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"Our solidarity must be affirmed by a shared belief in a spirit of intellectual openness that celebrates diversity, welcomes dissent, and rejoices in collective dedication to truth...so that the way we live, teach, and work can reflect our joy in cultural diversity, our passion for justice, and our love of freedom.”-- bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress

The annual racial justice writing contest invites works of fiction, non-fiction, plays, or poems (of at least 50 lines) that consider or express efforts heed hooks’ call.

Eligibility and Prizes

All undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at SSU are eligible.

One undergraduate and one graduate winner will be announced in early January and will have their work published in Soundings East, the national literary magazine published by ����ֱ��. Each winner will also receive fifty dollars.

The undergraduate and graduate student winners will also be invited to read and/or share their work at an upcoming university event.

Entry Deadline: December 1, 2024

Undergraduate students: Please submit an unpublished work of no more than 2000 words to kcarey@salemstate.edu by December 1, 2024. Please put Undergrad RJ Contest in the subject line and attach work as a word doc or a PDF. Include a short bio and contact information. 

Graduate students: Please submit an unpublished work of no more than 2000 words to kvalens@salemstate.edu by December 1, 2024. Please put Graduate RJ Contest in the subject line and attach work as a word doc or a PDF.  Include a short bio and contact information.