Writing Gooder

If you’re looking to get your poem published, this sounds interesting:

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize is a valuable opportunity for high school sophomores and juniors; the winning poem and runners-up will be chosen by KR’s Poetry Editor, David Baker and will be published in The Kenyon Review. Additionally, the winner is offered a full scholarship to the 2010 Young Writers Workshop at Kenyon College, a residential two-week summer program for aspiring writers.

Submissions will be accepted between November 1-30, 2009. Applicants should submit one poem through the online submissions program (link will be live November 1st and can be found at www.kenyonreview.org). Until then, please join us on at our Facebook group: Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize 2010.

You’ll find a .pdf poster advertising the contest at this link: http://www.kenyonreview.org/grodd-email-2009/Grodd.pdf.

I know there’s a few people around here who live in Montgomery County so I thought I’d share some things that my hometown of Bethesda is doing this month:

First, The Writer’s Center is holding an essay contest with a first place cash prize of $500. Here’s the writing prompt:

Write a short story or essay about a major turning point in your life and enter the Bethesda Literary Festival Writing Contest! The contest will take entries in two categories – young adult (grades 9-12) and adult (ages 18+). Finalists will be featured at a special reading during the Bethesda Literary Festival, April 18-20, 2008. The top 10 essays will be printed and distributed throughout the festival.

The entry can be no longer than 500 words, and must be turned in by March 21.  You can check out more information here.

 

If you’re reading this, you scurvy dog, you likely already enjoy history. Well, here’s your chance to shine in that area. The Historical Writers usergroup is running a writing contest on the main site of the Young Writers Society. It entails using the following quote as a prompt:

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the confliict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”

Entrants, take an idea or phrase from that quote and write us a historical masterpiece (pre-1950 please). 500-5000 words. Deadline is October 26. So are you up to the challenge history buffs? Or will you go down like Napoleon at Waterloo?

I had the local news on in the background while I searched the web, and heard something that caught my attention. Amazon is holding a contest for a novel–this is really exciting.

“Are you a writer longing to be discovered? Submit your manuscript for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It’s the perfect opportunity to become the next great novelist: the winning author will receive a publishing contract from Penguin Group, including promotional support for their book on Amazon.com, and a media suite from Hewlett-Packard.”

To read more about this contest go to this page.

I’m hoping they do this again next year. Right now, I would have nothing to send! Next year? Well, I can only be hopeful! If someone enters, I would love to hear about it.

*jabs snoink*

The United States Library of Congress is holding a contest entitled “Letters About Literature.” To enter, all you have to do is write a letter to an author (living or dead) about how that author’s work affected you. Anybody in grades 4 through 12 can enter, although I assume you have to be living in the United States to enter.

It might actually be a fun idea to run a similar contest on the Young Writers Society…

Check out the contest here. It runs until December 1st and the winners receive cash awards.

By the way, the picture above is of the interior of the Library of Congress. If you’re ever in Washington, DC, go check it out. The crowds aren’t large and the Library has some of the best architecture in Washington.

Writer Mama is having a contest with give aways every single day for the entire month of September.  Although I suppose it’s more for moms and dads, of which we have very few at YWS, Writer Mama does say anybody can enter.  So check it out!

The Resources section on YWS has never really been actively added to, which is concerning. The aim is to create a large database which people all over the web (not just from YWS) can use for writing help. This would be a massive advertisement for YWS and also a great pull to the website. Also, in less optimistic plans, it can also be used as a means of support for YWS members. The Writing Tips forums can be hard to navigate when looking for an article, something which the Resources section does not suffer from.

Therefore, a contest has been created! Any member who is deemed to have contributed the most in the next three weeks will be given a YWS notebook from the store as a prize.

See the Contests forum on YWS for more information!

Look for ‘young writers’ on Google and the first page mostly shows sites that are either defunct, or are as useful as an English teacher who thinks she’s a poet but rhymes ‘Texas’ with ‘fact is.’ Even on Writers Digest Top 101 Sites For Writers, you’ll only find two sites that are meant for young writers.

Fortunately, this is where the Young Writers Society steps in with what will become an annual listing of the Best 10 Sites For Young Writers. To nominate your favorite young writers site, simply click on the link in the upper right hand corner and please note that the Young Writers Society is not eligible as it is the site running the whole thing.

Nominations will close August 21st, and the lists will be published in the September issue of Squills. The first list will be the Best 10 as determined by the Young Writers Society administration staff, and the second list will be a Top 10 as determined by the volume of nominations a site receives.

Happy nominating! Stayed tuned to the YWS Blog for further updates!