COSTA SHORT STORY AWARD
Costa Coffee
DEADLINE: August 2, 2021
INFO: The Award is for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words written in English.
The competition is open to any writer, published or unpublished, aged 18 years or over and resident in the UK or Ireland who submit their stories anonymously via this website.
It's up to the public to read the top three stories shortlisted by the judges and vote for their favourite, with the winner and two runners-up being announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony in January.
Key dates for the 2021 awards:
Entry opens: 1st July 2021
Download and vote: Early December 2021
Shortlisted writers revealed: Mid January 2022
Winner announced: Tuesday 1st February 2022
https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/costa-book-awards/short-story-award
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GRANUM FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP PRIZE
Granum Foundation
DEADLINE: August 3, 2021 at 11:59 pm PT
INFO: The Granum Foundation Fellowship Prize will be awarded annually to help U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, memoirs, and translations—or to help launch these works.
Funding can be used to provide a writer with the tools, time, and freedom to help ensure their success. For example, resources may be used to cover fees for a writing residency, mentorship, editing services, or a book tour. They also may be used for necessities such as rent or writing equipment.
Competitive applicants will be able to present a compelling project with a reasonable timeline for completion. They also should be able to demonstrate a record of commitment to the literary arts.
The Granum Foundation is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
Prize: $5,000 awarded annually.
Up to three finalists may be awarded $500.
A winner and finalists will be announced on November 9, 2021.
At this time, only U.S. residents 18+ are eligible for funding.
https://www.granumfoundation.org/granum-fellows
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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Books Editor
Words Without Borders
DEADLINE: August 6, 2021 at 11:59 pm ET
INFO: Words Without Borders seeks a Books Editor for its digital magazine of international literature. This remote, part-time freelance position pays $400/month and works closely with the magazine’s editors to commission and edit monthly reviews of new literature in translation, plus one additional long-form essay on a quarterly basis. This is a remote position requiring approximately 20 hours/month.
The Book Review Editor’s primary duties include:
Commission and edit two 750–1,000-word book reviews per month and a quarterly long-form essay that brings a work of translation into the broader cultural conversation
Manage a publication schedule of upcoming reviews
Maintain and develop contacts with publishers to receive catalogs and special notice of forthcoming titles in translation
Cultivate relationships with past WWB reviewers and keep them abreast of books that are available for review
Recruit new reviewers
Field and evaluate pitches from new and current reviewers
Meet bi-monthly with the editorial team to assess reviews coverage and discuss new opportunities
Upload reviews to WWB’s content management system
Opportunity to contribute an occasional piece
Ideal candidates will meet the following requirements:
Two to three years of line-editing experience
At least two years' experience commissioning and editing work for a literary or journalistic publication
Demonstrated success in managing an editorial calendar and/or project management experience
A knowledge of and passion for international literature
Prior experience using content management systems preferred
To apply, send a cover letter and résumé, plus a pitch with proposed review of two upcoming books in translation, including proposed reviewers, and one pitch for a long-form essay that, while engaging with either a new or classic work in translation, taps into the zeitgeist and provides perspectives not just on literature but on culture (broadly defined) at large to jobs@wordswithoutborders.org with the subject line "Books Editor."
Words Without Borders does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, nationality, marital status, parental status, military service, or disability. We are committed to pursuing equity and inclusion in our organization and seek candidates who bring diverse backgrounds and new perspectives to our work. Individuals from groups who have been historically underrepresented in the field of publishing are especially encouraged to apply.
https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/dispatches/article/book-review-editor?src=twitter
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ARTHROPOD ANTHOLOGY: FICTION
Perennial Press
DEADLINE: August 7, 2021
INFO: Do you have a story or poem featuring insects, crustaceans, arachnids, or myriapods? We want to publish it!
We are looking for short fiction with monstrous, mythical, or mechanical arthropods for our upcoming Arthropoda anthology!
The call is open to original fiction and reprints, poetry and short fiction up to 45 lines and 7,500 words respectively.
Please submit no more than two short stories. Shunn manuscript format, simultaneous submissions permitted.
Arthropoda will be edited by JW Stebner (of Hexagon Magazine) and published by Perennial Press in mid-to-late 2022!
PAYMENT: All selected poets will be paid a $20 flat rate, and given either a print or PDF contributor copy.
We will not accept submissions that contain any excessive profanity or explicit content. We will not tolerate submissions that support or suggest any form of racism, sexism, or any other kind of discrimination.
About Perennial: Perennial Press archives truths through fiction and poetry. We are committed to highlighting and uplifting voices & perspectives that have traditionally been underrepresented in literature.
About Hexagon: Hexagon is an online magazine created to take our readers to fantastic worlds and to meet incredible characters. We specialize in the weird, the wondrous, and the whimsical!
https://perennialpress.submittable.com/submit
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EMPLOYMENT OPPRTUNITY: One Story Apprenticeship
One Story
DEADLINE: Extended to August 8, 2021 at 11:59pm ET
INFO: One Story is seeking a paid apprentice to join our team from September 2021 - May 2022. The apprentice will have a chance to learn about all aspects of a literary organization, including the editorial process, grant writing, and online educational programming.
This is an entry-level position for those looking for a career in publishing with a focus not just on editorial work, but also on future leadership roles in nonprofit management and online education. We are specifically seeking applicants from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the publishing industry who are recent college graduates or in their final year of college (class of 2020, 2021, or 2022) and not enrolled in a graduate program. Candidates should be creative, eager to work with a small, dedicated team, and have a demonstrated interest in the literary community and publishing world.
We will provide an opportunity to gain valuable skills and forge connections with peers and potential employers in the industry. In addition to experience gained from day-to-day tasks, the apprentice will receive specialized training in marketable skill sets such as design and production, project management, social media and marketing, proofreading and copyediting, online pedagogy best practices, and others. The goal is for them to leave their time at One Story with industry connections and a diverse and varied set of skills that will make their resumes stand out to future employers.
The apprentice will spend three months working alongside a core member of One Story’s staff before rotating to the next. This way, they will have an opportunity to gain insight into how each facet of our organization operates. The apprentice will also be responsible for independent projects, such as organizing readings and events.
Responsibilities include:
Reading and evaluating submissions
Assisting the editorial department with copyediting and proofreading
Attending weekly meetings with Editor-in-Chief & Editorial Assistant
Attending bi-monthly readers’ meetings
Assisting the Executive Director with grant writing
Email and social media marketing
Assisting with development and technical support of online education courses
Lending support at our annual Literary Debutante Ball
Performing general administrative tasks
Organizing readings & events
Prerequisites:
Demonstrated interest and involvement in the literary community
Some familiarity with One Story’s mission and publication history
Excellent writing skills
A love of reading
A desire to learn about and pursue a career in publishing or literary non-profit sector
Strong communication skills
Strong organizational skills and sense of punctuality
The ability to work closely in a shared office space
The time commitment for this position is 15 hours a week. An exact schedule will be determined upon hiring, but they should expect to spend at least one full day a week in the office, with the rest of the work done remotely. They will receive regular performance reviews to help ensure that they are getting the most out of the experience. They should reside within commuting distance of our office in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
COMPENSATION: A stipend totaling $10,000 for the 9 month period, which will be paid on a biweekly basis for the duration of the apprenticeship.
One Story Inc. is committed to inclusivity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, parental status, military service, or disability. People of color, disabled people, veterans, and LGBTQIA people are strongly encouraged to apply.
https://www.one-story.com/index.php?page=jobs
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CURATORIAL AND ART WRITING FELLOWSHIP
NLS Kingston
DEADLINE: August 10, 2021
INFO: The Curatorial and Art Writing Fellowship is a 5-month long mentorship program geared towards addressing the dearth of archival scholarship on the work of artists in Jamaica and the Caribbean by empowering young writers and curators with the tools to write these histories.
This program aims to develop diverse curatorial practices with a strong research and writing foundation equipping young curators to work on future projects at larger institutions and in their own intitiatives, thereby generating an archive on specific concerns and artists of focus.
For the program one young mentee will be selected per year to work with a professional curatorial mentor in the development of the mentee’s project addressing one or more of the following themes:
Gender: Ecology/Environment
Gender: Economy
Gender: Politics/Space
The program provides for mentees:
A work stipend of JMD $300,000
A separate publication and exhibition budget
Professional development from an experienced mentor
Access to Creative Sounds audio recording studio for podcast recording - Project space for the final project execution
Space for panel discussion
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
A curatorial or research statement of 700 - 1000 words. This should include ongoing research interests, planned areas of focus, as well as critical questions being investigated through the research.
An executive summary of 75 - 100 words.
A timeline for the project period. The timeline should detail checkpoints such as period of research, technical execution of outcomes such as publications (both podcast and written), panel discussions and curatorial interventions (exhibition or otherwise).
Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Work sample. Must include PDFs of 3 of your most recent writing samples,
especially as related to area of research and/or 10 JPEG images (1200 pixels wide) with accompanying text (PDF format) of exhibitions applicant has worked on in the last 5 years.Recommendations. Applicant must submit 2 signed letters of recommendation from someone who has worked with the applicant in their career, either in exhibitions, school and/or residencies.
Completed application form.
Copy of valid government-issued identification.
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Clarity. Clarity of the ideas and critical questions expressed in the resarch statement
Relevance. How relevant is the applicant’s project to the outlined themes the program is designed to address.
Timeline. Well-estimated timeline with thoughtful attention to time for research and technical execution of outcomes.
Previous output of applicant Strength of recommendations
NOTIFICATIONS
Receipt. All applicants will be notified that their application has been received within 14 days of receipt.
Acceptance. Accepted applicants will be notified 8 weeks from the close of deadline.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM
Daily Notebook. Mentee is expected to keep a daily notebook that should be logged into each workday. Notebooks will be provided by NLS. Daily entries may include documentation of thought process, process of inquiry, project notes, and concerns.
Meetings. Mentee is required to attend regular scheduled meetings with Mentor and periodical meetings with the NLS administrative staff. Mentee is expected to be punctual for all meetings and respectful of all set timelines.
Podcast Episode. Resident is expected to host one episode of the NLS IN podcast interviewing guest(s) working in their area of research.
Exhibition. The work created in the residency should be available for a month-long curated exhibition at NLS following the residency where applicable.
Art Writing Blog. Monthly contribution to the NLS art writing blog informally documenting developments, challenges and emerging curatorial/research concerns.
Workspace. The program does not provide office space for the duration of the intensive, therefore applicants are required to have access to their own workspace, computer and working WiFi.
Time. Accepted applicants are expected to work independently from March to August, 2019 under the mentorship of a professional curator and writer with a time commitment of at least 15 hours per week.
Curatorial Intervention. Mentee is expected to present a curatorial intervention in the form of an exhibition or other format relevant to the Mentee’s project focus.
Artist Talk. Mentee is required to moderate one artist talk/panel discussion towards the end of the intensive during the time of the curatorial intervention.
Written Publications. Mentee is expected to publish one essay in the form of a catalogue or zine to accompany the curatorial intervention, as well as submit one relevant piece of writing for publishing in a major art publication.
https://mailchi.mp/cbe77156c9ae/announcing-expansionproject-aniafreerseries-twauniisinclair-5274213
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: “Farewell At the Fingertips”! ISSUE
Sapphic Writers
DEADLINE: August 13, 2021 at 12:00am (wherever you are in the world)
INFO: Sapphic Writers is a small writing organisation that provides avenues of support, connection, and inspiration within the global sapphic writing community by offering workshops, publication and performance opportunities, and news and resources aimed at this underserved community of writers.
In this issue, we want to explore letting go/moving on. Whatever that looks for you, we want to see it. Whether it’s moving on from a relationship or something internally. Have you had habits you need to let go of? Situations to move on from? People you had to let go to move on?
As always, we want your interpretations of the theme, no matter how broad. We look forward to your submissions and the ways in which you’ve had to let go.
This zine will be published on Monday 20th September in digital format in our shop for free download.
We will, as always, be co-hosting a zine launch with the wonderful Glasgow Zine Library on Sunday 26th September at 7pm BST. More info TBC.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
This zine is open to sapphics only: lesbians, bisexual, pansexual and queer women and non binary people who experience attraction towards people with similar identities - this includes asexual people. If this does not apply to you, please do not submit.
From writers, we welcome up to three pieces, up to 5 pages long each, in doc or docx format. Please do not submit your piece in PDF or in the body of an email.
From visual artists, we welcome up to three pieces in PNG or JPEG format. Please ensure that your pieces have image descriptions - this enables your work to be accessible to people with low vision.
Please ensure that your piece has relevant content warnings before the piece - either in the header of the piece, or in the email itself.
We do not welcome homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, classism or any discrimination on our platform. We are a trans-friendly & trans-affirming group. If this does not fit with your values, please do not apply.
Please make sure that your bio is written in the third person.
If you have any questions, please get in touch at hello@sapphicwriters.org
https://www.sapphicwriters.org/submit
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Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
DEADLINE: August 15, 2021
INFO: The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence honors Louisiana’s revered storyteller, Ernest J. Gaines, and serves to inspire and recognize rising African-American fiction writers of excellence at a national level. The book award, initiated by donors of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, is now in its 15th year and has become nationally recognized in its role of enhancing visibility of emerging African-American fiction writers while also expanding the audience for this literature. The annual award of a $15,000 cash prize is to support and enable the writer to focus on writing.
The 2021 panel of judges are themselves renowned contributors to the literary world. They are Anthony Grooms, Edward P. Jones, Elizabeth Nunez, Francine Prose and Patricia Towers.
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation sponsors the winner’s travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to receive the prize at a ceremony, where the author reads an excerpt from the selected work of fiction. A reception follows. The evening is free, open to the public and attracts a diverse audience.
The literary award winner also participates in educational activities at selected area schools and after-school programs in keeping with the Gaines Award's interest in emphasizing the role of literature and arts in education. Through small creative writing workshops with the winning author, students are encouraged to pursue reading, delve into their own creativity, and to consider becoming an author.
To enter a published book or galley for review, send the completed REGISTRATION FORM and 8 copies to:
Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
c/o Baton Rouge Area Foundation
100 North St., Suite 900
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
Non-winning entries will be donated to an area nonprofit. Ineligible entries will not be returned.
The Literary Award, initiated by donors of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to honor Mr. Gaines, is designed to inspire and recognize rising African-American writers of excellence as they work to achieve the literary heights for which Ernest J. Gaines is known.
https://ernestjgainesaward.org
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Call for submissions: Award for Social Impact Writing
New York State Writers Institute
DEADLINE: August 15, 2021
INFO: In conjunction with philanthropists Bruce Piasecki and Andrea Masters, and the Yaddo artists' community in Saratoga Springs, NYS Writers are proud to announce a call for submissions for The Bruce Piasecki and Andrea Masters Annual Award on Business and Society Writing, celebrating young writers who aim to ignite positive social change fueled by their writing. The winner will receive a check for $5,000.
The award is financed by the Creative Force Fund started by Bruce Piasecki, founder of the AHC Group Inc., a general management consulting firm specializing in growth, energy, environment, and sustainability. Bruce is also the bestselling author of several books including Doing More with Less, World Inc. and Missing Persons. He was featured in conversation with Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl in April 2020. Watch video.
Bruce has devoted his life to catalyzing change and he hopes to inspire future generations to do the same. With this Award, he and his wife Andrea Masters hope to foster a new generation of writers interested in pursuing this underserved theme.
APPLICATION CRITERIA: Applicants must be between 18 and 35 years old and have at least one work published prior to August 15, 2021. These works may include essays, research papers, books, and articles.
Topics must be thematically consistent with positive social impact and business.
Themes include, but are not limited to, climate change, racial/gender equality, sustainability, and innovation.
HOW TO APPLY: To apply, send your published piece (link or PDF) and include a brief (1-2 page) working plan regarding what you aim to do next in your writing endeavors and future career plans (the next 5-10 years), to bruce@ahcgroup.com and debbi@ahcgroup.com. Please contact the same with any questions that you may have.
The award will be granted in a public ceremony in with the NYS Writers Institute and Yaddo, pictured below.
www.nyswritersinstitute.org/post/call-for-submissions-global-award-on-social-impact-authorship
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2021 Manuscript to Market Scholarship
Gotham Writers
DEADLINE: August 15, 2021
INFO: The Gotham “Manuscript-to-Market” Scholarship is open to people of color who have completed a book manuscript (or nonfiction book proposal) and are ready to go to market with their book. Three scholarships will be offered every year.
Each scholarship includes:
Admittance to the Gotham Writers Conference—the panels and presentations as well as a seat at a pitching roundtable with two agents in your genre.
The Gotham course How to Get Published or Nonfiction Book Proposal.
A one-on-one Agent Evaluation session and a Query Letter Coaching session, both with a literary agent.
Acceptance is open to all people of color and based solely on the merit of your book project. At least one spot will be rewarded to a Black writer.
Once accepted, Gotham will do a consultation to determine the timing and arrangement of your scholarship.
This scholarship does not guarantee that winners will get a book published, but it does help them get the best possible shot.
https://v2.writingclasses.com/scholarships/manuscript-to-market
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: DIGITAL CHAPBOOK SERIES
Fahmidan Journal
DEADLINE: August 15, 2021
INFO: Fahmidan Journal, an international publication supporting women and BIPOC writers, is seeking poetry and short fiction collections.
GUIDELINES:
Please only submit to if you consider yourself to be POC and/or a women.
Please submit manuscripts at a maximum of 40 pages. The collection should be single spaced for poetry and at discretion for short fiction.
Please format to Times New Roman 12 and number pages, please format your collection as A5
Simultaneous Submissions are fine, but please let us know immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Accepted authors will receive a standard & specified contract alongside the following:
40% royalties
A Digital Publishing Run of 12 Months
If you have not heard from us on/by September 25th 2021 please send us an email as it is likely your/our correspondence has disappeared into the ether.
Please send us a max 150 word bio including any relevant social media links/publications and anything important to the collection
Collections should be in single line spacing, include a contents page, and acknowledgements page if applicable and
Short fiction & Poetry collections are welcome!
Submissions should be sent to fahmidanpublishingsubmissions@gmail.com
https://www.fahmidan.net/publishing
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PUBLISHING GRANT
Café Royal Cultural Foundation
DEADLINE: August 16, 2021
INFO: Café Royal Cultural Foundation NYC will award a publishing grant to authors of fiction / creative non-fiction, poetry and playwriting.
AMOUNT: Up to $10,000.00
ELIGIBILITY:
Authors in fiction / creative non-fiction, poetry and playwriting. The applicant must be the originator of the written material.
Grants awarded in this category may fund costs associated with continuing the composition of work submitted.
Writers applying must be a current resident of New York City and have lived there for a minimum of one year prior to applying.
Please make sure to submit your application with ample time before the start date of your project.
REVIEW PROCEDURES: Funding decisions will be made by the Café Royal Cultural Foundation Selection and Executive Committees. The following criteria will be applied in evaluating grant proposals:
Creativity, originality, ideas and concepts, writing style
Importance of the Project/Cultural Relevance
Promise of future achievements in writing
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Up to and no more than a 30 page PDF of the work, for the Café Royal Cultural Foundation executive committee to download and read.
A letter of intent from the publisher with a date of planned publication, if no publisher is assigned, Café Royal Cultural Foundation may work with writer to help find a publisher.
A short description of the project.
A short author biography of the person(s) involved.
List of costs that the grant money be used for - must not exceed the amount of $10,000.00
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Call For Literary Art
Black Femme Collective
DEADLINE: August 20, 2021 at 11;59 pm PT
INFO: Black Femme Collective calls for creative nonfiction submissions from Black Queer Femme Storytellers engaging in the theme LIES + MAKE-BELIEVE.
Bring us your deceit and deception, your fairy tales and fabrications, your fantasy and your whimsy — share your journey to manifesting new realities and universes. Or, the times you were driven to evade the truth. What lies have you chosen to believe? Which have you told?
Whether you center the eerie and fantastical to elude capitalism’s weight, or you disrobe from deception to forge your own path to freedom— we want to hear it all.
Let the page speak for itself — the truth (or lie) will be evident.
Black Femme Collective primarily publishes creative nonfiction (personal essays, cultural criticism, book reviews, interviews, and articles). We also publish literary hybrid work with complex components in cross-genre nature that represents Black Femme Queerness.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Submitted works must be no more than 3,500 words
Send your submissions to hello@blackfemme.co
PAYMENT: Contributors receive between $150-$300 for their creative nonfiction
https://blackfemme.co/submissions/submission-details/
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2022 Walter Rodney Writing Prize
Pluto Press
DEADLINE: August 23, 2021
INFO: Pluto Press is proud to partner with the Walter Rodney Foundation (WRF) and the Pluto Educational Trust (PET) to launch the annual non-fiction Walter Rodney Writing Prize for women and non-binary first-time authors who have citizenship of an African or Caribbean country.
The prize will celebrate the extraordinary life and work of Guyanese writer and political activist Walter Rodney, while reflecting and advancing the impact of Rodney’s thinking on scholars and organisers.
We’re exited to announce the prize judges: Poet, reggae icon and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson, activist and historian Stella Dadzie and feminist and academic Dzodzi Tsikata.
The winner of the prize will receive a £4,000 writing grant, alongside access to Pluto, PET, and WRF’s combined global network of contacts. Their debut book will be published by Pluto Press.
www.plutobooks.com/walter-rodney-writing-prize/
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The Medium Writers Challenge
Medium
DEADLINE: August 24, 2021
INFO: Calling all storytellers! When was the last time you read a great piece of writing? What quality made you want to share it far and wide? Why did it strike such a powerful chord? If you were asked to replicate that feeling — to craft an essay that leaves readers caught up in the rapture of an unforgettable narrative — could you do it?
We believe you could. You showed us as much in the past: the Pandemic Reflections writing prompt resulted in hundreds of submissions in the first month. Our call for entries to the #StopAsianHate blog resulted in hundreds of perspectives shared in the first week. And now we want to help discover and nurture great writing again, with The Medium Writers Challenge.
The challenge, which will take place over the course of four weeks, is a chance for you to share your best ideas with an esteemed panel of judges and millions of Medium readers — plus, an opportunity to win $50,000.
Here’s how it will work. We’re providing four guiding prompts: Reentry, Death, Work, and Space. Each is accompanied by a descriptive paragraph to help you get your wheels turning — but don’t feel confined. Your experiences or perspectives might take you down other roads that are well within the parameters of the prompt.
GUEST JUDGES: An expert panel of cultural leaders, editors, and writers will join as guest judges to select their favorites. Those judges include Natalie Portman, Roxane Gay, Saeed Jones, Imani Perry, Eve L. Ewing, Susan Orlean, Robert Kolker, kelly corrigan, Dao-Yi Chow, Bonsu Thompson, Julio Vincent Gambuto, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Kurt Andersen, David Dennis, Jr., and others.
AWARD: With the help of the judging panel, Medium will select four finalist winners — one for each prompt — who will each be awarded with $10,000 each. One of the four finalists will be selected for a grand prize of $50,000. Additionally, 100 honorable mention selections will each win $100.
Entering the challenge is easy: Just write to one — or more — of the writing prompts outlined below, and include the associated tag when publishing your story on Medium. (Once you hit “Publish” on your post, you can type it into the “Add a tag…” box.)
REENTRY: Tell us about an experience you’ve had coming back to something — or someone — after time away. What changed in your absence? How did youchange? What are the funny moments, faux pas, discomforts, and joys that came with returning to an old situation (or your pre-pandemic life) with new eyes?
TAG: MWC Reentry
JUDGES: Imani Perry, Julio Vincent Gambuto, Saeed Jones, Jude Ellison Doyle
DEATH: People die, of course, but so do other things. Ideals. Relationships. Jobs. Life phases. Pieces of who we once were. A death isn’t always inherently sad, either; sometimes, it’s a positive step, freeing us from what was weighing us down or allowing us to move forward. Illusions can die. Grudges. Bad habits. Tell us about a death you’ve experienced, for better or worse, and how you marked the loss — whether it was with mourning or celebration.
TAG: MWC Death
JUDGES: Susan Orlean, Robert Kolker, kelly corrigan, Eve L. Ewing
WORK: “Work” is a term that contains multitudes. Maybe your work is a key pillar of your identity. Maybe it’s the thing that allows you to focus on other pursuits. Maybe it fulfills you; maybe it drains you. Maybe the real work in your life isn’t the same as the way you make money. We want to know what “work” means to you — and the factors that have shaped your thinking. What’s the most important work you do, however you define it? What’s the value of work in your life? What’s your dream job? Is there such a thing as a dream job? Is there a moment, a person, a role that’s changed the way you approach your work?
TAG: MWC Work
JUDGES: Roxane Gay, Kurt Andersen, David Dennis, Jr.
SPACE: Whether we’re letting our imaginations run wild or focusing on what’s in front of us, our day-to-day lives are defined by space: living space, personal space, outer space. We make space. We claim space. We practice social distancing. We turn spaces into homes, into communities, into refuges, and we forge relationships with others and ourselves within those spaces. We wonder, with varying degrees of skepticism and belief, about the beings that occupy the space beyond our planet. However you define it, tell us a story about a role space has played in your life.
TAG: MWC Space
JUDGES: Natalie Portman, Dao-Yi Chow, Bonsu Thompson
The four finalists will be announced on September 21, 2021 followed by the grand prize recipient announcement on September 23, 2021.
https://blog.medium.com/introducing-the-medium-writers-challenge-f8a95f6d17f
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2021 Real People, Real Struggles, Real Stories: Writing about Mental Illness Fellowship
Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow
DEADLINE: August 30, 2021
APPLICATION FEE: $35
INFO: The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is offering a fellowship open to writers working on non-fiction focusing on managing mental illness. This personal story should offer insight, awareness, and hope. Writing can take the form of memoir, personal essay, profile, or biography. The successful application will demonstrate insight, honesty, literary merit, and the likelihood of publication. The fellowship winner receives a two-week residency in a private writing suite. We provide uninterrupted writing time, a European-style gourmet dinner five nights a week served in our community dining room, the camaraderie of other professional writers when you want it, and a community kitchen stocked with the basics for other meals.
Fellowship applications must be accompanied by a writing sample and a non-refundable $35 application fee. Deadline is midnight CDT on Monday, August 30, 2021. Residency must be completed by December 31, 2022.
https://www.writerscolony.org/fellowships.
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2021 Barthelme Prize for Short Prose
Gult Coast
DEADLINE: August 31, 2021
ENTRY FEES: $20
INFO: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast is given annually for a piece of short prose or prose poetry. Two honorable mentions will each receive $250. All entries will be considered for publication. This year's final judge is Molly McCully Brown.
Submit a prose poem, a piece of flash fiction, or a micro-essay of up to 500 words. Each entry can include up to three pieces. The fee for each entry is $20, which includes a yearlong subscription to Gulf Coast.
Only previously unpublished work will be considered. The contest will be judged blindly, so please do not include your cover letter, your name, or any contact information in the uploaded document.
https://gulfcoastajournalofliteratureandfinearts.submittable.com/submit
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Flash Fiction Contest
Singapore Unbound
DEADLINE: August 31, 2021
ENTRY FEE: $0
INFO: “In my time machine, I would leave my room, with its suffocating plaster saints and its ugly pleated curtains that matched the ugly pleated under-skirt of my bed. I would leave my mother and her shouting. I would leave my eternally distant father, a school principal/Mathematics professor and his young secretary, a pale slip of a woman who wore tight clothes and gave me a slice of pan de regla every Thursday morning. I would close my eyes and my time machine would take me to a library at the end of the universe. In that library, there were no people—only books containing every story that had ever been written, every word ever spoken, every secret ever told. My library was my secret, my escape, my soul.”—from The Infinite Library and Other Stories by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo
In conjunction with Gaudy Boy’s October 2021 publication of the first North American edition of The Infinite Library and Other Stories by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo, Singapore Unbound’s SP Blog is holding its first annual flash fiction contest with a call for submissions inspired by the title of this mesmerizing story collection. We are looking for flash fiction of 90-100 words about “the infinite library,” interpreted in any imaginative way. What is a library? Must it always be a room filled with books? Can it be a person, an animal, or even a machine? And how is it infinite?
The contest is open to everyone.
PRIZE: Awards of USD $100, $50, and $30 will go to the top three winners. In addition, winners residing in the United States will also be awarded a signed copy of Victor Fernando R. Ocampo’s The Infinite Library and Other Stories. The winning pieces will be published on Singapore Unbound’s SP Blog; non-winning pieces will be considered for publication as well.
The judge for this inaugural contest is the novelist Monique Truong. Born in Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), Monique came to the US as a refugee in 1975. She is based now in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of the bestselling novels The Book of Salt (2003), Bitter in the Mouth (2010), and The Sweetest Fruits (Gaudy Boy, 2021). Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, O magazine, Real Simple, Food & Wine, and Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, among others. Truong is also a lyricist and librettist, working in collaboration with composers Joan La Barbara and Shih-Hui Chen.
Friends and family of the judge are allowed to submit entries too. Judging will be based solely on literary merit. We reserve the right not to make any or all awards, should the quality of entries not merit them.
Contest entry is free. Please submit a maximum of three pieces of flash fiction. Make sure that each piece is between 90-100 words. Only unpublished works will be considered. Posting on weblog, Facebook, and other social media does not constitute publication. No simultaneous submissions, please. Please email your submission to Jee at jkoh@singaporeunbound.org. The flash fiction must be pasted into the body of the email, together with a short cover letter giving your name, mailing address, and brief biographical note.
The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2021. Results will be announced in October and the winning pieces published in the run-up to the publication of The Infinite Library and Other Stories. We ask for exclusive first rights only. After publication, all rights return to the author. Winners will also be invited to read their winning entries at the book launch.
https://singaporeunbound.org/opportunities
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FIRST-BOOK SCHOLARSHIP 2021
Gasher Press
DEADLINE: September 1, 2021
INFO: Founded in 2018 by poet, Whitney Kerutis, Gasher Press is a literary small press and journal publication committed to serving the literary community by the means of providing opportunities in publishing, editing, and scholarship.
Gasher’s First-Book scholarship is to provide financial assistance of $250 to a writer submitting their first book. This year, we are pleased to be able to offer two awards, one for Prose and one for Poetry. Please see the guidelines below before submitting:
Please include in the title of the submission the manuscript's title followed by its genre (EX: The Seedling - PROSE)
Please submit your first-book manuscript must be at least 48pgs in length with a cover letter and bio.
You may only submit one entry per submission period. All other entries will be disqualified regardless of withdrawing previous submissions.
Writers must not have published a full-length collection at the time of submission, including self-published books. (chapbooks are okay.)
The writer must reside in the United States at the time of submission.
This is a blind reading. Please DO NOT include any identifying material on your manuscript, including an acknowledgments page. Those who do not remove this information from their submission will be disqualified.
https://gasherjournal.submittable.com/submit
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RESIDENCY PROGRAM: UCROSS FELLOWSHIPS FOR NATIVE AMERICAN VISUAL ARTISTS AND WRITERS
UCross Foundation
DEADLINE: September 1, 2021
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: The Ucross Residency Program is open to visual artists, writers, composers, choreographers, interdisciplinary artists, and performance artists, as well as collaborative teams. Applicants must exhibit professional standing in their field; both mature and emerging artists of promise are welcome to apply.
Current work is requested. An applicant's work sample is the most significant feature of his or her application. Unless work is interdisciplinary, i.e. the various genres interconnect, each applicant is encouraged to apply in a primary discipline and submit a work sample and project description that emphasizes this single discipline. Competition for residencies varies seasonally and with the number of applications. While only one Fellowship winner will be selected, all applicants will have the option of being considered for a regular Ucross residency.
ELIGIBILITY: Residencies are open to Native American writers who meet the criteria below. They must:
* Be a practicing contemporary writer who is currently producing works in one or more of the following genres -- FICTION, NONFICTION, POETRY, DRAMA, SCREENWRITING, PLAYWRITING, HYBRID FORMS, and more;
* Be an enrolled member of a state-recognized or federally-recognized Tribe, Pueblo, Nation, Native Community, Political Entity, or Alaskan Native Village.
FICTION WORK SAMPLE: Your writing sample should be representative of the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name.
* Appropriate sample: 20 pages of fiction, which could be a novel excerpt, a story, several stories, or a combination.
NONFICTION WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should be representative of the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name.
* Appropriate sample: 20 pages of nonfiction
POETRY WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should be representative of the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced, but poetry submissions may be single-spaced, and they should include your full name.
* Appropriate samples: 10 pages of poetry.
PLAYWRITING WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should be representative of the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name.
* Appropriate samples: One complete play (documentation of production may be included, if relevant).
SCREENWRITING WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should be representative of the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name.
* Appropriate samples: One complete screenplay (documentation of production may be included, if relevant).
https://ucrossfoundation.submittable.com/submit
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2021 Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing
Gulf Coast
DEADLINE: September 1, 2021
ENTRY FEE: $0
INFO: Gulf Coast is now accepting entries for the 2021 Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing. The contest awards $3,000 and publication in Gulf Coast to the winner. Two runners up will be awarded $1,000 each. Prize winners will be featured in Gulf Coast's printed journal as well as online. This year's contest will be judged by Jenna Wortham.
GUIDELINES:
Submit one piece of critical art writing, of no more than 1,500 words, in a single .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.
The contest will be judged blindly, so please do not include your bio, your name, or any contact information in the uploaded document.
Previously unpublished work and work that has been published within the last year will be considered.
It is the author's responsibility to secure image permissions and, when applicable, reprint permission if the submission has been previously published
There is no entry fee
https://gulfcoastajournalofliteratureandfinearts.submittable.com/submit
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2021 Gulf Coast Prize in Translation
Gulf Coast
DEADLINE: September 1, 2021
ENTRY FEES:
Full entry fee is $20 and includes a yearlong subscription to Gulf Coast (2 issues).
We also offer a half-price entry fee of $10, which includes a half-year subscription to Gulf Coast (1 issue).
INFO: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast will be given annually for a work of translation into English. Two honorable mentions will each receive $250. All entries will be considered for publication in print or online. This year's final judge is Sophie Hughes, translator of Alia Trabucco Zerán and Fernanda Melchor.
Submit up to 20 pages of prose translated into English and a copy of the original text. Excerpts from longer works are welcome.
As part of your submission, include the text in its original language, provide a brief synopsis (no more than 200 words) of the work and the author you are translating.
Only previously unpublished work will be considered. The contest will be judged blindly so your personal information should not appear in the uploaded document.
*In your submission, please provide one of the following:
A note (from the translator) in the Comments section of our Online Submission Manager stating that permissions are granted.
From the copyright holder (in the event the piece makes it to the final judging round): Written permission granting you right to translate the work in your contest submission. Permission should name the work being translated, date consent was given, and identify the copyright holder.
https://gulfcoastajournalofliteratureandfinearts.submittable.com/submit
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: DIRT - A Special Issue
Guernica
DEADLINE: September 1, 2021
INFO: Guernica, a magazine of art and politics, is now accepting submissions for DIRT: A Special Issue.
This year was a year spent cleaning—sanitizing surfaces, doing endless dishes, relearning to wash our hands. There was so much extraneous cleaning going on, in fact, that it necessitated a new term: “hygiene theater.” The misdirection of our disinfection points to a larger phenomenon: that for all that is known about pathogens and where they live, we can’t always tell when dirt is danger, when it is superstition, or, even, when it’s good for us.
The anthropologist Mary Douglas, who memorably called dirt “matter out of place,” believed that cleanliness rituals are largely symbolic exercises that reveal a society’s most fundamental organizing principles. “There is no such thing as absolute dirt: it exists in the eye of the beholder,” she wrote. Yet dirt is also a tangible thing, a physical record of life and death on this planet. As adrienne maree brown wrote, “The Earth is layer upon layer of all that has existed, remembered by the dirt.”
In this special issue of Guernica, edited by Michele Moses, we want to examine dirt at the intersection of the societal, the personal, and the ecological—dirt as metaphor and dirt as substance. We are looking for submissions—essays, journalism, poetry, fiction, illustration, and beyond—that explore the emotional, interpersonal, and political meanings that hide inside our ideas about uncleanness and hygiene. Long before this pandemic year, the notion of dirt has been used to signal feelings of fear or disgust for other people: to enshrine class, caste, and colonial systems, to enact racism and misogyny, to express our everyday amorphous discomfort with each other. At the same time, dirt is exalted for its life-sustaining properties, and often sentimentalized. It’s something kids need a chance to play in, it’s something we need contact with to feel “grounded.”
Dirt is also sex, and dirt is gossip. Soil is homeland and a final resting place. Some examples of the kinds of stories we would be interested in: an investigation into how the rhetoric of filth has contributed to the removal of public infrastructure like water fountains or pay phones; a look at religious laws about purity and menstruation; a critical reading of the fantasies put forth in advertisements for soap and other cleaning products.
We are also looking for writing that engages deeply with the materiality of the many natural and unnatural substances that make up the larger category of “dirt”: soil, soot, grime, dust, ash, and beyond. Some ideas that appeal to us are: a chronicle of the fight for regenerative agriculture and the untapped carbon-capture potential of soil; a brief history of the humble mud brick; an exegesis of household dust; an ode to belly-button lint.
PAY: Guernica offers honoraria of $50 for poetry, $100 for original essays, and $150 for original fiction and for reportage.