Lake, creative non-fiction contest

Lake: A Journal of Arts and Environment
Dept. of Creative Studies, UBC Okanagan
3333 University Way,
Kelowna BC, V1V 1V7, Canada

Lake publishes essays, creative writing and visual arts related to the environment. The word “environment” is used broadly to emphasize natural and biological environments but also our geographical, social, economic, urban and cultural environments as they relate to the natural world. “Arts” includes literature, film, photography, painting, sculpture, performance, and new media. Our focus is on the art that is concerned about the natural world, although we are deeply interested in ecological issues and will from time to time feature ecological investigations that are of literary quality.

We publish work that has not been published before in North America by authors and artists who are from Canada or abroad. The journal is committed to high production values, with quality reproductions of artwork, a contemporary design, and an editorial vision that is in search of exceptional art and thought. The journal is published twice a year. We also publish reviews and poetry on our webpage.

Creative Non-Fiction Contest

one of my roots is the moon
another is a taste of cold weather
“Migrations” by Joanne Arnott

Lake invites submissions of creative non-fiction on the topic of “Migrations.”
Creative non-fiction forms include personal essay, lyric essay, narrative essay, and memoir.
Prize: $250 and publication in Issue #4 of LAKE: A Journal of Arts and Environment
Deadline: January 1, 2010
Length: 2500 words maximum
Entry Fee: $20, includes a one year subscription to LAKE starting with issue #4

General submission guidelines – Non-Fiction:

Lake invites writers to submit brief query letters outlining journalistic pieces, accessible academic articles, interviews, reviews and creative non-fiction. We are looking for narratives, interviews, personal essays, meditations, memoirs, reviews or critical essays of relevant books/ film/ exhibitions/ performances or cultural phenomena, and investigative essays, ranging anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 words. We see interviews as collaborative texts and request that a photograph accompany the interview. We also are looking for writers to review books.

In your query letter, convey clearly how your piece fits the “arts and environment” mandate of Lake and give us a sense of your approach, why the author and/ or subject is suited to our journal. Please include a CV and sample of your writing.

Submission guidelines – Fiction and poetry:

Lake publishes poetry and fiction that is concerned with the human relationship to nature. Unsolicited poetry submissions should consist of five to ten poems, in any style. We also publish long poems, linked poems and sequences. Fiction may range in length from 1200 to 8000 words. Please submit only one story at a time. (In the case of “flash fiction” or postcard stories, it is acceptable to submit up to six very short pieces.)

Submissions by mail only.  For full submission guidelines, including environmentally conscious formatting instructions, see here.

Note: For information about all the annual writing contests in Canada, order The Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar. Details here.
For information about Brian Henry's writing workshops and creative writing courses, see here.