‘RedLines: Baltimore 2028’ will give voice to diverse perspectives on our future and shine a light on various sections of Baltimore’s cultural landscape. Baltimore’s unique position as an intersection point of Northern and Southern culture, the mystique it holds as a port city, the development of the bio-medical industry in the area, and the effects of globalization and immigration are all components that make Baltimore a compelling setting for speculative fiction.
Guidelines: RedLines is seeking unpublished, original Speculative fiction from 2,500 to 5,000 words for publication, set in Baltimore City in the year 2028. Additional consideration will be given to the following:
• Group entries from authors who collaborate to overlap storylines and characters in their respective entries.
• Stories written in Spanish (Please include English translation for submissions written in Spanish.)
• Entries that explore neighborhoods or cultural memes specific to Baltimore.
Publication: Winter 2010
Submission Deadline: May 28th, 2010
Submission Instructions: Email stories attached as Microsoft Word plain text, DOC, RTF, or PDF formatted with 12 point, Arial font, double-spaced to
Please place ‘Baltimore 2028’ in the subject line.
Entries can also be mailed to:
RedLines: Baltimore 2028
1440 E. Baltimore Street, #3B
Baltimore, MD 21231
Include all of the following information with your submission:
1. Name
2. Address
3. Phone Number
4. Email Address
Authors will receive an email from the RedLines editor within a week of their submission to confirm that the submission has been received. Authors whose submissions are accepted for publication will be notified by phone or email on June 30th, 2010.
Now is the time to enter our Cosmos Mariner Award Poetry Contest!: $500 to the winner. Judge: David Kirby. 3-5 unpublished poems (10 pages max.), postmarked May 15. SASE and a $10 check payable to PSGA. Include contact information on cover sheet only. Indicate simultaneous submissions. Manuscripts will not returned. Send to Poetry Society of Georgia P.O. Box 15625 Savannah, GA 31416. There will be no electronic submissions. The winning poem will be published in our yearbook, an annual mailed out to all members, and posted on this blog site. Announcement date of winner to come.
In light of all the conversation/debate we’ve had on this blog recently about Tyler Perry’s adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem, For Colored Girls Who Have Considred Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf - specifically on his recent casting announcements, and the furor over assumptions of how he may or may not have taken over the project from writer/director Nzingha Stewart – I thought I’d reach out to Nzingha, who, by the way, is a fan of this blog, and see what I can learn; but not only to find out what’s going on with the For Colored Girls… project (because she’s not at liberty to speak freely about it in detail), but also, I wanted to find out about her, Nzingha Stewart, the person and the filmmaker – subjects, it seems, have been mostly ignored, as the blogosphere has instead chosen to focus almost solely on the Tyler Perry fiasco.
So, thankfully, Nzingha granted me an interview! And what follows below is our Q&A session, which I think provides some necessary awareness of her that’s been missing all along, since most of us first heard her name last year, when the news about Tyler Perry’s assumption of the For Colored Girls… project livened up the web with lots of chatter.
In it, you’ll learn about how Nzingha got her start in the business, her previous work before attempting to adapt For Colored Girls…, projects that showed promise but were never fully realized for one reason or another (like one that was optioned by Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment production company), her handling of the For Colored Girls… project (including her involvement in it currently; yes, she’s still very much involved, even though we all thought that she was out of it completely), life as a black female filmmaker living in Los Angeles, how she defines her brand of cinema, what she’s been working lately, what she has coming up (including both TV and feature film projects), her recent get away to Costa Rica to finish a script she’ll be directing with Gabrielle Union attached to star, and much more… So, without further ado, read on below (obviously S&A is me, and NS is her):
BEGIN
S&A: I read that you got your start directing music videos for various hip-hop and R&B musicians. Is that really how it all began for you, or did you do something else prior to that, which led to music videos?
NS: I went to NYU, but not for film. I was in the Gallatin School where you could design your own major and designed a philosophy major with a thesis in Chaos and Order – that’s pretty much you’re average day in Hollywood. I could have just moved here early and saved myself four years of school.
While I was there, I interned for music video directors which led to me becoming a treatment writer for Brett Ratner, that then led to me writing treatments for the music video “class of 95″ – Hype Williams, Darren Grant, Steve Carr, etc…
Some of those directors were really supportive when I started directing and helped me get a rep, let me use their vendor accounts to shoot independent videos, etc… in particular Brett Ratner, who I still credit for helping me get started as a filmmaker.
Around 2001 I had a big year with some MTV & MVPA nominations – Common, Sunshine Anderson, Bilal, etc… and could stop writing for anyone else and became a full-fledged music video director.
My web page has a bunch of the videos I’ve done on it if you’re interested. It’s www.nzinghastewart.com.
I wasn’t thinking about features back then, I really loved music videos. I was working with artists that I loved (Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Common, Eve…) and getting to indulge my love of cinematic imagery without having to worry about tying it together with a story. But then of course, had an idea for a screenplay, sent it out, and it was immediately optioned by Overbrook, which made me start to consider a career in feature film. Ultimately, the script wasn’t produced, but it was the one that gave me the feature bug.
S&A: Your IMDB resume shows that you’ve directed a short film titled “The Marriage Counselor,” but not much else. And I’m not sure if you realize this, but “The Marriage Counselor” IMDB page links your film with Tyler Perry’s stage play of the same name, making it appear as if you directed one of his plays, which isn’t the case, I don’t think. It was all sort of puzzling to look at your page and find that, given all that’s transpired since then.
NS: Yeah, I don’t know how to change that IMDB thing. “The Marriage Counselor” was a short film I did that had nothing to do with TP’s stage play.
S&A: How did you get your hands on “For Colored Girls..?”
NS: I originally optioned the play and Ntozake was wonderful and supportive. I wrote a draft and attached the actresses you mentioned (Angela Bassett, Alicia Keys & Sanaa Lathan) so a studio could really see it as a film (it being such an experimental work). I’m now an executive producer on the project and am so happy that it is going to see the light of day. Its a beautiful work that deserves to be supported.
S&A: How faithful was your adaptation to the original work?
NS: It’s probably better for me not to talk about my version of the script because I don’t want it to take away from the version that is being produced now. Especially since the most important part of the story is that a movie based on a book of poetry about a group of nameless black women is getting made.
S&A: So, now that we all know that you’re not going to be making “For Colored Girls…” what have you been doing since then? In general, how are you living? You used to be in New York, and I’m guessing you moved to L.A. to pursue a career in film. Are things working out for you as you expected/hoped they would?
NS: I always miss NY, but moving to Hollywood was the right decision. Writing work has been pretty phenomenal and I definitely consider myself lucky. I sold a show to NBC (that eventually wasn’t produced because of the infamous 5 days a week of Jay Leno), but it opened a lot of doors and gave me confidence in myself as a writer. I then wrote a script for Outlaw Entertainment (the producers of Training Day and The Ugly Truth), when and if that’s produced, I’m attached as a director as well. And, am now writing (and slated to direct) “The Vow” for Lifetime starring Gabrielle Union, and being produced by Tracey Edmonds. I’m also polishing a comedy script with a huge comedy producer (can’t say their name until we finish signing the paperwork), but they produce the kind of movies with Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey. I’m attached to direct that as well.
I still direct music videos and commercials (I completed 6 commercials in January and am now editing a music video for Alexandra Burke, Simon Cowell’s new artist) because even with all of the writing work, nothing beats being on set.
Between directing and writing, I’m one of the lucky few that gets to make a real living at their craft. It hasn’t always been that way and I don’t take it for granted. I just traveled to Costa Rica for a few weeks to finish the script I’m contracted to Lifetime for, and while there, felt pretty emotional to be at the point in my career where if I want to pick up and leave the country for a few weeks because I don’t feel like writing in LA, I can do that. I know how hard it is for artists and I am grateful every single day.
S&A: How would you describe your brand of cinema – specifically, are you drawn to any specific genres and/or kinds of stories?
NS: I’m really drawn to great characters over any particular genre. The show I sold to NBC was a half-hour sitcom, my feature comedy has a white female protagonist and is kind of “The Jerk” meets “40-Year Old Virgin”. The Lifetime project is a romantic comedy based on a book by Essence editors Mitzi Miller, Angela Burt-Murray and Denene Milner. I’m also developing a dramatic musical with the producers of Chicago and Hairspray. The project for Outlaw is a “teen-genre movie,” and I’m developing an independent horror/ love story that is already financed and is a strange, cool “zombie love story.” So, as long as there is an opportunity to tell a story about a group of characters I fall in love with, I’m on it, regardless of genre.
S&A: As a filmmaker who happens to be black and female, with so few actually working in the biz today, and in the history of the biz, and with competition seemingly so stiff, how do you motivate yourself to keep at it, fully aware of the challenges in front of you? Or is that not even something you think about? When you walk into meetings with producers, do those age-old stories we’ve all heard about, happen to you – for example, the white producer telling the black filmmaker that they need to “blacken up” their screenplays, or to cast white actors in roles meant for blacks, because black faces don’t sell the way white faces do, etc, etc, etc?
NS: It really has never been a problem, in terms of competition. I think black people are always so scared of each other as competition, when the truth is when one of us does well, it helps all of us get our projects made. I think the same thing about female filmmakers. The real struggle is always when you go through those periods where you get a bunch of no’s or you get close on something and it goes away, but I’ve learned that in a game of chicken with the universe, you usually win. So often, I’ve had to make a conscious decision that even if it’s painful or it’s a struggle, I’m going to do this anyway, and usually within a few weeks (or once literally within minutes!) the universe will give in, and say “you win.”
In terms of the “blackening of screenplays” I’ve never been in that position because if I’m in a room, then they’ve seen my work and know, I’m not that kind of filmmaker – Take a look at the Bilal video or the Common videos or even Dashboard Confessional on my website and you’ll see what I mean. If they want some coonery, they’re not even going to take a meeting with me and vice versa right from the start.
I always try to approach things based on if I love it and if it’s worth fighting for. And then the discussion never becomes about race, but about whether things are right for the script or if they serve the story. Sometimes, the disagreements are so fundamental that it’s better for me to walk away or the studio to decide to go with someone else, but those disagreements haven’t been about race, they’ve been about story.
S&A: Are you strictly a writer/director, meaning would you rather be like a Woody Allen and only direct from scripts that you write, or are you open to being a director-for-hire, like an Antoine Fuqua, for example? And if the latter, have you put limits on yourself on what you’re willing to direct or not direct?
NS: Most of the projects I’m writing now, I’m also attached to direct. If we can make the schedule work, I may be directing the indie movie I mentioned earlier, and I didn’t write that one. -That’s another project that race never factored in any of the discussions. it’s a white writer, and the producers are white, they were just big fans of my music video work. They knew I was black before approaching me, but they want the movie to feel the way my music videos feel, even though the videos they’re referencing are largely black, and the cast is largely white.
S&A: And lastly, a question that comes up often – how do you define “black cinema?” We often discuss the label, and if it’s something that can be readily defined with a list of characteristics, or if it’s best not to define it. Your definition or thoughts on that?
NS: That’s tough. I started to say when it’s written and directed by black people, but I don’t know if I would even characterize at least two of the projects I’m working on now as “black cinema” since they have white leads. But I definitely think of myself as a black filmmaker.
Then I started to say “Black cinema” is when it stars black people, but are Will Smith movies “black cinema”? Is Beverly Hills Cop?
What about the projects that feel like minstrel shows to me, but other black people love them (and that’s not a criticism of the audience, my mother LOVES those movies)? They’re definitely “black”, but “cinema?” They’re more like a business idea than an art. So I don’t know… Hopefully, we’ll have a real definition soon because it’ll mean enough black movies are being made that we don’t need to reach backwards to answer that or think about one or two filmmakers that only represent a portion of what we can do to be definitive.
END!
Alright!! That’s it folks! I thank Nzingha for her time, and for answering these questions thoroughly! Often I get these short sentence answers, and I’m glad she was wordy and forthcoming. So, get to know Nzingha Stewart, because I think we’ll be hearing more about her in coming years… at least we hope so! And, of course, once we know more about any of her upcoming projects, you’ll also know!
For now, as she verified, she is still involved in the For Colored Girls… project, in an executive producer capacity. Also, you can read read up on her Gabrielle Union project which we profiled last summer on this blog HERE. I think that was the very first time Nzingha’s name was mentioned on this blog, and my first time hearing about her.
Also, check out her blog HERE, where you’ll find all the commercials and music videos she’s directed, including this one – Common’sThe Light:
Owen Maseko the world famous Zimbabwean artist has been arrested. His crime? He dared to be bold. Maseko opened his exhibition last night at the Bulawayo National Art Gallery, an artist’s impression of the harsh reality of Gukurahundi as well as the decades of oppression and violence that have characterised Zimbabwe. In a combination of graffiti, 3D installations and his painting Maseko unflinchingly dared to tell the truth, adding his usual and whimsical element of humour. Visit his website here.
Voti Thebe, the person in charge of the Bulawayo National Arts Gallery, was also arrested.
Stand up for the freedom of expression in Zimbabwe and help free Maseko. He is being held at Bulawayo Central Police Station, charges have not been made, but they are refusing to release him. Because he has been arrested on a Friday, Maseko is likely to spend the whole weekend in one of Zimbabwe’s filthy cells.
TAKE ACTION
Please call the police and ask that Owen Maseko and Voti Thebe are released immediately. Point out to them that both the current constitution, and the Kariba Draft, protect an individuals right to free expression. Remind them that their role is to follow the rule of the law; ask them what grounds they have for arresting Maseko and Thebi.
Please be calm and polite when talking to the police. Ask the person you are speaking to to carry a message to Maseko – ask him/her to tell him the world is watching and standing by them.
Please join our Facebook group. We will be uploading images of some of the artwork that the police and Mugabe do not want the world to see to both Facebook and Flickr. Please share these images widely with everyone you know. Please ask them to support Maseko’s freedom, just as he supports ours.
These are the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) telephone numbers to call in Bulawayo.
Charge office
+263 (9) 72515
Central charge office hotlines:
+263 (9) 72525
+263 (9) 66306
+263 (9) 66340
ZRP press and public relations:
+263 (9) 60358
Maseko's painting depicts Robert Mugabe grabbing votes from the people of Zimbabwe
Recently I read an article on African-American MLB player Torii Hunter, in which he said, among other things, that dark-skinned Latino baseball players are "not us, they're impostors," and it sparked the question: how do Latinos see themselves in terms of race?
For me, a couple of elements need to be factored in. I am a tan-skinned Dominican female, born and raised in New York City by non-English-speaking immigrant parents; I have unruly, coarse yet curly hair that I wear out most of the time; and I have curves up and down my figure. Depending on where I am in the world, I am considered Latina -- especially when I open my mouth and let out my thick Spanish accent -- or, because of my "light brown" skin color and the texture of my tresses, Black.
In the melting pot that is New York City, most people assume I'm Latina and usually hit it on the money by guessing Dominican. When I go to the west coast, specifically San Diego, which I frequent a lot, I'm mixed: Black and White. Even when I open my mouth, they don't think I'm Mexican (the Latino ethnicity they are most familiar with), they're just kind of confused. "How can a Black woman have such a heavy Spanish accent?" one friend told me she wondered after meeting me the first time.
On the flip side, when I visit the D.R., I'm simply just not " Latina enough." My Spanish is choppy (because English is my second and primary language) and my hair isn't processed, like most Dominican women with my hair type. In the D.R., I'm called "la Americana ," or the American. Little do they know that in the states I'm not "white enough" to be "la Americana" either.
For New York's Hot 97 radio DJ Kast One, an Afro-Latino, his dark skin has been more of an "advantage. I appreciate being able to switch back and forth between the two languages and my Dominican culture and my more Americanized one," he says. Kast One, who says he's been more so embraced by the Black community, says he's faced more acceptance issues from Dominicans themselves. "I remember going to D.R. as a kid and locals who thought I was Black (American) and didn't speak Spanish asking each other, "quienen son estos malditos cocolos?!" (who are these f--king Black n-ggas?) They were talking about us," he says.
When I read Torii Hunter's statements it made me think about some of my own experiences and how that's affected my attempts to put my Afro-Latino roots and physicalities in perspective. Like, the group of Black women at the Harlem YMCA gym I go to that don't like when the Black men in the gym give me, a Latina, attention, when there are "so many Black women in the gym to choose from." Or, how my ex-boyfriend's sister wasn't too excited about him, a Black man, wifing a Latina up. Or even my own family's comments about me as a Latina dating a Black man. "You're the one that's going to have to deal with having ugly babies with bad hair," I recall one cousin-in-law saying once. Or even their continuous questions about why I don't straighten my hair to appear "less Black."
These kinds of comments don't sit well with me. In fact, they confuse me. Why should my skin color matter? But then Zoe Saldana, an Afro-Latina like me, a Dominican-American like me, makes the cover of Essence magazine, and I realize it doesn't matter. And like me, she is also asked to define herself when she goes back to the native land, and she says she is a "mujer negra," a black woman. When they tell her no, she is "triguenita," or light brown, she answers, "I am a black woman."
At the end of it all, acceptance comes from within and, like Saldana, I am a Black woman too. I "fit the mold" physically and culturally, thanks to my African roots which I embrace wholeheartedly, from the inside out.
Mariel Concepcion grew up in Harlem, N.Y., and joined Billboard.com in February 2007. The former Vibe online editor graduated from the New School University in 2002 with a B.A. in journalism. Her byline has appeared in such publications as Vibe, Vixen, Scratch, the New York Post, Upscale and Billboard magazine.
Editor's Note: For a little background on Afro-Latino culture and history check out the trailer for Creador Pictures' documentary "AfroLatinos" below.
Erykah Badu talks New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) & the meaning of the video for Window Seat, which I posted yesterday, and which inspired mucho discussion all over the blogosphere about what it all means. Well, here’s what the creator says about it:
For 79 years, the Annual Writer’s Digest Competition has rewarded writers just like you for their finest work. We continue the tradition by giving away more than $30,000 in cash and prizes!
Win a trip to New York City !
GRAND PRIZE: $3,000 cash and a trip to New York City to meet with editors or agents. Writer's Digest will fly you and a guest to The Big Apple, where you'll spend three days and two nights in the publishing capital of the world. While you're there, a Writer's Digest editor will escort you to meet and share your work with four editors or agents!
Entry Deadline: May 14, 2010.
Add $5 per manuscript or poem to Entry Fee(s) on all entries submitted after May 14.
Compete and Win in 10 Categories!
Inspirational Writing (Spiritual/Religious)
Memoirs/Personal Essay
Magazine Feature Article
Genre Short Story (Mystery, Romance, etc.)
Mainstream/Literary Short Story
Rhyming Poetry
Non-rhyming Poetry
Stage Play
Television/Movie Script
Children's/Young Adult Fiction
Entry Fee: Poems are $15 for the first entry; $10 for each additional poem submitted in the same online session. All other entries are $20 for the first manuscript; $15 for each additional manuscript submitted in the same online session.
Add $5 per manuscript to all entries submitted after May 14, 2010. Entries submitted after June 01, 2010, will not be accepted.
Grand Prize: $3,000 cash and a trip to New York City to meet with editors and agents.
You'll spend three days and two nights in NYC and a Writer's Digest editor will escort you to meet with four editors or agents of your choice! (Includes airfare within the U.S., meals, transportation and related expenses.)
First Place: The First Place Winner in each category receives $1,000 cash and $100 worth of Writer's Digest Books.
Second Place: The Second Place Winner in each category receives $500 cash, plus $100 worth of Writer's Digest Books.
Third Place: The Third Place Winner in each category receives $250 cash, plus $100 worth of Writer's Digest Books.
Fourth Place: The Fourth Place Winner in each category receives $100 cash.
Fifth Place: The Fifth-Place Winner in each category receives $50 cash.
Sixth through Tenth Place: The Sixth- through Tenth-Place winners in each category receive $25 cash.
First through Tenth Place Winners also receive a copy of the 2011 Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition and a one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest Magazine.
11th through 100th Place: All other winners receive distinctive certificates honoring their accomplishment.
The Grand Prize manuscript, the First Place manuscript in each category, and the names of the top 100 winners in each category will be printed in a special competition collection. Purchase a copy online or use the coupon on the printable entry form. (Publication date: November 2010. You are not required to purchase the collection to enter the competition.)
You may enter as many manuscripts as you like in each of the following categories:
Memoirs/Personal Essay, Magazine Feature Article and Children's/Young Adult Fiction: 2,000 words maximum.
Mainstream/Literary Short Story and Genre Short Story: 4,000 words maximum.
Inspirational Writing: 2,500 words maximum.
Rhyming Poem and Non-rhyming Poem: 32 lines maximum.
Stage Play Script or Television/Movie Script: Send the first 15 pages in standard script format, plus a one-page synopsis. Complete scripts are not eligible. Scripts—original or written for any series in production on or after January 1, 2010—are eligible; adaptations will not be accepted.
Preparing Your Entry:
Enter online or you submit your entry via regular mail. Offline entries must be accompanied by an Entry Form, and the required entry fee (credit card information, check or money order made payable to Writer's Digest). If you are entering more than one manuscript, you may mail all entries in the same envelope and write one check for the total entry fee; however, each manuscript must have its category indicated in the upper left-hand corner. You may enter online even if you are paying with a check.
Your entry must be original, in English, unpublished* and unproduced, not accepted by any other publisher or producer at the time of submission.Writer's Digest retains one-time publication rights to the Grand Prize and First Place winning entries in each category to be published in a Writer's Digest publication.
* Entries in the Magazine Feature Article category may be previously published.
If you are submitting your entry via regular mail, the entry must be typed on one side of 8-1/2 x 11 or A4 white paper. Scripts and poems may be either double-or single-spaced; all other manuscripts must be double-spaced. Your name, address, phone number and competition category must appear in the upper left-hand corner of the first page—otherwise your entry is disqualified.
BE SURE OF YOUR WORD COUNT! Entries exceeding the word or page limits will be disqualified. Type the exact word count(counting every single word, except the title and contact information) at the top of the manuscript.
Mailed entries that are more than one page in length must be stapled.
Every entry will be read by the judges. Judges' decisions are final. Judges reserve the right to re-categorize entries.
Entries must be postmarked by June 1, 2010. We cannot return submitted manuscripts so keep a copy for your records. To receive notification of the receipt of your manuscript, send a self-addressed stamped postcard along with your entry. Please note that it may take up to 30 days after the deadline for all entries to be opened and sent to the judges.
The Grand Prize Winner and a guest must agree to travel (flying from the same city) during March, April or May 2011. The editors or agents who meet with the Grand Prize Winner are under no obligation to read, buy or represent the Grand Prize Winner's work.
The following are not permitted to enter the contest: employees of F+W Media, Inc., and their immediate family members; Writer's Digest contributing editors and correspondents as listed on our masthead; Writer's Online Workshops instructors; and Grand Prize Winners from the previous three years.
Top Award Winners will be notified by mail before October 22, 2010. The top 10 winners in each category will be listed in the November/December 2010 issue of Writer's Digest. All 1,001 winners will be listed in the 79th Annual Writer's Digest Competition Collection and at www.writersdigest.com after the December issue is published. Prizes/awards certificates will be mailed by November 15, 2010.
Occasionally we make portions of our customer list available to other companies so they may contact you about products and services that may be of interest to you. If you prefer we withhold your name, simply send a note with your name, address, and the competition name to: List Manager, F+W Media, Inc., 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236.
Q: Is it okay to have illustration pictures on the cover?
A: Please send the text only
Q: If there is a word count, how many words per page am I allowed?
No preference
Q: How large of print is allowed?
No preference
Q: Are pen names allowed?
Pen names are fine. Write your pen name on all forms etc. so there is no mistakes on credits. Please be advised that we only need your real name if you are chosen as a winner (in order to issue prizes).
Q: What if I am not a U.S. resident?
WD writing competitions are open to non-U.S. residents as well. Please refer to the entry form and guidelines. All entry fees are due in U.S. Dollars.
Q: Is there an age limit for entrants?
No
Q: What if I wanted to submit only part of my novel into the competition ( to stay with in the maximum number of words)?
If you submit a portion of a novel please understand that it will be judged as a complete story, not part of another work, so it needs to a complete story in and of itself.
Q: Can the same title be entered in multiple categories of the WD Annual?
Yes, it can
Q: When will winners be notified?
Top Award Winners will be notified by mail before October 22, 2010. The top 10 winners in each category will be listed in the December 2010 issue of Writer's Digest. All 1,001 winners will be listed in the 79th Annual Writer's Digest Competition Collectionand at www.writersdigest.com after the December issue is published. Prizes/awards certificates will be mailed by November 15, 2010.
Q: What are the word count requirements for each category?
Memoirs/Personal Essay, Magazine Feature Article and Children's/Young Adult Fiction: 2,000 words maximum.
Mainstream/Literary Short Story and Genre Short Story: 4,000 words maximum.
Inspirational Writing: 2,500 words maximum.
Rhyming Poem and Non-rhyming Poem: 32 lines maximum.
Stage Play Script or Television/Movie Script: Send the first 15 pages in standard script format, plus a one-page synopsis. Complete scripts are not eligible. Scripts—original or written for any series in production on or after January 1, 2010—are eligible; adaptations will not be accepted.
Q: What are possible category definitions? Genre Fiction: Stories that fit into a specific classification such as mystery, romance, science fiction, horror or fantasy.
Mainstream/Literary Fiction: Serious, non-formulaic fiction that does not fit into a genre.
Personal Essay: This is an article that is distinguished by and draws its power from its personal viewpoint. In such pieces, the author examines an issue, event, experience, place or idea and offers an opinion or some other reaction to it. The goal of an essay may be to explain, justify or persuade. The last is most often the goal of newspaper op-ed essays. Examples of other types of essays may be found in such magazine columns as Redbook's "A Young Mother's Story" or Writer's Digest's "Chronicle".
Feature Article: This is an article that is "reported"—the writer has researched a topic and explains the topic to readers. Often there is a "service" angle—a clear benefit that readers can take away from the article. There are many types of feature articles: how-to articles, personality profiles, Q&A's, informational pieces, travel articles. They may include events drawn from the author's personal experience, but the focus of the article is on providing readers with information. Features make up the bulk of most magazines' editorial offerings.
Inspirational: An article, essay or story with an explicitly religious, spiritual or otherwise inspirational focus. An article that's suitable for Guideposts or St. Anthony Messenger, for example, would be inspirational. An essay on how the power of Christ, (or Buddha, or Allah or Vashti) touched your life would be inspirational. A story about the power of religion, the power of prayer, or the power of the universe would be inspirational.
Rhyming Poetry: When the last word of some or all lines rhyme with each other. Ask yourself: What is the rhyme scheme of my poem? If you don't understand what that question means, your poem is probably non-rhyming. Most formal poetry is considered rhyming poetry (such as sonnets or ballads).
Non-rhyming poetry: When there is no recognizable or purposeful rhyme scheme or structure. Free verse falls under this category.
*Judges reserve the right to re-categorize entries.
We are still excited, still eager to provide this new outlet to the poetic creativity powers existing out there, in the world.
The guideline for this second contest will prompt you to find your inspiration in the words of two great, creative minds: Neruda and Asimov. Nothing in common between the two except... greatness. Hereunder, please find their words:
Pablo Neruda: "You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming."
Isaac Asimov: "If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster."
Can you write a poem taking these cues as your guideline? We know you can. Take the cues as liberally as you wish to, what we are looking for is, simply put, great poetry. Good luck!
Entries expected and accepted until 31 May 2010.
Contest results will be published on 31 July 2010.
Yes, we are all humans (well, most of us...), therefore a few days here or there, either for your submissions or for our results publishing, will be taken with a smile.
Frequently asked questions
Note: Due to spam prevention, email addresses are not linked
1. How do I submit?Please pay via Paypal the relevant amount, according to the number of poems you intend to submit.We simplified the procedure: when we accept your payment, you will receive to your mailbox a notification that the payment was received. Please make sure you mention on your poems a link to your paypal payment (name or email address) so that we can associate between them. Please send the poems as a .doc attachment to: aquillrelle_at_aquillrelle.com .
2. How do I pay? Please use Paypal only, send the total as per your number of poems to be sent. Please use as receiver of the payment: aquillrelle_at_aquillrelle.com.
3. Can I send more than 5 poems?Yes, each group of 5 poems will be calculated independently for payment.
4. Can I send my poetry in printed form?Sorry, no (reason – lack of time to change it into electronic form).
5. How will I know if my poem won? You will be informed by email to your mailbox. The top 3 winners will have to send us their address, and they will receive the book containing the winners and the runners up.
6. How many poems will be in the book? A maximum total of 80 poems - the 3 winners and 77 runner-up poems. If there are insufficient runner-up poems, the book will contain as many as suitable.
7. Can I win more than one top prize?Since the judging is anonymous - yes, this might happen.
8. Who are the judges? The site administrators (who are poets themselves) + occasionally a guest judge. 9. Can I send corrections to a submission? Yes, but please - one time only. 10. Can I use "poetical license" for my wording, phrasing, English? Certainly, after all this is an integral part of the art of poetry. Just make sure we know about it (if not obvious) so your poem doesn't suffer any set-back because we misunderstand and take an "intentional mistake" for a "genuine typo".
11. Do you edit the submissions? No. Therefore, badly spelled poems have almost no chance of winning, since they will not be suitable either for a prize, or for a final book of poetry.
12. Can I get my money back? Sorry, no.
13. How do I get my prize money? We will send it exclusively via Paypal. Our prizes are in Euros or US$ (will be defined for each contest).
14. If there are insufficient submissions? We hope this will never be the case. However, in the unlikely event of insufficient submissions - we will Paypalback to you the exact amount we received from you via Paypal (which is lower than you sent, since Paypal takes a commission for each transfer).
15. Are you willing to edit/publish my book of poetry? This is not our main activity, even though we do it occasionally at a very reasonable price; editing of text excluded. Contact us at: aquillrelle_at_aquillrelle.com. Publishing is either via Lulu or via Amazon, ISBN included of course.
16. Where are you physically located? We are based in Europe, with our main server located in Houston, Texas.
17. How do you protect yourself from viruses? Our server provider does it for us.
18. Languages? English only, and we do not mind UK or US, even though our spell-checker and dictionaries are US oriented. (NOTE: if occasion arrises we may try a contest in another language)
19. Is this a serious outfit? Very. Both nice and serious.
What is the Hunger Mountain Prize for Young Writers?
An annual contest for high school students. A chance for your fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction to be read by Hunger Mountain editors and guest judges!
What will the winners receive?
Three first place winners receives $250 and publication!
Three runners-up receive $100 each.
There will be a first place winner and runner up in each category: fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.
Who can enter the contest?
Any high school student with a piece of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction.
Who is this year’s judge?
The 2010 judge is M.T. Anderson, National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; Burger Wuss; and Feed.
When is the deadline?
The postmark deadline is April 30.
Is there an entry fee?
Yes. The entry fee is $10.
What kind of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction is acceptable?
We accept all forms of poetry, and poets may enter up to three poems in one entry packet.
Fiction can be experimental of traditional.
Creative nonfiction can be a personal essay or a mini-memoir.
What are the guidelines?
$10 entry fee. Make checks payable to “Hunger Mountain”
Entries must be postmarked by April 30th
Writing must be original, written in English, and previously unpublished
Submissions should be under 8000 words.
Poets may submit up to three poems per entry.
Your name and address should not appear anywhere on the manuscript itself.
Instead, enclose a standard index card with essay title and your name, address, phone number, and email address
Enclose an SASE for notification of winners or plan on checking www.hungermtn.org for winners on a regular basis.
Entries must be typed, double-spaced, and on one side of the paper only. Use Times New Roman font, and please don’t staple!
Once submitted, entries cannot be altered
Multiple entries allowed—but each entry must include a separate entry fee
Mariel Concepcion grew up in Harlem, N.Y., and joined Billboard.com in February 2007. The former Vibe online editor graduated from the New School University in 2002 with a B.A. in journalism. Her byline has appeared in such publications as Vibe, Vixen, Scratch, the New York Post, Upscale and Billboard magazine. 
