Rick Bass judges fiction prize, edits Whitefish Review

Rick Bass will serve as the judge for Whitefish Review’s first fiction prize and will guest edit the literary magazine’s 12th issue, “Beneath the Surface.”

“What is essential, wrote Saint-Exupery, is often invisible to the eye,” Bass said.

“How do we see with our other senses? How do we know without knowing. The depths of one’s heart can lead a traveler to this kind of other-knowledge, as can, certainly, the unplumbed depths — the limitless depths — of science, and everything that lies between the arts and the sciences.

“In typical bold and grand style, Whitefish Review's special issue will publish art, photography and poetry that address this theme. We look forward to the discoveries.”

The first-place winner of the Rick Bass/Montana Prize for Fiction will win $1,000 and will be published in Whitefish Review’s 12th issue, which will be released Dec. 8.

Runners-up and finalists may be considered for publication. A long essay by Bass will anchor the issue.

Bass' fiction has received O. Henry awards, numerous Pushcart prizes, awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, among others. Most recently, his memoir “Why I Came West” was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Whitefish Review is a nationally acclaimed, nonprofit journal publishing the distinctive literature, art and photography of mountain culture. Author Doug Peacock recently called it "one of the most refreshing journals to hit the literary scene in years."

The deadline for submissions is Oct. 15. There is a $15 fee to submit for the fiction prize, while submissions in nonfiction, poetry, art and photography do not carry a fee.

Submissions are accepted via an online submission manager at www.whitefishreview.org. For full guidelines, visit the website.