November News, Events & Links

Dear Readers,

We will have a new monthly feature, here at Writing From the Peak, where we share local events, PPW news, and helpful links that we have run across.  Our goal is to be a helpful resource to writers, and to continue supporting the writing community.

These links may include publications taking submissions, contests accepting entries, or enriching information.

After this month, this feature will run the first Friday of the month, so expect the next one on Friday, December 7.

PPW NEWS:

Registration for the 2013 Pikes Peak Writers Conference will open on Thursday, November 15.  Check back for more information on who will be speaking, and a link to the conference site.

Workshop proposals for the 2013 Pikes Peak Writers Conference are still being accepted through December 1, 2012.  To submit a proposal, go to pikespeakwriters.com, click on the "PPWC" tab at the top of the page, then click on "Submit Proposal" to the right of that page.

The Pikes Peak Write Brain, always a free event, will occur Tuesday, November 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M., at our wonderful new location, Penrose Library, Carnegie Reading Room, 20 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.  There's plenty of parking, and it's free after 6 P.M.  The theme of the Write Brain is Fire it Up! A Writer's Guide to Firefighting, presented by our very own Robin Widmar.  For more information, please see the bottom of this post.

PPW Night at Poor Richard's, which will be Monday, November 26, from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M., in the bookstore.  Come enjoy wine, chocolate and coffee, and chat about writing.  Open to topics of discussion and questions.

There will be no Critique Night this month, but be sure to put it on your calendar for Wednesday, December 19.

We are hosting NaNoWriMo events this month.  Please refer to this post for dates, times and location.

OTHER "LOCAL" EVENTS:

Lighthouse Writers has several workshops in November, as well as The Writer's Studio with Junot Diaz.  Most of the Diaz events are sold out, but you can still attend the benefit dinner on Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM.

The Monument branch of the Pikes Peak Library District is hosting author Kevin J. Anderson this Sunday, November 11, from 2 to 4.  He'll be talking about growing up in a small town and wanting to be a writer, and his journey to becoming one of the most popular authors in the field today.  Copies of his novels will be available for purchase and signing.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers will be featuring our very own columnist, Aaron Michael Ritchey, in The Dance of the Divine: Where Story Arc and Character Arc Meet, Saturday, November 17, 1-3 P.M., at the Arvada Public Library.  He's a fantastic speaker, entertaining and informative.  You won't want to miss this!   This is a free event.

The November event for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America has already passed, but they will be holding their Lumber Baron Inn Holiday Dinner Theater Event December 13.

PUBLICATIONS OPEN FOR SUBMISSION & CONTESTS:
Please note: Inclusion of links in this post does not equal sponsorship by Pikes Peak Writers or a relationship between the two entities.  Please always be sure to pursue due diligence before submitting anything to a publication or contest.

The Pedestal Magazine is open for submissions of poetry through December 13.  This is a paying market.

White Cat Publications is accepting submissions on their three magazines (soon to be four).  This link will take you to a main guidelines page, where you can peruse each of the magazines.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal is currently taking submissions for their January issue.  Paying market.  Deadline:  November 30.  They accept prose, novel excerpts, poetry, artwork and photography, and reviews.

Static Movement, an e-zine, is accepting prose and poetry in the genres of Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror.  Non-paying market.

Eye Trauma Press is looking for submissions of Horror short stories for their Sanitarium Magazine.  Non-paying at this time, but you get a free copy, and they hope to pay in the future.


Stymie Magazine is taking submissions of sports-themed pieces.  They are looking for unique variations on the theme.  Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photographs and creative non-fiction.  

Potomac Review is currently in their open submission window for poetry, prose, art and photographs.  Window closes May 1.

PANK Magazine is open for submissions through November 30.  Poetry, prose, book reviews and blog posts.

eSteampunk is taking submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, serials, book reviews, interviews, and artwork.

The Pikes Peak Branch of the National League of American Pen Women has announced their theme for the 2013 Flash Fiction Contest.  $10 entry, cash prizes.  Theme: Hidden Amongst These Worlds.

Bookus Publishing has two contests running: A Very Short Fiction Contest, closing on November 10, and the Water Danger Humour Novella Competition, closing November 30.

Monkey Puzzle Press is holding their Fourth Annual Flash Fiction Contest.  $10 entry, cash prize.  Deadline: November 15.

WRITE BRAIN INFORMATION:

"Fire It Up! A Writer's Guide to Firefighting"

November Write Brain

When: Tuesday, November 20, 6:30-8:30 P.M.

Where: Penrose Library, Carnegie Reading Room, 20 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

There's plenty of parking, and it's free after 6 P.M.

Always free!

When it comes to firefighting in fiction, where is the line between entertainment and reality? What do writers get right – and wrong – in scenes involving fire and firefighters? Find out in the November Write Brain session “Fire It Up! A Writer's Guide to Firefighting.”

Using examples pulled from fiction, TV, and movies, retired firefighter Robin Widmar will discuss what firefighting is really like. Writers will discover the most common firefighting inaccuracies in fiction – and how not to make those kinds of mistakes! They will also learn why fire behaves differently in Hollywood productions than in real life, what all that equipment is used for, and what life is like in the station and on the fireground.

Robin Widmar is a retired Colorado Springs firefighter who now works in emergency management. She holds an AAS in Fire Science Technology and covers the Falcon Fire Protection District for The New Falcon Herald. Her current writing projects include a writer’s reference guide to firefighting, and a contemporary fantasy involving dragons.

You can visit Robin at her blog, The World Needs a Proofreader.

Any questions on these events or links?  If you belong to an organization that is taking submissions, hosting a writing contest or presenting a workshop or other enrichment for writers, locally, please email the editor at editor [at] pikespeakwriters [dot] com.

About the Writer:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, due out in late November 2012.  She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.