The Franklin County Writers’ Guild is pleased to announce the judges for the seventh annual Carolina Award contest. The poetry judge will be Jaki Shelton Green, a North Carolina laureate poet. The prose will be judged by C. Hope Clark, author of more than a dozen novels. The cover art will be judged by contemporary artist Clina Polloni.
Each judge will read and evaluate the contest entries in their category, selecting the winner and any honorable mentions.
Donna Campbell Smith said: “I am thrilled with the wonderful selection of judges for this year’s contest. I think the Writers Guild of the Franklin County Arts Council has achieved great success! “
Carolina Award Judges
Judge of poetry: Jaki Shelton Green
Jaki Shelton Green, ninth Laureate Poet from North Carolina she is the first African American and the third woman to be named North Carolina’s Laureate Poet.
She is an Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 NC Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate nomination, 2003 winner of the North Carolina Award for Literature. Jaki Shelton Green teaches Documentary Poetry at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University and was named Resident Writer Frank B. Hanes of 2021 at UNC Chapel Hill.
His publications include: Dead on Arrival, Masks, Dead on Arrival and New Poems, Conjure Blues, singing a tree in dance, breath of music, Feeding the light, I want to undo you. In June 2020, she released her first LP, poetry album, The river speaks of thirst, produced by Soul City Sounds and Clearly Records. Jaki Shelton Green is the owner of SistaWRITE providing writing retreats for writers in Sedona, Arizona, Martha’s Vineyard, Ocracoke North Carolina, North Morocco and Tullamore Ireland.
Prose judge: C. Hope Clark
C. Hope Clark was born and raised in the south, from Mississippi to South Carolina, with a few stints in Alabama and Georgia. Hope holds a BA in Agriculture with honors from Clemson University and 25 years of experience in the United States Department of Agriculture to include awards for her management, all of which allow her to speak what Carolina Slade, the protagonist of most of her novels.
Her love of writing, however, elevated her career to the possibility of retiring young, and she left the USDA to write her stories as a freelance. His novels include Lowcountry bribe, Tidewater Murderand much more, in addition to the six-book Edisto Island mystery series. Hope and her husband live on the rural shores of Lake Murray, near Chapin, South Carolina, always telling stories on the back porch, with whiskey and coca in their hands.
It is published by Bell Bridge Books.
“Ç. Hope Clark’s newsletter has been extremely helpful to me as I look for contests to enter and editors who may be open to new authors, ”said Writers’ Guild member Jackie Dove-Miller
Cover art judge: Clina Polloni
Clina Polloni is a contemporary artist born in Chile. His passion is to express himself in colorful paintings, inspired by his love for people, animals and nature.
He likes impressionism as well as realism and knew how to develop his own unique style, equally at ease to portray people in their environment and activities, in a dialogue with the lights and colors of nature. Teaching is something that fascinates Clina, because she can transfer all this knowledge of art in her painting classes.
Clina lives in Franklinton, NC. This beautiful farm is where she has her art studio, displaying her paintings and teaching painting classes.
________
Carolina Award Details
The Franklin County Writers’ Guild will accept entries for the annual Carolina Award writing contest until March 15, 2021. Registration for the Carolina Award writing contest must be previously not published – is not printed or online.
Entries can be poetry, short stories, essays or creative non-fiction and cover art (paintings, drawings and photography).
This year, three $ 100 (US dollars) prizes will be awarded: one for prose, one for poetry and one for the cover photo. Winners will also receive publication in the 2022 County Lines: A Literary Journal, published in time for the holidays in late 2021; two more free copies of the newspaper. Up to five honorable mentions can also be nominated; they will receive publication in County Lines and a free copy.
The contest is open to everyone, not just those who live in North Carolina, and the Carolina Award is open to all ages. Participants are not required to be members of the Franklin County Arts Council Writers’ Guild, although they are invited to participate.
The contest entry fee for all categories is $ 10 per entry. Entries must be sent by email and payments must be stamped, until March 15, 2021. The proceeds from the contest are used to pay prizes and support the Writers’ Guild. Refunds are not available.
The guidelines for the Carolina Award writing contest are available on the Franklin County Arts Council website or by email at [email protected].
Writers’ Guild is part of the Franklin County Arts Council, based in Louisburg, North Carolina. Visit www.fcacarts.org or follow the arts council on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.