It has been four years since I launched this blog. I’ve decided to move to Squarespace.com for a much needed upgrade in design and functionality.

The U.S. federal budget for fiscal year 2019 shows a slightly higher funding for agencies that support the literary and arts community after Congress rejected the Trump administration’s proposal to phase out those organizations. Under the 2019 budget approved in February, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) will see a $3 million increase in their funding, and $9 million more for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

As they say, spring is the time of new beginnings. It’s also the best time to submit your unpublished manuscripts. Three small publishers are open to unagented submissions for the next couple of months.

Reading serialized fiction on smartphones is very popular in Asia. Radish hopes to cultivate a similar acceptance of serialized storytelling and reading in the West through its app.

Four small publishers in the U.K. welcome unpublished, unagented manuscripts in a variety of genres. Their websites don’t prohibit submissions from writers outside the U.K., but if you live in another country, it’s prudent to mention it in your query. Check out their submission guidelines below.

Unlike Tony Bennett’s famous song, I didn’t leave my heart in San Francisco. I met new friends and found renewed hope while attending the 2018 San Francisco Writers Conference (SFWC). The event offers many benefits. Let me focus on the top eight advantages.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are facing defunding under the Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2019.

Forest Avenue Press will accept unagented, unsolicited submissions from Feb. 14 to March 14, 2018.  The Portland, Oregon-based publisher is seeking literary fiction. “Our titles are infused with a fresh, complex, sometimes nutty, and often wondrous approach to storytelling,” the publisher said on its website.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement against sexual assault and harassment, a new book prize is seeking thrillers in which “no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped, or murdered.” Submit your manuscript to the Staunch Book Prize, the writing contest for our times. 

In 2017, two films featuring young protagonists broke the mold to give same old same old tropes a fresh take. In “Baby Driver,” the creative use of music made it an extraordinary heist film, while the unlikely focus of “Lady Bird” on mother-daughter relationship set it apart from other coming-of-age movies. The two films are among the best and most original of last year’s crop of films.