Faux Faulkner contest
Encyclopedia
The Faux Faulkner contest was an annual parody essay contest founded in 1989 by Dean Faulkner Wells, niece of Nobel laureate William Faulkner
, with her husband Lawrence Wells, and sponsored by Yoknapatawpha Press and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture
. It was held 16 times until 2005. The contest attracted as many as 750 entries in a single year from several countries as well as all of the 50 United States
. The winners were published annually in Hemispheres
magazine (the onboard magazine for United Airlines
and the contest's corporate sponsor) and often received coverage in other major media outlets such as USA Today
and MSNBC
. The contest has been on hold since 2005 while it seeks a new corporate sponsor.
The objective of the contest is to create the best entry to parody William Faulkner's uniquely artistic style of writing, his themes, his plots, or his characters, in a short-short story of 500 words or less.
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
, with her husband Lawrence Wells, and sponsored by Yoknapatawpha Press and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture
Center for the Study of Southern Culture
The Center for the Study of Southern Culture , located in Barnard Observatory on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, Mississippi, is an academic organization dedicated to the investigation, documentation, interpretation and teaching of the Southern United States, including its culture...
. It was held 16 times until 2005. The contest attracted as many as 750 entries in a single year from several countries as well as all of the 50 United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The winners were published annually in Hemispheres
Hemispheres (magazine)
Hemispheres, the onboard magazine for United Airlines and Continental Airlines. With a readership of approximately 7 million per month, Hemispheres ranks as the most-honored inflight magazine in the U.S., having won more prestigious awards than any other....
magazine (the onboard magazine for United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
and the contest's corporate sponsor) and often received coverage in other major media outlets such as USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. The contest has been on hold since 2005 while it seeks a new corporate sponsor.
The objective of the contest is to create the best entry to parody William Faulkner's uniquely artistic style of writing, his themes, his plots, or his characters, in a short-short story of 500 words or less.