CHM Writers Day

Writers Day 2020

The Coos History Museum is happy to announce the (virtual) 5th annual Writers Day event and competition will be taking place on October 17, 2020! 

Note: Be sure to check back here for updates to the event.

UPDATE: THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 30TH!

PRIZES!
We are also excited to announce that thanks to generous donations from Cranberry Sweets & More, Charleston Marine Life Center, and 7 Devils Brewing Co. We now have prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in both the poetry and short story categories!

This year we will be hosting a virtual Writers Day on October 17th at 2:00 PM. We will still be hosting some incredible guest authors and holding a writing competition for local writers. A new addition to this year’s event, is an an open mic for selected winners and other interested writers to showcase their work! For more information check out the sections below and get printable versions of the event day flier and our updated submission guidelines for the competition / open mic.

Click here to sign up for an invite to the event registration.

 

Submission Guidelines

Please carefully read this year’s updated submission guidelines and event information for writers!

To view, download, or print the original flier with all details, click here: Competition

Deadline to submit all writing for the competition and/or open mic: September 30, 2020 (by 5:00 PM)

Poetry

  • Up to 3 submissions accepted
  • Must be no more than 2 pages (each)
  • *Note: All open mic participants will have only 5 minutes to read their piece or an excerpt.

Short Story Fiction

  • Up to 2 submissions accepted
  • Must not exceed 2000 words (each)
  • *Note: All open mic participants will have only 5 minutes to read their piece or an excerpt.

Submission Guidelines 

  • Submissions are open to anyone of high school age and up
  • Please keep in mind that because this is a public and live event that submissions need to be appropriate
  • You may submit to both categories
  • All submissions must be in size 12, Times New Roman font, and have a title
  • Title of work needs to be listed on every page with page numbers, if submission is more than one page in length
  • Contact details (such as first and last name, email, and/or phone number) must be provided for each submission in the email, but do not include any identifying information in your submission
  • Each piece must be submitted in an individual document (Word or PDF file) by email to WritersDay@cooshistory.org
  • Writing must be submitted by September 30, 2020 by 5:00 PM
  • All writers interested in participating in or attending the event on October 17, 2020 must sign-up for the event. Click here to sign up for an invite to the event registration. 

Event Information 

This year, the Coos History Museum is hosting a virtual Writers Day competition and event. Along with readings and a Q&A session with our talented guest authors, this year’s competition winners, along with other brave souls, will be presenting their writing to a live audience in a virtual open mic event.

To view, download, or print the original flier with all details, click here: Event

Judges include:

Noelle Ebert – Southwestern Oregon Community College Librarian

Ashley Fields – Southwester Oregon Community College Student and President of the SwOCC Writer’s Club

Weld Champneys – Poet, Artist, and retired Air Force Librarian (tie-breaker judge)

Guest authors will include: 

Peter Nathaniel Malae, author of “Son of Amity” – from McMinnville, Oregon 

Melissa Stephenson, author of “Driven: A White-Knuckled Ride to Heartbreak and Back” – from Missoula, Montana

Nastashia Minto, author of “Naked: The Rhythm and Groove of It. The Depth and Length to It” – from Portland, Oregon. 

See below for more information about these authors!

Click here to sign up for an invite to the event registration. 

Peter Nathaniel Malae is the author of the novels, Son of Amity (Oregon State University Press, ’18), Our Frail Blood (Grove/Atlantic, ’13), What we Are (Grove/Atlantic, ’10); the story collection, Teach the Free Man (Swallow/Ohio University Press, ’07); and the play, The Question (’15), each of which won a few awards.  He is a former John Steinbeck, Oregon Literary Arts, Arts Silicon Valley and MacDowell Colony Fellow.  

Melissa Stephenson earned her B.A. in English from The University of Montana and her M.F.A. in Fiction from Texas State University. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, The Rumpus, Ms. Magazine, and Fourth Genre. Her memoir, Driven, was released by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2018. She lives in Missoula, Montana with her two kids.

https://melissa-stephenson.squarespace.com

Nastashia Minto is the author of Naked: The Rhythm and Groove of It. The Depth and Length to It. An African American woman born in South Georgia and raised there by her grandparents, she grew up in poverty and around drugs, alcohol, and family violence. Her life experiences led her to obtain an associate’s degree in occupational therapy and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Nastashia has been writing since she was nine years old, and has found that her writing offers her a way to help others. Her work has appeared in Gobshite Quarterly, Portland Metrozine, SUSAN The Journal, and the Unchaste Anthology. She is a popular featured reader at Portland reading series including Grief Rites and Incite.