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Release Date: 
Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Barrett Creative Writing Contest submissions due March 3

An illustration of a fist holding a pencil in the air.
The namesake of Frances G. Barrett, the HFC English Department's first department chairperson, the Frances G. Barrett Creative Writing Contest and the Larry Colter Poetry Prize offers $700 in prizes. This contest is open to all students who are currently enrolled at HFC. Turn in your writing submissions by March 3.

Attention all HFC students: Get your creative juices flowing! Submissions for HFC’s annual Frances G. Barrett Creative Writing Contest and the Larry Colter Poetry Prize are due by Friday, March 3.

This contest is open to works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama, and is open to all students currently enrolled at HFC. A total of $700 will be divided among the Top 5 winners.

“Each year is a surprise. Creative writers are very creative, so it's hard to anticipate what we will see each year, but we are always happily surprised with what our students come up with. I couldn't do what they do,” said HFC English instructor Dr. John Rietz.

This contest is held annually at the College to honor the memory of the English Department's first department chairperson, Frances G. Barrett.

Guidelines

Submissions should be sent to michave@hfcc.edu as an electronic attachment, preferably a Microsoft Word attachment. We also strongly recommend that students use their HFC Hawkmail email address to ensure that we receive their submission(s). You may submit 1-4 pieces of writing, which may vary in genre.

All attached submissions should be accompanied by a cover letter within the email containing the following information:

  • Name
  • HFC Student ID
  • Title(s) of the work(s) submitted
  • Your major and the number of years you have been attending HFC
  • Contact information (include email address, phone number, and current home address)
  • A brief paragraph of biographical information: Tell us about yourself. For example, tell us about your hobbies, where you work, your family, your past publications, etc. Also, include several sentences about what inspired your piece of writing.
  • Please include the Release Form for Artwork and Creative Writing.

Submissions

Fiction, non-fiction, and drama submissions should be relatively free of any grammatical errors. Ideally, the submissions should not exceed more than five (5) pages in length. Longer submissions may be considered, but they will be published only if they are exceptional (Excerpts from novels or novellas are welcome).

  • Submissions must be double-spaced and typed.
  • The page numbers should be clearly marked.
  • Identifying information (your name, email address, etc.) should NOT be included on any submissions.

Poetry submissions should be relatively free of any grammatical errors. The highest-placing poetry manuscript in the Barrett Contest will also be awarded the Colter Poetry Prize.

  • Poems should be single-spaced and typed.
  • The title should be clearly marked for each poem.
  • Identifying information (name, email address, etc.) should NOT be included on any submissions.

Notification

Winners will be notified by Friday, April 7. They will be honored on Thursday, April 20, from 12:40 to 2:00 p.m. in Room K-14, located in the basement of the Reuther Liberal Arts Building (Bldg. K).

“In 2022, we held our awards ceremony in person for the first time since the pandemic, and we're looking forward to doing so again this year,” said Rietz.

For questions or more information, contact michave@hfcc.edu.