Unusual Calls for Submissions

The Best of Mormonism seeks submissions of published work written by, for, or about Mormons for inclusion in its 2009 edition. Deadline: August 31, 2009. The collection is designed to highlight the diversity and breadth of the Mormon literary community, thus we are interested in poetry, fiction, essays, comics, and plays that have been published in magazines, journals, and Web publications that do not have Mormon connections as well as those that do. Works need not have explicit Mormon references. All submissions must have been published in 2007 or 2008, with reprint rights still in the author’s hands. Please submit work either as a PDF document or as text in the body of the email to: bestofmormonism(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @). Include original publication information and a URL for the Internet version of the work if applicable.

Hint Fiction
hint fiction (n) : a story of 25 words or less that suggests a larger, more complex story. Anthology Guidelines: Tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2010, W.W. Norton will publish an anthology of Hint Fiction. What is Hint Fiction? It’s a story of 25 words or less that suggests a larger, more complex story. The thesis of the anthology is to prove that a story 25 words or less can have as much impact as a story 2,500 words or longer. The anthology will include between 100 and 150 stories. We want your best work. It’s possible to write a complete story in 25 words or less — a beginning, middle, end — but that’s not Hint Fiction. The very best Hint Fiction stories can be read many different ways. We want stories we can read again and again and never tire of. Stories that don’t pull any punches. Stories that make us think, that evoke some kind of emotional response. Take a look at the winners and honorable mentions of the Hint Fiction Contest for examples. Payment is $25 per story for World and Audio rights. For formatting purposes, you must include a title (which actually works in your benefit, as the title helps give a better “hint” of the overall story). Writers can only submit up to two stories, both embedded in the same e-mail. Don’t worry about a cover letter. We don’t care where you’ve been published or what graduate program you’ve attended — all author identification will be stripped by a third party so we will only see the stories and nothing but the stories. Submissions will open August 1 and close at midnight Eastern time August 31. Submit only to this address: hint.fiction(at)gmail.com. More here.

Charles Dickens short story contest
The “Scare the Dickens Out of Us” Ghost Story Contest is in conjunction with the annual “A Dickens Christmas In Lockhart” festival, which is held on the first weekend in December (Friday night, Saturday) in Lockhart, Texas. We want ghost stories. Here are the contest rules: 1. The contest is open to published and unpublished writers alike. All publication rights remain with the author. Contest judges and their immediate families are ineligible. 2. The ghost story must include a character from any of Charles Dickens’ works as part of your original story. 3. The story must be set in the month of December and around any of the December holidays. 4. The story must be 4,000 words or less, in English, typed double-spaced. 5. Entries must be original and unpublished. Only one entry per writer. 6. With your manuscript you must submit a completed contest entry form and $20 entry fee (check or money order). Download entry form at website http://clarklibraryfriends.com/ 7. You must mail your manuscript, completed contest entry form, and $20 entry fee to us at this address: Ghost Story Contest, co/Friends of the Library, P.O. Box 821, Lockhart, TX 78644. 8. Contest deadline is October 1, 2009. Your entry must be postmarked no later than October 1, 2009. Make your check or money order payable to Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) if you want your manuscript returned to you. More here.

CONSEQUENCE magazine announces The Consequence Prize in Poetry
The prize will be awarded for the best poem addressing current war or armed conflict. It will be presented at a poetry event sponsored by CONSEQUENCE magazine at the 2009 Massachusetts Poetry Festival on October 17, 2009. The winner will receive $100, have the selected poem published in both print and online editions of Consequence, be invited to read at the launch of Consequence Magazine's next print edition, and receive a three years subscription to the magazine. All poems submitted will be considered for publication in both print and online editions. Our Judge this year is poet and translator Kevin Bowen who will also present the award. More here.

ANDERBO SEEKS NOVELIST:
Anderbo.com is seeking to post ONE unpublished entire novel on its website by December 1, 2009 for at least the following six months. We will look at the FIRST 30 PAGES (up to 10,000 words) of your e-manuscript and decide within 60 days if we want to see more. THERE IS NO READING FEE and all literary rights will remain with the author. No novel submissions will be accepted after September 1st. We guarantee to choose and use one manuscript, and to pay an honorarium of $300 to the chosen author upon publication. For technical guidelines and address see the website.