Texas Bound is part of Arts & Letters Live, the literary and performing arts series at the Dallas Museum of Art, which is seeking stories for upcoming Texas Bound programs. Texas Bound features Texas-connected actors reading works of short fiction by Texas-connected authors. The program takes place in Dallas during the winter and spring months.

Notable authors featured in past programs include Sarah Bird, Oscar Casares, John Bloom, Larry L. King, Steve Martin, Sandra Cisneros, Shelby Hearon, John Graves, Larry McMurtry, and Tim O’Brien. Well-known actors participating in Texas Bound have included Tommy Lee Jones, Kathy Bates, Marcia Gay Harden, William Jackson Harper, Thomas Gibson, Luke Wilson, and G. W. Bailey.

Texas Bound presents a range of fiction, from light-hearted and comic stories to dramatic narratives. The audience is warm and supportive and open to some challenging material.

Please review the Texas Bound flyer for specific guidelines before submitting. The DMA will accept stories throughout the summer.

Story Requirements

Short fiction, essay, or novel excerpt on any theme written by an author who has lived in Texas OR

Short fiction with a Texas setting, subject, character, or theme

Reads aloud well to an audience

Represents your best work

2,000–6,000 words in length

Text should be in a 12-point font, double-spaced, with numbered pages throughout 

Include your mailing address, email address, and phone number
 

Previously published stories are accepted as well as those not yet published (if published, please note source where story originally appeared). Excerpts from novels will be considered as long as the author specifies an excerpt with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

To submit up to two stories for consideration in this program, please complete all fields and attach the files here.

Submissions will be considered over the summer. Emails confirming receipt of manuscripts will be sent. Manuscripts will not be returned. A representative from the series will contact you if your story is chosen for the 2021 Texas Bound program; no other notifications will be sent. Authors whose submissions are selected will receive a $150 honorarium and two complimentary tickets to the reading.