The Pike County Arts Council and McComb Rotary Club are looking for residents who have the “Write Stuff” to enter the 2013 Literary Competition.
This year, two other events will be held in conjunction with the writing contest.
A short-story writing workshop will be held at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at the McComb Library. First-time story writers are encouraged to attend and learn the basics of crafting the short story.
And a special patrons’ reception will be held 5 p.m. April 9 at the Depot Theatre on State Street.
Tickets are $50 for the reception, which includes a cocktail party, a visit with the event’s keynote speaker, Chris Wiltz, and a signed copy of one of her books.
Wiltz is the author of “The Last Madam: A Life in the New Orleans Underworld,” a biography of Norma Wallace, who for 40 years operated the last storied brothel in New Orleans. Wiltz will discuss Wallace’s connection to Pike County.
An awards ceremony will be held April 9 at the State Theater in McComb, where winners in three divisions and three categories will be presented.
Divisions include adults, along with college students; seniors, students in grades 9-12; and juniors, for students in grades 5 to 8. Categories include poetry, short story and essay. The essay theme is “Peace Through Service.”
Cash awards will be given in each category.
The competition has numerous requirements:
• Entrant must be a resident or native of Mississippi.
• All entries must be original and unpublished. Manuscripts will not be returned.
• Short stories and “Peace Through Service” essays are limited to 3,000 words.
• Poetry is limited to one poem of 50 lines or less, or three poems of less than 30 lines each.
• All entries must be typed and double-spaced on one side of letter-size paper. Place title of entry on each page.
• A separate detachable title page must list the following information: Writer’s name, address, e-mail or phone (this should not appear elsewhere); title of entry (to be repeated on upper right corner of each page); division and category entered; current school attended, if applicable
• Writers are limited to one entry per category.
• All entries must be received by March 1, 2013
Send entries to: Literary Competition, 110 N. Broadway, McComb, MS 39648; or e-mail to Robbi Cox at robbiaia@bellsouth.net (place “Literary Contest" in subject line.)
For more information, call Cox at 684-6181.
