Literary Events

NOTE: We have noted events that we know are canceled. We have listed those for which no cancellation notice has been posted as of this writing. If you plan to go, we suggest you ensure that these events are still occurring.

Writing-related Timely Online Events. Have one? Let Rick know.

*Online Open Mic.  Registration is closed, but support other writers by joining in online or phoning: 1-646-876-9923 (Meeting ID: 326 961 596.

*Ongoing: Literary Hub, The Virtual Book Channel

Writing-related Timely In-Person Events. Have one? Let Rick know.

*03/22-29. $$. Jewish Authors Book Festival. Daily times vary. Livestreaming.

*03/27-29. $. The Gathering of Poets. The Brookstown Inn in Winston-Salem. Registration.

*03/29. 1-7 p.m. Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival. Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary.

*03/29. 2 p.m. A conversation with Art Taylor and Tara Laskowski. Quail Ridge Books. Canceled.

*04/18. NCWN Spring Conference. Register early; write furiously now; tackle agent later. Canceled

*04/25. 41^st Annual Haiku Holiday Conference. 600 Bolin Brook Farm, Chapel Hill, NC.

*05/02. $$. Write Now! 2020. McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh. Canceled

*05/03. 2-4 p.m. Reading in the Round. Carrboro Town Hall Board Room, 301 W. Main St. Carrboro, NC.

*06/13. $. Fri. night/Sun. morning. The High Road Festival of Poetry and Short Fiction. Winston-Salem. New date.

*For more about writing-related contests and events, See the NCWN website . ß There are quite of few.

Contests and Calls for Submissions.

*03/31. $.Deadline.  Hudson Prize. poetry and short story collections

*04/01. $. Deadline. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize (fiction).

*04/10. The Sextant Review.(poetry, prose, essay, translation).

*05/01. $. Deadline. The Brockman-Campbell Award Competition  (book-length poetry published in 2019).

*05/01 $ Deadline. Steel Toe Books (Chapbook)

*05/15. $. Deadline. Crook’s Corner Book Prize (first published novel).

*05/15. Deadline. Submissions for the literary and arts mag of CCCC, Red Clay Review. Email here for questions.

*05/31. $. Deadline. Flying South Writing Contest. Winston-Salem Writers. (poetry, fiction, non-fiction)

*08/15. $. Deadline. County Lines: A Literary Journal (poetry, prose, art)  Email for details

*08/15. % Deadline. Carolina Prize for Writing. Email for details.

*09/01. $$. Deadline. Steel Toe Books 2020 ( full llength poetry, prose)

*Open-ended. Cold Mountain Review seeks works that engage with eco- and social-justice issues and experiences.

Writing-related Ongoing Events (monthly unless otherwise).

*Tuesdays. 10-12 a.m. Flash Fiction Group. Private home. Contact: Ron Jackson.

*Thursday evenings. Writer’s Workshop with David Payne. Contact: David Payne.

*Fridays. 12:30 p.m. Chapel Hill Friday Noon Poets. Amity United Meth Ch. Contact: Dave Manning 919-462-3695.

*2^nd Tue. 7 p.m. Durham Writer’s Salon. The Mothership Shop, Even & Works Space, 401 W. Geer Str.

*2^nd Wed. 6:15 p.m. $. Nonfiction Authors Asso. of Durham & Chapel Hill. Meets alternate locations.

*2^nd Thur. 7-8:30 p.m. Flyleaf Books Reading Series. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill. Contact: Pam Baggett.

*2^nd Sat. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Prompt Writing with Nancy Peacock. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

*2^nd Sat. 1:30-3 p.m. Triangle Sisters-in-Crime Meeting-Mirth and Mystery. Open to public. Durham S. Reg. Lib.

*2^nd Sat. 7 p.m. Bull City Press Reading Series. Mettlesome’s Okay Alright Theater, 401 W. Geer St.

*2^nd Sun. 3-5 p.m. Featured Poets/Open Mic. Flyleaf Books. Pre-poetic pontificating--2 p.m. The Root Cellar.
*3^rd Thurs. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Pop-Up Poetry. Pittsboro Center for the Arts, Poetry gabbing and learning.

*3^rd Thurs. 7 p.m. Sharing Creativity Poetry Critique Group. South Regional Library. Contact: Bartholomew Barker.

*4^th Sun. 2 p.m. NC Poetry Society Poetry Series McIntyre’s Fine Books, Fearrington Village.

*4^th Sun. 6-8 p.m. Power to the Poets The Cave in Chapel Hill.

*Last Wednesday of Month. Triangle Association of Freelancers. Meets in Raleigh. Contact: Donald Vaughan. ßnew

*Dates vary. Creative Fiction Writing and Critique Group. Check Pittsboro Meet-ups for times and locations.

*Dates vary. Central Carolina Community College. Creative Writing Program Spring classes available.

*Dates vary. Pittsboro Center For The Arts and Sweet Bee Theater. Check often for performances/programs.

*Dates vary. Redbud Writing Project. Writing courses for an adult education writing school in Chapel Hill.

*Ongoing. Have Lee County Arts Council display your poetry in Sanford. Email Leecountyarts@gmail.com with the subject: “The Art of Poetry” program for details.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

*Remember:  Don’t forget. The NCWN offers critiquing and editing services. See their website.

*Prompt #1: Need inspiration for kick-starting your writing? Do a daily prompt! Google: Prompts

*Prompt #2: Need more prompts and possible contest entries, try Reedy.

*More Linkage: You don’t have to rely on WMO for all your reading events. Link to the local bookstores and see their calendar of events. There’s more than what meets the eye in this email.

*Need a Read?: March’s Indie read pick is: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. If you are looking for a non-prepper, post-apocalyptic book about a pandemic:  Earth Abides by George R. Stewart 

*Ten Ways to Support Your Favorite Author: (1) Buy their books, (2) Write reviews, (3) Give their books as gifts, (4) Tell ten people about the author or book, (5) Read for a book club, (6) Recommend on Goodreads, (7) Request at your library, (8) Promote on social media, (9) Post pictures holding their book, (10) Send the author a fan letter.

WMO - March 21, 2020 Minutes

The only rule: writers write. For every sentence you write, a COVID-19 virus germ dies.


“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank. WMO DID NOT meet at 1 p.m. on March 21st in the http://greekkouzina.com/ backroom in Pittsboro. The NCWN sponsors WMO. Carol Phillips heads WMO. WMO’s blog. Like most events that require a crowd, WMO meetings are canceled for the foreseeable future, which means there probably won’t be one in April. However, life goes on; writing goes on; stories need to be told.


APPEAL: It’s a hard time for small businesses. When buying books, help indie book sellers by using Bookshop.org.


The 2020 WMO theme is “Inspiration.” Together we’ll inspire each other to writing greatness (or, at least, mediocrity). To this end, the Supreme Council of Ideas at WMO will be putting out some inspiration pokes on Wednesdays to keep you moving forward. They are also looking at distant learning items for you to access. Doesn’t mean you can’t also look. If you find something great, let Carol or Rick know about it.


*April is Poetry Month!  In celebration, we will again be posting Poem-a-Day on our blog. Please send poems to Carol, as an attachment to her. .doc, .dcox, or .rtf only!  NO .pdfs please! (Note: postings on the blog are considered published by agents and editors.)  Need inspiration?  Here are two prompts offered by Tom Dow:
--Prompt 1:  "between"

--Prompt 2:  "I keep hearing..."

 And, with hope and optimism:

May is “Re-Group: General Discussion on Problems and Inspirations.” Carol will lead a discussion about issues you may be having and/or things that are inspiring you or that you wish to share with others.

Writers' Morning Out, March 21, 2020

Coronavirus rules: Wash hands with soap and water for 30 seconds. Stay 6 feet away from me or I shoot. Upon meeting, no handshakes, just bow and curtesy. Damn, if you have to sneeze, do it vampire style with mouth/nose in the crook of the elbow then burn your shirt within 5 hours. Not a good time to go to China, but eating ethnic is always good.

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story,” – Terry Pratchett. “The first draft of anything is shit.” – Ernest Hemingway.
WMO meets at 1 p.m. on March 21st in the http://greekkouzina.com/ backroom in Pittsboro. The NCWN sponsors WMO. Carol Phillips heads WMO. 

The 2020 WMO theme is “Inspiration.” Together we’ll inspire each other to writing greatness (or, at least, mediocrity).

March is “a General Discussion on Problems and Inspirations.” Carol will lead a discussion about issues you may be having and/or things that are inspiring you or that you wish to share with others. “Let’s get pumped up.” Watch this YouTube video now.

April is “The Effects of Marigolds on Poetry in Motion.” Get inspired by and let poetry inspire you. Marigolds are optional. Tom Dow is not. However, this conflicts with the NCWN Conference. Stay tuned for a possible changes.

May is “How to do an Open Mic.” The do’s and dont’s of presenting at an open mic. And who knows, maybe some open mic presentations.

Literary Happenings March 7, 2020

Writing-related Timely Events. Have one? Let Rick Bylina know.

*03/08. 3-5 p.m. Telling a Story in Verse: Writing Narrative Poems WS. Greensboro Central Lib. Contact: Janis Harrington.

*03/11. $. Carteret Writers Contest.

*03/12. 7 p.m. Stuart Dischell and Others. The Regulator Bookshop in Durham.

*03/14. $. Deadline. BWC 2020 Student Contest. Burlington Writing Club. Multigenre.

*03/15. Free. Deadline. What I Wish You Knew About Me as a Muslim/Jew (multigenre).

*03/14. 10 a.m. NC Poetry Society Gathering. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines, NC 28387

*03/17. $. Deadline. Elizabeth Simpson Smith Short Story Contest.

*03/18. 6-9 p.m. Jaki Shelton Green Poetry Night. Hugger Mugger Brewing, 229 Wicker St., Sanford.

*03/19. 3-6 p.m. 10^th Annual Visions & Voice. Joyful Jewel, Pittsboro. Writers on art; art on writers. What inspired ‘em?

*03/19. $$. 7 p.m. Marketing for Authors by author and editor Lauren Faulkenberry. Course capped at 40.

*03/22-29. $$. Jewish Authors Book Festival. Daily times vary.

*03/27-29. $. The Gathering of Poets. The Brookstown Inn in Winston-Salem. Registration.

*03/28. $. Friday night/Sunday morning options. The High Road Festival of Poetry and Short Fiction. Winston-Salem.

*03/29. 1-7 p.m. Nazim Hikmet Poetry Festival. Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary.

*03/29. 2 p.m. A conversation with Art Taylor and Tara Laskowski. Quail Ridge Books.

*03/31. $. Hudson Prize.
*04/01. $. Deadline. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize (fiction).

*04/06. $. Chapbook Contest. See NCWN site for details.

*04/10. The Sextant Review. Looking for multigenre submissions.

*04/18. NCWN Spring Conference. Register early; write furiously now; tackle agent later.

*04/25. 41^st Annual Haiku Holiday Conference. 600 Bolin Brook Farm, Chapel Hill, NC.

*04/26. 2 p.m. NC Literary HOF inductee Lee Smith reading of Blue Marlin. Quail Ridge Books.

*05/01. $. Deadline. The Brockman-Campbell Award Competition for a book-length poetry published in 2019.

*05/02. $$. Write Now! 2020. McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh.

*05/03. 2-4 p.m. Reading in the Round. Carrboro Town Hall Board Room, 301 W. Main St. Carrboro, NC.

*05/15. $. Deadline. Crook’s Corner Book Prize (fiction).

*05/15. Deadline. Submissions for the literary and arts mag of CCCC, Red Clay Review. Email here for questions.

*05/31. $. Deadline. Flying South Writing Contest. Winston-Salem Writers.

*09/01. $$. Deadline. Steel Toe Books 2020 Prize in Prose.

*Open-ended. Cold Mountain Review seeks works that engage with eco- and social-justice issues and experiences.

*For more about writing-related contests and events, See the NCWN website . ß There are quite of few.

Writing-related Ongoing Events (monthly unless otherwise). Have one? Let Rick Bylina know. If you go, how was it?

*Tuesdays. 10-12 a.m. Flash Fiction Group. Private home. Contact: Ron Jackson. ßnew

*Thursday evenings. Writer’s Workshop with David Payne. Contact: David Payne. ßnew

*Fridays. 12:30 p.m. Chapel Hill Friday Noon Poets. Amity United Meth Ch. Contact: Dave Manning 919-462-3695. ßnew

*2^nd Tue. 7 p.m. Durham Writer’s Salon. The Mothership Shop, Even & Works Space, 401 W. Geer Str. ßnew

*2^nd Wed. 6:15 p.m. $. Nonfiction Authors Asso. of Durham & Chapel Hill. Meets alternate locations. ßnew

*2^nd Thur. 7-8:30 p.m. Flyleaf Books Reading Series. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill. Contact: Pam Baggett. ßnew

*2^nd Sat. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Prompt Writing with Nancy Peacock. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

*2^nd Sat. 1:30-3 p.m. Triangle Sisters-in-Crime Meeting-Mirth and Mystery. Open to public. Durham S. Reg. Lib.

*2^nd Sat. 7 p.m. Bull City Press Reading Series. Mettlesome’s Okay Alright Theater, 401 W. Geer St. ß new

*2^nd Sun. 3-5 p.m. Featured Poets/Open Mic. Flyleaf Books. Pre-poetic pontificating--2 p.m. The Root Cellar.
*3^rd Thurs. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Pop-Up Poetry. Pittsboro Center for the Arts, Poetry gabbing and learning.

*3^rd Thurs. 7 p.m. Sharing Creativity Poetry Critique Group. South Regional Library. Contact: Bartholomew Barker. ßnew

*4^th Sun. 2 p.m. NC Poetry Society Poetry Series McIntyre’s Fine Books, Fearrington Village.

*4^th Sun. 6-8 p.m. Power to the Poets The Cave in Chapel Hill.

*Last Wednesday of Month. Triangle Association of Freelancers. Meets in Raleigh. Contact: Donald Vaughan. ßnew

*Dates vary. Creative Fiction Writing and Critique Group. Check Pittsboro Meet-ups for times and locations.

*Dates vary. Central Carolina Community College. Creative Writing Program Spring classes available.

*Dates vary. Pittsboro Center For The Arts and Sweet Bee Theater. Check often for performances/programs.

*Dates vary. Redbud Writing Project. Writing courses for an adult education writing school in Chapel Hill.

*Ongoing. Have Lee County Arts Council display your poetry in Sanford. Email Leecountyarts@gmail.com with the subject: “The Art of Poetry” program for details.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Remember:  Don’t forget. The NCWN offers critiquing and editing services. See their website.

Organizing: Jody Savage (aka Stella Fosse) is organizing an Elderotica (erotic writing) group in the Chapel Hill area. Email her.

Prompt #1: Need inspiration for kick-starting your writing? Do a daily prompt! Google: Prompts

Prompt #2: Need more prompts and possible contest entries, try Reedy.

More Linkage: You don’t have to rely on WMO for all your reading events. Link to the local bookstores and see their calendar of events. There’s more than what meets the eye in this email.

Need a Read?: March’s Indie read pick is: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell.

Ten Ways to Support Your Favorite Author: (1) Buy their books, (2) Write reviews, (3) Give their books as gifts, (4) Tell ten people about the author or book, (5) Read for a book club, (6) Recommend on Goodreads, (7) Request at your library, (8) Promote on social media, (9) Post pictures holding their book, (10) Send the author a fan letter.

Publishing Resources

Below are some resources to find an agent or a place to submit your latest poem or prose piece.  Always do your best to verify agent or publication is legitimate.  Frequently, journals will have a modest reading fee; beware of fees that seem excessive.

Association of Authors' Representatives: Members subscribe to the organization's Code of Ethics

Agent Query:  Free search; boasts "The internet's largest free database of literary agents

Publishers Marketplace  Lists which agent represents which author

1000 Literary Agents:  Free search; fee for tracking

Duotrope:  Free search for agents and publications; fee for tracking

Submittable:  Lists publications looking for submissions

NCWN Spring Conference, April 18, 2020

Fellowship. Learning. Support.

These principles are at the heart of the Carolina African-American Writers' Collective, and they happen to be central tenets of the North Carolina Writers’ Network as well.

NCWN, which turns thirty-five this year, will host its 2020 Spring Conference on Saturday, April 18, at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Registration is open at www.ncwriters.org.

The Keynote Celebration will feature four CAAWC writers—founder Lenard D. Moore; Dr. L. Teresa Church; Bridgette A. Lacy; and Crystal Simone Smith—as they chronicle the history of the organization and read passages from All the Songs We Sing: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Carolina African-American Writers' Collective (Blair, 2020).

Poetry: Poetry Master Class, “Now Look at What You Have Done,” with Stuart Dischell;  “More than Meaning” with Timothy O’Keefe;  “Crowded House: Imagery in Poetry” with Jennie Malboeuf

Fiction: FictionMaster Class, “Messing Up Good.” with Xhenet Aliu:  “Make a Scene.” with Quinn Dalton

CNF: Creative Nonfiction Master Class, “Our Memories and Our Words: The Art of Writing Memoir.” with Randal O’Wain;  “Narrative Medicine” with Aimee Mepham, “Writing Your Life: Turning Personal Stories into Universal Narratives” with Bridgette A. Lacy,

Publishing: “Public Speaking for Writers” with Cameron Kent;  “From Manuscript to Finished Book” with Blair editors Robin Miura and Lynn York.

Misc:  “Planning Your Creativity: Hybrid Outlines for 21st Century Writing” with Jorge Cortese.

In addition, guaranteed to help attendees build the intestinal fortitude necessary to weather the furious storms of publishing, NCWN will host its sixth “Slush Pile Live!”

Familiar features remain, including faculty readings, an open mic for conference participants, an exhibit hall packed with publishers and literary organizations, and “Lunch with an Author,” and, the sixth annual “Slush Pile Live!”

Spring Conference is sponsored in part by UNCG’s Creative Writing Program, which will provide coffee for conference-goers during registration and check-in. Other sponsors include the North Carolina Arts Council.

Learn more and register at www.ncwriters.org.

Literary Happenings, February 17, 2020

Writing-related Timely Events. Have one? Let Rick Bylina know.

*02/23. 2 p.m. Nancy Corson Carter reads from A Green Bough: Poems for Renewal at McIntyre’s Fine Books.

*02/23. 2 p.m. The Changing Language of Chatham Cty by the Historical Association. Historic Chatham Cty Courthouse.

*02/23. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Literary Frivolity, The Pinhook, Durham. Free, but RSVP. See link. Writers & journalists flocking.

*02/26. 6-8 p.m. Black History, Black Futures. Orange Cty Main Library. Poetry with Dasan Ahanu, Kayla Beckett, and Des-tiny Hemphill.

*02/26. $. Deadline. Fleur 2020-02 Plum Blossom (fiction) contest. Be inspired by plum blossoms in poetry and art. 

*FEATURED. 02/28. Deadline. Carolina Woman Writing Contest. Under 1K words, short fiction, non-fiction essay, and poetry.

*02/29. 1-4 p.m. Ties That Bind. Pam Baggett poetry workshop Orange Cty Main Library.

*03/01. $. Deadline for 2020 Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition.

*03/01. $. Deadline for Backbone Press Chapbook Competition (poetry).

*03/01. Deadline for the IWP Summer Writing Program (ages 15-18).

*03/11. $. Carteret Writers Contest.

*03/12. 7 p.m. Dischell Stuart and Others. The Regulator Bookshop in Durham.

*03/15. 10 a.m. NC Poetry Society Gathering. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines, NC 28387

*03/19. $$. 7 p.m. Marketing for Authors by author and editor Lauren Faulkenberry. Course capped at 40.

*03/27-29. $. The Gathering of Poets. The Brookstown Inn in Winston-Salem. Registration.

*03/28. $. Friday night/Sunday morning options. The High Road Festival of Poetry and Short Fiction. Winston-Salem.

*03/31. $. Hudson Prize.

*04/06. $. Chapbook Contest. See NCWN site for details.

*04/18. NCWN Spring Conference. Register early; write furiously now; tackle agent later.

*05/01. $. The Brockman-Campbell Award Competition for a book-length volume of poetry published in 2019.

*05/02. $$. Write Now! 2020. McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh.

*05/15. Deadline. Submissions for the literary and arts mag of CCCC, Red Clay Review. Email here for questions.

*09/01. $$. Deadline. Steel Toe Books 2002 Prize in Prose.

*For more about writing-related contests and events, See the NCWN website . ß There are quite of few.

Writing-related Ongoing Events (monthly unless otherwise noted). Have one? Let Rick Bylina know.

*2^nd Sat. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. “Prompt Writing”. Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill.

*2^nd Sat. 1:30-3 p.m. Triangle Sisters-in-Crime Meeting. Open to public. Durham S. Reg. Lib.

*2^nd Sun. 3-5 p.m. “Featured Poets/Open Mic.” Flyleaf Books. Pre-poetic pontificating--2 p.m. The Root Cellar.
*3^rd Thurs. 6:30-8:30 p.m. “Pop-Up Poetry”. Pittsboro Center for the Arts, Poetry gabbing and learning.

*4^th Sun. 2 p.m. “NC Poetry Society Poetry Series” McIntyre’s Fine Books, Fearrington Village.

*NEW STARTING IN FEBRUARY. 4^th Sun. 6-8 p.m. “Power to the Poets” The Cave in Chapel Hill. Let me know how it goes.

*Dates vary. Creative Fiction Writing and Critique Group. Check Pittsboro Meet-ups for times and locations.

*Dates vary. Central Carolina Community College. Creative Writing Program  Spring classes available by November 22nd.

*Dates vary. Pittsboro Center For The Arts and Sweet Bee Theater. Check often for performances/programs.

*Dates vary. Redbud Writing Project. Writing courses for an adult education writing school in Chapel Hill.

*Ongoing. Have Lee County Arts Council display your poetry in Sanford. Email Leecountyarts@gmail.com with the subject: “The Art of Poetry” program for details.

Remember:  Don’t forget. The NCWN offers critiquing and editing services. See their website.

Organizing: Jody Savage (aka Stella Fosse) is organizing an Elderotica (erotic writing) group in the Chapel Hill area. Email stella@stellafosse.com

Are You Prompted: Need inspiration for kick-starting your writing? Do a daily prompt! Google: Prompts

More Linkage: You don’t have to rely on WMO for all your reading events. Link to the local bookstores and see their calendar of events. There’s more than what meets the eye in this email.