We’re officially over one twelfth of the way into the New Year, and if you’re anything like me, some of those crazy, exciting New Year’s Resolutions – the same ones that seemed like such bold goals at the end of December – may be feeling a little insurmountable by now. But instead of kicking yourself for not yet finishing your novel or losing that holiday weight, take a peek at SSC student Barabara Govednik’s essay at The Women’s Conference, and consider a new kind of personal goal for the coming year: “…To simply be who I am without putting up all the arguments against myself that have become second nature.” You might just find yourself making a new resolution.
Congratulations to Barbara for her publication – and many thanks for the sound advice!
New Letters, an international magazine featuring fiction, non-fiction and poetry that’s been around for over 70 years, is now accepting submissions for its 2010 Literary Awards.While the due date isn’t technically until May 18th, if you submit before Jan 31st they’ll give you either the anthology New American Essay, The Game of Baseball or special editions from New Letters, upon request. A few other cool things about this submission process: your $15 entry fee includes a subscription to the quarterly magazine, and though each additional submission does cost $10 - there is no limit on submissions. You can submit as many pieces of original fiction, non-fiction and poetry as your heart desires. The prize is $1,500 (or two months of rent and utilities bills as I see it...) and publication in the magazine. Check out their website here for more information:http://www.newletters.org/awards.asp."> http://www.newletters.org/awards.asp.
We can hardly keep up with all the successes of Ranjit Souri, one of our Personal Essay instructors. His latest accomplishment can be heard in the form of an essay on Cincinnati Public Radio. It’s a tribute to one of Ranjit’s favorite musicians, Adrian Belew.
Here’s the link to check it out.
Many literary magazines take a sabbatical for summer, but with fall fast approaching, it’s a great time to get your submissions together. One handy piece of advice is to keep a calendar recording reading periods and contest deadlines for any magazine you’re interested in. Since it could take more than thirty submissions before you get a nibble, it’s absolutely essential to stay organized!
As we’ve noted before, Poets & Writers Magazine has a great online database of literary journals – complete with information on accepted genres and reading periods.
New Pages is another great resource. Not only are hundreds of literary magazines represented on this website, there’s also a description of each magazine to give you a sense of what they’re looking for.
And remember, keep the cover letter short and sweet!
Writing Away Retreats in Breckenridge, Colorado is offering a full-tuition scholarship for one or both of their 5-day retreat sessions.
If you’re interested, submit a short story (5K words or less), 3 poems, or an essay (again, 5K words or less) based on the theme “Burning Down the House.” The entry fee is $20, but includes a 10% discount off the cost of the retreat if you do not win the contest. Entries should be emailed to and attached as a Word document. A PayPal invoice will be sent to receive your payment.
The deadline for entries is July 1, so get cracking; winners will be announced August 1. The winner will receive full tuition for the October 15 through 20 and/or October 21 through 26 sessions.
Founded by author Cicily Janus, whose book “The New Face of Jazz” is due out through Random House the summer of 2010, Writing Away Retreats offers writers the time and space to complete their projects. Tuition includes a private room and bath, three meals a day, manuscript consultations, and most importantly, the time to concentrate and work. For more information, check out the Writing Away Retreats website.
Next Page
