3 Sets of 4…Assorted Contests

We've discussed the value of entering writing contests before. First, entering a writing contest guarantees your work is read by a professional. Second, even if you don't win the contest, you may catch someone's attention with a strong second, third or honorable mention showing. Third, contests always have prizes. Sometimes the prize is cash, while other times it is publication or production. (all the contest listed here have cash prizes.) Whichever it is, entering a contest can only benefit a writer.

Very few writers write in one form and only one form. So here is an assortment of contests for the assorted writers within you. Click the contest name to get the full guidelines.

Good luck!

Are you the dramatic type?

3rd Annual 10-Minute Play Contest - Magnolia Arts Center - Deadline: August 31 - Prize: $50 Grand Prize, possible finalists prizes - Entry Fee: $3/mail, $5/online. - Each entry is subject to the fee, but writers may submit more than one entry. NO musicals or adaptations. Plays must be unpublished/unproduced. Can submit online.
The David Calicchio Emerging Playwright Prize - Marin Theatre Company - Deadline: August 31 - Prize: two public staged readings plus $2500 and travel/lodging for rehearsal period - Established in 2007 to honor David Calicchio's career as a playwright and "in support of the Marin Theatre Company's commitment to the discovery and development of new and emerging American playwrights." Open to full-length comedies, dramas or musicals that have not had a full-scale professional production. Elaborate guidelines/submission policy.
Palm Beach Dramaworks - Deadline: August 31 - Prize: public readings - Submit only one full-length play. NO collection of one-acts or musicals. Plays must be unpublished/unproduced and not previously submitted.
The Sky Cooper New American Play Prize - Marin Theatre Company - Deadline: August 31 - Prize: full production by MTC plus $10,000 and travel/lodging for rehearsal period - Established in 2007 to "celebrate the work of the American playwright and to encourage the creation of bold, powerful new voices and plays for the American stage." Open to full-length comedies, dramas or musicals that have not had a full-scale professional production. Elaborate guidelines/submission policy.

Can you tell me a story?

12th Annual Short Fiction Contest - Zeotrope: All-Story - Deadline: October 1 - Prizes: $1000/1st, $500/2nd, $250/3rd - Entry Fee: $15 - Open to all genres of literary fiction up to 5000 words or less. Entries must be unpublished.
16th Annual Short-Story Contest - Boston Review - Deadline: October 1 - Prize: $1500 plus publication - Entry Fee: $20/US entry, $30/international entry - Submit original, unpublished stories of 4000 words or less.
2009 Short Story Prize - Ruminate Magazine - Deadline: October 15, Prizes: $300 plus publication/Grand Prize, $150/Runner-Up - Entry Fee: $15 - Submit one story per fee of 5000 words or less. Submission form and payment option online. Multiple submissions OK.
Family Matters Short Story Contest - Glimmer Train Magazine - Deadline: October 31* - Prizes: $1200, publication and copies/1st, $500/2nd, $300/3rd - Entry Fee: $15 - Submit unpublished, original stories about family of 12,000 words or less. NO creative nonfiction or personal narratives. Submit using a form online. (*This contest runs multiple times during the year. This is the next deadline.)

Have you renewed your poetic license?

Anderbo Poetry Prize - Anderbo.com - Deadline: November 1 - Prize: $500 - Entry Fee: $10 - Open to poets who have NOT published on Anderbo.com. Submit up to six poems per poet and entry fee.
Award for Poetry - Fourth River - Deadline: November 15 - Prize: $500 plus publication - Entry fee: $5 - Submit up to three unpublished poems "that capture the places - natural, built and imagined, urban, rural or wild - where humans and nature converge and collide." Multiple submissions OK with fee. Creative Nonfiction Award also offered in conjunction.
Milton Kessler Memorial Prize for Poetry - Harpur Palate - Deadline: November 1 - Prize: $500 plus publication - Entry Fee: $15 - Established to honor Milton Kessler and "his dedication to the development of writers." Open to original, unpublished poems no more than three pages long. Send up to five poems in a single envelope and with a single fee. Multiple submissions OK if mailed separately. All entries will be considered for publication.
Poetry Contest for New & Emerging Poets - The Teacher's Voice - Deadline: November 7 - Prizes: $150 Book Award/1st, $100 Book Award/2nd, $50 Book Award/3rd - Open to unpublished poets ONLY. Submit up to three poems that "reflect on teaching and/or education in the United States or abroad." All submissions will be considered for publication.

Meet…writer/entertainer George M. Cohan

Who is George M. Cohan?

Since the Fourth of July or Independence Day is this Friday, George M. Cohan seemed the logical choice for this week's "Meet…" column.

Often called "Mr. Broadway" or "The Man who Owned Broadway," George M. Cohan is most well known for his songs "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "Give My Regards to Broadway" and the WWI anthem "Over There," which won him a Congressional Medal of Honor from President Franklin D. Roosevelt 25 years after it was written. His career in American theatre spanned more than 50 years.

Although he claimed to be born on the Fourth of July, Cohan was actually born on July 3, 1878. He was the second child of Jerry and Nellie Cohan, a highly popular vaudeville act. He got his start on stage at age nine, playing the violin, reciting poetry and acting in minor sketches. At age 11, he and his sister Josie joined their parents on stage to become "The Four Cohans." As a teen, he began writing skits for the family and songs, selling his first one when he was 15. His writing skills drew the attention of other performers and he was soon writing material for many of them. This impressed his father so that the man put Cohan in charge of the family's act. He was 17.

The Four Cohans - circa 1890s

How did Cohan come to write Broadway musicals?

As the manager for the family act, Cohan was almost as protective as he was ambitious. After a falling out over the billing of the family act with B.F. Keith, the primary producer and theatre owner in vaudeville, the Four Cohans were forced to try the "legitimate" theatre. Cohan had several lack luster comedies before he hit it big with the musical play "Little Johnny Jones" in 1904. The show established the song and dance man as a solid Broadways star and it produced the poplar songs "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Give My Regards to Broadway." His recurring and shameless flag-waving baffled critics, but struck deeply into the hearts of American theatre-goers and they were who mattered most to Cohan.

Cohan wrote more than 40 musicals and dramas, and became a "fixer" for dozens more. His enthusiastic patriotic theme songs are recognized around the world to this day. In 2002, "You're a Grand Old Flag" won the Songwriters Hall of Fame Towering Song Award.

The movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy," made in 1942, loosely tells the story of the entertainer's life, highlighting his music and his tremendous showmanship. James Cagney played Cohan. Many of the musical numbers replicated Cohan's own stagings, including the effect of a flare firing from the deck of an ocean liner for the number "Give My Regards to Broadway."



What is Cohan's legacy today?

Cohan's autobiography, Twenty Years on Broadway and the Years It Took to Get There: The True Story of a Trouper's Life from the Cradle to the "Closed Shop," can be found through used book websites, including a first edition on Alibris.com. I also found a couple bound copies of his play "The Tavern" and sheet music for various songs. Although not his work, Cohan did approve the movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and it was released on DVD in 2003 and can still be found occasionally on cable TV.

Cohan died in 1942 from stomach cancer at the age of 63. In 1959, Oscar Hammerstein II presented a bronzed statue of Cohan in Times Square, looking up Broadway, the street he once owned. Nearly 10 years later, the biographical musical "George M!" co-written by Cohan's daughter Mary, opened on Broadway. Every Fourth of July, at least one band or orchestra in America plays "You're a Grand Old Flag" and/or "Yankee Doodle Dandy" more than 100 years after they were first performed. How's that for longevity?





Sources: AuthenticHistory.com, Musicals 101, PBS - Broadway: the American Musical, Songwriters Hall of Fame

Interview…with playwright Evan Guilford-Blake

When asked what advice he'd give novice playwrights, Evan Guilford-Blake says, "Read plays and go see them." He believes that too many wannabe playwrights are actually writing teleplays and film scripts, not realizing how a story plays within the limits of a stage and before live audience. "You must know both your medium and what you're writing about."

Guilford-Blake has been writing plays for 30 years, and before that he did some acting, hitting the stage at age 10 and acting in his mother's radio plays at age five. "I always wrote…I had a poem published when I was five," he says. "I got into theatre at an early age. The form fascinated me, but I never thought I could write dialogue."

He proved himself wrong in 1980 when he challenged himself to write something or give it up once and for all. He took a monologue he wrote for a friend. Seven days later he had the first draft of a full-length play.

How many plays has Guilford-Blake written?


He's written more than 30 plays, evenly split between full-lengths and short works (one-acts, monologues, etc.), and a little more than a third of them are for children and/or families. His plays have been produced across the country, from Oregon to North Carolina, from New York City to San Francisco. Many have won multiple awards, the most recent being the Eamon Keane Full-Length Play Award (United Kingdom) for "An Uncommon Language." His play "Nighthawks" has garnered the most honors, winning three US national competitions, and taking runner-up in four others. It has also been staged 13 times.

Guilford-Blake has no stated preference in genre, although he admits he writes more drama than comedy. Because his scripts are character- and language-driven, he prefers full-lengths and longer one-acts. "Ten-minute plays and short one-acts aren’t very satisfying. I rarely feel (that I can) develop a character in just a few pages."

He never outlines instead he waits for his characters to be ready. "I only write characters who absolutely insist on being written…(I) let them tell me the story, then I organize and edit it."

As a result a play could take as little as a year to go from conception to production, or as in the case of his first play "Eighty-Two", written in 1980, it could take 26 years.


How involved is he in a play's production?

"If it's a first, or an early, mounting, I try to be as involved as humanly possible," he says. "I need to learn about how the script 'plays' on its feet." He gets feedback from the actors and the director about what works and problem areas, as well as suggestions on how he can adjust his text to fix any issues that always arise in a new play's first production.

Although he likes to be involved in early productions, he has little interest in directing or producing his own scripts. He directed his play "Ceremonies of a Prayer" in 1992 at the producer's insistence.

"It was an awful experience," he says. "A playwright needs people who can see the play in a different light, and consider things like budgets, casting pools, etc."

He admits to being surprised by some directors' interpretations of his scripts, but they don't faze him. "Generally speaking, any good play can withstand most interpretative challenges. There are, however, (too) many exceptions."

If he is involved with the production, he tries to keep the lines of communication open with the director so they can work together for the best production, but if he's not, "I just suck it up and try to smile. I just won't allow them to do my work again."

What makes a successful play in his eyes?

First, Guilford-Blake has two versions of success. "Being 'successful' as stage literature requires interesting characters whose individual and collective stories compel and move the audience."


A commercially successful play, on the other hand, is easy and inexpensive to produce. It has a small cast, limited set and technical requirements. Also plays that don't offend, either with subject matter or language, have a better chance of being produced.

Next, there are certain unique elements in playwriting that must be mastered. For instance, a playwright must tread lightly when revealing backstory and/or exposition. "The first maxim in playwriting is show, don't tell," Guilford-Blake explains. "The entire story must be told in dialogue and physical action."

You don't want to risk boring your audiences with long explanations or descriptions of events off-stage. In addition, Subtext, or the thoughts, emotions and tensions beneath the dialogue, is also critical to reveal character and to add dimension to the plot. If you have a strong subtext, a look or a small action can speak volumes.

"And care about what you write," he adds one final note. "If you don't, an audience won't either."



You can see the full list of Evan Guilford-Blake's plays and even read a synopsis of each on his website.












Editor's note: This is 3 Questions...and Answers 100th article!

The Catch-22 of Play Publishing…

How is publishing a play different from publishing a book?

Usually a book publisher wants to be the only one looking at your manuscript. However, many play publishers won't even look at your play unless it has been seen by an audience or multiple audiences. That's right - play publishers, especially the large ones, will only consider plays that have been produced. Often they want plays with significant production histories.

A production doesn't always mean fully costumed actors, extensive sets, etc. Staged readings are sometimes accepted as a production as is a workshop production where actors do a cold reading of the play, offering suggestions for revisions. However, some publishers insist that your play have a full Equity production with multiple performances before you can submit to them. Equity is a professional actor's union.

How do you get produced?

Start with competitions. Sometimes part of the prize is a stage reading or other production. Some of the publishers listed below offer contests too. PlaywritingOpportunities.com is an online resource for competitions and awards for plays and playwrights.


Having an award attached to your play can help you with a production too. An award says another professional or maybe a panel of professionals has deemed your play to be good. Get a handful of awards for a play and you'll find people will help you get the play on stage. And like American Idol, sometimes an "also-ran" might capture the attention of a theatre director or producer looking for a new play.

Which leads us to networking…If a competition is part of a festival, try to go to the festival. You'll meet lots of people involved in all levels of play production. Get involved in a theatre group or two in your community. Build sets, be a stagehand or manager. Talk up your play while being useful and the chances of getting it produced go up.

While community theatre productions may not sway every publisher, one production leads to another production and to another. Also how many professional actors and directors got their starts in community theatre? The more people you know, the more opportunities for your play. Plus if community production gets good reviews in the papers, that will lend credibility to your play and help with securing more productions and ultimately with publishing.

Why would you want to publish your play?


A publisher can put your play into the hands of many more producers and directors than you can alone. Their catalogs (paper and online) go out to theatres, directors and producers across the country, even around the world. With the publisher's name behind it, your play has more credibility and that will lead to more productions. Who doesn't need help marketing his work?

Below is a short list of play publishers. Browse their online catalogs to see if your play will be a good fit before querying. I've noted the ones that have contests or other special instructions. Click the publisher's name to go the submission guidelines page.

Baker's Plays - e-queries OK, has a contest for high school students, markets to religious institutions, regional theatres, universities, high schools and children's/family theatres.
Broadway Play Publishing, Inc. - e-queries OK, full-length plays only.
Brooklyn Publishers - e-queries OK, NO musicals, markets mainly to middle, junior high and high schools.
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. - NO e-queries or submissions, all plays/musicals must have a production history.
Pioneer Drama Service - e-queries OK, has a contest, markets to schools and "family-oriented theatres."
Samuel French, Inc. - NO e-queries or submissions, has a contest, markets to amateur and regional theatres, prefers plays/musicals appropriate for family, junior and high school markets, though will consider plays with more adult themes if they have had successful productions.

Meet...playwright Lillian Hellman

Who was Lillian Hellman?

Lillian Hellman was a strong-willed outspoken woman, who although she only wrote 12 plays became one of the leading voices of American Theatre and a role model for women playwrights for generations. She maintained a political life almost as dramatic as her plays, organizing a union for script readers in Hollywood, visiting Spain during its Civil War, smuggling money to German dissidents attempting to oust Hitler.

In 1952, Hellman stared down the Committee on Un-American Activities and watched them blink. Yes, she was blacklisted in Hollywood and yes, she was forced to sell her home when served with a large unexplained tax bill, but in spite of her invoking her Fifth Amendment Rights and basically calling the Committee "inhumane and indecent and dishonorable," Hellman was otherwise excused after she refused to name friends and colleagues who may have had Communist ties. In comparison, the Committee sentenced her companion, mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, to prison for six months for virtually the same behavior.

How did Hellman get her start on Broadway?


It happened in Hollywood. Hellman moved to California in 1930 with her husband Arthur Kober, a playwright. She got a job at MGM reading scripts, a dull job she thought, but it offered her the opportunity to click into a network of writers and other creative people, including Hammett. Within two years, she divorced her husband and began a 30-year relationship with the much older writer. It was Hammett who encouraged her to write her first play: "The Children's Hour," a story of how a child ruins the lives of two school teachers by spreading rumors that they have a lesbian relationship.

Hellman hit Broadway with a bang, shocking audiences in 1934 with her frank treatment of lesbianism. However, when trying to convince Samuel Goldwyn to buy the screen rights to the play, she insisted, "It's not about lesbians. It's about the power of a lie." The play ran on Broadway for nearly 700 performances. It has been filmed twice.

"The Little Foxes" is Hellman's most well known play. Written in 1939, the story of a southern family struggling and backstabbing each other to gain control of a cotton mill after the Civil War not only rallied against capitalism and greed, but it explored the family dynamics and the individual motives of the characters. Hellman's ability to blend politics with individual human stories can be seen throughout her work and reveals the complexity of the playwright's own personality.


"The Little Foxes" ran for over 400 performances and Samuel Goldwyn didn't have to be convinced to buy the screen rights. Hellman wrote the screenplay for the film in 1941 and received her first Oscar nomination. Her second Oscar nomination came two years later for "The North Star."

How was Hellman able to recover from being on Hollywood's Blacklist?

She returned to the theatre. To raise money after losing her house to pay that punitive tax bill, Hellman staged a revival of "The Children's Hour," then she set back to writing. She adapted several works for the stage, including a musical version of Voltaire's Candide, with music from Leonard Bernstein. It would be almost 10 years before Hellman wrote an original play, and again Hammett would be the one who initiated it. "Toys in the Attic" opened in 1960. The story about two sisters and their ne'er-do-well brother was later made into a film with Dean Martin and Geraldine Page.

She continued to write and speak out against injustices as she encountered them. Excited by the rise of student activism in the 1960s, Hellman began teaching writing at various colleges, including the University of New York, Yale and Harvard, and often defended student protestors. She founded the Committee for Public Justice in 1970 to create "an early warning system" to monitor violations of constitutional rights, among other things. She continued to support many organizations financially and with her time and energy.


Finally, Hellman published a trilogy of memoirs beginning with An Unfinished Woman in 1969. Some critics claimed that the books were so inaccurate, she should have published them as novels, while others remarked at their artistry and insight. Pentimento, published in 1973, was the basis of the film "Julia." Scoundrel Time (1976) discussed her activism and her call to testify before the Committee on Un-American Activities.

Hellman died in 1984 at the age of 79, but not before garnering a National Book Award, two New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, two Oscar nominations and many other awards and honors.

You can find her three memoirs and some of her plays still available in print today. Many of the film adaptations are also still available on DVD or VHS.





Sources: American Masters Series (PBS), Moonstruck Drama Bookstore, Pegasos, Perspectives in American Literature, Theatre Database

Meet…playwright and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II

What should you know about Oscar Hammerstein II?

Born in 1895 in New York City into a prominent theatrical family, Oscar Hammerstein II contributed more to American musical theater than any other single person. His grandfather, whom he was named after, was an opera producer. His father managed the Hammerstein's Victoria, a vaudeville theatre, and his uncle was a successful Broadway producer. Though encouraged by his father to study law at Columbia Law School, he couldn't deny the draw of theatre, and he soon talked his uncle into hiring him as an assistant stage manager for his current production. He soon was promoted to stage manager for all his uncle's productions.

He began writing books and lyrics for musicals, although primarily for operettas. His first play, "The Light", produced by his uncle in 1919, ran for four performances, but Hammerstein kept writing with a series of collaborators. His two most successful partnerships were with Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers. With them, Hammerstein would change musical theatre forever.

What were Hammerstein's greatest contributions to American musical theatre?


Hammerstein wrote eight musicals with composer Jerome Kern, including "Show Boat" which is widely considered the first modern American musical play. Produced in 1927, "Show Boat" transcended previous musical comedies with rich, dynamic songs that served to move the plot, developed the characters and helped to reinforce the setting and time. Later, he and Kern later won Best Original Song Academy Award for "The Last Time I Saw Paris" in the film "Lady be Good" in 1941, making him the first Oscar to win an Oscar.

In his partnership with Richard Rodgers, Hammerstein won a Pulitzer Prize for "Oklahoma!" in 1943 and a second Academy Award for "It Might as Well be Spring" in the film "State Fair" in 1945. "Oklahoma!" broke new ground in musical theatre. It was a musical without humor, without sight gags. It drifted into tragedy, killing one of the main characters at the climax of the story. Instead of showgirls dancing in scant outfits, it incorporated an extended ballet sequence. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen.


With their seemingly simple and accessible lyrics and music, the duo tackled social issues in many of their musicals. "South Pacific," which won the duo a second Pulitzer in 1949, examined racial and social prejudices, as did "The King and I" two years later. Hammerstein's last musical "The Sound of Music" in 1959 dealt in part with the pervasiveness of the Nazi movement through Europe in the late 1930s.

Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960.

What is Hammerstein's legacy?

With Rodgers, Hammerstein produced numerous plays, musicals and revivals including Irving Berlin's widely popular "Annie Get Your Gun". He was a mentor to Alan Lerner, who wrote "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot" with composer Frederick Lowe, and a mentor and close friend of Stephen Sondheim, who penned such hits as "Sweeney Todd" and "Sunday in the Park with George."


Hammerstein served on the board of directors for many theatrical and film professional organizations, won five Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Academy Awards and received five honorary degrees. During the centennial anniversary of his birth in 1995 and 1996, three of his musicals played simultaneously on Broadway. "Show Boat" and "The King and I" took home the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 1995 and 1996 respectively, while "State Fair," which was the only musical Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote for film, was nominated for the 1996 Tony Award for Best Score.




Sources: Broadway: The American Musical on PBS.com, Songwriters Hall of Fame, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, TheatreHistory.com

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

All the World's a Stage…Playwriting Markets

The play may be the most enduring form of storytelling. There are great stone amphitheatres in Greece dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. Today most towns boast at least one community theatre. So there are opportunities for playwrights to get their work produced, but like with all types of writing: the bigger the market, the bigger the pay and the tougher the competition.

What do you need to know before approaching a theatre?

First the obvious: Does the theatre produce new plays? Some theatres only produce work that has been professionally produced and has a good track record with audiences. With funding for the arts becoming tighter and tighter, and the general public leaning toward "cocooning" or entertaining at home, theatres need big audiences and supporters to survive. Proven hits mean money in the bank.

There are other monetary issues to consider too. A play with lavish set requirements and huge casts will cost a theatre a lot to produce. Some will be reluctant to take on a new project that will cost them a lot to produce.


Third, make sure the theatre takes your type of play. Some theatres only want new scripts for children or they only accept one-act plays. Look at the demographics - is this a family-oriented, PG theatre or will they consider something more edgy and/or adult.

Do you send the whole script?

That depends on the theatre's submission guidelines. Just like publishers and magazines, theatres have guidelines, sometimes highly detailed, sometimes simple. If you can't find them on the theatre's website, write or email the literary or artistic director before sending anything.

Typically, the theatre would like a synopsis or treatment of your play plus the first 10 pages. This varies so always double-check. Always make sure your sample pages are in proper play format. If you don't know what that is, check out this example from ScriptFrenzy.

E-submissions are getting more common, but they're not the norm so be sure you know the theatre's preference before you hit the send key. Always include a cover letter, then other items that may be required are character lists and/or breakdowns, résumé, CD or cassette of music if it is a musical, SASE and one in the list below request two letters of recommendation. Once your packet has been reviewed, just like with a book and a publisher, the theatre will request the whole manuscript if they like what they have read.

Where can you submit your play?


Here are a handful of theatres that will consider unsolicited query packets. Click the theatre's name to go to its guidelines online.

The New Group - seeks full-length plays, not previously produced in NYC, scripts should be "challenging, and character-base" with contemporary settings and sensibilities.

New York State Theatre Institute - produces full-length plays and musicals suitable for family audiences.

New York State Theatre Workshop - (not affiliated with theatre above) - produces one-acts, full-length plays, musicals and one-man shows.

Playwrights' Program - Boston playwrights only, must be active in the organization to have your script considered.

The Public Theater - has an Emerging Writers Group, produces full-length plays, musicals, one-man shows, adaptations.

The Purple Rose Theatre - seeks full-length plays with modern, topical subjects.

South Coast Repertory - seeks full-length plays, translations, adaptations and works for children (4th grade level), has a NewSCRipts Series and the Pacific Playwrights Festival.

Teatro Visión - seeks plays from Latino or Chicano playwrights only, has a program, Codices, that supports and develops new work, no guidelines on the website, but email for more info: Teatro@TeatroVision.org

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company - produces full-length plays that are "word and actor driven", but limits cast to five.

Workshops & Retreats…Santa Barbara Writers Conference

This column briefly profiles writers' workshops, retreats, seminars and conferences. Inclusion in this column is not an endorsement.

What is the Santa Barbara Writers Conference?

There's actual two Santa Barbara Writers Conferences: the smaller poetry conference in March and the comprehensive summer conference in June. The dates for this year's summer conference are June 21-26. It will be held at the Fess Parker DoubleTree Resort.

The workshops cover such areas as story crafting and structure, screenwriting, humor, creative nonfiction, children's literature, marketing as well as several genres of fiction, poetry and memoir. The workshop activities include instruction plus readings and critiques with fellow students and instructors.


There are also panel discussions, guest speakers, late-night "pirate workshops" and "The Ultimate Write-Off Reality Show." You can register for the Agents and Editors Day and for a manuscript review.

There is a Young Writers Program for students 14-18. Students can participate in all conference activities but there are other special presentations as well.

Who are the instructors?

There are 33 workshop instructors. Click here to see the full list: faculty. The book jackets featured represents work from the faculty. Special guest include: (book signings will follow each presentation)


Ray Bradbury - opens the conference with a keynote speech.
Joseph Wambaugh - author, screenwriter, his latest book Hollywood Crows was released in March.
Bob Mayer - presents How to Pitch to an Agent/Editor followed by a book signing.
Jane Heller - author, journalist, her latest book Some Nerve came out in paperback in November.
Luis Alberto Urrea - author of The Devil's Highway, The Hummingbird's Daughter and others.
Sue Grafton - receives the Barnaby and Mary Conrad Founders Award for Fiction with a Q&A.

How much might this cost you?

To attend the full conference is $725 and includes all workshops, special lectures, panels, speakers' presentations, opening night barbecue, closing dinner and award ceremony. Manuscript evaluations are $40 and must be received by May 15. Meet with an Agent and Editor is $35.


The conference has a "Taste of the Conference" option which runs from June 21 through June 24, giving you access to the workshops, but not all the special events. Individual tickets will be available for purchase for some of the events not included with the discounted tuition. The tuition for "Taste of…" is $475.

The Young Writers Program tuition is $525 and allows the students access to all conference classes, presentations and activities as well as special Young Writers activities.

Registrations must be received by May 15. Online registration is available here: Registration. Rooms at the Fess Parker DoubleTree Resort run at the conference rate of $225. You must mention the conference to get that rate.

The Details:


Santa Barbara Writers Conference: June 21-26, Fess Parker DoubleTree Resort
Workshops in several fiction genres, story crafting and structure, creative nonfiction, children's literature, humor, screenwriting, marketing, poetry, memoir and the Young Writers Program for students 14-18.
Fees: Full conference - $725, Taste of… - $475, Young Writers Program - $525, Manuscript Evaluations - $40, Meet with an Agent and Editor - $35, Rooms - $225
Online registration is available. Registration deadline: May 15






NOTE: Don't forget The Virtual Book Tour by Font Literary Agency & Writing Centre is coming April 8. Click here to read more about Lover's Hollow author Orna Ross.

Meet...playwright/screenwriter Sidney Howard

What should you know about Sidney Howard?

A journalist, playwright and screenwriter during the 1920s and 1930s, Sidney Howard was the first person to win a Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award. Born in 1891 in Oakland, CA, he began writing while at the University of California-Berkeley for various student publications. He later studied at Harvard and served in the military during World War I before moving to New York City in 1919. There he began working as a journalist, writing for Life, The New Republic and Hearst International.

For what did he win his awards?

Between 1921 and 1938, Howard wrote more than 50 plays, but his most successful was They Knew What They Wanted in 1924. It won the Pulitzer the following year. Set in the California wine country, the play follows the story of an Italian immigrant and his mail-ordered bride. It was later adapted into the Frank Loesser musical The Most Happy Fella. Nearly all of Howard's plays had successful runs in New York. Three of his plays were produced in the early and mid-1950s, more than 13 years after his death.


While he wrote plays he also delved into screenwriting for which he received three Oscar nominations, winning once. The first nomination in 1932 was for his adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel Arrowsmith. The second nomination in 1937 was for another Lewis novel adaptation, Dodsworth, which he had also adapted for the New York stage, but it was the third time that was the charm for Howard.

In 1940, just months after his death, Howard won an Oscar for his adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. His final distinction was to be the first person to be awarded the Oscar posthumously. He had died in an accident in August 1939 before the film was completed.

How is Howard remembered?


Aside from his awards, Howard was also a major force in New York theater in the 1920s and 1930s. He, along with other powerful playwrights such as Robert Sherwood, founded The Playwrights' Company in 1938 to rival the Theatre Guild on Broadway. The producing company was responsible for such memorable plays as Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Tea and Sympathy and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof before it disbanded in the 1960s.

His three Oscar nominated movies are available on DVD and as are a handful of his plays. Of course, his screenplay of Gone with the Wind is available in various editions from the published shooting script to an illustrated version.




Sources: FilmReference.com, Perspectives in American Literature: a Research and Reference Guide, Writers' Guild of America





NOTE: Don't forget The Virtual Book Tour by Font Literary Agency & Writing Centre is coming April 8. Click here to read more and to leave comments or questions Orna Ross.

Workshops & Retreats…MWG Writers Conference & Spring Retreat

This column briefly profiles writers' workshops, retreats, seminars and conferences. Inclusion in this column is not an endorsement.

What is MWG?

MWG is the Mississippi Writers Guild. The group has chapters in 11 cities throughout the state. It sponsors two events this spring and summer: the Spring Retreat, April 4-5, in Gulfport and the MWG Writers Conference, August 15-16, in Vicksburg.

The Spring Retreat features an Open Mic Night on April 4, then two two-hour writing workshops, plus lunch on April 5. There is also an additional lecture by workshop facilitator John M. Floyd after the workshops.

The Writers Conference begins in the mid-afternoon on August 15 with a book sale/registration, then a reception and dinner followed by an Open Mic Night. The next day is full with four workshops, panel discussions, an award ceremony, an autographing and book sale and critique sessions.

Who are the instructors?


John M. Floyd is the only announced faculty for the Spring Retreat. He is the author of more than 600 short stories, plus a collection of short stories, Rainbow's End and other stories, published in 2006. He won the 2007 Derringer Award and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

The Writers Conference has six announced faculty members:

1. Novelist Howard Bahr - author of Black Flower, The Year of Jubilo, and The Judas Field;

2. Novel/screenwriter/playwright Tom B. Sawyer - Head Writer of 15 network TV series, including "Murder She Wrote," author of two novels, one of which is due out this year;


3. Agent Gary Heidt - with the FinePrint Agency, which represents both nonfiction and fiction for adults and young adults;

4. Poet/publisher Sue Brannan Walker - internationally known for her own poetry and for her writing on other poets and writers, her publishing company Negative Capability Press has published both famous and new poets in writers, earning a ranking of third out 2700 poetry markets by Writer's Digest;



5. Freelance writer/journalist Cheryl Sloan Wray - author of six books, including Writing for Magazines: A Beginner's Guide, and over 100 magazine and newspaper stories;

6. Playwright/actress Rebecca Jernigan - playwright of numerous plays produced throughout the Southeast, including Actor's Theatre of Louisville, taught at playwrititng and scriptwriting at Yoknapatawpha Writing Seminar and The Mississippi Governor's School among others.

What are the fees for these events?


For the Spring Retreat it is $50 for the 2-day retreat. If you're not attending the Retreat but want to take in a lecture/workshop with Floyd, there's a $10 fee for adults, $5 for students and seniors.

For MWG members, the conference breaks down like this: Early Bird (before June 30) $115, Regular $135 and critique $35. Nonmembers: Early Bird $135, Regular $155 and critique $40

The Details:

The Spring Retreat: April 4-5 at Magnolia Plantation, Gulfport MS, with Open Mic at Mockingbird Café Additional John M. Floyd Lecture: 4:00-600 April 5 at Magnolia Plantation

The Writers Conference: August 15-16 at Battlefield Inn, Vicksburg MS


See the MWG website for complete guidelines, bios, registration forms.

Oddball Contests...

Here is a trio of contests that are a little different. Each offers a cash prize and some fun.

Have you written a book that just calls for sitting under an umbrella in the sand?


The Beach Book Festival competition is looking for the best beach reading this year. According to the website: "The Beach Book Festival will consider self-published or independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, teenage, how-to, science fiction, romance, comics, poetry, spiritual, compilations/anthologies, history, business and health-oriented books published on or after Jan. 1, 2000."

The Grand Prize is definitely GRAND and includes $1500 cash, a flight to Atlantic City for the May 3 awards and a publicity campaign from a leading international PR firm following the competition and a week for two at the fabulous Larimar St. Croix writer's retreat!

There are 15 categories of books. You may enter multiple books but there is a $50 entry fee/book. Entries must be postmarked by April 25. Full details and the required registration form is on the website.

Can you make me laugh?

Chances are yes, but can you make the folks at Cheshire Comedy Publishing laugh hard enough to name your play The Funniest Play on Earth? The new play publishing company is offering you a chance to try.


The contest seeks unpublished full-length comedy plays. Plays that have been performed are allowed, just not published plays. Playwrights can submit multiple entries by email or snail mail. With email, limit one play per message.

The prize is $500 royalty advance, a publishing offer from Cheshire Comedy, a production of your play, and "Being forever known as the author of The Funniest Play on Earth 2008!" Deadline is April 1 (April Fool's Day). See the website for details.

Is your dog DAZZLING?


If so, you might want to try out the Dazzling Dogs Writing Contest at Logical Expressions' IdeaWeaver website. The main purpose of this contest is to get you to try the IdeaWeaver software and if you're Mac user you're out of luck because the software works on Windows only and the entry must be submitted using the software.

However, Logical Expressions publishes pet books and 20 winners will be selected for the next book and to receive a free license of the writing software, which retails for just under $50. A grand prize winner will receive $50 and will be written up as one of the case studies that shows "how people have used IdeaWeaver for their own writing projects" on the website. You'll be provided with the link to use on your own website.

Deadline is March 31. See the website for complete rules and details.

Meet...playwright Eugene O'Neill

What should you know about Eugene O'Neill?

Probably the greatest American playwright of all time, Eugene O'Neill won four Pulitzer Prizes, something no other playwright has done, and was the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature. Born in 1888 in New York City hotel, O'Neill grew up in a theater family. His father, James O'Neill, was a Shakespearean actor who spent much of his life touring the country in a melodrama called The Count of Monte Cristo so hotels and theaters were home to the younger O'Neill.

As an adult, O'Neill attended Princeton University but was suspended at the end of his freshman year. He then began to travel, taking what jobs he could find…stage manager, mule tender on a cattle steamer, sailor and others. These jobs and the people he met would become fodder for his work. O'Neill began writing as he recovered from tuberculosis in 1912-1913. He wrote over a dozen one-acts and full-length plays and some poetry during his convalescence. In 1916 his first play was produced in Provincetown, MA. His work was viewed as something the American theater had never seen before.

How many honors did he receive?



Too many to recount here, but in 1920, his first full-length play about two vastly different brothers, Beyond the Horizon, was produced on Broadway, winning his first Pulitzer Prize. Anna Christie, his first box office success about a young woman looking for love, received the prize two years later. In 1928, the nine-act drama Strange Interlude won the prize. The final Pulitzer Prize came posthumously in 1957 for Long Day's Journey into Night, a thinly veiled autobiography about a troubled family.

In 1936, O'Neill was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature "for the power, honesty and deep-felt emotions of his dramatic works, which embody an original concept of tragedy." In 1964 the Eugene O' Neill Theater Center was founded in Waterford, CT. It hosts a number of programs for playwrights and performers. And in 1967, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative $1 stamp of O'Neill, making him one of only six playwrights to be so honored.

How many plays did O'Neill write?


While nearly three dozen of his plays had been produced, it is believed he wrote close to 60, including an ambitious series of a planned 11 plays about one family in America. Over his career he wrote a wide scope of plays from historical (Marco Millions) to romantic comedy (Ah, Wilderness!) to autobiographical (Long Day's Journey into Night) and what some may call experimental (Strange Interlude and The Great God Brown).

His health eventually robbed him of his ability to put the words on the paper, and before his death, O'Neill destroyed notes and drafts of his unfinished plays. In 1953, his life ended as it had begun: in a hotel, although this time in Boston. He was survived by his third wife Carlotta and three children from his earlier marriages.

Many of his plays are available as either stand-alone books or as collections. Several had been made into movies, which are now available on VHS or DVD. I found copies of the books and movies online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Alibris. In addition, theater companies around the world still produce his plays, which is probably the truest way to experience his work.


Sources: Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, TheatreHistory.com, Moonstruck Drama Bookstore, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center