Call for Entries for the 2006 Africana Homestead Short Story and Poetry Contests
Africana Homestead Legacy Publishers (AHLP) calls for entries for its popular short story and poetry contests for amateur writers and poets to highlight the black experience in the US. Adults, youth, and children should submit their best works for judging by a panel of authors and educators. Submissions must be postmarked by October 31, 2006 and the full guidelines, entry fees, and a description of awards are posted on the company’s website. AHLP will publish the 2006 winning entries in its annual monograph, Visions of Black Life: A Collection of Outstanding Short Stories and Poetry, Volume III May 2007.
Cherry Hill, NJ (PRWEB) August 1, 2006 -- Africana Homestead Legacy Publishers (AHLP) calls for entries for its 2006 Africana Homestead Short Story Contest and 2006 Africana Homestead Poetry Contest. AHLP’s literary contests are for amateur writers and poets in three categories: adult, youth, and children. Entries should highlight the historic or present-day black experience in the United States. Contest judges will be a panel of authors and educators who have written and published literary fiction and nonfiction or teach creative writing or both. In its third year, the contests are increasing in popularity and reach across the nation.
As in 2005, the contests are open to residents of all 50 States and the territories of the United States of America. The full guidelines, entry fees, and a description of awards are posted on AHLP’s website (visit www.ahlpub.com and click the link to the literary contests). For 2006 the submission period started July 1 and all entries must be postmarked by October 31, 2006. Entry fees range from $8 to $20 for short fiction and $5 to $15 for poetry and depend on the age of the entrant, a slight increase from 2005. AHLP also raised the amount of each cash prize for short fiction by 50% as compared to the prior years. The increase is to better recognize an author’s effort in writing a short story and to encourage more people to enter that category.
For the first time, AHLP has provided useful online documents for individuals who wish to enter one or both contests. Visitors to the Literary Contests page on AHLP's website may download an entry cover sheet, a description of short fiction and poetry genres, and a writing template. Poems especially should be crafted with lines of verse that fit the template’s text block dimensions.
With the initial success of the contests and the company’s ongoing commitment, Carolyn C. Williams, the publisher-executive editor of AHLP, sees the 2006 contests as an important opportunity to increase AHLP’s community service mission and national visibility. Already the contest has attracted the interest of non-profit organizations that mentor children, including the Baker House, a faith-based organization in Dorchester, Massachusetts. In a July 2006 e-mail to Ms. Williams, a staff member from the Baker House revealed their plans to have the children in their Spoken Word and Poetry program enter AHLP’s 2006 contests as an incentive in their creative endeavors.
Another indicator of Africana Homestead Legacy Publisher’s growing success is that the ten winners of the 2005 poetry contest live in seven states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The national origins of these poets include the United States, Barbados, and Nigeria. (Because of insufficient qualifying entries, AHLP did not award prizes for short fiction in 2005.)
AHLP's successful 2005 entrants submitted in the adult and youth 12-18 categories: Ramona Robbins Porter Newton, first place adult category for “MOON DOGS II,” Sherlock Griffith, second place adult category for “Silence is Only Freedom’s Pause,” Joanava McDaniel, third place adult category for “Awakening,” Cierra M. Robinson, first place youth 12-18 category for “Brown Beauty” and honorable mention for “American Dream,” Brandi L. Hargette, second place youth 12-18 category for “Home of the Free,” Callistus Eluagu, honorable mention adult category for “Invocation of Brotherhood,” Marie Henry, honorable mention adult category for “Nataki” and “Rebirth,” Valton DeJuan Jackson, honorable mention adult category for “Indeed,” Kevin A. Stewart, honorable mention adult category for “My First Day,” and Angela Young-Richie for “You made Me Mad.” These fine poems are in Visions of Black Life: A Collection of Outstanding Short Stories and Poetry, Volume II May 2006, ISBN-10: 0-977090-4-2, retail price US $20, and available at a discount from online and traditional booksellers.
AHLP looks forward to publishing the 2006 winning entries in its anthology, Visions of Black Life: A Collection of Outstanding Short Stories and Poetry, Volume III May 2007. And in late June 2007, the executive team and judges will celebrate with the 2006 winners at its annual awards and recognition luncheon in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
###
|
