Write Spot

Forget the overpriced coffee and overly hip would-be writers hogging up all the good couches at the Insomnia Cafe.  We've all been there, we've all done that.  We all know that folks there spend more time acting like they're writing than actually writing.  Seriously.

If you're an eastsider, check out the Silverlake Coffee Company on Glendale.  With practical tables and chairs, convenient outlets, free wi-fi, real food, and some of the best coffee in town, it's a fantastic spot for getting out of the house and getting some writing done.  Filled with writers actually writing, the vibe is energizing, not pretentious.  And with new, longer hours, you may actually finish that draft.

Which you can celebrate with a drink at the Red Lion Beer Garden next door...

First Things First ~ Passager Calls For Submissions

If you're over 50, this publication may be just the thing for you! Passager's mission is to explore the imagination during the later years. They publish two issues a year, featuring poetry, fiction, memoir, and "Pass it On," a collection of their readers personal stories on a given topic. Their current topic is "Firsts," and you are invited to sent them 250 words or less of informal prose about some "first" in your life, (no poems or fiction, please). You have until September 15 to submit your work.

Location Inspiration

Los Angeles is a great city for writers.

From Raymond Chandler to Asphalt Jungle, from Joan Didion to LA Story, the city has featured prominently in movies, novels, short stories, poetry, you name it. As a writer looking for inspiration, wanting to plunge a little deeper into the history of the city, or trying to find a unique backdrop for your work, it's well worth your time to check out the LA Conservancy's Walking Tours. With tours inside and outside of Victorian mansions in Angelino Heights, a historical walk amid the Art Deco and Baux Arts architecture of downtown (including the incredible, well-filmed Bradbury building), or an exploration of the old-school movie palaces on Broadway, you can immerse yourself in often-overlooked corners of Los Angeles that helps gives this city its rich texture.

Tours run every Saturday.

International Playwriting Monodrama Competition 2008

The theme is "Clash", and the submission deadline is March 31, 2008, for the International Playwriting Monodrama Competition 2008. The International Playwrights Forum and International Monodrama Forum of the International Theater Institute, in collaboration with United Arab Emirates Center of the ITI in Fujairah, invites playwrights to write monodramas inspired by whatever "Clash" may mean to them. The play has to be a monodrama: written for one performer. Each playwright may submit only one monodrama that should be approximately 45 to 70 minutes long, 20 to 40 pages, and 1800 characters (with spaces) per page. There's no entry fee for this interesting event.

• 1st prize: $1500 US dollars
• 2nd prize: $1000
• 3rd prize: $500

In addition, winners accept a first performance in the form of a play reading or full production (without further remuneration or royalties).

Dancing Poetry Contest

The deadline is March 15, 2008 for the fourteenth annual Dancing Poetry Contest, which, with Natica Angilly's Poetic Dance Theater Company, is sponsored by Artists Embassy International, whose goal is to present Poetry and Dance as a unified art form. All prize winners will receive a certificate suitable for framing, and be invited to read their prize-winning poem at the Dancing Poetry Festival, Saturday, September 27, 2008 in the Florence Gould Theater in the Palace of the Legion of Honor Art Museum in San Francisco.

• Three Grand Prize Winners will receive $100, plus the poems will be danced and videotaped for you. Also, each Grand Prize Winner will be invited on stage for photo ops with the dancers and a bow in the lime lite.
• Five First Prizes will receive $50 each.
• Ten Second Prizes will receive $25 each.
• Twenty-five Third Prizes will receive $10 each.

The entry fee is $5 for one poem, and $10 for up to three poems. There is a 40-line maximum per poem, but no limit on the number of entries. Please go to their website for the rest of the contest guidelines.

Tongue and Goove Reading at Hotel Cafe

This just in from TONGUE and GROOVE- Readings:

TONGUE and GROOVE- Readingsat the Hotel Cafe, Sunday January 27th- 6:00 to 7:30pm

We're back with our monthly offering of short fiction, personal essays, poetry, spoken word and music.

This month featuring: Aimee Bender, the author of three books, including "Willful Creatures" and "The Girl in the Flammable Skirt"; writer and translator Sasha Watson, author of the forth coming novel, "Vidalia in Paris"; Milo Martin, veteran of the L.A. poetry scene and author of the soon-to-be-released "poems for the utopian nihilist..."; Doug Cordell, Emmy-nominated playwright and Marketplace radio commentator; Nikki Muller makes her West coast debut and will read from her manuscript and I, Conrad Romo , will rankly a few feathers with some stuff about a cult. Plus music by indie/alt country performer Chuck Lee Bramlet

See and hear what t&g is all about because as always it'll be. pound for pound, word for word, and beat for beat, a fine and cool experience.

Sunday the 27th of January
6:00-7:30 pm
The Hotel Café
1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
1/3rd of a block below Hollywood Bl.
Hollywood, Ca 90028
$5.00

How 'bout parking? Free street parking if you can find it or for a few bucks use the secure lot, down the alley/behind the club.

Get there early. Seating is limited and we're starting on time.
www.tongueandgroovela.com www.hotelcafe.com

Scratch - Monthly Writing Contest

This just in from scratch:

"Introducing scratch, the monthly writing contest itching to discover new talent.
scratch seeks new short fiction and offers rotating guest judges-authors, agents, editors and publishers.

Help us discover new writing talent. Let us help you build publication credits.

Small fee to enter, cash prizes and publication every month, plus annual anthology.

For more information and links to ENTER this month, go to http://www.scratchcontest.net

Be one of the first to jump on the bandwagon. This program is being rolled out in NYC at this month's AWP Conference for 7000 attendees."

Finding Quotes For Query Letters ...

Your query letter will have more attention-grabbing pizazz if you can quote an expert or two about the topic of your article. But how can you talk to an expert when you haven't been assigned an article yet? How, even, can you find one? Susan Denney answers these relevant questions in this helpful article that lists 6 terrific tips that will show you how to do just that!

2nd Annual Mothering Heights Mother's Day Essay Contest

Mothering Heights wants to know what you know now as a mom that you'd wish you'd known before becoming a parent. What wry, witty, honest and personal observations would you share with Mother and Mothers-to-be everywhere? The second annual Mother's Day Essay Contest submission deadline is February 15, and they are accepting essays from around the world. Essays must be

• 1,000 to 1,500 words
• In English
• Original content
• Include a 100 to 150-word bio on the author

Twenty essays will be chosen to be featured in a book to be published for Mother's Day 2008. Each featured writer will receive a Mothering Heights Tiara and three copies of the book. Please go to their website for further details and submission guidelines.

"Steal From The Best Contest" -- Short Stories Only!

Hazel Street Productions has chosen some of their favorite lines from some of their favorite movies for their "Steal From the Best Contest." Each submission must contain one of the seven phrases listed below. Choose one per submission.

1. "I didn't know the meaning of fear until I kissed Becky."
2. "Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh ... everything's perfectly alright now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?"
3. "Don't say that you're more sorry than I am, because I'm capable of being just as sorry as you are ... "
4. "Murderers are the best, I think; they're so polite."
5. "Just forget you ever saw it. It's better that way."
6. "I'm going to rest my eyes for a moment. But go on. I am listening ... "
7. "I hate it when someone gives away the ending."

Each submission must be between 800 and 2500 words long. Entry fees are $10 per up to 2 submissions per person, and $15 for 3 to 5 submissions per person, and the deadline is March 15, 2008.

• 1st Place: $750
• 2nd Place: $150
• 3rd Place: $75
• 4th Place: $25

In addition, the top winning entries will be published at www.hazelst.com. If this contest receives enough entries, each and every winning entry will also be published in an anthology. So make sure you share this info with other writer friends! All winners will receive 2 copies of the anthology. Please go to their website to see the rest of their contest rules & guidelines.

Ultra-Short Competition

The Binnacle is sponsoring it's Fourth International Ultra-Short Competition in the 2007-2008 academic year. They are looking for poetry of 16 lines or less, and prose of 150 words or less, and will be awarding at least $300 in prizes, with a minimum prize of $50. Since they are the University of Maine at Machias' Literary and Arts Magazine, at least one of the awards will go to a UMM student. They ask that you submit no more than 2 works total, prose and/or poetry, and note that the deadline is February 15, 2008. There is no entry fee. All submissions should be made by email to ummbinnacle@maine.edu. For the rest of the contest guidelines, please go to their website.

Do You Have Real Memories of Real Winters?

The Write Helper is accepting submissions for their "Dead of Winter" Non-Fiction Contest. Since it is a non-fiction contest, ("Just the facts, ma'am"), please send only memoirs, essays, articles and prose in which the facts can be verified. There is a $5 fee per entry, (maximum of 3 entries), up to 2000 words each. Go to their website to see the complete contest guidelines. Every entry will receive a free critique. To receive a thorough line edit, provide an additional $5. Entries must be postmarked by January 31, 2008.

• 1st place -- $70
• 2nd place -- $35
• 3rd place -- $20

Writing Humor For Young Readers

Let's face it: a little humor can make any piece of writing more interesting and enjoyable to read. In this engaging article, peppered with clarifying examples, short-fiction writer Eugie Foster explores the nature of humor. Although she's geared her essay toward writing for children, the lessons she's teaching can be applied to all genres, and toward any age group.

Short and Grim -- Flash Fiction ~

Grim Graffiti is looking for well-written, atmospheric and disturbing dark fiction. While they are interested in all genres, they are especially partial to horror, non-cozy crime fiction, dark fantasy, and dark science fiction. They will consider stories from 500 to 4000 words. The next reading period runs from February 17 through March 17 for their Spring issue, which will be published on April 20, and they will pay $10 for their Grim Editor's Choice story.

Chance to help create a contest....

Please help preview a new writing contest site, www.yourphotostory.com , and offer your suggestions trihst@gmail.com, before the first contest begins on Feb 1st. It is a contest to pick a cute or funny photo from our photo archive and create a short-short story -- 750 words or less. Every two weeks the best story will be displayed on the web, with the author's name. A prize will then be awarded to the best of all the stories submitted during the previous three months.

"Sometimes the Name They Give You is All Wrong"

That's the first line provided by The First Line for submissions to their Spring 2008 issue. All stories must begin with that line, and should be between 300 and 3,000 words. They also accept non-fiction critical essays between 500 and 800 words about your favorite first line of a literary work. Best of all: They Pay! $20 for short stories, $10 for non-fiction, plus a copy of the issue in which your work appears. The deadline for the Spring issue is February 1. Check out their website for further guidelines as well as first lines for their Summer, Fall and Winter issues.

Looking For The Write Word?

This handy-dandy website, RhymeZone, that modestly bills itself as a mere rhyming dictionary, is really a doorway to sooooo much more!!! Here you can not only find words that rhyme: you can find definitions, synonyms, antonyms, related words, similar sounding words, quotations, match specific letters, and even search in Shakespeare! As if that weren't plethora enough, you can even type in a word, and search for pictures, which will bring up a whole slew of related links!

Short Fiction Contest - International Aeon Award

Albedo One (Ireland’s premiere magazine of speculative fiction) has now launched the International Aeon Award 2008 short fiction contest.

The Aeon Award is all about promoting new writers and writing in the speculative fields, which has long been the goal of Albedo One. The quality of stories and submissions to the first and second Award has served to affirm our faith in the value of the speculative genres, and in the direction they will be taking in the future. Last year’s winner was Nina Allan’s “Angelus”, which was announced at a ceremony during the 29th European Science Fiction Convention, Copenhagen, Denmark, September 2007. The story will be published in issue 34 of Albedo One, due out in February.

This year's contest is open to submissions of up to 8000 words (no minimum word limit) in any speculative fiction genre, from Fantasy and Science Fiction to Horror or anything in-between or unclassifiable. The judges have very broad tastes in this regard. The grand prize is 1000 euro and publication in Albedo One. Thanks to the success of last year’s Award, we’ve been able to add a second and third place cash prize of 200 and 100 euro respectively for this year. The second and third place stories will also be published in Albedo One.

The contest will run in four rounds from January 1st 2008 to November 30th 2008. Submissions can be made at any time between those two dates, and stories making the shortlist will be announced shortly after the end of each of the rounds, which end on March 31st, June 30th, September 30th and finally November 30th. After the last round, the top six stories from the shortlist will be chosen and passed on to respected science fiction, fantasy and horror author, Ian Watson (www.ianwatson.info), who will act as Grand Judge and pick the winner and second and third place stories.

The contest is open to writers from all nationalities, though the entries must be written in English. Indeed, we’re keen to have entries from as many nationalities as possible! Full details and guidelines for entering the Award can be found on the Albedo One website at the following link: http://www.albedo1.com/html/aeon_award.html The entry fee for the Award is a paltry €7 (euro) and can be paid easily and securely on the Albedo One site. Email submissions may be made to fraslaw@yahoo.co.uk

Love Story Contest - Story Quarterly and Narrative Magazine

StoryQuarterly announces the SQ Love Story Contest

Open to fiction and nonfiction entries,the contest offers a First Prize of $2,500, a Second Prize of $1,500, a Third Prize of $750, and ten Finalists each will receive $100.

Deadline for entries: March 31, 2008.

Click here for complete details.

Greek and Roman Mythology Poetry Contest

The Tapestry of Bronze is sponsoring a series of poetry contests to celebrate Greek and Roman mythology and the Olympian gods. The subject of the first contest is Zeus (also known as Jupiter), the King of the Gods.

Each poem may be no longer than 30 lines and each poem must be in English.

The first contest opens on February 15, 2008 and remains open until March 31, 2008. However, you can read about the rules and the prizes now by going to

http://www.tapestryofbronze.com/OdeForm.html

Poetry Reading: Los Angeles

This just in from Valley Contemporary Poets:

Please join the VCP for our first reading in the new year!
Sunday
January 13, 2008
3 pm

Valley Contemporary Poets
present
Doug Knott
Scott Wannberg

$5.00 Suggested Donation

Tarzana Community and Cultural Center
19130 Ventura Boulevard, Tarzana, California 91356

The Pedestal Magazine Will Be Accepting Submissions ~

You have until January 19th to tighten and polish your work before The Pedestal Magazine starts accepting submissions for their February issue. Supporting both established and burgeoning writers, they are committed to promoting diversity and "celebrating the voice of the individual." Wouldn't your individual voice appreciate some celebrating? They publish bi-monthly and their schedule of accepting submissions, located on their website, hinges on the publication dates. Pay scale:

• Poetry: $30 per poem
• Fiction: .05 per word (up to 6,000 words)
• Flash Fiction: .05 per word (up to 1,000 words)
• Book Reviews: .02 per word (850 to 1,000 words)

Writing Contest Open to All!

You don't have to be a member of Florida Freelance Writer's Association to enter their 25th Annual Florida State Writing Competition, but it will save you a little on the entrance fees if you are. You may submit work in any or all of six categories: Nonfiction (either unpublished/self-published or previously published), Fiction (unpublished/self-published or previously published Short Story or Chapter), Children's Literature (unpublished/ self-published), and Poetry (unpublished/self-published Traditional or Free Verse). Prizes:

• 1st Place -- $100 plus certificate
• 2nd Place: $75 plus certificate
• 3rd Place: $50 plus certificate
• Honorable Mention: Certificates will be awarded in each category as warranted
  

Entry fees range from $3 to $20, depending on if you are a member, which category you're entering, and the length of your work. The deadline is March 15, 2008, and if you enclose a self-addressed envelope, they will mail you a winner's list by March 31st. Also, if you send them a self-addressed, stamped postcard, they will notify you upon receiving your manuscripts.