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Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Deborah Finkelstein's 21 Editing Tips

You’ve written the story. Now you want to send it in to a contest, publisher, magazine, agent, etc. How do you know it’s ready for them to see?

It’s time to edit your story. Self-editing is difficult. When you read something too many times you will stop seeing what’s actually on the page and start to hear what’s in your head. Below are some tips on evaluating your own work, and on sharing your work with others.

Tips:

1. Do you have a catchy beginning? Does your beginning draw readers into the story?

2. Is it vivid? Do readers know your location? Do readers know your characters?

3. Are your characters and your plot realistic?

4. Does your dialogue sound the way real people speak?

5. Are you an expert? If you mention a subway line in New York City, make sure it’s a real subway line. If you mention the military, make sure you have the correct details on rank and other elements.

6. Does it have a beginning, middle, and an end?

7. Is there conflict? The story can have great description, and funny dialogue, but without conflict it’s not a story; it’s a piece of a story.

8. How do the paragraphs begin? Does every paragraph begin “Mary did this” and “Mary did that” or “She did this” and “She did that.” Don’t begin every paragraph the same way. Make it more interesting for the reader.

9. Are you using active or passive verbs? For example: “He began to walk.” Only include this if the fact that he is beginning is important. For example, “At seven months the baby began to walk” or “After nine years in a wheelchair he decided to try physical therapy and then he began to walk.” Here are some examples where it’s not important: “He began to walk to the bar” or “She began to walk over to him.” Instead use “He walked to the bar” or “She walked over to him.” This is more active.

10. Have you remained in the same tense for the whole story? For example, if you start in present tense, make sure the whole story is in present tense.

11. Is your whole story from one point of view? For example, if you start off the story in first person then keep the story in first person.

12. Show don’t tell. For example, “He was angry” is telling. “He stomped his feet,” “He clenched his fists,” “He banged on the table” are ways of showing anger.

13. Have you changed any character’s name? Many writers start off a story with a character having one name (example Nick) and later change that character’s name (example Matt), but forget to change the name in earlier parts of the text.

14. Have you spell-checked and grammar checked? It may seem obvious, but it is a step many writers overlook.

15. Avoid exclamation points. Exclamation points should almost never be used. Most publishers do not like them. They are overused.

16. Read it aloud. Reading aloud will allow you to hear mistakes. Your ears will catch things your eyes missed. You will hear grammar mistakes, repeated words, etc.

17. Ask a friend to read it aloud to you. When you read it aloud you make it sound the way you want it. Your friend will read it closer to the way a reader will. You will hear mistakes, and you may hear things you want to change or clarify.

18. Ask a friend who knows writing to read it for you. Don’t ask the friend who will like anything you do and just say, “It’s great.” Ask the friend who knows writing, and will provide you with constructive criticism and examples of ways to improve. If you don’t have a friend like this then consider joining a writing group, or hiring an editor or writing coach.

19. Ask a friend who knows grammar to read it for you. Sometimes you may have one friend who knows writing and grammar, but many times the writing friend won’t be able to edit for grammar. Consider friends who work in proofreading. If none of your friends fit this bill consider working with an editor or writing coach.

20. Is it laid out properly? No matter where you’re sending this story, (magazines, publishers, contests, etc.), the recipient will have requirements on how they want to receive it. Double-check their requirements and make sure your story fits them. There may be requirements on length, margins, fonts, single/double spacing, location of title on the page, page numbering, location of your name and contact information (some will ask you not to include this information) etc.

21. Read it one last time. Just to make sure. Then send it. And start a new story.

Deborah Finkelstein is an editor, writing coach, writing instructor, and creator of “Deborah’s Writing Newsletter,” a weekly email newsletter of writing exercises. She has published fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and journalism, and received writing awards and honors from Middlebury College, Rutgers University, Santa Fe Community College, LeMoyne College, and Troutbeck Travel Writers Classics. Until October 31, she is offering 18% off editing services for your next writing project. For more information, or to join the newsletter list, email her at begin@18cards.com


Copyright 2006. Deborah Finkelstein. This article may be reprinted only in it’s entirety. Please let me know if you will be using it.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Writers Group Formation in Weirton area

FROM: Savannah Guz

Hello~

I write to learn if there are fellow writers close to Weirton, which is splayed across Hancock and Brooke Counties way up in the northern panhandle. I'm eager to get a group of like-minded people together, so that we too can have bi-weekly or monthly meets of the minds, readings, and other energizing activities. It seems the closest writers' group is approximately an hour and a half away.

Is there anyone who is located in the tri-state area?
Cheers~
Savannah Guz

http://www.malaproductions.com/

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Writers Digest Short Story Competition

Writer's Digest is holding its 7th Annual Short Story Competition.

They're looking for 1500 words stories, any genre.

First prize is $3000, second prize is $1500, third place $500, 4th through 10th place, $100. and the top 25 stories will be published in a special anthology.

Entry deadline is December 1, 2006.

For details, go to http://fwpubs.sparklist.com/t/1994071/3613268/478/0/ or http://tinyurl.com/h9kzj

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Writer Terry Kay to appear at Shepherd University

From the desk of Ethan Fischer

Appalachian Heritage Writer-In-Residence, Terry Kay will be appearing at Shepherd University, October 2 - 7, 2006. For all the details, visit the Shepherd University website on the matter at the following link...

http://www.shepherd.edu/ahwirweb/

Monday, August 21, 2006

WVW eNEWS - August 18, 2006

WVW eNEWS - August 18, 2006

Check! September to October
Writers’ Market Opportunities

- SEND WORK AFTER SEPTEMBER 1 TO TIN HOUSE
GO TO http://www.tinhouse.com/index.htm

The Tin House editors will not be reading unsolicited material that is postmarked between May 31 and September 1. If your manuscript has a postmark date during the hiatus, it will be returned unopened. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Please submit one story, or up to 5 poems, at a time. Submit clearly typed manuscripts, double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11 inch white paper, one side only, to: Tin House, P.O. Box 10500, Portland, OR 97210. Send submissions to the attention of the appropriate editor, i.e. poetry to poetry editor, etc. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please let us know in your cover letter. It takes up to 3 months to respond to submissions. We do not accept submissions via fax or email. We publish fiction, essays, and poetry, but please do not mix genres in one envelope. We are not interested in genre fiction. The word-length limit is roughly 10,000.

We pay writers after edits are done to our satisfaction, and just prior to publication of the final piece. Payment varies according to the length and genre of the submission, but we pay a $50.00 minimum for poetry, and $200.00 minimum for fiction and nonfiction, except for Lost & Found, which pays $150.00.


- SEND WORK AFTER SEPTEMBER 1 TO POTOMAC REVIEW
Submission Guidelines:
GO TO http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/potomacreview/submissionguidelines.html

- Poetry: up to three poems/five pages at a time.
- Prose: up to 5,000 words (fiction/creative nonfiction)
- Art: art/photographs: inquire first.

Please send by regular mail to the address listed below. Include SASE, brief bio, e-mail address. We will respond within six months. Fall/Winter issue due out in October/November 2006. Simultaneous submissions are accepted if identified. Two complimentary copies per contributor; 40% discount for extra copies. Submission Deadlines: Reading period September 1st - May 1st ; only one submission per genre per reading period. Reading period September 1st - May 1st ; only one submission per genre per reading period.


- SEND WORK AFTER SEPTEMBER 1 TO KENYON REVIEW
Submission guidelines GO TO http://www.kenyonreview.org/writers/guidelines.php
The reading period for this year will be September 1, 2006-January 31, 2007.

An online submissions program is now available on this web site. We no longer accept work via regular mail. All work must be submitted using the online program on this web site. (It's free and saves you postage.) GO TO http://www.kenyon-review.org/submissions/

We urge all submitters to be thoughtful of others and submit no more than two works in a given genre during the reading period. Thank you!
We consider
* short fiction and essays (up to 7,500 words)
* poetry (up to 6 poems)
* plays (up to 35 pages)
* excerpts (up to 35 pages) from larger works
* translations of poetry and short prose
* only previously unpublished material is considered


- SUBMIT WORK BEFORE OCTOBER 2 DEADLINE TO MID AMERICAN REVIEW

Mid-American Review is an international literary journal dedicated to publishing the best contemporary fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and translations. Founded in 1981, MAR is an official publication of the Department of English and the College of Arts & Sciences at Bowling Green State University. MAR is proud of its tradition of featuring the work of established artists. Writers such as Carl Dennis, Rita Dove, Stephen Dunn, Linda Gregg, Yusef Komunyakaa, Philip Levine, Mary Oliver, Richard Russo, William Stafford, James Tate, Melanie Rae Thon, David Foster Wallace, and C.K. Williams have all appeared in MAR. But we also pride ourselves on our publication of new and up-and-coming writers, case in point our recent Unpublished Writers Issue. MAR is an official publication of the Department of English and the College of Arts & Sciences at Bowling Green State University.

Writers’ Submission Guidelines on webpage at http://www.bgsu.edu/studentlife/organizations/midamericanreview/index2.html

MAR also sponsors the Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award, James Wright Poetry Award, and Creative Nonfiction Award, as well as the Fineline Competition for Prose Poems, Short Shorts, and Anything In Between.Mid-American Review is an international literary journal dedicated to publishing the best contemporary fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and translations.
Deadline is October 2nd.

CONTESTS GO TO http://www.bgsu.edu/studentlife/organizations/midamericanreview/index2.html

Address submissions to
Mid-American Review
Department of English, Box W
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green OH 43403


- SUBMIT BEFORE OCTOBER 2, DEADLINE TO 10TH ANNUAL ZOETROPE: ALL-STORY SHORT FICTION CONTEST

Judged by: National Book Award-Finalist Mary Gaitskill
First prize: $1,000 - Second prize: $500 - Third prize: $250

The winner and seven finalists will be considered for representation by the William Morris Agency, ICM, Regal Literary, the Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Inkwell Management, Sterling Lord Literistic, and the Georges Borchardt Literary Agency. The entry deadline is October 2, 2006. The winners and finalists will be announced at the website December 1, 2006, and in the Spring 2007 issue of Zoetrope: All-Story. Please e-mail us at contests@all-story.com with further questions.

Complete Contest Guidelines: GO TO http://www.zoetrope-stories.com
We accept all genres of literary fiction. Entries must be: unpublished; 5,000 words or less; postmarked by October 2, 2006; clearly marked "Short Fiction Contest" on both the story and the outside of the envelope; accompanied by a $15 entry fee per story (make checks payable to AZX Publications). Please include name and address on first page or cover letter only. Mail entries to: Zoetrope: All-Story - Short Fiction Contest - 916 Kearny Street - San Francisco, CA 94133


============================================
- SUBMIT YEAR ROUND TO THE BALTIMORE REVIEW
GO TO http://www.baltimorereview.org/about_us.html

Published biannually, in the winter and the summer, The Baltimore Review is an eclectic collection of writing from Baltimore and beyond. Established in 1996, this critically acclaimed literary journal is distributed nationally and is available in bookstores and via subscription. The Baltimore Review is a 128-page, 6X9, perfect-bound biannual literary journal. The Baltimore Review accepts short fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. For further information on submitting your work for consideration, see our writers guidelines. The Baltimore Review sample copies are $10.00 each (includes $2 s/h). Submissions are read year-round. Our editorial staff is composed of volunteers, so please allow up to 6 months for a response. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.

We sponsor three annual writing competitions:
* Creative Nonfiction Competition (January 1st - April 1st)
* Poetry Competition (April 1st - July 1st)
* Short Fiction Competition (August 1st - December 1st)

Writer's Guidelines
We publish poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction from around the nation and the world. Traditional and experimental forms are welcome. Length for prose: 6,000 words maximum. For poetry: Submit between 1-4 poems. No previously published work. Payment is in copies. We also accept art and photography submissions with a Baltimore theme. Send copies only, as well as a cover letter telling us about yourself and your work. Address your work to the respective editor: Fiction Editor, Poetry Editor, or Nonfiction Editor. Send self-addressed, stamped business envelope for a response to: The Baltimore Review - PO Box 36418 - Towson, MD 21286


==================================
EDITOR'S FEATURED WRITERS’ MARKET

NOW AND THEN
Writers Guidelines GO TO http://cass.etsu.edu/n&t/guidelin.htm

Now & Then , founded in 1984, is currently published twice annually by the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services (CASS) at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City and welcomes freelance contributions.

Each issue of Now & Then focuses on an aspect of life in the Appalachian region as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission (West Virginia and the mountainous parts of 12 other states, including New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi). Previous issues have focused on the themes of Appalachia’s rivers, its museums and archives, language, health and illness, biographies and memoirs, architecture, recreation, transportation, and the new immigrants.

We seek nonfiction and fiction work, including news and feature articles, interviews, personal essays, reviews, short stories, poems, photos, photo essays, and line art or graphic illustrations. Work can have a contemporary or historical focus. Writing can include information gleaned from diaries, letters, and family histories, as well as standard research and reportage.Sample issues are available for $5 per copy by writing Sample Request, Now & Then, Box 70556, ETSU, Johnson City TN 37614-1707.

Before sending us any unsolicited submission, please make sure it conforms to one of our current themes.

For fullest and quickest consideration for WRITERS:

* Please submit by e-mail (nowandthen@etsu.edu) a brief one-page query or the completed manuscript in Microsoft Word document format if it is less than 1,000 words. Poets can submit up to five poems.
* Include a brief statement of the regional tie-in and your work’s pertinence to the theme.
* Include an e-mail and regular mailing address and phone numbers, along with the best times to call, so we can reach you easily.
* E-mail submissions are acceptable.
* We will need a short, 3-4 sentences maximum, contributor’s note to include with your submission.

Final copy should meet deadline and length specifications and be sent electronically (nowandthen@etsu.edu) with a hard-copy printout follow-up to Editor, Now & Then, Box 70556, ETSU, Johnson City TN 37614-1707. Hard-copy printouts of caption information are also required.

Poets: Send up to five poems for consideration to Linda P. Marion, 2909 Fountain Park Blvd., Knoxville TN 37917.

General Specifications Related to Content GO TO http://cass.etsu.edu/n&t/guidelin.htm

* Fiction, news and feature articles, interviews and personal essays generally run 1,000 to 2,500 words.
* Submit no more than five poems at a time. Poetry must also relate to the theme.
* Clearly label any first-person piece as either fiction or a nonfiction essay.

Nancy Fischman, Managing Editor Now & Then
CASS/ETSU - P.O. Box 70556
Johnson City, TN 37614-1707
FAX 423-929-7870
nowandthen@etsu.edu
E-mail submissions are acceptable.

===WVW eNEWS composed, edited by George Lies for WVW, Inc.===

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Now & Then Magazine, upcoming themes for submissions

Now & Then, the Appalachian Magazine has posted their themes for upcoming issues as well as the deadlines for querries.

http://cass.etsu.edu/n&t/theme.htm

2007 Sylvia K. Burack College Student Scholarship

Sylvia K. Burack Award
$500 and a year's subscription to The Writer

Judges
The Writer editors

Deadline
March 1, 2007

Description
The Sylvia K. Burack Award is a writing contest for full-time college students. The award is made in memory of Sylvia K. Burack, longtime editor-in-chief and publisher of The Writer. Burack was known for her dedication to helping writers and editors.

Requirements
You must be 18 or older and a full-time undergraduate student at a university or college in the U.S. or Canada at the time of entry. The winner will be asked to provide proof of enrollment.

Rules

1. Submit a 600- to 800-word personal essay in English on a topic you feel passionate about.

2. Include a cover page with the essay title and word count, as well as your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Contact information must be valid in May 2007. Place only the title (not your name) at the top of each page of the essay. Entries must be typed and double-spaced on standard letter-size paper. Number each page. Paperclip the pages together.

3. The award is open to students in the U.S. and Canada enrolled full time in a college or university at the time of entry. (Do not send transcripts with entries.) Employees of Kalmbach Publishing Co. are not eligible to participate.

4. Only one entry per student will be accepted.

5. Send entries to: Sylvia K. Burack Award, The Writer, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.

6. Entries must be postmarked by March 1, 2007.

7. Entries will not be returned. Do not send originals.

8. The winner will be announced in May 2007 and will receive $500.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Put `em in Stiches!

(Courtesy of WVWriters 2nd VP Terry McNemar)

Stitches, the Journal of Medical Humour, is looking for short humor pieces. Stitches is almost entirely freelance-written so they welcome contributions. Naturally, articles with a medical slant are of particular interest, but they also run a lot of material that isn’t medical. The only real criterion is that it must be funny. They’ve used stories as short as 20 words and as long as 3,000, but definitely prefer shorter pieces (brevity being the soul of wit), so anything over 1,000 or so words would have to be exceptionally good to be accepted. Stitches does not assign articles based on queries — much of the humour in a funny article is in the writing, so send the finished product to decide if it is suitable.

Read more.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

My West Virginia State Parks Essay Contest

(From the WVWriters Roundtable, courtesy of Susanna Holstein)

The My West Virginia State Parks: What They Mean to Me Essay contest is open from May 1, 2006 to September 10, 2006.

Eligibility
The contest is open to West Virginia residents as well as residents from other states. Contest judges and West Virginia State Parks and Forests employees and their immediate family members are ineligible.

How To Enter
There is no entry fee for this contest. To enter, complete an official entry form. Download and print an entry form (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) and mail it and your essay describing what West Virginia State Parks and Forests means to you to the mailing address below.

You may e-mail a request for a form to essaycontest@wvndnr.gov.

Limit one (1) entry per person. Incomplete or inaccurate entry forms will be considered ineligible and void. Mail entries must be postmarked by September 10, 2006.

For questions pertaining to this contest or if you would like a packet of entry materials for your group, class or club, please contact us at essaycontest@wvdnr.gov or at the mailing address below address.

Mailing address:
West Virginia State Parks and Forests Essay Contest
Capitol Complex
Building 3, Room 709
Charleston, WV 25305

Essay Requirements and Format
All entries must be typed or computer generated and double-spaced. No handwritten entries will be accepted. Your submission and entry form is your agreement that you are the original author. Participants may not submit work that is already owned and/or copyrighted by another company.

Essays will describe what West Virginia State Parks and Forests mean to you. Only one essay and entry form accepted per person. Identifying characteristics such as name, address, phone number, e-mail address and category should appear at the end of any essays submitted by mail.

Categories Word Limit
Children Ages 6-8 75 words
Children Ages 9-12 400 words
Teens Ages 13-17 450 words
Adults Ages 18 and Older 450 words

Selection of Winners
Winners will be selected from all eligible entries. The essays will be judged by a panel of judges appointed by West Virginia State Parks and Forests. The judges will select the top four entries in each category on the basis of originality of thought, grammar and spelling, creativity, technical skill and content. The decisions of the judges will be final.

Use of Winning Essay
Upon submission, all entries will become the property of West Virginia State Parks and Forests. Entries may be used for educational, informational and promotional purposes on the West Virginia State Parks and Forests Web site, in its printed materials and on its products. However, entries are not guaranteed to appear in any manner outlined above.

Winners
Winners will be notified by letter and/or e-mail and winning essays will be revealed at a press conference to be announced at a later date. Winning essays will then be posted on this web site.

Each of the following categories will receive the prizes listed below.

Children's ages 6 - 8 Category
Children's ages 9 - 12 Category
Teens ages 13 - 17 Category
Adults ages 18 and older Category

  • First Place: One week at a West Virginia State Park Cabin.

  • Second Place: Two nights at a Cass Scenic Railroad State Park cottage and four train tickets to Whittaker Station.

  • Third Place: West Virginia State Parks Collectors Edition MONOPOLY Game

  • Honorable Mention: Autographed book "Jewels in Our Crown" by Maureen Crockett.
  • Tuesday, August 15, 2006

    WV Book Faire at Olde Towne Martinsburg

    The WV Book Faire at Olde Towne Martinsburg will take place in Martinsburg West Virginia on November 3 and 4, 2006. The Faire organizers are currently looking for authors and poets to exhibit published work, teach workshops, etc.

    Visit www.wvbooks.org to see the full schedule of events and click on the authors tab if you'd like an application.

    There will be an entire section of the event on West Virginia Authors.

    Monday, August 14, 2006

    Writers Groups Around the State

    If you have additions or corrections to this list please contact Joe McCabe (304-274-6986)


    BARBOUR COUNTY WRITERS WORKSHOP
    Meets every second and fourth Monday in the Student Lounge or the Library at Alderson-Broaddus College from 6:30 to approximately 8:30 p.m. Contact: Barbara Smith (304) 457-3038 or smith_b@ab.edu.

    BECKLEY (The Jabberwock Writers)
    Usually meets in the Jabberwock Cafe from 6 to 8 PM on the first and third Thursday of every month. Members may bring work to be critiqued. Some members report on books they have read recently. A writing prompt is usually given. Contacts: Rhonda White (304-425-6452) rwhite_writes@charterinternet.com and Scott Thompson shthompson1@charter.net

    BERKELEY COUNTY (See MARTINSBURG.)

    BLUEFIELD
    Usually meets the second Thursday of every month. Contact: Rob Merritt (304-327-6687) or rmerritt@bluefield.edu

    BRAXTON (and NICHOLAS)
    Usually meets once every month in a member's home. Contact: Renita Sue Loyd (304-765-7602) or RSL007@citynet.net

    FAIRMONT (The Crow's Quill)
    The Crow's Quill meets every other Wednesday from 6 PM to 8 PM in the conference room of the Fairmont chapter of the YWCA on Pleasant Valley Road. The group specializes in critique of prose and genre. Writers may submit pieces for critique online to the moderator or bring hard copy to meetings. The group formed in 2005. Contact: T.W. (Terry) McNemar at MCNCON@IOLINC.NET.

    HAMPSHIRE COUNTY (See ROMNEY.)

    HUNTINGTON (The Guyandotte Poets)
    They have been discussing poems in the members' homes for more than 25 years, and they are always looking for people with talent and energy who are serious about poetry. Contact: John McKernan mckernan@marshall.edu

    HUNTINGTON (Black Dog Writers Group)
    This group meets in members' homes and has seven members who write prose. It is presently CLOSED to new members. Contact: Llewellyn McKernan l.mckernan2@gte.net

    JEFFERSON COUNTY (See SHEPHERDSTOWN.)

    LEWISBURG (Lewisburg Writers Group)
    This group meets the first Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. at the Wild Bean Cafe on East Washington Street. The group will also meet the third Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. at the Birdhouse Cafe, West Washington Street.

    MARION COUNTY (See Fairmont)

    MARTINSBURG
    Usually meets at the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library (101 King Street) from 1 to 4 PM on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Bring 8 copies of the work you want critiqued. Limit: 10 double-spaced pages. Contact: Joe McCabe (304-274-6986) or hildajoe@msn.com.

    MARTINSBURG (Athens on the Opequon)
    This group was created in November 2003 to conserve, produce, and promote Traditional Poetry. Usually meets at the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library on the first Sunday of every month from 2 to 4:45 PM. Contact: Annemarie Collins (304-267-7567) or poetry@ix.netcom.com and Carrol Kline (304-263-4395) or cekva@peoplepc.com

    MORGANTOWN
    Meets at the Morgantown Public Library, usually 2nd, 4th Tuesdays (6:30-8 p.m.). Manuscript critiques, market writing assignments, group writing, presentations. Contacts: Library (304-291-7425) or email to: George.Lies@mail.wvu.edu or Patricia.Patteson@mail.wvuedu

    PARKERSBURG (Ohio Valley Literary Group)
    Usually meets in the Board Room of the Public Library from 6:30 to 9 PM the second Thursday of each month. Bring 12 copies of the work you want critiqued. Contact: Wilma Acree (304-295-6599) wilmaacree@charter.net

    RIPLEY (The Appalachian Wordsmiths)
    Usually meets every Thursday (except the second) of every month at the coffee shop on Court St. across from the courthouse from 6 to 8 pm. Established January 2002. Contacts: Cheryl Kobe (304-273-0111) cpame@blackbearnet.1cis.com and Max Price (304 273-9986) mprice@marshall.edu.

    ROMNEY (Ice Mountain Writers)
    Sponsored by the Hampshire County Arts Council. Usually meets the third Wednesday of every month @ 7 pm at the Bank of Romney Community Building on Main Street. Bring 6 copies of the work you want critiqued. Publishes chapbooks and collections IMW members' writings. Sponsors a Visiting Writer each spring to conduct workshops in the schools and to perform with the IMW for the public. Contact: Larry Brown (304-822-7516) or Sibyl MacKenzie (304-822-7206).

    ST. ALBANS
    A semi-closed group meets in the St. Albans Library every Tuesday at 1 P.M. If you want information about membership, contact Brenda Beatty: (304-727-3015) or icbeatty7@charter.net.

    SHEPHERDSTOWN (The Bookend Poets)
    Usually meets the second Thursday of every month from 8 to 10 PM usually at The Four Seasons Bookstore on German Street. Bring 10 copies of the poems you want critiqued. Contact: Georgia Lee McElhaney (304-876-6745) geeleemce@aol.com

    Friday, August 11, 2006

    Red Inkworks Presents: Short Story (Paying) Markets

    The website Red Inkworks has presented a page of short story market listings. We represent that link for you here.

    Wednesday, August 09, 2006

    Antlion Press seeks Southern Authors

    Antlion Press is currently accepting story submissions for a new collection about life in the Southern United States. Stories must reflect the best of what the South is all about, a place where good people still know how to extend kindness and courtesy to strangers, a place where the Southern landscape remains alive in the mind's eye, where little things...things of the heart, still matter.

    To get more information and complete submission guidelines, please go to: http://www.antlionpress.com.

    Tuesday, August 08, 2006

    Guideposts' SWEET 16 Scholarship Contest

    http://www.guidepostssweet16mag.com/scholarship.html

    You love the true stories in Sweet 16 — true stories by real teen girls just like you. Now here’s your chance to write your own . . . and score a sweet chunk of change for your college fund! (Prizes range from $500 to $16,000.)

    What should you write about? Well . . . pretty much anything! Relationships. Family. Friends. A tough time or a scary situation that you made it through. Basically, any experience that affected you deeply or changed your life for the better. (Your story should be first-person — from your point of view — and not more than 1,600 words. No fiction or poetry, please!)

    The deadline for entries is November 1, 2006.

    So…what are you waiting for? Send us your story today!

    Please review the Official Rules for this contest, then mail your story to:

    Sweet 16 Magazine Scholarship Contest
    16 East 34th St.
    New York, NY 10016


    or e-mail your story to:
    scholarship@sweet16mag.com

    Saturday, August 05, 2006

    WV Writers 2006/2007 Brochure

    We just added the 2006/2007 WV Writers Brochure to our Documents page.

    Members (or anyone else, really) may feel free to print them out, preferrably on light blue paper, and distribute them in their area.

    If you do, please remember to write your name in the REFERRED BY blank, for each new member we receive with a current member's name in the referral blank means $5 credit for the annual conference to that referring member. Potentially, a member could pay for their whole conference experience just by referring new members.

    Wednesday, August 02, 2006

    Call for submissions for Loneliness Anthology

    Members of the Quebec Writers’ Federation are seeking true, inspirational personal essays for an uplifting anthology on Loneliness. Writers should describe the circumstances surrounding their experiences, with particular emphasis on coping strategies used to offset their emotions. Length is up to 12 pages double-spaced. Please include email address, if applicable. Manuscripts not returned. Deadline November 20, 2006.

    Submissions may be sent by email to: loneanth@sympatico.ca

    Or mailed directly to :
    Loneliness Anthology,
    P.O.Box 404,
    Westmount Station,
    QC H3Z 2T5
    Canada

    Tuesday, August 01, 2006

    Call for Submissions: Modern English Tanka

    Call for Submissions: Modern English Tanka Premier Issue Vol. 1, No. 1. Autumn 2006

    You are invited to submit tanka for the Autumn 2006 premier issue of Modern English Tanka. The submission
    deadline is September 15, 2006.

    Modern English Tanka is a new digital and print literary journal dedicated to publishing and promoting
    fine English tanka (including tanka written in cinquain and cinqku set forms). We are interested in
    both traditional and innovative verse of high quality and in all serious attempts to assimilate the best of
    the Japanese waka/tanka genres into a continuously developing English short verse tradition. In addition
    to verse, we publish articles, essays, reviews, interviews, etc., related to tanka.

    What is not wanted: Doggerel, didactic (schoolroom) cinquains, and tanka sequences are not wanted. Serious
    poetry and adult themes are appreciated. Nothing pornographic or in any way nasty, hateful, bigoted, or
    partisan political, will be accepted. All such judgments will be made at the sole discretion of the editor.

    Modern English Tanka, Maryland USA. Website: http://www.modernenglishtanka.com/
    Editor: Denis M.Garrison. Email 1 to 40 tanka, or email articles, reviews, essays, etc., to the Editor at submissions(at)modernenglishtanka.com (replace (at) with @)

    Before submitting, please read the detailed submission guidelines on the website at

    Modern English Tanka looks for top quality tanka in natural, modern English idiom. No payment for publication.
    Publishes digital edition online and print edition.

    Thank you for sharing this call widely.

    Sincerely,
    Denis M. Garrison
    Editor, Modern English Tanka