Last week-ish, I went to the UCLA extension Writers’ Fair. This was the university’s attempt to sell writing courses, but it was disguised as an “event” complete with booths and free mini-courses. Though the day-long sales pitch was advertised as FREE!, you still had to pay $9 in parking. That’s LA for you. Even the university acts like a blonde trying to cash in on a date with a rich, ugly fool.
While we writers may sometimes be foolish and/or attractively non-inclined. We are not rich.
Needless to say, I will not be signing up (unless somebody wants to sponsor me). And to save you, loyal reader, from the price of next year’s parking. I present unto you, right here, right now, for FREE! all that I have learned at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Fair 2008:
1. Glimmer Train is the literary journal that ALL the agents read. Write for it and your fortune is secured.
2. The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses offers a useful directory of publication alternatives if you aren’t lucky enough to climb aboard the Glimmer Train.
3. Author and UCLA extension teacher Paul Mandelbaum offers his own list of literary journals on his website. He claims the list is organized by status of journal and fame potential, but a cursory look at his website revealed no such directory. (But don’t take my word for it. Find it for yourself!)
4. One of the speakers was Kate Gale, founder of Red Hen Press. She is awesome. If ever I am in need of a super hero, I hope she is the one to save me.
