Words Alive

Beginning now (5 PM, September 26, 2009), you have 24 hours to write a work of short fiction — story, poetry, screenplay, etc.  Print and deliver your completed work:

• before 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009

• in person to Pennywise Books on Rosser Ave.

or

• • via email to info@wordsalivefestival.ca

Your work must include the following element:

• one of your characters is forced to commit a crime.

Use creativity — the winner will be chosen partly by how well he or she
includes that element in the tale.

Official Rules:

1)      You may enter as often as you wish but:

a)      Manuscripts must be submitted separately;

b)      Manuscripts must be typed, at approximately 12-point font, double-spaced, singled-sided; and

c)      Pages must be numbered.

2)      Manuscripts must be accompanied by the following author information:

a)      Name;

b)      Address, including City/Town, and Postal Code;

c)      Phone number; and

d)      Email address, if available.

3)      Incomplete or pseudonymous entries are not be eligible to win. Words Alive is not responsible for late, lost, destroyed or wrongly addressed mail in connection with the contest. Do not include any other correspondence in envelopes with entries.

4)      Employees or associates of the Words Alive organization and their
immediate families are ineligible to enter.

5)      Extremely long or extremely short entries may be disqualified.

6)      Entrants warrant that:

a)      short stories are original and unpublished works of fiction, and authored by a resident of the Westman during the official 24-hour period;

b)      short stories do not infringe upon any copyright, proprietary right or any other right of any kind; and

c)      the author has the unimpaired right to convey publication rights to the Words Alive book festival.

7)      All entries must be received by contest closing date, Sunday, September 27, at 5 p.m. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. Selected entrants will be notified by telephone and/or email.

8)      Entrants, by entering this contest, consent to the use of their name and/or photograph, without compensation, for future publicity carried out by Words Alive in connection with this contest.

9)      Entrants retain copyright to their manuscripts. However, by entering this contest, all entrants grant to Words Alive a worldwide, perpetual, paidup, non-exclusive licence to publish, republish or reproduce their manuscripts an unlimited number of times, in original or edited form, in all media and forms of reproduction and distribution now in existence
or developed in the future.

10)  Except for the winners, Words Alive will not barter or share any entrant’s personal and/or private information with any other organization.

11)  Winners may be selected on entertainment value as well as literary merit or any other quality or combination of qualities. Contest judges, as appointed by Words Alive, will be the sole appraisers and will have the sole power to determine winning entries.

12)  Winners will be published in the program for the 2009 Words Alive book festival. Prior to publication, entries may be edited for taste, length, spelling and/or grammar.

13)  Contest judges will make the final decision on any interpretation of
these rules.

Words Alive, in its third year, will bring six great authors to downtown Brandon.

The festival takes place Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct 24 at The Music Studio, located at the corner of 10th Street and Rosser Avenue. Readings begin each evening at 7 p.m. Two Saturday workshops — at 10 a.m. and at 1 p.m. — will also take place, one on the business of writing, and the other on the craft of writing.

We hope to see you there!

—

For photos and information about our previous festivals, please check here.

We had a blast with four fabulous authors last year, and we’re so glad that we got to know them. Here are a few images from the 2008 two-night event.

For last year’s website, please click here. Although we’ve tried, not all content may function properly.

Now that we’re in our third year, we’re able to promise that 2009 will be even more exciting than our first two go-arounds.

We’re more focused than ever on bringing Brandon the very best in top-name authors, giving readings, answering questions, and interacting with readers — and local writers — in an intimate environment.

Words Alive 2009 promises to bring hundreds of book- and literature-lovers to downtown Brandon for a weekend filled with words. If you like books — or if you like live readings — you should plan to be here!

But the festival’s not all. Like writing? We’ve got another short story competition planned — and the winner gets published.

Check our website frequently — and bookmark us! — as we will continue to update, with new authors, and a schedule of fun events as we lead up to the festival.

Hope to see you there!