call for submissions: ‘Haunting’ issue
MQR Mixtape
DEADLINE: June 1, 2025
INFO: MQR Mixtape is seeking submissions for Haunting, an issue guest edited by Malia Maxwell.
"For this issue of MQR Mixtape, I am seeking poems, essays, short fiction, and visual art that engage with the spectrum (and spectralities) of “haunting.” Give me ghost stories and habits broadly understood or work that engages specific traditions of haunting such as the apparitional lesbian or the haunted anthropocene. Give me metapoetic work that dis/engages formal traditions. Haunt me. For this issue, I am as much interested in haunted genres or subjects as I am in work that resists or enacts haunting on a formal level."
GUIDELINES:
Poetry: up to three poems
Prose*: up to 3,000 words (*short stories, flash fiction, non-fiction essays)
Visual art/photography: up to five works
Hybrid work**: up to five pages (**multimedia work, comics, collaborations (within and across disciplines), archival materials, love letters, etc. Surprise me!)
Only previously unpublished work will be considered. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted by another publication. Please send only one submission per window; subsequent submissions will be rejected automatically.
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2026 EMERGING WRITER AWARDS
Key West Literary Seminar
DEADLINE: June 2, 2025 by 11:59 pm EST (Letters of recommendation must be received by the following week)
ENTRY FEE: $12
INFO: We are now accepting applications for the 2026 Emerging Writer Awards.
The Cecelia Joyce Johnson Award, Scotti Merrill Award, and Marianne Russo Award recognize and support writers who possess exceptional talent and demonstrate potential for lasting literary careers.
Each award is tailored to a particular literary form. The Merrill Award recognizes a poet, while fiction writers may apply for either the Johnson Award (for a short story) or the Russo Award (for a novel-in-progress).
Winners of the 2026 Emerging Writer Awards received full tuition support for our January 2026 Seminar and Writers’ Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and appeared on stage during the Seminar. They will be in Key West from January 4 – 12, 2026.
Please review the criteria, complete the application form, and upload the required documents via Submittable. Due to an increased volume of applications and our thorough review process, we have implemented a $12 application fee to cover review costs.
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New Author Contest:Romantasy Stories For Young Adults By BIPOC Writers
Sweet July Books x Zando
DEADLINE: June 5, 2025 at 5:00pm ET
INFO: Zando is thrilled to announce the New Author Contest. The contest will recognize a BIPOC, unpublished, and unagented writer for an original short story of the romantasy genre for young adults with a first-place prize of being published in an anthology by Zando.
WHAT CAN I WIN?
The winner’s short story will be published in These Kindred Hearts edited by Shari B. Pennant, a collection of romantasy tales for young adults written by talented BIPOC voices. This anthology is being published by Zando on their Sweet July Books imprint.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
Genre: The story must contain elements of both romance and fantasy.
Length: 2,000 to 4,500 words
BIPOC Requirement: The protagonist(s) and love interest(s) of your story must be BIPOC
All entries must be the fully original creations of the entrants.
WHO CAN ENTER:
In order to enter, you must:
Be 18+ years old
Self-identify as BIPOC
Be resident of the United States, Puerto Rico, or any other territory and possession of the United States
Be unpublished and unagented at the time of your entry
HOW WILL ENTRIES BE JUDGED:
Submissions are evaluated by Zando’s editors with any final selection made by the Romantasy Collection’s Editor.
Judging will be conducted using the following criteria:
Appropriate story/content for young adults aged 12 to 18.
The story should also reflect the Romantasy genre, provide a hopeful and/or happy ending
Tone and voice
Premise
World-building.
Emotional connection
Writing quality
Uniqueness
WHAT HAPPENS IF I WIN?
One (1) winner will be judged and awarded. If you are the winner or an eligible finalist, you will be notified on or about July 18, 2025 via email and phone! Final contest results will be announced on our Website after July 18, 2025.
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Writer-in-Residence program
Associates of the Boston Public Library
DEADLINE: June 6, 2025 at 11:59 pm
INFO: The Associates of the Boston Public Library's Writer-in-Residence program is intended to:
Provide an emerging children’s writer with the financial support and office space needed to complete one literary work for children or young adults.
Encourage the imagination of young readers, and in so doing, draw attention to the importance of authors and the essential role they perform in nurturing developing minds and furthering our culture.
Promote the awareness of the Boston Public Library and its resources, by establishing a living link between the Library and the community.
TIMELINE: The Writer-in-Residence program will run from October 2025 through September 2026.
RESIDENCY BENEFITS:
A total stipend of $70,000, paid in monthly installments over one year.
The opportunity to request up to $2,500 to be paid to an expert of your choice for coaching, editorial assistance, or a critical reading of your manuscript.
Use of a private office six days per week. Office space usage is contingent on the Library being open to the public and it being safe to work onsite.
Access to and use of the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections.
A forum for the presentation/promotion of your finished literary work.
Opportunities to establish connections with writers, publishers, artists, and the community-at-large through participation in/attendance at Library readings, lectures, and other events.
At the end of the residency, your completed manuscript will be added to the BPL’s archives. (However, you retain all rights to your completed work.)
ELIGIBILITY:
The proposed literary project should be intended for children or young adult readers. All genres are welcome, including fiction, non-fiction, scripts, graphic novels, or poetry.
The applicant should demonstrate active engagement as a writer, whether full or part-time, as an avocation or profession.
Since this program is intended for emerging authors, the applicant should not have any prior professional book publications. (Self-published books, textbooks, works for hire, articles, and short stories published in an anthology do not count against this eligibility criteria.)
Only one proposal may be submitted per person.
Joint applications or proposed collaborations by more than one author are not permitted.
Works that are already under contract with a publisher are not eligible for submission.
There is NO residency restriction to apply, but you must be able to spend at least nineteen (19) hours per week at the Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square.
Must be legally eligible to work in the US, as a U.S. citizen or green card holder. English fluency required.
There are NO age, gender, race, or educational requirements.
TERMS OF RESIDENCY:
You will work a minimum of nineteen (19) hours per week from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
You will participate in a public reception at the BPL on October 7, 2025 to mark the beginning of your residency.
You will complete a submission-ready manuscript by the end of residency, which you will present at a second public reception, on a mutually agreed upon date.
You will include an acknowledgment of the Associates of the Boston Public Library in all work created during the residency, and during any media opportunities stemming from the program, using mutually agreed upon language.
Optionally, you may participate in or create a program for Boston Public Library patrons such as a teen writing workshop or a presentation to Boston-area students, as mutually agreed upon with BPL Youth Services staff. (Participation would be only a small portion of your time and is not required but encouraged.)
APPLICATION PROCESS:
To apply, please complete the application form (below) and upload a proposal (5 pages max.) and writing sample (15 pages max.) by Friday, June 6, 2025 at 11:59 pm. The documents should be double spaced with one inch margins and at least 11 point font. The attachments should not include any biographical information, since there will be a blind judging process. See questions #13 and 14 below for more details.
Basic questions about the application will be answered via email (via hello@AssociatesBPL.org); no calls please. Questions regarding how to present your work will not be considered. Inquiries concerning applications under review will not be answered.
If using Submittable creates an undue burden for you, you can alternatively mail your submission to: Writer-in-Residence Program, Associates of the Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
Late applications will not be considered. Once submitted, applications cannot be altered by either candidates or Associates staff.
SELECTION PROCESS:
Finalists will be evaluated by a panel of judges, which includes a rotating group of authors, librarians, booksellers, publishers, editors, book designers, teachers, and/or citizens representing different areas of the world of children’s literature. Associates staff do not vote in this process.
The judges do not know the candidates’ names, gender, educational qualifications, or any background information. This blind judging process is focused solely on the quality of the submissions.
Submissions will be judged on the merit of the original writing. Work suspected of being derived from or enhanced by an AI writing program will only increase the chance that it will be eliminated from consideration by the judges.
The candidate selected to be the 2025-26 Associates of the Boston Public Library Writer-in-Residence will be notified by Monday, August 11, 2025.
KEY DATES:
Notification: Monday, August 11, 2025
Residency Period: October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026
QUESTIONS? After reading these guidelines and reviewing the application form, if you still have questions, please refer to our FAQ page or email us.
associatesofthebostonpubliclibrary.submittable.com/submit
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Page One Media 2026 Grant
Page One Media (P1M)
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025
INFO: Effective for the 2026 publishing year, P1M is shifting from providing three partial grants to providing one fully supported pro bono publicity campaign to an underrepresented writer.
The 2026 grant will provide one full book publicity campaign spanning eight months for a book publishing in 2026. The chosen author will be supported by the Page One team and assigned a lead publicist, I will lead on strategy, there will be administrative support for the campaign, and the book will be included in all of our team based pitching, media meetings, and annual outreach for holiday gift guides, book clubs, year-end best of lists, and in our social media when appropriate. The campaign will receive the same level of time, care, creativity, and dedication that all our campaigns receive.
For more about why Page One is doing this, head over to the blog post announcement.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
You live in the United States
Your book is for adults (young adults, middle grade, children’s and picture books do not qualify)
Your book is not publishing as a reprint or anniversary edition (hardcover and paperback originals only)
Your book is being published by a US based publisher and is being published in the US
Your book will publish sometime between January and December 2026
You have submitted all of the requested materials: grant form, publisher affidavit, author questionnaire, and a manuscript that is under contract and scheduled for publication in the 2026 calendar year
By submitting your materials you agree to abide by the terms & conditions (scroll to the bottom of this page for those)
INSTRUCTIONS: The “Publisher Affidavit” form is required for submission, our author questionnaire is only required if you don’t have one from your publisher. Both will be submitted, along with your manuscript in the Grant Application form. All materials need to be submitted at the same time and by the final due date of June 15, 2025. Please keep this in mind and do not delay in requesting that someone from your publisher fill out the affidavit form. Partial submissions will not be considered.
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2025 TUSCULUM REVIEW FICTION CHAPBOOK PRIZE
Tusculum Review
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025
ENTRY FEE: $20
INFO: A prize of $1,500, publication of the story in The Tusculum Review’s 21st volume (2025), and creation of a limited edition stand-alone chapbook with original art is awarded for the winning story.
The entry fee is $20 per manuscript. Entry fees include a one-year subscription to The Tusculum Review (an annual publication) and consideration for publication in our 21st volume (2025). We encourage international submissions but must charge an additional $15 fee to mail the journal to locations outside the U.S.
All entries should be sent through Submittable:tusculumreview.submittable.com. We do not accept mailed or emailed submissions, but if Submittable is a hardship, let us know atreview@tusculum.edu.
Each manuscript should consist of a single story in a standard 12-point font. Storiesmaybe between 2,000 words (about 7 manuscript pages) and 7,000 words (22 pages).
Storiesmaynot have been previously published nor be forthcoming. You are welcome to submit your story to other publications or contests while we consider it for the prize, but please alert us if your story is going to be published or honored elsewhere, so we can take it out of the running. If you have more than one story to submit, create a new entry for each.
Please do NOT include your name or any other identifying information on any page of the story manuscript.
Contest judge Jaime Cortez and editors of the The Tusculum Review will determine the winner of the 2025 prize. Family, friends, and previous students of the contest judge and the The Tusculum Review editors are disqualified from the competition, as are those with reciprocal professional relationships. Previous winners of Tusculum Review contests are also disqualified. Previous finalists and honorable mentionsmayenter.
Names and identifying information will not be visible to the judges. The Tusculum Review reserves the right to extend the call for manuscripts or cancel the award. We have only canceled one of the 30+ contests we’ve hosted, due to single-digit entries. We look forward to reading your work.
Publication Rights:except for second printings of the journal due to demand, all rights to material in The Tusculum Review and chapbooks revert to the individual authors and artists after publication (first serial rights). We request that you acknowledge us if you reprint work we published first. Tusculum University does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, sexual orientation, identity, religion, veteran or military status, citizenship status, ethnic origin, or disability.
Contest judgeJaime Cortez is a California writer and artist based in Watsonville and the SF Bay Area. His writing and drawings have appeared in Kindergarten: Experimental Writing For Children (Black Radish Press), No Straight Lines (Fantagraphics), Street Art San Francisco (Abrams Press), and Infinite Cities (UC Berkeley Press). He wrote and illustrated the graphic novel Sexile for AIDS Project Los Angeles. His debut short story collection, Gordo, was published in 2021 by Black Cat, an imprint of Grove Atlantic. Gordo received national acclaim from the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. It was nominated for the Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction and the Lambda Literary Award for fiction, and was named a best book of the year by National Public Radio and Bookpage. Cortez received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and his MFA from UC Berkeley. Jaime’s website iswww.jaimecortez.org.
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CALL FOR “OF THE SEA” PORTFOLIO
SUSPECT (Singapore Unbound)
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025
INFO: Indigenous maritime communities know that the law of the sea is more ancient and powerful than the United Nations Convention of the same name. They know that the sea connects as well as divides. That the sea gives as much as it takes. That the sea is vast in its volume and tender in its tides. That in its eternal restlessness the sea contests fixed boundaries and national borders.
This August, SUSPECT will publish a special portfolio dedicated to indigenous perspectives on the region designated as maritime Southeast Asia. We invite the submission of fiction and poetry that explore the manifold effects of the sea on individuals and communities. We are particularly interested in indigenous voices but we welcome non-indigenous authors who have engaged in a significant and sustained manner with maritime Southeast Asian communities.
We are looking for:
Short fiction of 1,500 to 6,000 words
2-4 pieces of flash fiction that total 500 to 1,500 words
3-5 poems that total 3 to 10 pages
We welcome translated work, but translators must provide documentation of authorization from the original authors or their literary estates.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please notify us immediately should they be accepted for publication elsewhere.
We only accept work that has not been previously published. For translations, the original work may be published, but not the translations.
PAYMENT: USD $100
SUBMIT TO: Sharmini Aphrodite at suspect@singaporeunbound.org
singaporeunbound.org/opp/of-the-sea
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Call for submissions: fall/winter 2025 print issue
Epiphany
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $5
INFO: Submissions are currently open for the Fall/Winter 2025 print issue.
GUIDELINES FOR FICTION SUBMISSIONS:
Submit one story at a time.
Format in 12-pt font, double-spaced.
Withdraw promptly through Submittable should your work be accepted elsewhere.
We only consider previously unpublished work (online or in print).
Please include your name, title, and word count on the first page of the submitted file.
Fiction contributors will receive a payment of $175, and two contributor's copies of the journal.
GUIDELINES FOR NONFICTION SUBMISSIONS:
Submit one essay at a time.
Format in 12-pt font, double-spaced.
Withdraw your work promptly through Submittable should it be accepted elsewhere.
We only consider previously unpublished work (online or in print).
Please include your name, title, and word count on the first page of the submitted file.
Excerpts from books in progress, memoirs, or longer works are welcome.
Nonfiction contributors will receive a payment of $175 and two contributor's copies.
GUIDELINES FOR POETRY SUBMISSIONS:
Submit up to 5 poems at a time.
Format in 12-pt font, single-spaced (where appropriate).
Send us a Message (not a Note) informing us if a poem in your submission has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
We only consider previously unpublished work (online or in print).
Poetry contributors will receive a payment of $75 per poem and two copies of the journal.ent stage.
We aim to respond to submissions within three to four months. Please be patient: we give thoughtful and thorough consideration to each submission. We look forward to receiving your work.
epiphanymagazine.submittable.com/submit
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call for submissions: ‘Issue 17: Estallido’ (for Latin/Latin-American Writers and Artists)
Lucky Jefferson
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025 by 11:59pm
INFO: You know what’s happening. You know about the injustices in the world, the abuse of power, and the suffering it causes. But you also know about the people resisting—those putting themselves on the line to confront the problem. You know those who gather, fight, and push for a better life.
Estallido is about social outbreaks: what leads to them, the people in the front and the back of them, those who can only join in spirit, the fighting spirit that sustains them, and most importantly, the change they can bring.
We want to see pieces that show your fighting spirit—moments when that spirit faltered but rose again, your support for others fighting the fight, and your voice in these times of outbreaks.
We have never been quiet, but together, we can be louder.
—
Sabes muy bien lo que está pasando. Sabes sobre las injusticias ocurriendo en el mundo. Sabes sobre personas abusando de su poder y sabes sobre las personas que sufren. Sin embargo, también debes saber sobre la gente que resiste, la gente que se pone en primera línea y se enfrenta al problema. Sabes sobre esas personas juntándose y luchando juntas por una mejor vida. Esto es un Estallido
Esta edición es sobre estallidos sociales: como empezaron, la gente al frente y atrás de ellos, la gente que solo puede participar en espíritu, el espíritu de lucha en ellos, y lo más importante, el cambio que pueden traer. Quiero ver piezas que muestren tu espíritu de lucha, momentos donde tu espíritu de lucha disminuyó pero se levantó, tu apoyo a otras personas luchando y tu voz en estos tiempos de estallidos.
Nunca hemos estado callados, pero podemos ser más ruidosos juntos.
—
PAYMENT (UPON ACCEPTANCE):
$15 — Haiku, Short Poems (<14 lines), Micro Fiction (under 100-300 words)
SUBMIT UP TO 3 PIECES PER UPLOAD
$20 — Prose, Short Story, Flash fiction, Creative-Nonfiction, Hybrid/Experimental (under 1000 words)
SUBMIT NO MORE THAN 1 PIECE PER UPLOAD
$25 — All Artwork (includes comics, paintings, etc.)
SUBMIT UP TO 3 PIECES PER UPLOAD
Upon acceptance, submissions will be included on our website, in print, and will be eligible to be publicized on social media. Accepted authors will receive a payout of $15, $20, or $25, for each accepted submission.
luckyjefferson.submittable.com/submit
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call for nonfiction submissions: ‘How I Learned’ Series
Blaise Allysen Kearsley
DEADLINES:
Soft Deadline: June 16, 2025
Hard Deadline: June 20, 2025
INFO: The How I Learned Series was a live reading/storytelling/comedy show created by Blaise Allysen Kearsley in 2009. The monthly series ran for a little over a decade with events in the Lower East Side, Brooklyn, and New Orleans, and included benefits for Emily's List and Housing Works.
Featured guests included Mira Jacob, Alexander Chee, Ayo Edebiri, John Fugelsang, Anna Sale, James Hannaham, Hugh Ryan, Sasheer Zamata, John Wray, David Carr, Starlee Kine, Taylor Negron, Issac Fitzgerald, Aparna Nancherla, Emily Flake, Dodai Stewart, Choire Sicha, Jami Attenberg, Maggie Estep, Rosie Schaap, and many others.
How I Learned has been "on hiatus" since the Covid shutdown. Now, it's being resurrected as an online magazine. This aftertimes iteration is not public yet so don’t even bother to Ask Jeeves about it.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: In the nightlife spirit of the eclectic series, we are seeking sharp personal nonfiction stories from diverse perspectives, sensibilities, and voices that offer an evocotive spin on existential-leaning themes . The horror and the hilarity of living. The profound and the preposterous. The details that conflict with the old narrative, the little things that challenge a longheld belief. How something is changed, how we get shook; ways of seeing and moving in the world. Heavy stories, humor, stories, what lives in between — whatever the tone or the mood, your How I Learned story does not resolve neatly with a bow. Make meaning out of chaos, but leave us wondering where the story takes you after it ends.
Nonfiction essay: 1500 - 2500 words
Flash nonfiction: up to 800 words
Email subject heading: Submission - How I Learned.
Add a brief synopsis of your piece.`
Attach your submission as a Word or Google doc.
Send to: howilearned@gmail.com
For a less general sense of the vibe, here's a sampling of topics from live shows. You DO NOT have to write to any of these themes, though you're more than welcome to!
How I Learned To Fight Back; How I Learned My Adolescence Was Over; How I Learned What Life is Like; How I Learned About Sex; How I Learned To Lie, Cheat or Steal; How I Learned To Live in New York; How I Learned The Hard Way; How I Learned It's All My Parents Fault; How I Learned It's Not Me, It's You; How I Learned To Say I'm Sorry; How I Learned Nothing is Even Real; How I Learned To Believe; How I Learned There Might Be Some Issues: Stories About Therapy...
blaiseallysenkearsley.com/how-i-learned-magazine-submissions
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Muses & Melanin BIPOC Fellowship
Muses & Melanin
DEADLINE: June 20, 2025 at 5pm PST
APPLICATION FEE: $20
INFO: This intensive, fully funded hands-on practicum provides the career savvy writers of color need to stand out from the crowd of aspiring writers who, though talented, lack the marketplace acumen they need to craft and grow a literary career within a #PublishingSoWhite industry.
The Muses & Melanin Fellowship for California BIPOC Creative Writers is a supportive, hybrid, fully funded eight-month cohort-based professional development practicum for talented California creative writers of color who aspire to become professional authors. A few spaces are reserved for talented out-of-state applicants. The Fellowship is designed for those who do not yet have a lengthy list of publishing credits, are not under a publishing contract, do not have literary agent representation, and do not have a doctoral degree in English, Creative Writing, or Literature (a Master's degree in these subjects is fine, such as an MFA or MA). A Bachelor's degree is required.
Participants complete a comprehensive curriculum that equips them with the strategies, tools, and knowledge they need to transition from creative writing students or hobbyists to professional authors. As a hybrid program, Fellows must be able to attend occasional onsite meetings in downtown San Francisco. This program is made possible with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission and California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Do not apply before reading the FAQ on our website.
The application fee is $20. To pay the fee:
Send your transaction ID number to MusesAndMelanin@gmail.com along with the name you used on your application.
Given the competitive nature of the selection process for this Fellowship, we advise paying diligent attention to application instructions. Materials must be free of typos, punctuation and grammar errors, and follow the standards of good, solid writing (no reliance on passive voice, adverb overuse, dangling modifiers, etc.). Failure to follow instructions will result in disqualification. Applicants evidencing the following issues will not advance to the interview stage:
*incomplete applications
*applications that don't adhere to instructions
*submissions demonstrating the applicant did not review the program information beforehand
*submissions featuring genres outside of those listed
*ineligible applicants as described in the program information.
In 2024, we detected common issues across the breadth of rejected applicants. These issues were:
insufficient mastery of solid literary mechanics [Indications: passive voice reliance, adverb overuse, dangling modifiers and referents, structural delivery problems]
undeveloped, poorly considered, incomplete responses to the short-answer questions--in some cases providing statements that were non-responsive [Indications: raises questions about applicant's seriousness of purpose, intent, and dedication]
lack of evidence of genuine interest in a literary career [Indications: bio and short answers did not support the claim]
more than two typos on one or more pages [Indications: failure to proofread; carelessness; lack of serious intent]
too many instances of basic punctuation and/or grammar errors [Indications: represents a mismatch between the applicant and the caliber of writer for which the Fellowship is designed)
evidence in submitted materials that applicant cannot follow directions or did not read them, a critical skill for becoming a professional author [Indications: lack of attention to detail, disregard for instructions]
inappropriate references listed [Indications: "friend," "book club colleague"]
submitting an application after the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted, without exception. To avoid technical issues, we advise not waiting until the deadline day to submit your application.
Accepted genres:
*short and long fiction
*creative nonfiction
*memoir
*articles and papers for newspapers, magazines, and literary and academic journals
*poetry
*graphic novels and comics
The fellowship consists of the following components:
*two online Weekend Intensives (August 8-10 and August 15 - 17. Fridays start at 5pm; Saturdays begin at 10am and end at 5:30pm. Sundays begin at 11am and end at 5pm.
*ten weekly 2-hour online workshops (Tuesdays, 5pm-7pm, mid-August - October)
*four monthly 3-hour online co-working sessions (one per month from September-December 2025, Tuesdays, 5pm - 8pm).
*a February 2026 public graduation ceremony and reception at the San Francisco Public Library for qualified graduates. This ceremony features a public reading, Literary Launch Care Package, and a stipend to fund Fellows' new literary bank accounts.
Applicants will receive admission decisions on or by July 13, 2025. Accepted participants must not miss more than two class meetings and complete all assignments (except for optional ones) to remain in the program and to maintain graduation eligibility.
shuffle.do/projects/muses-melanin-fellowship-for-bipoc-creative-writers/about
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Book Project Emerging Writer Fellowship
Lighthouse Writers
DEADLINE: June 21, 2025
INFO: In 2018, we launched the Book Project Emerging Writer Fellowship, which covers partial or full tuition for the entire two-year program for writers who need financial support in order to enroll in the program. Book Project Fellows will receive all the benefits of the program, including one-on-one mentorship with a published author, classes with fellow Book Project participants, weekend intensives and retreats, and publishing advice from our in-house expert.
In 2025, we're pleased to announce the Nighthawk Nature Writing Fellowship, covering partial or full tuition for the Book Project. This annual fellowship supports writers who are engaged in work that explores and honors the natural world—and the animals and plants that inhabit it.
The Book Project fellowships are supported by generous individual donors.
EMERGING WRITER FELLOWSHIP: Writers of fiction, nonfiction, short stories, memoir, and hybrid texts can apply for a Book Project Emerging Writer Fellowship. Each application is reviewed by Book Project faculty and rewarded based on merit and financial need.
NIGHTHAWK NATURE WRITING FELLOWSHIP: In addition to the Emerging Writer Fellowship, we're also pleased to offer the Nighthawk Nature Writing Fellowship, a sponsored award in support of writers who are engaged in work that explores and honors the natural world and the animals and plants that inhabit it.
AWARD DETAILS: Book Project Fellows receive full or partial tuition for the Book Project. The number of awards depends on the funding received each year.
HOW TO APPLY: When applications open, follow the instructions for the Book Project application and select the fellowship option. You’ll be asked to include annual household income and a statement of financial need (500 words or less). Writers making it to the final round may be asked for income verification in the form of IRS filings.
FELLOWSHIP NOTIFICATION: Applicants will receive two notifications. The first will let you know whether or not you’ve been accepted to the Book Project in early July. The second, a week later, will let you know whether or not you’ve received the fellowship. Applicants not accepted to the program will not receive a second notification about the fellowship.
lighthousewriters.org/book-project-fellowships
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call for submissions: recommended reading
Electric Literature
SUBMISSION PERIOD: June 23 - July 6, 2025 (or when they receive 750 submissions)
INFO: Recommended Reading publishes fiction between 2,000 and 10,000 words. Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please notify us immediately if a piece is accepted elsewhere. Work previously published in any form cannot be considered.
Response time is six to eight months.
COMPENSATION: Upon acceptance, we can offer authors $300 for publishing rights.
GUIDELINES: During the general submissions periods, writers may submit one piece per period. (This does not apply to year-round submitting members. For more information on member submissions, please refer to the welcome email you received when you signed up as a member or reach out to wynter@electricliterature.com.)
Writers with a submission pending with The Commuter can still submit to Recommended Reading.
Please do not submit a story already previously rejected by Electric Literature, even if the story has been revised (unless you've been invited to do so by an EL editor).
electricliterature.submittable.com/submit
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FALL 2025 Trillium Arts Residency
Trillium Arts
DEADLINE: June 26, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: Trillium Arts residencies offer secluded space for rejuvenation and creating in a beautiful, remote setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our location is ideal for an individual artist to complete an existing work, or develop and incubate new material. Our facilities in the fall months are best suited to the disciplines of literary arts, photography, visual arts and arts administration.
Individual artists who do not require a rehearsal studio (such as writers and photographers) are encouraged to apply for a one week residency. Performing artists (such as choreographers and theater artists) are also welcome to apply, with the understanding that the Red Barn Studio is seasonal and availability is dependent on weather. The Red Barn Studio will not be available after October 31.
Use of the studio is an additional fee of $35 per day.
There is ample land and outdoor space available for ideation and research. We are currently unable to accommodate groups or collaboratives on the Trillium property. Individual artist residencies are on a solo adventure during their time here and your residency will not overlap with other awarded artists. If an artist would like to bring collaborators, there are a variety of AirBnB’s available for rent in the immediate area. A list of recommended AirBnB’s is available upon request.
2025 RESIDENCIES INCLUDE:
Private accommodations in a one-bedroom, ground floor suite. (Trillium Arts co-founders live upstairs but resident artists have a private entrance).
Welcome dinner with your hosts
Shared use of the grounds, including firepit, hot tub, walking paths and waterfall area
Use of onsite creative spaces that include a contemplation gazebo and a 380 square foot open air, covered workspace. Learn more about creative spaces HERE
Basic kitchen supplies and all household goods (towels, linens, paper products, etc.)
Access to high speed fiber optic internet
Laundry facilities
Mentorship services (optional for an additional fee)
DATES: All 2025 residencies are one week of seven consecutive days in length. Applications are currently being accepted for residencies one week in length during:
September 21-28, 2025, or
Anytime between October 10-November 14, 2025
A limited number of work exchange scholarships are available.
ELIGIBILITY: Artists of various disciplines (writers, photographers, visual artists, choreographers) at any stage of their careers are invited to apply.
trilliumartsnc.org/artist-residencies
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Rooted & Relational Archives Fellowship
Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (NYC)
DEADLINE: June 27, 2025
INFO: CENTRO’s Rooted & Relational Archives Fellowship will expose early career archivists to the work and projects of CENTRO’s Archives. The fellowship will present a pathway into Ethnic Studies Libraries and Archives in order to provide students and recent graduates with practical work experience in areas commonly discussed in archival scholarship such as reparatory and bilingual description, community-oriented practices and spaces, and enrichment and diversification of the archival record.
The CENTRO Rooted & Relational Archives Fellow will develop and implement a Fellowship Project in collaboration with CENTRO’s Digital Collections Manager based on the needs of the Archives as well as the Fellow’s experience and interests. In addition to the Fellowship Project, fellows will have the opportunity to engage in a variety of projects and participate in the day-to-day activities of the Archives, which may include assisting patrons and participating in events and workshops. Through these experiences, fellows will learn collection and project management skills, immerse themselves in CENTRO’s archival collections and communities, and become familiar with digital archiving skills. Fellows will be in residence for the 2025-2026 academic year and they will receive a $20,000 stipend paid in four installments.
The ideal candidate will be an advanced graduate student or recent graduate with experience in archives or special collections, experience conducting the type of work expected for the project, or experience managing small-scale projects. Some programming knowledge and project management experience will be considered valuable. The fellow will be expected to work 20 hours a week in person as part of the fellowship.
The fellow will receive support and mentorship from CENTRO Archives and Library staff and will be responsible for the tracking, implementation, reporting, and dissemination of their designated project. They will also be provided with professional development support and opportunities to develop skills in various areas of interest to information professionals, independent of the fellowship project. Fellows will be encouraged to participate in professional organizations and present their work at conferences and symposia.
POTENTIAL FELLOWSHIP PROJECTS + AREAS OF INTEREST INCLUDE:
Collection assessment of digital materials
Digital preservation strategies
Development of usage and access metrics
Development of access and outreach tools, including LibGuides, instruction plans, and events
Development of quality control and quality assurance processes
Development of policies and strategies for A/V archiving
Reparatory and bilingual description
Community-oriented practices and spaces
ELIGIBILITY:
Current graduate student or recent graduate (within the last 2 years) with coursework in archives or digital preservation (Archives experience may substitute for coursework)
Reading comprehension in Spanish
Interest in working with Puerto Rican collections or Ethnic Studies Archives
APPLICATION GUIDELINES:
All documents below must be submitted in PDF
CV or Resume
Submit a cover letter in English or Spanish describing your interest in working at the CENTRO Archives, the type(s) of projects you would be interested in working on, and how this fellowship will benefit your career trajectory
OVERVIEW OF SUBMISSION PROCESS:
Complete the form ensuring all mandatory fields are filled
Review and confirm your submission
We will email you to confirm receipt of your form
We will email you with our decision and, if applicable, further steps
COMPENSATION FOR SELECTED FELLOW:
$20,000 stipend (paid in four installments)
CONTACT INFO:
If you encounter any issues or have questions about the submission process, please don’t hesitate to contact Cristina Fontánez Rodríguez at cf3285@hunter.cuny.edu.
centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/opportunities/centro-rooted-relational-archives-fellowship/
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CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Aesthetics of Joy and Refuge in Contemporary Culture — An Interdisciplinary Conference
The Latinx Project at New York University
DEADLINE: June 29, 2025
INFO: The Latinx Project invites submissions to an Open Call conference exploring scholarly approaches to the study of contemporary Latinx visual and expressive culture. The program will take place on Friday, October 10, 2025 at New York University. We are especially interested in original contributions that examine contemporary visual and expressive culture across film, media, sound, visual arts, design, architecture, fashion, advertising—and all forms in which today’s society visualizes Latinx culture.
We seek to examine the aesthetic strategies and creative interventions of artists and cultural producers, while also understanding how they visualize diverse expressions and work to transform contemporary visual and creative industries. Going beyond traditional approaches to visual stereotypes and the pathologization of Latinx culture, we’re looking for proposals that highlight creative strategies or that contextualize the larger historical and political economy context in which representations move. We are particularly curious about submissions that explore the political economy behind the production, circulation, and consumption of expressive culture— the ways in which communities engage with mediated representations of culture in all its forms. We welcome work that theorizes what we can learn about Latinx politics of joy, protest, and refuge in the twenty-first century when we foreground contemporary strategies of visual representation.
Some ideas and concepts for possible contributions include but are not limited to:
Media and cultural policies affecting film, media, sound, and other culture industries
Explorations of design, public art, and public interventions on the landscape
Black and Indigenous visualities
Disability and expressive cultures
Visual artists working across or along borderlines, and/or far from creative centers
Perspectives on aesthetics, sexuality, and contemporary art
Grassroots media and alternative fashion
AI futures
Logics of gender and citizenship
Aesthetic epistemologies
The politics of archives
Surveillance technologies
Labor in creative industries
Media and algorithmic citizenship
APPLICATION:
Please submit (1) a short abstract (pdf) under 200 words and (2) a bio or CV. Contributors selected to present will receive an honorarium and travel stipend.
FAQs:
How do I apply? Submit your proposal via the submission form here by June 29, 2025,
Who should apply? Scholars at all ranks and independent writers and critics are encouraged to submit a proposal to present.
Is the symposium hybrid? The symposium is planned as an in-person event open to the public. Sessions may be recorded in accordance with the preference of the presenters.
Who can I contact for more information? Please email latinxproject@nyu.edu with subject line: 2025 Symposium.
latinxproject.nyu.edu/20242025/open-call-conference
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Get the Word Out Publicity Incubator
Poets & Writers
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: Get the Word Out is a publicity incubator for early career authors. Under the mentorship of an accomplished book publicist, writers will develop and execute publicity strategies to maximize the exposure of their first or second book, reach readers, and create a platform to propel their literary careers.
Get the Word Out fellows will:
Participate in a six-session online publicity workshop led by an experienced book publicist.
Attend six online seminars with leading media, events, marketing, and sales professionals, and accomplished authors.
Devote time outside of scheduled sessions to implement book publicity strategies they are acquiring in workshops and seminars.
Contribute to a peer learning community by sharing what works and what does not, helping each member of the cohort to amplify their impact.
In addition, alumni of the program are eligible to apply for The Poets & Writers Fellowship at Vermont Studio Center, which provides a fully funded three-week residency to fiction writers and poets in alternate years.
Get the Word Out 2026 fiction cohort is open to authors with books slated for publication between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
Fellows will be selected based on the strength of their statement of purpose, writing sample, and suitability for the program.
Get the Word Out is open to all eligible applicants. The program aims to support writers who might not otherwise have access to in-depth publicity support and to help develop strong literary voices nationwide. To that end, we encourage applications from writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, persons of color, immigrants, writers with disabilities, LGBTQ+ writers, writers residing outside of major cities, writers who do not have an MFA or equivalent degree, and writers whose books are slated to be published by independent presses.
The selection decisions of Poets & Writers will be final and not subject to review.
HOW TO APPLY:
Authors can apply to the program via Poet & Writers’ online application. Applications must include:
A completed application form.
A double-spaced excerpt (10-15 pages in 12 pt. font) from your debut novel or short story collection.
An author bio (max: 250 words).
2026 FICTION PUBLICITY MENTOR: Born and raised in Malaysia, May-Zhee Lim is a writer working on her first novel and a freelance publicist living in New York. During her time with Riverhead Books, she has worked on all kinds of book campaigns, helping launch the careers of debut authors and expand the readership of prize-winning authors including Hernan Diaz, Olga Tokarczuk, James McBride, Masha Gessen, Patricia Lockwood, C Pam Zhang, Claire Vaye Watkins, and Sigrid Nunez, just to name a few. In 2021, she made the Publishers Weekly Star Honoree list for her creative, out-of-the-box publicity ideas, including a partnership with a New York City bakery to print a short story by Etgar Keret in cake wrapping and an open air, pop-up reading room series around the city.
For more information, please email programs@pw.org
pw.org/content/get_the_word_out
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call for submissions: “ON MOTHERHOOD”
Listen Journal
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
INFO: Often conversations surrounding motherhood & pregnancy fail to represent the honesty, nuance and spectrum of real life experiences. The truth is every persons journey is personal. No two stories are the same.
For our first call for submissions, we’re inviting you to share your experiences with motherhood or pregnancy in all forms; whether raw, joyful, painful or complex.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: We are looking to hear about a wide range of experiences in relation to motherhood, we understand the journey to and through motherhood can often be turbulent with many experiences left unspoken.
This could be:
Experience with adoption
Doulas & midwives perspective
Sickness through pregnancy
Pregnancy as a professional athlete
Not wanting children
Experiencing homelessness as a mother
Relationship with your own mother
Spiritual experiences through birth
Post-partum depression
Disability and motherhood
Difficulty with pregnancy / fertility issues
DESIRED FORMATS: long form writing (1500 - 2000 words), poetry, photo sets, video & illustrations
HOW TO SUBMIT: pitch to us through the submissions form or email a brief pitch to contact@listen-journal.com with subject line “On Motherhood”
listen-journal.com/submissions
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Call for Papers and Projects: The Caribbean Digital XII
The Caribbean Digital
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
INFO: Beginning in 2014, The Caribbean Digital has sought to create a generative, multidisciplinary space within which to engage critically with the digital as practice and as a historicized societal phenomenon, reflecting on the challenges and opportunities presented by the media technologies that ever more intensely reconfigure the social and geo-political contours of the Caribbean and its diasporas.
In the twelfth iteration of this gathering, we are thrilled to continue these conversations via collaboration with the Early Caribbean Digital Archive, the Africana Studies Program, and the NULab for Humanities and Computational Social Science at Northeastern University.
The continued need for rigorous and ethical engagement with the digital “revolution” is especially immediate among the people of the Caribbean and its diasporas. Information technology remains a significant way people connect and frame pressing social problems and political aspirations. Moreover, the Internet is analogous in important ways to the Caribbean itself as a dynamic and fluid cultural space: it is generated from disparate places and by disparate peoples; it fundamentally challenges the geographical and physical barriers that disrupt or disallow connection; and it places others and elsewhere in relentless relation. Yet while we celebrate these opportunities for connectedness, we must ensure that the digital realm undermines and confronts rather than re-inscribes forms of silencing and exclusion in the Caribbean.
Following conversations that animated past events, we are looking forward in this twelfth public forum to continuing our critical engagement with presentations that might evoke any of the following topics and the ways they might intersect with each other:
Gendered and class dimensions of the digital in the Caribbean
The connection between digital technologies and practices of the Caribbean “folk”
World-building – Reimagining through and as the digital
Citizenship, mobility, migration, and the digital
Material, audio, and visual culture connected to the digital
3-D imaging and the digital
Considering the politics and ethics of AI in/and the Caribbean
Digital pedagogies, curriculum, and/or classroom or community education activities
Archives in and about the Caribbean
Languages as technology and structures of the digital
The relationship between the aesthetics of absence and the digital
Minimal computing as a form of digital resistance
Digital counter-publics/counter-narratives
Digital mapping and questions of place, space, and belonging
Collaborative/community-engaged digital projects
Relationships between digital and physical resistance
Digital access and the aesthetics/politics of digital ownership
Digital possibilities and imaginaries
Digital knowledge-making and decolonial epistemologies
Both traditional conference papers and multimedia presentations on these or related topics are welcome. We also welcome virtual synchronous participation by presenters who cannot travel to Boston to attend the event. Participants from this forum will be encouraged to submit their work to archipelagos, an interactive, born-digital, print-possible, peer-reviewed publication.
The 2025 conference is being held in the loving memory of Dr. Ángel David Nieves (1971 – 2023). At the time of his passing, Dr. Nieves was Dean’s Professor of Public and Digital Humanities, Professor of Africana Studies and History, and Director of the Humanities Center at Northeastern University in Boston. Dr. Nieves also held positions at Hamilton College, Yale University, San Diego State University, and many other institutions. Dr. Nieves’s vivacious presence, teaching, and work left a lasting impression on everyone. His books, An Architecture of Education: African American Women Design the New South (2018) and ‘We Shall Independent Be:’ African American Place Making and the Struggle to Claim Space in the U.S. (edited with Leslie Alexander, 2008) were significant explorations into the labors done by of Black feminists that served to eventually uplift all others. Like his subjects of study, Nieves, too, believed that all people deserve a good education and working conditions to lead a good life. His investments in social justice were total and all-encompassing. As a proud, queer, Brown man whose roots were in Puerto Rico, he was especially dedicated to supporting like-minded scholars such as those associated with The Caribbean Digital. The conference especially welcomes submissions that engage with the spirit and content of Dr. Nieves’ foundational work.
GUIDELINES: We welcome abstracts of 250-300 words in length. Abstracts should include name, academic affiliation, contact information, and short bios. Please submit using this form (requires Google sign-in). by 30 June 2025. Successful applicants will be notified by 30 August 2025. Travel and accommodations for conference presenters will be covered.
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NEW VOICES AWARD
Lee & Low Books
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
INFO: Do you write for children or do you know someone who does?
Are you an unpublished author of color or Indigenous/Native writer hoping to break into the publishing industry for the first time?
Don’t miss this terrific opportunity to have your work considered for publication by a publisher that takes pride in nurturing new talent.
ELIGIBILITY: This contest is open to writers of color and Indigenous/Native writers who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a picture book published. It’s one way Lee & Low Books uplifts historically marginalized voices in the predominantly white children’s book industry.
GUIDELINES: Manuscripts must be FICTION, NON-FICTION, or POETRY aimed at readers ages 5 to 12, and should address the needs of children of color or Native/Indigenous children by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and promote a greater understanding of one another.
PRIZE: The winner receives a standard publication contract, including Lee & Low Books’s basic royalties and a $5,000 advance.
leeandlow.com/blog/new-voices-award-now-accepting-submissions/
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call for submissions: Fall 2025 issue
The Plentitudes
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST
READING FEE: $5
INFO: The Plentitudes is now open for submissions for their Fall 2025 issue. Send us your best short stories, short memoirs, personal essays, poems, and flash pieces.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
During our general submissions period, we accept submissions through Submittable and Duotrope.
We charge a small reading fee (US$5.00 per entry) to cover maintenance costs and operating expenses.
We allow multiple submissions by the same writer--however, each entry should be separately submitted and accompanied by a reading fee.
A single submission consists of:
Poetry: No more than three poems, and no more than ten pages, and should place all poems in a single document.
Fiction or Nonfiction: One short story or one personal essay between 1,000 - 5,000 words.
Flash: One micro-fiction or micro-nonfiction piece under 1,000 words.
Please limit formats to .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
We suggest 12-point Times New Roman font, and double-spacing all prose submissions.
We do not publish previously published work, including those published on blogs.
Simultaneous submissions (i.e., concurrently submitting to other journals and platforms) are permitted; however, please notify us promptly if your piece has been accepted elsewhere.
Upon publication, we retain the right to be the sole publisher of the works for the first year from the initial date of publication. Thereafter, contributors may republish their works, with The Plentitudes Journal credited as the initial publisher. We retain the right to re-publish works designated for print publication in an anthology and on our social media platforms.
Marginalized voices, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and Crip/disabled writers, are particularly encouraged to submit.
We pay an honorarium of $50 for published work. The honorarium is payable within a week after the publication of the piece.
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call for submissions: nature-themed poetry, fiction + nonfiction
Mississippi Review
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $3
INFO: We are currently accepting Poetry for Mississippi Review 53.3, with a publication date of Winter 2026.
GUIDELINES:
Poetry - Though we are happy to read and consider any Poetry for this issue, we are particularly interested in nature-themed pieces. Submit up to five poems in one file (file should be no more than ten pages total).
Fiction - Though we are happy to read and consider any Fiction for this issue, we are particularly interested in nature-themed pieces. Stories should be 8,000 words or less.
Nonfiction - Though we are happy to read and consider any Creative Nonfiction for this issue, we are particularly interested in nature-themed pieces. Essays should be 8,000 words or less.
WHO CAN SUBMIT? Anyone who is not currently a student at the University of Southern Mississippi or affiliated with the Mississippi Review can submit.
COMPENSATION: As a university-supported literary journal, we are working to find new ways to compensate our contributors. For Mississippi Review 53.3, we are able to pay each contributor $50 and send two free copies of the issue upon publication.
Contributors with mailing addresses outside of the U.S. will receive two copies of Mississippi Review 53.3 and a Mississippi Review subscription at the value of $50.
mississippireview.submittable.com/submit
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2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize
Wasafiri
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
ENTRY FEE: A single entry costs £12, with £16 for double entry. We also offer subsidised entry.
INFO: Wasafiri is thrilled to announce that the 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize is now open!
Since 2009, the Prize has been awarded to some of the most exciting new voices in life writing, poetry, and fiction from around the world. The sixteenth edition of the prize brings an exciting new development as we open to entries in translation – across all three categories – for the first time since the prize was founded by Dr. Susheila Nasta.
JUDGES: Our 2025 Chair is Romesh Gunesekera, who is joined by our three category judges: Anton Hur (Fiction), Noreen Masud (Life Writing), and Yasmine Seale (Poetry).
PRIZE: The winners of each category will receive a £1,000 cash prize and publication in Wasafiri magazine; if a work in translation wins, the cash prize will be split equally between the author and translator.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality or background. New for 2025: Accepting work in translation.
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Regeneration Literary Contest
Ninth Letter + I-Regen + the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $7 (Contest entrants will have the option to purchase a copy of the Fall/Winter 2024 issue or a one-year print subscription at a discounted price at the time of submission)
INFO: Our lives and communities revolve around food: hungering for it, buying it, preparing it, and eating it, but also growing it, moving it from field to shelf, and disposing of its waste. Just as healthy food promotes human health, healthy food systems promote healthy communities—places and people oriented toward restoration, regeneration, and even rebirth. What would it look like to live in a world where our food systems regenerated not only us, but the planet? What if how we grew and ate our food could sequester carbon, replenish the soil, restore ecosystem biodiversity, and help battle disease?
I-Regen is working toward such a vision and is partnering with Ninth Letter to help us all imagine it. We invite poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction responding to or exploring the subject of regeneration, specifically as it relates to food and food systems. What does regeneration in our lives and communities look like, sound like, feel like, taste like? How does its absence harm us? Feel free to think as narrowly or as broadly as you like about the theme—surprises are always delightful and welcome. Please include a brief note that explains your work’s connection to the theme of “regeneration.” Please see full theme description at the top of this page.
2025 GUEST JUDGE: Scott Chaskey is the author of Soil and Spirit (Milkweed 2023). His poetry, first printed in literary journals in the early seventies, has been widely published over four decades. A pioneer of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement, for thirty years he cultivated more than sixty crops for the Peconic Land Trust at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, New York, one of the original CSAs in the country.
CONTEST DETAILS: Submissions will be accepted from May 23, 2025-June 30, 2025. Winner and finalists will be announced in the fall. Prize: $1,000 and publication in the Fall/Winter 2023-24 print edition of Ninth Letter (with the opportunity to also publish excerpts or full work on ninthletter.com) and two contributors copies. You can read previous Regeneration contest winners for free here.
GENERAL GUIDELINES: Submissions are read anonymously, so neither the author’s name nor any identifying information should appear on the manuscript itself. If the author’s name appears in the poem, story, or essay, please replace with [Author’s Name] or a pseudonym to maintain anonymity. Acceptable file formats are .pdf, .doc, .docx. If you have questions or need clarification, please email ninthletter9@gmail.com.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your submission immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. For flash and poetry, please send a message via Submittable if withdrawing select pieces but not the entire manuscript. Due to logistical and labor considerations, neither refunds nor replacement submissions will be offered for withdrawn manuscripts.
Prose (fiction, creative nonfiction): Please submit one piece of no more than 8,000 words. You may also submit up to three pieces of flash-fiction or flash-nonfiction as long as the total word count of the submission is no more than 8,000 words.
Poetry: Please submit up to 5 poems in a single file of no more than 8 pages.
ELIGIBILITY: Writers affiliated with Ninth Letter or the UIUC Creative Writing Department within the last 4 years are not eligible to submit. Any writers with a close, personal connection with the judge that could signify a conflict of interest are not eligible to submit. Regeneration Contest winners within the last 4 years are not eligible to submit.
ninthletter.com/regeneration-literary-contest/
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2025 WNDB Black Creatives Revision Workshop
We Need Diverse Books (WNDB)
DEADLINE: July 1, 2025
INFO: Launched in 2021, WNDB created the Revisions Workshop to help Black writers edit their stories, learn about publishing, and build a creative community within their cohort. Over a six-month period, our workshop participants revise their manuscript with guidance from a dedicated mentor and through faculty-led seminars.
Workshop attendees must be U.S.-based writers who identify as part of the African diaspora. During the workshop period, attendees will be matched with a published author who will guide them through the process of revising their manuscript.
Throughout the workshop, the attendees will also attend virtual seminars to learn more about the publishing industry, both from editors and agents along with published authors. Each attendee will also receive $1,000 as a grant to help them on their publishing journey.
Upon completion of the program, the attendees’ manuscripts will be submitted to Penguin Random House, which will select two winning manuscripts and that will be considered for publication.
ELIGIBILITY:
The Revisions Workshop is available to:
unpublished and un-agented writers based in the U.S.
who identify as part of the African diaspora and
who have a fully completed manuscript that a.) features Black protagonists and that b.) focuses on a diverse central subject matter
The work AND the author must not be published, either traditionally, self-published or in any other medium. The submitted manuscript cannot be submitted to other programs designed to lead to publication.
Applicants who do not have a completed manuscript at the time of application will not be considered. Applicants should only submit one work in one genre. Multiple applications will not be considered.
The submitted manuscript should be:
Fully written and complete; partially finished drafts are not eligible for submission.
Unpublished in any form, including individual chapters or short story adaptations.
Between 30,000 (for middle grade works) and 75,000 words. These word counts are strict; any manuscripts over the word count will not be considered.
Original work of the participant, not co-written or co-created.
You will be asked to submit your fully completed manuscript to your mentor at the beginning of the program. If you are accepted and unable to produce your manuscript at the outset of the program, you will not be allowed to continue in the program and will not be compensated.
Participants must sign a document committing to submit a final manuscript to PRH at the conclusion of the program.
Applicants may only apply for one of the three mentorship categories: Middle Grade, Young Adult, or Adult. Previous recipients of the WNDB general Mentorship program may not apply for this opportunity.
diversebooks.org/programs/revisionsworkshop
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BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize
Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival
DEADLINE: July 1, 2025 at 11:59pm EST (late submissions will not be accepted)
INFO: In a year when our festival becomes a Literary Botánica—a sanctuary of memory, resistance, and reimagining—we invite writers across the Caribbean and its diasporas to submit stories that act as remedies for the times we live in.
This year’s BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest seeks new fiction that speaks to the urgent need for grounding and healing. Whether it is a tale of migration and return, an act of quiet rebellion, an ancestral recipe passed through generations, a rewilding of grief, or the reclaiming of forbidden memory, we are calling for stories that prescribe survival, illuminate resilience, and offer prayers for what endures.
ELIGIBILITY:
All entrants must be of Caribbean heritage/of Caribbean descent
Be a resident of the United States/Canada
Be over the age of 18 years
Self-published writers may apply
WHAT TO SUBMIT:
Stories must be original works of fiction. Work should not be published in any nationally distributed publication
Word count: 3,000 words or less
HOW TO SUBMIT:
Contest portal must be used to submit stories
Emailed manuscripts WILL NOT be considered
Please review submission guidelines carefully before selecting a category and entering your story
Errors in category selection will not be corrected on your behalf; requests for the same WILL NOT be accommodated
If you are uncertain of which category you belong to, send an email to contact@bklyncbeanlitfest.com
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
To submit your story, please click the SUBMIT ENTRY button below
All stories should be submitted in English
Entrants are allowed one (1) submission only. Entrants may not submit in both categories. Multiple submissions (of stories/award categories) will be rendered ineligible and disqualified from consideration
Writers who use pen names may not submit multiple entries
English translations of another language will be accepted
Review categories thoroughly to self-determine eligibility. The BCLF will not switch entry categories if there is a user error at selection
All stories must be the original work of the entrant. The BCLF appreciates your integrity in this regard
The judges’ decision is final
ANNOUNCEMENT OF FINAL LIST
The writers of the selected stories will be announced in August via email, on our website, Facebook, Instagram account pages, and media partners. For more information, or to become a media partner, please e-mail contact@bklyncbeanlitfest.com
PRIZES AND PUBLICATIONS
The writer of the winning story will receive:
*A US$1,750 cash prize
BCLF Trophy
A caché of books courtesy Akashic Books
A feature episode on the acclaimed BCLF Cocoapod
Author interview and profile on the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival website
BCLF branded merchandise
Winner will be published in PREE
Winner will be published in Carib News
bklyncbeanlitfest.org/2025-bclf-short-fiction-story-caribbean-american
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BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean
Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival
DEADLINE: July 1, 2025 at 11:59pm EST (late submissions will not be accepted)
INFO: In a year when our festival becomes a Literary Botánica—a sanctuary of memory, resistance, and reimagining—we invite writers across the Caribbean and its diasporas to submit stories that act as remedies for the times we live in.
This year’s BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest seeks new fiction that speaks to the urgent need for grounding and healing. Whether it is a tale of migration and return, an act of quiet rebellion, an ancestral recipe passed through generations, a rewilding of grief, or the reclaiming of forbidden memory, we are calling for stories that prescribe survival, illuminate resilience, and offer prayers for what endures.
ELIGIBILITY:
Exclusively open to unpublished and published writers who were born/raised and holding nationality in the Caribbean
You may submit if you are currently on temporary assignment elsewhere in the world (except the US and Canada)
Submitted stories must be original works of fiction
Be over the age of 18 years
All writers regardless of their publishing status may apply
WHAT TO SUBMIT:
Stories must be original works of fiction
Word count: 3,000 words or less
HOW TO SUBMIT:
Contest portal must be used to submit stories
Emailed manuscripts WILL NOT be considered
Please review submission guidelines carefully before selecting a category and entering your story
Errors in category selection will not be corrected on your behalf; requests for the same WILL NOT be accommodated
If you are uncertain of which category you belong to, send an email to contact@bklyncbeanlitfest.com
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
To submit your story, please click the SUBMIT ENTRY button below
All stories should be submitted in English
Entrants are allowed one (1) submission only. Entrants may not submit in both categories. Multiple submissions (of stories/award categories) will be rendered ineligible and disqualified from consideration
Writers who use pen names may not submit multiple entries
English translations of another language will be accepted
Review categories thoroughly to self-determine eligibility. The BCLF will not switch entry categories if there is a user error at selection
All stories must be the original work of the entrant. The BCLF appreciates your integrity in this regard
The judges’ decision is final
ANNOUNCEMENT OF FINAL LIST
The writers of the selected stories will be announced in August via email, on our website, Facebook, Instagram account pages, and media partners. For more information, or to become a media partner, please e-mail contact@bklyncbeanlitfest.com
PRIZES AND PUBLICATIONS
*A US$1,750 cash prize
BCLF Trophy
A caché of books courtesy Akashic Books
A feature episode on the acclaimed BCLF Cocoapod
Author interview and profile on the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival website
BCLF branded merchandise
Winner will be published in PREE
Winner will be published in Carib News
bklyncbeanlitfest.org/2025-bclf-short-fiction-story-writers-in-the-caribbean
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Black Women’s History Series Incubator
The University of North Carolina Press
DEADLINE: July 1, 2025
INFO: The editors of the Black Women’s History series invite applications for the series’ annual incubator. Authors who are currently completing a book-length manuscript on Black women’s history are encouraged to apply. Applications will be due in May for an incubator to take place the following Spring semester. One to two applicants will be selected and have the opportunity to receive feedback on their work-in-progress from series editors (Dr. Talitha L. LeFlouria, Dr. Ashley D. Farmer, and Dr. Daina Ramey Berry) as well as other invited interlocutors in their field.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES:
To complete the application, please be prepared to upload:
A cover letter with key details about the project and your interest in the series and incubator.
A project abstract that does not exceed 500 words.
A 2-page CV or resume.
A polished sample chapter.
Selected authors will be notified September 1, 2025.
Please contact Dawn Durante at dawn.durante@uncpress.org with questions about the incubator.
uncpress.org/black-womens-history-series-incubator/
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The Kyoto Retreat 2025
DEADLINE: July 15, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $95.00
INFO: The Kyoto Retreat is a new program created by Japan-based, independent curator Dexter Wimberly. The Kyoto Retreat offers artists, curators, and writers, based anywhere in the world, an opportunity to spend four weeks in Kyoto, Japan, for research, exploration, and inspiration. If selected for the retreat, you will receive a roundtrip flight, a private bedroom, and $800 USD to supplement meals and local transportation.
We select artists, curators, and writers at all career stages, working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, interdisciplinary, and social practice. Individuals must be over 21 years old to apply.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Individuals selected for the retreat will be notified by August 15, 2025
The inaugural Kyoto Retreat will take place from October 16 - November 13, 2025
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CALL FOR PITCHES: AAPI WRITERS BASED IN NYC
The AMP
DEADLINE: Ongoing
INFO: The Amp is an online magazine from the Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) that celebrates the vibrant, multifaceted, and rich AAPI cultural community in NYC and beyond. Through critical essays and reviews, thoughtful profiles, and insightful interviews, we aim to serve as an evolving record of and voice for AAPI art and artists.
SUBMISSIONS:
Want to write for The Amp? We welcome you to pitch us! We publish stories that are by and for the AAPI community, showcasing visual art, theater, dance, film, music, and everything in between.
To pitch, email theamp@aaartsalliance.org with the article category in the subject line (ie: Review, Profile, Essay, Interview, etc.) followed by a pithy working title. It should look something like this:
“Essay Pitch: Writing the Story of AAPI Art and Culture”
From there, describe what and why you are pitching in 3-5 sentences; what is the story and why is it important that it’s covered in The Amp? Please include any relevant time pegs as well as an estimated word count.
Finally, introduce yourself. Previous bylines or writing samples are always appreciated.
The Amp offers flat fees at a rate of $.40 per word, rounded down to the nearest hundred words (e.g. $240 for 600 words).
Please note: Due to limited bandwidth, The Amp can only cover events and artists that are based in the NYC area. We also do not publish features by artists writing about their own work, however we welcome you to share upcoming events for potential coverage, or submit the event to A4’s community calendar.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Essays: 800-1,000 words that identify a cultural zeitgeist and important, prescient themes within the AAPI cultural community.
Reviews: 300-500 words on recent or current events, exhibitions, publications, etc. These should have an angle or specific point of view and be overall celebratory while still remaining critical.
Profiles: 500-800 word profiles that spotlight AAPI who are shaping the cultural landscape in NYC, from artists to arts administrators, organizers, and collectors. These profiles are a testament to the fact that culture cannot exist without community.
Interviews: A conversation between cultural figures around a specific theme or a direct interview with a single subject.
Email: theamp@aaartsalliance.org
aaartsalliance.org/magazine/about
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: CRITICAL ESSAYS
The Margins
DEADLINE: Ongoing
INFO: The Margins is open year-round to pitches and submissions of critical essays on Asian American literature, film, visual art, and culture.
We specifically seek essays that—through close engagement with art—might challenge the Asian American community to think or act in a new way. We are open to criticism of any artform, of works from any time period, so long as the writer speaks in some way to how we live now. Critics are encouraged to foreground their own voice and style in the pursuit of this goal, but should ultimately keep focus on their chosen objects of study.
Possible forms include but are not limited to:
A review of a single title with ambitions and analysis that extend beyond the title under review. E.g., “The Banality of Hate” by Sanjena Sathian (The Margins)
An essay where personal experience or voice is used to drive a critical study. E.g., “Death, Mediated” by Ismail Ibrahim (The Margins)
A study of an emerging phenomenon—referencing multiple recent works—with an eye toward the future. E.g., “Mixed-Race Metaphor” by Andrea Long Chu (Vulture)
A critique of a persistent, underexamined issue in our literature or literary community. E.g., “Blunt-Force Ethnic Credibility” by Som-Mai Nguyen (Astra)
An essay that puts new work into conversation with older works (or emerging artists into conversation with established artists) to make an argument about the evolution of a form or genre. E.g., “Controlled” by Noor Qasim (The Drift)
Additional notes on book reviews: We prefer criticism of works by more established writers, or posthumous criticism. We are generally not interested in list-style or roundup reviews, but are open to pieces that put multiple books in conversation with each other, or to reviews of anthologies. It is useful, but not a requirement, for a pitch to be timed to a publication date.
Send pitches of up to 500 words or drafts from 1,500-3,000 words to Spencer Quong, criticism editor, at criticism@aaww.org. Writers can expect a reply within two months. Please do not use the criticism@aaww.org inbox to pitch interviews.
We pay all writers and translators. Please refer to our rate sheet for more details.