Entries for Chicano Literary Contest Accepted

UC Irvine is accepting entries for its 15th annual Chicano Literary Contest sponsored by the department of Spanish and Portuguese.

The contest, which is designed to promote and encourage the dissemination of Chicano literature, is open to published and unpublished Chicano writers, poets, playwrights and the general public.

Nine cash prizes, totaling $2,400, will be awarded in May, and selections from the winning texts will be printed in the annual contest anthology. Entries may be submitted in three categories: short story, poetry and theater. Manuscripts may be written in Spanish or English or a combination of the two. The deadline for submitting manuscripts is Jan. 6. For more information, call contest coordinator Julie Foraker at (714) 856-5702.

Since the contest began in 1974, more than 100 promising Latino writers have received recognition. A number of winners--including Alma Villanueva, Helena Maria Viramontes, Ron Arias and Gary Soto--have gone on to achieve national success, according to Foraker.

NATIONAL WRITERS: “Little Saigon” author T. Jefferson Parker will be guest speaker at a meeting of the Southern California chapter of the National Writers Club from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Irvine Marriott Hotel, 18000 Von Karman Ave. Aspiring and published writers are invited. Cost: $12 for non-members, $10 for members. Information: (714) 968-5726.

FICTION CLASSES: Registration is now under way for two spring semester fiction classes to be taught by Huntington Beach mystery writer Elizabeth George, a former El Toro High School English teacher who has a contract with Bantam Books for four British detective novels.

“Professional Writing,” a nuts-and-bolts course for “people who want to write fiction but aren’t quite sure where to start,” will be offered by Coastline Community College beginning Feb. 7. The 18-week course, which will cover everything from character development and plotting to dialogue and narration, will meet Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the college’s Costa Mesa Center at the corner of Baker Street and Mesa Verde Drive. Cost: $16. For more information, call (714) 546-7600.

“Writing Fiction,” a similar 18-week course for beginners, will be offered at Irvine Valley College from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Jan. 11. Cost: $15, plus a $7.50 health fee. Information: (714) 559-9300.