Submissions Open for the Everett Southwest Literary Award

Submissions are still open for the 2023 Everett Southwest Literary Award, hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma Department of English! Offered biennially, the winner of this prize will receive $5,000 for an unpublished short story manuscript. The second-place and third-place winners will receive $3,000 and $1,000, respectively. All three writers will be invited to give a reading at the University of Central Oklahoma during their spring 2023 semester, public health guidelines allowing. Writers residing in or writing about Oklahoma, New Mexico, or Texas are eligible.

Submit a PDF of a short story collection between 140 to 250 pages, a cover letter including a bio and contact information, and a complete list of publishing credits via e-mail with a $25 entry fee (to be mailed separately) by December 5. Guggenheim fellow and National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.  

With beginnings in 2006, this award honors the late Dr. Mark Allen Everett, an Oklahoma-based supporter of the arts and distinguished medical professional, through a donation from the Everett Family Foundation Fund. Previous judges of this competition include Sandra Cisneros, Allison Hedge Coke, and Brian Turner. Kelli Jo Ford had her debut novel-in-stories, Crooked Hallelujah, published by Grove Press a year after winning this award in 2019. The winners of the current submission period will be announced in spring 2023.  With beginnings in 2006, this award honors the late Dr. Mark Allen Everett, an Oklahoma-based supporter of the arts and distinguished medical professional, through a donation from the Everett Family Foundation Fund. Previous judges of this competition include Sandra Cisneros, Allison Hedge Coke, and Brian Turner. Kelli Jo Ford had her debut novel-in-stories, Crooked Hallelujah, published by Grove Press a year after winning this award in 2019. The winners of the current submission period will be announced in spring 2023.  

Iconic

11.17.22

In the opening pages of Hilton Als’s memoir My Pinup: A Paean to Prince (New Directions, 2022), the Pulitzer Prize–winning author reflects upon a confessional joke in Jamie Foxx’s 2002 stand-up special, I Might Need Security, in which the comic meets the iconic musician Prince for the first time and is so overcome that he can’t look him in the eye. “Being enthralled—or, more accurately, frightened and turned on by Prince and what his various looks said about an aspect of black male sexuality—was that something only comedians could talk about?” writes Als. Inspired by this reflection, write a personal essay about an encounter with an icon who shifted something within yourself. What excited or frightened you?

Celebrity Skin

11.16.22

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry, Finding Me by Viola Davis, and Surrender by Bono are just a few recent high-profile celebrity memoirs on many must-read lists. For some celebrities, writing a memoir is one way to reclaim their story and separate themselves from their public persona. This week, write a short story in the voice of a famous person who feels the need to write a memoir. What secrets are they willing to share, and which do they keep for themselves?

Apocryphal Birth

11.15.22

Where are you from / is a question I field too much. Once / I said Vietnam and the white man said I fought there. / I loved the country. I love their people. / That’s the day I started to lie / about my birth,” writes Kien Lam in his poem “Lunar Mansions,” published in the May/June 2018 issue of the American Poetry Review, in which he recounts the apocryphal story of his birth. Lam weaves in the story of the birth of Jesus, often conflating it with his own: “In the stable / the horses kicked me from their wombs,” he writes. Write a poem that tells the apocryphal story of your birth incorporating, as Lam does, a fantastical tone.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines

With the fall season underway and a new month around the corner, get a jump start on submitting to contests with deadlines of November 30 and December 1! These awards present opportunities for queer writers as well as debut poetry and prose writers, among others. Plus, one lucky poet will win $3,000, publication of their manuscript, and the chance to give a reading under the auspices of the Folger Shakespeare Library. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and one is even free to enter. Onward, writers!  

Autumn House Press
Rising Writer Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given in alternating years for a debut work of poetry or fiction. The 2023 prize will be given for fiction. The winner will also receive a $500 grant for travel and book promotion. Matt Bell will judge. All finalists are considered for publication. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $25 (the submission fee may be waived in cases of financial need).

BOA Editions
A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions is given annually for a first book of poetry by a U.S. resident. Tina Chang will judge. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $25.

Langum Foundation
David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of historical fiction published during the current year. Self-published books are ineligible. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: none.

Masters Review
Novel Excerpt Contest

A prize of $3,000, publication in Masters Review, and an agent consultation will be given annually for an excerpt of an unpublished novel or novel-in-progress showing “a sense of style, with a clear grasp on craft” by an emerging writer. Halley Dunne Parry of the Hamilburg Agency will offer the consultation for this contest cycle. Charmaine Craig will judge. Writers who have not published a book or who have published a book with a circulation of less than 5,000 are eligible. All entries will be considered for publication. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: $20.

Meadowlark Press
Birdy Poetry Prize

A prize of $1,000, publication by Meadowlark Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: $25.

Quarter After Eight
Robert J. DeMott Short Prose Contest

A prize of $1,008.15 and publication in Quarter After Eight is given annually for a prose poem, a short short story, or a micro essay. Kirstin Valdez Quade will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $15.

Red Hen Press
Quill Prose Award

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a story or essay collection, a novel, or a hybrid work of prose by a queer writer. Elizabeth Bradfield will judge. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $10.

Regal House Publishing
W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a story collection. The editors will judge. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: $25.

Tadpole Press
100-Word Writing Contest

A prize of $1,000 will be given twice annually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Deadline: November 30. Entry fee: $10. 

Waywiser Press
Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize

A prize of $3,000 and publication by the Waywiser Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published no more than one previous collection. The winner will also give a reading with the contest judge under the auspices of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. Deadline: December 1. Entry fee: $29.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.

Persimmons

11.10.22

“How to choose // persimmons. This is precision. / Ripe ones are soft and brown-spotted. / Sniff the bottoms. The sweet one / will be fragrant. How to eat: / put the knife away, lay down newspaper. / Peel the skin tenderly, not to tear the meat,” writes Li-Young Lee in his evocative poem “Persimmons,” in which he uses the autumnal fruit as a way to speak on a number of personal subjects, such as his memories of a sixth grade teacher, his relationship with his wife, and his father’s blindness. Inspired by Lee’s poem, write a lyric essay about a favorite fruit that conjures sensorial memories. Let yourself be surprised by the direction of your associations.

Spring Forward, Fall Back

11.9.22

Over the weekend, many of us, perhaps reluctantly, turned our clocks back an hour, ending Daylight Saving Time for the year. Dating back to World War I when countries needed a way to preserve power and fuel, the yearly change begins in the spring with clocks being pushed forward an hour to conserve daylight leading to longer days and shorter nights, then in the fall pushed back for longer nights and shorter days. Write a story that takes place during the end of Daylight Saving Time. How does the lengthening of darkness affect the mindset of your character?

Civic Duty

11.8.22

“I think one of the civic responsibilities of poets in America today is to continue to encourage a sense of civility among us and a sense of curiosity about one another’s lives,” says Naomi Shihab Nye in a conversation with Juan Felipe Herrera and Jane Hirshfield at the 2015 National Book Festival captured on video by the Academy of American Poets. What do you feel is one of your responsibilities as a writer? Write a poem that answers this question by considering timely issues—whether global or personal—that fuel your passion for writing.

Deadline Nears for Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction

Writers have until the end of the month to submit to LitMag’s 2023 Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction. Offered annually, the award comes with a prize of $1,250, publication in LitMag, and an introduction to agents from the Bent Agency, Brandt & Hochman, Folio Literary Management, InkWell Management, Sobel Weber Associates, and Triangle House Literary, who will review the winner’s work.

Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 500 to 1,500 words with a $16 entry fee by November 30. All entries are considered for publication. The editors will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The 2022 winner of the contest was Caroline Kim for “The End of the Dynasty.” Finalists included Jared Carlson for “Invention,” William Hawkins for “Easter Morning,” and Delano S. C. Parisi for “The Immortal Ontologist in the Apocalypse,” which was published by LitMag.

An annual print journal released each fall, LitMag features established and emerging writers of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. LitMag also publishes writing on its website. “We seek work that moves and amazes us,” the editors say. “We are drawn to big minds and large hearts.”

 

Life After Death

11.3.22

The Day of the Dead holiday is traditionally celebrated on the first two days of November, a time for families to remember and honor their dearly departed. The festivities have increasingly become more global but date back to the eleventh century and hold great significance for Mexico’s Indigenous communities. Public places and homes are filled with altars and offerings to commemorate loved ones with their favorite things, including traditional dishes and treats as well as elaborate decorations. Inspired by the celebratory spirit of the Day of the Dead, write an essay that explores how you remember your ancestors. Does this holiday reframe your understanding of grief and loss?

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