The Writing Pool’s Weekly Writing Post^TM

2015 September 20-26 Edition

Welcome to The Writing Pool’s Weekly Writing Post^TM! We provide you with a free weekly newsletter filled with notices about contests, events, conferences, and other information that might be useful or of great interest to writers of all leanings. Meanwhile, calls for submission to literary publications as well as information about publishers can be found at The Writing Pool^TM, your bottomless pool for great writing resources.

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Follow The Writing Pool^TM blog at https://thewritingpool.com/. Share a link, an article, a poem, or something else literary. Send your submission to cindy@thewritingpool.com

If you want to include a notice or announcement in the Weekly, please email your submission to weekly@thewritingpool.com

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Okay, who took away September? Right now, it’s just as hot as it can be, up to summer temperatures, in fact. It’s an Indian Summer! Yes, there was snowfall somewhere higher up north and frost warnings across northern and north-western regions of Canada. Here on PEI, we’re still heading for the beaches or cooling off indoors. Ah well, two or three weeks of it certainly isn’t unwelcome to anyone who’s been through (or under!) 12 or more feet of snow this past winter. By now, kids have more or less settled into their school routines and life for most is back to the hectic running around keeping up with everyone’s schedules. Unless you don’t have kids living with you, anymore. It actually feels unnatural, that first time you wander about your house and there’s nothing but your own personal mess. No kids to pick up after. Nobody to wake up in the morning, cook for three times a day, follow up on for homework. Suddenly, your time is pretty much all yours and you realize you can do anything you want. Of course you take out all those craft materials you’ve been saving for some project to do someday when you have time. You sit at your computer and open up a blank document with the intention of finally writing your memoirs or that novel you’ve always wanted to write. You look for free courses and workshops and activities and sign up for every webinar on the internet and free University or Community College course you can find that sounds interesting.

Then, you turn on the TV and see all the new series you’ve only heard of but never had the time to watch. Flashpoint, Breaking Bad, Perception. You realize they’re all over and you never saw a single episode. Game of Thrones is on its 5^th season. What? What’s that? There’s a new Dr. Who. Who? I didn’t even know there was a second one! They’re showing new seasons of Hawaii Five-O. Wait a minute. Isn’t Jack Lord dead? What? There’s a new guy? And he’s Steve McGarrett’s son? Oh boy. Before you know it, you’re bingeing on TV shows you’ve missed, never heard of, heard of and wanted to see but never had the time, and a million other reasons. You discover Crave, Shomi, and Netflix. You curse over the fact that episode 2 of Season 4 isn’t available at the moment and skip on to episode 3, hoping you didn’t miss too much of the big series arc in episode 2. You finally realize why everyone was raving over Flashpoint and Breaking Bad. Should you try Orange is the New Black now? You curse Crave for not having other series, like Criminal Minds or all the CSIs, NCISes, Once Upon a Time, or Supernatural. You curse certain networks for pulling certain series and scour the internet for news on which series are returning. You promise yourself you’ll stop after this series, then discover another. Once in a while, you work on your crafts or paintings or writing while you’re watching TV, then realize you don’t know what happened at all on the show and start it over again. I think I know where September went…and August, and July…

What distracts you from doing what you really want to do? Share your time-wasters with us on The Writing Pool. I’m sure you’ll find out you’re not alone at all!

Happy writing!

~cpl

Every great writer is a writer of history, let him treat on almost any subject he may. ~Walter Savage Landor, Imaginary Conversation: Diogenes and Plato

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NEWS

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Jonathan Tel Wins 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize

Jonathan Tel from the UK has won the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for his story ‘The Human Phonograph’.  Within its short form, the story encompasses great sweeps of the world and its history – from the US moon landing to Chinese nuclear tests to 19th century Russian literature. You can read ‘The Human Phonograph’, alongside the other four regional winning stories on the Commonwealth Writers website.

In an interview with BBC broadcaster and journalist Razia Iqbal, Jonathan speaks about the yearning for human contact during the Cultural Revolution, and the challenge of connecting disparate worlds in fiction. Listen to the interview here.

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A Room of Her Own Foundation

The deadline for the next To the Lighthouse & Clarissa Dalloway Book Prizes, judged by Alicia Ostriker and Kate Gale respectively, is April 1st, 2016.

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PEI LOCAL/ATLANTIC

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Poetry Writing Workshop at the Library

Join Prince Edward Island Poet Laureate, Dianne Morrow, for a poetry writing workshop Thursday, Sept. 24, 6:45 pm at Confederation Centre Public Library.  A poem can start from a memory, a dream, an image, a feeling.  It can take any form, such as a list, a limerick, a haiku, a pantoum, a  paradelle, or free verse.  Most of all, it says something that matters to you, and your reader or listener.  For a couple of hours we’ll have fun making poetry together, and even have the chance to share our new poems with each other.  Enrollment is limited to 12. Please register.

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A Crime/Mystery Novel Writing Workshop

Word Prose, a Charlottetown writing group, the UPEI English Department and the PEI Writers’ Guild are jointly sponsoring a crime/mystery novel writing workshop on Saturday, September 26, 2015 at the Faculty Lounge at UPEI from 10 AM to 2 PM.
“Most people read them. Some of us try to write crime/mystery novels. Attend this event and hear two experts talk about practicing this dark art,” says organizer Bruce McCallum.

The workshop will feature author and recently-retired forensic investigator, Debra Komar, who was a professor of forensics at the University of New Mexico. She was also employed by the Office of the Medical Investigator for the State of New Mexico and worked on assignments in world trouble spots such as Kosovo, Iraq and Darfur. She is now a resident of Summerside.

Debra Komar applies modern forensic science to historical questions and criminal cases in her books, including her latest, The Bastard of Fort Stikine, which is set in British Columbia. It was published in 2015.
Finlay Martin is the second presenter. He was born and raised in the US, but also now makes his home on PEI. He has written four books, including two recent crime novels set in Charlottetown, The Reluctant Detective, and The Dead Letter, which was published in 2015.

The cost of the workshop is $25. Coffee, tea and snacks will be provided. People can bring their own lunch or go to the UPEI cafeteria at twelve o’clock.

To register, please contact:
Bruce McCallum 964-2297 ensight@bellaliant.net

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Sorensen Poetry Reading

Susan Sorensen will be reading from her book of poetry Tuesday September 29, 7 pm at Confederation Centre Public Library. Sorensen’s book, Opening Lines, is a collection of poetic writing with images. “These are poems of an honest struggle and a joyful connection with self, spirit and nature. Photographs of the calm presence of the natural world accompany the words in support of a spacious growing of soul.” Projected, large-scale images of Sorensen’s photographs will be shown along with her reading.

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Kira’s Quest Book Launch

The sequel to the Hackmatack-nominated Kira’s Secret! Kira has discovered that she’s not human, but merrow—a mermaid—and that her biological parents are prisoners on an island run by the hateful finfolk. At thirteen years old, she’s not old enough to leave her sleepy seaside town to go on a solo underwater rescue mission…but when a group of selkies offer to lead her to the mysterious island Hildaland, she can’t refuse. No sooner does she find the island than she is taken prisoner herself. The only way she can save herself and her biological parents is to rely on her quick mind, her dolphin friend, Cass, and good luck. But will those be enough to save the prisoners of Hildaland?

Orysia Dawydiak was the first child born to immigrant parents who settled in Northern Ontario. She grew up with a foot in both worlds, on a diet rich in Ukrainian traditions and stories. She lives on a small farm on Prince Edward Island where she raises sheep and dogs. She writes books on livestock protection, dogs, and has also written award-winning fiction for children and young adults. The first Kira book, Kira’s Secret, has been shortlisted for the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award. Orysia will be launching Kira’s Quest on Saturday, October 17 at 2:00 p.m. at the Guild. All are welcome to attend.

For more information, contact Terrilee Bulger at 902-221-1061 or tbulger@eastlink.ca

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PEI Author & Illustrator Festival 2015

The first-ever PEI Author & Illustrators Festival will be held on November 7, 2015, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at the UPEI Faculty Lounge. The Festival will gather writers, poets, and illustrators on PEI to showcase and sell their published works. Short readings by 24 authors will be held throughout the day at the Robertson Library. A mixer sponsored by Upstreet Brewery will take place from 6-9 p.m. at the Upstreet Brewery on 41 Allen St. The Festival is a project of PEI Writes and the UPEI Robertson Library.

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A Celebration of Courage and Tenacity

Tell Your Story

The Brain Injury Association of PEI (BIAPEI) is compiling a book of inspirational, short stories/poems called: A Celebration of Courage and Tenacity. It is a dynamic compilation of short stories about those who have triumphed over traumatic brain injury. We are honouring survivors of brain injury for their strength of will, for believing in themselves, for overcoming adversity, and standing up for themselves or others. It is meant to move you to laugh, to cry, to ponder possibilities, to dream, and to make those dreams a reality.

We are inviting survivors of brain injury and family to submit their stories/poems. Our goal is to have the book represent a wide range of experience and inspiration. Surviving the physical challenges of brain injury is the first step of a lifelong journey of adjustment and accommodation. Re-establishing lives transformed by brain injury requires foresight, fortitude, and unflagging courage. This book will be a celebration of those journeys.

Charting new territory, brain injury has been characterized as the “Silent Epidemic.” It has earned that distinction in part because survivors tend to withdraw from society. This book ends the silence and inspires others to take charge of their lives.

We look forward to reading your personal experience.

If this is something you are interested in but could use a little help getting your story on paper give us a call. We have some journalism students who are ready to help out.

Maximum 2500 words

This is an ongoing project once we have enough stories we will move forward

Submissions can be sent by email to story@biapei.com or mail to

Story
Brain Injury Association PEI
81 Prince St
Charlottetown, PE
C1A 4R3

For more information call 902-367-3216

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The Stardust Gazette

Submit journalism, music, art, poetry, or prose to The Stardust Gazette, or join our staff (readers and managerial crew needed)! See the “Submit” and “Join Us” tabs. Questions? Email thestardustgazette@gmail.com.
http://www.thestardustgazette.com/

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CARGO Literary Journal

Cargo is a nonfiction journal, and we are looking for pieces with a strong narrative and interior journey, such as immersion reportage.  Please submit one essay or up to five poems.  We will consider prose poems, lists, and interesting personal notes providing they meet our guidelines, so feel free to take risks with form. We would also like to publish author interviews.

We are also accepting reviews. We’re also interested in collaborations between writers and visual artists, and are looking for submissions from across our beautiful blue planet. Cargo will also consider your translations of poetry or prose.

We publish four issues a year, and we are currently accepting submissions
year-round.

For more details, visit http://cargoliterary.com/

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Open Invitation

The poetry engine awaits you at www.poetrypei.com!

PEI poet laureate Dianne Hicks Morrow wants new poets to know they are always welcome to submit a poem to this site, especially if they have never have done so before. The submission form —with complete guidelines and formatting tips—is at www.poetrypei.com/submit.

Poets already on the site: remember that you are welcome to replace your existing poem with a new one at any time, provided at least three months have passed since your last update.

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CONTESTS AND CALLS

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See more at www.thewritingpool.com

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3rd Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Competition Overview

At around noon each Tuesday (GMT), from the 14th of April 2015, five words are posted on this competition page. Entrants have one week to compose and submit poems that include all five words given for the week.

The competition runs for 41 weeks, until the last week of January 2016.

For more details, please visit http://www.obheal.ie/blog/?page_id=2371

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Glimmer Train 2015 SUBMISSION CALENDAR AND CATEGORIES

We have five submission categories from which to choose, including our standard category (no reading fees and payment for accepted pieces is $700), and four contests (reading fees allow for 1st place prizes from $1,500 to $2,500). Contests vs. standards. Click on the names of the categories for details.

NOTE: There is always a one-week grace period after the deadline.

Very Short Fiction (1st place – $1,500): Welcome in January, April, July, and October.

Short Story Award for New Writers (1st place – $1,500): Welcome in February, May, August, November.

Fiction Open (1st place – $2,500): Welcome in June and December.

Family Matters (1st place – $1,500): Welcome in March and September.

Standard Category ($700): Welcome in January, May, September.

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The Monthly Writing Contest

Here at Writing Maps we believe good writing should be encouraged, cherished, shared, and most importantly, published.

We hold a monthly Writing Maps Writing Contest to coincide with the launch each month of a new Writing Map product. We challenge you to write and share a 150-word piece in response to our Prompt of the Month.

Each month’s two winning entries will be published in The A3 Review, the new Writing Maps Journal, a fold-out literary magazine to be published every six months. The first issue appeared in September 2014. Winning entries will also receive free Writing Maps and contributor copies of The A3 Review.

To make sure you don’t miss future contests, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking on this link. Follow us on Twitter for conversation, updates and inspiration.

The Rules:

1. Entry is $5 (approx £3). Multiple entries accepted.
2. Enter online through Submittable. Click here to enter.
3. The contest closes at midnight (GMT) on the fourth Saturday of the month.
4. Any entries submitted after the deadline will not be eligible.
5. The Writing Maps Writing Contest is open to all writers over 16.
6. There is no restriction on theme or style. We encourage prose, poems, prose poems, graphic stories and hybrid forms.
7. Maximum number of words is 150.

For more details, please visit http://www.writingmaps.com/pages/contest

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Flash Fiction Competition

Now in its sixth year, this quarterly open-themed competition for fiction up to 500 words has closing dates of 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December.

Entry fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories

Prizes: £300 plus publication in Words with JAM, £200 and £100

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SWITCHBACK MAGAZINE PRIZES

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN!

Switchback is an online publication of the MFA in Writing Program at the University of San Francisco. We are a biannual journal because that’s about all we can handle. We generally open submissions for a few months at a time, then catch our breath while we put together the issue. Right now we’re accepting submissions for Switchback Issue 22, to be published in Fall 2015.

To be considered for our fall issue, you must have submitted your work no later than 11:59pm (PST) on September 15, 2015.

For our next issue, an Editor’s Prize will be awarded in the amount of $200.00 to the submission we find the most inspiring, jarring, outstanding, or just downright brilliant. Additional prizes in the amounts of $75.00 and $50.00 will be awarded to the first two runners-up. There is, amazingly, no fee to enter!

Please read the guidelines below carefully before submitting. On behalf of everyone here at Switchback, thank you for considering us!

For more details, please visit http://www.swback.com/call/

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7th Annual Dialogue Only Rules and Guidelines

The Rules: Compose a short story entirely of dialogue. You may use as many characters as you want. Your entry must be under 2000 words. Your entry does not have to follow standard rules for writing dialogue. Your entry cannot use any narration (this includes tag lines such as he said, she said, etc.). These are the only rules. Manipulate them however you see fit. Check out past winners and read our tips for writing good dialogue before submitting your entry.

The Winner: The winning entry will be the story that most effectively uses dialogue to deliver a powerful and engaging story.

Entry Fee: $10 for unlimited entries (only one entry allowed at a time; see Response/Notification section for more details). Entry fee is due at time of submission and will be collected through Submittable.

Deadline: September 15, 2015

For more details, please visit http://www.bartlebysnopes.com/contests.htm

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2015 Les Figues Press NOS Book Contest

Judge: lê thi diem thúy

We are now accepting submissions for the Fifth Annual Les Figues NOS Book Contest!

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Les Figues Press will be given for the winning poetry or prose manuscript.

Eligible submissions include: poetry, novellas, innovative novels, anti-novels, short story collections, lyric essays, hybrids, translations, and all forms not otherwise specified.

Prize: $1,000 + Publication

Deadline: September 15, 2015

All entrants receive a Les Figues title of their choosing (see submission form for complete list of available titles).

Click here to submit (and read the full contest guidelines).

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The Raven Short Story Contest

Contest opens: 1 August 2015
Deadline: 15 September 2015
Winner notified: 15 November 2015
Winner published in: Issue 10, Spring 2016
Prize: $500

Entry fee: $25
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature

This contest is for previously unpublished short fiction up to 5000 words in length.  Multiple entries welcome.  Total entries limited to 100.

For more details, please visit http://pulpliterature.com/contests/

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MSLexia Women’s Novel Competition 2015

1st prize: £5,000

The winner and four other finalists will receive manuscript feedback from The Literary Consultancy and and an invitation to a special networking event with literary agents.

Entry fee: £25 per novel

To enter, please submit the first 5,000 words of your completed novel, which must total at least 50,000 words.

Judges: Judges: Marina Lewycka (novelist), Juliet Mushens (literary agent), Di Speirs (Books Editor, BBC Radio & Music Production)

Please read the competition rules before entering. For any questions about your entry, email novel@mslexia.co.uk or call 0191 204 8860 to speak to a real person.

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NYC Midnight Short Screenplay Challenge

The Short Screenplay Challenge is a competition that challenges writers around the world to create short screenplays (5 pages max.) based on genre, location, and object assignments. Each writer will participate in at least 2 writing challenges and as many as 4 depending on how well they place in each challenge.  When the competition begins, writers are placed in groups where they will be judged against other writers within their same group.  Each group receives its own unique genre, location, and object assignments (see past examples here).  After 2 challenges, the top 5 writers that score the highest advance to the next challenge (#3).  In Challenge #3, writers are placed in new groups and given a new genre, location, and object assignment.  The top 5 writers from each of the groups in Challenge #3 advance to the fourth and final challenge of the competition where they are given the final genre, location, and object assignment and compete for thousands in cash and prizes.  Sound like fun?  Register or click here for a more detailed description of how the competition works.

It’s easy to register.  First, download the Official Rules and Participation Agreement.  Once you have read the rules, you are ready to register by clicking here.  The entry fee is US $45* on or before the early entry deadline of September 24, 2015 and US$55* until the final entry deadline of October 29, 2015.

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Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award

• Entries must be a maximum of 6,000 words
• Submissions for the 2015 Award will be accepted from Sunday 26 July 2015
• The DEADLINE for receipt of entries is 6pm (GMT) on Thursday 24 September 2015

For more details, please visit http://www.booktrust.org.uk/stefg/entry-form

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Dzanc 2015 Short Story Collection Competition

$25.00 USD

Ends in 6 days, 9 hours

Dzanc is currently holding its fifth annual contest for all authors wishing to submit a short story collection to Dzanc Books. The winning author will be published by Dzanc in late 2016, and will receive a $1000 advance. Entry to the Dzanc Short Story Collection Contest requires a $25 reading fee and the submission of a full manuscript.

The contest deadline is September 25, 2015.

For more details, please visit https://dzancbooks.submittable.com/submit/24727

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Literal Latté Essay Awards

• First Prize
  $1000
• Second Prize
  $300
• Third Prize
  $200

Contest Guidelines

1. Send unpublished Essays, 8,000 words max. All topics.
2. Postmark by September 30th.

For more details, please visit http://www.literal-latte.com/contests/essay-awards/

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The Light Verse Unlimited quarterly competition

Competitions for light verse are few and far between, so what better way to support the development and maintenance of this site than to run one of our own? The competition cycle restarts every three months, and results will be available within six weeks of each closing deadline.

Why ‘Unlimited’? There is no set theme or form, and (unusually) no length limit for entries.

Please visit http://www.writerscomp-resources.com/index.php/competition for more details.

Prizes

• 1st: £150
• 2nd: £100
• 3rd: £50

Entry fees

• 1 poem: £3.50

• 2 poems: £7.00
• 3 poems: £10.50
• 4 poems: £11.00

Current competition

Judge: Martin Parker

Closing date: September 30th 2015

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Alfie Dog Fiction International Short Story Competition

Closing Date 30th September

First Prize is £200 AND publication of a short story collection of between 35,000 and 40,000 words with editorial support for completion if needed. The collection will be made available as an ebook through major outlets and Amazon. The paperback will be available from Amazon and Alfie Dog Fiction. In addition to this, the author will receive 5 free copies of the paperback and will earn royalties on all further sales for as long as the book remains in circulation. Royalties are paid at 50% of all net receipts.

Second Prize will be a full critique of stories to a total maximum word count of 10,000 words.

The Winners will be announced by 30^th November 2015, together with the short-listed entrants.

Winners and those shortlisted will be notified by email prior to publication of the results on the site.

Rules

The competition is open to any writer over the age of 18 writing in the English language.

The closing date for entries is midnight UK time on 30^th September 2015.

For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/1GSPhfY

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North Colorado Writers Poetry Contest

SUBMISSION PERIOD: July 1-September 30, 2015
Poems can be in any style, up to 250 lines. Submit up to three poems per entry fee in this category (see submission formatting instructions below). The final judge for poetry is Colorado’s new Poet Laureate, Joseph Hutchison.

For more details, please visit the official contest website.

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Akron Poetry Prize

The Akron Series in Poetry was founded to bring to the public writers who speak in original and compelling voices. Each year, The University of Akron Press offers the Akron Poetry Prize, a competition open to all poets writing in English. The winning poet receives $1,500 and publication of his or her book. The final selection will be made by a nationally prominent poet. The final judge for 2015 is Carmen Giménez Smith. Other manuscripts may also be considered for publication in the series.

Deadline: September 30, 2015

For details, please visit http://www.uakron.edu/uapress/akron-poetry-prize/

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The Eldritch Press Dark Poetry Contest

Sharpen your quills and get your inkwells ready!
Eldritch Press will be opening its doors to the First Annual
Dark Poetry Contest.
Eldritch Press is passionate about dark poetry
and finding new voices in the dense forest of poets out in the world.
The Eldritch Press Dark Poetry contest is now open!

***Submission Address: poetry@eldritchpress.com***

No Entry Fee.

We will announce the winners on Halloween.
Three poetry collections will be chosen for the following prizes:
First Place: $1500 and a three year publishing contract with Eldritch Press!
Second Place: $1000 and a two year publishing contract with Eldritch Press!
Third Prize: $500 and a one year publishing contract with Eldritch Press!

The winning Poetry Collections will be published in February of 2016.
Entry Deadline: September 30th.

For more details, please visit http://www.eldritchpress.com/dark-poetry-contest.html

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Mystery, Thriller, Suspense Writing Contest 2015 – The Clue Awards

Currently accepting entries.

Deadline: September 30, 2015.

Two Divisions: Published (Legacy, Indie, Self-Pub, Small Press, E-pub) and Manuscripts

For details, visit http://chantireviews.com/services/#!/Mystery-Thriller-Suspense-Writing-Contest/p/21521209/category=5193080

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TW 2015 Contest

The Talking Writing Prize is an annual contest that celebrates the diversity online of original, personally driven writing. The award in 2015 is $1,000 and publication in TW.

This year, we’re honoring boundary crossers:

• Talking Writing Prize for Hybrid Poetry
  Judge: Amy King

To enter, click here.

Award: $1,000 and publication in Talking Writing.

Submission Deadline: October 1, 2015.

$15.00 USD

For more details, please visit https://talkingwriting.submittable.com/submit

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Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Independently Published Book, Sponsored by Bowker and Blurb

CALL FOR ENTRIES

SHELF UNBOUND WRITING COMPETITION 
FOR BEST INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED BOOK,
SPONSORED BY BOWKER AND BLURB

Shelf Unbound book review magazine announces the Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Independently Published Book, sponsored by Bowker and Blurb. Any independently published book in any genre is eligible for entry. Entry fee is $40 per book. The winning entry will be selected by the editors of Shelf Unbound magazine.

The official rules for the competition can be found at here. Entries are not divided into genre categories at the time of submission.

Deadline: October 1, 2015

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Wilda Hearne Flash Fiction Contest

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked by October 1, annually.

Fee: $15 check/money order/cash, made payable to Southeast Missouri State University Press, must accompany each entry. Fee includes a copy of Big Muddy in which the winning story appears.

Award, contest deadline of October 1, 2015: $500 and publication in an issue of Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley.

For more details, visit http://www6.semo.edu/universitypress/Contests/WHFF.htm

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Mighty River Short Story Contest

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked by October 1, annually.

Fee: $20 check/money order/cash, made payable to Southeast Missouri State University Press, must accompany each entry. Fee includes a copy of Big Muddy in which the winning story appears.

Award, contest deadline of October 1, 2015: $1000 and publication in an issue of Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley.

For more details, visit: http://www6.semo.edu/universitypress/Contests/MRSS.htm

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THE RBC TAYLOR PRIZE

THE RBC TAYLOR PRIZE commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. The Prize will be awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception. The Prize consists of $25,000 for the winner and $2,000 for each of the runners up as well as promotional support to help all shortlisted books stand out in the national media, bookstores, and libraries. Authors whose books have been shortlisted for the prize will be brought to Toronto for the awards ceremony, where the winner will announce his or her choice for the RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writer’s Award, which consists of $10,000 and an opportunity to be mentored by the winner. The winner will be invited to read at the International Festival of Authors, held in October at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.

• October 2, 2015 for books published between August 1, 2015 and September 30, 201
• November 2, 2015 for books published between Oct 1, 2015 and Oct 30, 2015

2016 will be the fifteenth awarding of the prestigious prize, which recognizes excellence in Canadian literary non-fiction. The 2016 Longlist will be announced Wednesday, December 9, 2015; the Shortlist will be announced at a news conference on Wednesday, January 13, 2016. On Monday, March 7, 2016 the 2016 winner will be announced at an awards luncheon.

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River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Book Contest

River Teeth‘s editors and editorial board conduct a yearly national contest to identify the best book-length manuscript of literary nonfiction. All manuscripts are screened by the head editors of River Teeth. The winner will receive $1,000 and publication by The University of New Mexico Press.

All entrants receive a one-year subscription to River Teeth with their submission fees.

Deadline for Submissions: October 15, 2015

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Sequestrum New Writer Awards

Our New Writer Awards will award over $500 to up-and-coming writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Prose and poetry will be judged separately, with a first-prize winner and a minimum of two runners-up per genre.

Deadline: October 15, 2015.

Please select a genre for complete guidelines.

Genre Submission Guidelines

Fiction & Nonfiction

Poetry

Submissions are only open to writers who are yet to publish a book-length manuscript of poetry or prose. As always, our first obligation is to giving every submission the time and consideration it deserves, so contest doors can close early depending on submission volume (which is to say: get your work polished and don’t dawdle about it). All submissions are read blind by the Sequestrum staff and processed through our online submission manager.

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2015 RRofihe Trophy
Deadline October 15th, 2015
For an unpublished short story
(Minimum word count: 3,500; maximum to 5,000 words)

Winner Receives:

$500 cash
Trophy
Announcement & Publication on anderbo.com

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Autumn 2015 Essay Contest

“Autumn Leaves,” $1000 Prize

Write an original essay between 500 and 1000 words, inspired by the photograph at left and the theme, “Autumn Leaves” for an opportunity to win $1000 and publication.

Submissions may be a personal essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, commentary, travel piece, historical account, biography, or short story, as long as it creatively embodies the theme and photo. Please review our Submission Guidelines before submitting your manuscript. Entry Fee: $20 USD

Deadline: October 15, 2015

For more details, visit http://highfieldpress.wix.com/contests#!contests/c1xh4

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The Tom-Gallon Trust Award

An annual award of £1,000, financed by a bequest made by Miss Nellie Tom-Gallon in memory of her brother.

Entry to the 2016 prize is now open.

DEADLINE: October 31, 2015

Important Information:

• The winner must have had at least one short story accepted for publication
• The winner must have serious writing ambitions
• The submission should be traditional, not experimental, in character
• The financial circumstances of the writer should be taken into account

For more information, please visit http://www.societyofauthors.org/tom-gallon

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The Masters Review Fall Fiction Contest

We’re so pleased to announce our Fall Fiction contest with guest judges Ann and Jeff VanderMeer!

The winning story will receive $2000 and publication on the site. Second and third place stories will receive $200 and $100, publication, and all story winners will receive a letter from Jeff and Ann about their piece, and why it was chosen. 15 Finalists will be recognized online and have their stories read by the VanderMeers.

Interested? Awesome. You can SUBMIT HERE.

Deadline: October 31, 2015

For more details, please visit https://mastersreview.com/fall-fiction-contest-vandermeer-2000-publication/

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Hearst Poetry Prize

Contest Information:

All winners and finalists will be published in the Spring 2016 issue.

• First Prize $1000
• Second Prize $100
• Third Prize $50

For more details: Entry Guidelines for the 2016 James Hearst Poetry Prize
Deadline: October 31st, 2015

Entry fee: $20.00

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2015 Knut House Novel Prize (book prize)

$20.00 USD

Ends on 10/31/2015

A prize of $1500 and publication by KNUT HOUSE PRESS awarded to an unpublished novel that captures the “(k)nuthouse” spirit authentically. Submit an unpublished manuscript (of at least 44,444 words) with a $20 entry fee via SUBMITTABLE by October 31, 2015 (at 23:59 UT).

For more details, please visit https://knuthousepress.submittable.com/submit/37205

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Math & Music Prize in Fiction & Poetry

$15.00 USD

Ends on 10/31/2015

A prize of $1,000 and publication by KNUT HOUSE MAGAZINE awarded to an unpublished short story (less than 8000 words) or work of poetry (circa 10 pages) that captures the experience of music and/or mathematics authentically. Submissions are welcome to exhibit elements of prose and poetry simultaneously.  Submit a manuscript with a $15 entry fee via SUBMITTABLE by October 31, 2015 (at 23:59 CST).

For more details, please visit https://knuthousepress.submittable.com/submit/37206

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Novel Opening Chapter & Synopsis Competition

Welcome to the second year of our Novel Opening Chapter & Synopsis Competition!

Have you started, or completed, a novel with strong, credible characters and a page turning plot? Have you honed the first chapter? Can you put together a compelling one page synopsis of the balance of the story? Yes? Then why not enter our Novel Opening Chapter competition and have your work judged by the senior editors at Crooked Cat Publishing? We welcome published, self-published and unpublished novelists. The only stipulation is that the entry must be unpublished.

We are looking for an opening chapter up to 3,000 words, plus a one page synopsis outlining the balance of the story. If your chapter is longer than 3,000 words, DO NOT SUBMIT A LONGER MANUSCRIPT. Simply close the entry within the 3,000 word limit and make a note at the end (which will not be included in the word count) stating the chapter continues beyond this point.

This is an annual competition: entries open on 1st May and close on 31st October.

Entry fee: £10

Optional Critique of Chapter and Synopsis: £25

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

First: £500

Runner up: £200

Payment options and entry instructions can be found on the

Novel Opening Chapter & Synopsis Competition Entry Page

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The Paranormal Awards – Speculative Fiction Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Contest – 2015

Currently accepting entries.

Deadline: October 31st, 2015.

Two Divisions: Published (Legacy, Indie, Self-Pub, Small Press, E-pub) and Manuscripts

For more details, visit http://chantireviews.com/services/#!/Paranormal-Writing-Competition/p/25917402/category=5193080

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Malahat Review 2016 Open Season Awards

***Prize payment increase: all genres now pay $1500 instead of $1000!

The Malahat Review, Canada’s premier literary magazine, invites entries from Canadian, American, and overseas authors for our annual Open Season Awards. An exciting spring showcase of literary excellence, Open Season bestows a prize of $1500 in each of three marquee categories: poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Entries may be sent by regular mail or email. When submitting by email, please ensure you include a cover letter with relevant contact details (more below under Enter by Email); do not simply put this information in the body of the email. We also ask that no personal or contact information is written anywhere on submission itself.

Pay only $15 for each additional entry after the first.

Deadline: November 1, 2015

For details, please visit http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/open_season/info.html

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30^th Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival 2015-16

One-Act Play Contest

Judge: The University of New Orleans’ Creative Writing Workshop and the Department of Film, Theatre, and Communication Arts.

Grand Prize:

• $1,500
• Professional Staged Reading at the next Festival
• VIP All-Access Festival pass for two years ($1,000 value)
• Publication in BayouMagazine

Entry Fee: $25

Contest Deadline: November 1st, 2015 

Announcement: The winner and finalists will be announced by late February of 2016.

For more details, please visit http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/2015-16-one-act-play-contest

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Resurgence Poetry Prize 2015

The World’s First Major Award for Ecopoetry

Competition Opens 17th July and Closes 1st November 2015

The Resurgence Poetry Prize is the world’s first major ‘ecopoetry’ award. Three prizes will be awarded each year for original and previously unpublished ecopoems in English.  The inaugural 2015 Award has been announced with all details are on the Competition page.

With a first prize of £5,000 for the best single poem embracing ecological themes, the award ranks amongst the highest of any English language single poem competition. Second prize is £2,000 and third prize £1,000.

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9th Annual Split This Rock Poetry Contest

Judge: Rigoberto González

Benefits Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness 2016
April 14-17, 2016

$1,000 in prizes awarded for poems of provocation & witness!

Prizes: First place $500; 2nd and 3rd place, $250 each. Winning poems will be published on http://www.SplitThisRock.org and within The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database. All prize winners will receive free festival registration, and the 1st place recipient will be invited to read the winning poem at Split This Rock Poetry Festival 2016.

Deadline: November 1, 2015

For more details, please visit https://splitthisrock.submittable.com/submit/44324

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2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize

“When we read human stories we come alive in bodies which are not our own,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2011 Commonwealth Lecture

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize brings stories from new and emerging voices, often from countries with little or no publishing infrastructure, to the attention of an international audience.

The Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000-5,000 words) in English. Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible. Each year, we select five winning writers from five different Commonwealth regions who share a total prize money of £15,000.

The 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize will open for entry via the online entry form on September 1 2015 and close on November 1 2015.

Click here for entry and eligibility guidelines.

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The Raven Short Story Contest

Our winning story for 2014, ‘The Inner Light’ by Krista Wallace will be published in issue 6, Spring 2015, along with the runner up ‘The Ravens’ by Anna Belkine.  Congratulations to both authors!

Contest opens: 15 September 2015
Deadline: 1 November 2015
Winner notified: 1 December 2015
Winner published in: Issue 10, Spring 2016
Prize: $500

Entry fee: $25
Earlybird fee (before 1 October): $20
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature

This contest is for previously unpublished short fiction up to 5000 words in length.  Multiple entries welcome.  Total entries limited to 100.

For more details, visit http://pulpliterature.com/contests/

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AROHO’s 7th $50,000

Gift of Freedom Competition

December 1, 2014 to November 2, 2015

Awarding the $50,000 Gift of Freedom for an imagined yet unwritten poetry, fiction, or nonfiction project is AROHO’s most unique form of arts patronage.  More than a mere grant of financial assistance or recognition of artistic merit, the Gift of Freedom is a beacon, a map, and a destination, a critical public expression of the immeasurable value of women’s achievements, their stories, and their art.

The Gift of Freedom application affords an extensive, disciplined process of introspection, evaluation, and planning all applicants can benefit from.  It has proven to be a valuable resource and tool, and is always available as a template, even when the application cycle for the award is closed.  After completing and sending in the application, many women report more full and fearless integration of their creative lives, setting aside their carpentry tools and odd jobs to take literary roles as teachers, mentors, and authors of stories that have changed lives with their telling.

For more details and to apply, visit: http://aroomofherownfoundation.org/awards/gift-of-freedom/

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The Newcomer Prize for short stories

We’re always working to discover new authors and new stories to publish alongside our regular contributors. The Newcomer Prize is part of this: it’s only open to authors who have not been previously published by The Fiction Desk, and who have not yet published a novel or collection of short stories on paper.

We welcome the same range of literary and crossover genre fiction to the Newcomer Prize that we feature in the pages of our anthologies. (If you’ve not yet read us, it’s worth picking up one or two of our anthologies to see what we publish. You could always start at the beginning, with Various Authors.)

How to Enter

The Newcomer Prize is open now for entries, and the deadline is midnight (UK time) on Friday, 6 November 2015.

This year, there’s a first prize of £500 and a second prize of £250. The entry fee is £8 per story.

For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/1AWzQjk

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The Swallows 50-Word Story Contest

Can you tell a story in 50 words?  Judged by Flash Fiction Master Bob Thurber.

Contest opens: 1 October 2016
Deadline: 15 November 2015
Winner notified: 15 December 2015
Winner published in: Issue 10, Spring 2016
First Prize: $100
Runners-up: $25 each

Entry fee: $5 per story
Entry fees include a digital issue of Pulp Literature.

Multiple entries welcome.  Total entries limited to 500.

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Tennessee Williams Fiction Contest

Grand Prize:

• $1,500
• Domestic airfare (up to $500) and French Quarter accommodations to attend the Festival in New Orleans
• VIP All-Access Festival pass for the next Festival ($500 value)
• Public reading at a literary panel at the next Festival
• Publication in Louisiana Literature

Eligibility:

• This contest is open only to writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Published books include self-published books with ISBN numbers. Those who have published books in other genres besides fiction remain eligible.
• Only previously unpublished stories will be accepted.

Guidelines

• A submission is one original short story, written in English, up to 7,000 words.
• Unlimited entries per person. Simultaneous submissions accepted. Please notify the Festival if your work is accepted elsewhere.

Entry Fee: $25

Contest Deadline: November 30th, 2015 

Announcement: The winner and finalists will be announced by late February of 2016.

For more details, please visit http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/2015-16-fiction-contest

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Wells College Press Poetry Chapbook Contest

Wells College Press invites submissions to its annual Poetry Chapbook Contest. The deadline for the 2016 competition is November 30, 2015. The winner will be announced in January 2016.

The author of the chosen manuscript will receive 20 copies of the letterpress printed, hand-sewn chapbook. The author will also be invited to read from her or his new chapbook at Wells College in the fall of 2016. The poet will receive a $500 honorarium + room and board for the reading.

We print editions of 100 signed and numbered copies. We craft every aspect of our chapbooks individually and obsessively: Prior chapbooks have included all type and ornament cast in metal at the Bixler Letterfoundry in Skaneatles specifically for those projects. Our books also feature hand-set title pages and hand-sewn bindings. The winning chapbook will continue this tradition of craftsmanship.

In honor of the gorgeous location of the Wells College Press, right on the shore of Cayuga Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes region, the chapbook series focuses on poems with a strong sense of place. We understand place to be geographical, social, political, spiritual, etc.

For more details, please visit https://wellscollegepress.submittable.com/submit

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Contemporary & Mainstream Novel Writing Contest 2015

The Somerset Awards

1st Place Category Award Winners for the Somerset Awards will compete for the 2015 Grand Blue Ribbon Prize.

Deadline: November 30th, 2015.

Two Divisions: Published (Legacy, Indie, Self-Pub, Small Press, E-pub) and Manuscripts

For details, visit http://chantireviews.com/services/#!/Contemporary-&-Mainstream-Novel-Writing-Contest/p/21521214/category=5193080

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Tethered by Letters Fall Literary Competition

We are currently accepting submissions for our short story contest (1,000 to 7,500 words, open genre), flash fiction contest (55, 250, or 500 words), and poetry contest (max of three pages per poem). TBL strives to publish writers with engaging stories, vivid characters, and fresh writing styles. All winners will be published in F(r)iction. All finalists will receive free professional edits on their submission and be considered for later publication. The prizes are $500 (USDA) for the short story winner, $150 (USDA) for the flash fiction winner, and $150 (USDA) for the poetry winner. Winners will be announced publicly in December. Multiple entries accepted. International submissions welcome. Good luck to all our authors!

Deadline: December 1, 2015

Prize: $500 for Short Story, $150 for Flash Fiction, $150 for Poetry

Entry Fee: $15 per Short Story; $7 per Flash Fiction OR $15 for three Flash Fictions; $7 per poem OR $15 for three poems

Submission Guidelines: Please visit our formatting guidelines page to properly format your work for submission. Staff members are not eligible for participation. Any work previously submitted to TBL for publication is not eligible if the piece received free edits from our team.

For more details, please visit http://tetheredbyletters.com/submissions/contest-submissions/

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Ernest Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize

Entries for the Ernest Hemingway Flash Fiction Prize should be approximately 1500 words or less. Submissions should be unpublished and in .rtf, .doc, or .pdf format. Feel free to submit multiple stories, but please DO NOT submit multiple Word documents as one submission or one text document containing multiple stories. Instead, please submit each story as a SEPARATE entry (so that you complete an individual submission process for each story). Simultaneous submissions ARE welcome.Contest will open annually in on June 1st with a deadline of December 1st. Entry fee is $10. All entries will be considered for publication in Fiction Southeast.

• Winner – $200 and publication in Fiction Southeast
• Runners-up – publication in Fiction Southeast

For more details, please visit http://fictionsoutheast.org/ernest-hemingway-flash-fiction-award/

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The 2016 Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition Is Now Open!

It’s that time of year again!

Are you a writer with an original and exciting story for 7-to-18-year-olds? If so, we’d love you to enter our competition, and you have until Friday 18^th December 2015 to submit. Every entry will be read by our team of experienced readers in order to draw up a longlist of the very best submissions. Barry Cunningham and the Chicken House editorial team will then narrow these down to a shortlist of five.

Our prestigious panel of judges will then pore over the shortlist to choose the winner, to be announced in spring 2016. The prize will be a worldwide publishing deal with Chicken House, with an advance of £10,000 (subject to contract).

For more details, please visit http://doublecluck.com/submissions/

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Dzanc Non-Fiction Prize

Dzanc Books is pleased to announce submissions are open for our second annual Non-Fiction Award. All authors with a non-fiction manuscript are eligible. Subjects may include but are not limited to memoir, political, historical, biographical, and will be vetted by our Dzanc Books editors.

The contest deadline is December 31, 2015

Fee: $25 (all that enter will receive a copy of the eBook of the winner when it is published as well as a complimentary copy of one of a trio of Dzanc’s titles—we will email you the choices upon your entering)

For more information, please visit http://www.dzancbooks.org/dzanc-prizes/

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Magic Oxygen Literary Prize

 Short Stories, up to 4,000 words (not including the title)

 Poetry up to 50 lines (not including title or lines between stanzas)

 The theme is open

 Electronic uploads are preferred but written entries are also accepted

 The competition is open to writers all over the world

 Entrants must be 16 or over at the time of submission

 Entries must be written in English and must be your own previously unpublished work

 You can enter as many pieces of writing as you wish

 £5 per entry

 Closing date midnight 31st December 2015.

For more details, please visit http://www.magicoxygen.co.uk/molp/prize-rules/

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Mississippi Review Annual Contest

Our annual contest awards prizes of $1,000 in fiction and in poetry. Winners and finalists will make up next summer’s print issue of the national literary magazine Mississippi Review. Contest is open to all writers in English except current or former students or employees of The University of Southern Mississippi. Fiction entries should be 1000-8000 words, poetry entries should be three to five poems totaling ten pages or less. Please attach as one document. There is no limit on the number of entries you may submit. Online entry fee is $16 per entry.  Each entrant will receive a copy of the prize issue.

For more details, please visit https://mississippireview.submittable.com/submit

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Winter 2015 Essay Contest

“Winter Indigo”

Write an original essay between 500 and 1000 words, inspired by the photograph on the site and the theme, “Winter Indigo” for a chance to win $1000 and publication.

Submissions may be a personal essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, commentary, travel piece, historical account, biography, or short story, as long as it creatively embodies the theme and photo. Please review our Submission Guidelines before submitting your manuscript. Entry Fee: $20

Deadline: January 15, 2016

For more details, visit http://highfieldpress.wix.com/contests#!contests/c1xh4

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Flash 500 Short Story Contest

Welcome to the first year of our new short story category. This is an open-themed competition and we accept all genres, including those written by or for children. Adult material is also acceptable providing the content fits the story and is not gratuitous.

We are looking for stories ranging between 1,000 and 3,000 words, with strong characters, a well-crafted plot and realistic dialogue (where used). Make us laugh, make us cry, but most of all, make us feel!

This is an annual competition: entries open on 1st September and close on the last day of February each year.

For more details, please visit http://www.flash500.com/index_files/ss.html

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Spring 2016 Essay Contest

“In the Pink” $1000 Prize

Write an original essay between 500 and 1000 words, inspired by the photograph at left and the theme, “In the Pink” for an opportunity to win $1000 and publication.

Submissions may be a personal essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, commentary, travel piece, historical account, biography, or short story, as long as it creatively embodies the theme and photo. Please review our Submission Guidelines before submitting your manuscript. Entry Fee: $20 USD

Deadline: April 15, 2016

For more details, visit http://highfieldpress.wix.com/contests#!contests/c1xh4

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FJORDS REVIEW ANNUAL CONTEST

Rolling deadlines

We read manuscripts throughout the year and publish our winner and shortlist on the same day.

Each manuscript should be between 45-300 pages and may be a collection of poetry, short stories or different kinds of literary pieces. Full-length visual art, illustrated and collaborative books are also considered.

To enter: send one word file or .pdf containing

• Cover page with author name, telephone number, email and postal address and manuscript name
• Page that includes only the title of the manuscript.
• Manuscript with numbered pages and table of contents.

Judging for the contest is blind. All work submitted is considered for book publication and for publication in an edition of Fjords

http://fjordsreview.com/contest/contest.html

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Neil Postman Award for Metaphor

Rolling Deadline
(no fee)
Although primarily known as an educationist and a media critic, Neil Postman was, at his core, a “noticer”—and he particularly noticed what we do with metaphor and how metaphor shapes and creates our cognitive world. Postman maintained that words (and words, in truth, are metaphors) are as much the driver of reality as they are the vehicle. Consequently, metaphor was not a subject to be relegated and limited to high school poetry units wherein a teacher drones on about the difference between “like” and “as” and considers the job finished. For Postman, the study of metaphor was unending and metaphors were as crucial as they were omnipresent; they served to give form to and dictate experience.

In honor and remembrance of Neil Postman, who died on October 5, 2003, we have established the Neil Postman Award for Metaphor. The motivation for the award is simple and two-fold: To reward a given writer for his or her use of metaphor, and to celebrate (and hopefully propagate) Postman’s work and the typographical mind.

Each spring the editors will choose one poem from all of the submissions received by Rattle during the previous year. The author of the chosen poem will receive $500. There are no entry fees or special submission guidelines. Send up to 5 unpublished poems plus a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to: Rattle, 12411 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604. To browse previous winners, and for information on how to submit electronically, visit our website: http://www.rattle.com/poetry/extras/postman/

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Nonfiction Book Awards

Welcome to the NEW Nonfiction Book Awards! As an extension of the Nonfiction Authors Association, we are committed to honoring excellence in nonfiction books and welcome submissions by self-published and traditionally published authors alike, in both print and ebook formats. Publishers are also welcome to submit books for award consideration.

– See more at: http://nonfictionauthorsassociation.com/nonfiction-book-awards/#sthash.H0SVcAFl.dpuf

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The Thistle Dew Theatre & KTDT Dramady seeks plays for Stage and Radio

http://thistledewtheatre.blogspot.com/

 

Call for play submissions: monologues, short plays, one act or full-length plays for stage and radio.

! Competition !

Monthly themed monologues and short plays needed.  On-going, no submission fee, no deadline.   This is a competition with one winner per production: $25.00.

Continuing call:   No fees… no deadlines….

Tales/Lies for THE LIAR’S LAIR

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Zone 3 Nonfiction Award

Zone 3 is accepting submissions for its nonfiction contest. For online submissions, click here to complete the submission manager form, choose “Zone 3 Nonfiction Award” for your genre, and upload your essay. You will be directed to another webpage for secure payment. For paper submissions, submit one essay with SASE and $10 entry fee to: Zone 3, APSU, P.O. Box 4565, Clarksville, TN 37044. No deadline.  All entrants will receive a one-year subscription. The winner will be announced on our website. Prize: $250 and publication. For details, visit http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contests

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Zone 3 Fiction Award

Zone 3 is now accepting submissions for its twelfth annual fiction award. For online submissions, click here to complete the submission manager form, choose “Zone 3 Fiction Award” for your genre, and upload your story. You will be directed to another webpage for secure payment. For paper submissions, submit one story with SASE and $10 entry fee to: Zone 3, APSU, P.O. Box 4565, Clarksville, TN 37044. No deadline. All entrants will receive a one-year subscription to Zone 3. The winner will be announced on our website. Prize: $250 and publication. For details, visit http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contests

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Zone 3 Poetry Award

Zone 3 is now accepting submissions for its annual poetry award. Submit up to three poems via our online submissions manager. Click here to log in and upload your poems; choose “Zone 3 Poetry Award” for your genre. You will be directed to another webpage for secure payment. No deadline. All entrants will receive a one-year subscription to Zone 3. The winner will be announced on our website.  Prize: $250 and publication. For details, visit http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contests

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Wielding Power Essay Writing Contests

Prizes

Winner- The winner will have their answer published, receive ten free copies of the issue (pdfs), and $1000. There will be one winner.

Finalists- The finalists will be published and receive ten free copies of the issue (pdfs). There will be two finalists.

Who May Submit

Submissions are open to all US and Canada residents (except Quebec) above the age of 18. Submission is free. You may submit up to 10 entries per question. Submissions cannot be the work of multiple authors.

How and What to Submit

IMPORTANT: failure to adhere to the following may result in disqualification. See Official Rules for complete details.

• All entries should be between 500 and 2000 words.
• To ease reading and ensure uniformity of entries- please format your answer in 12pt Times New Roman, double spaced.
• Please send your entries as a Microsoft Word or Google Document attachment to submit@wieldingpowerpublishing.com

For more information, visit http://www.wieldingpowerpublishing.com/submit/

Ongoing deadlines.

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The People’s Book Awards

Welcome to the people’s Book Awards where anyone can nominate or vote for titles available on the *Amazon sites worldwide, or support those important people who provide services to authors. Monthly winners.

The monthly and annual voting closes at 17:00 hours British Standard Time on the last day of each month and the votes of non-winning titles are carried forward, except in December. Monthly winning titles are taken out of the competition and will be returned in December if confirmed as a nomination for the Annual Awards by a direct message (DM) on Twitter or email to winner@thebookawards.com. Each year the voting closes on December 31st following the Annual Awards and all votes are returned to zero for the coming year.

To learn more, visit http://thebookawards.com/awards/

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The Diode Editions 2015 Chapbook Contest Submission Guidelines

Open to all poets over the age of 18 who write in English.

Length: 22-32 pages (front matter is not included in count).

We will consider translations, and we welcome collaborations.

Your submission should include:

·      A title page with the title of your manuscript, your name, address, telephone number and email.

·      Your name should not appear anywhere else in the manuscript.

·      An acknowledgments page: poems included in your manuscript may be previously published as long as there is an acknowledgements page.

Deadline: January 15, 2016

For more details, please visit http://www.diodeeditions.com/contests.html

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Orlando Prize

Braced and strung up by the present moment she was also strangely afraid, as if every time the gulf of time gaped and let a second through some unknown danger might come with it.  The tension was too relentless and too rigorous to be endured long without discomfort.
—Virginia Woolf, Orlando

Biannual Deadlines:  January and July 31

Poetry (36 lines)
Flash Fiction (500 words) 
Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (1500 words)

Submit Online

*Or download application form to submit and pay via post.

For more details, visit http://aroomofherownfoundation.org/awards/orlando/

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Hillerman Prize

Sponsored by St. Martin’s Press and WORDHARVEST, the Tony Hillerman Prize is awarded annually for the best first mystery set in the Southwest. The winner receives a contract with St. Martin’s Press for publication of the novel and $10,000. Named after New Mexico’s best known mystery author, the Tony Hillerman Prize competition is open to any professional or non-professional writer who has never been the author of a published mystery, or under contract with a publisher for publication of a mystery. Murder or another serious crime or crimes must be at the heart of the story, with the emphasis on the solution rather than the details of the crime.

Only one manuscript entry is permitted per writer. All entries must be received or postmarked no later than June 1 of the given year. All manuscripts submitted: a) must be original works of book length (no less than 220 typewritten pages or approximately 60,000 words) written in the English language by the contestants; b) must not violate the rights of any third party, and c) must generally follow the guidelines.

For details, visit http://www.hillermanprize.com/

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Ekphrasis Prize for Poetry

Ekphrasis is a poetry journal looking for well-crafted poems, the main content of which addresses individual works from any artistic genre. Please identify the specific work that is the focus of your poem. Acceptable ekphrastic verse transcends mere description: it stands as transformative critical statement, an original gloss on the individual art piece it addresses.

All poems published in Ekphrasis within a given calendar year will be considered for the Ekphrasis Prize for Poetry.

The winning poem will be selected by the editors of Ekphrasis.

No entry fees are required and there is no self-nomination procedure for the prize.

For submission guidelines, visit http://www.ekphrasisjournal.com/home

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GLENNA LUSCHEI PRIZE FOR AFRICAN POETRY

Under the auspices of the African Poetry Book Fund and in partnership with the literary journal, Prairie Schooner, is an annual award of USD $5,000. Named for the literary philanthropist Glenna Luschei, this Pan African Poetry Prize is the only one of its kind in the world and was established to promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet.

Each year, the prize will be judged by an internationally renowned poet. This judge for the inaugural prize is Nigerian poet and novelist Chris Abani.

Manuscripts are accepted annually between May 1st and July 1st.

For details, visit http://africanpoetrybf.unl.edu/?page_id=21#glenna

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Bellevue Literary Review Prizes

The annual Bellevue Literary Review Prizes award outstanding writing related to themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. The contest is open each year from February 1 – July 1.


The winners of the 2014 prizes are Abby Horowitz for “Pediatricology” (fiction), Will McGrath for “Forty-One Months” (nonfiction), and Laurie Clements Lambeth for “Chronic Care: ‘Broken Leg’ by Keith Carter, Photograph” (poetry). Find out more.

Contest guidelines

See more at: http://blr.med.nyu.edu/submissions/BLRPrizes#sthash.UNzlpPcL.dpuf

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Diana Woods Memorial (DWM) Award

Creative nonfiction authors are invited to submit an essay of up to 5,000 words on the subject of their choice to be considered for the Diana Woods Memorial (DWM) Award in creative nonfiction. Winners will receive $250 and their work will be featured in the next issue of Lunch Ticket. Each award recipient must submit a 100-word biography, current photo, and send a brief note of thanks to the Woods’ family.

For more details and to submit, visit http://lunchticket.org/the-diana-woods-memorial-award/

The reading period for the award will be the month of February for the issue that publishes in June, and the month of August for the issue that publishes in December. Please note that previously published work will not be accepted.

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L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest

• ENTRANTS RETAIN ALL PUBLICATION RIGHTS
• NO ENTRY FEE IS REQUIRED
• ALL AWARDS ARE ADJUDICATED BY PROFESSIONAL WRITERS ONLY
• PRIZES EVERY THREE MONTHS: $1,000, $750, $500
• ANNUAL GRAND PRIZE: $5,000 ADDITIONAL!
• OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW AND AMATEUR WRITERS OF NEW SHORT STORIES OR NOVELETTES OF SF OR FANTASY

There shall be three cash prizes in each quarter: a First Prize of $1,000, a Second Prize of $750, and a Third Prize of $500, in US dollars. In addition, at the end of the year the winners will have their entries rejudged, and a Grand Prize winner shall be determined and receive an additional $5,000. All winners will also receive trophies.

The Contest has four quarters, beginning on October 1, January 1, April 1 and July 1. The year will end on September 30. To be eligible for judging in its quarter, an entry must be postmarked or received electronically no later than midnight on the last day of the quarter. (Deadlines: December 31, March 31, June 30, September 30). Late entries will be included in the following quarter and the Contest Administration will so notify the entrant.

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EVENTS & WORKSHOPS

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4th Guernsey Literary Festival: 16-20 September, 2015

The 4^th Guernsey Literary Festival will feature writers Will Self, Sophie Hannah, and A.L. Kennedy, as well as children’s book illustrator Korky Paul.

For more details, visit http://www.guernseyliteraryfestival.com/

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The Word on the Street

National Book & Magazine Festival

WHEN: September 19-27, 2015

WHERE: Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Kitchener, Toronto, Halifax

The Word On The Street is a national celebration of literacy and the written word.
Each September, in communities coast to coast, the public is invited to participate in hundreds of author events, presentations and workshops and to browse a marketplace that boasts the best selection of Canadian books and magazines you’ll find anywhere.

There is always plenty to see and do at Canada’s largest book and magazine festival, and best of all, The Word On The Street and all of its events are FREE!

For details, visit http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/

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2015 Kingston WritersFest

WHEN: September 23-25, 2015-01-30

WHERE: Kingston, ON

Kingston WritersFest, a charitable cultural organization, brings the best of contemporary writers to Kingston to interact with audiences and other artists for mutual inspiration, education, and the exchange of ideas that literature provokes.

Through readings, performance, onstage discussion and master classes, Kingston WritersFest fosters intellectual and emotional growth on a personal and community level and raises the profile of reading and literary expression in our community.

Read more at https://www.kingstonwritersfest.ca/

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Picture Book Summit 2015

The date:                               October 3, 2015.
The event:                             Picture Book Summit 2015—an incredible all-day online
workshop featuring an array of picture book superstars.
The purpose:                        To help you achieve your dream of writing a best selling
picture book.
The sponsors:                      A true “who’s who” of children’s writing, including The Institute
of Children’s Literature, 12×12 Picture Book Challenge,
Children’s Book Insider, and Just Write For Kids.

Early bird pricing is $100 off the regular price and is available until August 15th.  Space at this event is limited!  Later, others will be offered any remaining spaces, but at the regular price.

If you’re at all serious about writing picture books, you absolutely must join us at Picture Book Summit on October 3!
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30^th Anniversary Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival

March 30-April 3, 2016

The Festival takes place on one (usually) sultry weekend in March when the most illustrious and freshest names in the literary, theatrical, and cultural spheres descend on the French Quarter for five days of festivities.

For more details, please visit http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/festival

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River Teeth Nonfiction Conference

The River Teeth Nonfiction Conference is pleased to announce Dinty W. Moore and Elena Passarello as the 2016 featured presenters!

The tentative dates for next year’s conference are June 3-5, 2016.

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RESOURCES

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Check out our new page containing live links to Grants, Fellowships, and Residencies

https://thewritingpool.com/grants-fellowships-and-residencies.php

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FANSNEXTDOOR

http://www.fansnextdoor.com/en

Another crowdfunding site. FansNextdoor is a platform for all creative 
professionals to promote and fund their projects together with their 
fans. Create your project, its financing goal and deadline. If the 
financing goal is met or exceeded by deadline, all contributions are 
transferred to your PayPal account. If the financing goal is not met, 
all funds are returned.

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INDIEGOGO

http://www.indiegogo.com

IndieGoGo offers anyone with an idea — creative, cause-related, 
entrepreneurial — the tools to build a campaign and raise money. 
Project categories include gaming, film, design, education, mobile, 
and technology. Integrates with Facebook, Twitter, and other social 
media platforms. Offers a widget to showcase your campaign on your 
website. Unlike many crowdfunding sites, you keep all the money you 
raise, even if you don’t meet your goal. Track contributions with 
the analytics tools and stay on top of fulfillment with the dashboard. 
There is a 4 percent fee on the money you raise when you meet your 
funding goal.

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Kickstarter

Kickstarter has launched in Canada, and The Banff Centre is getting involved.

Kickstarter is an online crowdfunding platform for creative projects ranging from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. If you’re currently seeking funding for a project you want to pursue at The Banff Centre, we want you to join us on Kickstarter. Contact us so we can support you by curating your project on our Kickstarter page (please include a link to the project).

View some projects on Kickstarter that successfully reached their funding goals and made their way to The Banff Centre. As you send us your projects, we’ll continue to curate them on our Kickstarter page. If you’re an alumni or your project has already been successfully funded, we’d still love to showcase your work. Get in touch!

 Have questions? Find answers on Kickstarter’s FAQ pages.

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Online Writing Classes

FanStory.com is a writing site founded in 2000.

On this writing community all posts receive feedback from writers and readers. Feedback includes a detailed comment on the posted work and a rating. The site uses a six star ratings scale with “1” being the worst and “6” being the best.

Writers are ranked based on the feedback they receive. Separate rankings are available for Poets, Novelists, Short Works (short stories and essays) and Script Writers (television and other forms of screenplays). Trophies are rewarded to the top five writers in each of the individual rankings at the end of the year.

The site recognizes writing with “Recognized”, “All Time Best” and “Seal of Quality” levels. Each level is more difficult to receive with the final level determined by the Seal of Quality committee. The committee is made up of published authors and stand-out reviewers. They offer feedback to help writers get published.

The site features free writing contests with cash prizes. Site members also have the ability to create their own contests to challenge other writers to write about a specific topic or a specific form of writing (such as writing using specific poetry format).

The welcome page includes featured writing. It also includes writing that has been well received in the past 24 hours.

Each day over 200 stories and poems are posted. Over 7,000 comments are written on the writing posted daily. Writers keep full copyright to their posted work.

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PEERBACKERS

http://www.peerbackers.com

Peerbackers is for business owners to raise capital from their peers — 
in small increments — in exchange for tangible rewards. Create a 
personal and venture profile. Share your story through social media 
share buttons on your project page. Once your campaign is launched, 
send updates on your progress. If you reach at least 80 percent of your 
funding goal by deadline, your funding is released to you. Peerbackers 
charges a 5 percent fee, in addition to third party processing fees.

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PLACES FOR WRITERS

There are a number of interesting calls with deadlines coming up shortly. For more information visit: http://www.placesforwriters.com/calls/

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Plum Alley

Plum Alley is a site for women to raise money for ventures of all kinds– women entrepreneurs, women in the arts, women in academia and the media.

https://plumalley.co/en/projects

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Public Engagement in the Arts

The Canada Council is launching a dialogue about how the arts bring value to the lives of Canadians and we invite you to join the conversation.
Read the discussion paper, Public Engagement in the Arts, on current thinking and practices in public engagement or check out Simon Brault’s blog post on ways Canadians can have rich artistic experiences. Then share your thoughts on how to become actively engaged in the arts. Tell us what public engagement in the arts means to you by posting comments on the blog, on our Facebook page or on Twitter at hashtag #artsandpublic.
In its 2011-16 Strategic Plan, the Council identified public engagement in the arts as a strategic theme that infuses all of its work. We hope to broaden and enhance the public conversation about this topic and use this discussion to inform the development of future Council activities.

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unbound

Unbound is a new way to connect authors and readers. Authors present a pitch, you pledge, and when the goal is reached the book is written. It’s really that simple.

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Writers’ Coalition – Benefits You Can Afford

Join the Writers’ Coalition program today – as long as you’re a resident of Canada and under the age of 71, you are eligible to join.

There is no medical required to join so you will not be refused coverage for pre-existing conditions – it is guaranteed acceptance.

The program offers a pay direct drug/dental card that is accepted nationally at pharmacies and dental offices across the country which means direct settlement of prescription drug claims (you pay only your portion at the pharmacy) and no waiting for re-imbursement on dental claims (no submission of a paper claim and your re-imbursement cheque is usually in the mail within 4 or 5 working days).

The Writers’ Coalition

• Not-for-profit insurer
• Unbeatable service – we only service artists
• Affordable, comprehensive coverage
• Convenience of a drug/dental card
• Medical is not required to purchase coverage
• Access to other insurance offerings, including home/auto

http://www.writerscoalition.com

writerscoalition@actrafrat.com

1 800-387-8897 x238

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WRITING CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

Do you have a passion for creative writing? Perhaps you work in a field that requires strong writing skills? Whatever your reasons for wanting to be a better writer, University of Calgary Continuing Education can help.

Three writing certificate programs are offered, all of which are delivered completely online. When you enroll in a course, you will be required to work within scheduled start- and end-dates and will be expected to meet assignment timelines. During the duration of the course, you will work whenever-and from wherever-you choose, as long as you have a computer and a reliable internet connection. Each program requires 200 hours of instruction time, and in some cases, courses can be applied to more than one certificate. One or more of the following certificate programs may be exactly what you need:

 

Professional Writing specializing in Business and Technical Writing

Professional Writing specializing in Marketing and Public Relations

Creative Writing

For more information, go to http://conted.ucalgary.ca/writing/

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PUBLICATIONS & PUBLISHING

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Authority Publishing for Non-fiction Authors

http://authoritypublishing.com/

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Authorspress

Publishers of Scholarly Books

New Delhi, India

Website: www.authorspressbooks.com

Blog: www.authorspressbooks.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorspressindia?ref=hl

Email id: info@authorspressbooks.com

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THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO EBOOKS

All you need to know about ebooks: how to read them, the different ebook formats, choosing an ebook reader, and where to find the best specials and free ebooks.
http://www.EbookIntroduction.com

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brokenpencil

The magazine of zine culture and independent arts

http://www.brokenpencil.com/

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Chicken Soup for the Soul

New topics and new deadlines from September 27, 2015 to June 30, 2016

Check them out!

http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics

 

Commonwealth Writers: A world of new fiction

                                http://www.commonwealthwriters.org/

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GOOSE LANE EDITIONS

http://gooselane.com/submissions.php

Goose Lane Editions specializes in Canadian literary fiction and poetry, and in creative non-fiction on subjects such as art, history, politics, biography, travel, nature, popular culture, and the big ideas of our time. We are principally interested in submissions from Canadian writers. We only consider submissions from outside of Canada if the author is Canadian and if the book has extraordinary interest to Canadian readers. We do not publish books for children or young adults, personal memoirs, how-to books, mystery novels, fictional crime stories or works of science fiction. We do publish books with a distinctive flair and a clear, resounding voice, and vision. We are interested in books that take the reader on an original journey that fascinates, resonates, and captivates.

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Guide to Canadian Copyright

http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr02281.html

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107 Countries, 193 Airlines, 212 Publications!

If You Would Like To Do Freelance Work For In-Flight Publications Then This Is A Great Resource For You. You’ll Save Weeks Of Time Tracking Down All This Information

In-Flight Magazines Report

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INKSHARES

Inkshares is a crowd-driven publisher. Our goal is to connect writers with readers. We produce, market and distribute books people want to read. In doing so, we can bring quality literary work to life, paying authors more and costing readers less. We’re crowdfunding meets publishing.

https://www.inkshares.com

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The Journaling Place

http://www.createwritenow.com/

 

Get started: write a journal!

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MADE IN BANFF

New newsletter weekly!

The Banff Centre Blog

http://www.banffcentre.org

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THE MALAHAT REVIEW

http://web.uvic.ca/malahat/

Summer issue of Malahat lite and Malahat Review now available!

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Mythic Dragon Publishing

~We are on the hunt for compelling stories with unique characters,

engaging settings, and intense conflict.~

If this fits your manuscript(s), we invite you to submit your story.

We publish almost all genres.

http://www.mythicdragonpublishing.com/welcome.html

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Neon

Neon is a British literary magazine published three times a year in print and online. Its tastes tend towards the dark and the surreal. It publishes literary and slipstream short-form writing: poetry, fiction and experimental forms. Submissions are accepted from writers anywhere in the world, and the magazine is available for free online. Neon also publishes chapbooks and pamphlets, as well as a free micro-anthology titled Battery Pack. See the website for more information: http://www.neonmagazine.co.uk/

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PEACHTREE PUBLISHERS

http://peachtree-online.com/index.php/resources/submission-guidelines/manuscript-guidelines.html

For children’s picture books, send full manuscript. For all others, send either full manuscript OR table of contents plus three sample chapters. Peachtree does not accept query letters where no manuscript is included. Peachtree currently publishes the following categories: Children’s fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, middle readers, young adult books, education, parenting, self-help, and health books of interest to the general trade. Peachtree does not publish historical novels (except children’s/young adult), science fiction, fantasy, romance, westerns, horror, poetry, short stories, plays, business, scientific or technical reference, or books intended specifically as textbooks.

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PEN Canada

envisions a world where

writers are free to write,

readers are free to read,

and freedom of expression prevails

http://pencanada.ca

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Scriggler

is a writing, blogging and debating platform.

A place for anyone who wants to write and read on any topic,

in any level of detail.

See more at: https://scriggler.com/

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Shelf Unbound

New issue of Shelf Unbound!

Click on this link to start reading your new issue right now:

http://www.pagegangster.com/p/QIEbm/

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VerbalArt

http://www.verbalart.in/submission.php

The new issue of Phenomenal Literature is released and you can find its details on its website http://www.phenomenalliterature.com. Now we are looking for anything on poets and poetry for the next issue of VerbalArt: A Global Journal Devoted to Poets and Poetry. The submission guidelines can be found at http://verbalart.in/submission.php. The last date of submission is 31 July 2015 and the next issue will come out by 30 Sep 2015.

VerbalArt welcomes unsolicited submissions all about poet, poetry and poems. We also publish translation in English, book reviews, interviews, biographies, autobiography, memoirs, essays, travelogue and creative writings pertaining to poets and poetry. We will only consider work that has not been previously published, whether in print or on the web.

Poems submitted for the journal, VerbalArt can also be considered for its sister journal, Phenomenal Literature: A Journal Devoted to Language & Literature.

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WARREN PUBLISHING

http://www.warrenpublishing.net/overview.html

Currently searching for the following manuscripts:

Non-fiction (psychology, sociology, sustainable living and building topics)

Health and Wellness, including nutrition topics

Fiction (historical, suspense, general fiction)

Mind-Body-Spirit topics

Young Adult (pre-teen and young adult)

Children’s (for ages 2 up through 12)

Coffee Table Books (travel, photography, biography, cooking and lifestyle topics)

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Worldwide Freelance Writer
http://www.worldwidefreelance.com

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WOW! Women on Writing

An e-zine promoting the communication between women writers, Authors, Editors, Agents, Publishers, and Readers

http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/

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Writers Digest

http://www.writersdigest.com/

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Writing Raw

http://writingraw.com/

The April Edition of WritingRaw.com is NOW online! Stop in and discover a new voice today… Help spread the word and share this with anyone who enjoys the written word. We are looking for submissions for the May issue – fiction of all styles, poetry, essays and other assorted writings, and book promotions.

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The Weekly Writing Post^TM is brought to you by

The Writing Pool^TM

http://www.thewritingpool.com

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