Pen 2 Paper 2016 now open!
January 22, 2015
CTD is pleased to announce that we are now accepting entries for our annual creative writing contest! Pen 2 Paper (P2P) seeks pieces of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and graphic narrative that address the topic of disability.
View full submission details and previous years' winners.
With six years under our belts, P2P co-coordinators Laura Perna and Susie Angel (right) reflect on learning to run a world wide contest from the ground up.
"We didn't really know what we were doing when we got started!" says Laura. "But we thought the idea was worth pursuing. So we made up the rules as we went along, which ended up working out pretty well! And we're still learning."
"Laura’s vision created P2P, and we’ve worked closely together to expand the competition," adds Susie. "But its true success goes to all the writers and the quality of their works— which continues to amaze us every year."
Since its foundation in 2009, P2P has grown to:
- be a part of CTD's annual Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival. William Greer, Film Festival coordinator, offered to set aside a few minutes during the 2011 Festival for P2P winners to read their work. Dana Carpenter's deadpan performance of The Beach and the Bed Pan was a hit, and P2P has been a feature at Cinema Touching Disability ever since, schedule permitting.
- accept entries from all over the world. While we initially envisioned the contest to be statewide only, we received entries from outside of Texas from day one. In 2012, we made it official, and that year, 1st place in fiction came out of New York! Because of this broadened scope, we get to see and share outstanding disability writing from all over the world.
- co-host a regular inclusive open mic. In February 2014, P2P and VSA Texas launched our first Lion & Pirate Open Mic at independent bookseller Malvern Books, welcoming all performers with and without disabilities. Two years later, our group of musicians, dancers, poets, storytellers, comedians, and visual artists has become a community.
We're looking forward to what 2016 will bring to Pen 2 Paper and the Lion & Pirate!
