(Ventura, CA – April 2, 2012) The public is invited to enjoy an evening of poetry on Tuesday, April 10th when the winners of the 11th annual Ventura County Writers Club Poetry Contest will be announced. The winning poets have been invited to perform their works at the April club meeting, and they and their families will be honored at a reception with refreshments following the readings and presentation of plaques. Winners will be notified...

Starting May 1st 2012  We are having a contest! To kick things off right, Ukritic.com is rewarding the memeber who submits the best review before May 15, 2012. Every review submitted will be a contender in the contest. Shortly after we’ll announce the winner on our home page and send them a thousand big ones. Contest Terms: $1,000 USD to the member who impresses us with what we consider to be the most compelling and engaging review,...

Before setting off in pursuit of literary and intellectual greatness (or at least goodness), it behooves the journeyman author to learn a few things from those that came before. Don’t get bogged down in fantasy. Take the time to read up on how successful writers — no matter their chosen genres or mediums — generate ideas and inspiration, process them, then bestow them life on paper or screen. Painting teachers often request their students...

SHORTLIST FOR 2011/12 SHORT STORY PRIZE There are 145 stories here, selected from an overall entry of 1,900. We would like to congratulate the writers who made this list. See here. http://www.fishpublishing.com/short-stories-news.php Author David Mitchell is still working on his selection of the winners, so to preserve anonymity we have left out the names of the authors. The final results will be announced on 17 March on the Fish website and by...

Announcing The Missouri Review’s Audio Literary Competition: $1,000 prizes awarded in 3 categories The Missouri Review invites all writers and writer/producers to send us your recordings of original poetry or prose or your audio documentaries on any subject. All you need is a computer, microphone, software such as GarageBand or Audacity, and a great script! This year, in an effort to expand the contest, we have opened submissions (previously...

The twenty-sixth annual Ojai Wine Festival will take place Sunday, June 10, 2012 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm on the shores of Lake Casitas. Producer of the event, Rotary Club of Ojai West, has made several enhancements to the festival. Last year’s exciting addition was the VIP Lounge.  For an upgraded ticket, patrons had exclusive use of a large canopy tent and patio area on the lakefront.  The lounge included many amenities, and was the perfect...