MORE BITS & PIECES #125

MORE BITS & PIECES FOR Writers/Authors #125
REASONS TO KEEP WRITING - TONY HILLERMAN, age 83, author. Hillerman's evocative novels about Native Americans, describes people struggling to maintain ancient traditions in the modern world, and touched millions of readers who made his books best sellers. The themes of his books were not overtly political, still he wrote with a purpose, he often said, and that purpose was to instill in his readers a respect for Native American culture. The plots of his stories, while steeped in contemporary crime and its consequences, were invariably instructive about ancient tribal beliefs and customs.

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF NEWSPAPER COLUMNISTS - News, contests, scholarships and awards for columnists. http://www.columnists.com

BLACK ORCHID NOVELLA AWARD - Deadline: May 31, 2009. Novella length short fiction, from 15,000 to 20,000 words that conform to the tradition of the Nero Wolfe series. Stories must contain no overt sex or violence or include characters from the original series. $1000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock Magazine. Guidelines: http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/neroaward/black_orchid_award/BO_award_proc.htm

THE CURZON GROUP – a new website and group dedicated to the return of the great British thriller. Win a book by registering. Stay tuned for a blog and contests. URL: http://www.thecurzongroup.com/Competitions/Competitions

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE - Northern Cal's largest newspaper. Invites contributions for the Travel Section. Weekend escapes spotlight a weekend destination in California, southern Oregon or western Nevada. Written in first person, but with destination, not the writer's personal history or experiences as the focus. No stories from hosted or sponsored trips. Length: cover stories 1350/2000/wds. Inside stories 1200/1400/wds. $400/500 for centerpieces, $250/350 for other cover stories $150/250 for inside stories. Editor: travel@sfchronicle.com Guidelines: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions

SCOTTISH ISLAND EXPLORER, Scotland - magazine solely devoted to exploring the islands of Scotland: wildlife, environmental issues, archaeology, history, cultural development, lifestyles, travel, and current affairs. Length: 500/3000/wds. Pay: 3.5 p/pub/wd and £5 per pub/photo. Owner/publisher: Jeremy Smith jeremy@scottishislandsexplorer.com
Guidelines: http://www.scottishislandsexplorer.com/submittingmaterial.html

THE STRATEGY PAGE - covers military news and affairs, including battlefield reports, arms sales, weapon tests, space programs, espionage, terrorism, etc. Length: up to 12,000/wds. Submissions: query first by email. $200/300 for large articles, $20/100 for smaller items. Query Editor: Jim Dunnigan jfdunnigan@aol.com Guidelines: http://www.strategypage.com/articles/default.asp?target=guidelines.htm

VERBATIM - Language Quarterly, bills itself as the only magazine about language and linguistics for the general reader. $25 to $500 depending on length, wit, and other merit. Guidelines: http://www.verbatimmag.com/writers.html

WASHINGTON CITY PAPER - needs well-reported stories about the city, which includes profiles, investigative pieces, "Talk of the Town"-type articles, stories about local institutions. Also publishes weekly reviews of movies, film, theater, the visual arts, music, books, and food. $0.10/wd. Guidelines: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/etc/guide.html

TEXAS WRITERS LEAGUE 2009 SUMER WRITING RETREAT - July 27-31, 2009 at Sul Ross State University, Alpine, TX. Ever want to get away from it all and spend a week immersed in writing? Here's your, deep in the heart of West Texas. INFO: http://www.writersleague.org/programs/swa.html

WESTERLY, Australia - publishes lively fiction/poetry, intelligent articles, aims to generate interest in the literature and culture of Australia and its neighboring regions. Poems: $75 for one page/one poem OR $100 for two or more pages/poems; Stories: $150; Articles: $150. Guidelines: http://www.westerlycentre.uwa.edu.au/westerlymagazine/contribute

FORTUNE COOKIE WRITING CONTEST - Deadline: June 1, 2009. Entry fee: $20 (includes subscription) Print journal Geist (BC) invites entries for the Geist Fortune Cookie Contest, "the writing contest based on faux wisdom and vague predictions." Submit fiction, poetry, essays, rants, etc. inspired by or based on a fortune cookie. First prize: $250. Length: 500 words max. Submission form & Guidelines: http://www.geist.com/contest/fortune-cookie

MAN’S EARLIEST WORKS NOW ONLINE - National libraries and the U.N. education agency put some of humanity's earliest written works online Tuesday, from ancient Chinese oracle bones to the first European map of the New World. A Web site in seven languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian, leads readers through a trove of rare finds from more than a dozen countries. ARTICLE: http://tinyurl.com/cfwy43
WORLD DIGITAL LIBRARY: http://www.wdl.org