"Xen" College Literary Essay Scholarship Deadline Extended to February 28, 2007

Wilmington NC (PRWEB) January 23, 2007

Good news for college students planning to enter the 2007 Avar Press "Xen" Scholarship Competition. Due to an unforeseen conflict concerning our panel of judges, Avar Press will be extending the last date for submissions to February 28, 2007. Please refer to the Avar Press website for complete entry information regarding this free competition. Winners will be announced on or before March 31, 2007.

This is the second year that Avar Press has sponsored a literary essay competition in connection with "Xen" by D.J. Solomon, M.D. Last year, however, the competition was restricted to high school students whereas this year, there are two separate competitions for college and high school students. Over $5000.00 has been awarded or pledged through this spring in the "Xen" competition, which is free.

"Xen" defies simple classification. It is contemporary fiction with an attitude, forcing the reader to realize that the end to hate and prejudice begins each one of us. The occasionally explicit language coexists with vocabulary that is dictionary necessary. The author raises many issues for the reader exploring xenophobia as mankind's fundamental flaw, resolved through paradoxical eugenics. What would the world be like as a matriarchy, without racism, with personal responsibility, without conspicuous consumption and greed, and without the exploitation of anyone or any animal? It is a story within a story. In short, "Xen" is the perfect book for a literary competition.

The complete texts of last year's winning high school essays may be viewed at http://www.xenbook.com. The submissions represented talented writers from coast to coast, from the largest cities to the smallest towns, from public, private and home schools. Avar Press promised the many college students who inquired that there would be a competition for them this year as well. Here it is. Good luck to all.

Complete competition details are available at the Avar Press website, including an application. Xen, now in its second printing, may be obtained from local bookstores and online retailers as well as from school and public libraries.

About the author: D.J. Solomon is a Stanford M.D., Brandeis Phi Beta Kappa, and Westinghouse Science Talent Search Scholarship winner. He has a private practice in rural North Carolina. "Xen" is his first novel, second book, the first published in 1979 by W.B. Saunders, when he was 25. He lives with two dogs and has three children. He has several works in various stages of development, both fiction and non-fiction.

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