Editors’ Book Award
A prize of $1,000 is given occasionally for a fiction or nonfiction manuscript that has been rejected by a commercial publisher. The award recognizes “worthy manuscripts that have been overlooked by today’s high-pressure, bottom-line publishing conglomerates.” Manuscripts must be submitted with a formal letter of nomination from an editor at a U.S. or Canadian publishing company by November 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Fall Story Contest
Jacobs/Jones African American Literary Prize
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or an essay that “conveys the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians.” The winning entry will be considered for publication in the Carolina Quarterly. W. Ralph Eubanks will judge. Black writers who live in North Carolina are eligible. Submit two copies of a short story or essay of up to 3,000 words with a $20 entry fee ($10 for NCWN members) by January 2, 2021. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award
Leon Levy Biography Fellowships
Literary Awards
Renaissance House Residency Program
The Renaissance House Residency Program, sponsored by the Helene and Dorothy West Foundation for Artists in Need, offers residencies of one to two weeks during February 2021 in Palm Springs, California, to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. The residency includes classes, lectures, and time to write. Each resident is provided with private lodging, access to a pool and hot tub, some meals, and weekly excursions to local destinations such as Joshua Tree National Park. The cost of the residency is $975 per week ($950 for previous attendees).
Renaissance House Residency Program, Helene and Dorothy West Foundation for Artists in Need, 484 West 43rd Street, Suite 37E, New York, NY 10036. (917) 747-0367. Abigail McGrath, Contact.
Beauty
In the title essay of landscape photographer Robert Adams’s collection Beauty in Photography: Essays in Defense of Traditional Values (Aperture, 1981), he goes about the impossible task of defining beauty, a position he acknowledges is “unprovable.” Through a variety of mediums, including fiction and poetry as well as photographs, Adams goes about discussing beauty’s relevance to society, its unavoidability in an artistic practice, and whether it is the goal of art. In his essay, Adams posits that beauty is “a synonym for the coherence and structure underlying life.” Using the catalog of your own experiences and knowledge, write an essay searching to answer what beauty is to you. What life events does the word conjure?
Special Reminder: Deadline for Project Grants
We interrupt our regularly scheduled United States of Writing Blog content to remind writers in Detroit, Houston, and New Orleans that applications for Project Grants for BIPOC Writers are due this Wednesday, September 30!
Grants range from $250 to $750 and can be used to pay for costs related to coordinating online literary events in the genres of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. In addition, projects must take place between October 16 and December 31.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- identify as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color;
- be a resident of Detroit, Houston, or New Orleans, including the surrounding metro areas of each city;
- be a published writer of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction, or have performance credits as a spoken word artist.
So for example, if you were a Black fiction writer living in Houston who wants to coordinate a fiction reading that will be live-streamed to the public, and you want to compensate yourself and other writers who will give readings for the event, you would be a great candidate for a project grant!
Of course, not all projects need to fit the mold above: We are also interested in supporting other literary projects that will engage the communities of these cities, such as workshops, panels, discussions, town halls, or Q&As.
Writers interested in applying can find the guidelines and link to the application form here.
We can’t wait to read your project ideas!
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