arts & Education
SLO NIGHTWRITERS
Sharpen Your Golden Quills BY JUDITH AMBER
A
fter a two-year absence, the Golden Quill Writing Contest, sponsored by SLO NightWriters, is back! Janice Konstantinidis, the group’s president, explained the purpose of the organization, “SLO NightWriters is the premier writing organization on the Central Coast.
31. Guidelines for the contest submission are on the organization’s website SLONightWriters.org.
“We are a group of over 130 writers, from beginner to well pubRecognizing the lished, in genres including fiction, poetry, memoir, screenwriting, and major impact COVID non-fiction. Our aim is to nurture, mentor and support all writers.” has had on our lives, the contest theme is The support and nurturance of member writers takes different forms. “Masks,” and writers are Members can participate in critique groups. There is a monthly general asked to interpret this meeting with a guest speaker. Topics have included: how to find an theme literally or figuagent; self-publishing; designing an eye-catching website; point-of- ratively. Writing should view and characterization, and advice about writing in a particular fall within the genres genre. And there is the writing contest. of short story, memoir and creative non-ficThirty-three years ago, SLO NightWriters decided to run an an- tion, and poetry. Judgnual literary contest. The first few contests were limited in scope. But es will be experienced over the years, the Golden Quill Writing Contest grew in number of writers in those genres. entries, and in recent years, it has been open to all writers in the USA There will be an award and even abroad. Then covid-19 hit, and that ended the in-person ceremony this summer monthly general meeting, although it has continued on Zoom. The at which the winning writing contest was put ‘on hold.’ writers will read their work. As the covid crisis subsided and the group planned to resume live meetings, the question as to whether the writing contest should be Asked about awards, the director hesitated, “We just can’t predict reinstated came up. Judith Amber, now serving as the contest director, the number of contest entries whose fees go to the prizes, but there told the Board of Directors, “Many things ground to a halt during will be monetary awards. However, prizes aren’t the main point of the covid years. But writing never stopped. I’ll bet our members used the contest. It’s to acknowledge the creative talent in our midst and the isolation time to do more of what they love — write! I expect we to let more people who are aspiring writers know about what our will have a good number of entries in 2022. I propose, however, that organization has to offer.” we should ‘think locally’ instead of globally and limit eligibility to writers who live in San Luis Obispo County and/or are members of So although masks are becoming less a part of our lives, the memory SLO NightWriters.” The board agreed. of being masked should still be vivid. Time to turn those memories into poems, short stories, and essays for the Golden Quill Writing The dates for submitting work to the contest are May 1 to May Contest. Writers, get out your golden quills!
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4/19/22 9:09 PM
