OPEN call for creative nonfiction
Shenandoah
SUBMISSIONS OPEN: July 1, 2023
INFO: Starting July 1, Shenandoah will be open for creative nonfiction submissions to be considered by their nonfiction editor, D.W. McKinnney.
GUIDELINES: Creative Nonfiction submissions should be under 8,000 words. Flash is welcome. We love writing that stretches our imagination and ways of thinking, surprises, makes us laugh, is formally interesting or challenging, defies genre, explores the confusing or uncomfortable, introduces us to new writers, thinks globally, has a distinctive voice, cares about the world, and does not assume white people are literature’s default characters.
We’ll only consider one submission per author at a time (no multiple submissions in different genres, please!) and will delete multiple submissions without reading them. Please decide what you’d like us to read most, submit that, and wait for a response before submitting additional work. Submitted work should be previously unpublished in English. Work simultaneously submitted elsewhere will be considered, but we ask that you withdraw the work immediately if it is accepted
shenandoah.submittable.com/submit
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2023 Nightboat Prose Reading Period
Nightboat Books
DEADLINE: July 9, 2023
SUBMISSION FEE: $15
INFO: Nightboat Books is looking for innovative prose writing, including inter-genre/hybrid writing, book-length essays, collaborations, and manuscripts of formally experimental fiction and/or nonfiction. Prose translations, international anglophone writing, and multi-lingual texts welcome. No strict forms. No limits. Your manuscript might include poetry and poetic sections, but we’re not considering full length poetry collections at this time. You’re welcome to include images in your manuscript, but please note that we are not able to print in full-color.
The kinds of work we are are excited to encounter might include, but isn’t limited to:
Writing that illustrates and proliferates complexity in our world
Writing that gestures towards or reports back from other worlds
Writing that documents past / present / future periods of political uprising & experiment
Writing that builds up / writing that tears down
Writing that investigates & complicates existing narratives around identity
Writing that torques conventional prose forms or genre
Writing at the intersection of the material & the metaphysical
Writing that borrows from or investigates other mediums e.g. visual art or performance
Writing that cannot be easily categorized by any algorithm
Honestly the weirder the better—surprise us!
GUIDELINES: Please include the following with your manuscript (of up to 300 pages, double spaced) through Submittable. (a) your name and contact information (b) a short professional biography (100 words maximum) (c) a description of the book/project (150 words maximum).
There is a $15 submission fee that goes towards fairly compensating screeners, readers, and editors. We are offering 10 fee waivers for Black and Indigenous writers on a first come first served basis. To request a fee waiver, please write to info@nightboat.org with the subject line “Prose Reading Period Fee Waiver.”
We plan to accept 1-2 manuscripts. Authors will receive a $1,000 advance and royalty contract.
We look forward to reading your work!
Nightboat Books, a nonprofit organization, seeks to develop audiences for writers whose work resists convention and transcends boundaries, by publishing books rich with poignancy, intelligence and risk. We are committed to publishing complicated work by a diverse group of writers. We encourage people of all backgrounds, ages, races, ethnicities, gender and sexual identities, and disability statuses to submit.
nightboat.org/announcing-the-2023-nightboat-prose-reading-period/
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StoryQuarterly Fiction Prize
StoryQuarterly
DEADLINE: July 9, 2023
SUBMISSION FEE: $15
INFO: We will be accepting entries for the StoryQuarterly Fiction Prize through July 9, 2023.
PRIZE: The winner will receive $500, and the winner, first runner-up and second runner-up will be published in StoryQuarterly Issue 56 (publication in 2024).
GUIDELINES: We are looking for previously unpublished work up to ~6,250 words.
JUDGE: The judge for this year’s fiction prize is Emma Copley Eisenberg. Her fiction and nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, Granta, The Virginia Quarterly Review, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Esquire, The Washington Post Magazine, and others. She has received fellowships, grants and residencies from Bread Loaf, the Tin House Summer Workshop, the Millay Colony, Jentel Foundation, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the Elizabeth George Foundation. She is the author of The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia which was named a New York Times Notable Book and Editor’s Choice of 2020 as well as nominated for an Edgar Award, a Lambda Literary Award, and an Anthony Bouchercon Award among other honors. Her debut novel, Housemates, will be published by Hogarth in 2024, as will her short story collection, Fat Swim, in 2025. She lives in Philadelphia, where she co-founded Blue Stoop, a community hub for the literary arts.
storyquarterly.submittable.com/submit
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: anthology on travel, migration, & blackness
Joy Notoma + Sheena Daree Romero
DEADLINE: July 10, 2023 at 11:59pm EST
INFO: For our forthcoming anthology, we're interested in essays, works of fiction, and hybrid pieces that center the interior lives of Black women (cis and trans) and nonbinary folks in a global context. We invite Black writers of all nationalities to share their work on topics of international experiences, including themes of migration and long-term travel for self-exploration.
We’re seeking narratives about traveling the world, navigating unfamiliar terrain, and being an outsider. We want work that surprises us and shows unique experiences of Blackness. From studying abroad in Ireland, to moving to Indonesia, to having an epiphany after traveling to the Ivory Coast, we want to hear vulnerable, honest, and/or funny stories that grapple with belonging, otherness, identity, and (mis)understanding. What has venturing elsewhere taught you about yourself? About community? About belonging? What does it mean to become a part of a place? What does it mean to re-discover home or become disillusioned by what you imagined a place to be?
Share your stories about visiting places, staying longer term, and/or immigrating. We’re open to full manuscripts and pitches, and prefer submissions that are under 6,000 words. A strong pitch will include the themes and locations explored in your writing and a link to or sample of related work.
Through July 10, 2023, we're soliciting initial submissions that will be used to secure a publisher for the project. The anthology will be co-edited by Joy Notoma and Sheena Daree Romero.
COMPENSATION: All contributors will be compensated at a rate that will be confirmed once a publisher is committed to the project.
docs.google.com/document/d/1dDetDp3KKOmhKHT9gEgW6i8_VDO4U-ffcejHau263D8/mobilebasic
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Workshop Fellowship Awards
Key West Literary Seminar
DEADLINE: July 15, 2023
INFO: Fellowship Awards are available to those who wish to participate in our Writers’ Workshop Program, January 7 – 11, 2024 (we will open all scholarship applications in the spring). We aim to support the development of diverse new voices in American literature and provide opportunities to those who may not otherwise be able to attend.
Fellows receive full fee waivers ($675 value) to the workshop of their choice, as well as financial assistance to offset lodging costs, as needed, for four nights.
Our Workshop Program runs from Sunday, January 7 – Thursday, January 11. A Welcome Dinner (for students and instructors) will be held at The Harry S. Truman Little White House on Monday evening. Classes begin Monday morning and take place each day through the final class on Thursday, ending at 12pm.
Spaces are reserved in each workshop for fellowship recipients. If you would like to apply for a Workshop Fellowship Award and a class is listed as full, please do not be deterred. Award recipients are responsible for their travel costs and most meals. Priority will be given to those who have not previously received KWLS support.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A WORKSHOP FELLOWSHIP:
Fellowship applicants must complete a single application via Submittable, which will include the materials required for the workshop(s) you hope to participate in. All required materials are listed below:
Fellowship Application Requirements:
a. Fellowship request letter: In approximately 750 words, please tell us about yourself as a reader and writer, how you heard about the Workshop Program, and why you would like to attend. Please tell us about your financial situation and whether or not you would be able to attend without our support.
b. Workshop required materials: Review the course description for the workshop(s) you wish to participate in and prepare any and all required materials. You will then upload these as part of the application. Please note: when applying for aid for a Mixed Levels workshop, we request a writing sample; please upload a sample that best reflects your work (up to five pages).
You may apply for up to two workshops, indicating a first choice and second choice. If you are applying for two workshops, you may use the same writing sample for both workshops if you wish.
c. References:
Please provide the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of two additional persons who are familiar with you and your work.
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Teacher & Librarian Scholarship
Key West Literary Seminar
DEADLINE: July 15, 2023
INFO: Key West Literary Seminar is opening applications for its 2024 Teacher & Librarian Scholarships.
Outstanding teachers and librarians from around the country will be invited to join us for the Key West Literary Seminar, January 11–14, 2024. We seek a diverse group of individuals who are making positive impacts upon readers in their communities, and we hope that participation in our literary community will inspire fresh engagement with literature in schools and libraries.
Scholarships cover the entire $825 registration fee and offset the cost of lodging, as needed. Upon request, we will also provide a letter to your employer encouraging financial support for your travel expenses. The Seminar theme this year is “Florida: The State We’re In,” and we've assembled a cast of novelists, poets, historians, humorists, and cultural critics who know the Sunshine State better than anybody. They'll lead us on a literary trek from the Panhandle dunes to the Ocala forests and the limestone archipelago of the Florida Keys — and across the swamps, grasslands, concrete condos, and coral reefs that make up perhaps the most beautiful, complicated, and ecologically vulnerable state in America.
Confirmed presenters include Pultizer Prize-winning novelist Dave Barry; national bestselling author and longtime Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen; and Jeff VanderMeer, who received both the Nebula Award and Shirley Jackson Award. We’ll explore Florida’s environmental legacy with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jack E. Davis; and its legacy of racial violence, with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gilbert King and NAACP Image Award-winner Tananarive Due.
Celebrated fiction writers Karen Russell and Lauren Groff will join us, as will a trio of nationally recognized poets: Richard Blanco, President Obama’s inaugural poet; two-time United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins; and MacArthur Foundation "Genius Award” winner Campbell McGrath. We'll also explore Florida's symbiotic relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean, with International Latino Book Award winners Jennine Capó Crucet and Joy Castro; and Jonathan Escoffery, whose short story collection was longlisted for the National Book Award. We're thrilled to host these writers and more, whose work helps us reflect on and deepen our understanding of this extraordinary state.
You can now apply for a chance to join us at this unique literary event. Through distinctive programming and networking events, the 2024 class of scholarship recipients will gain exposure to contemporary authors and texts, expand their professional network of teachers, librarians, and writers, and be inspired to bring new ideas to the institutions and communities they serve.
kwls.org/awards/teachers-and-librarians/
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LOGHAVEN ARTIST RESIDENCY
DEADLINE: July 15, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $20
INFO: Loghaven Artist Residency’s mission is to serve artists by providing them with a transformative residency experience and continued post-residency support. The residency is located on ninety acres of woodland in Knoxville, Tennessee. Artists live in five historic log cabins that have been both rehabilitated and modernized to create an ideal setting for reflection and work, and they have access to new, purpose-built studio space. All Loghaven Fellows are awarded stipends to support the creation of new work during the residency.
ELIGIBILITY: Practicing artists of all backgrounds and at any stage of their career are eligible to apply for a Loghaven residency. International artists and artists currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program are not eligible. Artists must be at least twenty-one years old and live more than 120 miles away from Knoxville. This distance requirement is designed to ensure that artists are able to be fully immersed in their residency experience and can take advantage of the retreat-style environment. Please note that all eligibility requirements must be met at the time of application.
We invite applicants in the creation stage of their specified project or work cycle to apply in the following disciplines:
Writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and journalism)
Visual Arts
Dance
Theater
Music Composition
Architecture
Interdisciplinary Work
DIVERSITY STATEMENT: Loghaven actively seeks to assemble diverse cohorts. Loghaven does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, religion, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, veteran status, medical conditions including HIV, or sensory, physical, or mental disability.
RESIDENCY SESSIONS:
January 8 – 22, 2024 (2 weeks, preference given to alumni/ae)
February 12 – March 8, 2024 (4 weeks)
April 8 – May 3, 2024 (4 weeks)
May 20 – June 14, 2024 (4 weeks)
July 8 – 22, 2024 (2 weeks for teaching artists and faculty artists at the university level)
September 30 – November 8, 2024 (6 weeks)
January 6 – 20, 2025 (2 weeks, preference given to alumni/ae)
APPLICATION TIMELINE & QUALIFICATIONS:
Applications will be accepted annually starting June 1, until July 15, at midnight Eastern Time. Late applications will not be accepted. The application panel will meet in August and September, and applicants will be contacted by November 1.
A national selection committee composed of artist peers and other arts professionals selects artists. Applicants are judged by the same criteria across disciplines. Panelists are looking for artistic excellence, defined by a depth of conceptual content, sustained impact, and boldness of vision. The panel seeks those with sophisticated technical knowledge, whether the applicant displays a high level of traditional skill or, conversely, subverts that knowledge in new or challenging ways. The panel values potential in emerging artists and evidence of commitment and evolution in more established or mid-career applicants.
REFERENCES:
All applicants are required to submit two professional references. Please provide the name, contact information, and a very brief description of the nature of your professional relationship for each reference. Loghaven contacts references only if the application advances. References would be contacted in the fall by either email or phone and would not submit a formal letter.
WORK SAMPLES:
Determine which discipline best fits your work and follow the instructions below to upload the required work samples.
Name all of your submissions using the following naming structure: last name, first name # (Smith, Jane 1).
If the attached work sample is longer than the limits laid out for your discipline, please indicate the section of video or audio you would like the panel to review. If you do not indicate a section, the panelist will review from the start until the time limit is reached.
Note if any submitted work sample is more than four years old.
Provide all submissions in English or accompanied by a translation.
VISUAL ART - Submit eight JPEG images that best represent your work. They can be no more than three MB per image. Each image should contain only one artwork. Two additional optional submissions: Installation documentation (either images or video) or detail shots. If your work is based in video, please submit up to two or three works totaling no more than fifteen minutes of video. Video can be submitted in MP4 or MOV format or by Vimeo or YouTube link.
MUSIC COMPOSITION - Submit two or three audio samples of representative work. Each should be no more than 30MB each and should be in MP3 format or in MP4 or MOV format or by Vimeo or YouTube link. The work samples should total no more than fifteen minutes of video or audio. If available, please include a score submitted as a PDF.
DANCE - Submit two or three works totaling no more than fifteen minutes of video. Each work sample should be submitted in MP4 or MOV format or by Vimeo or YouTube link.
THEATER - Submit either two or three videos or PDFs. If you submit via video, they should total no more than fifteen minutes together in MP4 or MOV format or by Vimeo or YouTube link. If you submit via PDF, they should total no more than 250MB or two or three PDFs of scripts or librettos, totaling no more than twenty pages.
POETRY - Submit eight to ten short poems or excerpts of poems. The total should not exceed 15 pages and should be in PDF format.
FICTION, NONFICTION, & SCREENWRITING - Submit two to three work samples in the genre that you wish to work in during your residency. The total should not exceed 20 pages, be double-spaced, and be in PDF format.
ARCHITECTURE - Submit two to three examples of previous design-based architecture projects in the form of PDFs, video, or a combination of the two. The applicant may submit work samples including but not limited to models, drawings, and images of completed work. The applicant may submit multiple pages for each project, but the total number of pages submitted should not exceed ten and should be in PDF format. If submitting video, work samples can be in MP4 or MOV format or by Vimeo or YouTube link. The total length should not exceed ten minutes. The applicant should include a brief, 250-word description of each project with the other submitted materials. In this description, please include whether this project was ever constructed. Please review the FAQs before applying in the discipline of Architecture for additional application guidelines.
INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK - Submit three to five work samples. The work samples can be in one type of media or a mixture of media including images (jpegs should be no more than three MB each), PDFs, video (MP4/MOV should be no more than 250 MB), Vimeo link, YouTube link, or audio (MP3 should be no more 30MB each).
loghaven.org/residencies/apply/
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Real People, Real Struggles, Real Stories: Writing About Mental Illness
The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow
DEADLINE: July 17, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $35
INFO: The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is offering a fellowship to a writer working on a short or long work of non-fiction focusing on how they (the writer or another) have managed, and continue to manage, their mental illness. This personal story should offer not just insight and awareness, but most importantly, hope. The writer should share their dreams, and how they adjust and fine-tune them. Stories focused on relationships, family life, travel, employment, civic contributions, passions, along with the barriers, fears, and stigmas faced, are encouraged. For the purposes of this fellowship, the writing should be non-fiction, and can take the form of memoir, essay, profile, or biography. The successful application will demonstrate insight, honesty, literary merit, and the likelihood of publication.
The fellowship winner will receive a two-week residency to allow the recipient to focus completely on their work. Each writer’s suite has a bedroom, private bathroom, separate writing space, and wireless internet. We provide uninterrupted writing time, a European-style gourmet dinner prepared five nights a week and served in our community dining room, the camaraderie of other professional writers when you want it, and a community kitchen stocked with the basics for other meals. We work with fellows on their community outreach project to make sure it matches their unique strengths and skillsets.
Fellowship applications must be accompanied by a writing sample and a non-refundable $35 application fee. Writers proposing more than one project must submit a separate application and fee for each one. The winner will be announced no later than August 21, 2023. Residency must be completed by December 31, 2024.
writerscolony.org/fellowships
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2023 autumn workshop
Tin House
DEADLINE: July 19, 2023
INFO: Applications are now open for Tin House’s 2023 Autumn Workshop (November 2 - November 6).
Consisting of curated workshops with 6 participants per class, meetings with faculty/Tin House Books staff/Agents, craft lectures, generative exercises, and readings, this long weekend conference coincides with Portland Book Festival. Admission to the festival is included in the tuition price.
COST: $1000
Scholarships are available, as our application fee waivers.
tinhouse.com/workshop/autumn-workshop
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: FICTION
McSweeney’s
DEADLINE: July 19, 2023
INFO: To help celebrate our 25th Anniversary, McSweeney’s will be publishing a special issue dedicated to ten previously unpublished authors.
Writers who submit should be previously unpublished (neither book nor short story). Fiction of any length up to 10,000 words is welcome. Just one story, please. We encourage writers of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities. Tell us a story that’s never been told.
Please put your name and email address within the document. Also, include a short bio, address, and telephone number with your submission. No social media, platforms, followers count, or anything like that is required. Just one story, please.
This issue will be edited by longtime McSweeney’s editor, Eli Horowitz. Submissions are open from now until July 19, 2023. Send your submissions to quarterlysubmissions@mcsweeneys.net or mail them to: Quarterly Submissions, 849 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110.
GUIDELINES:
STYLE AND SUBJECT: We publish fiction and nonfiction. There are no rules. The best way to get a sense of what we’re interested in publishing is to read the Quarterly. You can pick up a subscription or back issues here.
LENGTH: Is up to you.
COVER LETTER: Please keep yours brief, though we do like to hear from people who like the magazine. We’re not concerned about writing degrees or past publications, so don’t be daunted if you don’t have an MFA or much in the way of previously published work.
PAYMENT: Contributors are paid at the time of publication, and our standard rate for short stories is $400. The fee for letters, flash fiction, translations, and other formats and situations varies according to circumstances, with equity in mind.
mcsweeneys.net/pages/guidelines-for-quarterly-submissions
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PEN/Bare Life Review Grants
PEN America
DEADLINE: July 21, 2023 by 11:59pm EST
INFO: The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants recognize literary works by immigrant and refugee writers. For the 2024 grant cycle, we will confer two PEN/Bare Life Review Grants with cash prizes of $5,000 each.
ELIGIBILITY:
The submitted project must be the work of a single individual, written in or translated into English. In the case of translated works, the grant will be conferred to the original author.
The project must be an unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2025, as the grants are intended to support the completion of a manuscript.
The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry.
This grant is available to foreign-born writers based in the U.S., and to writers living abroad who hold refugee/asylum seeker status.
NOT eligible: Scholarly or academic writing.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please note that the application will require the following, submitted as one PDF file, in the below order.
All documents should be in 12pt, Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins. Each document should be single-spaced with the exception of the writing sample which should be double-spaced.
A 1-2 page description of the work, answering: Why is this project important, and why did this author choose to undertake this project?
A 1-2 page statement answering: How will this grant aid in the completion of the project? (This space can additionally be used to discuss any permissions, rights, contracts, publication timelines, or other aspects of your project.)
A CV for the author of the project, which should include information on previous or forthcoming publications.
An outline that includes the work completed thus far and the work remaining.
A writing sample of up to 75 pages. This, exceptionally, should be double spaced for legibility.
pen.org/pen-bare-life-review-grant/
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2024 Winter Residencies
Tin House
DEADLINE: July 26, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $30
INFO: Tin House Residents will be housed in one of two 900 square ft. studio apartments (with separate entrances) situated between the Tin House Workshop and Tin House Books offices in Northwest Portland. These apartments include a full kitchen, bathroom, and a small living room/office with WiFi. There are several coffee shops, restaurants, and grocery stores within walking distance of the apartment, as well as access to public transit.
As our second-floor apartment is only accessible by stairs, we will prioritize our first-floor apartment to those with accessibility needs. If multiple residents require first-floor access, we will do our best to stagger Residency dates.
Please note that while partners and children are welcome to accompany Residents, the studio apartments only feature one queen bed. Cribs/Pack ‘n Play will be made available upon request.
Each Residency comes with a $1,200 stipend.
During their stay, Residents may have an opportunity to meet (virtually) with editors from Tin House Books and participate in gatherings/readings with members of Portland’s literary community.
2024 RESIDENCIES:
General Residency (January) - This residency is intended for any writer working on a full-length manuscript.
Debut 40 Residency (February) - This residency is intended for writers over forty years of age who have not yet published a full-length book. Applicants may be under contract but cannot be scheduled to publish their debuts until 2025.
ELIGIBILITY:
We accept applications in the following genres: Fiction (novel/short), Nonfiction, Poetry, and Graphic Narrative, as well as the translation of any of those genres.
When applicable, applicants may be under contract to publish the book they are applying with.
International writers may apply.
Former Residents may not apply. Workshop Scholars and past faculty are eligible.
You must be 21 years of age or older by the start date of the residency you are applying for.
APPLICATIONS:
We ask for one unpublished writing sample. In addition to the writing sample, the application includes several questions about your project.
For SF/Novel/NF, 6,000 words or less. If you are submitting an excerpt, please include a synopsis.
For poetry, six poems, totaling no more than 20 pages.
For GN, 30 pages or less of combined graphics/text.
Translation: Please follow the requirements for the genre in the original language and submit both your translation and the original text.
No reference letters, please.
Applications are read by Tin House Workshop staff and our 2023 Reading Fellows. Our admissions board makes selections based on the promise of the project proposal through the lens of our core values.
tinhouse.com/workshop/residencies
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2023 Words of Resistance and Restoration
Roots. Wounds. Words.
DEADLINE: July 31, 2023 at 11:59pm ET
INFO: Applications are now open for Words of Resistance and Restoration 12-week writing intensive where RWW’s faculty of acclaimed BIPOC literary artists guide justice-involved & impacted writers through generating fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and speculative fiction. Words of Resistance attempts to cultivate healing, resilience, and community for storytellers. The beneficiaries are Black, Latina/e/x, Indigenous, Asian, Southeast Asian, and all BIPOC storytellers who are formerly arrested, incarcerated, and/or under state control, or who have been impacted by the incarceration of a loved one.
The project culminates with a virtual public performance where storytellers perform writing they generated during the intensive. RWW will also publish a professional print anthology containing the pieces they pen.
This offering is completely tuition-less. Application and participation in Words of Resistance and Restoration is completely free.
rootswoundswords.org/rww-resistance
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OPEN CALL FOR A NEW MAGAZINE: BURNING?
Savvy Contemporary
DEADLINE: July 31, 2023
INFO: Burning? is a publication borne of a series of research, exhibitions, performances, lectures, conversations and workshops within UNRAVELING THE (UNDER-) DEVELOPMENT COMPLEX OR TOWARDS A POST- (UNDER-) DEVELOPMENT INTERDEPENDENCE. This project was inspired by Walter Rodney’s seminal work How Europe Underdeveloped Africa and the questions he leaves us with today. We are now accepting submissions to our first issue, which will focus on the “development complex.”
We are looking for honest and thoughtful perspectives on “development” – what it is, what it means, how it is done, whom it serves, the conditions it produces and the potentials it undermines. We welcome all kinds of written work and are especially interested in original research, reporting, and investigative work into the global development complex. We want to know about its agents and its effects; we want to hear from its opponents.
A NOTE ON STYLE AND CONTENT:
Maybe you have noticed that academic, theoretical, and critical writing is often dull, repetitive, and needlessly complex. It is our view that certain stylistic conventions stifle a writer’s creative voice and undermine any chance that readers actually enjoy what’s been written. This style does damage to readers and writers alike. We don’t like that and see no good reason why it should be this way.
With that said, we encourage all our contributors to write as you speak, however that might sound. This is an invitation to prioritize clarity and novelty in your writing without compromising on personal style or creativity.
GUIDELINES:
We ask that contributors limit their submissions to 5.000 words and send them in docx format to burning@savvy-contemporary.com.
You are invited to submit in whichever language or genre you consider yourself most fluent. We also welcome illustrations or comics if they fit the thematic focus.
Contributions which are approved for publishing will be renumerated
savvy-contemporary.com/en/events/2023/burning/
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OPEN READING PERIOD FOR LITERARY NONFICTION
Sarabande
DEADLINE: July 31, 2023
SUBMISSION FEE: $22
INFO: Sarabande is pleased to offer an open reading period for works of literary nonfiction, including essay collections, book-length essays, and hybrid and experimental works.
ELIGIBILITY: This submission period is open to literary nonfiction manuscripts in English. It is highly recommended that those who intend to submit a manuscript familiarize themselves with Sarabande’s catalog. You can find some of our recent literary nonfiction titles to the right.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Submissions to the Open Reading Period for Literary Nonfiction should include:
A cover letter with a description of the work and a brief author bio
A complete, full-length manuscript of literary nonfiction, between 150-250 pages, paginated consecutively with a table of contents and acknowledgements page
A $22 submission fee
Submission of more than one proposal is permissible with separate reading fees. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted. We ask that you notify us immediately if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
sarabandebooks.org/open-nonfiction
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
The Plentitudes
DEADLINE: July 31, 2023
READING FEE: $5
INFO: The Plentitudes is seeking submissions of personal essays, short stories, and poems for publication in our Fall 2023 issue.
We are looking for pieces that are aligned with our philosophy: we believe in the power of writing—in its plentitudes of forms, styles, and modes of exploration—to move the spirit, shift the gaze, and offer new perspectives. We publish works from diverse contributors, from emerging writers to more established ones, and we especially love writing offering fresh perspectives and for the now. LGBTQ, BIPOC, and Disabled writers are particularly encouraged to submit. We are an international and multicultural journal, and welcome works from writers from all over the world.
GUIDELINES:
Personal Essays: 1,500 - 5,000 words, double-spaced, 12 pt. font
Short Stories: 1,500 - 5,000 words, double-spaced, 12 pt. font
Poems: No more than 10 pages and no more than 5 poems, in ONE document.
Unpublished work only.
Simultaneous submissions permitted but please inform us as soon as you place the piece elsewhere.
Format: .doc, .pdf, or .docx file.
HONORARIUM: $50 per published piece.
plentitudesjournal.submittable.com/submit
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Spring 2023 Story Contest
Narrative
DEADLINE: July 31, 2023 at midnight PST
SUBMISSION FEE: $27 (includes three months of complimentary access to Narrative Backstage).
INFO: Narrative’s Spring 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.
We welcome and look forward to reading your pages.
AWARDS:
First Prize is $2,500
Second Prize is $1,000
Third Prize is $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 August 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/spring-2023-story-contest
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2023 First Chapters Contest
CRAFT
DEADLINE: July 31, 2023
SUBMISSION FEE: $20 per entry
INFO: We know you have a novel somewhere—currently under revision or hidden in that desk drawer—or at least the start of one. Wherever it is, dust it off and polish it up because we want to read your first chapters! This year, we’re thrilled to partner with Guest Judge Rebecca Makkai to find and celebrate the most promising novels-in-progress!
Here’s what Rebecca would love to see:
I love stories that don’t bore me. That sounds pretty simple, but it can be a tall order…. Of course it helps when the sentences are great and the details are interesting, but I’m interested in what moves the story forward. What are the novel’s engines? What reason are you giving the reader to turn the next page, and the next, and the next? I’m open to any style and content, as long as it has literary depth. If it hurt both your brain and your heart to write these words, you’re probably on the right track.
Submissions are open June 1 to July 30, 2023. Rebecca will choose three winning excerpts from a shortlist of ten anonymized entries. Review the guidelines below and then send us your best work!
GUIDELINES:
The First Chapters Contest is open to all fiction writers; CRAFT is a market for adult literary fiction.
International submissions are welcome. Work must be written primarily in English, but some code-switching is warmly welcomed.
Please send excerpts of book-length fiction only—please submit the first chapter or chapters* of your unpublished novels/novellas, completed or in progress.
Please do not submit short stories or nonfiction essays.
Please adhere to the 5,000 word count maximum*.
We review adult literary fiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles.
Submit previously unpublished work only—we do NOT review reprints or partial reprints for contests (including any form of self-publishing such as on blogs, personal websites, social media, etc.). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
We allow simultaneous submissions—writers, please notify us and withdraw your excerpt if your work is accepted elsewhere.
We allow multiple submissions—please submit each excerpt as a separate submission accompanied by an entry fee.
Please note the $20 entry fee per entry.
Kindly double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12. (Feel free to contact us directly if you need to change these formatting requirements for better accessibility.)
Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable), and a summary of your book-length project.
We do not require anonymous submissions, but the guest judge will read the shortlist anonymized.
Writers from historically marginalized groups will be able to submit for FREE during the first open week (or so) of the contest until we reach fifty free submissions. This free category will close when we reach capacity.
We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation, or for any other reason.
Additionally, we do not tolerate discrimination in the writing we consider for publication: work we find discriminatory on any of the bases stated here will be declined without complete review (you will be refunded, less Submittable’s fee).
Artful Editor is offering every entrant a 10% discount for query services—they will critique and edit your query letter, synopsis, and first fifty pages. Coupon code provided upon contest entry.
*Your entry may include more than your first chapter, up to 5,000 words total, but should contain complete sections—please do not leave us hanging midparagraph just to maximize word count—and must be the first chapter(s) of your book-length project, as if you were querying agents or publishing houses.
AWARDS:
First place will receive a $2,000 award and a full manuscript critique of the novel or novella, up to 100K words, by Artful Editor.
Second and third place will receive $500 and $300, respectively.
First, second, and third place will receive an agent query workshop by Annalise Errico of Ladderbird Literary Agency—Annalise will offer feedback on the first 5,000 words of the project, the summary, and a query letter.
The top three excerpts will be published in CRAFT, each with an introduction by Guest Judge Rebecca Makkai.
Each publication will include an author’s note (craft essay) to accompany the excerpt by each of the writers.
FINE PRINT:
Friends, family, and associates of the guest judge are not eligible for consideration for the award.
Our collaboration with editorial professionals and agents in the judging and awarding of our contests does not imply an endorsement or recognition from their agencies/houses/presses/universities/etc.
Check out our 2022 winners for examples of the type of work we seek.
As we only consider unpublished writing, and will publish the winning excerpts in December, anything under contract to publish prior to March 2024 should not be entered.
GUEST JUDGE: REBECCA MAKKAI is the award-winning author of one of 2023’s bestselling novels, I Have Some Questions for You. Her previous novel, The Great Believers, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, the Stonewall Book Award, the Clark Prize, and the LA Times Book Prize; and it was one of The New York Times’s Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House, and the collection Music for Wartime—four stories from which appeared in The Best American Short Stories. A 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, Rebecca is on the MFA faculties of the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe and Northwestern University, and is artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago. Find her on Twitter @rebeccamakkai.
craftliterary.com/craft-first-chapters-contest-2023/
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FLASH FICTION CONTEST
Pigeon Pages
DEADLINE: August 1, 2023
SUBMISSION FEE: $15
INFO: Our Annual Flash Contest will be judged by Gina Chung, author of Sea Change.
PRIZE: The winner will receive $250 and publication in Pigeon Pages. Honorable mentions will receive $50 and publication.
GUIDELINES:
Previously unpublished fiction and nonfiction pieces of 850 words or less are eligible for this contest.
We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know ASAP if the submitted piece is accepted elsewhere.
Please do not include personal information on your piece, as submissions will be read blind.
All winners must be over 18 years old and reside in the U.S. in order to claim their cash prize.
pigeonpagesnyc.com/flash-contest
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Granum Foundation Prizes
DEADLINE: August 1, 2023 at 11:59pm PT
INFO: The Granum Foundation Prize will be awarded annually to help U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works.
Additionally, the Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated into English by a U.S.-based writer.
Funding from both prizes can be used to provide a writer with the tools, time, and freedom to help ensure their success. For example, resources may be used to cover basic needs, equipment purchases, mentorship, or editing services.
Competitive applicants will be able to present a compelling project with a reasonable timeline for completion. They also should be able to demonstrate a record of commitment to the literary arts.
The Granum Foundation is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
GRANUM FOUNDATION PRIZE - One winner will be awarded $5,000. Up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more.
GRANUM FOUNDATION TRANSLATION PRIZE - One winner will receive $1,500 or more.
ELIGIBILITY:
Winners and finalists who received cash prizes from the 2021 or 2022 Granum competitions are not eligible.
Writers who have published more than five books, including chapbooks, are not eligible. Literary journals and anthologies are not included in this count.
Only U.S. residents 18+ are eligible for funding, and prizes must be spent in the U.S.
Funds cannot be used specifically for travel or for study at an educational institution.
At this time, we are not accepting screenplays, stage plays, or children’s picture books.
Only one entry is allowed per person.
Applications for the 2023 Granum Foundation Prize and the Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be open from May 1 until August 1 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. Winners and finalists will be announced in November.
granumfoundation.org/granum-prize
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BIPOC BITTERSWEET Love Story
Fractured Lit
DEADLINE: July 31, 2023
INFO: Associate Editor Exodus Bronwlow is creating a BIPOC Love Story Portfolio for October 2023! She'll select eight stories for publication and our regular submission payments!
"I want to read stories that do not shy away from taking the traditions of the romance genre with nontraditional touches. Think ‘Marriages That Have Fallen into Misery’ stories and turn them on their heads. I am looking for pieces from the perspective of the everyday couple, the lipstick left at the scene of an argument, two galaxies desperately in love with each other but separated by great distances, houses gutted from the loss of a family who no longer lives there, a ‘love cube’ between the four seasons, and stories that are varied in their ambitions with the romance centering at the core." ~Exodus Brownlow~
THEMES + TOPICS:
The strange love.
The unrequited love.
The fallen out of love.
The renewed love.
The scandalous love.
The sacrificial love.
The lust transformed into love, transformed into lies love.
GUIDELINES:
Submit (for free) up to two stories of 1,000 words or fewer each per submission—if submitting two stories, please put them both in a SINGLE document.
Please send flash/microfiction only—1,000 word count maximum per story.
No reprints for this call, including self-published work (even on blogs and social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing.
All entries will also be considered for publication in Fractured Lit.
Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 (or larger if needed).
Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable).
We only read work in English, though some code-switching is warmly welcomed.
We do not read anonymous submissions.
SOME SUBMITTABLE HOT TIPS:
Please be sure to whitelist/add this email address to your contacts, so notifications do not get filtered as spam/junk: notifications@email.submittable.com.
If you realize you sent the wrong version of your piece: It happens. Please DO NOT withdraw the piece and resubmit. Please DO message us from within the submission to request that we open the entry for editing, which will allow you to fix everything from typos in your cover letter to uploading a new draft. The only time we will not allow a change is if the piece is already under review by a reader.
fracturedlit.submittable.com/submit
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Diversity Grants
Horror Writers Association
DEADLINE: August 1, 2023
INFO: The Diversity Grants will be open to underrepresented, diverse people who have an interest in the horror writing genre, including, but not limited to writers, editors, reviewers, and library workers. Like the Diverse Works Inclusion Committee, the Diversity Grants have adopted the broadest definition of the word diversity to include, but not limited to, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabled, and neurodiverse.
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) believes barriers—often unseen but very real—exist which limit the amount of horror fiction being published by diverse voices. The goal of these Grants is to help remove some of the barriers and let those voices be heard.
The number of grants awarded is subject to the amount of funds raised.
Thanks to the generosity of multiple donors, each Grant is worth $500 and may be spent on approved expenses for a period of two (2) years following the awarding of the Grant.
A sub-committee of the HWA Board—consisting of four (4) HWA member volunteers and chaired by a HWA Board member—will collect the applicants’ information, verify it, and choose the winners.
After clicking the Application link below, you will see:
Fields for your name, address, and email address.
An “Introductory Letter/Need” field. Maximum 500 words. This is where you should explain:
Why you qualify/how you meet the Grant Qualifications (listed below)
How you would use the funds (in a general manner)
Your involvement in the horror genre
A “Financial Plan” field. Minimum 250 words, maximum 500 words. Please give a detailed plan of how you would use the financial aid, as described in the Grant Rules (listed below). Please provide a breakdown of your anticipated expenses. They need to meet or exceed the $500 Grant amount or your application will not be considered.
A “References” field. In lieu of a writing sample, we are looking for two (2) references to show your involvement in the horror genre. Please include names, and email addresses and/or phone numbers. References are not restricted to members of the HWA.
Other information to know:
Membership in the HWA is not a requirement for application.
Grant Qualifications. The Grant Sub-Committee will consider the following:
the applicant’s explanation of why they qualify, using the Grants’ broad definition of diversity (as stated above)
the applicant’s financial need
the likelihood that the applicant’s career would benefit from further writing or writing-related education
the likelihood that the applicant is committed to the horror genre
the likelihood that the applicant will contribute to the development of the genre, including increasing and/or broadening our readership.
Grant Rules. The winners of each Grant have two (2) years in which to spend the funds, which may be allocated to enhance their horror careers on such things as:
fees for physical or online writing courses
resources (textbooks, Guides, etc.)
registration and/or travel fees* for writing festivals that include relevant presentations
registration and/or travel fees* for one (1) horror genre convention per year
subscription fees to appropriate periodicals
Other expenses may apply.
*Travel fees include, but are not limited to, hotel, airfare, bus fare, car rental costs, etc. Use of funds for meals is also acceptable, but for a $50/day maximum.
Use of funds for general college tuition is not acceptable. Other exclusions may also apply.
The Grants will open for application June 1 and close August 1.
All applicants must use the online application forms, filling in all sections and uploading the documents requested. Failure to include any information may invalidate the entry.
This is part of the HWA’s Annual Program of Scholarships and Grants (no individual may win more than one of these Scholarships or Grants in the same year). However the sub-committee is empowered not to award any of the Scholarships or Grants in any given year, if the quality of the applicants and their submissions is deemed insufficient.
Questions can be addressed to scholarships@horror.org. However, please review the rules carefully or visit our FAQ first, since your questions can probably be answered here!