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SUNDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS: Calls for Submissions, Contests, Events and Other News and Information

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

Opportunity Knocks

KILLER NASHVILLE’S Broken Ribbon is still open for submissions to its annual issue.  Submissions of poetry and fiction are welcome through deadline: November 15th. Details are HERE.

AZOTH KHEM PUBLISHING has calls for submissions open for several fiction anthologies: Carnival of Madness, The Beast Under Your Bed (Young Adult), Big Girls Don’t Cry: An Anthology of Strong Women, I Will Not Bow: An Anthology of Persevering Men, 2017: A Space Obituary: The Return of SciFi Horror, and Conspiracy Takes a Holiday. Details HERE.

SAVANT BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS LLC has an open call for submissions for the 2018 Savant Poetry Anthology. Interested poets are invited to submit up to five poems. The deadline is 31 December 2017.  Details HERE.

SAVANT BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS LLC “seeks the best in enduring literary (book/eBook), audio (CD) and audio-video (DVD) works “with a twist” that expand readers, listeners, and/or viewers’ points-of-view and world outlook. SBAP only accepts never-before-published, solicited and non-solicited manuscripts, audio works and audio-video works. SBAP accepts works by both established and previously unpublished authors, recording artists or audio-video producers. SBAP does not require that the submitter be represented by an agent.” Further details HERE.

AIGNOS PUBLISHING, an imprint of Savant Books and Publications LLC, seeks “avant garde, experimental and inventive works that ‘push the leading edge’ of all genres of fiction and non-fiction.  Aignos accepts solicited and non-solicited manuscripts for books from established and/or previously unpublished authors.” Details HERE. AP does not require that a submitter be represented by an agent. 

THE POETRY FOUNDATION’S POETRY MAGAZINE will reopen for submissions on July 31. Details HERE.

THE BeZINE submissions for the August 2017 issue – themed Theatre –  closes at midnight PST on August 10th. Publication date is August 15th. Poetry, essays, fiction and creative nonfiction, art and photography, music and theatre (videos), and whatever lends itself to online presentation is welcome for consideration. Please check out a few issues first and the Intro./Mission Statement and Submission Guidelines. No demographic restrictions. We would especially encourage submissions from people who are involved one way or the other in theatre. Essays from theatre lovers on the impact of a specific show or the art in general on personal life or on culture in general are welcome, as is critique or historical perspective. Please keep in mind that we do not publish anything that promotes hate or violence. Special guest host is Richard Lingua, theatre aficionado, occasional actor and frequent lecturer. All submissions to Founding and Managing Editor, Jamie Dedes, bardogoup@gmail.com

LITTLE RED TREE PUBLISHING (Delight, Entertain, Educate) “is currently accepting unsolicited full length manuscripts of fiction and creative nonfiction throughout the year. Translations and bi-lingual manuscripts will be considered, but all work must be in the English language.” Manuscripts must include a $20 reading fee.  Details HERE.

CONTESTS

Opportunity Knocks

KILLER NASHVILLE’S Broken Ribbon is open for submissions to it’s fiction contest and poetry contest. Fee $15. Cash awards and possible publication. Deadline: November 15th. Details are HERE.

LITTLE RED TREE PUBLISHING 6TH INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE First prize of $1,500. $5 submission fee for “any number of poems.”Submissions must be postmarked (or emailed date of transmission) no later than deadline December 31, 2017.  Details HERE.

LITTLE RED TREE PUBLISHING Vernice Quebodeaux “Pathways” 5th Poetry Prize for Women $20 reading fee. Deadline: December 31. Details HERE.

WRITER’S DIGEST 5TH ANNUAL SELF-PUBLISHED E-COMPETITIONS “spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors. Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter WD’s newest competition, exclusively for self-published e-books.” Cash awards. Early-bird Deadline August 1. Entry fees: $99 first entry. $75 subsequent entries. Deadline: September 5, 2017. First entry, $110. Each additional entry, $85. Details HERE.

WRITER’S DIGEST 10th ANNUAL POETRY AWARDS welcomes entries “of all styles–rhyming, free verse, and haiku. Cash award, Publication. Early-bird Deadline: October 2. Entry fee: $15 first entry. $10 second entry. Deadline: September 5. First entry, $20. Each additional entry, $15. Details HERE.

WRITER’S DIGEST POPULAR FICTION AWARDS for short stories: Romance, Thriller, Crime, Horror, Science-Fiction, and Young Adult. 4,000 words or less. Cash awards. Publication. Early-bird Deadline: October 16. Entry fee, $20. Deadline: November 15, $25 for first entry. Each additional entry, $20. Details HERE.

WRITER’S DIGEST 18TH ANNUAL SHORT SHORT STORY COMPETITIONS Length: 1,500 words or less. Cash awards. Publication. Early-Bird Deadline: November 15. First entry, $25. Each additional entry, $20. Deadline: December 15. First entry, $30. Each additional entry, $25.

SIXFOLD, short stories and poetry/the completely writer-voted journal is open until tomorrow, July 24 at 11:59 ET. You are able to submit electronically, so if you’ve something prepared you still have time. Details HERE.

EVENTS

  • BABISHAI POETRY FESTIVAL 2017, August 4-6, Kampala Uganda. “Imagine,” the organizers say, “Imagine a banquet of poetry! Every delicacy of haiku, verse, outlandish performances and heart-wrenching stories. Imagine a television show with all your favourite and worst actors on the same stage singing the same song. Anything is possible.
    Edition III of the Babishai Niwe Poetry Festival, begins in two month’s time. In the first week of August, from 4th to 6th, it’s poetry time. We’ve held two poetry festivals so far, five poetry competitions for Ugandan women, three poetry competitions for Africans and this year, our second African haiku competition.  Come! Let’s talk poetry!” Call +256 703147862.
    Email us at babishainiwe@babishainiwe.com Follow us on Twitter@BNPoetryAward.
  • O’MIAMI POETRY FESTIVAL, a month-long initiative with the mission of every single person in Miami-Dade County encountering a poem.April 1, 2018 and runs until April 30, 2018. Details HERE.

KUDOS

  • SHARYL FULLER (a.k.a. Annie) for her work on Downtown LA Life as both a digital editor, poet laureate and contributor. Downtown LA Life is is an international online magazine that has been produced monthly for seventeen years …downtownlalife.com. … Sharyl says, “we have contributors world wide in all the arts. I also contribute to a monthly personal column – new short story & poem each month as well as promote writers in two different columns that are theme specific as well as a writer in New Orleans who is doing a saga of his experience during Hurricane Katrina – The Devil’s Slot Machine – and finally a poet each month in a section called Poetry Connection … new poets as well as published poets.”
  • HÉLÈNE CARDONA for recent participation in a panel discussion on the film Chocolate with Rincón de la Cultura,Teatro y Poesía. Helene had a role in the film. “La actriz y poetisa Helene Cardona, residente en Estados Unidos, presentó en la sala Martínez Villena de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba la película Chocolate, del director Lasse Hallström, como parte del programa del Primer Festival de Poesía Itinerante Nuestra América en el cual participa. Rosalía Arnáez, acompañada del actor Rolando Núñez, presidentes de las asociaciones de Cine, Radio y Televisión, y de las Artes Escénicas, de la UNEAC, respectivamente,  sintetizó el currículum de la también traductora que ha cursado estudios y laborado en diversas y prestigiosas universidades de Europa y los Estados Unidos y ha participado en cerca de veinte producciones cinematográficas  de diferentes géneros desempeñando papeles protagónicos como el drama Paradiso, y la cinta de acción Bienvenidos al purgatorio, ambas del presente año. En cuanto a su poesía, Cardona tiene publicados los cuadernos. The Astonished Universe (2006); Dreaming My Animal Selves (2013); Ceque nous portons (2014), y Life in Suspension; Beyond Elsewhere; Winner of a Hemingway Grant y Whitman’s Civil War, todos del 2016.” por Susana Méndez Muñoz en Neva Cubava
  • To the publisher and all the poets/writers/friends included in the Peacock Journal Anthology

NEWS & INFORMATION

YOUR SUNDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS may be emailed to thepoetbyday@gmail.com. Please do so at least a week in advance.

If you would like me to consider reviewing your book, chapbook, magazine or film, here are some general guidelines:

  • nothing that foments hate or misunderstanding
  • nothing violent or encouraging of violence
  • English only, though Spanish is okay if accompanied by translation
  • though your book or other product doesn’t have to be available through Amazon for review here, it should be easy for readers to find through your site or other venues.

DISCLAIMER

Often information is just that – information – and not necessarily recommendation. I haven’t worked with all the publications featured in Sunday Announcements or elsewhere on this site. Awards and contests are often a means to generate income and publicity for the host organizations, some of which are more reputable than others. I am homebound due to disability and no longer attend events. Please be sure to verify information for yourself before submitting work, buying products, paying fees or attending events et al.

Affiliate Links Disclosure:
Some product links within posts are Amazon affiliate links. The Poet by Day is supported in part by these links. Your use of them costs you nothing and helps to keep this site running. When you click on a affiliate link (not all links are affiliate) and/or make a purchase I sometimes receive a small percentage of the purchase price. Thank you for your support.

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LATE BREAKING NEWS: London Book Fair Announces International Excellence Awards Winners

The London Book Fair 2016. Few minutes before opening. Olympia, London UK
The London Book Fair 2016. Few minutes before opening. Olympia, London UK

· French publisher Actes Sud wins Adult Trade Publisher
· Readings in Australia crowned Bookstore of the Year
· US and Chinese publishers lead the field with two awards each
· Sudan, Brazil, Poland and New Zealand also won awards

The winners of The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards, in association with The Publishers Association and sponsored by Hytex,  announced at a prestigious awards ceremony held on the first day of LBF.

French publisher Actes Sud took home The Bookseller Adult Trade Publisher Award and was commended for its “depth and breadth of publishing, second-to-none design and production values, and a ground-breaking list”. The judges also praised its imprint Sindbad “which champions writing from the Arabic and Muslim worlds”.

In a new category for 2016, The Bookstore of the Year Award went to Melbourne-based Readings for “its community outreach, support of Australian authors and its help for non-profit organisations working on literacy initiatives”.

The US had another successful year at the awards, with two wins overall. Words Without Borders won The Publishers Weekly Literary Translation Initiative Award with judges reflecting that “literature in the translation sector is flourishing with momentum, passion and innovation”. In The Global Rights 365 Literary Agent Award category, New-York-based The Barbara J. Zitwer Agency, who had previously been nominated for The Outstanding Contribution Award 2014, took the crown and was praised for “for the grace and persistence of her dealings”.

China had a fantastic night and was awarded two highly coveted prizes. The BookBrunch Children’s and Young Adult Trade Publisher Award was presented to Jieli Publishing House Co. Ltd because of “its broad and inclusive approach” and its catalogue reflecting “the best of both home grown and international authors and books”. Meanwhile, China also won the Market Focus Achievement Award as accepted by government owned CNPIEC (China National Publications Import & Export).

Jacks Thomas, Director, The London Book Fair, said: “The awards represent the very best the publishing industry has to offer across the globe, and we were delighted to see winners from countries as far afield as Sudan, France, Poland, New Zealand and Brazil. For me, meeting and celebrating these publishers’ hard work, dedication and talent is such a fundamental part of the Book Fair. It is these inspiring companies and people around the world who make publishing such a special industry, that I am privileged to work in.”

Earls Court Exhibition Centre from Warwick Road SW5, near to Kensington, Kensington And Chelsea, Great Britain. During the 2009 London Book Fair
Earls Court Exhibition Centre from Warwick Road SW5, near to Kensington, Kensington And Chelsea, Great Britain. During the 2009 London Book Fair

Stephen Lotinga, Chief Executive, The UK Publishers Association, said: “The International Excellence Awards provide an incredible opportunity to recognise achievements within the publishing industry globally. It showcases the wealth of cultural diversity driving the production of enriching works enjoyed by people worldwide. From France to New Zealand, from Sudan to China, the commitment and dedication demonstrated by the publishers has been none other than inspirational and it has been an honour to hear their stories and celebrate as part of the London Book Fair.”

The full list of this year’s International Excellence Awards winners is below:

· The Bookstore of the Year Award
o Readings (Australia)

· The Literary Festival Award
o Flupp (Brazil)

· The Publishers Weekly Literary Translation Initiative Award
o Words without Borders (US)
· The Knowledgespeak Academic and Professional Publisher Award
o Auckland University Press (New Zealand)
· The BookBrunch Children’s and Young Adult Trade Publisher Award
o Jieli Publishing House Co. Ltd (China)
· The Bookseller Adult Trade Publisher Award
o Actes Sud (France)
· The China Publishing & Media Journal Educational Learning Resources Award
o SuperMemo World sp. z o.o. (Poland)
· The Global Rights 365 Literary Agent Award
o The Barbara J. Zitwer Agency (US)

· The Education Initiatives Award
o United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) (Sudan)
· The Market Focus Achievement Award
o Market Focus China (China)

· The Total Licensing IP Rights Across Media Award
o The Night Zookeeper (UK)

Also hosted on the night was a selection of awards held in association with The London Book Fair:

· The London Book Fair Simon Master Chairman’s Award
o Ernest Hecht

· The Quantum Publishing Innovation Award
o Reedsy

· The IPA Prix Voltaire 2016
o Raif Badawi (Saudi Arabia)

· The London Book Fair Trailblazer Awards
o George Burgess, Entrepreneur and Marketing Lead at Gojimo
o Clio Cornish, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins
o Nick Coveney, Head of Digital at Kings Road Publishing
o Ella Kahn, Co-Founder of DKW Literary Agency & Bryony Woods, Co-Founder of DKW Literary Agency

· The Association for Publishing Education Dissertation and Project Prizes
o Best Dissertation for a Postgraduate: Veronica Morgan, University College London
o Best Dissertation for an Undergraduate: Fiona Parker, Loughborough University (BA Publishing with English)
o Best Overall Project: Amy Ellis, Oxford Brookes University

· Accessible Books Consortium Award for Accessible Publishing: Initiative (Joint winner)
o Action on Disability Rights and Development (ADRAD) (Nepal)
o DK & the DK Braille Concept Development Team (UK)

· Accessible Books Consortium Award for Accessible Publishing: Publisher
o Elsevier B.V

· The London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award
o Gail, Baroness Rebuck, DBE, Chair of Penguin Random House, UK

The awards, which celebrate international excellence in the book industry, cover the whole scope of international publishing, including academic and scholarly publishing, children’s publishing, literary translation and digital innovation. In each award category the judging panel was made up of experts in that sector.

The awards were presented at The London Book Fair, London Olympia Conference Centre on Tuesday 12th April. The drinks reception was sponsored by UKTI.

Announcement courtesy of The London Book Fair; photo credits, 2016 (the first photograph) courtesy of Arielinson under CC BY-SA 4.0 license , 2009 (the second photograph) courtesy of R Sones under CC BY-SA 2.0 license

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“We will need writers who can remember freedom … poets and visionaries, the realists of a larger reality…”

Ursula_Le_Guin_Harlan_EllisonUrsula Le Guin is still going strong at 85 years.  She writes science fiction and science fantasy (novels, short stories), poetry, children’s books.She was first published in the ’60s.  In a 2014 article in the Smithsonian, she said, ” … the task of science fiction is not to predict the future. Rather, it contemplates possible futures. Writers may find the future appealing precisely because it can’t be known, a black box where … anything at all can be said to happen without fear of contradiction from a native. The future is a safe, sterile laboratory for trying out ideas in, a means of thinking about reality, a method.”

I enjoyed this video. (Thanks to Michael Dickel.) Le Guin is classy, feisty and sure but not strident as she criticizes the publishing industry and champions writers “who know the difference between a market commodity and a work of art.”

“I think hard times are coming when we will be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now and can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine some real grounds for hope.

“We will need writers who can remember freedom. Poets, visionaries — the realists of a larger reality.”

The transcription of this speech is HERE.

photo credit as above