Cork Literary Review Poetry Manuscript Competition 2012

Bradshaw Books is pleased to announce the launch of the Cork Literary Review Poetry Manuscript Competition 2012

The aim of this competition is to give emerging writers the opportunity to publish their first collection of poetry.

The prize includes:
1. The publication of a first collection by the winning poet.
2. The competition winner and two runners-up will also be featured in Volume XVI of the Cork Literary Review.

This year’s judge is: Joseph Woods, Director of Poetry Ireland

Deadline: 18th May 2012. 

Submit 5-10 of your best poems.
fee: €20
The poetry competition is open to poets of any nationality writing in English.

More info here

Last year's winner was Cliona O’Connell.
Caveat: I don't think Bradshaw books are very good at publicity....not sure how many books they actually sell. I don't see Cliona's collection, White Space, on the Bradshaw books site. This is my own, personal opinion though!

The Times Stephen Spender Prize 2012 for poetry in translation

Entrants are invited to submit a translation of a published poem from any language, modern or classical, into English, together with a commentary of no more than 300 words (see below for guidelines) and the original poem. The submitted translation should be no more than 60 lines long, so entrants may submit an extract if their chosen poem is longer. Self-translation is not accepted.

There's a skill to translation and (so far) I've haven't mastered it.

£5 sterling per entry. Anyone eighteen or under on 1 June 2012 is exempt from this charge

You can enter by email or post.
Entrants must be British residents or British citizens.

There will be three prizes in the Open and 18-and-under categories. The winners of the Open prizes will receive £1000 (first), £750 (second) and £500 (third); the winners of the under-18 prizes will win £250 (first), £150 (second) and £100 (third). There will be one prize (£100) awarded in the 14-and-under category. 

Deadline: Friday 1 June 2012

Linkety-link

Crime pays £5,000

Stylist magazine have joined forces with publishers Faber and Faber to launch the career of a new crime writer.

The winning author of our fiction competition will have their debut novel published by Faber and Faber publishing house and will receive a book advance of £5,000. The runner-up will receive a place on a three-month writing course of their choice – worth up to £1,750 – at Faber Academy, Faber and Faber’s esteemed creative writing programme.
   Here’s an outline of the competition rules:
“To enter Stylist’s Crime Fiction Competition you will need to complete the first 6,000 words of your original crime or thriller novel. The novel must feature a female protagonist. Alongside this you will need to submit an outline, no longer than 300 words, to show how the story will develop but which doesn’t reveal the ending, plus a 250-word biography of the central character.”

Deadline: 12th July 2012 

the panel of judges includes bestselling crime author Ruth Rendell.

Entrants must live in the UK. (UK address!)

You can find full terms and conditions, plus the all-important entry form, on the Stylist website.

Hennessy New Irish Writing

I went along to the New Irish Writing awards on Tuesday held at the French Ambassador's residence on Ailesbury Road, possibly the most expensive house in Ireland. It has a fascinating story you can read here.
There are 3 categories, 6 stories in First Fiction and the other 6 in Emerging Fiction so all of the 12 short stories publishe during 2011 in the Irish Independent are included. There is also an Emerging Poetry Prize for 6 of the poems. The Hennessy has always been stronger on fiction than poetry with often, no poets on the judging committee which has made for unexpected results.

This year the First Fiction nominees were:

Ron Woods -Paddy's Will which you can read here
Pat O'Connor -Advice and Sandwiches previously shortlisted for the Sean O'Faolain Competition in 2010
Aisling Keogh - How To Save A Life who I had the pleasure of meeting. This was Aisling's first published story. She lives in Galway.
Paul O'Reilly - I wish MacGowen hadn't written that song. You can listen to another story by him here and his blog is here. Apparently this is shortlisted for the Pushcart prize in the US.
Here's another story and bio by him here
and the winner Barbara Tarrant - Baby - Congratulations!

The Emerging Fiction Nominees were:
Maire T Robinson - Another Breakfast For You. She blogs here and it was lovely to meet her. You can read it here
Mick Ransford (Doyle) - Kindred. Here's another story by Mick
Susan Lanigan - Infinite Loop,who I know from the blogosphere.
Elizabeth Brennan - Strangers who I got to chat to.
Andrew Fox - By The Canal. Here's another story by Andrew
and the winner, Viv McDade - Leaving for Chile which you can read here

The Emerging Poetry nominees were:
Mike J Gallagher - Stick on Stone which also won Michael Hartnett Viva Voce
Monica Corish - Mind Your Sister on the Rocks who has another poem here
Deirdre Doherty - The Shed She has a poem in Crannog here
Edward O'Dwyer - Only by Chance  here's some more poems by Ed
Tory Campbell - I Beckon You and My Father Doesn't Like Cut Flowers who has also been in the Stinging Fly
and the winner, Niamh Boyce - Kitty who I met and who blogs here

Niamh also won the overall prize as well as my own, personal prize for best hairstyle.

Then John Boyne gave a really lovely speech full of wisdom and wit accepting his entry into the Hall of Fame.

We did notice that of the now ten members, only one, Ann Enright, is a woman. This is strange. Did all the women who were shortlisted or won the Hennessy in the old days (it's in its 41st year) not end up with a bit of fame?

Rathmines Writers’ Workshop Anthology

Rathmines Writers’ Workshop are inviting poetry submissions for their anthology. The winner and two runners-up will be published in the forthcoming Rathmines Writers’ Workshop Anthology and the 3 winning entrants will be invited to read their poems at the launch to be held in Dublin.

Poems can have a maximum of 40 lines which includes the title and must be typed.

Entrants may enter as many times as they like, cost is €3 per entry, €5 for two entries and additional entries €2.

Submissions should be sent to RWW Competition, 19 The Laurels, Terenure Road West, Terenure, Dublin 6W

Deadline: June 1, 2012

Link here

Children's books conference

The 2012 CBI Conference 2012 Weaving a Shared Story, will take place in the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street on 19th and 20th May. Guest speakers include Alexis Deacon, Jutta Bauer, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Alan Early, Paula Leyden, Geraldine Meade, Denise Deegan, Debbie Thomas, Brian Gallagher, Nicola Pierce, Peadar O’Guilín, Sally Nicholls, Chris Judge, Barbara Coughlan, Mary Murphy, Ed, Rebecca and Michael Emberley, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Judi Curtin and the students of Trinity Comprehensive, Ballymun and St Paul’s, Waterford.

Click here  to download the conference flyer with further info.


The conference will also include presentation of the annual CBI award. This award is made to an individual in recognition of an outstanding contribution to children’s books. All CBI members are warmly encouraged to nominate for this award.

CBI are always looking for new partners to help us bring the best in children’s books to the widest audience. If you are interested in participating in the next CBI Conference please contact programme officer Aoife Murray at aoife@childrensbooksireland.ie or 01 8727475.

‘She’s the One’ Writing Competition

Poetry, prose or a letter about the women (or woman) who inspire you and/or have changed your world.  

Could be somebody famous or someone who lives in your neighbourhood.  

Your entry should run to no more than 350 words.
Deadlin: 30 June
    Prizes: Winning entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Click Here.

The She's The One competition is open to anyone who lives in the UK. The work that you enter must be unpublished and not under contract to any other publisher. Work that has been self-published or published on the web is not eligible. If you have previous writing experience please include a brief biography of your writing career.