Certamen Petronianum II (Not Really Connecticut Related, but Please Consider It)

Nova Roma is seeking short stories set in the Roman Republic for an amateur historical fiction contest. Three winning stories will be published publicly on Nova Roma's website and the winning authors will be awarded the following prizes:

3rd Prize - A genuine, identifiable Roman coin, provided by C. Claudius Quadratus.

2nd Prize - An assortment of spices favored by the Romans, courtesy of Sibylla Ambrosia Fulvia, the proprietress of Auntie Arwen's Spice Shop.

A genuine, identifiable Roman coin, provided by C. Claudius Quadratus.

1st Prize - 3 days and nights of completely free accommodation in the Dea Diana Bed & Breakfast (please see details about this establishment at http://www.bbdeadiana.it/) , generously provided by C. Aurelius Vindex.

A genuine high-quality Roman coin, provided by C. Claudius Quadratus.

All entries must be submitted to <certamen.petronianum@gmail.com> by 17th November 2015. Submissions should include name and a mailing address.

Additional rules:

• The Certamen Petronianum is open to all writers without nationality restrictions. Authors under 18 may participate with the permission of a guardian.
• All entries will be judged anonymously.
• Entries for the Certamen Petronianum II must be tales set in ancient Rome, during the Republic.
• Entries must be written in English, and have a maximum length of 3000 words.
• Entrants may submit only one tale, and the entry must be accompanied by a completed entry form.
• Entries must be submitted in Word, RTF or plain text file. The tale shall contain no pictures.
• Each tale must be the original work of the author, and must not have been previously published or successfully entered in to other contests.
• The judges' decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
• By submitting your story, you give non-exclusive permission for it to be posted publicly on the Nova Roma website should it be selected as one of the top three stories. Nova Roma will not use your story for any purpose other than the above, and particularly not for sale, without further written permission from you. At no time will you lose access to your own copyright, and you retain the right to post, submit, or publish your story elsewhere as you see fit (although doing so prior to the announcement of the winning stories may result in disqualification).

Final judging will be done by author Jo Walton and Latinist A. Tullia Scholastica

Please see additional details at:

http://novaroma.org/nr/Certamen_Petronianum_II

 

No submission or reading fees.

Hebdomada Aenigmatum

Another interesting discovery: this is an online periodical devoted mainly to word puzzles in Latin.

It seems to be suitable for the beginner, but I'll have to try the games myself to judge how difficult they really are.

Past issues can be downloaded at: http://www.mylatinlover.it/past_issues_6.html

Monthly Charity Idea

M. Equitius Noctua has made the interesting suggestion of choosing a charity to support each month and encouraging contributions. Those in the know will see the resemblance between this project and  Pandora's Kharis, a similar initiative to encourage charitable giving in the Hellenic Reconstructionist community which indeed served as an inspiration.

For the month of October, we've had the following suggestions:

Pagan Federation International - This organization works towards greater tolerance and acceptance of pagans around the world.
Saving Palmyra Digitally - This is a private effort to recreate the now destroyed ruins of Palmyra in a digital format. Money goes toward the software necessary for the project.
The International Rescue Committee - This is an organization aimed at providing help to victims of the worst crises worldwide.
Voting is now open on the trial forum. Please give your imput on what our first cause should be.

Meeting in West Hartford

We are currently planning a short, informal meeting in West Hartford next week. Take a look at the event page on Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/Nova-Roma-in-Eastern-Connecticut/events/225762228/) to see the plans as they currently stand and to RSVP.

The Scapegoat by Sophia Nikolaidou

Though it's a little off topic for this blog, I'd like to mention a recent translation borrowed from the Mary Cheney Library. This is a fictionized account of events in modern Greece during the Civil War and the current financial crisis.
Thing which really impressed me was how classically literate the high school students were, not only in Greek antiquity, but in Latin as well. The way that this is presented, it seems to be a faithful representation of the modern Greek educational system, which is showcased over the course of the novel, particularly its defects (much of the energy of the more devoted students is focused onto a single high-stakes test at the end of their high school career; student protests actually shut classes down for a day - to the shock of a visiting German tourist).

The Scapegoat

New Latin Poetry Online

   While looking up "Latin Poetic Composition" to find any tips that would help in creating an entry for Scribonius Nasica's Latin poetic composition contest, I discover this online literary magazine, Vates. Interestingly enough, it is edited by the translator of Hobbitus Ille.

A Fortuitous Discovery

  A search for "Fortuna" on the web today happened to turn up this page, part of an enormous project to catalogue lesser-known goddesses, including the many titles/aspects of the well known and powerful.
   The Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, and Phoenician pantheons are being covered in addition to the Roman, which so far has the most articles at 97.