Disturbing the Lyric “I”
The author of What Can I Tell You?: Selected Poems considers how lyric poetry may communicate beyond the realm of private experience.
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Genre: Poetry
Nikki Giovanni and Renée Watson
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In this video, Nikki Giovanni and Renée Watson speak about their love of libraries, the writers who have influenced them, and Maya’s Song (HarperCollins, 2022), a picture book for young readers about the life and work of Maya Angelou written by Watson and illustrated by Bryan Collier.
Upcoming Contest Deadlines
There’s no better way to beat the winter slump than by staying warm indoors and submitting to contests with deadlines of January 31 and February 1! Opportunities include fellowships for writers working on a biography of an important African American figure (or figures); publication of novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and hybrid forms; and an award for a story written in Japanese that takes place in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more and four are free to enter. May the work you do this winter, writers, bring you spring and summer rewards!
American Short Fiction
American Short(er) Fiction Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication in American Short Fiction is given annually for a work of flash fiction. Karen Russell will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: $18.
Biographers International Organization
Frances “Frank” Rollin Fellowship
Two prizes of $5,000 each will be given annually to writers “working on a biographical work about an African American figure (or figures) whose story provides a significant contribution to our understanding of the Black experience.” Biographers may be at any stage in the writing process. The winners will also receive publicity through the Biographers International Organization (BIO) website, registration to the annual BIO Conference in May, and a one-year BIO membership. Adam Henig, Tamara Payne, and Eric K. Washington will judge. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: none.
Black Lawrence Press
Big Moose Prize
A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a novel. The contest is open to traditional novels as well as “novels-in-stories, novels-in-poems, and other hybrid forms that contain within them the spirit of a novel.” The editors will judge. Deadline: January 31. Entry fee: $27.
Ghost Story
Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website and in the 21st Century Ghost Stories anthology is given twice yearly for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realism theme. Deadline: January 31. Entry fee: $15.
Iowa Review
Iowa Review Awards
Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Iowa Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: January 31. Entry fee: $20.
Little Tokyo Historical Society
Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Rafu Shimpo and on the Discover Nikkei and Little Tokyo Historical Society websites are given annually for short stories that take place in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles and “capture the cultural spirit” of the neighborhood. One prize is given for a story written in English; the other is given for a story written in Japanese. Deadline: January 31. Entry fee: none.
PEN America
Emerging Voices Fellowship
Twelve fellowships of $1,500 each and participation in a virtual five-month mentorship program, which includes one-on-one mentorship with an established writer; introductions to editors, agents, and publishers; a professional headshot; and a one-year PEN America membership are given annually to emerging poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers “from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the publishing world.” Fellows will also participate in workshops on editing, marketing, and building a professional platform. Writers who have not yet published a book and who do not hold an advanced degree in creative writing are eligible to apply. Deadline: January 31. Entry fee: $25.
Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College
Paterson Poetry Prize
A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published in the previous year. The winning poet is expected to participate in an awards ceremony, give a reading, and teach a workshop at the Poetry Center in Paterson, New Jersey. Books of at least 48 pages are eligible. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: none.
Southern Indiana Review
Michael Waters Poetry Prize
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Southern Indiana Review Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Michael Waters will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: $30, which includes a subscription to Southern Indiana Review.
Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts
Philip Roth Residencies
Two four-month residencies, which include a stipend of $5,000 each, at the Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts at Bucknell University are given annually to writers in any literary genre, including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, hybrid works, and graphic novels, working on a first or second book. Deadline: February 1. Entry fee: none.
Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.
Harryette Mullen Reads at the Hammer Museum
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Award-winning poet Harryette Mullen reads from her manuscript of haiku and is introduced by poet and literary critic Stephen Yenser at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles for this reading copresented by the UCLA Department of English.
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Robert Hass: How Poetry Captivates Us
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In this 2016 lecture for the Greater Good Science Center’s conference, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass discusses the history of awe and wonder in world literature, the root of the word “catharsis,” and the power poetry has to captivate and transform its readers.
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The Voice at 3 A.M.
Award-winning and former U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic, who died last week at the age of eighty-four, was best known for his surrealist and often devastatingly funny poems. His poem “The Voice at 3 A.M.” reads in its entirety: “Who put canned laughter / Into my crucifixion scene?” In “Eyes Fastened With Pins,” Simic depicts a scene in which death is looking for “Someone with a bad cough, / But the address is somehow wrong, / Even death can’t figure it out.” Inspired by Simic, write a poem that mixes dark humor with a serious subject matter. How does integrating humor help balance and enliven the voice in your poem?
Passing Minutes
In David Kirby’s poem “The Hours,” published in the latest issue of the Bennington Review, the poet reflects on a subject that feels more significant at the start of a new year: the presence of time. “I’m going to rely on you hours to lead me, / to open one door after another and beckon / me through. Look it’s time to make lunch. / Look, it’s time to go back to work. Look, / it’s time to rub cat Patsy’s belly again,” he writes. This week, write a poem that ruminates on the presence of time in your life. How does your perception of the passing minutes change from season to season?
Charles Simic on His Writing Process
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Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Charles Simic discusses his writing process of using various writing instruments—including envelopes, notebooks, and printed paper—in this brief interview for Poetry Breaks, a series created by Leita Luchetti in the 1980s and 1990s presented in partnership with the Academy of American Poets.
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Hard Hat Reading Series: Asiya Wadud
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In this video for the Poets House Hard Hat Reading series, Asiya Wadud, author of No Knowledge Is Complete Until It Passes Through My Body (Nightboat Books, 2021), reads from Inger Christensen’s alphabet (New Directions, 2001), translated from the Danish by Susanna Nied, followed by her own poem “L.”
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Upcoming Contest Deadlines
Start the year off right by submitting to writing contests with deadlines of January 15, 24, and 30. Prizes include $5,000 for creative nonfiction that evinces a passion for the desert, $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to give a reading at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond for a published first or second book of poetry, $1,500 for a poetry collection, $1,000 for a short story or a self-contained novel excerpt, and more. All awards offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more. Good luck in 2023, writers!
Asheville Poetry Review
William Matthews Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Asheville Poetry Review is given annually for a single poem. The winner is also invited to give a reading at Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina. Diane Seuss will judge. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: $20.
Ellen Meloy Fund
Desert Writers Award
A prize of $5,000 is given annually to enable a creative nonfiction writer “whose work reflects the spirit and passions for the desert embodied in Ellen Meloy’s writing” to spend creative time in a desert environment. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: $15.
New American Press
New American Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,500, publication by New American Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Writers of any citizenship working anywhere in the world are eligible, though the work should presume English-language readers. Jamaica Baldwin will judge. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: $25.
North Carolina Writers’ Network
Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for an essay “that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians.” The winning essay will also be considered for publication in Ecotone. Writers who are legal residents of North Carolina or who are members of the North Carolina Writers’ Network are eligible. Julia Ridley Smith will judge. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: $12.
North Carolina Writers’ Network
Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story or a self-contained novel excerpt. Judy Goldman will judge. The winning work of fiction will also be considered for publication in Thomas Wolfe Review. Deadline: January 30. Entry fee: $25 entry fee ($15 for NCWN members).
Poetry Society of Virginia
North American Book Award
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the previous year. The winner is also invited to read at the organization’s annual Spring Poetry Festival, held at the Richmond Public Library in May. Self-published books and books that have previously received a post-publication award are ineligible. Bill Glose will judge. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: $36
Sixfold
Poetry and Short Story Awards
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sixfold are given quarterly for a group of poems and a short story. Deadline: January 24. Entry fee: $5.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Levis Reading Prize
A prize of $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to give a reading at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond is given annually for a first or second book of poetry published during the previous year. Deadline: January 15. Entry fee: none.
Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.
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