THE MEGAPHONE PRIZE
Radix Media
DEADLINE: Extended to December 6, 2022
SUBMISSION FEE: $20
INFO: The Megaphone Prize is open to personal essay collections from BIPOC authors yet to publish a full-length collection in the genre. Hanif Abdurraqib, author of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, will choose the winning manuscript.
PRIZE: The winning author will receive publication, a $1000 prize, 20 author copies, and a dedicated publicity cycle toward the published book.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:
The Megaphone Prize is open to writers of color writing in the English language who have not published a full-length book in the genre they’re submitting in. 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 society at large, that is rebellious at heart, and that seeks to question the status quo. 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.
This year, we are inviting writers to submit book-length personal essay collections. We are looking for creative essays and not polemic or academic manuscripts. However, the personal essay can certainly incorporate criticism or study so long as it’s imperative to the narrative.
We like collections where the essays are bound thematically, where there is a strong intention in their curation—where a single pulsating heart beats through the entire manuscript.
Given the nature of revelation that is tied to the personal essay, we accept and in fact encourage name changes when necessary, especially in sensitive texts.
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). Should not have published a full-length collection in the genre of submission. Chapbook publications are okay.
There is an entry fee of $20. As a small press, charging an entry fee allows us to 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.
Please submit a manuscript of roughly 30,000-80,000 words. 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 readers and editors make a complete effort to read manuscripts without bias. As the contest genre is nonfiction, we understand that it is impossible to remove all identifying information from the manuscript. And that’s okay! So long as your name doesn’t appear on the title page nor in the header or footer, it’s alright.
You can include illustrations or photographs only if they are integral to the narrative. If not, please do not include them at this stage.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us ASAP if your collection is accepted elsewhere.
Please direct all questions to meher@radixmedia.org
radixmedia.submittable.com/submit?mc_cid=a69f9ae648&mc_eid=9e7c4259dd
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NOVEL GENERATOR (FOR BOSTON-BASED WRITERS)
Grub Street
DEADLINE: December 12, 2022 by 11:59 ET
INFO: The Novel Generator is a nine-month program designed to help 14 students at all levels complete (or make substantial progress toward completing) a first draft of a novel in an environment that offers support, accountability and feedback appropriate to this early stage in the novel-writing process.
The course is divided into three phases, each with its own structure and goals. Phase I, which lasts for six weeks, focuses on craft, through a combination of lectures, exercises, and discussion of a common text. Sometime during this phase, students will have an initial one-on-one meeting with the instructor to discuss their project. In Phase II, the class meets for fourteen weeks of workshopping using the Novel in Progress method—scenes read aloud in class for on-the-spot feedback. Towards the end of Phase II, students will be divided into small groups for weekly accountability for the remainder of the course. At the end of Phase II, students will submit 20 pages of revised or new work to the instructor, and will each have a one-on-one meeting with the instructor to discuss those pages, the novel’s structure, and the student’s vision for the book as a whole. Phase III includes three class meetings, with students writing independently as they finish their novel drafts.
Students have entered this program with as few as 10 pages written and as many as 150. No matter how far along, all writers will be asked (through exercises and class discussion) to re-examine their initial concept and, if necessary, to make changes to shore up their plots. Writers who have already written a substantial number of pages will get the most out of this program if they feel open to all possibilities for their novels.
Please note that the upcoming round of the Novel Generator, which begins in Jaunary 2023, will take place in-person in Boston. Writers local to Boston are encouraged to apply. A remote round of the Novel Generator will be offered in the Fall of 2023, and applications will open in June 2023.
https://grubstreet.org/programs/intensives/generators/novel-generator/
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Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship
Fine Arts Work Center
DEADLINE: December 15, 2022
INFO: Since its creation 50 years ago, the Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship has become one of the leading residency programs in the world.
Each year, the Work Center offers 20 seven-month residencies to a juried group of emerging visual artists, fiction writers, and poets, each of whom receive an apartment, a studio (for visual artists), and a monthly stipend of $1,000 plus an exit stipend. Residencies run from October 1 through April 30. During this time, Fellows have the opportunity to pursue their work independently in a diverse and supportive community of peers.
The Fine Arts Work Center has hosted more than 1,000 Fellows since 1968, nurturing an accomplished and far-reaching alumni network. The impact of the experience is best illustrated by the extensive list of awards Fellows have gone on to win, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, MacArthur Fellowship, Prix de Rome, Pulitzer Prize, and the Nobel Prize in Literature.
THE RESIDENCY:
During the course of the Fellowship, each Writing Fellow is invited to give a public reading and each Visual Art Fellow is given a solo exhibition opportunity. Readings and openings are attended by current and past Fellows, local residents, visitors to Provincetown, leadership of the town’s numerous cultural institutions, and the many illustrious artists and writers who make their homes in Provincetown. Events take place in the beautifully renovated public spaces of the Work Center: the Stanley Kunitz Common Room and Hudson D. Walker Gallery.
VISITING ARTISTS & WRITERS:
While in residence, Fellows also help select a series of visiting artists and writers. These visiting artists and writers meet with the Fellows for studio visits and manuscript reviews and give public readings and artist talks that draw thousands from Provincetown and beyond. Visiting guests have included presidential inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel; winner of the National Book Award for Poetry Mark Doty; Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress Robert Pinsky; artist and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Judy Pfaff; and Katherine Porter, whose work is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
The Work Center’s founders believed that seven months was the minimum amount of time needed for artists and writers in the crucial early stages of their career to learn to structure their lives around their creative practice. Each generation of Fellows ideally moves on from the Work Center with a firm belief in their ability to pursue a life as a practicing artist or writer.
Generous support from The Rona Jaffe Foundation has established the Rona Jaffe Foundation Fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center. This fellowship will be awarded each year, beginning in 2022-23, to an emerging woman writer of exceptional promise. The fellowship fully funds the 7-month residency and includes a $2,500 prize to help defray the cost of travel and living expenses.
RJF fellows must be permanent residents of the U.S. and may not have published a first book in standard edition. All eligible candidates will be automatically considered for this fellowship by the Fine Arts Work Center.
https://fawc.org/the-fellowship/
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FICTION CONTEST
Third Coast
DEADLINE: December 15, 2022
ENTRY FEE: $15
INFO: Third Coast is now accepting submissions for its Fiction Contest.
GUIDELINES: Submit one previously unpublished story of up to 9,000 words. All manuscripts should be typed and double-spaced. Please include entry title and page numbers on all manuscript pages. Since the judging is blind, the author’s name and identifying information (including address, email, phone number, and bio) should only appear in the "cover letter" box; identifying information must NOT appear anywhere on the manuscript itself. Manuscripts with names left on them may be disqualified.
Simultaneous submissions are permitted; if accepted elsewhere, we ask that the work be withdrawn from the contest immediately. If a piece is chosen as a finalist, Third Coast asks that it be withdrawn from any other publication considerations until our judge selects a winner.
Multiple entries are permitted, but each entry must be submitted separately.
JUDGE: This year's judge is Kai Harris. Writers associated with the judge, WMU, or Third Coast are not eligible to submit work to the contest.
PRIZE: Winners receive $1,000 and publication in Third Coast. All contest entries will be considered for publication.
The $15 entry fee (payable online, or by check for postal entries) entitles the submitter to a one-year subscription or gift subscription to Third Coast. No money will be refunded.
Winners will be announced in mid-Spring 2023.
https://thirdcoastmagazine.submittable.com/submit
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Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency
Collar Works
DEADLINE: December 15, 2022
INFO: The Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency (EMAR) program by Collar Works is designed to provide a diverse group of emerging and established artists an immersive, supportive, productive, and communal atmosphere for art-making and dialogue on a bucolic 77-acre farm in Washington County.
The summer residency is offered for 5 weeks, with 2 and 4-week residencies for individual artists and 1-week residencies for families.
The program aims to create opportunities for artists to take risks and develop new contemporary works across many art forms, primarily visual and literary arts, while engaging in meaningful dialogue with fellow residents and arts professionals. Our goal is to create a residency program that responds to the critical needs of emerging artists and artists as parents, while striving to build a program that reflects the rich cultural environment of today through an active commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
Since its inception, creating an environment that stands out as a safe space for creative risk taking, personal growth and respite, especially for parent artists, has been a core goal of the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency.
collarworks.org/murrayresidency
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ISSUE 5
Honey Literary
DEADLINE: December 15, 2022
INFO: Honey Literary is currently reading submissions for Issue 5, out February 2023! We publish two issues each year, one in winter, and one in summer.
To share your work, please email the respective genre editor and upload your .docx or image files (please direct any file format questions to Editor in chief, Dorothy Chan @ editor@honeyliterary.com and she would be happy to help). Include a brief bio with a few sentences about why your work is a good fit for us with our mission statement in mind. If you’re submitting the same packet to multiple categories, please let us know as well.
Please send us your work only once per submission period. Honey Literary accepts and encourages simultaneous submissions, but please let us know immediately if a piece is accepted elsewhere.
We only accept unpublished work. Honey Literary retains first publication rights, and upon publication, rights revert back to the author. Please credit Honey Literary as the first publisher if the piece appears elsewhere after publication, which includes, but isn’t limited to other journals, anthologies, chapbooks, and full-length books.
IMPORTANT NOTE Honey is 100% accessible. If your piece is image-based and has been accepted, you will be asked to provide your own alt-text, prior to the release of the issue. Here is more information on how to write effective alt-text.
GENRES:
Poetry:
Sex, Kink, and the Erotic:
Essays:
Hybrid:
Animals:
Interviews:
Rants & Raves:
Valentines:
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: MIZNA 24.1 ISSUE
Mizna
DEADLINE: December 15, 2022 at 11:59 pm
INFO: Submissions are now open for Mizna 24.1, our summer 2023 issue. This issue is not themed and is open to essays, poetry, short fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, short comix, and creative writing of all kinds.
GUIDELINES: Contributors do not need to identify as of Arab/SWANA descent, provided their work is of relevance to or in dialogue with the social realities of the SWANA/Arab region or community. Contributors may also decide to expand this reality altogether.
Please limit poetry submissions to four poems per submission, poetry submissions should be limited to six pages maximum. Verses exceeding our page width will be treated with a runover indent. Prose should be double-spaced and limited to 2500 words.
Comics should be limited to eight pages. Comics submissions should be in black and white. Files should be 5.5 in x 8.5 inches, with ¼ inch of bleed. Resolution of at least 300 DPI, in TIFF format.
Proofs will be made available for author approval before publication. Simultaneous submissions are allowable, but we ask that you contact us as soon as your work has been accepted elsewhere.
Attach your submission(s), a short biography (maximum fifty words), and complete all required fields in our online submission form.The attachment(s) must be editable and in standard word-processing program files (.doc, .docx, .pages). PDFs may accompany submitted work but must not be sent alone.
Writers whose work is published in Mizna will receive complimentary copies of the issue in which their work appears, a one-year subscription to the journal, and a $200 honorarium.
Due to the volume of submissions received, those not conforming to the above guidelines, as well as material previously published in any other English-language forum will not be considered.
mizna.org/journal/submissions/
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ANTHONY VEASNA SO SCHOLARS IN FICTION
Androit Journal
DEADLINE: December 28, 2022
SUBMISSION FEE: $15
INFO: Anthony Veasna So (1992-2020) was an American writer of short stories that often drew from his upbringing as a child of Cambodian immigrants and were described by the New York Times as “crackling, kinetic and darkly comedic.” His debut short story collection, Afterparties, was published posthumously by HarperCollins in 2021 and was named a New York Times Bestseller and a winner of the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize for Best First Book.
Anthony was not just one of the most talented new writers to grace this decade—he was also a member of the Adroit family, having served as a prose editor for four years. Anthony was as an inspiration to all of us, and to so many writers around the world. In honor of Anthony’s contribution to both the Adroit Journal‘s staff community and the world’s fiction readers, we will recognize six emerging fiction writers each year as Anthony Veasna So Scholars in Fiction.
ELIGIBILITY: All emerging writers who have not published full-length collections or novels are eligible (regardless of age, geographic location, or educational status), and are encouraged to submit. Writers with forthcoming debut full-length collections are eligible so long as collections won’t appear earlier than April 2023.
AWARD: Anthony Veasna So Scholars receive $100 and publication of one piece from their portfolio in a future issue of the Adroit Journal. Finalists will be awarded copies of Anthony’s collection, Afterparties, and a list of semifinalists determined by the editors will be released with results.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Submissions may include up to three stories (max of 9,000 words total). Simultaneous submissions, previously published submissions, and submissions recognized by outside organizations are accepted, provided that a) a full catalogue of publication history for enclosed work is included in the submission and b) at least one piece in the submission remains unpublished. Submitters should promptly add a note to their entry on Submittable if work disclosed as unpublished is accepted elsewhere.
theadroitjournal.org/veasna-so-scholars/
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2023 Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award
Meridians Journal: feminism, race, transnationalism
DEADLINE: December 31, 2022
INFO: Meridians Journal: feminism, race, transnationalism is accepting submissions for its Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award.
Open to poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
PRIZE: $500, Reading & Retreat at Smith University, and publication in Meridians Journal.
sites.smith.edu/meridians/awards/elizabeth-alexander-creative-writing-award/
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BLACK JOY UNBOUND: AN ANTHOLOGY
BLF Press
DEADLINE: December 31, 2022
INFO: Inspired by a deep longing for writing that embodies the vivacity of Blackness and Black life, BLF Press will produce a multi-genre collection that encompasses a broad spectrum of literary writing on Black joy. Provocation: What might our writing look like if it were imbued with characters and themes centered on joy and delight?
While we are looking for expressions of Black joy and pleasure, we are not interested in erotica. However, we are keenly interested in expressions of the erotic as articulated by Audre Lorde, pleasure as articulated by Adrienne Marie Brown, and delight as expressed by Ross Gay. We are especially interested in writing from Black queer writers across all gender identities and orientations. We welcome submissions from emerging and experienced writers.
We seek writing that:
crosses and cleaves a range of literary genres (creative non-fiction, short fiction, and poetry)
merges the themes of joy and pleasure; affirms the interconnectedness of race, gender, and sexual orientation
affirms our gifts as Black diasporic writers and artists
centers and celebrates Blackness and Black diasporic peoples in all our iterations
SUBMISSIONS: We will only accept previously unpublished work (print or digital). Prose should range from 2,000 to 5,000 words. Two poems may be submitted as one entry. Two submissions per person are welcome, although only one may be selected for publication. Submit Microsoft Word or rich text files (.rtf) with one-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font. Each submission should be a single document. Name the document as your first and last name and title of your story (e.g., “Janesha Doe Title” or “Janesha_Doe_Title”). Your bio is required (100 word maximum). Your work must be submitted through Submittable.
COMPENSATION & RIGHTS: Authors will receive one payment of $75.00 USD upon publication and one print copy of the anthology. Authors may purchase print copies of the anthology at cost.
The publisher (BLF Press) requests First English language print and electronic/digital rights for one year from publication. After one year, contributors retain all rights to the publication of their work. Contributors are asked to sign a one-page publishing agreement.
DEADLINES & ACCEPTANCE: Submissions are due by December 31, 2022. The editors will acknowledge the receipt of all submissions. Contributors whose work is selected for publication will be notified by March 31, 2023. The anthology will be published and available on September 5, 2023. Contributors will receive updates about the progress of the publication. Payments will be disbursed by September 30, 2023.
THE EDITORS:
Stephanie Andrea Allen, Ph.D., is an interdisciplinary humanities scholar, creative writer, small press publisher, and Assistant Professor of Gender Studies at Indiana University. Her research centers Black lesbian cultural histories and Black feminisms through various expressions, including literature, film, and other print and visual media. Dr. Allen is also Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at BLF Press, and co-editor of Serendipity Literary Magazine. Her creative work can be found in various online and print publications, including The Black Femme Collective, Mom Egg Review, Star*Line, Inkwell Black, Big Echo: Critical Science Fiction Magazine, Sinister Wisdom, and in her two short story collections, A Failure to Communicate and How to Dispatch a Human: Stories and Suggestions. Connect with her on Twitter @S_Andrea_Allen and on Instagram @ stephanie.andrea.allen.
Lauren Cherelle is the Managing Editor and Creative Director of BLF Press. She’s a fiction editor, graphic designer and digital marketer with an MBA from the University of Tennessee and writing certifications from the University of Louisville. Her creative work reflects the lives of Southern Black girls and women. Her most recent writing was published in Sinister Wisdom 122: Writing Communities and Black from the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing. Join Lauren on Twitter and Instagram: @laurencre8s.
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The Personal Canons Cookbook: CALL FOR ESSAYS ON food, identity, and community
Sarah Gailey / Stone Soup
DEADLINE: December 31, 2022
INFO: Author Sarah Gailey is accepting submissions for The Personal Canons Cookbook, an essay series discussing food, identity, and community to be featured in their newsletter, Stone Soup.
According to Gailey: “I’m looking for 1000 words discussing food and/or a meal that has shaped and/or defined you to yourself and/or your community. I know that's a lot of and/or's! Our relationships to food, ourselves, and our communities are complex and dynamic, and this series has space for that complexity. Essays will range from reflections on a favorite childhood snack to explorations of funeral-reception staples, with lots in-between and beyond.
Each piece will end with a recipe that invites readers to connect with the essay in their own kitchens; recipes will be edited into a consistent format for cohesion and readability. If you don’t enjoy writing recipes, I am more than happy to help put one together, so don’t stress about that part – what matters most here is your perspective and experience. I’m also accepting pitches for illustrated pieces or short comics. BIPOC writers and artists are strongly encouraged to submit.
Pay rate is a flat $150 upon acceptance. The only rights I need are non-exclusive digital rights, plus the right to possibly include your recipe in a free digital cookbook (more on that below). All other rights stay with the author. I’ve got enough budget to accept 10 submissions, to be published over the course of the year. I also have some truly exciting solicited pieces lined up from amazing writers and artists who I think are going to blow you away with their perspectives on food, identity, and community.
Send your submissions to submissions@sarahgailey.com. I can’t wait to see what you have to say.”
stone-soup.ghost.io/archive/announcing-the-personal-canons-cookbook/
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ‘CARRYING: REFLECTION, RECOGNITION AND REPAIR’
The Caribbean Writer
DEADLINE: December 31, 2022
INFO: The Caribbean Writer (TCW) has issued a call for submissions for Volume 37 under the 2022 theme: Carrying: Reflection,Recognition and Repair. Through the lens of life defining experiences we gain critical insights. We are their agents, so we dutifully, gratefully or unwillingly carry them. Submissions exploring this theme in its widest permutations are invited.
Contributors may submit works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays or one act plays which explore the ideas resonating within the region and its diaspora. The Caribbean should be central to the work, or the work should reflect a Caribbean heritage, experience or perspective. Prospective authors should submit all creative works: drama, fiction and poetry manuscripts, through the online portal ONLY at www.thecaribbeanwriter.org/online-submission. Submit Word files only (no PDFs) . Note that TCW no longer accepts hardcopy submissions.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Individuals may submit poems (3 maximum), short stories (2 maximum) and personal essays (2 maximum) on general topics as well as on the theme. The maximum length (for short stories and personal essays) is 3500 words. Only previously unpublished work will be considered. The term “previously published” covers print and electronic publication —including on social media platforms, and self-published items. The Caribbean Writer does not accept simultaneous submissions (items being considered for publication elsewhere). The prospective author should provide contact information including mailing address, phone number, any professional affiliations, brief biographical information (no more than 100 words and such as appears under the “Contributors” section of the journal). In the event that the author’s contact information changes, all updates should be made by the author by logging into the online account.
Before submitting, submitter should carefully edit and proofread the manuscript, adhering to publication-ready details, as well as standards of proofreading such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting and consistent language, along with the elimination of typographical errors, and with focus on the overall quality of the work.
The Caribbean Writer is a refereed journal. There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal. All submissions undergo an initial blind review by the editor. Creative works, such as fiction, poetry and drama, after editorial review, are advanced by the editor to the double-blind peer review process. In this process, both the reviewers’ and authors’ identities are concealed from the reviewers and vice versa throughout the review process.
Artists interested in having their artwork considered for use by TCW should submit electronic files in vertical format as PNG or JPEG files with a resolution of 300 dpi or greater. The journal also accepts black and white art (line drawings, sketches, block prints, etc.). The journal does not accept graphic poetry or narratives.
thecaribbeanwriter.org/online-submission
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CALL FOR NONFICTION ESSAYS
TriQuarterly
DEADLINE: December 31, 2022
INFO: Have a great essay in need of a good home? TriQuarterly's Non-Fiction Editor Starr Davis is looking for "reckless and experimental prose from voices of color. Essays that thread personal narrative around larger conversations.
She is most interested in non-academic CNF that isn't afraid to be poetic and confessional. Some topics she is interested in are political vs personal, post-pandemic, transitioning (however you wish to interpret this), and personal essays about women's rights and social injustices.
triquarterly.submittable.com/submit
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THE BREAKOUT! WRITERS PRIZE
Epiphany Lit Journal
DEADLINE: January 1, 2023
INFO: The Breakout! Writers Prize brings visibility to the creators of our future by honoring and supporting outstanding college and graduate student writers. Winners have gone on to get agents, publish books, and discover new careers in publishing. Submissions to the Fifth Annual Breakout!
PRIZE: Two writers, one in Prose and one in Poetry, will receive:
A $1000 cash prize each
Publication in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of Epiphany
A one-year subscription to Epiphany
All contest entrants will receive a free digital subscription with the code included in our initial response letter.
ELIGIBILITY: To apply you must have been enrolled in an accredited university, at least part-time, for the academic years 2021 or 2022. The prize is open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Students need not be enrolled in MFA programs or creative writing programs.
THIS YEAR’S GUEST JUDGES:
Safiya Sinclair was born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica. She is the author of the memoir How to Say Babylon, forthcoming from Simon & Schuster. She is also the author of the poetry collection Cannibal, winner of a Whiting Writers’ Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Metcalf Award, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Poetry, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award, and the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, The Nation, Poetry, Kenyon Review, the Oxford American, and elsewhere. She received her MFA in poetry at the University of Virginia, and her PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California. She is currently an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Arizona State University.
Meredith Westgate is the author of The Shimmering State. Her work has appeared in Joyland, LitHub, No Tokens, and more. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has an MFA in Fiction from The New School. She is also a mentor with Girls Write Now. Visit her at meredithwestgate.com and on Instagram @meredithwestgate.
epiphanyzine.com/opportunities-for-writers
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ROLLING SUBMISSIONS
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Stellium
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: Stellium centers Black queer and trans creatives. We still accept work from other Black and QTPOC creatives. We seek those emerging and established (with an emphasis on emerging).
What type of work do you accept?
Fiction - We welcome long- or short-form fiction. If you submit flash fiction (up to 2k words), you can submit up to three pieces of similar length. The sweet spot is around 2k to 5k words but we'll consider all lengths.
Nonfiction - We're seeking creative nonfiction submissions. Please note the following before submitting. We welcome personal essay, memoir, biography, autobiography, the Audre Lorde-invented “biomythography," new journalism or literary journalism, diary entries, and more. No academic papers. The sweet spot is around 1k to 4k words but we'll consider all lengths.
“The stories that only you can tell. Stories about your most closely-held revelations or your brightest lightbulb moments, whether about your own life or about the world at large or both. Those 2000-word-long musings scribbled in your Notes app between shifts? Those clever tweet threads that make you go “dang, Twitter should pay me for this”? Those are great places to start.” - former CNF editor Kim Wong-Shing
See work from Akwaeke Emezi in The Cut and from Brandon Taylor in them.
Prose poetry - We do not accept traditional poetry. Please note the following before submitting. Prose poetry is "not broken into verse lines, [but] demonstrates other traits such as symbols, metaphors, and other figures of speech common to poetry." Write in paragraphs and with a poetic flow, and we'll want to see it. Please submit a maximum of five poems.
“Think poetry without line breaks. Think a really poetic tweet without character limits. Think an expressive, detailed letter or e-mail to the homie. Think run-on sentences, runaway thoughts. Think IDGAF about punctuation all like that but I care about the feels & the mood & the setting & maybe i’mma slide in a slant rhyme or 2 or as many as necessary.” - former prose poetry editor Nefertiti Asanti
See [Kills bugs dead.] and Elliptical by Harryette Mullen.
Art - We accept high-quality scans of any original, visual art.
So how do I submit?
Please use the following format when submitting, otherwise, your entry may be discarded.
Craft an e-mail to submissions (at) stelliumlit.com
In the subject line, clarify your submission as genre: title, your name
example: “Fiction: Fifteen Little Birds, Janelle Doe”
In the body, please share:
your bio (any length) including your name, pronouns, and creative background
social media links or an alternative way to contact you outside of e-mail (to confirm you’re not a plagiarist)
submission summary (at least a sentence, even for art submissions)
answer: has this work been submitted elsewhere?
your submission as a DOCX or PDF attachment, or as a JPG or PNG for art submissions
within the e-mail body is fine but an attachment is preferred
no other file formats are accepted at this time
Do y’all pay?
We do! In the past, we’ve offered $50 for each accepted submission, even for art and poetry. However, we’re still in the running for grants and hope to offer more than that in the future. For now, you can expect our standard minimum payment and, if we’re able to offer more, we will announce it and update the text here. If you’d like to support us, feel free to make a contribution today via our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas.
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CARNEGIE FUND FOR AUTHORS
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: Carnegie Fund for Authors awards grants to American authors who have been published by a mainstream publisher and who are in need of emergency funds.
ELIGIBILITY: The applicant must be an American author who has published at least one full-length work — fiction or nonfiction — that has been published by a mainstream publisher. Applicants cannot have eligibility determined by a work that they paid to have published. A work may have been published in eBook format only, or in hardcover or softcover format, or in more than one format.
If you believe you qualify for a grant, you should take the next step and register with the site. After you are registered with your email address and a password, you may then proceed to the Online Application section to fill out your application. Be sure to fill out the form completely. We do not want a box number but a street address. We want to know where you live.
An applicant must demonstrate need; the emergency may be because of illness or some other urgent need or emergency such as fire, flood, hurricane, etc. Documentation must be included with the application: a doctor’s letter or other proof of the emergency situation, such as the first two pages of the 1040 (redacted). If you have difficulty attaching documentation, email it to carnegiefundforauithors@gmal.com, and we’ll upload. But applicants who do not supply documentation cannot be considered.
If you have received a grant from Carnegie Fund within the past five calendar years, you cannot apply.
Once you complete your application, please keep in mind that the process can take a while. Before the pandemic, it often took at least six weeks for an application to be processed. We now cannot give out an estimate. Rest assured that we are working as quickly as we can, so please don’t slow us down further with emails. Do not contact us. That does not speed us up; it slows us down. We realize that it can be difficult to be patient, but please do so.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS: We cannot accept applications without documentation. Please upload relevant files that can help us understand your need for a grant; you may submit a physician's letter, the first two pages of your 1040 (redacted), or other documentation. Do not send books, CVs, reviews, or manuscripts.
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BLACK + BROWN ARTISTS
Emergent Literary
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: Emergent Literary is a new journal that welcomes the work of Black and brown makers in all genres, as well as work that reaches across multiple genres or obscures the boundaries between them.
The work must be previously unpublished in print or online.
Before submitting, we ask that you take a look at our mission statement in order to get a sense of the journal.
Please send all submissions to editors@emergentliterary.com with the genre in all caps as the subject line, i.e. POETRY. If your work is multimedia or doesn’t exactly fit into one category, list MULTI as your genre. Feel free to include a short note in the body of the email, and your work as an attachment.
We’re cool with simultaneous submissions, just let us know by email if one or all of your pieces are accepted elsewhere!
We will try our best to get back to you within 6 months. We’re a small team! If you have not received a response by then, you can send us an email, but please wait until then to do so.
Poetry: Please submit three to five poems in a standard font. Please include page breaks between poems and clearly delineated titles.
Fiction, Creative Nonfiction and other narrative work (including reviews) Please submit up to 1500 words, double-spaced in a standard font.
Photography and Visual Art: Please submit up to four images as an attachment to your email with the title(s) of the work(s) as the file names.
Audio and Video: Please submit up to 7 minutes of video or audio, with audio files attached as .mp3 or mp4.
Recipes: Yes, please! If you have accompanying photographs, please attach them to the email.
We warmly welcome mixed/multimedia work!
We look forward to engaging with your work.
emergentliterary.com/submission-guidelines
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ESSAYS ON RADICAL HEALING
That’s No Longer My Ministry
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: Hi! We’re journalists, editors and content creators Foram Mehta and Nadia Imafidon. And we’re teaming up to publish a first-of-its-kind anthology that aims to tell a different story about healing. As an extension to the evocative podcast series of the same name, the collection will tell the stories of marginalized folk in their own words about how they’re actively purging years of conditioning and the consequences of never being centered.
These stories acknowledge and move through trauma; they hold space for radical self-liberation and using “No.” as a complete sentence. They remind us: We don't have to hold onto the things that no longer serve us because that's no longer our ministry.
Publication Details
Accepted essays will be edited by us (Foram & Nadia) and curated together for a book that will be available for purchase as an e-book or as a paperback. Print copies of the book and one-hundred percent of proceeds from subsequent sales will be donated to Aakoma Project, an organization that aims to
Compensation
Writers whose essays are accepted for final publication will be credited with a byline in the book and a complimentary paperback copy of the completed anthology.
A note about writing for free: As writers ourselves, we know writers are highly underpaid and undervalued, but we also know the joy of contributing to a collaborative body of work for the sake of storytelling, for the sake of healing together. Everyone on this project (including us) is a non-paid contributor donating their time and work for the benefit of Aakoma Project.
We say this while also acknowledging that we live in a world that operates on money, and spending time to write for free is not a privilege afforded to everyone. That’s also why we’re asking for non-exclusive rights only to contributors’ essays (more details to be provided in the contributor’s agreement).
build the consciousness of youth of color and their
caregivers on the recognition and importance of mental health. They do this by offering free
therapy and workshops to youth and their families, helping to influence systems and services to
receive and address the needs of youth of color and their families.
Pitching Guidelines
We are seeking pitches for non-fiction first-person essays from people of color who hold identities that are marginalized. This includes but is not limited to:
LGBTQIA+
Immigrant/First-generation
Refugee
Indigenous
People with disabilities
When submitting your pitch, please include a brief bio and a link to your portfolio and/or first-person writing samples. We understand that not everyone will have a portfolio, so please send us something to give us an idea of your writing style.
Your pitch should include:
Working title
A summary of your story. (Tell us why you’re the person who needs to tell this story.)
We aim to get back to everyone who submits a pitch, but please allow us some time to respond, as we anticipate a full inbox! We will send contributor agreements to writers whose pitches we accept. Please, do not submit fully written essays.
Submit pitches to nolongermyministry@gmail.com. Editorial Guidelines
After we accept your essay pitch, writers should use the following writing guidelines: ● First-person reflections
○ Use this creative, non-fiction writing guide for reference
● Non-fiction
● English (with creative use of language)
● 8th grade reading level (When in doubt, keep it simple!)
● 1,500-3,00 words recommended
● AP Style (reference guide)
We’re interested in your story, but we acknowledge that your story will likely include other people in it. For that reason, we ask that if you’re mentioning someone by their name that you get their permission to do so or change the name.
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TORCH FRIDAY FEATURE
Torch Literary Arts
DEADLINE: Rolling
ENTRY FEE: $0
INFO: Torch Literary Arts welcomes submissions of original creative work by Black women writers. We are interested in work that challenges and disrupts preconceived notions of what contemporary writing by Black women should be. Your stories and poems are valuable and necessary. Write freely and submit what you are excited to share with the world.
Reading Period
Submissions are accepted for Friday Features only. We accept submissions on a rolling basis.
Simultaneous Submissions
Simultaneous submissions to other journals are welcome as long as they are identified as such and we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.
Manuscript Submission Guidelines
Include a one (1) page cover letter noting the title(s) of the work(s) submitted.
Upload your text submission as a Word (DOC, DOCX) or portable document format/PDF (PDF).
Typed, double-spaced (poetry may be single-spaced) pages.
Numbered pages.
Margins should be set at no less than 1” and no greater than 1.5”.
Poetry: submit up to five (5) poems totaling no more than eight (8) pages.
Fiction, Hybrid genre: 12-point font. No more than ten (10) pages or 2500 words (whichever is achieved first). Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained.
Drama/Screenwriting: submit one act or a collection of short scenes no longer than ten (10) pages. Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained. Indicate if a performance video or dramatic audio reading will be available with the text submission if selected.
Restrictions
We do not reprint previously published work for TORCH Friday Features.
Submitting Online
We accept submissions via our online submission management system only. Submissions via postal mail or email will be discarded without response.
Notifications and Queries
Please allow up to three months for a decision. Using our online submissions system, you will be able to track the status of your submission.
Publication & Compensation
Publication is online at TorchLiteraryArts.org, unless expressly stated for special publications.
Authors whose work is selected for a Friday Feature will receive a $50 (US) payment for publication.
All rights revert back to the author after publication.
Awards
All work accepted for publication will be considered for nomination for internal and external awards such as The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, etc.
torchliteraryarts.submittable.com/submit
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OPEN CALL: EYEBEAM CENTER FOR THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM
Eyebeam Center
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: The Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism (ECFJ) is a grant-making program that supports artists producing innovative and revelatory journalistic work for major media outlets.
The funds distributed to artists will assist with research, travel, and other expenses many media outlets struggle to cover, allowing stories that are often out of reach in today’s climate to be produced. And, in an effort to be responsive to an ever-fluctuating news cycle, artists will be able to apply to ECFJ for support of their work on a rolling basis. Artists with longer-term, research-intensive projects are also encouraged to apply. Grant support will range from $500 to $5,000.
All applicants must read the ECFJ Open Call page before applying: https://eyebeam.org/ecfj
Eligibility:
Individuals and collectives can apply. Collectives must have work samples that reflect a history of working together.
International applicants are welcome.
Applicants must have an existing commission letter from an editor.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
At this stage of the program, all applications must be in English.
Criteria
ECFJ is a grant-making program that financially supports artists producing innovative journalistic work for major media outlets. Artists applying must have demonstrated track record of working with major media outlets.
Artists creating work with a focus on the following issues are encouraged to apply:
Data privacy
2018/2020 elections
Role of technology in society
Political influence campaigns
Interrogating harmful technologies
Countering disinformation
Artificial Intelligence
Each applicant must provide:
300-word project description
Assignment letter from editor
A reference contact or letter of support
Two samples of past work
Detailed budget of expenses (travel costs, per diem and research costs are acceptable)
At this time, final pieces must be in English.
All applications should be in alignment with Eyebeam’s core values of:
Openness: All the work here is driven by an open-source ethos.
Invention: We build on old ideas to generate new possibilities.
Justice: Technology by artists is a move towards equity and democracy.
Equity and Inclusion: Eyebeam aims to create a hub for conversation and practice-sharing that is aware and responsive to systemic inequities in technology and invests in the meaningful inclusion of historically marginalized groups and voices. Eyebeam is committed to and values diversity in its organization and programs as defined by gender, race, ethnicity, disability-status, age, sexual orientation, immigrant status, and socioeconomic status. With a history rooted in innovation and collaboration Eyebeam’s programs are grounded in artist-community dialogue. Eyebeam supports the meaningful access to technology for everyone.
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CALL FOR IMMIGRANT WRITERS
ẹwà
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: ẹwà is an independent journal that publishes original work exclusively by immigrant writers — foreign-born and first-generation — living in the United States. We are interested in poetry, fiction, memoir, personal essay, lyric, hybrid forms as well as non-academic cultural criticism.
A few things:
Submissions are accepted year-round, on a rolling basis.
We do not accept previously published material (in print or online).
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us right away if your work is accepted anywhere else.
We accept multiple submissions in all genres of writing. We also accept co-/multiple-authored works, but please make sure that appropriate permissions have been granted.
To submit, please send your work in a single document containing no more than six pages of writing to submit@ewajournal.com.
TERMS: ẹwà requests first rights, worldwide, and the right to include the work on the ẹwà website indefinitely. After publication, all rights revert to the author. Copyright always remains with the author. Should your work be republished elsewhere in the future, please credit ẹwà with its first publication. Our terms will be updated as necessary.
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Unmute Magazine
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: Unmute Magazine, is a digital mag that aims to lift the voices of BIPOC creatives who’ve been historically marginalized.
They are accepting the following submissions (must be arts-related):
Album/EP or concert review (600-800 words).
A review of your own music or art including a discussion of the inspiration behind it (600-800 words).
Art-related how-to article (600-800 words).
Interviews (an introductory paragraph and five written questions).
Reflections / Essays (up to 1,500 words).
Song or poem including a discussion of the inspiration behind it (may submit up to four for review).
Photograph(s), illustrations, art (JPEG or PNG format).
Have your own idea? Please pitch it to us!
Please submit the following with your piece:
A third-person bio of up to 100 words.
(Optional) Photo as JPEG or PNG format for your bio.
(Optional) Up to 3 links to social media (i.e. Spotify, Soundcloud, website, Instagram, etc).
Submission Rules:
Written works and bio must be submitted in Word or Pages format
By submitting you agree to be considered for publication in Unmute Magazine.
Work must be original.
Unmute Magazine retains standard first publication rights for submissions. All rights immediately revert to the creator upon publication.
It may take several weeks for a response, but your submission will be read. If accepted, you will be notified.
By submitting to Unmute Magazine, you agree to be added to our mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Please email your submission to Submissions (at) unmutemagazine (dot) com