May News, Events & Links

PPW News

The May Write Brain will bring you inspiration and teach you how to find the white hot center of your and your characters' motivations. Page Lambert, author and creative coach, will share how to find the yearning in your storytelling in Manifestation of Yearning: The Flesh & Blood Factor of Good Storytelling. It will be Tuesday, May 21, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, in the Carnegie Room of Penrose Library. Page Lambert is an award-winning memoirist and novelist, and her writing retreats have been featured in O Magazine. You can find more information on the "PPW Events" tab above.

Writer's Night will be held at Lofty's on Monday, May 27, 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Come enjoy wine, coffee, sandwiches, and various other goodies, and chat about writing. Open to topics of discussion and question. More on the Events tab.

PPW Open Critique will occur on Wednesday, May 22, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts. The first 8 to RSVP may bring 8 pages of their manuscript to critique. More information on the Events tab.

Other Local Events

Pikes Peak Library District will hold their annual Frank Waters Award Luncheon to honor Tom Noel, an author and professor at the University of Colorado Denver. It will be at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Monday, May 20, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. They will also be honoring the Golden Quill Award winner, Jan Pettit. Cost is $30 if purchased by May 14, $40 after that.

The Pikes Peak Branch of the National League of American Pen Women will hold their last meeting until September on Saturday, May 18, at 11:30 AM. Rosemary Scheueuring will be presenting a program on Georgia O'Keefe in Santa Fe. Cost is $23, with a lunch catered by Blue Sage Cafe included. RSVP required.

Lighthouse Writers Workshop will hold a variety of programming in May, including workshops on playwriting and craft talk.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers has opened up registration for their Colorado Gold Conference, held September 20 to 22 at the Renaissance Hotel. Their Colorado Gold Contest is also open, with a deadline of June 1. Their May education event will be Saturday, May 18, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at Table Mountain Inn in Golden. Jess Lourey will teach the Pyramid On Point system. Registration will be $105.

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America will have their last monthly meeting before summer break. On Thursday, May 9, they will host members of Flight for Life at the Denver Press Club. Cost is $25.

Colorado Springs Fiction Writers has various meetings throughout at the month at different locations. Visitors are welcome.

Black Cat Books and the BAC, located in Manitou Springs, have lots of programs for readers and writers alike.  Even knitters!  Check out the events page for more information.

Pikes Peak Romance Writers will host former Deputy El Paso County coroner, Christina Herndon at the BAC on Sunday, May 19, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. Cost is $5. Visitors welcome. (Note that this is a different Sunday than usual, as they changed to the third Sunday to avoid Mother's Day).

Publications Open for Submissions and 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.

Apokrupha is calling for horror flash pieces for an anthology entitled Dark Bits. 500 word maximum. Deadline May 15. Pays $20 per piece.

Paper Darts is offering their $800 for 800 words short fiction contest. The piece will be published and illustrated. Entry fee is $6. Deadline is May 15.

Carve Magazine is holding their annual Raymond Carver Short Story Contest. Deadline May 15. Entry fee is $17 online/$15 mailed. 1st prize is $1000.

Over My Dead Body! is a mystery magazine open for submissions. 750-4000 words. Paying market.

Funny Times is looking for funny cartoons and stories. 500-700 words. Pays $60 for stories. 

Idyllic Books has a call out for submissions for their BladeMage Magazine. Primarily looking for fantasy. Paying market. Also seeking illustrations.

Phantom Drift is seeking fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and art. Paying market.

Whortleberry Press is seeking submissions for a few anthologies. Their Strange Halloween deadline is July 31. Strange Christmas deadline is October 1. All are looking for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. $10 payment. 4000 word maximum for all.

Meadowbrook Press is open for submissions at any time. They specialize in pregnancy, child care, baby care, humorous poetry, party planning, children's activities, and baby name books.

Romance Flash is open for submissions at any time. Pays $3 per story. Under 1000 words.

Kazka Press holds a monthly flash fiction contest, entitled 713 Flash. This month's theme is Slipping Through Time, with a deadline of May 20. Genre: sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or related. 713-1000 words. $10 payment.

About the Author:  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, Shannon Lawrence 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, and her short horror story "The Blue Mist" will be in the March 2014 issue of Nightfall Magazine. 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.