Mslexia Short Story Competition

Another Mslexia Short Story Competition.

Judge: Tracy Chevalier

1st Prize £2,000
plus a one-week writing retreat at Chawton House Library and a day with a Virago editor
2nd prize £500
3rd prize £250
3 other finalists will win £100 each

All winning stories will be published in Mslexia magazine.

Deadline: : 25 January 2010

Maximum 2,200 words.

You have to be a woman.
Rules here:

Ropes

Call for submissions:

ROPES is the annual literary journal produced by the MA in Literature and Publishing at N.U.I. Galway. It features all forms of modern fiction, poetry, drama, screenplays, photography, and illustrations.

While all themes and subjects are welcome, we are particularly interested in any ideas and responses relating to the first decade of the 21st century.

Submissions should not exceed 2,500 words, with a maximum of three works per author.

Deadline: 4 January 2010.

Email to ropesgalway at gmail dot com

Today's surfing suggestions

5 Rules for Better Blogging (or whatever) from mashable, like don't write really, really long, rambling paragraphs. You know who you are...

Getting Unpublished by Matthew Hill - a salutary tale.

Related - publisher reneging on paying a charity, Caroline Smailes.

Neil Gaiman's crusade to make writers make a will. Have you?

Mashable 100+ best literary twitters to follow.

You have see this Awkward Family Photos and take inspiration for creating the stories behind them.

Imagine writing a book which people love so much, they tattoo quotes or images from it. Twilight Tattoos.

Uproar about US publisher Harlequin starting up a self-publishing arm, morally questionable? From Janet Reid.

Gotta Shock the Broca marketing skills from Jimmy Roubart via Rachelle Gardner.

Writing Spirit short story competition

Here's a short story competition that's free to enter. They recently moved the deadline date.

Deadline: 31 December 2009

But will still have the shortlist of 10 by 10th January 2010 (quite short to go through what will probably be a tall pile)

You can see current entries here to judge the standard. This means your story will be shown to all online, if you have a problem with that.

You also have to join the writing4all online group. Make sure 'Writing Spirit Competition' is selected as the category for your work. Then remember to mail a hardcopy to Writing4all, c/o Spade Enterprise Centre, North King Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Ireland.

Prizes: First: €1000, Second: €300, Third: €150.

Maximum 4000 words and minimum 750 words,

# Short list of 10 pieces (chosen by the Editing Team) will be announced on 10th January and featured on the site. This short list will be adjudicated by Nadine O' Regan and winner and runners-up will be announced on February 15th.

UPDATED
Results here:

Perpetuity by Brian Kirk - winner of €1,000

Second place:
The Fox by Gerry Boland - winner of €300

Third place:
The Weight of Words by Máire T. Robinson - winner of €150

Bridport Results

The Bridport short story and poetry results are out. There are a few Irish addresses for those who are interested. I didn't recognise any names except Carolyn Jess-Cooke shortlisted for short story and Michael Farry for poetry - congrats! The first prize in the short story section was the first Jenny Clarkson had submitted.

I recommend reading the judges reports. They can be very insightful and you may take notes on how to stand out in a pile of entries.

Ali Smith on Short stories

Not many asked much of the form when it came to structure; ... A fair few were about marital break-up and gender anger. An awful lot were about death, or dying, or hospitals. This isn't surprising: it's a matter of life and death, after all, the short story. Its nature concerns itself with the shortness of things; by its very brevity it challenges aliveness with the certainty of mortality, and vice versa too, which is why I got very excited when I read anything which leaned towards the story form as a force and source of life. I wish there had been more of these.

I don't completely follow the comment on story form as a force and source of life. Is she refering to challenging or non-standard story structures? Ali, if by any chance you read this, please explain.

The wonderful Jackie Kay said

I read all my favourite poems aloud to see how they lived off the page, and each of my choices make a good sound read as well as a paper one, the test of a good poem.

So true. Read your poems AND your prose aloud.

IWC Open Day

The IWC keeps on thinking outside the box. Good ideas here.

They have an open day:

When: 5th December
Why: to discover what we have planned for 2010. Staff will be on hand to answer your questions. There will be readings throughout the day and live music.

12.00pm Tiger Tales: Literary Coffee Morning

Bring along your favourite stories and poems to our literary coffee morning. The theme is Tiger Tales – whether you interpret it as animals, economy, speed, or violence is up to you! Bring along a piece you think fits the theme and partake in our informal readings and refreshments.

1.00pm Readings by guest poets Eileen Casey and Kieran Fury

The Irish Writers' Centre is delighted to welcome guest poets, Eileen Casey and Kieran Fury, to our Open Day. All are welcome to attend this free reading.

3-4pm The Rag and Bone Shop, Creative Writing Hour

An informal writing session hosted by the Irish Writers' Centres interns over tea and coffee. The hour will include writing exercises and prompts to get ideas flowing. It is open to everyone and is suitable for all levels of experience.

4.00pm Opening Address and information

Opening address by the IWC chairman, Jack Harte. Jack will introduce the focus of the Writers' Centre, its history and direction for the future.

One of our experienced creative writing tutors will also be on hand to lend their insight as to why a course in writing could kick start a new world of creativity. New course information and timetables will be available throughout the day.

4.45pm Presentation on Alice Milligan
Catherine Morris, the Irish Writers' Centre's Writer in Residence, will give a presentation on Alice Milligan. Alice Milligan was a poet and playwright who was a well-known figure in the literary revival movement of the early 20th Century and very respected among her peers.Catherine is currently writing a biography of the life and work of Alice Milligan, due to be published next year.

5.00pm Open Mike
We are opening the podium in our reading room to anyone who wishes to partake. We encourage you all to bring your musical instruments and your best poems and stories.

7.00pm Table Quiz
A literary themed table quiz. Entry is €16 per table. Up to 4 people may enter as a team, with the chance to win some amazing literary prizes.
9.00pm

Raffle
Prizes include a signed Seamus Heaney and John Banville book, tickets to take part in the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl and much more.

Gregory O'Donoghue Poetry Competition

This competition is Cork based and don't be surprised if many of the shortlisters have US addresses. I don't know why this is but it often is. The first prize includes a trip to

Cork, Ireland.

But why not have a go anyway?

Prizes: 1st Prize €1000, publication in Southword and a trip to Cork Ireland.
2nd Prize €500 publication in Southword
3rd Prize €250 publication in Southword
Ten runners-up to be published in Southword and receive €30 publication fee.

Note Southword is now an online publication.

Deadline: Tuesday December 15th 2009

Judge: James Harpur who will read each and every entry himself, which is a positive.

Per George Szirtes, Harpur's poems are 'melancholy, monastic, mystical, like prayers shaped out of despair with the hearsay of some small light just over the horizon.'

I'd suggest no humour then.

Sample poems here.

Fee: €5 per poem or €20 per batch of five.

More details on the website.