A quick reminder that this year’s Joy of the Pen deadline is coming up! Get your submissions in before 4pm on Saturday, October 2!

Joy of the Pen is open for submissions! Click the application link to get started! Help us spread the word by sharing our poster/image!

The Joy of the Pen Literary Journal is now updated for 2020! Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank you to the participants for taking part and our sponsors for supporting us again this year. We’re looking forward to seeing you all at out special reception in the summer!

All of the work is now with the judges for review with a deadline of November 14. We will announce the winners soon after. Thank you to all that entered this year!

After careful consideration and discussion, and a review of online awards, the library has decided that we will postpone the Joy of the Pen reception until the summer. What we envision is an outside celebration, possibly a tea party, that will celebrate the winners of all our joys this year: Joy of Art, Joy of the Lens and Joy of the Pen. Of course, you are all invited! We hope it will give us all something to look forward to throughout the winter months.

It’s nearly time to start submitting to this year’s Joy of the Pen! Submissions open on Saturday, September 5th. All our sponsors have confirmed for another year and we’re adding three new categories this year: Kids fiction, kids poetry and pandemic reflections (all ages).

Joy of the Pen New Poster

You can now read this year’s winners, look at the judges’ bios and see photos from the reception all updated on this site! Also, look out in the next Cryer for a special feature!

The deadline is here. We have all of the submissions in and they’ll be winging their way to the judges by the end of the week!

Good news, everyone! Joy of the Pen is open for submissions on Saturday, September 7. The Cryer, Friends of the Topsham Public Library, Just Write Books and the TPL Teen Room are all joining us again as sponsors! Please share this poster far and wide!

Joy of the Pen New Poster

You can now read the winners’ work on the front page of this journal: joyofthepen.topshamlibrary.org.

This year’s judges bios can be found here.

This year’s entrants can be found here.

Thank you to everyone who came to the reception on Saturday and made it such a wonderful event. My special thanks to:

Everyone who entered the competition.

Charles Crosby and the Cryer for sponsoring our named awards and speaking at the reception.

Nancy Randolph and Just Write Books for sponsoring the Maine Nonfiction Award.

Our judges this year: Dana Cary, Laufey, John Leggett, Nancy Randolph and Diane Waterhouse.

The Friends of the Public Library, especially Melissa Hoy, Mathea Hoy and Ruth Mlotek for their help.

The staff at Topsham Public Library.

Congratulations to all the winners!