Unusual Calls for Submissions

These out-of-the-ordinary submission calls caught our eye...

Online Hookups Anthology Seeks First Person Essays

Connecting Online: Hookups, Reunions and Chance Encounters --Deadline: August 1, 2008. Writer and editor April Thompson is seeking first-person stories for an upcoming anthology of stories about connections made online. "Connecting Online: Hookups, Reunions and Chance Encounters" will feature essays of no morethan 2,500 words about interpersonal connections made through the Internet. Submissions can be comical or irreverent, tear-jerking or thought-provoking: the caliber of writing is more important than the mood of the piece. Please note that essays should center on a particular encounter or relationship cultivated online, rather than expounding on the topic in general. Stories accepted into the anthology will receive compensation upon publication of up to $150 depending on the length of the piece. Please send your piece in .doc format, include your contact information, and put "Connecting Online Submission" in the subject of your email, to be sent to anthology(at)aprilwrites.com (replace (at) with @). Previously published material considered as long as you own the reprint rights.

2008 London Book Festival Call for Entries
The 2008 London Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual program celebrating books that deserve greater recognition from the international publishing community. The 2008 London Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, children's books, poetry, art/photgraphy, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/graphic novels, e-books, wild card (anything goes!), science fiction, romance and biography/autobiographical works.

Entries can be in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese or Italian. Our grand prize for the 2008 London Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and a flight from your city of entry to London OR Los Angeles - your choice!

Deadline submissions in each category must be postmarked by the close of business on November 25, 2008. Entry forms are available online at http://londonbookfestival.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling our office at 323-665-8080. Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable entry fee via check, money order, credit card payment or PayPal online payment of $50 in U.S. dollars for each submission. Multiple submissions are permitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate form and entry fee. Entry fee checks should be made payable to JM Northern Media LLC.

Travel Scam Anthology Seeks True Stories

World Swirl Press, a publishing venture of travel writer/blogger Erik R. Trinidad (TheGlobalTrip.com, the "Would You" video), is looking for contributors for an upcoming travel guide and anthology of stories about the scams you've encountered while traveling. We seek well-written, narrative stories — 1,500 words or less — each recounting the incident from beginning to end. We are also looking for "sidebar" content — lists or blurbs about the travel scams you've seen happen, heard about, or fallen for. All written contributions should detail the location of the scam, the circumstances, how it is executed and how it could be avoided. Narratives should also capture the emotion of the incident. For submission details, please visit www.WorldSwirl.com. We are accepting written contributions through the end of 2008, so submit your travel scam story today!

The Smoking Poet: Call for Submissions
A fine cigar and good literature: two of life's finer pleasures.

The Smoking Poet publishes flash fiction; fiction; nonfiction; poetry; feature author with novel excerpt; feature poet; book and cigar reviews. We publish work that ignites our imagination, inflames our passion, leaves us with a smoky aftertaste. The Smoking Poet also shares an extensive list of links and resources for writers and the cigar aficionado. For full submission guidelines and contact information, visit: http://thesmokingpoet.tripod.com/summer2008

Merton Poetry of the Sacred Poetry Contest
What is poetry of the sacred? Poetry that expresses, directly or indirectly, a sense of the holy or that, by its mode of expression, evokes the sacred. The tone may be religious, prophetic, or contemplative. Deadline for submissions: Postmarked by December 31, 2008. See full contest guidelines at https://www.mertoninstitute.org/merton_prize.php. Winning Poems will be published in The Merton Seasonal , a publication of scholarly articles about noted spiritual leader Thomas Merton and will be posted on the Merton Institute web site: www.mertoninstitute.org. Poems will be judged on literary excellence, spiritual tenor, and human authenticity.

The "Adventures in Hostelling" Writing Contest
Seeks very short (150-250 words) stories recounting a personal experience that either took place at a hostel or was made possible through a hostel stay. Organized in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Council of Hostelling International USA, the contest seeks real-life anecdotes that help to illustrate the range of broadening experiences made possible through hostelling. Travelers are invited to share tales of meeting memorable people, encountering new cultures or fresh perspectives, embarking on unforeseen adventures, making a life-altering decision, or any other hostel experience that had an impact on their lives. Enter online at http://www.norcalhostels.org/50years.

Clothing Anthology Seeks Poems
Ragged Sky Press is looking for poems about clothing for a one-time anthology: outergarments, undergarments, shoes, accessories—anything that conceals...or reveals. Well-woven poems will be selected by the editors. GUIDELINES: 1-3 poems (10 pages maximum), deadline: August 29, 2008. Send to: RaggedSkyAnthology@gmail.com.