Zoetrope's 11th Annual Short Fiction Contest

Your work will be judged by Joyce Carol Oates herself if you enter this short-story contest by October 1, 2007. 1st prize: $1,000, 2nd prize: $500, 3rd prize: $250. Please go to their website for complete contest guidelines. Note: there is a $15 per story entry fee.

Ellen LaForge Memorial Poetry Foundation Poetry Prize

This contest deadline of August 31, 2007 is right around the corner, but if you already have 6 poems totaling no more than 12 pages, send a SASE to: Ellen LaForge Memorial Poetry Foundation, Poetry Prize, 172 Auburn Street, #2, Cambridge, MA 02139 for contest guidelines. This could lead to a $1000 prize and publication in the Ellen LaForge Memorial Poetry Prize Annual. There is a $10 entry fee per submission.

First Annual Tonka Fiction Contest

The winning entry will be published and it's author will receive $1000 and a personalized, engraved plaque featuring a print of the cover art from the award issue! Second place is $100, third place is $50, and there will be 10 Honorable Mentions. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable as long as you let them know. Entries must be postmarked between August 15 and November 30, 2007, and there is a $10 entry fee. Check out their website for the rest of the contest rules.

American Literary Review Sponsors 3 Contests

A small submission fee of $15 will get you in the running for any one of three annual contests: short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Entries must be postmarked by November 1, 2007. First prize is $1000 and publication in their Fall 2008 issue.

And now, for something fun...

Get off that computer for a second on Sunday and go check out friend-o-LAwritersgroup.com and former moderator, J. Keith Van Straaten's cult hit live on stage show, What's My Line. Remember the old television show where they blindfolded the celebrity guest panel members and they had to guess a stranger's off-the-wall occupation by asking questions? Click on over there and go buy your ticket to the last show of the season! They sell out quickly so clickety click click on over there darlings.... go. now. stop reading already. Geez it's not like you have to turn off the computer to buy your ticket. :)

Sage Anthropology Book Seeking Writers

LISNews.org | Sage Anthropology Book Seeking Writers: "We are putting out a call for authors for our next project, the Handbook of 21st Century Anthropology, also published by Sage. The editor is seeking anthropologists and librarians with undergrad or grad degrees in anthropology. The work involves writing book chapters of 7,000 words."

Contest Tips

Caroline Walton has compiled this very helpful list of contest-entry does and don'ts to help assure that your submission will be considered and accepted.

Oregon State Poetry Association Contest

The Oregon State Poetry Association's deadline for their Fall anthology is August 31, 2007. Prizes range from $100 to $20. There is a small submission fee, and your entries must not have been previously published.

Tongue and Groove

Go check out Conrad and crew's Tongue and Groove monthly readings and "Offering[s] of Short Fiction, Personal Essays, Poetry, Spoken Word, and Music" hosted by the Hotel Cafe on Cahuenga Blvd in Los Angeles. The groovilicious peeps featured this month are, according to Conrad:

• Salvador Plascencia is an East LA and USC kid who had his first novel published by McSweeneys. He'll be reading a new short story.
• Michael O'Keefe - is an actor, director, lyricist and Zen priest among other things. In his spare time he earned an MFA in poetry from Bennington College. Look for him on the golf course or in "Saving Grace" on TV and "American Crime" and "Michael Clayton" in theatres soon.
• David O'Shea drove cabs in NY for nearly a decade and is a master story teller.
• Laura Diamond is the editor and contributor of a book about motherhood and childhood. Proceeds from her book will go to benefit various women's centers.
• Sharon Mosier is an engineer by day and scribbler by night.
• Musical guest is the wild and wonderful Izzy Cox.

Go. Have fun. Be groovy. Fictionalize.

For the Over-50 Crowd ~

If you will be over 50 by the submission date deadline of August 7, 2007, you're eligible to enter Blinking Eye Publishing's annual poetry competition. The overall winner will have a collection of his/her poems published by Blinking Eye, and 100 copies of that collection. Submission fee is €10 per 5 poems. If the winner is unable to submit the proposed collection of poems, Blinking Eye Publishing reserves the right to offer the winner €500 as an alternative prize.

Call for Submissions: Winter Stories for Anthology

Freya's Bower invites you to participate in "Dream by the Fire: Winter Magic," a special winter anthology to be released in e-book format the first week of December. Please be advised this is not exclusively a Christmas anthology. While Christmas stories are welcome, as are all other winter-time holidays regardless culture or faith, the anthology as a whole will be a collection that celebrates winter, the season of giving, of finding warmth and thanks. Tell a story that will keep a shivering woman warm on the longest night of the year, and you're telling a story that is perfect for this anthology.

Submissions should be romantic tales between 2,000 and 8,000 words. Even though Freya's Bower welcomes romance of all sexual orientations, this anthology will focus on one man, one woman relationships. Stories may be contemporary, paranormal/fantasy, or historical and end happily-ever-after or happily-for-now. Heat levels may range from Sweet to Tangy (see Freya's Bower for heat level definitions).

All submissions must follow regular guidelines as stated at http://www.freyasbower.com.

E-mail submissions and any questions you have to Michelle or Bonnie, fbwinterantho@gmail.com

Deadline to submit is September 30, 2007. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Regarding Loving Your Puppy

Dog Blessings: Poems, Prose and Prayers Celebrating Our Relationship with Dogs is accepting submissions for their next publication. Deadline is October 31, 2007, and they will pay $25 per selection plus one copy of the book.

Dreams and Nightmares Magazine is Accepting Submissions

Fantasy and Science Fiction is their specialty, with a preference for Fantastic Horror. They pay $10 plus two copies upon acceptance of your poems, and $5 for your drawings. They also accept the occasional short story, and there's no submissions fee.

Prestige Plus A Little Cash -- Interested?

The Poetry Society of New Hampshire sponsors four contests each year. The next deadline is August 15, 2007. There's a small submission fee, and your work must not be previously published, have won a prize, or currently entered in another contest. Other than that, if your work is less than 40 lines, mail two copies to them and you're good to go. There's a $100 1st prize.

Is Historical Fiction Your Thing?

Fish Publishing and The Historical Novel Society are sponsoring their 3rd Short Fiction Contest. Closing date is September 30, 2007. 1st prize is €1,500, publication, and 10 copies of the Fish Anthology. There's a €20 submission fee, and for €45 they will critique your work. Check the exchange rate and the entrance rules, and onward to the past!

See Your Poem or Short Story in Print!

The new Dreamquestone.com Poetry and Writing contest deadline is July 31, 2007. The top three winning entries will be published in the Dare to Dream book of poetry. There is a minimal entry fee ($5 for poems, $10 for short stories), but you can even submit pieces that are handwritten!

Two $1000 Prizes Awarded Each Year!

The American Poetry Review is always accepting submissions of poetry without a fee. How can you resist?

Which Contests are Fair?

This is a great little article on how to research the contest you are about to enter. It's always good to check into it. Don't get overwhelmed, though, because you don't want to research your way into never submitting to a single contest!

Put Your Divorce to Work For You!

Send an inspirational short story about your divorce to CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE DIVORCED SOUL STORY CONTEST before July 30, 2007, for a chance at a $350 prize.

Got Poems?

If you're a woman who's got enough poetry to fill a 50 - 80 page volume, you have a shot at a $1000 prize plus publication. Note the $20 submission fee.

AAA Screenplay Contest Deadline Extended

The AAA screenplay contest, sponsored by Creative Screenwriting, has extended their deadline to submit scripts to August 1st instead of the 7/15/07 deadline listed on the site.

Contest Tips - Helpful Hints to Successful Entries

The Cassell Network of Writers (CNW) came up with this handy-dandy list of clear and simple contest guidelines.

Something for Everyone at Oncewritten.com

Oncewritten.com sponsors many annual contests for new and emerging writers. With minimal submission fees, and nice cash prizes / publication as goals, how can you lose?

Poetry/Flash-Fiction Contest - $200 Prize!!

September 30th, 2007, is the deadline for submissions to the Many Mountains Moving Poetry/Flash Fiction Contest. If your work is in English, not previously or simultaneously published, and you can ante up a $10 submission fee, this may be right up your alley. Entries may also be eligible for publication.

Of the Heart Call for Poetry and Short Stories

These folks contacted us today about their call for poetry and short stories for their soon-to-be-published series of books.

They are planning to publish five titles within our "Of The Heart" series, and are looking for submissions for the following titles:

1. Yearnings of the Heart
A Mosaic of Things Hoped For
2. Passions of the Heart
A Mosaic of One's Capacity to Love
3. Railings of the Heart
The People of a Nation Speak
4. Sorrows of the Heart
A Mosaic of Life's Tragedies

If you would like further information please visit their Web site at www.bookmarketingsolutions.com/poetrycall.htm

Short and Fast

This short story/poetry/creative non-fiction/children's literature contest ends as soon as they pick a winner. The only other specification is that your piece be 1,000 words or less.

Short-Short Story Contest

This could be perfect for those of you who don't take long to tell a story! If you submit your work by August 1, 2007, you might win $200 and publication in Big Muddy, a Journal of the Mississippi River Valley. Note: there is a $15 reading fee.

Internet Publisher Looking for Writers

We received an email today from Access Originals:

"We would like to introduce your writers to Access Originals, an internet publisher. We are looking for high quality books that will encourage reader discussion. Authors may also submit short stories to our free monthly short story competitions. Authors of accepted books are paid in three ways: 1 – royalty for book sold on CD or by e-mail; 2 – a share of the pool of subscription fees collected annually; 3 – the number of votes the book receives from our Premium Members annually. More information about Access Originals, including Author’s Guidelines and a catalog of our current offerings, is available at AccessOriginals.com. Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues."

Blencoe Essay Contest - Win a 3 bedroom home

Five bucks and an essay can win you a home in Blencoe, Iowa:

See the website:
Blencoe Essay Contest - Win this 3 bedroom home

For further validation, read an article about the contest in the Sioux City Journal

Deadline: July 28th, 2007

Zoetrope: All-Story: Contests

Fiction contest judged by Joyce Carol Oates

"...First prize: $1,000, Second prize: $500m Third prize: $25....The winner and seven finalists will be considered for representation by the William Morris Agency, ICM, Regal Literary, the Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Inkwell Management, Sterling Lord Literistic, and the Georges Borchardt Literary Agency.... The winning story will be published at this website as a special online supplement to All-Story's Spring 2008 issue. We accept all genres of literary fiction. Entries must be: unpublished; 5,000 words or less; postmarked by October 1, 2007... "

Cup of Comfort Seeking Essays for Anthology

Now you can make your pain pay off for you. If you are the spouse or child of someone who has Alzheimer's disease, Cup of Comfort is publishing an anthology that might benefit you catharticaly as well as with a small monetary bonus of $100. Your experience might benefit others who read it. Entries must be submitted by August 15, 2007.

Toasted Cheese

What a great resource the Toasted-Cheese website is! Not only do they accept poetry, creative non-fiction, flash fiction, and fiction submissions for their online journal, but they also have a plethora of writing prompts, as a giant list of literary journals.

Los Angeles Open Mic Resources

Even though open mics often get quiet during the summer months - here are a couple
of links where you can check out Southern California open mic events:

http://www.poetryflash.org/socal_opens.html
http://www.poeticdiversity.org/main/calendar.php

and of course for those of you on the west side - Beyond Baroque has
some great open mic nights

http://www.beyondbaroque.org/