The Department of English at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and GRASSROOTS, SIUC’s undergraduate literary magazine, are pleased to announce the 2010 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards. One book of poetry and one book of prose (novel, short fiction, or literary nonfiction) will be selected from submissions of titles published in 2009, and the winning authors will receive an honorarium of $1000 and will present a public reading and participate in panels at the Devil’s Kitchen Fall Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. The dates for the 2010 festival are yet to be determined, but usually takes place in late October/early November. Travel and accommodations will be provided for the two winners.

Entries may be submitted by either author or publisher, and must include a copy of the book, a cover letter, a brief biography of the author including previous publications, and a $15.00 entry fee made out to “SIUC – Dept. of English.” Entries must be postmarked December 1, 2009 – February 1, 2010. Materials postmarked after February 1 will be returned unopened. Because we cannot guarantee their return, all entries will become the property of the SIUC Department of English. Entrants wishing acknowledgment of receipt of materials must include a self-addressed stamped postcard.

In each category, $1,000 and publication in the CSU Poetry Series is offered for the best full-length volume of original poetry in English submitted between November 1, 2009 and February 16, 2010 (postmark deadline).

The 2010 First Book Competition will be judged by Rae Armantrout. For more than two decades, Armantrout has taught Poetry and Poetics at the University of California at San Diego. She is the author of ten books of poetry, including Versed (Wesleyan, 2009), Next Life (Wesleyan, 2007), Up to Speed (Wesleyan, 2004), and Veil: New and Selected Poems (Wesleyan, 2001).

The 2010 Open Book Competition will be juried by an Editorial Committee comprised of Kazim Ali, Mary Biddinger, Michael Dumanis, and Sarah Gridley.

A prize of $1,000 and publication for a chapbook-length poetry collection.
Open to women who have never before published a full-length poetry collection.
Previous chapbook publication does not disqualify.

International entries are welcome. Multiple submissions are accepted.

Leah Maines will final judge.
All entries will be considered for publication. The top-ten finalists will be offered publication.
Submit up to 26 pages of poetry, PLUS bio, acknowledgments, SASE and cover letter with a

$15 entry fee (pay by check, money order or pay online to pay using your credit card)

Free Short Story Writing Contest “Family Stories”

Maybe not every family does have its secrets, but they sure do have their stories! Fiction or nonfiction, we want to read yours. The short stories could be about your family in the past, your family in the future, an imaginary family, a family of ducks or a family of your friends.

Enter your short story about families in BookRix’s free writing contest “Family Stories” now. The story must relate to families in some way. Tell us your story and share it with other readers to win cash and fame. In addition to the cash prize, the contest winner will receive free proofreading and editing services (of up to 3,000 words), courtesy of Elite Editing.

Timeline:
Community Voting – December 21, 2009 to February 23, 2010
Jury Voting– February 24, 2010 to March 15, 2010

Sitting this one out? You can still help your fellow BookRixers by reading their contest books and voting for your favorite stories. Our readers choose the top ten stories, which will then be reviewed by our independent jury. You also could win prizes for voting — when you vote, you enter into a raffle to win Amazon vouchers worth $20.

The Colorado Prize for Poetry is an international literary contest started in 1995. Since the contest began, over 5,000 book-length poetry manuscripts have been entered. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,500 honorarium and publication of his or her book by the Center for Literary Publishing.

The Colorado Prize for Poetry adheres to the following Contest Code of Ethics, as adopted by the Council of Literary Presses and Magazines, of which the Center for Literary Publishing is a longtime member: “CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines — defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.”

The 2010 Editors’ Prize Contest

We’re excited to announce that we are now accepting entries for the 2010 Editors’ Prize Contests in Fiction and Poetry. Deadline December 15, 2009.

For a $16 entry fee, you receive a chance at a $1,000 prize. The fee will also cover a one-year subscription to Meridian (entries from outside the U.S. will receive only the prize issue due to additional mailing costs.)

We expect to announce winners in early March 2010.

All submissions will be considered for standard publication in Meridian.

Fiction writers may submit one story of 10,000 words or fewer. Poets may submit up to 4 poems.

You may enter more than one time; however, in the past, entering multiple times has not significantly increased a contestant’s odds.

Submit your work through ManuscriptHub.com. Make sure that your account includes a working e-mail (one valid through March of 2010). It’s the only way for us to contact you.

Best of luck!