Day Three at @Ragdale

Hello, hello from Lake Forest, Ill! As mentioned I am at my first residency for 2013 at Ragdale and so far so good.

It's an adjustment. And I mean that in terms of comparison. Speaking with several other residents who have done other residencies and will be going on to others in the next few weeks/months like myself we have been doing a bit of compare and contrast. But thus far the reviews on Ragdale are quite positive.

Let me give you a quick breakdown though:

The History

Ragdale's history stems back to the 1800s. This is sacred land, y'all. It was the vacation home to big time architect Howard Van Doren Shaw and his family. It served not only as a place to live but as a place to work, his wife Frances being a poet, writer, and traveler and his daughters being artists as well who inherited the land. It would be Alice Judgson Ryerson Hayes, granddaughter to Howard Shaw, who would create the Ragdale Foundation and be it's director for many years before making the City of Lake Forest and the Open Lands Association guardians of the conservation and property.

The Layout

Ragdale is smack dab in Lake Forest about a mile or two away from the town of Lake Forest and a 20 minute drive from Chicago, specifically O'Hare International Airport and even farther from downtown Chicago.

Lake Forest is a nice and small town and those who own homes also own land. Ragdale has many acres to itself as well as a path that runs into a prairie. The visual artist studios are outside away from the main Ragdale House which holds several residents and the Ragdale Barn which also holds about six residents along with the Ragdale office and main area where we dine for dinner Monday through Friday.

There is a Friend's Studio which houses two residents, one of which is usually a composer and is a live-in studio space. Between all this is lots of ground to cover which at the moment is a bit tattered looking with the oncoming spring. The prairie is muddy due to patches of still melting snow but you can navigate around the prairie path and see the Skokie River which runs through the prairie and many landmarks/benches dedicated to those who have been dear friends and dedicated conservationists.

The writers' space is within their rooms rather than being a separate studio. Meaning we have a nice desk and swivel chair as well as a reading chair. I am in the Yellow Room in the Ragdale Barn, which is that because it is yellow. There is also the very spacious Play Room which has a doorway that leads to a cupola upstairs. Jealous? Indeed I am.

There are other rooms such as the Beach, Hayloft (which used to be an actual hayloft since this building used to be a barn), and the Sewing Room which I assume was an actual sewing room. So for the most part the Barn seems conducive to writers while the Chandelier studio is more so for a visual artist. The same layout may be said for the Ragdale House though I have yet to explore it.

The Artists

During my time here I'm surrounded by many writers and a couple of visual artists. I've spoken with poets, nonfiction writers, and fiction writers alike about our work and our progress. Since the sessions break up some people will be leaving while I'm here and I'll be leaving before others arrive. But so far the vibes are very good and the fact that we have dinner together during the week is aiding in bonding and necessary breaktime from writing. I've spoken to many artists from the Chicago area and a few who have come to Ragdale not once or twice but as many as twenty times. Yes, Ragdale has no limit on how many times you may stay upon acceptance. This may be because it's a paid residency and relies on residents payment and donations and the city funds to stay afloat.

Productivity

How productive have I been since I arrived? Well, the first day is always a wash. With traveling, which wasn't even that intense since I had one direct flight at 10 in the morning and the time shift is just an hour behind. But the simple act of going to an airport and coming from can be so intense that one does not want to deal with anything else. So day one was about settling in, walking around, absorbing how cold it is here, and meeting others. We had orientation, a delicious fish dinner from the great and sweet chef Linda and wine and talked with director Regin Igloria.

One of my priorities was also gaining access to the wifi which I did in minutes. Victory!

Day two I edited my entire YA manuscript, all 79k words of it and cut, cut, cut. I spent most of the morning, afternoon, and some of the evening doing so taking breaks to talk to other residents and eat and take a few pictures. But my mind was on the entirety of finishing the young adult book so I could send a refined part 1 to my critique partners and I can dedicate the rest of my time here to my story collection and an essay I want to initiate.

Day three was me needing vitamin D, namely sun. After spending the whole day prior writing and editing and looking at my laptop screen I needed to get out. At breakfast I spent over an hour talking to residents, one of whom was a new arrival. And then went out to walk for almost 2 hours in the prairie. At some point I saw prints in the mud and had a mini freakout over whether these were deer prints (since we've been told repeatedly that deer are all around us) or if it was something more dangerous. I was told that big dogs tend to also roam these parts, but I dunno. I saw the Skokie River, took many pictures, and in the midst of many benches tucked away along the prairie found one that made me so comfortable I quieted my mind and just listened and watched and absorbed nature, and sun. It was necessary. After hiking a bit more I took an alternate path  along the route and then panicked again that I may have been going the wrong way. But I had had many assurances since I arrived that you cannot get lost on the path, it will always lead you back and upon seeing the familiar Meadow studio for one of the visual artist's I was relieved that I was home free.

After that I read for three hours. In concluding my Cheryl Strayed trifecta I am almost done with Tiny Beautiful Things, which will definitely be on my 2013 fave reads list.

So that leads me to a new day where I hope to get a good bunch done but won't beat myself up if I do not. Speaking with many of the residents here many are taking this time seriously as work time. As well we should. But as I learned from Jentel you have to do what you need for yourself. And if that means sleeping for 12 hours to refresh your mind or taking a day with nature and not even looking at a computer screen or notebook. If that means reading all day or just hanging with friends then you have earned that right to do it here. Your work is important but if you aren't intact your work will falter.

Let's hope I can also keep this in mind.

Residency Time! First Stop, Ragdale (Residency 1 of 2)

I was lucky enough to get into two of the three residencies I applied for last fall. One of which was Ragdale in Lake Forest, IL. I'll be there for two weeks in April. After that I'm back for a bit and then off--back to Wyoming!--for Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts in May. The last time, and first time, I went on an artists residency was at Jentel Arts in Banner, WY two years ago. And as you know from my weekly posts then I had an amazing time. I came back a bit wrecked but made so much progress on my collection and gotten to know myself on a more professional and personal level, all the while meeting and befriending some great artists whom I still talk to today.

I dunno what to expect at Ragdale or Brush Creek. Obviously it won't be the same as Jentel and it'll be a shorter amount of time at each, but combined will equal my 28 day stay at Jentel. I have lofty goals of course. To completely revise and/or write portions of my collection that I hadn't buckled down to do in the past several months. And also start revising some flash fiction and start submitting again. But, we'll see.

I have to say that these residencies couldn't come at a better time. Those who follow me on Twitter and are friends on Facebook know that the new neighbors living above me have been a strain for the past few months (luckily they'll be moving soon after I return from WY) and that in general I feel like I haven't been able to focus on my creative aspects seeking freelance work to help pay the bills as costs continually rise while other things don't.

So for 2 weeks here and 2 weeks there I will be all about the creativity and attempting to stay away from social media. I will sleep late and read and walk around new locales and not worry about rush hour, or loud and inconsiderate neighbors, or my bank account or project deadlines. I will focus on me and my work and hopefully return from both instances refreshed and having grown that much more as a person and as a writer.

I will report back on my experiences of course because sharing means caring.

The Village Voice Sixth Annual Tasting Event: @ChoiceEats!

Tuesday, March 19th was a day of consumption. Choice Eats was upon us once again and I was prepared, or so I thought. I didn't eat carbs all day in preparation for the amount of goods that'd be available. Last year was a flavor explosion in every sense from savory to sweet to alcoholic and this year was no different. A portion of the proceeds earned from Choice Eats goes to the non-profit company Slow Food NYC which aims to "counteract the culture of fast food" by promoting local traditions in terms of food prep and eating.

Choice Eats is the opportunity for vendors in NYC to showcase some of their signature dishes to hundreds of people. Held at the 69th Regiment Armory it doesn't quite seem large enough to contain all the food lovers ready to mangia, but it does.

Last year at Choice Eats I didn't know where to start and felt I needed to eat everything on site. This wasn't too different, but my friends and I (the same gals who I attended it with last year) just sauntered and stopped where the lines were pretty short and the dishes displayed on the banners behind an establishment's stands intrigued us. (This year we had foldable trays which were increasingly handy to balance a few items rather than doing one at a time.) The gals and I were only through the first of three rows when our stomachs started to protrude and push against our belts. But we pushed on.

General admission for Choice Eats is $50 and you can get VIP status for about $30 more. VIP status grants you early access, some nice goodies and a cool totes, and a lounge. It may be worth the costs for some but you'll definitely eat your fill at the general admission price and then some.

What I love about Choice Eats is the variety and finding new cool finds I didn't know about in NYC. There's Asian, Asian fusion, Yemeni dishes, dim sum, seafood, vegetarian, vegan dishes, desserts, and wine, vodka, and beer. Beer, beer, and more beer. I have to say that there seemed to be more varieties of alcohol available this year than there had been in 2012. I got to sample vodka with cucumber essence (very refreshing) and a nice rose wine from Heritage Link Brands, a wine importer from Africa.

Some of my fave dishes that I sampled were the portobello mushroom ravioli with parmesan from Max Tribeca. It was creamy and light and had a hint of truffle oil. The double broccoli/cheese taco from No. 7 included feta and a nice mash of broccoli and cheese in a hard and soft tortilla, definitely hit the umami spot. There was also the perfectly tender brisket with a side of collard greens from Mable's Smokehouse that was a great treat getting towards the end of the first row. We passed ceviche and bouef borginon and a whole roasted pig from Kuma Inn and Jimmy's No. 43 had a smokey pork dish also. Spicy Bampa had not too spicy cold sesame noodles. There was a lamb and goat cheese puff pastry that mixed the sweet and savory in decadent form from Kaia Wine Bar. After savoring as much as we thought we could take we passed by the dessert aisle to find Yemen Café! I had visited their storefront with Ramen & Friends a few years ago and have been hooked by Yemeni food (and especially Yemeni tea) ever since. Their basmati rice and lamb were flavorful and the lamb fell of the bone!

Highlighted desserts were from one of my favorite Asian bakeries Fay Da Bakery that had egg custard and strawberry shortcake as well as bubble tea. If you've had cake from a Chinese bakery you know how light the sponge cake is that you feel you can eat pounds of it rather than slices. This was the perfect strawberry shortcake for me, not dense, just fluffy. Also available were Carlo's Bakery that had a great red velvet cake with super creamy cream cheese icing. I adored Butter & Scotch's (aka the Drunk Bakers) drunken caramel cupcake and wish I'd gotten multiples instead of just one. Also there representing the sweet were Robicelli's with a super rich brownie and The Good Batch's s'mores cookie that people were waiting in line for towards the end of the event. And SCRATCHBread had mainly different breads and sauces but also had some rich, thick, buttery shortbread cookies.

There were so many more vendors to name. Unfortunately many started to pack up close to 8:30 (even though the event goes to 9:30) due to being sold out. Sad. Whole Foods was around as a sponsor providing bags of snacks and the opportunity to win a giftcard if you followed them on Twitter on the spot. SmartWater was in abundance as well at various tables throughout the armory in case you needed to stay hydrated. I have to say that they thought of everything, booze, coat check, food and sweets galore. What more could you ask for? Nothing much really.

I'll definitely be going to Choice Eats again next year. It'll become an annual thing for me and perhaps I'll better prepare my stomach to get through more than one row of good eats but notes were taken mentally of who I'll be visiting soon and where I'll be bringing friends.

But let me leave you with a few tips if you go next year (which you should!):

1) Try to get in line at least 30 minutes before if not an hour before. The line extends far down and while everyone will get in at some point being closer to the front gets you in faster and on line for eating sooner.

2) Use the coat check! I don't know if people didn't realize there was a coat check or thought they had to pay. It's in the basement and is free! Many people were sweating and having to wear thick coats/jackets. With all the food and burners going and the increasing amount of bodies roaming around you get hot, fast. Utilize the coat check and do tip those working it.

3) This is not the best event for vegans and vegetarians. Are their items for vegans and vegetarians? Absolutely but not in abundance. There's a lot of meat dishes around and often I had to turn away because many contained pork. If you're a vegetarian there'll be eats but not necessarily a lot. So be forewarned.

4) Get water first to carry around. Yes, the bottle may be big but it'll be worth it because those go fast. There was a lot more this year than last so perhaps the organizers got hip to the fact that water was a huge commodity, but it doesn't hurt to stock up as you're going through the aisles.

5) Take breaks. Go drink something, have water, go hang downstairs by the coat check where it's cooler but don't keep stuffing yourself. Listen to your body, but enjoy the event and if you can pocket a couple desserts for home if they'll carry.

Research Doesn't End When You Leave School....

Recently I've been getting asked advice by friends about writing and grad school and getting published and such, inquiring for others as well as themselves. So I figured I'd add to the bevy of information posted online about getting published, finding an agent or graduate school or critique partner and so on. This isn't on how to write or keep writing but this is on that other aspect that some fail to grasp which is the effort outside of writing but in how to have your work seen. And the sole answer to that is: Research.

At AWP in Boston this month I was at an agent panel, one of several that was packed by emerging writers seeking advice and guidance. The Q&A got a bit repetitive depending on which panel(s) you went to but the same message could not be relayed enough it seems, which is: do your research.

One writer actually told the panel that it seemed too arduous to research agents. One of the agents on the panel was actually quite nice, but also very serious when he said, "If you're expecting me to spend what could be up to 20 hours to read and consider your manuscript, the least you can do is make sure it's worth my time which means taking the time to do research on what I'm looking for."

Well said.

It's amazing how many times I've heard, seen, and also experienced rejected based on the fact that one did not do their research.

I know, it seems like after writing and editing, critiquing and reviewing that your job should be done. You would like to think that any agent who is a fan of books would like ALL writing. But, as any reader knows it's all subjective, it's just hard to consider this when it comes to our own work. When others say they enjoy your work it's hard to take when you expose it to others and hope they'll enjoy it too. But there are ways to save yourself from this. One of them is to, yup, as repetitive as it sounds: do your research.

Researching literary agents is a MUST. There are so many agents these days and the list is growing. With publishers downsizing editors may transition to agent roles. Each agent has specific requirements when it comes to their growing list and if you write literary fiction and Agent A wants commercial it is a waste of both yours and the agent's time to send them your coming-of-age novel.

What can be harder is if you write literary fiction and an agent takes that, but how do you know yours is right for him/her? Publishers Marketplace, the agency website, Writers Digest even does spotlights on agents, and there are regularly listings of books sold (editor, author, and agent attached), as well as the acknowledgment pages of books you enjoy. If your book is on international characters and you see that an agent seems to like historical book based in North America only perhaps he/she may not be right. If the agent likes nonfiction and you're writing a memoir make sure the agent includes memoir in their growing list. Some agents have blogs, many are on Twitter. An agent I follow, Pam van Hylckama of Foreword Literary may do #tenqueries. In #tenqueries Pam notes why she will or won't accept a query and many times it's because she's been queried for projects she does not represent and of course bad query letters but that's a whole other blog post. This is super helpful for aspiring writers to know what agents they may want to query are looking for and who they represent.

In regards to literary magazines I cannot praise Duotrope enough as a resource. I've been using it for years and it's now a paid service ($50/year) but if you're actively searching for lit mags and trying to send out pieces, track them, and get a sense of what genres lit mags take as well as their submission periods Duotrope is invaluable. From there you can check out archived issues if a magazine may have it online to see if their work is a fit and potentially submit or keep them in mind for something in the future.

The same research you'd put into residencies, graduate school, undergrad, conferences, and so forth. You research costs, what people may have thought about them, what you can get out of the program and who is teaching. All of these things are important to ensure you get the most out of any experience and most importantly do not waste your time or others. Somethings are a shot in the dark and it may or may not work out in your favor. But at least if you did a bit of preparation beforehand you can avoid many blows.

@WriteOnCon's Mid-Winter PitchFest 2013

The time is nearing for WriteOnCon's mid-winter PitchFest for 2013! This is a great opportunity for emerging writers to pitch their completed YA/MG manuscripts with agents on the hunt!

A couple of weeks ago the forums opened so that writers could post their pitches on the YA or MG writers' forum to get feedback from other writers on their pitches. I put mine up for my YA sci-fi piece and got incredibly helpful feedback. The people on the board are helpful and generous and have some great pitches themselves. I learned a lot about the process of getting to-the-point in my pitch and am confident the synopsis for my book is much stronger thanks to the input from others.

So sign up for alerts from WriteOnCon to find out more about the upcoming PitchFest and other PitchFest/Conferences they have throughout the year. As I may have mentioned in my post thanking my YA critique partners I met these wonderful ladies through WriteOnCon and have been all the richer for it. So, just sign up. There's nothing to lose only stuff to gain.

Happy writing!