In Bad Faith: Notes on Fidelity in Translation
The translator of Luis Felipe Fabre’s Recital of the Dark Verses considers the nuances of crafting a faithful translation.
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Genre: Translation
Deadline Nears for Translation Prize
Poetry translators: Try for a treat this Halloween by submitting to the Malinda A. Markham Translation Prize by October 31. The award of $2,000 and publication by Saturnalia Books is open to translators who identify as female (including those who are assigned-female-at-birth [AFAB] nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, and intersex) and who are translating the work of a woman poet (including those who are AFAB nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, and intersex).
Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 120 pages with an entry fee of $25. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Founded in 2002 to offer “an edgy alternative to traditional public narratives around poetry and visual art,” Saturnalia typically publishes five books a year by established and emerging poets. Chronicler of the “gurlesque” poetry movement with the 2010 publication of Gurlesque: The New Grrly, Grotesque, Burlesque Poetics, edited by Lara Glenum and Arielle Greenberg, the press is known for challenging the status quo. It has published Cortney Lamar Charleston’s Telepathologies (2017), Diamond Forde’s Mother Body (2019), Kayleb Rae Candrilli’s All the Gay Saints (2020), and other innovative poetry collections.
Dis-identity Poetics
The author of Recital of the Dark Verses explores poetry and translation as an encounter with “the Other.”
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Upcoming Contest Deadlines
As we approach Halloween, don’t get spooked by the array of contests awarded for poetry collections, novel excerpts, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, translations, and more, all with a deadline of October 31! Several prizes celebrate the work of writers who identify as women, including one that features an optional six-week, all-expenses-paid residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy. Nine of eleven prizes offer publication in addition to a cash award of at least $1,000. What better way of honoring the holiday than overcoming your fears and submitting your work?
Bedford Competition
International Short Story & Poetry Awards
Two prizes of £1,500 each (approximately $1,914) and publication in the Bedford Competition anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. MacGillivray will judge in poetry and Tim Jarvis will judge in fiction. Entry fee: £7.50 (approximately $9.50), or £15 (approximately $19) for three poems or stories.
Carlow University
Patricia Dobler Poetry Award
A prize valued at $2,000 is given annually to a woman poet over 40 who has not published a full-length poetry collection. Allison Joseph will judge. The winner receives $1,000, publication in Voices From the Attic, and travel and lodging to give a reading with the contest judge at Carlow University. Entry fee: $20.
Cloudbank Books
Vern Rutsala Book Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Cloudbank Books is given annually for a collection of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of the two. Entry fee: $25.
Elixir Press
Poetry Award
A prize of $2,000, publication by Elixir Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Jennifer Franklin will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $30.
Novel Slices
Novel Excerpt Contest
Five prizes of $1,000 each will be given twice yearly for a novel excerpt. Winners will also receive letters of support sent on their behalf to agents and publishers. Juliette Wade will judge. Entry fee: $12 (which includes an issue of Novel Slices).
Persea Books
Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Persea Books is given annually for a debut poetry collection by a writer who identifies as a woman. The winner also receives an optional six-week, all-expenses-paid residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy. Writers who are either U.S. citizens or who currently reside in the United States are eligible. Entry fee: $30.
Poetry Society of the United Kingdom
National Poetry Competition
A prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,382) and publication on the Poetry Society of the United Kingdom website is given annually for a single poem. A second-place prize of £2,000 (approximately $2,553) and a third-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,276) is also given. The top three winners will be published in Poetry Review. Poems written in English by poets from any country are eligible. Jane Draycott, Will Harris, and Clare Pollard will judge. Entry fee: £8 (approximately $10) entry fee, plus £5 (approximately $6) for each additional poem.
Red Hen Press
Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Juan Felipe Herrera will judge. Entry fee: $25.
Saturnalia Books
Malinda A. Markham Translation Prize
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Saturnalia Books is given annually for a translation of a poetry collection. Translators who identify as female (including those who are assigned-female-at-birth [AFAB] nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, and intersex) and who are translating the work of a woman poet (including those who are AFAB nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, and intersex) are eligible. Entry fee: $25.
Tucson Festival of Books
Literary Awards
Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The winners will also receive scholarships to attend a workshop at the University of Arizona campus in March 2024. Entry fee: $20.
University of North Texas Press
Vassar Miller Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of North Texas Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Melissa Range will judge. Entry fee: $25.
Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.
Literary MagNet: Mira Rosenthal
The translator of Tomasz Różycki’s To the Letter discusses the journals where she first placed poems from the book—including Cagibi and Guernica—and the unique process of publishing translated work.
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Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Orders of Service: A Fugue by Willie Lee Kinard III and I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
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Upcoming Contest Deadlines
Don’t let August slip past you: Submit to one or more of a dozen writing contests with a deadline of August 30 or August 31. Prizes include $3,000 and publication for a book of poetry; $1,000 and publication for a debut collection of poems, short stories, or essays; $1,000 and publication for a book of poetry by a writer over the age of 60; and more than $1,000, publication, and accommodations to give a reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival in Ireland for a poetry chapbook. All contests offer an award of $1,000 or more, and one has no entry fee. We wish you luck!
Aesthetica
Creative Writing Award
Two prizes of £2,500 (approximately $3,121) each and publication in Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual are given annually for a poem and a short story. In addition, the winner in poetry receives a membership to the Poetry Society in London, a six-week writing course from Curtis Brown Creative (a writing school led by authors and literary agents), a course from the arts organization Poetry School, and a subscription to Poetry London. The winner in short fiction receives a six-week writing course from Curtis Brown Creative and a consultation with the literary agency Redhammer Management. Both winners receive subscriptions to literary magazines Granta and Mslexia, as well as a five-day course from the London-based creative writing nonprofit Arvon. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $15.
Anthology Magazine
Short Story Competition
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,099) and publication in, plus a subscription to, Anthology Magazine will be given annually for a short story. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $20.
Black Lawrence Press
St. Lawrence Book Award
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Black Lawrence Press is given annually for a debut collection of poems, short stories, or essays. The editors and a panel of previous St. Lawrence Book Award winners will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $28.
Grid Books
Off the Grid Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication in print and audio formats by Grid Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over the age of 60. Marianne Boruch will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $25.
Gemini Magazine
Flash Fiction Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a short short story. The editors will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $7.
Gulf Coast
Barthelme Prize for Short Prose
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast is given annually for a short work of prose. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $26.
Gulf Coast
Prize in Translation
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast is given in alternating years for a group of poems or a prose excerpt translated from any language into English. The 2023 prize will be given for a work of prose. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $13.
Journal of Experimental Fiction
Kenneth Patchen Award
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Journal of Experimental Fiction and JEF Books is given annually for an innovative novel. Carla M. Wilson will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $25.
Munster Literature Centre
Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,099); publication by Southword Editions, Munster Literature Centre’s publishing imprint; and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner will also receive accommodations to give a reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival in 2024. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $27.
Omnidawn Publishing
Open Book Poetry Contest
A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Maw Shein Win will judge. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: $35.
Talking Gourds
Fischer Prize
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. The winner will also be invited to be a featured reader for a Bardic Trails online reading in 2024 and will receive a $100 honorarium for participating. Deborah Kay Kelly will judge. Deadline: August 30. Entry fee: $10.
Utica University
Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize
A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year by a resident of upstate New York. The winner will also give a reading and teach a master class at Utica University in April 2024. Deadline: August 31. Entry fee: None.
Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.
Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Down Here We Come Up by Sara Johnson Allen and Good Women by Halle Hill.
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The Anthologist: A Compendium of Uncommon Collections
A look at three new anthologies, including Leaning Toward Light: Poems for Gardens & the Hands That Tend Them and Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology.
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Small Press Points: Book*hug Press
Dedicated to finding the voices and stories audiences most need to hear, Book*hug Press reads beyond borders as a Canadian press with international influences, representationally and aesthetically.
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