Register for 7th Annual QC Iron Pen Contest by February 14

The 7^th Annual QC Iron Pen 24-Hour Writing Contest will be February 14-15.

Register by 5 p.m. February 14 to enter.

 

Entrants will receive a prompt by email and will have 24 hours to write a fiction, non-fiction or poetry piece. Entries will be judged by genre. Winners will receive medals and will have the opportunity to read their winning piece at an awards ceremony on Saturday, February 22 at 2 pm at MWC. Click here for details. 

Applications accepted for the 2012 Great River Writers' Retreat Contest through June 12

Benet House Retreat Center, Rock Island, IL

“The week I spent at the Great River Writers’ Retreat was amazing. I got more accomplished during the retreat than I’d dared to hope, completely revising one manuscript and drafting several poems to include in a new one. Whether I was walking the paths of the 90 acres of land behind the monastery, reading in the library overlooking the lake, or writing at my desk in my room, my solitude and work were encouraged and protected. The nuns were kind and hospitable, and I felt very welcome. I am so grateful to the Midwest Writing Center for the gift of this time to reflect and write." 

2010 Retreat Winner, Ann Hudson

The winning Iowa or Illinois writers will receive six nights' accommodation at the Benet House Retreat Center in Rock Island, Illinois, a travel stipend, and an invitation to read to the Quad Cities area literary community. The public reading of their original work will take place on September 7, 2012 at the Midwest Writing Center at 7 p.m. as part of the East-West Riverfest celebration. See the application details for submission requirements.  Past winners include Jennifer Perrine, Emma Rainey, Ann Hudson, Paul Brooke, and others.