Dashiell Hammett Writing Contest

In honor of our 2010 Centre County Reads pick, The Maltese Falcon, we're hoping you'll jump on this contest like a starving mouse on a piece of the best cheddar. Write your best Hammett-style piece (hard boiled detective writing) and submit it to hammettwriting@gmail.com or any of the libraries in Centre County along with a cover letter, your name, address, contact information and a brief biography.

What Prizes will there be? Glad you asked!

• $200 first prize
• Additional prizes including those for
  
  • Best Parody
  • Best Alternative Genre
    • Poetry
    • Graphic Novel
    • Drama
    • Screenplay
  • Best Short Fiction
  • Best Essay
  • Best Entry for a writer under 18

So, sharpen your pencils, buy a new ribbon for the Selectric and get writing! The deadline is February 15.

This contest is sponsored by the Arts in Public Life Group, www.artsinpubliclife.psu.edu