Writing Women

Smart Women's Institute of Entrepreneurial Learning

2012-03-05T08:00:00.001-08:00

Formerly the National Association of Women Writer's, the Smart Women's Institute of Entrepreneurial Learning was founded by Sheri McConnell.

The mission of the Smart Women's Institute of Entrepreneurial Learning is to empower women to achieve financial independence by learning how to leverage their time, money, and expertise. The Institute believes that when a woman is financially independent, she makes decisions from a healthier and wiser place for herself and her family. Like the Chinese proverb, "Give a man and fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," when you teach women financial independence you empower them and generations to come.

The site offers a blog, events, faculty and free articles, networking, smart business tips, resources and more.

The Alabama Writers' Conclave

2012-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Alabama Writers' Conclave is accepting entries for the 2012 writing competition. Deadline is April 20, 2012 (postmark).

Prizes:
First place: $100
Second place: $75
Third place: $50
4th place: $25
And up to four Honorable Mentions

Contest Rules:
Entries must be original, unpublished, and must not have won a monetary prize in a previous AWC contest. Multiple entries are accepted, however, only one prize is awarded in each category.

Send one copy of each entry double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12 pt. Courier or Times Roman font.

The first page of each manuscript should include: (1) Title, (2) Category, and (3) Word Count.
Please number pages.
Enclose a separate cover sheet for each piece submitted. Cover sheet should include: contest category; manuscript title; author's name; mailing address; e-mail address; phone number; and whether entrant is an AWC member or non-member.

Entry fees:
For all categories with the exception of poems and first chapter of novels:
$5 per entry for AWC members, $8.00 for non-members
For first chapter of a novel: $10 if AWC member, $12 for non-members
For all poems $3 per poem for AWC member, $5 for non-members

Make checks payable to: Alabama Writers' Conclave
Mail entries to:
Sonya Bennett
AWC Contest Chair
81 Magnolia Avenue
Fairhope, AL 36532

Writing Competition Categories:
Fiction - Maximum 2,500 words
Short Fiction - Maximum 1,000 words
Juvenile Fiction (stories for ages 4-12) Maximum 2,500 words Please list genre and targeted age group.
Non-fiction - Maximum 2,500 words Please specify if written for adults or children
Humor - Maximum 2,000 words or 50 lines for poetry
Traditional Poem - Maximum 40 lines
Free Verse Poem - Maximum 60 lines
First Chapter of Novel - up to 10 double-spaced pages, first chapter ONLY

Hollywood nad Catholic Women 2nd Edition Cover

2012-02-27T08:00:00.001-08:00

I just completed revisions for the Hollywood and Catholic Women 2nd Edition cover. While not quite as exciting as seeing your book's cover for the very first time, it's still a thrill. The cover is based on that of the 1st edition, but contains new text and announces this is a 2nd Edition with new material.

This edition also carries my photo on the cover, something I was hesitant to do while married to an ordained Catholic deacon. Text on the back cover is also new, so while not as great as the first time, my excitement for a finished product is mounting none-the-less.

The New York Pitch Conference

2012-02-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

The New York Pitch Conference is held four times a year and features publishing house editors from major houses such as Penguin, Random House, Henry Holt, and many more, who are looking for new novels. The next pitch conference is March 22-25, 2012 in New York City.

The Pitch Conference focuses on the art of the novel pitch as a best method for having your work taken seriously, and as a diagnostic workshop method for exploring the elements of the story itself to determine the quality and marketability of your novel (or your work-in-progress) as you dialogue and network with the best industry professionals in New York. Simply put, our goal is to set you on a realistic path to publication. Visit our How It Works page for comprehensive list of benefits, and stop by our New York Pitch News page for the latest updates on projects and contracts.

If you're not certain whether this event will work for you, peruse our Participants page to help with your decision. Please note that the NYPC works directly with publishers from major houses who are the decision-makers, as opposed to literary agents who petition the decision-makers.

President's Day Quiz

2012-02-20T08:00:00.001-08:00

Just in time for President's Day, test your knowledge of our Commander's in Chief with the following multi-choice quiz. Answers are at the bottom of the page.
1. The four presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore are:
a. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Abraham Lincoln.
b. George Bush, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
c. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
d. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

2. Barack Obama is the:
a. 40th President
b. 44th President
c. 45th President
d. 39th President

3. The "W" in Ronald Reagan's middle name stood for:
a. Wyatt
b. Willard
c. William
d. Wilson

4. Which president began the dramatic expansion of the space program, with the goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade?
a. Lyndon Johnson
b. Richard Nixon
c. John F. Kennedy
d. Dwight D. Eisenhower

5. What baseball team was George W. Bush part owner of?
a. Texas Rangers
b. Houston Astros
c. Florida Marlins
d. Minnesota Twins

6. Who was the first president to resign from office?
a. Bill Clinton
b. Jimmy Carter
c. Richard Nixon
d. Calvin Coolidge

7. What was the name of President Bill Clinton's cat?
a. Tabby
b. Bo
c. Socks
d. Puff

8. What president is on the U.S. quarter?
a. George Washington
b. Franklin Roosevelt
c. Abraham Lincoln
d. Harry Truman

9. Which president hated broccoli?
a. George H.W. Bush
b. Lyndon B. Johnson
c. Dwight D. Eisenhower
d. Jimmy Carter

10. In what city was Gerald Ford born?
a. Detroit
b. St. Louis
c. Omaha
d. Des Moines

Answer Key
1. c
2. b
3. d
4. c
5. a
6. c
7. c
8. a
9. a
10. c

San Luis Obispo Nightwriters 23rd Annual Writing Contest

2012-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Entries in short fiction or poetry are currently being accepted for the San Luis Obispo Nightwriters 23rd Annual Writing Contest. The theme for this year's contest is Forgiveness. Use your imagination to expand the theme into a unique story or poem. Deadline is March 31, 2012.

First place - $100 and a framed award
Second place - $75
Third place - $25
Winning entries are also published on the San Luis Obispo Nightwriters web site. Entries must be submitted electronically to sfnightwriter@gmail.com. No hard copies accepted.

Entry fee: $10 per entry.
Stories will be judged on the strength of: Plot/story development, conflict, characters, resolution, emotional impact, and technical precision.

Poetry will be judged on the strength of emotional impact, power, message, form and flow, word choice, and technical precision.

Complete rules and format guideline can be found on the San Luis Obispo Nightwriters web site.

Shaw Guides

2012-02-13T08:00:00.001-08:00

Founded in 1988 as a publisher of comprehensive worldwide guides to educational travel and creative programs Shaw Guides has offered free online access to the unabridged, continually updated content of each guide since 1995.

You can search Shaw Guides for everything from writers conferences, film and photography workshops, career and recreational cooking schools, to arts and crafts workshops, language vacations, cultural travel programs, artists' and writers retreats, and much more.

Shaw Guides are recommended by many national and international publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week, Fortune, U.S. News & World Report, and USA Today.

Shaw Guides offers a wealth of information on a variety of topics and the information on the Shaw Guides website has been obtained from the listed programs. However, program sponsors should be contacted directly and information verified prior to sending payment or making travel plans.

The Country Dog Review

2012-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Country Dog Review is proud to introduce the first annual poetry contest, The Argos Prize, in honor of Odyssus's faithful dog.

The winner receives $500 and publication in the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of The Country Dog Review. Postmark deadline is April 15, 2012.

The entry fee is $10 for three poems and the contest judge is Kate Northrop. Make checks payable to The Country Dog Review. Send poems and entry fee to:
Danielle Sellers
The Country Dog Review
P.O. Box 1476
Oxford, MS 38655

Please include a cover letter with your entry, and remove all identifying information from the manuscript. In the cover letter, please include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and bio.

Submissions must be unpublished. The Country Dog Review accepts simultaneous submissions, however, if the submitted poem is accepted elsewhere, the author must let The Country Dog Review know immediately.

Multiple submissions with the corresponding fees will be accepted. All entries will be considered for publication. The winner will be announced in May 2012.

Off to the Publisher!

2012-02-08T15:52:00.000-08:00

I sent Hollywood and Catholic Women 2nd Edition to the publisher today. The book is being self-published but the new edition will contain photographs, which I'm extremely excited about. I also put a picture of myself on the cover this time, now that I don't have a husband who works for the Catholic Church. Plus all the new material incorporating three more films and two television series makes for a great 2nd edition. Even the Table of Contents has gotten an update.

The Red Room

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Red Room Writers Society was founded by Ivory Madison in 2002 and began by providing its innovative, signature Writers Studios to procrastinating professional and aspiring writers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Recognized by San Francisco magazine on its Best of the Bay 2005 list, the brick and mortar Society served over 400 talented writers in the bay area.

In January of 2008, Madison founded the Red Room.com believing the Internet to be a perfect vehicle to connect with writers, published or unpublished and provide them with the resources they need to succeed. The Red Room.com also offers authors a place to post their work, write blogs, post podcasts and videos, and coming soon - groups and Classified sections for writers.

In addition to hosting the Red Room. com web site, the organizations executive staff offers expert personalized services from editing to writing coaching, copy editing, and proofreading. For more information about services, please contact editors@redroom.com.

100 Words or Fewer Contest Number Nine

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

The 100 Words or Fewer Writing Contest is currently accepting stories in the categories of "Eating" or "Uncommon Character". The contest has a deadline of February 18, 2012.

"Eating" can be the way someone eats, or the situation he or she is eating in, or buying food, kitchen, or dining related items - whatever your imagination conjures up about eating. The most important element to your story is the character's action.

An "Uncommon Character" story will concentrate on what your uncommon character might do in a situation. However, it must not be just a character description or profile. As with the eating category, your story must offer a problem, complications, and a resolution (ending) of some kind. Both types of stories can be told in first, second, or third person.

First prize winners for the both the "Eating" and "Uncommon Character" categories is $400. Runner-up prizes for each category is $50.

The entry fee is $15. Checkmark evaluations are $10 and story critique is $40. Entry fee plus checkmark evaluation is $25. Entry fee plus checkmark evaluation plus critique is $60.

Publisher's Weekly Select

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

In recognition of the tremendous impact self-publishing has had on the industry, publishing bible Publishers Weekly announced the launch of Publishers Weekly Select, a quarterly publication that presents self-published books to the PW trade audience.

For $149, authors pay a registration fee to have their book(s) listed in a seasonal supplement that is bound into issues of Publishers Weekly. The registration fee includes a book listing - title, author, illustrator (where applicable), pagination, price, format, ISBN number, and a description of the book's contents.

Each seasonal period, a minimum of 25 of the books listed will be selected by PW's review staff, based on merit, and will be assigned a full review. These reviews will also appear in the supplement and there is no charge for the reviews.

The next reading period runs from March 1 - May 1, 2012 for inclusion in the June 2012 supplement.

Tiny Lights Annual Essay Contest

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Tiny Lights is currently accepting submissions for its 18th Annual Essay Contest. The deadline is February 17, 2012. This year, Tiny Lights is offering five prizes in the "standard" category (word count no more than 2,000 words) and the "flashpoint" category (word count no more than 1,000 words).

Only unpublished works are considered, or previously published work for which the authors holds the rights. Rights revert to the author after publication in the hard copy edition of Tiny Lights.

Each essay must be accompanied by an entry fee of $15 for the first essay, and $10 for each additional essay. Make checks payable to Tiny Lights Publications. Mail entries to:
Tiny Lights Publications
P.O. Box 928
Petaluma, CA 94953

Prizes will be awarded as follows:
First place: $350
Second place: $250
Third place: $150
Two Honorable Mentions of $100 each
Three Flashpoint prizes of $100 each are also awarded.

SASE recommended for feedback/contest notification. A single envelope for multiple submissions is acceptable.
Essays must be submitted in one of the two categories: Standard (no longer than 2,000 words) or Flashpoint (no longer than 1,000 words)
Indicate category on manuscript
Entries should be typed and double-spaced
The title page of the manuscript should include the author's name, complete address, e-mail, phone number, and essay word count.
Entries must be postmarked by February 17, 2012
Personal essays require writers to communicate the truth of their experiences to the best of their ability. There are no theme restrictions, but Tiny Lights will not consider essays that celebrate brutality or gratuitous violence. Tiny Lights also does not accept poetry, short stories, or material written for children.
Winners will be posted on the Tiny Lights site by April 11, 2012.
Address questions to: editor@tiny-lights.com

Other Women's Voices

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

On Other Women's Voices, you will find an introduction to over 125 women who wrote a substantial amount before 1700 and whose work (or at least a good part of it) has been translated into modern English. All but three entries are on women who wrote in languages other than English; those three are on women who wrote in the English of the 1300s and 1400s. Almost all of the entries are on individuals; a few are on more than one woman.

The site's goal is to get you to want to read all that is available in translation (or in the original if you can) of these women's writing. Why all? You need to read the whole work in order to hear the writer's full voice. Anthologies are admirable, but in reading them you eavesdrop on a small part of a conversation; you need to go to the whole to hear the writer's full conversation with her world.

Wag's Revue Contest

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Wag's Revue is an online-only literary quarterly of poetry, essays, fiction, and interviews. The Revue holds two annual contests - the Winter Contest from December through February and the Summer Contest from June through August.

Currently, Wag's Revue is accepting submissions for its Winter Writers Contest in fiction, poetry, and essays. First prize is $1,000 and publication in issue 13 of the Wag's Revue. Second prize is $500 and third prize is $100. Prizes are for each category of poetry, fiction, or essay. All submissions are considered for publication. The contest deadline is February 29, 2012.

Please read the contest guidelines carefully before submitting. The editors strongly encourage authors to familiarize themselves with the magazine by reading past issues. Word count is limited to 10,000 words.

Each entry must be accompanied by a $20 reading fee, paid via PayPal, plus the .94 credit card fee and $1.15 Submishmash charges for a total of $22.09. Authors are welcome to submit more than once to the contest, but each entry must be paid for separately.

Wag's Revue asks for first serial rights to all published work; all other rights revert to the author upon publication. Submissions must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us at editors@wagsrevue.com if your work is accepted elsewhere.

Author biographies should be kept brief and are not required. Contest judging is blind, so please do not include contact or biographical information on the entry itself.

International Women's Writing Guild

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

The International Women's Writing Guild (IWWG), grew out of three movements when it was founded in 1976. Those movements include:
The Human Potential Movement
The New Age Movement
The Women's Movement

The writing process and these movements go hand-in-hand to enrich the whole person. That wholeness combined with craft is as important to the Guild as is the writing process and creativity in general. Over time they produce individuals and writers who are centered, strong, and open. Additionally, the groups, programs, and conferences sponsored by the Guild are open to all women regardless a woman's professional writing experience.

The IWWG strongly supports all movements for human rights, equality, and valor, but does not organizationally participate in political activity.

In 2012, the Guild is hosting its 35th annual summer conference "Remember the Magic" on the campus of Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. Details will be forthcoming in early 2012. The Guild offers conferences and programs throughout the year and there are numerous benefits to becoming a Guild member.

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Contest

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Enter the 2012 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Contest for a chance to have your work read at a Selected Shorts performance on June 6, 2012. The winner will also receive $1,000 and a free 10-week creative writing class with Gotham Writers Workshop.

Story Requirements
Submit a single, short story that centers around a single object or addresses the theme "Objects of Desire." If objects could talk, what stories would they tell. Tell your story in 600 words or less.
Your story must have a title.
Your story must be unpublished.

Deadline
March 2, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Entry Fee
Every submission must include a $25 entry fee. You may pay by credit card, or by check made payable to Gotham Writers' Workshop. Entries may be mailed to:
Gotham Writers' Workshop
555 8th Avenue
Suite 1402
New York, NY 10018

Format
Make sure your name and contact information appears on every page of your story. If you are submitting online, this information needs to appear on every page of the attached Word document. Include page numbers.

The winner will be selected by Judge Maile Meloy and notified in early May.

Gotham Writing Classes and Workshops

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1993, Gotham Classes and Writer's Workshops set out to demystify the writing process. The school has done that by offering comprehensive classes in nearly every genre, both in New York City and online.

One of the many things that sets Gotham's classes apart from the competition is known as "The Booth". During this process, the writer listens to their classmate's comments before responding. The classmate starts with a positive comment about the writer's work. The idea is to help the listener identify their strengths. Next, the process moves onto what can be improved. Then the instructor provides a detailed analysis of the writer's work. Finally, the writer exits the metaphoric "Booth" and has the opportunity to ask questions.

All Gotham faculty are professional writers. Such a staff has led to many Gotham "success stories" and Gotham has become a leading creative writing school in New York City and online.

Besides courses on writing, Gotham offers resources for writers, forums, publishing news, and contests making for a vibrant author's community.

Friends of Acadia Nature Poetry Prize

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001-08:00

Established in 1998, the Friends of Acadia Nature Poetry Prize is awarded biannually to promote and recognize distinctive nature poetry. There is no fee to enter and the three winning poems will be published in the Friends of Acadia Journal (print and online).

Deadline
January 30, 2012

Prizes
First Place - $350
Second Place - $250
Third Place - $150

Guidelines
Submit up to three nature-based poems, each of 30 lines or fewer. Entries must be original and unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, however; please notify the Acadia Journal if work is accepted for publication elsewhere.

Format
Submit each poem on a separate page. Include a cover sheet with your name, address, and the titles of the poems you are submitting.

Please send all entries to:
Editor, Friends of Acadia Journal
P.O. Box 45
Bar Harbor, ME 04609

For further information contact: editor@friendsofacadia.org

Funds for Writers

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Start the writing year off right with Funds for Writers. Founded by C. Hope Clark, the mission of Funds For Writers is to provide quality, paying markets to writers of all skill levels and interests. The site’s specialty is grants for writers, but other information covers contests, markets, newsletters, jobs, calls for submissions, and more.

New features include two newsletters Funds For Writers Small Markets and Writing Kids. Funds For Writers offers both free newsletters and those by paid subscription. The site has also been listed on Writer's Digest 101 Best Web Sites for Writers for the past 11 years in a row.

Literal Latte Awards

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Literal Latte Awards are sponsoring the K. Margaret Grossman Fiction Awards. Maximum word count is 8,000 and the contest deadline is January 15, 2012. All subjects are welcome and every entry is considered for publication.

Prizes
First Prize - $1,000
Second Prize - $300
Third Prize - $200

Include your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address (optional) on a separate cover page only. Include a reading fee of $10 or $15 for two stories. Check or money order should be made payable to: Literal Latte Awards. Mail submission to:
Literal Latte Awards
200 East 10th Street
Suite 240
New York, NY 10003
(212)-260-5532 for questions

Include S.A.S.E. or e-mail address for confirmation of receipt.

Fan Story

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

For over 10 years, FanStory.com has helped writers improve their craft through offering contests, classes, forums, and prompts. Benefits of belonging to Fan Story include:
All forms of writing are welcome from poetry, fiction, non-fiction, to book chapters and scripts. Getting the benefit of feedback that will be written on everything you write.
Over 50 writing contests are offered each moth. The contests are free to participate in and you can win cash prizes.
If you are talented enough you can earn a top rank. Every comment counts towards your ranking.
As a writer, you will receive feedback on everything you post. Reviews are free with membership.
Participating in an online experience that will help you improve your writing. Enjoy the friendly and competitive nature of Fan Story.
Membership is free, but you can also upgrade for as little as $2.80 per month. Click here for pricing details.

2012 Flying Trout Press Chapbook Contest

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Flying Trout Press is accepting entries for its 2012 Poetry Chapbook Contest until January 15, 2012. First prize is $500, publication, and five copies of the chapbook.

The mission of the Flying Trout Press is to publish new authors. Therefore, the contest is open only to authors without a published book or chapbook.

Deadline: January 15, 2012.

Submit 20-24 pages of poetry.

Blind review: On a cover sheet submit your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address, and the title of your chapbook. On the chapbook manuscript put only the title. Place the chapbook title on every page of the manuscript. NOTE: Author's name cannot appear anywhere on the chapbook manuscript.

Reading fee: $16 in check or money order made payable to Flying Trout Press.

Poems can be on any topic.

Four finalists also receive a free copy of the chapbook and are considered for publication.

No manuscripts will be returned without an S.A.S.E.

No electronic submissions.

Mail entries to:
Flying Trout Press
P.O. Box 1256
Bellingham, WA 98227-1256

For questions, contact info@flyingtroutpress.org.

Baby Boomer Women's Groups

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

In a nutshell, the mission of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women (NABBW) is to provide community, encouragement, support, and beneficial products and services to women born between 1946 and 1964. Through programs, benefits, communications, and services, the NABBW is passionately dedicated to uniting, supporting, educating, and advocating for Baby Boomer women residing in North America and around the world.

A sister organization, Boomer Women Speak provides a place offering opportunities for baby boomer women to share personal experiences in a heartfelt and genuine way with no worry about being judged. The site offers over 50 forums on topics as diverse adult education, domestic violence, hobbies, laughter, loss, and travel. The main focus of this site is to help Baby Boomer women realize they are not alone in their thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Schafly Beer Micro-Fiction Contest

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Schlafly Brewery and RiverStyx are teaming up for the 2012 Schlafly Beer Micro-Fiction Contest. First prize is $1,500 and a case of micro-brewed Schlafly Beer. Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2011.

Guidelines:
500 words maximum per story, up to three stories per entry
The $20 reading fee includes a one-year subscription of River Styx
Include name and address on cover letter ONLY
Entrants will be notified by S.A.S.E.
Winner published in the Spring issue of River Styx
All stories will be considered for publication
Previously published stories, including those that have appeared on web sites, blogs, and personal home pages will NOT be considered.

Postmark entries by December 31, 2011 to:
River Styx's Schlafly Beer Micro-Fiction Contest
3547 Olive Street
Suite 107
St. Louis, MO 63103

Author's Den

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Author's Den was established as a means of helping authors and readers to interact in a face-to-face environment, much like authors and readers did in the past. The mission to is re-create the face-to-face author and reader relationship in a similar way that existed before the dawn of the industrial revolution.

Today, it's easier than ever for authors to create, publish, share, and interact directly with readers, whether it's selling books or forming an author/reader relationship. To accomplish this, Author's Den offers a variety of services including the ability to advertise books, post additional writing like articles, stories, and poetry, plus add news about your writing and/or books, promotional events, blogs, biographies, and an Author's Den web page.

Joining Author's Den is free, however, authors can also choose to pay for either Bronze, Silver, or Gold memberships, each expanding opportunities for an author's exposure. Author's Den has just recently added new marketing components to its services including editing, proofreading, publishing, coaching, and promotion. The site is continually expanding, visited by an average of 1,400,000 readers per month.

Writer's Digest Conference

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Writer's Digest Conference is being held January 20 - 22, 2012 in New York City at the Sheraton New York Hotel. The Writer's Digest Conference brings together influential agents, innovators, and creative minds in the publishing world all willing to share their inside knowledge with authors.

Some of the things the conference can help you accomplish:
Expand your knowledge in sessions focused on the business, craft, and future of publishing.
Exchange ideas with fellow writers and publishing professionals.
Discover your strengths.

Sessions and speakers include:
Conflict and Suspense - James Scott Bell
E-Publishing 101: The Major Services - Jame Friedman
Pitch Perfect - Chuck Sambuchino
The Drive To Write - Chris Baty

Finding An Agent

2011-12-05T08:00:00.001-08:00

Agent Query offers writers the largest searchable database of literary agents available on the Internet. The free database provides reputable, established literary agents in search of authors just like you.

Agent Query claims to have done all the necessary legwork, but a writer can never be too careful. To get the most advantage from the database, consider cross-checking it with the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR), a non-profit organization of quality literary agents, dramatic representatives of authors, dramatists and other creators or owners of intellectual property.

National Chapbook Fellowship

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

The National Chapbook Fellowships are sponsored by the Poetry Society of America and are open to any resident who has not published a full-length poetry collection. The entry fee is $12.00 via check or money order made payable to the Poetry Society of America. Deadline is December 22, 2011 (postmarked).

Guidelines:
Manuscripts are to be 20-30 pages in length, typed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper and bound with a spring clip. Manuscripts should include no more than one poem per page.

A complete submission should include:
Title page with the contest name, your name, address, telephone, e-mail, and any other relevant contact information. Your name should not appear elsewhere in the manuscript.

A title page with just the title of the manuscript.

An acknowledgments pages. Poems included may be previously published, but please include an acknowledgments page listing specific publications.

A complete table of contents.

Payment of the $12.00 entry fee.

Self-addressed, stamped post card for confirmation of receipt and a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a list of the winners.

Manuscripts by more than one author will not be accepted.

Translations will not be accepted.

Send entry to:
PSA Chapbook Contest
Poetry Society of America
15 Gramercy Park
New York, NY 10003

A Gateway to Books - Bookhitch

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Bookhitch is a book portal dedicated to connecting authors, publishers, and readers. Launched in May 2006, the goal of Bookhitch was designed to fit the growing needs of authors and publishers in the industry, while at the same time providing readers with a site where they can find books.

Bookhitch can assist authors and publishers in the following ways:
Increasing awareness of an author's books
Connecting readers directly to author's web sites
Offering authors and publishers valuable information
Putting profits in the hands of writer's and publishers

Bookhitch can assist readers by:
Helping readers to discover unique books, authors, publishers, companies, and websites
Connecting readers with authors and publishers
Helping to reward the people who count by buying books directly from the author or publisher
Offering readers a wide selection of books

Bookhitch also offers subscribers a monthly newsletter packed with information on authors, interviews, books, publishing trends, and news.

The Mission of Bookhitch is the belief that books are for all to enjoy. The organization aims to be the connection between the book and the reader, no matter where the reader is located. Bookhitch also exists to meet the needs of both authors and readers, with the goal of bringing them closer together through the Bookhitch book portal. The main purpose is to provide an author or publisher with the opportunity to sell their book(s) and that any visitor has the chance to discover them.

The Vision of Bookhitch is a lofty one, offering all books to the world. The organization is dedicated to listing every book ever published while providing direction as to where these books can be purchased.

Gemini Magazine Poetry Open

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Gemini Magazine Poetry Open is now accepting submissions. The deadline is January 3rd, 2012. The contest is open to all types of poetry, including:
Prose Poem Free Verse Ballad
Ballade Rhyme Haiku Haibun
Sonnet Lyric Elegy Limerick
Narrative Pastoral Acrostic
Cinquain Quatrain Allegory . . . the proper name doesn't matter as long as your poetry moves the editors. No restrictions on style, content, or length. Simply send your best unpublished poetry via e-mail or snail mail.

Prizes
1st Place - $1,000 and publication in the March 2012 issue of Gemini Magazine.
2nd Place - $100 and publication in the March 2012 issue of Gemini Magazine.
3rd Place - $1st Place - $1,000 and publication in the March 2012 issue of Gemini Magazine.
Three Honorable Mentions will be published in the March 2012 issue of Gemini Magazine.

Entry Fee
$5 up to three poems

To Enter By E-mail
Click the "Donate Button" and submit $5 fee
"Security Code" is on the back of credit card, if you did not receive a confirmation number, the transaction was not processed.
Paste Confirmation Number and Poem(s) into body of e-mail and send to: peotryopen@gemini-magazine.com
NO attachments

To Enter By Snail Mail
Mail entry with $5 check or Money Order to
Poetry Open
Gemini Magazine
P.O. Box 1485
Onset, MA 02558

Deadline
January 3, 2012

Authorlink

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Founded in March 1996, Authorlink provides online news, marketing services, and information for editors, agents, producers, writers, and readers.

Some of the specialized services Authorlink provides include:

Helping writers, editors, and agents find one another through book pitches.
Helping writers market themselves through a writers registry.
Providing education, information, and guidance for writers.
Critiquing service assisting writers in polishing their work.
Assisting editors and agents locate publishable manuscripts.
Helping writers, particularly self-published authors, market themselves.
Helping writers with all aspects of books including publishing, selling, and reviewing.
Providing printing services for selected small presses. Another important aspect of Authorlink is forming strong and vital relationships with editors, agents, and readers so the organization can assist writers find agency representation and/or sell their works to major publishing houses.

Under the Read, View, Listen section new resources include articles, audio/visual interviews, book reviews, and the writer's registry. In the Learn/Improve section there's skill building resources, critiquing and editorial services, and conferences.

The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Contest

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable is currently accepting submissions of short fiction or memoir for the annual short story award. Submissions must be 2,000 words or less. The submission deadline is midnight EST on January 31, 2012.

Entry Requirements:
Stories must be submitted via the form on the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable web site.
Entries must be no more than 2000 words.
All entries must be previously unpublished and adhere to the Terms and Conditions set forth by the group and found on the group's web site.
Deadline is January 31, 2012.
The entry fee is $10 using PayPal.

Prizes:
1st Prize: $200 and consideration for inclusion in the upcoming BWG Anthology, Seasonal Pursuits: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales.
2nd Prize: $100 and publication in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
3rd Prize: $50 and publication in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
Honorable Mention: Stories may be selected for Honorable Mention and offered publication in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.

Judge:
Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling authors, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and Marvel Comics author.

More information such as Terms and Conditions and the submission form can be found at the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable web site.

Sooners Score! The Importance of Football in "Saving Grace"

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Saving Grace creator Nancy Miller had always wanted to develop a series about a Catholic protagonist living in Oklahoma, where she grew up. Set in Oklahoma City, Saving Grace accomplishes much of its authenticity by having most of its characters view Oklahoma Sooners football as a religious experience and football games as high holy days for the throngs of the faithful. Since I’ve known real Oklahoma fans, their fanaticism on the TV show is spot on.

The show is filled with the lore that is Sooners football and Grace and her squad takes it seriously, in the same way that fans of Nebraska and Texas do. Football becomes its own character in the series and a constant topic of conversation. Every member of the squad, with the exception of Butch, display Sooners football memorabilia on their desks or in their offices. There’s constant chatter about who’s going to play, who’s got a shot at the Heisman Trophy, and whether another national championship is on the horizon.

Having gone to the University of Texas to play football as quarterback, Butch is viewed as a traitor, and the teasing he endures isn’t always good-natured. Even Butch’s own mother was disappointed in her son’s choice of schools, maintaining that she has no idea what went wrong and led her son astray. Not about to be intimidated, Butch displays Long-horns memorabilia on his desk. He’s brave enough to also have a stuffed animal that represents “Bevo,” the University of Texas mascot, but the animal disappears on a regular basis during the series.

Tickets on the 50-yard line, or better yet season tickets, are coveted like gold; and Grace’s teenage nephew, Clay desperately wants to attend the University of Oklahoma and play on the fabled football team. There’s always talk about who’s got the better view for a game.

In season two, former Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer appears as himself, as it turns out he and Grace have something in common. Connie, the name of Grace’s Porsche, was at one time owned by Switzer, and he comes to the Oklahoma City PD to take the car out for a spin. There is an interesting dynamic as most of the squad treats Switzer like a deity. Upon meeting Switzer, Grace genuflects and crosses herself as if she were having an audience with the Pope. When Butch comes face-to-face with the coach, they lock eyes in a silent stare-down, and it’s clear Butch will never be able to overcome the fact that he chose to wear the uniform of a Texas Longhorn rather than an Oklahoma Sooner.

In the final season, Grace is frantically searching for a young girl named Neely. They share the same “last chance angel” in the form of Earl, who will help them both find redemption, the premise upon which Saving Grace is built. After many false starts, when Grace and Neely finally do meet, do they talk about salvation and redeeming one’s soul? No. They talk about the upcoming of Sooners football season, like all passionate fans. For Earl, this conversation is a bit confusing, but Grace tells him it makes perfect sense to her as Oklahoma football is in her blood.

Grace may have shunned the Catholic Church; but like a lot of people, she worships at the altar that is football. And in Oklahoma that altar is massive with a history that includes national championships and Heisman trophy winners. Saving Grace may be about one woman’s last chance to redeem herself spiritually, but it’s also very much about the location and the culture there. Football is as much a part of Saving Grace as is the Oklahoma City bombing at the Murrah building. Both have helped to mold Grace and her peers for better or worse.

Author Nation

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Author Nation, sponsored by Infinity Publishing, is an online community for authors, writers, poets, and their readers. Membership is free and Author Nation offers the opportunity for members to connect, share, and promote their works.

Some of the features Author Nation provides include:
A profile page to share with family, friends, and readers in a professional environment of writer's and readers.
An opportunity to build your writing portfolio by submitting short stories, poems, articles, essays, and more. You can request feedback or use your portfolio as a personal blog.
The technology to upload your favorite photos and videos to personalize your profile.
The opportunity to build an intimate network of readers and peers for editorial input or simply building relationships with readers and other writers.
Take advantage of the many forums offered through Author Nation to get inspired, seek advice, or build buzz for your work.
If you're already published, set up your profile bookstore and sell your work through the retailer of your choice. Each listing includes an ISBN #, pricing, abstract, and a "Buy It Here" link.

The author owns all rights to works published on Author Nation.

Dream Quest One Winter Poetry and Writing Contest

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing contests are open to anyone who loves expressing their innermost thoughts and feelings through the art form that is poetry or a short story. All of us have the ability to dream, so here's an opportunity to express those dreams through writing.

Guidelines:
All works must be original. The postmark deadline is December 31, 2011. Poems are to be 30 lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form. Poems can be typed or neatly hand-printed.

Short stories have a maximum length of five pages. The topic is open to any subject, theme, fiction, or creative non-fiction. This includes essay compositions, diary and journal entries, and screenwriting. Short stories may also be typed or neatly hand-printed. Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.

Prizes:
Poetry Contest First Prize: $250.00
Second Prize: $125.00
Third Prize: $50.00

Short Story First Prize: $500.00
Second Prize: $250.00
Third Prize: $100.00

Entry Fees:
Writing Contest: $10 per short story
Poetry Contest: $5 per poem
See instructions for PayPal entry payments at Dreamquestone Rules

Mailing Address:
Dream Quest One
Poetry/Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654
C/O Andre L. West, Editor

Make checks payable to: Dreamquestone.Com

No limit on the number of entries.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace: Redemption in "Saving Grace"

2011-11-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

Redemption is at the core of Saving Grace in the form of a tobacco-spitting “last chance angel” named Earl. Redemption is implied in Grace Hanadarko’s very name. The message in Saving Grace is clear - God works through all types of people, even an alcoholic police detective who’s in great pain because of the bombing at the Murrah Federal Building and death of her sister, which she feels partly responsible for. Even in the first season, when she’s fighting Earl every step of the way, Grace proves that she is one soul worth saving. Grace uses the redemptive power of her name to stop a father from killing his son. The father proclaims, “With His grace, I can do God’s will;” and Grace asks the son what her name is. He responds that her name is “Grace,” and the father relents.

In this television series “grace” means the kindness, which God shows the human race; and time and again, Grace Hanadarko goes above and beyond the call of duty simply because she cares so much. For example, investigating a fatal school bus accident that may have occurred due to shoddy maintenance, Grace is trapped with the company’s bookkeeper as a tornado hits Oklahoma City. Grace could leave the trapped, dishonest employee to die in the storm, but she doesn’t. Instead, she uses compassion to help keep the woman going until help arrives, even though her faith is tested as she learns that the bookkeeper altered maintenance records.

Over the second season, Grace slowly works her way toward salvation. In a key plot development, Grace kidnaps the Catholic priest, Father Patrick Murphy, who molested her as a child. Initially, she wants to kill Father Murphy, but she can’t bring herself to take that step. Instead, Grace arrests the priest and brings him to the police station.

When Grace learns that she and Murphy share Earl as a “last chance angel,” she realizes that Earl has forgiven the priest for his reprehensible actions. She understands that while she may not forgive Murphy, God sees the priest as a soul worth redeeming. In Murphy’s example, Grace witnesses that she too is a deeply flawed individual and that God has worked through both she and Murphy to overcome darkness and make for a better world.

By the third and final season, Grace and Earl’s relationship has developed into a close friendship, and she has undergone a spiritual transformation. Earl has left a number of clues, which bring Grace in contact with Neely Lloyd. Grace must get Neely, a crystal meth addict, away from her abusive boyfriend; however, Neely is shot during a raid and lapses into a coma.

Rising to the challenge, Grace begins her quest by visiting Neely, who is in a coma in the hospital nearly every day. As the days pass into weeks, Grace realizes that in turning her life over to God, she must save Neely from destroying herself. When Neely finally awakens from her coma, Grace attempts to help the girl in every possible way.

Through her own choices, however, Neely makes Grace’s job a difficult one. She lapses into drug use and Grace puts her into treatment. At every turn Neely questions God’s love for her, which leads her to the 12^th floor of an Oklahoma City bank building and the desire to end her life. Grace attempts to talk Neely out of jumping, and instead, Neely pulls them both off the roof into a 12-story free fall.

Miraculously, they survive unscathed, but only Grace understands that God has even bigger plans for redemption. For Neely, their survival is proof (although only temporary) that God loves her. Grace becomes known as the “Angel Cop,” and the experience opens her to the power of faith. Letters from all over the world come addressed to Grace, and she insists she will read each one.

Before Grace can face the ultimate test of redemption, she finds herself confronting obstacles to her salvation. On a bright, sunny day while listening to the car radio, Grace is involved in tragedy. A young girl, chasing a soccer ball into the street, is hit and killed by Grace. As Grace carries the girl’s lifeless body, Earl watches her with great sadness. What this event in the series seems to indicate is that salvation often comes out of sorrow or from a person’s response to the tragedy. Initially, Grace spirals out of control, engaging in drinking and drug abuse. She encounters a writer named Hut Flanders, who tells her that he writes of how grief and misfortune often follow miracles. Grace recognizes that Flanders represents evil incarnate and tells him to stay away from her.

However, God is not done testing Grace. When she loses Neely to a drug overdose after months of trying to save her, Grace’s redemption almost ends in suicide. She recognizes that Neely died due to her own choices and free will, and this knowledge stops Grace from taking her own life.

Grace pulls herself back from the darkness and tells Earl that she is now ready to turn her life completely over to God. In doing so, Grace understands that she is to confront evil, something she believes her work as a detective has prepared her for. She recognizes that Flanders represents such evil and that God is working through her to confront malice and make the world a better place.

Grace is waiting to confront Hut Flanders and calmly smokes one of the cigars Earl gave her. When Flanders appears, Grace empties her gun, shooting him. Unable to destroy this force of evil with bullets, Flanders tells Grace of his part in every tragedy from the bombing at the Murrah Federal Building and the death of Grace’s sister, Mary Francis, to the death of the young girl, Esparonza, whom Grace hit. He offers Grace a deal – she walks out of the storage locker filled with ammonia nitrate, and he detonates the bomb on another sun-washed day in Oklahoma City. Refusing to trade her life for an act of incomprehensible evil, Grace tosses the lit cigar onto the pile of ammonia nitrate, sacrificing herself in the process.

But out of evil, hope rises. When Grace’s body is carried out by Ham and Butch, all of the people important in Grace’s life, including Earl, pay their respects with a silent salute. The hundreds of bags of mail addressed to the Angel Cop, “letters of love” Grace told Flanders, survived the blast—a testament to the existence of faith. Butch, who has not believed Ham’s assertions that Grace has a guardian angel, marvels at the bags of mail untouched. Hut Flanders may have destroyed the physical Grace, but the one thing he could not do was to devastate the faith present in all of those letters.

While Grace makes the ultimate sacrifice, her actions of selflessness have redeemed her. The title, Saving Grace can also be viewed as the quality that can be found in all humanity that redeems a person. Grace Hanadarko had those qualities all along; it simply required Earl, with the help of God to bring those qualities of caring, compassion, and selflessness to the surface.

Smart Women's Institute of Entrepreneurial Learning

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Central Coast Writers Branch Spring Writers Contest

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Central Coast Writers Branch of the California Writers Club is now accepting submissions for their Spring 2012 writing contest. The contest is open to all work not previously published. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but authors must notify the Central Coast Branch immediately if their work is accepted elsewhere.

Entry Fees
There are two classes of entry fees - member and non-member. A non-member does not belong to any branch of the California Writers Club.
Non-member entry fee: Prose - $10 (fiction or non-fiction), $5 first poem, and $3 for 2nd and subsequent poems.
Member entry fees: Prose - $8 (fiction or non-fiction), Poetry $3 first poem; and $2 for 2nd and subsequent poems.

Prizes
$1000 total awards. Four winners (two in each category of poetry and two in each category of prose) will receive $250 each. The winning entries will be published (print and on-line) in the Spring 2012 Homestead Review produced by Hartnell College.

Deadline
January 31, 2012

Categories
Poetry categories are Unrhymed Poems (free verse, blank verse, cameo, cinquain, haiku, shadorma, story stanze, etc.) and Rhymed Poems (couplet, triolet, triplet, sonnet, rondeau, vignette, etc.) no longer than 50 lines.

Prose categories are non-fiction (essays, articles, memoirs, etc.) and short fiction(writer's choice of mystery, romance, western, etc.) each no longer than 2,500 words.

How To Enter
Make check payable to: Central Coast Writers
Send with submission to: CCW Writing Contest
P.O. Box 997
Pacific Grove, CA 93950

For additional information including contest guidelines, judges profiles, etc. contact Central Coast Writers.

Making Me Hungry - The Significance of Food in The Sopranos

2011-11-02T08:00:00.001-07:00

Food is a huge part of The Sopranos, representing everything from family togetherness and traditions to the business of crime, from the all important aspect of sex to comfort. Much of the action in The Sopranos takes place while characters are eating, which can make for a very hungry viewer. Here are some key Soprano moments that take place around food in the mob universe.

In the very first episode, Tony suffers the panic attack at a family barbeque that will connect him with psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. He passes out while cooking; and when his doctors are unable to find any reason for his collapse, they look to the possibility of panic attacks. What becomes evident is that Tony has a history of such attacks.

Even the storyline for that first episode has to do with a restaurant. Uncle Junior wants to stage a hit in one of the mobster’s favorite restaurant’s, Vesuvio, owned by Artie Buccio, a life-long friend of Tony’s. Concerned that a killing at Vesuvio will damage Artie’s business, Tony has the restaurant burned down instead, hoping the insurance money will allow Artie to rebuild.

Artie gets his restaurant rebuilt, and the first season ends with the Soprano family having dinner at the new Vesuvio. In what can be called one of the nicer moments of the series, Tony proposes a toast to his family. As with many other Soprano family dinners, this one is special. The major holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas are shown on the show, but this small moment demonstrates that the familial bonds of mother, father, daughter, and son stand united against the outside world.

Two murders have connections to food because they occur in the kitchen—one over dinner and the other breakfast. The first incident deals with Janice Soprano and her fiancé, Richie Aprile, and takes place during the second season. After Janice brings up his son, a sore subject with Richie, he punches Janice in the mouth during dinner. Not about to put up with abuse, Janice responds by shooting him dead. The only problem Janice has in killing Richie is how to dispose of the body, for which she relies on help from her brother.

In season four, Ralph Cifaretto is cooking eggs for breakfast, when Tony confronts him over the death of a racehorse in a fire that both men owned. When Ralph justifies his actions by saying it was just a horse, Tony flies into a furious rage. Tony punches Ralph, who defends himself with pots, pans, and a knife. The two men grapple on the kitchen floor until Tony strangles Ralph.

The kitchen remains a very dangerous place in the world of the Sopranos. In season six, Uncle Junior shoots Tony in the kitchen, where Tony has prepared dinner for them. The contrast between the series and real life is that the kitchen is usually a place of warmth and community in our homes, but often not so in The Sopranos. While the kitchen is still a place of gathering for the Soprano clan, it can often be one of violence as well.

There are numerous meals shown among Tony and his crew, but one in particular stands out. In “Two Tonys” during season five, Christopher complains bitterly about always having to pay for dinner for the crew and on one occasion, forces Paulie to pay. A feud erupts between Christopher and Paulie, and Tony orders Christopher to continue paying for dinners, explaining that it’s respectful and also tradition. He reminds Christopher that one day his dinners will be paid for.

The crew visits Atlantic City, where Paulie tells everyone to order what they want, so Christopher winds up with an even larger bill. The tab comes to $1,184, and Christopher pays $1,200 leaving a tip of only $16. The two men are still bickering in the parking lot over the price of the meal when the waiter confronts them about the poor tip. He calls them “fucking assholes”; and as he turns to leave, Christopher hits him in the back of the head with a brick. The waiter starts convulsing, and Paulie shoots him, but not before taking the money Christopher paid out for dinner. The following day, both men agree to “bury the hatchet” and split the tab.

Another key incident involves a ruined meal and one of Tony’s girlfriend’s, Gloria Trillo. Tony was supposed to come to Gloria’s for dinner (she was preparing brisket), but is delayed by family obligations. By the time he shows up, dinner is brunt to a crisp, and Gloria is furious. An argument ensues, and Gloria hurls the meat at Tony’s head. This leads to a physical altercation, during which Tony realizes that Gloria is mentally unhinged and actually wants him to kill her. It is at this point that Tony ends their relationship.

Numerous Sunday dinners are shown at the Soprano household throughout the series. In one episode, Tony explains to his sister Janice how important such dinners are in terms of family time and tradition. This is also probably because Janice is not the wonderful cook that Carmela is; and when it comes time for Janice to make Sunday dinner, she gets the meal catered from Vesuvio.

Food represents many things on The Sopranos—one being grief. When Uncle Junior’s aide, Bobby Baccalieri’s wife dies in an automobile accident, he is devastated. When he begins dating Janice Soprano, Bobby has a difficult parting with the last pan of ziti his wife made. Janice is practical—they need something to eat for dinner—but Bobby has an emotional attachment to the food representing the memory of his late wife. Bobby would hold onto the ziti forever or at least until a special occasion. Janice, however, prepares the ziti for dinner, forcing Bobby to confront the death of his wife.

The Sopranos also uses food as a stand-in for sex. During the first season, Carmela has an increasingly close relationship with her parish priest, Father Phil. On one occasion when Carmela is recovering from the flu, Father Phil stops by unannounced and later admits he had a hankering for Carmela’s delicious ziti. When Carmela observes Father Phil accepting ziti from a newly widowed parishioner, she reacts as a jealous lover would. Carmela takes the ziti she had brought for Father and tosses it in the trash. Shortly after that, Carmela tells Father Phil that she’s tired of him taking advantage of her free food and hospitality (much the way some men take advantage of sex) and effectively ends their relationship. She tells him that it’s “the whiff of sexuality that never goes anywhere” that excites him, and she ends their relationship.

At the beginning of season six, in the opening episode, Tony and Carmela discover a new sushi restaurant. They start to eat their frequently; and at one point, Carmela even mentions fantasizing about the restaurant’s wonderful sushi. Then Tony eats at the restaurant by himself, and this revelation hurts Carmela, who tells him, “I thought that was our place.” The discovery of the sushi restaurant comes prior to Tony being shot by Uncle Junior, so Tony and Carmela’s marriage is still on shaky ground at this point. They both treat the restaurant the same as they would sex – Carmela fantasizing about sushi, and Tony sneaking into the restaurant by himself.

The first part of season six ends with Christmas dinner. Everyone sits around the Christmas tree at the Soprano household, while “Silent Night” plays in the background. Tony and Phil Leotardo of the Lupertazzi crime family have come to a truce. Meadow calls home to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, while Carmela and Janice put the finishing touches on dinner. Much like in the ending of season one at Vesuvio, Tony toasts his family and tells everyone how blessed he is.

During the second part of the sixth and final season, A.J. spirals into depression and his parents are at a loss as to how to help him. Carmela copes by making A.J. his favorite foods such as “Lincoln log sandwiches” and ziti, but the usual, sure-fire cure doesn’t work. When A.J. attempts to drown himself in the family pool, Tony rescues him, and the family is faced with just how ill A.J. is. When Tony comes to the hospital to visit A.J., he brings pizza, one of A.J.’s favorite foods. Through the pizza, Tony is trying to offer A.J. comfort in a stressful situation; but in many ways, Tony is consoling himself in attempting to share a meal with his son.

In a sense, the food aspect of The Sopranos demonstrates what may be in store for the family at the end of the series. The series ends not in Vesuvio, but at an ordinary diner, where Tony, Carmela, and A.J. have ordered onion rings while they await the arrival of Meadow.

Since the final episode of the series is titled, “Made in America”, the ordering of onion rings by the Soprano family may signify that they are getting an American delicacy. According to Yahoo and Wikipedia, breaded, fried onions were developed by Sam Quigley in 1955 at his Nebraska restaurant. Considered an appetizer, the family takes pleasure in this good food as the wait for their final member.

Gang wars have erupted between the DiMeo and Lupertazzi families, and both have experienced heavy losses. Forced to hide out in a safe house for several weeks, Tony and his family have had to take a major step down from their usual lavish lifestyles. The diner and the simple order of onion rings may represent how far the mighty crime boss has fallen or how far he is about to. The end to The Sopranos is, of course, the screen fading to black and perhaps, Tony Soprano’s last meal.

Throughout The Sopranos, meals and food play an important role. On the bad side, meals are often at the center of violence where people frequently get killed. On the good side, food also represents a variety of things, such as family togetherness, comfort, sex, and even the aspect of grief. Either way, watching The Sopranos, one can definitely work up an appetite.

Funds for Writers

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Founded by C. Hope Clark, the mission of Funds For Writers is to provide quality, paying markets to writers of all skill levels and interests. The site’s specialty is promoting grants for writers, but other information covers contests, writer's markets, newsletters, jobs, calls for submissions, and much more.

St. Louis Writer's Guild Short Story Contest

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Since the St. Louis Writers Guild's founding in 1920, the organization has sponsored an annual short-story contest, making it one of the oldest writing contests in the country.

Submissions for the 2011 contest are received from October 1 - December 1, 2011. The entry fee is $15 per manuscript, $10 for an additional entry, limit 2 entries per person. The word count is 3,000 words or less.

Submit 2 copies of story, mailed together in one envelope. One typed cover page must be paper-clipped to the top page of both manuscript copies indicating the story's title, author's name, address, telephone number, e-mail address if available, and the total word count.

All submissions are required to be MAILED, using the United States Postal Service. Mail entry to:
St. Louis Writers Guild
Attention: Short Story Contest
P.O. Box 411757
St. Louis, MO 63141

For additional contest guidelines, visit the St. Louis Writers Guild web site.

Therapists, Mothers, Girlfriends, and Strippers - Women of The Sopranos

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

On the surface, The Sopranos concerns the testosterone-fueled world of mob boss, Tony Soprano, and his many associates. But women also figure prominently in the series, unlike other mob stories such as The Godfather trilogy or Goodfellas. In The Sopranos, women are rich, fully-developed characters including Tony’s cold mother, Livia; his wife and the mother of his children, Carmela; his trusted therapist Dr. Melfi, who helps Tony deal with his recurring panic attacks; his numerous girlfriends; his daughter; and the strippers that inhabit the world of the Bada Bing.

The real story regarding at the core of The Sopranos concerns Tony and the many women in his life, particularly, the relationship between him and his mother. Livia Soprano is the most powerful individual in the entire series, even after her death. Her troubled relationship with Tony and the way she withholds her love and approval from her son are ultimately what The Sopranos’ main narrative is about. It is also what makes The Sopranos different from other mob portrayals: Most often mafia stories marginalize women, giving them little if no power. Here, everything revolves around Tony and Livia’s relationship, and he’s forever affected by it.

In a telling session with Dr. Melfi, Tony remembers that it was his mother who squelched her husband Johnny’s business dreams of moving to Las Vegas to take the mob in a new direction. Calling him a saint now that he’s dead, Livia refused to support him. Tony tells Dr. Melfi that it was his mother who was the real gangster—a woman who wore his father down to a nub by the end of his life.

This brings up probably the second most important and powerful woman in the series, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, the therapist to whom Tony confesses his darkest fears, longings, and secrets. The fact that Dr. Melfi is a “she” is another aspect that makes The Sopranos so intriguing. It turns out that for all his testosterone, Tony Soprano feels most comfortable with a female psychiatrist. However, counseling a known mob boss takes a toll on Dr. Melfi, a situation that’s explored in later seasons during her sessions with her own psychiatrist.

Despite her strength and intelligence, after she is brutally raped, Dr. Melfi seriously considers asking Tony for help in seeking vengeance. This could be interpreted as the “damsel in distress” syndrome, in which a male swoops in to save the day, or in this case, mete out the punishment the perpetrator deserves. Dr. Melfi begins to wonder if Tony Soprano isn’t the answer to her problems, only after the justice system fails her and the rapist goes free. In the end, Dr. Melfi doesn’t dare tell Tony the truth about her injuries because she knows that not only would Tony help her, but his idea of retribution would most likely involve murder. Deep down this is the punishment Dr. Melfi wants for her attacker, but in reality, she probably couldn’t live with herself. When Tony does inquire about her injuries, Dr. Melfi makes up a story about a car accident.

Besides Dr. Melfi and Tony’s mother, there are other significant women in The Sopranos. Carmela Soprano is a formidable, no-nonsense woman who knows exactly what Tony is. In the pilot, Carmela is meeting with her parish priest at her home. When she hears someone on the roof, Carmela tells Father Phil to take cover and coolly retrieves an automatic weapon. Unlike women in The Godfather trilogy, who were often marginalized and reduced to silence, Carmela is a fully-realized woman who gives as good as she gets.

Carmela isn’t afraid to hold a deal over Tony’s head or stand up to him either, especially if it serves her in getting what she wants. Carmela also isn’t in the dark regarding Tony’s philandering and seriously considers having an affair with Father Phil when the opportunity presents itself. But Carmela still loves Tony, despite all his shortcomings, and audiences learn just how much, after Tony is seriously wounded in season six.

However, even though Carmela stands up to Tony, there is still a double standard in their relationship. Tony has numerous affairs, but he can’t stand the idea of Carmela having feeling for Furio, Tony’s driver. Prior to Tony and Carmela separating in season four, the couple gets into a physical altercation. Tony reminds Carmela that when they married, she knew exactly what she was getting herself into and also understood that there would be any number of mistresses. He calls her materialistic, and Carmela responds by revealing her feelings for Furio, who had suddenly returned to Italy.

Tony becomes violent, but stops himself from hitting Carmela, instead punching holes in the wall. Clearly, it is acceptable, if not expected, for Tony to have romantic liaisons, but not so for Carmela. Tony threatens to track down Furio and kill him, and Carmela calls him on it, which may be what ultimately stops him. Eventually, Carmela evens the score by engaging in an affair with A.J.’s guidance counselor. While the relationship doesn’t end well, neither does any of Tony’s philandering.

There is also the issue of respect for women, especially in the storyline of Ralph Cifarette and his relationship with a stripper at the Bada Bing. Tracee is young and naïve, and Tony acted as a father figure to her, giving her advice on taking her sick child to the doctor. In appreciation, Tracee bakes Tony some bread; and while he thanks her, he tells Tracee there’s a policy against fraternizing with employees. Later, when she discovers she’s pregnant with Ralph’s child, Tracee consults Tony again for advice. He counsels her to have an abortion—his rationale being that Tracee is too young to have another child to support.

Ralph has a deep-seeded hatred of women that he takes out on Tracee, using humiliation and violence. When Tracee speaks to Ralph at Bada Bing, he calls her a “cocksucker,” reducing her to silence and marginality. He uses the same tactics when he forces her into a sexual three-way and threatens her with physical violence if she refuses.

When Ralph kills Tracee, Tony violates an unwritten rule and strikes a made man. (Made men are never to strike one another). Tony screams, “How fuckin’ dare you!” before punching him in the face. Later in Dr. Melfi’s office with Carmela, Tony is visibly upset by Tracee’s death. He tells the women that a young man, whom he worked with at Barone Sanitation and was only 20 years old, died recently. Tony changes the gender of Tracee to a man because he knows Carmela and Dr. Melfi would react in anger to a woman being killed at the hands of a violent male.

The feud between Ralph and Tony escalates when Ralph refuses to acknowledge Tony and won’t properly greet him. What is really at the core of Tony’s fury is Tracee’s death at the hands of Ralph, whose hatred of women is again evident when he dismisses Tracee as a “whore” who deserved her fate. Ralph is further angered that Tony pummeled him over a woman and tries to justify her killing by saying he was high on cocaine.

Months after Tracee’s death, Tony is still affected by it and believes Ralph not only disrespected Tracee, but the Bing as well. Approaching the Thanksgiving holiday, Tony watches his daughter Meadow carry dishes from the kitchen to the dining room. His thoughts are intercut with those of Tracee waitressing at Bada Bing. The virgin/whore split is in play, but what is different from the old idea that “good” girls are virgins and “bad” girls are whores is that women are allowed to be a combination of both. In season four, after Tony kills Ralph, he sees a picture of Tracee on the wall at the Bada Bing. He smiles at the photo and raises his glass, acknowledging that part of the reason he murdered Ralph was over Tracee’s death.

There is also the question of how the men of The Sopranos tend to put mothers on a pedestal, probably due to the mothers’ ability to give life. When Tony and Carmela separate, Tony tells his crew that she will always be important in his life because “she’s the mother of my children”. During the same period, when A.J. mouths off to Carmela, Tony tells him to show his mother some respect. Even for all of his difficulties with Livia, Tony always tried to respect her when she was alive.

Of all Tony’s crew members, Paulie ‘Walnuts’ Gualtieri is the one who has placed his mother on the highest pedestal. Throughout the majority of the series, Paulie can frequently be heard uttering, “That’s my ma you’re talkin’ about.” He is close to Nucci, supporting her financially in high style. But in season six, Paulie learns from his dying Aunt Dottie, who has been a life-long nun that she is his biological mother, having given birth to him after a tryst with a member of a USO show during the war. To avoid shaming her family, her sister Nucci raised Paulie as her own.

This revelation throws Paulie’s life and identity into turmoil. He tells Tony that the worst thing is, “I’m not who I thought I am.” Once Paulie discovers his aunt is his mother, he calls her a whore; and it’s clear that, at least in his mind, the “perfect” woman is a virgin, and Paulie throws Dottie off that proverbial pedestal once he learns the truth. However, it should be noted that Paulie doesn’t speak kindly about the G.I. who was his father either, calling him a cocksucker.

The never-married Paulie may not only have issues about the type of woman who engages in sex, but the kind of man as well. For Paulie, who like Tony has numerous girlfriends, it’s perfectly acceptable for him to have sex. What is not acceptable is for nuns to have sexual relations or for any man to dare to deflower them.

Perhaps because of the shock and betrayal, Paulie decides to stop supporting Nucci and goes a step further by telling her he wants nothing to do with her. Paulie’s approach is harsh, because his “Aunt” Dottie was only his biological mother; and as Tony reminds him, it was Nucci who undertook the job of raising him, who loved him, and who frequently bailed him out of trouble. Paulie’s actions regarding his relationship with Nucci probably have more to do with his money-obsessed personality that includes being incredibly tight. Later in the season, Paulie and Nucci reconcile, after Paulie gives some serious thought to what Tony said.

There is one woman who can soften Paulie’s often hard heart—the Virgin Mary. When there is a carnival accident at the Feast of Elzéar of Sabran because Paulie scrimped on money for maintenance on one of the rides, tensions mount between Paulie and festival-goers who were hurt. Paulie also has a health issue on his mind and when the accident and his health problem conspire to keep him awake, Paulie goes down to Bada Bing. Here Paulie sees the Virgin Mary standing on the bar, and the apparition deeply shakes him. The vision gets Paulie to stop thinking about money and his own problems, and he goes to visit Nucci, where they reconcile while watching The Lawrence Welk Show.

Throughout the series, Tony has numerous girlfriends, and two of these demonstrate that Tony genuinely cares for these women. When Tony breaks up with his beautiful Russian mistress Irina, partly because everyone in his family, including Carmela, knows he is seeing her, his break-up doesn’t go as planned. Irina proclaims her love for Tony and threatens suicide. Almost making good on her threat, Irina ends up having her stomach pumped, and Tony rushes to the hospital to talk some sense into her.

Later, another girlfriend, Valentina, wants Tony to make a decision about staying with her or returning to Carmela. She is cooking Tony some Eggbeaters® in her apartment after they’ve had sex and catches her robe on fire. Tony extinguishes the flames, but Valentina suffers serious second and third degree burns. Tony visits the delirious Valentina in the hospital (she believes he’s a surgeon) and feels true guilt that he was planning to break up with her. But no matter how many girlfriends Tony has or the depth of the relationship, he always comes home to Carmela.

The women of The Sopranos tend to be smart, strong-willed, and independent, and there are indications that Meadow Soprano will push those boundaries even further. Having begun the series as a spoiled brat, Meadow has matured into a sophisticated young woman, considering either medical or law school. Meadow is seen having sex with several paramours; but as with the majority of women in The Sopranos, her status in life isn’t diminished. She is also extremely smart, far more so than her brother A.J. and seems much more comfortable with the pressure brought on by being a Soprano, which means often being in the public eye. This brings up the distinct possibility that it will be Meadow, and not A.J. (who also suffers from being hot-headed and is frequently portrayed as a buffoon), who will take over as head of the DiMeo crime family in the future.

The women of The Sopranos add an entirely new perspective to both the series and the mob genre as a whole. Much of the narrative is seen through the eyes of the various women and they are clearly not relegated to the sidelines. In The Sopranos, the women are just as complex as the men; and rather than being either a “good” girl or a “bad” girl, they are free to be a combination of both.

What made The Sopranos so interesting, especially in comparison to most other mob stories; is that it didn’t tell the story of a father and his son, but the relationship between a mother and her son. That very difference injected a female perspective into a genre that frequently has none, and turned it on its head.

A Woman's Write

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

A Woman's Write is a a consortium of women who write. They've lived, and value and understand the contribution women make to the world, especially in the world of the arts. The women of A Woman's Write know what it's like to feel undervalued and alone, and occasionally to revel in the sense of woman's power and wild exultant truth. They've been on pilgrimages both by airplane and inner planes, looking for their own personal piece of the spiritual landscape. They've fought the good fight with incorrigible husbands, partners, and lovers. And they've had the pleasure of putting it on paper in different ways as amateur and professional writers.

In 2011, A Woman's Write added a new, non-fiction contest,Truth To Tell. Prize money is $300 and the entry fee of $40 includes a detailed critique. The entry deadline for 2012 is August 31, 2012. A Woman's Write also sponsors The Good Read novel competition. Deadline is November 30, 2011 and the entry fee is again $40 which includes a critique. Prize money is $500.

The organization has also launched a new editing site, The Book MD hosted by A Woman's Write editor, Barbara Bamberger Scott. The site is for all writers 18 and over and provides a professional analysis of an author's work, whether it's fiction or non-fiction.

Big Fish Online Contest: Flash Fiction and Prose Poetry

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Big Fish Online Contest for Flash Fiction and Prose Poetry is now accepting submissions through November 1, 2011. A prize of $200 and online publication will be awarded for the best piece of writing under 500 words. Flash fiction, short-shorts, micro-prose, prose poems, poetic prose, and just plain short stories will be considered. The contest winner will be chosen by the CutBank editorial staff and announced on the website December 1, 2011.

All submissions will be considered for both online and print publication in CutBank. Submissions must be accompanied by the $9.00 submission fee.

A Very Sexual Creature - Sex and "Saving Grace"

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

According to creator Nancy Miller, the title character, Grace Hanadarko of Saving Grace, is a “very sexual creature,” and Miller makes no apologies for Grace’s very active sex life. “Grace is a sexual being because of who she is, not what happened to her,” Miller says, referring to when Father Patrick Murphy molested Grace as a child.

Grace challenges patriarchy on all levels. Miller has noted that she came to the character of Grace “very honestly” not thinking about what she “should” be or what Hollywood has often deemed female roles to be. In Grace there is “total raw honesty, about a woman who leads her life with no illusions of perfection about herself–or any anyone else”.

Much like Tony Soprano with the ladies, Grace is not a one-man woman. She is involved in an affair with her married partner, Ham Dewey, but she also engages in numerous casual relationships. She doesn’t lie about it or make excuses. If anyone has a problem with her promiscuity it’s the men in her life. Men have been doing the same thing for centuries; but in Saving Grace, there is no double standard. Grace just happens to be a lapsed Catholic who loves sex and is liberated through it.

What is often different than in real-life is the admiration the men of Saving Grace have for her. Grace has had sexual relationships with a number of the men on the Oklahoma City police force, and they all also know she is an exceptional detective. The men Grace sleeps with seem to be a bit jealous of her life, as Grace is able to treat all of her partners with respect. For example, after engaging in sex with someone Grace doesn’t toss them away like a used tissue, but continues to be friends with that individual.

While Grace is never punished for her sexuality on the show, that doesn’t mean there aren’t patriarchal structures that don’t try. Under the guise of giving Grace a new partner until Ham recovers from the death of his brother, Internal Affairs sends in a female officer, Abbey Charles, to pair with Grace temporarily. Internal Affairs hopes to document Grace’s promiscuity, heavy drinking, and other destructive behaviors. However, Abbey’s cover is blown and the ploy backfires with the squad supporting Grace and shunning Abbey as a traitor.

During the second season, Grace and the squad investigate the murders of two women at the home of architect William Drugh. Drugh’s unorthodox views on sex and relationships intrigue Grace; and while investigating the case, she has a casual fling with the architect. His philosophy comes from a behavior based on ancient Hindu or Buddhist texts and Grace is fascinated by Drugh, carrying some of his principles into her own life, such as her sexual relations with Ham.

In the third and final season, Grace’s best friend and crime investigator, Rhetta Rodriquez learns that her husband has cheated on her. A devout Catholic, Rhetta explains to Grace that when she has an affair with a married man, the wife feels the same betrayal and hurt as Rhetta currently feels. She extracts a pledge from Grace that she will stop sleeping with married men, one which Grace tries hard to abide by.

Grace also has a casual sexual relationship with Hut Flanders, who tells her that he’s a writer documenting tragedy and sorrow for a book. Grace has just survived a twelve-story fall, and has become known as the “Angel Cop.” Flanders tells her that miracles such as hers are always followed by sorrow. She and Flanders make love in the Catholic Church where Grace has gone to confront God regarding plans for her future. Only later, when Rhetta finds that no such writer as Hut Flanders exists does Grace realize that Flanders represents incomprehensible evil. Rhetta believes that Grace has had sex with Satan, but Grace scoffs at such an assertion. “He was a man,” Grace tells her not the least bit fazed by what Flanders might symbolize. For Grace, there are no misgivings, guilt, or punishment for challenging sexual mores or patriarchy, for that matter.

Grace has no fears about whom she has sex with; she views the act as simply a part of her being. While there have been women portrayed on television and in the movies who have loved sex, they have generally been pigeon-holed man-eaters or nymphomaniacs. Grace is neither of these things, but a woman who happens to have a passion for sex—much the way Tony Soprano and the majority of his crew love sex. Another part of what Grace does is shatter stereotypes and illusions about women being “good girls” or “bad girls” and having to pay some sort of price dictated by a patriarchal society when they enjoy sex.

Kathryn Schleich is the author of Hollywood and Catholic Women 2^nd Edition, published through iUniverse in late 2011.

Absolute Write

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Absolute Write is a comprehensive writing site that caters to authors of all levels, not just women. The site offers articles, classes, tips, forums, and other resources. The main focus is on freelancing (Absolute Write considers writing a novel "freelancing", for example).

One feature of particular interest to authors is the "Pulse on Publishing" blog which discusses the many differing facets of the publishing industry. Absolute Write used to feature paying freelance markets for a small fee, but it doesn't look as if they offer that service any longer. However, writers can make donations to the site to help defray expenses.

Still, Absolute Write is a great writing resource. As the tag line says, "Write hard. Write true. And write on."

The Television Show Contest

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Scribophile is proud to present The Television Show Contest. Judging will be done by Len Kuntz, a writer from Washington State who, in the past two years, has published over 500 fiction and poetry pieces in print and online.

Rules
Entries must be a piece of flash fiction of 1,000 words or less inspired by themes or storytelling devices in a television show, but not fan fiction. Mention the television show that inspired you in the "About this Work" section of your piece.
Entries must be received by midnight of October 31, 2011 (UTC time) and winners will be announced within two weeks of that date.
Entries will be judged by Len Kuntz and all judging decisions are final.
Entry fee: FREE
Only one entry allowed per member. Multiple entries will be disqualified.
Work must have public visibility on Scribophile until winners are announced.
Winners must have a valid PayPal account to receive prize money.

Submission Guidelines
To enter the contest, post your work on Scribophile and check the box that says "Enter this work into the contest". Your work will automatically be considered and will be visible until the contest deadline.
Entry is free, but writers will need karma points to publish their work. Karma points can be entered by writing critiques of works by other members. Good luck!

Bless Me Father For I Have Sinned: Catholicism in "The Sopranos"

2011-10-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

With the 2nd Edition of Hollywood and Catholic Women on schedule to publish at the end of 2011, I've written a series of articles on various aspect of Saving Grace and The Sopranos, to pique readers interest in the book. Those articles will be published on this blog every Wednesday until the book is released.

As with many Italian-American families, the predominant religion of the Sopranos is Roman Catholicism. And, like many mobsters, the Soprano’s use the religion’s rituals to shield their shady business dealings. In the very first season, at the wedding of an associate’s daughter, the crime family members present are told by the bride’s father that the FBI is getting ready to hand out indictments. The capos discuss what should be their plan of action and it’s agreed everyone should undertake some “spring cleaning.” During the wedding dinner, the capos gather their families and depart the wedding early to dispose of or hide any incriminating evidence, much to the surprise of the bride.

In season three during the burial of Tony Soprano’s mother Livia, the FBI has been observing the proceeding as they prepare to conduct another sting. When the Feds identify their suspects and move in to make arrests, Silvio Dante, Tony’s right-hand man, asks, “At a funeral?” He acts as though he cannot believe the Feds would intrude on such a solemn occasion. But once Silvio and other mobsters have been handcuffed, he unleashes a tirade of obscenities, completely forgetting that he’s attending a funeral.

And in the final season, incarcerated mob boss of the Lupertazzi family, Johnny Sacrimoni, is released from prison for six hours to attend his daughter’s wedding at a Catholic church. At the reception, Johnny asks Tony Soprano for a favor regarding one of his associates. Sack requests that Tony whack Rusty Millio to avoid another power struggle like the one they just overcame. To avoid being overheard by the Feds, they speak in code. Later, when U.S. Marshals say it’s time for Sack to return to prison, he wails and sobs uncontrollably saying the Feds aren’t respecting the reverence of the marriage ritual.

While the Soprano men often use their religion as a front, from behind which they conduct business, they are certainly not the only mobsters to do so. In The Godfather trilogy, in probably what is the most famous scene depicting this point, Michael Corleone stands at the baptism of his nephew serving as his godfather, while orchestrating hits on his enemies. Similar to the men in The Sopranos, Michael hides behind his Catholic faith, while acting as a godfather in two distinctly different capacities.

Tony Soprano also uses his religion as a front, but he does not find Catholicism quite as irrelevant as does Michael Corleone. In the second season, when A.J. asks not to be confirmed because he says there is no God, both Tony and Carmela are appalled. In a session with his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, Tony tells her that it is not normal for A.J. to question the faith. He also complains that A.J. has taken an interest in the philosophy of Nietzsche, which only confuses Tony. Dr. Melfi explains that existentialism is a natural part of adolescence, and it was probably repressed in Tony’s childhood. Still concerned about A.J.’s attitude toward life and his faith, Tony asks Big Pussy, A.J.’s godfather, to offer his son guidance on the matter and point him back toward the teachings of the Church.

Also during season two, in an episode titled “From Where to Eternity,” Tony’s nephew, Christopher Moltisanti, is shot and has a near-death experience that affects almost everyone. At the hospital, Christopher’s heart stops, and Carmela Soprano prays to Jesus for help. She asks that Christopher be saved and given “vision,”, but the kind of vision he encounters is probably not what Carmela was praying for. Christopher sees his father in Hell, being eternally tortured, and his father tells him this is where he’ll end up when he dies.

Hearing Christopher’s story, Tony is aghast and doesn’t believe Christopher deserves Hell. In Tony’s mind, Hell is reserved for criminals like child molesters— not wise-guys like he and his crew. Tony thinks that he and his crew follow a “code of honor” which basically gets them off the hook as far as eternal damnation is concerned.

However, one of Tony’s crew, Paulie Gualtieri, is also deeply affected by Christopher’s vision. He has a series of dreams in which he’s dragged, kicking and screaming, to the depths of Hell. Paulie consults a psychic for affirmation that he isn’t such a bad guy; but he complains to his parish priest that after all his years of donations, he shouldn’t be having dreams of Hell. The parish priest tells Paulie he should have come to him and not seen a psychic. It’s Paulie’s attitude that all the money he’s given to the Church is essentially protection money, and he shouldn’t have to worry about things like going to Hell.

During another incident in season six that demonstrates how the Soprano men can fear their faith, Paulie has a close encounter with the Virgin Mary. After he scrimps on the maintenance of a carnival ride during the Feast of Elzéar and festival goers are injured, Paulie’s mother, Nucci, tells him that he must pray a novena for the people who were hurt. That night, he can’t sleep, so Paulie makes a journey to the Bada Bing strip club. Entering the empty club, Paulie comes face-to-face with an apparition of the Virgin Mary standing on the bar. A shaken Paulie is driven to make amends for his sins, due to his “vision” of the Blessed Mother.

The scene between Nucci and Paulie also demonstrates how Catholicism tends to be more important to the women, and in many respects this is where they often wield power over their men. According to Vincent Velasquez, author of “Religion and the Italian-American Family in The Sopranos and The Godfather,” “It is the women who hold the power over their men in the church, at least in The Sopranos.”[1] Paulie views scrimping on the maintenance of the carnival ride and not providing the statute of St. Elzéar with his traditional gold hat during the festival as a means of saving a buck. Nucci tells Paulie these acts are a sin, and it’s a pretty good bet that combined with his vision of the Virgin, Paulie will beg for forgiveness and make penance.

When Christopher is in the hospital, Carmela also prays for forgiveness of the Sopranos’ many sins, resulting from Tony’s business and her acceptance of it. Both Tony and Paulie are haunted by Christopher’s vision of eternity, and only Carmela finds comfort in her faith. Tony lies to Carmela about what Christopher really saw in his vision; and knowing the truth, she tells him, “If you can’t be honest with me, at least have the balls to be honest with yourself.” Whether it’s a child’s confirmation or a vision of the Virgin Mary, there is the feeling on the part of the Soprano men that for all its burdens, when it gets down to the teachings of the faith, Catholicism should be taken very seriously.

From the beginning of the series, the difference between how men and women view their religion has been clear. In the pilot, Carmela tells Tony that he’s going to Hell for all of his sins when he dies, a sentiment she comes to regret as the series progresses. When Tony is shot by Uncle Junior in season six, Carmela sits by the bedside of a comatose Tony and apologizes for her outburst. It’s not only guilt that Carmela experiences, but realization that she, too, has committed a litany of sins that would be Hell-worthy. Although she hasn’t murdered anyone as Tony has done, Carmela has known what Tony is during their entire relationship, having turned a blind eye to a life of crime in exchange for a life of luxury.

Women in The Sopranos may wield power when it comes to their faith, but they also know how to use Catholicism to their advantage. Carmela tearfully confesses her sins to Father Phil in season one, acknowledging that she is complicit in Tony’s life as a mob boss. Later in season four, Carmela confesses her plan to have an affair with A.J.’s guidance counselor. Carmela knows how to manipulate the act of confession to her advantage because she has no intention of stopping her behavior. For all her talk of wanting to be a better Catholic, confession is Carmela’s “get-out-of-jail-free” card. This is similar to Michael Corleone’s first confession in 25 years that occurs in Godfather III. Michael weeps openly about the many people he has killed, especially his brother, Fredo. The priests grant absolution in both cases, knowing that Michael or Carmela don’t intend to change their behavior.

In The Godfather trilogy, none of the men saw their Catholic faith as anything but a burden. They certainly didn’t fear the teachings of the Church, and twisted the faith by using it to serve their own purposes. While some of that also holds true in The Sopranos, Tony and Paulie actually fear their faith and God. Paulie tries to buy his way into Heaven by giving hefty donations to the Church. When the carnival ride breaks due to Paulie’s carelessness, he is terrified of where these actions might lead. Tony doesn’t fear his faith in the way Paulie does; but along with Carmela, he tries to instill the values of Catholicism into his children, such as insisting A.J. be confirmed.

On the other hand, while Carmela most likely truly believes in the teachings of the faith (such as she and Tony not getting divorced after they separated) and honestly does want to be a better Catholic, unlike Tony or Paulie, she is able to expertly manipulate her faith through the act of confession. All Carmela has to do is confess her actions or those she is about to undertake—even when her parish priest tells her he won’t hear her confession, she is undeterred. Much like Michael Corleone in Godfather III, once she has unburdened herself of guilt, she behaves exactly the way she wants to.

Carmela isn’t the only woman who uses her religion to get what she wants. Phil Leotardo and his wife, Patty, discuss Vito Spatafore’s homosexuality. Patty, a self-righteous religious zealot who considers herself a devout Catholic, complains to Phil regarding her anger and disappointment at having a homosexual in the family. (Phil’s cousin Marie is married to Vito.) But Patty doesn’t stop there. She insists that Vito must pay for the shame his homosexuality has brought on the family, and it’s this conversation with Patty that convinces Phil that Vito must be eliminated.

When Velasquez writes that religion is where the women hold the power, it’s not simply about getting their men to respect their religion. In The Sopranos, at least, women seem to have the upper hand as far as Catholicism is concerned because they know how to use the faith to their advantage. Carmela uses it to cleanse a guilty conscience, while Patty Leotardo uses her faith to purge her family of homosexuality.

Both men and women use Roman Catholicism to accomplish their own personal agendas, while appearing on the surface to be devout. The men hide behind the faith, particularly its rituals such as weddings and funerals, to conduct crucial aspects of their business. Religion tends to be more of an integral part of the women’s lives, but they too, have an agenda. They manipulate Catholicism; most notably confession to absolve themselves of the guilt that comes with the luxury afforded them by the mob lifestyle.

[1] Vincent Velasquez, “Religion and the Italian-American Family in The Sopranos and The Godfather, May 4, 2008.

Brown University Women Writers Project

2011-10-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Brown University Women Writers Project devoted to researching women writers devoted to early modern women's writing and electronic text encoding. The goal of the project is to bring texts by pre-Victorian women writers out of the archive and make them accessible to a wide audience of teachers, students, scholars, and the general reader. The Brown University Women's Writer's Project supports research on women's writing, text encoding, and the role of electronic texts in teaching and scholarship.

Women Writers Online is a full-text collection of early women’s writing in English, published by the Brown University Women Writers Project. It includes full transcriptions of texts published between 1526 and 1850, focusing on materials that are rare or inaccessible. The range of genres and topics covered makes it a truly remarkable resource for teaching and research, providing an unparalleled view of women’s literate culture in the early modern period.

Crab Creek Review Fiction Contest

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Crab Creek Review Fiction Contest is accepting entries through December 15, 2011. Original, previously unpublished fiction up to 3,000 words and double-spaced. The author's name and contact information must not appear on any pages of the fiction piece. Contest prize is $150 plus publication in the Crab Creek Review.

Please include a cover letter with the following information:
Name
Address
Telephone Number
E-mail Address
Title of Story
Brief Bio

There is a $10 entry fee. Make checks payable to: Crab Creek Review

Mail Submissions To:
Crab Creek Review Fiction Contest
c/o 7315 34th Avenue NW
Seattle, WA 98117

Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as Crab Creek Review is notified immediately of publication elsewhere.

Through The Valley of Darkness - Evil in "Saving Grace"

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Saving Grace is a revolutionary series about faith, as well as a gritty police drama set in Oklahoma City. The show centers around Grace Hanadarko, an Oklahoma City police detective trying to find redemption with the help of a “last chance angel” named Earl. But Saving Grace says a great deal about evil and how difficult it can be to have faith in a world often tarnished by incomprehensible sin.

Evil comes in many forms, often as human beings in the many cases the squad strives to solve. During the first season, Grace and her team participate investigate the disappearance of two young women. The squad discovers the women were murdered after they refused to participate in incestuous relations with both their brother and father. Later in the season, Grace and her team takes part in a raid on a drug dealer and killer’s home. Grace gets shot in the shootout that erupts between the gang and police and it’s her body armor that saves her. A fellow officer isn’t so lucky and dies from his injuries. His death has the squad anxious to take down the gang responsible. As the show progresses, it becomes very clear that evil in Saving Grace is a part of life.

During season two, in “Are You an Indian Princess?” a woman is brutally murdered and her son turns up missing. The young boy is found in a burning car and the squad realizes that the 6-year old boy was intentionally set on fire and nearly burned to death. The squad has difficulty processing the malevolence of this act, and the focus of the investigation soon turns to the father. Grace goes undercover as the child’s doctor in hopes of luring the father to the hospital. After he is finally caught, the squad also has trouble keeping their anger in check in regards to the horrific crime. Handcuffing the father’s hands behind his back as he’s being taken into custody, Grace tells her partners they’re “taking the stairs”. Once in the stairwell, Grace extracts revenge for the entire squad by throwing the father down the cement stairs, breaking his leg. Grace responds that he now a tiny inking of what he’s putting his young son through.

` Grace and the squad put a face evil almost every day, so by season three the series has led up to Grace’s realization that as a messenger from God, Earl has been leaving clues leading her toward an ultimate confrontation with sin. That face of evil is a multi-faceted one, coming in the human form of Hut Flanders. Flanders claims to be a writer working on a book chronicling how sorrow and tragedy often follows miracles. When he first appears Grace and Neely, a crystal meth addict she is trying to help, have just survived a twelve story fall from the roof of a bank building. Letters addressed to the “Angel Cop” are coming from all over the world.

Initially Grace believes she must go to Baltimore to confront this ultimate force of evil. Grace tells her best friend and forensic scientist Rhetta Rodriquez that the Celtic translation of Baltimore means “God’s place” and believes confronting evil is something she does every day, and that she’s up to the challenge. Rhetta realizes the plan God has for Grace and what Earl has prepared her for is to confront that evil head-on in Baltimore. Rhetta believes Hut is Satan and at first, asks Grace not to go meet him. Grace, however, is resolute in her decision and discovers Baltimore is not the city, but the name of a heating and air conditioning company in Oklahoma City.

Grace is waiting to confront Hut Flanders, calmly smoking one of the cigars Earl gave her. When Flanders appears, Grace empties her gun shooting him. Unable to destroy this force of evil with bullets, Flanders tells Grace of his part in every tragedy from the bombing at the Murrah Federal Building and the death of Grace’s sister Mary Francis to the death of the young girl, Esparonza chasing a soccer ball into the street n the path of Grace’s car. He offers Grace a deal – she walks out of the storage locker now filled with ammonia nitrate, and he detonates the bomb on another sun-washed day in Oklahoma City. Refusing to trade her life for an act of incomprehensible evil, Grace tosses the lit cigar onto the piles of ammonia nitrate, sacrificing herself in the process.

But out of evil, hope rises. When Grace’s body is carried out by Ham and Butch, all of the people important in Grace’s life, including Earl, pay their respects with a silent salute. The hundreds of bags of mail addressed to the ‘Angel Cop’, “letters of love” Grace told Flanders, survived the blast, a testament to the existence of faith. Butch, who has not believed Ham’s assertions that Grace has a guardian angel, marvels at the bags of mail untouched. Hut Flanders may have destroyed Grace, but the one thing he could not do was to devastate the faith present in all of those letters.

Grace Hanadarko walked through the valley of darkness many times before, never fearing what might lie ahead. Her death should be viewed as a triumph over that darkness for two reasons. One – she confronted the ultimate evil in the presence of Hut Flanders and was victorious in stopping him, at least for a time. And two, Grace a deeply flawed but loving human being is finally at peace.

Evil is a part of life. But Saving Grace demonstrates the ability of ordinary people to rise about it and walk through the valley of darkness without fear.

Kathryn Schleich is the author of Hollywood and Catholic Women 2^nd Edition, to be published through iUniverse in 2012.

Scribbling Women

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Scribbling Women, a project of The Public Media Foundation, dramatizes stories by American women writers for national radio broadcast. The site provides classroom resources for teaching the rich tradition of American literature by women.

Central to the purpose is the of the Scribbling Women Project at Northeastern University, is the belief that the contributions American women writers have made to our literary heritage have been under-acknowledged at best and, at worst, completely ignored. The Scribbling Women project provides an opportunity for teachers, students, library patrons, visually impaired listeners, and a general audience to learn about and enjoy an often neglected part of our cultural heritage .

The focus of the project is on the rich source of material written by significant American women writers. By providing highly produced thirty-minute dramatizations of short stories by these writers, together with related curriculum and lesson plans, Scribbling Women offers teachers the opportunity to include both the listening experience and a discussion of the story and dramatization within a standard class period.

When used at college level the interdisciplinary approach of the project enables it to serve as a catalyst for further programming assignments and discussions in fields such as women's studies, ethnic studies, American history and American literature.

Valerie Henderson
Executive Producer

For more information, contact:

The Public Media Foundation PO Box 167 Manchester, MA 01944 (978) 768-7469

Or, send inquiries to:

scribwomen@gmail.com

Saints and Sinners Literary Festival

2011-09-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Saints and Sinners GLBT Literary Festival is pleased to announce the Third Annual Short Fiction Contest. Saints and Sinners is seeking original, unpublished short stories between 5,000 - 7,000 words in length with GLBT content on the broad subject of "Saints and Sinners".

Prizes: One grand prize of $250 and two second place prizes of $50 each will be awarded. Additionally, the top stories will be published in an anthology from QueerMojo, an imprint of Rebel Satori Press. There will also be a book release party to promote the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in May, 2012.

Guidelines:
Submissions must be in standard manuscript form (double-spaced, one inch margins, 12 point font). Please include the word count on the first page under the title.
Name and contact information SHOULD NOT appear on the manuscript.
Word Count: 5,000-7,000
Submit only original, unpublished stories.
Theme: Saints and Sinners
Entry Fee: $15 per story. There is no limit on the number of stories an author may enter.
Deadline: December 31, 2011 (postmark).

Judge: Dorothy Allison, the author of Bastard Out of Carolina and Cavedweller, will choose the winning stories.

To enter by mail, download the entry form and send two copies of each story with a completed entry form and the $15 entry fee to:
Saints and Sinners Short Fiction Contest
938 Lafayette Street
Suite 514
New Orleans, LA 70113

To enter online visit the Saints and Sinners website.

The Sopranos and Sex: Business, Pleasure, and Taboos

2011-09-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Sopranos is steeped in sex, whether it’s Tony and Carmela Soprano, Tony participating with one of his many girlfriends, or members of Tony’s crew with hookers. The nearly naked pole-dancing women of the Bada Bing strip club that Tony owns ooze sexuality, even though they spend most of the series as a backdrop against which the action unfolds.

Because sex is such a large part of The Sopranos narrative, the type of women the men have sex with and the kinds of sexual acts they perform with them demonstrate two distinct attitudes toward women. With the women they love, such as their wives and girlfriends, the Soprano men, but most notably Tony, engage in intimate and tender lovemaking. With paid professionals, such as call girls and strippers, pleasure is involved, but it’s primarily a business deal. It’s no secret that Tony Soprano sleeps around but he only engage in certain sex acts with a specific type of woman.

Generally, those women make a living in the sex industry as prostitutes or strippers. The difference here is that no one is viewed as living on the “wrong” side of the traditional virgin/whore split. Such women use their bodies to make money and they don’t see it as demeaning. However, the kinds of sex the men engage in with these women—oral sex or anal intercourse—lacks any intimacy and can be contrasted with the sex Tony and his crew have with their wives and girlfriends.

In those instances, there is a loving attitude between the couples; and the women, like Carmela or even Gloria Trillo, are never portrayed in a submissive position. The sex act itself is shown in the missionary position. Apparently if the mobsters want anything beyond the basics, they have to hire out for it.

Only in the final season is Tony shown receiving oral sex from Carmela. In this rare instance, it’s a surprise and a gift for Tony’s birthday. What this appears to say is that when wives and girlfriends in engage in such sex acts, they do so for special occasions and it is not a part of their regular repertoire.

Such sex is generally forbidden and is performed with women, who like the men they are pleasuring, see the act as a business transaction. In one scene illustrating this point, the bouncer at the Bada Bing tells new strippers at the club that if they want to work in the VIP lounge, it will cost them a portion of their earnings and a blowjob—no pleasure or intimacy, just a cut-and-dried contract.

Adding to the sense of business as usual, when Tony and the crew are engaging in sex for hire, there is very little, if any, communication between the parties. Again, when Tony has sex with Gloria, Irina, or Carmela, there is talking about feelings or life in general. Conversation can be seen as a form of intimacy, and that aspect only takes place with wives and girlfriends.

The idea is even more pronounced when Meadow, Tony’s daughter, and one of her early boyfriends, Noah, make love, and the scene is intercut with members of Tony’s crew having sex with a group of hookers. Although Meadow presumably is sexually experienced, the act between the young couple is slow and tender, whereas sex with the women servicing Tony, Paulie, and Silvio is fast and impersonal—again, a business deal conducted for pleasure.

When Tony fantasizes about having sex with his therapist, Dr. Melfi, his early fantasies involve him and the psychiatrist having a quickie on her desk. Only in the fourth season after Tony and Carmela have separated and Tony realizes his feelings for Dr. Melfi, do his fantasies change. Tony believes he is in love with Dr. Melfi and tells one of his crew that this is “the real deal.” Now instead of having sex on Dr. Melfi’s desk, Tony daydreams about making love slowly and tenderly in bed—the exact kind he has with Carmela or one of his mistresses.

While it can be argued that The Sopranos creator David Chase puts women in two primary categories – those that view sex as part of a loving relationship and those that engage in it for a living, no one is seen as being on the “wrong” side of the old virgin/whore split. In this series, the wives and girlfriends of mobsters won’t perform certain sex acts with them for whatever reason. (Chase never elaborates on why this difference exists.) Those women who will engage in such acts simply charge for the pleasure of their services and are presumably well paid for it.

But there is one kind of sex that generally isn’t tolerated within the mafia, as portrayed on The Sopranos —homosexuality. In season six, it’s revealed that Vita Spatafore, a captain on Tony’s crew, is a homosexual, though for the most part a closeted one. Towards the end of the story line, Vito, who is married with two children, disappears to New Hampshire, where he takes up with a male lover. But he misses his kids and eventually returns, much to the chagrin of both the New Jersey and New York mob families.

Vito attempts to convince Tony that his sexual orientation won’t affect his work and tries to persuade Tony with a lucrative business deal. But the members of Tony’s crew declare that they will not work for “that fuckin’ finook.” While Tony decides what to do about Vito, Phil Leotardo of the Lupertazzi crime family takes matters into his own hands. Tracking Vito down to a seedy motel, Phil’s thugs bind and gag him before beating him to death. Phil makes the final statement about gays in the mob by shoving a pool cue into Vito’s rectum. While not happy that Phil killed Vito without getting permission, Tony is relieved the “Vito problem” has been solved.

The Sopranos is frequently filled with sex, but there are limitations as to who will do what with whom and which acts are acceptable. It’s fine for sex to be loving or a combination of business and pleasure; but as Vito’s death underscores, even for the mob, some acts are simply taboo.

Kathryn Schleich is the author of Hollywood and Catholic Women 2^nd Edition, published through iUniverse in 2012.

A Celebration of Women Writers

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Celebration of Women Writers project recognizes the contribution of women writers throughout history. Women have written almost every type of work imaginable: novels, poems, plays, letters, biographies, books, religious commentaries, histories, and economic works. The goal of the Celebration of Women Writers project at Pennsylvania State University is to promote awareness of the breadth and variety of women's writing.

All too often works by women authors and resources about women writers are hard to find. Another goal of the Celebration of Women Writers site is to provide easy access and online information covering women writers. The Celebration provides a comprehensive database of complete published books written by women as well as links to biographical and bibliographical information about women writers.

The Celebration is also actively involved in extending those available resources. A major focus has been the development of on-line editions of older, often rare, out-of-copyright works. The project chooses works from a wide variety of areas to indicate the range and interests of women writers.

Atlantis Short Story Contest

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Atlantis Short Store contest is currently accepting submissions, for unpublished short stories in English. The Early Bird deadline is September 30, 2011 and the entry fee until the 30th is $10. From October 1-31 the entry is $15.

Word count maximum is 1,500 words.

No theme or genre restrictions.

Manuscripts must be double-spaced and in a Word document or PDF format. Only online submissions are accepted.

Every entry must have a separate title page containing the work's title, author's name, contact information/e-mail and the word count.

Prizes:
1st Place - $300 + In-depth feedback
2nd Place - $100 + In-depth feedback
3rd Place - $50 + In-depth feedback
Top 15 Entries - In-depth Feedback
Top 40 Entries - In-depth Feedback

Every entry receives brief comments and evaluation table.

Hollywood Scriptwriter

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hollywood Scriptwriter is an electronic subscription trade magazine providing resource tools for screenwriters, producers, and directors. You subscribe and the magazine is delivered via e-mail. In Hollywood Scriptwriter you'll find articles that help you to accomplish your goals and provide insight into industry news.

Hollywood Scriptwriters has specialty sections like the "Calendar" which regularly updates lists of important events, festivals, contests, and screening deadlines. "Inside the Pages" is a book review section and "Net Screening" will help screenwriters to focus their Internet searches as you look for tools to supplement your work.

Hollywood Scriptwriter also provides articles on screenwriting, profiles and Q & A's with industry professionals. Coverage includes the process of filmmaking, television production, directing, producing, and new technologies.

2011 Subscription rates are $36.00 for one year and $70.00 for two years.

Hollywood Scriptwriter is a multi-cultural magazine that represents the entire make-up of the entertainment arena.

The Writer Essay and Memoir Contest

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Writer Magazine is accepting submissions for the 2011 Essay and Memoir Contest. The deadline is November 30, 2011 at 11:59 p.m.

What are judges looking for?
Creative works with a sense of story, characterization, and overall quality of writing.

What is the entry fee?
Each essay/memoir requires a $10.00 entrance fee.

How can I confirm that my entry was received?
You will receive an e-mail confirmation once your entry is received.

Is there an age limit to enter the contest?
Yes. Participants must be 18 years of age or older on the day they submit an entry.

How should entries be submitted?
All entries must be submitted using the on-line entry form.

Where can I learn more about writing an essay or memoir?
Writer Magazine offers several helpful articles on writing essays and memoirs.

What are the prizes?
First Place: $1,000; publication, along with the finalist judges' comments, in The Writer Magazine.
Second Place: $300; enrollment in a four-week How To Get Published Seminar and Gotham Writer's workshop taught online by a literary agent ($150 value); publication on The Writer web-site, and a one-year subscription to The Writer Magazine.
Third Place: $200, enrollment in a four-week How To Get Published Seminar and Gotham Writer's workshop taught online by a literary agent ($150 value); publication on the Writer web-site, and a one-year subscription to The Writer Magazine.

Who can I contact if I have questions?
Send an e-mail to contest@writermag.com.

Authors Guild Sues over Copyright Infringement

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article about the online libraries Google is trying to create, but without getting permission from the copyright holders. I'm actually a part of the lawsuit as Google scanned the first edition of "Hollywood and Catholic Women" without contacting me in any way. While Google's intentions to make works accessible to more people is a noble one, they still need to get the writer's permission.

Authors and authors' groups in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom sued the University of Michigan and four other universities Monday, seeking to stop the creation of online libraries made up of as many as 7 million copyright-protected books they say were scanned without getting authorization.

World Writer

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

World Writer is a comprehensive resource for both new and established writers worldwide. Run by author Jan Andersen, the site is dedicated to Andersen's late son, Kristian who died tragically in 2002. Andersen has two other sites - Child Suicide and Mothers Over 40.

World Writer offers writers a wealth of information and resources about the business of researching, writing, and selling your work. Sections include:
Paying Markets
Showcase Sites
Sell Your Work
Writing Jobs
Writing Advice
Research
Writing Contests
Specific Genres
Articles
Writing Services

Newport Review Flash Fiction Contest

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Newport Review, an International Journal of Writing and the Arts, is now accepting submissions for it's Flash Fiction Contest.

$500 in prizes and all stories considered for publication.

Contest Guidelines:
Deadline: October 1, 2011

Format: Original, unpublished flash fiction stories, including prose, poetry, and experimental forms.

Word Count: Up to 1,000 words maximum

Entry Fee: $8.00 for one story, 3 for $21

Please submit online using our automated submission manager. Choose "Flash Fiction Contest" as the genre of your entry. You will be prompted to pay before submitting stories. Writers may submit a total of 6 entries and the contest is open to all writers 13 years old and up.

First Prize: $250 and publication in the Newport Review
Second Prize: $150 and publication in the Newport Review
Third Prize: $100 and publication in the Newport Review
Honorable Mention publication in the Newport Review

What This Experience Has Taught Me

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I"m still looking for a publisher for Hollywood and Catholic Women 2nd Edition, but have learned from two university presses that they would be interested if the book weren't a 2nd edition. I wondered about that, but figured since it was self-published that didn't count. But it does, so I've learned something I didn't know before.

One of the presses (again, the world's nicest rejection letter) has actually provided me with the idea for my next book. They are interested in seeing a Table of Contents, so I will happily oblige.

Unless I hear from one of the six remaining university presses I will probably self-publish Hollywood and Catholic Women, either in late 2011 or early 2012. What this experience has taught me is that there are editors out there who genuinely care about helping authors and it's important to build those relationships.

It sounds elementary, but always be professional and when an editor takes the time to help you, be sure and say 'thank you'.

Writer Beware

2011-09-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Writer Beware is a section of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of American, Inc. (SFWA) that provides warnings about literary fraud and other schemes, scams, and pitfalls that target writers.

Writer Beware maintains and extensive archive of documentation on literary agents, independent editors, vanity publishers, self-publishing companies, small presses, and others that engage in questionable practices.

Here are some questions writers should ask themselves. If you can answer "Yes" to any of them, Writer Beware wants to hear from you.
Have you ever been charged an upfront fee by a literary agent?
Have you ever received an agent's offer to read your manuscript only to be referred to an editor or editorial service?
Have you ever received a publication offer than discovered a fee was required?
Have you ever used a pay-to-publish service and been dissatisfied with the results?
Have you ever entered a contest and found out you had to buy something to participate?
Have you ever used a manuscript submission or book marketing service and felt it didn't live up to the hype?
Have you ever encountered any kind of scam that targeted writers?

The people who keep Writer Beware full of current information, Victoria Strauss and Ann Crispin are writers too and know first-hand about the pitfalls writers can encounter in the publishing world.

2011 The Wilda Hearne Flash Fiction Contest

2011-09-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Wilda Hearne Flash Fiction Contest is now accepting submissions. Judges are searching for "the best short-short story of any theme".

Guidelines:
Work must not be previously published.
Maximum word count of 500, double-spaced, with no identifying name on the pages, and a separate cover sheet with the story title, author's name, address, and phone number.
Send SASE for notification of results, all manuscripts will be recycled.
$10 reading fee includes a copy of the issue of Big Muddy in which the winning story appears.

About the contest:
Semi-finalists will be chosen by a regional team of published writers. The final manuscript will be chosen by Susan Swartwout, publisher of Southeast Missouri State University Press.

Winner will receive an award of $300 and publication in Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley.

Deadline: October 1, 2011

Winners will be announced in January 2012.

Mail Manuscripts To:
Wilda Hearne Flash Fiction Contest
Southeast Missouri State University Press
One University Plaza, MS 2650
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

Updates to the New Guard Poetry and Fiction Contests

2011-09-01T15:11:00.001-07:00

The New Guard Literary Review contest in fiction deadline for entries is September 1, 2011. The deadline for the New Guard Poetry Contest has changed to Thursday, September 22, 2011.

The Machigonne Fiction Contest
Submit up to 7,500 words of prose of literary or experimental fiction. The New Guard is accepting flash fiction and longer stories. Novel excerpts are also welcome provided the manuscript functions as a stand-alone story. The prize is $1,000. The Fiction Contest is judged by David Plante.

The Knightville Poetry Contest
Submissions for the poetry contest are accepted until September 22, 2011. Submit up to three poems per entry, narrative or experimental poetry. Each poem can be up to 300 lines. The prize is $1,000. The Poetry Contest is judged by Charles Simic.

Only previously unpublished work is accepted. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, provided The New Guard is notified of publication elsewhere. Every submission will be carefully considered for publication. The entry fee for each contest is $15.00.

To submit via postal mail, send contest entries with a SASE and a check for $15.00 made payable to The New Guard to the address below:
The New Guard
P.O. Box 10612
Portland, ME 04104

If you submit online, The New Guard cannot accept entries without the entry fee paid through PayPal. If you have questions, they may be e-mailed to info@newgardreview.com.

Zoetrope

2011-08-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Throughout its thirty-year history American Zoetrope has sought new creative possibilities in technology. The company continues to produce films and offer post-production services from the company's headquarters, located in the historic Sentinel Building in beautiful San Francisco's North Beach.

Within the Zoetrope website is the Zoetrope Virtual Studio, a complete motion picture production studio on the Internet. It offers powerful collaborative tools for writers, directors, producers, and other film artists. The studio also includes a number of film-related discussion sections and chat rooms.

The American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest is nearing its final deadline of September 6, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. The Grand Prize is $5,000. The winner's and 10 finalists' scripts will be considered for film option and development by dozens of leading production companies, and the writers will be considered for representation by top agencies.

SPANnet.org

2011-08-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

The motto of SPANnet is "Advancing the success of Independent publishers and authors". The mission of SPAN is to provide benefits and information to those interested in self-publishing, whether it be publishing a book or starting up a publishing company.

There are two types of SPAN memberships:
Network Members gain all the benefits of the online community, which includes:
Forums
Blogs
Events
Leaderboards
Groups
Photos

Professional Members gain access to SPAN's Educational Programs, products and service discounts, and discounted access to book distribution channels.

Both Network and Professional Members receive:
1. The ability to learn from a community of authors and publishers at SPANnet, SPAN's online community.
2. Receive Indy Pub, SPAN's blog on all things publishing.
3. Develop your own blog on the "My Page" section of your SPANnet account.
4. Gain access to SPAN's authoritative Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on the many aspects of writing and publishing.

There are three categories of SPAN Professional Members:
1. Pro Member - Authors and publishers access all of SPAN's benefits for $89 per year.
2. Pro Member Partner - Members of SPAN Partner pay $60 per year.
3. Associate Member - This category is for service providers to authors and publishers and costs $150 per year.

The Washington Pastime awards

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Washington Pastime awards outstanding writing in literary and genre fiction. First prize is up to $500 (or up to $250 for Promising Young Author (PYA), publication in The Washington Pastime, and in the Washington Pastime Collection Anthology.

Deadline: December 31, 2011

Word Count: Prose limited to 15,000 words

To be considered for the Promising Young Author category, you must fulfill one of the following criteria:
1) Be under the age of 18;
2) Be a high school student;
3) Be currently enrolled in a college/university; AND you have either not been published or have not been published more than 2 times with payment.

Entry Fees:
$10 per submission
$5 PYA submission
The entry fee must be paid through PayPal.

How To Submit
Submission should be by e-mail and include an e-mail query or cover letter. Your full manuscript should be an attachment. In the subject line write, CONTEST SUBMISSION: "STORY TITLE" BY AUTHOR'S NAME.

You e-mail cover letter should contain the length of your story, genre and sub-genre, your publishing history, and any other relevant information. All manuscripts should be in standard manuscript format and be in a .DOC format.

We accept multiple and simultaneous submissions. Work previously published either electronically or in print will not be accepted. You will be notified within 7 days that your submission has been received.

Queen of the Nice Rejection Letter

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

The rejections I've been getting for Hollywood and Catholic Women have been the nicest rejection letters I've ever received. Several editors have taken the time to pass the proposal along to colleagues or provide information on other university presses for me to contact.

While I haven't found a publisher yet, I can't get over the fact of editors taking a few extra minutes to send me another possible lead. One editor sent me a combination of two lists and from those I got another half-dozen presses to contact.

Before long I realized I have become the Queen of the Nice Rejection Letter. That, of course, begs the question, Are university presses different? Probably not as several have mentioned how limited university presses are in the number of books they can publish, ever more so than larger publishers.

I've kept track of every rejection letter, and I recommend all authors do the same. Not because you want to see how much pain and rejection you can endure, but because those editors may be worth contacting in the future. For example, every editor that has sent me a positive rejection, in other words did something more than simply say "no" will receive a signed copy of the book, no matter who publishes it.

That way I'll accomplish two things-say thank you to the editors nice enough to give me the time of day, and get the completed work into the hands of as many people as possible.

The Minnesota Women's Press

2011-08-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

The mission of the Minnesota Women's Press, Inc. is to tell stories in ways that create community and encourage change.

Located in St. Paul, MN USA, the Minnesota Women's Press, Inc. was founded by Mollie Hoben and Glenda Martin in 1984, as a means of publishing a bi-weekly newspaper, The Minnesota Women's Press. The organization draws on the talents of staff members, including the founding and current publishers, Norma Smith Olson and Kathy Magnuson.

Through the years, the Minnesota Women's Press, Inc. has grown and expanded. In February 2009, the organization transitioned to a monthly magazine format. In addition to the print format, the organization currently provides the following opportunities for women to meet, read, learn, write, talk, and explore:

The Minnesota Women's Directory connects more than 80,000 readers with women in business and women-centered organizations.

BookWomen Magazine creates a reader's community for those who love women's words.

The Center for Feminist Reading conducts Women's Reading Retreats, book Groups on the road, and local book groups for thoughtful discussion about women's writings.

www.women'spress.com connects readers with all of the organization's print publications stories, advertisers, women's directory listings, calendar of events, CFR's books activities.

WoNews is the Minnesota Women's Press bi-monthly e-newsletter.

Other features of the Minnesota Women's Press web site include:
Features
Commentary
Readers Write
About Us

Annual Art Affair Writing Contests

2011-08-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Annual Art Affair Writing Contests are now calling for entries, with three categories. The deadline for all contests is a postmark date of October 2, 2011.

Poetry Contest Rules:
Prizes of $40, $25, and $15 will awarded.
Art Affair's poetry contest is open to any writer. Poems may be any style, any subject, and no more than 60 lines in length. Entries must be your original work, be unpublished, or unaccepted for publication, when entered into the contest. Please type your name, address, telephone number, and the poem's title on a cover page which will be removed before judging. On your poem, type the line count in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. You may enter as many poems as you wish, but each poem requires a $3.00 entry fee.

Western Short Story Contest Rules
Prizes of $50, $25, and $15 will be awarded.
Art Affair's western short story contest (maximum word count: 5,000 words) is open to any writer. Entries must be your original work, be unpublished, or unaccepted for publication, when entered into the contest. Manuscripts must be double-spaced and in 12-point font. Please type "Western" and your name, address, telephone number, and the western's short story title on a cover page which will be removed before judging. On your western short story, type the page and word counts in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. You may enter as many western short stories as you wish, but each story requires a $5.00 entry fee.

Short Story Contest Rules
Prizes of $50, $25, and $15 will be awarded.
Art Affair's general fiction short story contest (maximum word count: 5,000 words) is open to any writer. Entries must be your original work, be unpublished, or unaccepted for publication, when entered into the contest. Manuscripts must be double-spaced and in 12-point font. Please type your name, address, telephone number, and the short story title on a cover page which will be removed before judging. On your short story, type the page and word counts in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. You may enter as many short stories as you wish, but each story requires a $5.00 entry fee.

Make check payable to Art Affair and mail entries to:
Art Affair Contest
P.O. Box 54302
Oklahoma City, OK 73154

WOW-Women On Writing

2011-08-15T08:00:00.001-07:00

Billed as "an e-zine promoting the communication between women writers, authors, editors, agents, publishers, and readers" WOW-WomenOnWiriting is a global magazine that supports women's creativity, energy, blood, sweat, and tears through all stages of the writing process. The creators of WOW have envisioned the website and e-zine as being a favorite "watering hole" for all manner of writers - professionals, up-and-comers, and the recipients of the writer's work - the avid reader.

WOW's concept is unique, as it fills the gap between women's magazines and writing websites. WOW is dedicated to raising the overall standard within the writing community, and devoting an active profile within writing industry associations, organizations, and websites.

WOW is committed to excellence in every way and in everything the organization does - from its relationships with readers, contributors, freelancers, interviewees, advertisers, and subscribers, to its work ethic, and excellence in the products and services the organization provides.

To meet these lofty goals, WOW offers a number of tools for the writer:
Articles on writing
A quarterly flash fiction contest
Resources for writers
The Muffin blog
Classes on every aspect of writing

Ultimately, WOW hopes to contribute to the love, enjoyment, and excitement of producing quality writing--so good that the reader in all of us will never want for material, in any form.

Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate

2011-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Manzanita Writers Press is a literary press devoted to publishing and promoting authors in the California Gold Country and beyond. Submit poetry, prose, art, and/photography incorporating wine, cheese, and/or chocolate in an elegant way. The entry fee is $10 for two entries (just one entry is still $10). All entrants whose work is selected for publication in our book will receive two contributor copies as payment. We will notify authors of their selection within three months after the deadline of December 31, 2011.

General Instructions
E-mail text must include a brief biography (50 words maximum), contact information (address, phone, and e-mail), and Rights Statement pasted into each submission.

All literature and art work must be submitted by e-mail and embedded in the e-mail using Word, 12 pt. font, OR it can be attached as a PDF file. Send a separate e-mail for each submission.

The subject line of the e-mail must include the word Contest and:
The Genre of entry (poetry, proses, or art-photography)
Last name, first name
Title of work
Example: Contest-Poetry-Smith, Kathryn-Football Widows Lament

Prizes
There are three prize categories: poetry, prose, and art/photography. The following prizes will be awarded in each category:
First Prize - $200
Second Prize $100
Honorable Mentions: Will be included in the publication and receive two copies of the book.

Submitting Work
Submit work electronically to mrosemanza@jps.net by 11:30 p.m. on December 31, 2011. Entry fees must be postmarked by this deadline. Make the check payable to:
Manzanita Writers Press
P.O. Box 632
San Andreas, CA 95249.

For questions, please e-mail queries to: mrosemanza@jps.net

Proposals and More Proposals

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I was done with sending out "Hollywood and Catholic Women" book proposals, but I misspoke. While clearing off my very messy desk, I came across two more university presses that I needed to contact. The good news is these are two university presses I had completely forgotten about.

Fordham University Press was recommended by at least two other university presses (part of that list of very nice rejection letters), so with premiere film and television studies programs they were definitely worth getting in touch with. Then there was the university press at Northwestern University in Evansville, IL yet another school with an exceptional film program. So, two more opportunities that I almost missed.

The lesson here is don't count out any publisher or press that fits your criteria and make sure you're keeping track of what you're sending and when. I have a list called "Potential Publishers" that lists the company name, date the proposal was sent, and the date I heard back with the reason given for taking a pass. If it was a particularly nice rejection, I note that as well, because you never know when you might find yourself as an author of another project contacting the same organization again.

SPAWN

2011-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Small Publishers, Artists, and Writers Network (SPAWN) provides information, resources, and opportunities for all those involved in or interested in the publishing industry. SPAWN is dedicated to providing resources, news, events, articles, book reviews, and networking whether you are an author, freelance writer, artist, or you own a publishing company.

SPAWN encourages the exchange of ideas and other benefits. On the SPAWN web site, you will find information on writing, marketing, and publishing. The site also offers links to research sources, publishers, printers, and various media. Current SPAWN membership dues are $65 per years and the membership benefits are numerous. They include:
Member E-mail Discussion Group - In SPAWNDiscuss, members can discuss publishing with knowledgeable publishers, writers, and authors. A great way to get all your publishing questions answered.
Market Update - The Market Update appears every month, providing information/trends on magazine and book publishers, and dozens of listings and resources for freelance writers, artists, photographers, publishers, and authors seeking a publisher.
Free Book or eBook - Members may select one book or eBook upon joining SPAWN. More information about book selection is available on the Member Page.
Members Only Discounts - SPAWN members receive discounts on products and services such as editorial services, book cover design, consulting, interior layout design, printing, and writing software.
Event Calendar - Members may submit events that are available for everyone to see and access.
SPAWN Member Health Plan - An affordable alternative to pricey health insurance. The health plan is not insurance, but a discount supplemental health benefits program that provides discounts from 20%-60% on health, dental, and chiropractic services, as well as vision services, products, and prescriptions.
Catalog of Member Books and Services - SPAWN members may list their books and services for other SPAWN members and the general public.
Book Festivals - When SPAWN reserves booths at book festivals, members are invited to participate at reduced rates.

Zoetrope 15th Annual All-Story Short Fiction Contest

2011-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

The 15th Annual Zoetrope All-Story Short Fiction Contest is currently underway. The submittal deadline is Monday, October 3, 2011 at 11:59 P.M. PDT. Winners will be announced on the website December 15 and in the Spring 2012 issue of Zoetrope: All-Story.

Guidelines:
Zoetrope accepts all genres of literary fiction. Entries must be unpublished; strictly 5,000 words or less; and accompanied by a $15 entry fee per story. While there are no formatting restrictions, please make sure that the work is legible.

Prizes:
First Prize: $1,000
Second Prize: $500
Third Prize: $250

The three prize winners and seven honorable mentions will be considered for representation by William Morris Endeavor, ICM, Regal Literary, the Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Inkwell Management, Sterling Lord Literistic, Aitken Alexander Associates, Barer Literary, the Gernert Company, and the Georges Borchardt Literary Agency.

Zoetrope welcomes multiple entries ($15 per story) and entries from outside the U.S. Contest updates and results will be e-mailed to anyone who provides an active e-mail address. Entrants retain all rights to their stories. Once a story is submitted, we cannot accept an updated draft. However, a participant is welcome to submit an updated draft as a new entry.

For questions, e-mail Zoetrope at contests@all-story.com.

Final Book Proposals

2011-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I've sent out over 25 book proposals for "Hollywood and Catholic Women" 2nd edition and now comes the waiting on the last half-dozen or so. The final proposals went off to Duke University Press and Baylor University. Duke University has renowned Film and Television Studies programs, so it's certainly worth the time and effort for two more proposals. As some of you may recall, while getting rejection letters from other university presses and academic publishers, a number of editors went out of their way to suggest other possible publishing opportunities.

Even though I may end this process self-publishing again, overall this has been a good experience. I still feel like the "Queen of Nice Rejections" and I'm thinking there isn't anything wrong with that. And, since first self-publishing "Hollywood and Catholic Women" in 2003 I have learned an immense amount about the self-publishing process, and won't make the mistakes I made that first time out. Not only that, but technology like social media has made it even easier to connect with a greater number of people and get the word out about my book and its merits.

AUTHORNOMICS End of Summer Contest

2011-08-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

The AUTHORNOMICS Summer Contest is sponsored by Adrea Hurst as a way to celebrate the end of summer. Hard to believe we're already talking about summer ending, when Minnesota skipped spring entirely, going from sweatshirts to shorts in less than a week. Guess it could be worse! Here are all of the necessary details on the AUTHORNOMICS Contest and good luck!

When: Contest ends at 12:00 Noon on Friday, September 23rd
Winner will be announced later that week.

How it will work: This will be a random drawing using random.org to generate the winning numbers. There are three ways to enter:
1) Comment on the AUTHORNOMICS Interview Series Posts by Andrea. One entry per blog post (you can comment as many times as you want on a particular post, but will only be entered once). However, comments on different interviews will each be counted as an entry.

2) Tweet about the AUTHORNOMICS Interview Series or the AUTHORNOMICS Summer Contest including @K_Flanagan and @AgentWriter. One tweet per day will be counted.

3) Blog about the AUTHORNOMICS Interview Series and Summer Contest. Post a link back to your Blog as on comment on this post which will be entered.

So what's in it for YOU? Great prizes to help improve your writing! They include:
Prize #1:
Andrea will do a developmental edit and evaluation on the first twenty-five pages of your manuscript. Also included will be a certified copyedit and phone consultation. Fiction, non-fiction, and memoir are the genres accepted.

Andrea Hurst has over 25 years experience as a published author, developmental editor for publishers, and as a skilled literary agent. She works with both major and regional publishing houses and her clients include both emerging authors and those on the New York Times best-selling author lists.

Prize #2:
Katie Flanagan will do a developmental and structural edit of a full fiction manuscript.

Katie is a fiction major at Northwestern University. She is a current editor with Booktrope Publishing and a manuscript reader for Pink Fish Press.

Prize #3:
Brandon LaFave will do a developmental edit of the first 50 pages of a manuscript returned with an extensive written report, as well as a critique of the query letter, synopsis, and author bio. The genres of fiction, non-fiction, and memoir are accepted.

Brandon joined Andrea Hurst as an intern after graduating from Western Washington University with a B.A. in Creative Writing. He worked his way up to his current position of Author Services Director.

Best of luck!

Writers Weekly

2011-08-01T08:00:00.001-07:00

Writers Weekly bills itself as the "highest-circulation freelance writing e-zine in the world" and offers a number of resources and services.

Each issue of Writers Weekly contains the following sections and/or columns:
Publishers Desk - Notes from publisher Angela Hoy
News From The Home Office
Feature Articles
Ask The Expert
Whispers and Warnings
Paying Markets and Jobs
New at BookLocker (POD company that works with Writers Weekly)

Every issue also contains special sections on: Self-Publishing Resources and New Writer Resources. Authors can subscribe to Writers Weekly via e-mail or subscribe in an RSS reader.

Tennessee Williams 26th Annual Literary Contests

2011-07-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Enter your poetry, one-act play, or short story into our annual Tennessee Williams writing contests, in conjunction with the Tennessee Williams 26th Annual New Orleans Literary Festival, March 21-25, 2012.

2nd Annual Poetry Contest
Accepting submissions by mail and online until August 18, 2011 (postmark).
Grand Prize:
$1,000
VIP Access Pass to the 26th Annual Festival
Publication in Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine
Public poetry reading at the 2012 Festival

One-Act Play Contest
Accepting submissions by mail and online until November 1, 2011 (postmark).
Grand Prize:
$1,500
Stage reading at the 2012 Festival
VIP All-Access Pass for the 2012 and 2013 festivals
Publication in Bayou

Short Story Contest
Accepting submissions by mail and online until November 15, 2011 (postmark).
Grand Prize:
$1,500
Domestic airfare (up to $500) and French Quarter accommodations to attend the 2012 Festival in New Orleans
Public reading at the 2012 Festival
VIP All-Access Pass for the 2012 festival
Publication details TBA

Shaw Guides Publications

2011-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

True Crime Contest

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

For an upcoming issue, Creative Nonfiction is looking for essays about crimes - detailed reports of premeditation, follow-through, and the aftermath. Stories can be gleaned from police blotters, passed down as small-town legend or family lore, or committed in cold blood.

Creative Nonfiction is seeking true tales of petty theft, embezzlement, identity theft, or first-degree murder - the possibilities are almost endless. For inspiration, think Devil in the White City (Larson) or In Cold Blood (Capote).

Guidelines
Essays must be unpublished with a word count maximum of 4,000. The deadline is September 30, 2011 (postmarked) and clearly marked "True Crime" on both the essay and outside of the envelope. The entry fee is $25 and includes a 4-issue subscription to Creative Nonfiction (U.S. submitters only). Multiple entries are welcome with an entry fee of $20 per essay.

Please send manuscript accompanied by a cover letter with current contact information, including the title of the essay and word count. Also include payment and a stamped, self-addressed envelop mailed to:
Creative Nonfiction
Attn: True Crime
5501 Walnut Street
Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

WritersOut.com

2011-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

WritersOut.com is both a writer's community and a place for authors to self-publish their work. The site bills itself as the "first ever social networking site for writer's and reader's of all types". The organization believes there is a better way for writer's to get exposure and become successful and better enabling them to distribute their work. This is the mission of WritersOut - to empower writers to take control of their work and get worldwide exposure.

WritersOut.com offers books, blogs, others writings, a virtual store, friends, community, and self-publishing. The site also provides authors the following tools:
Free File Conversion - Coverts an author's work to the most popular file formats and makes the work accessible to read on Kindle, Nook, iPad, and many more.
Sales Widget - Helps writers to sell books by using the Writers Out sells widget by posting it anywhere on the web, including a writers personal web site, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other places.
Profile Badge - Helps drive traffic to a writers site by using the "follow me" on the WritersOut badge.
Sales and Download Statistics - Lets writers track sales and downloads with WritersOut unique reporting tool.
News and Events - Keep your audience posted via WritersOut news and events feature.
Personalized eCommerce store - Writers can create their own WritersOut store to sell their work on a global level.
Book Club - Writers can share their favorite books with friends and follow what they are currently reading.
Friend Invite Tool - Authors can use the WritersOut invite tools to invite all of their friends from different networks and e-mail addresses.

Memoir (and) Prose and Poetry Contest

2011-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Memoir (and) Prizes for memoir in Prose or Poetry are awarded to the most outstanding works in prose or poetry memoirs-traditional, non-traditional, or experimental-drawn from the submission period. The deadline is Noon Pacific Time online or postmarked August 16, 2011.

Prize for Memoir in Prose or Poetry
First Prize
$500 cash award
Publication in print and online
Three copies of the journal

Second Prize
$250 cash award
Publication in print and online
Three copies of the journal

Third Prize
$100 cash award
Publication in print and online
Three copies of the journal

Submit entry online with the submission manager or by snail mail at:
Memoir (and) Submissions
1316 67th Street
Suite #8
Emeryville, CA 94608

Click on Memoir (and) for information on the Graphic Memoir and Photography prizes.

Glamour Magazine "My Real-Life Story Essay Contest"

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Glamour Magazine "My Real Life Story Essay Contest" runs from March 8, 2011 to August 15, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. EST when all entries must be received. The contest is open only to legal residents of the United States, who are at least 18 years of age at the date of entry.

Word Count/Formatting
Submission must be a minimum of 2,500 and up to a maximum of 3,500 words. The manuscript must be typed and double-spaced. Entrants represent and warrant that the entry is theirs, that it is original and has not been copied from others, and does not violate the rights of any other person or entity.

Prize Description
There will be one (1) winner. The prize is $5,000 with possible publication of the winning manuscript in a future issue of Glamour Magazine. The approximate retail value of the prize is $5,000 and all federal, state, and/local income taxes are the winner's sole responsibility.

How To Enter
There are two ways of entering the contest. (1) Visit the Glamour Magazine web site during the promotion period and follow the instructions to complete and submit the manuscript, or (2) mail your entry to:
Glamour, Essay Contest
4 Times Square
16th Floor
New York, NY 10036

For a detailed description of contest rules, go to Glamour Magazine Essay Rules

The Healing Power of Writing

2011-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

No one ever goes into a marriage thinking that it will end in the trauma of divorce. I was no exception. I won't bore you with details except to say my spouse underwent a profound personality change soon after surviving a medical emergency. From the moment doctors brought Terry out of a medically induced coma, Terry was no longer the person I knew and loved. As time went by, he became a person I didn't want to know.

So what does this have to do with writing and healing? Twice I have written stories (both fiction and nonfiction) that have helped me through the darkness before the dawn. Granted, it's still the middle of the night in terms of reaching a settlement, but writing has helped me deal with all of the emotions so many people experience with a divorce - disappointment, betrayal, sorrow, and anger. So much unbridled anger.

I'm also on medication for depression and my therapist was actually glad to see the flare of anger and writing has helped me to express that anger by writing things I might like to do, but for legal purposes and otherwise, most probably won't. Is it cathartic? Of course it is because if I couldn't write about the divorce and being single after 25 years, those raging emotions would eat me alive.

Writing through a traumatic situation can take many forms. For me, it's been short stories based on factual events. When my father died unexpectedly in 2005, my mother found great solace in keeping a journal chronicling her anger at Dad for dying and leaving her alone. Again, as with my therapist, hers had suggested that writing would help her make the journey through grief and come out on the other side a stronger person. I am accomplishing the same goals, with the only difference being that I'm looking to write stories that are not only publishable, but contain universal themes and insights others can relate to. If I can help one other person survive, grow, and heal though the trial of divorce, I will have exceeded my wildest expectations.

The Galaxy Project Contest

2011-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Galaxy Project Contest celebrates the tradition of science fiction and is looking to take that tradition into the 21st Century. The contest to choose one novella or novelette will be judged in the spirit of H.L. Gold, the founding editor of Galaxy Magazine.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Galaxy was open to all potential contributors. Following in that same tradition, the contest will be open to all and judged on the same standards of excellence that were so important to Gold.

The contest deadline is Friday, September 2, 2011. The winner will receive the following:
Be published in the e-book format as part of The Galaxy Collection.
Receive an advance of $1,000 against royalties of 50% and net receipts up to 2,500 copies and 60% of net receipts thereafter for world English digital rights.
The author will retain the copyright and all rights other than the initial digital use (per Galaxy Magazine's policy). Click here for more information on the full book contract.

The contest is being hosted by Rosetta Books.

Desert Dreams Writers Conference

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for the 2012 Desert Dreams Conference April 27 - 29, 2012 at the newly remodeled Chaparral Suites in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Desert Dreams Writers Conferences provides authors of all skill levels with the necessary tools to take their writing to the next level. Sessions will include topics on general writing, career development, agent/publisher spotlights, and an agent/editor panel. There will also be the opportunity for one-on-one appointments with agents and editors, a book signing, and keynote address.

Registration opened May 2011.

Conference registration through December 31, 2011 is $215 and includes:
Workshops Friday afternoon and all day Saturday
Two-hour workshop Sunday morning
One-on-one appointments with editors/agents (based on time of registration and availability)
Friday evening mixer
Dinner and Keynote address on Friday
Editor/Agent Panel
Saturday luncheon
Participation in Saturday book signing
Saturday evening dinner and brainstorming session

Prices increase January 1, 2012 by $20 to $235. The conference deadline is March 15, 2012.

The conference is organized by the Phoenix Desert Rose Chapter of the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Participants can register online or via US Mail. For registration via US Mail, please use the Desert Dreams Registration PDF and mail your check and registration form to:
Desert Dreams Conference
36148 W. Vera Cruz Drive
Maricopa, AZ 85138

WritersMarket.com

2011-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

WritersMarket.com is an online directory of more than 8,000 listings of publishing opportunities for writers to publish their writing and get paid for their work. WritersMarket.com requires a paid subscription for access.

WritersMarket.com is the Internets most comprehensive guide to getting published for freelance writers, novelists, short story authors, writers of children's books, and poets. Since 1921, the print edition of Writers Market has been known as the "freelance writers bible" providing contact information for thousands of agents and editors, tips on manuscript formatting, query letters, and more. Now the same information, plus information from other best-selling Market books is available online in one place and is continually updated.

The WritersMarket.com site also includes listings for writing conferences, contests, educational programs, organizations, professional services, self-publishing companies, and writing software.

2011 WritersMarket.com subscription rates:
$5.99 per month membership
$39.99. one year membership
$54.99 two year membership

H.O.W. Journal Writing Contests

2011-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

The H.O.W. Journal (Helping Orphans Worldwide) is an art and literary journal that publishes an eclectic mix of established writers and artists along with upcoming talents. H.O.W.'s main focus is to raise money for the 163 million orphaned children throughout the world.

H.O.W. is hosting three writing contests - fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The deadline for each contest is August 15, 2011. Below are the guidelines for each contest.

Fiction Contest
Open to all writers and all themes. The word limit is 12,000 and H.O.W. will also consider unpublished novel excerpts if they feel like complete stories. More than one story may be submitted.
Manuscripts should be submitted with a cover sheet listing the following: the author's name, address, phone number, and e-mail. Names should not appear on the stories themselves.
Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11" paper on one side only. Submissions will not be returned.
No simultaneous or previously published work.
Entry fee: $20.00 per story

Send submissions and reading fee (checks made payable to the H.O.W. Journal) to:
H.O.W. Journal
Fiction Contest
12 Desbrosses Street
New York, NY 10013

Awards:
1st place: $500 and publication in the H.O.W. Journal
2nd place: $200 and publication in the H.O.W. Journal
3rd place $100 and publication in the H.O.W. Journal

Nonfiction Contest:
Open to all writers and all themes. The word limit is 12,000 and H.O.W. will also consider unpublished novel excerpts if they feel like complete stories. More than one story may be submitted.
Manuscripts should be submitted with a cover sheet listing the following: the author's name, address, phone number, and e-mail. Names should not appear on the stories themselves.
Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11" paper on one side only. Submissions will not be returned.
No simultaneous or previously published work.
Entry fee: $20.00 per story

Send submissions and reading fee (checks made payable to the H.O.W. Journal) to:
H.O.W. Journal
Nonfiction Contest
12 Desbrosses Street
New York, NY 10013

Awards:
1st place: $500 and publication in the H.O.W. Journal
2nd place: $200 and publication in the H.O.W. Journal
3rd place $100 and publication in the H.O.W. Journal

Poetry Contest:
Open to all writers and all themes. 10-50 lines poems accepted. Up to 10 poems can be submitted by one individual.
Manuscripts should be submitted with a cover sheet listing the following: the author's name, address, phone number, and e-mail. Names should not appear on the poems themselves.
Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11" paper on one side only. Submissions will not be returned.
No simultaneous or previously published work.
Entry fee: $5.00 per poem

Send submissions and reading fee (checks made payable to the H.O.W. Journal) to:
H.O.W. Journal
Poetry Contest
12 Desbrosses Street
New York, NY 10013

Award:
Winner: $500 and publication in the H.O.W. Journal

Every Writers Resources

2011-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Every Writers Resource is not a paid site and the staff hopes that everything they do benefits both writers and publishers. Their mission is in part the concern for the well-being and preservation of literary magazines and small publishers. Also as part of their mission, the EWR hopes to promote both the well-being and community of writers, editors, and publishers. Membership is free and the site is full of information and resources for writers.

Every Writers Resource offers a community and a place for writers to post their stories and poetry. Additionally, the site contains:
Articles on the craft of writing
Interviews
Book Publishers
Book Reviews
Forums
Blogs
Classifieds

Every Writers Resources also offers something else that distinguishes it from other writing resources - Lists. One of the lists include:
The EWR Lists
Top 50 Literary Magazines
The Hugo Awards
University Publishers
Top 10 Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Book Publishers
Self-publishing companies
Book companies
Genre Magazines
Resources for Screenwriters

The founders think of the site as a free public service.

The 25th Annual Iowa Summer Writing Festival

2011-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Iowa Summer Writing Festival encompasses 140 week-long and weekend workshops across genres. The Festival is open to writers 21 and older, and the only requirement is the desire to write. The Iowa Summer Writing Festival begins June 12, 2011, and sessions run through June and July.

2011 prices are $560 per week and $280 per weekend session. Please note: These prices DO NOT include housing and most meal costs. For more information, e-mail questions to: iswfestival@uiowa.edu or call: 319-335-4160.

The Festival is also proud to announce that Iowa City has been named the world's third UNESCO City of Literature in the Creative Cities Network. Learn more about writing at the University of Iowa.

Writer's Digest Magazine

2011-06-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Helping writers to write better and get published since 1920, Writer's Digest magazine offers a wealth of materials for writers no matter what level your experience. Writer's Digest, the No. 1 magazine for writers, celebrates the writing life and what it means to be a writer in today's publishing environment. Through the voices of bestselling authors, buzz-worthy newcomers and seasoned editors, we offer everything writers need to stay inspired, to improve their craft, to understand the unique challenges of publishing today and to get their work noticed.

Authors can currently subscribe to the Writer's Digest magazine for $19.96 for eight issues. Writers can also visit the Writer's Digest web site, packed with information. Some of the site areas include:
Articles
Tips and Prompts
Conferences/Events
Blogs
Competitions
Writer's Markets
Online Workshops through Writer's Digest University
A Community for writer's area that includes Forums, Tips and Advice, and Critique Central

Under the Get Creative section, enter the Reject-A-Hit challenge. Take the Writer's Digest challenge by humorously rejecting a hit in 400 words or fewer. Send your letter to wdsubmissions@fwmedia.com with “Reject a Hit” in the subject line. You get the chance to be an agent doing the rejecting and your submission could appear in a future issue.

The New Guard Literary Review

2011-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

The New Guard Literary Review contests in fiction and poetry are open for 2011. The submission period runs from May 1, - September 1, 2011.

The Machigonne Fiction Contest
Submit up to 7,500 words of prose of literary or experimental fiction. The New Guard is accepting flash fiction and longer stories. Novel excerpts are also welcome provided the manuscript functions as a stand-alone story. The prize is $1,000.

The Knightville Poetry Contest
Submit up to three poems per entry, narrative or experimental poetry. Each poem can be up to 300 lines. The prize is $1,000.

Only previously unpublished work is accepted. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, provided The New Guard is notified of publication elsewhere. Every submission will be carefully considered for publication. The entry fee for each contest is $15.00.

To submit via postal mail, send contest entries with a SASE and a check for $15.00 made payable to The New Guard to the address below:
The New Guard
P.O. Box 10612
Portland, ME 04104

If you submit online, The New Guard cannot accept entries without the entry fee paid through PayPal.

Women;'s Books and the Bottom Line

2011-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Prime Time For Women's Books appeared in the Sunday, June 5, 2011 edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune in the Variety section. It's premise was simple yet annoying - last fall author Jodi Picoult voiced frustration and annoyance that novelist Jonathan Franzen was getting far more press than female authors typically get

But it didn't stop there. The grassroots literary group VIDA determined in an article titled Women in the Literary Arts that most book reviews are written by men, and of those books being reviewed, most are written by men. For example The New York Times reviewed 283 by women in 2010 and almost twice the number - 524 - written by men. (Check out the VIDA article at vidaweb.org.

As a woman author writing about women in film (most of the books discussed in the VIDA study are fiction rather than non-fiction) this is an alarming trend. However, the Star Tribune article says there's a quiet revolution occurring of books written and primarily read by women. According to that article these books written and read by women fall somewhere between Pulitzer Prize winning literature and chick lit. And the growth among these types of books by women authors apparently is huge.

So my question is this - what has your own personal experience been with books written by women? Between the sexes, are there more or less of them? And who's doing the reviewing? And just for fun - does anybody have a theory as to why this might be?

Of the three reviews the first edition of Hollywood and Catholic Women received, all were very good. And all were written by men.

Nothing Binding

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Designed as a global social networking site for writers, authors, readers, and book buyers, Nothing Binding unites these groups around the world.

Nothing Binding bills itself as dedicated to the voice of independent books. Every day, on average, 800 books are published. Nothing Binding provides the opportunity for authors and writers to get noticed in a crowded marketplace by providing a place to showcase their writing to readers and book buyers.

Founded by Jerry D. Simmons, a publishing industry visionary with 25+ years experience, with Random House and Time Warner Book Group, Jerry's sales group marketed and sold over 1,500 titles a year in the United States and Canada. Jerry also publishes the WritersReaders.com site, a guide to publishing, offering tips for writers, publishing news, book marketing, and more.

Boulevard Short Fiction Contest

2011-06-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Boulevard Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers is now accepting stories through December 31, 2011. The winner, a writer who has not yet published a book of fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction receives $1,500 and publication in Boulevard.

Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2011. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but previously accepted or published work is ineligible.

Manuscripts must be typed and double-spaced. Word count is 8,000 words maximum. The author's name, address, telephone number, title, and Boulevard Emerging Writer's Contest should appear on page one. No cover sheets are necessary. No manuscripts will be returned Due to the high volume of submissions, we cannot respond to each writer individually. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard for acknowledgement of receipt.

The entry fee is $15.00 for each individual story, and there is no limit per author. Checks should be made payable to Boulevard and the entry fee includes a one year subscription to Boulevard.

Send submissions to:
Boulevard Emerging Writers Contest
PMB 325, 6614 Clayton Road
Richmond Heights, MO 63117

The winning story will be announced on the website and published in the Spring or Fall issue of Boulevard.

Deadlines Were Meant to be Broken

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to make my self-imposed deadline of having all of my book proposals for Hollywood and Catholic Women researched and mailed out by May 31. Since Marquette University Press sent me more information on additional presses, I've been working through that and have accumulated more presses to contact.

With that in mind, I'm setting a new deadline of August 15, 2011 to have this process completed, while at the same time finishing up viewing the the final seasons of Saving Grace and The Sopranos. I don't know that deadlines were meant to be broken, but clearly I've been breaking a lot of them!