When I set out to learn about my mother's bridge club, the Jewish octogenarians behind the matching outfits and accessories, I never expected to fall in love with them. This is the story of the ladies, their game, their gen, and the ragged path that led me back to my mother.THE RESULTS ARE IN from TRACY KIDDER AND RICHARD TODD for the best non-fiction advice:
The awards go to….
- Sherry Stanfa-Stanley for her excellent miniature anthology of cautions. One feels the force of these especially just after publishing a book—in all its awful finality—as you think of feelings you may have hurt or dares you failed to take. (On the other hand one could find a certain comfort in rea’s citation of Jeffrey Eugenides: “Write like you were dead.”)
- Scott Atkinson for his jiu jitsu metaphor restating ancient wisdom of east and west: revise, revise, revise.
- The comedy team of Kyler and August for their dialogue on the eternal contradiction of publishing, the quest for the book that’s entirely unique but very like lots of others.
And special mention to Vivian Swift for the wise quotation from The Forest for the Trees, advice with which the judges wholeheartedly agree but struck from the competition for fear of seeming corrupt; and actually, now that the judges think about it, isn’t the problem not that “people like vanilla ice cream” but that they like Chocolate Mocha Oreo Supreme?
Hey all you winners: CONGRATS. Please email me your addresses to askbetsylerner@gmail.com to collect your prizes. THANKS to everyone who participated and to our esteemed judges Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd, authors of GOOD PROSE, a book with the most superb writing advice of all.
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Betsy Lerner 
betsy, yesterday i shared a link to the salon.com article that included a quick bit from you on memoir writing. seeing you show up in the piece was like seeing an ex who broke up with you and it breaks your heart a little bit because although you’re talking super-friendly and they’re in a good place and you’re acting like you are too, you secretly miss your late night romps, smoking roaches and watching david letterman, nude, in his bed, under a comforter stained with god knows what.
what i’m saying is, while it was good to read your insight on memoir, i miss your late night romps here.
(congrats sherry, scott, kyler, august and vivian.)
Ha! I felt a similar pang when I read it, but I love the way you describe it, Josey.
Congrats to the winners.
Hey, Betsy, hope it’s going.
Love your succinct summary of the relationship (to extend Josey’s analogy) in the updated “Here’s the Story” sidebar.
Signed,
One of the Malcontents
David Letterman nude in his bed? I must have missed that show. Had to be a ratings bonanza.
who you callin a loser?
(congratulations, winners)
God it sucks always being a loser in Betsy’s contests. Is continuing to try the definition of insanity? I guess the take-away is it’s a pretty good bet what the result of querying her would be.
(But yes, congratulations to the winners)
well, shit, mary, if i’d had enough sleep last night i could be gracious and all, but what little grace i got in store i need to save for the clients.
so here’s this: yeah, it sucks. yeah, it’s insane. it’s just like trying to get published. sometimes it seems one would have more success standing out in a big field during a thunderstorm and hoping to get struck by lightning.
but there’s also this, and i will tell you this also: i have it upon good information and belief that the result of querying betsy does not always hurt as much as being struck by lightning most probably would.
Betsy’s cool. And honest.
oh I never thought otherwise about Betsy. All I meant was about personal taste/preference. If there’s not a connection to writing here, there probably wouldn’t be in another format. I think that’s true of everyone here. I know the people’s comments I like the best who have blogs–those blogs I respond to much more than other commenters. (even though I rarely comment on other blogs due to time)
Congratulatioins to you all.
Sorry I missed the contest and posts; I’ve been away.
Yeah Frank. I was getting worried that you fell in a hole in the water.
Thanks, Carolynn. I didn’t fall in a hole in the water, but a bunch of my money did.
Everything good?
About the contest…I salute the winners with my fingers forming a L and placing it firmly against my forehead.
Yay to all the winners. Speech! Speech!
By the way, Betsy, I’ve been meaning to ask you. You know how your titles always include capital letters in the most random of places? That’s because you’re typing really fast, right? It’s not some secret message, is it?
How’s the screenplay? C’mon, admit it. You miss us, too.
OMG I have wondered the same thing…so I’, not crazy or am I?
I was typing so fast I left out the m. My secret message, yeah I’m a loser.
I was so excited to see Sherry win, and I went back to read what she posted…and couldn’t find it. Did I miss it? Or, at the risk of being a completely moron, did you mean the advice that I posted just above Sherry’s comment?
Hey, a girl’s always on the lookout for a free book.
Good news, everyone: the typo on “complete” satisfies the moron requirement either way!
I think a completely moron sounds better.
I’m very confused, too. It looks like Sherry said, “I have no advice,” so I’m wondering where her “anthology of cautions” comments are. I could use this list, as it’s a jungle out there.
I’d happily take credit for my limitless sage wisdom, but I do indeed believe this award was meant for the lovely Laura.
Hooray! She’s back!
I have to stop coming back to here to check. It’s so hard to let go.
Same here, C.