Genre: Fiction
O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat
The O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat was held on November 29 and November 30 at a historic vacation property in the town of Waialua, on the North Shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. The retreat featured generative writing workshops, critiques, and arts and crafts breaks for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. The faculty included poet Tamara Leiokanoe Moan, fiction writer Tom Gammarino, and creative nonfiction writer Constance Hale. Tuition was $120 for one day and $200 for both days; lodging was not included, but lunch was.
O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat, 1040 56th Street, Oakland, CA 94608. (617) 909-1439. Constance Hale, Director.
Banned Books Week From the Big Chair
In this video from the Sage-sponsored “Banned Books From the Big Chair” booth at the American Library Association’s 2025 annual conference, authors and attendees respond to the dangers of book banning and the importance of supporting public libraries and the freedom to read.
Cheesy Truths
Known for his postmodern satirical novels filled with secret conspiracies and government plots, Thomas Pynchon’s new novel, Shadow Ticket, out this week from Penguin Press, begins in Depression-era Milwaukee and follows a private detective whose search of a runaway cheese heiress gets him entangled with the Chicago mafia, the Bureau of Investigation, British intelligence, Nazism, and international capitalist conspiracies. This week write a short story that makes use of a current event that might seem absurd or stranger than fiction, spinning off from the actual details of the real event into something weirder. How can you inject humor into a story that gestures to real concerns about paranoia and dysfunctional politics?
Ten Questions for Joshua Wheeler
“It should be possible to both write good and live good. Go see your friends. Be with your family. Taste something new. Fall in love with the world again and again while you still can.” —Joshua Wheeler, author of The High Heaven
George Takei for Banned Books Week
In this video, George Takei, honorary chair of Banned Books Week 2025, talks about how “access to books and knowledge is essential to democracy” and how reading provides a way to see ourselves reflected in stories and to discover the stories of others. To learn more, visit the Banned Books Week website.
Stephen Mitchell Translation Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Green Linden Press is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction translated from any language into English. Christopher Nelson will judge. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $25 entry fee by November 30. All finalists will be considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Quill Prose Award
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a story or essay collection, a novel, a memoir, or a hybrid work of prose by a queer writer. Andrew Lam will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 150 pages with a $10 entry fee by November 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Hub City Press is given biennially for a short story collection. Emerging writers who have not published a story collection or more than one book in any other genre and who currently reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, or West Virginia and who have lived there for at least two consecutive years are eligible. Catherine Lacey will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 140 to 220 pages (no story should exceed 15,000 words) with a $25 entry fee by December 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
W.S. Porter Prize for Short Story Collections
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Regal House Publishing is given annually for a story collection. Heather Bell Adams will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 100 to 350 pages with a $25 entry fee by December 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.



