Gulf Coast Contests

CONTEST GUIDELINES: Gulf Coast

2007 Poetry, Short Story, & Nonfiction Prizes

Judges:
Terrance Hayes – Poetry
Sigrid Nunez – Fiction
Eula Biss – Nonfiction

Guidelines:
Prize is $1,000 in each genre [Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction] and publication in Gulf Coast.

Submit one previously unpublished story or essay (25 pp max) or up to five previously unpublished poems (10 pp max). Indicate genre on outer envelope. Name and address should appear on cover letter ONLY. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include SASE for results.

Entries in more than one genre and multiple entries in a single genre are allowed, but each entry must be accompanied by a reading fee.

Reading Fee: $15 reading fee includes one-year subscription. Please make checks payable to Gulf Coast.
Postmark Deadline: March 15, 2007
Send To:
Gulf Coast Prize: (genre)
English Department
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3013.

Policies: We make every reasonable effort to ensure that manuscripts are judged fairly. For this reason, names should not appear anywhere on manuscripts. Friends and former students of a judge are ineligible in that genre. Previous prize winners and graduates of the University of Houston Creative Writing Program are ineligible. Genre editors who serve as preliminary readers are instructed to recuse themselves from deliberations on any piece they recognize.

We subscribe to the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Contest Code of Ethics:

“CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines defining conflict of
interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.”

If you have any further questions, please contact us at:
gulfcoastae@yahoo.com

GSU Review 2007 Contest Guidelines

http://www.review.gsu.edu/modules/sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&artid=2

Poetry Prize
First Place: $1000
Second Place: $250
Finalists: Publication
Poetry Judge: Jake Adam York

Fiction Prize
First Place: $1000
Second Place: $250
Finalists: Publication
Fiction Judge: Keith Lee Miller

Deadline: gsu review will not accept contest submissions postmarked after March 4, 2007.
Reading Fee: $15.00

gsu review publishes quality literary art promoting the work of emerging and established writers. gsu review holds no subject biases. The staff will select the best work regardless of style or genre.

Each entry must include the following:

A check or money order (NO CASH) made payable to GSU Review for fifteen dollars ($15). Entry fee includes a copy of the Spring issue, which will contain the winning entries.

A cover letter with a 3 to 4 line bio, a list of the works submitted in the order they appear, and your name, mailing address, phone number and email address.

SASE for result notification. We recycle all manuscripts!

POETRY
Address poetry submissions to Jenny Sadre-Orafai, Poetry Editor. Poems must be typed or letter quality printed. Submit up to three poems. All poems must have name, address, phone, and e-mail appearing on each page.

FICTION
Address fiction submissions to Jody Brooks, Fiction Editor.
Manuscripts must be typed or letter quality printed.
On the first page of the manuscript include name, address, phone, email, and word count. Submissions should not exceed 7500 words.
Short short stories are welcome.
Limit each submission to one short story.

While we take the greatest care in handling your entries, we assume no responsibility for lost or damaged manuscripts. Only unpublished work considered. Simultaneous submissions considered with notification. All rights revert to author after publication. Only US citizens with a valid Social Security Number are eligible. Current students, staff, and faculty at Georgia State University are not eligible.

Send all work to:

GSU Review
Campus Box 1894
Georgia State University
MSC 8R0322 Unit 8
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3083

For questions ONLY (no submissions, please):
Christopher Bundy, Editor
gsu_review@langate.gsu.edu

The Nelligan Prize

The Nelligan Prize: Submission Guidelines
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/English/coloradoreview/NPSF/sub.html

$1,000 will be awarded for the best short story, which will be published in the Fall/Winter 2007 issue of Colorado Review.

This year’s final judge is Charles Baxter; friends and students (current & former) of the judge are not eligible to compete, nor are current Colorado State University employees, students, or alumni.

Fee is $10 per entry, payable to Colorado Review; there is no limit on the number of entries you may submit.

Stories must be previously unpublished.

There are no length or theme restrictions.

All manuscripts must be typed and double-spaced.

No submissions via e-mail.

Include two cover sheets: on the first, print your name, address, telephone number, and the story title; on the second, print only the story title. Your name should not appear anywhere else on the manuscript.
Provide SASE for contest results.
Manuscripts will not be returned.
Contest opens January 15, 2007.
Deadline is the postmark of March 15, 2007.
Winner will be announced in July 2007.
All submissions will be considered for publication.

Entries must be clearly addressed to:
Nelligan Prize
Colorado Review
Department of English
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523

The American Poetry Journal book prize

The American Poetry Journal book prize
Guidelines & Information for 2007
http://www.americanpoetryjournal.com/

The postmark deadline for entries to the 2007 The American Poetry Journal book prize is February 28, 2007. To enter, submit 48-60 paginated pages of poetry, table of contents, acknowledgments, bio, email address for results, No SASE (manuscripts will be recycled), and a $25.00 reading fee for each manuscript entered. The winner will receive $1000 and 20 copies. All entries will be considered for publication.

Both free and formal verse styles are welcome. Multiple submissions are acceptable. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but if your manuscript is accepted for publication elsewhere you must notify The American Poetry Journal and/or Dream Horse Press immediately.

Fees are non-refundable. Judging will be anonymous; writers’ names should not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Please include your name and biographical information in a separate cover letter. Please be sure to include your email address. The winner is chosen by the editor of The American Poetry Journal, J.P. Dancing Bear, Close Friends, Students (former or present), and Relatives of the the editor are NOT eligible for the contest and their entry fee will be refunded.

The American Poetry Journal book prize entries may be sent, following the guidelines above, to:

The American Poetry Journal book prize
P. O. Box 2080
Felton, California 95001-2080

Please make checks payable to: Dancing Bear.

The St. Louis Poetry Center Announces its 48th Annual BEST POEM CONTEST

The St. Louis Poetry Center Announces its 48th Annual BEST POEM CONTEST

www.stlouispoetrycenter.org

POSTMARK DEADLINE: MAY 31, 2007

First Prize: $2,000 & Publication in MARGIE
Second Prize: $250
Third Prize: $100

Finalist Judge: Stephen Dunn
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

GUIDELINES: 1. Submit 3 unpublished poems & a $15 entry fee payable to The St. Louis Poetry Center. (60 line limit per poem). Additional poems may be submitted for $5 each additional poem.
2. Enclose a single cover letter with your name, address, phone & poem titles. No names should appear on poems.
3. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Only send copies. Poems will not be returned. Include SASE for contest results.
4. All poems will be considered for publication.
5. Mail entry and fee by POSTMARK DEADLINE
MAY 31, 2007 to:

The St. Louis Poetry Center
567 North & South Rd., #8
St. Louis, MO 63130
www.stlouispoetrycenter.org

Recommended Reading

Octopus Magazine

Recommended Reading

Archipelago

RUNES REVIEW 2007 Theme

RUNES REVIEW 2007

Each issue of RUNES has a different theme. The theme for 2007 is CONNECTION, which may be loosely interpreted.

Thornton Writer Residency – Lynchburg College

Thornton Writer Residency. Lynchburg College. An eight-week residency at Lynchburg College, including a stipend of $8,000, is awarded annually to a Fiction writer for the Fall term & a Poet for the Spring term. The writer-in-residence will teach a weekly Creative Writing workshop & present a public reading. Residency includes housing, meals, & roundtrip travel expenses. To apply for the Fall fiction residency, submit a published book, c.v., & a cover letter outlining evidence of successful teaching experience by March 15. No entry fee. Call for complete guidelines. Lynchburg College, Thornton Writer Residency, English Dept., Lynchburg College, 1501 Lakeside Dr., Lynchburg, VA 24501. (434) 544-8267. Patty Irwin, Program Assistant. (AWP)
Added 01/29/2007

Vermont Studio Center Fellowship

From the Vermont Studio Center: www.vermontstudiocenter.org

We are pleased to announce the availability of new Fellowship opportunities at the Vermont Studio Center.

The National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships (eligibility: artists and writers) New for 2007, the NEA will sponsor four Fellowships this year for outstanding painters, sculptors, writers, photographers, or printmakers who demonstrate clear financial need (applicants must submit their most recent tax return or other information that indicates financial status). Each Fellowship comes with a $1,500 stipend to cover direct residency expenses (travel, materials, shipping, etc.) or related expenses (child care, lost job revenue, rent, etc.). Awards will be based on a combination of the caliber of the work presented, and on demonstrated financial need.

To apply for this Fellowship opportunity, go to: www.vermontstudiocenter.org/apply.html and check the Special Fellowships box under Fees

VSC Grants Fellowships and list the name of the award. All applicants who provide the necessary information will be considered for all awards for which they are eligible.

Wichita State University – Distinguished Poet-in-Residence

Wichita State University. Distinguished Poet-in-Residence. Temporary one-month position for a writer of poetry to teach a tutorial course to approximately fifteen graduate & advanced undergraduate poetry writing students. Appointment for the Spring 2008 semester. Qualifications: extensive high quality publications in national or regional periodicals; high quality collections of poems; awards & fellowships. Salary $9000 for the month. Previous applicants must re-apply in order to be considered. Send letters of application, c.v., & writing sample to: Margaret Dawe, Chair, Dept. of English, Wichita State University,
Wichita, KS 67260-0014; (316) 978-6410. Deadline for receipt of applications is February 15. Wichita State University encourages women & ethnic minorities to apply.

Milton Center Postgraduate Fellowship

Milton Center Postgraduate Fellowship. Nine-month fellowship, including a $15,000 stipend, is given annually to a Christian writer of Poetry, Fiction, or Creative Nonfiction to complete a first book. Writers who have completed an MA in English, Creative Writing, or the Humanities or an MFA in Creative Writing are eligible. The fellowship will take place at the Milton Center, which is based on the campus of Seattle Pacific University, from September 15 to June 15, 2008. Fellows will contribute to the center’s ongoing work & teach courses in the SPU English department. Submit eight to twelve poems or thirty-five to fifty pp. of prose, a book proposal of two to three pages, a biography of two to three pages, & a one-page explanation of goals to accomplish at the
Milton Center with a $25 entry fee by March 15. Send SASE, call, or visit for the required application & complete guidelines. Milton Center, Postgraduate Fellowship, 3307 Third Ave. West, Seattle, WA 98119. (206) 281-2988.

Wichita State University – Distinguished Writer-in-Residence

Wichita State University. Distinguished Writer-in-Residence. Temporary one-month position for a writer of fiction to teach a tutorial course to approximately fifteen graduate & advanced undergraduate fiction writing students. Appointment for the Fall 2007 semester. Qualifications: extensive high quality publications in national or regional periodicals; high quality novels or collections of short stories; awards & fellowships. Salary, $9000 for the month. Previous applicants must re-apply in order to be considered.

Send letters of application, c.v., & writing sample to: Margaret Dawe, Chair, Dept. of English, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260-0014. Telephone: (316) 978-6410. Deadline for receipt of applications is February 15. Wichita State University
encourages women & ethnic minorities to apply.

Florida Review Editors’ Awards

Florida Review Editors’ Awards

We are now accepting submissions for the 2007 Editors’ Awards in Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction. $1000 and publication in the Fall 2007 issue. Join our mailing list and we’ll keep you posted. The postmark deadline is February 15, 2007. Submit 3-5 poems, one story or essay with a $15 reading fee (which includes a year’s subscription).

Your name should not appear on the manuscript. Include a cover letter with your name, address, phone number, email address, and title(s) of work submitted. All submissions will be considered for publication in FR. Winners will be announced in early summer. For notification please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Address entries to:

The Editors’ Award (Indicate Genre)
The Florida Review
Department of English
PO Box 161346
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL 32816

The Bellingham Review Literary Contests 2007

The Bellingham Review Literary Contests 2007

The 49th Parallel Poetry Award
Final Judge: Carolyne Wright

The Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction
Final Judge: Phillip Lopate

The Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction
Final Judge: Peter Rock

1st Place: $1,000 in each Category

First place winners will be published in the Bellingham Review. Runners-up and finalists may be considered for publication.

Submission Guidelines
1.Entry Fees:
$15 for the first entry (one nonfiction work, or one short story, or up to three poems). Each additional entry is $10. Please make checks payable to: The Bellingham Review. Everyone entering the competition will receive a complimentary two-issue subscription to the Bellingham Review. INTERNATIONAL
SUBMISSIONS: The Bellingham Review is only able to process international money orders made out in US dollars. Please include an extra $10 to cover cost of mailing subscription overseas.If you would like to enter the contest without receiving an international subscription, let us know, and you will owe only the $15 entry fee.

2. Deadline: Submissions must be postmarked between Dec. 1, 2006, and March 15, 2007.

3. For each entry, submit the following: 3″ x 5″ index card stating the title of the work(s), the category (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry), the authors name, phone number, address and email. PLEASE MAKE SURE THE WRITING IS LEGIBLE ON THIS CARD! The author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscriptthe index card will serve as the only record of your entry. A check for the entry fee(s) made out to The Bellingham Review. A self-addressed stamped envelope for announcement of winners. Manuscripts will not be returned.

4. Maximum length for prose is 8,000 words. No previously published works, or works accepted for publication, are eligible. Work may be under consideration elsewhere, but MUST be withdrawn from the competition if accepted elsewhere for publication. Current students, faculty or staff of WWU are not eligible to enter the contests.

5. Send entries to:Contest Name, {Insert name of contest}, Bellingham Review, Mail Stop 9053, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
98225-9053. Send entries for different contests in separate envelopes, with separate index cards and checks.

Winners will be announced by July, 2007. Check out our website.

The 2007 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards in Poetry and Prose

The 2007 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards in Poetry and Prose

The Department of English at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and GRASSROOTS, SIUC’s undergraduate literary magazine, are pleased to announce the 2007 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards. One book of poetry and one book of prose (novel, short fiction, or literary nonfiction) will be selected from submissions of titles published in 2006, and the winning authors will receive an honorarium of $1000 and will present a public reading and participate in panels at the Devil’s Kitchen Fall Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. The dates for the 2007 festival are yet to be determined, but usually takes place in late October/early November. Travel and accommodations will be provided for the two winners.

Entries may be submitted by either author or publisher, and must include a copy of the book, a cover letter, a brief biography of the author including
previous publications, and a $15.00 entry fee made out to “SIUC – Dept. of English.” Entries must be postmarked January 1 – February 1, 2007. Materials
postmarked after February 1 will be returned unopened. Because we cannot guarantee their return, all entries will become the property of the SIUC Department of English. Entrants wishing acknowledgment of receipt of materials must include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Judges will come from the faculty of SIUC’s MFA Program in Creative Writing and the award winners will be selected by the staff of GRASSROOTS. The winners will be notified in May 2007. All entrants will be notified of the results in September 2007.

The awards are open to single-author titles published in 2006 by independent, university, or commercial publishers. The winners must be U.S. citizens or
permanent residents and must agree to attend and participate in the 2006 Devil’s Kitchen Fall Literary Festival to receive the award. Entries from vanity
presses and self-published books are not eligible. Current students and employees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and authors published by Southern Illinois University Press are not eligible.

Send all materials to:

Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards/GRASSROOTS
Dept. of English, Mail Code 4503
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
1000 Faner Drive
Carbondale, ILÂ 62901

(please indicate “Poetry” or “Prose” on envelope)

For further information, e-mail grassrootsmag@gmail.com
or call 618-453-6833.

The Writer Short Story Contest

The Writer Short Story Contest
www.writermag.com

Prizes: $1,000, first place; $300, second place; $200, third place.

The first-place entry, along with the finalist judge’s comments, will be published in The Writer magazine. All three winning entries will be posted on The Writer Web site, www.writermag.com.

Entry fee
$10 per entry, payable to The Writer. Payments must be in U.S. funds drawn from a U.S. bank.

Deadline
Postmarked by June 30, 2007.

Rules
1. Submit two (2) copies of your story. Entries must be submitted with an official entry form, available below. Place the title only (not your name) on each page of the story.

2. All entries must be original and previously unpublished in a book, nationally distributed periodical or Web-based magazine. Entries must be in English and submitted by the author, who must be at least 18 years old.

3. Entries should not exceed 2,000 words. No explicit sex or violence.

4. Entries must be double-spaced in standard 10- to 12-point type, and each page must be consecutively numbered. Please paperclip pages together; do not staple or enclose in covers or binders.

5. A $10 nonrefundable entry fee, payable to The Writer, must accompany each entry. Please do not send cash in the mail. Entries will not be returned, so be sure to keep a copy for your records. We are unable to acknowledge entries.

6. One person may submit more than one entry, but each entry must be accompanied by a $10 entry fee. No simultaneous submissions are allowed.

7. Winners will be notified by Sept. 30, 2007.

8. Family members and employees of The Writer and its affiliates are not eligible to enter the contest.

How to submit
Download the entry form at the website. To request a form by mail, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Guidelines, c/o The Writer, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.

Send two (2) copies of your story, along with the completed entry form or cover page and total entry fee ($10 per entry). Payment must accompany all entries.

Address entries to: Short Story Contest, The Writer, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.

The Writer Short Story Entry form
to download required entry form

The Tennessee Writers Alliance Creative Nonfiction Award

The Tennessee Writers Alliance Creative Nonfiction Award
February 28th, 2007 Postmark Deadline

First Prize $500
Second Prize $250
Third Prize $100

Full guidelines.

The first, second, and third prizewinner will be selected from a short list of finalists. Honorable mentions will be named at judges’ discretion. Cash awards and certificates will be announced at our conference in June 2007. The judge this year is Richard Goodman, author of French Dirt: The Story of a Garden
in the South of France and a contributor to The AWP Writer’s Chronicle, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and many other national publications.

Submission Guidelines

1. The contest is open to all writers with the exception of board members, contest committee members, or staff of the Tennessee Writers Alliance.

2. All submissions must be original and unpublished. All entries must be typed, double-spaced, on one side of white 8 1/2 X 11 inch paper. No simultaneous submissions. (See the FAQ on our site about this.) Secure pages with staples. No paper clips.

3. Creative nonfiction should not exceed 3,000 words.

4. Each piece of writing submitted will be considered as a separate entry.

5. Submit two copies of entry, plus one separate cover sheet with the title, author’s name, address, e-mail, and phone number. The author’s name MUST NOT appear anywhere except the cover sheet.

6. An entry fee must accompany each entry: $10 for TWA members; $15 for non-members.

Entries that do not meet these requirements will be disqualified, and the entry fee will NOT be refunded. We regret that we cannot acknowledge
the receipt of entries without a self-addressed, stamped postcard sent with entry, nor can we return manuscripts. However, we will be happy to send results of the competition, which will be announced in June, ONLY to those who include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) with submission.

All entries must be postmarked no later than February 28, 2006.

Mail to:
TWA Literary Competition
P.O. Box 120396
Nashville, TN 37212

University of Nebraska at Kearney – Reynolds Chair in Creative Writing

University of Nebraska at Kearney. English Special Professorship/Reynolds Chair in Creative Writing, University of Nebraska at Kearney. (Tenure-track)
Special Professorship/ Reynolds Chair in Creative Writing. Duties include the following: Teach 2/2 load of writing classes in area(s) of expertise; present &
perform at the intersessions of the University of Nebraska MFA program; help organize events to support the English department’s undergraduate & graduate emphases in Creative Writing; organize reading series of regionally & nationally recognized writers; hhelp select recipients of Reynolds Chair scholarships; may occasionally publish the Reynolds Review of graduate student writing, as well as chapbooks/special editions of own work; direct & serve on thesis committees; serve on department & campus ccommittees. Candidates are expected to be at the level of associate or full professor. The term of the Reynolds Chair is five years, renewable for five more years upon successful performance review.

Required: Demonstrated expertise in an area or areas of creative writing & in the teaching of creative writing, as reflected in book publications, awards,
invited performances, etc. Preferred : Preference will be given to poets who also have expertise & experience iin a second area such as creative nonfiction,
essay, or fiction. Start Date: August, 2007. Competitive salary & benefits. Applications received by March 1 will receive full consideration. To apply,visit & follow instructions to complete the on-line Faculty Profile. Also attach a letter of application & c.v. to the on-line profile. In addition, arrange to have three professional letters of reference mailed to: Dr. Barbara Emrys, Search Committee Chair, Dept. of English, UNK, Kearney, NE 68849. Questions about the position: (308) 865-8293; Questions about the application process: (308) 865-8655 or employment@unk.edu

Old Dominion University – Darden Endowed Chair in Creative Writing

Old Dominion University.

The Department of English is accepting applications from accomplished Poets, Fiction, writers, or Nonfiction writers for the Darden Endowed Chair in Creative Writing. The position is a continuing appointment to teach two classes or workshops at the graduate or undergraduate level in the fall semester of each year. Teaching experience is required, along with a distinguished publishing record (at least four books); expertise in more than one genre is a plus. Please submit a cover letter, c.v., & three letters of recommendation to: Dr. David Metzger, Chair of English, Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA 23529. Review of applicants will begin January 31 & continue until the position is filled Old Dominion University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution & requires compliance with the Immigration Reform & Control Act of 1986.

The Ledge 2007 Fiction Awards Competition

The Ledge 2007 Fiction Awards Competition

PRIZES: First prize: $1000 and publication in The Ledge Magazine. Second prize: $250 and publication in The Ledge Magazine. Third prize: $100 and publication in The Ledge Magazine.

ENTRY FEE: $10 for the first story; $6 for each additional story. $18 subscription (two issues) to The Ledge gains free entry for the first story.

ALL STORIES must be previously unpublished and not exceed 7,500 words. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but we must be notified if your story is accepted elsewhere for publication.

PLEASE include your name, mailing address and email address on each story. Please also enclose a SASE for the competition results or manuscript return. Winners will be announced in June.

POSTMARK DEADLINE: February 28, 2007.

SEND ENTRIES TO: The Ledge 2007 Fiction Awards Competition, 40 Maple Avenue, Bellport, NY 11713.

The 2007 Prize For Poetry

Announcing – The 2007 Prize For Poetry
www.torhouse.org

The annual Tor House Prize for Poetry is a living memorial to American poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962). The winner will receive $1,000 for an original, unpublished poem not to exceed three pages in length. $200 will be awarded for Honorable Mention.

Final Judge: Al Young

Open to well-crafted poetry in all styles, ranging from experimental work to traditional forms, including short narrative poems. Each poem should be typed
on 8 1/2″ by 11″ paper and be no longer than three pages. On a cover sheet only, include: name, mailing address, telephone number and email; titles of
poems; bio optional. Multiple and simultaneous submissions welcome. There is a reading fee of $10 for the first three poems, $15 for up to six poems and
$2.50 for each additional poem. Checks and money orders should be made out to Tor House Foundation.

Deadline for submissions: March 15, 2007

The Prize winner will be announced by May 15. Include an SASE for announcement of the Prize winner. Poems will not be returned.
Contest Website.

Mail poems, check or money order, and SASE to:

Poetry Prize Coordinator
Tor House Foundation
Box 223240
Carmel, CA 93922

Starcherone Books Contest

Starcherone Books Contest

The 2007-08 contest, offering $1000 and publication with Starcherone Books, is now accepting entries. Contest is open to story collections, novels, or
indeterminate prose works up to 400 pages. Manuscripts will be blind-judged; the author’s name should appear on the first of two title pages and nowhere else in the manuscript. There is an administrative fee of $30. Please do not send cash. The postmark deadline is January 31, 2007. The winner will be announced in August 2007.

All finalists will be considered for publication with Starcherone Books. See our ad in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers. WE’RE THRILLED TO HAVE LANCE OLSEN AS OUR 2007-8 CONTEST FINAL JUDGE. Olsen is the author of eight novels, one hypertext, four critical studies, four short-story collections, a poetry chapbook, and a textbook about fiction writing, as well as editor of two collections of essays about innovative contemporary fiction. His ninth novel, Anxious Pleasures, will appear in March, 2007, from Shoemaker & Hoard. His short stories, essays, poems, and reviews have appeared
in hundreds of journals, magazines, and anthologies, including Fiction International, Iowa Review, Village Voice, Time Out, BOMB, Gulf Coast, and Best
American Non-Required Reading. Olsen is an N.E.A. fellowship and Pushcart prize recipient, and former governor-appointed Idaho Writer-in-Residence. His novel Tonguing the Zeitgeist was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award. His work has been translated into Italian, Polish, and Finnish. For ten years he taught as associate and then full professor at the University of Idaho; for two he directed the University of Idaho’s M.F.A. program. He has also taught at the University of Iowa, the University of Virginia, the University of Kentucky, on summer and semester-abroad programs in Oxford and London, on a Fulbright in Finland, at various writing conferences, and elsewhere. He lives with his wife, assemblage-artist Andi Olsen, in the mountains of central Idaho.

As Final Judge, Lance Olsen will make his selection out of a group of 5-10 finalists selected by our staff readers, and may request additional
manuscripts from which to choose a winner. As always, one manuscript will be selected as winner of our prize. Starcherone does not believe in holding competitions that do not select a winning book.

Snail Mail Directions
There will be a reading fee of $30. Please do not send cash. The contest is blind-judged, so the author’s name and contact information should appear on
title page and nowhere else in manuscript. (Please also remove mentions of previous excerpt publications from manuscripts; do not include acknowledgment pages.) A second title page with only the manuscript title should also be included. Please mail to :

STARCHERONE FICTION PRIZE, Starcherone Books, P.O. Box 303, Buffalo, NY 14201-0303

Electronic
Send your reading fee of $30 to the above snail mail address. Then send your manuscript as an email attachment to publisher@starcherone.com
publisher@starcherone.com. Please send the manuscript either as an Adobe pdf file or an MS Word file saved in rich text format (rtf). In your email, give your name and contact information, as well as the title of your manuscript and a short author bio/publication history. Include only the title on your manuscript, with no mention of the author’s name. If you wish, include a self-addressed postcard for notification that we have received both your manuscript and fee, as well as the SASE for contest results. Any questions may also be referred to
publisher@starcherone.com

*Note: This is not a hypertext or electronic fiction contest. This is a means by which you can send your fiction contest manuscript to Starcherone
electronically.

Backwards City Review Literary Awards

Backwards City Review announces its third-annual literary awards, with top prizes of $500 and publication in Backwards City Review #6, due out this fall.

The entry-fee is $15 and includes a year’s subscription to the journal. The deadline for entries is May 15, 2007.

You can find full details on the web. All themes and genres are accepted, and all entries are considered for publication. Online submissions are, as always, highly encouraged.

Virginia Commonwealth University First Novelist Award

The Department of English at Virginia Commonwealth University is pleased to announce its call for submissions for the Sixth Annual VCU First Novelist
Award.

The Fifth Annual VCU First Novelist Award, for a book published in 2005, will go to Karen Fisher for her novel A Sudden Country, published by Random House. The award will be presented at the First Novelist Forum, to be held in the fall of 2006 at VCU. Previous awards have gone to Lorraine Adams for Harbor, Michael Byers for Long for This World, Isabel Zuber for Salt, and Maribeth Fischer for The Language of Good-bye. The VCU First Novelist Award, created by Laura Browder (Slippery Characters, Rousing the Nation), playwright, and Tom De Haven (It’s Superman!, Funny Papers, Derby Dugan’s Depression Funnies, Dugan Under Ground, among others) novelist and facilitator of the program’s novel workshop, is presented on behalf of VCU’s MFA in Creative Writing Program. It is made possible in part by the generosity of Richmond writer and VCU alumnus David Baldacci (Total Control, Absolute Power). Co-sponsors include the VCU School of Mass Communications, the VCU School of World Studies, and eFollett VCU Bookstores. The award celebrates the nation’s first—and still one of the very few—year-long novel workshops.

Created to recognize a rising new talent in the literary world who has successfully published a first novel, nominations are solicited from MFA programs nationwide as well as from publishers, editors, agents, and writers. A panel of readers narrows the field to the four or five most promising new works of fiction, and from that short list, three prominent judges choose the recipient of the First Novelist Award. The First Novelist Forum was designed to highlight the journey a new writer assumes in his or her quest to contribute to the literary world. During this weekend-long event, we bring together the newly published author and his or her agent and editor for a series of events that focus on the creation, publication, and promotion processes involved with a first novel.

The itinerary includes a luncheon, a visit with a graduate fiction workshop, a public reading followed by a Q&A session, and other social events that draw together Richmond’s literary community and the public at large. Travel expenses to Richmond and lodging accommodations for the author, agent, and editor are provided, as well as a $1000 cash prize for the author. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2007. Please send 3 copies for review to:

First Novelist Award
VCU Department of English
PO Box 842005
Richmond, VA 23284-200