LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest

I'm entering. Will you join me?

In the middle of writing my review of the N.K. Jemisin MasterClass I had to find the URL for the LeVar Burton Reads podcast. Why? Because he read N.K. Jemisin’s Cuisine des Memoires is on his podcast and I highly recommend listening to it if you want to get a sense of her writing (amazing) and his storytelling (equally amazing). In my search for the URL, I came across something even better! The LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest in Partnership with FIYAH (A Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction).

When I first discovered the LeVar Burton Reads podcast it was one of my favorite things. Mostly because I could continue to listen to him reading to me and it harkened back to the 80’s/90’s when I wouldn’t miss an episode of Reading Rainbow. But also the idea that he decided to do the podcast specifically for my generation. He saw a need we had to be read to and he came through. From that moment forward, or really, 2018 till now, I had a secret goal to figure out a way to get LeVar Burton to read my short story on his podcast. I knew this would probably be a fool’s errand I was going on, but I knew I wanted to at least try.

The first step was to write a great story. I’ve had them coming out of my ears for years now and thus Friday Fiction was born. Writing one piece of short fiction a week would surely provide me with plenty of material at my fingertips. The next step was to do some real research. I went all the way back to his very first episode and worked my way forward. Making a list of every story title, author, and most importantly the publication where their story originated from. That was the key piece. I needed to know where LeVar was going to find the stories he would inevitably choose to read on his podcast. If you want to be a caught fish you gotta go where the fisherman goes!

By this time I had about 80+ pieces of information. As a person who thrives on spreadsheets, my next mission was to determine which publication he pulled from the most. I then went about listing them in order from the most to the least. Of course, there were a few collections and anthologies in there, but in those instances, they were usually by really well-known authors or authors who are now long since deceased. I knew my only way would be via a magazine.

Once I had my list I decided to then search through at least the top five and do even more research. My deep-dive, if you will. This allowed me to find out what their specific guidelines for acceptance would be. Some have open windows twice a year or once a year and unfortunately, some have so many entries already they are just permanently closed for the foreseeable future. Of course, any that I could not enter I just discarded and stuck with the ones who were at least accepting entries.

My plan was set. All I had to do now was go for it. Get those rejections (yes, I already prepared myself that they would come) that are necessary for this business. Very few, if anybody, gets a ‘yes’ their first time out of the gate. And for me, submitting to online publications would be my first time.

Fast forward to today, I am sorry to say the final phase of taking the plethora of stories I wrote and submitting them to any publication never actually came to pass. I could blame it on the illness I’ve been having to deal with the latter half of 2020 and the first half of 2021 or the fact that I am a first-time homeowner and all that comes along with that, but I won’t. Instead, I will blame it on the reality of fear. I can talk a big game but at the end of the day when it came down to simply hitting that ‘submit’ button I didn’t do it.

This brings me back to this contest! Man, this contest. Okay, so it’s almost like the universe is telling me to get out my head and do the damn thing. I’m sure others may see it differently but based on my real desire to be read by LeVar Burton, and this contest bridging that gap just a bit more, how could I ignore the signs? I would be stupid to let this opportunity pass me by. I have to enter. It’s free for crying out loud! And it’s an opportunity for LeVar FREAKING Burton to read my work. That’s what I care about most. Money comes and goes. But LeVar Burton reading your work? That’s once-in-a-lifetime level sh*t.

But competition is the spice of life and making declarations is how you can force yourself to do something you want to know, need to do, but are too scared to do. Knowing that now anyone who reads this will be fully aware of my intentions to enter this contest and then if I don’t end up entering will be just so embarrassing! If this is not how you handle deadlines then don’t do it. For some, it can be debilitating and not helpful to have the whole world shaming you if you don’t come through! But for those of us who thrive on proving everyone wrong and going for it cause if we don’t we’ll hear it from our friends, family, and strangers, then let’s go!

The THEME is ORIGINS & ENCOUNTERS which can be interpreted in so many different ways, especially when seen through the lens of speculative fiction. Whatever is submitted must include speculative or fantastical elements. Don’t miss my blog post coming on Monday, July 12th where I’ll be discussing what speculative fiction is and including some free examples you can read online to give you an idea of what the judges and especially LeVar will be looking for.

Here is the LINK to the guidelines and rules and all that jazz. Read them carefully! I’d hate for you to get eliminated because you didn’t follow the simple rules!

If you plan on participating, let me know cause I’m hoping to at least do a few more blog posts about my journey to entering the contest. Follow me on Twitter or Instagram and if you are so inclined, visit me during my livestreams on YouTube that I do 3 days a week, 2hrs each day. July and August will be dedicated to the LeVar Burton Writing Contest!

The contest OPENS August, 1st for Submissions and CLOSES August 31st! Keep that on your calendar. I know I already put it on mine!

May the best story win.

#bydhttmwfi