Writing Competition: Dogwood: A Journal of Poetry and Prose

Dogwood contest opens Aug 1: $1000 grand prize

Entry link.

Dogwood: A Journal of Poetry and Prose is open for 2014 contest and non-contest submissions as of August 1. A prize of $1000 goes to one winning entry, and you have until October 15 to send us your brilliance.

Dogwood welcomes entries in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for its annual contest with a $1000 grand prize for one winning entry. The grand prize winner will be chosen from winners in nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Winners in the other two genres will receive prizes of $250. 

Entry fee is $15; all submissions considered for publication in the lucky 13th annual edition of this print and e-pub journal. Non-contest entries will also be considered; please submit under the "Non-Contest" tab with the $3 processing fee. Results of the contest will be announced in Spring 2014 and published in the 2014 issue of Dogwood. All entrants receive an electronic PDF of the journal.

Submissions accepted online between August 1 and October 15, 2013. Please use our online submission manager for your submissions.

2014 JUDGES
FICTION: Sandy Rodriguez Barron holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is the author of The Heiress of Water, which won first place for debut fiction at the 2007 International Latino Book Awards and was a Borders Original Voices selection. Her second novel, Stay with Me, was a finalist in the fiction category for the 2011 Connecticut Book Award. Sandra is the grateful recipient of support from The Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, The Greater Hartford Arts Council, the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism. She was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in El Salvador. She currently lives in Milford, Connecticut and teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Western Connecticut State University.

POETRY: Carmen Giménez Smith is the author of a memoir, Bring Down the Little Birds, four poetry collections— Milk and Filth, Goodbye, Flicker, The City She Was, and Odalisque in Pieces. She is the recipient of a 2011 American Book Award, the 2011 Juniper Prize for Poetry, and a 2011-2012 fellowship in creative nonfiction from the Howard Foundation. Formerly a Teaching-Writing Fellow at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she now teaches in the creative writing programs at New Mexico State University, while serving as the editor-in-chief of the literary journal Puerto del Sol and the publisher of Noemi Press.

NONFICTION: Heather Kirn Lanier is the author of Teaching in the Terrordome: Two Years in West Baltimore with Teach For America and The Story You Tell Yourself, winner of the Wick Poetry Open Chapbook Competition. Her work has appeared in dozens of places, including Salon, The Sun, and The Threepenny Review. She lives in Bennington, Vermont.

 Some important stuff:
·      Our contest is completely anonymous, so if you enter and your name is on the file, we have to bounce it. We understand that might be annoying, but those are our rules. So please double-check your file before pressing the “submit” button.
·      Current and former employees and students of Fairfield University are not eligible, as are current and former students of the editor.
·      We ask that you look at the names of the judges. If you have a strong relationship with one of the judges, we ask that you not submit work in that genre.
·      More on why we like the anonymous contest.
What did we pick for our winners and others to publish last year? You should read a copy to find out! If you’re planning to submit, you can get a copy of last year’s Dogwood as an electronic publication via LitRagger. We also have excerpts and past submissions on our site. You can also read a bit more vagueness about our editorial sense. If you submitted to last year’s contest, you should have received an email with an invitation to receive a free electronic copy of the issue. If you missed that, or if you change your mind and want to check it out now, please email the editor at dogwoodliterary (at) gmail.com and we’ll send you one.
Please sign up for our periodic newsletter for information about future contests and announcement of the winners!

DETAILED GUIDELINES
Fiction and Nonfiction Submission Guidelines:
Submit fiction or nonfiction up to 25 pages using this online submission manager.
Please title your submission with the title of your piece.
Please double space and use 12-point font.
Include a brief bio in the cover letter field on the submission manager, but no name should appear on the mss.
Simultaneous submissions allowed if Dogwood is notified of acceptance elsewhere.
Previously published work is not eligible.

Poetry Submission Guidelines:
Submit one, two, or three poems (max ten pages)
Please include all poems in one document.
Please double space and use 12-point font.
In the submission manager, please include the titles of all poems in your submission title (rather than "Three Poems").
Include a brief bio in the cover letter field on the submission manager, but no name should appear on the mss.
Simultaneous submissions allowed if Dogwood is notified of acceptance elsewhere.
Previously published work is not eligible.

Deadline: October 15, 2013

For All Submissions
Work not meeting the above guidelines will not be considered for publication. All contest entries meeting these requirements will be considered for publication in Spring 2014 Issue of Dogwood along with selected non-contest submissions. Contest entries will be given priority for publication.

Work can also be mailed to:

Dogwood, Dept. of English
1073 N. Benson Rd.
Fairfield, CT 06824

We ask that the submission itself be anonymous with a cover letter that mentions your name and the name of the piece for later identification.

For more information, please see our website or email:

shuberATfairfieldDOTedu (Change AT to @ and DOT to .)