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Three-Minute Fiction Slam

Ready! Set! Slam!

Summer is drawing to a close and Fall is at its heels. And, you know what that means — The Three-Minute Fiction Slam!!

The 2022 Three-Minute Fiction Slam will kick off this month. This is an entirely free event for NHWP members. Nonmembers can participate in the preliminary rounds, but any nonmember who makes it to the finals will have to pay a $25 entrance fee to be considered for the prizes.

The prizes are:

  1. $250 first prize
  2. Entry to NHWP 603 Writers’ Conference  (valued at $165)
  3. One free workshop valued at $30

Want to participate?

The NHWP Three-Minute Fiction Slam preliminaries will be held at the following venues on the dates indicated.  Contact the host of the meeting where you would like to participate to sign up for the event. Each venue will be limited to 12 participants, so sign-up now!

  • Derry Writers’ Night Out Group, October 26 at 6:00 PM at the Marion Gerrish Center, contact: Katharine Webster katharine_webster@msn.com
  • Monandock Writer’s Group, October 15 at 9:45 at the Peterborough Town Library, contact: Carl Mabbs-Zeno at monadnockwriters@gmail.com
  • Manchester, October 18 at the Ford House from 7:00-9:00 PM, contact: Masheri Chappelle at masheri@nhwritersproject.org
  • Nashua Writers’ Night Out Group, November 1 at 7:00 PM on Zoom, contact: Ron Stokes at programs@nhwritersproject.org (this is a virtual event so it is open to anyone in the state and not limited to participants in the Nashua area only)
  • Concord YMCA, November 5 at 12:00 PM, contact: Diana Moore at dmoore@graniteymca.org

The 2021 Three-Minute Fiction Slam Winners

Due to COVID-19 restriction many of the Three-Minute Slam Fiction forums did not meet and were on hiatus. As a result, only two groups met and held the Three-Minute Slam Fiction event in 2021: The Monadnock Writers’ Group and the Nashua NHWP Writers’ Night Out (WNO) Group. Consequently, there will be no formal Three-Minute Slam Fiction Final for 2021.

Deni Dickler was the Monadnock Writers Group winner with her piece, A Rose by any Other Name. Kelsey Gallant of the Nashua NHWP WNO group won for her submission, The Breakup. Each will receive a check for $100.00 for their participation in their group’s competition. Congratulations to Deni Dickler and Kelsey Gallant!

The 2022 Three-Minute Slam Fiction Finals will be held Saturday Nov 12, 2022.


What is the Three-Minute Fiction Slam?

Three-Minute Fiction Slam is a fast-paced literary competition that challenges writers to perform original pieces of fiction in three minutes or less in front of a panel of judges. Each year, the competition begins in regions throughout the state. Each regional winner competes in the final competition. The prize for the winner is $250; second and third place finalists will receive a NHWP workshop of their choice.

How does the event work?

Here is what you can expect from a Three-Minute Fiction Slam contest:

  • The host welcomes the audience and writers and offers a general overview of the evening.
  • Writers take turns presenting original flash fiction pieces of no more than three minutes in length when read aloud.
  • After each writer is done, judges give (very brief) verbal feedback and secretly record a numeric score out of five. One point overall will be deducted if an author goes over the allotted three minutes.
  • The judges keep a private score for each piece. At the end of the night, the contestant with the highest score wins. In the event of a tie, the audience selects the winner through an “Applause-O-Meter” test as determined by the judges.
  • Regional winners are invited to participate in the Three-Minute Fiction Slam state finals. If they cannot attend, then the runner-up will be sent.
  • Past winners have performed their works for the Business in the Arts Awards Ceremony, the Currier Museum, and on-air at NHPR.

Want to host a contest?

Regional contests are produced by Writers’ Night Out hosts, educational institutions, libraries, or otherwise interested volunteers. Producers do three things prior to an event. First, they select and book a venue between now and early March. Pubs, coffee shops, rock clubs, and restaurants have all hosted events in the past. Second, the producer acts as contact for registration. The regional competition is limited to 10 participants, so a waiting list may need to be maintained in case someone gets cold feet. Third, the host selects three judges. Still interested in producing a contest? Let us know and we can help get you set up.