Poe Inspires Contest Now Open!

Poe has been a major influence on authors as diverse as Arthur Conan Doyle and Neil Gaiman, and he continues to inspire new generations of artists. Has he been significant to your own development as a writer? Please send us poetry and flash fiction that demonstrate his influence, whether you’ve been inspired by Poe’s use of the grotesque, his theory of the unified effect, or his pioneering work in science fiction and the detective story. No matter what he wrote, Poe imbued his work with a relentless creative spirit—that’s what we’re hoping to find in your submissions.

Contest Judge: Harry Kollatz Jr.,

A Richmond native, Harry Kollatz Jr. is senior writer for Richmond magazine and author of two books on the city’s storied past. True Richmond Stories (2007), a partial collection of his long running Flashback column, and Richmond In Ragtime: Socialists, Suffragists, Sex and Murder (2008) an historical narrative of three rambunctious years, 1909-1911. He co-founded the former Firehouse Theatre Project and the new Fifth Wall Theatre. His first novel, Carlisle Montgomery, in which Poe makes an appearance, is due out in early 2018, through Primer Books of Sydney, Australia. Harry’s Muse-in-Residence is the artist Amie Oliver.

Show how Poe has inspired you!

The Fine Print
Theme: Poe Inspires
Contest Opens: November 1, 2017
Contest Closes: December 1, 2017 at midnight
Winners Notified: January 2, 2018
Rules:
There is no age restriction and no entry fee.
All rights for the work remain with the author.
One entry per person. (You must choose either fiction or poetry.)
All entries must be 250 words or less and submitted using this form.
Board Members and Employees of James River Writers and the Poe Museum may not enter.

Prizes: One fiction and one poetry winner will each receive a coveted Golden Poe. Final entries will be displayed at the Poe Museum’s annual Birthday Bash celebration on January 20, 2018, and winners and select entrants will be invited to read their work. Additionally, winners will be published in Get Your Word On (circulation of 4000+) and on the James River Writers and Poe Museum websites. Winners will be notified on 1/2/18, but they will not be announced to the public until the Birthday Bash.

The form to enter can be found here: 3rd Annual Poe Inspires Contest Entry.