Newtown Yardley, PA Schools Announcements
BUCKS COUNTY SHORT FICTION CONTEST ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ENTRIES
Bucks County Community College has issued a call for entries for its short fiction contest for adults who live in Bucks County. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, October 10, 2024, at noon.
The top three winners in the contest will receive gift cards of $200, $100, and $50, respectively, and will read from their work at a celebration on Saturday, November 9, at the College. We will be joined by writer C.J. Spataro, who will be the final judge.
Adults aged 18 and older, who are residents of Bucks County, may submit one story of up to 15 typewritten pages (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point). Stories must be previously unpublished, including in online formats. For complete rules and to access the online submission system, please go to bucks.edu/short-fiction-contest. Entrants may not be full- or part-time employees of Bucks County Community College, although work-study students at the College may enter. A separate contest for high school students will be held in Spring 2025.
C.J. Spataro directs the MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in Publishing programs at Rosemont College and is a founding partner of Philadelphia Stories. She is an award-winning short fiction writer. Her work has appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies including Taboos & Transgressions, Iron Horse Literary Review, december, Sequestrum, and Exacting Clam. Her debut novel, More Strange Than True, was published by Sagging Meniscus Press in June 2024.
This event receives support from the Department of Language and Literature.
For further information, contact the contest coordinator, Professor Elizabeth Luciano, at Elizabeth.Luciano@bucks.edu.
Bucks County Short Fiction Contest Winners
The Bucks County Short Fiction Contest is pleased to announce the winners for Fall 2023. Jennifer Fritch of New Hope won first place for her story, “Hungry.” LWC Allingham of Doylestown captured second place for “Cellar Door.” Lonn Braender of Washington Crossing took third place for “Red Spinny Dress.” Philadelphia writer Emma Copley Eisenberg, author of the nonfiction book The Third Rainbow Girl, and the upcoming novel Housemates, was the final judge.
The contest was open to adults who are residents of Bucks County. The winners will receive honoraria of $200, $100, and $50, respectively. The contest is funded by Bucks County Community College and receives support from the Department of Language and Literature. Professor Elizabeth Luciano is the contest administrator. A contest for high-school students will be held next spring.
Bucks County Short Fiction Contest
The Fall 2023 Bucks County Short Fiction Contest is open for entries from Bucks County residents who are 18 or older and are not employees of Bucks County Community College. The top three winners will receive gift cards of $200, $100, and $50, and will share their work at a celebratory reading in November with this fall’s final judge, writer Emma Copley Eisenberg, attending. Stories must be previously unpublished, including in blogs and online platforms, and must be submitted online. The deadline for submissions is 12 p.m. on Thursday, October 19, 2023. Complete rules and the submissions link are available at www.bucks.edu/shortfictioncontest
BUCKS COUNTY SHORT FICTION CONTEST ANNOUNCES WINNERS
The Bucks County Short Fiction Contest is pleased to announce the winners for Fall 2021. Lynn Levin of Southampton won first place for her story, “Tell Us About Your Experience.” Megan Monforte of Doylestown was awarded second place for her story, “Dear Mrs. Stover.” Jennifer Giacalone, also of Doylestown, placed third for her story, “Wrestling with Dust.” Novelist Megan Angelo, author of the novel Followers, made the final selection. She also awarded Honorable Mention to Gabriel Tenaglia of Langhorne, for his story, “The Everything Room.”
A celebration will be held online, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17. During the event, the winners will read briefly from their stories, and be interviewed about their writing processes. Angelo will join us as well, to discuss her writing life. The public can access the event by watching on the College’s Youtube channel: youtube.com/buckscountycommunitycollege
Of “Tell Us About Your Experience,” Angelo wrote, “I will never look at a survey window (right before I x it out) the same again! This story is a gem, packed with detail, rhythm and comedy. The writer creates a specific, captivating protagonist and beats out a nuanced but persistent rallying cry, all in eight pages. A tribute to that "man seen from a distance" we all know so well—or don't—and a timely snapshot of how our quest to make everything better sometimes just makes things worse.”
The judge lauded “Dear Mrs. Stover” by remarking that the story “…had such a propulsive structure. I loved toggling between the emails and the action on the beach. The language in the emails was so thoughtful in its restraint, tone and progression, and the staging of the (non)proposal scene was elegantly done. It's hard, in a short story format, to make one chance encounter feel impactful enough to change the course of a character's life—this story manages to do that for two chance encounters. Very impressive.”
Angelo cited “Wrestling with Dust” by noting, “This story's setting was so richly drawn—I loved the way the writer found so much wonderful imagery in a place literally known for being walked past. This was a large cast for a short story and the writer did a great job of quickly establishing each player's voice and perspective. I loved seeing the different personal histories the men on the site brought to dealing with the nuns. I was in for all of it from the top, because the opening lines were so strong.”
Tenaglia’s story was cited as offering “…an incredible authenticity running through every detail of this story, from the family dynamics to the dialogue to the precise descriptions of the home. I really felt for our narrator. And I loved that these characters discussed huge ideas without it feeling like, you know, Two Characters Discussing Huge Ideas. Again, that authenticity kept everything grounded. A story with real heart, and real truth.”
The contest is open to adults who are residents of Bucks County. The winners will receive honoraria of $200, $100, and $50, respectively. The contest is funded by Bucks County Community College, and receives support from the Department of Language and Literature. Elizabeth Luciano, an associate professor at the College, is the contest administrator. A contest for high-school students will be held next spring.
For more information: https://www.bucks.edu/academics/department/lang-lit/shortfictioncontest/
