Hey writers: One more week to finish up your manuscripts
S.C. Novel Series submission deadline is April 15
S.C. Novel Prize announces changes
Hub City Press and the South Carolina Arts Commission announce changes to their South Carolina Novel Prize.
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Starting in 2022, the prize will be renamed the South Carolina Novel Series and will biennially award $1,500 and book publication to a novel by a writer living in South Carolina. Final selection will be made by Hub City Press editors.
The series is open to writers of all levels who have lived in South Carolina for at least one year prior to submission of their manuscript. Co-sponsors include the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC), the South Carolina State Library and South Carolina Humanities. Submissions for the series will open on January 1, 2022 and will close April 15, 2022 and will require no submission fee.
Hub City Press Director Meg Reid says of the new series, “We are thrilled to announce this expanded series that continues the good work we have accomplished with the Novel Prize over our 14-year partnership with the South Carolina Arts Commission. Our shared priority with this series is to increase accessibility while elevating the finest writers living and working in South Carolina.”
SCAC Executive Director David Platts adds, “Like any good draft, this partnership is evolving to improve. As it does so, it furthers the South Carolina Arts Commission’s mission to cultivate creativity in the Palmetto State while creating professional opportunities for artists. Hub City Press is nationally recognized, award-winning, and already does those things. We are grateful to have them as the strongest possible partner for this program and are proud they call South Carolina home.”
The selected author will receive a book contract with Hub City Press. Upon successful execution of the contract with Hub City, the selected author will receive a $1,500 advance against royalties. Submission information can be found here. Manuscripts will be taken through online submission during the open reading period only.
Founded in Spartanburg in 1995, Hub City Press is the South’s premier independent literary press. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and focused on finding and spotlighting extraordinary new and unsung writers from the American South, their curated list champions diverse authors and books that don’t fit into the commercial or academic publishing landscape. Hub City Press books have been widely praised and reviewed in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and many other outlets.
Hub City to celebrate publication of S.C. Novel Prize winner
An Evening with Maris Lawyer
Join Hub City Writer's Project for a special book launch event with Hub City Press author Maris Lawyer tonight at 7 p.m.
Lawyer's debut novel, The Blue Line Down, is the winner of the 2020 South Carolina Novel Prize. It was officially released Tuesday. Tonight's event unofficially launches the book and welcomes her to the Hub City family. Just 20 in-person seats are available for the event. If you're in or near the Spartanburg area, reserve an in-person seat for free here. For those who aren't able to attend in person, Hub City Press will also stream live on Facebook. Interested in the book? Hub City will be glad to help with that.Tuning Up: SEPF, Hub City Press news
Good morning!
"Tuning Up" is a morning post series where The Hub delivers curated, quick-hit arts stories of interest to readers. Sometimes there will be one story, sometimes there will be several. Get in tune now, and have a masterpiece of a day. And now, in no particular order...
In-person SEPF scheduled. Cancelled last year like so many things, the Southeastern Piano Festival announced its plans to return to an in-person format this year. Make plans now for events June 12-20. Pre-college pianists aged 13-18 have just days to apply for its Arthur Fraser International Concerto Competition (which was held late last year via livestream). Community-facing highlights include the competition and public performances by a stellar roster of international guest artists. Hub City Press is a recipient of a South Arts Resilience Fund grant supporting their ability to pivot in the face of the pandemic, and emerge more resilient than before. With these funds, Hub City Press reshaped their editorial team to better tell the untold stories of the South, connect with unheard voices across the region, and transform the landscape for Southern literature. Read their story on the South Arts website.
Prize-winning novel’s cover revealed
Pre-orders open for Blue Line Down
The 2020 South Carolina Novel Prize winner is inching closer to its publication date.
Late last week, Hub City Press revealed the cover art for Blue Line Down (below) and began accepting pre-orders for Maris Lawyer's new novel. Lawyer, a writer from Easley who lives in Greenville, was judged best among the submissions for the state's biennial book award. It is slated for a June 2021 release. (In a spin on what the youth say, "That's it. That's the post.")
2020 S.C. Novel Prize goes to Upstate writer
Winning manuscript publishes in 2021
The South Carolina Arts Commission, Hub City Press, the College of Charleston, the South Carolina State Library, and South Carolina Humanities are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2020 South Carolina Novel Prize is Maris Lawyer for her manuscript The Blue Line Down.
Lawyer’s winning manuscript will be published in 2021 by Hub City Press of Spartanburg.
Maris Lawyer (right) grew up in Oconee County and hasn’t strayed far since. Graduating with a degree in Creative Writing from Anderson University in 2017, she then moved into a tiny apartment in Greenville with her husband, where she spent her evenings hunched over a laptop writing stories. Maris and her husband (and two cats) are now homeowners in Easley, where she still catches a glimpse of the Blue Ridge Mountains every day.
Stephanie Powell Watts, author of We Are Taking Only What We Need and No One is Coming to Save Us was the judge of the biennial prize this year. Of the winning manuscript, Watts wrote, “Readers are always looking for the topic that both feels familiar until we scratch the surface a little and realize we know almost nothing about it. In the clear light of the present, movements, protests and even revolutions of the past can seem obvious and inevitable. History loves to condense the story, connecting dots to make the narrative cohere. However, there is turmoil, angst, and great human suffering in between those dots. This story shows us how a decent enough person might be compelled to aid and abet bullies and killers. The story also shows us the main character's remarkable path to possible redemption.”
The South Carolina Novel Prize is funded by the following partner organizations:
The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances.
Hub City Press was founded in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1995 and since then has emerged as one of the South's premier independent presses.
The College of Charleston is home not only to a cadre of nationally and internationally recognized writing faculty, but also houses one of the country’s premiere literary journals, Crazyhorse, published since 1960 and consistently ranked as among the top publishing venues in the nation. The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program provides students an immersion in a world of prose and poetry and the practical aspects of establishing a career in the arts.
The South Carolina State Library develops, supports, and sustains a thriving statewide community of learners committed to making South Carolina stronger. The Library serves the people of South Carolina by supporting state government and libraries to provide opportunities for learning in a changing environment.
South Carolina Humanities is the state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. SC Humanities presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.
For more information about the Novel Competition, visit or call http://www.SouthCarolinaArts.com, 803.734.8696; and http://www.hubcity.org, 864.577.9349.
More about Maris Lawyer
Maris Lawyer is a born and bred native of the South Carolina Upstate. She graduated with a degree in creative writing from Anderson University and has since gone to work as an HR generalist for an environmental consulting firm in Greenville. Maris lives in Easley with her husband Benjamin and two cats, Merlin and Luna. Alongside reading and writing, Maris spends much of her time fussing over the vegetable garden in her back yard. In The Blue Line Down, protagonist Jude Washer leaves his tormented childhood in the Virginian coal mines to join the Baldwin-Felts agents—the very agents who hunted down and disbanded the unionizers at his own mine camp. Instead of living a life of power and control, Jude finds himself disturbed by the brutal brand of justice dealt out by the Baldwin-Felts, and seeks to free himself and his young trainee, Harvey. An unplanned escape turns into a harrowing manhunt as Jude and Harvey flee the Baldwin-Felts, traveling down the Blue Ridge Mountains only to fall into the hands of bootleggers—who may present a greater threat than the Baldwin-Felts.Finalists named for 2020 South Carolina Novel Prize
Winner to be selected next week
The South Carolina Arts Commission and Hub City Press announce the three books named finalists in the 2020 South Carolina Novel Competition.
The finalists are: Rebecca Helms of Murrells Inlet for her manuscript Singing in the Corn, Maris Lawyer of Easley for The Blue Line Down, and Susanne Parker of Spartanburg for her novel What Happens to the Children. The winner will be announced next week and will have her book published in 2021 by Hub City Press of Spartanburg.
Stephanie Powell Watts, was the judge of the biennial prize. Watts is the author of the novel, No One Is Coming to Save Us, and a short story collection, We Are Taking Only What We Need, which won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Her short fiction has been included in two volumes of the Best New Stories from the South anthology and honored with a Pushcart Prize. Born in the foothills of North Carolina, with a PhD from the University of Missouri and a BA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she now lives with her husband and son in Pennsylvania where she is an associate professor at Lehigh University.
Rebecca D. Helms is a South Carolinian novelist, short-story writer, and poet who discovered her love of literature by the time she was only ten years old. Her style is influenced by the grit and grace of the Carolina low-country and her voice is an echo of the maternal village who raised her and showed her the way. Her first novel, Singing in the Corn, carries her readers deep inside every adventure with humor, fear, darkness, and joy—in many scenes, all at the same time. Ms. Helms is currently finalizing her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and works abroad while writing her next novel.
Maris Lawyer grew up in Oconee County, South Carolina, and hasn’t strayed far since. Graduating with a degree in Creative Writing from Anderson University in 2017, she then moved into a tiny apartment in Greenville, South Carolina with her husband, where she spent her evenings hunched over a laptop writing stories. Maris and her husband (and two cats) are now homeowners in Easley, South Carolina, where she still catches a glimpse of the Blue Ridge Mountains every day.
Susanne Parker is a Hub City native and graduate of the Converse College Creative Writing MFA. She loves to read journey and travel narratives when she isn’t embarking on some new adventure herself. Susanne works as a library assistant and spends her free time tending the single, enormous sunflower in her garden and snuggling with her pets. What Happens to the Children is her first novel.
The South Carolina Novel Prize is funded by the South Carolina Arts Commission, Hub City Press, South Carolina Humanities, South Carolina State Library, and the College of Charleston's Masters of Fine Arts Creative Writing department. For more information about the Novel Competition, visit or call the South Carolina Arts Commission (SouthCarolinaArts.com | 803.734.8696); or Hub City Press (HubCity.org | 864.577.9349).
South Carolina Novel Prize opens submission window
Author Stephanie Powell Watts judging entries
Submission deadline: Monday, March
Every other year, the South Carolina Novel Prize recognizes one of South Carolina’s exceptional writers.
Submissions will be read anonymously by our readers at the College of Charleston Department of English and this year's judge, author Stephanie Powell Watts. The contest is highly competitive, and the winner is provided a book contract with Hub City Press, who will print no fewer than 2000 copies to be nationally distributed to the trade in 2021. This can also bring recognition that may open doors to other resources and opportunities in the literary community.
The S.C. Novel Prize is funded by the South Carolina Arts Commission, Hub City Press, and South Carolina Humanities. The College of Charleston and South Carolina State Library are also partners.
The South Carolina Novel Prize (formerly the First Novel Prize) is open to any South Carolina writer, including those who have never had a novel published and those who have been published. Applicants’ works are reviewed anonymously by panelists who make their judgments on the basis of artistic merit and narrowed through two rounds of judging. Five novels will be judged in a third round by Watts.
Find the eligibility and restrictions and link to submit on SouthCarolinaArts.com.
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Ed. note: This post was updated March 12, 2020 with a deadline extension to March 23, reflected at the top of the post.
Author Stephanie Powell Watts to judge 2020 S.C. Novel competition
The South Carolina Arts Commission, the College of Charleston Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, the South Caroline State Library, SC Humanities, and Hub City Press announce Stephanie Powell Watts as the judge for the 2018 South Carolina Novel Prize.
Stephanie Powell Watts won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for her debut story collection, We Are Taking Only What We Need (2012), also named one of 2013’s Best Summer Reads by O: The Oprah Magazine. Her short fiction has been included in two volumes of the Best New Stories from the South anthology and honored with a Pushcart Prize. Born in the foothills of North Carolina, with a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri and a bachelor's from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she now lives with her husband and son in Pennsylvania where she is an associate professor at Lehigh University.
The South Carolina Novel Prize (formerly the First Novel Prize) is open to any South Carolina writer, including those who have never had a novel published and those who have been published. The contest is highly competitive. Applicants’ works are reviewed anonymously by panelists who make their judgments on the basis of artistic merit and narrowed through two rounds of judging. Five novels will be judged in a third round by Watts.
The winning author will receive a book contract with Hub City Press, an award-winning independent press in Spartanburg. The winner is awarded publication by Hub City Press in the form of a printing of no less than 2,000 copies to be nationally distributed to the trade in 2021. This can bring recognition that may open doors to other resources and opportunities in the literary community.
Submissions open Jan. 1, 2020 and close March 15, 2020. Find complete eligibility requirements and application guidelines at SouthCarolinaArts.com.
Hub City Press, Charles Frazier partner on new book series
'Extraordinary' Southern writers to be put in spotlight
National Book Award winner Charles Frazier and Hub City Press are teaming up on a new series of books spotlighting extraordinary writers from the American South.
Beginning in spring 2019, the Cold Mountain Fund Series will publish literary fiction in hardback.
Frazier, best-selling author of “Cold Mountain,” “Thirteen Moons," “Nightwoods," and “Varina,” will provide financial support through the Frazier family’s Cold Mountain Fund at the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. Frazier also will assist in book promotion and make occasional appearances with the Cold Mountain Fund Series authors.
“I have long considered Hub City Press to be one of the very finest independent publishers in the country and am excited to help foster their already excellent offerings of literary fiction,” Frazier said.
Hub City Press, now in its 24th year, is the South’s premier independent literary press. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Hub City is focused on finding and publishing new and extraordinary voices from the South. Among its recent successes are an NPR Book of the Year, a Kirkus Book of the Year, a book longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and coverage in “The Los Angeles Times” and “The New York Times.”
“I couldn't be more thrilled at this new partnership,” said Meg Reid, director of Hub City Press. “Charles Frazier has long been one of the South’s greatest writers, as well as one of Hub City’s most ardent supporters. This series will be vital in helping us continue our mission to find and champion the finest fiction the South has to offer.”
The first three books in the series will be:
- “The Magnetic Girl” by Jessica Handler of Atlanta (April 2019),
- “Watershed” by Mark Barr of Little Rock, Ark. (October 2019),
- and “The Prettiest Star” by Carter Sickels of Lexington, Ky. (April 2020).