Reed College

The First Time - Announcing the Virgin Awards!

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• published: 05 Sep 2013
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What was your first time like? Alexis M. Smith, Samiya Bashir, James Bernard Frost, and Emily Kendal Frey share their stories. Late Night Library is excited to announce the first annual Virgin Awards—a contest reserved for those who have yet to publish their first full-length book or collection. Nine prizes will be awarded in the genres of creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Submit 5,000 words of prose or five pages of poetry with a $10 entry fee by November 30th! For more information, check out http://latenightlibrary.org/virginawards. Music by Kevin Macleod (http://incompetech.com). Special thanks to Alexis M. Smith, Samiya Bashir, James Bernard Frost, and Emily Kendal Frey for appearing in this video! Alexis Margaret Smith grew up in Soldotna, Alaska, and Seattle, Washington. She attended Mount Holyoke College, Portland State University, and Goddard College, where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing. Her writing has appeared in Tarpaulin Sky and on Powells.com. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her son, two cats, and their beloved view of the St. Johns bridge. Her debut novel, Glaciers, was published by Tin House in 2012. Samiya Bashir's poetry, stories, articles and editorial work have been featured in numerous publications including, most recently and forthcoming, in Poet Lore, Michigan Quarterly Review, Crab Orchard Review, Cura, The Rumpus, Literature: Craft & Voice, Callaloo, and Encyclopedia Vol. 2 F-K. A long-time communications professional focused on editorial, arts, and social justice movement building, she is a founding organizer of Fire & Ink, an advocacy organization and writer's festival for LGBT writers of African descent and a recipient of the 2011 Aquarius Press Legacy Award, given annually in recognition of women writers of color who actively provide creative opportunities for other writers. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where she teaches creative writing at Reed College. Her debut collection of poetry, Where the Apple Falls, was published by RedBone Press in 2005. James Bernard Frost is the author of the novel World Leader Pretend, and the award-winning travel guide The Artichoke Trail. His fiction and non-fiction has been published in many places, including the San Francisco Examiner, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and Wired. He lives in Portland, Oregon with the author Kerry Cohen, their four children, the rain, the freaks, and the trees. His bike is currently in disrepair. His debut travel guide, The Artichoke Trail, was published in 2000 by Hunter Publishing. Emily Kendal Frey is the author of the full-length poetry collection The Grief Performance; the chapbooks Frances, The New Planet, and Airport; as well as three chapbook collaborations. She received a B.A. from The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and an M.F.A. from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She lives in Portland, Oregon. The Grief Performance, published in 2011 by Cleveland State University Press, was her first full-length collection of poetry.