PinkPanthress reads

(reblogged from Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity)

There are loads of free literary contests in April, some with substantial prizes. All genres and forms are included, from humorous poetry, to short fiction, to full length-works, both published and unpublished.

Some of these contests have age and regional restrictions, so be sure to read the full guidelines before submitting.

Good luck!

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Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. Now in its 15th year, this contest seeks today's best humor poems, published and unpublished. Please enter one poem only, 250 lines max. Prize: $2,250 in prizes, including a top prize of $1,000, and publication on Winning Writers. Deadline: April 1, 2016. Submission form HERE.

Harold U. Ribalow Prize. Genre: Fiction on a Jewish theme, published books only. Prize: $3,000.  Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

Bop Dead City. Genres: Prose, poetry. Prize: $20. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be Canadian, and an entry must be the writer's first or second published book of any type or genre and must have a Canadian locale and/or significance. Genre: Print books and ebooks of creative non-fiction published in the previous calendar year. Prize: C$10,000.00. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers. Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians awards fellowships for writers to spend time in McCullers' childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. The fellowships are intended to afford the writers in residence uninterrupted time to dedicate to their work, free from the distractions of daily life and other professional responsibilities. Award: Stipend of $5000 to cover costs of transportation, food and other incidentals. Fellowship recipients will be required to introduce or advance their work through reading or workshop/forum presentations. The Fellow will work with the McCullers Center Director to plan a presentation near the end of the residency. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

Carbon Culture Review's Poetry Film Prize. Genre: Film: make a film of your poem. Prize: $1000.  Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

The Great American Think-Off. Genre: Essay on the theme: “Income Inequality Threatens Democracy.” Entrants should take a strong stand agreeing or disagreeing with this topic, basing their arguments on personal experience and observations rather than philosophical abstraction. Essay should be no more than 750 words. Prize: One of four $500 cash prizes. Deadline: April 1, 2016. Submission details are HERE.

Paterson Fiction Prize. Genre: Published novel or collection of short fiction.  Prize: $1,000. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards. Genre: Poetry, up to five poems per person. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

Washington State Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers. Genre: Published book, all genres. Prize: $500. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

The Waterston Desert Writing Prize. Genre: Literary nonfiction, desert theme. Prize: $1,500. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

Fall Lines: Saluda River Prize for Poetry / Broad River Prize for Prose. Genres: Poetry, flash fiction, essays, short fiction. Prizes: Two $250 cash prizes, and publication. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

Graybeal-Gowen Prize for Virginia Poets. Restrictions: Open to Virginia poets. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: April 1, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

The Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize. Genre: Book-length translation of Asian poetry into English. Both translators and publishers are invited to submit titles. Book must have been published in previous year. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: April 8, 2016. See details HERE.

 

American Literary Translators Association Italian Prose in Translation Award. Genre: Translation of a recent work of Italian prose (fiction or literary non-fiction). Both translators and publishers are invited to submit titles. Book must have been published in previous year. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: April 8, 2016. See details HERE.

 

William Saroyan Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to students in 1st grade through college. Genre: Short story, 2 pages. Prize: $50 - $100. Deadline: April 11, 2016. More details are HERE.

 

Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Only undergraduates enrolled full time in United States and Canadian universities and colleges for the academic year 2015-16 are eligible. Genre: Fiction of no more than 7,500 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: April 15, 2016. See submission details HERE.

 

Common Good Books Poetry Contest is sponsored by Common Good Books, proprietor Garrison Keillor. Genre: Poetry. The poem must be a declaration of gratitude. Prize: Grand prizes of $1000 each, and four poets will receive $500 for poems of particular merit. Deadline: April 15, 2016. See submission details HERE.

 

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English. Books must be published in Canada in English between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016 to be eligible for the 2016 Prize. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: April 15, 2016. See details HERE.

 

Rhyme On!Genre: Poetry, one poem only. Prize: 1st prize -  $200, 2nd prize - $100, 3rd prize - $50. Deadline: April 15, 2016. See submission details HERE.

 

Chautauqua Editors Prize. Awards will recognize the writing that best captures both the issue’s theme and the spirit of Chautauqua Institution. Prizes: $500, $250, and $100 for each issue. Deadline: April 15, 2016. Submission form is HERE.

Hello, lovelies...!

From now on I will post the Desktop Calendar a day or two before that Month actually starts. I feel as if that way I might actually get it to spread more on the internet. I mean, it's free so why not? :)

This time I thought of Sottomano (desk pads?). They're my favourite classic items on the Desk. No real writing/work space is complete without one of them.

So without further ado, the Wallpaper for April 2016 in 1920x1080.

I hope you like this one! :) Please, feel free to share it...

See you around... xoxo

P.S.: Constructive criticism & comments in general are always welcome!

Hi hi...

we're roughly one sixth into the year already! *wiggles eyebrows*

I was bored last sunday & started th new Desktop Calendar.

I wanted to try and create digital sellotape & washi tape.

Also I wanted this one to have that teenage vibe when you glue & tape pictures into your diary, moleskine or notepad. Decouupage & collage... just having fun.

I also use a better resolution in this one.

I hope you like it.

Feel free to share it & of course, constructive criticism is always welcome... ^_^

Have a lovely start into March... 

xoxo

Hi there... January has come & gone. :)

We have left 1/12 of 2016 behind us... and I hope that you had a good start into this Year.

I made a Desktop Wallpaper for February 2016 & would love to share it with you.

I hope you like it... feel free to share it & of course, constructive criticism is always welcome... ;)

Happy Reading!

xoxo

Truth...!

I wish everyone a Happy New Year!
May it be serene, fruitful... and filled with love & books!

Last Year was a bit of a rocky One... and I guess not just for me...

Here's hope to a better one! :)

And to start the Year off better, I would like to give you this Desktop Wallpaper Calendar. It's free to Download...

I'm out now to read...

...bye all you Lovelies!

xoxo

We

Infographic by parajunkee.com

Buzzfeed has a list of SciFi words created by SciFi authors and writers.

Tolkien heads the list with a total of five.  He also was the earliest published with The Hobbit in 1937.  G. R. R. Martin and J. K. Rowling come in second with four each, followed by Orwell, Phillip K. Dick, Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Heinlein and William Gibson.

tv shows and movies have contributed new words as well, with Star Trek leading the way.

click on the link for the rest of the list.

In a world where your sunset photos have to be perfectly aligned and your food artfully arranged on quirky mismatched dishware—how do you up the Instagram ante with your book photos? Here are some tips to help you become a master of the perfect Bookstagram photo. No messy, disorganized bookshelves under this #shelfie tag.

image via @bookmarauder

Think outside the box – or book jacket
Don't be afraid to strip down your books. Take the book out of its jacket and see if it has a cover in a striking color or features a cool font. Open the book to take a picture of the splayed pages or take a picture of the spine. Some instagrammers like to feature books with complimentary-color covers together, or books with contrasting-color covers. You can group by author, genre, almost any common thread you can think of – and bonus points if it’s one other people haven’t thought of before.

image via @subwaybookreview

Have a signature style
Your shots should have some kind of recognizable quirk that your followers can quickly pick up as your signature style. Another way to stand out is to focus on a certain genre. Photographing fantasy books or YA exclusively gives your insta a distinct niche and point of view, and fans of those genres are more likely to follow you. Alternatively, you could always put your personality forward in your captions. You could try always giving a 5 word review, tell where you bought or read a book, or make comparisons to more well-known books to let your followers know the vibe of the novel.

image via @blueeyedbiblio

Props
One of my favorite things about the best #bookstagrammers on my feed are the awesome props they use in their photos. You might not think of a coffee cup or a cute pen as a prop, but that’s what they are when you’re composing a photo. I love unique bookmarks like the one by MyBookmark, featured above, or the wooden #currentlyreading booksmarks by nook & burrow. Everyone can enjoy a new bookish find like bookstore-scented candles or a Divergent necklace and featuring those items in a book photo can provide a way more interesting way to showcase them. It can also be fun to use something that expresses another part of your personality as a prop - like your Captain America bobblehead, or a combination outfit/book photo to show off your fashion. Maybe place a book next to your iPod showing the album you’re listening to. Don’t feel like it has to be just about books.

Location and Lighting

Unless you have some a professional studio, I generally advise sticking to natural light. It’s, well, the most natural! Photographing books can be tricky because the covers can reflect the glare of a flash or an overhead light. You don’t need your book to look like it is specially lit, you just want consistency and at a bare minimum to be able to see everything and not to have a fuzzy photo. Selfie rules apply – if your bed isn’t made and it’s not intentionally part of the shot, don’t include it in the frame of the photo. You might want the photo to be a snapshot of your life, and your life may include clutter, but unless it’s artfully arranged it can make a photo too busy or just not aesthetically pleasing.

image via @strandbookstore

Inspiration

Here are some of our favorite bookstagrammers. 

I love @blueeyedbiblio and through her account I’ve discovered her whole awesome book dragons pack. I’m regularly inspired by @bookmaurader, @tinybookreviews, @lastnightsreading, and @subwaybookreview. Some publishers and other companies I enjoy on Instagram are @ChronicleBooks, @QuirkBooks, @litographs, @harperperennial. My own Instagram is @shinyandrea, and is a mix of books, fashion and food.

You can also follow popular hashtags like #bookstagram, #currentlyreading, #books, #reading, you get the idea. Using those hashtags can help you gain followers. When it comes to publishers and authors, following your favorites on Instagram is a great way to make connections. Don't forget to tag them in posts about their books!

... or a library!

I won this Book as a First Read in a Giveaway, which won't influence my reading experience or Review of it.
I also would like to thank Christina Westover for choosing me & for such a short shipping time. (Wow, that was super quick!)

I won the book at a difficult time. I had recently lost my father in a traumatic way & was trying to get my mind away from reliving his final moments again & again in my head.

This book helped my partially. Not only did it occupy my mind, but also I tried to put it to use in feeling better about the whole situation I was in. Despite being a book with 'only' 150 pages I needed a bit longer to read this than I would usually have, which was okay I guess because I really wanted to take my time with this book since some Passages should be re-read to get a better understanding.

The author surprised me with a lovely, uplifting dedication on the title/first recto page.

After an interesting foreword at the beginning, the book is divided into 10 Chapters, the 10 Gifts.
These 10 Gifts (or even Ways maybe) are thought to help you change and mold your life how you want it to be.

I'll be honest, that a few of the gifts were logical steps everyone should know at a certain age, but are we really thinking logically or rational when we are in distressing times? Not me, most of the time I will behave rather contra productive.

And that's why I think this book is a good piece of reading matter when we are in need of help. Or even just to be reminded, that the reader, as an unique, person matters.

A very recommendable read in my humble opinion.

I won this Book as a First Read in a Giveaway, which won't influence my reading experience or Review of it.

Attention - Might contain Minor Spoilers

Written in First-person narrative.

We have a Main Cast of 6 Characters.

The main protagonist Albert Kench, his sister Sally Kench. Miss Rachel Darby, a childhood friend of the siblings. A so called Viscount Alexander De Kroll. And last but not least Lord Aubrey Levi-Black & the one I shall not name.

At the beginning we find ourselves at Oakbridge Asylum. Albert Kench after having spend time overseas, Australia, finds himself in the Asylum to visit his unfortunate sister.
After this visit he meets with a childhood friend, Rachel, who tells Albert what had happened to Sally & how she came to her current state.

Unbelieving about Rachel's story yet mad with fury Albert wants to 'meet' with the mysterious Lord Levi-Black by sneaking into one of his shows which, according to Rachel, are hosted at the Priam Theatre at West End.
There Albert is met with his ultimate fate. Betrayal & the supernatural are just few of the things he will have to to live through in this gothic Novelette.

The story is fittingly written in style and language of that Era.

And although Albert Kench seems to be a bit of a naïve young man, he is a honest one at that, keen on helping his sister even if it means revenge.
He relies on his sister's friend Rachel to achieve this, by asking her out on every detail about how Sally came to need the special help of an Asylum. And through Rachel he comes to know about the mysterious Lord Aubrey Levi-Black and his special Mirror.

This novelette was refreshing. It had no need of gore & a lot of blood to be a good horror story.
I enjoyed reading it & despite of its end I was really satisfied with this one!