Spoken Word Submissions Sought

Calling all writers! The New Rochelle Council on the Arts and The New Rochelle Public Library Foundation have partnered with READ 650 to bring more spoken word events to New Rochelle in 2019. All Westchester writers are invited to submit their work for consideration.

READ 650’s mission is to promote writers and writing through live performances that celebrate the spoken word. It’s a literary forum for true personal stories—two pages and 650 words long, read aloud by the writer before an audience. Writers featured in the live events are coached and rehearsed in order to present them and their work in the best possible light. Individual readings are professionally recorded for the video archive and YouTube channel, and many writers are showcased and promoted in e-blasts, podcasts, broadcasts, and printed anthologies.

The next submission date is February 1, 2019 and the theme is My Library. Help us kick off National Library Week and celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians. In 650 words or less, take us into your memory stacks and tell us about the unforgettable book or the dusty nook or the librarian’s look that’s become a dog-eared page in your life story.

Here’s some inspiration from twelve celebrated authors: https://nyti.ms/2OsN082

The pieces can be original, or can be excerpted or adapted from your earlier work. Submissions are evaluated by an editorial committee of seven professional writer/editors, and the live event readings are professionally recorded and archived on the website. They may then be featured in our podcasts, broadcasts, and journals but remain yours to publish again somewhere else if you so desire. Submissions should be no more than 650 words, enabling you to read the piece aloud in under five minutes.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 1, 2019. Live Show: 3 PM on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at the Ossie Davis Theatre at the New Rochelle Public Library. #MyLibraryMyStory

All submissions should be in double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman type, with one-inch margins, complete on two pages. The author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address should appear at the top of the first page with the total word count displayed beside the title. Please include a 150-200 word biography (with weblinks, if desired) and a color head shot for programs, posters, and social media. Email submissions to info@read650.com by February 1, 2019 to be considered.