Published: February 15, 2008 11:48 am            

Deadline extended to Feb. 29 for Weatherford College writing contest

WEATHERFORD — The deadline for submissions for the 2008 Canis Latrin (The Coyote) Writing Contest associated with Weatherford College’s annual spring book festival, “Books ‘n Authors ‘n All That Jazz,” has been extended to Friday, Feb. 29.

“We’ve received many entries in each category, but we want to be fair and make sure we have given everyone ample time and resources to complete their submissions,” said Rae Wooten, Weatherford College library acquisitions coordinator and organizer of the contest. “Also, we recently have had some technical difficulties with our college [Internet] server, and we think that during the downtime we may have “lost” some entries that were submitted online to the writingcontest@wc.edu address.”

Wooten added that she encourages all writers who have submitted their entries electronically to call her to ensure that the entry has been received. Wooten’s telephone number is (817) 598-6456.

“Of course, we want to be sure we have everyone’s entry, so please call us if you already have submitted yours online so we can check,” she said. “We are so excited to offer this unique writing opportunity to our community, and this year, especially adding a special connection to another big reading initiative we will be involved in at the time. We have themed our writing contest this year around the book we will reading together as part of the National Endowment for the Arts The Big Read: Parker County Reads Together.

Wooten refers to the NEA Big Read grant recently announced by a four-way partnership among the city’s public library, Weatherford ISD, the Doss Heritage and Culture Center and Weatherford College. The grant centers around the community-wide reading of one classic piece of literature, Willa Cather’s “My Àntonia,” the themes of which include a focus on heritage, the frontier way of life and how we relate to the environment in which we live.

“These are some — but not all — of the themes of the novel ‘My Àntonia,’” said Wooten. “People wanting to enter the writing contest need not to have read the book, necessarily, but they will need to know about it and its themes in order to meet the guidelines for entering.”

Wooten added that the book and other information about “My Àntonia” can be found easily online and in public libraries and bookstores.

To emphasize The Big Read connection, a fourth category has been added to the poetry, fiction and non-fiction categories — an essay, which will be focused entirely on “My Àntonia.” Cash prizes of $150 will be awarded to the winners in each division, underwritten by Ann Saunders, immediate past president of the Doss Heritage and Culture Center board.

Lori Wilde, local writer, once again will underwrite the $100 cash prizes awarded to the writers of the top selections in each of the other three categories in the two divisions.

There is no submission fee; entry is free for each division — DIVISION 1: Area high school students in ninth through 12th grades; DIVISION 2: area residents and Weatherford College students.

Original pieces in the following categories may be submitted by e-mail or postal mail, following specific guidelines: 1. Poetry, up to three pages; 2. Short Fiction, up to 5,000 words; 3. Creative Non-Fiction, up to 5,000 words and 4. Essay, 2,500-5,000 words, with citations.

Entries must be double-spaced and in 12-point Times New Roman type. Multiple submissions are acceptable and may be mailed in the same envelope, but each entry must be accompanied by a separate entry form (facsimile copies are acceptable). Each entry must have a cover sheet with the title and author’s name. The author’s name must not appear on any other pages. Please number pages. Mail submissions to Writing Contest, c/o Rae Wooten, Weatherford College, 225 College Park Drive, Weatherford, Texas 76086.

Submissions also may be e-mailed, must be in the form of an attachment and in MS-WORD format. (No Microsoft Works, etc.) Only one submission per e-mail. All information that is required on the entry form must be included in the e-mail content. Submissions may be e-mailed to: writingcontest@wc.edu.

Entry forms and information are available online at Weatherford College’s homepage, www.wc.edu; click on the Books ’n Authors ’n All That Jazz logo on the right side.

For further information or questions about contest submissions, contact Wooten at (817) 598-6456, or e-mail, writingcontest@wc.edu.

        

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