Short Story Anthology of diverse YA voices with stories by
K.C. Finn, Kell Cowley, Eddie House,
Mary Ball Howkins, Tonia Markou, Jack Bumby,
A Rose, Colby Wren Fierek, Oceania Chee, Catherine Johnson
In every new story we pick up, we’re seeking an exciting
original voice. So why are there still voices we don’t hear from nearly enough?
Why are there characters that so rarely take centre stage? In this collection
from Odd Voice Out press, we discover the stories of twelve teenagers who stand
out from the crowd and who’ll not easily be forgotten.
With settings that range from Scotland to Syria, Mexico to Mauritius, Africa to
Russia, these stories take us to all corners of the globe and into the lives of
young people with their own unique circumstances and perspectives. Characters
dealing with issues of culture and class, exploring their sexuality and gender
identity, or letting us into their experiences with illness, disability or
neurodiversity. Their tales span all genres and can’t be reduced to labels.
These are stories about bending the rules and breaking the law. Stories of
fighting for survival and finding your place in the world. Stories of family
solidarity, unlikely friendships and aching first love told by teenagers who
don’t always fit in and aren’t often heard.
With a foreword by award winning YA author Catherine Johnson, this anthology
brings together the top ten stories of Odd Voice Out’s 2019 Not So Normal Narrators
contest, as well as bonus stories from in-house authors Kell Cowley and K.C.
Finn.
Teens of Tomorrow
Writing Contest Information:
YA Fiction's March into the Future
Deadline: Monday 31st August, 2020
Prompt: Future-Focused Diverse Teen Fiction
Prize: £200, £100, £50 (First, second and third prize respectively)
Publication: A dedicated anthology will include the top ten tales, available
winter 2020/21.
Wordcount: 2000 - 5000
Internationally open to entrants aged fourteen and above.
We stand at the dawn of a new and uncertain decade. Here at Odd Voice Out press
we are calling for short stories that reflect the socio-political issues that
young people are dealing with now and will continue to tackle in the coming
years. Entries submitted to our Teens of Tomorrow contest can be any genre -
fantastical or realistic - and they may be set in the future, the present or
even the past, provided that they centre on forward-looking teenage characters
grappling with the world around them, the times ahead of them and the roles
they personally aspire to play. Send us your utopias, dystopias, protest
stories, political thrillers, social satires, climate fiction and prophetic
steampunk.
Turn the hashtags trending today into a powerful YA story of tomorrow!
Enter at http://contest.oddvoiceout.com
Any enquiries to oddvoiceout@gmail.com
The Full Details
Your short stories with ‘odd voices’ must be written for a YA audience (that’s
around 12 to 19 years old), but other than that they may be set in any genre or
time period. This means that relevant content which is sexual, violent or
contains extreme language will be accepted, provided it is somewhat moderated
for a teen audience, rather than for adults (think about movies rated 15,
compared to 18).
Our contest is open to writers aged fourteen and over from all nationalities
and backgrounds (you should be at least fourteen years old by the closing date
for entries). Entries must be no more 5,000 words long and be a minimum of 2000
words. Your entry should not have been previously published, self-published or
accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been highly placed
(e.g. shortlisted or semi-finalist) in another competition at any other time.
Longlisted stories are acceptable, provided they have not been in print or
online in full.
After our closing date of Monday 31st August, we will select ten finalists to
feature in an anthology collection that will be made available in ebook and
print editions, to be released alongside our usual book range. The winning
entry will also receive a £200 cash prize, whilst second and third place will
receive £100 and £50 respectively. All ten finalists will also be invited to
participate in social media promotions, live events, interviews and broadcasts
as per the promotion schedule for the anthology.
To cover prize fees and reading time, there is a small entry fee of £4 per
story, payable via PayPal at the time of entering. Authors may enter up to five
different stories, but must pay the entry fee for each one as a separate entry
and transaction.
Co-authored stories are accepted, up to a maximum of two authors per story, and
in the event of winning, authors would share the prize money
evenly.
About the Publisher
Odd Voice Out is an independent literary press,
publishing YA and crossover stories filled with unique characters thrown into
extraordinary circumstances. Our genre-bending books take contemporary social
and political themes and explore them through a range of historical,
futuristic, surreal and supernatural settings. Our diverse young heroes are
never your typical leading guys and girls, but are flawed insecure misfits
struggling with everything from racial and sexual identity, to body issues,
disabilities, mental health and worst of all, being teenagers growing up in
worlds gone mad.
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