"The Dipper" is our monthly newsletter, where we highlight readings, events, calls for submission, and other literary-related news for the coming month. If you have news or events to share, let us know! 

March News

What an evening! We’re still glowing from the warmth and community feeling from the (modest) grand opening of Still North Books & Bar & The Art of Lying with cartoonist Ricardo Siri (aka Liniers) and author Alexander Chee.

It can be a bit nerve-racking putting on an event in a new location (where do the chairs go? when will people arrive? should we do the book signing at the counter or at a table?), but Allie Levy and her crew made it all seem so easy. They mixed up brilliant mocktails and mulled wine drinks, put out a delicious spread of free snacks, and somehow managed to keep the bookstore and kitchen in operation during the whole evening.

Laura Jean Binkley and her trio, Tiny Top Hats, knocked us all out with their gorgeous songs and high energy. They played a full hour and left us wanting more!

And then Ricardo and Alexander read to us and talked with us and drew cartoons for us and made us think and laugh. They were brilliant and funny and we really didn’t want the evening to end. The only thing missing was Peter Orner, who was unable to join us due to a last-minute obligation. We all missed his presence (thank you to Alexander for reading one of Peter’s stories at the start of the evening) and we hope to plan another event with him later this year. Grateful thanks to everyone who made this evening possible!

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Sean Prentiss, author of the 2015 non-fiction book Finding Abbey, has just released his first book of poems: Crosscut, a memoir of his time leading a crew of at-risk teens as they built trails in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. In his beautiful, spare, and arresting poems, we hear the language of the trail: the tools, the bruises, and the long nights. We get to know a group of individuals who eventually grow together to become their own community. Sean was kind of enough to talk with us about his experience on the trail and his writing process. Check out our interview with Sean on our blog. Thank you so much, Sean!

You can hear Sean read from Crosscut at The Galaxy Bookshop on March 10, at the Vermont College of Fine Arts on April 17, as part of PoemCity in Montpelier on April 20, and at the Woodbury Library on April 29. Our calendar has the details.

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Well, friends, we did it! We finished the long (interrupted) sentence that is Ducks, Newburyport. We have many thoughts about this grand experiment of a novel, several of which we noted in comments to our read-along blog post. Did you read it, too? Did you start and give up? Did you speed through the way Shari did, or lope slowly along the way Rebecca did? We’re so curious to know what you thought. And now that we’re beyond the gravitational pull of Ducks, it’s time to start Slow Club Book Club 2020. Our first book of the year is Terese Marie Mailhot’s Heart Berries. Ready, steady, slow…

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Did you know that we do Friday Reads posts from time to time? When the two of us get our act together, we post what we’re reading as the weekend begins. But we also like to invite friends to tell us what they’ve been reading lately. This month, we’re very happy to welcome Sierra Dickey back to give us her review of Isadora, by Amelia Gray. And Katherine Gibbel shares some of her favorite reads from February. Thank you, Sierra and Kate!

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We want to hear from you! Thank you to everyone who has already given us feedback about The Dipper via our super short, anonymous online survey. If you haven’t filled it out yet, it’s not too late. Your opinion truly matters to us. After all, we do all of this for you, our literary community. As always, you can also contact us directly through our comment form.

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March’s Shooting Stars

A cool literary find from each of us to help light up your month!

• Have you been to the Lit Club at the Light Club up at the Light Club Lamp Shop in Burlington, Vermont? It’s an ongoing open mic series every Monday night from 8:00 to 10:00 pm. Featured writers read in between open mic participants. Past writers have included Tim Mayo, Penelope Cray, GennaRose Nethercott, Sam Hughes and Julia Shipley. Plus, you can’t beat the atmosphere!—Shari

• We’re both huge fans of Jeff Sharlet’s work (you may remember he joined us at our March 2017 Mud Season Salon). His new book of photographs and essays, This Brilliant Darkness, is really stunning. I love this David O’Neill interview with Jeff in in the February/March 2020 issue of Bookforum about photography, writing, compassion and, yes, hope.—Rebecca

March Highlights

Michelle Filgate, editor of the essay collection What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About, will be at Bookery Manchester, in Manchester, New Hampshire, on March 3 at 6:00 pm.

Poet G.C. Waldrep will be a visiting writer this month at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont, and will be giving a public reading from 8:00 to 9:00 pm on March 5.

March 5 also kicks off the first in a series of three AMP Nights for 2020. You’ll catch poet Stephen Cramer, artist Ryann Schofield, and musician Dan Greenleaf at River Arts in Morrisville, Vermont, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

On March 8, The Word Barn in Exeter, New Hampshire, presents “In Like a Lion,” a reading with poets Theresa Monteiro, Sally Ball, and Noah Burton. Doors open at 3:30 pm with beer, wine, cider, and other refreshments. The reading begins at 4:00 pm.

Celebrate the launch of Sean Prentiss’ debut poetry collection, Crosscut, at The Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, Vermont, on March 10, at 7:00 pm.

On March 11 at 7:00 pm, Anne Enright reads from her latest novel, Actress, at The Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The Mudroom, AVA Gallery’s quarterly storytelling event in Lebanon, New Hampshire, returns on March 12, at 6:30 pm, with the theme of “The Worst Advice.” Grab your tickets early as these events usually sell out in advance.

Chris Bohjalian fans have multiple chances to hear him read from his new novel, The Red Lotus this month. He’ll be at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, New Hampshire, on March 15, at 2:00 pm; at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, Vermont, on March 16, at 6:30 pm; and at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont, on March 28, at 6:00 pm.

The Eagle Pond Authors Series presents poet Jeff Oaks at the Silver Center for the Arts in Plymouth, New Hampshire, on March 17, at 7:00 pm.

Poets Catherine Barnett and Deborah Landau kick off Poetry Nights at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont, on March 18 at 7:00 pm. Future events are planned in April and May.

On March 27, at 6:30 pm, a trio of terrific writers—Kenzie Allen, Erika T. Wurth, and David Heska Wanbli Weiden—share the evening at Cafe Anna on the campus of the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier, Vermont.

Sierra Crane Murdoch will be in conversation with Bill McKibben about her new book, Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman’s Search for Justice in Indian Country, on March 30, at 7:00 pm, at the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Middlebury, Vermont.

Visit our calendar for detailed information about these events and more!

Worth a Drive

• Jenny Offill will be in conversation with Ocean Vuong about her latest novel, Weather, at the Odyssey Bookshop in Hadley, Massachusetts, on March 5, at 7:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is requested.

• National Book Award winner, James McBride, will be at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, on March 9, at 7:00 pm, for his new novel, Deacon King Kong. Tickets are required and space is limited.

• Jericho Brown reads from his most recent collection, The Tradition at Smith College’s Weinstein Auditorium in Northampton, Massachusetts, on March 10 at 7:30 pm.

• Fatimah Asghar and Franny Choi will read from their work and talk about poetry at Amherst Books in Amherst, Massachusetts, on March 11, at 8:00 pm. This event is free and open to the public.

• Hilary Mantel has at last written The Mirror & The Light, the final book in her Cromwell trilogy that began with the unforgettable Wolf Hall. She’ll be reading at the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 20 at 7:30 pm. This is a ticketed event and sure to sell out, so buy your tickets soon.

Worth a Listen

• Camille Guthrie on Poetry Spoken Here

• Brandon Taylor on Debutiful

• Zadie Smith on Writers and Company

We're Looking Forward to These March Releases

• These Ghosts are Family, by Maisy Card (Simon & Schuster, March 3)

• Thin Places, by Jordan Kisner (FSG, March 3)

• The Exhibition of Persephone Q, by Jessi Jezewska Stevens (FSG, March 3)

• Sharks in the Time of Saviors, by Kawai Strong Washburn (MCD, March 3)

• At the Center of All Beauty, by Fenton Johnson (W.W. Norton, March 10)

• The Mirror & The Light, by Hilary Mantel (Henry Holt & Co, March 10)

• New Waves, by Kevin Nguyen (One World, March 10)

• Later, by Paul Lisicky (Graywolf Press, March 17)

• The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf, March 24)

• Days of Distraction, by Alexandra Chang (Ecco, March 31)

• Ledger, by Jane Hirshfield (Knopf, March 31)

• Hurricane Season, by Fernanda Melchor translated by Sophie Hughes (New Directions, March 31)

Calls For Submission and Upcoming Deadlines

Hearsay Literary ‘Zine
Hearsay is a literary magazine re-started by Vermont Law School students who invite the whole community to offer their submissions. They seek submissions of poetry, prose, paintings, photographs, comics, pictures of sculptures, written music/lyrics… anything that can be reproduced in a publication. Please include your first and last name with your submission. If you want to remain anonymous please indicate that with your submission. or call/text (253) 363-7001 for more information.
Deadline: March 15 |

PoemTown Bradford
The Bradford Public Library in Bradford, Vermont, is hosting its annual town-wide event that displays poetry on local storefronts in celebration of National Poetry Month. They invite poets of all ages to submit their poems for display.
Deadline: March 16 | Details

Vermont Young Writers’ Conference
Applications are open for a space in three 2020 agri-literary conferences for high school writers (May 28 to 31, June 25 to 28, and July 23 to 26). The conferences offer three days of readings, improv, storytelling, poetry slams, intensive writing workships, manuscript critiques, and more. $20 submission fee.
Deadline: March 26 | Details

MacDowell Colony Fall Literature Residency
Applications are open for the 2020 MacDowell Colony Fall Literature Residency (October 1, 2020 to January 21, 2021). Writers of novels, short stories, graphic writing, journalism, essays, biography, creative nonfiction, memoir, poetry, and translation into English are accepted. A residency consists of exclusive use of a studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day for up to eight weeks. Application fee $30.
Deadline: April 15 | Details

Frost Place 2020 Gregory Pardlo Scholarship
Applications are open for the Gregory Pardlo Scholarship for Emerging African American Poets. The scholarship is open to African American poets writing in English who have published up to one book of poetry. The winner will receive a full scholarship to attend the Poetry Seminar (July 2020) at The Frost Place, including room and board, and will give a featured reading at the Seminar.
Deadline: April 24 | Details

Frost Place 2020 Latinx Scholarship
This scholarship is designed to encourage the LatinX voice in poetry and the literary arts, both at The Frost Place and in the broader literary community. The winner will receive a full fellowship to attend the Conference on Poetry at The Frost Place (July 2020), including tuition, room, board, and travel. The ideal applicant would self-identify as LatinX, would have a strong commitment to the Latin@ community, and be a minimum of 21 years of age.
Deadline: April 24 | Details

Tupelo Press Berkshire Prize
The Berkshire Prize for a First or Second Book of Poetry includes a cash award of $3,000 in addition to publication by Tupelo Press, 20 copies of the winning title, a book launch, and national distribution with energetic publicity and promotion. Manuscripts are judged anonymously and all finalists will be considered for publication. $30 reading fee.
Deadline: April 30 | Details

603: Writers’ Conference
Registration is open for this year’s conference (May 2). The day-long event features classes, panels, and inspiration for New Hampshire authors and writers. This year’s theme is “The Paths to Publishing.” The keynote speaker is Brunonia Barry. $165 for New Hampshire Writers’ Project members; $185 for non-members; $150 for teachers; $85 for students with valid ID.
Deadline: May 2 | Details

Juniper Summer Writing Institute
Applications are open for the 2020 Juniper Summer Writing Institute (June 14 to 20). The Juniper Summer Writing Institute is an inclusive literary space that welcomes adult poets and writers at all stages of their careers. Acceptance to the Institute is based upon the strength and promise of the writing sample. $40 non-refundable application fee.
Deadline: May 15 | Details

Center for Cartoon Studies, MFA Degree and Certificate Programs
CCS is accepting applications for the MFA, and one- and two-year certificate programs. Learn all you need to know about making comics and self-publishing in a prolific and dynamic environment and community. $50 application fee.
Deadline: rolling admissions until programs are filled | Details

Crossroads Magazine
The independent, student-run magazine based out of Burlington, Vermont, accepts very short fiction and poetry, 300 words or fewer. Submissions should be in Word or typed directly into an email. No PDFs, please.
Deadline: rolling submissions | Details

Junction Magazine
Junction Magazine invites submissions about arts and culture, food and farm, people, the wild, photo essays, and events for their event calendar.
Deadline: rolling submissions | Details

Upcoming Workshops and Classes

Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop One-Day & Multi-Week Workshops and Classes
February through June
PVWW is out with a bounty of workshops to take you through spring. Workshops include topics such as “Generative & Community Building,” “8-Week Short Fiction Intensive,” “Writing Prose Poems that Sing,” “Hybrid Forms,” and many others.
Location: PVWW, Williamsburg, Massachusetts | Cost: $60+ | Details

Creative Writing Workshop with Stacey Goren
Mondays, March 2 to March 23, 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Stacey Goren, a second year Goddard MFA-W student, will share learning about craft elements such as: set up, characterization, dialogue, and scene writing. Discussion, examples, prompts, and varying short periods of silence will be offered. The goal is to foster a supportive environment for experimentation with these different aspects of craft.
Location: Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, Vermont | Cost: Free | Details

Just Move the Pen Workshop with Joni B. Cole
March 3, 6:30 to 8:00 pm
This everyone-is-welcome writing workshop is all about unleashing your creativity and tapping into your stories (real or imagined) without judgment or second guessing. You will be invited to write from a prompt and share aloud what you wrote for appreciation. Absolutely no writing experience is required, but if you are an aspiring author this workshop offers plenty of narrative techniques and tips to help you write more, write better, and be happier every draft of the way. Please bring a ready pen (or laptop) and an open mind.
Location: Howe Library, Hanover, New Hampshire | Cost: free | Details

Book Length Fiction Workshop with Dick Matheson
March 4, 6:30 to 8:30 pm (ongoing)
Have you been hungering for helpful feedback about a novella (20K words and up) or novel (of any genre) that you have begun writing, have completed, or are on the nth revision of? Welcome to our Book Length Fiction Workshop! Because we're looking at longer works, we may form a somewhat close-knit group of ongoing participants while always welcoming new writers joining us.
Location: Burlington Writers Workshop, Burlington, Vermont | Cost: free | Details

Poetry Workshop with Elisabeth Blair
March 5, 6:30 to 8:30 pm (ongoing)
This ongoing workshop begins with group workshopping three poems, continues with a themed discussion (this meeting’s theme is one-sentence poems), and ends by sharing poems inspired by the previous workshop.
Location: Burlington Writers Workshop, Burlington, Vermont | Cost: free | Details

Poetry Workshop with Deborah Brown
March 8, 2:00 to 3:00 pm
Join former UNH English professor Deborah Brown for a monthly poetry workshop. Bring a poem you like. For the novice to the published, 9 to 99 years.
Location: MainStreet BookEnds, Warner, New Hampshire | Cost: free | Details

Spring Poetry Studio with Kate Gibbel
March 10 to April 7
In this workshop series for poets of all experiences we’ll experiment with new poetic forms and techniques. Over the course of five weeks we will strengthen our work and take risks in our writing. Through a combination of in-class writing exercises, workshops, and discussion of outside poems, we will develop reading and writing practices that will make us more attentive, generative, and generous poets.
Location: Artistree, South Pomfret, Vermont | Cost: $100 | Details

Creative Nonfiction Workshop with Linda Ayer
March 11, 6:00 to 8:00 pm (ongoing)
Join us for a discussion of creative nonfiction submitted by BWW members. We’ll focus on specific elements of the craft and give honest responses to the work. In this workshop, you may submit essays, lyric essays, poetry, or journalism. All skill levels are welcome. Respect for each other is a must.
Location: Burlington Writers Workshop, Burlington, Vermont | Cost: free | Details

Prompt and Pinot with Joni B. Cole
March 13, 6:30 to 8:00 pm
We’ll use the time-tested device of a writing prompt to help you tap into your story ideas, play around on the page, and share your unique voice. You’ll also pick up some writing tips along the way. Open to anyone who wants to imbibe in the creative process. 
Location: Still North Books & Bar, Hanover, New Hampshire | Cost: free but donations welcome | Details

Poetry as a Bridge to Japan Workshop Series
March 14 through December 5
Please join us as we seek to build community with our sister city of Nichinan, Japan, all year long. There will be ways for everyone, non-poets and poets of all levels and ages, to be involved in this project. The Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program will offer three “Come Create!” workshops at the Portsmouth Public Library, where several instructors will guide us in experimenting with several traditional Japanese poetry forms and one visual art form. Attend one or all. At the end of the year we will celebrate with a broadside contest and art show/reception.
Location: Portsmouth Public Library, Portsmouth, New Hampshire | Cost: free | Details

Having Fun with Edits Workshop with Ana E. Ross
March 14, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Perhaps you’ve written the best story ever, and now you’re ready for the next step: Editing! It’s the most critical undertaking on the path to publication. In this workshop, you’ll learn the basics of editing your own work. Prior to the workshop, submit a maximum of five pages of your manuscript to Ana. Come, with pen and pencil in hand, and ready to have fun editing your own manuscript.
Location: The Ford House, SNHU, Manchester, New Hampshire | Cost: $65 to$85 | Details

Scrivener: Using Research Effectively Webinar with Alison Murphy
March 18, 7:00 to 8:00 pm
In this webinar, we’ll learn how to keep track of all of your research materials using Scrivener’s research section. We’ll learn how to import, categorize, and organize your research so that you can find them when you need them. We’ll also talk about how tools like bookmarks, keywords, and metadata can help you connect that research to the parts of your manuscript where you most need them. This class is appropriate for writers of all genres.
Location: Online webinar | Cost: $20 to $30 | Details

Walking with Mary Oliver Community Conversation and Workshop
March 19 and 21, 6:30 to 7:30 pm
Through reflective conversation, book-making, and writing inspired by Oliver’s art, participants will explore timeless questions about our relationship to nature and our responsibility for the environment.
Location: Rindge Meeting House, Rindge, New Hampshire | Cost: free | Details

Diversity in Writing Workshop with Loretta L. C. Brady
March 21, 1:30 to 4:30 pm
The New Hampshire Writers’ Project and Loretta L.C. Brady, PhD, a clinical psychologist, writer, and Professor of psychology at Saint Anselm College, present a workshop on diversity in writing.
Location: The Ford House, SNHU, Manchester, New Hampshire | Cost: $65 to $85 | Details

Montpelier Meeting of the Burlington Writers Workshop
March 26, 6:15 to 8:15 pm (ongoing)
Writers of all genres and skill levels are welcome to join us for this regular Montpelier meeting of BWW. We'll discuss the writing of two authors who have arranged to submit work in advance. All skill levels are welcome. Respect for each other is a must
Location: Montpelier Senior Activity Center, Montpelier, Vermont | Cost: free | Details

PoemCity Montpelier Workshops
April 4 to 22
This annual celebration of poetry in Montpelier, Vermont, is offering several poetry workshops by noted poets, including Richard Blanco, Sydney Lea, Geof Hewitte, Toussaint St. Negritude, Gahlord Dewald, Rebecca Jamieson, Losi Eby, Gody Gladding, and Martha Zweig.
Location: various locations in Montpelier, Vermont | Details

WriterSpace Weekend Workshop
April 3 to 5
Bring a work in progress or start your new major work! WriterSpace Workshop will provide writing prompts, skill challenges, and a room full of supportive colleagues for friendly feedback. Join Sparrow F. Alden for Friday evening creativity challenges, Saturday swathes of prompted writing, and Sunday revision and refinement.
Location: River Valley Community College, Lebanon, New Hampshire | Cost: $300 | Details

Storytelling for Community-Based Projects with the Vermont Folklife Center and Trish Denton
April 4, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Storytelling for Community-Based Projects combines discussion of the theories and methods that inform community-wide research with practical, hands-on training in interviewing and storytelling techniques, while also encouraging attendees to consider the challenges, possibilities and ethics of representation. A showcase of projects by both youth and adults will provide a foundation on which to build these ideas.
Location: Generator, Burlington, Vermont. | Cost: $95 ($55 students) | Details

Writing Memoir: The Art and Craft of Remembering via Creative Nonfiction with Elayne Clift
April 18, 10:30 am to 1:00 pm
In this writing workshop we will draw upon sensory memory to coax the writer in all of us out of hiding, recognizing that memory can be a writer’s best friend. Through prompts, readings, and constructive feedback in a safe environment, participants will sharpen their creative expression and explore the forces that have shaped each of us. Pre-registration required. Space is limited.
Location: The Writer’s Center, White River Junction, Vermont | Cost: $35 | Details

Storytelling for Social Change with the Vermont Folklife Center, Kathleen Haughey, and Trish Denton
May 16, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
This workshop is intended for anyone interested in developing collaborative documentary or storytelling skills, including students, community members, and staff members of organizations doing cultural, community and social-service work. In addition to developing attendees’ collaborative research abilities, the workshop seeks to expand participants’ listening skills—and by extension, interviewing skills—while also encouraging attendees to consider the challenges, possibilities, and ethics of representation. The workshop will conclude with a discussion of participants’ project ideas.
Location: Vermont History Museum, Montpelier, Vermont | Cost: $95 ($55 for students) | Details

Center for Cartoon Studies 2020 Summer Workshops
June 15 through August 14
Once again, the CCS is offering a full slate of workshops for cartoonists and writers this summer, including “Graphic Memoirs” with Melanie Gillman; “Creating Graphic Novels for the Young Adult Market,” with Jo Knowles and Glynnis Fawkes; “Graphic Novel Workshop,” with Paul Karasik; and “Playing Comics,” with this year’s Vermont Book Award winner, Jason Lutes.
Location: CCS, White River Junction, Vermont | $600+ | Details