Visions of home

"My Santa Barbara is a place where palm trees sway in the breeze; where rows of dolphins splash in the seas. It's a place where red-tiled roofs dot the land and sun-kissed tourists play in the sand. My Santa Barbara is a place where the Old Mission stands tall and strong and the history of the town runs deep and long. This is my Santa Barbara."

Oh, c'mon. Surely you can be more original than that!

Now's your chance during the Santa Barbara News-Press Writing Contest, which is being held in conjunction with the eighth annual Book & Author Festival that takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Central Public Library.

This year's theme is "My Santa Barbara." It reflects the Santa Barbara Reads! selection, My California: Journeys by Great Writers, a collection of essays by 27 contributors, including locals Thomas Steinbeck, Pico Iyer and Chryss Yost, that celebrates the culture of California.

Contributions can be poetry, nonfiction or fiction.

You might just want to forget about the palm trees.

"The sappy Santa Barbara, like it's an assignment from your English teacher, that kind of entry isn't going to get that much attention," says Fred Klein, festival co-president and one of the judges. "It's finding the offbeat and unusual that works."

He cites as an example the breakfasts at East Beach Grill, something many locals don't know about.
"East Beach Grill is probably the best breakfast you can have in town," he says. "They have banana wheat germ pancakes, which are unlike anything you've had before.
"It's the undiscovered that I like!"

Here are the rules:
• Story title isn't included in word count.
• Contractions, initials and acronyms count as single words.
• Numerals, such as 55, count as one word.
• Hyphenated words are not counted as one word. For example, "adobe-tiled building" is three words.
• Any punctuation is allowed and it doesn't count as words.
• No pseudonyms.
• One entry per person.
• All entries must be typewritten, include a phone number and your age, and be received by 5 p.m. Sept. 12.
• Winners will be notified by Sept. 18.
• Send entries to: "My Santa Barbara" Writing Contest, P.O. Box 1359, Santa Barbara CA, 93102-1359. You can also fax to 966-6258, ATTN: "My Santa Barbara." Or e-mail bookfest@newspress.com.

CHARLOTTE BOECHLER, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

2004 NEWS-PRESS WRITING CONTEST

Celebrated author Ray Bradbury ("Fahrenheit 451," "The Martian Chronicles") has provided the opening lines to this year's Santa Barbara News-Press-sponsored writing contest in conjunction with the seventh annual Book & Author Festival to be held Sept. 24 in De la Guerra Plaza.

All contest entries must begin::

Stunned, I sat up in bed and stared at the man standing over me, who looked to be my twin. "Who are you?" I cried, "And what are you doing here?"

He smiled and answered.

Winners will be selected in two categories. Writers ages 13-17 must complete the story in 250 words or less. Writers ages 18 and over should submit stories of 500 words or less. Mr. Bradbury's opening lines do not count toward the final word tally.

The rules: The deadline is Sept. 6. One entry per person and there is no fee. E-mail submissions to bookfest@newspress.com or mail them to Santa Barbara Book Festival, P.O. Box 41932, Santa Barbara, CA 93140. Include your name, address and phone number. Entries will not be returned. A panel selected by the festival will judge the entries.

Winners, one in each category, will be announced and their stories published in the News-Press on Sept. 18. The winners will also read their work at the free festival, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24.

2004 NEWS-PRESS WRITING CONTEST
from an article by Marilyn McMahon News-Press Staff

Wannabe writers who dream of pounding out whodunnits can satisfy their suppressed desires by entering the
Santa Barbara News-Press Mystery Writing Contest.

Nothing is harder than getting started. Just ask Snoopy, the lovable "Peanuts" comic strip character who can never get beyond "It was a dark and stormy night." Even Andrew Klavan, well-known mystery writer, had to work to think up the opening lines with which all contest entries must begin: "I saw her standing in the lamplight on State Street. And when she smiled, she was even more beautiful than she'd been on the night I killed her."

This year, the mystery contest falls into two age categories: teenage writers, ages 13 through 17, must complete the story in 250 words or less, while adult writers, 18 and over, should submit stories of 500 words or less. The opening lines by Mr. Klavan do not count toward the final word tally.

No e-mail entries will be accepted, and there is no fee to enter. Entries should postmarked by Aug. 27, 2004 and sent to: Santa Barbara Book Festival, P. O. Box 41932, Santa Barbara, CA 93140. Include your name, address and phone number. Entries will not be returned.

Winners, one in each category, were announced Sept 15th in the News-Press with publication of their stories and brief biographical information about the authors.

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