“I can do lots of clever magic, but love is a stubborn thing to conquer. When you think you’ve killed it, it’s liable to bob up again as strong as ever. I believe love and cats have nine lives.” – Blinkie, The Scarecrow of Oz
Been dreaming hard. Trying to translate that onto paper, though easier said than done. But hey, here’s something very cool—my wonderful agent, Lucienne Diver, has a secret (kind of) identity—she’s an author, too! Her first book, Playing Nice, hit the shelves not so long ago, and she had her first signing last week, with a very friendly turnout (and a gorgeous setting).
Here are some writing contests/opportunities (some of them might be limited to residents of Canada, so be sure to read the guidelines carefully):
Geist Literal Literary Postcard Contest – http://www.geist.com
Prizes: 1st: $250; 2nd: $150; 3rd: $100; plus publication. Entry Fee: $20 for first entry, $5 each additional entry. Send a postcard with a story relating to the image. Max. 500 words, fiction or nonfiction.
Prairie Fire – http://www.prairiefire.ca/
Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $500; 3rd: $250 for each category plus publication. Entry Fee: $27. Max. 15,000 words for fiction, 5,000 words for creative nonfiction. Up to 3 poems, max. 150 lines.
subTerrain – Lush Triumphant Contest – http://www.subterrain.ca
Prizes: Winner in each category receives $500 plus publication. First runner-up in each category receives publication. Entry Fee: $20. Max. 3,000 words for fiction, 4,000 for creative nonfiction; or three poems, max. 45 lines per poem.
The Antigonish Review – Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize – http://www.antigonishreview.com/
Prizes: 1st $600; 2nd $400; 3rd $200; plus publication. Entry Fee: $25; outside North America $35. Total entry not to exceed 20 pages, double-spaced.
The Antigonish Review – Great Blue Heron Poetry Contest – http://www.antigonishreview.com/
Prizes: 1st $600; 2nd $400; 3rd $200; plus publication. Entry Fee: $25; Outside North America $35 (US funds). One longer poem or several short poems not to exceed 4 pages total, max. 150 lines.
The Malahat Review – http://www.malahatreview.ca
In alternate years. The Long Poem (two $500 prizes) or Novella (one $500 prize) Contests and also the annual Far Horizons Award ($500 each for fiction and poetry). Entry Fee: $35; $40 outside North America. Long Poem Prize: single poem or cycle of poems running 10-20 pages. Novella Prize: single work of fiction, 10,000-20,000 words. Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction. Eligible writers have yet to publish their short fiction in book form and may submit one short story per entry, max. 3,500 words. Fee: $25; $30 outside North America.
http://www.writermag.com. Entries should not exceed 2,000 words. No explicit sex or violence. Deadline June 30, 2007.
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I also saw V for Vendetta last night. I had read the comic beforehand, which is great—and even though the movie departs from it, that didn’t bother me whatsoever. Not saying it’s a perfect movie, but I really dug the portrayal of V, and the chemistry between him and Evey. Much more of a romance than the comic, which I always enjoy. Though I don’t believe Alan Moore was quite as happy with the results.