Poets & Writers' 2010 Writers Exchange Contest to be Held in New Jersey

Poets & Writers, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization serving creative writers, is proud to announce that the 2010 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange will be held in New Jersey. The contest is open to poets and fiction writers who are residents of New Jersey and have never published a book, or have published only one full-length book of fiction or poetry. The winning poet and fiction writer will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City in October 2010 to meet with top literary professionals, including editors, agents, publishers, and prominent writers, and to give a public reading. This year’s judges are Sophie Cabot Black (poetry) and Nahid Rachlin (fiction).

To date, 78 writers from 31 states have participated in P&W’s Writers Exchange. As a direct result of the Writers Exchange, past winners -- notably Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees -- have had their books published, received awards and fellowships, secured teaching positions, and laid the groundwork for their professional lives as writers.

Guidelines and application forms are available on the Poets & Writers Web site: www.pw.org/files/WEXApplication09.pdf. Applicants may also send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Poets & Writers, Attn: Writers Exchange, 90 Broad St., Suite 2100, New York, NY 10004. Completed applications and manuscripts must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2009.

ABOUT THE MAUREEN EGEN WRITERS EXCHANGE

Established in 1984, the Writers Exchange is a unique program that provides writers with significant opportunities for professional advancement. Each year, a new state is chosen to participate in the program and writers from that state are invited to submit their work according to announced contest guidelines. Outside judges choose one poet and one fiction writer for this prize. Title of the award has been given to Maureen Egen—a gift in her honor was given to Poets & Writers by Hachette Book Group USA in 2007.