Author: Carl Brandon Society

The Million Dollar Book Contract: How to Get (the BEST) Agent

On April 25, 2006, The Asian American Writers’ Workshop presented a panel discussion featuring four top literary agents sharing their expertise on how to land a book contract.

Panelists:

Sloan Harris has worked in the book department of International Creative Management for 16 years, specializing in narrative nonfiction and literary fiction. Clients include Jeffrey Goldberg, Hampton Sides, Doug Stanton, Susan Casey, George Pelecanos, James McManus, Anthony Lane, and Anthony Swofford, among others.

Dorian Karchmar is a literary agent at the William Morris Agency where she specializes in literary fiction and creative nonfiction. Clients include Jennifer Haigh, Eric Puchner, Dr. Sharon Moalem and Scott Heim.

Ayesha Pande launched Lyons & Pande International last fall with her partner Jennifer Lyons, and was previously an editor at Crown Publishers, HarperResource and Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Clients include Malaysian writer Preeta Samarasan as well Pakistani American writer Sheba Karim.

Ira Silverberg is a literary agent at Donadio & Olson. Prior to that, he worked in publishing in various capacities at Grove Weidenfeld, High Risk Books/Serpent’s Tail and Grove Press. Clients include Christopher Sorrentino, Rene Steinke, Kate Spade, Lawrence Chua, R. Zamora Linmark.

Quang Bao, Moderator, is the Executive Director of The Asian American Writers’ Workshop.

Click here to read the transcript of the panel

Summer 2006
Where I’m Calling From: A Youth Writing and Performance Project

The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is offering a new writing project for youth that focuses on capturing personal experiences in the form of creative non-fiction, stories based on real life, essays and journals. We will write of our own personal histories and stories as well as our thoughts on the world as it is. We want to hear what you struggle with, what you have accomplished, and what you deal with as youth. “Where I’m Calling From” is a way for you to pinpoint your location in life and the geography of your situation.

We will meet for ten classes in late June and early July. We will create and discuss our writing and explore different forms and elements of creative non-fiction. A closing event will feature live readings and performances, which will be recorded and broadcast through the Workshop’s website.

WICF is open to youth, grades 9 ­ 12, from all racial backgrounds in New York City and surrounding areas. All youth who participate in WICF will receive an artist stipend of $200, based on commitment, attendance and participation.

WICF takes place at The Asian American Writers’ Workshop on West 32nd Street in Manhattan, between 5th Avenue and Broadway, one block from the Empire State Building. Founded in 1991, The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is the country’s largest literary arts nonprofit dedicated to the creation, development, publication and dissemination of Asian American literature.

The sessions will take place on:

Monday – Friday, June 26 – 30, 1 pm – 5 pm each day Wednesday – Friday, July 5 – 7, 1 pm – 5 pm each day Monday – Tuesday, July 10 – 11, 1 pm – 5 pm each day Closing Event, Wednesday, July 12 at 7 pm

The project is co-directed by Edward Garcia and Bushra Rehman.

Project Co-director, Edward Garcia is a Latino spoken word poet and performer from New York City, who has taught nationally for many different organizations.

Project Co-director, Bushra Rehman is a poet, performer and writer of creative non-fiction. She is co-editor of Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism. She performs and teaches nationally.

To apply, please mail, fax or e-mail application no later than Monday June 5, 2006. All applications must be received by this date. Applications accepted and admitted on a rolling basis. We will notify all applicants by mid-June.

Download the WICF application (2 pages, MS Word format.)

Please note the Playwriting Workshop with David Henry Hwang is postponed until further notice.

A talk on Octavia Butler’s work, given by biologist and science fiction writer Joan Slonczewski at the 2000 conference of the Science Fiction Research Association.

“Unlike the vast majority of alien abduction tales, Dawn actually presents a biologically plausible explanation for why the Oankali need to interbreed with humans.”