I'm really excited to introduce you to Adam Cohen and his wife, Jendi Reiter, from the website, Winning Writers. Like WOW!, it has been voted by Writer's Digest as being one of the 101 most useful sites for writers. After reading the interview below with Adam and discovering all this site has to offer--from contests to free newsletters, from tips and contest insider information to an inexpensive subscription to a searchable database of over 1250 contests--you will be checking out Winning Writers today. This is one interview and website you won't want to miss!
WOW: Welcome Adam, to The Muffin! We are happy to have you here today. Let's start by telling us a bit about your site, Winning Writers, and why you created it.
Adam: My wife, Jendi Reiter, and I started Winning Writers in 2001. Jendi has extensive knowledge about literary contests, which ones are good and how to win them. We wanted to make this information available to the public online at a reasonable price. We also wanted to warn people about certain contests to avoid. We call them "vanity contests." They tend to be unselective and most interested in selling products, like expensive anthologies.
WOW: That sounds like a terrific service for writers. So, when a writer goes to your site now, there are a lot of opportunities available to him or her. Let's start with the contests. What are a couple upcoming contests that you have going on?
Adam: All four contests hosted at Winning Writers are open now. We directly sponsor the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee) and the Sports Fiction & Essay Contest. We assist Tom Howard Books with their Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest and their Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest.
WOW: After reading the guidelines for all of them, they sound like great opportunities for writers--especially the humor poetry category--no entry fee and $1000 top prize. In order to enter contests, what does a writer need to do?
Adam: All four contests accept entries online at WinningWriters.com. The Tom Howard contests also accept entries by mail. Before entering, we encourage contestants to read previous winning entries published on our website. We have also made years of judges' comments available, so contestants can understand what makes an entry stand out.
WOW: That is a great idea to allow writers to read previous winners AND judges' comments! What is Literary Contest Insider? [new name]
Adam: Literary Contest Insider is our online database with 1,250-plus detailed profiles of poetry and prose contests. It represents years of distilled knowledge and research to help you find the best contests for your work--fast! Search and sort contests by prize, fee, type, and many other criteria. We suggest specific contests for beginning, intermediate, and well-established writers, and estimate the potential impact each contest might have on your career. A contest we highly recommend will probably have much more impact than a contest we're neutral about.
We love it when good writers not previously "plugged into the contest circuit" begin to get recognition because we guided them to the contests that are effective for them. Access to Literary Contest Insider is $9.95/quarter, with a 10-day free trial period at the start. You can start a trial at http://www.winningwriters.com/lci
WOW: This database sounds fantastic for writers interested in contests and at a very reasonable price! Besides contests, you also offer a free newsletter. What type of information is in the free newsletter and how do writers sign up?
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| Jendi and Adam |
Adam: Our free e-mail newsletter is built around the best free literary contests--profiles of contests in our database that have no entry fees. Every month you get a heads-up on free poetry and prose contests whose deadlines are approaching. There are over 150 of these. Subscribing to our newsletter gets you instant free online access to
The Best Free Literary Contests. We have over 40,000 newsletter subscribers. You can subscribe at
http://www.winningwriters.com/freeWOW: There's also a section of Winning Writers, titled "What's New?" What will writers find on this page?Adam: This is where we announce useful resources for writers and news about new and changed contests. Entering new contests can be a good strategy--they are less likely to be swamped with entries than well-established ones.
WOW: That's a great tip! What about under the "useful resources" section?Adam: Here we organize our directory of resources into categories like "Markets and Contests," "Resources and Contests for Students," "Literary Societies," and "Exotic Forms." We also provide a large library of poetry critiques--a place to learn about a wide range of techniques, plus suggestions on where to submit various styles of poems.
WOW: It sounds like you could spend hours on your site, finding useful tips, ideas, and contests for a writing career! Anything else you'd like to add about Winning Writers? Adam: We have a rapidly growing Twitter feed with links to contest news and award-winning poems and stories. Follow us
@winningwriters.
WOW: Thank you, Adam, for sharing all of this information with our readers today. You have a wonderful site, and I hope that many of WOW!'s fans and followers will become yours, too. WOW! readers, don't forget to check out Winning Writers by clicking here.
Interview conducted by Margo L. Dill, author of Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg.
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves to express thoughts and feeling into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream. Write your best short story or poem for a chance to win cash prizes. All entries must be original. (http://www.dreamquestone.com/)
Guidelines:
(1) Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject or style, single or double line spacing.
Or
(2) Write a short story five pages maximum, single or double line spacing, on any subject or theme, creative writing, fiction and non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary and journal entries).
Postmark deadline: December 31st, 2010
All contest winners will be announced and published on January 31st, 2011
Prizes:
Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize is $250. Third Prize $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize is $125. Third Prize is $50.
Entry fees:
$10 per short story.
$5 per poem.
To send entries by mail: Include title, name, address, phone, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself) on the coversheet, add a self-addressed stamped enveloped for entry confirmation. Mail entries/fees payable to: "DREAMQUESTONE.COM"
Dream Quest One
Poetry & Writing Contest
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654
Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com/ for further details, to print out an entry form or to enter online.
"And remember, in whatever you do, it's okay to dream, because dreams do come true.” – Dream Quest One
Copyright©2005-2010 DREAMQUESTONE.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Trellis Magazine
The purpose of the Trellis Literary Corporation is to be a nonprofit private foundation which can publish, print, and distribute materials that foster the appreciation of the fundamentals and craft of writing in the English language; provide a forum for learning, research, and sharing of literature; and help writers of all ages find a voice for original, creative expression.
Trellis Magazine has opened a new poetry contest for writers of all ages and skill levels!
The Valentine's Day Poetry Contest deadline is January 31, 2010. Contest poems will be published in our first free Poetry Booklet during February, in time for Valentine's Day. See details on the website Contest page at
http://www.trellismagazine.com/contest.html .
Ever heard of the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest?
Sponsored by Winning Writers, this contest was inspired by Wergle's creator, poet David Taub, who submitted a nonsensical poem to the former poetry.com under the name Wergle Flomp. To his surprise, it was accepted, and inspired by Mr. Taub’s experience, the Wergle Flomp Poetry Contest was born.
There’s no contest fee and poets from around the world may enter. Poems must be in English, any length, only one poem per entry. Gibberish gladly accepted.
Prizes:
First Prize of $1,500 and publication on WinningWriters.com
Second Prize of $800 and publication on WinningWriters.com
Third Prize of $400 and publication on WinningWriters.com
Twelve honorable mentions will receive $75 each and publication on WinningWriters.com
Complete guidelines, along with examples can be found here: http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/wergle/we_guidelines.php
Deadline: April 1, 2010
So, make ‘em laugh, groan, fall out of their seats, wince---you get the idea. And good luck!
My studio, it has to be said, is full of many things - it is my creative nest, where I can surround myself with the treasures I have found and been given. Although I may not use many of them from day to day, they inspire and console me. Many tokens from blog and non-bloggy friends...spot the Lily Moon card from my friend Maya -
The old year ended with the little people in 'Cat's Cradle' journeying far away to their first job. It is always a wrench to know I will probably never see most of my paintings again, but good to know that they are watching over someone, somewhere.
The new year started with one of Rima's beautiful calendars. I cannot think of a nicer way of getting through the year - she still has one or two left I think, so if you hurry...
Entering January with some gorgeous letter blocks, with huge thanks to fellow illustrator Paula for her thoughtful gift...
...and my triple good luck charm, to keep bad things away from me this year, especially timewasters, as I had enough of them in 2007. White china heart from Tara, rosehip heart from Higgledy Piggledy, textile/embroidery heart from Border Tart - thank you my dears - I defy anything truly bad to happen with the combined love of these three friends.
A big red hand to point the way bravely forward to 2008 - there is something very commanding about this stern indicator. It arrived unexpectedly in the post this week, mysteriously unsigned...for a few minutes I felt like my all time hero, Tintin, receiving an anonymous signal summoning him to a new, exotic adventure. But then I remembered kind Alan Brignull of the Hedgehog Press, and his lovely picture on Flickr which I had fav'd. Thank you so much!
I am under the weather and feeling like this at the moment -
So I am going to retire for a few days, and bury myself in my sketchbook, as I seem to have got my drawing mojo back at last. Have a good weekend everyone!
Sometimes I am the recipient of such thoughtful kindnesses it takes my breath away. I am not sure what I've done to deserve this, as I am a grumpy so and so at the best of times...so thank you to my sweet friend Francie, who sent me the most amazing box of bits and bobs, all of it beautifully packed and smelling gorgeous, as it should do, from the gracious lady who runs the Scented Cottage shop. Aromatic vintage seed packets, bubblegum and bubbles, and best of all, art supplies - I get through pencils like wildfire, until they are tiny stumps. And such a useful holder which is now one of the few things allowed on my precious workspace. Some tubes of yellows and greens, which form the main part of my palette, including aureolin yellow, which I have never used, but is my new favourite colour. 
I am somewhat embarrassed about this next, as it is my end of a vintage book swap held by Jenny at the Polka Dot Pixie blog - that is to say, my partner, Jen (another) of the Jennifer Yellow Hat blog sent me my bit and I have not yet done my bookmark to accompany the books I have for her. I hate excuses, but I have been all week working on artwork revisions for a couple of jobs. It is on my list of things to do before I go completely grey. So if she is reading this, I am sorry, and I am on it. And thank you so much for the lovely books - Moshi the Jackal, which is wonderfully illustrated and a blast from my past, the Ladybird book of Heath and Woodland birds.
Coming in last but certainly not least, this Tardis-like box from Captain Rupert, with a little help from Joanna of Higgledy Piggledy blog. Who would have thought that so small a box could hold so many delights? Just when I thought I'd emptied it of - lucky cat fortune cards, Jo's beautifully seed packets, a sachet of Charbonnel and Walker hot chocolate, mulled wine spice bundles, one of Jo's cards, AND a lovely Jo-illustrated recipe for plum cake - I found one of her rosehip hearts nestling at the bottom, in a bed of red tissue. Thank you so much to both of you, but especially to Captain Rupert, for his kind thoughts.
(All pictures go bigger if clicked on, Blogger has squished them a bit).
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I'm really excited to introduce you to Adam Cohen and his wife, Jendi Reiter, from the website, Winning Writers. Like WOW!, it has been voted by Writer's Digest as being one of the 101 most useful sites for writers. After reading the interview below with Adam and discovering all this site has to offer--from contests to free newsletters, from tips and contest insider information to an inexpensive subscription to a searchable database of over 1250 contests--you will be checking out Winning Writers today. This is one interview and website you won't want to miss! 
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I've already checked out the site-- thank you for pulling this wonderful resource together.
Great interview. I can't wait to enter the sports essay contest! I have so many stories to share. :)
Contests are such a great way to get writers writing. Good to have a place to find where to submit.
Thanks, Julie, Ang, and Marcia. I'm interested to read your sports essay! :)