Coastal Carolina University is sponsoring a “Creative Sociology Writing Competition” which invites submissions of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction that align with the theme “Empathy and Science.” The contest is open to all graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in a South Carolina college or university. The submission deadline of September 25, 2023. SC Humanities supported this project with a Fast Track Literary Grant,
The competition is intended to elicit inspiring pieces of writing that combine the Sociological Imagination and the craft of writing to cultivate persepctive taking among readers. The goal is to help those studying and practicing sociology engage with nonacademic audiences and practice in a more public, interdisciplinary format. Topics may include but are not limited to health care, criminal justice, climate change, gun violence, immigration, and identity-based discrimination.
Project Director Dr. Lisa Winters said, “At its core, sociology is about exploring the human experience and trying to make sense of the social world. Unfortunately, sociologists do not always engage with nonacademic audiences or other disciplines in meaningful ways. The proposed literary project is important because it promotes a more accessible sociological scholarship. In other words, it encourages the practice of a more public, interdisciplinary sociology.”
First Prize is $500; Second Prize is $300; and Third Prize is $200. A virtual reading event and celebration will take place in late October 2023.
More information, including submission guidelines, can be found at https://www.coastal.edu/soc/creativesoc/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or 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. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
