Worried about balancing your writing with a full time job?

Lori Rader Day, recent graduate of Roosevelt's MFA program has some advice for you! Lori wrote a guest post on the blog Writer With a Day Job, where she describes how she wrote a draft of a novel while having both a full time job and a teaching gig at her alma mater. Lori was prolific writer while attending Roosevelt, seeing her fiction published in the Southern Indiana Review and Time Out Chicago among many other places, and winning the Inaugural Good Housekeeping short story contest. However, she worried that once she returned to the responsibilities of a full-time job, she would not have enough time to continue writing. Lori worked to make sure that writing would stay a part of her life, and her advice on how she did is worth a read for anyone who worries about balancing a career with creative pursuits.

Lori Rader Day- Time Manager Extraordinaire

In addition to teaching, working, having a family, and writing a novel (phew!), Lori has her own blog where she talks about writing, reading, and her adorable dog.

Day teaches creative writing capstone course

MFA Alumna Lori Rader Day is back at Roosevelt University for the fall, teaching ENG 395, a sort of senior capstone creative writing class for students doing the creative writing emphasis. ENG 395 is a small group that meets by arrangement. As a workshop, the course gives senior undergrads an invaluable opportunity to develop their work.

Day is working on getting the students writing--on getting them producing and revising. Most of the students write fiction, although one student is very interested in memoir, so they are working on all the skills needed for both.

Lori teaches in addition to directing the Office of Communications at Northwestern University.

A Little Summer Reading

As we announced below, Lori Rader Day ('09) won Good Housekeeping's short fiction contest, judged by Jodi Picoult. And now, you can read it here at Good Housekeeping's website, just in case you didn't catch the issue while it was on the stands.

Enjoy.

Alumna's Short Story in Good Housekeeping!

We are proud to announce that Lori Rader Day ('09), our sassy alumna pictured above, was recently chosen as the grand prize winner for Good Housekeeping's 2010 Short Story Contest, judged by Jodi Picoult (of My Sister's Keeper fame). The contest was announced last summer, and over 5,000 writers applied--but Lori brought home the prize. And even more exciting is the fact that Good Housekeeping has more than 25 million readers every month.

About the win, Lori said, "I was most excited to see what Jodi Picoult said about my story, and now I want a tattoo that quotes her." So, if you happen to run into Lori in a Chicago tattoo parlor, don't be surprised to read these words running up her forearm: The links between parents and children--and the lengths we go to to preserve them--serve as a beautiful thread tying together Day's masterful piece (Jodi Picoult).

You can snatch up a copy and read the prize-winning story, "Layers of Love," for yourself on page 199 of the May issue--but hurry, the issue is only on the shelves until May 8!

Alumna Reading: Tonight!

Tonight at 7 p.m., RU MFA alumna Lori Rader Day will read from her work at Ipsento Coffee House in Bucktown/Wicker Park. Stop by to support a member of our Roosevelt community and to warm up from the brisk February chill!

[Photo by L. Stacks]

P.S. We've just updated our submission page--check it out!

Reminder: Grad Reading Tonight

Don't forget, tonight at 5pm, graduating students Lori Rader Day and James Buford will be reading from their theses in the Auditorium Building, Room 244.

And There Will Be Food. (Sounds like a PT Anderson flick, doesn't it?)

Oyez Review Reading: This Friday

Head over to Quimby's Bookstore in Wicker Park friday night for our second Oyez Review reading, featuring contributor Lori Rader Day, as well as plenty of student-read favorites from Issue 36.

The show starts at 7pm, but our first reading this year (at Hyde Park's 57th Street Books) had a huge turnout, so come a little early to grab a seat (and shop).

Graduation Reading Next Monday, March 30

Two of our own students, Lori Rader Day and James Buford, will read from their fiction theses next Monday at 5pm in room 244 of the Auditorium Building. 

Lori’s collection of short stories is titled Lucky for Us, while James’ collection is titled Things We Need to See. Come see them before they leave us!

Refreshments served!

Lori Rader Day: Anthologized

"The Catrinas Will Dance with Any Boy They Like," a short story by Lori Rader Day, will be published in an upcoming anthology by the Elektrik Milk Bath Press.

The anthology's theme? Dia de los Muertos, Mexico's Day of the Dead, a decidedly macabre and fascinating celebration in honor of dead relatives, held in early November.