As I Lay Blogging

As I am sure you know, Hemispheres magazine- the in-flight journal of United Airlines- has sponsored an annual literary contest over the past few years. In this contest, authors are invited to write in the styles of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway. The "faux Faulkner" and "imitation Hemmingway" contest rules, along with the past winning entries, can be found here. The Faulkner contest is co-sponsored by the University of Mississippi's Department of English and Center for the Study of Southern Culture, as well as Yoknapatawpha Press.

There was apparently a bit of controversy over the winner of the faux Faulkner award this year. Sam Apple wrote a parody of "The Sound and the Fury" with George Bush cast as the role of the Benjy, the 33 year old mentally challenged narrator. So Hemispheres magazine chose not to publish the winning essay in their print version (although it does appear on their Web site). Read and enjoy.