Contest: Playboy's College Fiction (Deadline Feb. 15)

2008 Playboy's College Fiction Contest
Playboy's 2008 College Fiction Contest in now accepting submissions. First prize for the winning story is $3000 and publication in the October 2008 issue of the magazine. Second prize is $500 and third prize is $200.

Submission guidelines: The contest is open to all college students—no age limit. To enter, submit your typed double-spaced manuscript of 25 pages or fewer with a 3"x5" card listing name, age, college affiliation, home address, phone number and e-mail address. Playboy reserves the right to edit the first prize-winning story for publication and to publish winning entries in U.S. and foreign editions of Playboy and to reprint or incorporate them in anthologies or compilations of Playboy material without further compensation to the winner. Submitted manuscripts will not be returned. For a list of winners, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your manuscript, or send it separately to:

Playboy College Fiction Contest, 730 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
10019.
Deadline: entries must be postmarked by February 15, 2008.
Send entries to:
Playboy College Fiction Contest
730 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10019

Contest: Paris Prize for Fiction (Deadline April 30)

The Paris Writers Workshop is pleased to announce the inauguration of the annual Paris Prize for Fiction, to be presented at the Twentieth Workshop in July 2008.

The prize, of five thousand US dollars ($5000), will be awarded for a novel or collection of short stories in English by a writer who has not previously been published in book form. (Appearance of an extract in a magazine, anthology, etc. does not constitute prior publication.)

Authors are asked to submit the following:

An extract from the work of no more than 1000 words.
A synopsis of no more than one typed page outlining the scope of the work.
A cover letter of no more than one typed page, giving some personal information.
A reading fee of €30 per submission (reduced to €20 for applicants enrolled in the workshop.)
Multiple submissions are permitted, but a reading fee is required for each.
Submissions must be received at the office of the Paris Writers Workshop no later than April 30th, 2008. Shortly after this date, short-listed authors will be required to supply a completed manuscript for final judging. Results will be announced and the presentation made at the closing dinner of the 20th Paris Writers Workshop on July 11, 2008.

Complete Guidelines on: www.pariswritersworkshop.org

Residency: Leon Levy Center for Biography - NY (Deadline Feb. 15)

New Writing Fellowships at the Leon Levy Center for Biography

The Leon Levy Center for Biography announces four year-long residencies at The Graduate Center, CUNY. Established to develop a fresh approach and bring new voices to the writing of biography, the newly founded Center’s mission is to encourage and support the connection between university-based and independent biographers working in print, film, visual arts and other media. Through public programs, the Center also intends to stimulate public conversation about the role of biography in our time.

The Center is now inviting applications for four writing fellows. Each fellowship/ residency carries with it a stipend of $60,000, writing space, faculty privileges and full access to library resources and research facilities.

We encourage applications from established and emerging writers with or without university affiliation, including novelists, journalists, poets, playwrights, graphic novelists, and biographers who are in the process of writing biographies.

Applications must include a cover letter with contact information, a 5-10 page writing sample, a full project description (3-5 pages), a narrative account of career, Curriculum Vitae and 2 letters of recommendation.

DEADLINE: February 15th, 2008

Completed applications should be sent to:

The Leon Levy Center for Biography
Room 5103
The Graduate Center , CUNY
365 Fifth Avenue
NY NY 10016
Phone (212)817-2005
Email: ch@gc.cuny.edu

Event: Experimental Poetry @ PSU (Feb. 8)

Symposiums on Experimental Poetry and Poetics
Friday, February 8 and Saturday, February 9, 2008


Distinguished writers Marjorie Perloff, (2006 President of the Modern Language Association and author of 13 books of criticism), Lyn Hejinian (current Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, whose thirty-four books include Writing is An Aid to Memory, My Life and The Language of Inquiry), and Joan Retallack (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Humanities at Bard College and author of 4 books of poetry as well as Musicage, a series of her conversations with John Cage) will be in Portland February 8 and 9, to give symposiums at Lewis & Clark College, and at Portland State University where they will be joined by Hank Lazer (editor of the Modern and Contemporary Poetics series for the University of Alabama Press and author of 12 books of poetry). Both events are free and open to the public.

Portland State University
Friday, February 8, 2-4 p.m.
SMC 238
Marjorie Perloff will discuss the tradition of avant-garde or experimental writing, followed by brief readings by each of the three poets, Hank Lazer, Lyn Hejinian, and Joan Retallack. An open conversation with the participants will follow.

Lewis & Clark College
Saturday, February 9, 1-5 p.m.
Smith Hall
Schedule: 1:00-2:00 p.m. • Lecture by Marjorie Perloff: Unoriginal Genius: A Genealogy: With Reflection on the Poetics of Lyn Hejinian and Joan Retallack
2:15-2:50 p.m. • Poetry Reading by Joan Retallack
2:55-3:30 p.m. • Poetry Reading by Lyn Hejinian
3:45- 4:30 p.m. • Panel Discussion: Marjorie Perloff, Joan Retallack, Lyn Hejinian
4:30-5:00 p.m. • Reception and Book Signing

Jeff Alessandrelli Published in Caffeine Destiny!

Second-year poetry student (and WEGO assistant coordinator) Jeff Alessandrelli is featured in the new issue of Caffeine Destiny.

Here is a sample of his work:

Poem with Lay of the Land

Take me with you
the water bucket cries to the vast sunlight &
bright stars forever spilling out top the well
but trapped is as trapped does,
especially on view at the bottom.
If there is an afterlife
all our heavy books seem to tell us
in the afterlife
denial does not exist.

Still the while us
smelling the roses,
blowing on dandelions,
in order to figure out
what to wish for next.
I'm skipping stones in my head, see?
Deep in some parts,
shallow in the others,
the lake's surface up there
is just beginning to completely thaw out.


To read more, click here.

Submissions: UCR Graduate Panel (Deadline Feb. 15)

Writing Across University Divides (panel and readings)
Poetry, Fiction, Drama, and Creative Non-Fiction Inspired by Campus Research

(dis)junctions Graduate Conference 2008, UCR
April 11-12, 2008

"In their social and institutional setting, writing programs as a genre serve both an ideological and hence also epistemological function; they help structure a relation of language and culture." - Jeanne Gunner in Ideology, Theory, and the Genre of Writing Programs, 2002.

As part of this year's (dis)junctions 2008, writers are invited to dialogue across campus divides, and incorporate theoretical, ideological, and/or research findings into their creative work. We encourage actual contact with student and faculty researchers in other departments for clarification of ideas and purposes, but work that is based on substantial considerations of current research is also welcome.

We are also interested in papers that examine the current relationship of Creative Writing Programs to other university departments, and that describe and/or postulate innovative practices that could connect writing with the social, political, scientific, and humanities developments within campuses.

This panel encourages creative submissions from outside creative writing or English departments, as long as there is a dialogue outside of the writer's main area of expertise.

This panel is taking two types of submissions:

1) Creative submissions based upon research developments in other campus departments :
a. Up to three (3) poems (limit three pages)
b. Short fiction (500-3000 words)
c. Short plays or scenes from longer works (10 - 15 pages)
d. Creative Non-Fiction (500-3000 words)

Also include a paragraph describing the intercampus relationship (researcher, topic, department) and the dialogue or articles that inspired the work.

Selected creative writings will be posted and writers will be invited to read their work in a session at the conference.

2) Papers examining the relationship of Creative Writing to other departments: how are programs situated to encourage the
translation of ideas and developments for readers outside university intellectual territories? What
benefits are there for the academy in encouraging dialogue either internally or externally.

For papers, please submit 250-word proposals (for presentations approx. 15 minutes in length) to panel chair Brenda Varda at bvard001(at) student.ucr. edu (replace (at) with @) with the heading, CREATIVE WRITING: PAPER

For creative submissions (see above guidelines), can be sent to the same email with the heading CREATIVE WRITING: ORIGINAL WORK.

Submission deadline is February 15th, 2008.

Attachments should be in Rich Text or Word format only, and please include your name, professional affiliation, and contact information in the body of your email.

Job: Eng Lectureship - Cal State LA

Announcement of Opening at California State University, Los Angeles

College of ARTS AND LETTERS

Department of ENGLISH

Position: Temporary

Minimum Qualifications:
Candidate must have an MA degree (Ph.D. preferred) in an appropriate field from an accredited university. Specific educational background and/or teaching experience in areas of application at the college level are strongly desired. Must be able to work effectively with a wide culturally diverse range of students and faculty.

Duties:
The California State University, Los Angeles, Department of English offers a renewable lectureship in Composition, Linguistics, Creative Writing, and Film on an ongoing basis. Teaching responsibilities may include instruction in one or more courses at the precollegiate and undergraduate levels.

Salary:
This is a non tenure-track Faculty position with the possibility of renewal for additional quarters. Salary is competitive and commensurate to experience and qualifications.

The University:
California State University, Los Angeles, a comprehensive urban university and one of 23 campuses that comprise The California State University system, offers programs in more than 50 academic and professional fields. The campus is located at the eastern edge of Los Angeles, adjacent to the western San Gabriel Valley, with more than 22,000 full- and part-time students reflecting the rich ethnic diversity of the area. The University is committed to student-centered learning, free scholarly inquiry and academic excellence, hires on the basis of merit, and encourages qualified minorities, women, and persons with disabilities to apply.

Application:
The deadline for submissions of applications is on-going. Please send a letter of application, a curriculum vita, and three letters of recommendation to:
Hema Chari, Chair; Department of English California State University, Los Angeles;
5151 State University Drive; Los Angeles, California 90032.
Phone: 323.343.4140/FAX: 323.343.6470

Contest: Salem College Center (Deadline Feb. 1)

The Salem College Center for Women Writers is pleased to announce its fifth annual National Literary Awards for short fiction (5000 words maximum), creative nonfiction (5000 words maximum) and poetry (100 lines maximum; up to 2 poems per submission, any style.)The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2008. Winners will be announced by May 1, 2008.

Monetary awards have been increased this year. The winner in each genre receives $1200. The two honorable mentions in each genre receive $150. Applicants must live in the United States and write in English. Salem Academy and College students, faculty and employees are not eligible.

This year’s judges are: Naomi Shihab Nye, for the Rita Dove Poetry Award; Trudier Harris, for the Penelope Niven Creative Nonfiction Award; and David Jauss for the Reynolds Price Short Fiction Award.

Contact: cww@salem.edu

EGO/WEGO Call for Papers Contest (Deadline March 3)

The English Graduate Organization (EGO) and the Writing-English Graduate Organization (WEGO) presents its annual Call for Papers Contest!

Eligibility: Submissions will be accepted from any graduate or post-bac student in PSU’s English or Writing programs. Please submit your work with a cover sheet (available in the box outside the English department door). Do not include your name directly on your work.

EGO Submissions:
Submissions may be original or those written for a PSU class.
20 pages maximum; 1” margins, 12 pt. font.
Topics: Critical papers will be accepted on any topic.
EGO papers will be judged by professors in the English Literature department.

WEGO Submissions:
Submissions may be original or those written for a PSU class.
20 pages maximum; 1” margins, 12 pt. font.
Categories: Fiction, creative nonfiction (memoir, personal essay, journalistic) and poetry
WEGO papers will be judged by professionals outside of the writing program.

All Submissions due Monday, March 3rd, by 5:00 pm
Submit EGO entries to the EGO mailbox in the English Office, NH 405.
Submit WEGO entries to Jessica Machado’s mailbox in the English Office, NH 405.

Winners will each category (EGO and WEGO) will receive:
$75 - 1st Place
$50 - 2nd Place
$25 - 3rd Place

Questions? Contact Michelle Brown (mlbrown@pdx.edu) or Jessica Machado (wegocoord@gmail.com)

Selected authors will present their work this spring, at a time and place TBA.

WEGO GENERAL MEETING - Thurs, Jan. 31

You are invited to attend our WEGO general meeting on:

Thursday, Jan. 31 @ 1 p.m. in NH 407

This is your opportunity to voice questions, concerns and praise about our student writing organization.

More specific topics include:
- WEGO events for the rest of academic year (Call for Papers Contest, student readings, panel discussions)
- Ideas for the 08-09 year (speakers, workshops, readings)
- Possibly merging with other literary student groups--English Graduate Organization (EGO) and Literary Arts Council (LAC)--to create a tighter writing/lit community and to pool resources and funds

Contest: Ecotone (Deadline April 15)

In Spring 2009, Ecotone will publish a special issue celebrating the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the sesquicentennial of the publication of The Origin of Species. We are now accepting submissions in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for the Ecotone Evolution Contest, which will creatively reflect the subject of evolution.

The reading period is October 15, 2007 – April 15, 2008. One Grand Prize winner will receive a $1,000 honorarium, a limited-edition chapbook of the winning manuscript, and publication in Ecotone’s Spring 2009 “evolution” issue. Two runners-up will receive chapbooks of their manuscripts and publication in Ecotone. The contest entry fee is $15 per manuscript.

We are looking for bold interpretations about a theory that has radically altered the experience of being human: What does it mean to share our DNA with other animals? What are the consequences of our diminishing biodiversity? Why have political lines hardened around an issue so rooted in science?

The Ecotone Evolution Contest will be judged by Jennifer Ackerman, author of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream and Notes from the Shore. [more about jennifer]

Please include your name, genre, contact information, and “Ecotone Evolution Contest” on all entries. All manuscripts and correspondence regarding submissions should be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope (S.A.S.E.) for a response; no replies will be given by e-mail. For further information, e-mail evolution@ecotonejournal.com.

Please mail contest submissions, along with a check made out to the UNCW Creative Writing Department (memo: Ecotone Evolution Contest), to:

Ecotone Evolution Contest
Creative Writing Department
University of North Carolina Wilmington
601 South College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403-3297

Residency: Boyden Wilderness - SW Oregon (Deadline March 1)

The Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency for 2009 and 2010

The Margery Davis Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency is a unique opportunity for a writer or pair of writers seeking a lengthy spell of unparalleled solitude for work and personal refreshment. In exchange for an hour a day of routine caretaking, the resident receives use of a remote, small but comfortable house in the Rogue River backcountry of southwestern Oregon and the support of a $5,000 stipend. The residency runs from the beginning of April through the end of October, entrance and exit dates varying with weather conditions. With proper planning, the resident may extend the residency through the winter if he or she chooses. The program is administered by PEN Northwest, the Northwest branch of PEN American Center, in cooperation with Frank and Bradley Boyden, program founders and owners of the property.

The house stands on 92 acres of meadow and forest, known as Dutch Henry Homestead, in the canyon the Rogue River has formed for itself through the steep, forested terrain of the Klamath Mountains. The homestead is surrounded by public land managed as wilderness by the Bureau of Land Management. There are no neighbors. Wildlife—deer, black bears, wild turkeys, bobcats, the occasional cougar—abounds, as does silence. The Rogue, a fishable and federally-protected wild and scenic river, is 25 minutes away by trail. A large fenced garden area with grape vines and fruit trees is available for the resident's use. The climate is mild and wet in the spring, hot and dry in the summer, just right in the fall.

Read more here.

Contest: Oregon State Poetry Association (Deadline Feb. 29)

The Oregon State Poetry Association (OSPA) has announced its 2008 Spring Poetry Contest offering $775 in prizes for winners in seven categories and publication in the group’s annual anthology, Verseweavers.

Two new categories have been added to the spring contest, Poetry of Witness and Prose Poem. Other categories are Poet’s Choice, entries for which can be poems in any form on any subject, Free Verse. Traditional Verse and Members Only. There is also a New Poets contest for poets who have never won a cash prize for their poetry in any contest.

The Poetry of Witness contest is sponsored in honor of Hannah Wilson by the Eugene-Springfield unit of the association. Wilson, who lived near Eugene, OR, taught high school English and humanities for twenty years and was known for speaking out against injustice. She led protests, marched, phoned and picketed demanding attention to what she thought was right. Her poetry was imbued with her lifelong commitment to witnessing and speaking out.

Winners will be announced and prize checks and certificates will be awarded at OSPA’s Spring Conference, April 25-26, 2008, in Salem, OR. Honorable mentions will be awarded in all categories.

Judges are chosen from among established Oregon poets, poetry publishers and poetry teachers at Oregon colleges and universities.

Entries must be postmarked on or before February 29, 2008 to be eligible for the contest. Members pay $1 and nonmembers $4 for each poem entered. The Members Only category is free to OSPA members.

Poets interested in entering poems in one or more of the categories can get a list of rules by writing to M. E. Hope, Contest Chair, 5183 Round Lake Road, Klamath Falls, OR 97601, or on the association’s Web site, www.oregonpoets.org.

Submissions: Oregon Humanities (Deadline Feb. 11)

Oregon Humanities invites submissions for its Summer 2008 issue on the theme of “Class”

Class, or social status, is perhaps one of the least discussed but most significant forces at work in shaping American culture today. Most broadly defined as a group of people who share common attributes or traits, class figures into everything from last year's subprime mortgage catastrophe, to recent attempts by institutes of higher education (including the University of Oregon) to help lower-income students pay for college, to the sweeping technological changes that at once stratify and unite people across the globe. In a series of articles exploring class and mobility in America, the New York Times noted that though the country has ³gone a long way toward an appearance of classlessness,² over the past three decades class has come to play a greater, not lesser, role in American life.

For the Summer 2008 issue of Oregon Humanities, which falls under the Oregon Council for the Humanities current programmatic focus, "Borders and Boundaries," we are looking for essays and articles that use the traditional humanities disciplines and/or analyses of contemporary culture to explore the theme of class. Writers may wish to explore class in literature, history, arts, and popular culture; social and economic mobility as thebasis of the "American Dream" narrative; the role of class in culture and society; the impact of consumer culture, globalization, and technology on social hierarchies; the notions of merit and privilege; the terms we use when we talk about class (e.g., blue collar, working class, elite); or the difficulty in talking about how class shapes our shared culture.

We welcome all forms of nonfiction writing, including scholarly essays, journalistic articles, and personal essays. We accept proposals and drafts of scholarly and journalistic features, which range between 2,500 and 4,000 words in length. We accept drafts only of personal essays, which should consider larger thematic questions and run no longer than 1,500 words. All contributors receive an honorarium. Currently the magazine is distributed to 11,000 readers. Essays from Oregon Humanities have been reprinted in the Pushcart Prize anthology and the Utne Reader.

If you are interested in contributing to this discussion, please submit a proposal or draft by February 11, 2008, to Kathleen Holt, Editor, Oregon Humanities magazine, Oregon Council for the Humanities, 812 SW Washington Street, Suite 225, Portland, Oregon, 97205, or kholt@oregonhum.org.

PSU Mentorship Opportunities

From the University Studies Department:

Faculy and staff are asked to encourage upper-division undergraduate and graduate students to apply to be Peer and Graduate Mentors in University Studies Freshman and Sophomore Inquiry programs. Applications are due February 25, 2008.

More information and application materials can be obtained at: http://www.pdx.edu/unst/mentors.html

For more information, contact: Candyce Reynolds, drrc@pdx.edu or 5-4657.

Contest: The Chattahoochee Review - Nonfiction (Deadline Jan. 31)

THE LAMAR YORK PRIZE FOR NONFICTION

A yearly award of $1,000.00 and publication in The Chattahoochee Review will be given for the winning essay in the annual Lamar York Prize for Nonfiction, which honors the founder and former editor of the Review. Submit essays of up to
5,000 words, double-spaced, with a $12.00 reading fee per essay, after October 1 and postmarked by January 31. Please include a cover sheet with name, address, and phone number.

No theoretical, scholarly, or critical essays will be considered, but all other approaches and topics are welcome. No electronic or simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Only unpublished essays will be considered, no manuscripts will be returned, and entrants will receive a year's subscription beginning with the summer issue. You may include a stamped, self-addressed postcard for notification that your manuscript has been received. Essays should be sent to:

Lamar York Prize for Nonfiction
The Chattahoochee Review
Georgia Perimeter College
2101 Womack Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338-4497

Submissions: pacificREVIEW (Deadline Feb. 14)

pacificREVIEW 2008-2009

...a literary journal featuring original poetry, fiction, photography, art, translations, essays, non-fiction and other provocative treats. new, famous, and infamous writers welcome. no previously published works please! simultaneous submissions alright by us.

Poetry: Up to 5 poems--any style, any length
Fiction/Essays/Non-fiction: 20 pages or less
Photography/Art: 5 works--any style
Translations: 5 works--be sure to include the original poems in the original language you are translating and ensure that you have the rights from that author or, better, that said original work is in the public domain.

PLEASE INCLUDE:
--SASE with submissions!
--cover page with name, contact info, and titles of work
--NO NAMES ON SUBMISSIONS
--enclose a paragraph-length bio with your work; of course, MAKE SURE said mini-memoir is NOT attached to your submitted work.
--image files should be sent as 300dpi jpgs or tiff files attached and sent to us as an an email.

Deadline for the as yet untitled 2008-2009 issue? February 14, 2008.

Send us your best, and we’ll give it
our undivided attention.

Address it like this:

pacificREVIEW 2008-2009
Department of English & Comparative Literature
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182-6020
pacificREVIEW_sdsu@yahoo.com

Contest: Nonfiction Bonanza (Deadline March 31)

Bayou Magazine's
2008 Nonfiction Bonanza

This prize is for NONFICTION ONLY.

We will accept submissions for the contest from September 15th, 2007 through March 31st, 2008. To be considered for the $250 Editor's Prize, simply

send us 7500 words or less of your finest literary nonfiction along with
a check for $10 made payable to UNO FOUNDATION.
You may submit as many essays to the contest as you like, but each essay must be accompanied by a $10 check.
While we have no preference for subject matter, as always, we do not accept scholarly papers nor will we accept submissions from UNO students or faculty. Friends and relatives of the judges (our nonfiction editors) may not enter the contest.
Manuscripts should have a cover page with the author's name, the title of the piece, and all contact information, including phone and email address.
The rest of the manuscript should be free of any identifying information except the title, which should appear next to the page number on every page.
Please consult our general Submission Guidelines for formatting information.
SUBMISSION TIP: If you don't have an email address, get one now, as this is how we contact all our authors.

The winner's name as well as the title of the winning piece will be posted on this website. Winner will receive $250 and will be published in the Fall 2008 issue of Bayou Magazine.

The Nonfiction Bonanza is an editor's prize and will be chosen by Bayou's nonfiction editors. The editors are a collaborative team made up of the students and faculty of the M.F.A. in nonfiction program at The University of New Orleans.

Contest: Bellday Poetry (Deadline March 15)

BELLDAY POETRY PRIZE
$2,500 PRIZE TO WINNING POET

Submission Deadline: March 15, 2008

CONTEST FINAL JUDGE: Allen Grossman
Allen Grossman has published nine books of poetry, including Sweet Youth (2002), The Woman on the Bridge Over the Chicago River (1979), Of The Great House (1982) and The Bright Nails Scattered on the Ground (1986) and several
books of criticism. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment of the Arts, the MacArthur Foundation and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among many prizes, he has received the Garrison Award for Poetry, the Prize of the American Academy of Poetry, the Pushcart Prize, the Sheaffer-PEN/New England Award for Literary Distinction, and the Sara Teasdale Memorial Prize in Poetry. Grossman has taught at Brandeis University and The Johns Hopkins University.

Bellday Books will publish the winning book and award $2,500 and 25 copies of the book to the winning author.

Contest Rules:
--Submit a manuscript of 50-70 pages of original poetry in any style in English. The manuscript must not have been published in book or chapbook, but may contain poems that have appeared in print or on the Internet. Entries may consist of individual poems, a book-length poem or any combination of long or short poems.
--Submitted manuscript must contain 2 title pages: Name and contact information should appear on first title page only. Name should not appear anywhere else in the manuscript.
--Manuscript should be typed, single-spaced, paginated, and bound with a spring clip.
--Include a table of contents page, but do not send an acknowledgements page.
--Enclose an SASE for announcement of the winner.
--Manuscript cannot be returned.
--Postmark deadline: March 15, 2008.
--Include a check or money order for $25 reading fee, payable to BELLDAY BOOKS.
--Bellday Books reserves the right not to select an award winner, in which case all reading fees will be refunded.

CONTEST MAILING ADDRESS:
Bellday Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 3687
Pittsburgh, PA 15230

Questions may be directed to:
office@belldaybooks.com

Readings: Local Poetry Events in January

Here's a list of several upcomming poetry readings around town:

MOUNTAIN WRITERS SERIES READINGS - JANUARY 16

Mountain Writers Series Readings at The Press Club (2621 S.E. Clinton St. Portland) will kick off the 2008 series Wednesday, January 16, 7:30 PM with poets Verlena Orr and Michael Selker reading from their new poetry chapbooks.

Verlena Orr will read from her third chapbook, One More Time from the Beginning, published by Stone City Press, Lake Oswego OR, in 2007. Michael Selker is a painter, photographer and poet. He will present work from his chapbook, Crazies' Bus Stop, published by Pudding House Press, Columbus, OH, in 2007.

KBOO - JANUARY 21

Talking Earth Monday Nights
KBOO 90.7 FM Portland, 10-11 PM Pacific Time

Monday January 21: Gary Clay, organizer of workshops on radical poetry and an open reading series at Reflections Bookstore dedicated to Patrice Lamumba, brings poets to KBOO to read and talk with Barbara LaMorticella.

VERSE IN PERSON - JANUARY 23

Free Reading at the Northwest Branch of the Multnomah County Library, fourth Wednesdays from 7-8 PM

Doug Marx, Penelope Scambly Schott, and Marilyn Johnston join to read in this month's Verse in Person, Wednesday January 23 from 7-8 PM at the NW Branch of the Multnomah County Library, 23 and NW Thurman.

Doug Marx's poems have appeared in Harper's Magazine, Willow Springs, Hubbub, and other publications. His chapbook Sufficiency was an Oregon Book Award finalist in poetry.

Marilyn Johnston's chapbook of poetry, Red Dust Rising, was published by the Habit of Rainy Nights Press in 2004, about a family's recovery from the Vietnam War. Poems from this collection were nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Penelope Scambly Schott is a poet, painter, novelist, and non-fiction writer. Her fifth full-length collection of poems, May the Generations Die in the Right Order was published by Main Street Rag in 2007.

NW LIBRARY - JANUARY 30

William Ferrell and Bob Davies will read 7-8:00 Wednesday January 30 at the NW Library (2300 NW Thurman).

William Ferrell has had poems published in Mr. Cogito, The Oregonian, From Here We Speak (O.S.U.Press) and was recently invited to read to the Oregon State Legslature. He co-hosts VERSE IN PERSON at the NW library.

Robert A. Davies has published hundreds of poems in literary magazines/online publications, his Tracks in Oregon was a finalist for the Oregon Literary Award, his most recent book is Timber (Traprock Books), he presently is publishing most of his poems at Counterpunch.org.

Contest: CutBank (Deadline Feb. 29)

The Editors at CutBank are pleased to announce the:
Montana Prize in Fiction
Montana Prize in Creative Nonfiction
Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry

We are honored to have three talented judges participating in the inaugural year of these contests. The Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry will be judged by Michele Glazer. Aimee Bender will select the winner of the Montana Prize in Fiction. The winner of the Montana Prize in Creative Nonfiction will be selected by Suzanne Paola. See bios for each of our judges.

The deadline for submissions is February 29 . Winners receive $500 and publication in CutBank 69. All submissions will be considered for publication in CutBank.

The contests' $13 entry fee includes a one-year, two-issue subscription to CutBank, beginning with the prize issue, CutBank 69.

Please send only your best work. With all three of these awards, we are seeking to highlight work that showcases an authentic voice, a boldness of form, and a rejection of functional fixedness.

FOR FULL CONTEST & REGULAR SUBMISSION GUIDELINES, click here.


Thank you,
The Editors at CutBank
Missoula, Montana
cutbank@umontana.edu

Contest: Ooligan Press "After Dark" Short Story (Deadline Feb. 1)

Ooligan Press is holding its fourth annual Editor's Choice Short Story Contest.

Theme: After Dark

Send your short story (unpublished 4,000 words or less) as a Word document (double spaced, 12 pt. font) in an email attachment to lemur50@hotmail.com. Please include your name and the title of your story in the body of your email.

Deadline: Feb. 1, 2008

Entries will be anonymously judged by Ooligan Press editors who will select and professionally edit the four best entries. The winning stories will receive the Ooligan Editor's Choice Award and will be published in an electronic journal on Ooligan's website.

Fomer WEGOnian honored with Literary Arts Fellowship!

Zanni Schauffler, who earned her MA in poetry at PSU, has been awarded a 2007 Oregon Literary Fellowship from the Literary Arts. Out-of-state judges selected 10 writers and two publishers to receive grants of $2,500 each. A reception in February 2008 will honor this year's recipients.

For a full list of winners, click here.

Congrats to fiction WEGOnian Loretta Long!

Loretta Long's short story "Flying Dreams" has been listed as a "Best of 2007" editor's choice at Dublinquarterly.com. Check out the story here.

Submissions: Florida Review (Deadline Feb. 15)

The 2008 Editors' Prizes are now open. We are accepting submissions in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Winners will receive $1000 prize and publication in the fall 2008 issue of The Florida Review.

Send one story or essay, or up to five poems. The reading fee is $15.00 which includes a year's subscription. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please notify immediately if work is accepted elsewhere. Include a SASE for notification only. Manuscripts will not be returned. The postmark deadline is FEBRUARY 15, 2008. Winners will be notified and announced on the website http://www.flreview.com/ in June.

Send to:
The Florida Review Editors' Prize (indicate genre)
Department of English
PO Box 161346
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL 32816

Contests: Southeast Review (Deadline March 1)

2008 World's Best Short Short Story Contest
Submit up to three short short stories with a $15 reading fee. Each short-short should be no more than 500 words. Include your name and contact information on a very brief cover letter. Your name should also appear on the first page of each story submitted. Robert Olen Butler will judge. One winner will be chosen and awarded $500. The winner and nine finalists will be published in early 2009. Label envelope: WBSSSC.

2008 Southeast Review Poetry Contest
Submit up to three poems, no more than 10 pages total with a $15 reading fee. Include no more than one poem per page. Include your name and contact information on a very brief cover letter. Your name should also appear on the first page of each poem submitted. David Kirby will judge. One winner will be chosen and awarded $500. The winner and nine finalists will be published in early 2009. Label envelope: Poetry Contest.

The First Ever Southeast Review Narrative Nonfiction Contest
Theme: "Sightings"
Each entry should accompany a $10 reading fee. The theme of this year’s nonfiction contest is “Sightings,” so pieces submitted should reflect some variation of that theme. Each entry should be no more than 5,000 words. Include your name and contact information on a very brief cover letter. Your name should also appear on the first page of each nonfiction piece submitted. Steve Almond will judge. One winner will be chosen and awarded $250. The winner and two finalists will be published in early 2009. Label envelope: Nonfiction Contest.

General Contest Guidelines
All submissions must be typed and accompanied by a cover letter with contact information. The fee for The WBSSSC and The SER Poetry Contest is $15 (US) per submission (up to 3 short shorts or poems). The fee for The SER Narrative Nonfiction Contest is $10 (US) per entry. Make checks or money orders payable to The Southeast Review. Postmark deadline: March 1, 2008.
For all contest categories, friends and current or former students of the judge and those who have been affiliated with Florida State University within the last five years are ineligible.

It is not necessary to send an SASE. Winners will be announced on the website in late spring. Please note the importance of including your contact information in a brief cover letter; all contestants will receive the issue in which the winning submissions appear.

SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO:
The Southeast Review
Department of English
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306

Contest: The Iowa Review (Deadline January 31)

THE IOWA REVIEW AWARD
A contest from The Iowa Review

Find lists of past winners here.

POETRY, FICTION, & NONFICTION
$1,000 to each winner / $500 to runners-up
Plus publication in our December 2008 issue
Submit during January 2008
Heather McHugh, Ethan Canin, and Abigail Thomas, judges

Submit up to 20 pages of prose (double-spaced) or 10 pages of poetry (double or single; one poem or several). Work must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are fine assuming you inform us of acceptance elsewhere. All submissions will also be considered for the Tim McGinnis Award, given for the most surprising and unusual work of the year.
Manuscripts must include a cover page listing your name, address, e-mail address and/or telephone number, and the title of each work, but your name should not appear on the manuscript itself.
Enclose a $15 entry fee (checks payable to The Iowa Review). Add $10 (for a total of $25) to receive a yearlong subscription to the magazine.
Label your envelope as a contest entry. For example: "Contest: Fiction."
Postmark submissions between January 1 and January 31, 2008.
Enclose a #10 SASE for final word on your work. Enclose a SAS postcard if you wish confirmation of our receipt of your entry.
No electronic submissions.

The Iowa Review
308 EPB
Iowa City, IA 52242

Contest: William Saroyan Society (Deadline March 15)

The William Saroyan Centennial Prizes
for Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Drama

The William Saroyan Society and The San Joaquin Valley Writing Project announce the first William Saroyan Centennial Prizes for original short fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama for adults, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Saroyan’s birth. Undergraduate students are not eligible. Winning writers will receive a $500 prize, publication in the journal In the Grove, and inclusion in the Saroyan Archive at the Fresno County Library. Judging will be blind. The fiction contest’s finalists will be judged by Steve Yarbrough, author of Visible Spirits, The Oxygen Man, The End of California and other novels and short story collections. The creative nonfiction and drama contests’ judges will be announced later. Information on the prizes, and announcement of the winners and finalists, may be found on the Society’s website: www.williamsaroyansociety.org.

Deadline: March 15, 2008. Mail paginated wordprocessed manuscript with 2 title pages--one with title and genre only, and the other with title, genre, and contact information (author’s name, email address, phone and address). No name or other information that would identify the writer may appear on any page of the manuscript. Include a $15.00 reading fee by check or money order, payable to The Saroyan Society. Mail to Megan Bohigian, The Saroyan Centennial Prize, 742 E. Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93728-1811. Indicate which contest the entry is for on the outside of the envelope. Writers may submit more than one story, essay, or play, but each must be mailed separately with its own reading fee. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include a SASE for list of winners and finalists. Failure to meet the requirements of the guidelines will result in disqualification.

Guidelines:
Fiction: Original, previously unpublished literary short story in English, 5-10 pages, double spaced and wordprocessed. There is not a theme, but stories should aspire to high literary standards. No genre pieces, pornography, or collaborations. The winner will receive a prize of $500, be published in the journal In the Grove, and be included in the Saroyan Archive at the Fresno County Public Library. A public reading will be scheduled as part of the Saroyan Society’s celebration of Saroyan’s birthday in August, 2008. Send paginated wordprocessed manuscript with 2 title pages--one with the title only, and one with contact information (author’s name, email address, phone and address). No name or other information that would identify the writer may appear on any page of the manuscript. Write “fiction contest” on the envelope. Include a $15.00 reading fee by check or money order, payable to The Saroyan Society. Mail to Megan Bohigian, The Saroyan Centennial Prize, 742 E. Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93728-1811. Writers may submit more than one story, essay, or play, but each entry must be mailed separately with a separate reading fee. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include a SASE for list of winners and finalists.

Creative Nonfiction: Original, previously unpublished literary essay in English, 5-10 pages, double spaced and wordprocessed. There is no specific theme, work should aspire to a high literary standard in subject matter and language. No collaborations. The winner will receive a prize of $500, be published in the journal In the Grove, and be included in the Saroyan Archive at the Fresno County Public Library. A public reading will be scheduled as part of the Saroyan Society’s celebration of Saroyan’s birthday in August, 2008. Mail paginated wordprocessed manuscript with 2 title pages--one with the title and genre only, and one with title, genre, and contact information (author’s name, email address, phone and address). No name or other information that would identify the writer may appear on any page of the manuscript. Write “nonfiction contest” on the envelope. Include a $15.00 reading fee by check or money order, payable to The Saroyan Society. Mail to Megan Bohigian, The Saroyan Centennial Prize, 742 E. Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93728-1811. Writers may submit in more than one category, or more than one story, essay, or play, but each entry must be mailed separately with a separate reading fee. Do not send original copies of manuscripts; they will not be returned. Include a SASE for list of winners and finalists.

Drama: This prize is for a short one-act play in English, 10-20 pages in length. The winner will receive a prize of $500, publication in the journal In the Grove, and inclusion in the Saroyan Archive at the Fresno County Public Library. A public reading will be scheduled as part of the Saroyan Society’s celebration of Saroyan’s birthday in August, 2008. Mail paginated wordprocessed manuscript with 2 title pages--one with the title and genre only, and one with title, genre and contact information (author’s name, email address, phone and address). No name or other information that would identify the writer may appear on any page of the manuscript. Write “one-act drama contest” on the envelope. Include a $15.00 reading fee by check or money order, payable to The Saroyan Society. Mail to Megan Bohigian, The Saroyan Centennial Prize, 742 E. Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93728-1811. Writers may submit in more than one category, or more than one story, essay, or play, but each entry must b e mailed separately with a separate reading fee. Do not send original copies of manuscripts; they will not be returned. Include a SASE for list of winners and finalists.