The James White Award is a competition for original short stories of not more than 6,000 words by non-professional writers. The closing date for entries to this year’s competition is midnight (GMT) 31 January 2014 The winner will be announced at Satellite 4, Eastercon 2014 (18-21 April, 2014) during the BSFA Awards ceremony (details to be confirmed).
This year’s prize is £200 plus publication in Interzone. The judging panel will be announced shortly..
The rules in brief:
The James White Award is open to previously unpublished stories of 6000 words or less by non-professional authors from anywhere in the world, but the stories must be written in English. Stories are judged anonymously so names should be removed from manuscripts. You may enter online (strongly preferred) or by post but all entries must be accompanied by a completed entry form. Manuscripts will not be returned. The organisers strongly recommend you read, in full, the rules below before entering.
Monday, 30 December 2013
The Sophie King Prize
Free to Enter
Deadline: 10th January 2014
One entry per writer is allowed.
The story must be a minimum of 1,500 and a maximum of 2,500 words in length.
The story must be a minimum of 1,500 and a maximum of 2,500 words in length.
Open to both published and unpublished writers worldwide.
The winning story will be recorded by a professional actor, and broadcast from a dedicated online audio player at www.sophieking.info, www.thesophiekingprize.com and www.greatstorieswithheart.com.
The winner will also receive a pair of Silver-Plated Life Long Champagne Chalices + a £50 voucher (= to approx. $79) from The Handpicked Collection.
One runner up will receive a £25 voucher (= to approx. $39) from The Handpicked Collection. Please note the vouchers will be issued in £ sterling but can be redeemed worldwide
Friday, 27 December 2013
3 Literary Agents Seeking New Clients
3 Literary Agents Seeking New Clients
About Katie Reed: Katie obtained her Bachelor’s in English from California State University, Sacramento, but the most enlightening part of her college career was her internship with Andrea Hurst & Associates. There she discovered her passion for being part of the process that connects compelling stories with book-hungry readers. Katie is looking for stories that demand to be read, having characters that transcend the page and remain in her thoughts long after the book has been closed. She represents all areas of young adult and adult fiction and nonfiction, with a special interest in YA and fantasy. Katie resides in the small town of Durham, California with her incredible husband, her joyful son, and Snoodles, her loyal cat. Besides her addiction to reading, she is also a diehard Miami Heat fan and obsessed with all things Disney.
What she is seeking:
All areas of YA fiction, particularly:
Commercial, with a compelling hook and a protagonist who battles real life teen issues
Science fiction (soft)
Fantasy
Commercial and Literary Adult Fiction in the following genres:
Book Club Women’s Fiction
Science Fiction (soft)
Fantasy
Suspense/Thriller
Contemporary Romance
Nonfiction in the following genres:
Memoir/Biography with a strong platform
Self-help
Crafts/How-to
Inspirational
True Crime (I would prefer to avoid this unless it is high profile and current)
Parenting
How to contact her: katie [at] andreahurst.com. Put “Query” in the subject line of your query. “Please include your query in the body of the email–no attachments. Do not send proposals, sample chapters or manuscripts unless specifically requested by an agent. They will not be opened or returned. Please indicate if you are simultaneously submitting to other agents. Give us some time to respond—in busy periods [or the holiday season] this may take several weeks.”
*****
About Jordy Albert: Jordy Albert is a Literary Agent and co-founder of The Booker Albert Literary Agency. She holds a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University, and a M.A. from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She has worked with Marisa Corvisiero during her time at the L. Perkins Agency and the Corvisiero Literary Agency. Jordy also works as a freelance editor/PR Director. She enjoys studying languages (French/Japanese), spends time teaching herself how to knit, is a HUGE fan of Doctor Who, and loves dogs.
What she is seeking: Middle Grade - contemporary, fantasy, action/adventure, or historical. Young adult - open to pretty much any genre; however, she's looking especially for YA that has a very strong romantic element-or which romance plays an integral part in the plot). New Adult romance and adult romance (again, open to pretty much any genre).
Please do not send poetry or short stories.
How to contact her: E-mail Jordy at jordy@thebookeralbertagency.com
*****
About John Weber: John Weber grew up in the Midwest where Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin meet on the
What he is seeking: John Weber is looking for middle grade and young adult stories with universal themes told in unique settings, which show developing and changing relationships between characters. Because of his science/math/computer science background, he is interested in realistic historical fiction using current technology and projecting technology into the future. He is also wants well-researched science fiction, with no fantasy elements where science forms the foundation of progressive societies in the future.
John is no longer accepting children's picture books, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, and submissions from authors who are currently incarcerated. He is especially eager for non-fiction, African-American fiction, Latino fiction and non-fiction, young adult fiction, women’s fiction and non-fiction, and prescriptive non-fiction.
How to contact him: Serendipity Literary Agency uses an online contact form. Please read their submission instructions before contacting.
Short story and poetry submissions
| GeminiMAGAZINE |
Hello!
Still time to enter the fourth annual Gemini Magazine Poetry Open featuring a Grand Prize of $1,000. Email/postmark deadline: January 2. No rules! Any style, any subject. Entry fee: $5 for up to three poems. Second place wins $100 and four honorable mentions each receive $25. All six finalists will be published online in the March 2014 issue of Gemini. Read previous winners at the above link. Our fifth annual Short Story Contest just opened. It runs through March 31 and also offers a $1,000 prize. Rules: none. Entry fee: $5. General submissions are open year round. No fee. We now pay $10 for each general submission we publish. |
| GeminiMAGAZINE |
Hello!
Still time to enter the fourth annual Gemini Magazine Poetry Open featuring a Grand Prize of $1,000. Email/postmark deadline: January 2. No rules! Any style, any subject. Entry fee: $5 for up to three poems. Second place wins $100 and four honorable mentions each receive $25. All six finalists will be published online in the March 2014 issue of Gemini. Read previous winners at the above link. Our fifth annual Short Story Contest just opened. It runs through March 31 and also offers a $1,000 prize. Rules: none. Entry fee: $5. General submissions are open year round. No fee. We now pay $10 for each general submission we publish. |
The south Circular seeking submissions
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Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Patrick Kavanagh's poem 'A Christmas Childhood' in Ireland
Patrick Kavanagh's poem 'A Christmas Childhood' in Ireland
My father played the melodion
Outside at our gate;
There were stars in the morning east;
And they danced to his music.
Across the wild bogs his melodion called
To Lennons and Callans.
As I pulled on my trousers in a hurry
I knew some strange thing had happened.
Outside in the cow-house my mother
Made the music of milking;
The light of her stable-lamp was a star
And the frost of Bethlehem
A water-hen screeched in the bog,
Mass-going feet
Crunched the wafer-ice on the pot-holes,
Somebody wistfully twisted the bellows wheel.
My child poet picked out the letters
On the grey stone,
In silver the wonder of a Christmas townland,
The winking glitter of a frosty dawn.
Cassiopeia was over
Cassidy's hanging hill,
I looked and three whin bushes rode across
The horizon - the Three Wise Kings.
An old man passing said:
"Can't he make it talk" -
The melodion, I hid in the doorway
And tightened the belt of my box-pleated coat.
I nicked six nicks on the door-post
With my penknife's big blade -
There was a little one for cutting tobacco.
And I was six Christmases of age.
My father played the melodion,
My mother milked the cows,
And I had a prayer like a white rose pinned
On the Virgin Mary's blouse.
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