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Dave Eggers' The Wild Things is available for preorder, in regular hardcover and
limited-edition fur-covered.

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WE'RE HAVING A CONTEST, WITH PRIZES. - - - - Several weeks ago we ran a piece by Dan Wiencek called "Thirteen Writing Prompts." As the title suggests, the piece is a list of 13 different writing prompts, such as this one: 5. A wasp called the tarantula hawk reproduces by paralyzing tarantulas and laying its eggs into their bodies. When the larvae hatch, they devour the still living spider from the inside out. Isn't that fucked up? Write a short story about how fucked up that is. Soon, people were submitting stories they had written using the prompts as jumping-off points. We had no place to publish these stories at the time, but now we do, because we're having a contest. Here are the contest instructions: Write a story using one of the 13 writing prompts found in "Thirteen Writing Prompts." Make sure the story is 1,000 words or less. Send the entire story, pasted into the body of an e-mail, to 13prompts@mcsweeneys.net. Send us your story by 5 p.m., Wednesday, June 21, 2006. Mr. Dan Wiencek, author of the writing prompts, has graciously agreed to judge the contest. Here are the prizes: Grand Prize: A subscription to the McSweeney's Book Release Club, which will provide the winner with the next 10 books released by McSweeney's Books (including titles from Stephen Dixon, David Byrne, and Evany Thomas), and publication on McSweeney's Internet Tendency. First Runner-up: Any three current titles from McSweeney's Books and publication on McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Second Runner-up: Any two current titles from McSweeney's Books and publication on McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Undetermined Number of Honorable Mentions: Any current title from McSweeney's Books and publication on McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Please note that we will only be able to respond to the winning submissions. Enjoy, and if you have any questions about the contest, please feel free to send them to 13prompts@mcsweeneys.net. - - - - OTHER McSWEENEY'S FEATURES: - - - - We're Having a Contest, With Prizes The Manoni Brothers Have Sent You an e-Threat! By M. Sweeney Lawless Spam Finally Taps Into Male Desires By Eric Silver The 4-Year-Old Enters Anger Management By Ross Murray Ryan Seacrest Breaks Bad News By Sarah Schmelling

- - - - MAIN PAGE | ARCHIVES Memories of Amanda Davis Red dot denotes content that is new today. Black dot denotes newish content. McSWEENEY'S STORE SUBSCRIBE TO: McSWEENEY'S THE BELIEVER WHOLPHIN FUTURE McSWEENEY'S BOOKS THE AMANDA DAVIS HIGHWIRE FICTION AWARD INVITE A McSWEENEY'S AUTHOR TO SPEAK IN YOUR TOWN OR COLLEGE THE BEST AMERICAN NONREQUIRED READING McSWEENEY'S MONTHLY MAILING LIST BOOKSTORES WITH A McSWEENEY'S DISPLAY McSWEENEY'S-RELATED EVENTS AND VARIOUS TOUR DATES ORDER INQUIRIES AND ADDRESS CHANGES SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: FOR BOOKS FOR THE QUARTERLY FOR THE WEBSITE FOR WHOLPHIN McSWEENEY'S INTERNSHIPS CONTACT US - - - - LETTERS TO McSWEENEY'S LISTS McSWEENEY'S PREDICTS McSWEENEY'S RECOMMENDS NEW WHOLPHIN FILM DAN LIEBERT, VERBAL CARTOONIST TEDDY WAYNE'S UNPOPULAR PROVERBS REVIEWS OF NEW FOOD DISPATCHES FROM MANILA DISPATCHES FROM MOSCOW AND HERE'S THE KICKER: MIKE SACKS'S CONVERSATIONS WITH HUMOR WRITERS SARAH WALKER SHOWS YOU HOW DISPATCHES FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYER WHO IS TRYING TO GROW A MUSTACHE DISPATCHES FROM A HANGDOG BANKRUPT DISPATCHES FROM THE ANACOSTIA DISPATCHES FROM THE CAPITAL DISPATCHES FROM INDIA THE WINNER'S CIRCLE WITH ERIC FEEZELL BEN GREENMAN'S FAKE CELEBRITY MUSICALS SEAN MICHAELS LISTENS TO MUSIC IN MONTREAL SHORT IMAGINED MONOLOGUES KIDS' LETTERS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA STAINED TEETH: A COLUMN ABOUT WINE DISPATCHES FROM THE WINGS AT THE BALLET YOUR MONEY, YOUR JOB ... YOUR LIFE, WITH ALISON ROSEN KEVIN DOLGIN TELLS YOU ABOUT PLACES YOU SHOULD GO IN EUROPE LAWRENCE WESCHLER'S EVERYTHING THAT RISES: A BOOK OF CONVERGENCES THE CONVERGENCES CONTEST ABOUT THE CONVALESCENT ABOUT GOD SAYS NO ABOUT UNDERGROUND AMERICA ABOUT THANKS AND HAVE FUN RUNNING THE COUNTRY LETTERS FROM AN EARTH BALL TO, OR CONCERNING, SEAN HANNITY DISPATCHES FROM ADJUNCT FACULTY AT A LARGE STATE UNIVERSITY E-MAILS SENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FLAG-FOOTBALL TEAM ADVICE FROM A PERSON WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY JOHN MOE'S POP-SONG CORRESPONDENCES INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE INTERESTING OR UNUSUAL JOBS FLIP: A COLUMN ABOUT SKATEBOARDING OPEN LETTERS TO PEOPLE OR ENTITIES WHO ARE UNLIKELY TO RESPOND DISPATCHES FROM A PUBLIC LIBRARIAN MICHAEL IAN BLACK IS A VERY FAMOUS CELEBRITY DAN KENNEDY SOLVES YOUR PROBLEMS WITH PAPER STEPHEN ELLIOTT'S POKER REPORT - - - - ADDITIONAL MATERIAL