The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and Shanti Arts Publishing invite Maine authors to submit original short stories inspired by the paintings of Maine artist, Leslie Anderson. Winning submissions to the Summer Stories Short Story Competition will be published in a printed collection alongside Anderson’s paintings.
← One of the Summer Stories paintings.
Award-winning Maine author Ron Currie, Jr. will serve as the competition’s judge. Currie’s books have earned him critical acclaim and several prestigious awards, including the Young Lions Fiction Award from the New York Public Library. The New York Times has said Currie is a “startlingly talented writer whose book [Everything Matters!] will pay no heed to ordinary narrative conventions… He survives the inevitable, apt comparisons to Kurt Vonnegut and writes in a tenderly mordant voice of his own.”
Winning stories will receive a $50 honorarium (in the form of a gift certificate) and three complimentary copies of the published book.
For centuries, writers have been inspired to action by the narrative quality of paintings. Edward Hopper’s evocative paintings have launched countless poems and short stories, while Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring inspired a best-selling novel. Now that connection between the visual and literary arts has come to Maine.
COMPETITION DETAILS
The Summer Stories series of paintings by Leslie Anderson are available for viewing on the Shanti Arts website. Writers interested in participating should select a painting from the series by Leslie Anderson and compose an original story inspired by that piece. Authors may write and submit multiple stories. Each story requires its own entry fee.
Submission Instructions
SUBMISSION DETAILS
Please submit a completed submission form, which includes name, physical address, phone numbers, and email address. Please submit two copies of your manuscript, which cannot exceed 5,000 words. All manuscripts must meet the following formatting requirements: 12-point font, double-spaced lines, one-inch margins on standard 8.5 x 11 paper, page numbers in the lower right corner of each page, and the story’s title and the title of the related painting on the top of each page of the story. The author’s name should not appear on any of the manuscript pages. No submissions will be returned.
Completed stories may be mailed to:
MAINE WRITERS & PUBLISHERS ALLIANCE
ATTN: Summer Stories Competition
314 Forest Avenue, Room 318
Portland, ME 04101
*IMPORTANT: Email submissions will not be accepted.
DEADLINES
Submissions Open: October 10, 2012
*Submissions Deadline: Postmarked no later than March 1, 2013
Notification of Winner: May 15, 2013
Book Release: Fall 2013
ELIGIBILITY
The Summer Stories competition is open to all Maine residents (full-time or part-time) who are 18 years of age or older at the time of their submission.
ENTRY FEE
There is a nonrefundable $15 entry fee to the Summer Stories Competition. Each submitted story requires its own entry fee. Checks should be made out to: Shanti Arts (NOT MWPA). Payment via Master Card and Visa will also be accepted.
CONDITIONS
The publisher reserves the right to cancel the competition at any time or to decide not to publish the book. Should this occur, all entry fees will be refunded.
QUESTIONS
Questions may be addressed to Christine Cote at Shanti Arts (publisher@shantiarts.co; 207.837.5760) or Joshua Bodwell at Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance (director@mainewriters.org; 207.228.8264).
→ Download the Summer Stories Competition submission form.
→ Download a copy of all this info.
