Arthur Flowers Flash Fiction Prize
Salt Hill Journal
SUBMISSIONS PERIOD: September 6 - October 10, 2021
ENTRY FEE: $0
INFO: We are thrilled to announce the first annual Arthur Flowers Flash Fiction Prize for emerging writers of color. Established in 2021 by Si Yon Kim and Erica Frederick, women of color editors of Salt Hill, the contest is named after Arthur Flowers, a beloved teacher and mentor in the Syracuse University Creative Writing MFA community, to honor his legacy as a steadfast champion of Black students and other students of color in the program. While we want our entrants to feel empowered to submit absolutely anything, we are especially excited for stories that break the canon and queer and color the ways that we’ve been taught to consider language, time, setting, and plot. We are also pleased to share that Flowers will serve as the contest’s inaugural judge.
AWARD: The winner will receive a cash prize of $500 and publication in Salt Hill Issue 48. Two runners-up will each receive a cash prize of $50 and publication in Salt Hill Issue 48.
2021 JUDGE: Arthur Flowers, native of Memphis, author of novels, creative nonfiction, and graphic works, is a bluesbased performance artist / delta griot. His latest work is The Hoodoo Book of Flowers. He has been Exec. Dir. of The Harlem Writers Guild and various nonprofits. He is webmaster of Rootsblog, Professor Emeritus, Syracuse University, and a practitioner of literary hoodoo.
ELIGIBILITY:
In order to be eligible, you must
Identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color.
Not have published or been contracted to write a full-length book at the time of submission. Writers with chapbooks are eligible.
International writers working in English are encouraged to submit.
Family, colleagues, intimate friends, and current or former students of the judge are ineligible, as are graduates of, and those affiliated with, the Syracuse University Creative Writing Program.
GGUIDELINES:
Please submit one unpublished story of no more than 1,000 words.
Entries will be read blind. Please remove your name and any other identifying information from your manuscript.
Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you notify us immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.
All stories will be considered for general publication unless the entrant requests otherwise.
https://salthilljournal.net/arthur-flowers-ff-prize
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2021 TONI BEAUCHAMP PRIZE IN CRITICAL ART WRITING
Gulf Coast
DEADLINE: Extended to September 12, 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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Princeton Arts Fellowships
Princeton University
DEADLINE: September 14, 2021
INFO: Princeton Arts Fellowships, funded in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, David E. Kelley Society of Fellows in the Arts, and the Maurice R. Greenberg Scholarship Fund, will be awarded to artists whose achievements have been recognized as demonstrating extraordinary promise in any area of artistic practice and teaching. Applicants should be early career composers, conductors, musicians, choreographers, visual artists, filmmakers, poets, novelists, playwrights, designers, directors and performance artists–this list is not meant to be exhaustive–who would find it beneficial to spend two years teaching and working in an artistically vibrant university community.
Princeton Arts Fellows spend two consecutive academic years (September 1-July 1) at Princeton University and formal teaching is expected. The normal work assignment will be to teach one course each semester subject to approval by the Dean of the Faculty, but fellows may be asked to take on an artistic assignment in lieu of a class, such as directing a play or creating a dance with students. Although the teaching load is light, our expectation is that Fellows will be full and active members of our community, committed to frequent and engaged interactions with students during the academic year.
STIPEND: An $86,000 a year stipend is provided. Fellowships are not intended to fund work leading to an advanced degree. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply. Holders of Ph.D. degrees from Princeton are not eligible to apply.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES: To apply, please submit a curriculum vitae, a 500-word statement about how you would hope to use the two years of the fellowship at this moment in your career and how you would contribute to Princeton’s arts community through teaching and/or production, contact information for three references (should the search committee choose to contact references, please do not request letters or have letters sent in advance of a request from the search committee), and work samples (i.e., a writing sample, images of your work, video links to performances, etc.). You are also encouraged to submit an optional 300-word diversity and inclusion statement as part of your application package.
As part of your submitted application materials, we encourage all applicants to describe their experiences with encouraging diversity and inclusion in their artistic practice, teaching and/or research in the past and present, and their ability to make future contributions. Any submitted statement should include their potential for supporting the Lewis Center’s commitment to diversity and to furthering equitable practices within the arts as well as their potential to mentor and educate students from backgrounds underrepresented in the candidate’s artistic field.
Applicants can only apply for the Princeton Arts Fellowship twice in a lifetime.
https://arts.princeton.edu/fellowships/princeton-arts-fellowship/
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: COOL. AWKWARD. BLACK Anthology
Karen Strong / Penguin Young Readers
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
INFO: Author and Editor Karen Strong is looking for a new voice to contribute a short story for the young-adult anthology COOL. AWKWARD. BLACK. This anthology will be published in Spring 2023 by Penguin Young Readers with a list of bestselling and critically acclaimed Black authors.
These stories will celebrate Blackness beyond the mainstream: A shout-out to the lovers of manga and anime. A head nod to the con cosplayers and RPG players. An homage to the book nerds and STEM geeks. Our Blackness has no boundaries. We’re owning the power of being COOL. AWKWARD. BLACK.
The anthology will span all genres and facets of geekdom and fandom. Black teens deserve to see themselves at the center, celebrating their passions, embracing their magic, falling in love, and saving the world. I would love for your story to be a part of it.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
All applicants must be unrepresented by an agent and unpublished (including self-publishing).
All submissions must include three separate attachments to be considered, including the following:
A short story of 5,000 words or less, attached as a .doc, .docx, or .txt file.
A bio (150 words or less) that tells us about you and includes how the applicant identifies as part of the Black/African diaspora, attached as a .doc, .docx, or .txt file.
A photo/headshot, attached as a .jpg or .png file.
All entries must be submitted electronically to coolawkblackantho@gmail.com.
All submissions must be appropriate for a young adult audience, ages 12 to 18.
All submissions must be an original work of fiction written in English by the applicant and never before published in any commercial medium, print or online, audio, or translated from a foreign language.
You will receive email confirmation upon receipt of your story. Submissions will not be returned. There is no guarantee that your submission will be published. Feedback will not be provided on your submission. The anthology editor has no obligation to applicants whose submissions are not selected.
If your submission is selected for potential inclusion in the anthology, then you agree, upon request, to work with the anthology editor and publisher as part of the editing process. You further understand that you will be asked to sign a contributor agreement, with terms equal to those of other contributors, and your submission will not be published if you elect not to sign. You further agree that the submission may be edited for length, format or otherwise by the anthology editor or publisher.
COMPENSATION: If your submission is selected for potential inclusion in the anthology and meets the publication requirements outlined above (as defined by the anthology editor), you will receive a contributor fee of approximately $3,000 (subject to the final number of contributors) and you will receive credit as a contributor in the publication.
https://www.karen-strong.com/cab-submissions?ltclid=0ec256ab-fca4-46be-abc1-121692e6c03b
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People of Color in Publishing Mentorship Program
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
INFO: The People of Color in Publishing Mentorship Program is a volunteer-based initiative that aims to create mentorship relationships between entry-level and experienced-level POC industry professionals. The initiative’s goal is to provide entry-level POC professionals a personal resource for support, guidance, and encouragement, as they begin to navigate a career in publishing.
ABOUT THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: The mentorship program lasts for 6 months, beginning January, with each mentor/mentee pair determining the scheduling, pace, structure, and circumstances of their mentorship. Mentors are asked to spend at least an hour per month one-on-one (whether by phone, Skype, gchat, or in person) with their mentee in order to provide the kind of attention and information they can put to good use in their careers. This amounts to a total commitment of 6 hours between the mentor and mentee across the 6 month mentorship period.
Each pair is assigned one member of the subcommittee as their point person, who will be there to give guidance, advice, and to take feedback and address concerns. We welcome any and all comments that may help us improve and refine this program so that it truly works to combat the disproportionate lack of POCs in the publishing industry.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Mentees: Applicants must submit a short statement of intent and a list of departments they are interested in receiving guidance and mentorship in. This mentorship is open to full-time and part-time entry-level POC professionals, as well as individuals with internship(s) experience.
Mentors: We welcome all industry professionals with over two years of experience to volunteer to become a mentor. Since mentees and mentors are matched on the basis of the mentee’s area of interest, volunteers from all departments--including but not limited to editors, agents, designers, publicists, marketing professionals, and foreign rights/scouts--are invited.
This initiative was created for and by people of color in publishing. To qualify as either a mentee or mentor, one must self-identify as a person of color.
https://www.pocinpublishing.com/mentorship
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HAMBIDGE RESIDENCIES
Hambidge Center
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
INFO: The Hambidge Center is situated on 600 forested acres in the mountains of north Georgia and offers miles of nature trails, meadows, waterfalls, a swimming hole and an abundance of wildflowers.
The oldest residency program in the Southeast, Hambidge provides a self-directed program that honors the creative process and trusts individuals to know what they need to cultivate their talent, whether it’s to work and produce, to think, to experiment or to rejuvenate. Residents’ time is their own; there are no workshops, critiques, nor required activities.
Each resident is given their own private studio which provides work and living space with a bathroom and full kitchen. The studios are designed to protect the time, space and solitude that allows residents to focus on their work.
Resident groups are intentionally kept small enough (8-10 people) to gather around the dinner table each evening, Tuesday through Friday, for delicious vegetarian meals prepared by our chef. These communal meals are an essential part of the Hambidge residency experience. Serious topics are discussed (and light-hearted ones, too), experiences are shared, and encouragement is given. Many a collaboration and life-long friendship have begun at the Hambidge dinner table.
Members of each resident group come from different walks of life and work in different creative disciplines; from musicians, chefs and scientists, to visual artists, writers, and beyond. Each year, residents of all ages come to Hambidge from over 30 states across the U.S., as well as internationally.
Specialized equipment and facilities include the Antinori Pottery Studio, and a beautifully rebuilt turn-of-the-century Steinway grand piano housed in Garden Studio.
Accessibility - Hambidge offers two ADA-compliant studios: Brena Studio and Cove Studio. Our dining and common areas can be navigated, but are not yet fully compliant. There are no sidewalks or paved areas; the connecting driveways are gravel and uneven. For more information, please contact our Office Manager at 706-746-7324.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU APPLY
The studios are comfortable, but rustic and secluded. They are purposely simple, and most are out of sight of each other and somewhat isolated.
We are located in a forested environment. Residents should expect to occasionally encounter wildlife and insects – and sometimes the insects are inside the studios.
It is dark at night. There are no street lights or ambient light, other than the moon and stars.
Due to our remote location, there is no cell service at Hambidge. Each studio has a phone for emergency, local and incoming calls.
To encourage focused creativity, there is no internet in the studios. Wi-fi is available 24 hours a day in the communal space of Lucinda's Rock House.
All application materials must be submitted electronically through hambidge.slideroom.com. Step-by-step instructions are included in each application. For technical assistance during the application process, contact Slidroom Support in the Help tab of the application portal.
Late applications will not be accepted. Notification of results is sent via email approximately 5 weeks after the application deadline.
NOTE: We will contact you using the contact information in your Slideroom Account. Before submitting your application, please double check to make sure ALL your Slideroom account info is current.
APPLICATION MATERIALS INCLUDE
Applicant Proposal - A one-page proposal which addresses the concept and direction of presented work, stage of career and why Hambidge is important to your project.
Bio - A 300-word Bio which includes a brief description of education, training, achievements and honors.
Resume/CV - This one-page summary should include educational background, teaching, publications, exhibitions, awards, honors and other pertinent experience.
Preferred Residency Dates - You will be asked to submit your fist, second and third choices of residency dates. The wider the variation in those dates, the more likely we will be able to schedule you.
Work Samples - These should be recent and representative of the best work according to the applicant’s medium and discipline.
See below for specific requirements for each discipline.Arts and Cultural Administrators - This residency opportunity encourages personal work in creative media for a rejuvenating experience, but we also understand the need and benefits of having focused time to work on professional projects. You may propose to work on either or both.
NOTE: We consider creative disciplines to be professional careers, but for the purposes of this application, we will term your creative discipline as "personal creative," and work you might do for your organization as "professional." Examples of professional projects: writing a grant; organizational review; researching a project; creating a marketing plan. Examples of personal creative work: painting; functional ceramics; writing poetry; composing an opera.
If you're proposing to do work for your organization during your residency, submit supporting materials from your organization. This can include PDF documents about your organization, images, video, and links to social media. If proposing to do personal creative work, submit a combination of recent work samples and supporting materials from your organization. Accepted files: PDF documents (up to 10MB each), images (jpg or png; up to 5 MB each), video (mov or mp4; up to 250MB each, or link to embedded files on YouTube or Vimeo), sound files, and links to social media.
Writing
Submit 15 double-spaced pages of your written work. You may add a synopsis, if necessary. Poets submit 6 to 8 poems or appropriate excerpts from longer works. Playwrights submit one complete play in the standard format. Screenwriters include an example of previous work in the standard format.
Include your name on each page of your submission and pages numbers on multi-page entries. For writers who work in languages other than English, submit both original language examples and English translations. Document format: pdf; up to 10 MB each.
https://www.hambidge.org/guidelines-apply
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ‘Border Crossing Narratives’ ISSUE
Shenandoah
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
INFO: Shenandoah is accepting fiction submissions. Editorial Fellow May-lee Chai will be reading and choosing short stories for their fall 2022 issue. Her call for submissions follows:
The theme is ‘Border Crossing Narratives.’ Send us your stories of migrations, large and small, of crossings across multiple kinds of borders, physical, psychological, social, spiritual, temporal or theoretical. Send us stories that question who gets to create borders, whether on maps or on the body. How are borders enforced? What power dynamics shift when we cross them?
I’d love to use this fellowship to publish works that center the experiences of people and communities historically marginalized in traditional publishing. I’m happy to consider stories from flash to about 6000 words. Hybrid forms are welcome.
Please include a short bio, and if you’d like, a short statement (under 300 words) about what this theme means to you as a writer and as a member of a community or various communities.
Shenandoah will only consider one submission per author at a time (no multiple submissions in different genres, please) and will delete multiple submissions without reading them. Submitted work should be previously unpublished in English. Work simultaneously submitted elsewhere will be considered, but they ask that you withdraw the work immediately if it is accepted.
https://shenandoah.submittable.com/submit
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: TRANSLATION
Columbia Journal
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
INFO: Columbia Journal seeks submissions of translation, for both print and online. We welcome you to submit with us. We’re in search of innovative, outward-looking voices, stories that break boundaries and language that lingers.
We accept all forms of work in translation. Submissions should be kept at less than 5,000 words of prose or 5 pages of poetry. Your submission should be in a DOC, DOCX, PDF, or TXT, or RTF file format. Your name, a short (300 words or less) bio should be included in the cover letter. Please also include your preferred social media handles (IE Twitter, Instagram, etc.) if you would like to be tagged on our profiles should we publish your work. Bios over 300 words will be truncated at the reviewing editor's discretion.
Submissions will be considered for both the print and online editions.
Please also include the information of the original publisher and attach information showing that publication rights are available. If yours is a piece in public domain, please note that.
Our editors do our best to be timely in their responses to submissions, but due to the incredible number of submissions we receive on an ongoing basis, we cannot guarantee a specific time period in which a decision will have been made. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please let us know as soon as possible and we will withdraw it from our consideration.
https://columbiajournal.submittable.com/submit
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Mixed Mag
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
INFO: Mixed Mag is an online multimedia publication dedicated to promoting creatives of color and celebrating our multiethnic/multicultural voices.
We’re accepting articles, think pieces, short stories, reviews and essays between 500-3000 words (sections include ART, FASHION, POLITICS, PROSE, TV/FILM/THEATER, MUSIC, FOOD, HEALTH/SEX/WELLNESS). Please read specific section requirements below:
POETRY: Submit up to three poems.
PROSE: Submit creative non-fiction, flash fiction or short stories between 500-3000 words.
TV, FILM & THEATER: Monologues must be 5 pages max. Plays/screenplays must be between 10-15 page max (this includes plays, films and web series). Short films or web series episodes must be no longer than 15 minutes.
ART: Submit 10 photos/videos max for visual submissions. Please include an artist’s statement.
MUSIC: Send us your essays, albums reviews or original music links. Please include links to Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Youtube, etc. as well as a paragraph about your submission.
FOOD: Send us your food stories, recipes, conversations and good eats related to culture or ancestry. Please include photos and if sending a recipe, please include a paragraph explaining what this food means to you and your culture.
FASHION: Submit articles, essays or reviews about clothing, accessories, upcoming designers, sustainable fashion and more. Also submit your own upcoming labels/lines with up to 10 photos/videos max and an artist statement.
Please send your submissions to submissions@mixedmag.co
Please submit your written submission(s) in a word doc file, include what section you are submitting to in the email subject line and include a short 3rd person bio.
PUBLICATION RIGHTS: MixedMag reserves all rights to the author/creator. We just ask that you mention MixedMag as the original publisher of your piece, should it appear in another publication (i.e. This piece first appeared in the online publication MixedMag)
We are a volunteer-run magazine, so unfortunately we can’t pay contributors at this time, however we hope you will join our platform as we begin paving the way to promote, uplift and push your voices to the forefront.
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
La Raíz Magazine
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
INFO: La Raíz Magazine is a new community magazine based in San José, California that publishes visual art, poetry, short stories, essays, articles, interviews. La Raíz Magazine prioritizes contributions from residents of San José, residents of Santa Clara County, people residing in California, people residing in the United States, women and girls, people of color (BIPOC), as well as work that addresses experiences and issues particularly relevant to people of color/BIPOC and women/girls. A portion of proceeds from sales of La Raíz Magazine will be contributed to the La Raíz Scholarship & Community Fund.
Submissions are welcome in Spanish, English, and a combination of these languages. Due to editing limitations, a few words in other languages are welcome. Community members of all ages are encouraged to submit work. Anyone under 18 years old will be asked to obtain the consent of their parent or legal guardian if accepted. International writers and artists are welcome!
La Raíz Magazine will be available in November 2021 via the Roots Artist Registry website (http://www.rootsartistregistry.com). La Raíz Magazine will be edited by Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo, 2021 Creative Ambassador of the San José Office of Cultural Affairs, and is created with the support of The School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. La Raíz Magazine is supported, in part, by the CALI Accelerator Program of the Center for Cultural Innovation and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW of Santa Clara County).
Free submission of one entry per person. If you would like to submit more than one piece of work, please check the appropriate box in the form and send your donation via PayPal within 24 hours. Two pieces can be submitted with no fee for people listed on https://www.RootsArtistRegistry.com (See "Registry Services" page to add your permanent listing as a Visual Artist, Performing Artist, or Literary Artist for only $7)
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RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Monson Arts
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
APPLICATION FEE: $25
INFO: Monson Arts’ residency program supports emerging and established artists and writers by providing them time and space to devote to their creative practices. During each of our 2-week and 4-week programs throughout the year, a cohort of roughly 5 artists and 5 writers are invited to immerse themselves in small town life at the edge of Maine’s North Woods and focus intensely on their work within a creative and inspiring environment. They receive a private studio, private bedroom in shared housing, all meals, and $1,000 stipend ($500 for 2-week programs). New for 2022, the Abbott Watts Residency for Photography offers access to the photography studio and darkroom of Todd Watts in nearby Blanchard, adjacent to the former home of Berenice Abbott. Click here to read more about this unique opportunity specifically for photographers.
Application for this program is open to anyone at any stage of their career, working in visual arts, writing, and related fields (i.e. audio, video, photography). Open calls for residency applications typically take place 3 times throughout the year with deadlines on January 15, May 15, and September 15. Each application period corresponds to specific residency offerings 3-6 months out.
Residents’ studios are located in newly renovated Main Street buildings that have been designed specifically for visual artists and writers. All of our studio spaces are outfitted to be as flexible as possible so that we can accommodate a variety of creative practices. Our visual arts studios are spacious and light-filled with large work tables and sinks. Shelving and portable storage carts are available as needed. Access is available to woodshop and metal shop facilities in nearby buildings for any fabrication needs. Our writing studios are comfortably furnished with work tables, office chairs, bookshelves, and reading chairs.
Residents live in newly renovated historic homes throughout town, within walking distance to studios and everything that downtown Monson has to offer. These are mostly 3 bedroom structures that are fully furnished and comfortable all four seasons of the year. Houses all have shared kitchens, bathrooms, and common areas with laundry machines, telephone, and other amenities as well. Wifi is available in all of our buildings through high speed fiberoptic service.
https://monsonarts.org/residencies/
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SPRING 2022 RESIDENCY
Sundress Academy for the Arts
DEADLINE: September 15, 2021
INFO: The Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) is now accepting applications for short-term writing residencies in all genres—poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, journalism, academic writing, and more—for their spring residency period which runs from January 3 to May 15, 2022. These residencies are designed to give artists time and space to complete their creative projects in a quiet and productive environment.
Each farmhouse residency costs $300/week, which includes a room of one’s own, as well as access to our communal kitchen, bathroom, office, and living space, plus wireless internet.
Residencies in the Writers Coop are $150/week and include your own private dry cabin as well as access to the farmhouse amenities. Because of the low cost, we are rarely able to offer scholarships for Writers Coop residents.
Residents will stay at the SAFTA farmhouse, located on a working farm on a 45-acre wooded plot in a Tennessee “holler” perfect for hiking, camping, and nature walks. The farmhouse is also just a half-hour from downtown Knoxville, an exciting and creative city that is home to a thriving artistic community. SAFTA is ideal for writers looking for a rural retreat with urban amenities.
SAFTA’s residencies, which also include free access to workshops, readings, and events, offer a unique and engaging experience. Residents can participate in local writing workshops, lead their own workshops, and even have the opportunity to learn life skills like gardening and animal care.
As part of our commitment to anti-racist work, we are now also using a reparations payment model for our farmhouse residencies which consists of the following:
3 reparations weeks of equally divided payments for Black and/or Indigenous identifying writers at $150/week
3 discounted weeks of equally divided payments for BIPOC writers at $250/week
6 equitable weeks of equally divided payments at $300/week
Black and/or Indigenous identifying writers are also invited to apply for a $350 support grant to help cover the costs of food, travel, childcare, and/or any other needs while they are at the residency. We are currently able to offer two of these grants per residency period (spring/summer/fall). If you would like to donate to expand this funding, you may do so here.
For the Spring 2022 residency period, SAFTA will be offering the following fellowships only:
LGBTQIA+ Fellowship: one full and one 50% fellowship for writers who identify as LGBTQIA+
Dr. Kristi Larkin Havens Memorial Fellowship for Service to the Community
Black & Indigenous Writers Fellowships: one full fellowship for Black and/or Indigenous identifying writers
LGBTQIA+ Fellowship (Spring 2022): This year’s judge for the LGBTQIA fellowships is Nicole Shawan Junior, a counter-storyteller who was bred in the bass-heavy beat and scratch of Brooklyn, where the cool of beautiful inner-city life barely survived crack cocaine’s burn. Her work appears in The Rumpus, SLICE Magazine, Kweli Journal, CURA, ZORA, Gay Mag, The Feminist Wire, and elsewhere. Nicole has received residencies and fellowships from Hedgebrook, PERIPLUS, New York Foundation for the Arts, Lambda Literary, RADAR Productions and the San Francisco Public Library’s James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, and more. Her work has received support from Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, Hurston/Wright Writers Week, Tin House Summer Workshop, VONA, Carnegie Hall, Sundress Academy for the Arts, and others. Nicole is the founder of Roots. Wounds. Words. (a literary arts revolution that serves BIPOC storytellers), editor in chief of Black Femme Collective, has guest edited for The Rumpus, and serves on the editorial board at Sundress Publications.
Dr. Kristi Larkin Havens Memorial Fellowship for Service to the Community (Spring 2022 or Fall 2022): Dr. Kristi Larkin Havens served as the Community Outreach Director for Sundress Academy for the Arts and then as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Sundress Publications for over six years. She earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she was a Lecturer and the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies. She was a photographer who served as a producer on films for several local competitions including The Knoxville 24-Hour Film Festival and the Grindhouse Grind-out. For many years she served as a coordinator for the Knoxville Girls Rock Camp, an organization dedicated to fostering inclusivity and creativity. For her, the arts were a natural venue for pursuing the aims of social justice.
This fellowship will be awarded to a writer who has shown exceptional service to their own community through any of the following: volunteering, organizing, fundraising, board membership, etc. Fellowship winners will receive a one-week fully-funded residency the Sundress Academy for the Arts at Firefly Farms in Knoxville, TN for either the spring or fall of 2022. The spring residency period runs from January 3 to May 15, 2022, and the fall period runs from August 23-January 2, 2023.
Find out more about the application process at www.sundressacademyforthearts.com.
The application fee is waived for all BIPOC identifying writers. For all fellowship applications, the application fee will also be waived for those who demonstrate financial need; please state this in your application under the financial need section. Limited partial scholarships are also available to any applicant with financial need.
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2021 OREGON LITERARY FELLOWSHIP
Literary Arts
DEADLINE: September 17, 2021
INFO: Literary Arts will award thirteen fellowships: two Oregon Literary Career Fellowships of $10,000 each, and eleven fellowships of $3,500, for a total of $58,500. Of these, one Oregon Literary Career Fellowship and one Oregon Literary Fellowship will be awarded specifically to a BIPOC writer.
Oregon Literary Fellowships are intended to help Oregon writers at all stages of their career initiate, develop, or complete literary projects—you don’t need to be a published author to apply!
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2021 Morland Writing Scholarships for African Writers
Miles Morland Foundation
DEADLINE: September 18, 2021
INFO: The Miles Morland Foundation (MMF) is pleased to announce that the 2021 Morland Writing Scholarships for African writers.
It can be difficult for writers, before they become established, to write while simultaneously earning a living. To help meet this need the MMF annually awards a small number of Morland Writing Scholarships, with the aim being to allow each Scholar the time to produce the first draft of a completed book. The Scholarships are open to anyone writing in the English language who was born in Africa, or both of whose parents were born in Africa.
GRANT: Scholars writing fiction will receive a grant of £18,000, paid monthly over the course of twelve months. At the discretion of the Foundation, Scholars writing non-fiction, who require additional research time, could receive an additional grant, paid over a period of up to eighteen months.
At the end of each month scholars must send the Foundation 10,000 new words that they will have written over the course of the month. Scholars are also asked to donate to the MMF 20% of whatever they subsequently receive from the book they write during the period of their Scholarship. This includes revenues as a result of film rights, serialisations or other ancillary revenues arising from the book written during the Scholarship period. These funds will be used to support other promising writers. The 20% return obligation should be considered a debt of honour rather than a legally binding obligation.
QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for the Scholarship a candidate must submit an excerpt from a piece of work of between 2,000 – 5,000 words, written in English that has been published and offered for sale,. This will be evaluated by a panel of readers and judges set up by the MMF. The work submitted will be judged purely on literary merit. It is not the purpose of the Scholarships to support academic or scientific research, or works of special interest such as religious or political writings. Submissions or proposals of this nature do not qualify.
SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS: The only condition imposed on the Scholars during the year of their Scholarship is that they must write. They will be asked to submit by email at least 10,000 new words every month until they have finished their book, or their Scholarship term has ended. If the first draft of the book is completed before the year is up, payments will continue while the Scholar edits and refines their work.
PROPOSED WORK: The candidates should submit a description of between 400 – 1,000 words of the work they intend to write. The proposal must be for a full length book of no fewer than 80,000 words. The MMF does not accept proposals for collaborative writing or short story collections. The proposal should be for a completely new work, not a work in progress, and must be in English.
Please note that if you are shortlisted for a Morland Writing Scholarship, you will be asked to send us a 3,000 – 4,000 word “chapter” of the book you are proposing to write on your scholarship year to help the judges assess your ability. Writers will be notified that they are on the shortlist at the end of October. Shortlisters will then have 15 days to return the sample “chapter”. In view of that, please do some advance thinking about the sample “chapter” you will have to provide if you are shortlisted.
BIOGRAPHY: Please also tell us in 200 – 300 words something about yourself and your background. People who reach the shortlist will be asked for further information about themselves and how they propose to write their book.
FICTION OR NON-FICTION: The Foundation welcomes both fiction and non-fiction proposals. We are aware that non-fiction Scholars may need extra time for research, so the Foundation may exercise its discretion to offer non-fiction writers a longer Scholarship period of up to 18 months.
STARTING TIMES: The Scholars may elect to start at any time between January and June in the year following the Scholarship Award. Their payments and the 10,000 word monthly submission requirement will start at the same time.
ACCEPTED WORKS: The Scholarships are meant for full length works of adult fiction or non-fiction. Poetry, plays, film scripts, children’s books, and short story collections do not qualify.
MENTORING: The Foundation will not review or comment on the monthly submissions as they come in. However, each Scholar will be offered the opportunity to be mentored by an established author or publisher. In most cases the mentorship will begin after the book has been finished and the Scholarship period has ended. At the discretion of the Foundation, the cost of the mentorship will be borne by the MMF. It is not the intention of the MMF to act as editor or a publisher. Scholars will need to find their own agents and publishers although the MMF is happy to offer advice.
https://milesmorlandfoundation.com/about/
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First Chapters Contest for Women Writers
Voyage YA
DEADLINE: September 19, 2021
INFO: Voyage YA is excited to host a first chapters contest to elevate women writers working on young adult projects. First chapters can sometimes be a challenging part of a novel to write. However, a good first chapter sets the tone for the novel and keeps the reader turning pages! Can you rise to the challenge? If so, send us the first chapter that’s going to make us want to know what happens next! We can’t wait to read your submissions!
Our guest judge will choose three stories from a shortlist.
GUEST JUDGE: NYT Bestselling Author, J.Elle, Author of WINGS OF EBONY and A TASTE OF MAGIC
AWARDS:
The 1st Place winner will receive $3,000, publication, and an hour-long consultation with a literary agent.
2nd Place will receive $300 and publication
3rd Place will receive $200 and publication.
Finalists will also receive written feedback from a literary agent.
Bonus: Every entrant will receive access to a pre-recorded mini workshop!
https://thevoyagejournal.com/submit/
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Micro Fiction Prize
Fractured Lit
DEADLINE: September 19, 2021
ENTRY FEE: $20
INFO: Fractured Lit invites writers to submit to the Fractured Lit Micro Fiction Prize. Guest judge Matthew Salesses will choose three stories from a shortlist.
Fractured Lit is looking for flash fiction that lingers long past the first reading. We're searching for flash that investigates the mysteries of being human, the sorrow, and the joy of connecting to the diverse population around us. We want the stories that explode vertically, the flash that leaves the conventional and the clichéd far behind. Fractured Lit is a flash fiction–centered place for all writers of any background and experience.
PRIZE: We're excited to offer the winner of this prize $2500 and publication, while the 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive publication and $600 and $400, respectively.
JUDGE: MATTHEW SALESSES is the author of the bestsellers The Hundred-Year Flood, an Adoptive Families Best Book of 2015 and a Best Book of the season at Buzzfeed, Refinery29, and Gawker, among others, and Craft in the Real World, an Esquire Best Book of the 2021, which explores alternative models of craft and the writing workshop, especially for marginalized writers. His latest novel is the PEN/Faulkner Finalist Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear, a Thrillist.com Best Book of 2020. Previous books include I’m Not Saying, I’m Just Saying; Different Racisms: On Stereotypes, the Individual, and Asian American Masculinity; and The Last Repatriate.
Matthew was adopted from Korea. In 2015 Buzzfeed named him one of 32 Essential Asian American Writers. His essays can be found in Best American Essays 2020, NPR Code Switch, The New York Times Motherlode, The Guardian, and other venues. His short fiction has appeared in Glimmer Train, American Short Fiction, PEN/Guernica, and Witness, among others. He has received awards and fellowships from Bread Loaf, Glimmer Train, Mid-American Review, [PANK], HTMLGIANT, IMPAC, Inprint, and elsewhere.
Matthew is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing in the MFA/PhD program at Oklahoma State University. He earned a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Houston and an M.F.A. in Fiction from Emerson College. He serves on the editorial boards of Green Mountains Review and Machete (an imprint of The Ohio State University Press), and has held editorial positions at Pleiades, The Good Men Project, Gulf Coast, and Redivider. He has read and lectured widely at conferences and universities and on TV and radio, including PBS, NPR, Al Jazeera America, various MFA programs, and the Tin House, Kundiman, and One Story writing conferences.
GUIDELINES:
Your $20 reading fee allows up to 5 stories of 400 words or fewer each per entry—if submitting more than 1 micro, please put them all in a SINGLE document (in order to pay only one fee).
We allow multiple submissions—each set of 1-5 micros should have a separate submission accompanied by a reading fee.
Micro Fiction only—400 word count maximum per story.
We only consider unpublished work for contests—we do not review reprints, including self-published work.
Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing.
All entries will also be considered for publication in Fractured Lit.
Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 pt font.
Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable).
We only read work in English.
We do not read blind. Shortlisted micros will be given to the judge anonymously.
Fractured Lit will announce the shortlist within 8-10 weeks of the contest's close. All writers will be notified when results are in.
https://fracturedlit.submittable.com/submit
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The Julian Bond Fellowship program
Facing South
DEADLINE: September, 20, 2021 at 5 pm
INFO: The Julian Bond Fellowship program aims to promote emerging voices in Southern media and support early-career journalists and researchers seeking innovative approaches to promoting justice and democracy in the South.
The Julian Bond Fellowship is a nine-month, full-time position for public interest journalists or researchers. Fellows will be provided a $5,000 monthly stipend, and additional resources for office, training, conferences and research expenses. Given the coronavirus epidemic, the Institute will entertain applications from prospective fellows who seek to conduct their fellowship remotely or while based at the Institute's offices in Durham, North Carolina.
During their time at the Institute, fellows will write regularly for the Institute's online magazine, Facing South. Fellows will also have the opportunity to conduct and publish in-depth writing and research projects, such as investigative stories or policy reports, in areas of mutual interest to the Fellow and the Institute. Fellows will join the Institute's dynamic, multiracial team of journalists, researchers, and nonprofit leaders, and have the opportunity to engage with the Institute's network of change-makers across the South and country.
The Fellowship is aimed at early-career journalists and researchers interested in helping to change the public debate about issues of equity and democracy in the South. Journalists and researchers of color are strongly encouraged to apply, as are others who believe their presence would contribute substantially to diversifying the media and public scholar landscape in the South. Candidates must have at least two to three years of experience writing and/or producing research reports for a public audience, and a demonstrated commitment to promoting justice, equality, and democracy.
The fellowship is named in honor of Julian Bond, a civil rights veteran and co-founder of the Institute for Southern Studies. Bond served as media director of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the early 1960s, and later as a member of the Georgia General Assembly, national chairman of the NAACP, and history professor at the University of Virginia. Bond had a special interest in the power of public interest media and innovative policy thinking in advancing social, racial and economic justice. He was a regular commentator for ABC's "The Today Show," and from 1980 to 1997 hosted "America's Black Forum," then the oldest Black-owned syndicated TV program.
The Institute for Southern Studies is a nonprofit media, research, and education center and publisher of the online magazine Facing South. Founded in 1970 by civil rights veterans, the Institute has earned a national reputation for its award-winning investigative journalism and innovative research on policy issues and Southern trends.
The 2022 fellowship will start Jan. 3, 2022, and end Sept. 30, 2022.
https://www.facingsouth.org/julianbondfellowship2021
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The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers
New York Public Library
DEADLINE: September 24, 2021 at 5pm ET
INFO: The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers is an international fellowship program open to people whose work will benefit directly from access to the collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building—including academics, independent scholars, and creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets). Visual artists at work on a book project are also welcome to apply.
Renowned for the extraordinary comprehensiveness of its collections, the Library is one of the world’s preeminent resources for study in anthropology, art, geography, history, languages and literature, philosophy, politics, popular culture, psychology, religion, sociology, sports, and urban studies.
CRITERIA AND TERMS:
The Cullman Center’s Selection Committee awards fifteen Fellowships a year to outstanding scholars and writers—academics, independent scholars, journalists, creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets), translators, and visual artists.
Foreign nationals conversant in English are welcome to apply. Candidates for the Fellowship will need to work primarily at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building rather than at other divisions of the Library. People seeking funding for research leading directly to a degree are not eligible.
The Cullman Center looks for top-quality writing. It aims to promote dynamic communication about literature and scholarship at the very highest level—within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows’ published work.
A Cullman Center Fellow receives a stipend of up to $75,000, the use of an office with a computer, and full access to the Library’s physical and electronic resources. Fellows work at the Center for the duration of the Fellowship term, which runs from September through May. Each Fellow gives a talk over lunch on his or her current work-in-progress to the other Fellows and to a wide range of invited guests, and may be asked to take part in other programs at The New York Public Library.
https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/fellowships-institutes/center-for-scholars-and-writers
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The Megaphone Prize 2021
Radix Media
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
INFO: The Megaphone Prize (previously the Own Voices Prize) is an annual contest from Radix Media dedicated to the discovery of timely, urgent, and interrogative collections from debut writers of color. This year, the prize is open to short story collections by debut writers of color.
The Guest Judge for this year’s prize is author Deesha Philyaw.
PRIZE: One winner will receive $1,000 and 20 author copies.
At Radix Media, we pride ourselves on the production of superior quality, purposefully designed books. Our in-house designers will conceptualize the book cover, which will be letterpress printed on quality cover stock.
GUEST JUDGE: Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 2020/2021 Story Prize, and the 2020 LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies focuses on Black women, sex, and the Black church, and is being adapted for television by HBO Max with Tessa Thompson executive producing. Deesha is also a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and will be the 2022-2023 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: The Megaphone Prize by Radix Media is open to writers of color writing in the English language who haven’t published a full-length book. We are looking for work that believes the personal is political, that comes from a place of deep interrogation and critique of one’s self and the society at large, that is rebellious at heart, and that seeks to question everything. At a time when there is a deep reckoning with political thought in the literary community, we want to identify and highlight emerging writers who are at work on collections they deem urgent and essential to the discourse.
For the debut iteration of the prize, we opened submissions to chapbook-length poetry collections from poets of color. This year, we are inviting writers to submit book-length short story collections. We are not bound to any particular kind or genre of short stories—domestic fiction, sci-fi, magical realism, all are welcome. We like collections where the stories are bound together thematically, where there is a strong intention in their curation.
All entries will be considered for publication. Finalists may be offered publication with Radix Media.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Open to debut writers of color writing in the English language (not exclusively); must be living in the USA at the time of publication. Should not have published a full-length collection. Chapbook publications are okay.
There is an entry fee of $20. As a small press, charging an entry fee allows us to pay an honorarium to our guest judge and offset the printing costs of the project. If you are unable to pay the fee at this time, please email meher@radixmedia.org, and your submission fee will be waived. 25 fee waivers are available.
Because of a kind anonymous donation, we can also offer 8 additional fee waivers
Please submit a manuscript of roughly 35,000-80,000 words. We will not turn away a manuscript based on length, but please do not submit a manuscript that is much longer than the prescribed length. If you are uncertain if your manuscript will qualify, please email us to confirm.
Your manuscript must be a single Word or PDF document. Please include a title page and table of contents page. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, OR ANY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION IN THE MANUSCRIPT. Please do not include a dedication page or publishing acknowledgements at this stage. Manuscripts that do not adhere to these guidelines will be immediately disqualified. Please double-space your manuscripts.
The manuscript should ONLY include the following: Title page, table of contents or list of stories.Translations and self-published books are not eligible. The manuscript must be the product of only one author.
You can include illustrations or photographs only if they are integral to the narrative. If not, please do not include them at this stage.
In the cover letter, please include a 100-word synopsis about your collection, list of acknowledgements for the published stories in the collection, and a brief third-person bio with pronouns.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us ASAP if your collection is accepted elsewhere.
Please submit your manuscripts via Submittable.
https://radixmedia.org/megaphone-prize/
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2022 Writers Retreat
Storyknife
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
APPLICATION FEE: $35
INFO: Women’s stories are vital and important. Currently, those stories whether expressed in poems, plays, novels, essays, or memoirs are not published, reviewed, or promoted as often as the work of men. Storyknife provides women with the time and space to explore their craft without distraction. Every aspect of a residency at Storyknife is steeped in a profound generosity of spirit so that each writer knows she and her work are valuable. Storyknife residents carry away both this affirmation and a living community of women writers to assist their valuable work wherever they go.
Residencies at Storyknife in Homer, Alaska, are either for two or four weeks. Resident’s food and lodging is covered during the period of their residency, but travel to and from Homer, Alaska, is the responsibility of the resident. Residents stay in individual cabins & dine at the main house. An on-staff chef is responsible for food preparation.
Four week residencies begin on the 1st of each month and end on the 28th. Two week residencies begin on the 1st of each month and end on the 15th. Residencies are available April through October.
ELIGIBILITY:
Applicants must:
Be woman-identified
Be 21 years of age or older
Apply as an individual artist, not a collaborative group or team
Please note that the Board of Directors of Storyknife has mandated that all residents must be vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof of that vaccination prior to residency.
You will provide a work sample and answer three questions (each answer 300 words or fewer).
How have you sought to educate yourself as a writer? (Formal education not a prerequisite, but evidence of curiosity and learning in your applicable genre is.)
What is your experience with publishing your work? (Publishing is not a prerequisite but is considered a goal for writers who attend Storyknife.)
What project will you pursue while in residency? (Please note that you will be free to work on whatever writing you wish during residency. We simply are interested in what you think you’ll be pursuing.)
Work Sample Requirements:
Work samples should reflect work completed within the last two years. All work samples must be uploaded through Submittable. Written work samples will be uploaded directly within the application.
Applicants can submit published or unpublished work samples.
All work samples must be combined into one PDF file.
A writing sample not to exceed 10 pages (prose: double-spaced 12 point font, poetry: single-spaced 12 point font acceptable).
Any writing samples with identifying material will be disqualified. This is an anonymous jurying process.
Diversity
Storyknife is committed to diversity and elevating voices of historically excluded communities. We value all aspects of diversity and seek to make each resident’s time at Storyknife as productive and pleasant as possible.
Please contact executive director, Erin Hollowell, at ehollowell@storyknife.org to ask about accommodation or to speak further about your needs. Storyknife is welcoming to all and will work with you to meet your needs.
Application Fee
There is a $35.00 fee to apply for residency. These funds are used to support Storyknife and are collected through the Submittable application process. If you cannot afford this application fee, please contact ehollowell@storyknife.org. This a limited opportunity, so please inquire early in the application process.
https://storyknife.org/how-to-apply/
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CRITICAL WRITING PROGRAM
Recess
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021 at 11:59 pm EST
INFO: The Critical Writing program commissions emerging writers to pursue the underlying themes and ideas that inform individual Session projects, initiating meaningful exchanges between artists and writers and facilitating the mutual production of new work.
Fellows are given editorial support and a $1000 honorarium. Editorial support for Critical Writing provided by Kemi Adeyemi, Well Read.
If you’d like to be considered for the fellowship, please combine the following into a single PDF and send to info@recessart.org:
Your top 2 choices for Session artists you want to work with and a few sentences per artist explaining why
A brief explanation of your interest in the Critical Writing program
A writing sample
A resume/CV
Your application will be shared with the artists you name.
Session artists will choose their desired Critical Writing fellow by mid-October.
UPCOMING SESSION ARTISTS ARE LISTED BELOW:
Dana Davenport: Dana’s Beauty Supply
As a product overwhelmingly sold by Koreans to Black Americans, Black hair care and beauty supply stores have often served as both the site and object of tensions between Black and Korean communities and a marker of the white supremacist agenda to divide us. Dana’s Beauty Supply constructs an experimental beauty supply store and hair gel manufacturing lab, a model for what a Korean-owned beauty supply can exist as in our modern times. With fully-stocked inventory, blowout sale prices, and proceeds being reinvested to support Black entrepreneurship, it reimagines the beauty supply as a space for critical dialogue, accountability, creativity, and community while servicing your beauty supply needs.
Dana Davenport is a Korean and Black American interdisciplinary artist shifting between performance, sculpture, and video. Davenport earned a BFA in Photography from School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her work has been shown throughout the United States and internationally including Gibney Dance, New York, NY; Watermill Center, Water Mill, NY; NYU Skirball, New York, NY; BronxArtSpace, Bronx, NY; Brown University, Providence, RI; NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY; Cultural Center Recoleta, Buenos Aires, AR; Seventh Gallery, Sydney, AUS and many more. Davenport is the 2018 Chashama ChaNorth fellowship recipient and has completed the 2017 SOHO20 Gallery AIR Program. She co-organized Free Space, month-long programming at Miranda Kuo Gallery in 2018.
Zachary Fabri: Black Tape Ebony Frame
Black Tape Ebony Frame celebrates the living moments of my African American family and friends by creating a reel-to-reel analog audio recording of one-on-one conversations. I have become acutely sensitive to the fragility of the Black body through the simultaneous death of my father and the successive murders of Black people by United States police officers. Thinking about mortality and immortality, I am recording conversations that give significance to live engagements and celebrate moments often taken for granted. Each recording session is transformed into an inaudible object that functions as a reference for the live event.
Zachary Fabri is an interdisciplinary artist engaged in lens-based media, language systems and the built environment; often complicating boundaries around studio research, performance, and socially engaged practice. Fabri’s work has been exhibited at Art in General, The Studio Museum in Harlem, El Museo del Barrio, The Walker Art Center, The Brooklyn Museum, The Barnes Foundation, Performa. Collaborations include projects at the Museum of Modern Art, the Sharjah Biennial, and Pace gallery. He is the recipient of the 2020 Colene Brown Art Prize and an upcoming solo exhibition at CUE Art Foundation.
Rowan Renee: A Common Thread
A Common Thread will transform Recess into a collaborative weaving studio that explores craft – specifically the physical transformation of material through the body – as a framework for envisioning and enacting transformative justice. As a starting point, Rowan draws from the healing rituals developed in their own studio while transforming court documents and family archival material. During this Session, a series of public programs and drop-in studio hours will bring together artists, community members, and restorative justice practitioners – particularly those who have been personally affected by the criminal justice system – to explore art-making as a system of care and healing.
Rowan Renee is a Brooklyn, NY based artist who explores how queer identity is mediated by the law. Their work addresses the intergenerational impact of gender-based violence and incarceration through State records and family archives. Their work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at the Anchorage Museum of Art (2021), Five Myles (2021), Aperture Foundation (2017), and Pioneer Works (2015), with reviews in publications including VICE, Huffington Post, Hyperallergic, and The New York Times. They have received awards from the Aaron Siskind Foundation, the Harpo Foundation and the Jerome Hill Foundation, and have been an artist-in-residence at the Center for Book Arts, NARS Foundation, Red Bull Arts and the Textile Arts Center. Currently, their project Between the Lines, in collaboration with We, Women Photo, runs art workshops by correspondence with LGBTQ+ people currently incarcerated in Florida. Their installation, No Spirit For Me (2019), was included in the critically acclaimed exhibition Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, curated by Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood at MoMA PS1.
Rashayla Marie Brown: The MPA for MPA
The Motion Picture Association for Maintaining Personal Ambivalence is an independent filmmaking space where underrepresented audiences can alter the traumatic endings of movies they want to love but cannot bear to witness, using the aesthetics of a 1950’s writers’ room and darkroom studio. The MPA for MPA offers cinematic storyboarding and ideation conversations to co-create storyboards and photographic images with plot-driven development. As an art installation, the MPA for MPA reimagines the set of a screenwriters’ room and darkroom/photo studio, with community members, either in-person or via Zoom, occupying roles such as director, producer, actor, and set designer.
Rashayla Marie Brown (RMB) is an “undisciplinary” artist-scholar exploring how aesthetics can enact radical thought beyond mere representation. Creating visually poetic and emotionally engaging artworks with a deeply critical eye towards knowledge, medium and audience, RMB’s work blends installation design, photography, performance, writing, video and filmmaking with the implementation and critique of power structures. These works have been presented at galleries internationally including INVISIBLE-EXPORTS, New York; Krabbesholm Højskole, Copenhagen; La Becque, La-Tour-de-Peilz; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco; Rhodes College, Memphis; Tate Modern, London; and Turbine Hall, Johannesburg.
Caroline Garcia: I Woke Up and Chose Violence
I Woke Up and Chose Violence is a project that seeks to carry diasporic and postcolonial grief. It borrows from the Indigenous practice of Headhunting from the Philippine Islands by way of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) to explore the possibilities of tropical dissent – as a type of cultural force in opposition to white violence against non-hegemonic bodies. This project involves a re-rendering of FMA weaponry (hand-in-hand, ranged, flexible, and defensive) using 3D printing and also focuses on the choreographic embodiment of these renditions through practical application. This project invites personal and communal mythologies on rage and violence as motivations to modify weaponry, serving as grounds to engage with the inherent duality of these objects as offensive and defensive tools.
Caroline Garcia is an interdisciplinary artist working across performance, video, and installation. She is a 2021 New York Artadia Awardee and has recently made new commissions for Open Call at The Shed and The Sydney Opera House’s digital exhibition, ‘Returning’. Her most notable projects include ‘Flygirl,’ developed in residence at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center in 2016/17, and performances at the Manila Biennale, Art Central Hong Kong, and The Vera List Center for Arts and Politics NYC; all in 2018. Caroline was one of the eight artists selected nation-wide for ‘Primavera: Young Australian Artists’ in 2018 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and was the 2018/19 recipient of the American Australian Association’s AUSART Fellowship Award. Caroline has presented work at Spring/Break Art Fair, Olsen Gruin Gallery, Movement Research at Judson Church, Smack Mellon, Creative Time Summit X, A.I.R. Biennale, and Hesse Flatow; all NYC. She was in residence at The Studios at MASS MoCA in 2019, awarded the Edwards Charitable Giving Trust Residency at ISCP, NY in 2020, and a Tech Resident at Pioneer Works in 2021. She is an upcoming Experimental Projects resident at the Institute for Electronic Arts, and a CultureHub Resident for 2021-22. Caroline is an MFA in Fine Arts graduate from Parsons The New School of Art, Media, and Technology.
Francheska Alcántara: Secure the Bag, Mint the Soaps and Throw the Bones
Secure the Bag, Mint the Soaps and Throw the Bones is an art installation and site of exchange that recontextualizes and reclaims the histories of the brown paper bag, and Hispano cuaba soap while inviting the audience to play a game of dominoes. The aim is to materialize new outcomes for these artifacts and interactions given their racialized, colonial and social complexities which reverberate in the customs and dynamics of the black diasporic subjectivity and imagination. Secure the Bag, Mint the Soaps and Throw the Bones sets free personal and cultural histories that are an ever expanding constellation of re-existences.
An Afro-Caribbean-queer-person raised-by-their-grandmother and hailing from The Bronx, Francheska Alcántara explores slippages in-between memories, fragmentations and longing. Their aim is to explore the specific social meaning within the realm of domestic and public life of artifacts and interactions such as: hand-washing their underwear with cuaba soap while taking a shower, setting up buckets to catch rainwater to wash their hair, and peeling plátanos with the knife that has the right sharpness to follow the platano’s curve without cutting their hand. Francheska wants to use these subjective experiences to expand our capacity for pleasure, love and intra-connection. Alcántara graduated with a MFA in Sculpture + Extended Media from Virginia Commonwealth University, a BFA in Painting from Hunter College, and a BA in Art History from Old Dominion University. Francheska has shared their work at the Brooklyn Museum, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Queens Museum, La Mama Theater, Grace Exhibition Space, and Longwood Art Gallery. Currently, they are a fellow at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship.
http://www.recessart.org/criticalwriting/
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HER STORIES WRITING CONTEST FOR LADIES OF COLOR
African Voices
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
ENTRY FEE: $5 per submission
INFO: Her Stories Writing Contest is a collaboration between African Voices Magazine and Girls Read to Write LLC. If you are a Young Lady of Color between the age of 8-18, we want to see your best Flash Fiction and short stories.
Before you submit, please read and follow our Guidelines.
FAQ:
Who is eligible to submit their stories?
Young Ladies of Color ages 8-18
What Genres can one submit?
We accept any genre (Adventure, Sci Fi, Horror, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, etc.)
Which category should I submit to?
Young Ladies ages 8-12: Flash Fiction
Young Ladies ages 13-18 Fiction
Is there a Theme?
There is no theme for this contest
How long should my story be?
Flash Fiction: No more than 100 words
Fiction: between 500-1,500 words
How many stories can I submit?
Flash Fiction: only (1) submission with up to (3) stories
Fiction: only (1) submission with (1) story
What else must I submit besides my story/stories?
Please send us a Selfie. NO Filters (we want to see the real you!)
And please send us a short 3-5 line 1st Person Bio about yourself
PRIZES:
Flash Fiction
1st Prize Flash Fiction: Publication in African Voices Magazine (print)
$150 +(1) Gift Subscription to African Voices Magazine (two print issues and one digital issue + Girls Read to Write T-shirt
2nd Prize Flash Fiction: Publication in African Voices Magazine (online or print)
$100 +(1) Gift Subscription to African Voices Magazine (two print issues and one digital issue + Girls Read to Write T-shirt
3rd Prize Flash Fiction: Publication in African Voices Magazine (online or print)
$75+(1) Gift Subscription to African Voices Magazine (two print issues and one digital issue + Girls Read to Write T-shirt
Fiction
1st Prize Fiction: Publication in African Voices Magazine (print)
$300 +(1) Gift Subscription to African Voices Magazine (two print issues and one digital issue + Girls Read to Write T-shirt
2nd Prize Fiction: Publication in African Voices Magazine (online or print)
$200 +(1) Gift Subscription to African Voices Magazine (two print issues and one digital issue + Girls Read to Write T-shirt
3rd Prize Fiction: Publication in African Voices Magazine (online or print)
$100 +(1) Gift Subscription to African Voices Magazine (two print issues and one digital issue + Girls Read to Write T-shirt
When will the Winners be notified? Late September
When will the Winners work be published? Fall/Winter Issue (November/December)
https://africanvoices.com/avblog/her-stories-writing-contest-for-ladies-of-color/
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Open Door Career Advancement Grants for BIPOC Women Writers
Poets & Writers
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
INFO: Poets & Writers is pleased to offer Open Door Career Advancement Grants for BIPOC women writers, made possible by Reese’s Book Club’s The Readership.
A limited number of grants of $500 or $1,000 will be awarded to BIPOC women writers. Grantees may use funds to cover application fees for MFA programs, writing contests, conferences, workshops, and residencies. Related expenses, such as travel and childcare, will also be eligible.
ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible, writers must identify both as a woman and as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC); further, applicants must be unagented and not yet have published a book.
https://www.pw.org/about-us/open_door_career_advancement_grants_for_bipoc_women_writers
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OPEN CALL FOR GENERAL WORK
Taint Taint Taint Magazine
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
INFO: Taint Taint Taint is a literary and cultural arts magazine dedicated to decolonizing the art world. They are currently accepting general submissions.
GUIDELINES:
Fiction, Nonfiction and Essays (5,000 words max.) Poetry, three poems (all within the same document).
All work must be in a doc or docx format, Times Roman, 12pt, paginated with author’s full name on every page.
Multimedia, art and photography must be done professionally.
Send submissions to tainttainttaintmagazine@gmail.com
https://www.tainttainttaintmagazine.com/submissions-1
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GENERAL SUBMISSIONS
Kenyon Review
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
INFO: Kenyon Review’s next submission period will open on September 1 and close on September 30, 2021. All submissions received during the reading period will be read. The response time will vary according to the number of submissions. We make every effort to respond to all submissions within six months of receipt.
We consider:
short fiction and essays (up to 7,500 words)
flash fiction and essays (up to 3 pieces, up to 1,000 words each; please format and submit as a single document)
poetry (up to 6 poems; please format and submit as a single document)
plays (up to 30 pages)
excerpts (up to 30 pages) from larger works
translations of poetry and short prose
We do not accept submissions via email, but in the interest of remaining accessible to all of our readers and writers, will accept mailed submissions postmarked during the month of September.
We strongly recommend that you utilize our Submittable portal. Creating an account is free, and you can easily keep track of your submissions from within your account.
Please submit no more than one submission in a given genre during this reading period; multiple submissions will be disregarded. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Please notify us immediately if the work has been accepted elsewhere:
For prose and drama submissions, please use your submittable.com account to withdraw your piece
For poetry submissions, please use your submittable.com account to add a note to your submission listing the titles of works no longer available for consideration
Hard copy submissions should be mailed to:
SUBMISSIONS
The Kenyon Review
102 W. Wiggin St.
Gambier, OH 43022
Hard copy materials must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. We will only accept and respond to work that is postmarked during the month of September.
We will only consider work that has not been previously published either in print or online.
If your work is accepted it will be subject to an agreement granting the Kenyon Review first publication rights. You retain the rights to the work after first publication.
By submitting the work for consideration, you represent that:
The work is not in the public domain, has not been published in any other publication in any jurisdiction in the World, has not been distributed or displayed to members of the public, and you have not made any agreement with another party inconsistent with granting first publication rights to us. (It is important for us to know if your work is to be included in a collection or larger work being prepared for future publication. Please let us know, right away, the title, publisher and planned publication date.);
The work is your original authorship and no other party has a claim to rights in it except as you specifically disclose at the time of your submission;
In the case of translations, you have obtained permission of the author or the author’s agent or estate to publish your translation; and
There is nothing in the work that is libelous, invades personal privacy or deprives another of the right of publicity, or is otherwise actionably tortious or illegal.
Thank you in advance for sharing your work with us!
https://kenyonreview.org/submission/
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2021 / 2022 Jalan Besar Writing Residency
Sing Lit Station
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
INFO: Sing Lit Station (based in Singapore) is thrilled to be co-presenting this year's residency with BooksActually—a beloved independent bookstore and our long-time partner-in-crime. For six months, our Writers-in-Residence will have access to a dedicated desk space at BooksActually and a working space for meetings, writing groups or workshops at Sing Lit Station. They will also receive a $1,000 stipend to empower and enable their creative processes.
Writers will have a rare opportunity to tap on the joint expertise, networks and platforms of SLS and BooksActually through this residency. We welcome writers at any stage of their career with works in any degree of completion. Projects can be:
A work-in-progress — Writers will have free reign to experiment, play and even fail. No matter how upstream or near-completion the project, we only ask that you be open to bi-monthly consultation meetings and project documentation efforts led by Sing Lit Station.
Interdisciplinary — We welcome projects that push the proverbial envelope and challenge the lines between genres. We'd love to support your collaborations with other artists and practitioners too!
Community-oriented — If your residency spawns a weekly reading group, a knowledge sharing workshop or a community-written zine—we are all for it!
Whatever else you can think of!
During the six-month residency (Nov ‘21–April ‘22), writers will receive:
A $1,000 stipend each
Access to our physical spaces: a designated desk space at BA + access to SLS’ meeting spaces (two minutes away from each other, at the heart of the city)
Access to SLS' premium Zoom account for digital meetings
Access to SLS' and BA’s network of resources (physical library, online archives / documents, SLS communities & expertise)
Regular peer consultations and development exercises to guide their residency journey, e.g. guidance on writing practice, book-selling, digital marketing
Marketing, logistical support and venue support for any public engagement sessions
Expectations of Writers:
A receptiveness to explore and engage with Sing Lit as part of your creation process
Frequent use of the space and resources at both SLS and BA
Willingness to collaborate with SLS and BA to document the creative process through video interviews and writer reflections
Writers will be obliged to hold a public-facing programme (i.e. talk, workshop, reading) to commemorate the end of their residency
Applications to the 2021/2022 Jalan Besar Writing Residency will open on 16 Aug 2021, and will close on 30 Sep 2021. Applicants will be required to submit:
A CV;
A cover letter detailing any ongoing creative projects and how they intend to utilise the resources provided by Sing Lit Station and BooksActually;
A writing sample;
A budget, detailing the proposed use of funds up to SGD$1,000. The line items could include costs incurred by the organisation of readings, workshops, performances, manuscripts or other events, honorariums as well as misc. items such as workspace tools, equipment necessary for documentation and presentation of works, etc.
http://www.singlitstation.com/residency
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South Asia Speaks: A LITERARY MENTORSHIP FOR WRITERS IN South Asia
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
INFO: South Asia Speaks is a literary mentorship for early career writers living in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.
Mentors help polish a major project, such as a book, a translated work, or a series of reported pieces. They review writing, listen to concerns, and help problem solve. There is no age restriction and the program is completely free: the mentors are volunteering their time as a way to give back to and to strengthen the writing community in South Asia.
The application is very competitive: In our first year we received more than 500 applications for twenty fellowships. Our ideal fellow is talented and driven with a track record of finishing a project. Since we are assembling a class of fellows, we are looking for applicants who will contribute to a collegial atmosphere and support one another.
The relationship between mentors and fellows is built on a mutual commitment to the craft of writing. Our fellows come from diverse backgrounds and pursue professions that range from filmmaking to stand up comedy, but they are all determined to make the most of this unique opportunity. With the help of their mentors our inaugural class of 2021 fellows have published long reads, been nominated for writing prizes, completed their manuscripts, and attracted substantial interest from publishers.
The next cycle will take place in January 2022 and last 12 months. Applications open on September 1, 2021 and close on September 30, 2021. This year we have twenty four mentors. In addition to fiction, non-fiction and reportage, we also have the following special categories: Climate Change in Asia; Partition of India; North East India, and translated works in any language. We also welcome writers of Afghan origin based anywhere in the world. See application for details.
To apply please click here.
https://www.southasiaspeaks.org
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ‘ANFRACTUOUS’ ISSUE
Yellow Arrow Journal
DEADLINE: September 30, 2021
INFO: Yellow Arrow Journal is excited to announce submissions are now open for the fall 2021 (Vol. VI, No. 2) issue:
Anfractuous
: full of windings and intricate turnings
: things that twist and turn but do not break
And meet the guest editor of ANFRACTUOUS, Keshni Naicker Washington, who chose the issue’s overarching theme of “belonging-ness.”
Interested in submitting to this issue? Do you have creative nonfiction, poetry, or cover art you would like to share? See below for Submissions Guidelines and sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about the journal and Yellow Arrow Publishing.
If selected, you will receive $10.00USD and a PDF of the journal issue. Note that payments are through PayPal; while we try to accommodate those that do not have a PayPal account, this is not always possible, especially for people outside of the U.S. Thank you for understanding.
We receive many wonderful submissions but have limited room in each issue. Please do not be discouraged if your submission is not accepted or you miss the deadline—there will be more opportunities available to you in the future.
We are grateful that you would like to share your story with us and our readers.
Please read the guidelines below in their entirety before submitting. Any questions? Email submissions@yellowarrowpublishing.com.
SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES:
Accepted submissions include creative nonfiction and poetry by authors that identify as women (cover art guidelines follow below).
Submissions must relate to the theme as interpreted by the author, using provided guiding questions (these will change for each theme):
How has your “belonging-ness” been shaped by your own personal life journey? Have you taken any sharp unpredictable turns, or has it been a slower accumulation or a shedding?’
Is it necessary to “belong” to be happy? How has your sense of who you are been a process of “un-belonging”?
How have your circumstances (the land you live in or don’t live in/your family history) or your conscious choices (your chosen family/career/passions) tempered or shaped your understanding of your own belonging?
Creative nonfiction (1 submission per author per issue) must be between 500 and 5,000 words. Poetry (up to 2 poems per author per issue, grouped into a single document) may be any length.
Submissions do not need to be in English but must include an English translation.
No previously published work will be accepted at this time—this includes all printed and online material; simultaneous submissions are okay but please let us know when you send in your submission(s) and if a submission is published elsewhere in the interim, email submissions@yellowarrowpublishing.com immediately.
ARE YOU READY TO SUBMIT?
To submit to this issue, send an email to submissions@yellowarrowpublishing.com and include:
Subject: Vol. #, No. # Theme – type of submission [nonfiction, poetry, or cover art] (required)
Your full name (and name you would want Yellow Arrow to use), age, nationality, and current city/state/country of residence (required)
Cultural and/or ethnic background (how do you self-identify?) (optional)
Where you heard about us (optional)
For cover art submissions, a list of past publications/exhibits (required, if applicable).
Authors/artists should only submit one type of submission per issue; no agents please.
Note that submissions are blindly reviewed in-house; the information you provide above is used only to better understand the composition of our audience.
Attach your submission to your email. Accepted files for creative nonfiction and poetry submissions include .doc/.docx, .rtf, or .pdf—use minimal document styling and do not include identifying information (only within your email). Accepted files for cover art include .jpeg/.jpg, .tiff/.tif, .gif, .eps, or .psd—a low resolution is preferable at this time.
By sending your submission you agree to the following statements:
You are a writer or artist who identifies as a woman
You have completely read and submitted within the guidelines.
Due to the volume of submissions and the nature of our submission process, authors/artists will not receive an email confirming receipt of submission. Rather, all who submit within the guidelines, whether accepted to the next issue or not, will receive an email after submissions have closed—please do not email us to inquire about a submission.
https://www.yellowarrowpublishing.com/submissions
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: 'AWAKE'
Lucky Jefferson
DEADLINE: October 3, 2021
INFO: Lucky Jefferson's digital zine Awake seeks to amplify the experiences and perspectives of Black writers in American society.
The fourth issue of Awake is titled Odyssey:
Despite being the first Black captain of your crew, you’ve been overlooked for promotions your entire career in the Space Force. One day, you finally receive your chance at your own expedition to the Outer Ring. After launch, your ship experiences technical difficulties and you find yourself plummeting four thousand kilometers off course.
After awakening, you realize it’s been a few days since you lost connection with Mission Control. You stumble through iridescent foliage to discover a bustling city ahead of your own time. You are soon discovered and greeted by the inhabitants of this world—inhabitants that reflect your culture.
Now you have two options: figure out a way to return home or explore this planet and begin a new life. What are you going to do?
Poems, essays, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, and art should illustrate your decision.
Upon acceptance, submissions will be included on our website and publicized on social media.
COMPENSATION: Accepted authors will receive $15 for each accepted work.