Contests for Creative Nonfiction Pieces

Contests for Creative Nonfiction Pieces culled from free e-mail list. I've slapped these in here with little regard for formatting, grammar, etc. These all have 2010 deadlines. Good luck!

Symposium on Place

Deadline: January 15

Center: A Journal for the Literary Arts invites submissions for a symposium on the importance of place in creative nonfiction, to appear in its next issue. We encourage you to consider place from a variety of perspectives. What is its role in the essay? in memoir? in literary journalism? How do concerns about conveying a sense of place affect your own work? In what ways do you see issues of place animating the work of others? How is place specific or general? Must place be physical or is it temporal as well? Submissions should be between 750 and 1000 words. Email your submission, in a .doc format with "symposium" in the header line, to cla@missouri.edu. Please include a short bio in the body of the e-mail. Inquiries to barberse@missouri.edu. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2010.

MFA Program-Off

postmark deadline: January 28

http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/submittocnf.htm#programoff

Win a reading at the 2010 AWP Conference in Denver, publication in the summer 2010 issue of CNF, and bragging rights for your program! Judge: Barbara Lounsberry, co-author (with Gay Talese) of Writing Creative Nonfiction: The Literature of Reality. Guidelines:Contest is open to any student currently enrolled in an MFA creative writing program. Submissions should be typed, double-spaced, no more than 3,000 words, and unpublished. This is a blind read; your name should appear only in the cover letter, and each page of the manuscript should include the title of the piece. No excerpts will be considered; your submission should be a single and complete piece. Only one submission per author will be considered. Please send submission and a cover letter with your name, university, complete contact information and title of the work to: Creative Nonfiction Foundation, Attn: AWP Program-Off, 5501 Walnut Street, Suite 202, Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

Dorothy Churchill Cappon Essay Contest

deadline: May 18

New Letters: A Magazine of Writing and Art http://www.newletters.org/PDFs/2010%20Contest%20Guidelines%20.pdf or enter online at www.newletters.org.

$1,500 prize. All entrants will be considered for publication and will receive a one-year subscription to New Letters.* 1. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify us if work is accepted elsewhere. Submit unpublished work only. No refunds will be issued. 2. Enclose with each entry: a. $15 for first entry; $10 for each entry after. $15 entry includes cost of a one-year (four issues) New Letters subscription, an extension of a current subscription, or a gift subscription. Make checks payable to New Letters Literary Awards. *Entries from outside the United States receive all contest privileges except the subscription. b. Two cover sheets-the first with complete name, address, e-mail/phone number, category, and title(s); and the second with category and title(s) only. Personal information should not appear anywhere else on the entry. c. A stamped, self-addressed postcard (optional) for notification of receipt and entry number. d. A stamped, self-addressed envelope (optional) for a list of the winners. 3. Manuscripts will not be returned. No refunds will be issued. No substitutions or revisions. 4. Entries essay are not to exceed 8,000 words. 5. Multiple entries are welcome with appropriate fees. 6. Current students and employees at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and current volunteer members of the New Letters and BkMk Press staffs, are not eligible. • All entries are considered for publication • First runners-up will receive a copy of a recent book of poetry or fiction from our affiliate BkMk Press • One winner and one runner-up will be selected in the three categories (poetry and fiction contests as well) • Winners will be announced mid-September 2010 • $1,500 prize money paid upon publication in our awards issue. Submit electronically at www.newletters.org, or mail entries to: NEW LETTERS LITERARY AWARDS, University House, 5101 Rockhill Road, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110.

The First Annual Normal Prize in Fiction And Nonfiction

Normal School

Nonfiction Prize: $1,000 & Publication

Final nonfiction judge: David Shields

GUIDELINES: 1. All submissions must be 10,087 words or less, double-spaced, numbered, 12 pt. font, with NO IDENTIFYING INFORMATION ON MANUSCRIPT. 2. Entry fee: $20 per submission. Please make checks out to "The Normal School." 3. MANUSCRIPTS should be accompanied by a cover sheet with the following information: title, genre, word count, author's name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Of this information, ONLY THE TITLE should appear on the manuscript itself. 4. All submissions must be previously unpublished (print or electronic media). 5. Simultaneous submissions ARE allowed as long as you notify editors should your piece be accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions ARE allowed, but each submission must be accompanied by the entry fee. 6. Manuscripts will not be returned. Please do not send your only copy. If you want verification that we have received your manuscript, please send a self-addressed, stamped postcard. 7. Postmark submissions by FEBRUARY 12 and send to: The Normal School, Normal Prize Contest - "Genre," 5245 N. Backer Ave., M/S PB 98, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740. All entrants will receive a complimentary issue of The Normal School. Winners will be announced before the Fall 2010 issue via email. All entries will be considered for publication. For questions, please visit www.thenormalschool.com, or e-mail us at normalprize@thenormalschool.com.

Literary Anthology/Contest

deadline: February 27

Sponsored by Outrider Press in affiliation with TallGrass Writers Guild

E-mail: outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net.

Planned publication date: late summer/early fall 2010. Working title: Seasons of Change. We interpret broadly, and welcome work on seasonal changes in the natural world, but also socio-economic change; change of scene; and deep personal change as well. Previously published material and simultaneous submissions OK. Award of $500 each for poetry and prose. Also: 2nd and 3rd places and honorable mention. All winners receive Featured Reader status at the Kick-Off Reading at Chicago Tribune Printers Row Literary Festival, the nation's third-largest book fair of its kind (depending on CTPRLF scheduling). Each published contributor receives a free copy of the anthology. Entry fees for each category are $16 ($12 each for TWG members). Current annual U.S. TWG membership fee of $45 ($25 for students w/xerox of valid photo ID) includes six 12-page newsletters each year. An entry form for the 2010 Anthology/Contest (available w/SASE, if not attached to these guidelines) must be completed and accompany each entry category. To obtain, e-mail: outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net. Prose: 2,500-word limit per entry; sections from longer works accepted. Each entry must have a separate reading fee. NO LIMIT ON NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS. Submission Guide: (for complete guidelines, e-mail outriderpress@sbcglobal.net. Send two copies of each manuscript (ms.) Plus disk as follows: HARD COPY - Double-spaced manuscript on one side, on 8.5"x11" unlined white paper. Single-spacing okay for poetry. Only laserjet, inkjet or letter-quality dot matrix acceptable; plus: Four-sentence bio; plus: ELECTRONIC - Provide ms. and bio (separate files, please) on small capacity flash drive or CD, using Windows Rich-Text-Format (RTF) or Microsoft Word (not Works). Package your CDs safely to prevent damage. Specify word processing program on label + author's name and e-mail address. No MAC. Include name, address, phone/FAX numbers (w/area code) and e-mail addresses on first sheet of fiction; each sheet of poetry. Your phone number and e-mail address are required on every item. Include a stamped, self-addressed #10 (business size) envelope (SASE) for response. Mss. shredded/recycled, not returned. Include a stamped, self-addressed postcard to have receipt of ms. confirmed. FOR COMPLETE GUIDELINES WITH REQUIRED ENTRY FORM: outriderpress@sbcglobal.net or tallgrassguild@sbcglobal.net. Telephone: 219-322-7270 or toll-free 866-510-6735.

Seventh Glass Woman Prize

deadline: March 21, 2010 (receipt date)

http://www.sigriddaughter.com/GlassWomanPrize.htm

The Seventh Glass Woman Prize will be awarded for a work of short fiction or creative nonfiction (prose) written by a woman. Length: between 50 and 5,000 words. The top prize for the seventh Glass Woman Prize award is $600 and possible (but not obligatory) online publication; I will also award one runner-up prize of $100 and one runner-up prize of $50, together with possible (but not obligatory) online publication. Subject is open, but must be of significance to women. My criteria are passion, excellence, and authenticity in the woman's writing voice. Previously published work and simultaneous submissions are OK. Previous Glass Woman Prize winners are welcome to submit again. Copyright is retained by the author. There is no reading fee. Previous winners are welcome to submit again for any subsequent prize. Submission deadline: March 21, 2010 (receipt date; anything received after that date will be considered for a future prize). Notification date: June 21, 2010. The winners will be announced on Web site. Submissions will not be returned or otherwise acknowledged except for the winner announcement. I promise that every submission will be read with respect and with my commitment to the voices of women in this world. One submission per person per prize submission period, by e-mail, with "Glass Woman Prize Submission" in the subject line and the text pasted in the body of the e-mail (no attachments!) to: glasswomanprize@comcast.net, or in hard copy and via regular mail, to: Beate Sigriddaughter, 333 East 16th Avenue, #517, Denver, CO 80203. IMPORTANT: If submitting by e-mail: - "Glass Woman Prize Submission" in subject line; text in body of e-mail; please put your e-mail address in the body of the e-mail as well. I will regretfully ignore and delete submissions of anything other than specified above, for example: submissions with any kind of attachment*, more than one piece of writing in a given prize reading period, more than 5,000 words, poetry, or submissions without "Glass Woman Prize Submission" in the subject line of the e-mail. *Please note that some fancy e-mail stationery comes across as attachment; try to avoid using that, as you run the risk of having your entry deleted.

POSITIONS

Emerson College - Nonfiction Writer

The Department of Writing, Literature, and Publishing seeks a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Creative Nonfiction writing. An M.F.A. or other terminal degree, or equivalent professional experience, with a significant national publication record including at least one published book, are required. Essential to the position will be the teaching of undergraduate workshops, graduate level workshops in a thriving M.F.A. Program, as well as courses in column writing, feature writing, and the literature of narrative nonfiction. Ability to teach literature courses that focus on minority and diverse cultures is also essential. Additional faculty responsibilities will include maintaining professional development and scholarship activities, academic advising and participation on faculty and College committees. Emerson College values campus multiculturalism as demonstrated by the diversity of its faculty, staff, student body, and constantly evolving curriculum. The successful candidate must have the ability to work effectively with faculty, students, and staff from diverse backgrounds. Members of historically under-represented groups are encouraged to apply. See Web site for a full listing of academic positions: www.emerson.edu/academic_affairs/faculty/Faculty-Employment.cfm. Send a letter of application, a curriculum vita, and writing sample to Search Chair, Nonfiction Writer, The Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing, Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. Have your dossier sent to the same address. Review of applications began December 15 and continue until the position is filled.Postal Address: Search Chair, Nonfiction Writer, The Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing, Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. Online App. Form: http://www.emerson.edu/academic_affairs/faculty/Faculty-Employment.cfm.

Louisiana State University - Postdoctoral Researcher/Resident Scholar, The Southern Review

This is a two-year non-renewable 12-month appointment and carries a salary of $32,000 & benefits (Pending final administrative approval). Preferred start date is August 1, 2010. The Scholar will commit 20 hours per week to editorial duties at The Southern Review & teach one class per regular semester in the English Department (courses assigned by departmental need and/or Fellow's expertise). Required Qualifications: Terminal degree (MFA, PhD or equivalent); one year editorial experience on the staff of an established literary journal. Additional Qualifications Desired:Ability to demonstrate the following: editorial expertise with fiction, nonfiction, & poetry; a broad knowledge of literature, especially contemporary; basic computer skills; a solid understanding of publishing, especially small presses & literary magazines. Special Requirements: All candidates must be eligible to work in the United States; ability & willingness to work some holidays. Flexible scheduling of hours may be available. Responsibilities: handles manuscript review & selection, proofreading, circulation development, fundraising support & conference participation; teaches one class per regular semester for the English Department; produces new works of prose or poetry culminating in a public presentation the final semester of the residency. An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check. Application deadline is January 4, 2010 or until a candidate is selected. Apply online at: www.lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu Position #034688.

Bookshelves for Our Writing

We write. We read. We never seem to let go of our books, so of course we have bookshelves. Check out this cool blog full of pictures of, er, off-the-wall ways to store books, called Bookshelf. I love it!

Essays for Marie Claire

Info garnered and condensed from a profile of Marie Claire on MediaBistro:

A good section for freelancers to pitch is "Bulletin," which the magazine describes as "a news section with attitude."

If you're willing to share your personal details, the "Love/Sex" section is supposed to "enlighten and amuse readers" with narratives about women's emotional lives. Two examples: a piece about a two-year online love affair, where the writer never met the guy face-to-face; how a woman came to grips with her boyfriend's huge, lurid tattoo.

For long-form features, concentrate on having a news angle.

Contact info: Marie Claire, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019

As with all magazines, you should read the magazine to get a feel for what they publish and the tone they take. Call the magazine to find out which editor to pitch your idea to.

Highly Amusing Words to Query By

The Behler Publications blog recently contained this sarcastic entry regarding the query letters that would-be authors send.

The publisher deals mostly in nonfiction. Mission statement: "We publish personal journeys with socially relevant themes: stories dealing with how people are influenced and changed by their experiences, and how they deal with those repercussions. Not only do we want strong, honest characters, but also strong attention to voice and development. We look for books where readers say, "I'm a better/more thoughtful/smarter person for having read this book."

Booking It

Here's a practical tip sheet for handling book signings. The notion of such an event is daunting--and I've certainly heard horror stories (no people showing up; no books showing up)--and here's a handy-dandy list of how to make the event go well, before, during and after. The advice was put together by publicist and author Randy Ray (www.randyray.ca) and author and publishing consultant Barbara Florio Graham, www.SimonTeakettle.com.

Narrative: The Tweet

As opposed to "Narrative: The Movie." Anyway. Here's a note from the Creative Nonfiction December newsletter. (And, it seems as if the revamped publication is going to be more like a magazine than a literary journal. And it'll be quarterly. Wait . . . I thought it was quarterly.)

The Great Twitter Experiment

By now, the CNF Daily Twitter contest is nothing new. After six months, it has officially become a bona fide online community of micro-essayists. But here's a reminder: A handful of CNF Tweets will appear in the "new" CNF.

That's right, the CNF Daily contest is another way to get your work in print. Micro-essays, after all, are still essays.

Still not sure what we're looking for? Here are a few recent winners, to serve as examples and inspiration:

November 27
JHammons My grandmother's Thanksgiving recipe: tumbler of vodka. No ice. #cnftweet

November 30
spitballarmy The $10.90 debt hung on for months, the rain turned their dusty Oklahoma town to mud, but the train always came at the right time. #cnftweet

December 3
inthemilk Errors often produce the finest results. Think: Post-it Notes. Think: Chocolate chip cookies. Think: My youngest son. #cnftweet

December 5
sarahgilbert went to feed chickens on winter's coldest day, feathers were everywhere, 2 girls shivering after what must have been battle royale. #cnftweet

All of the winners are available on our profile page under the "Favorites"tab, and the finer details of the contest are below:

Can you tell a true story in 130 characters or less? Think you could write twenty CNF-worthy tweets a day? Go for it. We dare you. There's no limit and submitting is easy. Simply tag your creative nonfiction tweet with the trending topic #cnftweet, and then hit "Update." That's it.

Our editors pick a daily winner and re-tweet the best of the day.

CNF Mag Calling for Submissions

Creative Nonfiction is currently seeking four types of submissions:

1) End of Life Stories

2) Essays by current MFA students

3) Animal essays

4) General Submissions

The official calls are available here: http://www.creativenonfiction.org/thejournal/submittocnf.htm.

E Is for Evergreen

"Evergreen" in the term publications employ to describe articles that can be used at any time. Such articles aren't limited to only one season, for example ("How to Build a Christmas Tree from Twist-Ties" in April? I think not). They don't rely on current events to make them worth reading (Who would want to read "President Gives Patriotic Speech at Old Folks Home" 10 days after it happened?). Evergreen articles are the kind of articles editors like to have on hand--they can be dropped in whenever there's space to fill.

Creative nonfiction articles are often evergreen because the focus is not on "just the facts, ma'am." Sometimes the article has a "news hook"--some bit of information that connects it to current events. (Practical aside: Having a news hook can increase your chances of getting the article published. Once I sent a piece to the New York Times' back-page-essay editor; she loved it, but chose not to run it because it didn't link to anything making headlines at the time.) But even when there is a hook, it's enjoyable to read the story years later.

Case in point: At a Nieman conference on narrative nonfiction years ago, I went to a session on narrative in spot news. One of the examples was a story about a building contest (tallest tower made of Oreos). The story mentioned the winner--some white-bread boy who got a $20,000 scholarship--but focused on the runner-up who, because of the contest, got what she really wanted, a room of her own at home. You can read the entire story at Bob Baker's Newsthinking; it's item No. 8 (it's worth your time to read the Baker's whole article).

As in this instance, many narratives spring from news items. It's just that, even if you know how the story ends, the unfolding of the story is what captures the reader.