BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
LAUNCHES MARK TWAIN WRITING COMPETITION
-- Judges Include Joyce Carol Oates and Lauren Belfer --
Buffalo, NY -- The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (B&ECPL) today announced complete details of its Mark Twain Writing Competition, which encourages writers of all ages to "collaborate" with the great Mark Twain. The contest is sponsored by the Library Foundation of Buffalo and Erie County.
"The competition stems from an idea Twain proposed to his good friend and editor of The Atlantic Monthly, William Dean Howells, back in 1876," said B&ECPL Director Diane J. Chrisman. "Twain suggested that contemporaries compose their own stories based on an outline he had created, entitled ‘A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage.’ The Atlantic was to publish the renditions, but for reasons unknown, the idea never materialized and Twain’s version of the story remained unpublished."
The B&ECPL has taken up where Twain and Howells left off and has launched the writing contest to an international audience age 14 or older. A young writers category with local and international divisions is also being held for students between the ages of 14 and 18. The local division is open to students attending school in Erie County. The Library has posted the first two chapters of "A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage" on its Web site, www.buffalolib.org. Participants will create their own ending based on these chapters. All entries must be postmarked by June 1, 2001.
Writers will find competition details, information about the B&ECPL’s extensive collection of Twain literature and memorabilia, as well as links to other Twain-related Web sites at www.buffalolib.org.
After an initial screening by the State University of New York at Buffalo, adult finalists will have their work judged by accomplished authors and established scholars. They include novelists and area natives Joyce Carol Oates and Lauren Belfer, humorist and Atlantic contributor Roy Blount, author and documentary filmmaker Dayton Duncan, and scholars Robert Hirst of the Mark Twain Project and honorary member Leslie Fiedler of the State University of New York at Buffalo. Additional judges may be announced at a later date.
A panel of Western New York educators and writers will evaluate final entries from the young writers category. Panelists include: author and screenwriter Gabrielle Burton, Orchard Park School Superintendent Chuck Stoddart, Buffalo State professor and Twain specialist Tom Reigstad, writer and Canisius College professor Mick Cochran, Arts Council of Buffalo and Erie County Executive Director Celeste Lawson and Buffalo News "First Sunday" Editor Charles Anzalone.
Winners will be announced in October and honored at a recognition reception. Cash prizes of $5,000 for first place, $3,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place will be awarded in the international competition. The competition for young writers category will award prizes in the amount of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place in both the local and international divisions. Winning entries from all categories will appear on the B&ECPL’s Web site.
After 125 years, The Atlantic Monthly will publish Twain’s complete version of "A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage" in its upcoming July issue. W.W. Norton and Co. of New York has purchased the rights to publish the story in a hardcover, gift edition in the fall of 2001.
The B&ECPL has a long history with Twain and his writings. Twain himself was a member of the B&ECPL’s predecessor, the Young Men’s Association, while he lived in Buffalo and served as editor of The Buffalo Express newspaper from 1869 – 1871.
The B&ECPL is home to the original handwritten manuscript of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain contributed the second half of the manuscript to the founders of the Library back in 1885, believing the first half had been lost by a printer. After the missing half turned up in a steamer trunk in a Los Angeles home, the B&ECPL united the manuscript in 1992 for the first time in more than 100 years.
"Through the writing competition, the B&ECPL hopes to bring national attention not only to its literary treasures, but to the Buffalo region as a center of culture and entertainment," added Chrisman.
The Library is currently developing a ground-breaking CD-ROM which will publish in full the original Huck Finn manuscript along with cultural and historical references, photographs, video and audio clips pertaining to the work, as well as scholarly and literary criticism. Renowned for its manuscript materials and digital publishing expertise, The Poetry/Rare Books Collection, housed at the State University of New York at Buffalo is producing the multimedia edition.
"Designed for four different audiences from adolescents to Twain scholars, the CD-ROM will be an invaluable tool for educators at all levels, Twain enthusiasts and historians," said Chrisman.
The winning entries of the Writing Competition will be included in the digital edition as well as Twain’s original version of "A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage."
The contest is the result of a collaboration among the B&ECPL; the Library Foundation of Buffalo and Erie County; The Poetry/Rare Books Collection of the State University of New York at Buffalo; the Mark Twain Foundation; the Mark Twain Project; the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin; and legal counsel Kennedy, Stoeckl & Martin, P.C.
Individuals interested in participating in the Mark Twain Writing Competition should visit www.buffalolib.org or call (716) 858-7181.