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Deadline: 30 June 2012

Sentinel Annual Literature Anthology (SALA) is a yearly publication of new poetry, short fiction and plays by SPM Publications - the publishing division of Sentinel Poetry Movement.

SALA 2012: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

We are now accepting submissions of previously unpublished poems, short stories and short plays for publication in the Sentinel Annual Literature Anthology 2012.

Subject: Work submitted may be on any subject, and approached in any style, but the editors will be looking for materials that creatively engage some of the burning issues in the world today from health and economy, through terrorism, war, domestic violence to children's welfare, ethnic and religious issues. Nothing is out of bounds.

Lengths: Send no more than 6 poems up to 65 lines long, short stories must not be more than 3000 words long, and short plays up to 6,000 words long including title page and dramatis personnae.

Submission: Send your work as Word or RTF attachment (NO PDFs PLEASE), together with your current biograhical information up to 100 words to sala@sentinelpoetry.org.uk

Closing date for submissions: 30th June, 2012

Proposed date of publication: 1st November, 2012

Payment: There is no financial payment for authors. Every author published will receive 1 contributor's copy. Authors published who have their own websites are welcome to sell the book from their sites and remit only 75% of the cover price to us. We will fulfil all orders. We can provide websites for authors who don't currently have their own websites. Conditions apply.

SALA 2011

The first book in the SALA series published in November 2011 was edited by Unoma Azuah, author of Sky-High Flames, and Edible Bones (Poems), Amanda Sington-Williams, author of The Eloquence of Desire (Short Stories), and Nnorom Azuonye, author of Letter to God & Other Poems and The Bridge Selection (Plays). The book also features additional poems chosen by Roger Elkin, author of Fixing Things and Blood Brothers, from the Sentinel Annual Poetry Competition (2010) of which he was judge.

Works featured in SALA have been contributed by authors from Hong Kong, Nigeria, the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom among other countries. Here we have an exciting mix of voices dealing with issues from everyday to the unusual.

Authors featured include: Nicholas Y.B. Wong, Byron Beynon, Hajo Isa, Rusyan Sopian, Nsuhoridem Okon, Abigail George, Katie McDermott, Zino Asalor, Nike Adesuyi, Unoma Azuah, Angel Propps, Amanda Sington-Williams, Mel Ross-Macdonald, Jill Richter, Tendai Tshakisani Makavani, Michael Spring, Catherine Smith, Callum Patrick Hughes, Angela Amalonye Nwosu, Nnorom Azuonye, Hannah Lowe, Gary Smillie, Derek Sellen, W.F. Lantry, Christian Ward, Wally Smith, Jane Moreton, Carolyn King, Jonathan Davidson, and Paul Groves.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: sala@sentinelpoetry.org.uk

For submissions: sala@sentinelpoetry.org.uk

Website: http://www.sentinelpoetry.org.uk

Deadline: 31 May 2012

Celebrating the African Amazon: Essays in Honour of Professor Theodora Akachi Ezeigbo.

Teacher, theorist, critic, novelist, playwright, children literature author, short story writer, journalist and poet, Professor Theodora Akachi Ezeigbo, has had an eventful and well-decorated career at the University of Lagos spanning over three decades. During this period, Professor Ezeigbo made a name for herself as a competent teacher and novelist-scholar by formulating the influential “snail-sense” feminist theory which prioritizes dialogic and complementarist ethos in both the creative and critical literary practice in post-colonial African literature. To celebrate this Nigerian Amazon and Queen of Letters, the Department of English of the University of Lagos is proposing a book of essays mainly based on her impressive oeuvre as well as related interest areas in her honour. Accordingly, contributors may focus on, but are not restricted to the following areas:

- Literary theory/African Literature
- Comparative Literature
- Issues in Feminist
- Gender Studies
- Cultural Studies
- Igbo Metaphysics
- Politics of Sexual/Textual Exegesis
- Politics of Survival
- War Literature
- Language, Philosophy and the Nigerian Question
- History, Oral Tradition and Memory
- Film, Drama and poetry and the Woman Question
- Language and Literature

Papers should not exceed twenty (20) pages, typed in Times New Roman (12) font size. Paper Title, Author’s name, institutional affiliation, and e-mail address (es) should be on a separate page.

Contributors are required to note and adhere strictly to the following deadlines:

• Deadline for Receipt of papers: 31st May, 2012
• Peer-review Process: 1st June – 30th June, 2012
• Revision of Papers by contributors: 1st July – 30th July, 2012
• Expected Date of Release: 1st October, 2012.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For enquiries/ submissions: eadedun@unilag.edu.ng

Deadline: 31 May 2012

Celebrating the African Amazon: Essays in Honour of Professor Theodora Akachi Ezeigbo.

Teacher, theorist, critic, novelist, playwright, children literature author, short story writer, journalist and poet, Professor Theodora Akachi Ezeigbo, has had an eventful and well-decorated career at the University of Lagos spanning over three decades. During this period, Professor Ezeigbo made a name for herself as a competent teacher and novelist-scholar by formulating the influential “snail-sense” feminist theory which prioritizes dialogic and complementarist ethos in both the creative and critical literary practice in post-colonial African literature. To celebrate this Nigerian Amazon and Queen of Letters, the Department of English of the University of Lagos is proposing a book of essays mainly based on her impressive oeuvre as well as related interest areas in her honour. Accordingly, contributors may focus on, but are not restricted to the following areas:

- Literary theory/African Literature
- Comparative Literature
- Issues in Feminist
- Gender Studies
- Cultural Studies
- Igbo Metaphysics
- Politics of Sexual/Textual Exegesis
- Politics of Survival
- War Literature
- Language, Philosophy and the Nigerian Question
- History, Oral Tradition and Memory
- Film, Drama and poetry and the Woman Question
- Language and Literature

Papers should not exceed twenty (20) pages, typed in Times New Roman (12) font size. Paper Title, Author’s name, institutional affiliation, and e-mail address (es) should be on a separate page.

Contributors are required to note and adhere strictly to the following deadlines:

• Deadline for Receipt of papers: 31st May, 2012
• Peer-review Process: 1st June – 30th June, 2012
• Revision of Papers by contributors: 1st July – 30th July, 2012
• Expected Date of Release: 1st October, 2012.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: eadedun@unilag.edu.ng

For submissions: eadedun@unilag.edu.ng

Deadline: 29 July 2011

Renowned worldwide for featuring some of the best and brightest new talent, Wasafiri launched an annual New Writing Prize as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations in 2009. Now in its third year the competition is open to anyone worldwide who has not published a complete book. We are looking for creative submissions in one of three categories: Poetry, Fiction or Life Writing.

Simply fill in the form and send it to us with your entry and a fee of UK Sterling £6.00 if entering one category, £10.00 for two and £15.00 for three categories (see terms and conditions). Payment may be made by PayPal here. The closing date is 5pm GMT on 29 July 2011. Entrants who are visually impaired or who are prevented from typing through disability can enter work on audio CD. Download the Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2011 Application Form >> and let the words flow!

Guidelines

Renowned worldwide for featuring some of the best and brightest new talent, Wasafiri launched an annual New Writing Prize as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations in 2009. Since Wasafiri was first published in 1984, it has consistently aimed to shift the contours of established literary canons and remapped the borders of international contemporary writing, creating new imaginative spaces and publishing some of the most promising new literary voices. In the words of acclaimed author Aminatta Forna, ‘In a world which gives voice only to the few, Wasafiri comes to us like a choir of thousands singing the stories of everywhere.’

How to enter

The competition is open to anyone worldwide who has not published a complete book. We are looking for creative submissions in one of three categories: Poetry, Fiction or Life Writing. Simply fill in the entry form and send it to us with your entry and a fee of UK Sterling £6.00 if entering one category, £10.00 for two and £15.00 for three categories (see overleaf for terms and conditions). The closing date is 5pm GMT on 29 July 2011. Entrants who are visually impaired or who are prevented from typing through disability can enter work on audio CD.

Prizes

£300 will be awarded to the winner of each category and their work will be
published in Wasafiri.

Judges

Susheila Nasta MBE (Chair) Editor
of Wasafiri and Professor
of Modern Literature
at the Open University

Daljit Nagra
Critically acclaimed poet,
winner of the Forward Prize (2007)
and ACE Decibel Award (2008)

Brian Chikwava
Award-winning writer
and recipient of the
Caine Prize for
African Writing in 2004

Jackie Kay
Celebrated prose writer,
poet and playwright, awarded an MBE
for services to literature in 2006

Download application form >>

Return this form to Wasafiri, The Open University in London, 1-11 Hawley Crescent, London, NW1 8NP, UK with your entry and cheque or postal order for UK Sterling £6.00, £10.00 or £15.00, depending on the number of categories you wish to enter. You can also pay online through PayPal at www.wasafiri.org.

Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to ‘Wasafiri Ltd’. Entries submitted without payment will be disqualified. Please ensure your envelope is adequately stamped. Wasafiri will be unable to pay the difference. If some one else has written the cheque on your behalf, please ask them to write your name on the back. Mark clearly on the envelope ‘New Writing Prize’. We regret that we cannot accept submissions received after the deadline of 29 July 2011.

Conditions of Entry

1. The competition is open to any nationality and any age group.

2. Word limit is 3000 maximum.

3. Work submitted must be previously unpublished, original and in English. It should not have been submitted to any other competition.

4. Work must be typed, double-spaced, on A4 paper, single-sided only.

5. Do not write your name or provide any other form of identification on your manuscript. All submissions will be considered without the judges knowing the identity of the entrant.

6. Work will only be accepted if accompanied by an official entry form and fee payable to Wasafiri Ltd. If you require acknowledgement of receipt, entries must also be accompanied by a stamped addressed postcard.

7. We regret that manuscripts cannot be altered after submission.

8. If emailing your manuscript, please send it as a Word attachment. Do not paste it into the bottom of the email and provide details of accompanying documentation (e.g. paypal confirmation; entry form; delivery of cheque/postal order).

9. All electronic submissions will receive an acknowledgement.

10. Fee is per category: the entrant can submit a maximum of one entry per category— in the Poetry category one submission can include up to five poems.

11. Entries must be received at the offices of Wasafiri, The Open University in London, 1-11 Hawley Crescent, London, NW1 8NP, UK no later than 5pm GMT on 29 July 2011.

12. The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence or discussion concerning the judges’ decision will be entered into.

13. The copyright will remain with the winning authors. Acceptance of the prize will indicate the author’s agreement to their work being published in Wasafiri and the inclusion in a possible anthology of the best work received.

14. Wasafiri reserves the right to edit the winning entries.

15. Failure to meet the conditions of entry will mean that a submission is automatically disqualified from the competition.

16. No person may win more than one prize.

17. The competition is not open to members of the Wasafiri Board.

18. Because the prize is aimed at new writers unfortunately we are unable to accept entries from previous winners of the NWP.

19. Shortlisted authors will be notified in September 2011.

20. A list of shortlisted authors will be put on our website in October 2011 and can be posted out if requested.

21. Wasafiri reserves the right to alter the schedules in 19 and 20 above. If any alterations occur, details will be posted on the Wasafiri website.

22. Manuscripts will not be returned.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: n.a.jones@open.ac.uk

For submissions: Wasafiri, The Open University in London, 1-11 Hawley Crescent, London, NW1 8NP, UK

Website: http://www.wasafiri.org

Deadline: 1 June 2012

The SI Leeds Literary Prize is a new prize for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women resident in the UK aged 18 years and over.

The prize aims to act as a loudspeaker for Black and Asian women’s voices, enabling fresh and original literary voices from a group disproportionately under-represented in mainstream literary culture to reach new audiences.

The inaugural prize will be awarded in October 2012, and will consist of:

• £2,000 to the winner
• £750 to the runner-up
• £250 as a third prize

HOW TO ENTER

The prize is open to Black and Asian women writers aged 18 or over, based in the UK and writing fiction in English. Only unpublished original work is eligible for the prize. The fee per entry is £15. To find out if you are eligible to enter, please check the eligibility section.

All entries must be made by post using the entry form and cover sheet, and have to be submitted before the closing deadline of 1 June 2012. All submissions must be made following the format set out in the rules, so please read these carefully before you apply. If you have any queries about the format or timescale for the prize, please contact us.

AM I ELIGIBLE TO ENTER?

The Award is open to published and unpublished women writers, over the age of 18, of Black or Asian descent who are resident in the UK. Ethnicity will be self-defined by entrants. As a guideline, Black or Asian descent in the context of the Award signifies any Black background.

The Award is open to unpublished novels and/or collections of short stories of any genre of no less than 30,000 words. Manuscripts that have been previously published will not be eligible. However, whilst the main body of the novel or collection of short stories should comprise unpublished work, submissions will be accepted where no more than 25% of the work has been previously published. Manuscripts currently available for sale online, either in full or in significant proportion (i.e. more than 50% of the total manuscript) will be ineligible. Manuscripts either partially or wholly available online for no charge will be eligible.

Memoirs, biographies and autobiographies are not eligible.

Entries must be in English.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. THE AWARDS

1.1 All entries will be read to create a long list of 12 titles for the judges. The best entries will be forwarded to the judges who will compile a shortlist of 6 outstanding works of fiction submitted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2012 (“the Award”), from which they will select a winner, a runner-up and a third placed entry.

1.2 The winning award is £2,000 and this will be presented to the author of the best
eligible novel or collection of short stories in the opinion of the judges.

1.3 There will be a runner-up award of £750 for the second placed novel or collection of short stories.

1.4 There will be a third place award of £250 for the remaining shortlisted novel or
collection of short stories.

1.5 In addition to the cash awards Peepal Tree Press will offer the winning, runner-up and third placed authors 2 one-to-one consultancy sessions in professional development support through its Inscribe programme. With the winner’s consent, the winning manuscript will be given serious consideration for publication by Peepal Tree Press.

1.6 In addition the winner, 2nd and 3rd prize winners will be invited to read short
extracts from their work at the 2012 Ilkley Literature Festival.

2. ELIGIBILITY

2.1 The Award is open to published and unpublished women writers, over the age of 18,
of Black or Asian descent who are resident in the UK. Ethnicity will be self-defined by entrants. As a guideline, Black or Asian descent in the context of the Award signifies

- any Black background, including:-
- Black African
- Black Caribbean
- any other Black background
- any Asian background, including
- Bangladeshi
- Indian
- Pakistani
- Thai
- Malay
- Philippine
- Vietnamese
- Chinese
- Japanese
- countries in the Middle East
- any other Asian background
- any mixed background, including
- Asian and White
- Black and White
- Any other background from more than one ethnic group.

Under the terms of Positive Action in the Equality Act 2010, these eligibility criteria are justified on the following grounds:

• That the Award Partners reasonably think that Black and Asian women writers suffer a disadvantage linked to their race and gender, and have a disproportionately low level of participation in the UK writing industry and bestseller lists

• That the action taken by the Award Partners encourages this group to overcome this disadvantage and encourages participation

• That the prize is a proportionate response to the issue.

2.2 The Award is open to unpublished* novels and/or collections of short stories of any genre of no less than 30,000 words.

2.3 *Manuscripts that have been previously published will not be eligible. However, whilst the main body of the novel or collection of short stories should comprise unpublished work, submissions will be accepted where no more than 25% of the work has been previously published. Manuscripts currently available for sale online, either in full or in significant proportion (i.e. more than 50% of the total manuscript) will be ineligible. Manuscripts either partially or wholly available online for no charge will be eligible.

2.4 Entrants must warrant that the entry is a complete original work of fiction and is entirely the author's own work; that it does not infringe any existing copyright, moral or other rights of any third party, contains nothing obscene, libellous, unlawful or defamatory of any living person or corporate body.

2.5 Memoirs, biographies and autobiographies are not eligible.

2.6 Entries must be in English.

2.7 Authors may submit more than one novel or collection of stories. An additional entry fee for each submission is required (see HOW TO ENTER below).

2.8 The Award is not open to employees of Peepal Tree Press, Ilkley Literature Festival and members of SI Leeds (the Award Partners) or anyone connected with the Award or their direct family members.

2.9 Entries that are submitted posthumously will not be eligible for the Award.

3. COPYRIGHT AND TERMS OF USE

3.1 By submitting a novel or collection of short stories to the Award the entrant acknowledges and agrees that excerpts (chosen by the Award Partners) of the winning, or other short-listed, novel or collection of stories may be read out or reproduced as part of the Award Partners’ promotion and documentation of the Award, including Award Partners’ marketing and publicity literature, events, and websites and as a feature of the 2012 Ilkley Literature Festival free of any fees or royalty payments.

3.2 The Award Partners undertake to ensure that copyright of all manuscripts entered for the Award is protected. Non short-listed manuscripts will be shredded.

4. JUDGING

4.1 The SI Leeds Literary Prize will be looking for the most original and engaging writing and will consider all entries on the basis of quality of prose and narrative voice. The Award aims to support and award excellence, creativity and originality.

4.2 Manuscripts will be judged anonymously, i.e. without knowledge of the author’s name, age or background. (Please see HOW TO ENTER below)

4.3 Judging of the Award will be as follows:

Stage 1: All entries will be read by a team of readers and will be sifted in accordance with the Award criteria. A long list of no more than 12 novels/collections of short stories will be put forward to the judging panel.

Stage 2: The judging panel will read all long-listed entries and will select a Short List of 6 outstanding novels/collections of short stories submitted for the Award.

Stage 3: The judging panel will further discuss and agree the winning, runner-up and third placed entries.

4.4 Shortlisted authors will be contacted personally by email or telephone.

4.5 The Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.

4.6 The judging will be fair and independent. The judging panel will be appointed by the Award Partners and will include a distinguished and experienced literary professional as its chair.

4.7 Any permitted reference to the Award by the shortlisted writers will be advised by the Award Partners.

5. HOW TO ENTER

5.1 Manuscripts must be sent by post together with the completed entry forms and entry fee. Manuscripts arriving by post without the completed entry forms or entry fee will not be eligible.

5.2 Manuscripts should be sent in their entirety, i.e. as a finished novel or a finished collection of short stories. Incomplete works are not eligible. Authors may not add to or alter their manuscript after it has been entered for the Award.

5.3 Manuscripts must be submitted printed in double-spaced lines of 12 point font on single-sided A4 paper. Pages must be numbered.

5.4 The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript. Use the form provided to enter your name, title of novel or collection of short stories and contact details. Your manuscript will be logged against your name but will be judged anonymously.

5.5 Manuscripts will not be returned. Authors requiring an acknowledgement of receipt of their manuscript should enclose a stamped addressed envelope marked SI Leeds Literary Prize Acknowledgement. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

5.6 The Entry Fee for each manuscript submitted is £15.00 payable by cheque to SI Leeds.

5.7 Entries must arrive by Friday 1st June 2012. Late entries will not be eligible.

5.8 The Award Partners reserve the right to cancel the Award at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control. If cancelled, the entry fee would be refunded.

5.9 The Award Partners reserve the right to refuse entry to the Award for any reason at its absolute discretion.

5.10 By submitting a manuscript the entrant agrees to attend the Award ceremony in the event of being shortlisted for the Award and also, in the event of winning the Award, to undertake a mutually acceptable limited programme of activities to promote the Award. Entrants are responsible for all reasonable costs associated with attending the Award ceremony.

5.11 The entrant agrees that she will contribute where possible to press and publicity activities for the Award and hereby grant the Award Partners all necessary rights in her contribution for press/publicity activities for the Award

Download entry form >>

Download cover sheet >>

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: click here

Website: http://sileedsliteraryprize.wordpress.com/

Deadline: 1 June 2012

The SI Leeds Literary Prize is a new prize for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women resident in the UK aged 18 years and over.

The prize aims to act as a loudspeaker for Black and Asian women’s voices, enabling fresh and original literary voices from a group disproportionately under-represented in mainstream literary culture to reach new audiences.

The inaugural prize will be awarded in October 2012, and will consist of:

• £2,000 to the winner
• £750 to the runner-up
• £250 as a third prize

HOW TO ENTER

The prize is open to Black and Asian women writers aged 18 or over, based in the UK and writing fiction in English. Only unpublished original work is eligible for the prize. The fee per entry is £15. To find out if you are eligible to enter, please check the eligibility section.

All entries must be made by post using the entry form and cover sheet, and have to be submitted before the closing deadline of 1 June 2012. All submissions must be made following the format set out in the rules, so please read these carefully before you apply. If you have any queries about the format or timescale for the prize, please contact us.

AM I ELIGIBLE TO ENTER?

The Award is open to published and unpublished women writers, over the age of 18, of Black or Asian descent who are resident in the UK. Ethnicity will be self-defined by entrants. As a guideline, Black or Asian descent in the context of the Award signifies any Black background.

The Award is open to unpublished novels and/or collections of short stories of any genre of no less than 30,000 words. Manuscripts that have been previously published will not be eligible. However, whilst the main body of the novel or collection of short stories should comprise unpublished work, submissions will be accepted where no more than 25% of the work has been previously published. Manuscripts currently available for sale online, either in full or in significant proportion (i.e. more than 50% of the total manuscript) will be ineligible. Manuscripts either partially or wholly available online for no charge will be eligible.

Memoirs, biographies and autobiographies are not eligible.

Entries must be in English.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. THE AWARDS

1.1 All entries will be read to create a long list of 12 titles for the judges. The best entries will be forwarded to the judges who will compile a shortlist of 6 outstanding works of fiction submitted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2012 (“the Award”), from which they will select a winner, a runner-up and a third placed entry.

1.2 The winning award is £2,000 and this will be presented to the author of the best
eligible novel or collection of short stories in the opinion of the judges.

1.3 There will be a runner-up award of £750 for the second placed novel or collection of short stories.

1.4 There will be a third place award of £250 for the remaining shortlisted novel or
collection of short stories.

1.5 In addition to the cash awards Peepal Tree Press will offer the winning, runner-up and third placed authors 2 one-to-one consultancy sessions in professional development support through its Inscribe programme. With the winner’s consent, the winning manuscript will be given serious consideration for publication by Peepal Tree Press.

1.6 In addition the winner, 2nd and 3rd prize winners will be invited to read short
extracts from their work at the 2012 Ilkley Literature Festival.

2. ELIGIBILITY

2.1 The Award is open to published and unpublished women writers, over the age of 18,
of Black or Asian descent who are resident in the UK. Ethnicity will be self-defined by entrants. As a guideline, Black or Asian descent in the context of the Award signifies

- any Black background, including:-
- Black African
- Black Caribbean
- any other Black background
- any Asian background, including
- Bangladeshi
- Indian
- Pakistani
- Thai
- Malay
- Philippine
- Vietnamese
- Chinese
- Japanese
- countries in the Middle East
- any other Asian background
- any mixed background, including
- Asian and White
- Black and White
- Any other background from more than one ethnic group.

Under the terms of Positive Action in the Equality Act 2010, these eligibility criteria are justified on the following grounds:

• That the Award Partners reasonably think that Black and Asian women writers suffer a disadvantage linked to their race and gender, and have a disproportionately low level of participation in the UK writing industry and bestseller lists

• That the action taken by the Award Partners encourages this group to overcome this disadvantage and encourages participation

• That the prize is a proportionate response to the issue.

2.2 The Award is open to unpublished* novels and/or collections of short stories of any genre of no less than 30,000 words.

2.3 *Manuscripts that have been previously published will not be eligible. However, whilst the main body of the novel or collection of short stories should comprise unpublished work, submissions will be accepted where no more than 25% of the work has been previously published. Manuscripts currently available for sale online, either in full or in significant proportion (i.e. more than 50% of the total manuscript) will be ineligible. Manuscripts either partially or wholly available online for no charge will be eligible.

2.4 Entrants must warrant that the entry is a complete original work of fiction and is entirely the author's own work; that it does not infringe any existing copyright, moral or other rights of any third party, contains nothing obscene, libellous, unlawful or defamatory of any living person or corporate body.

2.5 Memoirs, biographies and autobiographies are not eligible.

2.6 Entries must be in English.

2.7 Authors may submit more than one novel or collection of stories. An additional entry fee for each submission is required (see HOW TO ENTER below).

2.8 The Award is not open to employees of Peepal Tree Press, Ilkley Literature Festival and members of SI Leeds (the Award Partners) or anyone connected with the Award or their direct family members.

2.9 Entries that are submitted posthumously will not be eligible for the Award.

3. COPYRIGHT AND TERMS OF USE

3.1 By submitting a novel or collection of short stories to the Award the entrant acknowledges and agrees that excerpts (chosen by the Award Partners) of the winning, or other short-listed, novel or collection of stories may be read out or reproduced as part of the Award Partners’ promotion and documentation of the Award, including Award Partners’ marketing and publicity literature, events, and websites and as a feature of the 2012 Ilkley Literature Festival free of any fees or royalty payments.

3.2 The Award Partners undertake to ensure that copyright of all manuscripts entered for the Award is protected. Non short-listed manuscripts will be shredded.

4. JUDGING

4.1 The SI Leeds Literary Prize will be looking for the most original and engaging writing and will consider all entries on the basis of quality of prose and narrative voice. The Award aims to support and award excellence, creativity and originality.

4.2 Manuscripts will be judged anonymously, i.e. without knowledge of the author’s name, age or background. (Please see HOW TO ENTER below)

4.3 Judging of the Award will be as follows:

Stage 1: All entries will be read by a team of readers and will be sifted in accordance with the Award criteria. A long list of no more than 12 novels/collections of short stories will be put forward to the judging panel.

Stage 2: The judging panel will read all long-listed entries and will select a Short List of 6 outstanding novels/collections of short stories submitted for the Award.

Stage 3: The judging panel will further discuss and agree the winning, runner-up and third placed entries.

4.4 Shortlisted authors will be contacted personally by email or telephone.

4.5 The Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.

4.6 The judging will be fair and independent. The judging panel will be appointed by the Award Partners and will include a distinguished and experienced literary professional as its chair.

4.7 Any permitted reference to the Award by the shortlisted writers will be advised by the Award Partners.

5. HOW TO ENTER

5.1 Manuscripts must be sent by post together with the completed entry forms and entry fee. Manuscripts arriving by post without the completed entry forms or entry fee will not be eligible.

5.2 Manuscripts should be sent in their entirety, i.e. as a finished novel or a finished collection of short stories. Incomplete works are not eligible. Authors may not add to or alter their manuscript after it has been entered for the Award.

5.3 Manuscripts must be submitted printed in double-spaced lines of 12 point font on single-sided A4 paper. Pages must be numbered.

5.4 The author’s name should not appear on the manuscript. Use the form provided to enter your name, title of novel or collection of short stories and contact details. Your manuscript will be logged against your name but will be judged anonymously.

5.5 Manuscripts will not be returned. Authors requiring an acknowledgement of receipt of their manuscript should enclose a stamped addressed envelope marked SI Leeds Literary Prize Acknowledgement. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

5.6 The Entry Fee for each manuscript submitted is £15.00 payable by cheque to SI Leeds.

5.7 Entries must arrive by Friday 1st June 2012. Late entries will not be eligible.

5.8 The Award Partners reserve the right to cancel the Award at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control. If cancelled, the entry fee would be refunded.

5.9 The Award Partners reserve the right to refuse entry to the Award for any reason at its absolute discretion.

5.10 By submitting a manuscript the entrant agrees to attend the Award ceremony in the event of being shortlisted for the Award and also, in the event of winning the Award, to undertake a mutually acceptable limited programme of activities to promote the Award. Entrants are responsible for all reasonable costs associated with attending the Award ceremony.

5.11 The entrant agrees that she will contribute where possible to press and publicity activities for the Award and hereby grant the Award Partners all necessary rights in her contribution for press/publicity activities for the Award

Download entry form >>

Download cover sheet >>

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: click here

Website: http://sileedsliteraryprize.wordpress.com/

Deadline: 1 October 2012

Judged by Dr Chris Drake, long-time professor of Japanese literature at Atomi University in Japan. No entry fee.

PRIZES

1. The winning poem will be published, together with a detailed critique, in the 2013 issue of Journal of Renga & Renku. All entries will be considered as content for inclusion in the journal.

2. A small (and yet to be selected) prize will be sent by way of congratulation to the sabaki or one designated participant of the winning poem.

DETAILS

1. Only renku in the kasen form are eligible for this contest

2. There is no limit on the number of entries you may send

3. Previously published kasen are also eligible for the contest

4. Kasen that include verses written by the contest judge or editors of JRR, or led by them, are NOT eligible for this contest

ENTRY PROCEDURE

The leader or sabaki of the poem is designated the contest entrant and should do the following:

1. Send a clean copy of the poem (stripped of initials, schema notes, renju’s names etc.) as a Word (or RTF) document attachment to RengaRenku@gmail.com (RengaRenku AT gmail DOT com)

2. Mark the subject line: Kasen contest/name of poem/name of sabaki, e.g. Kasen contest/October’s Moon/Moira Richards

3. In the body of the email, paste the following text:

I hereby confirm that I have obtained consent from all of the participating poets to enter this poem in the 2012 JRR Renku Contest, and to offer it for publication by JRR.

4. There is no need to list the names or number of poets who contributed to the poem. We’ll contact you later for this information if we decide to publish.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Dr Drake will look for:

1. Evidence of serious literary intent and imaginative daring.

2. Evidence of familiarity with renku and with the kasen form. Sites such as renkureckoner.co.uk are good places for review or for gaining basic knowledge, and translations of traditional kasen as well as EL kasen are recommended.

3. Success in achieving multivalent linking. Above all, verses must work as 1) a single verse and also as a new, transformed verse in relation to 2) the previous verse and 3) the following verse. Readers need be able to concretely feel the way identical words have different nuances or mean different things in relation to different verses.

4. Success in using moon, blossom, seasonal, love, and other non-seasonal verses to create an overall sequence rhythm and tone. Variations for standard images will be accepted. The moon, for example, may be replaced by other celestial objects if the change is stated in a note.

5. Success in creating an introduction in verses 1-6, full-bodied, dynamic development in 7–30, and a smooth, quick return to the material world in 31-36.

6. A kasen is long enough to create its own world. If successful, it affects the way a reader returns to and experiences his or her own daily world.

7. Traditional monotheme kasen on a single topic (blossoms, love, Amida Buddha, etc.) will be accepted, though monotony must be avoided.

8. Both group and solo (dokugin) kasen will be accepted. Solo kasen should show evidence of the writer’s ability to hear otherness in her or his own voices.

CONTEST JUDGE

Chris Drake will judge this contest and introduces himself here:

“I was born in Tennessee in the U.S. in 1947. I got a PhD in Japanese literature from Harvard and taught Japanese literature and comparative literature at Atomi University in Japan for nearly three decades before retiring. My classes included renku appreciation and writing for Japanese students. I’ve published annotated translations of both kasen and hundred-verse hyakuin by Japanese haikai poets of the 17th, 18th, and 20th centuries, including a translation of a kasen by Bashō and his followers in JRR2. I’m now completing an annotated translation of Saikaku’s 1675 solo thousand-verse haikai requiem for his wife. I write renku both in English and in Japanese and have participated in several kasen sequences in Japanese judged by the late Higashi Meiga (Akimasa).”

WHY A ONE-FORM RENKU CONTEST?

Every JRR contest will feature a different form of the genre, in order to

a) promote appreciation of the distinctive features of the various forms of the genre and how they can be employed to different ends in the writing of poems, and

b) encourage poets to explore more fully the possibilities of one form, and to appreciate what others do with it.

THE KASEN

The name Kasen means ‘Poetic Immortals’ and refers to the Chinese and Japanese practice of creating ideal groups of thirty six artistic forbears. Prior to the establishment of the Basho school formalised linked verse was generally written as one hundred or fifty verse sequences. By the time of Basho’s death the majority of haikai sequences were Kasen.

Though he is known as the father of haiku the Kasen renku and haibun [mixed poetry and prose] were Matsuo Basho’s preferred vehicles for expression. It therefore comes as no surprise that the Kasen is rather good.

Seasons recur. [The major seasons of spring and autumn] may appear for up to five verses in a row. There are two spring blossom verses. There are three moon verses, two of which are generally autumn. Love appears as a fixed topic twice, potentially for an extended run. The structure of the Kasen clearly demonstrates that fine writing has more to do with periodicity and interlocking cycles, with tonal control, evolution and recontextualisation.

Without clear vision and leadership the twelve verses of a development side can rapidly become amorphous. The Kasen too takes time to complete. But the Kasen was and remains essential to the development of all aspects of excellence in renku. A person who limits themselves always to the shorter contemporary forms is unlikely to develop the highest level of artistry that the genre permits.

—John Carley, Renku Reckoner

Via: bookslive

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: RengaRenku@gmail.com

For submissions: RengaRenku@gmail.com

Website: http://www.darlingtonrichards.com/index.php/journal-of-renga-renku/

Date: 19 June 2011

The art of literary translation is at the heart of World Literature Weekend. This will be marked in the 2011 festival through a programme of workshops led by a team of Britain’s most distinguished literary translators. This half-day workshop led by Paul Starkey focuses on the Arabic language and will be structured around close work on texts sent in advance to participants. Discussion will centre on the differences in approach evident in variant translations of the same texts. Participants should have a good working knowledge of the language and will be invited to prepare their own translations of the texts under discussion.

Paul Starkey is Professor of Arabic and Head of the Arabic Department at Durham University, England, and a Co-Director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World. His research interests include Arabic literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, literary translation theory and practice, and travel to and from the Middle East. He is the author of Modern Arabic Literature (Edinburgh University Press, 2006) and was co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature (Routledge, 1998).

He is currently working on a study of the Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim. Paul teaches Arabic-English translation at Durham and has published English translations of Arabic novels by Rashid Al-Daif, Edwar al-Kharrat, Turki Al-Hamad, Mansoura Ezz Eldin, and Mahdi Issa al-Saqr. He has also translated a number of short stories and novel excerpts which have appeared in Banipal and other international journals. He is currently working on a translation of the Palestinian author Adania Shibli’s second novel, We Are All Equally Far from Love, which is due to be published by Clockroot Books later in 2011.

To book two workshops at the discounted prices of £110 (£70 concessions) please call Claire Williams on 020 7269 9030

Book here.

Sunday 19 June at 10.00 a.m.

Venue: London Review of Books offices

Contact Information:

For inquiries: call 020 7269 9030

Website: http://www.lrbshop.co.uk

Deadline: 2 September 2011

We often share our own stories in the way we give gifts. In sharing stories, we share pieces of ourselves. Someone initiates. Someone reciprocates. Sometimes, we regret what we’ve given; other times, we receive far greater than what we give.

In July 2006, Dan Morrison, Zeenat Rahman and I founded the Hijabi Monologues. Since then, the HM has been a growing organic project with fresh stories shared by others touched by truth-telling; organized and performed for thousands across the U.S. and abroad including the Kennedy Center and Off-Broadway; and covered by various media outlets including The Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Miami Herald, America.gov and WAMU Latitudes.

After a wonderful five years, the Hijabi Monologues team is excited to announce the very first nationwide monologues competition. We are accepting stories from and for all ages: adults, teenagers and children. Grandmothers, mothers and daughters.

THREE GRAND PRIZE WINNERS

1. Winning writers will be announced on the Hijabi Monologues-Official Facebook fan page.

2. Winning writers will be given the opportunity to work closely with an official HM performer–including May Alhassen and Kamilah Pickett–in directing a performance of their stories.

3. Hijabi Monologues will upload the resulting performances on YouTube and the Hijabi Monologues-Official Facebook fan page.

TO ENTER

Entry is free.

When you submit your story, you will be asked to provide:

1. Confirmation that the monologue submitted is completely original to you. You are the present and exclusive and sole owner of all right, title, and interest in and to the story.
2. Confirmation that the monologue has not been published, used in an anthology, or winner of any other contests.
3. Confirmation that the monologue is a true story.

ENTRY GUIDELINES

1. One (1) entry per person (one monologue).
2. Scripts in Microsoft Word (.doc) are requested.
3. The monologue should be double-spaced and no longer than 800 words or 6 minutes.
4. Contact information (name, E-mail address, etc.) on the cover page only.
5. Please put the title of your monologue at the top of each page.
6. Please paginate your script at the bottom of each page: 1 of 5, 2 of 5 etc
7. Submit your monologue by emailing hm.storycontest@gmail.com with the subject “Story Contest Submission 2011.”

Submission deadline: Friday, September 2, 2011, 11:59 EST

Monologues submitted after 11:59 PM EST of September 2 will not be accepted. Monologues that do not follow the entry guidelines will not be accepted.

Winners will be announced Friday, September 9, 2011 on our Official Facebook Page.

MONOLOGUE GUIDELINES AND TIPS

1. The hijab is to be used as a “prop” but not the centerpiece or story subject.

2. Your story does not have to be something absolutely crazy. In even the utterly mundane, there can be a narrative.

3. Use explicit regional references. Do not shy away from using Muslim (eg. He broke his wudu), cultural/ regional specific (eg. She was hella mad.) or ethnic (eg. Her dupatta was always freshly pressed) lingo. At the same time, the story should be accessible to a wide audience.

4. Stories about sexuality are fine but keep in mind that Muslim women have been represented as hyper-s3xual, asexual and s3xually repressed in popular film and literature. Be creative!

5. Stories written for young audiences are welcomed.

6. As an exercise, highlight the elements that are specific to the storyteller’s quirks. Then highlight the elements that are “universal.” Both of these elements are very important.

7. Read your monologue aloud. It should sound like a story–and less like a campaign speech, sermon and/or spoken word poetry.

8. Again, local stories (i.e., specific to a particular region, city or town) are a big plus!

JUDGES

Cristina Martinez organized HM shows in South Florida and Ohio State University. Cristina received her graduate degree in English Literature at OSU. Her research focus includes American and Latino/a fiction, memoir and graphic novels.

Dan Morrison is the CEO and Founder of Citizen Effect, a nonprofit that empowers anyone to be a philanthropist for a small but critical project around the world. Dan received his graduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies at University of Chicago where he met fellow Hijabi Monologues founders Sahar Ullah and Zeenat Rahman.

Zeenat Rahman is the Deputy Director for the Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at U.S. Agency for International Development – USAID. Zeenat received her graduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies at University of Chicago where she met fellow HM founders Sahar Ullah and Dan Morrison.

Avery Willis-Hoffman is a freelance producer, director and writer working in theatre, opera, and museum exhibit design. She earned her BA in English Literature and Classics at Stanford University, and her MA and PhD in Classical Languages, Literature, and Theatre at University of Oxford (UK)

Sahar Ullah is a founder, the Creative Director and Head Writer for the Hijabi Monologues. From South Florida and a lover of good stories, she continues to learn the priceless value of “I don’t know” and lived experiences.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: hm.storycontest@gmail.com

For submissions: hm.storycontest@gmail.com

Website: http://www.hijabimonologues.com/

Location: Cairo

Salary: £23000 - £25000 per annum + tax free +accommodation + flights + medical

Sector: Secondary School

This British School is looking for an English Literature and Language teacher to KS5. The school is a lovely school with approximately 300 children and the school follows IGCSE and A level. Teachers who are UK trained are encouraged to apply by the school, although Australians, and New Zealand trained teachers are welcomed to apply as well especially with UK experience. The school offers a fantastic salary, accommodation, flights at the beginning and end of contract and medical insurance.

Suitable candidates will have experience of teaching the UK or in a British school overseas and must have a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience. You must be a fully qualified state certified teacher who has completed either an initial teacher training degree, or a subsequent post graduate recognised teaching qualification, e.g. PGCE.

If you are thinking of applying as a HoD then you must have prior experience as a departmental Head and also have experience of teaching to A level. If your skills and experience do not match the criteria set out above please do not apply as you will not be eligible for consideration. Before any offer of employment is made you will be required to produce proof of your education and qualifications.

Interviews by phone/ skype will be arranged for suitable candidates.Time is of the essence so please apply immediately if you are interested in the role.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For submissions: please email a full CV to me as soon as possible via the apply online button here

Deadline: 30 June 2011

INVITATION OF ARTICLES FOR VOLUME 17, 2011 EDITION

Articles are hereby invited from interested researchers for possible publication in the next edition of Lagos Notes and Records: A Journal of the Faculty of Arts. Lagos Notes and Records is a member of the African Journals On Line (AJOL). It publishes well-researched and peer-reviewed articles in all areas of humanities broadly defined including but not limited to Languages, Literature, Fine Arts, Theatre, Music, History, Philosophy and Culture.

Articles submitted for publication considerations must satisfy the following conditions:

1. Each article must be an original work of the author.

2. The author should ensure that the article has not been submitted to anywhere else for publication.

3. The article is within the scope of humanistic studies and makes significant contributions to the specific field of interest.

4. The article should be preceded by an abstract of 200 words and 3 – 5 keywords.

5. The manuscript should be between 10 and 15 pages double-spaced on A4 paper, Times New Roman 12 point font size.

6. The author should ensure that there is a title page containing names (no initials), address, current status, institutional affiliation, email address and phone number. All other parts of the article, including the abstract, should not contain the author’s name.

7. Copyright of the article accepted for publication belongs to Lagos Notes and Records. It is however the responsibility of the author to obtain due permission of copyright material used in the article.

8. All tables, figures and photographs are to be specially packaged and camera ready.

9. The author should submit the article electronically to lagosnotesandrecords@unilag.edu.ng and copy eaadedun@yahoo.co.uk or emmanuel.adedun@kcl.ac.uk. In addition, one hard copy should be sent to: Dr. E. A. Adedun, The Editor, Lagos Notes and Records, Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos, Akoka – Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.

10. Documentation of references should be done in accordance with the current American Psychological Association Style (APA) Sheet which is the Journal’s in-house style.

11. Deadline for submission of manuscript is June 30, 2011.

DR.E.A.ADEDUN
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
FACULTY OF ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS
NIGERIA
Email: eadedun@unilag.edu.ng,
eaadedun@yahoo.co.uk

Contact Information:

For inquiries: lagosnotesandrecords@unilag.edu.ng

For submissions: lagosnotesandrecords@unilag.edu.ng

Date: 5 - 9 May 2012 (Gaza), 11 May 2012 (Cairo)

The Festival will take place in Gaza from May 5th to May 9th, with an event in Ramallah on May 5th and a reprise event in Cairo on May 11th.

It has been a longstanding aim of the festival to travel to Gaza. Since it started in 2008 PalFest has taken the form of a travelling festival – moving to audiences constrained and divided by Israel’s military occupation, establishing creative links between Palestine and the rest of the world and pitting the power of culture against the culture of power.

PalFest has tried several times in the past to reach Gaza from the Occupied Palestinian Territories but has never been able to because of the restrictions put in place by the Israeli Occupation. Gaza has been under siege and isolated from the rest of the world since 2007.
This May, PalFest 2012 will bring a group of writers, educators and artists through the Rafah crossing from Egypt to perform free public events, run workshops with students of varying ages and meet civil society leaders in Gaza.

PalFest has endorsed the 2004 Palestinian call for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel. PalFest 2012 stands against the siege of Gaza; it is committed to re-invigorating cultural ties between Arab countries, ties that have been eroded for too long. The Festival will be bringing writers and artists from across the Arab world and beyond.

While the Festival’s primary activities will be taking place in Gaza, PalFest works to retain its active presence in the West Bank. British authors Rachel Holmes and Bee Rowlatt will lead extended creative writing workshops in Birzeit with the Palestine Writing Workshop. They will also be joining Maya Abu el-Hayat, Abd al-Rahim al-Sheikh and Imad Sayrafi on stage at the Sakakini Centre on May 5th. A one-day children’s literature festival will be held during the Festival, with plans for a larger children’s event in the summer.

Beyond the Festival dates PalFest continues its educational programme through its sister organization the Palestine Writing Workshop, whose activities include regular book clubs, creative writing classes and the creation and maintenance of a library.

PalFest will be launching a new, bi-lingual website this week. Developed with the support of the UK Arts Council, the site will be profiling new literary talent from across Palestine and the diaspora as well as developing an online space for critical feedback between young writers and more established authors.

The full list of artists attending PalFest 2012 is:

• GAZA
• Ghada Abd el-Al
• Alaa Abd el-Fattah
• Suad Amiry
• Selma Dabbagh
• Najwan Darwish
• Amr Ezzat
• Amin Haddad
• Tariq Hamdan
• Nathalie Handal
• Manal Hassan
• Khaled Khamissi
• Jamal Mahjoub
• Sahar el-Mogy
• Khaled Najar
• Youssef Rakha
• Ahdaf Soueif
• Hyam Yared
• Nariman Youssef
• & the bands Eskenderella, Jafra and al Salam.
• Birzeit & Ramallah
• Maya Abu el-Hayat
• Rachel Holmes
• Abd al-Rahim al-Sheikh
• Bee Rowlatt
• Imad Sayrafi

PalFest is supported by the Arts Council UK, the Abdalla Foundation, the British Council, the Open Society, the Qattan Foundation, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Reach out to Asia and individual donors, Rana Sadik, Samer Younis, Fadi Ghandour, Riad Kamal, Zina Jardaneh, Mostafa Beidas, Suhail Sikhtian and Janwa Dajani.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: contact@palfest.org

Website: http://palfest.org

Deadline: 31 August 2012

Colleagues are warmly invited to submit contributions for volume 13 of New Readings, to be published no later than 31 August 2013. Contributions should be received by 31 August 2012, so that the editorial decision can be communicated before 30 November 2012.

New Readings is a peer-reviewed, open-access e-journal publishing original research in the fields of European literature, cultural history, film and visual culture. European here is understood as broadly as possible in terms of its geographical spread and its linguistic base. Francophone Africa and the Americas, for example, are therefore included in the journal’s scope. The journal has a strong, but by no means exclusive interest in publishing papers which examine the links between Europe and the wider world, and in interdisciplinary scholarship.

Solicited and contributed manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the conventions of MLA style, as specified in MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition, 2009) or MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd edition, 2008). A brief overview with examples can be found here.

The recommended word-count for submissions is 6,000-8,000 (including footnotes and Works Cited).

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: submission is directly through the New Readings website

Website: http://ojs.cf.ac.uk/index.php/newreadings/

The winners of the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize were announced today in Sydney in an exciting climax to this year's final programme. Critically acclaimed international literary titles for Best Book and Best First Book were awarded to:

Best Book Winner – The Memory of Love, Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone)

The judges praised The Memory of Love for its risk taking, elegance and breadth. A poignant story about friendship, betrayal, obsession and second chances – the novel is an immensely powerful portrayal of human resilience. The judges concluded that The Memory of Love delicately delves into the courageous lives of those haunted by the indelible effects of Sierra Leone’s past and yet amid that loss gives us a sense of hope and optimism for their future. Forna has produced a bold, deeply moving and accomplished novel which confirms her place among the most talented writers in literature today.

Best First Book Winner – A Man Melting, Craig Cliff (New Zealand)

The judges chose this highly entertaining and thought provoking collection of short stories for their ambition, creativity and craftsmanship. Confidently blending ideas that frequently weave outlandish concepts with everyday incidents, the prose is skilfully peppered with social observations that define the world we live in. The eighteen short stories are truly insightful and amplify many of the absurdities around us, reflecting our own expectations, fears and paranoia on the big questions in life. This book is of the moment, and is rightly at home on a global platform. Cliff is a talent to watch and set to take the literary world by storm.

Now in its 25th year and supported by the Macquarie Group Foundation, Commonwealth Writers’ Prize is unique in offering both established and emerging writers the opportunity to showcase their work. The Best Book winner claims £10,000 while the writer of Best First Book wins £5,000.

For the last 25 years the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize has played a key role in unearthing new international literary names, bringing compelling stories of human experience to a wider audience. As highly acclaimed international authors Aminatta Forna and Craig Cliff will follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in modern fiction in winning the Prize, including Louis De Bernieres, Andrea Levy, Ian McEwan, and Zadie Smith.

For the fifth consecutive year the Macquarie Group Foundation, one of Australia’s leading philanthropic foundations, is helping to advance one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world. With Macquarie’s support the prize has grown to reach more people around the world, encouraging wider reading across a range of Commonwealth cultures and rewarding the rising talent that other prizes often overlook.

Aminatta Forna was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Her first book, The Devil that Danced on the Water, was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2003. Her novel Ancestor Stones was winner of the 2008 Hurston Wright Legacy Award, the Literaturpreis in Germany, was nominated for the International IMPAC Award and selected by the Washington Post as one of the most important books of 2006. Aminatta lives in London.

Craig Cliff was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand. A graduate of Victoria University’s MA in creative writing, his short stories and poetry have been published in New Zealand and Australia. His short story 'Another Language' won the novice section of the 2007 BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards. Craig lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

Commenting on the winning announcement, Danny Sriskandarajah Interim Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, said:

“I am delighted to congratulate, the winners of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2011. In its 25th year, the Prize embodies the Commonwealth at its best. It unearths the best writing from across 54 countries, promoting dialogue and understanding on an international scale.”

Richard Sheppard, Chairman of the Macquarie Group Foundation, the supporter of the Prize, added:

"The Macquarie Group Foundation is delighted that two such diverse writers have won this year's Commonwealth Writers' Prize. For the last 25 years, the Prize has helped to bring writers to new global audiences and I'm sure once again that this year's winners will delight and inspire readers and writers around the world."

Nicholas Hasluck, Chair of the judging panel said:

“This year’s winning books demonstrate the irreducible power of the written word at a time of rapid global change and uncertainty. The standard of entries this year has been exceptional, showcasing work with strong insight, spirit and voice introducing readers to unfamiliar worlds.”

The regional prize winners are:

Africa:

Best Book: The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone)
Best First Book: Happiness is a four-letter word by Cynthia Jele (South Africa)

Caribbean and Canada:

Best Book: Room by Emma Donoghue (Canada)
Best First Book: Bird Eat Bird by Katrina Best (Canada)

South Asia and Europe:

Best Book: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (UK)
Best First Book: Sabra Zoo by Mischa Hiller (UK)

South East Asia and Pacific:

Best Book: That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott (Australia)
Best First Book: A Man Melting by Craig Cliff (New Zealand)

Contact Information:

Website: http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/

Writer (English) needed to contribute material from Cairo twice a month, regarding creative industry in and around Egypt and its periphery. Topics can include anything from fashion, art, film, travel, or literature. Content must be fresh, new, edgy, young and interesting. The site is launching May 1. If you are interested, please send a writing example and your CV to the e-mail as generated by Craigslist, and we can work from there.

Compensation TBD

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: n4nx6-2959692753@job.craigslist.org

Deadline: 2 April 2012

A special academic meeting presenting a flag-ship cultural practice and celebration for University scholars, researchers and lovers of culture interested in studying and experiencing unique rural/small urban communal festivals as a part of the global conversation on cultural renaissance

Organised by the League of Ogori Professors (LOP) as a Prelude to the 2012 Annual Ovia-Osese Festival

Facilitated by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and The Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan Ogori, Kogi State of Nigeria . Friday, 20 April, 2012.

Venue: National Open University of Nigeria Community Study Centre, Ogori

TARGET PARTICIPANTS

• Scholars and researchers in African Studies, history, language and linguistics, anthropology, cultural studies, women studies, African-American studies, and sociology of rural and communal studies.
• Institutes/Centres/Faculties of African/Cultural/African-American/Afro-Caribbean history Studies.
• Federal and State Government Ministries/Departments of Tourism and Culture especially senior officials involved in internationalisation of cultural activities of rural and small urban communities.
• All those interested in cultural music, dance and folklores, socialization of women and puberty development and celebrations.
• Cultural tourists.

The registration fee of USD$50 for participants from outside of Africa or Naira5,000 from within Africa includes

• Attendance at the Symposium
• Symposium bag
• Copy of the Symposium programme and book of abstracts
• Lunch and morning/afternoon coffee breaks

Language/linguistics; cultural, African, Women Studies and other invited expert speakers from the USA, UK, Africa and the Caribbean.

SYNOPSIS

Nestled snugly at the foot of three magnificent hills which rise steeply into the sky, crested sometimes by the cool and refreshing morning mist, the sleepy town of Ogori has a long and distinguished history. It lies roughly at the intersection of longitude 6° 7” E and latitude 7° 30”N. It is located at the extreme south-west region of Kogi State and shares a border with Edo State. Its uniqueness has tripartite intersections: its culture; its language, called Oko which Ogori and Magongo are the only communities on this planet who speak and understand it and; the importance of education. The Ogori people’s precocious affinity for education has produced, in relation to its size and population, the largest number of professors by square kilometre in Nigeria. (Askari, 1969; Apata, 1986; Adegbija, 1994; Atoyebi, 2010).

One of the cultural icons of Ogori is the Ovia-Osese festival, an annual celebration of the attainment of womanhood by girls whose parents, peers, friends, clans, community and well wishers celebrate this significant cultural and moral attainment. It was a taboo for a girl to get pregnant, let alone marry before her Ovia-Osese. In the olden days, if this occurred the family is ostracized and the girl loses her respect and integrity in the community (Sofola, 1986; Adegoke, 2001). The celebration is accompanied by a week-long activities which include lessons in homemaking, motherhood, music, drumming, dancing, feasting and thanksgiving services at the various mosques and churches in Ogoriland.

Over the years, the Ovia-Osese has become the flagship of the Ogori people and a major mark of the identity of Ogoriland in the global scene. The ceremony and festival have become an international event having attracted tourists from the Unites States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany and South America. Many Nigerians have made it a tourist Mecca and the MTN has supported and participated in the Ovia-Osese festival for several years now.

As their own contributions to the Ovia-Osese festival, the League of Ogori Professors (LOP) made a pronouncement at the 2011 festival that they would add and integrate an academic dimension through an international Symposium to further expose Ogori culture to the world. The first International Symposium on Ogori Culture and People marks a part of the 2012 Ovia-Osese Festival with a view to making it an annual event for scholars, researchers and lovers of culture to form a seamless blend with the community celebrations of an identity of a people whose culture has become a household of knowledge generation, teaching and learning in many parts of the world.

SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME

International expert speakers and researchers will address the uniqueness of culture as an identity of peoples all over the world. Researchers and teachers of Ogori culture and language will present vital information about the special nature of the Ogori community and people, in relation to the visibility of the culture and language in a global context. Emerging needs and issues of honorary citizenships for Africans in diapora and Afro American and Afro-Caribbean relatives and, their impact on cultural studies worldwide will be of interest to the Symposium.

Symposium Theme: Culture: An Indispensable and Enduring Identity of a People

• Sub-Theme1: History, Sociology and Anthropology
• Sub-Theme2: Language, Literature, Women Studies
• Sub-Theme3: Music, Dance and Folklores

• Strategic development and use of culture an identity
• Achieving cultural renaissance through branding of unique festivals in rural and small urban communities in Africa
• Building partnerships with other researchers and workers in the field of cultural, women and African studies
• Enhancing the role of research and knowledge generation in the perpetuation of cultures whose existence and language are threatened by Western cultures and assimilation.
• Attracting international scholars, researchers, faculty and students.

Very limited, but excellent papers, selected by an international panel of assessors, will be invited for presentation. All those interested should send their papers, to reach the under listed, on or before Monday, 2nd of April, 2012. A turn-around time of no more than 72hrs will apply on the assessment of each paper from date of receipt. The Institute of African Studies of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria will publish a special edition of their international journal, African Notes, based on the papers presented at the Symposium.

It will be a case of first come, first accepted.

INVITATION TO ATTEND AND PRESENT PAPERS

The general public is invited to express interest in attendance and or presenting papers at the One-day Symposium. Please send your expression of interest or full paper to any of the under listed. The full Symposium programme will be sent to confirmed participants by Monday, April 9, 2012.

Participants may wish to consider attending and participating in the Ovia-Osese Festival and Dance of the Maidens on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Information on accommodation will be sent to those who are interested.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: secgen@aau.org, tellohio@yahoo.com, alexodaibo@yahoo.com

For submissions: secgen@aau.org, tellohio@yahoo.com, alexodaibo@yahoo.com

Website: http://www.aau.org

Deadline: 1 August 2011

SOCIETY OF MOVIE SCHOLARS (SoMS) in collaboration with NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) and ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA THEATRE ARTS PRACTTIONERS (ANTP) INVITES THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE THEORIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF AFRICAN REGIONAL MOVIES

Background

African movies across its regions have grown to the extent that there is need to critically do their in-depth studies with the purpose of generating theories on their packaging, analysis and proper classification into genres. Most movies produced in Africa are packaged without recourse to definite theories. Broadly speaking, most of the movies can be categorized into three groups namely, cultural or epic; modern and religious movies. While the religious and cultural movies could be in local or foreign languages, modern movies are so described because they are often located in the context of urban or rural populace and are produced in foreign or local languages, treating themes bothering on modern issues. But where they are in local languages, they are often lazed with Pidgin English or code mixed. However, these groupings possess the tendency to overlap if these categories are to be retained. Thus, it is difficult to arrogate to these groupings as genres on their own, more so that these grading are not guided by definite theories.

To define these groups effectively therefore, it might be necessary to do a close survey of their constituents. This is when the components can be highlighted into specific genres for stimulating and rich academic exercise. It is expected as the outcome of the exercise that specialization, originality and scope-widening and thus further ground for employment creation and legitimacy of production and its development would be engendered. Then practitioners’ specializations on specific genres would increase, and the tendency to recycle old ideas for new creations would be reduced.

This conference is therefore organized with the intent of gathering interested scholars and practitioners within and outside Africa to rub minds so as to evolve specific theories of packaging, analysis, and map out what genres African movies could be grouped. Taking a leap from the fact that movies are audio-visualisation of literature and literary texts and are analysed based on definite theories, the objective therefore is to cut a niche for African movies like literature, and place them strategically in the world movie categorizations but based on African development ideals and thus globalise what hitherto were local mediations.

CALL FOR PAPERS

In view of the above, abstracts are invited from academics, media industry professionals, movie producers, distributors, government agencies, policymakers, movie regulators, agencies, donors, civil society organisations, independent consultants, research groups and students, on any aspects of the under listed sub-themes. Such abstracts which should not exceed 200 words should be based on the analysis of select movies that fall within the sub-themes. This would eventually argue out the basis for specified theories and why the movie should be classified within the genres that the scholar is advocating. Contributors should however not forget to state under which sub-theme they are submitting their abstract.

Abstracts are to be sent to our E-mail address: moviescholars@gmail.com on or before August 1st 2011, while full paper must reach us before September 1st, 2011.

Sub-themes

Below are the likely, but by no means the only sub-themes on which abstracts can be submitted.

1. Trends in movie Theories.
2. Existing Literary Theories and the need or not, for distinct African movie theories.
3. Generating theories on African movies.
4. Emergent genres in African movies.
5. Movies and the relevance of African-specific genres.
6. Classifying African urban and rural movies.
7. Gender and social issues in African movies, need for classical genrization.
8. War and crime movies and proper classification.
9. Travel movies and issues of depiction.
10. African movies and the global media culture.
11. Representation of economic, social and political issues in African movies
12. Africans’ contributions to the Theories of Gaze.
13. Sociology and Psychology of African movies.

Proposals should include abstract title, author's name, address, telephone number, email address, and institutional affiliation.

Conference fee: A non-refundable registration fee of N10, 000 or (USD 200, BP100 for participants from the US, Europe, and other African countries). This must be paid immediately when an abstract is accepted. It is expected that all participants will raise the funding to attend the conference please.

LEAD PAPER: Professor Ahmed Yerima, Head of Department, Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Kwara State University Malete Kwara State (Title of Paper: African Movies: The needs for unique identities)

GUEST OF HONOUR: Emeka Mba, Director General, National Film and Video Censors Board, Abuja

KEY NOTE ADDRESS: Comrade Victor Ashaolu, National President, Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners, National Theatre, Lagos

Conference Dates:

• Arrival- October 24th, 2011
• Opening and plenary sessions 25th--27th October, 2011

Enquiries:

For more details, please visit the website: www.moviescholars.org OR contact any of the following:

*Kayode Animasaun, PhD: Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Ikire. Chairman LOC: +2348073787551, drkayanimasaun@gmail.com

*Gloria Ernest-Samuel, Imo State University Owerri- Secretary. LOC: +2348035085625, gloimsu@yahoo.com

*Ameh Akoh PhD H.O.D Languages and Linguistics Department, Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Ikire- Convener : +2348035992490, amehakoh@yahoo.co.uk

Contact Information:

For inquiries: drkayanimasaun@gmail.com

For submissions: moviescholars@gmail.com

Website: http://www.moviescholars.org/

Deadline: 31 May 2012

2012 will no doubt mark many firsts, and we hope that the AfroSF anthology will be among them. This will be the first African Science Fiction anthology open to submissions from all African writers (only) across the continent and Diaspora.

This particular genre has been somewhat neglected in the burgeoning African literature scene, something we hope that this anthology will help to address and encourage more of. We have a firm belief that the opportunities that SciFi engenders with its broad scope for imagination, invention, metaphor, political and social commentary, will take African writers out of their current comfort zones and into new territories.

Established African writers like Nnedi Okorafor (2011 World Fantasy Award winner), and Lauren Beukes (2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award winner) are already signed up for the anthology.

The anthology will be selected and edited by African Author, Ivor Hartmann and published by StoryTime (Publishing).

AfroSF Short Stories Submission

Size limit: 1500 - 8000 words

Works submitted may be: Science Fiction short stories only.

1) Only African writers are eligible (writers born in Africa, or having domiciled in for over 10 years, and/or holding citizenship in an African country)

2) The submitted work must be an original work, nothing that infringes the copyright of, or is derived from, another author's work of fiction, is overly lewd, hate speech, etc.

3) Must be unpublished (not previously published in print or online).

4) No simultaneous submissions (only submitted to AfroSF and no other publications).

5) No multiple submissions (submit only one work).

6) Submission format: single line spaced, font Times New Roman 12pt, one line space between paragraphs, no indents, and set to UK English.

7) Deadline for submissions is May 31st 2012.

If you're wondering what exactly Science Fiction is have a read of this article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction). Also please note your story does not have to be based in Africa, it's SF after all the only limits are your imagination (within plausible SF scenarios of course, so do your research well before submitting).

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For submissions: click here

Website: http://www.afrofutures.com

Announcement of winner: 11 July 2011

The shortlist for the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing has been announced today (Monday 9 May). The Caine Prize, widely known as the ‘African Booker’ and regarded as Africa’s leading literary award, is now in its twelfth year. The chair of judges, the award-winning Libyan novelist Hisham Matar, said "choosing a shortlist out of nearly 130 entries was not an easy task – one made more difficult and yet more enjoyable by the varied tastes of the judges – but we have arrived at a list of five stories that excel in quality and ambition. Together they represent a portrait of today’s African short story: its wit and intelligence, its concerns and preoccupations.”

Selected from 126 entries from 17 African countries, the shortlist is once again a reflection of the Caine Prize’s pan-African reach. The winner of the £10,000 prize is to be announced at a celebratory dinner at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on Monday 11 July.

The 2011 shortlist comprises:

· NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) ‘Hitting Budapest’ from ‘The Boston Review’ Vol 35, no. 6 - Nov/Dec 2010

· Beatrice Lamwaka (Uganda) ‘Butterfly dreams’ from ‘Butterfly Dreams and Other New Short Stories from Uganda’ published by Critical, Cultural and Communications Press, Nottingham, 2010

· Tim Keegan (South Africa) ‘What Molly Knew’ from ‘Bad Company’ published by Pan Macmillan SA, 2008

· Lauri Kubuitsile (Botswana) ‘In the spirit of McPhineas Lata’ from ‘The Bed Book of Short Stories’ published by Modjaji Books, SA, 2010

· David Medalie (South Africa) ‘The Mistress’s Dog’ from ‘The Mistress’s Dog: Short stories 1996- 2010’ published by Picador Africa, 2010

As always the stories are available to read online on our website.

Joining Hisham on the judging panel this year are Granta deputy editor Ellah Allfrey, publisher, film and travel writer Vicky Unwin, Georgetown University Professor and poet David Gewanter and the award-winning author Aminatta Forna. Once again the winner of the £10,000 Caine Prize will be given the opportunity of taking up a month’s residence at Georgetown University, Washington DC, as a ‘Caine Prize/Georgetown University Writer-in-Residence.’ The award will cover all travel and living expenses.

Last year the Caine Prize was won by Sierra Leonean writer Olufemi Terry. As the then Chair of judges, Fiammetta Rocco, said at the time, the story was “ambitious, brave and hugely imaginative. Olufemi Terry’s ‘Stickfighting Days’ presents a heroic culture that is Homeric in its scale and conception. The execution of this story is so tight and the presentation so cinematic, it confirms Olufemi Terry as a talent with an enormous future.”

Previous winners include Uganda’s Monica Arac de Nyeko, for ‘Jambula Tree’ from ‘African Love Stories’, Ayebia Clarke Publishing, 2006, and Binyavanga Wainaina, from Kenya, who founded the well-known literary magazine, Kwani?, to publish work by new Kenyan writers.

This year the shortlisted writers will be reading from their work at the Royal Over-Seas League on Friday, 8 July at 7pm and at the London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre, on Sunday, 10 July at 7pm.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: jenny@raittorr.co.uk

Website: http://www.caineprize.com/

Deadline: 31 May 2012

2012 will no doubt mark many firsts, and we hope that the AfroSF anthology will be among them. This will be the first African Science Fiction anthology open to submissions from all African writers (only) across the continent and Diaspora.

This particular genre has been somewhat neglected in the burgeoning African literature scene, something we hope that this anthology will help to address and encourage more of. We have a firm belief that the opportunities that SciFi engenders with its broad scope for imagination, invention, metaphor, political and social commentary, will take African writers out of their current comfort zones and into new territories.

Established African writers like Nnedi Okorafor (2011 World Fantasy Award winner), and Lauren Beukes (2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award winner) are already signed up for the anthology.

The anthology will be selected and edited by African Author, Ivor Hartmann and published by StoryTime (Publishing).

AfroSF Short Stories Submission

Size limit: 1500 - 8000 words

Works submitted may be: Science Fiction short stories only.

1) Only African writers are eligible (writers born in Africa, or having domiciled in for over 10 years, and/or holding citizenship in an African country)

2) The submitted work must be an original work, nothing that infringes the copyright of, or is derived from, another author's work of fiction, is overly lewd, hate speech, etc.

3) Must be unpublished (not previously published in print or online).

4) No simultaneous submissions (only submitted to AfroSF and no other publications).

5) No multiple submissions (submit only one work).

6) Submission format: single line spaced, font Times New Roman 12pt, one line space between paragraphs, no indents, and set to UK English.

7) Deadline for submissions is May 31st 2012.

If you're wondering what exactly Science Fiction is have a read of this article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction). Also please note your story does not have to be based in Africa, it's SF after all the only limits are your imagination (within plausible SF scenarios of course, so do your research well before submitting).

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For submissions: click here

Website: http://www.afrofutures.com