Contest Calls for Young Queens Writers!

Despite the fact that Jack Kerouac and Toni Morrison wrote some of their best works in Queens, the borough is rarely thought of as a place that fosters writers.

But Newtown Literary, the borough's first literary journal, is hoping to change that perception and believes there are great scribes in the area starting as young as eight years old.

For the first time, Newtown is hosting a writing contest for Queens students grades 3 through 12, asking them to submit works of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction on any topic.

"I realized that the writers who would be sending us their work in 10 or 15 years are sitting in classrooms in Queens right now, and if we are really supporting the work of Queens writers, we need to support the young writers and poets as well," wrote Tim Fredrick, chief editor of Newtown Literary.

Fredrick noted that he would receive hundreds of submissions to the journal, which they publish semi-annually, and found that many of the adult writers grew up or went to school in the borough.

The first place winner of the contest will be published in the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Newtown Literary and their online publication.

All winners will be invited to read their work at the Queens Young Authors & Poets awards ceremony in June. 

The contest closes on Dec. 20.

Check their website for the guidelines on how to submit work and for more information on the publication.