Victoria A. Hudson's Blog, page 24

Goodreads Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to five Goodreads.com members who were selected to receive a copy of No Red Pen: Writers, Writing Groups & Critique. Your books will be in the mail today!

Thomas Buchmiller


Chico
CA


Jonathan Kavalos


Tallahassee
FL


Ken Justus


San Antonio
TX


Tyler Rudd Hall


Edmonton
Alberta


Steven Festa


Yakima
WA

Stephen J. Meringoff Literary Contests

The Association of Literary Scholars, Critics and Writers announces four awards of $2000 each, in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and high school student writing. Only one entry is accepted from each person. All entries should be previously unpublished. The entry must be postmarked not later than December 1st 2012. The winner will be announced towards the end of December, 2012. There is no entry fee for current members of The Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers. For everyone else membership in the ALSCW is required, which is $32 for students and $37 for all others — all members will receive the annual three issues of our literary journal/magazine Literary Imagination, and our newsletter, as well as being able to attend our conferences and local gatherings—see ALSCW website (alscw.org) for details about how to join the ALSCW.

• For the Meringoff Poetry award, each entry can be one poem, or a group of poems that add up to no more than 150 lines. The judge for the poetry is Greg Delanty.
• For the Meringoff Fiction award, each entry should be one story, or a chapter of a longer work of no more than 30 pages double spaced.
• For the Meringoff Nonfiction award, each entry should be one nonfiction piece, or a chapter of a longer work of no more than 30 pages double spaced.
• For the Meringoff Student Writing award, each entry should be one essay of no fewer than 7 and no more than 30 pages double spaced. The essays should be nominated by the teacher for whom it was written. The teacher, not the student, should be or become a member of the ALSCW.

All entries will be judged anonymously. With each entry please include one copy with your name, email address, postal address and phone number and another copy without your name and contact information.

All Submissions should be postmarked not later than December 1, 2012 
to:

Stephen J. Meringoff Literary Contests
Association of Literary Scholars and Writers
650 Beacon St. Suite 510
Boston MA 02215
United States

One Week Left for Entries Emerging Writer Scholarship to SFWC 2013

Emerging writers, struggling artists of narrative nonfiction, poetry, and fiction you have one week left to send in your entry for the registration scholarship to attend the 2013 San Francisco Writers Conference in February. The winner receives not only a fully paid registration to the conference, but also a standard book publishing package complements of BookBaby, and a one year Sunshine membership to the writer’s resource and community at San Francisco Writers University. If there are any runner ups, they also receive a one year membership at San Francisco Writers University. 

Guest Post at OutServe Magazine

Visit OutServe Magazine for my guest blog post regarding Chaplains in the Military as Force Multiplier or Force Distracter.

The Chaplain must be greater than his or her personal beliefs; for if not, all those that believe different are unable to trust the Chaplain, and their spiritual needs within the unit will go without an avenue for relief. A Chaplain who is unable to attend to the diverse and pluralistic nature of any given military unit is not a force multiplier, but a force distracter.

Vicki Hudson and Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour

Recently I spent an enjoyable time with Dr. Andy Jones speaking on writing, writing life and other interesting topics as a guest on his Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour. This intriguing hour each Wednesday at 5pm on KDVS 90.3 FM is “… a live weekly public affairs program that airs on KDVS 90.3 every Wednesday evening from 5-6 p.m. On the air since 2000, Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour features interviews with local and faraway poets, innovative thinkers in the worlds of technology and social media, and practitioners of many other forms of creativity, including theater  music, and writing across new media. Poets with new books, innovators with new projects, and representatives of local art enterprises are invited to contact Dr. Andy to schedule an appearance on Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour.”

Dr. Andy is a terrific poet and all around fun individual whom I met at the San Francisco Writers Conference a number of years ago. Each year at the conference he leads several poetry related workshops as well as is the MC for the public reading of writers and attendees of the conference on Saturday night accompanied by the cool cat drums of Brad Henderson, another insightful poet.

Listen to the interview on the KDVS web site. 

 

 

Literary Surfing

When sleepless, I refuse to toss aimlessly and instead get up until my eyes are grinding stones and I’m finally able to sleep. Surfing the web last night I visited Poet&Writers browsing through the Speakeasy forums. This is a gem of an online destination with scores of valuable information for any and especially the emerging writer. I was greeted when I arrived at the site with the surprise image of my own call for submissions and information about the scholarship I sponsor right there on the front page as new threads in the forum. This was cool and surprising and really just fun to see. Poet&Writers is a very useful site, one that I tend to forget is there given the great blocks of time between when I work on writing projects. Now that I’m likely retired from my other part time job (the Army) I am starting to adjust to having far more time available for writing. I was on the site to see what was out there in the call for submissions and discussions regarding various conferences and workshops and discovered a number of useful leads on where to send my work and where to go to work on my work. While I could have spent the time in Azeroth, perusing the Speakeasy threads was far more productive. If its been a while since you dropped in on Poets&Writers or like me forgotten its value, or never been there, there are quite a few gems to be found. They’ve also got a pretty good resource collection called the Tools for Writers with databases of publications, calls for submissions, agents, writing prompts, jobs and more. P&W began in 1970, and is far more than the print magazine that many are familiar with. Looking for a literary event near you, check the calender. By the way, did you know P&W has a grant program to help pay for literary events? There’s a lot of meat on the P&W bone. 

Call for Submissions

What is your story?

Seeking personal accounts of actions or experiences of serving LGBT military members, their families, and allies on 20 September 2011, date of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal and your experiences throughout the first year until the Anniversary date of 20 September 2012.

Did you take part in a celebration, make a point of coming out to those you work with, do a small yet significant or symbolic action (like try and update your DD 93 with a change from ‘friend’ to ‘spouse’) that marked the requirement from forced in the closest to finally able to be yourself and true about those who are your family? What is your story of how you experienced Repeal Day? What was the significance of the day for you and your family? How does the repeal affect you? In the months following September 20th, what was life like for you in the service? What was your experience in that first year? What are your thoughts, opinions, emotions, and observations for you and your family during this historic first year when LGBT service members were finally visible?  Are you an ally? What was your experience of your compatriots no longer having to hide? Were you a leader? How did this impact your unit or leader responsibilities?

All submissions considered for the anthology Repeal Day – September 20, 2011, When DADT Became History, edited by Victoria Hudson.

Submit your story as RTF or Word document to Victoria.A.Hudson@gmail.com. Please include your name, rank, service, phone number, email and snail mailing address.  Alternately, mail hard copy to MRD c/o Hudson, P.O. Box 387, Hayward, CA 94543. Deadline is October 1, 2013.

Victoria Hudson deployed for the First Gulf War, NATO IFOR Peace Enforcement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and service in Iraq. Additionally, she served in two domestic call-ups post 9/11. She has over 33 years of service. Currently, she awaits assignment after completing her third battalion command. She is a plaintiff in a service-member and veterans’ constitutional challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act denying military and veteran same sex couples the benefits of federal recognition and spousal benefits. 

Updated Prize Package for the Emerging Writer Scholarship to attend the SFWC in 2013!

This just in – BookBaby, has generously donated a Standard Ebook Publishing package, a $149 value (plus $19 annual fee after the first year) which will be awarded to the winner of the Scholarship in addition to the registration to attend the San Francisco Writers Conference. This is a fantastic new addition to the prize package. Thanks and appreciation to Brian Felsen, President of BookBaby for this contribution!

Submissions Open for 2013 SFWC Emerging Writer Scholarship

SFWC Scholarship 2013

The Victoria A. Hudson Scholarship will award a registration scholarship (value equal to full registration cost) to one emerging writer of any genre to attend the San Francisco Writers Conference, February, 2013. http://www.sfwriters.org/ Scholarship covers registration fee only, does not include transportation, lodging, food (except what is included with registration) or speed dating with agents. The winner and any runner ups will also receive a one year Sunshine membership to the San Francisco Writers University online community.http://www.sfwritersu.com/

Emerging writer is defined as: Does not have an agent or book contract, and writing is not your primary occupation/supporting you. You know if you are emerging. This is for the many still struggling and dreaming.

Submission period is 1 September – 1 December, 2012. 

Guidelines:

Send three pages representative of your writing, plus a short essay not to exceed 500 words on the topic “I write because…” No identifying information should be on the writing sample or the short essay. In a sealedenvelope place your cover letter with with your name, mailing address, email, and a short Bio. Write only the title of your work and the genre on the outside of the envelope. Work will not be returned. Writers may enter more than one genre but should send separate entries. Any identifying information outside of the sealed envelope will disqualify your entry. If you’d like confirmation of receipt, include a self addressed stamped post card.

Mail your entry to: SFWC Scholarships C/O Hudson, PO box 387, Hayward, CA 94543 postmarked NLT 1 December 2012.

Checklist:

[ ] Essay 500 words or less, not in envelope.

[ ] Writing sample with title, no more than 3 pages, not in envelope.

[ ] Cover letter with name, mailing address, email, and short bio INSIDE sealed envelope

[ ] Sealed envelope has genre and title of your work written on outside, nothing else.

[ ] No identifying information anywhere outside of the sealed envelope.

[ ] Optional self addressed, stamped postcard for receipt of entry.

Good luck!

A Call to Service; A Call to Action! California’s Women Veterans Conference 2012

I’m excited to have been invited to speak at this year’s California’s Women Veterans Conference October 4th in Sacramento. A Call To Service; A Call To Action is a Women’s Leadership Conference focusing on leadership and empowerment. CalVet Women Veterans are hosting this 5th annual conference at the Double Tree Hotel at 2001 Point West Way, Sacramento, CA 95815 on October 4, 2012.

This conference is an opportunity to reconnect with friends from the previous conferences and to meet the new women veterans in California. It is not only about networking and empowerment, it is also about the interaction and relationships developed to support each other with the struggles of transition after the military as well as the challenges we encounter every day in our lives.

What to expect at this year’s Cal Vet Women Veterans Conference

The committee and the CA Department of Veteran Affairs Deputy Secretary for Women Veterans Lindsey Sin have reached out to influential women and veterans in our community to empower all participants and garner support for the event.

The keynote speakers will include:

Zoe Dunning, candidate for the 2012 Democratic County Central Committee
Eve Purvis-Allen, Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women
Delphine Metcalf-Foster, member of the VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans
Seth Lynn, the executive director of Veterans Campaign that teaches veterans how to run for office.

In addition to a full day of empowerment and leadership there will be a women’s diversity panel, a screening of Rebecca Murga’s newest documentary, an art show, a networking scavenger hunt, and a photo slideshow at the dinner reception.

Find out more at Swords to Plowshares.

Conference Registration here.