Based on different deadline dates being posted around the internet (which is all our fault), Opium's contest deadline will be extended, with the last entries allowed no later than midnight (NYC time) on August 1.
Opium's wacky contests have led to loads of sensational work, from the 500-Word Memoir contest judged by Daniel Handler (for Opium5) to the 250-Word Bookmark Contest judged by Aimee Bender that will debut along with Opium6. Now it's time to reignite Opium4's contest--The Shya Scanlon 7-Line Story Contest--this time judged by Brian Evenson.
The rules? Easy. Write a story that is seven lines or less within margins that are 8.5" or less. Fiction, non-fiction, prose poetry or any other excellence is allowed. The winning story, along with a handful of finalists, will appear in Opium7 which will debut on Oct. 6. Below, read two shining examples--finalists from Opium4.
Enter, and tell the world so they can enter, too!
To pay, head to Opium's Store, and "buy" contest entries.
The Deadline: August 1, 2008 (extended from July 23!)
The Reward: $1,000, and publication in Opium7.
The Cost: $10 for a single entry; $17.50 for two
How to Submit: Go to Opium's new submissions system and enter! (If you already have an account, create a new one here)
The Odds: We can’t know this until all entries are in, but know that we do publish many stories from our contests (10 appear in Opium6, along with over 30 on OpiumMagazine.com).
The Judge: Brian Evenson is the Director of the Literary Arts Program at Brown University. He is the author of six books of fiction, most recently The Wavering Knife (which won the IHG Award for best story collection) and The Brotherhood of Mutilation. He has translated work by Chrstian Gailly, Jean Frèmon and Jacques Jouet. He has received an O. Henry Prize as well as an NEA fellowship.
-------
3rd Place, Opium4:
Hot Air Balloon Ride
by Ryan Grim
We took a ride in a hot air balloon, my very ill wife and I, to see Cyprus from above. It ended
badly. The operator was a Greek gentleman. “Married?” he asked. “Twenty years,” she said.
They talked about the Parthenon in academic detail. I ate grapes. The Greek told her he could sense she’d never loved another man before me. “I have,” she said. He pulled the burner’s chain, spat, and demanded I meet the man my wife had once loved and fight him. He said, “It is your duty to show how you feel.” I laughed at him. “Devin Liu lives in Baltimore now,” my wife said, looking out over the sea, proudly, happily.
Ryan Grim is an Ohioan currently living in Manhattan. He likes to write short stories and comics.
-------
Finalist, Opium4:
Coming Attractions
by Paul Beckman
“Slide over,” Milton said to his wife. He was standing in the theater aisle holding a giant
tub of buttered popcorn and a large cola. “I like the aisle,” she said. “You know that.
Squeeze by me.” He tried to hand his wife the goodies but she ignored him and made no
move to pull her legs back. “I can’t squeeze by,” he said. The lights began to dim.
“Shh,” she said and Milton looked around and saw an aisle seat, walked over and
asked the woman next to it if it was taken. “No, it’s not,” she said pleasantly, and then the
old story became the new one as they shared the popcorn by the light of the movie.
Paul Beckman works as a realtor to support his writing. His stories have appeared in Exquisite Corpse, Other Voices, Web Del Sol and Sugar Mule. He lives in Connecticut with his wife Sandra.