reading, contest, scholarship

Don’t you just love fall? For writers, there seems to be so much activity in the cozy months between flip-flops and twinkle lights. Maybe it’s that ‘back-to-school’ tradition of sharpened pencils and an eagerness to be productive. Or maybe it’s just a universal time for getting down to business. Whatever the reason, I am pleased to share a few activities of interest that just might make it to your to-do list.

First up, Marick Press has a wonderful Poetry Reading on Tues Oct 20 featuring Dawn Paul and Matthew Olzmann. This is a free event and there’s also an Open Mic for brave voices.

Matthew Olzmann is a graduate of The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson. He has received a poetry fellowship from Kundiman, a work-study scholarship from the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference, and the Oboh Prize from Boxcar Poetry Review. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in American Poetry Journal, Atlanta Review, Margie, Salt Hill, Cranky, H_NGM_N, Minnesota Review and elsewhere. Currently, he teaches composition at Oakland Community College and is the poetry editor for The Collagist.

Dawn Paul’s short fiction has appeared in Junctures (New Zealand), The Sun Magazine, 14 Hills and The Redwood Coast Review, and online at Blithe House Quarterly, Hiss Quarterly and Storyglossia. She has created collaborative works with actors, dancers and visual artists. She was a writing resident at the Ragdale Foundation, Vermont Studio Center and the Spring Creek Project and is a graduate of the creative writing MFA program at Goddard College. She is the editor of Corvid Press, a small, independent press. She lives in Massachusetts. She will be reading from her novel The Country of Loneliness published by Marick Press.

Event Details
Ewald Branch Library in Grosse Pointe Park
15175 East Jefferson, Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230
6:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2009.

Next....

Renaissance City, an online journal backed by poet and novelist John Jeffire, is now online and accepting submissions. There is also a short fiction contest for works up to 4,000 words with a January 1 deadline. The nice part? Low contest entry fees! It’s a mere $10 for one submission, or $12 to submit two stories. Not bad. Be sure to check out the contents of the first issue and consider submitting your own creative works.

For Undergrads....
Are you a full-time college student? Then you should consider entering the 2010 Sylvia K. Burack Scholarship competition, sponsored by The Writer. It has a deadline of March 1 2010 and you must be 18 or older and a full-time undergraduate student at a university or college in the U.S. or Canada at the time of entry. The award is made in memory of Sylvia K. Burack, longtime editor-in-chief and publisher of The Writer. Burack was known for her dedication to helping writers and editors. Get more info here.

Finally, I’ve updated my own event listings on my website and added a few new readings and workshops to the mix. If you plan on attending any of my events, let me know so I know to keep my eye out for you!

It’s time to get back to writing. Have a great weekend and see you on Monday!