Call for Entrants: Bard of Exeter 2014 Competition Now Open!

The Exeter Bardic Chair is appointed by the Caer Wyse Gorsedd, or meeting of bards, through a public competition. 

We ask all candidates to be at the Bike Shed Theatre by 7pm on the 23rd February, the date of the competition. The proceedings start at 7:30pm. We aim to have elected a new Bard and finish the event by 10:30pm.

Each candidate is asked to provide two things on the evening of the competition:

1. Up to seven minutes of your own material, which may be song, poetry or story, or a mixture of these. Traditionally, the material is presented without a script, but as long as you can perform to the audience, we won’t be too strict.

2. Provide a manifesto (not more than 200 words) of what you would do if you were to become Bard – for the city of Exeter, the arts scene and the Bardic traditions. If you have any particular project in mind, this would be the place to mention it. The manifesto will be read out by you before or after your performance.

After all the candidates have performed and read their manifestos, the audience will vote for their favourite. There will be a break while we add up the scores.

The only requirement as Bard is to organise the next year's competition to find your successor. Any other duties are optional - it is up to you to do what you want with the role, and each person brings their own talents and ideas to the Bardic Chair.

The winner is presented with a robe and chair, which is in their safekeeping for a year and a day, when it is passed to their successor. You are required to take a simple vow on winning the title. The Bardic tradition.

 

Any questions, please ask. Please confirm your intention to take part, via email to bard@farmhouse.ac, by Sunday 16th February 2014.

You can find out further details at the organiser's website. Please contact them directly with any questions. Thank you!

Featured Poem Feb 2014 - 'Teachers' by Terry Caffrey

'Teachers'

You see the Teachers
They rule the classroom
And in a classroom then the teacher's word is law
They give us homework
I get it all wrong - and
Then I'm standing in the corner near the door.

(CHORUS
I fainted, I panicked, my clothes were far too tight
I wobbled, I waivered
I gave the kids a fright
I went to pieces
At St. Teresa's
But then a dinner lady
Brought me back to life.)

You see the teachers are always shouting
And all that shouting doesn't get them anywhere
It hurts their voices
They wag their fingers
Stamp their feet and end up pulling out their hair.

CHORUS

You see Teachers they take the lessons
They teach us maths and art and english all the day
Say "get your books out"
Sit up and listen
But we're just kids and all we wanna do is play.

CHORUS

Tom cats and meeces
Some sheep wear fleeces
And it's so hard to balance peas upon your knife
Some chimpanzeezers
and cockney geezers
have took a dinner lady
home to meet the wife.

CHORUS

I fainted, I panicked
I kissed the cat goodnight
I tumbled, I bumbled
The dog put out the light.
I went to pieces
at St. Tereas's
But then a dinner lady
brought me back to life.

© Terry Caffrey 2014
Please do not use without the poet’s permission.

 

For further information about Terry and his work please visit Terry's page here.

 

 

 

ANNOUNCING - TED SLADE AWARD WINNER 2013

The winner of the Ted Slade Award is Patricia Oxley - Acumen magazine.
Jim Bennett of Poetry Kit said: "Patricia Oxley has been at the forefront of poetry publishing for many years editing the magazine Acumen and organising the Torbay Festival of Poetry. Her work has helped to give voice to many poets and presented good poetry to a wide audience through the magazine and annual Festival. 

We are pleased that she is now a recipient of the Ted Slade Award as Ted was always keen to highlight and promote poetry publishing and Acumen has always been seen as an example of excellence.”

You can find out more about the Ted Slade Award here. 

You can find out more about Acumen magazine here.

Call for Submissions:2014 Cardiff International Poetry Competition

Closing Date: Friday 14th March 2014

The 2014 Cardiff International Poetry Competition is now open for entries. The competition offers one of the largest monetary prizes for a poetry competition of its kind. First prize is £5,000. Additional prizes are £500 for second place, £250 for third and five runners-up receive £50 each. All entries to the competition will be judged anonymously, so this is a great opportunity to have your poetry judged on its own merits.

The hard task of judging the 2014 competition will be down to award-winning poets Lemn Sissay, Rhian Edwards and filter judge Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch. Click here to read more about the judges.

If you think you have what it takes to delight the judges and get your hands on the top prize of £5,000, then send your poems now. Just make sure your poem is no longer than 50 lines long, is unpublished, is in English, and is not a translation of another author’s work. Send it, along with your entry form and payment, to Literature Wales.

To enter 

• Entry fee: £7.00 per poem. 

• To download an entry form, click here.

• To receive an entry form through the post send a stamped, self addressed envelope to: Literature Wales, CIPC14 Entry Form, Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 5FL.

Prologue to an Adventure: Developing Dylan’s International Competition

Prologue to an Adventure is Literature Wales' new international competition for young people, open to all budding writers aged between 7 and 25 years. The competition offers a special chance for entrants to have their work published in a literary magazine and read on national radio by some of Wales’ most prominent figures including, BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens.

Judges: acclaimed comedian Mark Watson, celebrated author of Submarine, Joe Dunthorne, award winning children’s author Elen Caldecott, and Dylan Thomas’ granddaughter and President of the Dylan Thomas Society, Hannah Ellis.

The competition welcomes entries in any form of creative writing from poetry to song lyrics, funny limericks to fiction, as long as it has been inspired by the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas and is no longer than thirty lines or 500 words.

Closing Date: Friday 27 June 2014

For more information on Prologue to an Adventure,
and to submit a competition entry please click here
or contact Literature Wales on: 029 2047 2266 / post@literaturewales.org.

Call for Submissions: New Comedy Magazine Seeks Writers

Stand & Deliver is a new magazine for alternative comedy, based in Newcastle upon Tyne and founded by a graduate of Northumbria University. 

The magazine, which celebrates the subject of comedy, is looking for like-minded writers to contribute who have an interest and passion for the subject. Stand & Deliver, which will contain a mix of articles, features, storytelling, poetry, photography, illustration and design, will focus on celebrating comedy by getting under its skin. 

If you are a writer and interested in contributing to a new and exciting project, email danielle@standanddelivermag.com.

Call fro Submissions: The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition 2014 is now open for entries

The Rhys Davies Short Story Competition has been revamped for 2014, with the inclusion of a brand new Under 21 Prize, and an increased total prize fund of £5,000. The 2014 competition will be judged by Cynan Jones, Deborah Kay Davies and Gee Williams. First prize is £2,000. Additional prizes are £800 for second place, £400 for third and six runners-up will receive £100 each.

The Under 21 Prize will be judged by Rachel Trezise. First prize is £1,000 and the runner-up will receive £200. 

Closing date: Friday 16th May 2014

To enter

• Entry fee: £7.00 per story or £4.00 per story for Under 21 Prize.

• You can enter by post or online: click here to download the entry form or click here to enter online.

• To receive an entry form through the post, please send a stamped self-addressed envelope to: Literature Wales, Rhys Davies 2014 Entry Form, Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, CF10 5FL

Source: Literature Wales

Book Recommendation - The Diary of Dennis the Menace

The Diary of Dennis the Menace
By Steven Butler
Published by Puffin Books, 6th Feb 2014
RRP £5.99
ISBN 9780141350820

Take a sneak peek at the diary of the one, the only Dennis the Menace! This is your chance to meet Dennis, Gnasher and the gang, exploring Beanotown with Dennis as your guide. Read all about The Beano’s biggest prankster – pictures, doodles, splats and all – with a little help from Roald Dahl Funny Prize shortlisted author Steven Butler.

Becoming a master of menace is not easy. The Diary of Dennis the Menace gives readers inside information on every cheeky trick and prank played by The Beano’s iconic characters.

“What kind of evil granny-monster of a teacher-fiend would ask a kid to write a DIARY over the school holidays? How am I supposed to write stuff down when I’m out MENACING all the time?!”

Also publishing in Feb 2014, The Beano: Official Sticker Book and coming in May 2014, The Diary of Dennis the Menace: Beanotown Battle (Book 2).

Heaps of Dennis the Menace fun to be had just in time for half term! Boys and girls, and young and old will love this edition, it’s a trip down memory lane for some of us and a whole new world of mayhem for others – brilliant!

Highly recommended for readers aged 8+

Call for Nominations: The London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award

The London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates an individual's career dedication to breaking down borders in international publishing. From publishers to agents, rights directors to editors, the award is open to all members of the publishing industry.
**Nominations now open**

Who in your mind has made an outstanding contribution to international publishing? Nominations are now open for the 11th Lifetime Achievement Award; if you would like to nominate someone please complete the online form: http://goo.gl/vvOKcU
Judging will be carried out by The London Book Fair Advisory Board and presented at a dedicated Awards Ceremony taking place on day one of LBF, on Tuesday 8th April 2014.

Bloomsbury Spark Launches

Thursday 19th December saw the global launch of YA and New Adult digital imprint Bloomsbury Spark. Beginning with the release of seven titles in December 2013, Bloomsbury will continue to publish two new titles each month. 

The launch titles are 'Pride’s Run' by Cat Kalen, 'The Secret of Isobel Key' by Jen McConnel, 'The Sound of Us' by Ashley Poston, 'The Art of Falling' by Jenny Kaczorowski, 'Beyond Our Stars' by Marie Langager, 'Until We End' by Frankie Brown and 'Positively Mine' by Christine Duval (UK price £3.99 each). To find out more about our seven launch titles please visit http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/bloomsbury-spark/
Aspiring, self-published or established writers who would like to be part of the Bloomsbury Spark list can submit work directly. Visit their website for submission guidelines http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/bloomsbury-spark/submissions/

Book Recommendation - Nelson Mandela by Katie Daynes

Nelson Mandela
By Katie Daynes
Published by Usborne Books, 10th January 2014
RRP £5.99
ISBN 9781409523499

This book is a comprehensive guide to the life of one of the most famous names in modern history.

The complete story of Mandela's life, from his rural childhood to his time with the ANC, his fight against apartheid, his time undercover as 'the Black Pimpernel', the 27 years he spent in prison and finally his appointment as South Africa’s first black president.

A moving story of how a country's most wanted fugitive became its greatest leader and an inspirational icon across the world.

You can find out more about this fantastic book at Usborne Books’ Blog.

Highly recommended for readers aged 7+

Featured Poem for Jan 2014 - 'Cool Addiction' by Neal Zetter

'Cool Addiction'

My head is stuck inside this book

I only meant to take a look

Till I saw what had been written

Instantly my mind was smitten

In a land of fascination

Sparking my imagination

Passions burning like a flame

Pictures dancing in my brain

My head is stuck inside this book

Just one page was all it took

I was focused and engaged

Thrilled, enthralled and entertained

Title, cover - so inviting

Words speak to me - so exciting

Such adventure, such intrigue

In a world of make-believe

My head is stuck inside this book

Superglued, completely hooked

Unaware of all around me

Once this magic story found me

Characters feel like my friends

Plot unfolding till the end

Whether fact or whether fiction

Reading is a cool addiction.

© Neal Zetter 2013
Please do not use without the poet’s permission.

 

For further information about Neal and his work please visit Neal's page here.

 

2014 Man Booker Prize for Fiction: Judges announced

Chaired by the philosopher and writer, AC Grayling, the other 2014 judges are: Jonathan Bate, Oxford Professor of English Literature and biographer; Sarah Churchwell, UEA’s Professor of American Literature; Dr Daniel Glaser, neuroscientist and cultural commentator; Dr Alastair Niven, former Director of Literature at the British Council and at the Arts Council, and Erica Wagner, former literary editor and writer.

2014 is the first year of the new rules, which will see the prize opened up to writers of any nationality, writing originally in English, for novels published in the UK by an established imprint between 1 October 2013 and 30 September 2014. The expanded prize will recognise, celebrate and embrace authors of literary fiction writing in English, whether from Chicago, Sheffield or Shanghai.

For this inaugural year, the trustees have decided that the judging panel will increase from five to six. The 2014 judges bring with them a wide reading experience and knowledge of international literature. In what will be an exciting new era for the prize, the panel consists of three new judges and three who have previously judged the prize - Alastair Niven in 1994, Erica Wagner in 2002 and AC Grayling in 2003.

The judges’ mission remains the same as in previous years: to select the finest fiction of the year. Following her win in October 2013, Eleanor Catton said of the expansion of the prize: ‘I think it’s a really great thing that finally we’ve got a prize that is an English-language prize that doesn’t make a distinction towards writers who are writing from a particular country. If you’re writing in the English language, you’re considered alongside everybody else.’
 
AC Grayling comments on behalf of the judging panel: 'The Man Booker prize has become an even bigger entity this year, with all fiction in English published worldwide between October 2013 and October 2014 now joining the competition. The challenge for my fellow judges and me is an exciting one, and I'm delighted to have such an outstanding group of people to work with in this highly significant year for the prize. We welcome that challenge, and are now launching ourselves into it with relish.'

The judges will read submissions both in hard copy and using iPad Airs, donated by Apple.

The ‘Man Booker Dozen’ of 12 or 13 books will be announced in late July 2014 and the shortlist of six books in early September 2014. The winner of the 2014 Man Booker Prize for Fiction will be announced on 14 October 2014, at an awards ceremony at London’s Guildhall, broadcast live by the BBC.

2014 is the 46th year of the prize, which was launched in 1969. The 2013 winner, Eleanor Catton, made history as the youngest author to win the prize, at 28, with her novel The Luminaries and has since gone on to win the Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction and was recently honoured as Woman of the Year by New Zealand’s M2 Magazine. The Luminaries has already been reprinted seven times in the UK alone.

For further information about the prize please visit www.themanbookerprize.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/ManBookerPrize  

Call For Submissions: Mslexia Short Story Competition

The competition run by the magazine for women who write is open now for unpublished stories of up to 2,200 words. Mslexia accepts work on all subjects, so write about anything and everything you fancy. The winning stories will be published in Mslexia as well as receiving cash prizes. 

For more information and to enter the competition go to www.mslexia.co.uk

Ian Duhig Opens T S Eliot Prize 2013

As part of his role as a judge of this year’s T S Eliot Prize, poet Ian Duhig, will be opening the T S Eliot Prize Shortlist Readings event at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall at 7pm on Sunday 12th January 2014 by reading a poem by TS Eliot. 

The evening is one of the biggest, and best attended, poetry events in the UK, and will be hosted by Ian McMillan. 

The judges have chosen the shortlist from 113 books submitted by publishers:
Helen Mort – Division Street (Chatto & Windus)
Robin Robertson – Hill of Doors (Picador)
Sinéad Morrissey – Parallax (Carcanet)
Maurice Riordan – The Water Stealer (Faber)
Daljit Nagra – Ramayana: A Retelling (Faber)
Dannie Abse – Speak, Old Parrot (Hutchinson)
Michael Symmons Roberts – Drysalter (Jonathan Cape)
George Szirtes – Bad Machine (Bloodaxe)
Anne Carson – Red Doc  (Jonathan Cape)
Moniza Alvi – At the Time of Partition (Bloodaxe)

All shortlisted poets will be reading from their work with the exception of Anne Carson. Poet and critic Ruth Padel will read in her place.

The Prize is awarded annually to the writer of the best new poetry collection published in the UK or Ireland. It is unique as it is always judged by a panel of established poets and it has been described by Sir Andrew Motion as 'the Prize most poets want to win'.

 

To book, go to  www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/ts-eliot-prize-readings-2014-79223 or call 0844 875 0073.

Fenland Poet Laureate Competition Now Open!

Could you write a poem for Fenland?

Do you live, work or study in the Fens? Are you inspired by the bleak and beautiful landscapes and unique social history of this fantastic area? Could you be the next Poet Laureate for Fenland?

ADeC and Atelier East, working in partnership with Fen Speak and the Wisbech & Fenland Museum, are proud to announce the Fenland Poet Laureate poetry competition for 2014!

This is a chance for all writers from across the Fens to come together and share their poetry and help put Fenland on the creative map!

"The award has opened so many doors for me, and allowed me to provide opportunities for many more Fenland Poets. It's been a fantastic experience!" -- Leanne Moden, Fenland Poet Laureate 2013.

And best of all, it's free to enter the competition!

The Fenland Poet Laureate Judges are looking for poems that represent and relate to theme 'Fenland'. You can interpret the theme in any way you choose, and the team are really looking forward to reading your entries!

Winning the title of Fenland Poet Laureate is a great recognition of talent, as well as a fantastic opportunity to engage with your local community. The Laureate will be able to write about local events throughout the year and present poems for special occasions, working with others to develop ideas for bringing poetry to Fenland.

Awards:

• First, second and third places will be awarded to three of the poets in the adult (17+) category. 

• Commendations will be awarded to young poets (10-16) for entries, which the judges feel have particular merit. 

• Certificates of achievement will be given to all short-listed and commended entrants. 

• All short-listed and commended poets will be invited to the special Fenland Poet Laureate Awards evening on Wednesday 19th March at the Wisbech and Fenland Museum.

Deadlines for entry: 5pm on Friday 31st January 2014.

Conditions of Entry:

• Your poem should be no longer than 40 lines, and should be typed on a singleside of A4 paper. 
• Please write your age in the top right-hand corner of the page, but please do not write your name on your poem, as all poems will be judged anonymously. 
• All entrants must live, work, or study in the Fens. 
• We can only accept one poem per entrant, and this poem must be previously unpublished.

So, if you live, work, or study in the Fens, the Fenland Poet Laureate team would love to hear from you! Please send your poem, along with a cover sheet with your name, email address, telephone number, address, age group entered (16 & under, or 17+) and the title of the poem to:
Fenland Poet Laureate Competition
Babylon Gallery
Waterside
Ely, CB7 4AU

Alternatively, you can pick up an entry form from your local library. For further details, email info@adec.org.uk.

Featured Poem for December 2013 - By Michael 'Mixy' Riccardi

71. I Went To A Place In France Called Nice. It Was Nice.

I'd never been to Nice but it was nice
The people were nice, the food was nice
Oh course I can't speak French
But I just assume everyone was lovely and polite.
It was nice how all the drivers wave with their fists as they overtake me on the right
I met a lovely French chef who shouted compliments at me and waved with her knives
So from what I gather
People in Nice like to wave.
Which is nice.

© Michael 'Mixy' Riccardi 2013
Please do not use without the poet’s permission.

On Friday 22nd November 2013, Mixy was challenged to write 100 poems in a day and did! You can read all 100 at Mixy's blog.

For further information about Mixy and his work please visit Mixy's page here.

Gordon Burn Prize Opens for Submissions

New Writing North, in association with Faber & Faber and the Gordon Burn Trust, is delighted to announce the second year of The Gordon Burn Prize and to open the award to new submissions.

The first Gordon Burn Prize, created to honour the literary legacy of the late Newcastle-born author, was announced at a special event in October at the 2013 Durham Book Festival when author Ben Myers scooped the prize with his novel, Pig Iron. As winner, he received a cheque for £5,000 and the opportunity to undertake a three-month writing retreat at Gordon’s own cottage in Berwickshire.

The Gordon Burn Prize is open to both fiction and non-fiction titles written in English that capture the spirit of Gordon’s writing. Gordon was a novelist undaunted by convention or genre, and the judges are looking for a writer with a similarly intrepid approach to their craft. Publishers are invited to enter exceptional fiction that dares to enter history and interrogate the past, and non-fiction on subjects such as sport, art, crime and popular culture that is brave enough to recast characters and historical events to create a new and vivid reality.

The book that wins the 2014 Gordon Burn Prize will be literature which challenges perceived notions of genre, a piece of writing that makes us think again about just what it is that we are reading. New Writing North is delighted to be part of an award that not only honours an author as significant and challenging as Gordon Burn, but also encourages other authors to follow his example and push the boundaries of their work.

“The Gordon Burn Prize rewards innovative work across both fiction and non-fiction which best represents the spirit of Gordon’s prose,” said Faber Social creative director Lee Brackstone. “In a celebrity-saturated world, which is increasingly documented in monochrome and monotonous style, it is thrilling to be associated with a prize that embraces adventurous and unusual ways of engaging with the culture.”

The judges for the 2014 prize are artist Sarah Lucas; poet and novelist John Burnside; comedian, actor and musician Julian Barratt; and 2013 winner Ben Myers.

Deadline for submissions: 14th February 2014

Please see www.newwritingnorth.com for full terms and conditions as well as submission guidelines and visit www.gordonburntrust.com for further details on Gordon’s work and the prize.

2014 Cardiff International Poetry Competition Open for Entries

The 2014 Cardiff International Poetry Competition is now open for entries. The competition offers one of the largest monetary prizes for a poetry competition of its kind. First prize is £5,000. Additional prizes are £500 for second place, £250 for third and five runners-up receive £50 each. All entries to the competition will be judged anonymously, so this is a great opportunity to have your poetry judged on its own merits.

The hard task of judging the 2014 competition will be down to award winning poets Lemn Sissay, Rhian Edwards and filter judge Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch. Click here to read more about the judges.

If you think you have what it takes to delight the judges and get your hands on the top prize of £5,000, then send us your poems now. Just make sure your poem is no longer than 50 lines long, is unpublished, is in English and is not a translation of another author’s work. Send it, along with your entry form and payment, to Literature Wales

.

Entry fee: £7.00 per poem. 

To download an entry form, click here.

To receive an entry form through the post send a stamped, self addressed envelope to:
Literature Wales, CIPC14 Entry Form,
Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square,
Cardiff, Wales, CF10 5FL.

For further details contact Literature Wales:
029 2047 2266 / post@literaturewales.org

Closing date: Friday 14 March 2014

Northern Writers’ Awards Call for Submissions

£40,000 of prizes and support available to talented writers in the north of England

Deadline for submissions: Friday 17th January 2014, 5pm

New Writing North is delighted to announce that the Northern Writers’ Awards are now open for submissions. The Northern Writers’ Awards were established in 2000 as a pioneering programme that aimed to support both new and established writers in the pursuit of their creative ambitions. Since then the awards have supported over 150 writers, many of whom have gone on to achieve publication of their work in the UK and internationally.

Originally open only to writers in the North East, the awards, thanks to the support of Northumbria University, are now open to writers in the North East, North West and Yorkshire. The awards support writers of prose, poetry, creative non-fiction and children’s fiction. From this year there will also be a new programme of awards for young writers: the Cuckoo Young Writers Award and the Matthew Hale Award.

For new writers, winning a Northern Writers’ Award helps to get them noticed by agents and publishers and lifts them onto the first rung of the ladder towards publication. For more established writers, awards can buy precious time to undertake a new project or to support work in progress that has not yet been commissioned. The support that winning writers receive includes cash awards alongside mentoring, editorial feedback and support and help with professional development within the writing industry.

Past winners of the Northern Writers’ Awards include novelist and poet Carolyn Jess-Cooke, who won both a Northern Promise Award in 2008 and a Poetry Award in 2013; Niel Bushnell, who met his agent through the awards and has gone on to publish the popular children’s Timesmith series, and writer Ben Myers, whose Pig Iron has been critically acclaimed and won the 2013 inaugural Gordon Burn Prize.

Source: New Writing North