2011 Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes

Overview and Current Guidelines

2011 Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes
The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference of Middlebury College sponsors the Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes, an annual book series competition for new authors of literary works in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The Bakeless Prizes, named for Middlebury College supporter Katharine Bakeless Nason, were established in order to support emerging writers. Winners of the Bakeless Prizes will have their book-length manuscripts published by Graywolf Press. In addition to the publication prize each winner will be awarded a fellowship to attend the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. Initial screening of manuscripts is done by qualified published writers selected by the director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in consultation with the judge and by the editors of Graywolf Press.  The final decision, however, rests solely with the judge.  Additionally, the judge reserves the right not to choose a winner in a given year if he or she feels there is not a manuscript ready for publication.
Judges for the year 2011 Prizes
Stacey D'Erasmo, fiction; Lynn Freed, creative nonfiction; Carl Phillips, poetry.

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Rules of Eligibility

The Bakeless Prizes require that poetry manuscripts contain at least 50 pages of text; fiction, which includes novels and short-fiction collections, 150-450; creative nonfiction, 150-300.
The competition welcomes manuscripts from all authors, including non-US citizens, writing in English who have not yet published a book in their entry's genre. Scholarly, critical, and historical works will not be considered in the creative nonfiction category, as well as self-help books or cookbooks. Neither juvenile nor young adult fiction, nor purely genre fiction (such as romance, crime or science fiction) will be considered in the fiction or poetry categories.  Manuscripts may contain stories, poems, chapters, and essays that have already been published individually in magazines, anthologies, and periodicals, but the manuscript itself cannot have been published previously as a whole, commercially or privately. Multiple submissions of manuscripts are allowed but contestants are asked to notify the contest coordinator immediately if a manuscript has been accepted for publication elsewhere.

Winners' Obligations and Compensation

Accepting the award requires publication of the winning manuscripts by Graywolf Press.  Authors will work with Graywolf Press editors to develop the manuscripts to ensure that they are of the highest, publishable quality.  Whenever the Publisher finds a legal read to be advisable, the publication of the manuscript will be pending on the legal read.  Authors will be offered Graywolf's standard contract for Bakeless Books which includes a non-negotiable first option on the author's next work, with matching privileges if the author seeks an advance from another publisher.

Guidelines for Manuscripts

Please observe the following standards when submitting manuscripts:

Typed and double-spaced pages on letter-size (8 1/2 x 11) paper

Please do not bind manuscripts; a rubber band or binder clip is preferred

Poetry manuscripts may be single-spaced

Good-quality photocopied or letter-quality printed manuscripts are acceptable.

Include 2 cover pages: one containing the author's name, address, Phone number, manuscript title, and genre, the other containing only title and genre.

The author's name must not appear on any page of the manuscript, except for memoir.

Do not include an author's note or biographical information.

Do not include a publication acknowledgments page.

Revisions and additions will not be accepted once manuscripts have been received. The above guidelines will help to insure efficient handling of the manuscripts as well as the process of judging them anonymously. In the case of a manuscript not conforming with the above guidelines, the manuscript becomes ineligible for consideration and the entry fee will be returned.

Requirements for Submission

Send one copy of each submission.

Include: a $10 processing fee for each submission, payable to Middlebury College;

a self-addressed postage-paid postcard for confirmation of manuscript receipt;

An SASE for receiving announcement of the judges' decisions (optional).

Manuscripts, even if accompanied by an SASE, cannot be returned.

Dates for Submission and Notification

Manuscript submissions accepted September 15 to November 1, 2010.
Manuscripts received with postmarks after November 1 cannot be considered.
Winners announced in May, 2011.

Please send manuscripts to

Ms. Jennifer Bates, contest coordinator
The Bakeless Contest
c/o Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
Middlebury College
Middlebury VT 05753
E-mail: bakelessprize(at)middlebury.edu (Replace (at) with @ )
Phone: 802 443-2018

Residency: 2011 Baltic Writers Residency

Applications for the 2011 Baltic Writers Residency, a funded month-long annual summer residency in Riga, Latvia for poets, playwrights, and writers of fiction working in English are now invited. Though, neither the writer nor their project need be connected with Latvia.

Both emerging and established writers are encouraged to apply. Recent finalists and winners range from those who have yet to conceive of their first manuscripts, to writers who have extensive publication records, and have been finalists for the National Book Award and numbered in the New Yorker’s “20 Under 40”.

Emma Jones, author of one volume of verse, The Striped World (Faber & Faber, 2009), winner of the Forward Poetry Prize, is this year’s resident, and we strongly encourage other young and emerging writers to apply. Previous winners include Salvatore Scibona and Amity Gaige.

The deadline is December 15th, and we are accepting applications now. Details about the residency, about Riga, and about the application process can be found on the website.

The Baltic Writing Residency in Latvia
PO Box 17184
Louisville, KY 40217

balticresidency(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @)

Call for Submissions: Umbrella

Call for Submissions: Umbrella: A Journal of Poetry and Kindred Prose.

Umbrella, the "supremely re-readable electronic journal," is now accepting non-themed submissions for our fall-winter issue, online Nov 1, 2010.

Please see the submit page for complete guidelines and specific needs and preferences.

On an ongoing basis we also read poems written in repeating forms for our sister publication, Tilt-a-Whirl. Guidelines at the bottom of the Umbrella submit page.

Deadline: October 15, 2010

Call for Submissions: CALYX

CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women will open for submissions of poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction on October 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010.

Please send up to six poems or 2,500 words of prose, SASE, and a short bio to:

CALYX Journal
PO Box B
Corvallis, OR 97339

For 34 years CALYX Journal has been a creative forum for women’s diverse voices showcasing work from new and emerging writers and artists.
Visit our website for full guidelines.

Writing Competition: Alligator Juniper

Call for submissions: Alligator Juniper’s National Writing Contest in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, & Poetry

$1,000 First-Place Prize * Postmark Deadline: October 1, 2010

Alligator Juniper, which has won AWP’s prestigious National Program Directors’ Prize for Undergraduate Literary Magazines in Content three times (2001, 2004, and 2009), is accepting submissions for its national writing contests in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.

Our annual contest awards $1,000 plus publication for the first-place winner in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Finalists in each genre will be recognized as such, published, and paid in copies.

Cost of entry: $15, checks or money orders payable to Alligator Juniper. Every entrant receives one copy of the 2011 issue, a $10 value. The issue will come out in late spring 2011. There is no theme for this issue; work is selected upon artistic merit. By entering our contest you agree to allow us to select your work for publication even if it does not place first. We encourage submissions from writers of all levels, especially emerging or early-career writers. We accept simultaneous submissions; inform us in your cover letter and contact us immediately if your work is selected elsewhere.

Submission Guidelines
Submissions accepted May 1–October 1, 2010 (postmark deadline).
Include a brief cover letter, including the statement below.
Include S.A.S.E for response only; manuscripts are recycled, not returned.
Include a $15 entry fee payable to Alligator Juniper for each story or essay (30-page limit), or up to five poems.
Additional entries require additional fee.
Indicate category with a large F, NF, or P on cover letter and mailing envelope.
Manuscripts must be typed with numbered pages. Prose double-spaced.
Double-sided copies are encouraged. No email submissions.
Send to:

Alligator Juniper, Prescott College
220 Grove Ave.
Prescott, AZ 86301

IMPORTANT: Unfortunately, due to recent problems with misinformed entrants and withdrawals, we ask that you include the following statement in your signed cover letter: “My work may be considered for publication, even if it doesn’t win the contest. This signed statement constitutes permission for publication if it is selected.”

Back issues are available for all but 1995 (the premier issue), 2001, and 2007. Send $10 to above address and request a copy from any year, 1996–2000, 2002–2006, or 2008–2010.

Selection Process
All entries are read and discussed by Prescott College students in the Alligator Juniper practicum class. This class is overseen each fall by two faculty members, both of whom are published writers, one a poet and one a prose writer. All entrants receive a personal letter from one of our staff regarding the status of their submission. We usually inform mid to late December. The individual attention we devote to each manuscript takes time. We appreciate your patience.

Questions? E-mail aj(at)prescott.edu (replace (at) with @) or visit our website.

Call for Submissions: Palooka

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!

Palooka is a print journal seeking works of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.

We're determined to find those writers and artists who are flying under the radar, producing great works that are going unnoticed by other publications. This is a journal for everyone, but we're really into publishing the up-and-comer, the underdog in the literary battle royale. Give us your best shot. We dare you.

For complete submission guidelines, please visit our website.

Writing Competition: Prism International

Prism International is pleased to announce that we are ready to receive entries for our 2011 literary contests!

Entry fees for all contests are $28, and additional entries can be added for $7 each. Every participant receives a one-year subscription to Prism International.

The Non-Fiction Contest is first up, with a deadline of November 30th, 2010. The grand prize is $1500, and this contest is being judged by Brian Brett, a poet, novelist and non-fiction writer whose latest book, for Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life, won the Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize in 2009.

The Short Fiction Contest has a deadline of January 29, 2011. The best, unpublished story will receive $2000, as well as publication payment for our fiction contest issue. Three runner-up prizes of $200 dollars are also conferred. Works of translation are eligible. This year's judge will be announced shortly. Hold on to your bifocals and lean on in.

The Poetry Contest also has a January 29, 2011 deadline. Each entry can be up to three poems. This year's poetry judge is Vancouver poet laureate, Brad Cran. He is a contributing editor at Geist magazine, and you can read some of his work on their site.

Contest entries must be sent to Prism through snail mail, accompanied by an entry form and cheque or receipt of credit card payment. For entry forms and the option to pay fees by credit card, please visit Prism's contest page.

Entries can be sent to:

Prism International
Creative Writing Program
The University of British Columbia
BUCH E462-1866 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
V6T 1Z1
CANADA