(No contests planned for 2012)
Torrey House Press (THP) seeks fiction and literary nonfiction from writers with a passion for the environment, issues, people, history, and cultures of the Colorado Plateau and the West. We consider literary works from both published and unpublished writers. Contest winners receive cash prizes in addition to having their work published in THP’s annual journal.
Competitions:
Fall 2011: Creative Literary Nonfiction (2,000 to 10,000 words)
First Prize: $1,000
Deadline: September 30, 2011 (extended)
Contest Closed on October 7, 2011.
where can I find your yearly journal? I see no mention of it. And, I see no mention of a 2012 writing competition. Please advise.
Mark, thanks for your interest. We have not yet published our first journal. I am waiting, probably 6 months to a year more, to see how our other short stories sell.
Re writing contests, we do not currently have any scheduled. If we get enough good manuscripts we may not hold any more. If not, we will let you know.
Thanks for the replay, and for making a publishing commitment to the land, its beauty and value to us all. I’m a long time naturalist writer and was delighted to see you what you were doing. Visit me, at: markataylor.info Again, thank you.
I’d like to submit a chapter from a longer work of narrative nonfiction. Should I include a paragraph to explain/position the excerpt, or just let the judges figure things out in context? Also, it’s set in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos east of the Divide, not on the Colorado Plateau — still a story of a western landscape.
Hi Mary, Sorry to be slow to get back to you. We are traveling through the flame-on fall colors in the Colorado Rockies this week and attending the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Trade Show this weekend in Denver. When you enter on Submishmash there is place to tell us more about yourself and your story. We will figure out the rest. I hope you still enter. Since I was slow, for you we will waive the new requirement to buy a copy of “Crooked Creek.” -Mark
I have a piece I’d really love to submit, but it’s only 900 words long. Would you consider something that length?
Hi Heather,
We hate to turn away a potentially good story, but 900 words is too short. If you won we would be concerned the other writers would feel short changed. If you would like us to still see it, please feel free to send to us as an email attachment. mail@torreyhouse.com
And it’ll be its own country soon enough—an offshore country, after the Big One hits.
Thanks, Mark.
Hello,
Does California rank as part of the “American West” as Torrey House defines it? (Geographically, culturally…whatever your mandate circumscribes.)
Thanks very much,
Nicole
Hello Nicole,
Absolutely!! Yes, California could be its own country, and yes we do like reading about the landscape more than the cities. So yes, we think California ranks as American West. Big time.
Thanks for checking in,
Mark
Dominique- Creative biography will be just fine. Hope to see your work. -Mark
Hi, I would love to submit. However, what I have written is auto-fiction or creative biography. Would this be applicable? Thank you! dominique
This is probably a dumb question, but is memoir essay something you would consider? It’s just that non-fiction is so very general. I generally hate reading memoir but since mine is about me and my extremely interesting life, I make an exception.
Hi Molly- Since you are so interesting, we look forward to seeing more. Please do enter.