Attention scribes: You can pen a short story about Port Coquitlam — and have a chance to see it professionally illustrated for a downtown pathway — in a contest tied to the city's 100th May Days.
Organized by the municipality and the Terry Fox Library, the Flash Fiction competition is open to PoCo residents of all ages until May 13.
It calls for stories about the city in 750 words or less (title not included in the word count).
Writers are asked to tell a tale that contains a magic item, as well as the number 100 to mark the festival's centennial year.
Entries will be judged on literary merit, use of language, originality and writing style.
The winning entry will go up along the Donald Storywalk, with the author also clinching a $75 gift card to Western Sky Books in PoCo.
Two runners-up will also gain gift cards to the book store.
Last year's winner was Logan Willis, a creative writing major at Douglas College who wrote a story titled Riches of the River; his words are illustrated by Akemi Emma Ito.
To apply to the Flash Fiction Contest, you can visit Port Coquitlam's May Days page.
You can also check out the features of the Donald Storywalk on the city's website.
