South Carolina First Novel Prize
The South Carolina Arts Commission, Hub City Press and their literary partners announce a call for submissions for the biennial South Carolina First Novel Prize. The application deadline is March 19, 2012; a winner will be announced in October. The distinguished judge is Josephine Humphreys, a Charleston novelist whose latest book is Nowhere Else on Earth.
Partnering again with the SC Arts Commission and Hub City Press for this competition are the The Humanities CouncilSC and the South Carolina State Library. The winning author will receive a book contract with the Hub City Press, an award-winning independent press in Spartanburg, S.C. The winner will also receive a $500 advance against royalties, and Hub City will publish at least 1,500 paperback copies of the book. The book will be nationally distributed through John F. Blair Co. of Winston-Salem, N.C.
Matt Matthews of Greer was the winner of the second novel competition and his book, Mercy Creek, was published in 2011. The book sold out two hardback editions and will be released in December in paperback and e-book format. Publishers Weekly called the book “an enticing full-blown whodunnit ... a first-rate effort displaying skill, sensitivity, and grace.”
Matthews has toured the Southeast with Mercy Creek and participated in the Southern Independent Booksellers Association annual trade show and the South Carolina Book Festival. “Working with Hub City Press has been exhilarating,” Matthews said. “I really appreciate the relationships that I have begun with libraries around the state and the Arts Commission, which does such a great job supporting the arts statewide.”
Brian Ray of Columbia was the winner of the inaugural competition. His book, Through the Pale Door, was published in June 2009 and was widely and favorably reviewed across the Southeast. Booklist gave it a starred review and called Ray “a talent to watch.” It received an IPPY award for best novel in the Southeast by an independent press.
For information about First Novel Competition eligibility requirements and application guidelines, visit http://www.SouthCarolinaArts.com/firstnovel or call (803) 734-8696.
Previous winners
Brian Ray
Ray grew up in Marietta, Ga., and now lives in Greensboro, NC, where he is completing a doctorate in English. He earned his master’s degree in fine arts from the University of South Carolina, where he taught courses in writing and literature. His book tour has included stops at the Decatur Book Festival, the North Carolina Books Festival and the South Carolina Book Festival. (See video below)
Matt Matthews
Matthews studied journalism at Virginia Commonwealth University, then went to Union Seminary in Richmond. He lived in Arkansas and Virginia's Eastern Shore before moving to Greenville, SC to become pastor of St. Giles Presbyterian Chruch.
Winners of our annual Spartanburg County creative writing contests receive full scholarships to the week-long Wildacres Writing Workshop in Little Switzerland, NC, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Each July, Wildacres hosts one of the finest writing workshops in the country. Since 2000 Hub City has sent 22 local writers to Wildacres, providing more than $10,000 in scholarships to emerging writers in our home community. We recommend this program highly and salute them for helping nourish creative writing in Spartanburg.
