Alaska Pacific University
MFA Program
Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Anchorage, AK
Application Deadline:
Wed, 04/01/2026
Application Fee:
$35
Genre: Fiction
O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat
The O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat will be held on November 29 and November 30 at a historic vacation property in the town of Waialua, on the North Shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. The retreat features generative writing workshops, critiques, and arts and crafts breaks for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. The faculty includes poet Tamara Leiokanoe Moan, fiction writer Tom Gammarino, and creative nonfiction writer Constance Hale. Tuition is $120 for one day and $200 for both days; lodging is not included, but lunch is.
Type:
CONFERENCE
Ignore Event Date Field?:
no
Event Date:
November 29, 2025
Rolling Admissions:
no
Application Deadline:
November 15, 2025
Financial Aid?:
yes
Free Admission:
no
Contact Information:
O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat, 1040 56th Street, Oakland, CA 94608. (617) 909-1439. Constance Hale, Director.
Constance Hale
Director
Contact City:
Waialua
Contact State:
HI
Country:
US
Banned Books Week From the Big Chair
Caption:
In this video from the Sage-sponsored “Banned Books From the Big Chair” booth at the American Library Association’s 2025 annual conference, authors and attendees respond to the dangers of book banning and the importance of supporting public libraries and the freedom to read.
Cheesy Truths
Known for his postmodern satirical novels filled with secret conspiracies and government plots, Thomas Pynchon’s new novel, Shadow Ticket, out this week from Penguin Press, begins in Depression-era Milwaukee and follows a private detective whose search of a runaway cheese heiress gets him entangled with the Chicago mafia, the Bureau of Investigation, British intelligence, Nazism, and international capitalist conspiracies. This week write a short story that makes use of a current event that might seem absurd or stranger than fiction, spinning off from the actual details of the real event into something weirder. How can you inject humor into a story that gestures to real concerns about paranoia and dysfunctional politics?
Ten Questions for Joshua Wheeler
“It should be possible to both write good and live good. Go see your friends. Be with your family. Taste something new. Fall in love with the world again and again while you still can.” —Joshua Wheeler, author of The High Heaven
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George Takei for Banned Books Week
Caption:
In this video, George Takei, honorary chair of Banned Books Week 2025, talks about how “access to books and knowledge is essential to democracy” and how reading provides a way to see ourselves reflected in stories and to discover the stories of others. To learn more, visit the Banned Books Week website.
Literary Awards
Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
December 31, 2025
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection, a debut novel, a book of fiction, and a book of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) by African American writers published in the United States in the current year. The awards honor books that depict the “cultural, historical, or sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Publishers may nominate books published in 2025 by December 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for a list of jurors to whom books should be sent and complete guidelines.
Tags:
Mississippi Review Prize
Mississippi Review
Entry Fee:
$15
Deadline:
January 1, 2026
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Mississippi Review are given annually for a single poem, a short story, and an essay. Current or former University of Southern Mississippi students are ineligible. Submit three to five poems totaling no more than 10 pages or a story or essay of 800 to 8,000 words with a $15 entry fee ($16 for electronic submissions) by January 1, 2026. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
The Story Prize
The Story Prize
Entry Fee:
$75
Deadline:
November 15, 2025
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a story collection written in English and first published in the United States in the current year. Two runners-up will receive $5,000 each, and one entrant will receive the $1,000 Story Prize Spotlight Award, given for a collection that merits further attention. Larry Dark and Julie Lindsey will select the three finalists and the Spotlight Award winner; three independent judges will choose the Story Prize winner. Publishers, authors, or agents may submit two copies of a book (one of which may be an electronic copy) published between July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, with an entry fee of $75 by November 15. The deadline for books published during the first half of the year was July 1. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
Boulevard
Entry Fee:
$18
Deadline:
December 31, 2025
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. The editors will judge. Submit a story of up to 8,000 words with an $18 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Boulevard, by December 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
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