Submissions: Front Porch Journal

Call for Submissions

Front Porch, the online literary journal of Texas State University's MFA program, is now accepting submissions of short fiction, poetry, and nonfiction for our fourth issue, due to launch October 15.

Since our debut in November 2006, we have published the work of several established writers such as Charles D'Ambrosio, Roddy Doyle, Heather McHugh, Eleanor Wilner, C.D. Wright, and Charles Wright. We are currently reading submissions and encourage interested faculty and students to submit their fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction via our new online submission
system.

Please visit our website for more information:
www.frontporchjournal.com

Proposals: Winter Wheat

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Session proposals are now being sought for Winter Wheat: The Mid-American Review Festival of Writing, slated for November 8-11 on the Bowling Green State University campus in northwestern Ohio.

Some sixty sessions are included as part of the Winter Wheat schedule, and nearly any creative writing-related topic is fair game. You do not have to be an expert to propose a topic -- just someone with a sincere interest and a willingness to prepare a satisfactory learning experience for the 12-20 people who will attend your 75-minute session.

Sessions will be held concurrently on Friday and Saturday of the festival, and participants will register for the topics of their
choice. Successful sessions typically include a discussion of key ideas, a writing exercise to illustrate these ideas, and some
time for sharing and discussion. Sessions must last the whole 75 minutes, so it is a good idea to OVER-prepare.

Student presenters frequently contribute to the Winter Wheat lineup, which provides a good chance to contribute to your vita or resume. If your session is chosen, you will join prominent writers and scholars, but in an intimate setting that is easy on the nerves.

Here are a few samples of sessions offered last year:

--Is Your Prose Falling Asleep? Shake it Awake!
--The Structural Integrity of a Story: Cause and Effect in Plot and Action
--Persona in Poetry
--The Tomcat and the Eagle: The Fight Between the Past and the Present in Memoir Writing
--How to Boil Water: Beginning Nonfiction
--The Harvest: A Discussion About Editing a Literary Journal
--How To Write a Novel
--Use of the Computer in Writing
--The Manifesto Workshop: Using the Powers of Observation to Write (or Co-Author) a Manifesto
--Writing Poetry of the Family
--Reinventing the Sonnet

Notice that some of these seem geared toward the novicen ("Beginning Nonfiction") ; others, toward a serious writing student
("Persona in Poetry"); and still others, toward very advanced practitioners of the genre ("The Tomcat and the Eagle").

To propose a session, please prepare a title and a brief (~25 words) description of what you would like to do. This should be
e-mailed to festival coordinator Karen Craigo within a week or two (but do note that the schedule is filling up quickly, so the sooner, the better).

With questions, please call or write Karen at karenka@bgsu. edu/419-372-2725.

Classes: Ink & Paper Group - Writing/Editing/Publishing

Ink & Paper Group, the publishing company started by PSU Ooligan grads, is holding several writing and industry-related classes at their office.

To register for the classes below:
Please call: 503.232.0103
or mail a check and contact information to:
Ink & Paper Group
1825 SE 7th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214


PROFESSIONAL EDITING
Saturday, August 18, 1 to 5 pm
Each time we offer this class, it sells out. So reserve your space now!
The demand for editors is quickly rising. Unfortunately, in the United States, there is no formal certification process for editors. Those wanting to be editors need to distinguish themselves from those who have simply hung out shingles because they feel they write well or they have a degree in English. This class breaks down the various professional editing roles and discusses how the editing process should work from simple one-on-one freelance gigs directly with an author, to complex interactions with large publishing houses. The class also includes information on project management including estimating time, staying within deadlines, dealing with fatigue, and working with challenging clients.
If you want to be a professional editor, or if you have to work regularly with freelance editors, this class is for you.
Instructor Ali McCart is the owner and senior editor of Indigo Editing. She is also the vice president of WiPP (Women in Portland Publishing). Ali is an experienced editor and business leader in both the traditional publishing company structure and the freelance editing industry.
*Course fee includes all class materials and light refreshments.
Class size limit of 14. The last class had a full roster.
Price $100

ESSAYS: The coolest form of all (or, essays of energy and swing)
Wednesday, August 22, 7 to 9 pm
I’d like to spend them two hours delving into essays of unreal pop and verve and zest and bone, by, among others, Robert Louis Stevenson, Annie Dillard, Helen Garner (of Australia), Ian Frazier, Mary Gordon, Sam Clemens, and Anne Fadiman; poking into reasons why the essay form is the widest and most generous and coolest of them all; discussing their shapes and speeds and the thousand ways to make essays of energy and swing; talking a bit about magazines and editing and markets for essays and what editors love and what editors detest and what writers maybe should know before deluging editors with essays; and other various & sundry on writerly and storytellerly matters. At the least I’d expect that participants come away with new energy for their own work, and a reading list as long as yer arm; at the most I’d hope that they maybe see new ways to get their own voices and stories before readers, which is really the whole point of writing, and a holy act, in the end.
Brian Doyle is the editor of Portland Magazine at the University of Portland – “the finest spiritual magazine in America,” says Annie Dillard, clearly a woman of surpassing discernment – and the author of eight books of essays, nonfiction, and “proems.” His essays have appeared in Harper’s, The Atlantic Monthly, The American Scholar, and newspapers and magazines around the world; they have also been reprinted in the Best American Essays collections of 1998, 1999, 2003, and 2007.
Price $45

FROM WRITE TO READ: A Book Marketing and Promotion Guide for Authors
Saturday, September 8, 10 am to 4 pm
(light lunch provided)
Book marketing for writers, especially first-time authors, is filled with mysterious language and tricks-of-the trade that every successful author needs to know. And the sooner you learn the language and understand the process, the stronger your book sales will be. Lake Boggan believes in the basics. She also believes, like a great recipe for your favorite dish, when fresh, new ingredients are available, you should use them. So by learning what’s tried and true in the book marketing business and also adding pointers on things like blogging and getting linked on the internet, Lake will share a bundle of information that will serve you well before your book is published―called your marketing platform―during the season of your book―called new release―and after your window of time has closed―called back-list.
Lake Boggan has sixteen years of book selling and book marketing experience. She is currently the Publicity Manager in the marketing department for Timber Press. For the last five years Lake taught Book Marketing and Promotion at Portland State University's Center for Excellence in Writing, in the Ooligan Press Graduate Publishing Program.
Her love for the written word and books reaches back to a childhood filled with poetry, music, and the oral storytelling of her father and grandparents. She always knew it was her role and responsibility to be the one who wrote the family fables down so the heritage would continue long into the future. Lake is a published poet and has had many short stories and essays published in her lifetime.
Price $300

WRITING ABOUT PLACE
Monday, September 10, 1 to 4 pm
In this afternoon seminar, we'll discuss the use of place in nonfiction and the importance of recognizing that place is often critical to creating tension in a piece of writing. When describing a setting as ominous or beautiful or bucolic, the writer must recognize how this description adds to the meaning of the story and to the reader's experience of the story. We'll look at examples of specificity in place—best to be specific, of course—and we'll look at how writers have used a sense of place to add tremendous tension to narrative.
Debra Gwartney is a member of the nonfiction faculty at Portland State University. She is co-editor, with Barry Lopez, of Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape. She has published nonfiction in such journals/magazines as Schooner, Fourth Genre, Salon.com, Tampa Review, Crab Orchard Review and others. Debra and her daughters were featured on This American Life. Her memoir is forthcoming (in 2008) from Houghton-Mifflin.
Price $75

SELLING FOREIGN RIGHTS FOR YOUR BOOK
Wednesday, September 12, 6:30 to 9 pm
Learn the inside scoop on how to sell the foreign rights for your bestsellers. (More details to come...stay tuned!)
Sylvia Hayse is a well-known foreign-rights agent and each year attends the international Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest trade fair for books.
Price $55

PRACTICAL SELF-PUBLISHING
Tuesdays, October 2–November 6, 6 to 8:30 pm
(a series of six classes)
Learn the ins and outs of publishing the book within. (More details to come...stay tuned!)
Dennis Stovall is the Coordinator of Publishing Curriculum at Portland State University and Publisher of Ooligan Press in the MA/MS in Writing. He has won numerous awards and recognition for book design, general contributions to the literary community, humanitarian contributions to that community, service to related organizations, and excellence in his writing. He has served on the boards of the Pacific NW Writers Association, the Oregon Writers Colony, Northwest Association of Book Publishers, and the Oregon Publishers Industry Alliance. He is currently a director of Literary Arts, Inc., where he also serves on the awards advisory committee for the Oregon Book Awards. Besides organizing the publishing program, Dennis teaches Introduction to Book Publishing and leads several graduate seminars. Prior to PSU, he was publisher of Blue Heron Publishing, which he founded with this wife Linny.
Price $375

EXPLORING THE MYSTERY IN MEMOIR: A fall workshop
Sunday, October 21, 10 am to 4 pm
(light lunch provided)
The first mystery is simply that there is a mystery, a mystery that can never be explained or understood, only encountered from time to time. Nothing is obvious. Everything conceals something else. ~ Lawrence Kushner
Many cultures dedicate the month of November to commemoration of the dead, of what has passed, and partake in a range of ceremonies, including honoring of ancestors, of those who have left us, but whose legacy has gifted us directly or indirectly. The closing in of winter is a time ripe for interior reflection, for meditating on what endures when the shifting waves of life, of death, settle. In this weekend intensive, we will take time to address these questions, through selected readings, discussions, and our own writing. Poetry, memoir, story are all welcome. Be prepared to delve into your own life's endless mysteries, its pleasures and pain, its love and loss, and to share your findings and gifts.
Ana Callan offers intimate, nurturing, challenging workshops in writing, with a special emphasis on the spiritual aspects of life and creative expression. She has taught at Fishtrap, The Esalen Institute, The Sitka Center, The Northwest Writing Institute, and Oregon Council For The Humanities, and served as Writer In Residence at numerous writing establishments in the USA and Europe. She welcomes anyone who can bring a pen and an open heart to her classes.
Price $300

Contest: Memoir (and) Prize for Nonfiction (Deadline Oct. 31)

Memoir (and) Prize for Nonfiction:
$500 Prize and publication in our Fall Issue.

Reading period: August 1 through October 31, 2007

To enter:

Submit 10,000 words or fewer by email or snail mail: only one submission per person.
Submit a $10 entry fee by check or money order.
Submissions received without the $10 entry fee will be considered for publication but not entered in the contest.
We do not accept previously published submissions; we do accept simultaneous submissions.
We purchase one-time rights and pay with copies.
Pages have a way of becoming separated from each other like lively children. Yet we don’t think the writer’s name should be evident to our judges while reading. Therefore please use the following format:
- On the cover page: your name and contact information, and the entry’s title.
- On every page: the entry’s title.
- All pages numbered and double-spaced.
Be sure to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you want us to write back to you via snail mail about your submission.
Manuscripts will not be returned.
Entries must be postmarked between August 1 and October 31, 2007.
Send email entry to: submissions@memoirjournal.com. Attachments are okay. Pasting your submission into the body of your email is also okay.
Send snail mail entry to: Memoir Journal, P.O. Box 1398, Sausalito CA 94966-1398.
We read every submission from beginning to end, and respond within approximately twelve weeks.

Contest: Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes (Deadline Nov. 1)

Overview and Current Guidelines
2008 Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes

The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference of Middlebury College sponsors the Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes, an annual book series competition for new authors of literary works in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The Bakeless Prizes, named for Middlebury College supporter Katharine Bakeless Nason, were established in order to support emerging writers. Winners of the Bakeless Prizes will have their book-length manuscripts published by Houghton Mifflin in its distinguished Mariner Original Paperback line. In addition to the publication prize each winner will be awarded a fellowship to attend the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in August 2009. No judge is mandated to pick a winner if he or she does not deem the finalist manuscripts ready for publication.

Judges for the year 2008 Prizes: Antonya Nelson, fiction; Tom Bissell, creative nonfiction; Eavan Boland, poetry.

Rules of Eligibility
The Bakeless Prizes require that poetry manuscripts contain at least 50 pages of text; fiction, which includes novels and short-fiction collections, 150-450; creative nonfiction, 150-300.

The competition welcomes manuscripts from all authors, including non-US citizens, writing in English who have not yet published a book in their entry's genre. Scholarly, critical, and historical works will not be considered in the creative nonfiction category. Manuscripts may contain stories, poems, chapters, and essays that have already been published individually in magazines, anthologies, and periodicals, but the manuscript itself cannot have been published previously as a whole, commercially or privately. Multiple submissions of manuscripts are allowed but contestants are asked to notify the contest coordinator immediately if a manuscript has been accepted for publication elsewhere.

Guidelines for Manuscripts
Please observe the following standards when submitting manuscripts:

Typed and double-spaced pages on letter-size (8 1/2 x 11) paper
Poetry manuscripts may be single-spaced
Good-quality photocopied or letter-quality printed manuscripts are acceptable.
Include 2 cover pages: one containing the author's name, address, Phone number, manuscript title, and genre, the other containing only title and genre.
The author's name must not appear on any page of the manuscript, except for memoir.
Do not include an author's note or biographical information.
Do not include a publication acknowledgments page.
Revisions and additions will not be accepted once manuscripts have been received.
The above guidelines will help to insure efficient handling of the manuscripts as well as the process of judging them anonymously. In the case of a manuscript not conforming with the above guidelines, the manuscript becomes ineligible for consideration and the entry fee will be returned.

Requirements for Submission
Send one copy of each submission.
Include: a $10 processing fee for each submission, payable to Middlebury College; a self-addressed postage-paid postcard for confirmation of manuscript receipt; an SASE for receiving announcement of the judges' decisions. Manuscripts, even if accompanied by an SASE, cannot be returned.

Dates for Submission and Notification
Manuscript submissions accepted September 15 to November 1, 2007.
Manuscripts received with postmarks after November 1 cannot be considered.
Winners announced in May, 2008.

Please send manuscripts to
Mr. Ian Pounds, contest coordinator
The Bakeless Contest
c/o Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
Middlebury College
Middlebury VT 05753
E-mail: bakeless@middlebury.edu
Phone: 802 443-2018

Contest: Atlantic Monthly (Deadline Dec. 1)

The Atlantic Monthly invites submissions of poetry, fiction, and personal or journalistic essays for its 2007 Student Writing Contest.

Categories
Poetry, fiction, and personal or journalistic essays.

Prizes
First $1,000 | Second: $500 | Third: $250
and one-year subscriptions to The Atlantic Monthly for seven runners-up in each category.

ENTRANTS must be full-time undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled in an accredited degree-granting U.S. institution. Submissions should be original, unpublished work (they may have appeared in student periodicals) demonstrating superior quality of expression and craftsmanship.

SUBMISSIONS should not exceed three poems or 7,500 words of prose. No entrant may send more than one submission per category, and entries must be postmarked by December 1, 2007.

MANUSCRIPTS should be typewritten (one side only, please) double-spaced, and accompanied by a cover sheet with the following information: title, category, word count, author's name, address, phone number, e-mail address (if available), and academic institution. Of this information, only the title should appear on the manuscript itself.

PLEASE PROVIDE a stamped, self-addressed postcard for acknowledgement of receipt. We cannot provide information on the status of a manuscript until winners are announced, in the May 2008 issue. Winners will receive notification in March.

POSTMARK SUBMISSIONS BY DECEMBER 1, 2007, AND SEND TO:
Student Writing Contest
The Atlantic Monthly
The Watergate
600 New Hampshire Ave, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
Submissions will not be accepted via e-mail or fax.

Fall Class Opening: WR 554 - Writing About Violence

Graduate-only courses are precious and rare (great in-depth discussion, more personal attention, 20 students or less). Sign up now, while seats are still available!

WR 554 - Writing About Violence
Taught by Debra Gwartney

This course will confront the challenges of writing about the dynamic of violent acts, from domestic abuse to the individual response to war, and the exquisite care—tone, syntax, imagery, pacing—required to portray such searing episodes. Books include Youth (Coetzee); Bastard Out of Carolina (Allison); Father of All Things (Bissell); Survival in Auschwitz (Levi); A Woman in Berlin (Anonymous). This course is restricted to graduate students in the writing program; instructor approval required (gwartney@pdx.edu). Please email if you're interested or if you want more information.

Job: Burning Word Director

Burning Word Director Job Description

The Washington Poets Association is seeking candidates for the new position of Burning Word Director. The successful applicant will work directly with the WPA Burning Word Committee to guarantee a successful annual poetry festival.

Responsibilities include: aiding planning, performer selection, scheduling, budget and graphic look and feel; communicating with selected performers, e.g. invitation to perform, contracts, photos, bios, and festival logistics; basic administrative
tasks, including mailings to Board members, replying to e-mail about Burning Word, budget tracking, etc.; creating and distributing PR materials, including press releases, press packets, fliers and posters; assisting with sponsorships and ad sales; coordinating facilities for the festival, e.g. stage, tents, signage, etc.; coordinating volunteers for set-up, day-of, and tear-down; being on-site for the festival to coordinate event and handle last-minute logistics.

Skills needed include: familiarity with word processing and spreadsheet programs (Word and Excel); good writing and communication skills; experience coordinating large events; good at multi-tasking and paying attention to details.

Hourly rate is $15. Position is for 250 hours of work between September and May. Washington Poets Association
will review applications submitted complete with resume and references through September 10. Successful candidate will be selected on or shortly after September 16.

Congratualtions to Wegonians in Portland Monthly!

Nonfiction students Alexis Nelson and Jonathan Fine each wrote a piece in the August issue of Portland Monthly:

"The Grappler," an homage to "flea mart" wrestler Sandy Barr, by Jonathan Fine in The Mudroom.

"Cart-ography," interviews with downtown food cart owners, by Alexis Nelson in P-town Diary.

Congratulations! If anyone knows of any recent brag-worthy Wegonian accomplishments, let me know or feel free to post.

Job: Executive Director of Sitka Center for Art and Ecology

Title: Executive Director

Status: Regular, Full time, exempt position
Starting Salary: $55,000 - 60,000 annually DOE, plus contributions toward insurance

Background & Scope Of Responsibility

Located on the central Oregon coast at Cascade Head Ranch near the Salmon River estuary, within view of the Pacific Ocean, Sitka Center is at the nexus —a place where diverse people and ideas converge, co-mingle, and depart transformed. The dreams of the founders have grown into year-round programs that engage individuals in the creative investigation of art, ecology, and the space in between.

Founded in 1970, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology fosters creative inquiry and education. The Sitka Center offers a workshop program each season from April – October with over 80 classes offered in natural sciences to the arts. During the fall and spring, the Sitka Center sponsors a residence program drawing artists, writers, and natural scientists from all over the world as residents. To accomplish this, Sitka Center maintains a facility appropriate to its needs in harmony with the inspirational coastal environment of Cascade Head.

The organization currently has a staff of 3 and an annual operational budget of $450,000. The Executive Director is the chief executive officer for Sitka Center and is responsible to nurture and carry forward the mission and strategic vision of the organization through fundraising, program development, and maintaining a close partnership with the Board of Directors, major donors, and the community at the Coast.

Are you an experienced leader with high degree of self-awareness and ability to communicate and relate well to a wide range of people?

* Do you have passion for and a demonstrated commitment to the arts?
* Are you a strong, charismatic and compassionate Director that has the demonstrated ability to bring staff and board together to achieve a mission?
* Are you a person who knows what it’s like to work in a small non-profit organization with a willingness to roll up your sleeves and do whatever it takes to be successful?

If so, this position may be a good fit for you. This is a high level position and requires someone with the following experience and characteristics:

* Proven successful leadership experience, preferably working with a non-profit organization
* A curiosity about the world with an interest and respect for current issues
* Demonstrated ability to lead, support and motivate a staff as a collaborative leader
* Ability to oversee the smooth functioning of a Center that hosts a complex schedule of frequent events.
* A desire and ability to actively promote the Sitka Center to supporters, community partners, and potential funders.
* Great written and oral communication skills, including some public speaking
* A proven ability to listen mindfully
* Experience developing and running programs
* Able to move to the Oregon coast to be a part of the local community

To learn more about the Sitka Center: please go to: www.sitkacenter.org

To Apply: Please submit a detailed letter showing your passion for the mission of the Sitka Center and why you should be the next Executive Director, as well as names of 4 references and a resume to: bh@tacs.org with “the Sitka Center” in the title by September 24th at 5:00. Or by mail to: TACS 1001 SE Water St, Suite 490, Portland, OR 97214. Attn: Bob Hazen, the Sitka Center

Submissions: Pop Culture Essay (Deadline Oct. 31)

Barrelhouse, a literary magazine based in Washington, DC, is accepting submissions for its second annual Pop Culture Essay
Contest! The editors are looking for great creative nonfiction with a pop culture slant.

The winner will receive $150 and publication in print issue six. One runner-up will be published in the online edition.

The contest deadline is October 31, 2007. $7 per entry. Please submit work on the online submissions manager at www.barrellhousemag.com.

To get a better idea of what the editors are looking for, and for any additional information, visit the website or email
webmaster@barrelhousemag. com.

Contest: Missouri Review (Deadline Oct. 1)

17th Annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize in Fiction, Essay and Poetry
Not Just Any Contest!
www.missourireview.com

Select winning entries in the past have been reprinted in the Best American series

$3,000 Fiction | $3,000 Poetry |$3,000 Essay

The deadline for the 2007 competition will be October 1.

Complete Guidelines:
(No other information is needed to enter)
Page restrictions: Please include no more than 25 typed, double-spaced pages for fiction and nonfiction. Poetry entries can include any number of poems up to 10 pages. Each story or essay constitutes one entry.

Entry fee: $20 for each entry (make checks payable to The Missouri Review). Each fee entitles the entrant to a one-year subscription to TMR, an extension of a current subscription, or a gift subscription. Please indicate your choice and enclose a complete address for subscriptions.

Entries must be clearly addressed to: Missouri Review Editors' Prize, 357 McReynolds Hall, UMC, Columbia, MO 65211. The outside of the envelope must be marked "Fiction," "Essay" or "Poetry." Each entry in each category must be mailed in a separate envelope.

On the first page of each submission, please include the author's name, address, email address and telephone number.
Entries must be previously unpublished and will not be returned. No SASE is necessary. We accept simultaneous submissions. Please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere.

One winner and three finalists will be chosen in each category. Announcements will be posted on our website on or before 1/31/08. Winners will be published and finalists announced in the spring issue of The Missouri Review. Finalists in all categories will receive a minimum of $100 and consideration for publication at regular publication pay rates.

If you have any questions regarding the Editors' Prize Contest, please feel free to e-mail us at: contest_question@missourireview.com.

Volunteer/internship: Tea blog

From Michelle Rabin of www.tching.com:

I am looking for a special student who might appreciate the opportunity to participate in my tea blog. Please check me out at
www.tching.com We are an educational blog devoted to turning Americans on to tea. We'll be losing our editor and I've given some thought to considering what a student might be able to contribute. I live in Hood River, relocating from the east coast 3 years ago. I'm a psychologist by trade but in making the move here, have taken another direction for myself. It is my intention to make T Ching THE tea site online. Not a small task, but we've managed to attract leaders in the field of tea and science as guest contributors.

When I think about the editor position, I realize that it will evolve to be an exceptional position for the right person. One can be any where in the world, with a very flexible schedule (and internet access of course) and eventually, once we've grown, will earn a nice living in this position. Currently it is a volunteer position with a promise of first option for the future paid position. For the right student, it might look more like an internship. It would be wonderful experience and certainly look good on a resume.

Best regards,

Michelle Rabin, Ph.D.
michelle@tching.com
tching.com

Fellowship: Oregon Historical Society (Deadline Oct. 1)

Donald J. Sterling, Jr., Research Fellowships in Pacific Northwest History

The Sterling Fellowships in Pacific Northwest History at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland have been established through an endowment, made possible by the family of Donald J. Sterling, Jr., to encourage original, scholarly, interpretive research in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. The Society offers two Fellowships each year—a Senior Fellowship ($2,500), which is open to all applicants, and a Graduate Research Fellowship ($2,000), which is restricted to candidates for advanced degrees.

The recipient of the Fellowship will be given special access to OHS’s Research Library with its extensive collection of manuscripts, maps, photographs, and other resources. The Library holds strong collections in business and economic development, labor, arts, conservation and land use, migration, politics and government, and the activities of women and ethnic groups.

Fellows will be in residence in the OHS Research Library for four weeks during the calendar year following the award (not necessarily in one block of time). A 250-word written report on the research completed will be required within a month after the Fellowship ends. While at the Society, each Fellow will give a public lecture on his or her research. Within a year of completing the Fellowship, recipients will submit an article based on their research for possible publication in OHS’s quarterly journal, the Oregon Historical Quarterly.

Applicants for the Fellowship need not be professional historians, but they must have experience in historical research and writing. Preference will be given to scholars who have suitable research topics, who have the potential of making a significant contribution to historical scholarship on Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, and who evidence the ability to write an article-length manuscript for OHQ.

Anyone who has worked for the Oregon Historical Society three years previous to the application are ineligible to apply.

To be considered for the Fellowship, an applicant must present the following:
Letter of application
Description of the project, including the significance of the project, a selected bibliography, and the OHS Research Library
collections that might be used. (no more than 3,000 words)
Resume or c.v.
Two letters of support

2007 Submission Deadline: October 1, 2007

Send application materials to:

Donald J. Sterling, Jr., Research Fellowship
Editor, Oregon Historical Quarterly
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR 97205

Sumissions: What's Funky? (Deadline Sept. 31)

Indiana Review is now seeking creative work (art, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction) with a funky aesthetic for our Summer 2008 issue. Funk, of course, defies a single definition, but we're looking for interpretations of funk that make you want to jump back and kiss yourself. We will still be accepting regular submissions, but if you would like your work to be considered for this section, mark it "Attn: Funk Editor".

***Please note that we will only be reading submissions for this special section during the month of September. Anything submitted after this date will be returned (no matter how funky it is).***

How to submit: There is no need to query editors about submitting work. Submission status may be queried by mail or email, but please allow 4 months before querying. All submissions and correspondence MUST include a self-addressed stamped envelope. We cannot respond to submissions otherwise. Include additional postage if work is to be returned. Send only one submission, and wait for a response before sending another. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but we must be promptly notified of acceptance elsewhere. Clearly mark envelope to the appropriate genre editor's attention (e.g. "Fiction Editor"). Include cover letter listing work titles, previous publications and awards, and a SHORT bio. For receipt confirmation, please include email address. Explanations of manuscript meaning, theme, or technique are not necessary. No handwritten, faxed, emailed, or poorly copied/printed manuscripts will be considered. Further, IR cannot consider work (other than book reviews)from anyone currently or recently affiliated with Indiana University.

Sample Issues: Sample copies of IR are available for $9. Add $6 per issue for postage outside of the United States ($3.50 for Canada).

Contact Info: Send all correspondence to address below. Again, please note that we cannot accept email submissions.

Indiana Review
Ballantine Hall 465
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405-7103

Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards Program (Deadline Dec. 31)

The SFWP Literary Awards Program is back and better than ever with Pulitzer Prize winning author Robert Olen Butler on board as judge.

Featuring the largest cash prizes in the history of our program, the winner and two runners-up will receive:

1st prize: $2,500
2nd prize: $1,500
3rd prize: $1,000

The Program has begun and will run through December 31st, 2007. Any entries post-marked later than December 31st will not be accepted. Review and judging will begin on January 15th 2008.

The program is open to all authors except for those previously published by a major house (Random House, Viking, etc. See the FAQ for further details.). Your entry will be reviewed by our staff for eligibility and you will be contacted and refunded if you are not eligible. Due to the length of the awards program, we do allow authors to shop their work around.

Remember: All entries must be accompanied by a $30 reading fee ($25 for students). Send your entry and fee to:

Santa Fe Writers Project
#350
369 Montezuma Ave
Santa Fe, NM 87501

SFWP’s program began in 2000 and has been judged by National Book Critics Circle Award-winner Jayne Anne Phillips, two-time NEA fellow and Hemingway Award finalist Richard Currey, Granta "best novelist under 40" and Guggenheim fellow Chris Offutt, and popular essayist Ayun Halliday.

For guidelines, click here.

Contest: Oregon Writers Colony (Deadline Aug. 20)

OWC WRITING CONTEST 2007

Short Stories: Both True and Imagined

Deadline: Postmarked no later than Monday, August 20th, 2007

CASH AWARDS!

1st Place in each category: $200 2nd Place in each category: $100
3rd Place in each category: $50 1st Honorable Mention/Certificate of Achievement.
Additional Honorable Mentions credited in Colonygram and on OWC website.

FUN FACTS

» First place winners are featured on the cover of the Colonygram.
» All winners are invited to read excepts from their stories at OWC Presents in October
» Several contest-winning stories have since been published
» For Writers of books: the contest deadline can goad you into creating a marketable short story from y our unpublished book. Publishing a story from the book attracts agents and editors to your whole book.

» Entering the contest supports the Oregon Writers Colony – whose mission is to support you.

Judging Criteria (not necessarily in order of importance)

Plot (hook, complications and satisfying resolution)
Sensory detail
Originality
Depth of character
Evokes emotion in reader (e.g. chuckle, sadness)
Tension
Theme (what story is about beyond the plot, e.g. duty, change)
Mechanics (grammar, point of view, showing/telling etc)
Follows the contest director's nit-picky Contest Rules

Contest Rules

Original, unpublished submissions, postmarked and submitted now thru August 14th.
Word limit – 2500 max, fiction and nonfiction
Enter as many stories as you like.
One story, one entry, per submission packet
Fees per entry: $10/OWC member, $15/non-member, $10 optional fee for a brief, supportive critique.

Submission packet check off list:

- SASP (Self addressed stamped postcard) for receipt/your peace of mind
- Four stapled copies of one story.
- Standard manuscript format (double-spaced, .5" paragraph indents, at least one-inch margins, 12 pt. Courier or Times New Roman font).5" paragraph indents, at least one-inch margins, 12 pt. Courier or Times New Roman font)
- On first page, specify word count and category (fiction, nonfiction).
- NO author information on story. This is an anonymous contest.
- One business envelope labeled fiction or nonfiction, with the following sealed inside:
- Check for entry fee, can combine with optional critique fee.
- 3x5 card (please, no odd-sized cards) with: Category (fiction, nonfiction); Your name, address, email address, phone; Title of entry; Where you found out about this contest
- #10 SASE for contest results and optional critique (additional $10) which will be mailed in early October

Mail to: OWC Contest, C. Lill Ahrens, 306 NW 32nd St., Corvallis OR 97330.

Questions? Contact: C. Lill Ahrens, contest coordinator. cclill@comcast.net

English Honor Society

Sigma Tao Delta, the English honor society, is creating a chapter at Portland State. Reward yourself for the endless hours you've spent sharpening your mind in college. Improve your resume by becoming a charter member of the university's newest honor society. Members need not be English majors - simply meet the following requirements:

• Completion of at least 5 quarters of undergraduate study

• Completion of 8 credits in English/Writing

• Attainment of at least a 3.3 GPA in English and overall

Graduate students are welcome and encouraged to join.

A lifetime membership to Sigma Tao Delta is only $37, and includes a frameable certificate, lapel pin, and 1-year subscription to both the society’s newsletter and literary journal. Please view the Sigma Tao Delta website and contact Professor Susan Reese or myself to discuss the many benefits that society membership brings.

Sigma Tao Delta: www.english.org

Jay Johnston
withat@msn.com