The 2017 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize is now open for submissions

Press release from NC Writers’ Network: 

The 2017 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize is now open for submissions. Awarded to a short story of 3,000 words or less, the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize honors internationally celebrated North Carolina novelist Thomas Wolfe. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review. The postmark deadline is January 30, 2017.

To submit, click here.

This year’s final judge is Wiley Cash, The New York Times bestselling author of A Land More Kind Than Home and This Dark Road to Mercy, which are both available from William Morrow/HarperCollinsPublishers. Wiley is writer-in- residence at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and teaches in the Low-Residency MFA Program in Fiction and Nonfiction Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. A native of North Carolina, he lives in Wilmington with his wife and their two young daughters.

The 2017 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize is administered by the Great Smokies Writing Program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The program offers opportunities for writers of all levels to join a supportive learning community in which their skills and talents can be explored, practiced, and forged under the careful eye of professional writers. The program is committed to providing the community with affordable university-level classes led by published writers and experienced teachers. Each course carries academic credit awarded through UNC-Asheville.

The 2016 winner was Alli Marshall, author of the novel How to Talk to Rock Stars, for her short story “Catching Out.”

The Thomas Wolfe Review is the official journal of The Thomas Wolfe Society, publishing articles, features, tributes, and reviews about Wolfe and his circle. It also features bibliographical material, notes, news, and announcements of interest to Society members.

North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938), was born in Asheville. His Look Homeward, Angel is considered one of the most important coming-of-age novels in the English language. Wolfe was considered at the time of his death to be the greatest talent North Carolina had given to American literature. His novels and collected short stories go beyond autobiography, trying to, in William Faulkner’s words, “put all the experience of the human heart on the head of a pin.” His intense poetic language and thoughtfully developed symbology, combined with his uncanny ability to enter the minds of his other characters and give them powerful voices, elevate the books from memoir to undeniable literary art.

Here are the complete guidelines:

• The competition is open to all writers regardless of geographical location or prior publication.
• Submit two copies (if submitting by mail) of an unpublished fiction manuscript – short story or self-contained novel excerpt – not to exceed 3,000 words, double-spaced, single-sided pages (1″ margins, 12-pt. Times New Roman font).
• Author’s name should not appear on manuscripts. Instead, include a separate cover sheet with name, address, phone number, e-mail address, word count, and manuscript title. (If submitting online, do not include a cover sheet with your document; Submittable will collect and record your name and contact information.)
• An entry fee must accompany the manuscript: $15 for NCWN members, $25 for nonmembers.
• The entry fee is per submission. You may submit multiple entries.
• You may pay the member entry fee if you join the NCWN with your submission. Checks should be made payable to the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
• Entries will not be returned.
• The winner is announced each April.
• Simultaneous submissions are ok, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
• To submit online, go to ncwriters.submittable.com/submit. Submittable will collect your entry fee via credit card ($15 NCWN members / $25 non-members). (If submitting online, do not include a cover sheet with your document; Submittable will collect and record your name and contact information.)
• To submit by regular mail:Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize
  Great Smokies Writing Program
  Attn: Nancy Williams
  One University Hts.
  UNC Asheville, NC 28804

Questions? Please contact Nancy Williams at nwilliam@unca.edu or 828-250-2353.

The nonprofit North Carolina Writers’ Network is the state’s oldest and largest literary arts services organization devoted to writers at all stages of development. For additional information, visit www.ncwriters.org.