We’ve Moved

We took the plunge and bought our own domain name. Please visit http://www.explorecreativewriting.com/ to stay up to date on all the literary happenings, readings and contests, and to get your fill of writing exercises at our new home.

 

CALYX Journal’s 2011 Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize

CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women will accept entries into their 2011 Lois Cranston Memorial Prize from March 1 – May 31, 2011. The winning poet will receive $300 and publication in the Winter 2012 issue of CALYX and will be notified by October 30, 2011.

Guidelines: You can enter three unpublished poems no longer than six total pages; no names on the poems as all entries are read blind. Include a separate cover letter with your contact information and titles of the poems. There is a $15 reading fee, but it includes a one-volume subscription. Checks should be made payable to CALYX.

Visit CALYX’s site here for full guidelines and to read excerpts from back issues.

Good luck.

 

 

Food For Thought

Wilmington’s best independent bookstore, Pomegranate Books, is continuing their wildly successful Food For Thought food drive, sponsored by Grandmothers for Peace. If you bring a canned good or nonperishable food item by the store you can take home a free book (mostly publishers’ advanced copies). Food For Thought is the first and third Sundays from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at 4418 Park Avenue, Wilmington, NC. Call 910-452-1107 if you have questions.

 

Lookout Books Launch Party

The Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (my alma mater) will be having a launch party on March 3, 2011, to celebrate the first book from their new imprint, Lookout Books. Edith Pearlman will read from her collection Binocular Vision: New and Selected Stories, the first for Lookout Books. Binocular Vision got rave reviews in The New York Times, The LA Times and a bunch of other places. This is quite a feat for their first book, so  great job Emily (my old classmate) and Ben (a guy I’ve met twice who always has good glasses).

When: March 3, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Morton Auditorium on the UNCW Campus
Info: Contact Megan Hubbard at hubbardm@uncw.edu

And here’s a map to Morton Hall.
View Morton Hall, University of North Carolina Wilmington in a larger map

 

Yemasse Poetry Contest

Yemassee, the University of South Carolina’s fledgling literary journal is having a poetry contest.  The 2011 Pocataligo Poetry Contest has a $500 Grand Prize, two Runners-Up prizes of $100. Submissions should include 3-5 unpublished poems, a $10 reading fee (check made out to Educational Foundation/English Literary Magazine Fund or through submishmash) and a cover letter including name, contact information including a working email address and the title of each piece. Your name must not appear on any page of the manuscript.

Visit the Yemassee Poetry Contest submishmash page here to enter.

Or, if you’re old school, send hard copies to:

2011 Pocataligo Poetry Contest
Yemassee
Department of English
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208

The deadline is March 31, 2011. Good luck.

 

Poet Kim Addonizio to Read Feb. 10 at UNC Wilmington

If you’re in the Wilmington area tonight and you need to hear some great poetry, award-winning poet Kim Addonizio will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, February 10 in room 1008 of the Computer Information Systems Building at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.  

The Creative Writing Department at UNC Wilmington has several more readings and events planned for the spring, so check back for updates.

 

Willow Springs Review Fiction Prize

Eastern Washington University’s Willow Springs Review is accepting submissions in their annual fiction prize competition. This contest does require a reading fee ($15 for US entries, $20 for international), but it comes with a one year subscription to the journal. The winning piece will receive $2,000 and publication. Check out Willow Springs Review for submission details.

 

Wilmington Writers’ Group Opening

Every time I teach a class I am asked about local writers’ groups and I never have a good answer. Until now. Linda Cross, who attended one of our winter/spring sessions of Explore Creative Writing, has an opening in her writers’ group. Below I’ve pasted her email to me. Read it over. If you think you fit the bill, send her an email and get the ball rolling. What are you waiting for? Read and get that email out.

Cape Fear Fiction Writers has openings for one to three new members. We hope to find writers of literary fiction, genre fiction, and creative non-fiction. Current members include retired editors, a literary short story writer working on her first mystery novel, a thriller writer with two completed books (one published, one under consideration) working on literary short stories, and another writer with a completed romantic suspense novel now working on a literary novel. Another member, currently on sabbatical for an extended journalism assignment, is working on a literary novel. Our small, supportive group has been meeting twice monthly for two years to read and critique ongoing work. We currently meet on Tuesday afternoons at the Myrtle Grove branch of New Hanover County Library. To receive an invitation to try us out, e-mail harrogatenator@gmail.com, tell us a bit about your writing experience and goals, and include a relevant sample of approximately 500 words. Please paste the sample directly into your e-mail.

 

Wilmington Write to Publish

Lauren and I just got back from a lively and enlightening discussion on MFA programs, publication and making a living as a writer with the Wilmington Write to Publish group. Wilmington Write to Publish was started in 2007 as a place for writers to meet, form workshop and discussion groups, and participate in bookstore events like the one today at Pomegranate Books. Stacey Cochran, a Lecturer at North Carolina State University, organizes the Wilmington Write to Publish group (as well as Charlotte and Raleigh groups), and we’re glad he invited us to come speak today.

Thanks Stacey, Pomegranate Books and everyone who was there, we’re looking forward to the next meeting.

 

Writing Exercise #2 – Get To Know Your Characters

The best way to get to know your characters better is simply to write about them. However, doing this within the bound of the story can be tricky, and can result in uneven, flat characters. Better to do the work of getting to know your characters “off the page” of your story or novel, then bring back all the rich information you’ve gathered and weave it into the story as needed.

Try one of these prompts to get to know different aspects of your characters better. They’re all designed to give you some insight into the people you’re writing about, and although everything you learn might not make it directly into your story, having this background will certainly be helpful in giving you a more authority to write about the characters you’ve created.

• Your main character invites you to his/her place for dinner. What does the house look like? How it is furnished? Who else lives there? What is served?
• Your protagonist and antagonist are required to write a letter of introduction to your readers, describing themselves, their goals, and their motivations. What do they say?
• What is your main character’s most cherished memory? What is his/her biggest secret?
• If your main character is an adult, what kind of kid was he/she? Was she the bully, or the kid who got bullied? What was her favorite subject in school?
• Imagine your main character has just heard life changing news, good or bad. How does she/he react? Write about it briefly.