[img_assist|nid=4644|title=The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl by Marc Schuster|desc=|link=url|url=http://www.philadelphiastories.org/singular-exploits-wonder-mom-and-party-girl-marc-schuster-0|align=right|width=150|height=225]As usual, things rarely slow down for us at Philadelphia Stories, and this spring was no exception. With the introduction of our successful fiction writing workshops, taught by Aimee LaBrie and Marc Schuster , we’ve branched out into another area of professional development—one that we hope will continue to thrive.
This spring also saw the launch of our second title from PS Books, Marc Schuster’s The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl at our Spring Fling on May 9th at the Swedish Historical Society. The event was another fun day of live music, Chinese Auction Items, and good food and company. The Spring Fling was also the culminating event in our spring fundraising campaign, which began with our online auction. This year we raised over $4,000 at the auction and another $2,000 at the Fling. This will help us to continue to publish a few more issues of Philadelphia Stories, but we still need your help. If you are not already a member , please consider becoming one today. As little as $20 gets you home delivery of Philadelphia Stories—and know that you are doing your part to help support the Delaware Valley’s vibrant writing community (become a member here).
This summer will be just as busy. In June, Philadelphia Stories will co-host the second annual Rosemont Writer’s Retreat at Rosemont College and the free Philadelphia StoriesWriter’s and Readers Series (sponsored in part by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council). In July, Philadelphia Stories will also host a variety of workshops and readings as part of the Chestnut Hill Book Festival.
And finally, we are pleased to announce our first serious prize for fiction. The Marguerite McGlinn Prize will be awarded to any American author for a work of short fiction up to 8,000 words. Submissions will be read between June 15-October 15, 2009 and the winning piece will be published in the Winter 2009/10 Issue. There is a $10 reading fee for each work submitted and the prize is $1,000. Elise Juska, author of Getting Over Jack Wagoner, The Hazards of Sleeping Alone, and One for Sorrow, Two for Joy will judge. Complete details on the fiction contest are available here.
We hope that you have a happy and productive summer.
All the best,
Carla & Christine