Introducing the Judges for the MWG Writing Contests

Tick Tock. Tick Tock....Watch the Date! Watch the Clock! MWG Writing Contests Deadline Approaches 

Time groweth short to send in your entries to the 2014 MWG Conference Contests! The postmark deadline is a little more than a week away—Saturday, March 1, 2014. But there's still time to enter.

This year, there are several Chapter and Sponsor contest options—the Short Story (open topic), the Humorous Short Story, YA Short Story, and the Sci Fi Short Story contests. Additionally, a Flash Fiction contest, as well as an Inspirational Essay and Free Verse Poetry contest are open for submissions. And you don’t have to be present at the conference banquet to win! If you’re a MWG member, you don’t have to go to the conference at all to enter.

All submission guidelines can be found at http://missouriwritersguild.org.

So, don’t delay! Polish your story, essay, or poem and send it in. Why not try more than one? Or all?! The distinguished panel of contest judges are waiting in the wings to read your submissions.

DISTINGUISHED PANEL OF CONTEST JUDGES

The conference committee now would like to take this opportunity to introduce some of the distinguished panel of judges who have volunteered their time and expertise to judge all contest submissions this year. Kudos and thanks to each and every one of you!

Drum roll, please!

 

Laura Biagi, an agent at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc (JVLNA) will not only be judging the Short Story contest, she will be attending the 2014 MWG conference to present a workshop, sit on the Slush Pile Panel, and take pitches from writers during the conference. Ms. Biagi graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in creative writing and anthropology. Her interests are many. Of particular interest to her are dynamic characters, vivid writing, complex narrative arcs, and psychological twists. Learn more about Biagi and her ‘wish list’ at JVLNA.

Dr. Christie Hodgen has graciously accepted to judge the Humorous Short Story contest this year. She is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Among other notable successes, Dr. Hodgen is the author or Elegies for the Brokenhearted, Hello, I Must Be Going, and A Jewelers Eye for Flaw: Stories. Awards include two Pushcart Prizes and a Guggenheim Fellowship in Fiction. Read more on Dr. Hodgen and her books at W.W. Norton & Company.

Winnie Sullivan, Founder and Executive Director of PenUltimate Press,  an independent non-profit literary press, will judge the Young Adult Short Story contest—the first MWG contest in this genre. Ms. Sullivan has worked in the field of publishing since 1988, and has held positions in print and broadcast journalism. Since founding PenUltimate Press, she has overseen the publication of several works of nonfiction and poetry. Visit her FB page here.

George Sirois, author of Excelsior, a self-published YA/Science Fiction novel will judge the Sci Fi Short Story contest. His novel was named “Top Pick” by Night Owl Reviews, and was a quarter-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Thereafter, the novel was acquired by Rocking Horse Publishing. Two sequels to Excelsior are planned. For more on Sirois, visit his website: http://www.georgesirois.com.

Remember, contests are open to everyone who attends the “Fifty Shades of Writing” Conference AND Missouri Writers’ Guild members. The top three winners in each category will win cash prizes.

Click here to register for the conference >>>

Click here to view submission guidelines for the conference contests>>>