Lillian-Yvonne Bertram wins Narrative Magazine Poetry Contest

Congrats to MFA alum Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, who was named first-place winner of the 8th annual Narrative Magazine Poetry Contest! The first place winner receives $1500 and publication in Narrative Magazine.

Professor Janice Harrington publishes third poetry collection

Primitive, the new poetry collection from Professor Janice N. Harrington, is just out from BOA Editions. A lyrical and biographical reflection on the art and life of Horace H. Pippin—the best-known African American artist of his time—Primitive offers a searching critique of the condescension to African American folk art as supposedly “primitive,” and it also critiques the underestimation of African American life and imagination in the broader American consciousness.

Alumni news

Two of our Creative Writing alums have recently been honored with writing awards:

Nafissa Thompson-Spires (MFA '15) was awarded 1st place in StoryQuarterly's fifth annual Fiction Prize for her story “Heads of the Colored People: Four Fancy Sketches, Two Chalk Outlines, and No Apology.”

Sean McIntyre (MFA '14) was named 1st place winner of Glimmer Train's "Family Matters" story competition, for his story "The Pinch."

Congrats to Nafissa and Sean!

Joy Harjo Wins 2015 Wallace Stevens Award from Academy of American Poets

Professor Joy Harjo has been awarded this year's Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets. The Academy's highest honor, the Wallace Stevens Award is given annually for "outstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry" and carries a $100,000 prize. Past winners have included W. S. Merwin, Louise Glück, Galway Kinell, and Philip Levine. Congratulations, Professor Harjo!

Recent faculty publications

Over the summer, our faculty members' work has appeared in a number of publications--

Janice N. Harrington's poem "Reverie" was published in the Summer 2015 issue of The Southern Review
 
Alex Shakar's story "In the Flesh, We Shone" appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of Ploughshares

"32 Things I Learned from My Bike Ride Last Sunday," by Julie Price, appeared at McSweeney's

"Something You Can Use: The Writer's Self-Healing Wound," by Philip Graham, was featured at The Millions

Christine Sneed's "Publish a Book and Change Your Life, or, Well, Maybe Not" appeared at The Billfold

University of Illinois 2015 Creative Writing Award Winners Announced

Congratulations to the winners of the University of Illinois Graduate and Undergraduate Creative Writing Awards for 2015!

Winners of the Graduate Awards are the following:

• Katherine Scott Nelson received the Hobart L. and Mary Kay Peer Fiction Prize for hir story “What the Devil Said.”
• Katherine Kendig received the Josephine M. Bresee Award in Fiction for her story "Three."
• Paul Beilstein was awarded the Hobart L. and Mary Kay Peer Poetry Prize.
• Daniel Porder was awarded the Hobart L. and Mary Kay Memorial Award in Poetry.

The judge for fiction was David Jauss; the judge for poetry was Mark Jarman. More information about the graduate awards, including the judges' comments, may be found at http://creativewriting.english.illinois.edu/graduate/awards/


Winners of the Undergraduate Awards are the following:

• Karolina Zapal received the John L. Rainey Prize, sponsored by Alpha Delta Phi, for her story "Mala Means Little Feminine."
• Derek Hoot received the  Josephine M. Bresee Memorial Award for his story "The Payer."
• Preen Dhillon received the Leah Trelease Prize for her story "Mt. Lucifer."
• Olivia Ingram was awarded the Folger Adam, Jr. Prize for Poetry, sponsored by Alpha Delta Phi.
• Madeline Nevis was awarded the Charles and Susan Shattuck Prize for Poetry.
• Ariel Jones was awarded the Academy of American Poets Prize.

Honorable mentions were given to Alexis Casati and Daniel Zillmer in fiction, and to Noelle Africh, John Milas, and Jessica Sung in poetry.

The judge for fiction was Ryan Kenealy; the judge for poetry was Ryo Yamaguchi. More information about the undergraduate awards, including judges' comments, may be found at 

http://creativewriting.english.illinois.edu/undergraduate/awards/ 

   

Remembering Greg Rodgers

We are heartbroken to share the news that MFA candidate Greg Rodgers passed away last week on December 17. Greg was completing a novel under the mentorship of LeAnne Howe, and he was only months away from earning his graduate degree in fiction. Greg was beloved by all here in Creative Writing; he was an extraordinary colleague and friend, and will be greatly missed.

You can hear Greg read from his work on our podcast page.

A remembrance of Greg is featured at the Native American House web site.

National Endowment for the Arts 2015 Poetry Fellows

We're please to announce that MFA alumni Sara Gelston and Lillian-Yvonne Bertram have each been awarded a 2015 Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts! Illinois English alum Mark Neely was also honored with a fellowship. Way to go, Illini!

Numéro Cinq Covers Dzanc Release of Philip Graham's books

The folks at Numero Cinq have posted about the recent release by Dzanc Books of Professor Philip Graham's fiction backlist, including his two story collections and his first novel. The article also includes Professor Graham's amazing short story "Light Bulbs"--check it out!

Philip Graham's novel & story collections reissued by Dzanc Books

Professor Philip Graham's first three books have recently been reissued in e-book editions as part of Dzanc Books' rEprint Series. How to Read an Unwritten Language, The Art of the Knock, and Interior Design are all now available for purchase directly from the publisher and through Amazon.

This summer, author Kyle Minor interviewed Philip about these three books and his writing for HTMLgiant's Author Spotlight.
Philip also discussed his work on the Vermont-based podcast Write the Book. 

Illinois alumni book news!

Several U of I creative writing alums have been making waves with new book publications and awards in 2014!

A new story collection by Aaron Burch (MFA '11), Backswing, appeared in February from Queen's Ferry Press.

Matthew Gavin Frank's (BA '98) newest book, Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and Its First Photographer (Norton/Liveright), was published in July.

Lara Mann's (MFA '09) first poetry collection has been published as part of Effigies II (Salt Publishing), a collective of debut poetry books by American Indian women poets. Effigies II also appeared in July.

Matthew Minicucci, (MFA '10), received the 2014 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize, and his debut poetry collection, No Epithets, will be published by Kent State University Press in 2015.


Other forthcoming alumni books include Andrew Ervin's (MFA '08) second book of fiction and first novel, Burning Down George Orwell's House, which will be published by Soho Press in 2015; and Ted Sander's (BA '04, MFA '07) The Box in the Dragonfly, his second book and first for younger readers, forthcoming from HarperCollin's Childrens in 2015.

An Interview with Philip Graham at HTMLGiant

Author Kyle Minor talks with Professor Philip Graham about history and process in this Author Spotlight interview at HTMLGiant. New ebook editions of Professor Graham's story collections The Art of the Knock and Interior Design, and of his novel How to Read an Unwritten Language, will be released this month from Dzanc Books' rEprint Series.

calls for submissions and opportunities for writers, 4/18

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is looking for, as you might guess, "compressed creative arts." We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way. Work is published weekly, without labels, and the labels here only exist to help us determine its best readers. We also have a brand new category: triptychs!

Our response time is generally 1-3 days. Also, our acceptance rate is currently about 1% of submissions. We pay writers $50 per accepted piece and signed contract.

We are currently open for compressed poetry, compressed prose fiction (including prose poetry), and compressed creative nonfiction. We will close submissions on June 15, 2014.

Full guidelines available at:
https://matter.submittable.com/submit







Sonora Review Essay and Fiction Contests

https://sonorareview.submittable.com/submit (online submissions link)

Sonora Review 2014 Nonfiction Contest Submissions Now Open
DEADLINE: May 15, 2014
JUDGE: Jenny Boully
WHAT WE WANT: Essays and nonfiction up to 6,000 words. Hybrid projects warmly welcomed. Submissions should be typed and double-spaced. Include a cover letter with a brief biography, your contact information and any other pertinent information about your submission. Simultaneous submissions are fine but please let us know as soon as possible if the work is accepted elsewhere; multiple submissions are also fine, although you will have to pay the contest fee again. Please remove your name or any other identifying marks from your manuscript before submitting.
HOW TO DO IT: Submit online or send a SASE to Mike Coakley and Laura Miller, Editors-in-Chief / (c/o Nonfiction Editorial Board) / Sonora Review / Dept. of English / University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ 85719.
WINNER RECEIVES: 1,000 dollar cash prize and publication, finalists will be considered for publication in Issue 66 of Sonora Review.

Sonora Review 2014 Short-Fiction Contest Submissions Now Open
DEADLINE: June 1, 2014
JUDGE: Matt Bell
WHAT WE WANT: Your absolute best, most imaginative fiction up to 1,000 words. Submissions should be typed and double-spaced. Include a cover letter with a brief biography, your contact information and any other pertinent information about your submission. Simultaneous submissions are fine but please let us know as soon as possible if the work is accepted elsewhere; multiple submissions are also fine, although you will have to pay the contest fee again. Please remove your name or any other identifying marks from your manuscript before submitting.
HOW TO DO IT: Submit online or send a SASE to Mike Coakley and Laura Miller, Editors-in-Chief / (c/o Fiction Editorial Board) / Sonora Review / Dept. of English / University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ 85719.

WINNER RECEIVES: 1,000 dollar cash prize and publication, finalists will be considered for publication in Issue 66 of Sonora Review.


Quarterly West's 2014 Novella Contest deadline EXTENDED to May 1!
The winning novella will be printed and distributed through Quarterly West. The winner will receive a cash prize of $250 along with 15% royalties.

Contest Guidelines
Enter a single work of fiction, with a minimum length of 17,000 words and maximum length of 40,000 words. No restrictions as to genre, subject matter, or form apply, although we urge you to look at our  About Us statement for the type of writing that we favor.






For complete guidelines and to enter, visit quarterlywest.com



The 2014 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry
 Deadline: May 15
Prize: $2000 and publication for a full-length collection of poems
For complete guidelines and to submit, visit https://lynxhousepress.submittable.com/submit




Summer Teaching Fellow in Fiction, Antioch College
Antioch College, an independent, selective liberal arts college located in Yellow Springs, Ohio, invites applications for a three-month teaching fellowship in fiction for Summer 2014. The Summer Teaching Fellow will teach two courses in his/her area of expertise, including one workshop-style creative writing seminar (LIT 250) and one course intended to offer undergraduate students an introduction to the genre (LIT 242).

Responsibilities: Teach one creative writing workshop-style seminar and one introductory-level literature course to undergraduate students focusing on fiction during Antioch College’s Summer session (July 8-September 19) Give one public reading of current work Assist students in the coordination of a student-led fiction reading in September 2014

Qualifications: MFA or comparable degree in creative writing; Record of publication in fiction; Enthusiasm for and experience teaching fiction

Application Process: To apply, submit a cover letter, curriculum vita, brief writing sample, and three letters of recommendation, to
nwilburn@antiochcollege.org
Electronic submission of all materials is strongly preferred. If necessary, hard copies may be mailed to Literature Faculty Search, c/o Nancy Wilburn, Antioch College, One Morgan Place, Yellow Springs, Ohio, 45387. Applications will be reviewed as received. Deadline for submission of materials is May 15, 2014.

New CW Podcast featuring Greg Rodgers

The most recent Creative Writing Program podcast is now available at our website. This month's podcast, hosted by MFA candidate Yael Massen, features fellow MFA candidate Greg Rodgers reading his essay "Storytelling in the Midwest," which was published as part of Ninth Letter's Where We're At feature in the Fall/Winter 2013-14 issue of the journal.

Laura Adamczyk and Natalie Mesnard Win Literary Awards

Congratulations to MFA alum Laura Adamczyk and current MFA candidate Natalie Mesnard on their recent honors! Laura was awarded the Disquiet Literary Prize in Fiction for her short story "Girls," and was also named the Grand Prize winner of this year's competition. "Girls" will be published in Guernica, and Laura will receive full tuition and accommodations for the 2014 Disquiet Literary Program in Lisbon, Portugal.

Natalie was awarded a 2014 AWP Intro Journals Award for her poem "Rations." The AWP Intro Journals Project honors the best new writing by students currently enrolled in AWP member programs. "Rations" will be published by the Tampa Review.

David Wright on Writing Race in America

Author and University of Illinois colleague David Wright has an excellent piece on the Chronicle of Higher Education web site, Writing Race in America.


(Also, read more about Steve Davenport's "Black Guy Bald Guy" series, referenced in David's article, at his web site.)

New CW Podcast: Audrey Petty

In our latest podcast, Professor Audrey Petty reads an excerpt from her book High Rise Stories: Voices from Chicago Public Housing, which was published in September as part of McSweeney's Voice of Witness series.

LeAnne Howe Readings in February

Professor LeAnne Howe will be reading from her latest book, Choctalking on Other Realities, at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, on Thursday, February 20, at 7 p.m. The reading is part of the university's Cultural Enrichment Series.


Professor Howe will also be reading at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, at 7:30 pm on February 24. This event is sponsored by the university's Office of Multicultural Affairs. More information can be found here.

Calls for Submissions 1/30

SIMON451: NOVEL-WRITING CONTEST FOR STUDENTS

Simon451, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is pleased to announce a writing contest for students. Submissions must fall in one of the following categories: science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian or dystopian fiction, apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic fiction, or alternate history in literature. Full-length novels only; novellas and short stories will not be considered.

The contest is open to legal residents of the United States who are at least eighteen years of age and are currently enrolled in college at the undergraduate or graduate level, and who possess a student ID card valid as of February 2014. The submission period runs from February 1, 2014 – March 15, 2014, during which entrants are asked to provide a 250-word synopsis and the first fifty pages of their novel via the online entry form at https://simon451.submittable.com/submit, in accordance with the full contest guidelines. Complete contest rules and guidelines can be found here: http://bit.ly/451rules.

SOUTHEAST REVIEW CONTESTS

 

Florida State University's nationally renowned literary journal, The Southeast Review, is now accepting submissions for 2014 contests in three categories:

1. Narrative Nonfiction Contest--judged by Mark Winegardner (1 piece, up to 6,000 words)

2. Gearhart Poetry Contest--judged by Barbara Hamby (up to 3 poems, 10 pages total)

3. World's Best Short-Short Story Contest--judged by Robert Olen Butler (3 shorts, up to 500 words each)
One winner will be chosen and awarded $500. Additionally, the winning entry and finalists will be published in Issue 33.1, spring 2015. This year's submission deadline is March 15, 2014, and you can either send your submission and $16 entry fee via snail mail to:

The Southeast Review
Department of English
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306

Or, you can submit electronically by following via Submittable: https://southeastreview.submittable.com/submit

Please note that all entries must be original and previously unpublished.  For more information about contest guidelines visit http://southeastreview.org/contests.html or email southeastreview@gmail.com.

TRIO HOUSE PRESS POETRY BOOK AWARDS

Trio House Press gives two awards annually: the Trio Award for First or Second Book for emerging poets, and the Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence for a book of poems contributing in an innovative and distinct way to American poetry. The Louise Bogan Award for
Artistic Merit and Excellence is open to all poets, regardless of publication history.  

Each award winner receives $1000 and twenty copies of his or her book. Additionally, each winner must serve as a Collective Member of Trio House Press for twenty-four months after publication in order to assist with the press and bringing more Trio books into print. 

The reading period for both awards is November 1st through April 30th.
 

Manuscripts must be between 48-70 pages, written in English by a poet residing within the U.S.
 

Translations are not eligible for publication.

Payment of $25 is required for all submissions during our award submissions period.

For complete guidelines and to submit, visit http://www.triohousepress.org/

GULF COAST PRIZES 

The annual Gulf Coast Prizes award $6,000 in total prize money to poets, essayists, and fiction writers. This year's judges are Andrea Barrett (Fiction), John D'Agata (Nonfiction), and Rachel Zucker (Poetry).  

The contests award publication and $1500 each to the best poem, essay, and short story, as well as $250 to two honorable mentions in each genre. The winners will appear in Gulf Coast 27.1, due out in Fall 2014, and all entries will be considered for paid publication on our website as Online Exclusives 

The entry fee includes a year-long subscription to Gulf Coast. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2014
 

Calls for Submissions: 1/24

HARMONY: a creative brief 

Poets from around the world are invited to submit a single previously unpublished poem of a prescribed length in response to the word “Harmony” by March 2014. A selected panel will draw up a shortlist of poems, from which a winner will be chosen. 

The winning poem will be performed at the opening night of the International Glass Exhibition at Swansea Waterfront Museum in July 2014. An award of £2000 will go to the winner and a copy of the poem will be displayed for the next year at the Dylan Thomas Centre. Short listed poems will be invited for inclusion in a subsequent publication celebrating the international award among others.

It is anticipated that the winning poet will be invited to be commissioned by the University for a combined piece of work with the winner of the International Dylan Thomas Glass award, as an on-going tribute to Dylan Thomas.

Details of the award among others being given by the University can be found at: www.tsd.ac.uk/en/dylanthomas/internationalawards/

Spoon River Poetry Review Editors' Prize Contest

First place prize: $1000, publication in Spoon River Poetry Review, and introduction written by prominent outside judge. Two runners up will be awarded $100 each and three to five honorable mentions will be selected.

Entry fee: $20, includes one-year subscription to SRPR

Deadline: April 15, 2014 (postmark)

For full guidelines, visit srpr.org/contest.php

Writers@Work 2014 Fellowship Competition
https://writersatwowritersatwork.org.

The Writers @ Work Annual Fellowship Competition is a great opportunity for emerging writers to have their work vetted by a talented panel of judges, well-known in their respective fields.

Prizes Awarded in each category:
First Prize:
$1,000; Publication in Quarterly West; Tuition for the 2014 Writers@Work conference*; Featured reading at the conference.
Two Honorable Mentions: $250. 

 

Submit online at https://writersatwork.submittable.com/submit 

 

 

Eastern Point Press Poetry and Prose Chapbook Contests

 

Eastern Point Press seeks original poetry, fiction, and nonfiction collections for their second annual chapbook contest. Poetry submissions up to 30 pages including acknowledgements, table of contents, and notes; fiction and nonfiction submissions 10,000 words or less. Submission deadline is February 28, 2014. Winners receive publication and 25 copies. Submissions via  https://extracts.submittable.com/submit. 

 

 

 

Overton Poetry Prize

The Department of English and Drama at Loughborough University has set up the Overton Poetry Prize in memory of Professor Bill Overton who passed away last year. The prize is for a sequence of poems on any subject up to 300 lines. First prize is the publication of the sequence in chapbook form, with two runners-up prizes of £50 each. Amongst the judges is Sarah Jackson, winner of the Seamus Heaney Prize in 2013.
The entry fee is £10 per submission and the competition closes on 31st March 2014. The proceeds from this competition will fund an early-career poet in residence here at the University. Click for complete guidelines.