Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Gulf Coast Fundraiser

Gulf Coast Magazine is raising funds for the Gulf Restoration Network. Here is how you can help:

In light of the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, and as the effects of the crisis are increasingly seen and felt on shore, we have decided to introduce a subscription drive to raise money for the clean-up effort.
Beginning now, Gulf Coast will donate all subscription proceeds (about six dollars of the sixteen dollar subscription cost) to the Gulf Restoration Network, an organization committed to uniting and empowering people to protect and restore the natural resources of the Gulf Coast Region for future generations. Officially begun in 1995, the Network works to ensure that the Gulf of Mexico will continue to be a natural, economic, and recreational resource that is central to the culture and heritage of five states and several nations.
We ask that subscribers use the donation code "GLF" when subscribing online to ensure that their subscription money is marked as a donation to the Gulf. And as an extra incentive to help the beautiful Gulf Coast Region, when you enter the donation code "GLF" at checkout, you will receive a free back issue of the journal. Simply select the back issue you would like to receive, and its cost will be deducted from your order.
How to Subscribe and Donate: Visit the site and fill out the order form (subscription and back issue of your choice), then enter our donation code "GLF" at checkout. All proceeds from your subscription will go to the Gulf Restoration Network's ongoing protection and rehabilitation projects.
We thank you in advance for your support of the journal and, more importantly now, the Gulf Coast Region.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Call for Submissions: Creative Nonfiction

BOOK PROJECT: Immortality

postmark deadline August 6, 2010
 
For a new book project to be published by Southern Methodist University Press, entitled "Immortality," we're seeking new essays from a variety of perspectives on recent scientific developments and the likelihood, merits and ramifications of biological immortality. We're looking for essays by writers, physicians, scientists, philosophers, clergy--anyone with an imagination, a vision of the future, and a dream (or fear) of living forever.

Essays must be vivid and dramatic; they should combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information, and reach for some universal or deeper meaning in personal experiences. We’re looking for well-written prose, rich with detail and a distinctive voice.

Guidelines: Essays must be: unpublished, 5,000 words or less, postmarked by August 6, 2010, and clearly marked “Immortality” on both the essay and the outside of the envelope. Please send manuscript, accompanied by a cover letter with complete contact information (address, phone, and email) and SASE to:

Creative Nonfiction
Attn: Immortality
5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Flash Fiction Contest: Gemini Magazine

A prize of $1000 and publication in Gemini Magazine will be given annually for a short story. The editors will judge.

Submit a story of up to 1000 words with a $4.00 entry fee ($5.00 for each additional entry).

Deadline: August 31, 2010

For complete guidelines and online submission form, please visit our site.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Fiction Competition: Drue Heinz Literature Prize

The Drue Heinz Literature Prize Call for Submissions 2011

The Drue Heinz Literature Prize recognizes and supports writers of short fiction and makes their work available to readers around the world. The award is open to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or at least three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals.

Manuscripts are judged anonymously by nationally known writers; past judges have included Robert Penn Waren, Joyce Carol Oates, Raymond Carver, Margaret Atwood, Russell Banks, Rick Moody and Joan Didion. The prize carries a cash award of $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract.

The winner will be announced by the University Press in January. No information about the winner will be released before the official announcement. The volume of manuscripts prevents the Press from offering critiques or entering into communication or correspondence about manuscripts. Please do not call or e-mail the Press.

Eligibility

The award is open to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals of national distribution. On-line publication does not count toward this requirement.

The award is open to writers in English, whether or not they are citizens of the United States.

University of Pittsburgh employees, former employees, current students, and those who have been students within the last three years are not eligible for the award.

Translations are not eligible if the translation was not done by the author.

Eligible submissions include a manuscript of short stories; one or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 typed pages.

Stories or novellas previously published in book form as part of an anthology are eligible.

Format for Submissions

Manuscripts must be typed double-spaced on quality white paper, unbound, and pages must be numbered consecutively. Clean, legible photocopies on high quality white paper are acceptable.

Each submission must include a list of the writer's published short fiction work, with full citations.

Manuscripts will be judged anonymously. Each manuscript should have two cover pages: one listing the title of the manuscript and the author's name, address, e-mail address (if available), and telephone number; and a second listing only the manuscript title. The author's name, other identifying information, and publication information must not appear after the first cover page.

Manuscripts will not be returned.

Multiple Submissions

Manuscripts may also be under consideration by other publishers, but if a manuscript is accepted for publication elsewhere, please notify thePress.

Authors may submit more than one manuscript to the competition as long as one manuscript or a portion thereof does not duplicate material submitted in another manuscript.

Dates for Submission

Manuscripts must be received during May and June 2010. That is, they must be postmarked on or after May 1 and on or before June 30.

Send submissions to:
Drue Heinz Literature Prize
University of Pittsburgh Press
3400 Forbes Avenue
Eureka Building, Fifth Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

If you have any questions about these guidelines, please e-mail press(at)pitt.edu (replace (at) with @)

press@pitt.edu

Call for Submissions: Sin Fronteras

Sin Fronteras/Writers Without Borders is seeking submissions for its 15th annual anthology. Submissions of poetry, one-act plays, fiction and creative non-fiction should be sent between April 1 and June 30, 2010 to:

Sin Fronteras/Writers Without Borders
P.O. Box 3416
Las Cruces, NM 88003.

Also, please include a cover letter, short bio (2-3 sentences), phone and email address. All manuscripts will be recycled at the end of our reading period. Final decisons in 2010 are expected in late-August. We are not accepting work via email at this time. Submissions without SASE (that includes envelopes without stamps) will NOT BE READ)

Send 4-5 poems or 1-2 short stories or works of creative non-fiction (10 page maximum) or one-act play (no longer than 10-pages total). Manuscripts must be typed, with writer's name and address at the top of each page. Also, please number your poems by placing a number at the top of each poem next to its title. Writings are judged on merit, regardless of subject matter. Payment is one copy of the annual journal.

Fiction Competition: 2010 Thomas A. Wilhemus Award

2010 Thomas A. Wilhelmus Award
*** You may now upload your contest entry online. ***
Click the “Upload Your Contest Entry” link. You may upload up to four additional entries for $5.00 each.

RopeWalk Press will award a prize of $1000 and 25 complimentary copies for a fiction chapbook written in English submitted under the following guidelines.
Each submission must:

Be available for exclusive book-length publication by RopeWalk Press. Stories, novellas, or stand-alone excerpts published individually in journals or magazines may be submitted, but the writer must hold copyright. Previously self-published chapbooks and translations are not eligible. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but if the manuscript is published/accepted by another press while under consideration, the author must promptly notify RWP in writing to withdraw the entry.

Include an entry fee of $15 ($5 for each additional manuscript submitted). Make check or money order payable toRopeWalk Press. This fee is non-refundable.

List the author’s name, street address, phone number, email address (if applicable), title of manuscript(s), and individual title(s) (table of contents) on a cover page. Acknowledgements are not required (but will, of course, be addressed once the winning chapbook is selected).

List only the title of manuscript and story (if applicable) on each page thereafter.

Consist of no more than 45 manuscript pages (double-spaced) per each individual submission.

Be addressed to:
Thomas A. Wilhelmus Award, RopeWalk Press
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Boulevard
Evansville, IN 47712.

Be postmarked by July 1, 2010.

Include SAS postcard for receipt acknowledgement and/or SASE for contest results. All manuscripts will be recycled. Results will also be posted on the RWP web site.

All submissions will be considered for publication. All themes and/or subject matters are eligible. All rights revert to the writer upon publication.

For more information, e-mail ropewalkpress(at)usi.edu (replace (at) with @)email
or phone 812/464-1855.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Poetry Contest: Morton Marr Poetry Prize

To enter this contest online, visit our website.

The Morton Marr Poetry Prize is an endowment by Marilyn Klepak of Dallas in honor of her father, whose love of poetry has encouraged her to pass this love on to others. Generous supplemental donations were also provided by Mr. and Mrs. David T. Searls, Jr. The first prize is $1,000 and the second place prize is $500. Both prizes earn publication in Southwest Review pages. Judging for 2009 was Dan Chiasson.

RULES: This contest is open to writers who have not yet published a first book of poetry. Contestants may submit no more than six, previously unpublished poems in a "traditional" form (e.g. sonnet, sestina, villanelle, rhymed stanzas, blank verse, etc.). Poems should be printed blank with name and address information only on a cover sheet or letter. (If work is submitted online, please omit the author's name from the final "submission content text area").

There is a $5.00 per poem entry/handling fee.

Postmarked deadline for entry is September 30, 2010. Submissions will not be returned. For notification of winning poems, include a SASE. Winners will be announced in December.

Entries should be addressed to:
The Morton Marr Poetry Prize
Southwest Review
P.O. Box 750374
Dallas, TX 75275-0374.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Call for Ficton: Main Street Rag

Main Street Rag Fiction Anthologies (see themes below)
To submit a manuscript for consideration for an anthology, please be sure to address the envelope to:
The MSR Short Fiction Anthology
PO BOX 690100
Charlotte, NC 28227-7001.

Also important: Since we have more than one editor reading fiction for us and each is assigned a specific project, please be sure to MARK ON THE ENVELOPE which theme the author is targeting. Authors who want to submit work to more than one theme, please make each submission in a separate envelope. Anything that arrives without a specific destination ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE will be sent to the editor in charge of selection for The Main Street Rag--our quarterly literary journal--and not considered for anthology publication at all.

For those who may have skipped over the General Guidelines on the Submissions Page where it says "NO EMAILED SUBMISSIONS," that guideline applies to the short fiction anthology as well unless you LIVE overseas (Canada is not overseas, by the way) or are a subscriber to The Main Street Rag. Even so, those who want to submit this way need to QUERY FIRST so we can instruct them on how the manuscript should be sent and where. Unsolicited manuscripts that arrive as attachments are sent to the trash can unread.

Authors may submit as many as 2 stories at a time per theme; maximum length: 10,000 words (each). Please wait until we report on that submission before sending additional stories for consideration.

Please double-space on 8.5 X 11 paper using 11 or 12pt serif font (Times, Times New Roman, etc.). We can report by email to save return postage, but if you want your manuscript returned, be sure to include an SASE that is large enough to fit the manuscript and be sure it has the proper amount of postage. Report Time: We will try to report in 2 months or less, but prose does take longer to read than poetry and the Associate Editors who select manuscripts for our anthologies do so around teaching duties. We appreciate your patience.

Also of note:
Because our literary magazine does not consider previously published or simultaneous submissions, the most frequently asked question for anthology submission has been: Are previously published stories eligible for the anthologies?

The answer is a not-so enthusiastic, "Yes." Yes, but with conditions mostly centered around who owns the rights, where it has been previously published and when. We'd rather not publish a story that already appears or is scheduled to appear in a journal, collection or other anthology that will be available for sale at the same time as our anthology and anything that has been published online is not eligible. We know that sounds unfair, but what is really unfair is trying to compete with FREE when we are publishing a product that actually costs money to produce. If you think you have a previously published story that fits one of the themes for which we are reading, please email a query first to:
editor(at)mainstreetrag.com (replace (at) with @). Include where it was previously published and when and we'll let you know if it is something we will consider.

No simultaneous submissions for our anthologies. We are usually pretty good at our turn around and we read on a particular theme for as long as a year, so if you have a story submitted elsewhere that you think will fit our theme, either wait for the other publisher to respond or withdraw it from wherever else it has been submitted before sending it here.
Thank you.

Current Themes:
* * * NEW THEMES (posted 12/11/09) * * *

The following are two new themes we will be reading for 2010. The official open date is May 1, 2010, since both editors teach and we would like for them to have the summer months to do the bulk of the reading. Early arrivals will still be considered, but we will hold onto them longer since our readers are not available until May 1.

Altered States. We're looking for science fiction/fantasy stories that concern changes in the physical, psychological, geographical, planetary, political, dimensional states of being.

The Book of Villains. Give us your evil, your plotting, your cruel. Give us your vengeful, your jealous, your cold. Give us your villains! Not anti-heroes or flawed characters or the morally questionable--leave no question about it: we want to populate a book with the truly malicious. Whether you create an original villain, use one of the timeless archetypes, or offer a new tale about an already famous or iconic villain, we want you to send us works of short fiction in which you shamelessly indulge in all things villainous.

Sports. “Sports,” Haywood Hale Broun remarked, “do not build character. They reveal it.” Thus have we witnessed the transcendent courage of Lou Gehrig, the impeccable dignity of John Wooden, and parents brawling in the mud while their astonished eight-year-old kids stand in their soccor gear and watch. We are looking for fiction that takes the idea of sports and competition past the mundane barroom—water cooler clichés into the epiphanies of the human heart or aberrations of the human mind. Make it about sport (you decide whether “curling” is a viable option), but craft it towards what competition reveals.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Emerging Writer Fellowships: The Writer's Center

Spring 2011 Emerging Writer Fellowships: Call For Submissions

The Writer's Center, metropolitan Washington, DC's community gathering place for writers and readers, is currently accepting submissions for several competitive Emerging Writer Fellowships for Spring 2011. We welcome submissions from writers of all genres, backgrounds, and experiences in the following genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Emerging Writer Fellows will be featured at The Writer's Center as part of Story/Stereo, our Emerging Writers Reading Series and live music fusion events. The readings, held on Friday evenings, bring together writers and some of the area's best local musicians. In its first year, 700 people attended Story/Stereo's events. The Writer's Center will sell titles by the Emerging Writers prior to and during their event. You can learn more about Story/Stereo here.

Selected Fellows may be invited to lead a special Saturday workshop at The Writer's Center, with compensation commensurate with standard Writer's Center provisions. For more information on leading workshops with us, please consult our Web site under "About Us," then "Teach for Us."

Fellows receive an all-inclusive honorarium to help offset their travel costs, depending on their place of departure. Writers within a 250 mile radius of the Center will receive $250; all others will receive $500.

Fellows for Spring 2009 included poets William Archila (The Art of Exile), Nicole Cooley (The Afflicted Girls), and Kathleen Flenniken (Famous); fiction writers Anthony Varallo (Out Loud), Marianne Villanueva (Mayor of the Roses), and Josh Weil (The New Valley); and nonfiction writers Steve Fellner (All Screwed Up) and Dawn Potter (Tracing Paradise: Two Years in Harmony with John Milton).

Emerging Writer Fellows will:

· have 1 or 2 full-length single-author books published in a single genre, and no more than 3 books published to their credit (including as editors of anthologies) in any genre. Chapbooks and pamphlets will not be calculated into an author's total publication record and cannot be substituted for a full-length single-author book. Self-published titles or vanity press titles are not admissible and will not be considered.

· be judged in the category in which their submitted creative selection falls. In cases of cross-genre work or multiple-genre work, our staff will determine the genre of consideration.

· have published books "in hand" or be in the uncorrected proof stage of publication at the time of their submission.

To be considered, please email as 1 continuous email document:

· a one-page letter of interest that includes the name of your creative selection and a short bio

· a resume or CV that details publication history and familiarity facilitating group discussions or workshops

· a blind creative selection from your most recent published book-length work in a Word document or RTF format. NO INFORMATION that could reveal the author's identity should be contained within the creative selection. In cases of memoir, we ask that authors strike all instances of his or her name when it appears either through the use of a pseudonym or through the appearance of "XXXX" in the text.

o Poetry: up to 10 pages of poems (1 poem per page)

o Fiction & Nonfiction: up to 16 pages of text double-spaced with 1-inch margins

o Your creative selection does not need to be one excerpt, but can be comprised of multiple sections or excerpts up to but not exceeding the total page limit.

The submissions should be sent to Zachary Fernebok, administrative assistant, at:
zachary.fernebok(at)writer.org (Replace (at) with @ )

Submissions will be received, numbered, and processed by a staff member unrelated to the decision making process in any way. A committee comprised of The Writer's Center board members, staff, and members will evaluate submissions on behalf of our community of writers.

The deadline to submit is September 30, 2010.

Applicants are welcome to contact Charles Jensen, Director, with questions or for more information at 301-654-8664, or by email at charles.jensen(at)writer.org
(replace (at) with @)

The Writer's Center, established in 1976, is one of the nation's oldest and largest literary centers, dedicated to cultivating the creation, publication, presentation, and dissemination of literary work. We provide over 60 free public events and more than 200 writing workshops each year, sell one of the largest selections of literary magazines in our on-site bookstore, and publish Poet Lore, America's oldest continually published poetry journal. For more information, please visit our website.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Poet-in-Residence: 2012 Sandburg-Auden-Stein Residency

2012 Sandburg-Auden-Stein Residency

Intensive Learning Term poet-in-residence program, from 30 April to 18 May 2012.

From the early 1930s to the mid 1940s, Olivet College hosted some of the best- known writers of the time: Sinclair Lewis, Sherwood Anderson, Katherine Ann Porter, Carl Sandburg, Ford Madox Ford, W.H. Auden, and Gertrude Stein. In that tradition, Olivet has established an annual residency program for poets who are establishing a name for themselves in this new millennium. Previous Sandburg- Auden-Stein poets-in-residence are John Rybicki (2007), Carol V. Davis (2008) and Rhoda Janzen (2010).

During the 2012 Intensive Learning Term, the Olivet College Humanities Department will offer its sixth poet-in-residence position. The Sandburg-Auden-Stein poet will live on or near campus and teach ENG 247: Poetry Writing. The Sandburg- Auden-Stein poet will also host two public events: a public reading of his or her work and a stand-alone talk/discussion on a subject of his or her choice (publishing poetry, beat poets, def poetry, etc.).

An award of $3,100 (plus room and board) will be given to the 2012 poet. The Humanities Department faculty will evaluate the submissions and choose the winner. Poets who have published at least one book of poetry are eligible.  

Submissions are due on Sept. 10, 2010, and should include the following:
five poems from your most recent book, a single page personal statement regarding your poetics and teaching, a current résumé and two references. There is no entry fee.

Please contact Kirk Hendershott-Kraetzer, Ph.D., Humanities Department chair, with your questions at (269) 749-7621 or email: kraetzer(at)olivetcollege.edu (Replace (at) with @ )

Electronic applications are strongly encouraged: .rtf, .doc, .docx formats accepted, .pdf preferred.

Send submissions to: khendershott-kraetzer(at)olivetcollege.edu (Replace (at) with @ ) with "Residency
application" indicated in the subject line.

Application materials also may be sent by regular mail to:

Sandburg-Auden-Stein Residency
Office of the Dean
Olivet College
320 S. Main St.
Olivet, MI 49076

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Poetry Competition: Alehouse Press

The 2010 Happy Hour •Poetry Awards

$1000 • Best Poem
$100 • Four Runners Up

Postmark Deadline: July 1st, 2010

Contest Rules:

•Contest open to all poets across the country and around the world.  Maximum length: 40 lines per poem. Any topic. Any form.

•All entries considered for publication in the 2011 issue of Alehouse.
•All entries must be typed and include an SASE for notification.
•All manuscripts will be recycled. Please do not send your only copies.

•All entries must be original and not yet nor soon-to-be published. Simultaneous submissions accepted: We report six weeks after deadline. Please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Omit poet's name and all personal information from the poems. Include name, address, telephone, email, and poem titles in cover letter.

Please postmark entries by July 1st, 2010. (No FedEx or UPS.)

Entry fee is $15 per batch of 3 poems, payable to Alehouse Press. All US entrants receive a subscription copy of Alehouse 2011. Mail poems, entry fee(s), and additional information requests to:

Alehouse Press
The Happy Hour Poetry Awards
PO Box 31655
San Francisco, CA 94131

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Workshop: Travel Writing and Photography

Travel Writing & Photography workshop: June 12, 2010, 10a.m.-2 p.m. Learn how to profit from your trips by writing for newspapers, magazines and websites. Six pros whose work has appeared in national publications will speak at the Community Presbyterian Church, 800 W. Main St., Payson, AZ.
 
The $35 fee includes lunch
 
Reservations due June 11. Sponsored by Arizona Press Women, call 928-468-9269. For full details and to register, go here.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Calls for Poetry Submissions: Beltway Poetry Quarterly

Beltway Poetry Quarterly seeks Mid-Atlantic Poets for Special Issue honoring Langston Hughes

Beltway Poetry Quarterly seeks poems for a special themed issue celebrating the legacy of Langston Hughes, co-edited by Katy Richey and Kim Roberts. We seek contemporary poems written about Hughes's life, in the style of Hughes, or on themes Hughes explored in his writing. We will be reading ONLY during the month of June.

To be eligible, authors must live or work in DC, MD, VA, WV, or DE. Poems may be previously published, but only if copyright has reverted to the author and the poem does not appear elsewhere on the web. Please read the guidelines carefully to ensure that your submission is not disqualified:

• Poems must be received between June 1 and June 30
• Only online submissions accepted; send to:
beltwaypoetryquarterly(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @)

• Up to 5 poems, any length, can be sent
• Poems must be sent in the body of your email; no attachments will be opened
• Poets must include full contact information (snail address, phones, e-address) and a one-paragraph bio

All poets will be notified by the end of July. The Langston Hughes Tribute issue will be Volume 12:1, published January 1, 2011. The issue will be published in conjunction with Hughes's 109th birthday, and the 87th anniversary of his move to Washington, DC.

Beltway Poetry Quarterly

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Call for Submissions: Main Street Magazine

Main Street Magazine
We believe that everyone deserves their moment to shine--talent should not be valued--nor judged by the agency you have, the publishers name or record deal- if you have an interesting story- if you have accomplished something great that you want to share with the world- if you are an independent artist- from music to books, poetry to chef, then MSM is where you want to be!

For An Interview

If you, or someone you know would like to be interviewed for an upcoming issue of Main Street Magazine (MSM), please send your media kit to editor [@ ] mainstreetmagazine dot net
The media kit should include:
Your contact information
The subject matter
Photos if apply
Bio
Current Press releases if you have any
What feature it fits. Example: Chef of Merit, Main Street Music Scene, A Novel Idea, Sweet Nothings etc.


Submission for Review:

Main Street Magazine (MSM) would be more than happy to review your book, either eBook, hard copy or pdf copy/ a music wave file or cd. We strive to remain fair and honest. Not everyone gets a rave review, but we always look for the best in everything.


Please observe these few guide lines when submitting items for review:
If submitting via email, submit as an attachment NOT in the body of the email.
Main Street Magazine (MSM) is not responsible for lost or damaged items sent either by email or via regular postal services.
A submission does not guarantee you a review.
No submission will be accepted if complete contact information was not added.

MUSIC REVIEWS: Main Street Music Scene
Email: music {@} mainstreetmagazine.net

Mailing Address:
Main Street Magazine
Attention: Main Street Music Scene
222-2186 Mountain Grove
Burlington, ON L7P 4X4
Canada

BOOK REVIEWS: A Novel Idea
Email: books {@} mainstreetmagazine.net

Mailing Address:
Main Street Magazine
Attention: A Novel Idea
222-2186 Mountain Grove
Burlington, ON L7P 4X4
Canada

If you would like to send us a photo for any of the following articles (contests}
Pet Place
Monthly Photo Contest
Creative Cuties
Email your photo with the title of the article in the subject line to editor@mainstreetmagazine.net

Short Fiction Competition: Flesh & Bone: Rise of the Necromancers

Flesh & Bone: Rise of the Necromancers
Short Story Contest
Winning stories selected by Alva J. Roberts
Edited by Jessy Marie Roberts
Email entries (via docx, doc or rtf attachment)
to: necromancers(at)pillhillpress.com (replace (at) with @)

Please put SUBMISSION, followed by the title of the story, in the subject line of your email. Thanks!

Winning stories will be published in a print anthology. Winners will receive:

1st Place - $125.00 + 1 contributor's copy of the book
2nd Place - $50.00 + 1 contributor's copy of the book
3rd Place - $25.00 + 1 contributor's copy of the book
Runners-up - 1 contributor's copy of the book

Send us your darkest, fiercest, most magical DARK FANTASY short story about necromancers and the undead rising...Stories can take place any time (past, present, future, alternate) at any place (Earth, Imaginary Places, Your Grandma's Kitchen Sink, etc.). Stories can be told from the perspective of good or evil or anywhere in between.

Send your best effort. Only one short story per person will be considered for this contest. Final selections will be made after the deadline. Winners will be notified by email.

We prefer stories in the 3,000-6,000 word range, though we will accept stories 2,000-10,000 words. Please do not enter stories under 2,000 words or over 10,000 words.

Contest entries will be accepted until 31 July 2010.
Tentative Release Date: Fall 2010

Residency: Frost Place

Applications Requested for 2011 Resident Poet - Frost Place, Franconia, NH 
 
The Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire, invites applications for 
a six-to-eight-week residency in poet Robert Frost's former farmhouse, 
which sits on a quiet north-country lane with a spectacular view of 
the White Mountains, and which serves as a museum and conference center.  
The residency begins July 1st and ends August 31st, 
and includes an award of $1,000. 
 
The Resident Poet will have an opportunity to give a series of public 
readings across the region, including at Dartmouth College, for 
which the Resident Poet will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and at 
the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum. There are no other 
specific obligations. 
 
Accommodations are spartan but comfortable. The Frost Place Museum 
is open to the public during afternoon hours, but the resident poet 
will have sole use of non-public rooms of the house. 
 
To be eligible, applicants will have published at least one book of poems.
Applications will be judged by members of The Frost Place Board of Trustees. 
Please visit the website for application guidelines. 
 

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Short Short Stories Competition: Creative Writing Now

Short Short Stories Competition: Write and Publish Very Short Stories

Want to publish your short short stories? Enter our very short stories competition. Your story may be published or win a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate.


Can you write a story in less than 300 words?
Writing very short stories has special challenges. You have only a few words to introduce your characters and situation and make something happen. Pulling off this form can be like performing a magic trick of the kind where a tiny box seems to contain much more than could possibly fit inside.


Tips on writing short short stories
These are not rules -- only some suggestions that might help you.
1) Start late in the story. Let's say you're writing a 300-word horror story about a guy who dies in an alligator attack during his honeymoon. There's probably not time to show the wedding ceremony, the reception, the plane ride to Florida with his new wife snuggling sleepily against his shoulder... Instead, you might want to open with the man walking hand-in-hand into the swamp with his new wife, an avid bird-watcher, who is hoping for snapshots of a rare Florida egret. Considering starting just before the story climax, the most exciting point in the story (the alligator attack, in this case), so that you'll have time to do it justice.
2) Stay focused. In 300 words, there is no space for anything that isn't essential to the story you're telling. If our alligator attack story were a novel instead, you might take some time out to tell the reader some interesting history of Everglades National Park, to give some background about the birds the soon-to-be-widow is trying to capture with her camera -- or about the species of alligator that's trying to capture her unfortunate husband on its teeth. When you're writing very short stories, you can't afford scenic detours -- you have to stick to the path (as our unfortunate hero should have done).
3) Choose the right details. If you want to create the effect of a detailed picture but don't have room for a lot of details, the trick is to choose the right ones. Choose details that suggest the rest. The fact that our doomed hero's hotel room has a king-sized bed, two dressers, a desk, and a desk chair doesn't paint a mental picture of any specific place. A burnt-out fluorescent ceiling light does -- this is not the Ritz. An ugly hotel hotel room and an alligator attack -- our poor hero!

Join the competition

How to participate:
  1. Use the link to our form to submit a very short story of under 300 words.
  2. There is no cost for entering.
  3. You may enter as many times as you like.
  4. Entries should be your original work and should not have been previously published online or offline.
  5. All entries (not only the competition winner) may be published on the website.
  6. The competition will close on June 20th, and the winner will be announced on the competition page by July 5th.
  7. The first prize is a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate. (When you submit your entry, you will be asked about e-mail notification preferences. Be sure to select "Yes" to notification and enter a valid e-mail address so that we can send you your prize if you win.)

Call for Submissions: Marie Alexander Poetry Series

The Marie Alexander Poetry Series has an open submission period during the month of July. An award of $500 and publication will be given for a chosen collection of prose poems by an American poet. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages, which can include some lineated pieces, along with a cover letter with complete contact information and an SASE for notification only. 

Postmark must be between July 1 and 31. Entries should also include a simultaneous electronic submission of the manuscript (MS Word or PDF format) sent to editor (at) mariealexanderseries.com. (Replace (at) with @)

There is no entry fee. For more information, visit our site.


Marie Alexander Poetry Series
Attention: Nickole Brown, Editor
P.O. Box 5686
Louisville, KY 40255-0686