New Lines at Baltimore Book Festival

The new anthology Marylanders have been waiting for is premiering at the Baltimore book Festival - the mid-Atlantic's largest celebration of the literary arts - this weekend.

That is fitting, since the anthology is a celebration of the rich and diverse literary scene in the state of Maryland.

New Lines from the Old Line State: An Anthology of Maryland Writers features fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by 29 Maryland authors.

On September 26, 27, and 28, the Maryland Writers' Association will release the exciting new anthology of Maryland authors. A reading from the anthology will close out the Baltimore Book Festival's CityLit tent on Sunday, September 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. Authors will be on hand to autograph the anthologies.

The authors of New Lines have been featured in publications such as Potomac Review, the Baltimore Review, Christian Science Monitor, Chattahoochee Review, Slow Trains, the Arabesques Review, Poetry Online, Chesapeake Life magazine, the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, Writers Weekly, Scribble, and have won awards from the Maryland Literary Arts Award, the Maryland Individual Artist Award, and the Atlantic Monthly, among others.

A Maryland author is unique, just like the state itself. A person needs to spend a day in Maryland (or read an anthology of its writers) to understand what "Mid-Atlantic" means. There is an indefinable "something" in Maryland that makes it different than Northeast or South; it straddles both regions but can be claimed by neither.

This anthology features the best work of the Maryland Writers' Association, which has served the state for more than 20 years. New Lines continues Maryland's literary legacy-one that stretches as far back as America's written history.

Maryland's cities and shores have inspired such literary greats as Edgar Allan Poe, and Gertrude Stein, as well as more contemporary writers such as Madison Smartt Bell and Laura Lippman. A flag atop Maryland's Fort McHenry was even Francis Scott Key's inspiration for our nation's national anthem.

You will enjoy and celebrate the artistic vision of Maryland authors as they take you on a tour of the state and beyond.

New Lines from the Old Line State has it all. Edited by Allyson E. Peltier, the anthology is $15.95. Can't make the Baltimore Book Festival this year? You can ask for New Lines at your local book store. Or visit the Maryland Writers' Association's online book shop at www.marylandwriters.org/publications.html.

Literary Advice from Top Editors

Many writers — from the aspiring to the established — already know about the impressive highlights of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference coming up this October 25 in Rockville, Md. Registrants will have the opportunity to learn from such pros as Elmore “Dutch” Leonard, Susan Cheever, George Pelecanos, Laura Lippman, and many others. Writers can participate in workshops with subjects ranging from novel structure to the relationship between authors and publishers.

For the first time, the Fitzgerald Conference now offers writers the opportunity of a one-on-one meeting with a literary magazine editor (Gettysburg Review, Narrative, Blackbird) or literary consultant Amy Holman. This is an opportunity to sit face-to-face for 20 minutes discussing your manuscript in a scheduled appointment.

How it works:

-- once you’ve registered for the conference, you can sign up for an appointment with the consultant of your choice for only $30.
-- you’ll have the opportunity to submit 10-15 manuscript pages – the deadline is Friday, October 10.
-- during the conference, you’ll sit down with the literary consultant and discuss your work.

It’s that easy. This is a rare opportunity to get face time with a professional. The consults will be offered during the morning and afternoon workshop times, so no one will miss Elmore Leonard, Laura Lippman, Michael Dirda, George Pelecanos, or Susan Cheever.

Participating editors include …

Mark Drew of The Gettysburg Review
Gregory Donovan of Blackbird
Patricia Schultheis of Narrative.
Mary Flinn of Blackbird
Amy Holman, literary consultant

Space is limited, so what are you waiting for? Register today at www.montgomerycollege.edu/potomacreview/fscott/ or call (301) 309-9461.

First come first scheduled for these consultations. Your manuscript must be received by October 11 (Fiction 12-15 pages, Poetry 5-7 pages).

Listen to Cicadas Here

It's been a few years since the last outbreak of Cicadas. But from all the recent buzz, it seems they've returned.

My short story, "Cicadas," appeared on National Public Radio's Baltimore station, WYPR, earlier this month. "Cicadas" opened up the weekly radio program, The Signal, NPR's "weekly tour through hidden corners of Maryland's cultural landscape." The program aired at 12 noon and again at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 5.

WYPR had this to say about the story: "Many a florid metaphor has been penned about the buzz of young romance, but Signal contributor Eric D. Goodman may be the first to compare it a seething horde of insects. He joins us with a skeptic's love story called Cicadas."

The "Cicadas" reading even infested the Baltimore Sun.

Not to mention the CityLit Project.

Missed the broadcast? Then find out what the buzz is about! Listen to NPR's pod cast of this "story about romance, cynicism and a wedding set against the otherworldly buzz of Horde X."


Or, go directly to the "Cicadacast" here.


Learn more about The Signal, and even see a picture of a Cicada, at their website.
http://www.signalradio.org/index.php?p=359

Flightless Goose To Be Released

Flightless Goose has an official release date.

On November 1, Writers’ Lair Books will release Flightless Goose as a full-color hardcover book. The 32-page book is available now at www.RunGoose.com.

Flightless Goose is written by me and illustrated by my wife, Nataliya Goodman.

In the book, the flightless goose must learn to tolerate teasing and the challenges of being different. He is even left behind as the geese fly south for the winter. In the end, the flightless goose develops a talent no other goose has, and that helps him save the day.

The publisher has announced that all pre-orders placed before November 1 will receive a 10 percent discount, and the copies will be autographed by both the author and the artist. The book will be available in book stores, but to get to discount, order now at http://www.writerslairbooks.com/goodman1.html.


Visit www.RunGoose.com to learn more about Flightless Goose.

Cicadas Infest NPR

This Friday, September 5, I’ll read from my fiction on WYPR, Baltimore’s National Public Radio station. The Signal will broadcast my reading of “Cicadas.”

“Cicadas” is a work of fiction published in New Lines from the Old Line State: An Anthology of Maryland Writers. The anthology, as Editor Allyson E. Peltier put it, “features a rich collection of contemporary literature” from “stylistically and culturally diverse writers.”

“Cicadas” is about a playboy returning to Virginia to be the best man in his friend’s wedding. Cicadas are everywhere. Stu believes his friend’s newfound romance is doomed to a cicada cycle — a brief buzz of excitement followed by years of monotony.

Tune in to Baltimore’s WYPR at 88.1 FM this Friday to hear me read from the anthology. The Signal airs at 12 noon and 7 p.m. every Friday. My fiction will be featured on the programs of Friday, September 5 -- This Friday. Or, tune in online at http://www.signalradio.org.

Learn more about Baltimore’s NPR station, WYPR at their website.

http://www.wypr.org/

Or learn more about The Signal here.

http://www.signalradio.org/