Elwood Writers is judging the AWR Contest 2025 | Theme: Buyers’ Remorse

Elwood Writers has been invited to judge this year’s American Writers Review (San Fedele Press) literary contest – we’re delighted to be on board. The theme is:

Buyers’ Remorse
It seemed like such a good idea…. But now?

American Writers Review

Submissions are now open and close on August 1, 2025. Please click here to read the guidelines carefully before submitting. There’s a cash prize involved for the overall winner.

The anthology is simultaneously accepting regular submissions – the window for this closes a month later, on September 1, 2025. Again, please familiarise yourself with the guidelines before submitting your work. See here for details.

Editor Donna Ferrara is seeking contributions in a wide range of categories, including visual art and photography – and, for the first time, drama/monologues.

For our new issue, we are seeking written work and imagery that springs from the moment when the best-laid schemes have turned to dust. The crash can be obvious, subtle, even not yet realized. The piece’s point of view could be disappointed or triumphant or oblivious. The moment of remorse could be immediate, in the future, or long in the past.

American Writers Review

We’ve established a very productive relationship with San Fedele Press over the years, with our fiction, memoir and poetry appearing in a variety of their publications. International literary connections such as this are so important, and well worth nurturing, especially in these troubled times.

If you decide to enter the contest, and we hope you do, we look forward to receiving your work.

Best of luck!

EW

American Writers Review 2023

Congratulations to Barry, with two stories in the latest issue of American Writers Review from San Fedele Press. Elwood Writers has a formidable history of contributing work to AWR, and we’re thrilled that the group continues to be represented in this year’s issue.

barryleethompson.com

We had the pleasure of sighting Barry’s contributor copy at the last Elwood Writers workshop, and I think we all agreed that San Fedele Press have outdone themselves – it really is a beautiful book, containing wonderfully compelling stories and artwork. Info about how to get your hands on a copy can be found in Barry’s blog post, linked just over to the left.

Happy reading!

EW

Now available: American Writers Review 2022

The brand new American Writers Review is out!

This edition of AWR, The End or the Beginning?, features stories from two members of Elwood Writers. Jennifer’s ‘The First Day’ and Barry’s ‘Half Life’ are included among contributions from writers and artists all over the world.

There are a couple of ways to buy the book: either contact San Fedele Press directly by clicking here, or go via Amazon by clicking here.

American Writers Review 2022 | The End or the Beginning? | San Fedele Press (USA)

For more information on American Writers Review and the work of San Fedele Press, visit them at their website, here.

Congratulations to San Fedele Press and to all the contributors to this edition of AWR!

EW

The End or the Beginning? | American Writers Review 2022

We received a preview of the cover of the forthcoming edition of American Writers Review this morning, and are excited to see that both Jennifer and Barry have stories included in this year’s anthology.

American Writers Review 2022 | San Fedele Press

For some years now, San Fedele Press has consistently come up with terrific journals featuring talent from all over the world, with compelling art and writing that addresses important contemporary themes. This year’s anthology is looking like no exception. We can’t wait to read it.

More details soon. In the meantime, for information on San Fedele Press and their publications, drop by their website via the link here.

Happy reading and writing, as always!

EW

Reading: San Fedele Press | 12 June 2022 @ 2pm EST (US), on Zoom

Our friends at San Fedele Press in the USA are having a literary reading this weekend: Sunday 12 June at 2pm EST (US), on Zoom. All the Elwood Writers were fortunate to be able to attend the last SFP event, an ice-cream social where Helen and Barry were among contributors reading their work from the 2021 edition of American Writers Review.

We’d like to say we’ll be attending this weekend’s event, but with the time difference between the eastern seaboard of the US and Australia, we’d have to be firing up our computers at 4am on Monday. But you never know. Anyway, fingers crossed that the event’s being recorded again, so we can keep an eager eye out for the video.

Details, including a handy Zoom link, below:

On Zoom, Sunday, June 12 at 2 p.m. EST.

Highlighting American Writers Review contributors:
Gale Martin, “The Year of Cortisol”
Dr. Joel Savishinski, “Toilet Paper Panic”
Ana M. Fores Tamayo, in English and Spanish, “New Day Dawn/El amanecer”

Following the readings, there will be a Q & A.


To join, click on the link below:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89951562488?pwd=aE1UaXhQUXpMMEsvbDV6QTlFVU9CZz09
Meeting ID: 899 5156 2488
Passcode: 257657

More information at https://www.americanwritersreview.com/ or email info@sanfedelepress.com
San Fedele Press

San Fedele Press: The Second Ice Cream Social | reviewed by Jennifer Bryce

Most of us here in Australia were sipping coffee rather than eating ice cream when we logged into the Ice Cream Social at 7.30 am Eastern Australian Daylight Time on Sunday 31st October – it was 4.30 pm Saturday in New Jersey. Patricia A. Florio, the founding publisher of American Writers Review, was a most welcoming convenor.

Continue reading “San Fedele Press: The Second Ice Cream Social | reviewed by Jennifer Bryce”

Ice Cream Social

Who likes ice cream? We do! Who loves an ice-cream social? We certainly do! So imagine our delight when we heard that American Writers Review is throwing one on Saturday October 30. And to add to the joy, Helen and Barry will be among contributors reading a selection of their pieces from the latest issue of AWR, Turmoil and Recovery. There’ll also be readings from Art in the Time of COVID-19. Both books are published by San Fedele Press.

Our Ice Cream Social at Wilkes University was a delight. While we can’t hand out the ice cream this year, we can share some of the wonderful work of our latest two books with you virtually.

San Fedele Press

Now, because this event is being hosted from the Jersey Shore in the US, we have to adjust the time to our location here in Australia. And it turns out that we’ll be enjoying ice-cream over an early breakfast on the Sunday morning. Even die-hard ice-cream fans Jennifer and Barry would struggle to eat any at that hour. It’ll more likely be a strong-coffee-and-Danish-pastry social for us.

San Fedele Press say that this event is of particular interest to ‘those who are interested in writing for our publication, new writers, and seasoned writers’. If you’d like to learn more about the publications and the event, go here. You’ll find the Zoom link at the top of the page you land on.

We might see you there. With ice cream, Danish, or otherwise!

American Writers Review 2021

American Writers Review 2021: Turmoil and Recovery

Barry just sent us this picture of him holding his newly arrived contributor copy of American Writers Review. Nice hat, Barry. He says he’s really been enjoying delving in to the book since receiving it a few days ago. It’s the ideal companion, he says, for curling up with on chilly winter nights in old Melbourne town.

The theme of this year’s edition of the journal is ‘turmoil and recovery’, and the anthology features work from an array of international writers and artists, including stories and poetry from Barry and fellow Elwood Writer Helen.

To find out how you could also be posing in a beautiful garden setting with your very own copy of this wonderful book, head over to the journal’s website at the link here.

Happy posing and reading!

American Writers Review 2021: Turmoil and Recovery

As of this writing, the pandemic continues, killing record numbers of people. Moreover, countries that had enjoyed democratic governments are facing authoritarian attacks. Divisions run through the fabric of our homes, our families, our nations. At the same moment, there are wellsprings of hope, love, and connection.

‘Our 2021 Issue’, from American Writers Review website

A brand new edition of American Writers Review has just been released by San Fedele Press, and once again we’re excited to see the journal featuring original work from our own Elwood Writers Helen McDonald and Barry Lee Thompson.

American Writers Review 2021: Turmoil and Recovery

Helen has three poems in the book: ‘Aftermath’, ‘Covid Lockdown (an Haibun)’, and ‘Restoration’.

From Barry, there are three short stories: ‘Glassy’, ‘Afterdark’, and ‘First Day Of Summer’.

For more information, including how to get hold of a copy of American Writers Review 2021: Turmoil and Recovery, follow the links found here.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this latest issue. We can’t wait to get our hands on it.

Happy reading and writing, as always.

Elwood Writers