Nude Tuesday! and some literary news

Nude figure by Bonnie Goldberg of Columbia

(We always need more nudes. Send them to carolinaculture@hotmail.com)

Fiction Project "suspended"

Just heard that the S.C. Fiction Project, run by the S.C. Arts Commission has been canceled this year. The 10 winners have been getting $500 awards and publication in a special section of the Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston since 1993. Most of the commission staff was unavailable Monday to say what had happened, but we'll check into it.

In the meantime here are some other opportunities for writers in S.C.(Although they sure don't replace the Fiction Project.)

The S.C. Poetry Initiative is holding its annual poetry awards contest with the winners getting cash prizes ($100 - $400) and publication in The State newspaper.
Deadline for entries is Feb. 26. There's a $5 entry fee.

The organization is also taking chapbook submissions (45 to 95 pages) with one writer picked for publication. The deadline is March 1 and there's a $15 entry fee. 

For all the details on both go to  http://www.sc.edu/poetry/index.shtml

The Piccolo Fiction open is accepting short story entries of up to 1,000 words. This year's theme is "present tense" and the deadline is March 10.
The winners will read at Blue Bicycle Books during the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in May and June. Stories can be submited via email to thompsonl@ci.charleston.sc.us and lisa@eatgoodbread.com or go to http://www.eatgoodbread.com/

And more bad news 
The last executive director of Workshop Theatre lasted nine months. The new one has gone after about two months. Joe Reuter, whose background was in hotel and casino marketing,  resigned last week saying "he wanted to go in a different direction," according to Jack Jansen, Workshop board president.
The theater is attempting to raise about $4 million to build a new facility.