Submissions: Fiction/Wordstock (Deadline July 15)

Wordstock Literary Festival Announces Call for Entries for First Annual Short Fiction Competition

- $1,000 Prize for First Place, Top 10 Get Published -
- 3rd Annual Festival Sets New Dates: November 9 – 11, 2007-

Portland, Ore., -- April 24, 2007 — Wordstock, a three-day festival of books, writers, and storytelling held annually in Portland, Ore., today announced a call for entries for the inaugural Wordstock Short Fiction Competition. The winner will be announced at this year’s festival, Friday – Sunday, November 9-11 at the Oregon Convention Center.

The national contest is a “double blind” competition – both the writers and judges are kept anonymous. The judges, a collection of writers, academics, publishers, book store owners, and literary critics will choose 10 finalists. The winner receives a first prize of $1,000 and publication in the December 2007 issue of Portland Monthly magazine. The top 10 finalists’ stories will be published in The Wordstock Ten, an anthology that will be available at the festival, at Portland-area bookstores, and online through the Wordstock website. In addition, every writer who enters the competition will receive a copy.

“The festival exists to promote books and stories in all forms,” said Greg Netzer, the festival’s executive director. “This year we’re focusing special attention on short fiction, Why? We’re eager to read the great stories that people around the country are writing.”

Entries must be between 1,500 and 4,000 words and submitted, with a $25 fee, by mail to 8536 SW St Helens Dr., Suite D, Wilsonville, OR 97070. All entries must be postmarked by July 15, 2007. Registration is limited to the first 1,000 entries. Writers are encouraged to visit the website for complete guidelines.

About Wordstock
Wordstock is an annual festival that highlights literature and literacy from its home in Portland, Ore. To date it has hosted over 400 writers, who have read and performed for nearly 40,000 attendees at past festivals. Wordstock is a fundraiser for Community of Writers, a professional development program for K-12 teachers that seeks to improve student writing performance by training and supporting teachers of writing. For more information, visit these two sites.

For more information:
Greg Netzer (greg@wordstockfestival.com, 503-546-1012)
Sam Burton (sam@maxwellpr.com, 503-231-3086)