Blue Earth Review to Continue Minnesota BIPOC Emerging Writer Award

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Blue Earth Review is thrilled to announce the return of the Minnesota Black, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC) Emerging Writer Award, celebrating and supporting the talent of emerging BIPOC writers. This distinguished award comprises three $1,000 prizes, each dedicated to outstanding works in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. The second year of this award will be judged by the acclaimed multi-genre writer, 신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin. 

Submissions open on December 1, 2024 and will be accepted via Submittable until January 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CST. 

This initiative seeks to empower writers at nascent career stages, providing financial support and exposure to new audiences. The award underscores Blue Earth Review's dedication to publishing narratives that challenge prevailing dialogues and enhance our comprehension of what it means to be human in our ever-evolving world. 

This initiative is made possible by a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, funded by the Minnesota State Legislature. Blue Earth Review also extends gratitude to Minnesota Poet Laureate of Dakota ancestry, Gwen Westerman, for providing seed money to initiate this award. 

Award Categories and Previous Recipients: 

• Flash Fiction

  • Winner: $1,000 prize and publication 

  • 2024 Recipient: Kiarra Ballard for "Thunder Gone Fire”

• Flash Creative Nonfiction 

  • Winner: $1,000 prize and publication 

  • 2024 Recipient: Hana Worku for “The Alphabet”

• Poetry  

  • Winner: $1,000 prize and publication 

  • 2024 Recipient: Benjamin Lee for “manzanas [portrait of an urban planner]”

Guest Judge:

신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin is multi-genre writer and the author of many books. She is a former Bush Foundation Fellow, McKnight Fellow, MacDowell Fellow, and the recipient of several Minnesota State Arts Board grants. Her fifth book of poems, Six Tones of Water, an experimental work co-written with Vi Khi Nao, was published by Ricochet Editions in 2024; her four other poetry/essay collections including The Wet Hex (winner of the Society of Midland Authors Award and finalist for a Minnesota Book Award) and Unbearable Splendor (winner of a Minnesota Book Award) are published by Coffee House Press. With poet Su Hwang she co-directs Poetry Asylum in Minneapolis.

Submission Timeline:

Submissions are being accepted via Submittable December 1, 2024 through January 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CST. 

Questions:

For inquiries, please direct all questions to [email protected], with "MN BIPOC Emerging Writer Award" in the subject line. 

About Blue Earth Review: 

Blue Earth Review is a print magazine published by Master of Fine Arts candidates at Minnesota State University, Mankato, featuring national and international fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. For more information, please visit our website (blueearthreview.mnsu.edu).