Episode 36: Writer Igniter Anthology

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Hello and welcome to another awesome episode of DIY MFA Radio! This episode is part of a new series where I take you behind DIY MFA, and introduce you to members of the team as well as why we do what we do.

On the show with me today, I have the DIY MFA podcast producer, Elisabeth Kauffman. As you’ll learn in the episode, though, Elisabeth is also taking on a big new role at DIY MFA and we’ve got a really exciting announcement too. But first, here’s a little more info about who she is and what she does when she’s not moonlighting at DIY MFA.

By day, Elisabeth is a freelance editor at Writing Refinery, helping authors find their voices, develop their manuscripts, and birth their stories into the world. When she’s not editing novels, she’s editing this podcast and doing all those little, behind-the-scenes things that keep DIY MFA Radio running smoothly. Seriously, while you might not hear Elisabeth’s voice on the show very often, she is just as much a part of this podcast as I am, from helping to decide the episode lineup, to keeping me on track when I babble, and editing anything that might get me into major trouble.

Today, though, I have Elisabeth on the show for a particularly exciting reason. She’s here to help me make a special announcement!

*drumroll please*

DIY MFA is launching an Anthology!

Elisabeth will be co-editing this anthology with me, but really this project is her baby. She’ll  be taking the lead on this and spearheading the editorial team while I help to direct the overall vision of how the Anthology will fit within DIY MFA overall.

I can’t tell you how excited we are about this project. For a while now I’ve wanted to create a forum where my word-nerd family could share their writing plus get a chance to see their names in print (or digital ink). This is also a way for new writers to get that first publication credit, which–as I’ve learned from personal experience–can potentially open the doors to many other publications down the road. Listen to the podcast for more details about this new DIY MFA opportunity!

In this episode, Elisabeth and I discuss:

  • What the anthology is all about,
  • Our mission for launching it, and
  • The “secret sauce” that makes this anthology different from any other.

One of the big reasons that Elisabeth and I are launching this Anthology is that we want to bridge that gap between the Write with Focus and Read with Purpose components of DIY MFA. The process we’re using to select pieces for this anthology puts craft and creativity front and center, so get your writing chops ready. We’re looking for pieces that don’t just tell a good story, but that illustrate particular aspects of craft, or use elements of craft in unique ways. Also, because the main requirement for submission is that your piece use a Writer Igniter prompt, you’ll get brownie points for being really creative.

Later in the episode, Elisabeth and I get on the subject of submitting work to magazines and anthologies, and we give you lots of tips on how to submit to us, as well as other places too! Listen to the episode for tons of tips about the ins and outs of submissions and how to put your best foot forward when you send out your work.

Writer Igniter Anthology submissions are officially open!

If you want to submit to the Writer Igniter Anthology, learn more at DIYMFA.com/writer-igniter-submissions. Make sure you read the submission guidelines thoroughly, then email your submission to submissions@DIYMFA.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Link to Episode 36

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

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