Jump to navigation Skip to content
This animated book trailer captures the elements of thriller, mystery, and fable present in Australian author Fiona McFarlane’s debut novel, The Night Guest (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013). McFarlane received the 2017 International Dylan Thomas Prize for her story collection, The High Places (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016).
U.S. Postal Service releases Thoreau Forever stamp; the Library of Congress makes twenty-five million records free for public download; Lowell Jaeger appointed Montana state poet laureate; and other news.
In Fijian legend, a young girl falls in love with a boy from a neighboring village to the disapproval of her parents, and her tears of despair transform into red and white flowers. The hanging clusters of the elusive tagimoucia blossoms—only found regularly on one specific mountain ridge on the island of Taveuni—are the subject of a number of local Taveuni stories, several of which involve young women whose tears turn into the petals of the flower. Write a short story that revolves around an imaginary legend or folk tale about local flora. How does the story gain significance as it’s transmitted among peers and between generations? What sort of unexpected ramifications does the legend have on your characters? Who falls under its spell, and who remains immune to its powers?
Barbara Gowdy, whose novel Little Sisters is published this month by Tin House Books, and novelist Helen Phillips discuss profound empathy, how literature can change women’s relationships to their bodies, and writing against the odds.
A new bill proposes giving the president more power over the U.S. Copyright Office; the finalists for the 2017 CLMP Firecracker Awards; a new biography of Diana Trilling considers her marriage and role as a critic; and other news.
“The snake is the whole plot and then the rats are the elements. So the rats have to be fed to the snake in order to nourish the snake.” Fiction writer Annie Hartnett, author of the debut novel Rabbit Cake (Tin House, 2017), is interviewed by Bill Kenower in Seattle for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.
The politics and poetry of Czeslaw Milosz; Emma Cline discusses writing The Girls; writers remember Jean Stein; and other news.
“Today I will take pride in my appearance. I’ll shower, get dressed in proper clothes, and only change into yoga clothes for yoga, which, today, I will actually attend.” Maria Semple reads from and discusses her novel Today Will Be Different (Little, Brown, 2016).
Ian Buruma named new editor of the New York Review of Books; Eimear McBride examines the dynamic between sex and literature; Kristen Tracy wins Emily Dickinson First Book Award; and other news.
Attention fiction and creative nonfiction writers! You have until May 31 to submit your essays, short stories, and novels to the following contests, which offer prizes of at least $1,000 and publication:
Crab Orchard Literary Prizes: Two prizes of $1,250 each and publication in Crab Orchard Review are given annually for a short story and an essay. Entry fee: $12
Bridport Arts Centre Bridport Prize: A prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,250) each and publication in the Bridport Prize anthology is given annually for a short story. A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,250) and publication is also given for a work of flash fiction. Peter Hobbs will judge in fiction; and Kit de Waal will judge in flash fiction. Entry fees: £10 (approximately $13) for fiction and £8 (approximately $10) for flash fiction.
BOA Editions Short Fiction Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions is given annually for a short story collection. Peter Conners will judge. Entry fee: $25
University of Georgia Press Flannery O’Connor Short Fiction Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Georgia Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Entry fee: $30
Elixir Press Fiction Award: A prize of $2,000, publication by Elixir Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a short story collection or a novel. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $40
Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines and submission details. Visit our Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more upcoming contests in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
