well, the August publishing break for catapult is nearly over, which means I'm getting back into the rhythm of soliciting articles, reviews, interviews and artwork for the magazine. there's one week left before the deadline for "Storytelling" (deadline: 8/31, publishing: 9/7). below are the questions I sent out to our writer's list related to that issue. I have a couple of articles committed, but could use more. I could use reviews and artwork (poetry, paintings, photos, etc.) also.
and looking ahead, the issue after "Storytelling" will be "Let's Get Together 5" (deadline: 9/14, publishing: 9/21). each September, we celebrate our publishing anniversary with an issue on community, in the broad sense of the term. this year--I can hardly believe it--we celebrate FIVE years of bi-weekly publishing. here are links to the previous issues, just to give you an idea of what we've done in the past and to get your mind turning on submissions for the upcoming installation:
let me know if you have any questions or suggestions (kirstinvgr [at] cultureisnotoptional [dot] com). you can also join the writer's e-mail list (and more) here.
- what is the role of storytelling in your immediate family? what do you hope to teach your kids about storytelling?
- are you good at making up stories? why or why not?
- think of some of the stories you've heard your parents or grandparents tell over and over again--why those particular stories? what are some of your favorites? what have they taught you about who they are and what they love?
- is there a story from your life that you wish had turned out differently? re-tell the story however you like.
- what are some of your favorite short stories or novels? what is your response to people who gravitate toward reading non-fiction because they want to 'learn something' when they read?
- how do we learn how to tell stories?
- what is your experience with unique ethnic qualities of storytelling? what cultures are you fascinated by in this respect?
- whom do you think of as being a particularly good storyteller?
- what has been your experiences with radio shows like This American Life? Vinyl Cafe? Prairie Home Companion? others?
- documentary films seem to be becoming more popular--why? what is the value of these films compared to fiction films?
- what is the value of 'true' stories compared to 'created' stories?
