Events

This contest is part of the 2020 Centre County Reads/CALS Community Read of National Book Award Winner Alice McDermott’s novel Charming Billy, in which various characters try to figure out the best ways to show care for the titular Billy as he battles with his ultimately fatal alcoholism.

Tracing the experiences of an extended Irish-American family across the twentieth century, the novel invites us to consider to whom we show care and how we show that care. As Billy navigates relationships with friends, family, and lovers, we as readers might also consider how to show care in ways that sustain ourselves and the objects of our care. Inspired by this ongoing negotiation of human connection, enter your best example of writing—7,500 words or less—in which someone or something receives care in one of the following categories: Best Short Fiction, Best Nonfiction, Best Poetry, and Best Entry for a Writer under 18.

Winners will receive a $200 grand prize. Please send entries to cals@psu.edu and include a cover letter with your name, address, contact information, a brief biography, and contest category. Winning entries will be displayed at Schlow Centre Region Library and on the CALS website.