“Tales from the Nonprofit Crypt”

Ghouls, goblins, and ghostwriters —   The squirrels are getting into everyone's porch pumpkins, which means halloween is just around the bend. Sure, it was 83 f*&3!#g degrees today, but I'm still determined to get into the “spirit” of things, so to speak.    On that note, here's a spine chilling tale:   It was a dark and stormy night when two newly minted co-directors opened up applications for a new fellowship program. A couple hundred applications poured in, then 300. Then 400. Then 500. In the final hours, that number doubled. When daylight broke, our protagonists realized that they had 1000 applications to review, and just a few weeks to get through them all. The horror!   A few board members jumped in to help, and between them, 1000 applications were whittled back down to a few hundred, then a few dozen. And then there were 17. A generous patron of the arts made the final call, selected just six emerging writers for the cohort.    The co-directors sent out the acceptance letters, then nibbled at their fingernails and tore out their hair, waiting for anyone to respond. But lo, the emails had gone to spam. There was no choice: they'd have to call the winners… on the phone. Cue the crash of thunder, bolts of lightning! Finally, the co-director who was less anxious about making phone calls (Taylor) made contact with the winners and shared the good news.    All's well that ends well! Keep an eye on your inboxes for this Friday's email announcing the winners' names. In the meantime, soothe your anxious nerves at one of these upcoming community events. Happy halloween!   ON THE STOOP Wednesday, 10/23, 3:30-5:30pm: Creative Coworking, on Zoom. Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life. This is a virtual and free event, donations welcome.   Thursday, 10/24, 4:00-5:00pm: Thursdays on the Stoop: Building the Haunted House. Join Zinnia Smith for a one hour workshop on writing haunted spaces — the physical environment, the emotional vibe, and the impact on readers. This is a virtual and free event, donations welcome. FEATURED CLASSES Writing Lush Settings Saturday, 11/9, 1:00–4:00 pm ET | Single session | In-Person   Have you ever read about a place you've never been, but whose sights, smells, and textures have stayed with you well after you finished reading the book? By crafting scenes that envelop the senses, writers can transport the reader to places they've never visited, worlds they yearn to explore, and settings that feel lush and layered. In this 3-hour class, students will dive into work by authors who create vivid settings, then channel all of their senses into writing vivid backdrops and worlds of their own. At the end of the session, participants will walk away with freshly drafted work and the prompts and guidance needed to generate more layered, compelling settings in the future.   Instructor: Nicole Young is a writer and artist whose non-fiction work has been featured in Elle, YES!, Vox, Scalawag, and Bitch magazines. She’s a part of the editorial team of Jacaranda Books, working to bring a non-fiction book series on Black American culture to life. She attended the 2024 Tin House Summer Workshop and was selected as an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writers Fellow in 2023. Nicole previously served as a writer at The African American Policy Forum, co-host of the Kidlit These Days and Worth Noting podcasts, and contributing editor for Book Riot Media. In addition to her freelance writing, Nicole is dreaming up fantastical worlds for middle grade and young adult readers in her fiction novels and short stories.   (In)Formed: Making and Breaking Poetic Traditions Starts 11/12 | Tuesdays, 6:00–8:00 pm ET | Zoom   It's hard to break the mold without first understanding its shape. In this 3-week workshop, students will learn about both classic and contemporary forms of poetry, from the sonnet to the duplex. Open to poets of all experience levels, this class will explore the limits and opportunities of poetic forms through early and modern examples, generative writing exercises, and peer sharing.   Instructor: Alison Lubar teaches high school English by day and yoga by night. They are a queer, nonbinary, mixed-race femme whose life work has evolved into bringing mindfulness practices to young people. Their poetry collection, The Other Tree, was the recipient of Harbor Editions’ 2024 Laureate Prize. They’re the author of four chapbooks: Philosophers Know Nothing About Love (Thirty West, 2022), queer feast (Bottlecap Press, 2022), sweet euphemism (CLASH!, 2023), and It Skips a Generation (Stanchion, 2023), as well as one full-length, METAMOURPHOSIS (fifth wheel press, 2024). Find out more at alisonlubar.com or on Twitter @theoriginalison.   VIEW COURSE CATALOG YOU BELONG HERE All of our fall classes are eligible for financial aid. If you're based in the greater Philadelphia area and low-income, you could pay less than half of the listed tuition prices. Applying for aid is quick and easy, with instant results. It's also first-come, first-serve, so don't procrastinate! FINANCIAL AID Don't qualify for aid? Here's a 10% off code: FALL24    Need more time to pay for your class? Reach out to info@bluestoop.org to request a payment plan.  In solidarity,   Julian Shendelman Co-Director   P.S. Looking for more local literary connections? Check out our community calendar and resource pages.   SUPPORT BLUE STOOP CLASSIFIEDS Got an event, organization, business, or book to promote?  Blue Stoop offers affordable ad space here and on our website.  BEYOND THE STOOP   Here's a quick excerpt from our community calendar. If you've got an upcoming literary event, add it to the page. It's free! ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Poets & Writers Series: Wendy Xu, Poet   Start time 10/24/2024 5:00pm   Location Mazur Hall, Room 821 1114 W. Polett Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19122  (closest intersection is 11th and Berks).   Description Free reading with poet Wendy Xu on Temple University's campus. Books will be available for purchase.   Link https://liberalarts.temple.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/english/graduate/creative-writing/poets-writers-series   Contact info tara.lemma.diffley@temple.edu   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title The Long Run by Stacey D'Erasmo: A Conversation About Sustaining Oneself Creatively in the Long Run   Start time 10/24/2024 6:00pm   Location Making Worlds Bookstore & Social Center   Description How do we keep doing this—making art? Stacey D’Erasmo had been writing for twenty years and had published three novels when she asked herself this question. She was past the rush of her first books and wondering what to expect—how to stay alive in her vocation—in the decades ahead.   THE LONG RUN by Stacey D'Erasmo: A conversation about sustaining oneself creatively in the long run across mediums with local Philly-based-artists Dito van Reigersberg, Julian Shendelman, and Alex Smith.   Advance registration greatly appreciated. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.   ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stacey D’Erasmo is the author of the novels Tea, A Seahorse Year, The Sky Below, Wonderland, and The Complicities, and the nonfiction book The Art of Intimacy. She is a professor of writing and publishing practices at Fordham University.   Link https://www.makingworldsbooks.org/events/the-long-run-by-stacey-derasmo-a-conversation-about-sustaining-oneself-creatively-in-the-long-run   Contact info info@makingworldsbooks.org   Cost $0-25 sliding scale   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title SOUND TYPE Seminar: ASA-CHANG & Junray with Eugene Lew and Joshua Minsoo Kim   Start time 10/25/2024 4:00pm    Location Asian Arts Initiative: 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107   Description Join us for a special seminar and a conversation between ASA-CHANG & Junray with Eugene Lew and Joshua Minsoo Kim to explore deeper into the sound practice of this esteemed Japanese band on their first US tour!    ASA-CHANG & Junray explores the transference of human to machine sounds using a processing device, Junray Tronics, weaving through rhythmic and tonal references of Jakarta, India and Japan. Led by self-taught tabla-bongo player, Asa-Chang (percussion), the band will perform as a trio including Yoshihiro Goseki (saxophone, flute), Sena Oshima (violin), and the “Junray Tronics” soundsystem.   Joshua Minsoo Kim is a high school science teacher, culture writer, and film programmer based in Chicago. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Tone Glow, and his writing on music and film can also be found at Pitchfork, The Wire, and The Chicago Reader. He is currently writing a book about music, sound, and silence in avant-garde films for Repeater Books.   Link https://asianartsinitiative.org/programs/sound-type-seminar-asa-chang-and-junray-and-anne-ishii   Contact info Asian Arts Initiative: 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-557-0455 https://asianartsinitiative.org /Instagram / Facebook    Press Contacts: Jino Lee, Brand & Publicity Directorjino@asianartsinitiative.org    Cost $20   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title In Conversation Series: Malik Abduh   Start time 10/28/2024 11:20am    Location Rutgers-Camden Writers House, 305 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102   Description The Rutgers-Camden Writers House welcomes writer Malik Abduh for a reading and Q&A, with support from an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy (IDEA) Innovation Grant, and in conversation with the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice.   Malik Abduh is a poet, essayist, & short story writer with an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers University-Camden. His work has been featured in various journals & publications, including Southern Indiana Review, Four Way Review, Exit 7, Platform Review, Some Call it Ballin’ Magazine, & Aquarius Press. His debut collection, All the Stars Aflame, was published by Get Fresh Books (2022). He is an assistant professor of English at Rowan College at Burlington County.     Lunch will be provided. Enter at the rear door of the Writers House.   Registration encouraged: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=IystuTVNcEST_2mspmMv_uwwIk2tj8pIrHM0Dmo_R89UMTFQQlgxN1Y1Q0ExSFdGUTNNUEdJS0oxUi4u    Link https://writershouse.camden.rutgers.edu/events/in-conversation-series-malik-abduh/   Contact info writers@camden.rutgers.edu   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title The Only Murders in the Bookstore Season 2   Start time 10/29/2024 7:00pm   Location Main Point Books, 116 N. Wayne Ave, Wayne, PA 19087   Description The Only Murders in the Bookstore returns for Season 2 this October! This year we'll be exploring dark realms of murder and mystery with authors Jason Rekulak, Vincent Tirado, and Laurie Hull, with special guest hosts Kirsten & Jackie of Beyond the Bookends.   Tickets are $20, which includes a $10 coupon toward purchase of any of the books, snacks, and drinks. There will be special games and entertainment throughout the evening.   Our Amazing Season Two Books:   Jason Rekulak, "The Last One at the Wedding," a breathtaking work of suspense about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision that will put everything he loves on the line.   Vincent Tirado, "We Came to Welcome You," a spine-chilling, propulsive psychological debut in which a married couple moves into a gated “community” where a pervasive dread masks the shocking nature of systemic racism.   Laurie Hull, "Philly's Main Line Haunts," a tour of the ghosts of the Main Line, from the creature that lurks in the lagoon at Westminster Cemetery to the ghosts Harriton House and the haunted halls of higher learning at Bryn Mawr College.   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-only-murders-in-the-bookstore-season-2-tickets-1004883482547?aff=BlueStoop   Contact info events.mainpointbooks@gmail.com   Cost $20   ~~~~~~~~~ WANT MORE LOCAL EVENTS? COMMUNITY CALENDAR 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences