Genre: Fiction

The deadline is approaching for the inaugural Hub City Press C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize. An award of $10,000 and publication by Hub City Press will be given annually for a debut story collection by an author living in the Southern United States. Acclaimed short fiction writer Lee K. Abbott will judge. The winning collection will be published in Spring 2019.

Writers currently residing in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, or West Virginia who have not published a full-length book are eligible. Using the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 140 to 220 pages, including at least six stories, with a $25 entry fee by January 1, 2018. Stories should not exceed 15,000 words each. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Of the new prize, Hub City Press founder and publisher Betsy Teter says, “We are thrilled to announce one of the most substantial short story prizes in North America and to honor C. Michael Curtis, who has been a great friend to Hub City Press over the years.” Established in 1995 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Hub City Press is “committed to well-crafted and high-quality works by new and established authors from the American South.” C. Michael Curtis has been an editor of the Atlantic since 1963 and currently resides in Spartanburg.

In her story “My Wife, in Converse,” Shelly Oria delivers a narrative about a relationship in eighteen short sections, including one section that’s only nine words long. This fragmented approach allows the story to unfold and reveal so much about the characters while using a relatively small number of words. For a writer, an approach like this can be liberating: not every scene needs to be neatly explained or expanded. This week, try writing your own short story in eighteen sections, and listen for the conversation that develops between them.