x-posted to Great Write...

Girls and Science: Call for Proposals

The Feminist Press, in collaboration with The National Science Foundation, is exploring new ways to get girls and young women interested in science. While there are many library resources featuring biographies of women scientists that are suitable for school reports, these are rarely the books that girls seek out themselves to read for pleasure. What would a book, or series of books, about science that girls really want to read look like? That is the question we want to answer.

You’ll find several requests for specific proposals at our website. One calls for scientific detective stories based on the life, research, and discoveries of real women scientists. Another calls for stories featuring real young women—aspiring gymnasts, ice skaters, actors, dancers--using a knowledge of science to help them become really good at what they do. A third recognizes how popular Manga and graphic novels are with girls, and asks for imaginative new collaborations between Manga writers and artists to create adventures about girls who use real science to accomplish their goals. If any of these three book ideas interest you, please check out our website (www.feministpress.org) for more information about deadline and how to submit proposals.

But we do not want to limit our exploration. If you are a writer and have an idea for a book or series of books that is guaranteed to get girls excited about science, we want to hear from you. You may want to create a girl detective series featuring a set of friends—from geeks to sports nuts to mechanical geniuses—each with a knowledge of science that helps in solving crimes. You may want to create a story about a shy girl who goes on field trips with her favorite aunt, a forensic anthropologist, and helps to solve problems as she learns to think like a Dr. Bones. You may want to tell the story of a young science fiction writer who needs to study different fields of science in order to create her adventures. Whatever your vision, if you can write like a dream and can create works that are guaranteed to instill a curiosity about science in girls and young women, send us your proposals. We want to hear from you.

All proposals will be reviewed. Several proposals will be offered standard contracts.

Publisher: The Feminist Press at City University of New York as part of a National Science Foundation grant. (see feministpress.org)

Deadline: October 31, 2006

Format: Proposals should describe the project, the plot, characters, and length. No more than ten pages please.

How to submit: Electronic submission (word doc) to fhowe@gc.cuny.edu with the subject line "Girls and Science." Please include in the body of your email your address, phone number, email address and a short bio. Please also attach a brief sample of your writing (about five pages), and a resume that includes information about publications.

More info at [link]

Chicagoistas! My company, my department even, has two job openings. You can get more info. from craigslist here [link] and here [link]

I am a very lucky person.

As some of you have heard - thanks to the lovely Vortex - two weeks ago I had a stroke. Actually, two small strokes in a short period of time. I'm lucky because there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage. I'm a little slower and I don't have the energy or stamina I did, but everything seems to be functioning well.

I'm also lucky in my friends, not least among whom are the Buffistas. So thanks to everyone.

I have 3 tickets to tonight's US OPEN matches. I know Blake is playing as well as Navratalova in doubles in probably her last tourny. Tix are $36 face value.

If anyone is interested or knows people interested, please email me at profile addy, asap. I am in my office (midtown) until 2pm.

Buffistas!

We're going to start a Buffy rewatch starting this Tuesday (of course), starting at "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and doing one episode a week.

So get out your DVD sets and pop in S1 at exactly 10pm EST / 7pm PST. (If you're on Central or Mountain time I trust you to do the math and finesse your Veronica Mars and/or Nip/Tuck watching.)

There'll be watch-and-post plus after chat in the Buffy and Angel thread.

And yes, we are planning on picking up AtS when we get to BtVS S4.

For NYistas, my old lit agency is looking for unpaid interns:

P/T intern needed to provide general administrative support to growing literary agency. Assist with filing, data entry, and phones, 15-20 hours/wk. Casual office environment, excellent location, flex sched. Great opportunity for organized, reliable, efficient individual interested in breaking into the publishing industry. Basic computer skills and pleasant phone manner are a big plus.

If you know of a student interested in the publishing industry, just toss me a line at my profile addie and I'll be glad to pass the resume along.

Any DCistas looking to clear out their techno-geek castoffs safely...the city's e-cycling fall event is:
Saturday, October 28, 2006, from 8 am to 3 pm on the east side of the city at the Benning Road Trash Transfer Station, 3200 Benning Road, NE.

Residents can drop off end-of-life consumer electronics, including audio-visual equipment, televisions, cell phones and home office equipment such as computers, computer parts, photocopiers and fax machines. These machines will be broken down into their component parts (plastic, glass, toxic metals) and recycled or disposed of safely.

Does anyone want any of these videos (tapes, not DVDs) for the cost of postage?
Heart and Souls
Once Around
IQ
A Room with a View
Thelma and Louise
Men in Black
The Full Monty

Just drop me an email to let me know which ones and the address to send them to.

Buffy Watch & Post reminder:

Tonight, Tuesday, 9/12/06. 7 p.m. Pacific, 10 Eastern. The Harvest. Skinny Angel, apple-cheeked Buffy, Exposition!Giles, undead Jesse. Good times, good times.

I want to let everyone know about a book you will enjoy, "Prisoner of Trebekistan." It's a funny, smart and really fascinating book written by Bob Harris. Bob is a Jeopardy Champion, a political comedian and the boyfriend of Jane Espenson. The book has some great stuff about Jane, among other things, and I think any Buffista would really like it. Bob is a friend of ours and a really good guy as well as a terrific writer, so get thee to Amazon! [link]