POETRY WORKSHOP

NTCC professor and award-winning poet Skip Hughes will conduct four poetry-writing workshops in January. The title is “Learn Writing Discipline by Writing Poetry.”

The workshop will be held at the Pizza Inn on US Highway 271 just north of Pittsburg, Texas.

Four Sessions –

Saturday, the 10^th, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Saturday, the 17^th, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Saturday, the 24^th, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Saturday, the 24^th, 1:15 to 3:30 p.m.

Tuition, payable at first attendance --

Any two sessions: $40 (the two on the 24^th qualify)

Any three sessions: $50

All four sessions: $60

For information, to reserve a space, and to receive a preparatory assignment – e-mail Skip Hughes diffdrumr@gmail.com.

Skip advises this workshop will be much more interactive than previous ones have been. <

NEW MEMBER

Leonard Reese

Tatum, Texas

BITS AND PIECES

The current issue of East Texas Journal features a delightful Christmas story by James Callan.

Galand Nuchols’ latest book, Second Chance is scheduled to be published in July.

She also has a new web site: www.dragonsforkris.com.

NETWO WORD FUN

By Liz Sanders

Epithets! An epithet is a word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of an actual name, title, or the like.

Identify epithets for the following items:

1. William Shakespeare

2. Queen Elizabeth (I)

3. Richard

4. Athena

5. Ivan

6. Abraham Lincoln

7. Dawn

8. Our National Flag

9. Catherine or Alexander

10. A dog

Answer key is on Page 5. t

INFORMATION FOR THOSE WITH FINISHED NOVELS

(provided by Janice Glass)

Announcing the Second Annual Amazon

Breakthrough Novel Award

Following the success of its inaugural year, Amazon.com and Penguin group recently announced the launch of their second annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Beginning on February 2, 2009, writers of unpublished manuscripts can begin submitting their work to the contest for review. Entries will be accepted until February 8, 2009 or until 10,000 entries have been received, whichever comes first.

Between February and May, the novels of aspiring authors will be whittled down by industry professionals, such as reviewers from Publishers Weekly and editors from Penguin Group (USA), before the

Continued on Page 3

Continued from Page 2

Amazon.com user community votes to

choose the next breakthrough novel. One Grand Prize Winner will be announced on May 22, 2009 and will receive a contract with Penguin, which includes a $25,000 advance.

Please note, because the contest is for unpublished fiction manuscripts only, if you have self-published a novel using BookSurge already, it is not eligible for submission to the contest, as it is considered a published work. If you think you have the next great unpublished fiction novel, consider participating in the 2009 Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award competition. Visit www.amazoncom/abria to learn more. <

BOOK DISTRIBUTION/FULFILLMENT

(Information provided by Jean Pamplin)

50% Off Special Promotion has been

EXTENDED through January 9, 2009

Interested in finding a book distributor who can generate sales? Looking for a professional to manage all your warehousing and fulfillment needs?

BookMasters’ distribution division, AtlasBooks Distribution, markets and sells to wholesalers, chains, independents and online retailers using in-house sales staff and commissioned representatives in the field. They also offer complete online sales and provide a 24/7 call center that is staffed with a customer service team to support your direct-to-consumer sales efforts.

BookMasters is offering 50% off their Book Distribution/Fulfillment set-up.

Send an e-mail to webquotes@bookmasters.com and include your name and phone number to receive information about the “50% Off Set-up Offer,” or call 1-800-537-6727. <

CONTESTS

The 31^st Nimrod Awards

The Katherine Ann Porter Prize

for Fiction &

The Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry

First Place: $2,000, publication, and a trip to

Tulsa for the Awards Celebration

Second Place: $1,000 and publication

Contest Rules:

Contest Begins: JANUARY 1, 2009

Postmark deadline: APRIL 30, 2009

Poetry: 3-10 pages of poetry (one long poem or several short poems)

Fiction: 7,500 words maximum

No previously published works or works for publication elsewhere. Author’s name must not appear on the manuscript. Include a cover sheet containing major title and subtitles, author’s name, full address, phone & email, “Contest Entry” should be clearly indicated on both the outer envelope and the cover sheet. Manuscripts will not be returned. Nimrod retains the right to publish any submission. Include SASE for results only. If no SASE is sent, no contest results will be sent; however, the results will be posted on Nimrod’s Web site. Submitters must have a U.S. address by October of 2008 to enter the contest. Winners will also be brought to Tulsa for the Awards Ceremony in October.

Entry/Subscription Fee: $20 includes both entry fee & a one-year subscription (two issues). Each entry must each be accompanied by a $20 fee. Make checks payable to:

NIMROD

Literary Contest--Fiction or Poetry

The University of Tulsa

800 S. Tucker Dr.

Tulsa, OK 74104

Writers’ Guidelines are available at www.utulsa.edu/nimrod/submissions.html

COMMON GROUND REVIEW

Announces a

POETRY CONTEST

$150-1^ST $75-2^ND $50-3^RDPrizes

And publication in the

COMMON GROUND REVIEW

Send 1-3 unpublished poems (61 lines and under), a brief biography and a check for $10 made out to
Common Ground Review

Poetry Contest

Mail to:

Larry O’Brien

Common Ground Review

40 Prospect St., Unit C1

Westfield, MA 01085

Enclose an SASE for winner

DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 28, 2009

Submission Guidelines:

We look for well-crafted poems under 61 lines. If line length exceeds 50 characters, line may be broken at the direction of the editor.

Any poem should be single spaced indicating where the stanza breaks occur. Each poem must bear the poet’s name, address, email address (if any), and telephone number somewhere on the page (front or back). An additional copy of each submitted poem should not contain reference to the author.

Submit up to three poems in a No. 10 envelope.

A brief biography must be included or poems will be returned until one is submitted. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but we do not accept previously published work.

Check website for up-to-date guidelines:

www.cgreview.org.

MARKETS

American Short Fiction, a quarterly literary magazine, strives to discover and publish new fiction in which transformations of language, narrative, and character occur swiftly, deftly, and unexpectedly. They are drawn to evocative language, unique subject matter, and an overall sense of immediacy. Originally published by the University of Texas Press in cooperation with the Texas Center for Writers and with the Sound of Writing broadcast on National Public Radio, it was acquired by Badgerdog Literary Publishing and resumed publication in March of 2006.

Number one thing most likely to spark their interest in a submission: Precise and vivid use of detail and overall skill in the language itself.

Number one thing most likely to put them off a submission: Bad dialogue (stilted or too exposition-based).

Submission details: American Short Fiction accepts submissions of any length all year round, simultaneous submissions are accepted on the condition that the author notify them immediately, by telephone or e-mail, if the manuscript is accepted for publication elsewhere.

Write to Fiction Editor Stacy Swann at: American Short Fiction, P. O. Box 301209, Austin, TX 78703-0021. They pay $300 to $500 depending on the length of the manuscript.. ASF also holds a short story contest, with a $1,000 prize, each fall.

For more information: See their website: www.americanshortfiction.org,

or email the editors: editors@americanshortfiction.org

Additional advice: Fiction Editor Stacey Swann writes, “If at all possible, take a look at one of our recent issues. We pass on a lot of well-written work because it doesn’t fall under our aesthetic.” t

GANDER PRESS REVIEW

Gander Press Review (GPR) is a review of short stories, creative non-fiction, artwork, and poetry that is published twice a year by Loosey Goosey Press LLC, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of high quality literary and artistic works.

GPR is currently accepting high quality fiction of less than 5,000 words. While literary fiction is preferred, genre fiction will be considered.

GPR is accepting creative non-fiction covering current events, personal stories, and investigative journalism.

GPR is also accepting both free verse and structured poetry on almost any topic.

GPR is accepting two-dimensional artwork, including digital illustrations, photographs, line art and paintings (artists must provide print resolution digital images of non-electronic works).

Obscene, pornographic, or graphically violent material will not be published by GPR. Furthermore, GPR is not a political magazine and while investigative reports on a range of diverse topics are welcome, political attacks and rants will not be considered. “Protest poetry” and political satire may be published, but only if they are of considerable artistic quality or are tremendously funny.

(Note that the editors strongly prefer electronic submissions of both textual and visual material.)

Short stories and creative non-fiction:

Length: less than 5,000 words

Poetry: Length: less than 500 words

Artwork dimension and resolution:

Minimum size: 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches at 300 PPI

Minimum Resolution: 300 PPI

Acceptable File Types: DOC, RTF, ODT, PDF, TIFF, JPG, GIF, PNG.

All that GPR will be able to offer you is publication credit, a (single) contributor’s copy, and a well-deserved pat on the back.

Submit manuscripts to Brant at brant_goble@ganderpress.com. He will get back to you in no more than two weeks. If you must submit your work in print form, send it to:

Gander Press Review

Loosey Goosey Press

10767 Richardsville Road

Bowling Green, KY 42101

By submitting your work to GPR you are authorizing Loosey Goosey Press LLC to publish your work in both GPR and GPR anthologies. Other than that, all rights remain yours.

While GPR welcomes simultaneous submissions (just contact GPR if your work is accepted elsewhere), the editors will not consider previously published works. t

Answer key to Word Fun

1. The Bard

2. The Virgin Queen

3. Richard the Lionhearted

4. Gray-eyed Athena

5. Ivan the Terrible

6. The Great Emancipator

7. Rosy-fingered

8. Star-spangled Banner

9. Catherine/Alexander the Great

10. Man’s best friend

J J J J J

MAY A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR BE IN STORE FOR ALL – WITH LOTS OF WRITING.