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 Just make sure your poem is no longer than 50 lines long, is unpublished, is in English, and is not a translation of another author’s work.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.