Creative Writing Contest

Top submissions will be published on Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s website, clpteensburgh blog and in this year’s Ralph Munn Creative Writing Anthology, a book of creative work that is distributed to all Allegheny County libraries. Authors published in the anthology will also be recognized at a special red carpet event in August where excerpts from the winning entries will be shared.

• Contest is open to all high school students (grade 9 – 12) in Allegheny County.
• Two (2) entries per individual will be accepted.
• All submissions must be original work.
• Each entry should include a contact sheet listing title of entry, name, address, phone number, age, grade, school and category. Entries should be saved in Microsoft WORD .doc format.
• Poetry entries should be two (2) pages or fewer.
• Fiction entries should be less than 5,000 words and double-spaced.
• Creative Nonfiction Blog Entries should be less than 500 words. Including images to compliment your post is encouraged, though please respect copyright. Ask a librarian for more information.
• All entries are due by May 7, 2012. All authors will be contacted by June 30, 2012.
• Submit via email to teens@carnegielibrary.org. Include “Ralph Munn Entry” in subject line.

Bring a piece of your work to one of the workshops below to get feedback from other teens and practice your skills through writing exercises!

Friday, April 6

CLP – Downtown & Business | 3 – 4:30 pm
612 Smithfield Street, 15222

Tuesday, April 10

CLP – Hazelwood | 4 – 5 pm
4901 Second Avenue, 15207

CLP – Lawrenceville | 4 – 5 pm
at assemble, a community space for arts + technology, 5125 Penn Avenue, 15224

Wednesday, April 11

CLP – Lawrenceville | 4 – 5 pm
279 Fisk Street, 15201

CLP – West End | 4:30 – 6:30 pm
47 Wabash Avenue, 15220

Thursday, April 12

CLP – Beechview | 4 – 5 pm
1910 Broadway Avenue, 15216

CLP – East Liberty | 4 – 5 pm
at assemble, a community space for arts + technology, 5125 Penn Avenue, 15224

Friday, April 13

CLP – Hill District | 3 – 4 pm
2177 Centre Avenue, 15219

Saturday, April 14

CLP – Allegheny | 1 – 2 pm
1230 Federal Street, 15212

Tuesday, April 17

CLP – Sheraden | 4 – 5 pm
720 Sherwood Avenue, 15204

Thursday, April 19

CLP – East Liberty | 4 – 5 pm
at assemble, a community space for arts + technology, 5125 Penn Avenue, 15224

CLP – Mt. Washington | 6 – 8 pm
315 Grandview Avenue, 15211

Monday, April 23

CLP – Woods Run | 4 – 5 pm
1201 Woods Run Avenue, 15212

Saturday, April 28

CLP – Carrick | 1 – 3 pm
1811 Brownsville Road, 15210

CLP – Homewood | 3 – 4 pm
7101 Hamilton Avenue, 15208

Ralph Munn was the Director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh from 1928 until his retirement in 1964. Among his accomplishments was the creation of a young adult reading room in 1929 which grew into the Colonel James Anderson room in the 1940s. Upon his death, Ralph Munn left the library an endowment to continue serving the young adults of Allegheny County by providing opportunities for creative writing through the library.

Enter the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest and have the chance to win cash and have your work published.Entries will be judged by local writers and professors.