Last Call! Sports Fiction & Essay Contest

Sports Fiction & Essay Contest

Submit Online by May 31

It’s last call to enter the 2013 Sports Fiction & Essay Contest sponsored by Winning Writers. The final judge is Jendi Reiter. We’ll award $3,000 in prizes.

Fiction Category

First Prize, $1,000 cash

Five Honorable Mentions, $100 cash each

Essay Category

First Prize, $1,000 cash

Five Honorable Mentions, $100 cash each

Entries should be original and unpublished

Each entry may contain up to 6,000 words

You may submit any number of entries

Fee per entry: $15

Deadline: May 31, 2013

Submit entries at

winningwriters.com/sports

 
All winners of cash prizes will be announced in our email newsletter and published on WinningWriters.com.

Read last year’s winning entries and the judges’ comments.

Northwind 2013 Story Contest

Northwind Story Contest

Prize: $1,000.00

Entry fee: $15.00

Deadline: 07-31-2013.

The Story Contest is open to all fiction and narrative non-fiction writers. Entries must be previously unpublished, either in print or online, between 1,500 and 8,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner or runner-up in another contest. First Prize is $1,000 and publication. Second Prize is $250 and publication. Third Prize is $100 and publication.Visit the website for details:

http://www.northwindmagazine.com/contests/2013_story_contest.html

About: Northwind is an independent literary magazine, started in 2011 by editors Tom Howard and Abbe Steel. It is published quarterly.

The Strongest Start Novel Competition 2013

Over $4,000 in Prizes, Feedback and Exposure!

Submit the first three chapters of your novel. Grand prize award of:

• $1,806 self-publishing solution from CreateSpace.
• $300 cash.
• Feedback on every chapter you submit.
• The chance to meet other authors, get motivated, and get noticed.

  Two runner-ups will receive:

• CreateSpace copyediting service valued at approximately $600.
• $150 in cash
• Feedback

Everyone who enters receives feedback, motivation, and advice.

Keep Us Reading

We know that writing a compelling start isn’t easy. So, for the seventh year we’ve put together a motivational competition to help you hone your first three chapters to perfection (if you haven’t already). We’re looking for opening chapters that will create a burning need to find out what happens, how the characters turn out, how the novel resolves itself. The kind of start that gets an agent to call back, a publisher to show interest, and a reader to plunk down their hard earned money. Above all, give us three opening chapters that will keep us reading.

Submission deadline: June 29, 2013

Learn more about the Strongest Start Novel Competition

The Saturday Evening Post 2014 Great American Fiction Contest

The Saturday Evening Post

 

2014 Great American Fiction Contest

In its nearly three centuries of existence, The Saturday Evening Post has published short fiction by a who’s who of American authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald; William Faulkner; Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; Ray Bradbury; Louis L’Amour; Sinclair Lewis; Jack London; and Edgar Allan Poe. Now you have the opportunity to join that illustrious line-up by taking part in The Saturday Evening Post’s Second Annual Great American Fiction Contest.

 

The winning story will be published in the Jan/Feb 2014 edition of the magazine and on our website. The winning writer will receive a payment of $500. Five runners-up will be published on our website and receive payment of $100 each.

 

Helpful Hints:

 

* We like a good story! Entries should be character- or plot-driven pieces in any genre of fiction, but keep it readable, please! “We are looking for stories with universal appeal touching on shared experiences and themes that will resonate with readers from diverse backgrounds and experience,” says Joan SerVaas, publisher of The Saturday Evening Post.
* Think local. The Post has historically played a role in defining what it means to be an American. Your story should in some way touch upon the publication’s mission: Celebrating America, Past, Present, and Future.

 

Submission Guidelines:

 

Stories must be submitted by the author, previously unpublished (excluding personal websites and blogs), and 1,500-5,000 words in length. No extreme profanity or graphic sex scenes, please. All stories must be submitted online and should be in Microsoft Word format with the author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address on the first page. There is a $10 entry fee, which helps defray a portion of the cost of operating the contest.

Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. (EST), July 1, 2013.

Visit the website for complete details on how to enter:  http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/fiction-contest

Salamander 2013 Fiction Prize

 

$1,500 Honorarium and Publication
Final Judge: Edith Pearlman

SUBMIT: Online or by mail from May 15 through June 15, 2013; on-​​line submission available at end of day on May 15th.

Reading fee: $15.00

• All entries will be considered for publication. All entries will be considered anonymously.
• Send no more than one story per entry. Each story must not exceed 30 double-​​spaced pages in 12 point font. Multiple entries are acceptable, provided that a separate reading fee is included with each entry.
• Please submit two separate cover sheets with each entry, one with the title of the story only, and the other with the title of the story and your name, address, phone number, and email. Your name should not appear anywhere on the story itself.
• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but the contest fee is non-​​refundable if the submission is withdrawn. Please notify the editors as soon as possible if a submitted story is accepted elsewhere.
• Previously published works and works accepted for publication elsewhere cannot be considered. Salamander’s definition of publishing includes electronic publication.
• No handwritten, faxed, emailed, or poorly copied/​printed manuscripts will be considered.
• Salamander will not consider work from anyone currently or recently (within the past 4 years) affiliated with Suffolk University or the prize judge.
• If you wish to be notified of the arrival of your manuscript, please enclose a self-​​addressed stamped postcard. Please also include a self-​​addressed stamped business-​​sized envelope for notification of contest results. Manuscripts cannot be returned. Contest results will be emailed to entrants and will be posted on salamandermag​.org
• Contest reading fee includes a one-​​year subscription. Checks should be made out to Salamander. We will send your subscription to the address on your cover sheet unless instructed otherwise. Overseas addresses, please add $10 for subscription postage ($5 for addresses in Canada). Please note that we cannot accept money orders or checks from foreign banks.
• Online contest submissions and payment will be available starting May 15.

Edith Pearlman’s most recent collection of short stories, Binocular Vision, received the 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award. Her other books are How to Fall, Love Among the Greats, and Vaquita. She has published more than 250 works of short fiction and nonfiction in national magazines, literary journals, anthologies, and online publications. Her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and New Stories from the South.

Deadline: JUNE 15, 2013

Visit the website:  http://salamandermag.org/contests/

Women Who Write 2013 International Poetry & Short Prose Contest

DEADLINE: June 30, 2013

Contest Rules

1. Open to women 18 years or older.
2. Women Who Write will retain one-time publication rights (print and electronic), after which all rights revert to the author.
3. Entries to the contest must be previously unpublished.
4. Prose pieces can be fiction or non-fiction and are limited to 3,000 words or less.
5. $12 entry fee for each prose piece submitted or for up to two poems. Submissions will not be returned. Entry fees will not be reimbursed for any reason.
6. Deadline is June 30, 2013. Electronic submissions must be received by midnight June 30, 2013. Print submissions must be postmarked on or before June 30, 2013. Late entries will not be considered.
7. Winners will be notified in August by phone.
8. Women Who Write members are ineligible to enter the contest. (See details below.)
9. Contest entries or member submissions in any genre are welcome, and many stories and poems in past issues have addressed adult themes or contained strong language. However, the board of directors reserves the right to omit work they deem incompatible with the organization’s mission and values.
10. Writers are encouraged to read past issues of Calliope (available on Amazon) to become familiar with the type of work we publish.

Submission Guidelines

1. Each poem or prose entry must include a cover page with the title of the work, the author’s name, address, home phone number, and valid email address.
2. On the cover sheet, include a bio of up to 200 words. Bios will be published with the winning entries.
3. To identify each page of your work, use a header with the title on the right, followed immediately by the page number. For example: To Kill a Mockingbird – 1. Do not put the author’s name or other identifying information in the header.
4. Formatting:

• Microsoft Word format (other formats, such as pdf files or Notepad, will not be considered)
• Times New Roman font, 12-point type
• Double-spaced
• One-inch margins on all sides
• Left-justified for prose
• Indent paragraphs one tab
• Do not insert a line space between paragraphs
• One space after periods or other terminating punctuation
• Default on all other MS Word settings

Submit

Submit entries online

or send hard copy by mail to:

Women Who Write
P.O. Box 6167
Louisville, KY 40206.

Entries are subject to editing for spelling, grammar, punctuation and line spacing. If other changes are needed, authors will have the opportunity to review edits before publication.

Judging and Awards

First, second and third place winners will be selected in the prose and poetry categories (a total of six winners) by independent judges in a blind judging. Decisions of the judges are final.

Winners will receive:

1. First place: $300, publication in Calliope, the annual anthology of Women Who Write, and up to five copies of Calliope.
2. Second place: $200, publication in Calliope and up to five copies of Calliope.
3. Third place: $100, publication in Calliope and up to five copies of Calliope.

Visit the website:  http://womenwhowrite.com/Submit.html

Women Who Write Members

Women Who Write members may submit work for inclusion in the organization’s anthology, Calliope, but are not eligible to win the International Short Prose & Poetry Contest. Members must also pay an entry fee and follow the same submission guidelines as non-members. In addition, member submissions must be read aloud and critiqued at a Women Who Write meeting at least once. Pieces requiring extensive work may need to be read and critiqued twice before acceptance for publication.

Last Call for Entries! – Contest Two: “Una Mujer” – Prose and Poetry

Contest Two: “Una Mujer” runs from May 2, 2013 to June 1, 2013, and winners will be announced July 1, 2013 to coincide with the launch of Spark: A Creative Anthology, Volume II.

Awards:

Grand Prize

We will award one Grand Prize for poetry, and one for prose. Each of the two Grand Prize winners will receive:

• US$500.00
• Publication in Spark: A Creative Anthology, Volume III
• Lifetime Premium Membership at Scribophile, the online writing group for serious writers
• Six-Month Scribe’s Forge Ultimate Writer’s Passport
• Complimentary print & digital copies of Spark: A Creative Anthology, Volumes I through IV
• Million Dollar Outlines by David Farland (2013 Kindle or Nook edition)

Second Place

We will award one Second Place prize for poetry, and one for prose. Each of the two Second Place winners will receive:

• US$100.00
• Lifetime Premium Membership at Scribophile
• Complimentary digital copies of Spark: A Creative Anthology, Volumes I through IV
• Complimentary print copy of Spark: A Creative Anthology, Volume I
• Print subscription to American Poetry Review
• Million Dollar Outlines by David Farland (2013 Kindle or Nook edition)

Third Place

We will award one Third Place prize for poetry, and one for prose. Each of the two Third Place winners will receive:

• One-year Premium Membership at Scribophile
• Complimentary digital copy of Spark: A Creative Anthology Volumes I through IV
• Digital Subscription to American Poetry Review
• Million Dollar Outlines by David Farland (2013 Kindle or Nook edition)

Fees

A fee of US$10 must accompany each entry.

Guidelines

Your writing prompt for this contest is the artwork Impresión del perfil de una mujer by Rodney Artiles, which will be featured on the cover of Spark: A Creative Anthology Volume III. Entries are not required to adhere to this prompt, but you are encouraged to let it inspire your creativity. There are no age or genre restrictions for this contest, and content guidelines are similar to our standard submission guidelines, including what we are not accepting.

Contest Two awards prizes for poetry and prose according to our contest judging criteria.

Prose includes both fiction and creative nonfiction, but we have not divided the category further because we believe that well-written creative nonfiction should tell a story so well that the result is indistinguishable from fiction. Prose must be less than 12,000 words.

Poetry includes all styles, meters, and rhyme schemes, or may be free-form. Poetry must be less than 150 lines.

DEADLINE: JUNE 1st, 2103

Rules & Restrictions

• Publication Rights remain with the author or poet. Grand Prize winners are not obligated to publish their winning entry in Spark, but if our publication offer is accepted, the cash portion of the prize serves to purchase First Publication rights as outlined on our Rights & Rates page. All other entrants retain full rights to submit and publish their entries as they wish.
• Prose limits: We are looking for excellent writing and storytelling, not length. A compelling and well-written “flash fiction” piece has equal chance against a novelette. Prose must be less than 12,000 words.
• Poetry limits: We are looking for evocative imagery that paints a small story in a poem. A haiku or tanka has equal chance against a sonnet or epic. Poetry must be less than 150 lines.
• Only previously unpublished works will be considered.
• You may enter a previously-written piece if you feel that it satisfies the prompt for this contest.
• There are no age limits for this contest other than legal restrictions imposed by your local jurisdiction. In the event that a younger winner is ineligible for any non-cash prize because of age, an equivalent cash prize will be substituted.
• Spark: A Creative Anthology contest judges and their immediate families are not eligible.
• Because entries are blindly judged, authors and poets who have previously had work accepted for any volume of Spark: A Creative Anthology may enter this contest. In the event that a Grand Prize winner is an author or poet whose work has been accepted for Spark: A Creative Anthology, Volume III, we may choose to postpone or decline publication of either the previously-accepted work or the winning contest entry.
• You may enter multiple pieces in this contest, and you may enter both poetry and prose, but each entrant can win at most one prize, no matter how many entries are made.
• Contest entry fees are non-refundable.
• All proceeds after prizes are awarded will be applied toward publication costs of Spark: A Creative Anthology at the sole discretion of Empire & Great Jones Creative Arts Foundation, a registered non-profit corporation.
• Because this contest is judged blindly—that is, the author’s name is withheld from the judges—please omit personal information from the manuscript. Your name and contact information will be attached to the entry form.
• Judges will be unable to provide feedback on specific pieces.

Visit the website for details on how to enter:

http://sparkanthology.org/contests/two/

Chronic Resilience Summer 2013 Essay Contest: Topic – “Who inspires your chronic resilience?”

In anticipation for release of Chronic Resilience: 10 Sanity-Saving Strategies for Women Coping with the Stress of Illness (Cornari Press, August 2013)  Author Danea Horn is pleased to announce a Summer 2013 Essay Contest. The topic is “Who inspires your chronic resilience?”  She is inviting the nearly 45% of American’s coping with chronic illness to honor the special people in their lives who motivate them every day.

Essays must be submitted by 11:59 P.M. PST on Friday, July 26^th  2013 for a chance to win the top prize of $250! Two additional essays will be honored with a spa gift basket full of self-pampering goodies. All winners will be recognized and have their essay posted on Danea Horn’s websites, www.chronicresilience.com and www.creativeaffirmations.com.

Participants wishing to enter the contest should write an essay of no more than 1,000 words describing who they are chronically resilient for.

For details and official rules, visit www.chronicresilience.com/essay-contest

 

THE RENAL SUPPORT NETWORK INVITES PEOPLE WITH KIDNEY DISEASE TO ENTER THE 11TH ANNUAL RSN ESSAY CONTEST

 

2013 Theme: “Provide an example of how you became an active participant

in your care”; cash prizes to be awarded

 

Renal Support Network (RSN), a nonprofit, patient-focused, patient-run organization that provides nonmedical services to those affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD), encourages people with kidney disease to let their voices be heard by entering the 11^th Annual RSN Essay Contest. This year’s theme is, “Provide an example of how you became an active participant in your care.” All submissions must be written by someone who has been diagnosed with CKD, and cash prizes will be awarded.

 

 

RSN Essay Contest winners will receive cash prizes: First Place, $500; Second Place, $300; and Third Place, $100. Winners’ names will be announced after September 10, 2013, and the winning essays will be featured in RSN’s publication, Live & Give, and posted on RSNHope.org.

 

HOW TO ENTER

• Essays must not exceed 750 words and must focus on this year’s theme: “provide an example of how you became an active participant in your care.” Limit one entry per person. Additional contact information (the author’s complete name, address, phone number, and email address, if applicable) must be included on a separate page. All submissions become the property of RSN and will not be returned.

 

• Entries can be faxed to  (818) 244-9540 , emailed to essay@RSNhope.org or mailed to RSN Essay Contest, Renal Support Network, 1311 N. Maryland Ave., Glendale, CA 91207. All entries must be postmarked or received by 12:00 p.m. EDT on August 1, 2013.

 

HOW ENTRIES WILL BE JUDGED

• All entries will be judged by an expert panel of writers and people with kidney disease on the basis of the following factors: appropriateness to the Contest Theme, Originality and Creativity, and Technical Correctness (spelling, grammar, and an accurate explanation of the disease and/or treatment). In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest Originality and Creativity score will be selected as the winner.

 

OFFICIAL RSN ESSAY CONTEST RULES

• The contest is open only to people who have been diagnosed with CKD and live in the United States and is void where prohibited by law. Employees of RSN or of agencies advertising and promoting the contest, their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household are not eligible to enter. The winner is not permitted to substitute or transfer the prize. All federal, state and local laws apply, and the winner is responsible for paying any applicable taxes.

 

• Essays must be typed. Handwritten essays will NOT be accepted.

 

• The winners will receive an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability and Publicity and have 15 days to execute it, certifying that the entry is their own original work. If the winner is a minor, a parent or guardian must sign the affidavit on behalf of the minor. Noncompliance can result in disqualification and the selection of another winner.

 

• All entries must consist of original works that have never been published before and must not infringe on any third-party rights. By entering the contest, the entrant gives RSN the right to use, edit or publish the entry without further compensation. The winners assign all copyrights to RSN.

 

• Unless such use or permission is prohibited by law, those who enter the contest and/or accept a prize grant permission to sponsors and their agencies to use the winners’ names and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising/trade without further compensation. Prizes are nontransferable. By accepting a prize, the winner agrees to hold RSN and its directors, officers, employees and assignees harmless against any and all claims of liability arising from the use of the prize. The winner assumes all liability for any injury or damage caused by, or claimed to be caused by, participation in this promotion or by the use/redemption of any prize.

 

• Entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules as stated and the decisions of the judges. RSN is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, the administration of the contest or the announcement of the prizes. In addition, RSN is not responsible for lost, late, mutilated or illegible entries.

 

For further information about the contest and its rules, entrants can visit RSNHope.org.

 

About RSN

Renal Support Network (RSN) is a nonprofit, patient-focused, patient-run organization that provides nonmedical services to those affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD). RSN strives to motivate and assist people with CKD and to help them develop their personal coping skills, special talents and employability by educating and empowering them (and their family members) to take control of the course and management of their disease. RSN values people with kidney disease and helps them become self-sufficient through education, advocacy and the hope for a better tomorrow through its many educational and support programs, including the RSN HOPEline, KidneyTalk, and the Live & Give newsletter. Visit RSNHope.org for more information.

Deadline Extension For 2013 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition: May 16: Midnight In All Time Zones

Dear Writers,

This notification will not be posted on our website. We are extending our late deadline by one day only, until May 16, midnight in all time zones, due to requests by a number of writers who need extra time to complete their manuscripts.

If you are among those who need this deadline extension, and are submitting online, please simply use the late deadline function on PayPal for May 2-May 15. Your manuscript will still be accepted if you submit by May 16.

We shall post our guidelines below for your convenience. And we wish the best of luck, as always, to all who enter.

$2,500 Awaits Winners of Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition

 

Writers of short fiction are encouraged to enter the 2013 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. The competition has a thirty-three year history of literary excellence, and its organizers are dedicated to enthusiastically supporting the efforts and talent of emerging writers of short fiction whose voices have yet to be heard. Lorian Hemingway, granddaughter of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway, is the author of three critically acclaimed books: Walking into the River, Walk on Water,and A World Turned Over. Ms. Hemingway is the competition’s final judge.

     

Prizes and Publication:

 

The first-place winner will receive $1,500 and publication of his or her winning story in Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts. The second – and third-place winners will receive $500 each. Honorable mentions will also be awarded to entrants whose work demonstrates promise. Cutthroat: A Journal of  the Arts was founded by editor-in-chief Pamela Uschuk, winner of the 2010 American Book Award for her book Crazy Love: New Poems, and by poet William Pitt Root, Guggenheim Fellow and NEA recipient. The journal contains some of the finest contemporary fiction and poetry in print, and the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is both proud and grateful to be associated with such a reputable publication.

 

Eligibility requirements for our 2013 competition are as follows:

 

What to submit:

 

* Stories must be original unpublished fiction, typed and double-spaced, and may not exceed 3,500 words in length. We have extended our word limit for the first time in thirty years to 3,500 words rather than 3,000. There are no theme or genre restrictions. Copyright remains property of the author.

 

Who may submit:

 

* The literary competition is open to all U.S. and international writers whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication with a circulation of 5,000 or more. Writers who have been published by an online magazine or who have self-published will be considered on an individual basis.

 

Submission requirements:

 

* Submissions may be sent via regular mail or submitted online. Please visit our online submissions page for complete instructions regarding online submissions. Writers may submit multiple entries, but each must be accompanied by an entry fee and separate cover sheet. We do accept simultaneous submissions; however, the writer must notify us if a story is accepted for publication or wins an award prior to our July announcements. No entry confirmation will be given unless requested. No SASE is required. * The author’s name should not appear on the story. Our entrants are judged anonymously. Each story must be accompanied by a separate cover sheet with the writer’s name, complete mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, the title of the piece, and the word count. Manuscripts will not be returned. These requirements apply for online submissions as well.

 

Deadlines and Entry Fees:

 

* The entry fee is $15 for each story postmarked by May 1, 2013. The late entry fee is $20 for each story postmarked by May 16, 2012. We encourage you to enter by May 1 if at all possible, but please know that your story will still be accepted if you meet the later deadline. Entries postmarked after May 16, 2013 will not be accepted. Entries submitted online after May 16, 2013 will not be accepted. Writers may submit for the 2014 competition beginning May 17, 2013.

 

How to pay your entry fee:

 

* Entry fees submitted by mail with their accompanying stories may be paid — in U.S. funds — via a personal check, cashier’s check, or money order. Please make checks payable to LHSSC or The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. Entry fees for online submissions may be paid with PayPal.

 

Announcement of Winners and Honorable Mentions:

 

Winners of our 2013 competition will be announced at the end of July 2013 in Key West, Florida, and posted on our website soon afterward, or sent via email to all entrants. Only the first-place entrant will be notified personally. All entrants will receive a letter from Lorian Hemingway and a list of winners, either via regular mail or e-mail, by October 1, 2013. All manuscripts and their accompanying entry fees should be sent to The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, P.O. Box 993, Key West, FL 33041 or submitted online. For more information, please explore our website or e-mail:shortstorykw<at>gmail<dot>com

VISIT THE WEBSITE: http://www.shortstorycompetition.com/

Nationally Known Authors Headline Fall 2013 Hillerman Writers Conference

2013 TONY HILLERMAN WRITERS CONFERENCE:

NATIONALLY KNOWN AUTHORS TO TEACH AT GATHERING

SANTA FE, NM –A handpicked faculty of award-winning published authors, who are also accomplished teachers, will headline the 2013 Tony Hillerman Writers Conference.

Established to honor author Tony Hillerman, the conference keeps Hillerman’s legacy alive and welcomes writers of all genres and abilities. The 2013 conference will be Nov. 7–9, 2013  in Santa Fe at the Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza.

The event features faculty members such as:

·      Margaret Coel, award-winning author of the Wind River Mysteries and the Catherine McLeod Novels

·      Kirk Ellis, Emmy-award winning writer of the HBO mini-series John Adams

·      Craig Johnson, New York Times’ best-selling author of the Walt Longmire series that inspired the hit TV drama on A&E. His newest honor is The Rocky for the best mystery novel set in the west. His writing has also been honored with the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award; Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and Library Journal as the Best Mystery of the Year.

·      David Morrell, winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel and the ThrillerMaster Award from the International Thrillers Writers.

·      James McGrath Morris, recipient of two New Mexico Book Awards and the Eagleton-Waters Book Award for his biographies

·      Anne Hillerman, winner of the independent booksellers Mountains and Plains Book Award and first-place honors from the National Federation of Press Women

The conference features workshops on getting published and marketing books, as well as on the craft of writing. It opens with two half-day hands-on workshops for authors on “Perfect Plotting,” facilitated by Margaret Coel, and “Great Openings and Endings,” taught by James McGrath Morris.

The Tony Hillerman Writers Conference is intentionally designed as an intimate event, where writers have the opportunity to interact with and get feedback from faculty members and their fellow writers. “The small size of the conference enables students to interact informally with each other and our faculty at nightly book signings and during our flash critique session with thriller master David Morrell and literary agent Liz Trupin Pulli,” says Anne Hillerman.

“We’re also proud to offer an opportunity for our participants to talk about their work at the ‘New Book/New Author Breakfast’,” says conference co-founder Jean Schaumberg.

The Tony Hillerman Writer’s conference began in 2004. Tony Hillerman offered ideas and encouragement to Schaumberg and co-founder Anne Hillerman until his death in 2008. In selecting faculty, Hillerman and Schaumberg focus on highlighting the wealth of literary talent in New Mexico and the Southwest, of which Tony Hillerman was always a fan.       

For further details, please visit http://www.wordharvest.com/registration.php

10 Classic Books All Teens Should Read

Young Adult literature is enjoying an almost unprecedented explosion in popularity, moving more and more teens to lose themselves in the wonderful world of books. While the shelves of the local big-box retailer may be weighted down with plenty of offerings from bestselling authors, there are also a plethora of classics that no teenage bookworm should miss. These ten classics are among the most moving, inspiring and thought-provoking out there, giving today’s YA lit a run for it’s proverbial money.

Visit the website: http://www.babysittingjobs.com/blog/10-classic-books-all-teens-should-read/

HARD TIMES WRITING CONTEST

Deadline: Postmarked by June 30, 2013

Awards:

1^ST PLACE:  Your choice of a 3 night stay at The Mountain Muse B&B in Asheville; or 3 free online workshops; or 100 pages line-edited and revised by our editorial staff

2nd PLACE: 2 night stay at the B&B; or 2 free workshops; or 50 pages line-edited

3rd PLACE:  One free workshop, or 25 pages line-edited

10 Honorable Mentions

Guidelines:

Write about a difficult experience in your life, how you overcame this obstacle, and how you were changed by it. Winning stories will be chosen for originality and creative writing style. Stories should be previously unpublished, and should not exceed 4,000 words (double-spaced, 12 point font). Multiple entries are accepted.

Your name, address, email, phone and title of work should also appear on a cover sheet. Enclose a self-addressed, self-sealing stamped envelope for critique and list of winners, and the reading fee of $25 (or $20 for Workshop members) per entry. Please make check or money order payable to Writers’ Workshop, and send to: Hard Times Contest, 387 Beaucatcher Road, Asheville, N.C.  28805.

Emailed submissions may be sent to writersw@gmail.com, with “Hard Times Contest” in the subject. Entry fee is payable online at www.twwoa.org.

Visit the website: http://www.twwoa.org

Fiction contest: May/June; Salamander magazine

Salamander magazine will award a cash prize of $1,500 plus publication for the best fiction story. All entries will be considered for publication. Send no more than one story per entry. Each story must not exceed 30 double-spaced pages in 12 point font. Multiple entries are acceptable, provided that a separate reading fee is included with each entry. Contest reading fee includes a one-year subscription.

Judge: Edith Pearlman
Edith Pearlman’s most recent collection of short stories, Binocular Vision, received the 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award. Her other books are How to Fall, Love Among the Greats, and Vaquita. She has published more than 250 works of short fiction and nonfiction in national magazines, literary journals, anthologies, and online publications. Her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and New Stories from the South.

Submissions run from May 15 – June 15, 2013, and all of the information can be found here: http://salamandermag.org/contests/

Submit Entries Online or by Mail to:
2013 Fiction Prize
Salamander/Suffolk University English Dept.
41 Temple Street
Boston, MA 02114

Visit the website for details: http://salamandermag.org/contests/

National Writing Contest in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry

 

 

*** $1,000 First Place Prize ***

 

 

Postmark Deadline: October 1, 2013 

 

 

Our annual contest awards $1000 plus publication for the first place winners 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 2014 issue, a $10 value. The issue will come out in late spring 2014. 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, as a finalist. We encourage submissions from writers of all levels, including emerging or early-career writers. We accept simultaneous submissions; inform us in your cover letter and contact us immediately, should your work be selected elsewhere.

 

Submission Guidelines:

 

Submissions accepted August 15 through October 1, 2013 (postmark deadline).

 

Include a brief cover letter; please let us know if yours is a simultaneous submission.

 

Include SASE 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 categories 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 submissions are encouraged. No email submissions.

 

Send to: Alligator Juniper, Prescott College, 220 Grove Avenue, Prescott, AZ 86301
Note: We usually inform in January.

 

We are now accepting submissions online through our blog alligatorjuniper.wordpress.com

 

For full submission guidelines visit http://www.prescott.edu/alligatorjuniper/national-contest/index.html

 

or visit our blog at:

 

http://alligatorjuniper.wordpress.com

 

 

For questions, email:  alligatorjuniper@prescott.edu

Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival – Poetry Contest

Former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky will judge the 4th Annual Poetry Contest. A prize of $1,000 and publication in Louisiana Cultural Vistas is given annually for a group of poems. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at the 2014 Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. Poets who have not yet published a poetry collection may submit two to four poems totaling no more than 400 lines with a $20 entry fee by August 15, 2013. Send an SASE or visit the website for complete guidelines.

Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
Poetry Contest
938 Lafayette Street, Suite 514
New Orleans, LA 70113.
contests@tennesseewilliams.net

Visit the website:

www.tennesseewilliams.net/contests/poetry-contest

The AWW “Good Read” Fiction Book Competition

Contact: www.awomanswrite.com

Prize: $500

Entry fee $40 includes a thorough, thoughtful critique, and the option to resubmit during the same contest period.

The Good Read competition is for novels written by women 18 or older in English. Send 75 pages, a query letter and a two-page synopsis.

Contest begins January 1 annually, and closes November 30 annually.

We are more interested in a good story well told and a point well made than in attempts to sound literary or poetic. Send us your best, simplest work. Make us love or hate your characters, believe or disbelieve your thesis, by your excellent prose composition. Get us involved in the narrative, or interested in the facts, by moving us skillfully from point A to point B.

AWW is a resource for creative women. We want to encourage work by, for and about women, but stories about men will not be overlooked. Just be sure that your viewpoint rings true and the experiences you portray are authentic to the character and setting. Be natural.

Do not use special script for emphasis. Read rules for the use of italics and do not use italics for simple emphasis. Do not overuse the exclamation point. Books will be judged on objective standards and demerits will be assigned for: word repetition, incorrect grammar and syntax, incorrect punctuation, improper formatting of paragraphs, weak characterizations, contradictory or illogical plot development, unbelievable or inconsistent setting. It will also be judged subjectively by our editors, as nearly as possible to mimic the experience of a new enthusiastic reader who has picked your book off the shelf and is embarking on the adventure of involvement in the world you have created. What stops, bores, or confuses that reader/editor will stop, bore, and confuse a larger audience.

Read the instructions carefully and submit accordingly. Inattention to detail can result in disqualification. The editors of AWW are themselves contest entrants (and occasional winners) and are well acquainted with the frustrations of getting it wrong and kicking oneself for having gotten it wrong. Please, read. For questions, email us.

Important: Contestants should be 18 or older. Submitting your entry certifies that you are eligible, and that all work submitted is your own. Entry fees are non-refundable and are payable only through PayPal. Judge’s decisions are final.

Visit the website for Guidelines for the AWW “Good Read” Fiction Book Competition 

at:  http://www.awomanswrite.com/rules.html#enter

The 2013 Autumn House Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction Contests

The 2013 Autumn House Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction Contests

Naomi Shihab Nye, Poetry Judge
Kathleen George, Fiction Judge
Phillip Lopate, Nonfiction Judge

Scroll down for separate contest guidelines for each genre.

Guidelines for the 2013 Autumn House Poetry Contest

Since 2003, the annual Autumn House Poetry Contest has awarded publication of a full-length manuscript and $2,500 to the winner. For the 2013 contest, the preliminary judge is Michael Simms, and the final judge is Naomi Shihab Nye. The postmark deadline for entries is June 30, 2013. For further questions, feel free to email us, message us on Twitter, or ask us through our Facebook Fan Page.

The winner will receive book publication, $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,500 travel grant to promote his or her book.

The deadline is June 30, 2013.

We ask that all submissions from authors new to Autumn House come through one of our annual contests.

All finalists will be considered for publication.

The final judge for the Poetry Prize is Naomi Shihab Nye.

All full-length collections of poetry 50-80 pages in length are eligible.

The results of the contests will be announced on our website www.autumnhouse.org.

Autumn House Press assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged manuscripts.

All entries must be clearly marked “Poetry Prize” on the outside envelope.

Thirty dollar handling fee (check or money order) must be enclosed.

MANUSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED.

Send manuscript and $30.00 fee to:

Autumn House Press

PO Box 60100

Pittsburgh, PA 15211

Electronic submission option: Poetry manuscripts may be submitted electronically by sending the entry by email attachment to autumnh420(at)gmail.com and paying the $30 entry fee through the “Donate” button on the Autumn House homepage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guidelines for the 2013 Autumn House Fiction Contest

We are pleased to announce the sixth annual Autumn House Fiction Contest. For the 2013 contest, the preliminary judge is Sharon Dilworth, and the final judge is Kathleen George. The winner will be awarded publication of a full-length manuscript and $2,500. The postmark deadline for entries is June 30, 2013. For further questions, feel free to email us, message us on Twitter, or ask us through our Facebook Fan Page.

The winners will receive book publication, $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,500 travel grant to promote his or her book.

The deadline is June 30, 2013.

We ask that all submissions from authors new to Autumn House come through one of our annual contests.

All finalists will be considered for publication.

The final judge for the Fiction Prize is Kathleen George.

Fiction submissions should be approximately 200-300 pages. All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or novels) or any combination of sub-genres are eligible.

Contest results will be announced on our website www.autumnhouse.org.

Autumn House Press assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged manuscripts.

All entries must be clearly marked “Fiction Prize” on the outside envelope.

Thirty dollar handling fee (check or money order) must be enclosed.

MANUSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED.

Send manuscript and $30.00 fee to:

Autumn House Press

PO Box 60100

Pittsburgh, PA 15211

Electronic submission option: Fiction manuscripts may be submitted electronically by sending the entry by email attachment to autumnh430(at)gmail.com and paying the $30 entry fee through the “Donate” button on the Autumn House homepage.

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Guidelines for the 2013 Autumn House Nonfiction Contest

We are pleased to announce the second annual Autumn House Nonfiction Contest. For the 2013 contest, the preliminary judge is Caroline Tanski, and the final judge is Phillip Lopate. The winner will be awarded publication of a full-length manuscript and $2,500. The postmark deadline for entries is June 30, 2013. For further questions, feel free to email us, message us on Twitter, or ask us through our Facebook Fan Page.

The winner will receive book publication, $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,500 travel grant to promote his or her book.

The deadline is June 30, 2013.

We ask that all submissions from authors new to Autumn House come through one of our annual contests.

All finalists will be considered for publication.

The final judge for the Nonfiction Prize is Phillip Lopate.

Nonfiction submissions should be approximately 200-300 pages. All nonfiction subjects (including personal essays, memoirs, travel writing, historical narratives, nature or science writing…) or any combination of subjects are eligible.

Contest results will be announced on our website www.autumnhouse.org.

Autumn House Press assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged manuscripts.

All entries must be clearly marked “Nonfiction Prize” on the outside envelope.

Thirty dollar handling fee (check or money order) must be enclosed.

MANUSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED.

Send manuscript and $30.00 fee to:

Autumn House Press

PO Box 60100

Pittsburgh, PA 15211

Electronic submission option: Nonfiction manuscripts may be submitted electronically by sending the entry by email attachment to autumnh440(at)gmail.com and paying the $30 entry fee through the “Donate” button on the Autumn House homepage.

(In 2012, Phillip Lopate chose Love for Sale by Clifford Thompson as the winner of the first annual Autumn House Nonfiction prize.)

Visit the website: http://www.autumnhouse.org/

Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is now accepting entries!

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The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a story that is worth telling everyone! And welcome to all having the ability to dream… Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. http://www.dreamquestone.com

Guidelines:

Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.

And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.

Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted.

Postmark deadline: July 31, 2013

All contest winners will be announced on September 9, 2013

Prizes:

Writing First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.

Poetry First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.

Entry fees:

$10 per short story, $5 per poem.

To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”

Mail to:

Dream Quest One

Poetry & Writing Contest

P.O. Box 3141

Chicago, IL 60654

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for details on how to enter!

 

No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. “And remember, in whatever you do, it’s okay to dream, for dreams do come true.” –Dream Quest One

2013 Red Hen Press Short Story Award

 

For publication in the Los Angeles Review    
$1000 Award
Deadline: June 30, 2013
Final Judge: Ron Carlson

The winner of the 2013 Red Hen Press Short Story Award will be announced in 2014

Established in 2001, in celebration of the new century and a new tradition of literature, this award is for an original short story with a maximum of 25 pages. Submission is open to all writers and themes.

Award is $1000 and publication of the awarded story by Red Hen Press in the Los Angeles Review. Entry fee is $20 for two stories, 25 page limit per story. Please include your name on the cover sheet only. Send SASE for notification. Entries must be postmarked by June 30.

Guidelines

Eligibility: The award is open to all writers with the following exceptions:

A) Authors who have had a full length work published by Red Hen Press, or a full length work currently under consideration by Red Hen Press;
B) Employees, interns, or contractors of Red Hen Press;
C) Relatives of employees or members of the executive board of directors;
D) Relatives or individuals having a personal or professional relationship with any of the final judges where they have taken any part whatsoever in shaping the manuscript, or where, for whatever reason, selecting a particular manuscript might have the appearance of impropriety.

Procedures and Ethical Considerations

To be certain that every manuscript finalist receives the fairest evaluation, all manuscripts shall be submitted to the judges without any identifying material.

Bios, acknowledgments, and other identifying material shall be removed from judged manuscripts until the conclusion of the competition.

Red Hen Press shall not use students or interns as readers at any stage of its competitions.

Red Hen Press is committed to maintaining the utmost integrity of our awards. Judges shall recuse themselves from considering any manuscript where they recognize the work. In the event of recusal, a manuscript score previously assigned by the managing editor of the press will be substituted.

Please submit materials to:

Attn: Red Hen Press Short Story Award
Red Hen Press
P.O. Box 40820
Pasadena, CA 91114
http://www.redhen.org

Red Hen Press will only accept submissions that have been mailed to the above address; please no email attachments or faxes.

Visit the website:

http://redhen.org/awards-2/rhpssa/

PEARL SHORT STORY PRIZE

PEARL SHORT STORY PRIZE
$250 & PUBLICATION IN PEARL

Postmark deadline: May 31, 2013

GUIDELINES

MANUSCRIPTS should typed, double-spaced, with name and address on the first page. Clear photocopies and computer print-outs are acceptable. Please include an SASE for reply or return of manuscript. We will consider simultaneous submissions, but ask that you notify us if your story is accepted elsewhere. Previously unpublished stories only.

LENGTH: 4000 words maximum (about 15-16 manuscript pages).

PRIZE:In addition to the $250 cash prize, the winner also receives 10 copies of the issue the story appears in.

ENTRY FEE:$15 per story, payable to Pearl Magazine.

JUDGING: The winning story is selected by the editors of Pearl. Although we are open to all types of fiction, we look most favorably upon coherent, well-crafted narratives, containing interesting, believable characters and meaningful situations. All submissions are considered for publication in Pearl’s annual fiction issue.

SUBMISSION PERIOD: April 1 – May 31, 2013 (postmark). The winner is announced and manuscripts returned in September 2013.

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: Pearl Short Story Prize, 3030 E. Second Street, Long Beach, CA 90803

Visit the website: http://www.pearlmag.com/contests.html

N

2013 PEARL POETRY PRIZE

2013 PEARL POETRY PRIZE
$1,000 & BOOK PUBLICATION
Judge: Fred Voss
Postmark deadline: June 30, 2013

GUIDELINES  MANUSCRIPTS should include a title page with the author’s name, address, phone number, and e-mail address; an acknowledgment page listing previously published poems; a table of contents, 48–64 pages of original poetry; and an SASE for reply or return of manuscript. Manuscripts should be unbound, typed, pages numbered, and name should appear on title page only. Clear photocopies and computer print-outs are acceptable. We will consider simultaneous submissions, but ask that you notify us if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

PRIZE: In addition to publication and the $1,000 cash prize, the winner also receives 25 copies and a foreword by the finalist judge.

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all poets, with or without previous book publication. Previous winners, as well as students, friends, and associates of the judge are not eligible.

ENTRY FEE: $25 per manuscript, payable to Pearl Editions.

JUDGING: The selection of manuscripts for final judging will be made by the editors of Pearl. All entries are read anonymously.

SUBMISSION PERIOD: May 1 – June 30th, 2013 postmark. The winner will be announced and manuscripts returned after the first of next year.

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: Pearl Poetry Prize, 3030 E. Second Street, Long Beach, CA 90803.

The Idaho Prize for Poetry

The Idaho Prize is an annual, national competition offering $1,000 plus publication by Lost Horse Press for a book-length poetry manuscript. Manuscripts are accepted for review before May 15 of each year, and on 15 August, a winner is announced. In addition to announcements in national publications, the winning book and author will be featured on the Lost Horse Press website, along with a list of the finalists, as well as in the catalog of our distributor, the University of Washington Press.

Submission Guidelines

• Contest Deadline: Entries must be postmarked or submitted online (http://losthorsepress.submittable.com/submit) by May 15th, 2013.
• Winners will be announced on August 15th
• $1,000 cash prize, plus publication by Lost Horse Press
• Entry fee: $25 check or money order for hardcopy submissions; $27.50 PayPal payment with Submittable.com submission
• The Judge for the Idaho Prize for Poetry 2013 is poet and publisher, Sam Hamill

To submit a hardcopy:

Mail manuscripts of 48 or more pages of poetry, no more than one poem per page, no smaller than 12 point type in an easily readable font. Poems may have appeared in journals and chapbooks, but not in full-length, single-author collections.

Name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and title of poetry collection may appear on the cover letter only. The goal is “blind” judging. Author’s name should not appear anywhere in manuscript except the cover letter.

No restriction on content, style, or subject—we’re looking for the best manuscript.

All checks or money orders for entry fee—$25—should be made payable to Lost Horse Press. Submissions without a reading fee enclosed will not be considered. A $50 fee will be charged for returned checks.

Include SASE (number #10 business envelope) with sufficient postage for notification of finalists and winner. Manuscripts will be recycled. We are sorry but manuscripts cannot be returned.

If manuscripts arrive postage due, they will be returned.

Use white, lightweight paper. Quality paper won’t impress readers the way a quality manuscript will.

Typed and printed on one side of the paper only. No handwriting should appear anywhere on the manuscript.

Entries submitted by e-mail or fax are not permitted and will be disqualified.

Send submissions to:  The Idaho Prize, Lost Horse Press, 105 Lost Horse Lane, Sandpoint, Idaho 83864.

Visit the website for details: http://www.losthorsepress.org/the-idaho-prize/

M Writer Residencies Open to Applications 2014-15

M Writer Residencies Open to Applications
—————————————–
Applications for the 2014-5 M Writer’s Residencies are now open. The Programme funds three-month residencies in Bangalore, India and Shanghai, China for writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry or dramatic prose. (The residency in India is at Sangam House, which can also be applied to separately at http://www.sangamhouse.org )

The M Writer’s Residencies have been established to disseminate a broader knowledge of contemporary life and writing in India and China today and to foster deeper intellectual, cultural and artistic links across individuals and communities.

Applications close on June 1, 2013.

Visit the website:

http://www.m-restaurantgroup.com/mbund/Ms_residency.html

Virginia Beach Writers’ Conference to Connect Writers with Literary Agents, Editors, and Publishers

Hampton Roads Writers, Inc. (HRW), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for writers to achieve publication success, will host its fifth annual conference in Virginia Beach, September 19-21, 2013, at the Westin Town Center hotel.  The multi-day conference will provide opportunities for attendees to hone their writing craft, pitch their book manuscripts to New York literary agents actively seeking clients, and network with writers and other writing professionals.
“We are proud of the expansive selection of workshops offered this year,” said Lauran Strait, HRW founder and President of the Board of Directors. “There’s something for all writers at the conference.”

In total, attendees will be able to choose from twenty-eight workshops, covering topics such as poetry, screenplays, fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and the business of getting published.  “Since most of the craft workshops will be interactive, we expect that attendees will depart the sessions with short works-in-progress in hand,” said Strait.

The conference kicks off the evening of September 19 when attendees may choose from four workshops.  One workshop designed to help writers pitch their manuscripts to a literary agent is expected to fill to capacity as more and more writers take advantage of the free ten-minute agent pitch sessions that have come to be a popular feature of the HRW conferences.  “Last year, of the more than seventy-five conference attendees who pitched,” said Strait, “a few were subsequently asked to submit full manuscripts.”  This year’s agents include Ethan Vaughan, from Kimberley Cameron and Associates, and Jeff Ourvan, of the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency.

Friday’s keynote speaker will be Lisa McMann, New York Times bestselling author of the WAKE Trilogy, the VISIONS series, and the UNWANTEDS series.  Kevin Maurer, award-winning reporter and New York Times bestselling co-author of No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden will deliver the keynote on Saturday.  McMann and Maurer also will lead several one-hour workshops.

Other workshop presenters include fiction writers Clifford Garstang, Lydia Netzer, Jeff Andrews, and Chantelle Aimée Osman, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist Mitch Weiss, author and Certified Public Accountant Jack Downs, and poet Jeanne Larsen.

Three writers’ contests offered as a free component of the conference allow attendees an opportunity to win cash prizes.  Anyone who registers for the conference on or before July 26 may submit a short story, a nonfiction piece, and/or a poem for competition.  Winners will be announced and awarded prizes at the conclusion of the conference on September 21.  Prizes range from $100 to $250, and it’s possible for entrants to win something in all three categories.

One of the most eagerly anticipated segments of past conferences, the First-10-Line Critique sessions, will occur again this year on Friday and Saturday mornings.  Agents and bestselling authors who make up the critiquing panel aren’t afraid to say what they think about the work and whether they would continue reading or not, and often they offer suggestions for improvement.

“Each year we lengthen the critique sessions to accommodate as many first-ten-line submissions as possible,” said Nancy Blumenberg, HRW’s Vice President and Publicity Director. “Since attendees aren’t told ahead of time if their work will be read, everyone who submitted something sits poised in anxious anticipation, wondering if their work will be picked for critique.”

A book store that features books on writing craft and the business of publishing and also books written by HRW members attending the conference will be available for attendees.

An optional networking social with silent auction will occur from 5 – 7 PM on Friday, September 20.  Proceeds from the auction will be used, in part, to provide full and partial scholarships to HRW’s Traveling Pen Series workshops and to the conference.  New York Times bestselling authors, Michael Palmer and Lisa McMann, as well as a host of other local and not so local writers and businesses, have donated items to the auction.

Businesses interested in advertising, exhibiting, or distributing samples or premiums during the conference, or donating products or services for the silent auction are welcome to contact HRW at HRWriters@cox.net.  “The conference bags given to all attendees offer Blockbuster and Award-Winner sponsors the perfect opportunity for advertisement,” said Blumenberg.  “Their logos emblazoned on the bags will be seen throughout the conference and then beyond since the bag is perfect for carrying around books and other things.”

Early bird registration for the conference is $175 for HRW members and $215 for nonmembers and will conclude July 26.  The fee climbs to $215 for HRW members and $255 for nonmembers after that.  Conference fees include lunch both days, the conference bag filled with goodies, and a complete set of handouts from every workshop.  Annual HRW membership — which can be had for as little as $35 — confers substantial price reductions for all HRW fee-based activities.

Hampton Roads Writers, 150 members strong and growing, supports Virginia’s established and emerging writers.  For additional information about HRW or the conference, visit hamptonroadswriters.org or email Lauran Strait at HRWriters@cox.net, or call Donna at  757-639-6146 .