Hidden River Arts Writing Awards

I recently received notice of two writing competitions sponsored by the Hidden River Arts organization and thought my readers might find these of interest:

William Van Went Memorial Fiction Award
$1000 for an unpublished short story or novel excerpt up to 25 pages
Entry fee: $15.00
Deadline: June 20, 2008

Hidden River Arts Playwriting Award
$1000 for an unpublished, not previously produced full-length play
Entry fee: $15.00
Deadline: June 20, 2008

For more information about both of these competitions, please visit the Hidden River Arts Website at: http://www.hiddenriverarts.com/

Summer Submissions

The summer can be a difficult time to find markets for fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, as many of the literary magazines are closed to submissions during the summer months. However, the magazines listed below either accept submissions year round or during part of the summer.

My thanks to several kind posters on the Speakeasy Forum at Poets & Writers for sharing this useful information. Be sure to check the guidelines at the magazines' Websites. Submission periods and guidelines are subject to change. You can find links to these markets at one of these places:

Duotrope Digest

Newpages

The summer submission list:

American Short Fiction
Another Chicago Magazine (reads Feb. 1-Aug. 31)
Apalachee Review
A Public Space
Baltimore Review
Black Warrior Review
Chattahootchee Review
Cimarron Review
Columbia Review
Conjunctions
Crazy Horse
Florida Review
Fourteen Hills
Granta
Hanging Loose
Harvard Review
Hayden's Ferry Review
Louisville Review
MacGuffin
McSweeney's
Malahat Review
Meridian
Michigan Quarterly Review
Missouri Review
Modern Review
New Orleans Review
Nimrod
Noon
Northwest Review
Orchid
Paris Review
Pleiades
Redivider
southeast review
Southern Humanities Review
The Journal
Threepenny Review (Jan.-Aug.)
Willow Springs
Yale Review
Zoetrope (Jan.-Aug.)

Happy writing! May all of your submissions turn into acceptances.

Questions about writing? Just ask!

One of the many functions I seem to perform on the Internet is the role of the "answer lady" when it comes to the craft and business of writing. Although I don't claim to have all the answers, I will do my best to respond to your questions. If I can't give you the answer, I will refer you to a resource where you can find more help.

Unlike my Website, which is less interactive in nature, this is the place to post your questions.

Do you want to know--
How to write a synopsis? Where to find legitimate agents? How to format a ms.? Where to find freelance nonfiction markets? Where to find information on MFA programs? How to write a query letter?

Just ask!

Mike's Writing Newsletter

What is Mike's Writing Newsletter? It's a monthly e-zine of almost fifty pages filled with interviews, articles, inspiration, and markets. And it's completely free! My column, "Jeanne's Writing Desk," appears in each issue. To subscribe to the newsletter or to read it online, be sure to visit: http://mikeswritingworkshop.blogspot.com/

You won't want to miss a single issue.

Coming up in the next issue: "Painless Pruning." Learn how to edit and cut your prose the easy way.

Upcoming Writing Classes

You've written that nonfiction piece, short story, or novel, but what do you do with it now? How do you get your work published? Do you need an agent? What do editors really want?

My next writing class, "Secrets of Getting Published," will answer those questions and more. In this intensive two-hour workshop, we will discuss query letters, submission procedures, agents, markets, and more--everything you need to know to become successfully published.

Secrets of Getting Published
Monday, July 28, 2008
5:45 p.m.--7:45 p.m.
Sunrise Mountain Branch Library, 21200 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria, AZ

Fee: $20.00 Peoria resident; $25.00 non-resident
Plus a $2.00 supply fee for materials and handouts

Tel. Reg. 623-773-7725
Register Online: http://recreation.peoriaaz.com

Hope to see you there!

Changing Hands Writing Workshop

Changing Hands Writing Workshop

Time: Monday, May 19, 2008 6:30 p.m.
Location: Changing Hands Bookstore

Workshop: Writing about Setting • 6:30-8:30pm
Frequent New Yorker magazine contributor Marisa Silver, author of the acclaimed
novel The God of War, leads a workshop about the elements of writing about
setting. "Place can provide a springboard for character development and the
development of action," Silver says. "Setting is really a function of the
characters who see it, live in it, and interact with it."

In addition to elaborating this principle through interactive writing exercises,
Silver will discuss the publishing process and read from The God of War, which
Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls, calls "[A] novel
of great metaphorical depth and beauty. It stays with you like a lesson well and
truly learned."

Cost: One copy of The God of War ($23). Registration and pre-payment required at
480-730-0205. More info: www.changinghands.com

Testing the waters

Hello! Welcome to my new blog about the writing biz and the writing life.

Keep your eyes open here for new posts about writing, writing markets, articles on the craft and business and writing, and more! And be sure to visit my Website at:
http://www.jeannelyetgassman.com

Jeanne