So much going on at the moment Cats, the new University is great, but four subjects instead of three means more work for little old me. Tis good! Also been spending a bit of time with my highlighter and the Melbourne Writers Fest guide. If only I wasn’t living on a students income, bah.

Some submissions…

For girls only, Lip Magazine is taking submissions for its first ever short fiction anthology, Eve’s Harvest, I can’t seem to find an ending date, but the details are here so maybe email them yourself and find out if that’s your thang…

Added a new mag to my Aus list, Cosmos magazine takes short fiction submissions, mainly sci-fi tho…

Harvest Magazine is launching Issue Three tomorrow night in Corrs lane, details here.

If you’re in Perth, dotdotdash is launching there first issue, check it out.

My Sinking Boat Magazine is looking for shorter pieces, around 250-400wds, that complement the theme ‘road’ email, mysinkingboat@hotmail.com.

Have added a new fledgling quarterly, Seven Letter Words, submissions for the first issue end September 30th.

H’ok?

Soph Xx

A very happy un-holiday to you.. To who?

Have just spent the last six weeks of my Uni holidays running a friends pub while he was away. This did not leave much time for anything besides food, lots of showers and 16 hours camel sleep storage naps to make up for all the other nights when this was not an option.

As a consequence, the blog hasn’t had a lot of love and care recently. But I am back on form, and starting at Melbourne Uni this semester, which is very exciting.

So here’s hoping everyone didn’t think I’d packed it in and stopped checking here, because there’s plenty to do….

Stop Drop and Roll have massively extended their deadline. until the 30th of September. This is a really great fledgling mag. Get in while you can.

Submissions for Short and Twisted 2010 open on September 1 2009 and close on
November 30 2009.

The Lifted Brow‘s submission deadline is open until the 1st of December.

Visible Ink taking submissions until mid august and they also have an open mic night on Thurs the 6th of August if you want to do some reading.

The Chimaera‘s submissions window opens on September 1st and closes on November 30th.

Mallacoota Arts Council are offering a first prize of $1500 for the annual E J Brady short story competition. But there is an entry fee, so maybe take a glance at some past winners before you enter to get an idea of what you’re up against.

Time I did some writing methinks.

Bye Gang.

Soph Xx

Midnight Scholar..

Oh why do we have to work, and why does it have to take up so many hours of all the days and all the nights? And how in the same day can I lose fifty dollars and then find another fifty dollars, that couldn’t have possible been the same one in the pocket of some old jeans?? Why didn’t I win tattslotto? Why do my bay city roller shoes hurt my feet when I work too much? Can anyone answer these questions? Puhleese already?!?

Things to do and see and write about or write for. Let’s begin.

For under 25’s, the John Marsden prize is now open. Poetry and short fiction, it closes Friday the 28th of August. Big money kidlets.

The Lifted Brow is launching their latest issue at the tote on the 18th of July. They have also said they won’t be reading subs for a while, so to ignore their latest deadline. Do dat.

The Emerging Writers’ Festival is publishing a reader and is taking proposals for articles and stories and wacky stuff, but get in quick before the 6th of July. Send your pitches here.

That’s all I have at the moment.

Sweet dreams all.

Soph Xx

SnUfft StUff..

Writing. There seems to be a debate surrounding me about writing process atm, no matter where I go it’s inescapable. We write alone, that is without question. I write, curled up in bed way past one in the afternoon, guilt free on my days off, jumping up to grab cups of tea and bowls of porridge, and maybe the odd piece of chocolate. (Just the odd piece, really.)

But the more writing events I go to, and festivals I attend or volunteer for, the more the question keeps rearing its head, am I benefiting from all of this, should I just be locked away by myself tapping away happily on my keyboard?

The answer, for me, as far as I can see, is yes. Whether there are more opportunities if you know more people within the ‘scene’ is irrelevant for me. Every time I attend something, I walk away feeling motivated, enlightened, fueled to write more, wanting more than anything to be just like my mentors.While I am intensely shy and a little awkward when people want to talk to me about anything, (besides designer post-its, I love post-its) I think spending time with other writers is important, if for nothing other than to challenge how you feel about festival’s, and the new performance type nature, that readings seem to have taken on.

Anyway, submissions are a little quiet at the moment, there’s still a few past one’s open.

Also, Someone who is obviously really dedicated, Josephine Rowe is launching her new book How a Moth Becomes a Boat. I’ve seen her read a couple of times, really mesmerising stuff. If you can get up to Newstead for this I’d highly recommend it, details here.

Have a nice week kids, more next week.

Soph Xx.

One Thousand Words a Day..

The amount one of my lecturers said a writer should be writing daily this semester. My eyes well up just thinking about it. But while this seems like a pipe dream, inspired by the Emerging Writers’ Festival, and all of the fantastic and poignant writing I’ve been reading lately I am making an effort to treat writing like a job. And do a minimum of at least two hours a day. So far so good. Funny how after you’ve cleaned the entire house, washed your hair, organised the recycling into lines, scrubbed at that sticky stuff in the bottom of the cupboard, signed up for competitions online that you never win, and looked at the photos on facebook of someone you haven’t spoken to in ten years, and my don’t they look grown up now, how much you can actually get done.

Time to get those characters that have been running around my head in the wee hours of the morning onto all this white paper piled up around my room.

Let’s have a look at where I will be sending all these reprobates post extraction.

The Adelaide Review have announced their annual short story competition. Submissions are open until the 4th of July.

Just found a new Mag called dotdotdash. They are taking submissions until the 30th of June.

Also, the Monash Literature Festival Short Story Competition is open until the 9th of August. Check it out.

And last but DEFINITELY not least. At the opening night of the Emerging Writers’ Fest this year, a new Victoria only writers’ prize was launched.  The Lord Mayor’s Creative Writing Prize. This is huge kidlets!

There are four categories in the competition.

• Short Story
• Poetry
• Three Hour Book (Print Format)
• Three Hour Book (E Book Format)

A prize of $1000 will be awarded to the winner in each category.

The main prize is the Lord Mayor’s Award of $5000 which will be chosen from the four winning entries.

In addition there is a Younger Writers’ Award of $1000 open to entrants aged 25 or younger as at 31st August 2009. This award will be chosen from entries across all categories.

I’m heading up the road tonight to the Northcote Social Club, for the Launch of Issue 28 of Going Down Swinging tonight, to see what sort of party they put on. They are still open for submissions as well.

Wowsers and good luck!

Soph Xx

Submissions Ho’k?

Right then. Let’s get cracking.

Etchings is open for submissions of prose. 5000wds max, by the 15th of August.

Going Down Swinging, (One of my personal fav’s) is open until the 30th of June.

Verb-ate-him, are open till the 15th of June.

Sketch are taking submissions until the 31st of August.

Otoliths is open until the 27th of July.

Invisible City is taking submissions for Issue 04 DANGEROUS BODIES. Closing 20 June 2009.

That’s about it for now.

In other news.

With the Emerging Writers’ Festival in full swing this week, I thought I’d give myself a few props for having the guts to stand up last Sunday and read as part of their Speakers’ Corner event. They managed to squeeze me in at the last mintue and despite developing a rather large rash on my neck and feeling well out of my comfort zone things did not go too badly at all.

I will be heading to the Melbourne Town Hall this weekend to soak up some of the festivals panels, (I am especially looking forward to ‘The unspoken creative writing’ session with Tom Cho, and Chris Currie talking about his blog Furious Horses), before drinking tea (or whiskey) with my Glaswegian grandfather on the Sunday afternoon.

Also, Ruby Murray has just won the 2009 Alan Marshall Short Story competition. Congratulations kid! You continue to prove yourself a star in every way.

I can read! - Photo courtesy of Sean M Whelan.

Sean is the spoken word cowboy, very cool. Check it out.

Cheers Gang.

Soph. Xx

Note to self. Eating bread and honey at the same time as blogging is a bad idea. Sticky stuff.

One more.

INVISIBLE CITY, is taking submissions for issue 04 of their online journal, DANGEROUS BODIES. you can visit their facebook page for details here.

I’ve gotta up and R-U-N-N-O-F-T.

Xx

Newstead Short Story Tattoo..

What a fabulously inspiring weekend was had! The wine flowed like water and the company was impeccable, if only every weekend could be full of readings, and bizarre burlesque, crazed storytellers with accordians and saw playing accompanied by spoken word.

Unfortunately for me, my geek was not up to scratch and the photos from the Friday night ‘Sleazy Stories’ all came out blurry and whacked. It was very dark in the hall.

However,

With the next morning came daylight, and what was to be the stand out session for me, Fictitious women at the dig cafe. The coffee was much needed and the girls really held their end up with their readings. I walked away feeling a little high and inspired to lock myself away for months to write, mad hermit style.

See the pics below…

As well as these guys, Tiggy Johnson the editor of Page Seventeen read, as well as Eleanor Marley and Janet Barker. Angela’s blog Literary Minded is here, you can read her write up on the weekend as well.

I missed the Torpedo Volume 5 launch that was immediately before this on the Saturday morning, 10am is a very unsociable hour on the weekend. But I did manage to snaffle myself a copy. And you should too, Ruby Murray’s story entitled Larry is positively haunting.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, Neil Boyack must have worked very hard to put the whole thing together, encore!

Also coming up this weekend is the beginning of The Emerging Writers’ Festival. Check out the website for program details, I am going to cram in as much as I can and will be volunteering for the Town Hall program the following weekend.

In terms of submissions, all of the dates I have listed previously are fast approaching, and here’s a late one, The Writers’ Resource Centre is running its biannual short story comp, closing on the 31st of May, (Soon!). 2500wds max.

Cate Kennedy reads some new work. I had tears of laughter.

Carmel Bird intoxicated us.

Angela Meyer doin' her thang for Gen Y. Her blog is the shizzle.

Josephine Rowe. So annoyed with myself that this is the first time I have heard her read.

Couple more submissions…

Visible Ink is open for submissions from the 27th of May, and are also having a fundraising night the same night at The Nova. They’re screening Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, Synecdoche New York, tickets are $15, and they’re recommending you pre-book. Details are here.

Eclecticism E-zine is open for submissions until July, this rounds theme is looking through animal eyes. Spooky.

And Shelf Life, the new journal from La Trobe University is taking submissions for it’s second issue. Details are here.

Ciao Gang.

Soph Xx

And now for some shameless self promotion…

While it’s not my pub and has nothing to do with my writing, my best mate has just opened a venue in Brunswick on Victoria st, number 380.

It is kick-ass, come down for a beer, I’ll be hanging around most of the time…

While that has all been happening, Snufft type things has been pretty quiet the last week or so. But there’s shitloads going down so let’s have a look eh?

The Newstead Short Story Tattoo is not this weekend but the next, 15-17th of May,  I have rented a house with some mates and will be heading up to stick my camera lens in things.

The Emerging Writer’s Festival starts at the end of the month, they are looking for volunteers, and the program is well worth a look there is loads of stuff going on.

The Shoalhaven Literary Award for 2009 is open til the 29th of May, submissions for short stories up to 3000 wds, first prize $1500. And free entry! Can I get a whoop whoop?

The Hadow Stuart Short Story Competition closes the 1st of June, first prize $400, 3000 words max. But there is a $10 entry fee on this one.

For 18-25 year old NSW writers, PNAN Youth Arts Festival, is taking Fiction submissions. The theme is drug and alcohol awareness.

Offset Vic Uni’s annual lit mag is taking submissions until the 12th of June, 2500 words max.

Under 25’s VOICEWORKS is taking submissions for its next issue, closes 17th of May.

That should be enough to keep us going,

Will work on some more links this weekend, US and UK.

I’m off to wrap my jaws around an 18oz steak and a bottle of red…Mmmm…

Soph Xx