"Agon Literary Review: Beauty of Hellenismos" is AVAILABLE

After an extremely belated period of production (for which we are profoundly apologetic), the Agon Literary Review is available for purchase.

"The Beauty of Hellenismos" was a topic that brought forth varying submissions from the world modern Hellenic Polytheism, and we are delighted and proud to showcase the entries in this compilation.

Available as both a bound paperback and as an economically- and ecologically-friendly PDF, "The Beauty of Hellenismos" is great addition at every price point.

http://asteriabooks.com/catalog/agon-review.html

Backlogged but Happy

Hear my pledge, Zeus and my most beloved Kypris, that I WILL get back on track with the portions of my life that are not directly related to school!

Okay, so my last post was about how I was looking forward to starting the first of the work toward my MA in Religious Studies. I am solidly past mid-term in my first semester, and I think I am finally finding my feet. Returning to campus when you've been away for 13 years is a ticklish business. Trust me.

And I LOVE, love, LoVe it, but I have been out of commission for nearly everything else that I am supposed to be doing. No freelance work, no social time, very little exercise (except for the outrageous amounts of walking that happen on this huge and hilly campus). I've even completely let the publication of the Agon Literary Review slide -- after we had such wonderful submissions, too!

I have hope, though. Yay! My carrel is full of delicious books in the library (which is where I'm sitting now, actually. It's one of my new happy places.) I have a to-do list for all of my non-school projects, and I am going to start today. In fact, this blog entry is my first task. (Check!) Next: recruiting a co-moderator for the Thiasos Aphrodite yahoo group -- someone who will spur on some discussions and such.

More than that, though, I know that we at Asteria Books need to get the Agon Literary Review in publishable form. We owe it to our contributors, and I know that the community will be delighted to read their submissions regrading "The Beauty of Hellenismos."

I'll post soon about some of the research I am doing. I am very excited about it!

2010 Asteria Agon Winners

Oh, 'tis the summer of being perpetually a half-step behind. =) We have reviewed the entries for the Asteria Books Agon, and we have conclusively determined the winners in each category for which we had submissions.

First, though, we would like to thank all of the entrants who participated by sharing their work with us and with the greater Hellenic Polytheist community. This contest was an opportunity to cross some of the boundaries that we often feel within our community and look at what it is that draws us to Hellenismos. In this case, each contestant shared his or her vision of the "Beauty of Hellenismos," and we believe that we see within the collective works a very rounded picture of what makes this religion beautiful indeed.

Essay
1st place -- "The Anatomy of Beauty" by Lesley Madytinou
2nd place -- "Hellenismos is Beautiful" by Sannion
3rd place -- "Demeter in Winter" by Suzanne Thackston

Memoir
1st place -- "A Beautiful Death" by Lesley Madytinou

Short Story
1st place -- "Out of His Body" by Robert Davis

Poetry
1st place -- "My First Goddess" by Robert Davis
2nd place -- "Deus Rusticum" by Ruby Sara

Photography
1st place -- Untitled photograph by Ted Garvin

Each of our 1st Place winners will receive free entrance to the Midwest Hellenic Fest (a three-day Hellenismos-focused festival retreat). This year, all our entrants will receive hard copies of The Agon Literary Review 2010 compilation.


Our Top 3 Agon Entrants will receive cash prizes as an honorarium of their work. These awards aren't hefty, but they are heartfelt laurels. May the fair-haired Muses continue to smile upon you all!

Top 3 Entries:
1st place overall -- "A Beautiful Death" by Lesley Madytinou
2nd place overall --  "The Anatomy of Beauty" by Lesley Madytinou
3rd place overall -- "Hellenismos is Beautiful" by Sannion

We'll be posting excerpts soon, and the full compilation (available in both print and e-book formats) will be available within the week.

Agon Extension

NOTICE: DEADLINE EXTENSION TO AUGUST 1

We at Asteria Books were naughty adjudicators of our first Agon. We got swamped in June and forgot to remind folks to submit their entries before July 1. Though we know it wasn't strictly required, we just felt like it was the fair thing to do. So, in fairness, we are giving interested participants an extension. We will accept entries through August 1.

All other details remain the same. http://asteriabooks.com/agon.html

Agon Literary Review 2010

Ο Αγώνας
The Agon Literary Review

An agon is a competition, a challenge, a contest. An agon was a part of a poetic or dramatic performance. It was a verbal sparring between characters in comedy. It was an athletic competition or race.

In 2010, Asteria Books is initiating its first literary agon for the Hellenic community. Beginning this year, we will sponsor an annual literary contest for the entire Hellenic community. Each annual competition will be formulated around a theme or central question that each writer/artist will address according to his/her vision.


2010 Theme
“The Beauty of Hellenismos”

Submission categories will include:

• Essay
• Memoir
• Short Story
• Poetry
• Flash Fiction
• Photography
• Fine Art

Top Prizes Include:
• free entrance to the Midwest Hellenic Fest (a three-day Hellenismos-focused festival retreat) for each category winner
• cash prizes for the top 3 overall submissions

Furthermore, category runners-up will receive:
• hard copies of The Agon Literary Review 2010 compilation

Additional prizes may be announced prior to the close of the submission period.


Rules:
• Each entrant may submit only one (1) piece of writing/art per category.
• Entrants may submit pieces to multiple categories, if they choose.
• Each category will be judged separately, making it possible to rank as a finalist or winner in more than one area.
• Judges may not submit work to the contest.
• The submissions of the 3 finalists in each contest category will be included in the compilation.
• Entrants retain their individual copyright to any material submitted to the contest
• Submission of material to this contest provides The Agon Literary Review and Asteria Books with the right to publish said material in electronic and print formats both in the annual compilation and for promotional purposes on the Asteria Books website
• No compensation other than the listed prizes will be made in exchange for material
• Textual submissions must be made in Word format
• Photography and fine art submissions must be made in JPG format with a quality of at least 300 dpi
• Submission deadline is June 30, 2010. Winners and finalists will be announced July 7, 2010.


Send all submissions to laurelei@asteriabooks.com