Prize Includes All-Expenses-Paid Trip to New York City and Meetings with Professionals in the Literary Community
August 1, 2008 -- Poets & Writers, the nation's largest nonprofit organization serving creative writers, invites poets and fiction writers in Tennessee to apply for its 2009 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. Writers who are residents of Tennessee and have never published a book, or have published only one full-length book of fiction or poetry are eligible. The winning poet and fiction writer will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City in October 2009 to meet with top literary professionals, including editors, agents, publishers, and prominent writers, and to give a public reading. This year's judges are Paula Morris for fiction and Natasha Trethewey for poetry.
Paula Morris is a novelist and short story writer from
Natasha Trethewey was born in
To date, 76 writers from 30 states have received the Writers Exchange Award. As a direct resul, many past winners – notably Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees– have had their books published, received awards and fellowships, secured teaching positions, and laid the groundwork for their professional lives as writers.
Guidelines and application forms are available here. Completed applications and manuscripts must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2008.
ABOUT THE WRITERS EXCHANGE AWARD
Established in 1984, the Writers Exchange Award provides writers with significant opportunities for professional advancement. Each year writers from a new state are invited to submit their work according to announced contest guidelines. Outside judges choose one poet and one fiction writer for this prize. Title of the award has been given to Maureen Egen—a gift in her honor was given to Poets & Writers by Hachette Book Group USA in 2007.