Ronald Sukenick/American Book Review Innovative Fiction Prize

americanbookreview.org/contest.asp

The 2009 contest will be open from August 15 – November 1.

Eligibility

The Ronald Sukenick/American Book Review Innovative Fiction Contest is open to any writer of English who is a citizen of the United States and who has not previously published with Fiction Collective Two. Submissions may include a collection of short stories, one or more novellas, or a novel. There is no length requirement. Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included. Translations and previously self-published collections are not eligible. To avoid conflict of interest, former or current students or close friends of the final judge for 2009, to be announced, are ineligible to win the contest. Employees and Board members of FC2 are not eligible to enter.

Judges

Finalists for the Prize will be chosen by the following members of the FC2 Board of Directors: Kate Bernheimer, R.M. Berry, Noy Holland, Lance Olsen (Chair), Susan Steinberg, and Michael Martone.

The winning manuscript in 2009 was chosen from the finalists by Lidia Yuknavitch, a member of the FC2 Board of Directors.

Selection criteria will be consistent with FC2’s stated mission to publish “fiction considered by America’s largest publishers too challenging, innovative, or heterodox for the commercial milieu,” including works of “high quality and exceptional ambition whose style, subject matter, or form pushes the limits of American publishing and reshapes our literary culture.”

For contest updates and full information on FC2’s mission, history, aesthetic commitments, authors, events, and books, please visit the website at: fc2.org.

Deadlines

Contest entries will be accepted beginning 15 August 2009. All entries must be postmarked no later than 1 November 2009. The winner will be announced May 2010.

Prize

The Prize includes $1,000 and publication by FC2, an imprint of the University of Alabama Press. In the unlikely event that no suitable manuscript is found among entries in a given year, FC2 reserves the right not to award a prize.

Manuscript Format

Please submit either TWO hardcopies of the manuscript, or ONE hardcopy and one Word file of the manuscript on a labeled CD.

The manuscript must be:
— anonymous: the author’s name or address must not appear anywhere on the manuscript (the title page should contain the title only); include a separate cover page with your name and contact information;
— typed on standard white paper, one side of the page only; paginated consecutively; bound with a spring clip or rubber bands; no paper clips or staples, please.

Please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard for notification that manuscript has been received, and a self-addressed, stamped, regular business-sized envelope for contest results.

We strongly advise that you send your manuscript first class.

Please retain a copy of your manuscript; FC2 cannot return manuscripts. Submission of more than one manuscript is permissible if each manuscript is accompanied by a $25 reading fee. Once submitted, manuscripts cannot be altered; the winner will be given the opportunity to make changes before publication. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but FC2 must be notified immediately if manuscript is accepted elsewhere. FC2 will consider all finalists for publication.

Submission Address

Full manuscripts, accompanied by a check made out to the American Book Review for the mandatory reading fee of $25, should be sent to:

Ronald Sukenick/American Book Review Innovative Fiction Prize
American Book Review
School of Arts and Sciences
University of Houston-Victoria
3007 N. Ben Wilson
Victoria, TX 77901-5731

2009 SPC Poetry Contest

Entry fee: $3 per poem

Prizes: First, second and third prizes will be awarded — $100, $50, $25. 10 honorable mentions will receive $10 gift certificates.

Poem Requirements: Please send two copies of each poem, one with your name and contact info, another without any identifying information on it. No restrictions on length, subject or style.

Judges: to be announced

Deadline: July 15th, 2009

Send poems to:
Sacramento Poetry Center Poetry Contest
The Sacramento Poetry Center
1719 25th Street
Sacramento, CA 95816

Narrative Magazine Poetry Contest

Deadline: July 15, 2009

Entry Fee:$15

Web site: www.narrativemagazine.com

A prize of $1,500 and publication in Narrative Magazine will be given annually for a poem or group of poems. All entries will be considered for publication. The poetry editors will judge. Submit up to five poems with a $15 entry fee by July 15. Visit the Web site for complete guidelines.

Narrative Magazine, Poetry Contest, P.O. Box 29272, San Francisco, CA 94129.
Tom Jenks, Editor.

Bright Lights Big Verse Contest

Four Winners will receive $750 each, plus a trip to New York City to read their winning poems at an event in Times Square on September 17th, 2009.

Submission period: June 15 – July 15, 2009

The Poetry Society of America and the Times Square Alliance

Help celebrate Times Square, and the qualities that Times Square represents—diversity, desire, dynamism and the marriage of commerce and culture—through poetry.

For rules and entry information, visit
poetrysociety.org/bright/rules.php

About the PSA: The Poetry Society of America was founded in 1910 for the purpose of creating a public forum for the advancement, enjoyment, dissemination, and understanding of poetry. PSA programs foster our mission “to place poetry at the crossroads of American life” by raising public awareness of poetry, deepening the understanding of it, and encouraging more people to become readers and writers of poetry. The PSA continues to bring diverse poetry programming that is accessible, engaging, vital in concept and broad in scope to myriad audiences.

About the TSA: The Times Square Alliance, founded in 1992, works to improve and promote Times Square—cultivating the creativity, energy and edge that have made the area an icon of entertainment, culture and urban life for over a century. In addition to providing core neighborhood services with its Public Safety Officers and Sanitation Associates, the Alliance promotes local businesses; encourages economic development and public improvements; co-coordinates numerous major events in Times Square (including the annual New Year’s Eve and Broadway on Broadway celebrations); manages the Times Square Information Center; and advocates on behalf of its constituents with respect to a host of public policy, planning and quality-of-life issues.

GRANDMOTHER EARTH XVI NATIONAL WRITING AWARDS

DEADLINE: JULY 15, 2009 (POSTMARK)

GRANDMOTHER EARTH XVI NATIONAL WRITING AWARDS
PO Box 2018, Cordova, TN 38088

PHONE: 901-309-3692; E-mail: gmoearth@aol.com

www.grandmotherearth.org

Work can be unpublished or published. Money award entries (and selected finalists if permission is given) will be published in Grandmother Earth XIV. Rights to previously published work must belong to the author. No profanity or new age material will be accepted.

Poetry Awards

Any subject, any form, 50-line limit

$100 First Prize
$75 Second Prize
$50 Third Prize
$25 Fifth Prize

Prose Awards

Any subject, fiction or non-fiction, 2000-word limit

$100 First Prize
$75 Second Prize
$35 Third Prize

Additional Awards: $50, 1st Place; $35, second place; $25, third place
1. Best Haiku, Senryu, or up to 6 lines short form
2. Best use of Humor, Poetry or Prose
3. Environmental theme, Poetry or Prose

RULES:

1. To enter general awards, submit one typed copy (standard font) of each poem (single space) or prose piece (double space) with no identification.
2. Send one copy with name and address in upper right corner. Both poetry and prose should be single spaced on this identified copy. Staple and number multiple pages.
3. Enclose an entry page with your name, address, phone number, email address, if applicable, and title of all entries and amount of fees enclosed. Include 25-30 words of biographical data. Indicate whether any or all entries are to be considered for publication if a non-money winner. All rights are returned to the author after publication. Send SASE for return of art or photo or for winners’ list.
4. In upper left corner of an extra copy indicate if your work is to be considered for a specific additional award—if entering same work for both general and additional awards there is no extra fee.
5. Place all entries with no identification in one stack and all with names in another stack. Staple multiple pages of prose and poetry and put the page number in the upper right hand corner of each copy.
6. Fees are $10 for 1-3 entries and $2 for each additional entry. (Make checks payable to Grandmother Earth and mail by July 15.) All entrants will receive one copy of Grandmother Earth .XVI–Retail: $9.95. All whose work is published will receive one extra copy. See Student Rules on website for new guidelines. Work previously published in any Grandmother Earth publication is not eligible for awards. There is no fee for art or photography and payment is a contributor’s copy. See our website for Christian Writers’ Conference and Poetry Society of TN’s Festival Contests (June) Notify us of any change in address after mailing entries.
7. Mail entries postmarked by July 15, 2008 to GEC NATIONAL CONTEST, PO Box 2018, Cordova, TN 38088.

Nirala Press CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for Chicago Anthology

Nirala Press (New Delhi/Kathmandu) has announced the forthcoming publication of Chicagoland Poets, the latest poetry anthology in a distinguished series that includes the poets of London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

The 300-page anthology, edited by Illinois poets Robin Metz and Nina Corwin, will be launched in Chicago, New York, London, New Delhi, and Kathmandu for worldwide distribution. The series editor is Yuyutsu R.D. Sharma.

Poets born or currently living in Chicago may submit up to five poems of any length on any subject (including, especially, poems about Chicago and environs or southeast Asia).

While unpublished poems are preferred, previously published poems are welcomed. A statement indicating that the poet retains reprint rights (as well as where the poem appeared) should accompany each submission of previously published poems.

A brief biographical statement (100 words) including the poet’s ties to Chicago area should also accompany the submission as well as complete contact info. Poets not born or currently living in Chicago may also submit up to five poems (as above, with accompanying rights/biographical statement(s)) on any subject related to Chicago.

Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2009 and should be emailed to: Nina at treehouse523@sbglobal.net in a SINGLE .doc or .rtf file or sent snail-mail addressed to: Chicagoland Poets c/o Nina Corwin 523 S Plymouth Ct. Chicago, IL 60605.

Please include SASE for reply only. MSS will not be returned. Poets included in the anthology will receive a complimentary copy.

Scripped Budget Crisis Script Contest

Scripped Inc. is hosting its first annual “Write for a Cause” competition, and we want you to submit your short script! Write a 5-10 page script about the global financial crisis and the political complexities surrounding it. Be funny, be clever, and be relevant to the problems we face today. The winning script will be easy to produce, accessible to a broad audience, and say something original about the global recession. Financial crises can be comedic, dramatic, horrific, or even romantic. Make this topic yours!

Prize: $500 for exclusive rights to your script, an email to our 20,000 users, a message to our 2,000+ Twitter followers, and an email to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government with your script attached from our co-founder (and HKS alum) Ryan Buckley publicizing your work to HKS alums and current students

Deadline: August 1, 2009

More Info: scripped.com/submissions/contests?affiliate=WritingContestsBlog

Subito Press Call for Submissions

Subito Press of the University of Colorado invites submissions to its annual book competition. We will publish two books of innovative writing, one each of fiction and poetry.
www.subitopress.org/guidelines.html

Submissions will be accepted from June 1 to August 15, 2009 (postmark date).

Submit manuscripts of up to 70 pages of poetry or up to 100 pages of (double spaced) fiction along with a $20 reading fee and an SASE for notification of results. Manuscripts should include two cover sheets: one with title only, the other with title, author’s name, address, e-mail, and phone number. All submissions will be judged anonymously by the creative writing faculty at the University of Colorado; friends, relatives, and former students of University of Colorado creative writing faculty are not eligible. Simultaneous submissions are ok; please notify Subito immediately if your ms. is accepted elsewhere. Winners will give a reading at the University of Colorado in the Spring of 2010. Notification of winners will occur by January of 2010.

Send mss. to:
Subito Press
Department of English
226 UCB
Boulder, Colorado 80309-0226

Calyx Poetry Prize (Oregon Women Only) & Call for Submissions

CALYX is hosting a poetry prize for Oregon women poets. The submission period is September 1-31, 2009. Applicants should send a complete unpublished book manuscript (75-125 pages) with biographical data and a $25 entry fee (payable in check or money order) to CALYX Poetry Book Prize, PO Box B, Corvallis, OR 97339. Manuscripts will be read blind—do not put your name and address on any pages, only on a separate cover letter. Final judge for the poetry book contest will be announced in July 2009. CALYX editors will read and select up to 10-15 finalists to send to the final judge who will select the prize winning manuscript. It is possible the judge could decide not to select a winner. The winning manuscript will be announced in February 2010. The winner will receive a CALYX Books contract for publication of the manuscript in Fall 2010 and a $500 award.

Additionally, we are also open for poetry and prose submissions from women writers around the country from October 1 to December 31. We are open to art submissions and book reviews year-round. More information on all of these can be found at http://calyxpress.org/submission.html.

Call for Submissions from Women Writers for Anthology

Press Pause Now™ is accepting submissions for its first anthology. Press Pause Now™ is a unique retreat, workshop, and coaching program whose purpose is to help successful women rethink, refocus, and reenergize their lives.

Main Focus

Life is about change. As human beings we’re always changing, growing, transforming, and transitioning our lives – whether we’re seeking a new job, new career, or new direction. Whether it’s our circumstances that lead us to take a new path or a desire to pursue a goal or dream, we learn that as women we have the power to choose who we want to be, what we want to do, and what kind of life we want to lead.

This inspirational and motivational collection of essays and articles will focus on stories about women and their “press pause moments,” those points of transition when they have decided to take a different path, pursue a passion, or go after a goal or dream. The catalyst and outcome of the journey may be personal, professional, or both. Most importantly we are looking for diversity in the types of stories. We want to hear from all kinds of women doing all kinds of things. (In other words, don’t hesitate for fear your story won’t “fit!”) This anthology will celebrate the “go for it” spirit shared by women everywhere who define success on their own terms and find the strength within themselves and among their network of supporters to make it happen.

Guidelines

* Nonfiction essays and articles should be between 800 – 2500 words in length, double-spaced.
* Only email submissions will be accepted and should be sent electronically as attachments (word or pdf format) to anne@presspausenow.com. Please put the word ‘Anthology’ in the subject line.
* Please include a 65-70 word bio as you would like it to appear in the published anthology should your submission be accepted. You may include a website address for consideration.
* You will greatly increase your chances of inclusion if you take care to proofread your work and run a spell check prior to submitting.
* You may submit up to two essays or articles for consideration. Each submission should be sent in a separate email.
* Deadline for submissions is midnight September 25, 2009.
* Publication is anticipated by early 2010.
* You can stay up-to-date about the anthology’s progress at www.ppnanthologyseries.wordpress.com.

About the Editor

Anne Witkavitch is currently president of C-Suite Communications, a strategic marketing and communications firm, and founder of Press Pause Now™, a life design and coaching program that helps successful women rethink, refocus, and reenergize their lives. She is a former Fortune 100 communications executive. Anne’s press pause story began when she decided to pursue a lifetime dream to become a published writer by returning to graduate school at the age of 42. Juggling fulltime career, parenthood, and studies, she earned her M.F.A. in Professional Writing and has published her work in a variety of publications. She also teaches, mentors, and speaks about writing, communications, leadership, and work/life balance.

Please Note

Publishing this anthology is a new endeavor; unfortunately at this time we cannot pay for contributions that are accepted. However we will actively promote the anthology and your writing. Inclusion will provide writers with a focused publishing credit.

Thank you for considering a submission.

Best of the Best Ebook Contest

Editor Jennifer’s first Best of the Best Ebook Contest is up and running! First Prize: $250

The Basics:

Contest open to all self-published or independent e-press published novels. Your novel must be available to the public for purchase before you enter.

Winner will receive $250 USD.

Each of 30 semi-finalists will have their novels showcased for a day on the Editor Jennifer website – including their book’s image, a 250 word description, and a link to the site where it can be purchased.

The Rules:
1. Deadline for entries: midnight, PST, August 31st, 2009.
2. Entries must be received directly from the author either in print form or as a PDF file.
3. Along with your novel, submit your name, a one-paragraph bio, a 250 word description of your novel and a link to the site where it can be purchased.
4. Thirty semi-finalists will appear, one per day, on the Editor Jennifer website, starting October 1st, 2009.
5. The winner will be announced November 1st, 2009.

Send questions and submissions to: Email jennifer@editorjennifer.com

Real Simple’s Life Lessons Essay Contest

I’m writing today to announce Real Simple’s second annual Life Lessons Essay Contest and to ask that you publicize this opportunity widely within your community. The Life Lessons column, which reaches more than two million readers monthly, has featured noted authors such as Mary Gordon, Jane Smiley, Ann Patchett, and many others. We invite all non-fiction writers to submit their work for consideration and potential publication in Real Simple, in the company of these distinguished authors.

The topic of this year’s essay is: When did you first realize that you had become a grown-up? Whether the experience was difficult, funny, easy, or bittersweet, share your lesson and you could win.

The winning essay is scheduled to appear in the April 2010 issue of Real Simple magazine. The winner will also receive a $3,000 cash prize; roundtrip tickets for two to New York City, hotel accommodations for two nights, and tickets to a Broadway play; and lunch with Real Simple editors.

To enter, please send a typed, double-spaced submission of no more than 1,500 words, preferably as a Microsoft Word attachment, to lifelessons@realsimple.com. The contest is open to legal residents of the U.S. who are 19 or older at the time of entry. It began at 12:01AM this past May 1 and runs through 11:50PM on September 7, 2009. For complete contest rules, please visit realsimple.com/lifelessonscontest.

Gemini Magazine NO-FEE Flash Fiction Contest

Gemini Magazine (www.gemini-magazine.com) is pleased to announce its NO-FEE Flash Fiction Contest. Grand Prize is $100 and publication in the October issue of Gemini. Three (3) Honorable Mentions will also be published in the October issue.

Stories must be 1,000 words or less and may be written in any style or theme as long as they are previously unpublished. Deadline is August 31, 2009.

Send within body of email to contest@gemini-magazine.com. One entry per writer. Do not include bio. More info at www.gemini-magazine.com/contest.

Gemini Magazine is an online journal of the arts highlighting a wide variety of fiction, poetry and more. We welcome creative fiction and nonfiction submissions from both new and established writers.

Submissions other than contest entries should be sent to submissions@gemini-magazine.com. More info at www.gemini-magazine.com/submitcontact.

The Morton Marr Poetry Prize

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 2008 was Charles Martin. To see the 2008 winners, click here.

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, 2009. 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.

For instructions on entering this contest via e-mail, visit smu.edu/southwestreview/Marr%20Contest.asp

UNT Press 2010 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction

The University of North Texas Press announces the 2010 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction.
web3.unt.edu/untpress/potential_authors.cfm#subkap

The winner of this annual award will receive $1000 and publication by UNT Press. Entries will be judged by an eminent writer.

Entries can be a combination of short-shorts, short stories, and novellas, from 100 to 200 book pages in length (word count between 27,500 and 50,000). Material should be previously unpublished in book form. Once a winner is declared and contracted for publication, UNT Press will hold the rights to the stories in the winning collection. They may no longer be under consideration for serial publication elsewhere and must be withdrawn by the author from consideration.

Please include two cover sheets: one with title only, and one with title, your name, address, e-mail, phone, and acknowledgment of any previously published material. Your name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript except on the one cover page. Manuscripts for the 2010 award should be postmarked between May 1 and June 30, 2009. The winning manuscript will be announced in January 2010. Watch for more details in Poets & Writers.

Manuscripts cannot be returned and must be accompanied by a $25 entry fee (payable to UNT Press) and a letter-sized SASE for notification.

Send entries to:

Laura Kopchick, General Editor
Katherine Anne Porter Contest
English Department
University of Texas at Arlington
203 Carlisle Hall, Box 19035
Arlington, TX 76019

2009 Moment-Karma Short Fiction Contest

Moment Magazine is now accepting submissions for the 2009 Moment-Karma Short Fiction Contest. Moment will award three prizes to outstanding works of unpublished short fiction with Jewish content.
momentmag.com/Contests/SSContestGuidelines.html

$1,000 plus possible publication
$500 plus possible publication
$250 plus possible publication

Winners may be invited to Washington DC or New York City for an awards ceremony. If so, the contest covers a round trip flight or train fare and one night hotel, if necessary. All travel arrangements are to be made by Moment.

The judge published in promotional materials judges the finalists. At all times, all decisions are final.

After the completion of the contest, Moment editors will review winning stories. Editors will contact winners if their stories are being considered for publication. Moment Magazine reserves the right at all times to select material for publishing. All selected material is subject to editing by Moment editors.

Entry Fees:
$15 for each entry (multiple submissions are accepted).
Please make checks payable to: Moment-Karma Short Fiction Contest.
Note: The $15 is a reader fee and does not in any way give persons who enter the contest any legal rights.

Deadline:
Submissions must be postmarked by December 1, 2009.
For each entry, submit the following:
A cover letter containing author’s full name, address, contact information and the title of submission.
The author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript.
A check made out to The Moment/Karma Short Fiction Contest.
A self-addressed stamped envelope for announcement of winners.
Do not send submissions via email
Maximum length for prose is 7,000 words. Send hard copies of your submission printed out in 12-point font, double-spaced.

No previously published works, or works already accepted for publication elsewhere, are eligible. Work may be under consideration elsewhere, but must be withdrawn from the competition if accepted for publication.
Send entries to:
Moment-Karma Short Fiction Contest
Moment Magazine
4115 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Suite 102
Washington, DC 20016

Winners will be announced in 2010.

Current information about guidelines etc. is updated here on the website. We are not responsible for information in previous guidelines or advertisements.

All deadlines may be extended or changed and may carry over into the next calendar year.

Moment Magazine and Karma Foundation are not liable for any misprints or errors, or anything else.

The contest is a labor of love. Please treat our staff with courtesy and kindness.

2009 Betty Gabehart Prize

Download entry fee at www.uky.edu/WWK/Gabehart_Prize_Entry_Form_2009.pdf

Each year the Kentucky Women Writers Conference offers opportunities for both emerging and established voices to be singled out and cheered on by our community. The Betty Gabehart Prize honors our good friend, patron, and former director who led the conference during its seminal decade in the 1980s.

One winner will be chosen in each of three genres: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Winners receive:
• $100
• two 2-day passes for herself and one guest
• the opportunity to read her winning manuscript during the conference on September 11–12, 2009
• publication of the winning manuscript on our Web site: www.thewomenwritersconference.org

Eligibility
• Please do not apply if you have won this award in the past five years (2004 or later).
• Works that are previously published are not eligible for this award.
• The contest is open to any female writer of English.
• Employees or board members of the Kentucky Women Writers Conference are not eligible.

Manuscript Format
• Fiction and nonfiction should be no more than 6,000 words in length; poems have no word limit.
• Please submit two copies of the manuscript (there will be two judges per genre category).
• The author’s name or address must not appear anywhere on the manuscript.
• The manuscript must be on standard white paper, single-sided.
• Paginate correctly.

Submission Information
• Each work entered must be accompanied by its own entry form and entry fee, as follows: $10 per poem, or $15 per work of fiction or nonfiction, payable to Kentucky Women Writers Conference. You may write a single check for
multiple entries.
• Submission of more than one work is permissible; each must be accompanied by its own entry form and fee. If
multiple works are entered with a single entry fee, only the first work will be accepted.
• Manuscripts must be postmarked by July 31, 2009.
• Please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard if you would like notification that the manuscript has been received. We cannot return manuscripts.
• Contest results will be posted on our website on August 28, 2009. Winners will be notified immediately.

Please send entries to:
Betty Gabehart Prize
Kentucky Women Writers Conference
University of Kentucky
232 East Maxwell Street
Lexington, KY 40506-0344
Direct inquiries to: wwk.info@gmail.com

Publisher Seeks Submissions for 2010 MOTIF Anthology

www.motesbooks.com/MOTIF-Call-For-Submissions.html

MOTIF is an anthology series published annually by MotesBooks of Louisville, Ky.
Volume 1: Writing By Ear featured 116 writers, including Patty Griffin, SilasHouse, Buddy & Julie Miller, Maurice Manning, Evie Shockley, Neela Vaswani, Frank X Walker and Pamela Duncan.

Each volume in the MOTIF series focuses on a theme – for Volume 2 the theme is CHANCE.

Submissions may be poems, short stories, song lyrics, short memoirs, essays, letters, creative nonfiction, or other forms. Combinations of forms are acceptable up to the limits described: Prose must be under 3,000 words. Send no more than three poems/lyrics. All genres will be considered as long as “chance” is referenced or illuminated in the works. Submissions may address the theme either directly or indirectly, but “chance” should figure significantly and artfully in the piece. The definition or concept of “chance” can be interpreted in any way the writer sees fit, but could include ideas related to chaos, serendipity, mistake, the occasion for wonder, kismet, accident, fate, destiny, cause and effect, encounters, and/or predestination.

Each contributor whose work is accepted will receive one (1) complimentary copy of the book upon publication as payment. Contributors will also receive an ongoing contributor’s discount for unlimited purchases of additional copies to use or resell. Marketing outlets include Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and the publisher’s website, MotesBooks.com. Special marketing strategies will also be utilized, including one or more public readings with selected contributors by invitation of the editor or publisher.

Submit by email only. Send manuscript (Arial 12 pt., single-spaced) as a .doc or .rtf file (MS Word) to MOTIF@MotesBooks.com.

IMPORTANT: Use “MOTIF Anthology” as the subject line (email containing blank subject lines will automatically be deleted; other subject lines may inadvertently be tagged as spam). Include all author contact information (including phone, snail mail, and e-mail address) with each submission. Include a 50-60 word biographical note to appear in Contributor’s section of the anthology in case of acceptance. Do not send previously published or simultaneously submitted material. Submission period closes September 1, 2009.

Acceptances will be notified by end of 2009. Publication slated for early 2010. Editor is Marianne Worthington.

For clarifications, visit www.MotesBooks.com or email MOTIF@MotesBooks.com

Soupy Stories Call for Submissions

Soupy Stories is a new online literary magazine devoted to publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writers of the Midwest. The intention of the magazine is to help writers build their portfolios and get their names out. As of right now, we cannot offer any payment except for online publication. Our purpose is not to generate revenue, and we do not ask for reading/entry fees. However, all published works will be considered for our upcoming contests and for our annual print anthology.

soupystories.com

The Warren Adler Short Story Contest

2009 Contest Theme: Short Fiction in Varied Genres

Submit Your Stories Starting April 13!

The Warren Adler Short Story Contest is fast becoming the most prestigious online short story contest thanks to the extraordinary literary quality of our submissions. We are pleased to announce our next contest. The theme is simply short fiction in all of its varied genres. We are looking for original, imaginative pieces featuring compelling characters and creative plots. Whether you specialize in mainstream fiction, romance, horror, fantasy, science-fiction, satire, mystery, or any of their subcategories, we want to read your work.

Entries must not exceed 2,500 words and we will only accept stories submitted using our web form (see Pay Now button below), no exceptions. Stories from all the points of the globe will be considered provided that they are written in English. Mr. Adler will select which story will be awarded the Grand Prize of $1,000.

The People’s Choice winner will be determined by public voting. Warren Adler’s top choice, along with the People’s Choice winner, will be announced in July.

Submissions will be accepted from April 13, 2009 to July 13, 2009. The entry fee is $15. Five cash prizes will be awarded.

* 1st Prize: $1,000
* People’s Choice Prize $500
* Remaining finalists receive $150 each

Authors retain worldwide publishing rights.
Contest Rules:

* Contest is open for worldwide entries from April 13, 2009 until July 13, 2009
* A $15 fee in advance is required for each story submission.
* When you are ready to submit your story, make your payment below to proceed to the story submission form.
* Each story can be no longer than 2,500 words and must be written in English and previously unpublished

Newport Review 2009 Flash Fiction Contest

newportreview.org/?contests.html

The 2009 Flash Fiction Contest is open for entries as of June 1, 2009. Stories will be considered from June through the postmark deadline of September 1, 2009. This year’s guest judge will be fiction writer Hester Kaplan, author of The Edge of Marriage and Kinship Theory.

We are looking for works that are short in length but linger long in memory: small stories that pack a big emotional punch and make creative use of language.

Please note that this year, we are accepting slightly longer stories, up to a maximum of 1,000 words.

Complete Contest Guidelines:

Deadline: Postmarked by September 1, 2009

Word Count: Short-short stories up to 1,000 words

Entry fee: $7 per story, 3 for $20

Mail manuscripts w/check or money order (made out to Newport Review) to: Newport Review Flash Fiction Contest, P.O. Box 65, Warren, RI 02885

Manuscripts should include writer’s name and complete contact information, including email and phone. Winners will be notified and posted on our blog and web site. Include a business-size SASE if you wish individual notification of contest results. Manuscripts will not be recycled unless return is requested; include SASE with sufficient return postage.

Unfortunately, we are not set up to accept PayPal or e-mail contest submissions at this time.

Writers may submit a total of six entries. The contest is open to all writers, published and unpublished, except writers who have close personal affiliations with Newpo
rt Review, its editorial staff or advisory board. Past contest winners and those who have been published in the print edition of Newport Review are eligible to enter.

The following prizes will be awarded:
First Prize: $150 and publication
Second Prize: $100 and publication
Third Prize: $50 and publication
Honorable Mention: Publication and Newport Review bumper sticker

Prize-winning stories and stories receiving honorable mention will be published in Newport Review. Other stories may also be considered for publication.

Mississippi Review Poetry Series

www.mississippireview.com/mrpoetryseries.html

A new poetry book contest in which three poetry collections will be selected and published in January 2010. Three prizes of $1000 will be awarded.

2010 JUDGE: DARA WIER

The Mississippi Review Poetry Series is an annual contest awarding three publication prizes for book-length poetry manuscripts. It is open to all poets working in English except current or former students or employees of Southern Miss. There will be three $1000 prizes and we will produce three full-length (48-64 page) paperback perfect-bound books. Each will bear the cover price of $12 but the three winning books will be packaged as a set for MR subscribers. Each winner will receive the cash prize plus 100 copies of his or her book as payment. Manuscripts may total no more than 56 pages of poetry. Fee is $25 per entry, payable to Mississippi Review. There is no limit on the number of entries an author may submit. Each entrant will receive a set of the three prize-winning books. No manuscripts will be returned. Postmark deadline: August 1, 2009. Winners announced: September 2009. Publication scheduled: January 2010. With questions call 601.266.5600. Please put MR Poetry Series, name, address, phone, e-mail, and title on page one of entry. Send to:

Mississippi Review Poetry Series
118 College Drive # 5144
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001

Serena McDonald Kennedy Award

www.snakenationpress.org/guidelines.html

No more than 50,000 word novella or 200 page manuscript of short stories will be accepted. Any well written manuscript on any topic will be considered. Previously published works may be entered. An entry fee of $25 must accompany the submission. $1,000 award and publication

Deadline: July 30, 2009

Mailing Address:

Snake Nation Press
2920 North Oak Street
Valdosta, Georgia 31602

The Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series Book Competition

Open to all American writers, regardless of previous publication.

www.ucmo.edu/englphil/pleiades/guidelines.html

Submit one copy of a complete poetry book manuscript of at least 48 pages. The manuscript must be postmarked no later than October 1, 2009.

Enclose two cover sheets with each manuscript. On one cover sheet, provide the title of the manuscript, your name, telephone number, and address. The second cover sheet should list only the title of the manuscript. Poems previously published in journals or anthologies are acceptable. If poems in the manuscript have been previously published, enclose an acknowledgments page.

Each entry should come accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. If the entry arrives with an additional large, self-addressed envelope with $1.68 postage affixed, the entrant will receive a copy of the winning book when it appears.

Include a money order or check to Pleiades Press for $20.00 with each entry. Reading fees will be used only for book production, advertising, and other costs of running the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series. Pleiades Press and the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series are non-profit organizations staffed by faculty members at Central Missouri State University and Winthrop University and volunteer readers.

The initial judging will be directed by:

• Susan Ludvigson, author of, among others, Escaping the House of Certainty, Everything Winged Must Be Dreaming, Trinity, and Sweet Confluence, all from LSU Press..
• Kevin Prufer, author of National Anthem (Four Way, 2008), Fallen from a Chariot (Carnegie Mellon, 2005), The Finger Bone (Carnegie Mellon, 2002) and Strange Wood (a previous winner of the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series) and editor of New European Poets (Graywolf, 2008) and Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing, among others.
• Joy Katz, author of Fabulae (Southern Illinois, 2002), winner of the 2001 Crab Orchard Award Series and The Garden Room, winner of the 2005 Tupelo Press chapbook competition.
• Wayne Miller, author of Only the Senses Sleep (New Issues, 2006) and The Book of Props (Milkweed, forthcoming), and editor of New European Poets (Graywolf, 2008) and Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing.

The initial judges will choose ten finalist manuscripts which will be forwarded to an internationally known judge for selection of the winning collection. The judge for 2008-2009 will be announced soon

Our policy is that no screener may previously know, have published, or have previously reviewed the poetry of any poet whose work they consider for the contest. No one who has published work in Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing within the last five years will have his/her manuscript screened by any poetry editor of the journal. Those manuscripts submitted by such contributors to the journal will, instead, be sent to screeners at another location.

We also respectfully request that former students or colleagues of the LMWT judge—as well as any poet whose relationship with the judge constitutes an unfair conflict of interest—refrain from entering the contest. All finalists will be asked to confirm that they have no conflict of interest with the judge. The LMWT staff reserves the right to disqualify entries deemed conflicts of interest and will return those entry fees.

The final judge will not be sent the names of the finalists. Only their manuscripts, without identifying information, will be forwarded.

The winning writer will receive $1000 and the winning collection will be published in 2010 in paperback by Pleiades Press and distributed by Louisiana State University Press.

Questions about the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series can be directed to Kevin Prufer at (660) 543-8106 / LMWT Poetry Series / Department of English / University of Central Missouri / Warrensburg, MO 64093 / USA

OnAngels Magazine Art & Literary Contest

Artistic Modern Interpretations, Stories & Poetry Celebrating Angels & the Angelic World

On Angels Magazine Art & Literary Contest 2009 is open to several mediums of art and literature. There are six categories of art; Painting, Computer Graphic Art, Sculpting, Drawing, Mixed Media and Photography. There are three categories of literature; Fictional Short Stories, Non-Fictional Short Stories and Poetry. All entries MUST have an ANGEL theme. Religion will not play a part in any of the judging.

The winning entries and artist’s / writer’s profiles will be published in our premier magazine and online. Artists and Writers retain all copyrights and artwork!…

First Prize (US) $3000 in each category
Second Prize (US) $1500 in each category
Third Prize (US) $500 in each category
Honorable Mention (US) $200 in each category

Deadline for Entries extended to: August 15, 2009

www.onangelsmagazine.com/about.html