Beautiful Vowels

Take a quick peek at this BBC News article about a new fiction book that manipulates the use of vowels. Entitled "Euonia", the only word in the english language that contains all five vowels, the author has divided the book into five sections, each section using only one vowel in every word. The article quotes from each of the books sections - it's quite a feat. The comments are fun to read, too.

Use These Words ...

The second issue of Use These Words is on the horizon, and they're accepting submissions until January 1, 2009. All you need to do is use all of the following words in a poem (up to 5 poems), and email them to usethesewords(at)gmail(dot)com.

• Pillow
• Tantrum
• Silver
• Roof
• Vacant
• Atlas
• Break

Don't forget to send a brief contributor's note.

First Edition Publishing - No Fee Contest

First Edition Publishing - New Fiction, New Writers is currently looking for no-fee contest submissions for their monthly contest for possible publication in upcoming issues.

"Whether you've written a short story, poem, complete novel, script, play or book review we want to hear from you. We run a monthly competition in each of these categories that is completely FREE to enter. Our team of judges will pick the best each month, and we will publish a selection of them in the next available issue of First Edition Magazine. There are cash prizes for the very best in each category. No matter which category, if chosen you can boast that your work has been published and read by tens of thousands of people, and you may even win some cash if you're the very best!

Categories we are looking for:
# Short Stories
# Serialisations of Complete Novels
# Poetry and Prose
# Plays and Scripts
# Reader's Reviews"

Storyscape Journal Seeks Outside the Box Submissions

Storyscape Journal, The Literary Journal of Champions is seeking submissions. According to their site:

"Storyscape, a new literary journal that is story-centered, asks for your submission. We want your:

Short story, long story, overheard story, invented story, true story, false story, poetic story, oral story, historical story, crafted story, stolen story, visual story.

Just captivate us with the strength of the story. The premise of the journal is to expand the notion of what stories are while shaking up the labels we use to define them. To this end, we've come up with 4 sections of the journal: Truth, Untruth, We Don't Know and They Won't Tell Us, and Stories without Words. You label your own piece, which means you decide what 'the truth' means to you. All we want is to lean back, relax, and listen to your story.

We now have a rolling submission policy. The next issue will be published online in winter of 2009."

We e-mailed the editor, Anne Hays, for some clarification on the kinds of stories listed above and we got a very speedy response! It turns out that they have shortened the list to invented story, true story, overheard story, visual story, poetic story, audio story, found story, and given story. Their website will reflect this change soon.

Here is her answer to exactly what kind of stories move them:

Our actual categories/genres for the pieces are simply, "Truth," "Untruth," and "We Don't Know and They Won't Tell Us." The listed suggestions above are simply meant to convey that we are looking for a wide variety of storytelling methods. It's definitely not meant to limit people's options in an any way!

Here is an example of something we loved: In our last issue, Kimiko Hahn wrote two pieces specifically for us. In one piece she rewrote the same poem three times while changing and lengthening the ending. In her other piece, she interspersed attempts at writing a poem with diary entries in which she pondered the creative process, and where her work was heading. I was happy she sent these specific pieces, rather than simply sending us one solid "traditional" poem, which, if you look at our suggestion list of categories, we do potentially publish.

Our vision for this journal seems to be so outside what people think of when they think of "stories" that we are constantly re-explaining the vision, and looking for better ways to encourage creativity. At the end of the day, as is the case with all journals, the pieces in it speak louder than we can in terms of what we'd publish. Check out Chris Haske's piece in our current issue--it's totally genius. Or look at Amber Boardman's. And we are absolutely looking for people to push the envelope harder. What does that cliche even mean? We are looking for people to rip the envelope up into shreds and create new envelopes.

See Storyscape's submissions page for further information on how to submit, and thank you to Anne Hays for her responsiveness and clarity.

Bantam Spectra No-Fee Short Fiction Contest

Bantam Spectra, a division of Random House, Inc., is holding a new no-fee short fiction contest for science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers:

"Presenting a new short fiction contest for unpublished writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

For its third edition of Spectra Pulse, Bantam Spectra is allowing unpublished writers to get their work featured alongside some of the most well-respected names in science fiction and fantasy.

One lucky winner will receive $100 and have his/her story published in the Summer 2009 issue of Spectra Pulse, Bantam Spectra’s exclusive magazine distributed at Comic-Con San Diego and select conventions and bookstores (available July 2009)."

Check out the site for submission details and official rules

Deadline: 1/31/09, winners announced April 2009

How to Speed Read

Who wouldn't love to read faster? Check out Wired's wiki on how to do just that. They even include a link to a site called SpreedNews.com that actually helps you learn to speed read by reading the news in quick short phrases. It's a super-fun, super-quick way to get the day's news and gauge and improve your reading speed! Warning: Do it in short spurts. I did it for way to long and walked away with a bit of a headache. Or maybe I just needed to eat.

Save 30% on Selected Writing Reference Books

Writers Market / F&W Publications is offering the following discount on reference books such as the 2009 Writer's Market and other selected publications:
Use coupon code "T6REF" to receive

We've put together our Top 6 Essential Writing References that we think belong on every writer's bookshelf. Use coupon code "T6REF" to save 30% on these selected titles from Writer's Digest Books now through November 5!

Writing and Drinking

LA Observed: Undercover work for writers who drink: LA Observed has an interesting blog entry about a compay called Barfly Staff Monitoring Service who is looking for writers to go to bars and write articles about their experience. The catch? You have to have bartending experience and be able to take notes while flying under the radar.

Damselfly Press Accepting Submissions ~

Damselfly Press is accepting submissions of Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry until December 15, 2008 for their next issue, to be published on January 15, 2009. In their own words:

Our fifth issue honors women of all experiences, ages and backgrounds. We are pleased to feature fiction, non fiction, and poetry that is excellently crafted, thematically diverse, and accessible.

• We read year round.
• Please send online submissions only with the genre in the header of the e-mail.
• Submissions must be in a Microsoft® Word document or .RTF attachment.
• Please include writer’s contact information on a separate cover page.
• We are unable to provide compensation to writers for accepted submissions at this time.
• If a writer’s work initially appears in damselfly press and is later published elsewhere, we request an acknowledgement.
• Fiction- Send 9-10 pages of fiction not to exceed 2,500 words max. Submitters may send up to two fictional stories per submission to the fiction editor.
• Poetry- Send 1-3 poems per submission to the poetry editor.
• Nonfiction- Send 3-10 pages of nonfiction not to exceed 2,500 words max. Submitters may send up to two nonfiction submissions such as memoir or personal essays to the nonfiction editor.
• Writers must include bios not to exceed 50 words.
• We do not accept previously published work.
• For writers whose work has been accepted by our journal, please refrain from re-submitting up to a year after publication.

Ellipsis Press is Looking for Novels that Look Normal. But Aren't.

According to their website:

Ellipsis Press is interested in novels that are structurally innovative.

We like: novels that look normal but aren’t (more than those that look weird but are actually quite normal); those that are successful at bypassing or evolving the seemingly necessary but often tired elements of character and/or plot; and those that respond in some way to the history of the novel as genre and form.

Writers who have studied the traditional elements of the novel and experimented with them to emotionally moving and/or extraordinary ends are invited to submit for publication.

Send your whole manuscripts as a .rtf attachment by email only to editors [at] ellipsispress [dot] com.

We are not interested in poetry, short story collections, or non-fiction at this time. Due to time constraints we can respond only to those submissions we wish to pursue. These responses will be made within four months time.

Call for submissions: Santa Clara Review

Submit your Fiction, Nonfiction, or Poetry to the Santa Clara Review!

Santa Clara University's literary magazine is now accepting submissions for its Winter and
Spring issues.

This bi-annual publication was established in 1869 and features creative writing, art,
photography, and interviews.

The submission deadline for the next issue is
Wednesday, October 26th
Multiple pieces may be submitted. There is no word count limit. Pieces submitted after
this date will be considered for the spring issue.

Submit online at www.santaclarareview.com

Or mail to:

The Santa Clara Review
Santa Clara University
500 El Camino Real, Box #3212
Santa Clara, CA 95053"

Poetry Cemetery

The next issue of Poetry Cemetery will be it's last, unfortunately, unless they can find someone to take over. In the meantime, they are accepting submissions until November 15, 2008. Send a maximum of 5 poems in the body of your email to poetrycemetery(at)live(dot)com, with "Submissions" in the subject line. They ask that you include titles, even if the title is simply "untitled," to make it easier for them to distinguish where one poem ends and the next begins. Also, please let them know if the poems you're sending have been published elsewhere, and DON'T send them anything that is excessively vulgar, pornographic, or "otherwise offensive to the masses."

Local Poetry Readings

The Valley Contemporary Poets presents:

Tuesday, October 21
Fernando Castro
9:00 pm
open reading sign up 8:30 pm
Cobalt Cafe
22047 Sherman Way in Canoga Park, Canoga Park (just west of Topanga Canyon)
Free – one drink minimum, open reading

Sunday, November 2nd
S.A. Griffin
Dennis Cruz
Rafael Alvarado
3pm
Tarzana Community and Cultural Center
19130 Ventura Blvd
Tarzana, CA 91356

Narrative 30 Below Contest - No Fee!

This is the last week to enter Narrative Magazine's 30 Below Contest for writers and artists, ages 30 and under.

First Prize is $1,500
Second Prize is $750
Third Prize is $300

Ten finalists will be named, and all entries will be considered for publication.

Open to writers, visual artists, photographers, performers, and filmmakers. We are interested in narrative in the many forms it takes: the word and the image, the traditional and the innovative the true and the imaginary.

Entry deadline: October 27.
No fee to enter.

Writer’s Digest - The Anatomy of a Writer's Website

Many writers who find themselves in a place where they need to promote themselves and their work get overwhelmed by the thought of creating their own website. If you find yourself in this position, click on over to Writers Digest. They have an article called The Anatomy of a Writer's Website with tips and lots of resources on how to easily create your own writers website, and what kind of content to include.

Get Ready for NaNoWriMo

Don't forget that November is just around the corner, so if you're looking for motivation to write that novel that's been churning and baking in your loins, then run over to NaNoWriMo.org and log in to solidify your November commitment to write that story. Your goal? 50,000 words by November 30th.

Of Unknown Authorship: The New Anonymous Accepting Submissions ~

The New Anonymous is an annual literary journal that not only publishes all works anonymously, they blindly screen and edit submissions as well. In fact, the entire process is anonymous from beginning to end, thus freeing writers from their own generative forms and creative dispositions, creating, in effect, a safehouse where writers can not only question their creative process, but, in the words of Freud, "Play." You may send as many submissions as you like, (but please: no more than 1 piece of prose/fiction or 7 poems per email) to: thenewanonmediator(at)gmail(dot)com. Do not include your name anywhere in the document. Please go to their website to see the rest of their "very unique" requirements for submission.

Theater for the Quick Minded

Whether you suffer from ADD (don't we all on some level?) or can concentrate for hours, or if you just need a break from all that pre-Halloween candy you've been chowing down on, the folks at ACTober Fest have put together two weekends of 10 minute plays around town that sound like they might be fun to check out, and feature several Los Angeles based writers. If you go, drop us a comment and let us know how you liked them.

Group A (Oct. 17- 19):

Carwash, or in this town, you are what you drive by Stephanie Hutchinson (Los Angeles, CA)

Directed by Wynn Marlow

Saw what you did by Kyndall Amber Brown (Washington DC) - Youth

Mountain Road by Jan Michael Alejandro (Los Angeles, CA)

Directed by Lana Ford

Call me Comrade by Ross Peter Nelson (Sunnyvale, CA)

Directed by Karanai Ravenscroft

Life is just a bowl of cellos by Ann L. Gibbs (Los Angeles, CA)

Directed by Amanda Korpitz

Bed Scene by John A. Donnelly (Portland, OR)

Directed by Kristina Lloyd

O’Henry’s Shoe by Mark Saunders (Hillsboro, OR)

Directed by Diane Christiansen

Elevator by Natasha Yim (Ukiah, Ca)

Directed by David Robinson

Group B (Oct.24 - 26):

x

A Change of Plan by Dennis Jones (Powhatan, VA)

Directed by Samantha Brown

The Appointment by Jordan T. Maxwell (Los Angeles, CA)

Directed by Jonathan Hunt

Sea of Bitterness by Lauren O’Connor (Trussville, AL)

Directed by Pavel Cerny

The Basic 7 by Mark Troy (Burbank, CA)

Directed by Sal Romeo

Autodigesting by Bonnie Lake (Newburyport, MA)

Directed by Kaz Matamura

Somewhere between the Sky and the Sea by Alex Broun (Australia)

Directed by Steve Hibbert

War Letters by Umesh Yogesh Patel (Bogart, GA)

Directed by John Szura

Climb the smallest Mountain by Michael Gordon Shapiro (Los Angeles, CA) Musical

Directed by Derrel Maury

A Picture Worth Five-Hundred Words ~

Here's a picture to get you started on an entry to Tattoo Highway's current prose/poetry contest.Take a look at it, mull it over, (How do you really feel about whatever it is they're doing to those fish?) and write a 500-word-or-less short-short story, or a 15-lines-or-less poem, to send to them by "sometime in January '09." If you win, in addition to the glory, the first place winner in each category will receive a $30 bookstore gift certificate and publication in their 18th issue. Mark your entry clearly in the subject field of your email: "TH18 Contest," and send it to: submissions(at)tattoohighway(dot)org.

lunchhourbooks.com Seeks Short Stories

lunchhourbooks.com is searching for short stories for their upcoming online subscription-based publication. Also check out their Tips for Better Stories which gives some interesting insight into what they are and are not seeking.

According to their site:

"Lunch Hour Stories magazine is always seeking excellent short stories for publication. Stories should be previously unpublished, mainstream or literary in nature, 4000-8000 words in length, and formatted in common manuscript format... Genre writers: Mild suspense, mystery, fantasy, and sci-fi will be considered, as long as the story can appeal to a general audience. Please do not send children's, religious, romance or erotica, as they will not be considered... Submissions are accepted at any time of the year; however, the deadline for entry into our annual short story contest is June 30 of each year."

What Agents Hate

Here is an informative article from Writer's Digest about what agents hate to read when reading the first chapter of your novel.

Writer’s Digest - What Agents Hate

LitMatch - Literary Agent Directory, Response Times and Submission Tracking

We found another groovy site for finding agents and tracking submissions. Membership is free and they offer a matching search to find agents suitable to your work.

From their site:

LitMatch - Literary Agent Directory, Response Times and Submission Tracking: "More than just a directory, LitMatch is the FREE source for literary agent information that allows writers to organize their search for representation and track their submissions online!"

They are also currently running a one-year anniversary give-away to current and new subscribers (it's free to sign-up!) who sign and enter up by December 31st, 2008, where you can win:

1 - Grand Prize: One FREE online sales class, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop (a $150 value!) Choose from the following classes:

• Nonfiction Book with nonfiction book editor Stephanie Staal
• How to Sell Your Screenplay with Hollywood insider David Title
• How To Freelance with professional freelancer Cindy Price
• How To Get Published with literary agent Stephen Barbara

2 - One of five, one-year subscriptions to The Writer Magazine.

3- One of three, one-year memberships to TheNextBigWriter.com

What's The Worst That Could Happen?

If you've been through a particularly harrowing experience, a nightmare road trip where everything that could go wrong did, the Road Junky 2008 Travel Writing Contest -- Hell Trips is the perfect contest for you! They want to hear about your worst journeys, your near-death experiences, where you were beaten up, robbed, extorted, heartbroken or brainwashed. There's no fee to enter this contest from the dark side of life on the road, and the deadline's not until December 31, 2008, so there's plenty of time to figure out the best way to approach and describe for maximum effect. Not only that, there are prizes to be won!

• First Prize: $400
• Second Prize: $200
• Third Prize: $100

Also, if they choose to print your story in an anthology, you will get paid decent royalties. Send your 800 to 1500 word non-fiction story to editor(at)roadjunky(dot)com, and be sure to put "2008 Travel Contest" in the subject. Please go to their website to check out the rest of the contest guidelines.

You Don't Have To Be Jewish ...

... but if you have insight into the Jewish culture, you might want to look into these no-fee contests sponsored by Lilith Magazine. Lilith is accepting submissions to two contests: one for fiction, one for poetry. They are looking for original, unpublished stories (3,000 words or less), with heart, soul, and chutzpah, that illuminate issues in the lives of Jewish women. FIRST PRIZE is $250 and publication of their story in Lilith Magazine. Mail your fiction submission by November 1, 2008 to:

Lilith Magazine, 250 West 57th Street, Suite 2432, New York, NY, 10107.
(They do not accept emailed submissions).

For their poetry contest, they are looking for edgy and exciting work that touches in any way on the Jewish women's experience. Winning poets will win a cash prize, publication in Lilith Magazine, and the possibility of a public reading. You may submit up to 3 poems that do not exceed 100 lines in length. Submit your poems to the same address as the fiction contest, but don't forget to put "Charlotte Newberger Poetry Prize Competition," above the name of the magazine. Poetry entries must be postmarked by November 30, 2008. Please go to their website to check out the rest of their Writer's Guideline's.