call for submissions: recommended reading + the commuter
Electric Literature
SUBMISSION PERIOD: November 2 - 8, 2026 (or when they reach their caps of 375 submissions per genre for The Commuter / 1,000 submissions for Recommended Reading)
INFO: Recommended Reading, Electric Literature's home for short fiction, and The Commuter, their home for flash, poetry, and graphic narratives, will both be open for submissions from Monday, November 2 to Sunday, November 8.
GUIDELINES FOR RECOMMENDED READING:
Recommended Reading publishes fiction between 2,000 and 10,000 words. (For fiction shorter than 2,000 words, check for open submission periods to The Commuter.)
Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please notify us immediately if a piece is accepted elsewhere. Work previously published in any form cannot be considered.
Response time is eight to ten months.
Upon acceptance, we can offer authors $300 for publishing rights.
During the general submissions periods, writers may submit one piece per period.
Writers with a submission pending with The Commuter can still submit to Recommended Reading.
Please do not submit a story already previously rejected by Electric Literature, even if the story has been revised (unless you've been invited to do so by an EL editor).
GUIDELINES FOR THE COMMUTER:
For Prose, submit one or more pieces, either standalone or connected, in a single document. The total word count should not exceed 1500 words. We encourage writers to push boundaries.
For Poetry, submit 4–6 poems in a single document, and please limit the page count to 8. Keep in mind that due to our digital platform, not all poems may render exactly as they appear in a PDF.
For Graphic Narrative, we are interested in both traditional and non-traditional forms of visual storytelling. Submit up to 3 pieces of narrative illustration, comics, mixed media narrative, or genre-negative oddments. For comics, each piece should contain a minimum of 3 panels. The total page count of your submission should not exceed 20 pages.
Please submit all genres in .doc, .docx, or PDF.
Please submit only once per category.
Work previously published in any form cannot be considered.
Please include your email address.
If your work is selected, we offer a total payment of $100.
Writers with a submission pending with Recommended Reading may still submit to The Commuter.
electricliterature.submittable.com/submit
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Individual Artist Residencies
Trillium Arts |📍Mars Hill, NC
DEADLINE: November 4, 2026 at 11:59pm
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: Trillium Arts residencies offer secluded space for rejuvenation and creating in a beautiful, remote setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We are currently accepting applications for artists to attend in either April or October 2027. Trillium's location is ideal for an individual artist to complete an existing work, or develop and incubate new material. Facilities in the spring and fall months are best suited to the disciplines of literary arts, photography, and visual arts.
Note that the use of the Red Barn Studio is seasonal and it will not be available to individual artists in 2027. However, there is ample land and outdoor space available for ideation and research. We are currently unable to accommodate groups or collaboratives on the Trillium property. Individual artist residencies are a solo adventure during their time here and your residency will not overlap with other awarded artists. If an artist would like to bring collaborators, there are a variety of AirBnB’s available for rent in the immediate area. A list of recommended AirBnB’s is available upon request.
Who is eligible? Artists of various disciplines (writers, photographers, visual artists, choreographers) at any stage of their careers are invited to apply. Applicants must be at least 21 years old.
2027 Residencies Include:
A $700 cash honorarium
Private accommodations in a one-bedroom, ground floor suite. (Trillium Arts co-founders live upstairs but resident artists have a private entrance). View the accommodations HERE
Welcome reception with your hosts
Shared use of the grounds, including firepit, hot tub and waterfall area
Use of a variety of supplies and onsite creative spaces that include a contemplation gazebo and a 380’ square foot open air, covered workspace. Learn more HERE
Basic kitchen supplies and all household goods (towels, linens, paper products, etc.)
Access to high speed fiber optic internet
Laundry facilities
Mentorship services (optional for an additional fee)
Residencies take place in the spring and fall of each year and are one week of seven consecutive nights in length.
trilliumartsnc.org/artist-residencies
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2027-2028 FELLOWSHIP
The Ransom Center |📍Austin, TX
DEADLINE: November 6, 2026 by 5:00pm CST
INFO: The Ransom Center will award up to 50 research fellowships for its 2027–2028 program.
Please view the individual residency types within the application instructions to determine the qualifications for each. We offer funding to graduate students, current and former academic faculty at any level of career, and independent researchers such as journalists and artists, who require archival research at the Center for their projects.
Research conducted by humanities scholars contributes to a dynamic body of knowledge that has the potential to reshape our understanding of archival collections—what is preserved and valued in our communities. The Ransom Center fosters a supportive environment so that researchers may explore, examine, critique, and better understand the cultural works in its collections. Fellowships of varying lengths (from one week to two months) are offered for research projects that require substantial on-site use of collections that span a variety of disciplines.
The Ransom Center's internationally renowned collections encourage and support research in all areas of the humanities, including literature, photography, film, art, performing arts, music, cultural history, and interdisciplinary studies.
Research projects might include:
Scholarly articles or monographs
Dissertations
Creative work, including but not limited to plays, novels, films, and interdisciplinary pieces
Digital humanities
Performance-based research
Exhibition proposals
Collaborative research
TYPES OF AVAILABLE FELLOWSHIPS:
Postdoctoral Fellowships — $3,500 PER MONTH*
Postdoctoral fellowships are available for scholars with a PhD or other terminal degrees (e.g., MFA, MLIS), including current and former academic faculty and similarly qualified researchers without an institutional affiliation. Postdoctoral fellows may apply for one or two months of funding.Dissertation Fellowships — $2,500*
Dissertation fellowships are available for graduate students whose in-progress doctoral dissertations require use of the Center's collections. Dissertations must not have been completed by the start of the fellowship period. Master’s students or other graduate researchers who are not working on a dissertation should apply for a travel stipend.Travel Stipends — $2,000*
Travel stipends are available for graduate students, current and former academic faculty, and independent researchers such as journalists and artists, whose projects require access to the Ransom Center’s collections. Travel stipends may not be combined with other Ransom Center fellowships.
* For all fellowship categories, an additional, one-time $500 stipend will be provided to individuals who are citizens or residents of countries other than the U.S. to contribute to the costs associated with the J-1 visa and/or international travel to Austin
hrc.utexas.edu/fellowships/#application-instructions
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call for submissions: vol. 2 anthology
dykes day
DEADLINE: November 10, 2026
SUBMISSION FEE: $0
INFO: dykes day, celebrating lesbian literature in DC and beyond, seeks submissions and/or pitches to be considered for dykes day volume 2 anthology. all writing will be workshopped and publication process will be steady, accessible and overtime. if you want a home to transform your short stories, plays, poems, essays, erotica, and it is rooted in the politics of lesbianism and queerness; radicalization, non cisheteronormativity, transformation, collaborate on this project.
GENRES / FORMS: They seek poetry, prose, essays, longtorm, shortform, erotica, plays, vignettes, illustration, archival research and experimental or multimedia work.
THEMES: lesbianism, DC, home, food, city life, nightlife, gender, quaint life, spirituality, lineage, art, mental health/neurodivigence, monstrosity, language, archiving, ephemera, late capitalism, Al, sex, sex work, fantasy, technology, family, parenting, water, culture, friendship. whatever you've been writing!
Have something different? Send it. We're interested in work that expands literature across forms, including sound, performance, visual art, and moving image.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
email dykesday@gmail.com
Length - There's no strict word count, but we want to include several pieces per writer. Ex. 1-3 longform, 3-10 shortforms, or a combination. For reference, our last play was about 3,000 words / 17 pages, while you can also submit a handful of
form.jotform.com/dykesday/submissions-and-edit-requests
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Call for submission: Issue 4 - ‘For the Kids We Were’
HOMIES
DEADLINE: November 15, 2026 at 11:59pm
INFO: HOMIES is a Black literature and arts magazine born out of love, resistance, and the absolute talent of our people.
After a long hiatus, submissions for HOMIES Issue 4: For the Kids We Were are officially open. This issue centers on Black childhood: the little rituals, memories, and moments that made growing up feel like home.
We’re asking: What did your childhood smell like? What did Sunday dinner look like? What did you learn too early? And what did you believe about yourself before the world told you otherwise?
As we inch closer to bringing this issue to life, I want you to carry these questions with you. Sit with your memories. Call your cousins. Look through old photographs. Think about the songs that played in the house, the snacks you begged for at the corner store, the summers that felt endless, and the versions of yourself you’re still learning to love.
Whether your memories are sweet, complicated, tender, or a little bittersweet, there’s room for them here. Let’s make something that honors the kids we were, the people we’ve become, and the pieces of childhood we still carry with us.
SUBMISSIONS: Send us your poetry, essays (500-word max), short stories, photography, artwork, music, and anything else that feels true to you and your experience of Black childhood.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Send submissions@homiesmagazine.com. Please include:
– A short bio
– A photo (if you feel comfortable)
– Any social media handles you’d like us to tag.
homiesmagazine.com
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Foundation House Artist Residency Program
Foundation House |📍Greenwich, CT
DEADLINE: November 15, 2026 at 11:59pm EST
INFO: Applications are now open for our Winter 2027 Session!
WINTER SESSION DATES: January 29 - February 7, 2027
Foundation House, located in backcountry Greenwich, CT, will open its doors for 10 days to six residents, allowing residents the time and space for concentrated creation in beautiful and inspiring surroundings. Foundation House’s mission as a nonprofit center for learning is to focus on mental health, environmental, and social justice issues. To that end, we host residencies, workshops, lectures, and other meaningful gatherings on these topics.
At Foundation House, we believe that conversations about these critical topics are not complete without the input of creatives, and it is our privilege to be able to offer space for artists of all disciplines to work and therefore be a part of those conversations.
Each resident will be given a stipend, a private bedroom, and private or semi-private bathroom, all meals plus full kitchen access, and access to a studio space, a wide variety of common areas, and 75 acres of land to explore and enjoy. Residents will eat dinner together every evening to ensure that they are building relationships and familiarizing themselves with each other's work, facilitating feedback and collaboration. Our residency is a working residency. Accepted residents are expected to carry through with their proposed projects and create work that is aligned with Foundation House's mission.
Foundation House is committed to diversity and inclusion, and we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind.
Accepted applicants will hear back from us in around three to four weeks after applications close. Applicants will hear back from us either way, so if you have not heard from us yet it only means we have not finished reviewing. Please be sure to check your spam/junk folder if you do not hear back from us within the time period stated above.
Please note that, due to the limited time period between the close of applications and the start of the residency session, we are no longer able to accept applicants from countries that would require obtaining a visa for travel.
foundationhousect.org/artist-residency-application
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THE Julia Alvarez Book Award
Dominican Writers Association
DEADLINE: November 15, 2026
SUBMISSION FEE: $50 per title, per category entered. For example, a book entered in one category requires a $50 fee; the same book entered in two categories requires a total fee of $100. Submission fees are non-refundable.
INFO: Julia Alvarez is a trailblazing Dominican-American writer whose stories have opened doors, bridged worlds, and given voice to generations.
Her work profoundly rooted in memory, identity, and belonging has inspired readers across the globe and continues to light the way for writers of the Dominican diaspora.
This award celebrates her enduring legacy by supporting emerging and established Dominican writers whose books reflect the richness, complexity, and beauty of our cultural experience.
IS YOUR BOOK ELIGIBLE?
WHO: Open to books by writers of Dominican heritage. Authors, publishers, literary agents, and authorized representatives may submit eligible titles.
WHEN: Books must have been published between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025.
WHAT: Full-length published books in English or Spanish are eligible. Traditionally published, independent, and self-published titles may be submitted
PRIZE: Award recipients receive official Julia Alvarez Book Award recognition, an award certificate, and the authorized digital award seal corresponding to their distinction.
Recipients will also receive recognition through DWA's website, newsletter, social media, award publicity, and related programming and may be invited to participate in DWA readings, author conversations, book clubs, and other literary events.
ELIGIBLE CATEGORIES
Each book may be submitted in up to two eligible categories when the work genuinely fits both categories. Each category is considered a separate entry and requires a separate submission fee.
Fiction — Full-length works of fiction intended primarily for adult readers.
Poetry — Full-length poetry collections.
Memoir — Full-length works centered on the author's lived experiences and personal narrative.
Creative Nonfiction — Literary nonfiction employing narrative, storytelling, personal reflection, research, or other creative techniques.
Children's Literature — Books written primarily for children, including picture books.
Middle Grade — Books written primarily for middle-grade readers.
Young Adult Literature — Books written primarily for young adult readers.
Graphic Literature — Graphic novels, comics, and other full-length works in which sequential visual storytelling is central to the work.
Scholarly, academic, and other works of nonfiction that do not qualify as creative nonfiction are not eligible.
dominicanwriters.org/juliaalvarezbookaward
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2027 Mentor Series for minnesota writers
The Loft Literary Center |📍Minneapolis, MN
DEADLINE: November 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m CT
INFO: The Loft Literary Center invites Minnesota early career poets, fiction, creative nonfiction, and children's and young adult literature writers to apply to the 2027 Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose. This program offers advanced criticism and professional development opportunities to twelve writers: three each in the genres of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and children's and young adult literature.
THE PROGRAM: Twelve early career writers are selected through a competitive judging process to work intensively with eight nationally acclaimed writers of prose and poetry. The four local mentors spend an extended period of time working with the entire group and conduct genre-specific workshops and individual conferences with the three writers in their genres. The four visiting mentors come in for intensive weekends of craft seminars with the full group and individual manuscript conferences with the writers in their genre. All participants are featured in a public reading—three fellows with two mentors—throughout the course of the program.
ELIGIBILITY:
Work must be in the genres of fiction, creative nonfiction, children's literature, or poetry. Creative nonfiction may include memoir, personal essay, literary journalism, and biography. It does not include reportage, blogs, or opinion pieces.
You may apply in more than one genre, but can only win in one. If you are applying in more than one genre, you must submit different work samples for each application.
You must be a resident of Minnesota for a minimum of 12 months on the date of your application, which means you filed US federal taxes as a resident of Minnesota for 2025.
You must not have published (traditional or self-published) more than one book in any genre.
You may submit work previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies.
Artists who have been in the field for longer than 10 years (excluding any time in a degree-granting program or time away from working as an artist due to circumstances–e.g., having children, caring for family members, long-term illness, etc.) are not eligible, even if they feel under-recognized. For more information, please see the Jerome Foundation's definition of an early career artist (https://www.jeromefdn.org/defining-early-career-emerging-artists). If you have artistic achievements (e.g. publications, fellowships, grant awards, etc.) preceding November 2016 and have taken time off from working as an artist at some point since earning these achievements to still qualify as an early career artist, please explain this gap(s) in more detail in your one paragraph Artistic Bio.
You must not be an enrolled part-time or full-time student in a degree-granting program (including K-12, college, graduate or post-graduate studies) at the time of the application and/or during the Mentor Series fellowship period.
If you are full-time tenured faculty at any college, university or institution of higher learning, you are not eligible.
Loft Mentor Series alumni are ineligible.
Board and staff members of the Loft Literary Center and/or the Jerome Foundation are ineligible.
Fellows are selected on the basis of the strength of their manuscripts and project plans and will receive an award of $2,800 that may be used to defray the potential costs of program participation (transportation, book purchases, child care, etc.). Fellows are required to prepare for and attend all program-related meetings, seminars, readings, workshops, manuscript conferences, and social activities. These activities are primarily in-person at the Loft Literary Center, with some virtual options. At least four activities throughout the year will take place during regular business hours.
All program dates are tentative and subject to change. Orientation for fellows is currently scheduled for mid-January of 2027.
If you have questions about eligibility, please send inquiries to awards@loft.org, or call 612-215-2593. More information is available on our website: www.loft.org. The last day to send an inquiry for it to be resolved before the application deadline is Nov. 12, 2026.
JUDGING PROCESS: The two mentors in each genre will confer and select three winners and two honorable mentions.
NOTIFICATION: Winners will be notified by the beginning of January 2027 by phone. All other applicants will receive an email.
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“MISS SARAH” FELLOWSHIP FOR BLACK WOMEN WRITERS: NONFICTION
Trillium Arts |📍Mars Hill, NC
DEADLINE: November 19, 2026 at 11:59pm
INFO: The “Miss Sarah” Fellowship for Black Women Writers aims to provide Black women writers a restful environment conducive to reflection and writing. It also offers uninterrupted, independent time to plant the seed of an idea for a new writing project or to develop or complete a project underway. This is an annual award and the application cycle opens every fall.
The 2027 Fellowship will focus on Nonfiction.
WHAT THE FELLOWSHIP ENTAILS: The selected writer will receive a ten-day solo residency in July and can choose whether to stay at Trillium Arts’ rural “Firefly Creek” apartment in Mars Hills, NC or at E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen Lewis’ “Montford Manor” residence near downtown Asheville, NC. Awardees will receive a $1,000 stipend, welcome dinner, a rental car and transportation to and from Asheville, NC. Additional benefits will be custom tailored to the needs of the awardee.
DATES: The preferred dates for a “Miss Sarah” Fellowship are typically July 10-20. However, the panel will consider other dates.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Black women writers at any stage of their careers are invited to apply. For applicants outside of the United States, please note that travel expenses will only be covered within the United States. International airfare and visa will be at the expense of the applicant.There is no application fee.
TIMELINE The application will be open beginning Thursday, October 8, 2026 and is available via the link at the bottom of this page. The application portal will remain open for six weeks. This is a firm deadline and late applications will not be accepted. Applications will be reviewed by a panel and applicants will be notified by March 2027.
REQUIREMENTS:
Please upload and submit all of the following documents, either as PDF or Word documents. Files should not exceed 10 MB each.
CV or resume (not to exceed 5 pages)
A one-page Fellowship Proposal Statement outlining the proposed project. Include information about the project context and what you plan to accomplish during the Fellowship period.
A one-page statement that addresses the question of, “Why Trillium Arts?” Be specific in how a Fellowship at Trillium Arts will benefit your creative work.
One letter of recommendation. The letter should be submitted separately by an outside recommender. The letter should specifically refer to your writing project. Be sure to choose someone who can speak specifically about your project, and we suggest you share your work sample with your recommender so they can be informed about your writing.
In your letter, we request that the recommender address the following four questions:
How do you know the applicant? Are you their teacher, colleague, editor, etc.
What makes the applicant's project significant?
Who do you imagine would be most served by this project?
What do you find inspiring about the applicant's project?
Please plan accordingly to ensure that your recommender has enough time to provide you with their letter prior to the deadline.
A writing sample of your proposed project. The writing sample should be of work you intend to further develop during the Fellowship. Work-in-progress is therefore highly recommended. Writing samples should be in English.
MA and MFA theses, PhD dissertations, and edited collections are not eligible and will be disqualified. The purpose of this Fellowship is not to help you complete your degree. Your work sample must be original.
Your name and the title of your written piece should appear on the top of each uploaded file.
Please submit your writing sample in ONE PDF document. The sample should be a minimum of 10 pages and not exceed 15 pages. All submitted documents should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and in an easily readable 12-point font.
trilliumartsnc.org/writing-fellowships-guidelines
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EVIL TWIN MANUSCRIPT INITIATIVE
The Black List x Zando
DEADLINE: November 20, 2026
INFO: The Black List and Zando have announced the Evil Twin Manuscript Initiative, a new partnership to identify an unpublished or self-published horror novel to enter into a $25,000 publishing deal with Zando imprint Evil Twin.
Zando is looking for upmarket supernatural, gothic, psychological, or any horror sub-genre that may intersect with thriller, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy. Manuscripts should elevate familiar themes — such as love, adventure, guilt, desire, betrayal, family, identity, and obsession among others — while exploring fresh, compelling perspectives. Submitted manuscripts must not be under contract elsewhere.
The Black List will assist Zando in identifying a shortlist of outstanding manuscripts through a submission period on blcklst.com from June 22, 2026 until November 20, 2026.
All submissions must have received at least one evaluation while being hosted on blcklst.com. Once a manuscript has received an evaluation, it can be submitted to any partnership for which it is eligible at no additional cost.
REQUIREMENTS:
You must post an original manuscript on www.blcklst.com, with at least one (1) evaluation, and opt-in to the Program during the Submission Period. The Program is open to manuscripts in all genres, but Zando is particularly interested in upmarket supernatural, gothic, psychological horror, which may intersect with thriller, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy. Manuscripts should elevate familiar themes — such as love, adventure, guilt, desire, betrayal, family, identity, and obsession among others — while exploring fresh, compelling perspectives.
Submitted manuscripts must not be under contract elsewhere.
For the avoidance of doubt, no feature, pilot, play, or musical submissions will be eligible for this Program.
You must agree to (1) these Submission Requirements, (2) all terms relating to the Program posted on Black List’s website, which you should review and read in full, and (3) the Submission Agreement, which governs the submission of your manuscript to Company and Black List. The Submission Agreement includes important, legally binding terms and conditions, including arbitration of any disputes, which you must read in full before accepting.
If requested, you must submit (by a date determined by Company) the following materials, which are also governed by the Submission Agreement:
Contact and other personal information; and
Executed originals of the Submission Agreement.
If selected, you will have the opportunity to enter into a book deal with Company, which shall be negotiated in good faith.
You must be at least 18 years of age and not a minor in the state or country of your residence at time of submission.
If the submitted materials are written by a team consisting of one or more writers, (i) each member of that writing team must comply with these Submission Requirements, including agreeing to the Submission Agreement described below, and (ii) all members of the writing team must opt-out of the Program if any other member becomes ineligible (including as a result of failing to timely agree to the Submission Agreement or failing to timely provide the materials listed above).
The submitted materials must be wholly original to you and you must be the sole owner of all rights. The submitted materials must not in any way infringe upon the copyright of any person or entity or, to the best of your knowledge in the exercise of reasonable prudence, constitute libel, defamation or invasion of privacy or any other rights of any third party. You understand and agree that Black List will share any information that you provide in connection with the Program with Company.
blcklst.com/programs/evil-twin-manuscript-initiative
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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: THE COHORT
Seventh Wave
DEADLINE: November 30, 2026
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: We are thrilled to open up the call for our Winter 2027 digital residency, The Cohort. For more information about this program, please visit our site here. We have summarized some of the most pertinent information below:
THE LOGISTICS: The Cohort is a 12-week program built around accountability, taking place at the start of each calendar year, between January and April. Interested applicants will be thoughtfully matched with other Seventh Wave alum in cohorts of 6-8 writers and artists in a partially self-guided environment that encourages meaningful connection and exchange. Each session is 90-minutes long.
BENEFITS: Over the course of 12 weeks, residents will have the chance to connect with other Seventh Wave alum from across our publications (The Magazine, Community Anthologies) and our programs (Narrative Shifts, The Workshop, in-person residencies). Three of those weeks will be dedicated to digging deeper into how to build a sustainable creative practice through a series of mini lectures and resource-sharing; the other nine weeks will be primarily focused on generative accountability, or holding space for the residents' own creative practice. All residents will receive an Accountability Guide and a Directory of Residents, which you can read more about here.
COST: This program costs $295, which is approximately $25 per session. There will be no financial aid available for this program, though there are payment plans available to help offset costs.
APPLICATION MATERIALS: There is no formal application process for The Cohort, as we want to welcome back any and all Seventh Wave alum who might be interested in the program. There is, however, an interest form that will help us better understand each prospective resident’s scheduling availability, interests, and hopes for the 12-week program. In addition to general information, the primary requirement is responding to our statement of interest questions, which will aid us in cohort formation. All applicants are also required to share a work sample.
seventhwavemag.submittable.com/submit
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3rd SUSPECT Flash Fiction Contest
SUSPECT
DEADLINE: November 30, 2026
SUBMISSION FEE: $0
INFO: "He stood alone among the bees. The bees, for their part, were awake, buzzing along the hedgerows, sipping flowers for breakfast. Flowers he’d planted. He knew what bees liked. He had his notebook with him and was in the habit of jotting down ideas as they came to him. He jotted down the word library."—excerpt from The Bee Kingdom, by Joy Amina Garnett (Gaudy Boy, January 2027)
In conjunction with Gaudy Boy’s January 2027 publication of Joy Amina Garnett’s The Bee Kingdom, SUSPECT is calling for submissions inspired by the title of this unique family memoir. We are looking for flash fiction of 100-150 words that contain the word “bee” or its grammatical variants (e.g. bees) used and interpreted in any imaginative way.
The contest is open to everyone, and it is free to enter.
AWARDS: Awards of USD300, 200, and 100 will go to the top three winners. The winning works will be published in SUSPECT.
CONTEST JUDGE: Joy Amina Garnett is a writer and visual artist from New York. Her short stories have appeared in Rusted Radishes, Evergreen Review, Ping-Pong, Nashville Review, ellipse, and elsewhere. Her honors include a fellowship from Yaddo and an Anonymous Was A Woman award. She lives in Los Angeles, where she walks for miles when she isn't writing.
Judging will be based solely on literary merit. We reserve the right not to make any or all awards, should the quality of entries not merit them.
Please submit a maximum of three pieces of flash fiction. Make sure that each piece is between 100-150 words. Only unpublished works will be considered. Posting on weblog, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media does not constitute publication. No simultaneous submissions, please.
We require all submissions to include a clear statement of not having used GenAI in any stage of their creation; and in the very few instances where GenAI is allowed (please refer to our full GenAI policy), to transparently declare its usage. We will not consider any submissions without such a statement.
Please email your submission to Jee at jkoh@singaporeunbound.org. The flash fiction must be pasted into the body of the email, together with a short cover letter giving your name, mailing address, and a brief biographical note.
Results will be announced and the winning pieces published in January 2027. We ask for exclusive first rights only. After publication, all rights return to the author.
singaporeunbound.org/opp/flash-fiction3
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2026 Four Way Books November Open Reading Period
Four Way Books
DEADLINE: November 30, 2026
ENTRY FEE: $32
INFO: Four Way Books is seeking book-length novels, novellas, flash fiction, and short story collections for its November Open Reading Period. Submissions are accepted online only.
GENERAL GUIDELINES (for all submissions):
BE SURE YOUR NAME DOES NOT APPEAR ON YOUR MANUSCRIPT. Our online form via Submission Manager will capture your contact information.
Submit a previously unpublished, full-length novel, novella, or short story collection in English.
The material in your manuscript may have been published previously in a magazine, journal, or anthology form, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished. You can include an acknowledgments page of previous publications if you’d like to.
Please use a legible 12-point font. You may include a table of contents, acknowledgment page, etc. if you would like to do so.
Do not include artwork.
Translations and previously self-published books are not eligible.
We consider using AI to generate your manuscript, in whole or in part, disqualifying. Such manuscripts will be rejected outright, and no refund will be offered.
You may submit multiple manuscripts, but each must be treated as an individual submission, submitted separately, and each requires an entry fee of $32.00 per submission. Each must have complete contact info, etc.
If you pay the entry fee but fail to submit your manuscript by the deadline, your fee will not be returned.
Please let us know immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
In the event of a condition beyond our control (website down, internet down, power outage, or other extreme circumstances), the deadline will be extended, and notice will be given along with the reason for the extension.
Due to the cost of running an independent press and the capacity of our small-but-mighty staff, it is a necessity that we charge submission fees for our reading periods. However, we do not want to exclude writers who cannot afford a reading fee, whose work is equally valuable and necessary in the world. We offer a limited number of fee waivers each reading period—as many as we are able, on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please do not request a fee waiver before October 25th, 2026.
fourwaybooks.com/site/november-reading-period-guidlines/
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Scholars-in-Residence Program Fellowship 2027-28
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture |📍Harlem, NYC
DEADLINE: December 1, 2026
INFO: The Scholars-in-Residence Program at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture offers both long-term and short-term fellowships designed to support and encourage top-quality research and writing on the history, politics, literature, and culture of the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora, as well as to promote and facilitate interdisciplinary exchange among scholars and writers in residence at the Schomburg Center.
Fellows are provided with individual office space and a computer, research assistance, and full access to the unparalleled resources of the Schomburg Center. In addition to pursuing their own research projects, fellows also engage in an ongoing interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, sharing their research with one another in a weekly work-in-progress seminar. While in residence, they are also exposed to the vibrant intellectual life of the Schomburg through its public exhibitions, panels, screenings, and events.
Scholars-in-Residence Fellows are expected to work regularly at the Schomburg Center and to participate in the intellectual life of the Program. Fellows are expected to devote their full time to their research and writing; they may not be employed during the period in residence, except on sabbaticals from their home institutions. Fellows are encouraged to supplement their stipends with funding support from their home institutions or other non-residential fellowships or grants with approval from the Schomburg Center.
Long-Term Fellowships - Long-term fellowships are open to postdoctoral scholars, independent researchers, and creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets) who work in residence at the Center for a continuous period of one semester (either from September through December, or from January through May). Long-term fellows receive a $35,000 stipend. Submit your application for a long-term fellowship here.
Short-Term Fellowships - Short-term fellowships are open to postdoctoral scholars, independent researchers, and creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets) who work in residence at the Center for a continuous period of one to three months. Short-term fellows receive a stipend of $3000 per month. Submit your application for a short-term fellowship here.
Please note: The long-term and short-term fellowships are open to individuals with the legal right to work in the United States. NYPL does not sponsor employment visas for these fellowships.
Please note: All application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be submitted by 11:59 PM on December 1, 2026. The Program is unable to grant exceptions or extensions to the deadline. For any questions, please email sir@nypl.org.
ELIGIBILITY: The fellowship is open only to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and foreign nationals who have the legal right to work in the United States. NYPL does not sponsor employment visas for these fellowships.
The Scholars-in-Residence Program is intended for scholars and writers whose work requires extensive, on-site research with collections at the Schomburg Center, the pre-eminent repository for the history and cultures of peoples of African descent around the globe. Fellows are expected to be in full-time residency at the Center during the award period and to participate in scheduled seminars and colloquia. The Program is intended to support research in African diasporic studies undertaken from a humanistic perspective; projects in the social sciences, science and technology, psychology, education, and religion are eligible if they utilize a humanistic approach and contribute to humanistic knowledge.
Although Schomburg Scholars-in-Residence Fellows are welcome to draw on resources in other archives, libraries, and institutions, candidates who need to work primarily in the New York Public Library's other research libraries – the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, and the Science, Industry and Business Library – are not eligible for this fellowship.
Please note that, while a graduate degree is not required, this fellowship cannot be used to support work toward a degree. (Applications are accepted from current doctoral students, as long as they will defend their dissertation and graduate before starting the fellowship tenure.)
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
A complete application must include:
The Schomburg Center Scholars-in-Residence Application.
A 1500-word description of the proposed study.
Curriculum vitae (limit to 3 pages).
Names of references (long-term fellows must submit three recommendation letters; short-term fellows must submit a minimum of two letters). References will receive an e-mail instructing them how to upload their recommendations.
DESCRIPTION OF STUDY: In no more than 1500 words the applicant should provide a detailed description of the proposed study, including but by no means restricted to the following elements:
A statement of the topic under consideration with specific reference to the major questions, problems, and theses being investigated.
An outline of the plan for carrying out the study or project.
Discussion of the sources in the Schomburg Center and other research units of The New York Public Library that the applicant plans to use for the study and plans for examining them.
Description of research methods.
Applicant's competence in the use of any foreign languages needed to complete the study.
The place of the study in the applicant's overall research and writing program.
The significance of the study for the applicant's field and for the humanities in general.
The final objective and expected outcomes of the project. Plans for publications, lectures, exhibitions, teaching, and other vehicles of dissemination should be detailed. Fellows will be expected to share and discuss their research and writing with other scholars-in-residence in the weekly work-in-progress seminar during their residency.
SELECTION CRITERIA: Applications for the Scholars-in-Residence Program will be reviewed by a Selection Committee consisting of five external reviewers, a rotating panel of accomplished scholars and writers with expertise across the fields of study covered by the fellowship. The Selection Committee is convened and chaired by the Director of the Scholars-in-Residence Program.
Fellows will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
Relationship of the project to the resources of the Schomburg Center.
Qualifications of the applicant.
Quality and feasibility of the project plan.
Importance of the proposed project to the applicant's field and to the humanities.
Relationship of the project to the humanities.
Likelihood that the project will be completed successfully.
The provisions for making the results of the project available to scholars and to the public at large.
Applicants selected for the Program will be notified by the beginning of Ap
nypl.org/about/fellowships-institutes/schomburg-center-scholars-in-residency/application
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call for papers: A Contrapuntal Plot: Caribbean Feminisms Against Cultural Imperialism
Intersect Antigua-Barbuda
DEADLINE: December 1, 2026 at 11:59 AST/ET
INFO: As we continue to organise around our multimodal project, 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬: 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦, Intersect Antigua-Barbuda is pleased to announce our very first call for papers and our accompanying virtual graduate student symposium — 𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦.
The purpose of this form is to collect your 250-300-word abstracts for consideration for this virtual Graduate Student Symposium. Accepted proposals will be invited to prepare 15-minute presentations which will take place on Zoom on January 28-29, 2027.
ELIGIBILITY: We welcome submissions from graduate students, advanced undergraduate students, post-doctoral scholars, independent scholars, and faculty. We also welcome individual paper submissions, co-authored papers, and panel proposals of up to three people.
Notifications of acceptance will be provided toward the end of December, 2026.
This virtual graduate symposium by Intersect Antigua-Barbuda is sponsored by the Race and Gender Equity (RAGE) Lab at Rutgers University, and is presented in collaboration with the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) Nita Barrow Unit and the Department of Language, Linguistics, and Literature at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, and RAGE Lab.
The symposium is a component of Intersect Antigua-Barbuda's multi-modal project, Liberation Poetics: Caribbean Feminisms Against Imperialism.
For questions about this symposium, please reach out to the convener, Sarah-Anne Gresham, at contact@intersectantigua.com
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdNDpLOogzAko-Ae1W0BGxyVaSQCQvgW6-a3-6YVu4rFs9_g/viewform
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Wave Farm Residency and Fellowship
Wave Farm |📍Catskill, NY
DEADLINE: December 1, 2026 by 11:59 pm EST
INFO: Wave Farm welcomes proposals from artists, researchers, and tinkerers for up to 6 open call research and production opportunities in 2027.
Research and Production Program - Wave Farm welcomes proposals from artists, researchers, and tinkerers for up to 6 open call research and production opportunities in 2027. The transmission art residency supports the development of new transmission artwork. The spatial sound residency specifically supports the development of transmission artwork for a spatial sound environment. The fellowship program offers two different tracks: research and community engagement. All residents and fellows will have the opportunity to engage with Wave Farm Radio: WGXC 90.7-FM.
Review this page for program specifics, eligibility guidelines, information about the review process, and the application form. This page additionally contains a video tour of our Study Center workspace and accommodations for visiting artists and researchers. Questions? Email info@wavefarm.org.
Residency: Transmission Art - During a 10-day residency at Wave Farm, the artist-in-residence will develop a new transmission artwork, informed by access to a research library, equipment, unique workspace resources, and on-site staff support. Projects at any stage are eligible and are not required to be completed by the end of the residency. Residents are encouraged to give an artist talk, presentation, or performance at Wave Farm or in the WGXC Catskill studio for a live audience. A stipend of $1,000 will be provided to the artist.
Transmission Art residencies are meant specifically for the development of transmission art. Transmission art encompasses works in which the act of transmitting or receiving is not only significant, but the fulcrum for the artist’s intention. The genre involves a multiplicity of practices that often engage aural and visual broadcast media. In some instances, works for traditional broadcast are created, and at other times artists harness preexisting broadcast signals as source material manipulated in live performance, installation, and public interactive networks and tools.
Residency: Spatial Sound - During a 10-day residency at Wave Farm, the artist-in-residence will develop a new spatial sound project within the genre of transmission art. The resident will have access to a dedicated 8-channel spatial sound studio, as well as a research library, equipment, unique workspace resources, on-site staff support, and engineering support. For full technical specifications on the studio, click here. While projects at any stage are eligible, this opportunity is best suited for artists who have prior technical experience with creating work for a spatial sound environment. We will consider projects in which transmission, radio, and/or broadcasting are a significant component. Residents are encouraged to give an artist talk, presentation, or performance at Wave Farm or in the WGXC Catskill studio for a live audience. A stipend of $1,000 will be provided to the artist.
Radio Art Fellowship: Research - During a 2-month engagement, the fellow will research and select radio artworks by historical and contemporary artists to add to Wave Farm’s Broadcast Radio Art Archive. The Archive is a research tool that comprises historical and contemporary international radio artworks created specifically for terrestrial AM/FM/Shortwave broadcast, whether it be via commercial, public, community, or pirate transmission. The Fellow will additionally produce a 2- or 3-episode special series featuring these archival selections to be broadcast on Wave Farm’s WGXC 90.7-FM.
The fellowship will commence with a 10-day visit to Wave Farm, where the Fellow will have full access to Wave Farm’s research libraries and resources. The rest of the fellowship will take place remotely. Fellowship Mentors will be available for consultation, leads, and feedback. A stipend of $2,000 will be provided to the fellow.
This fellowship is meant for projects that specifically engage radio art and radio artists. Radio artists explore broadcast radio space through a richly polyphonous mix of practices, including poetic resuscitations of conventional radio drama, documentary, interview and news formats; found and field sound compositions reframed by broadcast; performative inhabitations/embodiments of radio’s inherent qualities; and much, much more. Wave Farm continues to expand its working definition of radio art through the Wave Farm Radio Art Fellowship program.
Radio Art Fellowship: Community Engagement - During a 2-month engagement, the Community Engagement Fellow will develop and conduct a public workshop that critically engages the technology and conceptual specificities of radio. The workshop will be held in-person in the WGXC Catskill Studio or at Wave Farm, with an option to hold a second remote iteration over Zoom for a broader audience. A stipend of $2,000 will be provided to the fellow.
This fellowship has three stages:
The first part of the fellowship is conducted remotely with scheduled staff and mentor meetings to develop the workshops.
The second part consists of a 10-day onsite residency period at Wave Farm; the in-person workshop will take place during this time.
The third part consists of compiling documentation to be published on the Wave Farm website.
ELIGIBILITY:
Wave Farm's Research and Production Program application is an international open call. Applicants should make a compelling argument in support of their proposed project, and either possess a significant body of past transmission-related work or demonstrate the aptitude and capacity to develop the proposed project. Full-time students are ineligible; however, exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for career artists and writers who may have returned to school for post-graduate work. DJ sets are not eligible projects. Past Wave Farm residents and fellows are eligible to apply.
REVIEW + NOTIFICATION PROCESS: Applications will be evaluated in a peer review panel composed of transmission artists, engineers, past residents and fellows, program mentors, and Wave Farm staff. For the residency and fellowship opportunities, the panel will prioritize proposals that deeply consider the medium of radio, including the act of transmission and reception, and proposals that are both conceptually and technically feasible. Applications are due by December 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Finalists will be contacted for Zoom interviews and final notifications will be made in late February.
APPLICATION: A single application is used for all of the 2027 Research and Production opportunities. Applicants may submit to as many of the opportunities in the application as desired. Successful applicants will receive an offer for a single opportunity. Women, gender non-conforming people, and people of color are encouraged to apply.
wavefarm.org/ta/residency-program/info-apply
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CALL FOR NONFICTION FULL-LENGTH BOOK MANUSCRIPTS
Split/Lip Press
DEADLINE: December 1, 2026
SUBMISSION FEE: $15
INFO: Split/Lip Press is currently looking for previously unpublished essay collections, memoirs, and nonfiction/hybrid full-length book manuscripts. Individually published pieces within the manuscript are absolutely fine (and expected!) but the book should not have been published as a book before. We won't define "full-length" (our only hard limit is the lower end: minimum of 125pg), but 150-250 pages tends to be the sweet spot.
We love manuscripts that question boundaries (physical, emotional, metaphysical, meta-emotional—you get the gist). Dazzle us with your version(s) of truth! When it comes to genre-based boundary bending for this reading call, we'd love to see imaginative essays, lyric essaying, formal and layout-based experimentation, etc. Please note, however, that this reading team is looking for nonfiction (and mostly-nonfiction) manuscripts. If your project is more genre-inclusive in its hybridity, it may not be the best fit for this submission call and may be a better fit for our Multigenre + Open Prose Chapbook reading period (April to June), which is also where we'd direct any nonfiction book manuscripts under 125pg.
Historically under-represented perspectives are WELCOME and ENCOURAGED and HIGHLY SOUGHT—we want to help bring your voice to the world!
To get an idea of what we love, please check out our current full-length nonfiction books. We'd love it if you'd add a copy of any (/all) of our books to your submission, and we'll happily throw in free shipping as a thanks (US only, apologies to our international community)!
Shanda McManus's memoir Brother Epistles
Ander Monson and Megan Campbell's essay anthology Hit Repeat Until I Hate Music: The March Xness Anthology
jade vine's essay collection Hold Me
Sean Enfield's essay collection Holy American Burnout!
Sarah Fawn Montgomery's essay collection Halfway from Home
Esteban Rodriguez's essay collection Before the Earth Devours Us
Jeannine Ouellette's memoir-in-essays The Part That Burns
Athena Dixon's essay collection The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Melissa Matthewson's memoir-in-essays Tracing the Desire Line
Melissa Wiley's essay collection Antlers in Space and Other Common Phenomena.
OUR PRESS MISSION: We publish boundary-breaking fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid books, lifting the transition boards that prevent fluidity and smashing those we cannot pry up. We love work that questions the concept of truth, and work that reinterprets what we think we know. We prize experimentation (physical, emotional, metaphysical, meta-emotional); we welcome the unanswerable. We want to see the dark and the light side of the moon—or we want to see it obliterated. If your book is a wedge in a crack, Split/Lip Press is the hammer helping you split the wall apart.
However, Split/Lip Press does not tolerate manuscripts celebrating racist, homophobic, or misogynistic perspectives, and we will discard such manuscripts unread. We believe in breaking boundaries at Split/Lip, but we will not assist agendas of hate.
SUBMISSIONS READING FEE: The submission reading fee helps cover our costs as a press, and our nonfiction reading team will be splitting 25% of the submission fees collected during this reading period as compensation for their hard work. But we don't want a fee to keep us from finding the best work out there. If you can't afford the reading fee, please send an email to splitlipthepress@gmail.com before submitting to receive a manuscript fee waiver, no questions asked.
We hope to find the next nonfiction addition to our press catalog during this reading period! That said, our press mission is paramount, and if we are unable to acquire a book from this period that fits, the remainder of the proceeds from this period's reading fees (after paying the readers) will be applied toward submission fee waivers for the next nonfiction reading period.
HUGS + THANKS:
We work closely with our authors on all elements of their book, from design to promotion. We are engaged in the literary community, and as writers ourselves, we know how important it is to have a book that you love that is supported by a press that loves you. We'd love for you to be part of the Split/Lip Press family.
Simultaneous submissions are obviously welcome. Our reading process is a process and we move quickly and efficiently, but we also don't interrupt it prematurely. So if another publisher snags you first, we just ask that you withdraw your submission (and congrats to you!).
We intend to reply to all submissions by March 15, 2027, so please do not query about the status of your manuscript before that date. If you haven't seen anything from us by 3/15/27, check your status in Submittable and double-check your email spam filter because Submittable's messages sometimes get stuck there—we will definitely respond!
Thank you for considering Split/Lip Press as the home for your book!
splitlippress.submittable.com/submit
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DISQUIET International Literary Program
DISQUIET
DEADLINE: December 15, 2026
APPLICATION FEE: $20
INFO: General applications for the DISQUIET International Literary Program (taking place June 27-July 9, 2027) will open September 1 and close December 15. Notifications of acceptance will begin in late January and all applicants will be notified by the end of the day on February 19. Please do not contact us for the status of your application unless this deadline has passed.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES: DISQUIET welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and at every stage of their writing life. No prior publication or workshop experience is required. Applicants will be selected on the strength and promise of the work submitted and on the committee’s judgment that the applicant is likely to benefit from and contribute to the program.
Applicants must be 18 years of age by the time of the program. We expect all participants to arrive in Lisbon by Sunday, June 27 and to remain for the duration of the program. Participants should plan to attend all meetings of their core workshop.
If you are a writer of Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) heritage interested in taking part in DISQUIET’s multi-genre Writing the Luso Experience workshop, please complete the free Luso-American Fellowship application on Submittable, or contact disquietinternational@gmail.com for more information.
Your application must include the following:
A completed application form. If you are unable to complete the linked form, please contact disquietinternational@gmail.com.
A sample of your writing. Please submit between 10 and 25 pages of (double-spaced) prose or up to 6 poems of no more than 18 pages total. Please send as an email attachment to disquietinternational@gmail.com. Include your name and the words “2027 Application” in the subject line. If you are applying in multiple genres, please submit one sample for each genre. You must submit a writing sample even if you are only applying for the generative workshop.
A $20 application fee. If you’re unable to use the payment link provided in the application, please contact info@disquietinternational.org.
You’ll receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application within one week of submitting all materials.
COSTS + DEADLINE:
Tuition is $2200. Depending on outside funding, full and partial scholarships may become available. Applicants are also encouraged to enter our contest.
Participants are responsible for their own travel expenses, accommodations, and meals while in Lisbon
A deposit of $150 is due immediately on acceptance. We require an additional deposit of $300 due March 15. Invoices will be sent out in late March unless requested earlier. The balance of tuition is due April 15, 2027.
All deposits are non-refundable after March 15.
CONTEST + FELLOWSHIP: Three full and a handful of partial tuition scholarships are available through our writing contest. Three winners will receive publication and a full tuition waiver; one grand prize winner will also receive accomodations and a $1000 travel stipend. Read the complete contest guidelines here.
Through a grant from the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD), four full fellowships, including accommodations and travel stipend, are available to writers of Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) descent to attend our multi-genre Writing the Luso Experience workshop. Details here.
disquietinternational.org/apply-now/
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ROLLING SUBMISSIONS
Call for Personal Essays: LGBTQ+ BIPOC, Working-Class, and Disabled Writers
The Gay & Lesbian Review / Worldwide
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: The Gay & Lesbian Review / Worldwide is seeking personal essays for our online column, “Here’s My Story.” Because our print magazine generally does not publish first-person narratives, this web feature provides a dedicated space for writers to share their lived experiences as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR: We actively seek out voices that are too often left out of the mainstream conversation. We highly encourage pitches and submissions highlighting queer histories and contemporary lives from:
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and Global Majority communities
Working-class and rural writers
Perspectives from outside the United States
Disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent writers
Individuals across the entire lesbian, bisexual, trans, and queer spectrum
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR: We want tightly focused narratives. Rather than trying to condense an entire autobiography into a few pages, please zero in on one specific, meaningful story. There are no strict restrictions on subject matter, but some broad areas of interest include:
Coming-out stories
Memorable love affairs
A personal epiphany (e.g., sparked by a work of art)
Intersectionality: How race, religion, class, disability, and cultural heritage intersect with queer identity.
Autonomy: A first gender-affirming haircut, shopping for a new wardrobe, or your evolving relationship with your body.
Queer joy: The everyday happiness and normalcy of living authentically.
Aging & generational divides: Connecting with queer elders or navigating the uncharted territory of aging in the LGBTQ+ community.
Pop culture awakenings: Seeing yourself in a specific movie or television series, book, song, any piece of art, or niche fandom long before you had the vocabulary to define it.
Chosen families & Family building: Queer parenting, adoption, and beyond.
Navigating queer spaces: Stepping into a gay bar for the first time, mourning the loss of historic venues, or finding community in unexpected places.
Professional code-switching: Deciding when, how, or if to come out at work, and the exhaustion of repeatedly having to come out to new people.
Healthcare: Navigating a medical and therapeutic system that often lacks structural LGBTQ+ competency.
Of course, all LGBTQ+ writers are warmly encouraged to send us a pitch or submission, even if your personal essay falls entirely outside the categories listed above.
GUIDELINES + EDITORIAL PROCESS:
Word Count: Submissions should generally be under 1,250 words.
The Editing Process: The G&LR is a carefully edited magazine. Expect a collaborative process where you may be asked to significantly revise or rewrite portions of your piece.
AI Policy: We strictly do not accept AI-generated content. From pitch to final draft, all writing must be 100% human-authored.
Compensation: Online contributors receive a complimentary subscription to The G&LR alongside the option to gift up to four additional subscriptions they can gift to friends.
For a sense of what we’re drawn to, some past HMS essays we’d love to read more like include Andy Barrow’s “Coming Out at 36,” Iryn Tushabe’s “Those Who Are Saved,” Leo Racicot’s “Man Trouble,” Gabe Montesanti’s “Mars & Me,” Jennifer Perrine’s “Bend the Line,” and Edward Gunawan’s “The Man on the Train.”
HOW TO SUBMIT: Please email your pitch or full manuscript (.doc, .docx, or .rtf preferred) along with a short cover letter to Sam, our web & social media editor, at sam.dapanas@glreview.org.
If you haven’t published with us before, please include a link to your portfolio or a published writing sample, especially anything from before 2023. Feel free to share your social media links as well, if you’re comfortable doing so.
CONNECT WITH US: Follow The G&LR on Facebook (facebook.com/glreview), Instagram (@gaylesbianreview), LinkedIn (The Gay & Lesbian Review), and Bluesky (glreview.bsky.social).
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CALL FOR PITCHES: INTERVENXIONS
The Latinx Project at New York University
DEADLINE: Rolling
INFO: Intervenxions is The Latinx Project’s online publication, featuring original writings, criticism, and interviews exploring contemporary Latinx art, politics, and culture.
We accepts pitches on a rolling basis and typically publishes during the academic year (September to May).
CONTENT TYPES:
Reviews
Criticism
Essays
Interviews
We don't publish personal essays, op-eds, fiction, or poetry.
GUIDELINES:
Word length: 1,000 to 2,500 words
Style: We use Chicago Manual of Style. We aim to publish writing that is accessible to a broad audience and draw from research, experience, and interviews.
Images: It is the writer's responsibility to secure image rights for published article.
CONTRIBUTOR BENEFITS:
We offer a modest honorarium for independent writers, graduate students, and freelance contributors. This also includes faculty not currently in a tenured position.
$300 for reviews, interviews, short essays (up to 1,500 words)
$400 for profiles, and long-form content (1,500 words or more)
All writers have the opportunity to be considered for Intervenxions’ annual printed volume.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
An editorial team consisting of three to four people, including editors, NYU staff, and faculty will review your pitch. The editorial team selects pitches based on the originality of the content, its relevance for Intervenxions, and the quality of the pitch and writing sample(s). The editorial team typically makes a decision within three weeks of receiving a pitch.
latinxproject.nyu.edu/pitch-intervenxions
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CALL FOR HORROR WRITERS
Harriet’s House
INFO: Harriet's House invites submissions from horror writers of the African diaspora for its 2026/2027 issue. Harriet’s House is an online magazine that publishes one literary horror story a month by a writer of the African diaspora. Harriet’s House is an ode to Harriet Jacobs, a formerly enslaved Black woman and one of the first Black authors to write in the gothic genre, horror’s fraternal sister, noted as the well from which modern horror writing sprang.
During Harriet’s lifetime, she hid in the crawl space of her grandmother’s house for seven years to escape a menacing slave owner who threatened to sell her children. For a long time, home was a precarious concept for Harriet. The magazine is an ode to her and the house she built for those who have followed in her literary footsteps. Send us your supernatural, haunting, and terrifying stories.
GUIDELINES: We are looking for short stories between 1,200 and 5,000 words. We are interested in but not limited to: gothic horror, speculative horror, supernatural horror, body horror, psychological drama and survival horror.
Writers can send their stories to harrietshousemag@gmail.com
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: “NOTES, COMMENTARY AND REFLECTIONS”
Small Axe Journal
INFO: The Small Axe Journal is getting a new section. Named “Notes, Commentary and Reflections,” this section will feature pieces that address urgent contemporary issues in the Caribbean.
GUIDELINES: Submissions should have a maximum of 2,500 and should be uploaded to our submissions portal, which can be found on our website.
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
The Amp
INFO: Want to write for The Amp? We welcome you to pitch us! We publish stories that are by and for the AAPI community, showcasing visual art, theater, dance, film, music, and everything in between.
GUIDELINES:
Essays: 800-1,000 words that identify a cultural zeitgeist and important, prescient themes within the AAPI cultural community.
Reviews: 300-500 words on recent or current events, exhibitions, publications, etc. These should have an angle or specific point of view and be overall celebratory while still remaining critical.
Profiles: 500-800 word profiles that spotlight AAPI who are shaping the cultural landscape in NYC, from artists to arts administrators, organizers, and collectors. These profiles are a testament to the fact that culture cannot exist without community.
Interviews: A conversation between cultural figures around a specific theme or a direct interview with a single subject.
To pitch, email theamp@aaartsalliance.org with the article category in the subject line (ie: Review, Profile, Essay, Interview, etc.) followed by a pithy working title. It should look something like this:
“Essay Pitch: Writing the Story of AAPI Art and Culture”
From there, describe what and why you are pitching in 3-5 sentences; what is the story and why is it important that it’s covered in The Amp? Please include any relevant time pegs as well as an estimated word count.
Finally, introduce yourself. Previous bylines or writing samples are always appreciated.
The Amp offers flat fees at a rate of $.40 per word, rounded down to the nearest hundred words (e.g. $240 for 600 words).
PLEASE NOTE: Due to limited bandwidth, The Amp can only cover events and artists that are based in the NYC area. We also do not publish features by artists writing about their own work, however we welcome you to share upcoming events for potential coverage, or submit the event to A4’s community calendar.