Monday, February 25, 2019

Authors in Canada, UK, and Australia: ENTER



Why not use the cold winter days (or the hot ones in Australia) 

to prepare for any of the many writing competitions? 





CBC Creative Nonfiction Competition
is open to all Canadian residents. The competition is for original, unpublished work of creative nonfiction between 1200 and 1800 words & carries a grand prize of CA$6.000
Entries close 28 February
https://cbcliteraryprizes.submittable.com/submit/129834/2019-cbc-nonfiction-prize

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Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships 
$38,000 a year. 5-7 fellowships available each year for poets, fiction writers, and a playwright. Madison, WI,
Deadline March 1
https://creativewriting.wisc.edu/fellowships.html

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James Jones First Novel Fellowship
A prize of ***US$10,000*** is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel
Entry Fee $33  Deadline March 1
https://wilkes.edu/academics/graduate-programs/masters-programs/creative-writing-ma-mfa/james-jones-fellowship-contest.aspx

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Craft Short Fiction Prize
Open for stories up to 5,000 words. The writers of the top three stories will receive: $2,000 award for first prize.
$20 Entry Fee
Opens March and closes April 30, 2019.
https://www.craftliterary.com/short-fiction-prize/

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Luck of the Irish: The IFM Bursaries & Writers Residency
In addition to the cost of air flights and accommodation, the Bursary entails an honorarium of €1,300.
The Ireland Funds Monaco Residential Bursaries have been established to enable literary and academic writers born or living in Ireland to pursue a current project during a one-month residency at The Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco.
Deadline March 30, 2019
https://irelandfunds.org/chapters/worldwide/monaco/bursaries/

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Ljubljana City of Literature
A writer in the Park International Residency Program
Offers two one-month residencies for writers at the newly restored Swisshouse Creative Centre. Applicants must have published at least one book.
Deadline March 30, 2019
https://www.facebook.com/events/1239114336253768/

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Alpine Fellowship

Open to all nationalities, the winner receives £10,000 cash prize and is presented with the award by the poet John Burnside. £3,000 go to the second place, £2,000 to the third place. Maximum of 2,500 words per entry.
Awarded for the best piece of writing on the topic of ‘Identity’. NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline March 30, 2019.
https://alpinefellowship.submittable.com/submit/133506/af-2019-writing-prize

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Friday, February 8, 2019

Black Travelers and US Racism





Last year I found an image of a book cover from the New York Public Library. The title was partially covered by a sticker, and I wondered what the full title had been. Now I found out the history of this book - or travel book series, in fact.

African Americans were involuntary road trip pioneers who wanted to travel in their own country in the middle of the 20th century. They had to reckon with hostility and rejection in so many places that traveling was a risk. Victor Hugo Green, a Harlem postal employee,  found that staying at home was no solution.

From 1936 he published an annual guide entitled "The Negro Motorist Green Book". Because, as the introduction to the last issue in the early 1960s should say: "Most people who go on holiday (...) are looking for a place to relax, unwind and take refuge from the worries of everyday life. Black travelers (...) are no exception."

Green was mainly aimed at those who wanted to go on road trips. The own car offered the chance to escape the segregated buses and trains. But dangers at stops remained on the way. In the worst case, there was the threat of open violence in so-called "sundown towns", places where black people should not appear on the streets after sunset. That white local and hotel owners rejected non-white guests was the order of the day anyway.

Green gave tips on where everyone was welcome, and according to the Washington Post his travel guides became the "Bible of black travel" in times of racism. Or as the Australian Smith Journal puts it: "For almost 30 years, the handy guide helped African Americans find safe places to eat, sleep, dance, have a haircut or manicure, refuel the car, have a suit made, or buy a pair of shoes."

Long before the great civil rights movement came into being, Green decided to get involved - motivated by the hope that things could get better.

The postman initially obtained his information pragmatically from colleagues. With their help and local knowledge, ever more extensive mailing lists were created. Interested business people, regardless of skin color, should also report themselves in order to be named in the next issue or to place advertisements. Green asked his readers to mention on the spot that they had reached the address via the tip. At the best times, the "Green Books" reached around 100 pages and a circulation of 15,000 copies - and one can assume that these went through many hands.

 "Carry your Green Book with you-you may need it".

Green always tried to avoid a feeling of fear, the editions were full of cheerful illustrations and emphasized the positive. Black travelers should also, as the optimistic Green put it in one of his guides, see themselves as "ambassadors of goodwill for our race to those who may not know us. "The day will soon come when this guide no longer has to be published," he wrote in 1949.

Green could not experience the legal breakthrough in equal rights in the USA through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, the theme of his books made it to Hollywood: It became the Oskar “Film of the Year”.
The movie “Green Book”, a ‘60s-era Deep South road-trip story won not only the Oskar but also the coveted People’s Choice Award - among other prizes. 

A Peter Farrelly movie about a black pianist (Mahershala Ali) and his white driver (Viggo Mortensen) in the Jim Crow South pleased also crowds at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall.



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Monday, February 4, 2019

111 Tips to Create Impressive Videos


Great reviews for:


Grady Harp  HALL OF FAME  TOP 100 REVIEWER:

"Author Doris-Maria Heilmann has extensive experience as a magazine and book publisher. She has become a much sought after teacher and lecturer in all aspects of publishing and marketing and hence this excellent survey of the creation and use of videos.
The areas covered in this accessible, easy to follow guide include video trends, video composition, checklists for video shoots, production tutorials, all about editing, SEO (Search Engine Organization) and keyword planning, business and marketing videos, creating professional learning videos, video launch, uploading – and making more money, how to market your video, video equipment, video creation software, production costs, free and royalty free music, and free and royalty free images. And with each of these categories, the author provides excellent Tips to enhance learning and absorption of the offered information – a total of 111 very valuable and wise tips!
Definitely a reference book for learning all about the use of creating videos – whether for personal use, educational use, or for enhancing marketing for businesses."
Grady Harp March 2019


About the Book:
Dreaming of becoming a YouTube star? Looking for new and creative ways to drive traffic to your business and your social media accounts? Then this is the book for you!
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Your audience needs to be intrigued, inspired and informed by an outstanding viewing experience.  Walt Disney once said: "I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained."

Find more than 111 tips on how to create professional videos that enchant your viewers, and how and where to market them for maximum success.

Rather than focusing too much on equipment, the focus of this book is on the art of creating videos that viewers want to watch over and over.

No matter if you produce leisurely or educational videos, marketing or business communication videos, or movie and book trailers: you will not only find hundreds of free music and image links but also lots of valuable ideas and suggestions how to create your next video like a pro.


111 Tips to Create Impressive Videos: 
How to Plan, Create, Upload and Market Videos 

Print Book Edition ISBN: 978-1-988664-24-8
Electronic Book Edition ISBN: 978-1-988664-23-1

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More Books by Doris-Maria Heilmann:

111 Tips To Make Money With Writing
The Art of Making a Living Full-time Writing
An Essential Guide for More Income as Freelancer 

111 Tips on How to Market Your Book for Free:
Detailed Plans and Smart Strategies for Your Book’s Success  

111 Tips to Get Free Book Reviews:
Best Strategies for Getting Lots of Great Reviews  
plus 1,200+ reviewer contact links  


111 Tips to Create Your Book Trailer
How to Create, Where to Upload and How to Market Your Videos  

Book Marketing on a Shoestring:
How Authors Can Promote their Books Without Spending a Lot of Money  
https://books2read.com/u/mZ5gdp

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