Ploughshares

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Since 1971, Ploughshares has been committed to promoting the work of up-and-coming writers. In the spirit of the magazine’s founding mission, the Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest will recognize work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Literary work first published in Ploughshares has been cited in the Pushcart Prize volumes more frequently than any other literary journal and is regularly featured in Best American anthologies. The magazine has an international readership and is widely distributed throughout the United States.

ELIGIBILITY:

We define an “emerging writer” as someone who has yet to publish a book and has won no major awards.

SUBMISSION POLICIES:

Please log in to our online submission manager between February 1st and April 2nd to submit.
Submit 3-5 poems; nonfiction and fiction entries should be under 5,000 words.
The entry fee of $20, payable by credit card on the submission manager site, will include a 1-year subscription to Ploughshares. (Current subscribers may add to their subscription or give the subscription as a gift.)
Writers are allowed to submit only one entry to the contest, per year.

PUBLICATION:

The winning story, essay, and poems will be published in the Winter 2012-13 issue of Ploughshares.

Winners 2011 WFNB Writing Competition

The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) is now accepting submissions to its 2012 Literary Competition with greater cash prizes to be won. The non-profit organization has increased its prize purse to $1,700 for top entries in the contest’s prose and poetry categories. The competition is open to all New Brunswickers and members of WFNB.

Top prizes include the Alfred G. Bailey Prize, which awards $400 for the first place poetry manuscript and The Richards Prize, named for David Adams Richards, which also has a $400 value, and is given to the winning submission in one of three categories: collection of short stories, a short novel, or substantial portion of a longer novel.

The Sheree Fitch Prize for poetry is open to young writers, up to age 18, and is worth $100, while a $200 prize is awarded for the winning entry in the children’s literature category. Submissions can be prose or verse and written for children, ages four to eight.

Prizes of $200 are also offered to writers for their work in each of the following categories: individual poems, short fiction and non-fiction.

Entries must be postmarked by February 29, 2012 and mailed to WFNB, PO Box 306 , Moncton , NB , E1C 8L4 . For more information, a complete list of contest rules and entry fees, visit www.wfnb.ca, telephone (506) 459-7228 or email wfnb@nb.aibn.com.

Now in its 26th year, WFNB is a non-profit advocacy and support organization brings together writers in all disciplines and at all levels of development to recognize, encourage and promote their work.

Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick
2012 Literary Competition

Individual poem / Short fiction / Creative Non-Fiction

Individual Poem 100 lines maximum
Short Fiction 4000 words maximum
Creative Non-Fiction 3000 words maximum
Entry fee: $20 WFNB members / $25 non-members
Prizes: 1st – $200 in each category

Children’s Literature

3,000 words maximum
Works in prose of verse written for children 4 – 8 years of age
Entry fee: $20 WFNB members / $25 non-members
Prizes 1st – $200

THE SHEREE FITCH PRIZE FOR POETRY

Poetry 100 lines maximum
Open to youth up to18 years of age as of February 29, 2012
No Entry Fee
Prizes: 1st – $100

THE DAVID ADAMS RICHARDS PRIZE – $400

For a collection of short stories, a short novel, or a substantial portion of a longer novel (between 15,000 and 30,000 words). Work must be unpublished although some individual stories may have been previously published.
Manuscript Entry Fee: $30 members / $35 non members

THE ALFRED G. BAILEY PRIZE – $400

For poetry manuscripts not previously published, in whole or in part, in book/chapbook form (individual poems published or accepted for publication in periodicals may be included).
Length – between 48 and 96 pages. Manuscript Entry Fee: $30 members / $35 non members

The competition is open to all New Brunswick residents as well as all members of WFNB. Previous winners may not enter in the category in which they won for one year.

DEADLINE: Postmarked by February 29, 2012

For complete contest rules see wfnb website www.wfnb.ca
Mail entries to: WFNB, PO Box 306, Moncton, NB E1C 8L4
Phone: (506)459-7228 email info@wfnb.ca

The Fiddlehead, Atlantic Canada’s International Literary Journal

$1,500 Ralph Gustafson Prize for Poetry
$500 Each for Two Honourable Mentions

Entries must be original and unpublished elsewhere. No simultaneous submissions. Do not put your name and address on your manuscript. Include a cover page that has on it the entry’s title(s), the category your entry goes in (short fiction or poetry), and your name and contact information.

All entries must be submitted by mail. No faxed, digital, or emailed submissions are allowed.

One short-fiction entry is one story (6,000 words maximum).
One poetry entry is up to 3 poems; no more than 100 lines per poem.

Entry Fee: $30 for an entry from Canada and $36 for an international entry. The entry fee includes a one-year subscription to The Fiddlehead.

Multiple entries are allowed; however, each entry must be accompanied by its own cover letter and entry fee.

For further information visit:
www.thefiddlehead.ca
or e-mail us at: fiddlehd@unb.ca

Deadline Postmarked by December 1, 2011

Send entries to:

The Fiddlehead Contest • Campus House
11 Garland Court • UNB PO Box 4400
Fredericton, N.B. • E3B 5A3

Beth Powing.

New books will be launched. Literary prizes will be awarded. Writing workshops will be presented and poetry readings will be given at the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick’s WordsSpring in Sussex, May 13-15, with Alexander MacLeod, Allan Lynch, Chad Pelley and Beth Powning among the featured authors at this annual gathering.

The three-day event is open to the public and gets underway Friday, May 13, at the Sussex Artists Co-op Tea Room, at 6 p.m., where a wine and cheese reception will be hosted by SLICE (Sussex Literary Initiatives and Cultural Events), followed by book launches, readings and musical entertainment, highlighting local youth talent as well as the talents of local writers, including Beth Powning, Vanessa Moeller and Kelly Cooper.

The Federation’s annual general meeting will lead off activities on May 14 at the Masonic Hall at 9 a.m. The AGM will precede a workshop on the business of writing, led by former Kings County Record publisher and author of four books, Allan Lynch, entitled “Monetize Me!”

Tammy Morris and the Sussex Corner schoolchildren will present a Readers’ Theatre during a noontime lunch buffet. The afternoon program opens with a workshop on fiction and publishing by Chad Pelley, a multi-award-winning writer from St. John’s, NL, starting at 1 p.m. His debut novel, Away from Everywhere, was a Coles’ bestseller and was shortlisted for several prestigious emerging writer awards.

Alexander MacLeod will follow Pelley to the stage to read excerpts from his book Light Lifting, a 2010 Giller Prize finalist. His first book was also named 2010 Book of the Year by editors of The Globe and Mail, Quill and Quire, The Chronicle Herald and Amazon.ca. MacLeod, who is the son of one of Canada’s literary greats, Alistair MacLeod, will open the floor for a Q&A with the audience after his reading. Pelley will return to the stage at 3:45 p.m. for a discussion with MacLeod, moderated by Powning.

WordsSpring moves to the Lions’ Den that evening for a spring-themed Literary Awards Soirée. This event will be highlighted by the presentation of prizes to the winners of the Federation’s annual literary competition, a reading by Pelley and entertainment by local performers including the Sussex Choral Society.

The 2011 edition of WordsSpring closes on Sunday, May 15, with an open mic brunch at the Lions Den.

A registration fee of $90 will reserve space at the Lynch and Pelley workshops and also covers lunch and soirée fees. Other events are free. For more information on the event, visit the Federation’s website at www.wfnb.ca where you will find a downloadable, printable registration form and payment instructions.

Three prizes are awarded annually: one in the visual arts, one in the performing arts, and one in the literary arts. In the literary arts category, prizes alternate between Anglophones and Francophones each year. This year, the French Language Literary Arts will be awarded.

Peer juries are organized and the members are specialized professionals from within the province and from outside. A jury has the right not to award a prize if the applications received do not attain the high level of excellence that is expected.

The prizes are valued at $20,000 each and will be given to artists who were born in New Brunswick or who have been residents of the province for at least five years and who have contributed in an exceptional manner to the advancement of their artistic discipline in New Brunswick as well as outside the province.

This competition is open to those working in visual arts (craft, media arts, photography, and visual arts), in performing arts (dance, music, storytelling and theatre), and literary arts (including literary translation). The names of the awardees will be made public before an official ceremony in the fall 2011.

A detailed program description, nomination forms or further information are available through Robert Bryar, the programs officer, at artsnb, 61 Carleton Street, Fredericton, NB, E3B 3T2 or by calling (506) 444-4444 or 1-866-460-2787 (toll free in New Brunswick) or by visiting our web site at www.artsnb.ca.

The competition is open to New Brunswick writers, both amateur and professional, and all members of WFNB. Submissions must be postmarked no later than February 28 and will be judged blind by professional out-of-province authors.

The results of the 2011 competition will be announced at WordsSpring, WFNB’s annual gathering and AGM. This year’s event will be held in Sussex, May 13-15. Winners will be invited to attend and read from their work. In addition to receiving a cash prize and provincial recognition, the competition has been a springboard for previous winners who have gone on to publish their work in magazines and with major publishing houses.

The competition’s major awards are The Richards Prize for a collection of short stories, a short novel or a substantial portion of a longer novel, and named in honour of highly acclaimed New Brunswick author David Adams Richards and The Alfred G. Bailey prize for poetry manuscripts. The Sheree Fitch Prize for Fiction, named for the sponsor of this award, is open to youth, ages 14 to 18 years.

For more information on the competition, including genres, entry fees, word limits and other rules, visit the WFNB site at www.wfnb.ca.

Twenty-five students will receive awards under the Arts Scholarships Program. The program recognizes and encourages New Brunswick students who have demonstrated exceptional talent and who are pursuing a career in the arts. Students can receive up to $2,500 for full-time studies in the arts and $1,000 for part-time or short-term studies.

Eleven Artist-in-Residence applications were also approved. This program provides opportunities for organizations in NB to host visiting artists for up to a year.

The deadline for the two programs was February1^st, 2010. A Multidisciplinary jury composed of professional New Brunswick artists evaluated the applications.

The following students have received funding under the Arts Scholarships Program:

Classical Music

Andrew Appleby, Fredericton                        $2,500

Pierre-André Doucet, Moncton                      $2,500

James Fogarty, Moncton                                $2,500

Juliane Gallant, Riverview                             $1,000

Alain Gaudet, Moncton                                  $2,500

Aaron Good, Hanwell                                    $2,500

Anthony Savidge, Fredericton                        $2,500

Greg Webber, Fredericton                              $2,500

Craft

Kristen Bishop, Fredericton                            $2,500

Daniel Gallagher, French Village                    $2,500

Celine Gorham, Fredericton                           $2,500

Rachel Anne MacGillivray, Fredericton         $2,500

Alexandra Keely MacLean, New Maryland   $2,500

Leigh Merritt, Tay Creek                                $2,500

Deborah Payne, Saint John                            $2,500

Dance

Jane Alison McKinney, Rothesay                  $2,500

Alyson Miller, Colpitts Settlement                  $1,000

Literary Arts

Isabelle Claude Lévesque-Martin, Saint-Ignace     $2,500

Media Arts

Matthew Brown, Fredericton                          $2,500

Gabrielle Houle, Dieppe                                 $2,500

Visual Arts

Nicholas Frenette, Moncton                           $2,500

Karen Furlotte, Fredericton                            $2,500

Sarah Lillian, Hamilton, Fredericton               $2,500

Broderick LeBlanc, Fredericton                     $2,500

Shannon Randall, Fredericton                        $2,500

Artist-in-Residence Program Recipients

Classical Music

Université de Moncton, Moncton                      $10,000

University of New Brunswick, Fredericton       $9,100

University of New Brunswick, Saint John         $10,000

Dance

Les Productions DansEncorps, Moncton        $4,200

Literary Arts

New Brunswick Museum, Saint John,                                                           $5,000

Université de Moncton, Département d’études françaises, Moncton             $5,000

University of New Brunswick, Faculty of Arts, Fredericton                          $10,000

Media Arts

Mathieu Léger, Moncton                    $5,000

Non-Classical Music

Galerie Sans Nom Coopérative Ltée, Moncton          $5,000

Theatre

NotaBle Acts Theatre Company, Fredericton             $5,000

Société du Monument Lefebvre inc., Memramcook  $5,000

For information on these and other artsnb programs, visit www.artsnb.ca or call 1-866-460-ARTS (2787), toll free within New Brunswick.

Non Fiction, Judged by Jon Tattrie

1st – “The Pentecostalist Wedding,” Noeline Bridge, Moncton, NB
2nd – “A Deaf Sense of Smell,” Jessie Carson, Almonte, ON
3rd – “Les Pierres de Paris,” Elaine Amyot, Dieppe, NB

“The Pentecostal Wedding is a great, high-energy story that captures the wedding better than any video camera ever could. It starts in a whirlwind of activity and keeps up the manic pace right to the end, giving a feel for an emotionally and physically stormy, wild day. The wedding guests come across as giddy, almost crazed, and you can feel the narrator being pulled back into that world, but resisting.”

Individual Poem, Judged by Shoshanna Wingate

1st – “The Carnage” Nancy King Schofield, Grand Barachois, NB
2nd – “Crow Impressions” Edith Miller, Fredericton, NB
3rd – “Upon Leaving the Branch,” Debbie Okun Hill, Camlachie, ON

“[The Carnage] slips between a storyteller’s distance and a witnesses’ remembrance. It gains its strength from the marriage of the two. And yet “Carnage” also weaves in language reminiscent of our favorite myths, and so the story is given a dreamlike quality, a rhythm that suggests we are allowed, even expected, to hang our realist’s hat on the hook at the door and are welcomed in to sit at the fire and listen to a strange tale about ourselves.”

Short Fiction, Judged by Steven Mayoff

1st – “The Weaver,” Roger Moore, Island View, NB
2nd – “Incomplete,” Chuck Lovatt, Carroll, MB
3rd – “Puzzles,” Paul Healey, Rothesay, NB
HM- “The Pellet Gun,” Paul Healey, Rothesay, NB

“In [The Weaver] the cultural and economic divisions between a tourist and an aboriginal weaver are bridged through the weaver’s craft. The author employs concise and evocative prose that seems in itself to unfold like a tapestry. A skillful balance between poetic imagery and political reality keeps the reader engaged at all times.”

Writing for Children, Judged by Noreen Smiley

1st – “The Afterthoughts at Christmastime,” Paul Rowe, St. John’s, NL
2nd – “Skink on the Brink,” Lisa Dalrymple, Fergus, ON
3rd – “Rosella’s Messy Room,” Judy Stoddart, Winnipeg, MB
HM – “The Promise,” Wendy Kitts, Moncton, NB
HM – “Trixie, Who is Wonderful,” Harriet Zaidman, Winnipeg, MB
HM – “K.C. The Super Sleuth: The Cat that Swallowed the Canary,”
Kelly Trevors Picard, Quispamsis, NB

“[The Afterthoughts at Chistmastime] is steeped in nostalgia, embracing the reader like a warm familiar blanket. A fine attention to detail captures a time and place when life was more innocent and when sledding in the dark was full of magic. The writer deftly offers up one strong image after another, slowly building a picture of this loving and slightly eccentric family and managing to pull off a satisfying and quite perfect ending.”

David Adams Richards Prize, Judged by JoAnne Soper-Cook

Winner – “The Meaning of Children,” Beverly Akerman, Montreal, QC
HM – “The Burning Bush and Other Stories,” Laura M. Robinson, Kingston, ON
HM – “Black Ice,” Noeline Bridge, Moncton, NB

“The author [of The Meaning of Children] shows a keen, incisive vision into the hidden world of children as well as intimate knowledge of the secret spaces that exist between the everyday events of life. There is knowledge here, knowledge of those important, life defining moments of puberty, the birth of a sibling, an encounter with a possibly dangerous stranger. Overall, a work with a brilliant sense of story.”

Alfred G. Bailey Prize, Judged by Mark Callanan

Winner – “The Wailing Machines,” Rob Taylor, Vancouver BC

“The poems here, whether celebrating small moments of tenderness and intimacy, or contemplating the horrors humanity so often visits upon its own, seem to answer the question posed by Mary Oliver in an epigraph that adorns the first section of this book: “how to love this world.” The answer is to find the primal, animal energy that animates our race, and to reflect back to us that energy so that we can more clearly see ourselves, in all our beauty and in all our ugliness.”

Schedule of Events:

Thursday Evening May 13:
8:00pm: League of Canadian Poets fundraiser, Venue TBA

Friday May 14 (all events at the St Thomas University Campus)
6:30pm: “Just Desserts: New Books by WFNB authors,” BHM 202, STU. Readings by Gerry Beirne, M. Travis Lane, Corey Redekop, Kathy Mac, and others
8:00pm: Sally Armstrong “Getting the Story”: BMH 101, STU
Donations at the door

Saturday May 15 (all events at the STU Campus)
8:30—10:00am, BMH 202: WFNB Annual General Meeting
10:00-10:30am: Coffee Break
10:30-noon, BMH 205: reading by Jessica Grant, author of Come, Thou Tortoise, followed by a panel discussion with Jessica and Carla Gunn (Amphibian) on the first novel. MC: Kathy Mac
Noon-1:00: Barbeque Lunch (must register), quad outside of BMH
1:30- 3:00 BMH 202 Workshop with Ilkay Silk, on “Reading as Performance” (theatre arts techniques)
3:00-3:30: Coffee Break
3:30-5:00: Official Launch of Tony Tremblay’s David Adams Richards of the Miramichi, Conference Room, Holy Cross Hall, STU.
6:00 GMH Cafeteria: Meet and Greet (Cash Bar)
7:00 GMH Cafeteria: Literary Awards Banquet Buffet
7:45 Readings by special guests
8:30 WFNB thanks and Literary Competition Awards & Readings by Winners

Sunday, May 16
10;00 AM: Wrap up, Open Mic Reading, Ice House, UNB
(Coffee and snacks)

Stay at the UNB Summer Hotel, at McLeod House: Single room (one single bed) – $32+HST/night; Double room (two single beds) – $24+HST/person/night. To register, write stay@unb.ca or call Misty McLaughlin @ (506) 453 4800.

REGISTRATION (OPEN TO WFNB MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC)

WordsSpring $40/person
Awards Banquet $40/person
BBQ lunch @ $10/ person

Please send your registration and cheque to WFNB, PO Box 306, Moncton, NB, E1C 8L4.

For more information contact Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick 506 459 7228, email: wfnb@nb.aibn.com or visit the website at http://www.wfnb.ca.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Guest speakers: Lee Thompson, Peter Sawyer, Doug Underhill, David Weale

• Following the guest speakers, there will be an open mic segment for members of the audience.

• We ask that each presentation be no more that 5 minutes in duration.

• Presenter’s name must be added to MC’s list.

• Participants may make more than one submission.

Agenda:

Donations Laubach Literacy New Brunswick appreciated.