Writer's Groups: Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Allstory

This is truly fascinating. I recently stumbled upon the website of a filmmaker, who supports the arts in all kinds of ways. Francis Ford Coppola not only makes films and wine, runs restaurants and a travel agency, he also supports a literary magazine and a virtual film studio.

Zoetrope: Allstory is a magazine that publishes short fiction. It is a winner of the National Magazine Award for Fiction. Coppola began the magazine in 1997, "to explore the intersection of story and art, fiction and film", according to the website.

Each year, the magazine holds contests for short fiction and screenplays, and finalists are considered for representation by ten different literary agencies. Not to mention the thousand-dollar prize.

One of the best things about Zoetrope: Allstory, is their commitment to writers. They offer free memberships to Zoetrope Virtual Studio, a community with workshops dedicated to writers of fiction, screenplays, poems, and songs. They also include photographers, storyboard artists, and filmmakers. It sounds like a great place to find a supportive community to critique your work.

The nice thing about the Virtual Studio, is that they create a "virtual private office" for you. In your office, you have ten megabytes of file space, which you can share only with those members you select (or everyone, if you choose).

If you are interested in submitting a story to Zoetrope, read the submission guidelines. You may also want to order a few back issues, or read some of the stories posted online, to get an idea of what they publish.

Interested in more writing groups? Check them out here.