Don your creative writing caps

“Revolution” is the theme of this year’s Kootenay Literary Competition.

“Revolution” is the theme of this year’s Kootenay Literary Competition (KLC), the annual writing content open to all adult writers in the entire Kootenay region. The theme can be explored in three categories for adults — fiction, non-fiction and poetry — and writers can submit in more than one category with separate entry forms and fees for each one.

For the Kootenay Youth Creative Writing Competition that occurs simultaneously, younger writers in Grades 7, 8 and 9 are asked to work with the following prompts: “riddle”, “domino” and any form of the verb “skulk.” Meanwhile, students in Grades 10, 11 and 12 must use the phrase “there was only one thing to do” somewhere in their work.

The deadline for all submissions is 5 p.m. on November 10, 2012 and full information, rules, category descriptions, details, entry and payment can be found at www.kootenaylitcomp.com.

This year the competitions promise to be more exciting than ever with lower entry fees, writing workshops, a draw prize for emerging writers and — for all winners — publication in the KLS anthology.

Even more noteworthy is the fact that Canada’s Poet Laureate, Fred Wah, will be judging the adult poetry category and the 2012 One Book, One Kootenay winner, author Rita Moir, is returning to judge the adult creative non-fiction category.

As an added bonus, all youth winners will be eligible to attend a weekend youth creative writing workshop  in the spring of 2013; this prize includes meals and two nights accommodation for the winners accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at the Hume Hotel in Nelson.

Winners in each of the categories will be announced at the KLC Awards Ceremony and Celebration on January 18, 2013.

To stay connected with the event, writers can sign up for the KLC email newsletter or follow Kootenay Literary Competition on Facebook and Twitter @Kootenaylitcomp.