Choosing America Project Seeking Authentic Stories

Choosing America Project: Tell Your Special Story

We are looking for authentic anecdotes (1500-4000 words) from your own experience as an immigrant who chose to live in America. We are looking for short stories that can illuminate the big picture; dramatic accounts that transform the word 'immigrant' to something moving and personal; tales that express the very essence of being an immigrant in America.

We DO NOT want life stories or chronicles of the process of immigration.
What we want are stories that capture that decisive moment that determined the course of your life in America.

Maybe it was an encounter with a special person, a coincidence, an unexpected opportunity, a rebuff, a misunderstanding, or maybe something else.

Maybe you have a special story about the moment you felt you became an American -or realized you never would be.

It can be a depiction of the incident that led you to understand America, stories about friendships, language difficulties and misunderstandings or any other good story you might have.

Whether happy or sad, good or bad, hopeful or despairing, we want true stories that can touch, inspire and strike a responsive chord in the hearts of the American people, native-born and immigrants.

The goal of our project is to turn some of these stories into short films for public screening.

So if you think you have a special story to tell (remember, in 1500 to 4000 words!), share it with us now.

Find our more on the Choosing America site.

The Search for God in Science: Spirituality and Science Meet in New Book

Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality

I was a child the first time I saw someone "speaking in tongues" during a Pentecostal worship service. The murmuring woman approached our pastor, who raised his hands over her head and, after a few minutes of impassioned prayer, placed the heel of one hand on her forehead and shouted, "Hallelujah!" The woman collapsed on the floor and lay prone for several minutes. Later, she claimed to have experienced a dramatic easing of her arthritis.

This faith healing (and the many others I later witnessed) always left me wondering two things: Did it really work, and what was the experience like, physically, for the person who received it? In Fingerprints of God,National Public Radio religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty attempts to answer these and other vexing questions about the science of spiritual experience. Along the way she tells the story of her own intriguing spiritual evolution.

Fingerprints are a good metaphor for Hagerty's project. Like fingerprints, Hagerty argues, spiritual experiences leave physical marks, particularly on the brain. She spends much of the book exploring this phenomenon and the emerging field of "neurotheology -- the study of the brain as it relates to spiritual experience." Using tools such as fMRI, neurotheologists try to explain everything from gut feelings and premonitions to near-death experiences. Is it possible, neurotheologists ask, to connect to a spiritual realm beyond the material world? Can consciousness exist apart from our physical bodies?

Hagerty's own spirituality adds depth to her journalistic investigation. Hagerty was raised a Christian Scientist, a faith that places great emphasis on mind-body connections and forswears much modern medicine. "Christian Science holds as a central premise that healing is a function of spiritual understanding," Hagerty explains, "that matter and its conditions, including sin and disease, are 'false beliefs;' and that prayer changes a person's thought, which results in healing." As an adult, Hagerty grew distant from the religion, although without the bitter recriminations common among those who leave their faith. (She recalls with humor the moment when, severely ill with the flu, she allowed skepticism and an overwhelming desire for Tylenol to trump her childhood beliefs.)

Read the rest of the review here, or get a copy of Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality now!

Writers Wanted for Terrorism, War on Terror, and Military History

Diversion Press seeks course supplements and monograph proposals: Terrorism, War on Terror, and 20th century military history.

Diversion Press is a new, small press seeking to publish a broad range of academic works. We are currently accepting proposals for academic monographs, course supplements, readers (essay selections to accompany class text), encyclopedias and other reference books.

We hope to receive books in many areas, but academic works on the Civil War, the World Wars, the War on Terrorism, or Terrorism in general would complement some of current publishing goals.

Please see our web page at www.diversionpress.com for more details on the types of works that we accept and how to submit to us. All academic works will go through an in-house editorial review and also a peer review.

You may request a PDF of our catalog, delivered free of charge to your Email address, by simply sending an Email to us with “Catalog Request” in the subject line.


Questions can be sent to diversionpress@yahoo.com

Diversion Press
P.O. Box 30277
Clarksville, TN 37040
diversionpress@yahoo.com
www.diversionpress.com

Dogs And The Women Who Love Them True Story Writing Contest

Dogs and the Women Who Love Them 2009 True Story Contest

Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest Rules:

The Angel Animals Network (AAN) is accepting story submissions about dogs and the women who love them. The stories should demonstrate the benefits for a woman who fulfills a life purpose by partnering with a dog to perform extraordinary physical, emotional, or spiritual service.

Stories must be original, based on real dogs, people, and events. Preference will be given to emotionally evocative and well-written creative nonfiction stories. Please do not submit journalistic articles, profiles, testimonials, essays, or fiction for this contest.

Story submissions must be no more than 2,000 words in English. They should be typed or legibly handwritten. Each story submission must be accompanied with an Angel Animals Network official entry form (below), completed by the contestant submitting the story.

Contest story submissions will not be returned. Please do not include photographs. You may view the list of 1st place and 2nd place winners on the Angel Animals Network Website after winners are announced. You can also subscribe to the free weekly, online Angel Animals Story of the Week Newsletter and look for winners to be announced there.

To be eligible, contest entries must be postmarked no later than September 30, 2009.

If stories are selected as winners of the Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest and later found to contain distortions or falsehoods, the AAN is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate entry or story information.

Any contest entries, but especially those of the winners, will be considered for possible publication in the new book Dogs and the Women Who Love Them by Allen and Linda Anderson to be published by New World Library in Fall 2010. However, the contest and the new book are separate projects. Entering or winning the contest doesn’t mean the story will be published in the book. Allen and Linda Anderson will contact entrants if they are considering a contest story for possible publication in the book. Previous books in the Angel Animals series have included many stories that were contest entries.

Entry Fee:

There is no entry fee to submit a story for the contest.

Number of Entries:

Each individual is limited to submit three separate entries.

Eligibility:

Employees/volunteers and the immediate family (spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, daughter or son, regardless of where they live) or members of the same households (whether related or not) of such employees/volunteers are not eligible. There are no citizen status or resident country restrictions for contestants.

Judging:

Judging the stories for this contest will be based on the exceptional nature of the dog(s) who demonstrates partnering with a woman to fulfill a life’s purpose including a dog who performs some type of extraordinary physical, emotional, or spiritual service. Other categories on which stories will be judged are: readability, spiritual connection between human and animal, dramatic/emotional appeal, inspirational, and represents good practices for animal health and welfare. A panel of judges, who are known for their service to animals, will select the finalists.

All Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest decisions are final.

Prizes:

Grand Prize

One grand prize of $250 will be awarded to the first-place winning contestant.

2nd Place Prize

A second place prize of $25.00 will be awarded to 5 contestants.

Honorable Mentions

There will be 5 entries chosen as Honorable Mentions.

Click Entry Form PRINT VERSION to go directly to the Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest Official Entry Form.

Dynamic Dialogue Writing Contest: Stories Consisting of Pure Dialogue Sought

The words that flow from real people are not the same as those that flow from fictitious ones. We may engage in idle chit-chat from sunrise to sunset, with no goal in sight, but they who emerge from the imagination may not enjoy such leisure. From the moment they open their mouths, they have a job to do: reveal character, advance the story.

And there is nothing more dynamic than a well-crafted conversation.

Share your characters' gift of gab. Write a complete story—not a scene—that consists of pure dialogue. No narrative whatsoever, not even a he said or she replied. If it isn't spoken, and within quotation marks, it can't be on the page.

Grand Prize: $100

Story published in The VERB

Story Opinion, also published in The VERB
($29 value)

Entry Fee: None

Length may be up to 1,000 words. But not a word more. (Your contact information and your title are not included in the word count.)

Entries must be original and unpublished. Send only your best. Once submissions arrive, no revisions will be accepted.

Open to writers worldwide. (Payment to winners outside the USA are made via PayPal only.)

Unlimited. You may submit multiple stories.

The judge for this contest is Elizabeth Guy. Read her bio on the Readers page.

Winner will be notified via email August 3, 2009. The winning story will be published in the August ´09 issue of The VERB.

Only the winning entry receives a free Opinion. Read previous Opinions here.

After the results have been announced, the remaining entrants will have the opportunity to receive a Contest Opinion at half price ($14).

As always, complete contest results will be announced at the Contest Café.

NEW! Read about the judging process and our new method of posting contest results!


ALL contest entries must be submitted electronically. You may paste your text within the body of an email or send it as an attachment in a PDF or a Microsoft Word.doc. We do not accept any other formats.

AT the top of your submission, please provide:
~ your name
~ your mailing address
~ your email address
~ genre
~ word count

CAPITALIZE title. All submissions must have a title.

FONT should be black 12-pt. Arial, Courier or Times Roman, double-spaced.

SEPARATE scenes with a few centered pound signs: ######.

CONFIRM we've received your entire submission by including the words: The End.

SUBJECT: Dynamic Dialogue Contest

YOU are now ready to submit your work.
(If clicking this link doesn't automatically open your email, send your work to
contest--at--readingwriters.com AFTER you've replaced the --at-- with the @ sign.)

WE confirm receipt of every contest entry. If you haven't received a confirmation within 24 hours, we haven't received your entry. Please re-send.

WE don't, however, acknowledge spam-blocking filters that require us to fill out a form to join an approved list. If you use such an address for this contest, you won't receive emails from us.

Kiwi Publishing Seeking Inspirational Short Stories

Kiwi Publishing is looking for true, inspirational stories; 1200 words or less, that will make readers laugh, cry, or sigh. Stories should be positive, universal, and non-controversial. The "point" or "message" should be evident without preaching. No essays, commentaries, tributes, philosophical or biographical pieces will be accepted.

Each story must contain the following elements:

1. Be Real - non fiction

2. Capture the essence of a thin thread event

3. Evoke an emotion from the reader

You may submit more than one story for any of our upcoming titles. Please select stories from your own experiences, or from a someone in your life.

Should your story be selected and be included in one of the Thin Thread book series, a permission fee of $100 will be paid to you. The submission deadline is Sunday, June 28, 2009.

To submit your story simply follow this link to the submission page.

Please be aware that if your story is selected for publication, you will be required to sign a Submission Release Form

Please review the terms of the submission form before you submit your story. If unable to email, please send a hard copy (and on disk if possible) to:

Thin Threads c/o of Kiwi Publishing P.O. Box 3852 Woodbridge, CT 06525.

Further information is available at FAQ

Sample stories are available here.

Due to the volume of stories we receive, we are unable to respond to each contribution. Finalists, only, will be notified prior to publication.

Authors Wanted for Encyclopedia of Globa Terrorism and the War on Terror

Diversion Press invites submissions for inclusion in our upcoming Encyclopedia of Global Terrorism and the War on Terror.

We seek contributions from academics from all backgrounds for this interdisciplinary work. Authors are invited to submit up to 3 entries. Each entry should be between 500 and 1000 words. Certain entries will run from 1000 to 3000 words. Once entries are assigned to authors, they should be submitted to us in 6 weeks. For an updated word list, please e-mail terrorismencyclopedia@diversionpress.com with "word list" in the subject line. The anticipated publication date is Fall 2009.

Please pass this information along to any colleagues or graduate students who may be interested.

Additionally, Diversion Press is seeking authors for other works.

You may visit the website at www.diversionpress.com for further information and guidelines.

You may request a PDF of our catalog, delivered free of charge to your Email address, by simply sending an Email to us with “Catalog Request” in the subject line.

Diversion Press
diversionpress@yahoo.com
http://www.diversionpress.com
Email: diversionpress@yahoo.com
Visit the website at http://www.diversionpress.com

Walrus Magazine Announces Writing Contest: Science Fiction, Romance, Western, Ghost/Gothic

To celebrate The Walrus’s annual summer reading issue—featuring thrilling science fiction, adventure, romance & mystery stories from an all-star line-up including Lee Henderson, Rivka Galchen, Stephen Marche & 2008 Giller Prize winner Joseph Boyden—we are pleased to announce The Walrus Guilty Pleasures Writing Contest!

To enter, write the first paragraph of a novel in one of the following genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Western, Ghost Story/Gothic.

Your challenge? To make that paragraph the most gripping, titilating, and action-packed read of the summer! Send your submissions to guiltypleasures@walrusmagazine.com by July 31, and you could win a prize package from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts or a Walrus prize pacakage, and have you work published at walrusmagazine.com!

Horror and Gothic Stories Wanted For Short-Story Anthology

Diversion Press seeks horror stories for a fiction short-story anthology

We are interested in traditional horror, Gothic horror, the supernatural, and hauntings. Hack and slash, gore, or other Hollywood modes that rely more on the "picture" and less on the plot will not be included.

Page length: Between 20-40 pages, but we would consider longer or slightly shorter pieces. More guidelines for the anthologies and submissions can be found on our website www.diversionpress.com

Diversion Press is a new, small press seeking to publish a broad range of academic works. We are currently accepting proposals for academic monographs, course supplements, readers (essay selections to accompany class text), encyclopedias and other reference books, and individual poems and short stories for our Anthology Series.

Please see our web page at www.diversionpress.com for more details on the types of works that we accept and how to submit to us.

You may request a PDF of our catalog, delivered free of charge to your Email address, by simply sending an Email to us with “Catalog Request” in the subject line.


Questions can be sent to diversionpress@yahoo.com

Diversion Press
P.O. Box 30277
Clarksville, TN 37040
diversionpress@yahoo.com
www.diversionpress.com

Authors Wanted for Anthology on Ghosts and Haunted Places

Contributors needed for non-fiction work on ghosts and haunted places

Diversion Press seeks authors for our non-fiction short-story anthology. We are currently gathering stories for this non-fiction anthology.

Ghost Stories will collect the best short stories and tales of the supernatural that are reputed to be true. This includes personal encounters with ghosts, historical or local haunted places, as well as mysterious places, or ghost hunting activities.

Page length: Between 12-40 pages, but we would consider longer or slightly shorter pieces. More guidelines for the anthologies and submissions can be found on our website www.diversionpress.com

Stories must be stories owned or experienced by the author sending the submission and must not have been published elsewhere. We hope that our anthology can be enjoyed by a diverse audience and we will not accept or consider any stories of an adult nature, gratuitously explicit, or anything that intentionally puts children in a bad light.

Please see our website for more details on submitting stories, www.diversionpress.com and contact us with any questions at diversionpress@yahoo.com.

Diversion Press is a new, small press seeking to publish a broad range of academic works. We are currently accepting proposals for academic monographs, course supplements, readers (essay selections to accompany class text), encyclopedias and other reference books, and individual poems and short stories for our Anthology Series.

You may request a PDF of our catalog, delivered free of charge to your Email address, by simply sending an Email to us with “Catalog Request” in the subject line.


Diversion Press
P.O. Box 30277
Clarksville, TN 37040
diversionpress@yahoo.com
www.diversionpress.com

The History of The Food You Eat: How Fresh Is It New Book Asks

Fresh: A Perishable History

The 14th-century poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" has a lavish description of a Christmas feast in King Arthur's court. The anonymous poet goes into raptures about the splendor and variety of the food, but mentions only one specific item: "Plenty of fresh meat" - so much meat that it was hard to find space on the table. Clearly, it was the highlight of the feast.

Indeed, for many centuries after the poem was written, Christmas was the only season when meat was plentiful. Farmers slaughtered many animals in late fall because they could not easily feed them through the winter. During the rest of the year, meat would have been salted or smoked, or entirely unavailable - certainly to poorer people - so fresh meat was greeted rapturously.

Seven centuries later the adjective "fresh" still signals good things about food. What menu doesn't note that its breakfast includes fresh juice and farm-fresh eggs; its salad is composed of fresh greens; its fish is fresh from the ocean?

At Thanksgiving, supermarkets warn us that fresh turkeys are better than frozen (and pricier). We're told children need fresh milk and that eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables is the way to health and slimness.

The assumption is that we know what fresh means. However, as Susanne Freidberg points out in the introduction to her book Fresh: A Perishable Historythe Food and Drug Administration discovered it could not easily define it. Some of the problems it encountered when trying to regulate its application to food is that pasteurized milk is considered fresh because we expect milk to be pasteurized (and it is difficult to buy raw milk), but pasteurized juice is not considered fresh. Waxed or irradiated fruit is still considered fresh, even though waxing and irradiation extend its life span by months. Weeks-old food can be called fresh if it has been constantly refrigerated. Even canned crabmeat can legally be called fresh because many people have no access to fresh crabmeat.

Read the rest of the review here, or get a copy Fresh: A Perishable History now!