NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION BRANCH (NCR)

Weekly Notices for the week of Dec. 23 to Dec. 29, 2013

9 ITEMS 1 NEW plus 9 NEW CALLS & 7 NEW CONTESTS (some with deadlines this month!)

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 

Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa, looking northwards towards the Parliament Buildings from Queen Street (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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ENTRIES must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant.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 11 paper, 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

Ottawa Public Library’s Main Branch, designed by Bemi & Associates Architects (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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.

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

 ITEM 4: CANWRITE! 2014 – SAVE THE DATE!                             

Early Bird Registration for CanWrite! 2014 NOW OPEN. We have a stellar line up of workshop facilitators, panelists, and guest speakers, ensuring that this annual writers’ conference and treat is the one evens you don’t want to miss! Special rates will apply for early-bird registrants, members, and affiliates.

This year’s conference will once again be held at Lakehead University’s Orillia Campus in sunny Orillia, Ontario, from June 19 to 22. (Master Classes on June 18).

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

Whether you’re a beginning writer or a long-time professional, you’ll find what you’re looking for at CanWrite! 2014, June 19 – 22, Lakehead University, Orillia Campus.

Be sure to register early, as there are limited seats available for  pitch sessions, some of the workshops and master classes (held June 18).

This is your opportunity to network and mingle with agents, publishers and fellow writers from across Canada. For the best conference rates and workshop selections, visit www.canadianauthors.org/conference now!

OTHER WORKSHOPS

 ITEM 5: NEW WORKSHOPS FROM WRITESCAPE FOR 2014    NEW!

 EXPLORATIONS IN CREATIVE WRITING

DATES: Mondays, January 6 – February 10, 6:30 – 9 pm

LOCATION: Trent University – Oshawa Campus

Visit Writescape at www.writescape.ca, email us at info@writescape.ca or call 905-728-7823.

Join Ruth Walker and Gwynn Scheltema in some intriguing word-play. Each session explores one main element or aspect of writing creatively:

• innovative hands-on exercises
• engaging group discussions
• feedback opportunities

Register for Explorations in Creative Writing: http://writescape.ca/site/workshops-2/explorations-in-creative-writing/

 GET THAT GRANT

DATE: Saturday, January 25, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm

LOCATION: Trent University – Oshawa Campus

Want to write a winning grant application? Heather O’Connor and Gwynn Scheltema share the tools, tips & techniques you need to “grant” your wish:

• find grants, bursaries and scholarships
• identify and deliver exactly what they want
• craft a winning bio or CV

Register for Get That Grant: http://writescape.ca/site/workshops-2/get-that-grant/

 WRITESCAPE IN ORILLIA

DATES: February 1 and 2, 10 am – 4 pm

Writescape teams up with the Canadian Authors Association to bring you two days of workshops with Gwynn Scheltema.

Day 1: Tax Tips for Writers and Artists

Invest in yourself today and tomorrow with unique tax breaks available to writers and artists – even if you’re not earning money yet. Gwynn’s accounting background and artist’s heart will put your taxes on a new path.

Day 2: Pump Up Your Pen

Raise the energy level of your writing:

• show with description without slowing the story
• write dialogue that sizzles
• put an end to saggy middles

http://writescape.ca/site/workshops-2/writescape-in-orillia/

Contact Rose-Anne Marchitto to register for one or both: dom.marchitto@sympatico.ca

705-791-9539

 THE MANY WORLDS OF FANTASY

DATES: Saturdays, February 22 and March 1, 11 am – 4 pm

LOCATION: Trent University – Oshawa Campus

Open the door on a different world with Heather O’Connor and Anne MacLachlan. Step into an epic 2-day adventure in fantasy writing:

• forging heroes and villains
• world-building tips and techniques
• fantasy subgenres
• fantasy markets, networks and conferences

Register for The Many Worlds of Fantasy: http://writescape.ca/site/workshops-2/the-many-worlds-of-fantasy-2/

 2014 SPRING THAW RETREAT

DATES: April 4-6 or April 4-8

LOCATION: Elmhirst’s Resort, RICE LAKE, KEENE, ONT.

Looking for writing time? Polishing a project? Don’t miss Spring Thaw. This all-inclusive writing retreat is held at the fabulous Elmhirst’s Resort on Rice Lake in Keene. Stay for the weekend or treat yourself to an extra two days.

• professional writing instructors
• 10-page manuscript evaluation and one-on-one feedback
• private writing time
• optional evening activities
• comfortable cottages with wood-burning fireplace
• first-class amenities and delicious meals

Registration opens January 1. For more information or to register; http://writescape.ca/

 ITEM 6: WRITE STUFF WORKSHOP TO LAUNCH JANUARY 13

 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 7: THE WRITERS’ UNION OF CANADA WORKSHOPS     

 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 8: 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 9: ARC POETRY MAGAZINE’S POEM OF THE YEAR CONTEST

 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

ITEM 9: OTTAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY´S 19TH ANNUAL AWESOME AUTHORS YOUTH WRITING CONTEST                               

 DEADLINE: February 9, 2014

 This contest, for aspiring young poets and short story authors, is open to writers between the ages of 9 and 17. They are invited to submit poems and short stories in English and/or French. The contest deadline is February 9, 2014. Participants can win awesome prizes which will be presented in the Spring. For contest details, visit

http://www.BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca/AwesomeAuthors  or contact InfoService at 613-580-2940 or mailto: InfoService@BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca

Sponsored by the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association. They annually publish pot-pourri, an anthology of the winning poems and stories. pot-pourri also makes a great gift. Visit the Friends of OPL website at http://www.OttawaPublicLibraryFriends.ca to place an order.

IN THE INTEREST OF WRITERS HELPING WRITERS

MAGAZINE SUBMISSION CALLS:

 NO DEADLINES SPECIFIED:

 NEW! The Traveling Poet (US) is an ezine publishing poetry from writers ages 12-25, and articles on hitchhiking, traveling broke, poverty, and philosophy. Poetry about traveling is ideal, but any subject is welcome. No Beat Generation re-enactments. Deadline: Rolling  Guidelines: http://travellingpoetblogzine.wordpress.com/

NEW! Entertainment and pop culture magazine A Bard’s Tales (Canada) is looking for contributing writers. Payment: $50 for features, $50 for reviews, and $25 for opinion pieces. All pieces must be first pitched (lead to the story, possible sources, rough length, etc) and approved by one of the ABT editors. Deadline: Open.  WEBSITE: http://abardstales.com/

NEW! Lunch Ticket, a literary magazine published by the Antioch University Los Angeles Creative Writing MFA Program, is accepting submissions for its monthly Amuse-Bouche feature. Submit creative nonfiction, writing for young people, fiction, poetry and art. Guidelines: http://lunchticket.org/about/submission-guidelines/

 The Flexible Persona is calling for engaging, character-driven fiction and non-fiction submissions of up to 5500 words for their inaugural audio/online issue (Spring). Looking for stories showcasing “characters in contact with their world. How they shape that world and are in turn transformed by it.”    Guidelines: http://www.theflexiblepersona.com/submissions.html

The Anaphora Literary Press (US) is seeking single and multiple-author books in fiction (poetry, novels, and short story collections) and non-fiction (academic, legal, business, journals, edited and un-edited dissertations, biographies, and memoirs). Profits are split 50/50% with writers. http://anaphoraliterary.com/

The Singularity Review (US) welcomes fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, visual art, photography for their debut issue. Theme: future/forward thinking. No deadline provided. http://thesingularityreview.com/

 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 3 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.

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:

 NEW! The Red Line Magazine (UK) is accepting submissions for Issue #7. Theme: Money. £50 prize for winning story of the issue. Shortlisted entries posted online. No entry fee. Length: 3500 words max. Also open for future themes: ‘Bodies’ and ‘Escape’. Deadline: December 30, 2013. Guidelines: http://overtheredline.com/submissions/

 NEW!  ArtAscent invites entries for their “Dark” International Art Competition. First prize: $50 and publication. Theme: Home — a building, a room, a space. Entries may include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short stories and other written explorations (up to 1000 words). Previously published or unpublished are eligible. Writers retain copyrights. Entry fee: $7. Deadline: December 31, 2013     Guidelines: http://artascent.com/call-for-writers/

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:

 New online literary magazine The Trillium is looking for submissions of poetry, essays, short stories, flash fiction, and non-fiction for the debut issue (February 2014). Submit up to 5 poems, 2 short stories/non-fiction/essays, or 5 pieces of flash fiction. Send in the body (not as an attachment) of an email to thetrilliummagazine@live.com. Include max. 50-word author bio, written in the third person. No payment. All rights are retained by the author. Deadline: January 2014

Canadian independent print/online publication, SEEZ Magazine, seeks work for an upcoming issue (#4). Theme: “Cold as Ice.” Accepts short fiction, prose, art, poetry, articles, essays, comics, creative non-fiction, and more. Work must meet the magazine’s “low standards and loose morals.” Deadline: January 7, 2014.    Guidelines: http://seezmagazine.com/submissions/

NEW! Online journal Cactus Heart Literary Magazine (U.S.) seeks poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and photography for Issue #7 (e-Issue). Looking “your spiny, your sharp, your relentless… work coursing with energy and able to thrive in the harshest of places, while maintaining a vulnerable, succulent interior.” Deadline: January 9, 2014. Guidelines: https://cactusheartpress.submittable.com/submit

 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

 NEW! Speculative fiction submissions wanted for anthology Start a Revolution: QUILTBAG Fiction Vying for Change. Published by Exile Editions (Canada) in Spring 2015. International subs welcome. Length: 2,000-10,000 words (< 7.5k preferred). Payment; $0.05/word. Deadline: March 31, 2014    Guidelines: http://michaelmatheson.wordpress.com/start-a-revolution/

 NEW! Cactus Press (Montreal) is looking to publish a series of poetry chapbooks from Montreal-based writers in preparation for their debut launch. Deadline: March 31, 2014. Theme/length: open. Guidelines: http://cactuspress.blogspot.ca/p/submit.html

Open access journal Beyond Borderlands: A Critical Journal of the Weird, Paranormal, and Occult (Canada) is a forum for the interdisciplinary, artistic, and critical exploration of topics relating to esotericism, paranormality, and the culturally weird. Accepting letters to the editor, scholarly and popular articles, music, art, creative writing, occult explorations, and reviews. No payment. Deadline: May 1, 2014. guidelines: http://www.beyondborderlands.com/index.php/submissions

 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:

• 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!

• The Open Heart Poetry Competition. Poems entered in the contest may be previously published, but no previous contest winners. Also, they must include at least one of the following Heart themes: Love won, Love lost, Love of family, Love of animals, Love of humanity, Valentine poems, Bonding, Charity, Generosity, Compassion, Courage, Heart health problems, Heart wood, Broken heart, Heartache, Hard-hearted, Emotions carried in the heart.  Deadline: December 25, 2013 Entry fee: $5 Prize: $100 + $100 to charity +18 Honorable mentions  Details: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/Contests.html

•  ON THE PREMISES Mini-Contest #22 DEADLINE DEC. 28, 2013. To continue our celebration of seven successful years and twenty-one published issues, our mini-contest is based on the numbers seven and twenty-one. (And three, for three issues a year.) For mini-contest #22, tell, show, imply, or evoke a complete story that is exactly twenty-one syllables long (syllables, not words), and format it so that your story has three lines of seven syllables each. But tell a story! One entry per author. No fee for entering.  Length: Exactly 21 syllables long. Exactly seven syllables per line. Deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Saturday, December 28, 2013. That’s Saturday, December 28. Hyphenated Words: Hyphenated words can be split between lines at the hyphen. “Twenty-one” can be split so one line ends with “twenty-” and the next line begins with “one.” Prizes: $15 for first, $10 for second, $5 for third, honorable mentions get published but make no money. submit here: https://onthepremises.submittable.com/submit using the SECOND link

•  NEW! The Red Line Magazine (UK) is accepting submissions for Issue #7. Theme: Money. £50 prize for winning story of the issue. Shortlisted entries posted online. No entry fee. Length: 3500 words max. Also open for future themes: ‘Bodies’ and ‘Escape’. Deadline: December 30, 2013. Guidelines: http://overtheredline.com/submissions/

• NEW! Annual journal Echolocation (University of Toronto) seeks entries for their chapbook contest. First prize: $100. Accepts short fiction (2000 words max.) and poetry (250 lines max.). Theme: The Maze. Thematic experimentation welcome. Entry fee: $5. Deadline: December 31, 2013.     Guidelines: https://echolocationmag.submittable.com/submit

• Theatre in the Raw Play Writing Contest. Entries must be an original one-act play (comedy, tragedy, drama or radio play), unpublished and unproduced. Scripts are not returned so do not send your only copy. For more information, please visit the website.  Deadline: December 31, 2013 Entry fee: $25 Prize: $200 + reading; $100; $75 Details: http://www.theatreintheraw.ca/

• The BMO Winterset Award. This award is for books by Newfoundland authors. Books are entered by their publishers, not by their authors. Open to works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and published drama. For more information, please see the website.  Deadline: December 31, 2013 Entry fee: none Prize: $5000; $1000 x 2 Details: http://www.nlac.ca/awards/winterset.htm

• Canadian Historical Association Awards. The Canadian Historical Association is pleased to announce its 2014 prize competitions. Some of these awards include:  The François-Xavier Garneau Medal, The Sir John A. MacDonald Prize, The Wallace K. Ferguson Prize, The Albert B. Corey Prize, The Hilda Neatby Prize. Deadline: December 31, 2013. Entry fee: $32. Prize: varies Details: http://www.cha-shc.ca/

• 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

JANUARY DEADLINES:

• Society of Classical Poets Competition. Traditional poetry, submit 3 – 5 poems, maximum of 50 lines. Poems must be within one or more of the four themes used by the Society such as beauty, great culture, Falun Dafa, or humour. Deadline: January 1, 2014  Entry fee: none Prize: $500 and publication in an anthology and online. Details: http://classicalpoets.org/2012-poetry-competition/

• 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/

• Tom Fairley Award. The Tom Fairley award is for editorial work done on a book published in Canada in either English or French. Entrants may be freelance or in-house editors. For full contest information and guidelines, visit the website. Deadline: January 10, 2014 Entry fee: $100 Prize: $2000  Details: http://www.editors.ca/tomfairley/index.html

• 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/

• Transitions Travel Writing Contest. The theme for this year’s contest is very broad and in keeping with our editorial, we wish to explore the idea of travel as a way to not only leave behind your material and spiritual preconceptions, but to use the opportunity to open up to ideas, aesthetics, and rituals which you have internalized into your own life going forward. Deadline: January 15, 2014. Entry fee: none Prize: $500, $150, $100 Details: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/information/writers/travel_writing_contest.shtml#contest_guidelines

• 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 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

• 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

• 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 … we’re also starting the search for next year’s winner. 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

FEBRUARY DEADLINES:

•  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

MARCH DEADLINES:

• Grasmere 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! MSLEXIA 2014 WOMEN’S SHORT STORY COMPETITION.  A competition for unpublished short stories of up to 2,200 words. We accept work on all subjects, so write about anything and everything you fancy – we love to read it. 1ST PRIZE: £2,000 Plus two optional extras: a  week’s writing retreat at Chawton House Library, and a day with a Virago editor.  2nd prize: £500, 3rd prize: £250 Three other finalists each receive £100 Judge: Jane Rogers Closing date: 17 March 2014 All winning stories will be published in the Jun/Jul/Aug 2014 edition of Mslexia Before you enter, find out all you need to know in the competition rules. Ready? Enter the competition. https://mslexia.co.uk/shop/scomp_enter.php

• The Eric Hoffer Award for short prose and books: Winning stories and essays are published in Best New Writing, 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 accepted each year by nominating books and prose. Book deadline January 21. Prose deadline March 31st. more info at: http://www.hofferaward.com/

AND LATER:

• Writers Digest Self-Published Competition: Writer’s Digest hosts the 22nd 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, 2014 A chance to win $3,000 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! http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/selfpublished?et_mid=652598&rid=239199236

• NEW! The Ontario Poetry Society Arborealis Prize For Poetry. Deadline april 30, 2014. Theme: the people’s poetry tradition. $20 for up to 4 poems, $5. Each additional poem.  See website for full details: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/contest_Arborealis%202014.htm

• 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  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

 NEW! The Ontario Poetry Society Sparkle & Shine Poetry Anthology Chapbook Contest. Deadline June 30, 2014.  Various themes.  Fees: 1 poem for $2.00 or 3 poems for $5.00. See website for full details: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/contest_sparkle&shine%202014.htm

 NEW! The Ontario Poetry Society Food for Thought Contest. Deadline Sept. 30, 2014.  Food-themed poems.  Fees: 1 poem for $5.00 or 3 poems for $10.00.  See website for full details:  http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/contest_Food%20for%20Thought.htm

 NEW! The Ontario Poetry Society Ultra Short Poem Competition. Deadline Oct. 30, 2014.  Poems no longer than 8 lines, 8 words per line. Fees: 1 poem for $2.00 or 3 for $5.00.  See website for full details: http://www.theontariopoetrysociety.ca/contest_Ultra%20short%20poem14.htm

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