Post-publication Book Award for First Short Story Collection: Drake University Emerging Writing Award

Post-publication award for a first book of short stories

 

The Drake University Writers & Critics Series is accepting submissions for its eighth annual Drake University Emerging Writer Award. The faculty and students of Drake University’s English Department select one outstanding first book from among the entries, and the author receives an honorarium of $1000 plus travel and lodging expenses to read at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

 

This year, the award is open to single-author first books of short stories (collections) only. Authors must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must agree to attend and participate in the reading at Drake University in November 2017 to receive the award. The following are ineligible for the awards: 1) authors who have published more than one book of short stories through independent, university, or commercial publishers; 2) entries from vanity presses and self-published books; 3) current students and employees of Drake University. 

 

Entries must have a copyright date of 2014 or later, and may be submitted by the author or the publisher.

 

Submissions must include a copy of the published book; a cover letter that includes a brief biography, contact information (phone and email) for the author, and a statement affirming that this is the author’s first book-length publication of a collection of short stories.

 

Entries must be postmarked by November 1, 2016. Materials postmarked after November 1, 2016 will not be considered. Entries will not be returned and will become the property of the Drake University English Department. ARCs are acceptable only if the book will be published before December 31, 2016, and a finished copy should be sent when it is available.

 

The winner will be notified by May 1, 2017. All entrants will be notified of the results by June 1, 2017.

 

Send all materials to:

 

Drake University Emerging Writer Award
c/o Brian Spears, Writers and Critics Series
English Department, Howard Hall
Drake University
2507 University Ave
Des Moines, IA 50311

 

For questions about the award or the series, please e-mail:

 

brian.spearsATdrakeDOTedu (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )