Websites with info. about the Scene

• The AWP Guide to Writing Programs and Conferences: free access to the most complete descriptions of undergrad and grad writing programs, alaso writers conferences. If you're a member of AWP, you also get access to the AWP Chronicle, job list, and more

• NewPages.com: huge listing of magazines, contests, and publishers

• Poets & Writers: publishes a magazine on all aspects of the writing scene, including contest information; lots available on its website

• LitLine: extensive lists of print and online journals and much more--check out all of their links

 Blogs on books and/or the writing scene

• Brevity's Blog on Creative Nonfiction: Dinty Moore

• Belles Lettres: Susan McCallum Smith

• Matt Bell

• The Red Room

• The Old Hag: Lizzie Skurnick

• Maud Newton

• HTML Giant: Blake Butler and others

• The Rumpus: Stephen Elliott

• Paper Cuts: New York Times book blog

• New Pages blog

• ColoredGirls.Com

• Indie Bound: association of independent book dealers promoting their favorite new releases

• Weekly Writing Assignment

 Book Reviews:

• foreword magazine

• the independent review

• Book Slut

• Rain Taxi

• The Village Voice

• The Bloomsbury Review: (subscribe)

 Advocacy Organizations

• Association of Writers and Writing Programs: advocates for 30,000 writers and over 500 writing programs, promotes quality teaching of writing and welfare of writers who teach, partners with grassroots organizations, such as Writers in the Schools, to promote literacy

• Council of Literary Magazines and Presses: promotes small press, literary endeavors; also publishes a guide to literary magazines and small presses

• Center for the Book: housed by the Library of Congress, the Center for the Book promotes reading at all levels in communities across the nation

• Indigenous Peoples' Literature: promotes and preserves literatures of "native" poulations all over the world
• Pen American Center: promotes literature and freedom of expression, offers national awards for excellence in writing

• Writers' Guild advocates for writers' rights and compensation in publishing and all other media

• Academy of American Poets promotes poetry writing and the teaching of poetry, underwrites initiatives (contests) to further appreciation of poetry

• Poets & Writers: promotes literature, funds special programming, advocates for writers' welfare

 Independent book stores are the lifeblood of literature and the intellectual heart of our communities. Seek them out in your travels, support them however you can, celebrate the good work they do. Here are some that I have visited:

• Malaprops: Asheville, North Carolina

• Quail Ridge: Durham, North Carolina

• Harry Schwartz Books: Milwaukee, WI

• Barbara's Books: Chicago, Ilinois

• Prairie Lights: Iowa City, Iowa

• Moe's Books: Berkeley, CA

• City Lights: San Francisco, CA

• Readers' Books: Sonoma, CA

• Atomic Books: Baltimore, Maryland

• Ivy Book Shop: Baltimore, Maryland

• Cyclops Books: Baltimore, Maryland

• The Strand: New York, NY

• Newtonville Books: Newton, MA

• Canterbury Books: Madison, WI

• That Book Store in Blythesville: Blythesville, Arkansas