2023 Emerging Writer's Contest
Ploughshares
SUBMISSION PERIOD: March 1 - May 15, 2023
ENTRY FEE:
Subscribers: $0
Non-Subscribers: $24
INFO: The Emerging Writer's Contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish or self-publish a book.
AWARD: We award publication, $2,000, review from Aevitas Creative Management, and a 1-year subscription for one winner in each of the three genres. Submit to the Emerging Writer's Contest through our submission manager. You must be logged in to access our submission manager.
JUDGES: The 2023 contest judges are Gish Jen (Fiction), Sandra Cisneros (Poetry), and Meghan O'Rourke (Nonfiction).
PUBLICATION: The winning story, essay, and poems from the 2023 contest will be published in the Winter 2023-24 issue of Ploughshares.
ELIGIBILITY:
You are eligible if you:
Have yet to publish a book (including eBooks, translations, books in other languages/countries, self-published works, and poetry chapbooks with a print run of more than 300).
Have no book forthcoming before April 15, 2024.
Are not affiliated with Emerson College or with Ploughshares as a contributing author, volunteer screener, intern, student, staff member, or faculty member.
Will not have a relationship with Emerson College before April 15, 2024 (example: if there is a chance you will attend the Emerson MFA program in the coming year or if your work has been accepted for publication for an upcoming issue).
SUBMITTING:
Fiction and Nonfiction: Under 6,000 words
Poetry: 3-5 pages
Submit one entry per year via our online submission manager.
No entries via email or mail will be considered for the contest.
Submitted work must be original and previously unpublished in any form.
For poetry, we will be reading both for the strongest individual poem and the general level of work, and may choose to publish one, some, or all of the winner's submitted poems.
International submissions welcome.
We cannot accomodate revisions once a manuscript has been submitted.
Cover letters are not necessary. Please remove all identifying information from your submission as they will be read anonymously.
SIMULTANEOUS VS. MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS:
We only consider one submission per author for the duration of the contest, regardless of genre. Simultaneous submissions to other journals are fine as long as we are notified immediately upon acceptance elsewhere via email (pshares@pshares.org) or our online contact form.
pshares.org/submit/emerging-writers-contest/guidelines
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2024 Writer in Residence (WiR) program
Hedgebrook
DEADLINE / FEES:
By March 7, 2023 (by midnight, PST) / $45
From March 8-14, 2023 (by midnight, PST) / $55
INFO: Hedgebrook’s Writer-in-Residence Program supports writers from all over the world for residencies of two to four weeks. The cottage, all meals, and the entire residency experience at Hedgebrook is free to selected writers. Travel is not included and is the responsibility of the writer to arrange and pay for. Up to 6 writers can be in residence at a time, each housed in their own handcrafted cottage. They spend their days in solitude – writing, reading, taking walks in the woods on the property or on nearby Double Bluff beach. In the evenings, “The Gathering” is a social time for residents to connect and share over their freshly prepared meals.
Hedgebrook’s mission is to support visionary women-identified writers, 18 and older, whose stories and ideas shape our culture now and for generations to come. Writers must be women, which is inclusive of transgender women and female-identified individuals. Because gender inequity still occurs in all spaces including literary ones, it is part of our explicit mission to support and promote women’s voices. This application is not for alumnae seeking a return stay.
These residencies will take place February to mid-June 2024.
ACCEPTED GENRES:
FICTION
NON-FICTION
PLAYWRITING
POETRY
SCREENWRITING/TV WRITING
SONGWRITING
hedgebrook.org/writers-in-residence
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NEA Literature Fellowships: PROSE
National Endowment for the Arts
DEADLINE: March 8, 2023 by 11:59pm EST
INFO: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Literature Fellowships program offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Applications are reviewed through an anonymous process in which the criteria for review are the artistic excellence and artistic merit of the submitted manuscript. Through this program, the NEA seeks to sustain and nurture a diverse range of creative writers at various stages of their careers and to continue to expand the portfolio of American art.
For FY 2024, which is covered by these guidelines, fellowships in prose (fiction and nonfiction) are available.
NOTIFICATION: Expect notification of awards and rejections no earlier than December 2023. Our support of a project may begin January 1, 2024 and extend for up to two years.
ELIGIBILITY:
You are eligible to apply in Prose if you meet the following requirements:
You are a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
You have not received two or more Fellowships (in poetry, prose, or translation) from the National Endowment for the Arts. If you have received any award from the National Endowment for the Arts, you must have submitted acceptable Final Reports to the NEA by their due date(s).
You have not received any National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship (in poetry or prose) or Translation Fellowship on or after January 1, 2015 (FY 2015).
This is your only application to the NEA for FY 2024 individual support. You may not apply for both a Literature Fellowship under this deadline and a Translation Project under the January 12, 2023 deadline.
You have had published, between January 1, 2016 and March 8, 2023:
At least five (5) different short stories, works of short fiction, excerpts from novels or memoirs, or creative essays (or any combination thereof) in two or more literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or publications that regularly include fiction and/or creative nonfiction as a portion of their content; or
A novel or novella; or
A volume of short fiction or a collection of short stories; or
A volume of creative nonfiction.
Work must have been published for the first time with an eligible publisher between these dates, not only reprinted or reissued in another format during this period. Eligible publishers have a competitive selection process and offer some service or services to their writers, such as editing and proofreading; formatting and design; and/or promotion, marketing, and distribution. Student-led publications and publications that primarily print work by persons who are affiliated with a particular academic institution are not eligible.
You may use digital, audio, or online publications to establish eligibility, provided that the publisher has a competitive selection process and offers professional editing. If the online publication or website no longer exists, you must provide, upon request, sufficient evidence that your work once appeared online. If sufficient evidence cannot be provided, the online publication will not be eligible.
The following content may not be used to establish eligibility:
Pre-publication material, such as galleys, proofs, and advance reader's copies.
Work that has appeared in a publication for which you are the editor, publisher, or staff.
Collaborative work.
Scholarly writing.
Instructional writing.
News Reporting.
Book reviews.
Editorials/letters to the editor.
Interviews.
arts.gov/grants/creative-writing-fellowships
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ISSUE FIFteen
Parentheses Journal
DEADLINE: March 10, 2023
INFO: Parentheses Journal is an independent literary journal based in Ontario, Canada. We welcome submissions of poetry, prose and art from Canada, as well as international creatives.
Parentheses Journal welcomes diverse and interdisciplinary narratives. We seek work that straddles across varied paradigms, in form and content. Submissions are open for Issue Fifteen. We actively seek to publish and celebrate diverse voices.
Our founding editors are deeply committed to ensuring that the contributor community of Parentheses Journal are creators from multitude areas of life. We are especially interested in works by contributors that identify as women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, disabled, immigrant, working-class, trans, indigenous, and anyone else living and working in a fluid space of identity. We accept simultaneous submissions.
Please peruse our submission guidelines before you submit work.
GUIDELINES:
No identifying information in the submission document - We read and select your submissions without seeing the cover letter or bio to ensure fairness. Kindly DO NOT include any identifying information in your submission document. We will automatically reject pieces that do not follow this, so check your submission carefully before sending it to us.
Send a cover letter with your submission - Blank emails will not be entertained and will be deleted unread. Please include a brief cover letter and introduce yourself, the title of your pieces, and anything else you would like to share with us. This letter will be only viewed by our founding editors in the last phase of the consideration process to ensure a blind peer-review process.
Please send your submission in a new email that does not include an email thread with a response to your previous submission. This practice has caused several backlogs and we would not be responding to such submissions. If you need to withdraw any part of your submission, only then reply to us in the same email thread as your submission for that particular issue.
Please do not include a third person biography or a long list of prior publications. We will request a brief biography upon acceptance.
Response time is around 3 months - We will attempt to respond as quickly as possible but bear with us as we are a small journal run by volunteers.
Please allow up to 3 months for us to inform you if we’ve selected your work for publication.
We DO NOT accept previously published work - This includes content previously appeared in print or online (including on your personal blog or website).
Artwork and photography may appear online on the artist’s web portfolio/blog /social networks but must not be published by any literary journal, magazine, or self-publication. In case you are unsure, please send us an inquiry via email or by using our contact form
We accept simultaneous submissions - However, we request you to let us know by email (email id) at the earliest if your work is accepted for publication elsewhere. We will celebrate your success.
parenthesesjournal.com/submit/
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SELECTED SHORTS: Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize
Gotham Writer / Symphony Space
DEADLINE: March 10, 2023 by 11:59pm EST
ENTRY FEE: $25
INFO: The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. This long-running series at Symphony Space in New York City celebrates the art of the short story by having stars of stage and screen read aloud the works of established and emerging writers. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast.
JUDGE: The 2023 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize will be judged by Anthony Doerr (Cloud Cuckoo Land, All the Light We Cannot See).
AWARD: The winning work will be performed by an actor in spring 2023, and published on Electric Literature. The winning writer will receive $1000 and a free 10-week course with Gotham Writers.
GUIDELINES:
Entries should be 750 words or less.
Stories can be on any theme.
Writers of all ages and nationalities are eligible.
The story must have a title.
We do not accept work that has been previously published in print, online, or any other medium.
We do not accept works in translation.
Once entered, we do not accept revisions for any stories. Your $25 is nonrefundable.
You may enter as many stories as you like, but a $25 fee is required for each story.
We no longer accept mailed, paper submissions. Stories received in the mail will be returned unread with your uncashed check. If you have problems with the online form or are unable to submit online for some extenuating circumstance, please contact Selected Shorts directly at shorts@symphonyspace.org and we will make sure your work reaches us.
The winner will be announced in spring 2023.
v2.writingclasses.com/contests/stella-kupferberg-memorial-short-story-prize-2023
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Emerging Writer Fellowship
GrubStreet
DEADLINE: March 13, 2023 at 11:59pm EST
INFO: The Emerging Writer Fellowship aims to develop new, exciting voices by providing three writers per year tuition-free access to GrubStreet’s classes and two Muse & the Marketplace summits. Over the course of one year, each Emerging Writer Fellow will attend a combination of seminars and multi-week courses of their choosing, along with a wide selection of Muse & The Marketplace programming, in order to enhance their understanding of craft and the publishing industry.
OVERVIEW: The Emerging Writer Fellowship will be awarded to three writers who demonstrate a passion for writing, a commitment to developing their writing abilities, and financial need. Any person 18 and older who demonstrates ability and passion for writing is eligible.
The Emerging Writer Fellowship will provide access to each of the following:
4 multi-week courses
4 one-day (6hr) classes
4 three-hour seminars
Access to a wide selection of 2023 and 2024 Muse & the Marketplace conference series programming
Access to GrubStreet's Education Director and/or other program staff members for quarterly (or as-needed) office hours for personalized mentorship. (Not Required)
The fellowship year begins in May, 2023.
WHO SHOULD APPLY:
This fellowship is open to anyone 18 and older with a passion for writing. The fellowship specifically aims to assist writers in need of financial assistance in reaching their writing goals. We particularly encourage writers of color, ethnic minorities, those who identify as LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and other members of communities historically underrepresented by the literary community to apply.
HOW TO APPLY:
The Emerging Writer Fellowship Application Form will require the following:
A sample of your writing that demonstrates your artistic style and voice. 5-10 pages for prose, screenwriting, or playwriting. 3-7 pages for poetry.
A personal statement -- no more than 500 words please! -- which should include the following:
How you envision using the fellowship.
A description of your relationship to writing. By this we mean: what excites you about it? What does it mean to you personally?
How the fellowship will help you in your growth and success as a writer.
Your writing and workshop history (Note: Prior workshop experience at GrubStreet is not required).
grubstreet.org/programs/emerging-writer-fellowship/
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2023 Kimbilio Fellow
Kimbilio
DEADLINE: March 15, 2023
INFO: If you are a serious-minded, committed writer with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of fictional craft, you should consider applying to become a Kimbilio Fellow.
The retreat will take place on the SMU Campus in Taos, New Mexico from July 23-29, 2023. You are required to attend the entire retreat, arriving for a 5:30pm dinner meeting on the 23rd and departing on the morning of the 29th, no later than noon.
Tuition is covered by Kimbilio. There is no application fee. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to/from the retreat as well as a fee that partially covers the costs for room and board with the amount varying by size of the chosen accommodation. Housing fees range between 250 and 600 dollars. A small number of scholarships may be available to accepted Fellows.
The application process consists of:
An essay of no more than 150 words describing what attending the Kimbilio Summer Retreat means for you or what you hope to gain from the experience.
A 20-page, double-spaced, 12-point font manuscript of fiction (short story or novel excerpt). If submitting a novel excerpt, you may include a short summary of no more than 200 words. Juries will not read beyond the page limit. The summary page does not count as part of the 20-page excerpt.
kimbiliofiction.com/application-season-page/
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Columbia Journal
DEADLINE: March 15, 2023
INFO: Columbia Journal seeks submissions of poetry, nonfiction, fiction, art, and 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.
GUIDELINES:
Submissions should be sent through our Submittable. Please allow us up to six months to respond.
To get a sense of the work we have published recently, we recommend reading the Spring 2021 issue of the Journal, which you can order here.
Manuscripts should be typed and double-spaced, with numbered pages. Poetry may be single-spaced, but each poem should start on a new page.
Please submit up to 5 pages of poetry or up to 5,000 words of prose at a time.
We accept simultaneous submissions, but we ask that you please inform us as soon as your work is accepted somewhere else. You can withdraw a submission within the Submittable platform. If you only want to withdraw one piece (or poem) from your overall submission, please email info@columbiajournal.org with the details of your request.
Print and Online: Submissions in multiple genres are okay.
ELIGIBILITY:
If you have studied at or taught in the Columbia University School of the Arts Writing Program at any time in the past five years, you are ineligible to submit your original work.
Previously published materials: For the website, we do not publish previously published work.
Please note that we require writers to submit letters of consent from the original author or their estate to our email, publisher.columbia@gmail.com, alongside submissions. We will be independently contacting writers if a translated piece is accepted by our staff.
You may re-publish your work that appears on the site after 60 days, and we ask that you credit us in future publications.
The best way to get a sense for what kind of work we are interested in is to read recent fiction, poetry and nonfiction on columbiajournal.org and to read the most recent print issues of Columbia Journal, copies of which you can order online.
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
The Heritage Journal
SUBMISSION PERIOD: March 20 - June 21, 2023
INFO: The Heritage Journal is a biennial print publication, which celebrates the voices and narratives of Black, Indigenous, and POC creators and community members engaged or related to the slow living movement.
For written work, pieces cannot exceed more than 2,500 words. For longer written works and additional visual art pieces, we encourage artists to submit to our online library. See additional information below.
COMPENSATION: Accepted submissions to The Heritage Journal are paid. Written submissions are paid $25 per page and visual submissions receive $25 per piece.
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2023 Fall Residencies
Tin House
DEADLINE: March 21, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $30
INFO: Each residency will feature two writers simultaneously (in separate apartments). Selected residents may stay for any length of time within the dates of their awarded Residency.
If eligible, you may apply to all residencies using this single application.
Tin House Workshop recognizes that the ongoing pandemic makes traveling and timelines more difficult than ever. We’re committed to working with each resident to make their visit as comfortable and safe as possible. Should anyone cancel their residency (for any reason), we will honor the stipend.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
1. Fill out the questionnaire.
2. Attach a writing sample from the project you will be working on during the residency:
Fiction and Nonfiction: One unpublished writing sample of no more than 6,000 words. A short story/essay or a portion of a novel/NF project may be submitted.
Poetry: Up to six poems, totaling no more than 20 pages.
Translation: Please follow the requirements for the genre in the original language and submit your translation and the original text.
Graphic Narrative: Project synopsis and up to 30 pages of the project.
No reference letters, please.
FIRST RESIDENCY: This residency is intended for writers who have not attended a juried residential program for any length of time, nor are scheduled to do so in 2023/2024 (at the time of applying). Applicants may apply with work that is under contract as long as it is not scheduled to be published until 2024.
Dates: September 2023
Stipend: $1200
Eligibility:
Working on a full-length manuscript in any genre.
International writers may apply.
Former Workshop Faculty and Scholars may apply. Former Residents are not eligible.
You must be 21 years of age or older by September 1st, 2023.
GENERAL RESIDENCY: This residency is intended for any writer working on a full-length manuscript.
Dates: October 2023
Stipend: $1200
Eligibility:
Working on a full-length manuscript in any genre.
International writers may apply.
Former Workshop Faculty and Scholars may apply. Former Residents are not eligible.
You must be 21 years of age or older by August 1st, 2023
tinhouseonline.submittable.com/submit/252672/tin-house-fall-residency
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Kurt Brown WC&C Scholarships: creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry
AWP
DEADLINE: March 31, 2023
INFO: Every year, AWP awards three $500 scholarships to three first-place winners in the genres of creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. These scholarships must be used to attend a writers’ conference, center, retreat, festival, or residency at one of the AWP member programs in the Directory of Conferences & Centers. All winners and six finalists will also receive a one-year individual membership.
In 1990, Kurt Brown founded WC&C, a coalition of writers’ conferences and festivals, to help these groups support one another and thrive. Kurt was a friend and mentor to many writers, as well as a poet, editor, memoirist, essayist, teacher, and administrator. Today, the group he founded is an important part of AWP; we hope you will take the time to visit our directory and explore them all. There is an excellent chance you will find one that meets in your local area that can help you connect with a community of writers and friends.
ELIGIBILITY & GUIDELINES:
Previous recipients of Kurt Brown WC&C Scholarships and former or current students of the judges are not eligible to submit.
Writers’ names must not appear on the submissions or they will be disqualified.
For fiction and creative nonfiction, up to ten unpublished pages will be considered. Work must be double-spaced and presented in twelve-point font.
For poetry, five to ten unpublished poems will be considered. Each new poem must start on a new page.
You may enter in more than one genre, and you may also enter multiple manuscripts in one genre, provided that each submission is accompanied by its own $10 entry fee.
Winners have one year to use their prize, and funds are paid directly to the selected program; unused funds will not be issued to the writer.
Member conferences reserve the right to determine entry to their programs; winning does not guarantee admittance to any program.
2023 KURT BROWN JUDGES:
Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American writer. She is the author of the memoirs The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, The Song Poet, and Somewhere in the Unknown World. Yang wrote the children’s books A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, The Most Beautiful Thing, Yang Warriors, and From the Tops of the Trees. She co-edited the ground-breaking collection What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color. Yang’s work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, the PEN America literary awards, the Dayton’s Literary Peace Prize, as Notable Books by the American Library Association, Kirkus Best Books of the Year, the Heartland Bookseller’s Award, Bank Street College of Education, the Midland Authors Award, and garnered four Minnesota Book Awards. Kao Kalia Yang is also a teacher and public speaker.
Sherwin Bitsui (Diné) is the author of Dissolve and Flood Song (Copper Canyon Press) and Shapeshift (University of Arizona Press). He is of the Bįį’tóó’nii’ Tódi’chii’nii clan and is born for the Tlizilłani’ clan. He is from White Cone, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation. His honors include the 2011 Lannan Literary Fellowship, a Native Arts & Culture Foundation Fellowship for Literature, a PEN Open Book Award, an American Book Award, and a Whiting Writers Award. Bitsui teaches for the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Northern Arizona University.
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. Philyaw is also a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and the 2022-2023 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.
awpwriter.org/contests/kurt_brown_prizes_overview
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2023 Writing Fellowship
A Public Space
DEADLINE: March 31, 2023 at 11:59 pm EST
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: We are pleased to announce that applications will open on March 1, 2023, for the 2023 A Public Space Writing Fellowships. The aim of these fellowships is to seek out and support writers who embrace risk in their work and their own singular vision. Writers who have not yet contracted to publish a book are invited to apply.
Submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and—this year, for this first time—poetry are welcome. Three fellowships will be awarded.
During the six-month fellowship, fellows will receive:
editorial support from A Public Space editors to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine;
a $1,000 honorarium;
a one-year subscription to A Public Space;
a guest pass to attend Master Classes with A Public Space during the term of the fellowship;
the opportunity to participate in a public reading and conversation with A Public Space editors and contributors.
ELIGIBILITY: Only writers who have not yet published or been contracted to write a book-length work with a U.S. publisher are eligible. International applicants are encouraged to apply, but we are only able to consider submissions in English. Only one submission per person is allowed. Please do not submit a piece you have previously submitted to A Public Space, either through the Fellowship category, the General Submissions category, or an Open Call. A Public Space reserves the right to invite submissions.
TIMELINE: Successful applicants will be informed no later than May 15, 2023. The fellowship period will be June 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023.
Procedure: Only electronic submissions will be considered. Applications must be submitted through the Fellowship category in Submittable. Please submit the following:
A CV
A cover letter containing a one-paragraph biographical statement; one paragraph that is a favorite of yours from a book you've read, be it recently or long ago; and a brief statement telling us why this particular passage is meaningful to you.
One previously unpublished piece (for prose, one fiction or nonfiction piece with a limit of 8,000 words; for poetry, a sequence of poems, a long poem, or hybrid work, with a limit of 15 pages) If selected, the submitted manuscript is the piece that will be published in the magazine.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please note that if any part of the submitted work is accepted elsewhere, you will be required to withdraw your entire application; replacement submissions will not be accepted once the deadline has passed.
Only PDF or Word files (.doc and .docx) are accepted. The cover letter and manuscript should be submitted as separate files. Incomplete applications will not be considered and will be returned unread.
apublicspace.org/news/detail/the-2023-a-public-space-writing-fellowships
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: MEMOIR
The Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN) / Texas Tech University Press
DEADLINE: March 31, 2023
INFO: DVAN and Texas Tech University Press are excited to announce that their book series will be open for submissions from early career and emerging writers from January 1st through March 31st. For this reading cycle, we will be reviewing MEMOIR in English, from the Vietnamese-American and broader Southeast Asian community. Manuscripts will be given full consideration by TTUP and writers and academics from the DVAN network.
REQUIREMENTS:
* Full book length manuscript (~60,000 words or greater)
* Manuscript must not yet be published
* Please include an author bio with your submission
*. Authors may have published no more than one book-length work to be eligible
We are looking for any and all kinds of story and modes of expression. Works can speak to racial identity or to topics like war and immigration, but they also can be about anything. There is no one story from the Diaspora and Asian-American community. We are looking for originality of voice, acuity of subject, emotional resonance, as well as stories and perspectives that have not often been centered in contemporary literature. As a nonprofit University Press, TTUP is unburdened by the commercial concerns of major publishers.
Please submit your manuscript to weearedvan@gmail.com.
For questions contact:
Minh Vu | minhvu.dvan@gmail.com
Katherina Nguyen | katherinan55@gmail.com
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: SHORT STORIES
Midnight & Indigo
DEADLINE: March 31, 2023
INFO: We are looking for previously unpublished, CHARACTER-DRIVEN fictional short stories written by Black women writers. All genres are welcome. Subject matter and plots can run the gamut, but we want emotion, grit, soul, and writing that forges an immediate connection with the reader.
GUIDELINES:
Stories must meet our minimum 1,500 word count requirement.
Submissions should be submitted in proper short story manuscript format with your name, email address, and the story’s total word count on the first page. For our purposes, you do not need to include a mailing address or phone number. Click here for an example of proper short story manuscript format.
All submissions will be considered for publication
We pay for all accepted pieces. Our rate is $0.08 per word (min. $120) for Short Stories accepted for publication in our literary journal (eBook, print, and/or audiobook) or online publication on midnightandindigo.com. We pay upon acceptance, not publication.
All submissions will be considered for publication in our upcoming print anthology (~December 2023)
If you are submitting a Speculative/Horror piece, please DO NOT use this form. Click HERE for details.
We accept only previously unpublished work. Responses will be provided by May 31, 2023.
midnightindigo.submittable.com/submit
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: SHORT STORIES
Midnight & Indigo
DEADLINE: March 31, 2023
INFO: We are looking for previously unpublished, first-person POV non-fiction essays written by Black women writers.
Essays can be funny, entertaining, serious, or sincere. Content must uplift, inspire and leave readers with something to think about. We want emotion, grit, soul, and writing that forges an immediate connection with the reader around your experience. Submissions cannot include list formats or "5 Ways to..." inspirational instructionals.
GUIDELINES:
Essays must meet our minimum 1,200 word count requirement.
Submissions should be submitted in proper manuscript format with your name, email address, and the story’s total word count on the first page. For our purposes, you do not need to include a mailing address or phone number. Click here for an example of proper manuscript format.
We pay for all accepted pieces. Our rate is $100 for Essays accepted for publication in our online publication midnightandindigo.com. We pay upon acceptance, not publication.
We accept only previously unpublished work. Responses will be provided by May 31, 2023.
midnightindigo.submittable.com/submit
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Creative Nonfiction Prize
Indiana Review
DEADLINE: March 31, 2023
ENTRY FEE: $20
INFO: Indiana Review is seeking submissions for it CNF Prize.
PRIZE: The Winner of the CNF Prize has the opportunity to receive $1000 AND Publication!
2023 JUDGE: We are thrilled to announce our Creative Nonfiction Judge this year- Camonghne Felix, poet and essayist, is the author of Build Yourself a Boat (Haymarket Books, 2019), which was long-listed for the 2019 National Book Award in Poetry, shortlisted for the PEN/Open Book Awards, and shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Awards. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Academy of American Poets, Harvard Review, LitHub, The New Yorker, PEN America, Poetry Magazine, Freeman’s and elsewhere. Felix's next book, Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation, was released in February 2023 from One World, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
GUIDLINES:
Send one creative nonfiction piece, up to 6k words
Entrant’s name must not appear on the submission.
A cover letter is not required but can be included in the comments box if you like.
Each $20 fee gets you a year-long subscription of the journal. International addressees, please add $12 for postage ($7 for addresses in Canada).
KEEP IN MIND:
IR does not accept emailed submissions.
All entries are considered anonymously.
Previously published works and works forthcoming elsewhere cannot be considered.
Multiple and simultaneous submissions are permitted; however, each submission requires a separate reading fee. Please withdraw your piece immediately if it is accepted elsewhere.
IR cannot consider work from anyone currently or recently affiliated with Indiana University or the prize judge. This includes people who have studied or taught at Indiana University in the past four years.
If you are unable to submit through our Submittable page for any reason, you may mail us your submission. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check with the applicable submission and shipping fee; checks must be made out to Indiana University.
indianareview.org/prizes/creative-nonfiction-prize/
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Writing for Change Essay Contest
Mochi Magazine
DEADLINE: March 31, 2023
INFO: The Black Allyship @ Mochi (BA@M) column is an ongoing project that urges an awareness of racial injustice in the United States, particularly the oppression of Black people in America. The articles, resources and opinions we share are a call to action, an open discussion, and a place to take a stance against anti-Black racism.
“You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it.”
Grace Lee Boggs
In memory of Grace Lee Boggs’ work with Black communities, we are seeking essays from BIPOC writers that answer the question:
In consideration of complex histories and current movements, what can Asian Americans do to be better allies and co-conspirators in the fight for racial justice?
The kinds of writing we want to see are previously unpublished pieces that blend personal experience with data or interviews from changemakers in a way that educates an Asian American audience of all ages. For example,
Fight Anti-Blackness with our Asian Parents – Mochi Magazine
Mom and Dad, This is What I Want to Tell You About the Riots – Mochi Magazine
We Cannot Trust White Society With Asian Justice – Mochi Magazine
I want justice for anti-Asian violence — but not at the expense of Black people
All submissions will be reviewed by current BA@M co-editors along the following criteria:
Engagement with the prompt in an actionable way for Mochi’s audience
Exploration of a topic or perspective not yet present in the BA@M column
Originality of ideas or a unique perspective
PRIZE: The grand prize is $500 and publication in Mochi Magazine’s BA@M column. Finalists will also be notified and awarded $100 and publication. Writers will work with our editors to ready their pieces for publication according to Mochi Magazine’s publishing calendar. Note that current Mochi staff members are not eligible to participate in this contest.
mochimag.com/activism/black-allyship-mochi/writing-for-change-contest/
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Winter 2023 Story Contest
Narrative Magazine
DEADLINE: March 31, 2023 at midnight PST
SUBMISSION FEE: $27(with your entry, you’ll receive three months of complimentary access to Narrative Backstage).
INFO: Narrative's WINTER CONTEST is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers. We’re looking for short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest.
Narrative winners and finalists have gone on to win Whiting Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, the Pushcart Prize, and the Atlantic prize, and have appeared in collections such as Best American Short Stories, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and many others. View the recent awards won by Narrative authors.
As always, we are looking for works with a strong narrative drive, with characters we can respond to, and with effects of language, situation, and insight that are intense and total. We look for works that have the ambition of enlarging our view of ourselves and the world.
AWARDS:
First Prize - $2,500
Second Prize - $1,000
Third Prize - $500
Up to ten finalists will receive $100 each
All entries will be considered for publication
JUDGING: The contest will be judged by the editors of the magazine. Winners and finalists will be announced to the public by April 31, 2023. All writers who enter will be notified by email of the judges’ decisions, which will be final. The judges reserve the option to declare ties and to designate and award only as many winners and/or finalists as are appropriate to the quality of contest entries and of work represented in the magazine.
narrativemagazine.com/winter-2023-story-contest
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: DWA Cuenticos
Dominican Writers Association (DWA)
DEADLINE: April 1st, 2023 by 11:59 pm EST
INFO: Aligned with Dominican Writer's mission to amplify Dominican-American voices—and, in turn, create a thriving community of literary creatives—#dwaCuenticos nurtures and promotes the works of emerging & professional writers of ages 12 and up. Submissions will be featured on the DWA website and chapbook "Una Visa Por Tus Sueños: Finessing the Dominican Dream", and in this manner ensuring visibility and recognition in literary publishing.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
A question for first-generation Dominican-American as they immerse themselves in the culture of their home and partially forfeit the values of their parent’s birthplace.
Discuss the ensuing conflicts of acculturation, bilingualism, & identity.
Breaking Barriers. The educational attainment and financial freedom of Dominicans in the United States and carving a path without any guidance. (Ex: the negative and positive responses to seeking out higher education, navigating college applications & financial aid, financial burdens, and inequitable access to resources.)
The Latchkey Generation. The responsibility of translating for our parents, the obligation of raising ourselves, the guilt of wanting more, and the possibility of leaving family behind.
Straddling the privilege (burden) of two Cultures. The trauma & mental health toll of the “immigrant-paradox.” (The "no sabo" stigma, breaking away from conservatism, voting against our own interest.)
Fake Dominicans/Not Latino Enough. The perspective of “true” Dominicans towards those who are part of the diaspora. Which values do you choose to keep and which are rejected for fear of not being accepted into American society? (Ex: the concept of race, the preservation of the Spanish tongue, hypermasculinity, etc.)
WE ACCEPT:
For consideration, the piece must be a creative non-fiction essay on the month's topic.
Essays must be written in first-person, ranging from 1000-2000 words, in Times New Roman, Font size 12
Can submit in either English, Spanish, or Spanglish
Each submission should be a single file attachment in .doc or Docx (firstname_lastname_genre)
All submissions must include a captivating title that is likely to draw reader engagement.
Include a brief author bio of 250 max written in the third person.
Provide an image that speaks to the theme of the story.
OF IMPORTANCE TO NOTE:
We do not accept work that has been previously published online or otherwise.
DWA acquires exclusive rights to publish on the website and requests acknowledgment in subsequent publications.
Writers from any part of the world may submit.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjF6TvLPrQVM9KjzHmuk6JkCchHaANbiL4myDgERrBAceXbQ/viewform
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2023 Hurston/Wright Crossover Award
Hurston/Wright Foundation
DEADLINE: April 1, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $0 (Due to the hardships many are facing during the pandemic, Hurston/Wright is waiving the application fee).
INFO: The Hurston/Wright Crossover Award, sponsored by ESPN’s Andscape, honors probing, provocative, and original new voices in literary nonfiction. Named after the most common dribbling move in basketball, the Crossover Award, aims to highlight an unconventional winner who writes across genres and can effectively crossoverbetween writing styles and techniques. The name also speaks to the potential of the award winner to transition from obscurity to the spotlight. This award will celebrate one writer who contributes a unique perspective to the literary nonfiction landscape.
The winner of the award, which includes a cash prize, will be announced during the 21st Annual Legacy Awards Ceremony in October 2023.
ELIGIBILITY:
Unpublished, Black writers who are 18 years and older are eligible.
Writers who have published books, including poetry books or fiction narratives, through any publishing platform, are not eligible.
Writers who currently work for the Hurston/Wright Foundation or are related to current employees or board members of the Hurston/Wright Foundation are ineligible.
All work submitted must be original and unpublished at the time of submission. Hurston/Wright does not accept simultaneous submissions.
Submissions must be works of literary nonfiction.
Essays should explore and illuminate the various intersections of culture and society through innovative storytelling, original reporting and/or provocative commentary.
Submissions may be stand-alone essays or excerpts from a book in progress.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES:
No more than 20 pages double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, and within 1-inch margins.
Put title of the work on each page of the submission.
Do not put the author’s name on the pages of the work. All submissions will be screened and judged anonymously.
Provide a separate page with the title of the work, name and contact information of author.
Author name and contact information should not appear on the submission. All submissions will be judged anonymously by a distinguished published author of literary nonfiction.
Winning works may be published in whole or in part by Hurston/Wright online or in print. Your submission gives the Hurston/Wright Foundation and our sponsor, ESPN, permission to publish an excerpt or the entire work. The author retains all rights.
Hurston/Wright maintains the right to decline any submission not deemed eligible.
AWARD
$2000 to one recipient
Tuition-free attendance of a 2023 Hurston/Wright summer writer’s workshop
Complimentary ticket to the annual Legacy Awards Ceremony in October 2023
hurstonwrightfoundation.submittable.com/submit
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2023 Hurston/Wright Awards for College Writers
Hurston/Wright Foundation
DEADLINE: April 1, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $0 (Due to the hardships many are facing during the pandemic, Hurston/Wright is waiving the application fee).
INFO: The Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation is proud to host the annual Hurston/Wright Awards for College Writers, which is the only award of its kind that recognizes Black college writers. The award is the foundation’s first program. It was initiated to support emerging Black artists in fiction and poetry enrolled full-time in an undergraduate or graduate school program anywhere in the United States. The deadline for submission is April 1, 2023
Submissions are judged by distinguished published authors in fiction and poetry who are not employees of the Hurston/Wright Foundation. Selected winners will be notified in July 2023. Only winners will be notified.
Award winners will be invited to attend a summer workshop of their choice for free, as well as attend the Legacy Award ceremony that is hosted in October in Washington, DC.
REQUIREMENTS:
Black writers who are full-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs at a college or university in the United States are eligible to submit a work of fiction or poetry. They must be enrolled at the time of submission.
Writers who have published books, including poetry chapbooks or fiction narratives, through any publishing platform, are not eligible.
All work submitted must be original and unpublished at the time of submission. Hurston/Wright does not accept simultaneous submissions.
Author name and contact information should not appear on the submission.
Winning works may be published in whole or in part by Hurston/Wright online or print. Your submission gives the Hurston/Wright Foundation permission to publish an excerpt or the entire work. The author retains all rights.
Hurston/Wright maintains the right to decline any submission not deemed eligible.
FORMAT GUIDELINES:
The original creative work submitted should be formatted as follows:
Fiction:
No more than 20 pages of fiction, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, and within 1-inch margins.
Put title of the work on each page of the submission.
Do not put the author’s name on the pages of the work. Provide a separate page with the title of the work, name and contact information of author, school and year of study.
Poetry:
Maximum of 3 poems.
The submission must total at least 120 lines or more.
Do not include the author’s name on the pages of poetry. Provide a separate page with the title of the work, name and contact information of author, school and year of study.
hurstonwrightfoundation.submittable.com/submit
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Voyage Short Story Award
Voyage
DEADLINE: April 2, 2023
READING FEE: $20 (per entry)
INFO: Big changes are at work for Voyage this year! We are moving all of our prize opportunities to two biannual anthologies dedicated to top-notch YA writing. We want to give our great contributors a chance to see their name in print! We will be publishing hardcover, paperback, and ebook editions. Winners of this Short Story Prize will be published in Fall 2023, alongside the winners of the Poetry, Novel Excerpt, and Creative Nonfiction Prizes.
You can also submit your poems right now too! Just head to voyage.submittable.com/submit. Novel Excerpt and CNF Prizes will be open April - May.
The anthology will be edited by the Voyage editorial staff, and we will soon announce the contributing author who will share publication space with all of the emerging voices coming through our submissions.
One of the reasons we founded Voyage is that we wanted to see more short fiction writers celebrated in the YA category. So, naturally, we’re dedicating a portion of our next anthology to short-form YA stories and all their glory!
Can you give us a compelling YA short story in 5,000 words or fewer?
Send us your best YA contemporary, romance, fantasy, science fiction, genre-bender, and more! We read widely in YA, and we’re simply looking for a well-told story.
COMPENSATION: For the anthology, we are flexible with the number of winners, but all short story contributors will be compensated accordingly:
Short Stories: $500
GUIDELINES:
Voyage submissions are open to all writers working in English.
International submissions are allowed.
Submission must be an original short story that would be categorized as young adult fiction (from the point-of-view of a young adult, meaning through the lens of a teen protagonist).
5,000-word count maximum.
We’re open to any genre or style you can throw at us—just send us the best you’ve got.
Previously unpublished work only, please.
Simultaneous submissions are fine—just notify us and withdraw your entry if it’s picked up by someone else.
Multiple submissions are okay—please submit each as a separate submission.
Every entry will be considered for our regular publications as well.
Please: 1) double space, 2) use Times New Roman 12, 3) have one-inch margins, and 4) put the page number in the top right-hand corner.
Tell us in a brief cover letter your publication history (if applicable, no worries if not), along with any relevant information about your writing career.
For reference, some of our favorite YA short story collections include: Fresh Ink edited by Lamar Giles; Welcome Home edited by Eric Smith; Our Stories, Our Voices edited by Amy Reed; Three Sides of a Heart edited by Natalie C. Parker; Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Amerie; Meet Cute and Summer Days and Summer Nights/My True Love Gave to Me both edited by Stephanie Perkins.
voyage.submittable.com/submit/250707/short-story-award-for-voyage-anthology-2
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ROLLING SUBMISSIONS
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc.
DEADLINE: Rolling
FEE: $0
INFO: Ma’s House’s Artist-In-Residency program is open to US-based creatives of color working in any genre of visual art, creative writing, and performance arts. We encourage resident artists to pursue work that relates to Shinnecock’s history, the local landscape, community based work, and critical engagement in issues of diversity, race, and identity.
ELIGIBILITY: The Ma’s House Artist Residency is open to national and international BIPOC artists 21+ years of age. A variety of disciplines are accepted including, but not limited to: visual arts, media/new genre, performance, architecture, film/video, literature, interdisciplinary arts, and music composition. Solo artists or collaborative groups (up to three people) are welcome to apply.
Applicants will be chosen based on project proposals, artistic merit, feasibility/logistics of the residency, and how the artist will benefit from working at Ma’s House and Shinnecock.
LOCATION: Ma’s House is located on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton, NY (about two hours from NYC).
RESIDENCY LENGTH: Residencies will be scheduled by mutual agreement between accepted resident artists and Ma’s House year-round. Residencies can be a minimum of a weekend and a maximum of one month. Artists from federally recognized tribes may apply for up to six months.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS: Residents will be required to participate in a minimum of one public program during their stay (open rehearsals, workshops, studio visits, lectures, or artist talks). Engaging with or researching Shinnecock artists, east-end artists, and local art institutions is strongly recommended before arrival.
RESIDENCY COSTS:
There is no fee to apply or fee to attend. Residents will be responsible for their own groceries and meals.
Thanks to the Creatives Rebuild New York grant, we are grateful to offer $ 250.00 per week honorariums for visiting artists.
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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