Southeast Missouri State University PressWE ARE TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO ORDERS DUE TO COVID-19

Southeast Missouri State University Press TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO ORDERS

Hello,

Just a quick note to let you know that, as of Monday, March 23, Southeast Missouri State University Press will be TEMPORARILY UNABLE TO SHIP ORDERS until late April due to the temporary closure/online move of most University Departments and Business. If you’ve ordered from us in the last week, or so, we will hopefully be able to get those orders shipped before parts of the University go off line.

Additionally, it is likely that contest results for the Nilsen Prize for a First Novel and potentially the Cowles Prize for a Book of Poetry will be a bit behind schedule. We’re still working through all those submissions, but slower than usual.

We appreciate your understanding at this time and we’ll see you on the flipside. Until then, be safe and keep social distancing.

Sincerely,

James Brubaker

Big Muddy Announces Winner and Finalists of Wilda Hearne Flash Fiction Prize

We are excited to announce the winner and finalists for the Wilda Hearne Flash Fiction Contest. The winner will be published in the upcoming issue of Big Muddy, and will receive $500. Picking a winner this year was quite difficult due to the many, many, many excellent stories we received. 

This year’s winner is:

“I Haven’t Forgotten You” by Leslie Blanco

And this year’s finalists were:

“Shades of Tippi Hedren Headed For a Phone Booth” by Pamela Balluck
“Eli” by Elizabeth Enochs
“Bitten” by Barney Haney
“On the Fly” by Daryl Scroggins

Now, this is usually the part where I’d encourage everyone to submit again for this year’s contest. Unfortunately, we won’t be running the contest in 2020. Reading contest submissions on top of non-contest submissions, and keeping up with other work for Big Muddy and Southeast Missouri State University Press is…a lot. This isn’t a financial decision at all, as these contests pay for themselves. Once we’ve had a bit of a breather, the contest will likely come back, but for the time being, we need a break! Thank you all for sharing your wonderful words with us, and I hope to read more from you all in the future.

Sincerely,

The Big Muddy Editorial Team

Big Muddy Announces Winner and Finalists of the 2019 Mighty River Short Story Contest

We are excited to announce the winner and finalists for the Mighty River Short Story Contest. The winner will be published in the upcoming issue of Big Muddy, and will receive $1,000. Picking a winner this year was quite difficult due to the many, many, many excellent stories we received.  

This year’s winner is:
“Payback for Mongoose Charlie” by Bryce Berkowitz

This year’s finalists were:

“No Matter Her Leaving” by Noley Reid
“Where the False Have a Merry Time” by Basmah Sakrani
“Geraniums for Autumn” by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
“The River and the Change it Brings” by Rebecca Wurtz

Now, this is usually the part where I’d encourage everyone to submit again for this year’s contest. Unfortunately, we won’t be running the contest in 2020. Reading contest submissions on top of non-contest submissions, and keeping up with other work for Big Muddy and Southeast Missouri State University Press is…a lot. This isn’t a financial decision at all, as these contests pay for themselves. Once we’ve had a bit of a breather, the contest will likely come back, but for the time being, we need a break! Thank you all for sharing your wonderful words with us, and I hope to read more from you all in the future.

Sincerely,
The Big Muddy Editorial Team

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE 2019 COWLES POETRY PRIZE

We are excited to announce the winner of the 2019 Cowles Poetry Book Prize. The winning manuscript, selected by judge Brad Aaron Modlin, will be published in October, 2020, and the poet will be awarded $2000. We received more manuscripts this year than we ever have before, so the competition was fierce.

Winner:

Look Alive by Luiza Flynn-Goodlett

Finalists:

Naming the Lifeboat by Justin Gardiner
Terra Incognita by Sara Henning
After by Emily Jaeger
The Right Blue Dream House by Claire McQuerry
Soft Palate by Anna Sutton

Semi-Finalists:

Eat the Marrow by Mara Adamitz Scrupe
Bluebird by James CrewsBluebird by James Crews
The Amateur Scientist’s Notebook by Jesse Delong
The Likes of Us by R.M. Kinder
Revoke by Joy Manesiotis
Dawn’s Early by Gloria Muñoz
Easy Victims to the Charitable Deceptions of Nostalgia by Emily Schulten
What Falls Away Is Always by Richard Terrill
House of Broken Tables by Allison Wilkins

The 2020 Cowles Poetry Prize is currently open for submissions. You can learn more, here.