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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Wider is better ... Hands needed to help Food Bank with bi-monthly drive ... Ashland High grad, professor, author and musician plays here Friday ... Our View: Wider is better ... Hands needed to help Food Bank with bi-monthly drive ... Ashland High grad, professor, author and musician plays here Friday ... QUILLS & QUEUES Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland Creek Press is offering $1,000, a publication offer and a four-week writer's retreat to the winner of its Siskiyou Prize for environmental literature. Comment By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated May 8, 2015 at 2:36 PM By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated May 8, 2015 at 2:36 PM » Social News Ashland Creek Press is offering $1,000 and a publishing deal, plus something priceless to the winner of its 2015 Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature: time at a writer's retreat. This year's winner will receive a four-week residency at PLAYA. Located in the Oregon Outback in Lake County, PLAYA offers space for writers, artists, scientists and other creative people to work in a secluded rural landscape of range land and mountains. "A residency for writers is a wonderful prize," said Midge Raymond, co-founder and co-editor of Ashland Creek Press. "PLAYA has retreat space for all kinds of artists. They wanted to be a part of our prize and donated a four-week residency." At the retreat, the winner of the Siskiyou Prize will have housing with a kitchen plus a desk area for writing. Residents at the retreat meet twice each week for a group dinner. Now in its second year, the Siskiyou Prize drew about 100 submissions in its inaugural year. Environmental scientist Mary Heather Noble was the 2014 winner for her manuscript "Plumes: On Contamination of Homes and Habitat." Raymond said she hopes just as many people or even more enter the contest for 2015. Ashland Creek Press is looking for unpublished, full-length prose manuscripts, including novels, memoirs, short story collections and essay collections. Self-published books are eligible as long as the author identifies it as self-published and retains all rights to the book. The term "environmental literature" refers to literary works focusing on the environment, animal protection, ecology and wildlife. To avoid sounding too preachy, Raymond said writers of environmental literature should always keep in mind the elements of strong writing. "We're looking for a great story, whether it's memoir, a novel or an essay or short story collection" she said. "Think about characters and what happens to them in the story. If you keep an eye on the story, it avoids being didactic." Manuscripts can be submitted in any genre, including mystery, thriller and young adult. Writers can familiarize themselves with the type of books sought by Ashland Creek Press by visiting its website and browsing book titles and descriptions. Author Ann Pancake is the judge for the 2015 Siskiyou Prize. Her award-winning first novel, "Strange As This Weather Has Been," features a West Virginia family devastated by mountaintop removal mining. The book was based on real events and interviews. "Ann Pancake wrote probably one of the best examples of eco-literature I can think of," Raymond said. "The issues are front and center but so expertly woven into the story of the characters. If I had to say this is the kind of book we are looking for, this is it." Submissions for the Siskiyou Prize are due by Sept. 1. There is a $25 reading fee per manuscript submitted. To save resources, printed paper manuscripts are not accepted. Manuscripts must be submitted online through Submittable. For full submission guidelines and information on how to submit, visit www.siskiyouprize.com . For more information on Ashland Creek Press, including book excerpts and a free downloadable Eco-Fiction Sampler, visit www.ashlandcreekpress.com . Information about PLAYA, including photographs of the grounds and landscape, is at www.playasummerlake.org . Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-776-4486 or [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous . By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Posted May. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated May 8, 2015 at 2:36 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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