CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: CREATIVE WRITING
The Journal of Latina Critical Feminism
INFO: The Journal of Latina Critical Feminism is seeking creative fiction or nonfiction with a 3,000 word count limit.
DEADLINE: July 1, 2017
journallcf.submittable.com/submit
FALL 2017 AWARDS
Sustainable Arts Foundation
INFO: Sustainable Arts Foundation – a non-profit foundation supporting artists and writers with families – is committed to offering half of its awards to applicants of color.
Writers may apply in one of the following categories:
- Fiction
- Creative Nonfiction
- Poetry
- Long Form Journalism
- Playwriting
- Picture Books
- Early and Middle Grade Fiction
- Young Adult Fiction
- Graphic Novel
AWARDS:
- Sustainable Arts Foundation Award: $6,000
- Sustainable Arts Foundation Promise Award: $2,000
SUBMISSION PERIOD: July 25 - August 31, 2017
apply.sustainableartsfoundation.org/
2018 WRITERS IN RESIDENCE
Hedgebrook
INFO: Hedgebrook is on Whidbey Island, about thirty-five miles northwest of Seattle. Situated on 48-acres of forest and meadow facing Puget Sound, with a view of Mount Rainier, the retreat hosts writers from all over the world for residencies of two to six weeks, at no cost to the writer.
Six writers are in residence at a time, each housed in a handcrafted cottage. They spend their days in solitude – writing, reading, taking walks in the woods on the property or on nearby Double Bluff beach. In the evenings, they gather in the farmhouse kitchen to share a home-cooked gourmet meal, their work, their process and their stories. The Writers in Residence Program is Hedgebrook’s core program, supporting the fully-funded residencies of approximately 40 writers at the retreat each year.
Their selection process occurs once a year in the fall, with a late July deadline for submissions.Notifications are made by the beginning of December. Through a completely anonymous, three-round process, approximately forty writers are invited for residencies of two weeks to six weeks. Their residency season runs from February through October.
Hedgebrook’s mission is to support visionary women writers whose stories and ideas shape our culture now and for generations to come. The Writers in Residence program is Hedgebrook’s core program that for more than 29 years has supported fully-funded residencies for writers representing diversity in citizenship status, nationality, current place of residence, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, trans* identity, age, disability, professional experience, and economic resources. We welcome applicants, published or not, of all genres, who embrace the mission and opportunity to be a member of Hedgebrook's community.
SUBMISSION FEE: $30
DEADLINE: July 25, 2017
hedgebrook.org/writers-in-residence/
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
FIYAH
INFO: FIYAH is a quarterly speculative fiction magazine that features stories by and about people of the African Diaspora.
They are looking for brave works of speculative short fiction by authors from the African continent and diaspora that reject regressive ideas of blackness, respectability politics, and stereotype. Please submit your bravest, blackest, most difficult to sell stories.
They want stories that are well written, of high quality, and generally easy to read on a screen.
They are only accepting submission from authors from the African diaspora and the African continent because #BlackWritersMatter. This is an intersectional definition of blackness, and they strongly encourage submissions from women, members of the LGBTQIA community, and members from other underrepresented communities within the African diaspora.
DEADLINE: July 31, 2017
SPRING 2017 STORY CONTEST
Narrative
INFO: The contest is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers. Narrative is looking for short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest.
As always, they are looking for works with a strong narrative drive, with characters they can respond to, and with effects of language, situation, and insight that are intense and total. They look for works that have the ambition of enlarging our view of ourselves and the world.
AWARDS:
- First Prize – $2,500
- Second Prize – $1,000
- Third Prize – $500
- Up to ten finalists will receive $100 each.
- All entries will be considered for publication and are eligible for the $4,000 Narrative Prize and for acceptance as a Story of the Week.
DEADLINE: July 31, 2017, at midnight, Pacific daylight time.
narrativemagazine.com/spring-2017-story-contest
THE LOUISE MERIWETHER FIRST BOOK PRIZE
The Feminist Press & Tayo Literary Magazine
INFO: In celebration of novelist Louise Meriwether’s achievements and continued legacy, the Feminist Press has partnered with TAYO Literary Magazine to launch a contest seeking the best debut books by women and nonbinary writers of color.
First time authors, submit your complete manuscript, either fiction, including novels and short story collections, or narrative memoir, of 50,000 to 80,000 words.
Final judges include Tayari Jones and Ana Castilo.
PRIZE: $5,000 and a publishing contract from the Feminist Press!
DEADLINE: July 31, 2017
tayoliterarymag.com/official-rules
EMERGING VOICES FELLOWSHIP
PEN Center USA
INFO: The Emerging Voices Fellowship is a literary mentorship that aims to provide new writers who are isolated from the literary establishment with the tools, skills, and knowledge they need to launch a professional writing career.
LITERARY MENTORSHIP BENEFITS
By the end of the Emerging Voices Fellowship, a writer will leave with:
- Seven months of guidance from a professional mentor and written notes on their current writing project.
- An author photo and bio.
- A logline—the short summation of the project in progress.
- A clear action plan for finishing this project.
- Writing life, and craft tips, from notable visiting authors.
- An editing guide from a professional copy editor.
- Insider knowledge of publishing from agents, publishers, and editors.
- An individualized submission guide for literary journals, agents, residencies, and fellowships.
- Improved reading technique from a professional voice coach.
- Public reading experience for a variety of audiences.
- An understanding of how to be an effective workshop participant.
- Lifetime membership in PEN Center USA.
- An introduction to the Los Angeles literary community.
FELLOWSHIP COMPONENTS
The seven-month fellowship includes:
PROFESSIONAL MENTORSHIP: Emerging Voices Mentors are carefully chosen from PEN Center USA’s membership and from professional writers based in Los Angeles. The Mentor-Fellow relationship is expected to challenge the fellow's work and compel significant creative progress. Over the course of the fellowship, Emerging Voices Fellows and Mentors should meet three times in person, and be in contact at least once a month. In these three meetings, Mentors will offer written feedback on the Emerging Voices Fellows’ work in progress. Authors who have been mentors in the past include Ron Carlson, Harryette Mullen, Chris Abani, Ramona Ausubel, Meghan Daum, and Sherman Alexie.
CLASSES AT THE UCLA EXTENSION WRITERS’ PROGRAM: Participants will attend two free courses (a 12-week writing course and a one-day workshop) at UCLA Extension, donated by the Writers’ Program. Program Manager will assist the Emerging Voices Fellows with course selection.
AUTHOR EVENINGS: Every Monday, fellows will meet with a visiting author, editor or publisher and ask questions about craft. Fellows must read each visiting author's book before the evening. A schedule of Author Evenings is distributed at the first Emerging Voices orientation meeting.
Click here for info for the Emerging Voices Author Evening Series, which is open to the public.
MASTER CLASSES: After completing the UCLA Extension Writers' Program courses, Emerging Voices Fellows will enroll in a Master Class. The Master Class is a genre-specific workshop with a professional writer that affords fellows the opportunity to exchange feedback on their works in progress. The 2017 Master Class Instructors are Alex Espinoza (fiction and nonfiction), and F. Douglas Brown (poetry).
VOLUNTEER PROJECT: All Emerging Voices Fellows are expected to complete a 25-hour volunteer project that is relevant to the literary community.
VOICE INSTRUCTION CLASS: The Fellowship will provide a one-day workshop with Dave Thomas, a professional voice actor. The Emerging Voices Fellows will read their work in a recording studio and receive instruction on reading their work publicly.
PUBLIC READINGS: Fellows will participate in three public readings, The Welcome Party, Tongue & Groove Salon, and the Final Reading. Fellows have read in various venues and events including the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Silver Lake Jubilee, Skylight Bookstore, The Standard, Downtown LA, and Hotel Café. The fellowship culminates in a Final Reading showcasing the progress each fellow has made in his or her work.
STIPEND: The fellowship includes a $1,000 stipend, given in $500 increments.
The Emerging Voices Fellowship runs from January to July. Participants need not be published, but the fellowship is directed toward poets and writers of fiction and creative nonfiction with clear ideas of what they hope to accomplish through their writing.
DEADLINE: August 1, 2017.