Submissions are being sought for a Boston Review competition that will be judged by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and Ladan Osman.
Boston Review is a quarterly political and literary magazine based in the United States. It publishes political, social, and historical analysis, literary and cultural criticism, book reviews, fiction, and poetry, both online and in print. The journal has featured the work of some of the most well-known names in the world of writing like Jhumpa Lahiri, Noam Chomsky, and John Updike.
The literary journal, which has been literary journaling since it was founded in 1975, has announced their newest competition for prose and poetry. The competition in prose is called the Aura Estrada Short Story Contest while the poetry one is the annual competition that the journal runs. For both of the competitions, the theme is “Allies.”
Competition Theme: Allies
How do we know who is on our side? Is it possible for someone who is not like us to share our same hopes? Can links forged by empathy or mutual interest match those created by shared experience? What can we gain from alliances that we cannot achieve on our own? These are difficult questions to answer even in intimate settings, and more so in arenas of cultural and political struggle. We want the sharpest stories about trust, bridge-building, difference, and betrayal. Drawing on the prophetic power of the imagination to conjure both the possible dangers and life-giving possibilities of alliances—be they political, private (such as marriage), therapeutic, or even aesthetic (between readers and writers, for example). We are open to this theme being explored in every genre, including historical fiction, scifi, horror, mystery, and romance. We’re especially interested to see these themes explored in the context of race, sex and sexuality, and identity (both politically and privately).
Here are the details of each of the competitions.
Aura Estrada Short Story Contest.
Deadline: June 30, 2019
Judge: Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
First Prize: $500 and publication
Aura Estrada (1977–2007) was a promising young Mexican writer and student and wife of Francisco Goldman. The prize is meant to honour her memory by supporting other burgeoning writers.
For those who want to enter this prize you need to submit your short story not exceeding 5,000 words which has never been published in the past. Contest entrants cannot have a personal or professional relationship with this year’s judge, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, or with any editors or staff at Boston Review.
If you do get selected, your story wins US$500 and is published in the Boston Review. For all the details on entering this competition please click here.
Annual Poetry Contest
Deadline: June 30, 2019
Judge: Ladan Osman
First Prize: $500 and publication
You are requested to send up to 5 poems or 10 pages, which comes first. All work must be previously unpublished. No cover note is necessary, and names should not appear anywhere in the submission. All entries much be in English; translations are acceptable if they are done in collaboration with the author and the poems are unpublished in any language.
For information on entering this competition please click here.
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