Penn State York students Valerie Carrington, left, and Thomas Shaffer reviewed copy for the 2018 literary competition and the eighth edition of "Any Other Word." Yanelis Melendez, not pictured, also served as a student editor. The deadline for the 2019 competition is March 2.
YORK, Pa. — Writers of fiction, poetry and drama who are interested in having their work published or performed should plan to enter the Penn State York Literary Competition sponsored by the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center (The Pullo Center) and “Any Other Word,” the campus’ online literary magazine. The competition is open to Penn State York students. Submissions for the literary contest and magazine are being accepted through March 2. Winners will receive cash prizes and have their works published in the ninth edition of “Any Other Word.” Dramatic work also will be considered for performance on The Pullo Center stage.
Three prizes will be offered in each category: fiction, poetry and drama. First prize is $75, second is $50, and third place is $25. In the fiction category, a maximum of 20 pages will be accepted; in poetry, between one and five poems can be submitted; and in drama, a maximum of 20 pages will be accepted. Only top-quality works will be published, and some prizes may not be awarded.
In previous years, The Pullo Center, along with the theatre department, sponsored a play-writing contest. Last year it was decided to merge that contest with a new one, and offer the opportunity for work to be published as well as performed. Valerie Carrington, Yanelis Melendez, and Thomas Shaffer, who were all Penn State York students majoring in English, evaluated works for the 2018 competition, along with guidance from Noel Sloboda, associate professor of English and adviser to “Any Other Word,” and Stuart Stelly, associate teaching professor in English and adviser to the Penn Players, the student theatre group.
Selected works from the literary contest appeared in the eighth edition of “Any Other Word,” which is available online. The cover design features an acrylic painting by Isabella Ridolfi.
Submissions are now being accepted for the ninth edition of “Any Other Word,” and the literary competition. All submissions, along with any questions, should be addressed to Sloboda at [email protected].
“Any Other Word” is a creative outlet for members of the Penn State York community (students, staff and faculty) and was created to showcase literary talents and unite artistic minds. Work on the first issue began in the fall of 2006. Work published in “Any Other Word” is selected by a board of directors who read all entries submitted and make selections. All authors retain full copyrights on their works. The student adviser has the final say on what is published. The publication takes its name from the quote by William Shakespeare, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.”
