You’re Invited to the 2013 Literary Upstart Reading Series
Dearest readers,
You are cordially invited to this year’s Literary Upstart: The Search for Pocket Fiction, our annual competitive reading series in which the city’s finest unknown writers read their original works of fiction for the chance to win a giant novelty check worth $250 and publication in our Summer Fiction Issue. Click here to RSVP.
If you’re a Literary Upstart veteran, feel free to skip ahead. But if you’re new to this whole thing, here’s what our search for pocket fiction is all about.
Every year, we ask you to submit your best short fiction (maximum of 1,300 words) to literaryupstart@thelmagazine.com. Fifteen semi-finalists will be asked to participate in one of three live readings where they’ll square off in front of an audience (that’s you!) and a panel of judges. Speaking of whom, let’s meet them, shall we? This year, we’ll be joined by Ben Greenman, editor at the New Yorker (you may have heard of it); Cal “Calvert” Morgan, Harper Perrenial’s editorial director; and Katherine Fausset, a literary agent at Curtis Brown, ltd. At the end of each reading, our judges will choose a winner; the three semi-final readers will advance to a final reading where they’ll face each other for the first time and compete once and for all for cold hard cash and publication in our Summer Fiction issue.
This year, we will be holding our readings at powerHouse Books in DUMBO, located at 37 Main St. in Brooklyn. Take the F train to the York stop, or the A, C to High Street, and we’ll see you there. As per usual, we’ll have literary trivia, and beer courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery.
Our first semi-final reading will take place on Wednesday, April 17 from 7pm until 9pm. And be sure to join us at the following semi-final readings as well. Mark your calendars for the following dates:
Wednesday, May 1
Wednesday, May 22
And of course, please join us the grand finale, featuring all of our semifinal winners, on Tuesday, June 4! Click here to RSVP for the first semi-final reading.
Still haven’t submitted your own brilliant work of fiction? No worries. We’re still accepting submissions of your previously unpublished stories of 1,300 words or fewer. So keep writing and submit your story by Tuesday, May 28. For submission rules and guidelines, click here.
