Howdy, Here's a Writin' Contest for Y'all

Do you write books set in the West and featuring women? Did you have one of these books published in 2004? Then, whether or not you're female, you are eligible for the WILLA Literary Award.

This just in from Gail Jenner from Women Writing the West:

"Feb. 1 is the deadline for entries into the Women Writing the West WILLA Literary Awards. Women Writing the West (WWW) honors books that are among the best of the literature published each year concerning women's stories set in the west during any time period (not just female authors, however!). A WILLA Award-winning book must be a work of sufficient quality to stand the test of time. The 2005 WILLA Awards honor books published initially during 2004; there are 7 categories: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir/Essay, Original Softcover, Children's/Young Adult, and Poetry.

"Check out guidelines and application, info, at: womenwritingthewest.org or contact me, Gail Jenner, gfiorini[at]sisqtel.net.

"In 1999, Women Writing the West (WWW) established the WILLA Literary Award Contest, designed to honor the best literature featuring stories of women stories set in the West. The annual contest, with a rolling application deadline of March 1, honors literature first published during the previous calendar year. The contest is open to, anyone female or male, member or nonmember of WWW.

"WWW enlists the assistance of highly qualified librarians and librarian/historians to judge the entries. These judges have no connection with the authors, the books or with the Women Writing the West organization.They are instructed to select a winner and as many as two finalists in each category, but each book must meet a standard of literary excellence. Thus, being a Winner or a Finalist in the contest is a true honor and a tribute to the quality of the writing. WWW presents the awards to winners and finalists at its annual conference in the fall of each year.

"Previous winners include a plethora of fine books and authors, including those both nationally known and regionally published. Among those honored in previous years are Isabel Allende, Annie Proulx, Cindy Bonner, Pam Munoz Ryan, Pam Houston, Kanthleen Jo Ryan, Louise Erdrich, Joan Lowry Nixon, Jo Ann Levy and Margaret Coel. "