CAA-NCR What’s up in Lit in Ottawa, May 23 to June 5, 2016

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NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION BRANCH (OTTAWA)

BIWEEKLY NOTICES FOR TWO WEEKS:  May 23 TO June 5, 2016

 Need more information on CAA-NCR?  Visit us at http://canadianauthors.org/nationalcapitalregion/

 TO ALL READERS: Please send all submissions & event notices in the body of an email; (the text needs to permit copy and paste. Exceptions: Accompanying images such as photos and book cover) to Carol Stephen at cstephen0@gmail.com

 

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

 CAA-NCR 2016 NATIONAL CAPITAL WRITING CONTEST (NCWC)

 The Winners were announced on Monday, May 9, 2016 for the 29th Annual National Capital Writing Contest (NCWC) Sponsored by the Canadian Authors Association–National Capital Region for both Short Story and Poetry, prizes: $300 First Place • $200 Second Place • $100 Third Place

 POETRY

First Place:  “Green Shift” by Gill Foss

Second Place: “High School Reunion” by Sylvia Adams

Third Place: “Feeding the Flowers” by Helen Gamble

Honourable Mentions:

“Christmas Baking” by Lee Ann Eckhardt Smith
“A Piece of Scotch Plaid” by Gerry Mooney
“Preparing for Winter” by Gerry Mooney

 SHORT STORY

First Place: “What the Chipmunk Is Thinking” by Lynn Jatania

Second Place: “The Step-Mother’s Story: We Never Called Her Cinderella” by Tony Bove

Third Place: “Leveller” by Adrienne Stevenson

Honourable Mentions:

“Benny and Margot Forever” by Adam Heenan
“Mask Island” by Josephine Bolechala
“A Stone in the Temple” by Arlene Somerton Smith

Our Poetry Judge Sheila Martindale, was the poetry editor for Canadian Author for fifteen years. She is currently editor-in-chief of Island Writer, the magazine of the Victoria Writers’ Society. The most recent of her ten books of poetry is Death of a Seagull. Sheila was a theatre reviewer forScene Magazine in London, Ontario, from 1989 to 2008, prior to retiring to Victoria where snow is the cherry blossoms that fall on the sidewalks in February. She facilitates a weekly writing workshop at her local seniors’ centre.

 Our Short Story Judge

Matthew Bin holds a BA and MA in English literature from McMaster University. He has worked as a technical writer, business/systems analyst, and consultant with numerous public- and private-sector clients for nearly 20 years.

Matthew’s first novel, L.M.F., was published by Little Green Tree Books in 2006, and his first non-fiction book, On Guard for Thee: Canadian Peacekeeping Missions, was published by Bookland Press in 2007. He has published articles in numerous magazines, including In Burlington, The Windsor Review, and Inside Soccer Canada. He won a Hamilton ACE Award in 2003 in the Marketing Writing category. He is currently the Canadian Football Editor for the popular sports website LastWordOnSports.com, bassist and backup shouter for a punk rock band, and a licensed marriage officiant.

As a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Authors Association, Matthew has served as President of the Waterloo-Wellington branch, Strategic Planning Chair, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chair, and National Chair. He also serves as the Secretary of the Canadian Copyright Institute.

Winning entries will be published in CAA–NCR’s e-magazine, Byline. (Copyright will remain with the author.)

Questions? Contact Sherrill Wark, Coordinator, NCWC at ncwc@crowecreations.ca

 

CAA NIAGARA BRANCH  300px-Bierstadt_Albert_Falls_of_Niagara_from_Below

 The Banister – 31st Annual Poetry Anthology Contest Genre: Poetry Deadline: May 31, 2016 Entry fee: $15 for up to three poems and $4 for each additional poem. Prizes: 1st: $300; 2nd: $200; 3rd: $100 Details: http://canauthorsniagara.org/poetry-contest/

 

 

CANADIAN AUTHORS ASSOCIATION NEWS FROM NATIONAL

CANADIAN WRITERS’ SUMMIT 2016 June 15–19, 2016

REGISTER NOW!    What’s better than a writers’ conference organized by a writing organization? How about a writers’ superconference organized by over a dozen writing industry groups?

The Canadian Writers’ Summit will be a four-day event encompassing professional development seminars, panels, keynote presentations, policy discussions, public lectures, networking opportunities and social gatherings – in short, something for everyone. It will also include a day of programming from the annual Book Summit, which focuses on the publishing side of our sector.

 Key Facts about CWS 2016

Location: The Summit will take place at Harbourfront Centre, right on Toronto’s beautiful waterfront, with events being held both indoors and in tents outdoors.

English: Aerial shot of Harbourfront Centre site.

Aerial shot of Harbourfront Centre (Wikipedia)

Conference Rates

Member* Pricing:  Full Conference (3 full days of programming including Book Summit): $300 +HST
Friday & Saturday only (2-Day package): $200 +HST  Single Day: $125 +HST
Just the Book Summit (Thursday, June 16): $150 +HST  Ticketed Keynotes: $20 +HST

For more information and a list of member organizations visit here: http://canadianauthors.org/national/canadian-writers-summit-2016/

WORKSHOPS

 

WRITESCAPE Upcoming 2016 Workshops

  • Write to Win: Techniques & Tips for First Place May 28, 2016. Learn how to make your entry stand out from the crowd. Whether you’re entering writing contests or submitting to agents and publishers, it’s all a contest. And many entries never make it past the first reader. Write to Win is all contest, all day, with exercises, surprises and prizes. Saturday, May 28, 2016, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Trent University Oshawa campus, 55 Thornton Road S., Oshawa REGISTER ONLINE. Registration includes all taxes, handouts/resource materials and light refreshments. Lunch is not included.
  • Offered On Demand Scrivener for Writers: The Basics Two evenings in an intimate class setting to get started in the ultimate writers’ toolkit. Scrivener’s all-in-one writing software has a learning curve that, once mastered, can fire up your manuscripts, organize your research, and reveal cool tricks for creative minds. Heather O’Connor (a.k.a. Dr. Scrivener) will show you how. Location: Private residence in Whitby area.

For more information on Writescape and to register for a retreat or workshop, visit: http://writescape.ca/site/

 

OTTAWA SUBMISSION CALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

 

CITY OF OTTAWA YOUTH IN CULTURE PILOT PROGRAM

Flag of the city of Ottawa, Ontario

Flag, city of Ottawa, Ontario (Wikipedia)

 The Youth in Culture Pilot Program provides direct funding to eligible individuals to support their development in becoming arts, culture and heritage professionals.

 Youth in Culture Pilot Program

Program Objectives To support cultural development of youth aged 18-30 towards professional careers in arts, culture, and heritage. To empower youth to identify needs and gaps in their career development, and to support initiatives that lead to or benefit the applicant’s career in culture. To support activities that address the priorities identified in the Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage, and Culture in Ottawa (2013 – 2018).    This program is intended to help cover living expenses and/or project expenses relating to: Arts, culture, and heritage creation, production, and presentation projects. Arts, culture, and heritage festival and agricultural fair administration and/or management training opportunities

Training and mentorship opportunities for youth to work with established cultural workers and professionals within the arts, heritage, festivals and fairs sectors. 2016 Deadline Dates: Monday, August 8, 2016 at 4pm, Monday, September 26, 2016 at 4pm  MORE INFORMATION & APPLICATION AT: http://ottawa.ca/en/liveculture/youth-in-culture

 

BYWORDS.CA SUBMISSION CALL TO CURRENT AND FORMER OTTAWA POETS!

          
DEADLINE:  The 15th 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.  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
 

SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES

  • CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS! ACCEPTING: POETRY, REVIEWS, ESSAYS, AND INTERVIEWS for Vallum’s forthcoming issue, 13:2 “THE WILD” !  The wild is both outside us and inside us. The wild can take many forms. It is the unknown, the feared. It can be a landscape, or even the wild of the mind. It can be celebrated, or thought of in terms of a taboo, or a trap. How do you interpret “The Wild,” what does it bring out in you? What forms are still wild? Send us your “wildest” poems! DEADLINE: June 15, 2016 (postmarked) Please visit our website for submission guidelines: http://www.vallummag.com/submission.html
  • 2016 CBC Poetry Prize Send your original, unpublished works of poetry (between 400 and 600 words, including titles). It can be one long poem or a collection of poems. Deadline: May 31, 2016  Entry Fee: $25 CAD  Prizes: 1st: $6000; 4 runners-up: $1000 each Details:  http://www.cbc.ca/books/2016/04/2016-cbc-poetry-prize-now-open.html
  • Antigonish Review Announces Two Writing Contests! GREAT BLUE HERON POETRY CONTEST & SHELDON CURRIE FICTION PRIZE $2,400 in Prizes! Deadlines: Fiction entries must be postmarked by June 1, 2016, Poetry must be postmarked by June 30, 2016 Guidelines: Previously published works, works accepted for publication or simultaneous submissions are ineligible. No electronic submissions, please. Fiction entries must be typed, double-spaced, one side of page only – poetry must be single-spaced. Please include a separate cover sheet containing your identifying information as well as the titles of all entries. Past winners may not enter. INFO: http://www.antigonishreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=62
  • The Whistler 2016 Independent Book Awards New Literary Award  This year’s Whistler Writers Festival , October 13-16, will include the presentation of the inaugural Independent Book Awards. The Whistler 2016 Independent Book Awards will be open to Canadian authors or permanent residents who have independently published a book or books in the last five years. Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Crime Fiction and Poetry Deadline: June 3, 2016 Entry Fee: $100 CAD; $50 CAD (poetry) Details: tidewaterfestival.com

·        The New Quarterly: Peter Hinchcliffe Fiction Award $1000 for a work of short fiction by a Canadian (citizen or resident) writer who has not yet published a first novel or short story collection.  Though there is only one top prize, all submissions will be considered for paid publication ($250) in the magazine. Submissions must be previously unpublished. There is no word limit. All submissions will be judged blind.
The entry fee is $40 per submission, which includes a 1-year Canadian subscription (or subscription extension) to The New Quarterly for you or a friend. Deadline: June 13, 2016   http://tnq.ca/peter-hinchcliffe-fiction-award  

  • Ink Bottle Press & The Ontario Poetry Society Present: Memory and Loss ~ a Canadian Anthology of Poetry, Dedicated to the victims of Alzheimer’s. Editor & Compiler I.B. Iskov. Open to all poets living in Canada. Poems wanted on the themes of Dementia and Alzheimer’s.  This is not blind judging and this is not a contest. Submission fee $15. to help cover the cost of printing & postage. All profits from this project will be donated to The Alzheimer Society of Canada. Deadline June 15, 2016, postmark date. Send your submission, complete with cheque or money order payable to Mark Clement,  & mail to Attn: I.B. Iskov, Anthology Editor, #710 – 65 Spring Garden Ave., Toronto, Ont. M2N 6H9. Full details:  http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Anthology_Memory%20&%20Loss.htm
  • Eden Mills Writers’ Festival Literary Contest is open internationally to aspiring or modestly published writers, over the age of 16. Genre: Short Story, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction  Deadline: June 30, 2016Entry Fee: $25 CAD Prizes: $250 to winner of each category
  • Narrative Magazine’s eighth annual poetry contest runs from May 18 until July 20. In a continuing effort to encourage and support talented poets, we’re offering prizes and widespread publicity to all winners and finalists. Narrative is always looking for new voices, so all entries will be considered for publication in the magazine. Open to all poets. Entries must be unpublished and must not have been previously chosen as winners, finalists, or honorable mentions in other contests. Each entry may contain up to five poems. The poems should all be contained in a single file. You may enter as many times as you wish, but we encourage you to be selective and to send your best work. http://www.narrativemagazine.com/eighth-annual-poetry-contest
  • The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2016 is now open for entries, presenting an opportunity for emerging and established writers and poets to showcase their work and further their involvement in the literary world. Now in its ninth year, the award is an internationally renowned prize presented by Aesthetica Magazine and judged by literary experts. Prizes include: £500 each (Poetry Winner and Short Fiction Winner)/Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing/Annual One year subscription to Granta/Selection of books courtesy of Bloodaxe and Vintage/Consultation with Redhammer Management (Short Fiction Winner)/Full Membership to The Poetry Society (Poetry Winner).  Short Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words. Poetry entries should be no more than 40 lines. Deadline 31 August 2016. To enter, visit aestheticamagazine.com/creativewriting
  • the Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition is back for novels of at least 15,000 words written for children or young adults, in any genre, by previously unpublished women novelists. The first prize is a tasty £5,000, and making up the high-profile judging panel are award-winning novelist Anne Fine, specialist children’s literary agent Claire Wilson and Children’s Editor of The Bookseller Charlotte Eyre. In addition to that lovely big winner’s cheque, we’ve again joined forces with The Literary Consultancy, who will provide free professional feedback for the winner and four other finalists. Perhaps more valuable still, all finalists will be invited to meet literary agents and editors at a special networking event in London – many finalists from previous years found agents as a direct result. The competition closes 19 September so there’s still plenty of time to polish off your current novel, revisit an old manuscript or dust off an abandoned NaNoWriMo project.Visit mslexia.co.uk/novel  for full competition details. And keep an eye on our website from June for the first in a series of specially-commissioned workshops on writing for children.

 

OUT AND ABOUT IN TOWN

 MEETINGS, BOOK LAUNCHES AND POETRY READINGS ABOUT TOWN

tree-logo Tuesday May 24, 2016 Tree Reading Series, Black Squirrel Books, 1073 Bank Street, Ottawa, 6:45 p.m. Workshop, Breaking the Sentence: From Experimental Lyric to Cognitive Poetics, Jennifer Baker will take us through an exploration of the lyric’s potential for engaging with, but reaching beyond its testimonial confessional aspects, breaking with the syntax of the sentence and putting language and its embodiment first. Exploring a brief selection of poems by Phil Hall and Sina Queyras, and finishing with a short writing exercise, we will explore the liberating potential in the experimental lyric’s ability to reach underneath narrative to communicate the unsayable. Participants should bring paper, writing utensils and the desire to mash together different poetic forms just to see what happens.  8:00 p.m. Open Mic and Featured Readers Dean Steadman and Monty Reid. More about the poets, videos of previous featured readers and info on the upcoming events: treereadingseries.ca

 

COMING EVENTS:

prose in park JUNE 4 PROSE IN THE PARK:

Ottawa’s favourite open-air literary festival and book fair, Prose in the Park, will take place on June 4, 2016, 11 am – 6 pm in the Parkdale Park. And it is absolutely free. Everyone is welcome!  Prose in the Park (Prose des vents en français) is a blingual festival devoted to bringing together both established and emerging authors from across Canada. We are pleased to have some of the best authors of Montreal joining the upcoming festival. For more information on the event and featured authors, check out the 2016 program on our website at www.proseinthepark.com 

 

SMALL PRESS BOOK FAIR JUNE 18, 2016

 span-o (the small press action network – ottawa) presents: the Ottawa small press book fair spring 2016 edition on Saturday, June 18, 2016 in room 203 of the Jack Purcell Community Centre (on Elgin, at 320 Jack Purcell Lane).

General info:  noon to 5pm (opens at 11:00 for exhibitors)  admission free to the public.

$20 for exhibitors, full tables $10 for half-tables (payable to rob mclennan, c/o 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9; paypal options also available. To be included in the exhibitor catalog: please include name of press, address, email, web address, contact person, type of publications, list of publications (with price), if submissions are being considered and any other pertinent info, including upcoming ottawa-area events (if any). Be sure to send by June 10th if you would like to appear in the exhibitor catalogue. FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://smallpressbookfair.blogspot.ca/2016/01/the-ottawa-small-press-fair-spring-2016.html

CAA-NCR Literary Notices for March 23 through April 5, 2015

CAA LOGO

parliament hill ottawa

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION BRANCH (NCR) 

Bi-Weekly Notices for the two weeks: March 23 to April 5, 201

16 ITEMS,  9 NEW

NOTICE TO ALL READERS: Please send all submissions & 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

UPCOMING EVENTS  

ITEM 1: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS TO CAA-NCR’s BYLINE MAGAZINE   

BylineIf you have an article of interest to writers contact the Editor, Sharyn Heagle, at sharyn_40@yahoo.com. Member promotional material is included in Byline at no cost. Contact the Editor, Sharyn Heagle for details Sharyn_40@yahoo.com

CAA-NCR Byline Submission Guidelines: Writing-related articles that include information about the process, profession or business of writing, or insights into the writer’s world. Byline pays 2-1/2 cents per word to a maximum of $25 on publication (minimum, $10); poetry $10 each; photos $5 each. Contact Editor (sharyn_40@ yahoo.com) prior to submitting Deadlines: For non-solicited material, two months prior to publication. Issues published January, March, May, Summer, September, November.

Submission guidelines: English with Canadian spelling. In MS Word or OpenOffice as an attachment. Photos in jpeg, largest available resolution.

Font: Times New Roman 12 point, single space. No formatting, no indents; one extra return between paragraphs. Length: Preferably between 600 – 1200 words.

 ITEM 2: CAA-NCR MONTHLY MEETING FOR APRIL 14, 2015                     NEW!                                    

DATE: TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015 TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 pm

LOCATION: McNabb Recreation Centre, 180 Percy St. east of Bronson Ave.

 Topic: Marketing in the Digital/Social Media World

Presenter: Laurel Anderson

 ITEM 3: CAA-NCR WORKSHOP APRIL 11, 2015                                             NEW!

 TOPIC: Writing as a Spiritual Practice

 DATE: Saturday, April 11, 2015

TIME: 9:00am – 4:00pm

LOCATION: Trinity United Church, 1099 Maitland Ave.,

COST: $65.00 for CAA members; $90 for non-members

NOTE: Lunch will be served

Writers move their bodies when they write, they delve deeply into emotions, and they tap into their brainy intellects. But what about the spirit of their writing?

In this non-denominational workshop, Arlene Somerton Smith encourages writers to improve their writing by accessing that fourth dimension. Through meditation, journaling and other mindful practices, writers can polish a piece of writing they are already working on or create some surprising new stories.

BIO: Arlene Somerton Smith began her career shooting the rapids of the Ottawa River—with a video camera, that is. As a videographer for Wilderness Tours Whitewater Rafting, she laughed a lot and slept little as she created video memories of crashing sprays of whitewater. For twelve years she worked as a producer for Rogers Television in Ottawa with some of the brightest and most talented people she has ever met.

 Arlene is now a freelance writer and a certified copy editor. She writes original video and television scripts, speeches, and promotional materials. She also writes short stores, and has been published in DESCANT magazine and a Writer’s Digest short story collection. She writes about inspiration, science, spirituality and other ideas just for fun at www.scienceandstory.wordpress.com

 CAA-NCR MEMBERS NEWS

 ITEM 4: OFFER FOR CAA MEMBERS: BOOK REVIEWER AVAILABLE TO REVIEW                                                                                                                            

Ottawa writer Ruth Latta has published several chapbooks of poetry and twelve works of fiction, which include 3 mysteries, 3 short story collections, 2 young adult novels, and 4 general interest novels.For more information about her writing, please visit her blogs at http://ruthlattabooks.blogspot.com, http://ruthlatta.blogspot.com and her website, www.cyberus.ca/~rklatta/RuthLatta.html Latta

As a writer, she knows the importance of getting one’s books reviewed, and also loves to read. So, if you know of anyone local who has a book and would like it publicized in this small way, contact Ruth at ruthlatta1@gmail.com

 

ITEM 5: NEW CAA-NCR MEMBER DIANE QUINLAN’S INVITATION TO JOIN HER POETRY GROUP                                                                                                          NEW!

 “Hello, I am a new member with The National Capital Region (Ottawa) Branch, Canadian Authors Association.  I would like an announcement posted, in your bi/weekly newsletter— informing our member  poets….. a new poetry readers group venture is underway.

I would like to invite all poets interested to read their works while participating, in a dinner/arts venue.  The staged events will be hosted by FARE BLEND, fine cuisine and dining establishment location found, in downtown Ottawa area, in the Somerset Village.  The group’s web page is www.poetspurtheirabcs.com.  New members to this poetry group will be able to contact the organizer Diane Quinlan.  Thank you,

Diane M Quinlan, Originator/Organizer, New Poetry Readers Group, Dinner/Arts Venture  www.poetspurtheirabcs.com

The FARE BLEND’s fine cuisine and dinning establishment is situated on 137 Somerset Street, West, Ottawa, Ontario.”

 ITEM 6: CAA-NCR MEMBER DON ANDERSON SHARES HIS PROGRESS!   NEW!

1-3 In a Row Books The Creation of the Black Russian Terrier by Donald B. Anderson [8 Volume Library]. The research and writing has taken 8 years. The original concept was for a colour-printed coffee table book of 2000 pages. This project has evolve rather considerably over the past 3 years with the first 3 volumes printed and Volume 4 on the way with a big start on Volume 5. Don is honoured by the acceptance of my book(s) in Canada – USA – UK – Russia – Ukraine – Germany – Greece – et al – Australia and New Zealand.

 

CAA NEWS FROM OUR OTHER BRANCHES

 ITEM 7: THE SAVING BANNISTER 30TH ANNUAL POETRY CONTEST       

 The Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association is holding its 30th Annual Poetry Anthology contest for residents of Ontario. Entries must be in English, previously unpublished and not submitted for consideration elsewhere. Number of entries is unlimited, but no more than six poems from one poet will be included in the anthology.

Deadline: May 31, 2015 Entry fee: $15 for up to three poems and $4 for each additional poem

Prize: 1st prize: $200; 2nd prize: $100; 3rd prize $50 Detailswww.canauthorsniagara.org/poetry-contest/ 

ITEM 8: CAA MEMBER DEBORAH RANCHUK ANNOUNCES CONTEST CALENDAR                                                                               

The Canadian Writers Contest Calendar 2015 has been released in both print and ebook formats. This edition includes Canadian writing contests and book awards from Jan 1, 2015 through Dec 31, 2015. Full information, link to this year’s index and ordering information at: http://www.wmpub.ca/cwcc-2015.htm

Contest CalendarThank you for your support. Please note our new address. Deborah Ranchuk
White Mountain Publications www.wmpub.ca home to the annual The Canadian Writers’ Contest Calendar www.wmpub.ca/cwcc.htm New home of E-Book versions of many of our titles. Box 620, 50 Silver Street, Cobalt, ON P0J 1C0 Canada-wide Toll-free 1-800-258-5451 Phone: (705) 679-5555 Fax: (705) 679-5777

 

CAA NEWS FROM NATIONAL

 ITEM 9: CANWRITE 2015 UPDATE – SAVE THE DATE!                                 

CanWrite! 2015 writers’ conference is scheduled for June 11 to 14, 2015, once again at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus. (Registration opens early March.) We have a stellar program lined up, with the following guests confirmed:

 

English: Waterfront of Orillia, Ontario, Canada

English: Waterfront of Orillia, Ontario, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  • Agent Panel: Carly Watters (P.S. Literary Agency); Martha Magor Webb (Anne McDermid & Associates).
  • Publisher Panel: Craig Pyette (Senior Editor, Penguin Random House Canada); Patricia Ocampo (Managing Editor, Simon & Shuster); Hazel Millar (Managing Editor, Book Thug)
  • Master Class: Anthony De Sa
  • Pitch Sessions: All the agents and publishers listed in the Agent and Publisher Panels above
  • Interactive Workshops: Anthony De Sa (Marketing and Self-Promotion); Robert Sawyer (Science Fiction); Craig Pyette (Getting Published); Renée Sarojini Saklikar – winner of 2014 CAA Poetry Award (Poetry); Ashley Dunn – Publicity Manager at Random House (Publicity with Purpose); Sue Reynolds (Memoir Writing)
  • Writing Circles: Esther Griffin, Sue Reynolds, Ruth Walker, James Dewer

 OTHER WORKSHOPS

 ITEM 10: TINKER MOUNTAIN WRITERS’ WORKSHOPS

Summer Residential Program

Want to be a writer who makes people think, ponder, and listen? Tinker Mountain Writers’ Workshop is your opportunity to develop the writing skills you’ve always wanted. Choose from 12 one-week workshops — led by a remarkably talented faculty — in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.

Online Courses

Online offers writing workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to writers of all abilities. Workshops are capped at 15 students allowing you to fully engage.

More info: http://www.hollins.edu/academics/workshops-online-writing-courses/

Hollins University, 7916 Williamson Road, Roanoke, VA 24020

SUBMISSION CALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

ITEM 11: BYWORDS.CA SUBMISSION CALL

DEADLINE: The 15th 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         

 

IN THE INTEREST OF WRITERS HELPING WRITERS

ITEM 12: TREE READING SERIES AT VERSEFEST 2015 note time & location            NEW!

DATE: THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2015 TIME: 9:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Knox Presbyterian Church at 120 Lisgar St., Ottawa

 treereadingserieslogo

ANNE COMPTON + JERAMY DODDS + NICK LAIRD + PATRICK FRIESEN

SPECIAL TREE EVENT, HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH VERSEFEST

 Anne Compton is the author of Processional (2005), winner of the Governor General’s Award for Poetry and the Atlantic Poetry Prize; Opening the Island (2002), winner of the Atlantic Poetry Prize; and asking questions indoors and out (2009), shortlisted for the Atlantic Poetry Prize. In 2008 she received the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in the Literary Arts. Her most recent collection, Alongside (2013), won the Raymond Souster Memorial Award. An essayist, anthologist, and reviewer, she is a retired academic.

 Jeramy Dodds’ first collection of poems, Crabwise to the Hounds, won the Trillium Book Award for Poetry and was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. His most recent work is an English translation of the Medieval Old Icelandic text known as The Poetic Edda.

 

 Born in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1975, Nick Laird was educated at Cookstown High School and Cambridge University. He worked as a lawyer for several years before leaving law to write full-time. Laird has written two novels, Utterly Monkey and Glover’s Mistake, and three prize-winning books of poems, To a Fault, On Purpose and most recently, Go Giants. The recipient of many prizes for his poetry and fiction, including the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the Ireland Chair of Poetry Award, the Betty Trask Prize, a Somerset Maugham award, and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, he has lived in London, Warsaw, and Rome. He is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University in New York.

 Patrick Friesen, former Winnipegger, now lives in Victoria. He has published numerous books of poetry, a book of essays, a play and, with P. K. Brask, co-translations of several Danish poets. Friesen has also written several stage and radio plays, text for dance, and has recorded two CDs of spoken word and improv music with Marilyn Lerner. His most recent book was A Dark Boat (Anvil Press, 2012). Mother Tongue Publishing will bring out his book of poems, a short history of crazy bone, in the spring of 2015.

 More info at: http://www.treereadingseries.ca/


ITEM 13: OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL                NEW!

writers festival logo

a new venue!  As much as we loved being on Elgin Street, we have grown as a festival.We listened to your feedback and have found a new venue with more parking, more leg room, newly renovated (and more) washrooms, as well as a larger snack and bar area. So it is with excitement and anticipation that we announce our move to Christ Church Cathedral at 414 Sparks Street. We have some amazing new ideas for the space and we hope you will join us in welcoming the change.

 

DATE: MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015 7 PM. CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, CATHEDRAL HALL, 414 SPARKS ST. OTTAWA THE GREAT ESCAPE: A CANADIAN STORY WITH TED BARRIS

barrisAcclaimed Historian Ted Barris offers a unique retelling of the story through first-hand recollections of the soldiers who experienced it. MORE INFO AND TICKETS:  http://www.writersfestival.org/events/spring-2015/the-great-escape-a-canadian-story-with-ted-barris

 

 7:30pm • University of Ottawa • Lamoureux 145 Jean-Jacques Lussier – Room 124 CELTIC CHAIR LECTURE SERIES: Oscar the Irish Rebel, Wilde on Trial Info & Tickets

 

Tuesday Mar 31 7:00pm • Centretown United Church • 507 Bank St. The Right to be Cold with Sheila Watt-Cloutier Info & Tickets

 More info on April events here: http://www.writersfestival.org/events

 

ITEM 14: MEDIA CLUB OF OTTAWA: ABORIGINAL FILMMAKING       NEW!

DATE: MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015 6 PM TO 8 PM

LOCATION: OTTAWA CITY HALL, 110 LAURIER AVE. W. OTTAWA

The Media Club of Ottawa Presents Award winning writer, artist and videographer Howard Adler discussing Aboriginal Filmmaking & the Asinabka Film Festival, Monday, March 23, 2015 Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave. W. 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Journalism students (ID) free, Media Club and CAJ members $15; non-members $20 – Light meal included RSVP 613-521-4855 before March 20

Howard Adler

Howard holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Indigenous Studies from Trent University, and a Master Of Arts Degree in Canadian Studies from Carleton University. He is an award winning writer, and an artist that has worked in diverse mediums, including visual art, stained glass, theatre, dance, video editing, and film. In 2009 he won the Canadian Aboriginal Youth Writing Challenge (19-29 age category) with his video script “Johnny Seven Fires”, and his film and video work has been exhibited in both Gallery settings and Film Festivals, such as ImagineNATIVE (Toronto), Weengushk (Sudbury), Biindigaate (Thunder Bay), and Saw Video’s annual Resolution screening (Ottawa). Howard works as the Workshop Coordinator at SAW Video Media Art Centre, as a freelance videographer and video editor, and is currently the co-director and programmer for the Asinabka Festival, an annual Indigenous film and media arts festival in Ottawa. Howard is Jewish and Ojibwa and a member of Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation in North-western Ontario. www.eliteemail.com/archive.cgi?action=view&bid=ON/224773&cid=212333

 

ITEM 15: VERSEFEST 2015! MARCH 24 TO 29, 2015, OTTAWA                           NEW!

logo A true celebration of artistic talent across Canada and beyond, VF ’15 combines written poetry, spoken word, French and English in our most ambitious festival to date. Sixty-three of the most-talented poets on the planet will perform for 1600 people at 21 discrete events! To see which poets will appear this year, go here: http://versefest.ca/year/2015/poets/

For the full schedule: http://versefest.ca/year/2015/schedule/

To purchase tickets: http://versefest.ca/year/2015/tickets/ Passes are available below, single tickets ($10) are available at the door. Tickets purchased online will be waiting at the door.

 VERSeFest, Ottawa’s International Poetry Festival returns for its fifth annual edition, showcasing an eclectic mix of written and spoken word poetry Tuesday March 24-30, 2015. Info at versefest.ca

Tuesday, March 24 – Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St.
7:00 pm: Nicole Brossard, Daphne Marlatt, Ikenna (OpenSecret) Onyegbula, and Mehdi Hamdad
9:00 pm: El Jones, Amanda Earl, Arleen Paré, and Gillian Wigmore.

Wednesday, March 25 – Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St.
7:00 pm: Stephen Brockwell, Margaret Michèle Cook, Gilles Latour, and Lélia Young
9:00 pm:
bill bissett, Sandra Ridley, dalton derkson, Lise Gaboury-Diallo.

Thursday, March 26 – Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St.
7:00 pm: Gail Scott, Deanna Young, and Éric Charlebois
9:00 pm: Anne Compton, Patrick Friesen, Jeramy Dodds, Nick Laird.

Friday, March 27 — Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St.
7:00 pm: Marilyn Dumont, JC Bouchard, Pearl Pirie, and Stevie Howell.
9:00 pm: Barâa Arar, Sheri-D Wilson, Kande Mbeu, and Komi Olafimihan.


Saturday, March 28

Gallery 101, 51B Young St.:
1:00 pm: Marshall Hyrciuk and Grant Savage.
3:00 pm : Frederic Lanouette, Geneviève Bouchard,
Kathleen Goulet et Emily McRae.

­Pressed Café, 750 Gladstone Ave.:
2:30 pm: Armand Ruffo and Lisa Jarnot

4:30 pm: King Kimbit, Rational Rebel, Emma Blue, and Artemysia Fragiskatos.

Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St.
7:00 pm: Raúl Zurita, Elaine Feeney, Gary Geddes, and Forrest Gander.

9:00 pm: Alessandra Naccarato, Lillian Allen, and Titilope Sonuga.

Sunday, March 29
Pressed Café, 750 Gladstone Ave:
2:30 pm: Claire Caldwell, Stan Dragland, and Roland Prevost.
4:30 pm: Steven Artelle, Dennis Cooley, Paul Vermeersch, and Frances Itani.

Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St.
7:00 pm: Hall of Honour with John Akpata and Anthony Bansfield.

9:00 pm, Lorna Crozier, Patrick Lane, Michel Thérien and Herménégilde Chiasson.

VERSeFest Academic Reading Series
Mar. 25, 3:00 pm: Nicole Brossard Reading, University of Ottawa, Simard Hall room 129.
Mar. 25, 3:00 pm: Daphne Marlatt Reading, Carleton, Dunton Tower room 1811.
Mar. 25, 5:30 pm: Brossard and Chiasson conference, 5 University of Ottawa, Simard Hall room 129.
Mar. 27, 2:00 pm: Raúl Zurita Reading, University of Ottawa, Simard Hall room 333.
Mar. 30, 1:00 pm, Lorna Crozier, University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Ave E, Simard Hall, Room 129
Mar. 30, 1:00 pm, Patrick Lane, CarletonUniversity, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Dunton Tower, Room 1811

 

ITEM 16: OTTAWA STORYTELLERS FUNDRAISER AND TELL LAURA I LOVE HER

NEW!

Songs of the early 60s & stories of adolescence

DATE:   Wednesday, April 1, 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:45

LOCATION:  National Arts Centre’s 4th STAGE (53 Elgin Street)

Tickets: $22 for tickets purchased in person at the NAC Box Office. Ticket purchased through Ticket Master at ticketmaster.ca will be subjected to an additional charge.  Suitable for ages 12 and up!
This show is a FUNDRAISER for Ottawa StoryTellers and One World Grannies. One World Grannies raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. And it is already 50% sold!

 AND TELL LAURA I LOVE HER 

Who did put the bop in the bop-shoo-bop-shoo-bop? And why must I be a teenager in love? As the 1960s began, and the first great tidal wave of boomers crashed into adolescence, these and other life-and-death questions were uppermost in their minds and their music. Don’t miss this light-hearted look at adolescence, with lots of opportunity for the audience to sing along to the great rock music of THE LASTbandSTANDING.
For more details check out OST Events on our website: www.ottawastorytellers.ca

MAGAZINE SUBMISSION CALLS:

3 new calls

ONGOING:

NEW freeze frame fiction publishes quarterly online and in ebooks, semi-annually in themed issues, and annually in print. Seeks flash fiction: 1000 words or less, any genre, no content restrictions. New and established writers. Pays $10 per accepted piece. Deadline: Ongoing. Guidelines.
Necessary Fiction publishes a new book review each Monday, a featured short story each Wednesday, a contribution to its Research Notes series each Friday, and occasional interviews, essays, and other surprises. Fiction submissions should be under 3000 words.

Wigleaf is an award-winning online journal of very short fiction (under 1000 words). Submissions are open during the final week (7 days) of each academic month, with the exception of December.

New quarterly online literary magazine Momentum is Australia’s first major digital imprint. Momentum accepts submissions weekly on Mondays between 12.00 midnight and 11.59 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time via email only. Momentum is open to publishing fiction and non-fiction in most traditional and non-traditional genres. This includes new and previously published shorter length stories, essays and journalism between 15,000 to 50,000 words, genre novels and non-fiction between 50,000 to 100,000 words and longer and complex narratives of over 100,000 words. Writers can be based anywhere in the world.

 From the Well House, Indiana University Kokomo’s Art and Literary Journal, seek work for the next online publication. Accepting poetry, prose, and academic papers, plus art work and multimedia. Deadline: rolling. Guidelines
NO DEADLINES SPECIFIED:

 NEW! Stained Pages Press is looking for long-form writing about Canadian food, to be published online as part of a weekly feature. Looking for fiction, essays, fully-researched articles and personal essays about food — either by a Canadian or featuring Canadian food items. Payment: 50% of all profits from donations to the site (PayPal tipjar & Patreon) during the week that your work is featured. Guidelines.

 Michigan Quarterly Review is an interdisciplinary journal of arts and culture that seeks to combine the best of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction with outstanding critical essays on literary, cultural, social, and political matters. Submissions for are accepted year round and the editors  try to include at least one story, essay or poem by a previously unpublished writer in every issue.

 American Reader is a bimonthly magazine publishing fiction, poetry and criticism. It was named by Library Journal as one of the best new magazines of 2012. Submissions are accepted throughout the year.

One Teen Story is a literary magazine for young adult readers of every age. They are currently accepting submissions from writers of all ages. Contributors are paid US$500 and 25 copies of the issue in which their work appears.

Text Publishing is an independent literary publisher based in Melbourne. It is currently accepting unsolicited manuscript submissions of fiction and non-fiction, including upper primary and young adult.

Salt Publishing is open to submissions for a new ‘Modern Dreams’ series – a digital-only development of the Salt Modern Fiction list. The series will be for 20,000–30,000 word novellas that deal explicitly with the lives of young people in modern Britain and the USA.

Indiana Voice Journal was founded in July 2014. Each issue contains at least one new or previously unpublished author and submissions are invited from writers around the world. The journal publishes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, visual art, interviews and reviews.

Curbed is actively seeking story pitches from writers and photographers who are interested in contributing longform and narrative journalism that focus on architecture,design and real estate. This can include reported stories, profiles, essays, think pieces, oral histories, photo essays, and comic strips and other illustrated stories. Features average 3000 to 5000 words in length and all contributors are competitively paid.

Blue Monday Review is a review for prose, poetry and art which embody the literary spirit of the late Kurt Vonnegut. Submissions in a range of genres up to 8000 words will be considered.

Terraform is a new online publication from Vice Magazine. It is seeking submissions up to 2000 words of speculative fiction ‘honing in on the tech, science, and future culture topics driving the zeitgeist.’ Terraform pays a baseline rate of US$0.20 per word.

Guernica Daily is a daily publication of short original features. The editors are looking for thoughtful, argument-driven pieces that respond to timely issues. Reviews and interviews are welcome, as are personal essays if they show that the author’s experience has broader implications. Submissions should be between 400 and 1800 words.

The Quaker is an American undergraduate journal of literary art published by the Student Writers Guild and the Program in Creative Writing at Malone University in Ohio. It is seeking submissions of poetry, fiction and essays. Publication occurs on a rolling basis, and each semester one author is chosen to be honoured with a US$100 Editor’s Prize for an outstanding contribution to the journal.

Apex Magazine is an online prose and poetry magazine of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mash-ups of all three. Payment for original fiction is $.06 per word and submissions must be less than 7500 words

Georgia Review features essays, fiction, poetry, graphics and book reviews. The GR website states ‘Pulitzer Prize winners and never-before-published writers are equals during our manuscript evaluation process.’ All work must be previously unpublished and simultaneous submissions are not accepted.

Tishman Review is a new literary journal with its first issue being published in January 2015. It welcomes submissions of short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and book reviews year-round and is currently reading for its April issue.

Cleaver Magazine publishes cutting-edge art and literary work from a mix of established and emerging voices. Submissions of poetry, short stories, essays, flash prose, and visual art are open year round.

Blunderbuss Magazine is a web magazine of arts, culture, and politics. It welcomes unsolicited submissions and describes itself as ‘genre flexible’.

Mosaic Magazine is based in New York and explores the literary arts by writers of African descent. It features interviews, essays, book reviews and literature  lesson plans. Before submitting full articles send a brief summary via email. If you are interested in reviewing books forward a writing sample and bio.

Canary Press is a story magazine based in Australia but that accepts submissions from writers worldwide. According to the submission guidelines ‘if you have a story that’s too funny; too outrageous; too moving, soulful, exciting or ridiculous for our more prestigious journals, we’d love to hear from you.’

2015 DEADLINES:

 MARCH:

Kill Your Darlings is an Australian-based literary journal that publishes essays, commentary, interviews, fiction, reviews, opinion pieces and columns.  Submissions open on 1 March and close on 31 March.

 Masters Review is accepting submissions for its printed anthology. The guest editor is Kevin Brockmeier. The anthology is open to fiction and narrative nonfiction from emerging writers worldwide who have not yet published a novel-length work. Submissions close 31 March.

 Cheat River Review reads original, previously unpublished nonfiction, fiction, flash, and poetry. Submissions for Issue 4 close in late March.

NEW! They just care about your writing. Armchair/Shotgun is accepting short fiction, poetry, and visual arts on any topic or theme for issue #6. Printed on “real honest-to-goodness paper.” All submissions judged anonymously. Deadline: March 31, 2015. Guidelines.
APRIL AND LATER:

 Becoming a Teacher is a new anthology by In Fact Books. The editors are  looking for stories that, collectively, represent a wide variety of teachers and teaching experiences–in public or private or religious or charter schools, in cities or suburbs or rural areas, with typically-developing students or those with special needs, at home or internationally. Stories should combine a strong and compelling narrative with an informative or reflective element, reaching beyond a strictly personal experience for some universal or deeper meaning. Closes 6 APRIL.

Cold Mountain Review  publishes poetry, creative non-fiction, interviews with creative writers, fiction and art. Submissions are read between August and May each year.

Harvard Review publishes short fiction, poetry, essays, drama, and book reviews. Writers at all stages of their careers are invited to submit their work; however, the editors warn they can only publish a very small fraction of the material the receive. The reading period runs until 31 May.

Writers’ Guidelines for Penned from the Heart 2016: Penned from the Heart, published around Thanksgiving by Son-Rise Publications, New Wilmington, PA is a non-denominational, Christian book of 366 devotions and poems which can be started at any time during the year and used in any year. Cut-off date for receiving submissions is July 1st. Submissions from novice and professional writers are welcomed. Devotions should be 225 words or less. Poems (verse or free-verse) should be no more than 20 lines, counting spaces between stanzas. Devotions should be more than a Bible study or personal experience. Insights, prayers, and anecdotes that proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ or build the body of Christ through encouragement, inspiration, or teaching are encouraged. Readers should find a Take-Away, something to apply to their lives.  COMPLETE GUIDELINES HERE: http://www.marilynnutter.com/writers-guidelines.html

UPCOMING WRITING CONTESTS: 2 new contests, 2 extensions

2015 DEADLINES:

 MARCH DEADLINES:

 Rachel Funari Prize for Fiction is named in honour of Lip Magazine’s founding editor. Lip is a feminist magazine and  the theme of the 2015 competition is ‘privilege’, with a focus on women’s stories. Anyone is eligible to enter and the organisers are looking for creative, insightful fiction that addresses the theme in any kind of way. Closes 23 March.

 THE MISSOURI REVIEW DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 29! Contest Guidelines Entry Fee: In an effort to expand our contest, entry fees (previously $20) are now payable by donation. We ask only that you contribute what you feel is fair, keeping in mind that literary journals, and contests, cost money to run and that your contribution includes a one-year, digital subscription to The Missouri Review. All of your donation money goes directly to support the continued production of The Missouri Review and its programs. Previous first-place winners are not eligible to win again. Postmark Deadline: March 15th, 2015 Multiple entries are welcome, accompanied by a separate donation for each title you wish to have considered. We are happy to accept previously published or aired pieces as submissions, so long as you, the entrant, hold the rights. Online Submission System You can now submit your entries online, as well as pay your donation through our secure server. To do so, click here to go to our online submission form. Please note that we only accept entries in mp3 format. Mailed Submissions Technical Requirements: Mailed entries should be sent on CD only. CDs should not contain any audio other than entry material. Include a brief program synopsis and bio of the writer/producer. For poetry submissions, please record each poem as a separate track. a completed entry form for each entry (download the entry form) a copy of the entry on a CD, labeled with writer/ producer, title and length a brief program synopsis and short writer/producer bio a donation as entry fee (make checks out to The Missouri Review) Send Entries To The Missouri Review Audio Competition 357 McReynolds Hall University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211 Questions? Please visit our FAQ. If your questions isn’t answered there, email us: MUTMRcontestquestion@missouri.edu

 SA Writers’ College Annual Short Story Award is open to emerging writers in South Africa who have had fewer than four stories/articles published in any format (print or digital). First prize is R 10 000.00 and entries may be up to 2000 words in length. Closes 31 March.

 Narrative Magazine Winter Story Contest is open to short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished and no longer than 15,000 words. First prize is US$2500. The contest closes on 31 March.

 Bath Novel Award is an international competition for unpublished or self-published novels with a £1000 prize. Submissions should include up to the first five thousand words of a novel plus a one page synopsis. Entries close 31 March.

 Scottish Arts Club Short Story Competition offers a first prize of £800. The competition is open to all writers over 16 the chairman of the judging panel is Alexander McCall Smith. Stories should be under 1500 words and can be on any topic. Closes 31 March.

 Caterpillar’s Inaugural Poetry Competition is for a single poem written by an adult for children (aged 7–11). The competition is open to all and there is no line limit. The winner receives €1000 and publication. Entries close 31 March.

 Short Fiction is a UK-based visual literary journal. It’s annual Short Fiction Prize is open to stories in any genre up to 6000 words. The winner receives £500 and publication. Entries close 31 March.

 MSLEXIA WOMEN’S SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2015  extended to MAR. 23, 2015 For stories of up to 2,200 words in length on any subject. 1st prize: £2,000 Plus two optional extras: a week’s writing retreat at Tŷ Newydd Writers’ Centre*, and a day with a Virago editor* 2nd prize £500   3rd prize £250 Three other finalists each receive £100 All winning stories will be published in Mslexia magazine. Judge: Alison MacLeod Closing date: 16 March 2015. Please read the competition rules before entering. *The Tŷ Newydd retreat is accommodation only; dates should be agreed between Tŷ Newydd and the competition winner. The date of the Virago mentoring session should be agreed between Virago and the competition winner. The winner is responsible for any other expenses involved with attending the Tŷ Newydd retreat and the day with a Virago editor, i.e. travel, food, etc. The prizes must be taken by 31 May 2016. FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://mslexia.co.uk/shop/scomp_enter.php

 The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html First up is the Clean as a Whistle Contest, March 31, 2015

Second Story Press Aboriginal Writing Contest. Second Story Press has announced a new writing contest to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The press is looking to build on the diversity of its list – already strongly populated by books and series on social justice for both adults and children – by announcing a call for contemporary writing for a young reader audience that reflects the modern experience of Aboriginal (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit) people. Canadian writers aged 18 and older who identify as Aboriginal are invited to share the stories that reflect their unique lives, experiences, successes, and perspectives. Both fiction and nonfiction will be accepted.  Deadline: March 31, 2015 Entry fee: none Prize: Publishing contract with Second Story Press Details: www.secondstorypress.ca/aboriginal-writing-contest 

 MONTREAL POETRY PRIZE 2015 $20,000 PRIZE:  The not-for-profit Montreal International Poetry Prize has launched its 2015 competition. The prize is $20,000. The 2015 judge is Eavan Boland. And the 10 international jurors for this year are Gabeba Baderoon of South Africa, Kate Clanchy of Scotland, Carolyn Forche of the United States, Amanda Jernigan of Canada, Anthony Lawrence of Australia, Niyi Osundare of Nigeria, Jennifer Rahim of Trinidad, K. Satchidanandan of India, Michael Schmidt of the United Kingdom and Bruce Taylor of Canada. The final deadline is May 15, but we encourage entries before March 31st. Online entries only. Visit www.montrealprize.com. There’s also a poster available for download under News/Downloads for your convenience. Good luck to all participants! 

 APRIL DEADLINES:

 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the premier self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. Writer’s Digest hosts the 23rd annual self-published competition–the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. This self-published competition, co-sponsored by Book Marketing Works, LLC spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors. Early-Bird Deadline: April 1, 2015. What’s in it for you? $8,000 in cash. National exposure for your work. The attention of prospective editors and publishers. A paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference! How to enter: Register and pay online or download a printable entry form. ( Early-bird entry fees are $99 for the first entry, and $75 for each additional entry.)

Enter your book into one or more of these categories: Mainstream/Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction, Nonfiction, Inspirational (Spiritual, New Age), Life Stories (Biographies, Autobiographies, Family Histories, Memoirs), Children’s Picture books, Middle-Grade/Young Adult books, Reference Books (Directories, Encyclopedias, Guide Books) More info: http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/selfpublished?et_mid=719512&rid=239199236

North American Review’s Torch Prize for Creative Nonfiction offers a first prize of $500. Writers may submit only one piece of creative nonfiction, no longer than 30 pages. Entries close 1 April.

Grain Magazine’s Annual Short Grain Writing Contest offers prizes for both fiction and poetry and is open to writers worldwide. A total of CA$4500 in prize money is on offer. Entries close 1 April.

Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing is for unpublished manuscripts by writers from Australia and New Zealand. The winner receives AUD$10,000 and a publishing contract with Text Publishing. Entries close 2 April.

ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS & SCIENCES FELLOWSHIPS : Applications for the prestigious and lucrative Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting are now open for 2015. This international screenwriting competition awards up to five fellowships of US$35,000 each year. Since 1986, 137 fellowships totaling $3,740,000 have been awarded . Who Can Enter: The competition is open to writers based anywhere in the world, regardless of citizenship. All entrants must be aged over 18. Entry scripts must be the original work of one writer, or of two writers who collaborated equally, and must be written originally in English. Translated scripts are not eligible. The fellowships are intended for new and/or amateur screenwriters. In order to be eligible, an entrant’s total earnings for motion picture and television writing may not exceed US$25,000 before the end of the competition. It is a requirement that all fellowship winners complete at least one new feature screenplay in the year of their fellowship (the Academy acquires no rights to the work and will not participate in its marketing or in any other aspects of its commercial future).

The Prizes Up to five $35,000 fellowships are awarded each year to promising new screenwriters. In addition to the cash prize, winners of the Nicholl Fellowships will be invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars in November. The successful applications are also expected to receive many networking opportunities to help complete their next script.

How to Enter Applicants must submit an original feature film screenplay. This screenplay may be no shorter than 70 pages and no longer than 160 pages. The shortest script to earn its writer an Academy Nicholl Fellowship was 80 pages long; the longest was 153 pages. Screenwriters may enter the 2015 competition up to three times; an entry fee is payable for each separate screenplay. If the script is based on a true story/events, historical or contemporary, the ‘based on true story’ button should be selected within the online application form. Adaptations of any work (other than your own) are not eligible. DEADLINES: Regular Deadline – April 10 – $55 entry fee Late and Final Deadline – May 1 – $75 entry fee MORE INFO: https://nicholl.oscars.org/

Waterman Fund Essay Contest invites emerging writers to explore the question of who the stewards of wilderness are. Statistically, more men than women explore professional careers in the stewardship of wilderness and public land management. What, if any, bearing does the gender of stewards have on our shared and individual perceptions of, and relationship to, wilderness? The winning essayist will be awarded $1500 and published in Appalachia Journal. Entries close 15 April.

New South Writing Contest will be judged by Roger Reeves in the genre of poetry and Rebecca Makkai in the genre of prose. The contest awards $1000 the winners in each category as well as two $250 runner’s up prizes. Entries close 15 April. 

Event Magazine’s Non-Fiction Contest is open to creative non-fiction up to 5000 words in length. There is US$1500 prize money available in addition to the regular publication payment. The $34.95 entry fee includes a 1-year subscription. Entries close 15 April.

Eyelands International Short Story Contest has the theme ‘on the verge. The contest is open to unpublished stories of any genre up to 2500 words. The winner receives a one week holiday on the island of Crete and the top three entrants will be published in anthologies in both Greek and English. Closes 20 April.

Passages North is running two writing competitions: the Thomas J. Hrushka Memorial Nonfiction Prize is for writing up to 10,000 words and the Elinor Benedict Poetry Prize for poems up to 1000 words. Both competitions have a US$1000 first prize. Entries close 20 April.

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest is open to original short stories and essays on any theme. The winner in each category receives US$1500 and there are a total of 10 minor prizes of $100. Entries should be a maximum of 6000 words. Closes 30 April.

Exeter Story Prize is accepting entries up to 10,000 words and stories may be on any theme. The winner receives £500 and a trophy, and there is an additional prize on offer for best humorous story. Closes 30 April.

Redivider’s Beacon Street Prize is open to fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The winner in each category will receive $500 and publication in the winter 2015 issue of Redivider. The winning pieces will be selected by guest judges: James Scott (fiction), Laura Kasischke (poetry), and Susannah Cahalan (nonfiction). Closes 30 April. 

Sequestrum (US) is accepting entries for the 2015 Editor’s Reprint Award. Open theme and length. Submit previously-published fiction and nonfiction only. One winner receives $200 and publication, and one runner-up receives publication and payment at our usual rates. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: April 30, 2015. Guidelines.

Bristol Short Story Prize is open to  stories up to 4000 words. Entries can be on any theme or subject and are welcome in any style including graphic, verse or genre-based (crime, science fiction, fantasy, historical, romance, children’s etc). Twenty stories will be shortlisted and published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 8. Entries close 30 April.

 AND LATER:

NEW! Newly UK publisher, Red Ribbon Press, is looking for talented writers for a short story collection with a romance/erotica twist. First prize: $100. Length: 3000-5000 words. No purple prose. All shortlisted entries will be collected and published in a collection. Deadline: May 1. Guidelines.

Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
is one of Australia’s most lucrative prizes for an original short story. Open to writers worldwide, the prize is worth a total of AUD $8000 with a first prize of $5000 and supplementary prizes of $2000 and $1000. Entries close 1 May.

The Cottage Life Al Purdy Potty Poetry Contest. “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Cottagers love potty poems! Potty poems tell guests how not to gum up the septic system. Almost every cottage has a potty poem hanging in the bathroom. Write a new classic potty poem for a chance to win! Prizes include cash, signed Purdy first editions, and the winning poem will be posted in the A-frame and published in Cottage Life. Enter as many poems as you like. Poems must be no more than 20 lines in length. Sponsored by Cottage Life and the Al Purdy A-frame Association, which is restoring Al’s iconic cottage as a writers’ retreat. The Purdy cabin is a national literary treasure, where Al wrote and entertained such CanLit giants as Margaret Laurence, Milton Acorn, and Michael Ondaatje. All-star judges: Margaret Atwood (poet, novelist, activist) George Bowering (Canada’s first poet laureate) Jason Collett (singer-songwriter, Broken Social Scene) Prize information:First Prize (1): $250 + published in Cottage Life + posted in Al Purdy A-frame cottage + a signed Al Purdy first edition Second Prize (1): $150 Third Prize (1): $100 Early Bird Draw: Enter by April 1, 2015, for a chance to win a signed Al Purdy first edition and a Cottage Life sweatshirt. Contest closes May 1, 2015   Enter Now   Rules and regulations »

 David Nathan Meyerson Prize for Fiction is only open to writers who have not yet published a book of fiction, either a novel or collection of stories. The winner receives US$1000 and publication in Southwest Review. Stories can be up to 8000 words in length and all entries will be considered for publication. The deadline for entries is 1 May.

 Conium Review Innovative Short Fiction Contest is for new writing that takes risks. Submission may include any combination of flash fiction or short stories up to 7500 total words.The winner receives US$500 and publication. Entries open 1 February and close 1 May.

 Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition: Writer’s Digest has been shining a spotlight on up and coming writers in all genres through its Annual Writing Competition for more than 80 years. Enter our 84th Annual Writing Competition for your chance to win and have your work be seen by editors and agents! The winning entries of this writing contest will also be on display in the 84th Annual Writer’s Digest Competition Collection. Early-Bird Entry Deadline: May 4, 2015. More info: http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/writers-digest-annual-competition?et_mid=721950&rid=239199236    

 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is dedicated to recognising and supporting the work of emerging writers whose fiction has not yet achieved success. Entries must be less than 3500 words and the competition is open to writers based anywhere is the world. The winner receives US$1500 and publication. The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition first ran in 1981; entries close 15 May.

 We Need Diverse Books Short Story Contest
is open to emerging diverse writers from all diverse backgrounds (including, but not limited to, LGBTQIA, people of colour, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural and religious minorities) who have not been published in a traditional print fiction book format, including self-published, independents, small and medium publishing houses, in all genres whether for the children’s or adult market. The winner receives US$1000 and publication in the “Stories For All Of Us” anthology. Entries open on 27 April and close on 8 May.

 Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish a book. Fiction entries must be under 6000 words. The winner in each genre will be awarded US$1000 and publication. Entries close 15 May.

 Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize, Entry Period, The 2015 prize is open from 1 October 2014 – 29 May 2015. How to enter * 2014 winners and shortlist. About the prize: The University of Canberra has established an international poetry prize. On behalf of the university, this is administered by the International Poetry Studies Institute (IPSI), part of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research in the Faculty of Arts and Design. The prize celebrates the enduring significance of poetry to cultures everywhere in the world, and its ongoing and often seminal importance to world literatures. The prize will be announced on or before 30 September 2015 and prize winners will be notified prior to that. Important details are: The winner will receive AUD$15,000 The runner-up (second-placed poem) will receive AUD$5,000 Four additional poems will be short-listed All poems entered for the prize will be single poems that have a maximum length of  50 lines (see the Conditions of Entry for further details) Each entry of a poem will cost AUD$15 if submitted by 31 January 2015 and AUD$20 if submitted between 1 February and 29 May 2015. There are discounts for students. http://www.canberra.edu.au/vcpoetryprize

 A Midsummer Tale Narrative Writing Contest is open to both fiction and creative non-fiction. Stories must be between 1000 and 5000 words and there are no entry fees. Entries are accepted between 1 April and 21 June each year.

 The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html Deadline for The Picture Perfect Poetry Chapbook Anthology Contest _June 30, 2015

The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html July contests: Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards Contest – July 1, 2015 and The Golden Grassroots Chapbook Contest July 31 2015

 The Sunday Times Short Story Prize is the world’s richest short story competition with the winner receiving £30,000 (US$47,000). In 2014 the prize was won by Adam Johnson for his story ‘Nirvana’. The longlist for the 2015 Sunday Times Short Story Prize will be announced in February and the winner in April. Entries for the 2016 prize are expected to open in July 2015.

Manchester Fiction Prize is a major international literary competition open to anyone aged 16 or over. The winner receives a cash prize of £10,000 (US$15,500). Stories can be up to 2500 words in length. Entries open in April and are expected to close in August.

 NEW! The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is open for submissions. Now in its eighth year, the award is an internationally renowned prize presented by Aesthetica Magazine and judged by industry experts including Arifa Akbar, literary editor of The Independent. Prizes include £500 and publication in an anthology of new writing, giving you the chance to showcase your work to a wider, international audience. Prizes include: £500 Poetry winner, £500 Short Fiction winner, Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual, One year subscription to Granta, Selection of books courtesy of Bloodaxe and Vintage, Complimentary copy of the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual. There are two categories for entry: Short Fiction (maximum length 2,000 words each) and Poetry (maximum length 40 lines each). Deadline for submissions is 31 August 2015. Entry is £15 plus VAT. To enter, visit www.aestheticamagazine.com/creativewriting

 The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html The Ted Plantos Memorial Award – Aug 31 each year

 The Ontario Poetry Society contests for 2015 are up on their site now. Full information here: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html Food for Thought Contest Sept. 30, 2015

 Zoetrope All-Story’s Annual Fiction Contest has the aim of seeking out and encouraging talented writers, with the winning and runners-up’s work being forwarded to leading literary agents. A first prize of US$1000 is also offered. Stories can be up to 5000 words. Entries open on 1 July and are expected to close on 1 October.

 Aura Estrada Short Story Contest is one of three contests run each year by Boston Review.The winning author will receive US $1500 and have his or her work published in the summer edition of the magazine. First runner-up will be published in a following issue and second runner-up will be published on the Boston Review website. Entries close 1 October.

 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Prize is an annual award for unpublished short fiction open to citizens of the 53 Commonwealth countries. The prize covers the five Commonwealth regions: Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean and Pacific. One winner will be selected from each region, with one regional winner to be selected as the overall winner. The overall winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize will receive £5000 (US$8200) and the remaining four regional winners receive £2500. Entries for the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize are expected to open in October 2015.

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