.
4. I am a poet who is nearly sixty years old (or an artist, composer, etc.) and have been rejected by every place I apply to. Can you help me figure out why?
Sorry—I can't. I just don't have time to critique people's work. I suggest you get involved with some kind of community—writing group, artist critique group, etc. and get feedback that way.
5. What is your opinion about writing contests that charge a fee to submit my piece?
I think some contests are good and some are bad. Here's my opinion, for what it's worth: Look to see what the big prize is. If the entry fee is, say, 10-25 dollars and the biggest prize is only 200 dollars, well, that's pretty bogus to me. That means they are just making money off you. And do they mention who the judge is? ONLY send work to contests if the judge is a reputable LITERARY writer, not some hack and if the contest is run by a literary magazine or a reputable literary online journal. The Council on Literary Magazines and Small Presses (CLMP) helps to set standards for good ethical practices among literary magazines. You can acquire a great list of presses and journals from their site: http://www.clmp.org/about/dir.html.
You can get a great listing of contests that are worth applying to on the Poets & Writers website: www.pw.org. And if you are a writer and don't subscribe to their inexpensive but invaluable magazine, I do believe you are a doody head.
By the way, you can apply this info to art and music and film contests. Just because someone is offering you money out there doesn't mean they are legit.
6. I'm a writer. Some of my friends say I should send my work to literary journals—ones like Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Yale Review, etc. But I notice that most of those journals don't pay you a cent! They just give you two free copies and publish your work. So why bother?
Good question. Well, here's the long answer: Many great writers started out in those smaller circulation literary magazines. And many acclaimed authors (and I'm talking LITERARY authors here, not the Danielle Steele kind of commercial bestselling blockbuster author) still send pieces to these magazines because they believe in them and they also respect the audience who reads them. That audience really loves great literature and brilliant, exquisite prose. They read the harder books, the ones you actually have to use your brain to read, not your basic page turner. i.e. We are not talking The DaVinci Code, okay? Nothing wrong with that stuff for entertainment but let's face it folks—it's not great literature.
Case in point—an earlier version of one of my chapters from The Memory Palace (which just made the New York Times bestselling list in paperback for next week :-)) was first published in Kenyon Review. And from there, KR submitted it to be in the Best American Essay series where it was mentioned as a notable essay. That stuff means something to agents and editors at larger houses who are looking for literary writers. And it meant a lot to me. You can't put a price tag on that kind of thing. These journals barely limp along financially. It is a labor of love. I used to work at one as an intern and certainly didn't do it for the money. Okay....I'm done ranting now....
A couple last things:
To people who run international residencies and want me to post deadlines: PLEASE have someone check your grammar and spelling. I spend a lot of time rewriting posts that are too hard to understand. PLEASE tell me WHERE you are located exactly. You'd be surprised how many people ask me to post about a residency with no info on what country it is, even on their website.
And, last but not least.....a reminder: if you are looking for a residency in a specific country, please don't write me and ask. Please check out my residency links on my sidebar because the places I list are amazing and you can search for each individual country.
Thanks....and hey, I'm going to bug you guys for donations soon, just so you know. Although my book is doing really well, I haven't made my advance back yet (a long and mysterious process that even I don't completely understand). I will actually run out of money in November with nothing on the horizon. I do this for free. I do not charge you. People say I am insane because I do not ask for a yearly subscription. I don't want to because I believe in a Gift Economy at heart. So pay it forward—send a donation if you can (see my sidebar for information on how to do that) and if you can't, spread some helpful information to a friend.
Thanks...I love you guys.
Mirabee
p.s. I forgot to mention this one:
I DO NOT POST ABOUT CONTESTS, PUBLISHING OR EXHIBITION OPPORTUNTIES, etc. unless they also offer a residency or there is some fellowship involved. So to all you wonderful places asking me to post about your upcoming artist call for an exhibit or for your writing contest, please go to my facebook MIRASLIST page and post it there, okay? If you write a short announcement it will also be tweeted on twitter.
By the way—I really, really try to post residencies that either don't cost money or that offer a stipend or that are pretty inexpensive. So if you send me an announcement for a residency that costs a lot of money, don't be surprised if I don't post it, okay? Thanks.
Lately I have been getting a lot of mail—actually, I always get a lot of mail—and much of it the last month has been about some of the same things so I thought I would just post a list of some FAQs that keep ending up in my inbox. It is almost September, after all, and Sept. 15th is a big date for application deadlines. October is the big month for Fulbright deadlines.
Before I go into that though, a reminder, if you write me at:
mirabartok@yahoo.com, please make sure you check ALL my FAQs before writing, okay?
Here is the FAQ link for applying for grants and Fellowships: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/07/faqs-grants.html
Here's the link for residencies, art colonies and retreats: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/09/faqs-residencies-artist-colonies.html
For Fulbright Awards: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/04/fubright-grants-inside-scoop.html
Okay, on to those random questions of yours:
1. HELP ME PLEASE! I am desperate! I need a grant right now! Can I apply for a grant that would start next month?
No. For most grants or large fellowships you must apply nine months to a year in advance. However, if you need emergency funding, check my sidebar on the right hand side for some links to emergency funding organizations.
Also--PLEASE DO NOT SOUND DESPERATE in your application. No foundation wants to give money to people who sound like victims. It is better to present yourself as a resourceful person. Tell them how many other places you are applying to and what you are doing to get out of your unfortunate situation.
2. If I write a nice letter to you, asking you to help me find a grant or a special residency, will you help me?
Nope. PLEASE DO THE WORK. I do this for free. I know I am crazy. I get barely any donations. I think I make less than two cents an hour doing this. Actually—not even that much. Basically, I bring you to the water but you have to fish for yourself, okay? There are special circumstances where I do help individuals, like a couple people who have limited internet access because they are living in countries like Iran and China where important sites are censored and blocked from view. Otherwise—do the work yourself.
3. I run a residency (or a grant foundation) and want you to post my deadline announcement. What's the best way to send you info?
NOT in a pdf. NOT in a word doc. Please send a BRIEF announcement in the body of an email to mirabartok@yahoo.com and include deadline date, cost if there is on, stipend or award if there is one, location and something descriptive about the program. Also, which disciplines can apply. And please send me info way in advance. Thanks.
4. I am a poet who is nearly sixty years old (or an artist, composer, etc.) and have been rejected by every place I apply to. Can you help me figure out why?
Sorry—I can't. I just don't have time to critique people's work. I suggest you get involved with some kind of community—writing group, artist critique group, etc. and get feedback that way.
5. What is your opinion about writing contests that charge a fee to submit my piece?
I think some contests are good and some are bad. Here's my opinion, for what it's worth: Look to see what the big prize is. If the entry fee is, say, 10-25 dollars and the biggest prize is only 200 dollars, well, that's pretty bogus to me. That means they are just making money off you. And do they mention who the judge is? ONLY send work to contests if the judge is a reputable LITERARY writer, not some hack and if the contest is run by a literary magazine or a reputable literary online journal. The Council on Literary Magazines and Small Presses (CLMP) helps to set standards for good ethical practices among literary magazines. You can acquire a great list of presses and journals from their site: http://www.clmp.org/about/dir.html.
You can get a great listing of contests that are worth applying to on the Poets & Writers website: www.pw.org. And if you are a writer and don't subscribe to their inexpensive but invaluable magazine, I do believe you are a doody head.
By the way, you can apply this info to art and music and film contests. Just because someone is offering you money out there doesn't mean they are legit.
6. I'm a writer. Some of my friends say I should send my work to literary journals—ones like Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Yale Review, etc. But I notice that most of those journals don't pay you a cent! They just give you two free copies and publish your work. So why bother?
Good question. Well, here's the long answer: Many great writers started out in those smaller circulation literary magazines. And many acclaimed authors (and I'm talking LITERARY authors here, not the Danielle Steele kind of commercial bestselling blockbuster author) still send pieces to these magazines because they believe in them and they also respect the audience who reads them. That audience really loves great literature and brilliant, exquisite prose. They read the harder books, the ones you actually have to use your brain to read, not your basic page turner. i.e. We are not talking The DaVinci Code, okay? Nothing wrong with that stuff for entertainment but let's face it folks—it's not great literature.
Case in point—an earlier version of one of my chapters from The Memory Palace (which just made the New York Times bestselling list in paperback for next week :-)) was first published in Kenyon Review. And from there, KR submitted it to be in the Best American Essay series where it was mentioned as a notable essay. That stuff means something to agents and editors at larger houses who are looking for literary writers. And it meant a lot to me. You can't put a price tag on that kind of thing. These journals barely limp along financially. It is a labor of love. I used to work at one as an intern and certainly didn't do it for the money. Okay....I'm done ranting now....
A couple last things:
To people who run international residencies and want me to post deadlines: PLEASE have someone check your grammar and spelling. I spend a lot of time rewriting posts that are too hard to understand. PLEASE tell me WHERE you are located exactly. You'd be surprised how many people ask me to post about a residency with no info on what country it is, even on their website.
And, last but not least.....a reminder: if you are looking for a residency in a specific country, please don't write me and ask. Please check out my residency links on my sidebar because the places I list are amazing and you can search for each individual country.
Thanks....and hey, I'm going to bug you guys for donations soon, just so you know. Although my book is doing really well, I haven't made my advance back yet (a long and mysterious process that even I don't completely understand). I will actually run out of money in November with nothing on the horizon. I do this for free. I do not charge you. People say I am insane because I do not ask for a yearly subscription. I don't want to because I believe in a Gift Economy at heart. So pay it forward—send a donation if you can (see my sidebar for information on how to do that) and if you can't, spread some helpful information to a friend.
Thanks...I love you guys.
Mirabee
p.s. I forgot to mention this one:
I DO NOT POST ABOUT CONTESTS, PUBLISHING OR EXHIBITION OPPORTUNTIES, etc. unless they also offer a residency or there is some fellowship involved. So to all you wonderful places asking me to post about your upcoming artist call for an exhibit or for your writing contest, please go to my facebook MIRASLIST page and post it there, okay? If you write a short announcement it will also be tweeted on twitter.
By the way—I really, really try to post residencies that either don't cost money or that offer a stipend or that are pretty inexpensive. So if you send me an announcement for a residency that costs a lot of money, don't be surprised if I don't post it, okay? Thanks.
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