This is not not a Contest
Clearly self-serving, but it’s free (like self promoting contests should be), and there’s already a ton of prizes, so what the hay:
Lamination Colony is hosting a free writing contest, no entry fee, with prizes of publication, books (including html contributor Chelsea Martin’s everything was fine until whatever), handmade art, a picture of my ass, and a continuously increasing array of prizes donated from all around, including (so far):
* (1) copy of Shane Jones’s ‘Light Boxes‘ from Publishing Genius
* (1) copy of Molly Gaudry’s ‘We Take Me Apart’ forthcoming from ML Press
* the last hand edited manuscript of THE SELF ESTEEM HOLOCAUST COMES HOME and a printed copy of FROWNS NEED FRIENDS TOO (new two books from Sam Pink)
* a copy of William Walsh’s ‘Questionstruck,’ Thomas Cooper’s ‘Phantasmagoria’ and Issue 7 of Keyhole, all from Keyhole Press+ a ton more listed here
More prizes are being added by the hour (feel free to offer up your own), and again, it’s free.
This is a serious contest, there will be a winner, (at least 1-2) runner ups, everyone will get free shit, it will be free and people will read words maybe and talk about it not because there was a contest but because there are words.
For more info on what/how to enter, check the specs here. Thanks.
Rumpus/Giant/6word Contest: WE HAVE A WINNER
Congratulations to JENNIFER, for her winning entry in yesterday’s contest. Here’s what she wrote-
I have always been my opposite.
[Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides]
Runners up, honorable mentions & other details after the jump, but first: TO ALL THOSE OF YOU WHO DID NOT WIN / ENTER: WHY NOT COME TO THE EVENT ANYWAY? TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE, AND THE LINE-UP KEEPS GETTING BIGGER AND MORE AWESOME. THIS MORNING THEY ANNOUNCED THE ADDITION OF AMANDA PALMER FROM THE DRESDEN DOLLS.
WINNER of Dead Eye Dick Contest
Thank you everyone for entering HTMLGIANT’s Dead Eye Dick contest — such creative takes on Vonnegut’s drawing! Most memorable ones, for me, include Drew’s sunburnt nipple, Jake’s self-inflicted bullet wound, Clapper’s ear hair, cobweb’s entropy of vectors, Chris East’s surrogate swastika, Ben Brooks’ hilarious Sarah Jessica Parker, and Ronnie’s erased web of crosses; all of these are worthy of a prize, and have seriously delighted me — though Ben Blum takes the prize with his brilliant cunnilingus tongue technique, not just for its creativity, but the adroitly executed letter of proud dramatic indignation:
Dearest Marjorie, your repeated usage in letters to me of the words “short” and “powerful” is unnecessary, as these are widely understood to be the essential qualifications of a jockey, and I and half the neighborhood are well aware that that is the profession of the man you have run off with. I have nothing but respect for your decision. But in spite of myself, I think I would like you to know the kind of power growing in your own, abandoned home (although as yet I am no shorter), and it is with this aim in mind that I now dip my tongue in the fatmouthed collectible inkwell your mother bought me last month as consolation for your behavior and show what I can accomplish in one and one quarter seconds, to the benefit of countless women unknown to you:
Congratulations Ben, Dick Eye Dick will be mailed shortly after I receive your mailing address. To everyone who entered, you’ve all made my day. I am only sorry I only have one book to give away. It’s true, life is no way to treat an animal, so let’s all just pet each other, quietly.
Book: The Sequel contest
Finally, a story contest that plays to my strengths as a writer: short attention span and love of despoiling classic works. Enter submissions by May 30 and write a one-line sequel to your favorite books. I went with Sentimental Education, since I read it recently and it’s good. I entitled the sequel “The Death of Sentiment.”
In the distant future, Frederic, realizing that he was somehow no longer a French dandy, but instead a heavily-armed cyborg knee-deep in gristle, shrapnel and unidentified limbs, accepted that the time for idleness and romance had passed—now it was time for payback.
YOU’RE NOT ALONE– IF YOU WIN THIS CONTEST
Look alive, kids. This sweet mother is coming to NYC on May 30th, and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away. First read the flier and get yourself all worked up, then I’ll tell you how you can win.
So okay, you might have noticed that one of the event sponsors is SMITH magazine, the force behind last/this year’s bizarrely wonderful Six-Word Memoir phenomenon. And the last time I blogged about the Rumpus it was about their “Last Book I Loved” column (which, btw, now has its own index page, so you can see all the entries in the series). So let’s make this easy as sin- if you want the pair of tickets to this event, you need to write a six-word “Last Book I Loved” entry and leave it in the comment thread on this post. Book title and author’s name don’t count against your word limit. Also include a way for me to get in touch with you, or else don’t forget to check back here tomorrow to see who won. The contest will be open all day today, with entries closing at midnight EST. Good luck.
Dead Eye Dick Contest
*contest ends May 26 8PM (PST)
CONTEST:
In the comment section, write your own version/introduction to Vonnegut’s famous drawing — though you must re-appropriate the drawing so that it’s not an asshole — like, it could be a diagram on how to cut a pizza, or a drawing of the big bang, etc. It should be roughly the same word count as the original portion above, and you do not need to mimic Vonnegut’s style.
I will choose the winner based on creativity of re-appropriation and actual writing. Your piece must end with a colon (get it? asshole/colon, hey Onion, call me…). Please no ‘blast entries,’ just one entry per person.
Novel Naming Contest No. 2
*Update* James Yeh won the contest on the first comment.
This picture describes 3 novels written by black authors. Keep in mind I’m using ‘black’ and not ‘African-American’ or ‘African’ to broaden the scope. The first person to correctly name all 3 novels in one comment wins. As mentioned before, the winning answers may simply be a collation of previous semi-correct answers, so judgment and imagination are both important.
pr and I are collaborating on this contest No. 2 (see contest No. 1 if you missed it). Basically, I’m moderating/officiating, and pr is graciously procuring the prize, and handling the logistics of its delivery.
To honor the theme, the prize are books written by black people. (I’d like to point out that I don’t know who any of these people are, because I’m somewhat ignorant, thus cannot comment on them.)
The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
Hunting In Harlem by Mat Johnson
Dead Sexy by R.K. Byers
Salt by Earl Lovelace
The Bride Price by Buchi Emecheta
homegirls and handgrenades by Sonia Sanchez
Last Chance for the Tarzan Holler by Thylias Moss
Thank you pr for such a generous donation (including postage!) to this contest.
storySouth Million Writers Award
storySouth‘s Million Writers Award has announced the top ten stories of the year:
- “The Whale Hunter” by Steinur Bell (Agni)
- “Intertropical Convergence Zone” by Nadia Bulkin (ChiZine)
- “No Bullets in the House” by Geronimo Madrid (Drunken Boat)
- “Fuckbuddy” by Roderic Crooks (Eyeshot)
- “The Fisherman’s Wife” by Jenny Williams (LitNImage)
- “Every Earth is Fit for Burial” by Cyn Kitchen (Menda City Review)
- “Interview With A Moron” by Elizabeth Stuckey-French (Narrative Magazine)
- “The Tale of Junko and Sayuri” by Peter S. Beagle (OSC’s Intergalactic Medicine Show)
- “Grief Mongers” by Sefi Atta (Per Contra Fiction)
- “Nine Sundays in a Row” by Kris Dikeman (Strange Horizons)
Congrats to all. You can vote for them here. The ‘notable stories’ from which the winning list was culled is here.
A Public Space Giveaway
a pubic space
I have issues 02 through 06 of A Public Space to give to someone. They are not fitting on my shelf right now and I don’t want to move them in a box to a new place this summer. I would like to give them to someone.
Issues 02-06 include an essay on Chicago by Peter Orner, a photo essay that documents bathroom graffiti at Camp Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, a special focus on Antarctica, and assorted fiction/poetry.
If you wish to be eligible for this free gift, please email your name and mailing address to htmlgiant [at] gmail [dot] com by noon cst this Sunday. The random integer generator will then be unleashed upon the emails and a winner will be chosen and so on.
Novel naming contest
*Update* Contest is over, pr won. The answers are Under the Volcano, Lord of the Flies, On the Road, As I Lay Dying, and A Farewell to Arms. Congrats pr!
The drawing above depicts five titles of novels. These novels are all very well known. There are probably many other titles of novels inadvertently contained in the drawing, but the drawing was rendered with five specific novels in mind. The first person to guess all five correctly in the comment section wins. Multiple entrees allowed, but winning answers must be in one comment.
Keep in mind that the winner may be just someone who correctly collates other people’s semi-correct answers, so as important imagination is, so is judgement. The ‘first person’ will simply be assessed by the chronological comments. (If your comment does not link to your website/blog with your contact information accessible, please provide email in comment.)
PRIZE details (after the break):