Wild Violet's Poetry and Short Fiction Contests

Wild Violet, an online literary magazine, in it's quest to bridge the gap between academia and pop culture, is sponsoring its fifth annual writing contests. Deadlines for online entries is December 31st. There's a $5 entry fee for poems (up to 200 words, please), and stories (up to 2,500 words). First prize for both poetry and fiction winners is $100 cash and publication. Two Honorable Mentions will also receive publication.
In addition, they accept submissions year-round, but, since they are a non-profit enterprise, payment is in the form of a bio on their contributors page and a link to your website, if you have one. They accept submissions of:

• Poetry
• Fiction
• Creative Non-Fiction
• Political Essays
• Humorous Essays
• Artwork
• Photography
• Reviews
• Interviews
• Cuttings (thoughts and observations)

Don't Trust Anyone Over ... ?

Do you remember turning 30? Looking forward to it? Dreading it? Well, Arc Poetry Magazine turns 30 on December 31, 2007, and they are accepting submissions for a reflective issue on what turning 30 is all about. Unpublished poems of any age, size or shape are welcome, as long as they reach them by their 30th birthday, and they pay $40 a page!

J.D. Vine Publications Writing Competitions Are Now Open!!

Looking to get your work into print and maybe pick up some money for it as well? J.D. Vine Publications offers unique writing competitions for publication in The Creative Writer. If you have good pieces of fiction and poetry they want to see them published! The winner of each competition also becomes the Featured Author or the Featured Poet of the next edition, but not only the winners get published! The books are composed of pieces by many of the writers who enter the competitions! You may submit online or via regular mail. The deadline is December 31, 2007. There is a small entry fee: Fiction $5.00, Poetry $2.00, and there are no word count limitations.

Local L.A. Event

Readings & Conversation: Red Hen's Monday Evenings at the Geffen

Monday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m.

The Geffen Playhouse, in an effort to reach out to the Los Angeles community, partnered with Red Hen Press to create our new series Red Hen’s Monday Evenings at the Geffen, hosted by Kate Gale and select moderators. Given the flowering of literature, music and theatre in this most auspicious city for the arts, we are pleased to give writers a stage to speak their voice. In the tangled palm trees and afternoon sun, some of us pause to pick up a pen, and with our pen to call for action. As the great Raymond Chandler so aptly put it, “When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.” Sometimes that gun is a new way of looking at education, sometimes it’s an idea about poetry. Sometimes it isn’t a gun at all. We invite you to come through the door into our world of ideas. Welcome to Red Hen Press’s Monday Evenings at the Geffen.

Jennifer Egan is a novelist, journalist and short story writer. Her novel, The Keep, was a New York Times Notable Book for 2006, and Look at Me was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2001. Egan is the recipient of fellowships from the NEA and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and was a fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. She lives in Brooklyn.

Janet Fitch is the author of the novels Paint It Black, published in 2006, and White Oleander, an Oprah Book Club selection. Her short stories have appeared in such publications as Los Angeles Noir, Black Clock, Room of One’s Own, and Black Warrior Review. She teaches creative writing at USC and the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.

Sarah Goodyear has written for the Village Voice, Time Out New York, Ms. magazine, and many other publications. View from a Burning Bridge, published by Red Hen Press in spring 2007, is her first novel. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.

Moderator: Jonathan Kirsch is the author of A History of the End of the World: How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization and nine other books, including The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible He is a book reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, a broadcaster for NPR, and an attorney specializing in publishing law and intellectual property.

Geffen Playhouse
Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater
10886 Le Conte Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
For Tickets Call: 310-208-5454
Admission: General $20
Students & Seniors $15
Seating is limited and on a first come basis.

Write To Win!

If you're a writer who doesn't always know where to begin a story, this contest is for you! Writers' Journal's Write-to-Win Contest provides starter phrases! Deadlines and starter phrases for the next 3 contests are as follows:

• December 20th, 2007: "The plane landed, but ..."
• February 20th, 2008: "Someday, your curiosity ..."
• April 20th, 2008: "They both stared at ..."

There's a maximum of 1500 words, and the entry fee is only $5. First prize is $150 and the winning entry will be published in the Writers' Journal. Honorable mentions will get one-year subscriptions.

Short Story Competition

Zadie Smith is judging a short story competition with a 5,000 pound prize (that's about
$10,000 dollars). Best of all? Entry is free. That's right, while every other contest will
charge you $15 or $20 bucks, this one doesn't cost a cent. And, if that isn't enough to get
you to apply, the winner and 10 runners up all get published in a book.

Here's the link:

http://newshortstories.homestead.com/

BlueCat Screenplay Competition

2008 BlueCat Screenplay Competition CALL FOR ENTRIES
*Grand Prize:$10,000
*Four Finalists: $1500
*Every writer who enters receives written script analysis
Early Bird Script Analysis:
All screenplays submitted by DEC 1 will receive their analysis by JAN 5
All screenplays submitted by JAN 2 will receive their analysis by FEB 1
Entry fee $50
EARLY DEADLINE: Dec 1, 2007
SUBMIT NOW: http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com