Special Thanks to James Brown

Perigee would like to extend a special thanks to our 2009 Fiction Contest guest judge James Brown, who was not only a pleasure to work with, but also brought a marvelous insight to our contest and the deliberation process, and a sensitivity to the craft of story telling which speaks to his talents as a writer.

Our Fiction Editor Duff Brenna recently wrote this about James Brown's powerful memoir, Instruction on the Use of Heroin:

James Brown's provocative, beautifully written and gut wrenching memoir illuminates a life rich in those elemental passions that govern our lives—anger, fear, depression, death, and love. Sometimes tender, sometimes manic, but always wise and insightful, Instruction on the Use of Heroin never falters in the muscularity of the writing, all of it filled with riveting details that kept this reader turning the pages as fast as he could read them. Here is a remarkable life, one that is both devastating and inspiring. Any ordinary man experiencing what Brown went through would doubtless have died long ago, but Brown not only survived, he triumphed and in ways no one would have predicted, least of all, perhaps, Brown himself. From a junky/alcoholic to award-winning writer and university professor, Brown has proven once again that there are no oracles when it comes to foretelling the inevitable course of any man's journey. Mesmerizing from beginning to end. Unforgettable.

We hope Perigee's readers will take a moment to visit James Brown's web site and add his book to their summer reading list.

Perigee's 2009 Fiction Contest is Now Open!

We are excited to announce that our 2009 Fiction Contest is now accepting submissions. $600 in cash prizes is up for grabs, along with a Pushcart nomination by the editors, and publication in our highly anticipated, commemorative 25th issue.

This year we're proud to have James Brown serve as our guest judge. Brown is the author of The Los Angeles Diaries: A Memoir (HarperCollins), which was chosen for Best Books of the Year 2004 from the San Francisco Chronicle, Publishers Weekly, and The Independent in the U.K. His work has appeared in GQ, The New York Times Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Brown has written several novels including Lucky Town and Final Performance.

Click here to read our contest guidelines. You can also submit your stories quickly and easily using our redesigned online submission process. Don't miss the chance to have your work appear along Pushcart nominees and award winning writers, in what has long been one of the most innovative literary publications on the web.

The contest deadline is April 30, 2009, and winners will be announced on June 15th. Want something to whet your appetite and stir the muse? Read the winners of the 2008 Fiction Contest, as judged by Thomas E Kennedy, by visiting our archived 21st issue online here.

Our thanks in advance to all those who choose to participate in what is sure to be another excellent competition.

Warmest Wishes for the New Year,

2009 Fiction Contest Opens Soon!

Perigee's 2009 Fiction Contest will soon be accepting submissions. This is our most prestigious contest, with a Pushcart nomination going to the first place entry, publication in our 6th year anniversary issue, and $600 in cash prizes for the winners. Call it a stimulus package, if you like, or consider it a just reward for the best crafted, top three stories.

This year we are very pleased to announce that James Brown has agreed to serve as Perigee's guest judge. He will make the final determination of winners. James Brown is the author of The Los Angeles Diaries: A Memoir (HarperCollins), which was chosen for Best Books of the Year 2004 by the San Francisco Chronicle, Publishers Weekly, and the UK's The Independent. His work has appeared in GQ, The New York Times Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Brown has written several novels including Lucky Town and Final Performance. He has received the Nelson Algren Award for Short Fiction, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in fiction writing and a Chesterfield Film Writing Fellowship from Universal/Amblin Entertainment.

We are so pleased he has agreed to serve as guest judge and invite you to submit your best short fiction to our contest, when it opens on January 1st, 2009.