It's summer, which means it's time for the semiannual update for our Guide to No-Cost Literary Contests and Competitions. I've gone through the e-book once again, weeding out "dead" programs as well as those that are now charging reading/application/entry fees. And I've still managed to add a net gain of 18 opportunities! As usual, none of them are limited to the residents of a single state or province (I could have included those and upped the total number of competitions, but that wouldn't have made the guide as valuable for all of you). And I think 239 contests/competitions is still pretty good.
There are opportunities here in every genre, for writers at every level. Check it out here, and download the free preview (with sample listings).
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Friday, June 23, 2006
Get to Know Her: Cheryl Reed, New Books Editor, Chicago Sun-Times
Cheryl Reed was recently named books editor of the Chicago Sun-Times; she's succeeding Henry Kisor. Find out what she's planning for the books section and glean a few pitching tips (useful for both book authors and reviewers) in this article from The Navigator.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Poems Sought (Pays: $75/poem)
Blue Ridge Country magazine is looking for short, substantial free verse poems to publish in conjunction with upcoming photo essays.
Established in 1988, BRC is a regional bimonthly magazine covering the mountains of nine states (Web site: http://www.blueridgecountry.com). Poets should be native to, living and/or working in or otherwise connected to the mountain regions of its coverage area: VA, WV, NC, SC, TN, KY, MD, GA, AL.
Topics and deadlines:
Jan/Feb 07 - A Fading Light (winter) - October 10
March/April - The Country Church - December 10
May/June - Mountain Creatures - February 10
July/August - The (Appalachian) Trail - April 10
Sept/Oct - Side Roads and Dirt Roads - June 10
Jan/Feb 08 - Written in Stone (winter; rock/stone/natural/human-made) - August 10
Send poems to Cara Ellen Modisett, Editor, via e-mail at cmodisett(at)leisurepublishing(dot)com, or via postal mail, 3424 Brambleton Ave. SW, Roanoke VA 24018.
ERIKA'S NOTE: Ms. Modisett has indicated via e-mail that the magazine pays $75 for any accepted poem, and purchases first rights only. (And if you're curious, I've published a short piece online with BRC.)
Established in 1988, BRC is a regional bimonthly magazine covering the mountains of nine states (Web site: http://www.blueridgecountry.com). Poets should be native to, living and/or working in or otherwise connected to the mountain regions of its coverage area: VA, WV, NC, SC, TN, KY, MD, GA, AL.
Topics and deadlines:
Jan/Feb 07 - A Fading Light (winter) - October 10
March/April - The Country Church - December 10
May/June - Mountain Creatures - February 10
July/August - The (Appalachian) Trail - April 10
Sept/Oct - Side Roads and Dirt Roads - June 10
Jan/Feb 08 - Written in Stone (winter; rock/stone/natural/human-made) - August 10
Send poems to Cara Ellen Modisett, Editor, via e-mail at cmodisett(at)leisurepublishing(dot)com, or via postal mail, 3424 Brambleton Ave. SW, Roanoke VA 24018.
ERIKA'S NOTE: Ms. Modisett has indicated via e-mail that the magazine pays $75 for any accepted poem, and purchases first rights only. (And if you're curious, I've published a short piece online with BRC.)
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Attention, New Jersey Writers!
Applications are now available for New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Fellowships. This year's categories include: Crafts; Interdisciplinary Performance; Photography; Playwriting; Poetry; Prose; and Sculpture.
Recent awards have ranged from $7,000 to $10,000.
No application fee; online application deadline: July 17, 2006; postmark deadline: July 19.
More information here.
Recent awards have ranged from $7,000 to $10,000.
No application fee; online application deadline: July 17, 2006; postmark deadline: July 19.
More information here.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Crime Writing Contest
Here's a contest the folks at PropertyRoom.com told me about.
But first, I have to admit I'd never heard of PropertyRoom.com. So I spent some time at the Web site to find out about it. It's a "full-service online auction site serving law enforcement, local, and state governments nationwide." It manages "seized and stolen property from more than 500 law enforcement agencies" and offers that property to consumers. There's lots more background (and press) at the site.
So here's the contest they're running. There's no entry fee--but you will have to register at their site to participate.
The Perfect Crime Writing Contest asks you to select a product listed on the site. Then "think about who has owned it, how it was acquired, and why it ended up on a police auction website. Then let your imagination run free and write a creative short story." Guidelines and samples provided at the site.
The prize is not a cash award--but it sounds pretty good: a Maui Vacation Package (valued at $4,500) which includes: two roundtrip economy airline tickets, 5 days/4 nights at the Maui Prince Hotel in Maui, and car rental for five days.
(Just an editorial reminder: always check the "terms and conditions" [and privacy policies] when you register with any Web site!)
But first, I have to admit I'd never heard of PropertyRoom.com. So I spent some time at the Web site to find out about it. It's a "full-service online auction site serving law enforcement, local, and state governments nationwide." It manages "seized and stolen property from more than 500 law enforcement agencies" and offers that property to consumers. There's lots more background (and press) at the site.
So here's the contest they're running. There's no entry fee--but you will have to register at their site to participate.
The Perfect Crime Writing Contest asks you to select a product listed on the site. Then "think about who has owned it, how it was acquired, and why it ended up on a police auction website. Then let your imagination run free and write a creative short story." Guidelines and samples provided at the site.
The prize is not a cash award--but it sounds pretty good: a Maui Vacation Package (valued at $4,500) which includes: two roundtrip economy airline tickets, 5 days/4 nights at the Maui Prince Hotel in Maui, and car rental for five days.
(Just an editorial reminder: always check the "terms and conditions" [and privacy policies] when you register with any Web site!)
Monday, June 19, 2006
Learning About "Let's Go"
Quite a few of my college friends spent their undergraduate summers as researcher-writers for the well-known Let's Go travel guides. At our recent reunion, we revisited some of their experiences (and my failure to obtain a Let's Go job, due, I am sure, to my utter inability to answer this simple interview question: "Tell us how you'd direct someone from Mather House [one of the upperclass Houses] to the T [subway] station." OK, so I have a terrible sense of direction. Did that mean I had no hope as a travel writer?).
So with Let's Go recently on my mind again, I was intrigued by this article in Sunday's Boston Globe on how the staff members do their jobs these days. If you're a travel writer, or a Let's Go reader, you'll appreciate it, too.
So with Let's Go recently on my mind again, I was intrigued by this article in Sunday's Boston Globe on how the staff members do their jobs these days. If you're a travel writer, or a Let's Go reader, you'll appreciate it, too.
Attention, Wyoming Writers!
Entry forms are now available for the 2007 Neltje Blanchan Memorial Award, a $1,000 prize recognizing a Wyoming writer whose work, in any genre, is inspired by nature, and for the 2007 Frank Nelson Doubleday Award, a $1,000 prize that honors a Wyoming woman writer "of exceptional talent in any creative genre." These prizes are administered by the Wyoming Arts Council, and you can find out more about them here. (No entry fees; deadline: August 8, 2006).
I learned about these awards from a great resource for writers in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West, Wyolitmail, a weekly newsletter you can also look into at the above Web site.
I learned about these awards from a great resource for writers in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West, Wyolitmail, a weekly newsletter you can also look into at the above Web site.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Calls for Essays from Cup of Comfort
(Just received this list of manuscript needs for the popular Cup of Comfort anthology series from editor Colleen Sell. Note that the information is not yet posted on the Cup of Comfort site, where you can also check out sample stories, but will be shortly.)
"CALL FOR INSPIRING PERSONAL STORIES
A Cup of Comfort is a popular anthology (book) series featuring inspiring true stories about the extraordinary experiences of “ordinary” people. We are currently seeking submissions for three new volumes:
A CUP OF COMFORT FOR WRITERS
Only another writer can truly understand what it’s like to aspire to become and to be a writer. For this anthology of true stories celebrating (and commiserating) the writing life, we seek compelling, insightful, and exceptionally well-written personal essays from writers of every persuasion and level of experience.
Possible themes include but are not limited to:
* Mentors or teachers
* Overcoming challenges in becoming a writer, in your life as a writer, or in the
writing process
* Milestone(s) in your journey to become a writer or as a writer
* Discovering and/or heeding the call to become a writer
* Writers groups; the camaraderie of other writers
* Why you write
* Transcending self-doubt, fear, criticism, rejection
* What writing has taught you about life
* What life has taught you about writing
* Discovering/following your muse; what inspires your writing
* Best or worst writing experience and what you learned/gained from it
* Finding/making time/space to write
Submission Deadline: July 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.
A CUP OF COMFORT FOR DOG LOVERS
As any dog lover will attest, dogs are, indeed, our best friends… and so much more. They’re also our helpers, heroes, champions, teachers, and beloved family members. For this volume, we seek heartwarming true stories that speak to the amazing bond between dogs and the people who love them. Stories can focus on any experience/theme that demonstrates how a dog has inspired and/or enriched the life/lives of a human(s).
Possible themes include but are not limited to a dog’s:
* Devotion and loyalty
* Courage
* Amazing feats
* Role as a member of a family or community
* Companionship
* Therapeutic effect on a human
* Unique relationship with a person
* Unique relationship with another pet or animal
* Inspirational effect on one or more people
* Amusing, endearing, exceptional ways
We do NOT want sad stories about a pet’s suffering or death. However, stories can be about the life of a dog that is now deceased and can include a fond farewell to a lost pet—provided the story isn’t solely about the pet’s death.
Submission Deadline: August 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.
A CUP OF COMFORT FOR SINGLE MOTHERS
As Oprah Winfrey has often said, parenting is the most difficult and important job in the world. It can be even tougher for single mothers, who face all the usual parenting challenges plus another whole set of unique ones. But single motherhood -- whether by choice or by chance -- also brings many untold rewards, for both moms and children. For this collection of personal essays celebrating single mothers, we seek uplifting true stories about the joys and the difficulties of single mothering. The majority of stories selected for publication will be written from the single mother’s point of view, but we will also consider stories written by the children of single mothers as well as by third parties with intimate knowledge of (and the permission of) the single mother and her child(ren).
Possible themes include but are not limited to:
* Juggling the myriad responsibilities of single motherhood
* Raising sons or daughters solo/without fathers
* The support of family, friends, other mothers
* Having/navigating adating/romance/social life
* Hard lessons learned
* Busting myths about single mothering
* Defying stereotypes about single moms and/or children of single moms
* Overcoming adversity
* Self-acceptance and self-respect in a society that sometimes disparages single mothers
* Unconventional wisdom(s) gained
* Blessings, joys, and rewards of being a single mother or the child of a single mothers
* The unique bond between a single mother and her child(ren)
* The courage, resilience, ingenuity, devotion, accomplishments, and/or integrity of a single mom
* Why you chose single motherhood (if by choice) and how you’ve made it work
* The unexpected and/or under-recognized advantages, joys, and/or rewards of being a single mother or having a single mother
Submission Deadline: December 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.
SUBMISSION SPECS
* $500 grand prize (one per book); $100 (each) for all other stories published
* Author receives one complimentary copy of book
* Story length: 1,000 to 2,000 words
* Stories must be original, true, uplifting, typed, and in English
* Simultaneous submissions acceptable
* Previously published material acceptable--EXCEPT for stories that have been or will be published in a widely distributed, mass market anthology or magazine
* Each submission must include the following:
Author's name
Author's mailing address
Author's phone number
Author's email address
Story title
Story wordcount
* Submit by email or mail:
EMAIL: In the subject line, cite the Cup of Comfort volume (i.e., Dog Lovers). Copy and paste (or type) the story into the body of the email (no attachments. One story
per email. Send to: cupofcomfort(at)adamsmedia(dot)com or wordsinger(at)aol(dot)com
MAIL: You can send more than one story per envelope. Include self-addressed, postage-paid envelope for each submission. Send only the paper copy of the story; do not send computer disks or CDs. Mail to:
Cup of Comfort
Adams Media
57 Littlefield St.
Avon, Massachusetts 02322, USA
Please direct questions and suggestions to: cupofcomfort(at)adamsmedia(dot)com or wordsinger(at)aol(dot)com. We cannot accept phone calls."
Copyright 2001-2006, Adams Media Corporation, an F+W Publications Company. Reprinted by permission. (Thanks to the Renegade Writer blog for the lead.)
"CALL FOR INSPIRING PERSONAL STORIES
A Cup of Comfort is a popular anthology (book) series featuring inspiring true stories about the extraordinary experiences of “ordinary” people. We are currently seeking submissions for three new volumes:
A CUP OF COMFORT FOR WRITERS
Only another writer can truly understand what it’s like to aspire to become and to be a writer. For this anthology of true stories celebrating (and commiserating) the writing life, we seek compelling, insightful, and exceptionally well-written personal essays from writers of every persuasion and level of experience.
Possible themes include but are not limited to:
* Mentors or teachers
* Overcoming challenges in becoming a writer, in your life as a writer, or in the
writing process
* Milestone(s) in your journey to become a writer or as a writer
* Discovering and/or heeding the call to become a writer
* Writers groups; the camaraderie of other writers
* Why you write
* Transcending self-doubt, fear, criticism, rejection
* What writing has taught you about life
* What life has taught you about writing
* Discovering/following your muse; what inspires your writing
* Best or worst writing experience and what you learned/gained from it
* Finding/making time/space to write
Submission Deadline: July 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.
A CUP OF COMFORT FOR DOG LOVERS
As any dog lover will attest, dogs are, indeed, our best friends… and so much more. They’re also our helpers, heroes, champions, teachers, and beloved family members. For this volume, we seek heartwarming true stories that speak to the amazing bond between dogs and the people who love them. Stories can focus on any experience/theme that demonstrates how a dog has inspired and/or enriched the life/lives of a human(s).
Possible themes include but are not limited to a dog’s:
* Devotion and loyalty
* Courage
* Amazing feats
* Role as a member of a family or community
* Companionship
* Therapeutic effect on a human
* Unique relationship with a person
* Unique relationship with another pet or animal
* Inspirational effect on one or more people
* Amusing, endearing, exceptional ways
We do NOT want sad stories about a pet’s suffering or death. However, stories can be about the life of a dog that is now deceased and can include a fond farewell to a lost pet—provided the story isn’t solely about the pet’s death.
Submission Deadline: August 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.
A CUP OF COMFORT FOR SINGLE MOTHERS
As Oprah Winfrey has often said, parenting is the most difficult and important job in the world. It can be even tougher for single mothers, who face all the usual parenting challenges plus another whole set of unique ones. But single motherhood -- whether by choice or by chance -- also brings many untold rewards, for both moms and children. For this collection of personal essays celebrating single mothers, we seek uplifting true stories about the joys and the difficulties of single mothering. The majority of stories selected for publication will be written from the single mother’s point of view, but we will also consider stories written by the children of single mothers as well as by third parties with intimate knowledge of (and the permission of) the single mother and her child(ren).
Possible themes include but are not limited to:
* Juggling the myriad responsibilities of single motherhood
* Raising sons or daughters solo/without fathers
* The support of family, friends, other mothers
* Having/navigating adating/romance/social life
* Hard lessons learned
* Busting myths about single mothering
* Defying stereotypes about single moms and/or children of single moms
* Overcoming adversity
* Self-acceptance and self-respect in a society that sometimes disparages single mothers
* Unconventional wisdom(s) gained
* Blessings, joys, and rewards of being a single mother or the child of a single mothers
* The unique bond between a single mother and her child(ren)
* The courage, resilience, ingenuity, devotion, accomplishments, and/or integrity of a single mom
* Why you chose single motherhood (if by choice) and how you’ve made it work
* The unexpected and/or under-recognized advantages, joys, and/or rewards of being a single mother or having a single mother
Submission Deadline: December 31, 2006
See submission specs, below.
SUBMISSION SPECS
* $500 grand prize (one per book); $100 (each) for all other stories published
* Author receives one complimentary copy of book
* Story length: 1,000 to 2,000 words
* Stories must be original, true, uplifting, typed, and in English
* Simultaneous submissions acceptable
* Previously published material acceptable--EXCEPT for stories that have been or will be published in a widely distributed, mass market anthology or magazine
* Each submission must include the following:
Author's name
Author's mailing address
Author's phone number
Author's email address
Story title
Story wordcount
* Submit by email or mail:
EMAIL: In the subject line, cite the Cup of Comfort volume (i.e., Dog Lovers). Copy and paste (or type) the story into the body of the email (no attachments. One story
per email. Send to: cupofcomfort(at)adamsmedia(dot)com or wordsinger(at)aol(dot)com
MAIL: You can send more than one story per envelope. Include self-addressed, postage-paid envelope for each submission. Send only the paper copy of the story; do not send computer disks or CDs. Mail to:
Cup of Comfort
Adams Media
57 Littlefield St.
Avon, Massachusetts 02322, USA
Please direct questions and suggestions to: cupofcomfort(at)adamsmedia(dot)com or wordsinger(at)aol(dot)com. We cannot accept phone calls."
Copyright 2001-2006, Adams Media Corporation, an F+W Publications Company. Reprinted by permission. (Thanks to the Renegade Writer blog for the lead.)
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