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Darin Strauss' Half a Life,
a nakedly honest, ultimately hopeful
examination of guilt, responsibility, and
living with the past, has arrived. To mark
the occasion, get your copy today
at a reduced price.
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- - - - "No eldritch realm is more horrifying than the confines of an ordinary man's skull, more grisly than the occupants of his dinner plate, more occult than the cryptic chambers of his heart." —August Van Zorn, "Black Gloves" (1941) McSweeney's is pleased to announce that a prize of $3,000 will be awarded to the short story that most faithfully and disturbingly embodies the tradition of the weird short story as practiced by Edgar Allan Poe and his literary descendants, among them August Van Zorn. The winning story will also be included, along with the work of a number of distinguished writers, in the follow-up volume to McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, forthcoming this fall. Here are some guidelines: 1) The winning story will be no longer than 5,000 words. 2) The winning story will not be a parody or a pastiche but an original work of literary fiction, reflecting its author's own style, thematic concerns, and, likely enough, a profound personal strangeness that would be better kept hidden. 3) The judges are not really looking forward to reading elaborate, detailed descriptions of gore, effluvia, entrails, eyeballs on forks, torture, etc. Maybe a little is scarier than a lot. 4) The winning story will not have been published previously in any form or medium. In addition, its author will not previously have published a novel or a collection of stories. 5) Submissions must be postmarked no later than March 10—three weeks from today. 6) Submissions can be mailed to Van Zorn Prize, 826 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, or emailed to vanzornprize@mcsweeneys.net. For electronic submissions, please paste 300 words of the story into the text of the email, and attach the full story as a Word document. 7) The winner will be announced on May 1.
OTHER McSWEENEY'S FEATURES:
Still More Cases from the Files of Traig & McGrath, Shut-In Detectives By Jenny Traig and Peter McGrath Happiness is a Warm Gun By Adam Maxwell McSweeney's Brain Exploder By Carlton Doby A Second Excerpt from Lady Into Fox By David Garnett Save Me, Andrew Lloyd Webber! Part II By Tommy Thornhill |
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