The Stony Thursday Book

"The Stony Thursday Book is calling for submissions from local, national and international poets for the next issue which will be published in Limerick, Ireland, as part of Cuisle, Limerick City International Poetry Festival* in October 2010. The Stony Thursday Book was founded by Limerick poets John Liddy and Jim Burke in 1975, and has also been edited by Mark Whelan, Kevin Byrne, Patrick Bourke and Knute Skinner and Thomas McCarthy. This year the editor will be Mark Whelan.

The Stony Thursday Book is one of the longest-running literary journals in Ireland and celebrated its 30th Anniversary Edition in 2005.Poetry submissions are now being accepted for issue No. 9 which will be published in October 2010. Closing date for submissions is August 13th 2010. How to submit: Send no more than 6 poems. When submitting poems, write your name and address on each page. Send poems to : The Arts Service, Limerick City Council, City Hall, Merchant's Quay, Limerick. Please mark your envelope: The Stony Thursday Book. Or by email : artsoffice@limerickcity.ie
(you may submit by email in word format with your name and details on each page)
Further information from: The Arts Service, Limerick City Council
Telephone : 061 407363 or 061 407421
*Cuisle, Limerick City International Poetry Festival will take place in
Limerick from 13th - 16th October"

I submitted last year, guess I wasn't successful as the only correspondence I got was an invite to the launch a few weeks after it was over! But what if...
Even so, will submit as it looks like a nice publication, would love to have work published in a fat book for a change (I rush to add that I'm grateful to be published anywhere! Am now bowing graciously to all editors in the universe...)

Can poems/stories published on a personal blog, or group writing blog be submitted as previously unpublished? Mslexia Magazine says, more or less, if your work has been published and been through a selection process, or won a prize - it's not eligible - but posted on a blog seems to be okay for them.
I imagine its the same for most publications, though I think any writing I post and later choose to submit somewhere, I'll save temporarily as a draft until I get invited to the already over launch party...or maybe even...
Will keep the faith, have had a few rejections on the poetry front in the last couple of weeks, enough to make me contrary enough to keep sending them out!

MSLEXIA WOMEN'S POETRY COMPETITION 2010

copyrightniamhboyce2010 "Feather Head"
WOMEN WHO WRITE
This is a poetry competition from Mslexia Magazine, a publication for women who write. The judge is Vicki Feaver and all winning poems will be published in Mslexia magazine. The entry fee is £5 for up to three poems.
Closing date: 26 JULY 2010
Details (Some of them anyway!)
#Poems may be in any style, of any length, on any subject. Sequences will be judged as separate poems. Each poem should be typed, on A4 paper, single sided and with pages numbered.

#Please do not write your name on the same sheet as your poems. Your poems will be judged anonymously. Enclose a separate sheet with your name, address, telephone number, email address, plus the title/s of your poem/s.
Mark your envelope ‘Women’s Poetry Competition.’

#The entry fee of £5 allows you to enter up to three poems. You may enter as many times as you like, provided each set of poems is accompanied by the £5 entry fee.
Entry fees are payable in sterling.

#Entries may be submitted online. Payment of entry and the submission of poems must be done at the same time. There is a £1 processing charge to cover administration.
Entries sent by post can be paid for online via our website (you must send a copy of your payment confirmation with your poems) or you can phone +44 (0)191 233 3860 with your credit/debit card details. Cheques should be made payable to Mslexia Publications Ltd.

#Winners will be contacted by post in September 2010 and winning poems will be published in the OCT/NOV/DEC issue of Mslexia.

We will accept poems from women of any nationality from any country. You do not have to subscribe to Mslexia to be eligible, but you do have to be a woman.
Further details can be found at Myslexia
Oh! and the prizes are - 1st Prize £1,000, 2nd prize £500, 3rd prize £250 - 22 other finalists will win £25 each. Good luck women!

The Flea Show

So we all went to the flea circus on saturday. Before we left we were discussing whether it was cruel or not. There was talk of wings being pulled off, barbells and glue. We were early and some of the audience from the previous performance were leaving while we had coffee in the foyers restaurant. I heard a child of around ten complain, "But they weren't real!" I then suspected what might have been going on when I inquired at the ticket desk about magnifying glasses and the receptionist seemed to be barely containing her laughter, and that maybe I didn’t have to worry about animal cruelty...
In the theatre the children's anticipation grew as we waited outside a suitably mysterious looking tent. Once inside we made a circle with other children and parents around the miniature circus ring, contained in a beautifully presented suitcase. There was a tight rope, a canon, a trapeze and a flea hotel where the performers rested after their amazing feats.
The show was performed by a cast of colourful characters from many countries including Renalda (who needed a little extra time to tie up all her red boots.) I was lucky enough to be chosen as the volunteer who used the magnifying glass to confirm the fleas. I was offered a bikini but had to refuse this time. Some of the costumes were amazing and who knew fleas are just like us and come in blond, red and brunette? One unfortunate needed the kiss of life after being fired from the canon, and was miraculously resuscitated by the ring master who in his enthusiasm after she came to life, duly clapped her back to death. This brought forth a round of laughter from my heartless children. Fortunately there was a man (my partner) in the audience who kindly donated a flea from his fine head of hair, (I’m so proud!) and the show went on.
It was difficult to see the fleas at times, but we followed their progress through the movement of the barbells they carried across the tight rope or the twitching of the ladder as the climbed up. The children in the audience were fascinated and we all got swept up in the atmosphere and ended up chanting “heave! Heave! Heave!” as one tiny flea rolled a heavy prop (a thousand times its own weight!) up a runway. If there was any doubt as to the existence of these hard to see but talented creatures they were dispelled by little touches like the splash of water as one dove from a high board into a tank of water and the times we did see them circling the ring. Our children were both convinced and amazed; their eyes never left the circus ring during the performance. We were sprayed with special minty protective spray as we left...though I did feel an itch or two later.
Suspense of cynicism is a must for this performance, suits children who know the tooth fairy is alive and flying to someone's house as we speak.
The performance was by Pig Nut company (& fleas.)

The Flea Circus is in Town!

The Flea Circus is at the Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise. "Come and visit the worlds smallest big top and see the greatest show on earth; feats of astonishing bravery and breathtaking beauty - acrobatics, trapeze, high wire and more - all performed by highly trained, teeny tiny fleas."
Booking Tickets E5.
I think this is gas. Hope I get to go today. It's the kind of thing that sparks the short story part of my mind!
"The Flea Circus Tragedy,"
"Menage a Trois at The Tivoli Flea Circus",
"The High Wire Murders,"
"Lola spills the beans on the seedy underbelly of circus life"
That sort of thing...I know, I've no sense!

Birthday

We turn not older with years, but newer every day.
- Emily Dickinson

Thirty-nine today, one last year before forty, must compile that list! The things I want to have done before I'm forty. Don't feel thirty nine, I suspect I won't till I'm hitting eighty! Have a great weekend!

Albedo One

Two opportunities from the one publication, an international competition for short stories and submission guidelines for the magazine. I don't write SF, horror or fantasy but have read Albedo One Magazine and the stories are excellent. There are more guidelines on what kind of writing they're looking for on the website here. I've always loved Angela Carter's New Eve, I wonder is that considered fantasy? Robert Neilsone, co-editor of Albedo One has an interesting article on the Writing4All website entitled "Getting started in genre fiction - SF, fantasy & horror.
The Aeon Award 2010
This competition is open to writers from all countries and has a max word count of 8,000.
"The contest opens 1st January 2010, and runs for four rounds throughout the year. The submission deadline for the first round is March 31st, the second round June 30th, the third round September 30th and the final round November 30th. The final round is of two months duration, the rest of three months. Each round begins immediately after the end of the previous round (i.e. you may submit at any time from 1st Jan to 30th Nov).

At the end of each round, the best story submissions received within each round will be chosen by a panel of judges and shortlisted for the Award. The stories chosen for shortlisting in each round will be announced here on the Albedo One website (www.albedo1.com) shortly after the end of each round, as the contest proceeds. The shortlist and final results will also be printed in Albedo One magazine for all the world to see.

Shortly after Nov 30th 2010, the judges will choose the six highest-ranking stories from the shortlist. The top three winning stories will be chosen from these six stories.

Entry Fee 7 Euro
Grand Prize: €1000, Second Prize: €200,Third Prize: €100


Albedo One

"We are always looking for thoughtful, well written fiction. Our definition of what constitutes SF, horror and fantasy is extremely broad and we love to see material which pushes at the boundaries.

We will read all short story submissions, but our preferred length is between 2,500 and 8,000 words. Our response time is variable - mostly between two and four months.

Our address:

Albedo One
2 Post Road
Lusk
Co. Dublin
Ireland.

A wonderful letter came in the post, my application for a residency in The Tyrone Guthrie Centre was successful. So in August, for one week, I'll be in Monaghan, just writing! I'm thrilled of course.

"The Tyrone Guthrie Centre is a residential workplace open to professional practictioners in all art forms. Artist residencies/retreats are for maximum periods of three months in the full board Big House and six months in the self catering Farmyard Cottages.
In a tranquil, beautiful setting amid the lakes and drumlins of County Monaghan everything is provided for, including delicious food. With the advice and encouragement of his family Sir Tyrone Guthrie bequeathed his family home and estate to the State with the proviso that it be used for the benefit of artists. It was an inspired decision and one that has positively reshaped the cultural landscape of Ireland forever.
‘The Big House’ as it is affectionately known, accommodates up to eleven residents and up to seven can stay in the self-catering cottages. Eight studio spaces are also available along with a performance/dance space opened in 2006.

"He gave what little wealth he had
To build a house for fools and mad
And showed by one satiric touch
No nation needed it so much."
JONATHAN SWIFT.