Writers’ union seeks entries for postcard story competition

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This article was published 10/12/2011 (5414 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Writers’ Union of Canada is pleased to launch its 13th annual postcard story competition, which invites writers to create a dramatic, short, snappy piece in 250 words or fewer. A $750 prize will be awarded to the top writer, and the winning entry will be published in postcard format and distributed in Write, the magazine of The Writers’ Union of Canada.

The Writers’ Union of Canada initiated its inaugural postcard story competition in 1999 to discover, encourage and promote writers of fiction and nonfiction in this form.

Just as Mies van der Rohe extolled “less is more” in architecture, the postcard story format strips a story to its essentials, in the name of clarity and simplicity.

“Nothing can be extraneous in a postcard story,” notes Kelly Duffin, the union’s executive director. “Every word has to be considered and be essential to the whole.”

The union is proud to announce an esteemed group of jurors for the 13th annual postcard story competition.

Montrealer Clayton Bailey’s novel “The Expedition” was nominated for the Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Quebec Writers’ Federation’s First Book Prize. His work has appeared in The Guardian Weekly, Raincoast Chronicles, The National Fisherman, The Fiddlehead, Pig Iron Press, andTheIndiana Review.

Nova Scotia-born, B.C.-based poet John Lent’s numerous works include the books “Cantilevered Songs,” “Black Horse, Cobalt Suns” and “A Rock Solid.” He was shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize in 2005 for “So It Won’t Go Away” and was Okanagan Valley Poet Laureate for the Okanagan Institute in 2010.

Ottawa resident Nerys Parry’s debut novel “Mankind and Other Natural Disasters” was a 2011 Colophon Prize finalist. Her work has previously been shortlisted for theKenneth R. Wilson Canadian Business Press Award,FreeFall’sFall Fiction Contest and theEventNon-Fiction Award.

To be eligible, submissions must be written by a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, published or unpublished. Any text, fiction or nonfiction, up to 250 words, in the English language, which is original and not previously published in any format, is eligible.

A typed, double-spaced entry in a clear 12-point font on white paper, not stapled or exceeding maximum word length, along with an entry fee of $7.50 (cheque or money order) per entry, should be sent to The Writers’ Union of Canada at: 90 Richmond Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, ON, M5C 1P1.

The deadline for submissions is Feb. 14, 2012. The winner will be announced in May 2012. Electronic submissions will not be accepted. For complete rules and regulations, please go to www.writersunion.ca/cn_postcard.asp.

The Writers’ Union of Canada is the country’s national organization representing professional authors of books. Founded in 1973, the union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada, and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well-being of all writers.

For more information, visit www.writersunion.ca.

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