Contests
Contest Announcement
The contest is now closed. The 2024 Contest theme will be announced at the book launch event on Friday, October 6th, 2023.
A collaboration Short Story Contest
Journey into Art
The contest is now closed.
The Houston Writers Guild and Women in the Visual and Literary Arts present:
Journey Into Art
, edited by Rachel Connelly
A carefully curated anthology filled with humor, heart, drama, and, of course, a love for the arts.
Embark on a journey into art as thirteen talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how a piece of art can change everything. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates a work of art in some way, our authors present to you this collection spanning from gritty noir to heartfelt tales of love and loss. Soul-search at the Taj Mahal, solve the grisly murder of an eccentric abstract artist, and attend the liveliest all-ghost theatre performance there ever was.
Enjoy these tales from:
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Des Gracyn
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Lynn Long
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Mildred J. Mills
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Ellen Seaton
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Denise Bossarte
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Arthur Pike
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Maureen Lemieux
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Chris Rogers
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Sam McWhorter
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Tassie Kalas
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Rebecca Chirak
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​Fred McGavran
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Vasanthi V
Congratulations to the authors who made it into the contest anthology as winners and honorable mentions.
Winners:
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1st Place -- Vasanthi V
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2nd Place -- Sam McWhorter
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3rd Place -- Des Gracyn
Honorable Mentions:
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Ellen Seaton
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Mildred J Mills
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Chris Rogers
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Denise Bossart
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Rebecca Chirak
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Tassie Kalas
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Arthur Pike
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Fred McGavran
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Lynn Long
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Maureen LeMieux
Our Books
Journey Into Art
Embark on a journey into art as thirteen talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how a piece of art can change everything. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates a work of art in some way, our authors present to you this collection spanning from gritty noir to heartfelt tales of love and loss. Soul-search at the Taj Mahal, solve the grisly murder of an eccentric abstract artist, and attend the liveliest all-ghost theatre performance there ever was.
Riding the Waves
Sinful passion and uncontrollable lust flow endlessly in this collection of ten erotic LGBTQ tales: revenge of a seductive nature; the secret life of the girl next door; a torrid love triangle; stolen kisses on the high seas; dirty little secrets exposed; the dangers of a family affair; when the teacher becomes the student; tumultuous storms bring the unlikeliest of lovers; the sexy seductive escapades of one woman; the art of seduction and the cat and mouse game that ensues.
Out of Many One
Collected from the winning entries of the Houston Writers Guilds’ Out of Many, One: Celebrating Diversity contest, these short stories and poems capture the vulnerable truth of what it means to be human and celebrate the beauty of being unique.
We hope you have a laugh or even shed a tear while reading them, but we especially hope that they provide some food for thought to help bring positive changes and acceptance to the world we live in.
Waves of Passion
The tide is high…
Passion and uncontrollable lust flow endlessly in this collection of ten erotic tales: rekindled flames; new found love in the unlikeliest of places; romance in the digital age; a torrid love triangle; forbidden relationships exposed; sinful secrets found; pillow talk on a Sunday afternoon; one last tango in Paris with a mysterious stranger; one woman’s reclaiming of her body and spirit; the art of seduction and the cat and mouse game that ensues. This exclusive collection contains the top winning entries of the Houston Writers Guild Press Waves Anthology Series.
Waves of Suspense
Mysteries ebb and flow in this collection of ten suspenseful stories: a dilapidated mansion with an ominous presence; an illicit love affair gone horribly wrong; four young men faced with the deadly consequences of their actions; a wall mural purposely hidden under layers of wallpaper; an employee gone missing at a farm harvest; a murder tied to domestic abuse; a series of unexplained deaths, all fashion models; a fatal car accident welcomed by a small town; a terrible storm and the cat that comes to visit and a hypnotic painting of a cherry bowl.
This exclusive collection contains the top winning entries of the Houston Writers Guild’s annual Fall writing contest.
HWG Press
The HWG Press is the arm of the Guild that focuses on the Houston Writers Guild’s mission to help authors build successful careers.
The Houston Writers Guild offers opportunities for members to enter contests judged by agents, publishers, editors, and other prominent members of the writing community. Winners and honorable mentions are compiled into our anthologies which are produced by our in-house small press, HWG Press.
The HWG Press is a 501c3 small publisher. HWG Press compiles anthologies of award-winning work from the Guild’s annual Fall contest. It actively sells these books by purchasing table space at various selling events and via online social media and other marketing venues. It also provides opportunities for published Guilders to sell their own works at these venues at reduced costs.
The Guild seeks to help all authors be successful by modeling excellence in the quality of book production. From the work with revision editors to make the already wonderful stories even more so to the cover, formatting, and copy editing, the Guild’s books exceed industry standards.
All proceeds from the sale of the HWG Press’ books go to support the programs of the Houston Writers Guild.
Check out our books below.