2022 Campus Read Writing Contest now open, deadline March 11

In conjunction with our Campus Read author and text (Joy Harjo, An American Sunrise), we offer the 2022 Campus Read Writing Contest.

Joy Harjo is the incumbent Poet Laureate of the United States. A member of the Muscogee Nation, Harjo’s work often recalls the legacy of forced removal, and the “Trail of Tears” which saw her people driven from the Southeast U.S. to Oklahoma. In keeping with this topic, the theme of the Writing Contest is “displacement,” broadly understood. Works should engage with this theme in some way, whether on an individual or community level. Some ways you could consider this topic include questions like: Did you move as a child? Are you writing a story about a character who loses a home? Have you wondered what it would feel like to be without a place? Can someone who feels displaced feel at home again? How? What does it mean to be “in” or “from” a place, and is it the same thing as being “at home” or “connected” to a place?

This contest is open to poetry, essays, creative non-fiction and prose fiction, with a 1500 word limit.

Entries will be judged by celebrated author T. Marie Bertineau, whose most recent novel The Mason House was named a 2021 Michigan Notable Book by the Library of Michigan. Winners will be announced at a Campus Read open mic event at the end of the semester, where they will receive awards and also have an opportunity to present their work. Winners will also be published in the Carrot Ranch website.

All submissions should be in Word format and submitted via email to mark.lounibos@finlandia.edu by Friday, March 11, 2022.

Article provided by Campus Read at Finlandia University.

ABOUT CAMPUS READ AT FINLANDIA UNIVERSITY 

Campus Read is an annual event series at Finlandia University where the students, staff and faculty come together to explore literature around a theme, book or author. For more information on Campus Read,visit finlandia.edu/campusread.