Central Library

Last Sunday we went to the newly renovated Central Library in St. Louis. Word to the wise, only the first floor is open on Sundays, so we didn't get to see much. Will go back soon (not on a Sunday!)

Write soon,
Mary

Sips Card

Sips Card offers a unique submission opportunity for anyone who writes short stories or poetry. According to its website, Sips Card distributes stories and poetry to independent coffee shops on a business card linked to media. The media is free and accessible with a barcode reader on any smart-type device.

Submissions are open until Friday, March 8. Submission fees are $5 for one story, and $3 for two poems. Authors and poets whose stories are accepted will receive $50 and $30 respectively. Submit work to sipscard@gmail.com or go to sipscard.com/submit/ for more details. When you go to the website, you can read a sample by clicking on the tab marked Stories & Poems.  

I’m sending them a list of independent coffee shops around St. Louis so we can find them here!

Write soon,

Mary

Librarians rock!

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has been working for the past two years with researchers, librarians, foundations and other public cultural institutions to offer the world’s largest and most comprehensive online digital library. Readers would be able to access the digital library from anywhere for no charge. Not since the invention of the printing press, which revolutionized the distribution and sharing of books to the masses, has a project been so exciting to readers (well, me, anyway, and as a reader, you should be excited, too!).

The project began with university librarians responding to Google’s efforts to digitize every book in public domain, and offering them to readers along with advertisements. (Gee, where have we seen business model before?) When the company expanded its plan to include books under current copyright, the Authors Guild responded by filing a class-action lawsuit.

The DPLA will offer the books free of advertising. To show your support, go to the link to add your name. 

http://dp.la/get-involved/pledge/

Write soon,

Mary

Do you have any New Year's Resolutions for writing?

Are you overwhelmed with all the reading and writing you want to do? This year I have a few specific projects I want to work on, and lots of books to read, but with so much information out there, it’s not easy. Checking emails alone can take a half hour or more to read and respond to because I follow links to Facebook or other websites that take me away from my initial goal. By the time I’m finished reading those, I either forgot what I wanted to do, or ran out of time to do it! 

I don’t think I’m alone, because several of my writer friends have mentioned that they are cutting back on some activities to focus more on others. So tell me, how do you stay focused on your goals?

Write soon,

Mary