From The L Magazine‘s blog:

Literary Upstart, our annual short-story competition and reading series, is now accepting submissions—it’s a snow day, what are you waiting for, here are the guidelines—and, as we gear up for the first reading, in March, we’re proud to announce the judges for this year’s competition.

Our Distinguished and Frequently Sober Panel of Literary Insiders will, as they do every year, assess the literary quality (and performance) of each of the stories, and pronounce their judgments at the readings, in sessions equal parts Maoist self-criticism and American Idol (but friendlier than either). We value them for their wit and wisdom, and so should you. There are five returning judges, and one new addition to the panel, which is:

–Ben Greenman: author, New Yorker editor and pop critic, lyricist of satirical operetta, and Distinguished Spokesjudge since the dawn of Upstart.

-Cal Morgan, Editorial Director of HarperCollins and Fifty-Two Stories.

-Katherine Fausset, high-powered and hard-boiled Curtis Brown literary agent.

–Luis Jaramillo, author and New School writing instructor.

–Adam Bonislawski, L Magazine Contributing Editor and all-around swell dude.

-And this year, we’re also pleased to welcome, for the first time, Andy Hunter, cofounder and editor of Brooklyn’s very own world-saving lit mag Electric Literature.

These, then, are the people who’ll be reading, praising and constructively criticizing the stories of our readers this spring. Come join us—dates and more to be announced soon.