NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION BRANCH (NCR)

 Weekly Notices for the week of Dec. 9 to Dec. 15, 2013

12 ITEMS 7 NEW plus  5 NEW CONTESTS

Please send all submission & event notices to Carol Stephen at cstephen0@gmail.com 

####Find writing-related services offered by our members at our CAA-NCR website   http://www.canauthors-ottawa.org/hire-a-member.shtml

CAA-NCR EVENTS: NOTE TO CAA MEMBERS: Recently published a novel, won a writing award, had a spectacular book signing or in some other way been recognized within the writing community? Write a short blurb about it & we’ll publish it in Byline, the CAA-NCR branch Magazine. We’re all excited, and encouraged, when someone in our writing family shines. Send a note to Sharyn Heagle, Editor, Byline at <sharyn_40@yahoo.com>

 ITEM 1: 27TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CAPITAL WRITING CONTEST  

 CANADIAN AUTHORS ASSOCIATION–NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION WRITERS HELPING WRITERS

 CATEGORIES: Short Story • Poetry Prizes in Each Category: $300, $200, $100

Guidelines for 2014 NCWC

 The contest is open to members of CAA–NCR and/or residents of the National Capital Region

http://www.canauthors-ottawa.org/contests.shtml

 CATEGORIES: Short Story (max. 2500 words) and Poetry (not Haiku) (max. 60 lines including title & blank lines)

ENTRIES must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant. Winning entries and/or Honourable Mentions may be published CAA–NCR’s e-mag, Byline, in a CAA–NCR anthology,

or in the Ottawa Citizen. Copyright remains with author.

 Finalists are requested to attend CAA–NCR’s 25th Annual NCWC Awards Night, Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at 7 PM, Ottawa Public Library auditorium, 120 Metcalfe Street at Laurier.

Your presence is important to the celebration of your success with fellow entrants, families and friends. First place winners will be asked to read their entries.

·       Entries postmarked after midnight FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2014 will be disqualified.

·       Submissions not accompanied by entry fee will be disqualified.

·       Submissions will be neither acknowledged nor returned.

·       Entries not conforming to rules will be disqualified.

·        Overpayment of entry fees will not be returned.

·       Entry fee: $15 per story; $15 for up to three (3) poems (poems will be judged individually);

·       number of entries unlimited.

·       Each prose entry must be in English, typed, on 8 1/2 x 11paper, one side only,  page-numbered consecutively on bottom right of pages. No extra-large type, please!

·       Indicate category and title on top left corner of every page.

·       Stories must be double-spaced; this is not required for poetry.

·       Contest is blind judged. Entrant’s name must NOT appear on the submission(s).

·       Include a separate cover page with contest category, story/poem title, name, address,

·       phone number, and e-mail address.

·       Members of CAA–NCR are entitled to one (1) free entry in one (1) category.

·       Make cheques payable to CAA–NCR and designate NCWC.

·       CAA–NCR reserves the right to withhold any prize should entries fail to meet expected standards.

Mail entries to: National Capital Writing Contest, 163 BELL ST., N., Box 57081, Ottawa ON K1R 7E1 Attention: Sherrill Wark, Receiver

Information: Sharyn Heagle, CAA–NCR Contest Coordinator – sharyn_40@yahoo.com.

 

 ITEM 2: CAA-NCR JANUARY MEETING                                        

 DATE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014, 7 – 9 P.M.

LOCATION: OTTAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN BRANCH – METCALFE & LAURIER, MEETING ROOM, LOWER LEVEL

 VOICES FROM THE BRANCH: Any member can read from their published, soon-to-be-published, non-published, or their just-written works. There are ten spaces available. To have your name added to the list of readers contact phyllis.bohonis@sympatico.ca before Wednesday, January 8, 2014. Each reader is allotted 8 minutes of reading time. An opportunity for the readers to display any published works for sale will be available at the “meet and greet” starting at 6:30 p.m. that evening. Any member is eligible to read, you do not have to be a published writer.

 ALSO THAT EVENING: BOOK FESTIVALS: Shouldn’t we have our fair share? Speaker: Qais Ghanem: Qais will outline plans for a book festival sponsored by CAA-NCR.

 Qais Ghanem is well known for hosting the CHIN Ottawa 97.9FM radio show Dialogue with Diversity. He now co-hosts A Luta Continua, the Carleton University CKCU 93.1FM radio show on Fridays at 9:00 a.m. He blogs for Huffington Post, and is a regular invited columnist for Gulf News, Dubai. Qais has a published a book of poetry and two mystery novels. His third novel is due in early 2013. He co-authored a non-fiction book entitled My Arab Spring, My Canada. His website is www.dialoguewithdiversity.com.

CAA-NCR BRANCH MEMBERS NEWS

 See member Nerys Parry’s Write Stuff workshop upcoming in January at Item # 5 under Workshops

 CANADIAN AUTHORS ASSOCIATION NATIONAL NEWS

 ITEM 3: CAA NATIONAL SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR THE CAA AWARDS                                                                              

Canadian Authors 2014 Literary Awards

 Entries are now being accepted for the Canadian Authors Association’s 2014 Literary Awards.  Criteria and submission details are available in the CAA 2014 Literary Awards Guidelines. http://www.canauthors.org/awards/guidelines.html

Complete the CAA 2014 Awards entry form online and send it to us along with your submission and entry fee. The entry form can be found at the link for the guidelines. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2014.

Now in its 39th year, the CAA Literary Awards program honours writing that achieves excellence without sacrificing popular appeal. Past winners have included Margaret Atwood, Timothy Findley, Leonard Cohen, Micheal Ondaatje, Carol Shields, Patrick DeWitt, Nino Ricci, Michael S. Cross, Don McKay and countless other literary stars – some relatively unknown at the time they received the award. — Anita Purcell, Executive Director, Canadian Authors Association 

 OTHER WORKSHOPS

 ITEM 4: EDITORS’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA WORKSHOPS  

 

December 9: Cite it Right:  

When to cite, how to cite, what to cite . . . Citation is a key skill for writers and editors of any scholarly work, whether a university thesis or an article being prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. This seminar takes participants through:

• ·       the principles of citation
• ·       reviews major citation systems
• ·       discusses reference management software
• ·       looks at citation editing approaches

Registration closes December 2. http://www.editors.ca/members/connect/events/2013-06-25/cite-it-right  Space is available in all seminars. You can register online, by mail, or email if your employer is paying your registration fee. 

ITEM 5: WRITE STUFF WORKSHOP TO LAUNCH JANUARY 13    NEW!

 DATE: MONDAYS, BEGINNING JAN. 13, 2014 FOR FIVE WEEKS

LOCATION: OLD OTTAWA SOUTH FIREHALL, 260 Sunnyside Ave., Ottawa

COST $162.00    Registration opens December 11, 2013.

Take your writing to the next level and learn the tricks of the trade for creating polished and professional manuscripts ready for submission to agents, editors and publishers. The Write Stuff is a five-week facilitated workshop chock-full of practical daily exercises, useful tips and inspirations to help you honestly evaluate your own work and start editing and polishing it right away. Time is precious for all of us, so the course and all its exercises have been designed to allow you to apply the lessons covered in the workshop directly to your own writing projects, the ones closest to your heart—whatever they may be.

 Topics covered include:

•  Workshop #1: Show Don’t Tell and Other ‘Cardinal’ Rules of Fiction: How to avoid the common fictional practices editors hate most.
• Workshop #2: Birthing Adam: Tricks, tools and techniques for bringing your characters out of the page and into your reader’s hearts
• Workshop #3: Through the Looking Glass: playing with points of view, time and tense, intimacy and distance
• Workshop #4: Play it Again Sam: Crafting effective dialogue and character ‘beats’
• Workshop #5: Spit and Polish: Effective self-editing tools

 Writers of all levels, ambitions and genres are welcome. Anyone interested in joining the workshops can apply through the Old Ottawa South website. Click here {http://www.oldottawasouth.ca/index.php/programs} and select the red button to register.

 Facilitator’s Bio: About Nerys: Nerys Parry’s debut novel, Man & Other Natural Disasters, was a finalist for the Colophon Prize and tied for seventh in the Giller Prize Reader’s Choice Awards. Her writing has been described as “gorgeous throughout” (Kerry Clare, editor of Canadian Bookshelf), “compulsive reading” (Katherine Lyall-Watson), “engaging and thoughtful” (Winnipeg Free Press), and has been shortlisted for  several awards, including the Kenneth R. Wilson Canadian Business Press, Event Creative Non-Fiction, and FreeFall’s Fall Fiction Awards.  For more information, please visit http://www.nerysparry.com

 ITEM 6: THE WRITERS’ UNION OF CANADA WORKSHOPS      NEW!

 DATE: Feb. 18, 2014 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Ottawa:  University of Ottawa, FSS Building (Social Sciences Building), 120 University, Room 4004

Cost: $95.00 (TWUC members $80.00) includes materials & lunch

 

 The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is holding a series of one-day professional development workshops for writers called Publishing 2.0 – Tips and Traps. Registration is now taking place for workshops in Moncton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto in February 2014.

 Authors Mary W. Walters and Caroline Adderson, along with author and executive director of TWUC, John Degen will discuss writing in the digital age. The workshop will consider both the Traditional Path to Publication and Independent Publication including topics such as working with agents and editors, keys to successful submissions, crowdsourcing, contract terms, royalty rates, copyright, managing your digital rights, design work, distribution, and promotion.

Workshops will be held from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. The registration fee is $95.00; TWUC members pay only $80.00. Both prices include any materials and lunch.

 For registration go to http://www.writersunion.ca/pd-workshops#register

 

SUBMISSION CALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

 ITEM 7: BYWORDS.CA SUBMISSION CALL                        

DEADLINE:  The 15^th of every month for the following month’s issue

Bywords.ca considers previously unpublished poetry from emerging and established poets for our online monthly magazine. We consider work by current and former residents, students and workers of Ottawa. We also publish poems by contributors to our predecessor, the Bywords Monthly Magazine.  FOR SUBMISSION INFORMATION VISIT www.bywords.ca and click on Guidelines.  Amanda Earl, Managing Editor.  Check out Bywords.ca’s literary events calendar here:http://www.bywords.ca/calendar/index.php, with up-to-date info on NCR readings, book signings, writers’ circles, literary festivals, spoken word showcases & slams. Event submissions can be sent to events@bywords.ca.

 Also check out the latest issue of experiment-o-: Issue 6 – to the others Featuring Carlyle Baker, Stephen Collis, Amy Dennis, Molly Gaudry, Marilyn R. Rosenberg, Stuart Ross, Marino Rossetti, Spencer Selby, Andrew Topel, Brad Vogler and Ewan Whyte

 Experiment-O is an annual on line PDF magazine that celebrates the art of risk through poetry, prose, visual art & visual poetry. issue 6 here: http://www.experiment-o.com/

ITEM 8: ARC POETRY MAGAZINE’S POEM OF THE YEAR CONTEST NEW!

In 2014, Arc will be awarding one $5,000 grand prize to the winner of their Poem of the Year Contest. Deadline: February 1, 2014. Entry Fee: $32 (CDN), which includes a one-year Canadian subscription of Arc* Contest entry fees may be paid online AT http://arcpoetry.ca/?page_id=1295#contestentryfee or by cheque or money order mailed with contest submissions.

 Rules: http://arcpoetry.ca/?p=7349

• All contest submissions must be submitted by post mail.
• All cheques or money orders must be in Canadian funds and made out to the Arc Poetry Society.
• Arc welcomes Poem of the Year entries from Canada, the United States, and around the world. Entrants outside Canada must submit entry fees in Canadian funds. Please include a cheque in Canadian funds, use the online payment option or mail a money order in Canadian funds.
• Entrants may submit up to two unpublished poems with each $32 fee (extra poems: $5 per poem).
• No email submissions accepted.
• Length of each poem must not exceed 100 lines.
• Entrant’s name, address, e-mail and phone number must not appear on the poems, but instead on a separate sheet that also lists the titles of the poems entered.
• Judging is blind.
• No entrants (including winners, honourable mentions, or authors of Editor’s Choice poems) may substitute, before, during, or after judging, a revision of any poem already submitted to the contest.
• No poems will be returned.
• Deadline: Entries must be postmarked no later than February 1, 2014.

 Shortlist: 50 shortlisted poems, pending permission of their authors, will be eligible for the Readers’ Choice Award. Visit the site between March 15 and April 15, 2014 to read our Readers’ Choice selections and cast your vote!

 Publication: Winning poems will be published in Arc’s Summer 2014 issue

 Privacy Notice: Unless you indicate otherwise, Arc may share addresses of entrants to the 2014 Poem of the Year Contest with similar literary magazines or related organizations for promotional purposes.

 Send entries to: Poem of the Year Contest, Arc Poetry Magazine, PO Box 81060, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 1B1

 –Meagan Black, Editorial Assistant,Arc Poetry Magazine

IN THE INTEREST OF WRITERS HELPING WRITERS

 

ITEM 9: TREE READING SERIES PRESENTS PETER RICHARDSON WITH MIKE CAESAR AND ANITA DOLMAN                                                NEW!

 DATE: Tuesday, December 10

LOCATION: Club Saw, 67 Nicholas St. Ottawa

 

6:45 p.m. Workshop – Adjective use of 5 different poets with Lesley Strutt

8:00 p.m. Readings – Open Mic and Featured Readers

 

Anita Dolman is an Ottawa-based writer and editor. Her poetry and flash fiction have appeared throughout Canada and the United States, including in Grain, Bywords.ca, The Antigonish Review, Peter F. Yacht Club, Ottawater, Geist, The Storyteller Magazine, PRISM international, One Cent, Utne, The Fiddlehead, and the anthology Decalogue: ten Ottawa poets (Chaudiere Books, 2006). Her short fiction will appear in an upcoming issue of On Spec: the Canadian magazine of the fantastic. Above/ground press published her English translations of poems by Erik Lindner and Hélène Gelens in the Versefest 2013 chapbook Two Dutch Poets. 

  Mike Caesar, recipient of an honourable mention in Arc’s 2013 Diana Brebner Prize competition was born and raised on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron. Prior to moving to the Ottawa area he spent several years living in the United Kingdom and Europe. He has worked as a bookseller, bartender, reporter, editor and speechwriter. His poem North Channel received the honourable mention in Arc Poetry Magazine’s 2013 Diana Brebner Prize.

  Peter Richardson, author of four poetry collections, winner of the A.M. Klein Award, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, and came to Quebec in 1969 at age 20. For 25 years, he was a ramp worker for Air Canada at Mirabel and Trudeau airports. He has published three collections of poetry with Véhicule Press including A Tinkers’ Picnic (1999), shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Award, and Sympathy for the Couriers (2007), which won the 2008 A.M. Klein Award. A fourth collection will be published by Goose Lane in 2014. His work has appeared in Poetry (Chicago), Sonora Review, The Malahat Review, The Rialto (UK) and Poetry Ireland Review. He lives in Gatineau, Quebec.

 More > http://www.treereadingseries.ca/  Also see Tree Chapbook contest under December section of the contest listings, final item

 ITEM 10: OTTAWA STORYTELLERS UPCOMING PROGRAM     NEW!

 Tuesday, Dec. 10, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. The Tea Party, 119 York Street, Ottawa

 

Sip a cup of lovely hot tea and enjoy some stories that will lift your spirits… Bob Woods and Janet LeRoy

 Dec. 12, 2013 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. NAC, 53 Elgin Street, Ottawa

Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem Sherri Yazdani, Mary Wiggin, Daniel Kletke

 Join us for stories of fictional and real-life mysteries! From hidden identities to murder under the mistletoe, these tales are sure to make you shiver… and laugh! Ages 12 and up. Tickets $20, $17 for seniors, Live Rush available, subscription available

ITEM 11: MANSFIELD PRESS FALL LAUNCH PARTY          NEW!

 DATE: Wednesday, December 11, 7:30 pm

LOCATION: Raw Sugar Café, 692 Somerset West, Ottawa

Free Admission

Mansfield Press invites you — yes, you! — to the launch of its fall titles:

 

POETRY

– Complete Surprising Fragments of Improbable Books, by Stephen Brockwell

– What The World Said, by Jason Camlot

– Monkey Soap, by Glen Downie

– Our Days in Vaudeville, by Stuart Ross & 29 collaborators

 

 

FICTION

– Dear Leaves, I Miss You All, by Sara Heinonen

 There will be readings, books for sale, the usually snappy repartee, warm camaraderie, and the announcement of the spring 2014 list.

Special local guest poets are Cameron Anstee, Michael Dennis and Sandra Ridley, reading from their collaborations with Stuart Ross!

 Hosted by Mansfield publisher/editor Denis De Klerck and editor Stuart Ross

 It’s always so great to come back to Ottawa!

Cash bar and wonderful snacks and meals and coziness at Raw Sugar!

ITEM 12: bissett, KARASICK & NUOTIO – AN A B XMAS!         NEW!

 DATE: Saturday, December 14, 2013, 8:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Raw Sugar Café, 692 Somerset West,Ottawa, Ont.

            A B Series’ 3rd Annual Xmas Party with BILL BISSETT!

 Poetry by bissett and ADEENA KARASICK! Music by GLENN NUOTIO!

 PRIZES!

More info: http://abseries.org/

 

**

 

Bill Bissett’s charged readings, which never fail to amaze his audiences, incorporate chanting, sound poetry and singing, the verve of which is matched only by his prolific writing career: over 70 books of bissett’s poetry have been published. An energetic “man-child mystic,” bill bissett is living proof of William Blake’s adage “the spirit of sweet delight can never be defiled.”

 Combining chamber music and folk, Glenn Nuotio delivers unnervingly complex pop. As Ottawa Xtra! notes, “he channels it through an indie musician’s paper heart and the results are invariably stirring.”

 Adeena Karasick is a poet, cultural theorist, media artist and the critically acclaimed author of seven books of poetry and poetic theory, and Professor of Pop Culture and Media Theory at Fordham University in New York. Writing at the intersection of Conceptualism and neo-Fluxus performatics, her urban, Jewish feminist mashups have been described as “electricity in language” (Nicole Brossard).

MAGAZINE SUBMISSION CALLS:

 

NO DEADLINES SPECIFIED:

 

New Toronto-based graphic arts mag, Archenemy Magazine, seeks editorials, reviews and creative writing related to comics, illustration and design. Creative pieces will be illustrated by a contributing artist. Also interested in potential regular writers/features. Length: 600–2500 words. Accepting freelance pitches and humour pieces, also. “Compensation is always awarded.” Deadline: Ongoing. Guidelines: archemag.com/contribute

 

Maelstrom, a US print literary journal, is currently seeking submissions of poetry, short fiction, art, and photography that is edgy, smart, funny, and/or weird. Length: 5000 words max. or 3-5 poems. Payment: one copy. Deadline: Open.   Guidelines: maelstromjournal.com/submission-guidelines

 

Poetry Space (UK) is looking for poetry, art, and writing submissions from young writers and artists. All ages welcome. Parents and guardians welcome to submit on child’s behalf. No fees.     Guidelines: poetryspace.co.uk/young-writers-space 

 

The Furious Gazelle seeks short stories, micro fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, poetry, short plays, monologues, novel excerpts and art. Wants writing that is “good and well written” and art that is “artistic.” Length: 8000 words max. Deadline: ongoing.  Guidelines: thefuriousgazelle.com/about

 

Online literary magazine The Steel Chisel (Canada)is “perpetually looking” for prose and poetry submissions from Canadian writers. Include a short bio with location, occupation, and any relevant award/publication accomplishments. Deadline: Rolling, on 6th of the month.     Guidelines: http://www.thesteelchisel.ca/contact.html

 

 Circa: A Journal of Historical Fiction (Ottawa, ON) is accepting submissions on a historical theme. Accepts fiction, creative non-fiction, book reviews, and articles that have a fresh take on history. Also appreciates genre-crossing, and speculative and alternative history. Length: 2500 words max. (fiction) and 800 words max. (reviews and articles). As a Canadian journal, Circa especially likes Canadian stories. Deadline: Rolling. Guidelines: circajournal.com/submissions

 

The Mackinac (Canada/US) seeks poetry that “bridges the strait between nostalgia and the immediate, the wilds seen and unseen, the best of emerging and established voices.” Submit up to 5 poems for consideration. Deadline: Ongoing.   Guidelines: themackinacmagazine.com/submit.html

 

Dentists on the Frontier (Canada) seeks short, pithy, provocative and even happy stories of dentists and dental procedures from practitioners and patients of dentistry. Filed under the title “Writing Home Again,” stories should be in the form of an anonymous open letter (Dear Dentist or Dear Patient). Accepting nonfiction and creative nonfiction only. Length: 600 words max. Deadline: ongoing.  Guidelines: dentistsonthefrontier.com/submissions/

 

Featured Fifty Poetry: We’re Seeking Your Best Poems for writers age 50 and older.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/featured-fifty-poetry_n_3489074.html

 

Ploughshares’ reading period is now open! We’re accepting submissions for Ploughshares literary magazine and for our Ploughshares Solos series of long stories and essays. You can now submit all those poems, essays, and stories that you’ve been working on and saving up since January. For guidelines and to submit, visit our website. http://www.pshares.org/submit/index.cfm

 

Dead Beats (Sheffield, UK), a student-run publishing and live poetry organization, seeks submissions. Accepting poems, short stories (max. 2000 words) and experimental pieces from everyone, regardless of experience. Seeks to “share inspired and inspiring works from around the globe.” No deadline. Guidelines:http://www.deadbeats.eu/submission

 

Independent hybrid lit mag The Holler Box accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, lyric essays, nonfiction, and artwork year-round. Each issue is published online and in the form of a limited release handmade chapbook. Welcomes the alternative and experimental, as well as new and unpublished writers. Length: 5000 words max (prose) and poetry (up to 3). Guidelines: https://thehollerbox.submittable.com/submit

 

Online arts review magazine The Coastal Spectator (Victoria, BC) seeks reviews of theatre, books, music, film, visual arts, and other cultural happenings around coastal BC specifically (but not exclusively). Submit pieces that are “short and sharp.” Length: 300-500 words. Payment: stipend of $25. Partial to views that reflect a coastal slant on things. Query the editor at lvluven@uvic.ca.

 

Quarterly journal Squalorly (US) welcomes submissions of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, illustration, and photography. Submit story/essay (5000 words max), flash pieces (up to 3), and poems (up to 5). Appreciates work with emphasis on emotion: “Move, amaze, horrify, and educate.” http://www.squalorly.com/submit

 

Gervais Advertising is looking for short articles on a wide variety of subjects for their small shopping/tourism guides available at locations throughout central Ontario. Articles do not need to be location-specific and should have a casual slant based on fun, personal experience. Payment: $0.12 per word for accepted articles/stories. Contact Editor, Cyndy Gervais: syndy@bmts.com.

 

The Mackinac is accepting poetry submissions. Details at: http://www.themackinacmagazine.com/submit.html.

 

Running out of Ink, a new webzine, is accepting short stories of all genres. For more information, visit: www.runningoutofink.com.

 

Riddle Fence is currently accepting submissions for its spring issue. The publisher is looking for poetry, fiction, non-fiction and visual art. Info please visit http://www.riddlefence.com.

 

Fierce Ink Press Co-op Ltd. is currently open for submissions. The publisher is looking for books between 50,000 and 80,000 words long in all young adult genres.  For more information, please visit http://fierceinkpress.com/submissions/.

 

Decoded Past is looking for writers with expertise in history and/or prehistory. This internet site will showcase articles written by experts for the general reader: new interpretations of past events, new developments or theories, the past in the context of the present. Writers must hold a degree in the social sciences or historical sciences and be writing in an area of personal expertise, or have an established platform in professional historical writing. Contact Rosemary Drisdelle at info@rosemarydrisdelle.com.

 

CIRCA: A Journal of Historical Fiction is accepting submissions. Details are available at: http://circajournal.com/submissions/.

Dragon Ink Press is accepting submissions from comic artists, fantasy writers and poets for their new comics and literary anthology. Guidelines: http://dragoninkpress.tumblr.com/.

 

From the Well House is accepting fiction, scholarly essays and poetry. Details can be found at: http://fromthewellhouse.org/?bu0Dd7M9.

Ruminate Magazine is now accepting submissions. Guidelines and deadlines are available at: http://www.ruminatemagazine.com/submit/submission-guidelines/.

 

Carousel is accepting submissions. Info: http://www.carouselmagazine.ca/submit.html.

 

Antiphon: accepting poetry submissions. Info: http://antiphon.org.uk/index.php/submissions.

 

Convert Publishing, a new digital publisher, is accepting manuscript submissions. For more details, visit: http://convertpublishing.com/?page_id=19.

 

Neon: A Literary Magazine accepting submissions, info: http://www.neonmagazine.co.uk/

Queen’s Quarterly is accepting articles, reviews, short stories and poetry. Details can be found here: http://www.queensu.ca/quarterly/correspondencesubmissions.html.

 

Event Poetry and Prose is accepting submissions. Guidelines are available at: http://eventmags.com/about-2/submission-guidelines/fiction-poetry/.

The Ottawa Arts Review seeks prose submissions (including short fiction, personal essays, reviews, and interviews) relating to literary and visual arts, poetry, drama, and visual art. oar.uesa.ca/submissions/submission-guidelines/

 

Sweptmedia.ca, an online youth-culture magazine based in Toronto/GTA, is looking for original contributions in all print mediums: journalism, short fiction, poetry, etc. Also willing to consider other forms of visual communication modes: photography, painting, comic strips, etc. info: sweptmedia.ca/index.php/contact-us

 

New online magazine The Island Review (international) seeks submissions of poetry, short fiction, non-fiction, photography and art from islanders, island-lovers, and those whose work is influenced by islands, or explores ideas of islandness. http://www.theislandreview.com/submissions/ 

 

The recently-launched Northern Cardinal Review (Canada) is seeking creative and vivid poetry, non-fiction essays, and book reviews. Open to writers living in Canada, Alaska, or the northern border states of the U.S. http://northerncardinalreview.wordpress.com/submissions/

Comedy website The Higgs Weldon (US) seeks forms of writing (1000 words max.) and cartoons. Deadline: Ongoing: http://thehiggsweldon.com/submit/

 

Kolaj (Montreal, QC) is a quarterly, print magazine about contemporary collage. Seeks critical reviews and essays, artist profiles, event highlights, articles on collage making, collecting, and exhibiting, and other contributions. Pays. kolajmagazine.com/content/submissions

 

Formalist poetry review The Rotary Dial (Canada) seeks poetry from Canadian and international writers. Looking for work that rhymes and/or scans but isn’t too versey: blank verse, syllabic verse, etc. Response within two weeks. http://therotarydial.ca/submissions/

 

Garbanzo Literary Journal (US) is published in limited-run copies as part of a hand-created series of chapbooks. Seeks stories (1172 words max.) poems (43 lines max.), micro-fiction, macro-faction, creative nonfiction, and a variety of verse forms. Appreciates writing that disregards the rules: http://www.garbanzoliteraryjournal.org/Submission_Guidelines.html

 

BareBacklit is an online bi-monthly magazine seeking poetry, prose, and visual art. Accepts poetry (4 poems max.), fiction (2500 words max.), and flash fiction (1000 words max.). Prefers work that is “unpretentious, minimalist… entertains first, and provokes thought later.” http://www.barebacklit.com/Submissions.html

 

LWOT (Lies With Occasional Truth) seeks fiction from writers in Canada “(and sometimes by Americans who pretend, in their cover letters, to be Canadian)”. The term fiction is open to interpretation.  : http://lwot.net/submission.htm

 

Online journal Pithead Chapel seeks fiction (short and flash) and nonfiction (experimental, personal, lyric essays) “that moves toward something bigger… takes chances.” Accepts stories and essays 4000 words max. Reads year-round.  : http://pitheadchapel.com/submission-guidelines/

 

The New Inquiry welcomes short- and long-form pieces “from anyone who wants to write.” Looks for well-written, original posts on ideas, books, art, culture, and more. No fiction or poetry.  : http://thenewinquiry.com/submit-to-tni/

 

Literary journal Revolver (US) seeks “short range” (up to 1000 words), “long range” (1000-5000 words), and art for its next issue. Welcomes fiction, poetry, essays, lists, and art. Also accepting bar stories for “Shots with Strangers”.  : http://www.around-around.com/submit/

 

Website strange bOUnce accepts short stories, satire, and poetry, that have been “lightly brushed with sport.” Send work to IWantToWrite@strangebOUnce.com. No payment. http://strangebounce.com/

 

 Small circulation literary publication Cant Journal (US) seeks poetry and prose for Issue #5. Accepts poetry, short inventive prose (micro fiction, flash fiction, etc.; 300-1000 words), poetry book reviews, essays on poetry, and interviews with poets. Submit 3-7 poems, 1-3 short prose pieces, or 1 poetry book review or essay on poetry. Journal is small (5 x 11); writers are encouraged to keep this in mind when submitting. Publishes annually in April. Payment: Three copies.   Guidelines: cantjournal.com/submission-guidelines

 

Red Kitty is a webzine and limited run print zine based out of Austin, TX. Accepting poetry, prose, short fiction, personal narrative, humor, and experimental journalism; illustration, photography, and doodles; and sound portraits, video art, and spoken word. Prefers works that takes risks and gets messy, including the “strange, thought-provoking, funny, demented.” Deadline: rolling. Guidelines: redkittyzine.weebly.com/submit.html

 

Independent magazine Bitterzoet (US) is now looking for new poetry, fiction, and artwork for their monthly online zine and bi-annual print editions, and mini chapbooks. Publishes work that engages in the “interplay between bitterness and sweetness, light and darkness, salvation and damnation.” Accepts poetry (3-8) prose (6 pages max), and artwork. Also looking for shorter pieces (“bonbons”) of poetry (10 lines max) and prose (150 words max.). Deadline: rolling. Guidelines: bitterzoetmag.submittable.com

 

Independent online journal Black Heart Magazine (U.S) seeks short fiction for its weekday (M-F) publication cycle. Length: 1500 words max. All genres accepted, with a literary angle preferred. Appreciates ‘short-form modern literature, from pulp to literary fiction and everything in-between.’ Deadline: Ongoing. Guidelines: blackheartmagazine.com/submission-guidelines

 

GlassFire Magazine (US) seeks submissions of fiction and non-fiction (3000 words max.), poetry, and artwork for the Winter 2013 issue. Pays $5 per poem/artwork/photography and $10 per story/nonfiction Deadline: Rolling. http://www.peglegpublishing.com/glassfire.htm

 

DECEMBER DEADLINES:

 

 

WRITERS DIGEST SUBMISSIONS: 2015 GUIDE TO SELF-PUBLISHING, From November 13, 2013 and running until 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, Georgia time) on December 15, 2013: Robert Brewer , Senior Content Editor for the Writer’s Digest Community will be accepting pitches for articles in the 2015 Guide to Self-Publishing. Sometime in the beginning of 2014, I’ll start making assignments. If you’re interested in pitching an article idea or three, See more at: http://blog.writersmarket.com/whats-new/call-for-submissions-2015-guide-to-self-publishing?et_mid=648030&rid=239199236

 

InDigest magazine seeks submissions for issue #27 a sub-issue/online reading event. Accepting poems, comics, videos, stories, and flash fiction. Sub-issue title: “A Reading About the Olympics That Definitely Doesn’t Have the Word Olympics in the Title.” Looking for work that deals broadly with the Olympics. Interpretation open but interested in politics, environmental costs, and social displacement over international sporting and collaboration. Deadline: December 15, 2013.    Guidelines: indigestmag.submittable.com/submit

 

BEARDS: the zine (Canada) is a one-off print magazine about beards. Seeking fiction and non-fiction about “good beards, bad beards, beards made of facial hair, beards made of lies.” No poetry. Must contain the word “beard” at least once in the prose. “Must be awesome.” Payment: contributor copy. Prefers: curse words, bait and switches, head scratchers, things under 100 words, dark dark stories, more. Deadline: December 31, 2013. http://beardzine.blogspot.ca/

 

2014 DEADLINES:

 

SUBMISSION CALL FOR WOMEN’S POETRY, BY SECOND LIGHT: HOMAGE TO SYLVIA PLATH  SUBMISSION PERIOD: Nov. 15 to Jan. 15, 2014 The Arts Council of England has awarded a one-off grant for the period 2013-14 to assist with the Homage to Sylvia Autumn Festival this year and other projects related to the celebration of Second Light’s first 20 years. Included in these projects is the publication of a 200pp+ anthology of women’s poetry, Her Wings of Glass (the title a quotation from Sylvia Plath), in the Autumn of 2014. Advertisements will soon appear in various poetry publications calling for women poets to send in submissions* by 15th January 2014. The anthology will complement (but not repeat) our 2006 anthology, Images of Women, published in association with Arrowhead Books.  We will focus this time on women’s writing which deals with ‘big issues’, for example the future of the planet, good and evil aspects of our relationship with the natural world and with each other, different aspects of our imaginative understanding of ‘who we are’. I will co-edit the anthology with Myra Schneider and Penelope Shuttle. We invite up to six poems per submission*, not more than 200 lines in total, with three copies of each poem to Dilys Wood at 3, Springfield Close, East Preston, West Sussex, BN16 2SZ, by January 15th 2014 together with the administrative fee of £5 (Second Light members) or £8 (non-members). Cheques payable to ‘Second Light’ or pay online AT www.poetrypf.co.uk/shop.php and filter to ‘Wings’). Non-UK submissions may be sent by e-mail as .doc or .pdf attachments, only to Anne Stewart at editor@poetrypf.co.uk We will advise those selected by 30th June 2014 and those poets whose work is selected will receive a copy of the anthology when published. Submitted poems may be published (details on poem please) or unpublished or otherwise out in submission. We may also publish a short spin-off anthology if funds allow. * Full submission guidelines at www.secondlightlive.co.uk/downloads/herwingsofglass.pdf

 

Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing is seeking fiction, poetry, nonfiction, (up to 5000 words) and artwork for their Spring 2014 issue. Open to established and emerging writers. Deadline: January 31, 2014.  Guidelines: composejournal.com/submissions/

 

Room Magazine, Call for submissions to issue 37.3 Fall 2014 Geek Girls: Calling all geeks! Room wants your geekiest fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, graphic literature, and critical essays for our September 2014 issue, Geek Girls. The issue will be jammed-packed with Canadian geek culture, including superhero-inspired art by Sandra Chevrier, short fiction by science fiction author Larissa Lai, interviews with some of the wittiest geeks on the Internet and more! Deadline Jan. 31, 2014 Check out the guidelines here:  http://www.roommagazine.com/submit

 

PERSIMMON TREE The Editorial Board would like to devote the Spring issue to Politics and Activism. We were inspired to try this by the many responses to the topic Activism for Short Takes. If you are also inspired, send us stories — we need fiction as well as non-fiction — for us to consider. The deadline for submitting is February 21. Please send your submission as an attachment to submissions@persimmontree.org. Include a brief biographical statement (less than 50 words) in your email. The attached document should be saved in MS Word or a compatible program. If we can’t open it, we can’t read it. Submissions should be double-spaced, with 12-point type and numbered pages. At the top of the first page please enter author’s name, address, telephone, and email address. Type the title of the piece, labeled fiction or non-fiction, in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you. The Editors,

Persimmon Tree: http://www.persimmontree.org

 

Sunshine in a Jar Press. Looking to get published? Sunshine in a Jar Press is welcoming submissions to its new anthology “The Writing Spiral” which will be released in Fall of 2014. They are seeking poems, memoirs, stories and essays, and possible themes are love, loss, joy, decadence, deprivation, hope, fear, friendship, family, work, social responsibility, health, culture, light, and darkness. There is also the opportunity for monthly writing classes to feed your process at Trent University, Oshawa Campus. Deadline: March 1, 2014 Details: www.sunshineinajar.com/or call 289 252 1978

 

New Welsh Review (Wales) seeks dynamic, curious, lively, and outward-looking writing. Looking for short stories (2500 to 3000 words) and poems (up to six). Occasionally publishes shorter stories and microfiction. Payment: £100 per story and £28 per each poem, upon publication. Also welcomes submissions and ideas for online content (no payment): short reviews (600-800 words), opinion pieces (450 words) and author interviews (8-15 questions). Deadlines: December 12, 2013 and March 1, 2014.  Guidelines: newwelshreview.com/submissions.php

 The Potomac Review (Montgomery College, Maryland)accepts submissions of poetry (up to three), fiction and nonfiction (5000 words max.), photography, and artwork. Appreciates both realistic and experimental prose and poetry. Deadline: May 1, 2014.  Guidelines: http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/EDU/Alt.aspx?id=19015

 

Blind Dog Press seeks poems and short prose pieces about the life and work of Arthur Rimbaud for an anthology, Fierce Invalids: A Tribute To Arthur Rimbaud (publications June 2014). Send 1-3 poems along with a short bio to rimbaudsubs@gmail.com. Payment: one copy. Editor: Glenn Cooper. Deadline: May 30, 2014.

 

UPCOMING WRITING CONTESTS

 

DECEMBER DEADLINES:

 

·        FREEFALL MAGAZINE Just for fun we’ve added a new contest: “The Corner of 13th and 13th” Flash Fiction. Write a story in 500 words or less about what happened on Friday September the 13th 2013 at one of the 13th Avenue and 13th Street intersections in the photos found at: http://www.freefallmagazine.ca/flash-fiction-contest.html. Entry Fee: $13.00. First Prize: $130.00. Deadline to enter is: Friday Dec 13th 2013

 

·       The 2013-14 International Playwriting Competition: The competition, now in its fourth year, is open to writers of any age, any level of experience and from any country. It aims to encourage new writing for young performers and audiences around the world.  Deadline: December 13, 2013. Entry fee: Entry with written feedback (£20 entry fee); Entry only with no written feedback (£10 entry fee) Prize: Cash prizes up to £1000 + travel to London to see your play performed at the 2014 International Festival of Playwriting & Performance + have your play published by Trinity in a collection of plays for young people + special award of £100 for the playwright under 16 who shows the most potential. Details: www.trinitycollege.co.uk/playwriting

 

·       Minotaur Books First Crime Novel Competition. Open to authors with no published books. Submit at least 220 double-spaced pages (60,000 words), “murder or another serious crime or crimes” must be at the heart of the story. Deadline: December 16, 2013

·       Entry fee: none Prizes: $10,000 advance against royalties Details: http://us.macmillan.com/Content.aspx?publisher=minotaurbooks&id=4933

·       New Voices Young Writers Competition. Open to writers aged 11-14 (middle school) or 15-18 (high school). Genre: young writers, poetry, nonfiction, and short stories. Middle school: poetry 20 lines maximum, prose 750 words maximum; high school: poetry 30 lines, prose 1000 words. Deadline: December 20, 2013. Entry fee: none. Prizes: Two $100 grand prizes awarded (one for junior and one for senior division) Details: http://newvoicesyoungwriters.com/nvyw-competition/how-to-enter.html

 

·       NEW! Poetry Society of America Annual Awards and Chapbook Fellowships. Multiple awards available.  Deadline: December 23^rd, 2013. Annual Awards judges include: Dan Beachy-Quick,  Erin Belieu, Richard Blanco, Jericho Brown, Jessica Greenbaum, John Koethe, Joan Larkin, Maggie Nelson, Alberto Rios, and A. E. Stallings. Chapbook judges: Elizabeth Alexander, Forrest Gander, Marilyn Hacker, and Jean Valentine.   Each year from October to December the Poetry Society offers contests for poets at all stages of their careers, from a prize for high school students, to our Chapbook Fellowships for poets who have not yet published a full-length collection, to our first book contest, and our award for a poet over forty who has published no more than one book. We’re thrilled to announce we’re currently accepting submissions, which are free to members. Begin your submission today.  Description of awards and how to submit here: http://www.poetrysociety.org/psa/awards/annual/ Good luck!

 

·       Red Tuque Books 2013 Canadian Tales of the Fantastic Short Story Competition. Deadline is December 31: http://www.redtuquebooks.ca/contest.htm.

·       2013 annual FreeFall Prose and Poetry Contest is now open! Contain your joy as we let you know that we’ve doubled the first place prize money from $300 to $600. Deadline to enter is: December 31, 2013. For current contest info visit: http://www.freefallmagazine.ca/contest.html.

 

·       BROKEN PENCIL MAGAZINE PRESENTS: The Indie Writers’ Deathmatch Short Story Contest! The most brutal short story contest on Earth returns for its seventh straight year! Last year, frantic voting in the championship round actually crashed the Deathmatch site! This year we’ll pick up where we left off with new contestants vying for an indie writer’s makeover that could change their lives! Eight stories will go head-to-head in our Online Arena, but only one will triumph. The PRIZE! The Complete Indie Writers Makeover: Whoever emerges victorious will be awarded The Complete Indie Writers’ Makeover: a consultation with literary agent Sam Hiyate of the Rights Factory; a consultation with novelist and Globe & Mail columnist Russell Smith; and a meeting and feedback-session with Coach House Press, one of Canada’s top independent presses; plus publication in the Spring 2014 issue of Broken Pencil. Entries are accepted until December 31st, 2013. The first round of Deathmatch begins January 20th, 2014. Guidelines, ground rules and more info at: http://www.brokenpencil.com/deathmatch-2014

 

·       Freefall coverFreeFall Magazine (Canada) welcomes entries for their 2013 Prose and Poetry Contest. First prize in each category: $600. Length: 3000 words max. (prose), or 5 poems. Entry fee: $21 (includes subscription). Deadline: December 31, 2013.    Guidelines: freefallmagazine.ca/contest.html

 

·       THE 2014 TREE CHAPBOOK CONTEST IS NOW OPEN! We will be accepting collections up to 40 pages long until December 31st, so get writing! The contest is open to all Tree readers, supporters and listeners. For contest details check out the link below  Tree Press Chapbook Contest – Tree Reading Series http://www.treereadingseries.ca/awards/chapbook-competition The Tree Reading Series is one of the longest running series in Canada.

 

2014 CONTESTS

 

·       Gemini MAGAZINE  is now accepting entries for its fourth annual Poetry Open competition. The grand prize is $1,000. Second place wins $100 and four honorable mentions will each receive $25. All six finalists will be published online in the March 2014 issue of Gemini. The entry fee is $5 for each batch of three poems. Deadline: January 2, 2014. We are open to any type of poetry, any subject matter, any length. Scroll down the Poetry Open page http://gemini-magazine.com/poetryopen.html to see the broad range of work from previous winners and finalists.

 

·       2013 Manitoba Book Awards. The Manitoba Writers’ Guild, with the assistance of the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers, is pleased to coordinate the 2013 Manitoba Book Awards. Submissions of any book published between January 1, 2013 and November 1, 2013 will be accepted for submissions. For books published between November 1 and December 31, the deadline is January 6, 2014. Deadline DEPENDING ON DATE OF PUBLICATION IN 2013: November 15, 2013; January 6, 2014 Entry fee: $25 Prize: varies Details: http://manitobabookawards.com/http://manitobabookawards.com/

 

·       NEW! COLORADO PRIZE FOR POETRY. See website for the Colorado Review for full information at http://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/colorado-prize-for-poetry/  Submissions of manuscripts for full length collection of poems accepted between Oct. 1, 2013 and January 14, 2014. See http://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/colorado-prize-for-poetry/contest-procedures/ for submission procedures by mail or online.

 

·       League of Canadian Poets announces: Submissions are now open for the Jessamy Stursburg Poetry Contest for Canadian Youth. There are two age categories, junior (grades 7-9) and senior (grades 10-12). First place poems in each category will receive a cash prize: Winners: $350 Second Place: $300 Third Place: $250 All winning poems will be published in the LCP’s e-zine, Re:verse at www.youngpoets.ca. All winners will receive Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Canadian Youth certificates and student membership in the League of Canadian Poets for one year. Deadline: January 15, 2014. http://poets.ca/jessamy-stursberg-poetry-contest-for-canadian-youth/

·       NEW! The Eric Hoffer Award for short prose and books: Winning stories and essays are published in Best New Writing, and the book awards are covered in the US Review of Books. Prizes: Two grand prizes are awarded annually: one for short prose (i.e. fiction and creative nonfiction) and one for independent books from small, micro, and academic presses, as well as self-published books. Prizes include a $250 award for short prose and a $2,000 award for best independent book. In addition to the two main grand prize awards, various other honors and distinctions are given for both prose and books, including the Montaigne Medal, the da Vinci Eye, and the First Horizon Award. Submissions are accepted each year by nominating books and prose. The book deadline is January 21st. The prose deadline is March 31st. more info at: http://www.hofferaward.com/

 

·       NEW! CRAZYHORSE FICTION, NON-FICTION & POETRY PRIZES: Submit stories and essays of up to 8,500 words and sets of up to 3 poems through our submission manager from January 1 to January 31. All manuscripts entered must be original and previously unpublished. All entries are considered for publication in Crazyhorse. Contest submissions sent by mail or email, or outside the submission period, will not be read. Winners will be announced on our website by June 1. The winning manuscripts will be awarded $2,000.00 and published in the fall issue of Crazyhorse. Each manuscript entered requires a reading fee of $20 per manuscript, which includes a one-year/two-issue subscription to Crazyhorse. More than one manuscript may be entered. For each additional fiction or poetry manuscript entered and entry fee paid, your subscription to Crazyhorse will extend by one year/two issues. Subscriptions begin with Crazyhorse Number 84, Fall 2013. Recent judges include Joyce Carol Oates, Jaimy Gordon, Aimee Bender, Ann Patchett, Ha Jin, Carl Phillips, Richard Jackson, Larissa Szporluk, James Tate, and Billy Collins. http://crazyhorse.cofc.edu/how-to-enter/

 

·       ON THE PREMISES Contest #22 officially launched on November 10, 2013. Its premise is  21 UP! “On The Premises” magazine is celebrating our first seven years with a special premise. For this contest only, send us a short story based on ANY of the previous 21 premises. Deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Friday, January 31, 2014. To see a list of past premises, go to our past issues page, LINK is at the contest page here: http://www.onthepremises.com/current_contest.html

 

·       The Dream Quest One.com invites international entries for their Poetry & Writing Contest. Accepting poems (30 lines max.) and short stories (5 pages max.) on any subject or theme. First prize poetry: US$250; first prize short fiction: US$500. Entry fees: $5 (poetry) and $10 (fiction). Deadline: January 16, 2014    Guidelines: dreamquestone.com

 

·       PRISM cover PRISM international (BC) invites entries for two contest in fiction and poetry. Submit fiction (6000 words max) or Poetry (up to 3 poems per entry). Grand prizes: Fiction – $2000 and Poetry – $1000. First prize winners will be published in PRISM. Entry fee: $35 (varies for international entrants; includes subscription). Deadline: January 23, 2014.     Guidelines: prismmagazine.ca/contests

 

·       Poetry School / Pighog Pamphlet Competition. We’re still poring over Kate White’s The Old Madness,  the collection which won this year’s Poetry School / Pighog pamphlet competition … but we’re also starting the search for next year’s winner. We’re now taking submissions for our second collaborative competition – details are here: http://www.pighog.co.uk/prize/pamphlet-competition.html and judges Simon Barraclough and Catherine Smith are waiting eagerly to read your entries. DEADLINE: Jan. 31, 2014

 

·       Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry. Awarded annually to the best poetry manuscript by an emerging Canadian writer (a writer who has published fewer than two books). Each year the winning manuscript will be selected by an established poet in co-operation with Invisible Publishing’s Snare Imprint. The winner receives a trade paperback contract with Invisible Publishing’s Snare Imprint which will include the publication of the manuscript and a $500 advance. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: January 31, 2014 Info here: http://matrixmagazine.org/rkaward/ Each entry must be accompanied with a business size SASE and an entry fee for $30.00 Canadian. Please make all cheques and money orders payable to “Matrix Publications.” No cash please. Send manuscripts to: The Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry, Invisible Publishing’s Snare Imprint, c/o Matrix, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. LB 658, Montreal QC H3G 1M8  Or via Submittable:  https://matrixmagazine.submittable.com/submit Alternatively, you may send you manuscript electronically to Kroetsch2014@gmail.com and send your payment via PAYPAL: RK Award Entry Fee $30

 

·        Waxing PressWaxing Press (Ohio, US) invites entries for its inaugural contest for works of fiction, the Tide Lock Prize. Seeks new work in the form of a novel, novella, or collection of short stories. Length: 150 pages minimum. Prize: Publication in the journal’s print and digital editions. Entry fee: $5. Deadline: February 1, 2014.     Guidelines: http://waxingpress.submittable.com

           

·       Entries are welcome for the Friends of the Merril Short Story Contest. First prize: $500. Seeking original, inclusive, previously unpublished speculative fiction. Length: 5000 words max. Entry fee: $5 per entry. Unlimited entries. Deadline: February 15, 2014.  Guidelines: friendsmerrilcontest.com/guidelines

·       Switchback coverOnline and ebook journal Switchback (MFA-run, University of San Francisco, CA) is accepting poems, short stories, essays, and art. Three Editors’ prizes available, including a $200 prize for best piece. No reading fees. Deadline: February 28, 2014.    Guidelines: swback.com/call

 

·        Lynn Manuel Children’s Fiction ContestGrasmere Publishing (BC) invites entries for the Lynn Manuel Children’s Fiction Contest. Prize: $500 cash, $1000 advance against royalties, and publication. Open to novels suitable for children aged 7-16 years old. Looking for an engaging voice, well-developed characters, and a strong storyline. Length: 25,000-75,000 words. No theme, but no violence. Open to Canadian and US residents who have not previously published a novel for children. Deadline: March 1, 2014 (first chapter only). Entry fee: $30.     Guidelines: grasmerepublishing.com

 

·       NEW! The Eric Hoffer Award for short prose and books: Winning stories and essays are published in Best New Writing, and the book awards are covered in the US Review of Books. Prizes: Two grand prizes are awarded annually: one for short prose (i.e. fiction and creative nonfiction) and one for independent books from small, micro, and academic presses, as well as self-published books. Prizes include a $250 award for short prose and a $2,000 award for best independent book. In addition to the two main grand prize awards, various other honors and distinctions are given for both prose and books, including the Montaigne Medal, the da Vinci Eye, and the First Horizon Award. Submissions are accepted each year by nominating books and prose. The book deadline is January 21st. The prose deadline is March 31st. more info at: http://www.hofferaward.com/

 

·       The Alzheimer Society of Sarnia-Lambton is once again seeking short stories and poem for its annual Forget Me Not writing contest. Writers have until April 30 to submit stories of no more than 1,800 words, or poems of no more than 72 lines, in categories for writers 16 and older, and those who are younger. All entries, fiction or non-fiction, must begin with the words, “Remember when.” It’s the fifth year for the contest created to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, and raise money for the local chapter of the Alzheimer Society. Submissions by writers age 19 and older must be accompanied by a donation of $20 or more. Judy Doan, executive director of the local chapter, said the contest has attracted as many as 75 entries in a single year. Contest rules are available from the society’s office, 420 East St., N., 519-332-444.

 

·       Entries are invited for the third annual Arizona Mystery Writers Story Contest. First prize $200. Open to mystery, suspense, and thriller. Length: 2500 words max. Open to everyone. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: June 1, 2014.  Guidelines: arizonamysterywriters.com/?page_id=1449

 

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