Chapbook Competition
Center for Book Arts
DEADLINE: December 15, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $30
INFO: Center for Book Arts invites submissions to its annual Poetry Chapbook Program.
The winning manuscript will be determined in May 2026.
As part of the competition award package, CBA commissions artists to design and produce a limited-edition of 100 chapbooks for the competition winner's manuscript, a limited-edition of 100 chapbooks for a manuscript by the guest judge, and a limited-edition broadside of 100 for each runner-up featuring one poem from their respective manuscripts.
PRIZE: The competition winner receives ten copies of their chapbook, a $500 honorarium, a $500 stipend to participate in a competition reading public program, a week-long stay at Millay Arts during their Wintertide Rustic Retreat season (valued at $480), and one copy of the guest judge's chapbook as well as the runners-up's broadsides.
The two runners up each receive ten copies of their respective limited-edition broadside, a $250 honorarium to participate in the competition reading, and a copy of the winner’s chapbook as well as a copy of the guest judge’s chapbook.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Please submit a collection or sequence of original poems or a single long poem that does not exceed 450 lines or 21 pages. The author’s name should not appear anywhere in the manuscript or anywhere in the file as all submissions are kept anonymous to the panel of judges. Manuscripts should be typed, with pages numbered and formatted with easy-to-read font.
Translations of the author's own work are permitted. Translations of other writers' work will not be accepted unless the piece is specifically and consensually co-authored by both writer and translator.
This program only accepts text manuscripts. We are not receiving visual poems or illustrated manuscripts at this time.
Please provide a title page, table of contents, and a separate acknowledgments page containing prior magazine or anthology publication of individual poems at the end of the manuscript. Poems that have been published elsewhere are eligible for submission. Please note that the 450 lines or 21-page limit does not include the title or acknowledgements pages. The file name should match the title of the submitted manuscript. Only .PDF, .DOCX. and .DOC files accepted.
Writers will be notified of the status of their manuscript via email. Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to provide feedback at this time.
Questions can be directed to CBA Artist Programs Manager Camilo Otero at camilo@centerforbookarts.org
centerforbookarts.submittable.com/submit/332416/2026-chapbook-contest
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ISSUE 36
Epiphany
DEADLINE: December 15, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $5
INFO: Submissions are open for the next issue of Epiphany. Send your best poem, creative nonfiction, short stories, and translation.
GUIDELINES:
Poetry:
Submit up to 5 poems at a time.
Preferred formatting is a standard 12-pt font, but experimental forms are welcome.
Should one of your submitted poems be accepted elsewhere, pleased promptly send us a message through Submittable.
We only consider previously unpublished work (online or in print).
Start each poem on a new page, and include titles.
Include a short bio with your cover letter.
Poetry contributors will receive a payment of $75 per poem and a copy of the journal.
Any work that uses AI in its creation must be identified as such.
Submissions must be written primarily in English.
Nonfiction:
Submit one essay at a time. Our word cap is 7.5k words. If you submit something longer, please make sure it's really spectacular!
Format in 12-pt font, double-spaced.
Should your submitted essay be accepted elsewhere, promptly withdraw it through Submittable.
We only consider previously unpublished work (online or in print).
Please include your name, title, and word count on the first page of the submitted file.
Excerpts are also welcome.
Include a short bio with your cover letter.
Nonfiction contributors will receive a payment of $175 and a copy of the journal.
Any work that uses AI in its creation must be identified as such.
Submissions must be written primarily in English.
Fiction:
Submit one story at a time. Our word cap is 7.5k words. If you submit something longer, please make sure it's really spectacular!
Format in 12-pt font, double-spaced.
Should your submitted story be accepted elsewhere, promptly withdraw it through Submittable.
We only consider previously unpublished work (online or in print).
Please include your name, title, and word count on the first page of the submitted file.
Novel chapters / excerpts are also welcome.
Include a short bio with your cover letter.
Nonfiction contributors will receive a payment of $175 and a copy of the journal.
Any work that uses AI in its creation must be identified as such.
Submissions must be written primarily in English.
epiphanymagazine.submittable.com/submit
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PSA CHAPBOOK FELLOWSHIP
Poetry Society of America
DEADLINE: December 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST
ENTRY FEE: $14
INFO: The PSA Chapbook Fellowship is open to any U.S. citizen or anyone currently living within the U. S. who has not published a full-length poetry collection.
GUIDELINES:
Manuscript page length: between 20-30 pages of poetry. This page count includes: title page, table of contents, and poems.
Poems must be typed.
No illustrations may be included.
Multiple submissions are not accepted.
Manuscripts with more than one author will not be accepted.
Translations are not eligible. All poems must be original and primarily in English.
We cannot accept corrections after submission.
Submissions from Poetry Society employees, officers, or advisory board committee members are ineligible.
SUBMITTING INFO:
You can upload two documents:
Acknowledgments, if any of the poems have been previously published.
Your manuscript of poems which should include title page, table of contents, and poems. Personal identification cannot appear anywhere in the manuscript document
JUDGES:
Dawn Lundy Martin is an American poet and essayist. She is the author of four books of poems: Good Stock Strange Blood, winner of the 2019 Kingsley Tufts Award for Poetry; Life in a Box is a Pretty Life, which won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry; DISCIPLINE, A Gathering of Matter / A Matter of Gathering, and three limited edition chapbooks. Her nonfiction can be found inn+1,The New Yorker,Ploughshares,The Believer, andBest American Essays 2019. Martin is the Toi Derricotte Endowed Chair of African American Poetry at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Center for African American Poetry and Poetic
Robyn Schiff is the author of four collections of poetry. Information Desk: An Epic was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Schiff has received the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize at the American Academy in Rome and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and she coedits Canarium Books—an independent small press dedicated to publishing exceptional books of poetry. She is a professor at the University of Chicago, where she is Director of the Program in Creative Writing.
poetrysocietyofamerica.submittable.com/submit
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2026-2027 WRITING FELLOWSHIP
The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown
DEADLINE: December 15, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $65
INFO: The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown has supported emerging writers and artists for over 50 years, granting 10 annual fellowships to writers and 10 annual fellowships to visual artists for a seven-month residency that runs from October 1 - April 30.
Fellows, who are selected through a rigorous jury process, are awarded a $1,250 monthly stipend, private accommodations on the grounds of The Fine Arts Work Center, as well as a $1,000 exit stipend to support relocation at the end of the Fellowship. The duration of the residency is entirely self-directed, intended to serve as unrestricted time for writers in the crucial, early stages of their careers.
The Fine Arts Work Center Writing Fellowship counts among its alumni Louise Glück, Jhumpa Lahiri, Tyehimba Jess, Solmaz Sharif, Michael Cunningham, Susan Choi, Denis Johnson, Ann Patchett, Ada Limón, Viet Thanh Nguyen, John Murillo, Paul Harding and other critically acclaimed writers, many of whom have gone on to receive the highest commendations in contemporary American literature.
The application fee is $65 from December 1 at 12:00 pm until the close of the application period on December 15 at 11:59 pm. The fees is payable with a credit or debit card when you submit your application on SlideRoom. Individual application fees directly support Fellowship expenses, including Fellow stipends, the maintenance of artist live-work spaces, and overall administrative support.
For writing application questions, contact Thierry (he/him) at tkehou@fawc.org.
fawc.slideroom.com/#/login/program/86204
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call for submissions: Issue 19: ‘Little Changes’
Seventh Wave
DEADLINE: December 15, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $7
INFO: We are at a critical juncture within the cyclical patterning of human civilization. We are bearing witness to multiple ongoing genocides, the violent disappearance of everyday people, and a climate crisis that stretches across space and time. We’re also currently navigating a crisis of trust in public institutions, disheartened by the way history seemingly continues to repeat itself: victims become aggressors, individualism is prized over collectivism, and power is blood in, blood out. The largeness of this moment cannot be understated.
In times like these, it can be helpful to think about scale. Because all of the crises we face are so interconnected, things can feel overwhelming and inactionable, but the flip side is also true: any positive action we take — no matter how siloed or small — will ripple outward into the web of interconnection. Love, presence, and attention are profound acts of resistance, with visible repercussions. Kissing a loved one, actively nurturing a friendship, or offering money or a place to stay are expressions of care that offer a bit of give in the otherwise impenetrable tension of our reality. So how do we return to this kind of care in a world that tries to keep us from connecting with each other? How do we build trust among each other? Actively being present is not just about witnessing, but about a persistent commitment to grappling with the truth of what we experience, encounter, and need — and engaging in any way we can.
For this issue, we are interested in stories of size and scope. What are the micro-decisions and actions that you’ve taken to fight against unjust systems? In what ways did these decisions and actions take on new forms, and lives? What essential histories have influenced your own work, and how and when do you give them voice? In a world where we’re all simultaneously star and audience, does the act of witnessing magnify or reduce us? And how does shifting our perspective, our vantage point, allow us to elude our own apathy? Only when we zoom out from our present moment to the broader account of human history can we see how we fit into the space time continuum; only when we zoom into the minutiae of everyday interactions can we viscerally understand the importance of gathering our living testimonies, our resources, our people.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
You will submit three items:
a bio of 2-6 sentences,
a 250-500 word statement (addressing the four questions below), and
your submission as a Word Document or PDF.
These are not optional.
STATEMENT + QUESTIONS:
In your statement — this will be a text field in the form on the next page — please tell us in 500 words or less: 1) What are the driving forces behind your work? Tell us what your particular aesthetic or voice will bring to this issue; 2) What are recent social issues, political decisions, or cultural mishaps that sparked meaningful conversation and inspired you to create art, write stories, or otherwise communicate your thoughts to the world? 3) Tell us a little about what you hope to get out of this editorial process; and 4) How does your submission relate to our topic?
GENRE / FORM: We welcome prose and poetry, hybrid work, and visual art.
For prose, a good limit is 3,000 words (though this isn't a strict cut-off). For hybrid work, a good limit is 10 pages (keep in mind how your work might appear on a digital platform).
For poems, you can submit up to four poems (please let us know if they are all part of a series, etc).
For art, please keep in mind that we will be publishing your work on a website. We have some visual capabilities — accordion scrollers, galleries and lightboxes, and even a flipbook, as well as audio capabilities — but we are primarily built to handle written pieces.
This call was co-curated by Joyce Chen, S. Isabel Choi, Avi Hegland-Fisher, Isabella Higgins, Jeff Katz, Lauren Peat, and Jeané D. Ridges.
Any questions, reach out to submit@seventhwavemag.com.
theseventhwave.org/announcement/issue-19-little-changes-now-open/
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Poetry Society of America Awards 2026
Poetry Society of America
DEADLINE: December 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST
ENTRY FEES:
PSA Members: $0
Non-members: $10 (for a single poem awards) / $15 (for multiple poem contests)
INFO: The PSA's Annual Awards are among the most prestigious honors available to poets. They offer emerging and established poets recognition at all stages of their careers, including our student poetry award and book awards for publishers.
Award 1
The Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award
$250
For a short poem, no longer than 16 lines. Judged by Suzanne Buffam
Award 2
Cecil Hemley Memorial Award
$500
For a narrative poem. Judged by Diannely Antigua
Award 3
Lyric Poetry Award
$500
For a lyric poem on any subject. Judged by José Olivarez
Award 4
Lucille Medwick Memorial Award
$500
For a prose poem. Judged by Kay Gabriel
Award 5
Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award
$1,000
For 10 pages of poetry from a manuscript-in-progress.
Previously published poems are acceptable; include acknowledgment of publications on your cover sheet. Poems entered as part of a Di Castagnola manuscript may be entered individually in other PSA awards, if they haven’t been previously published. Judged by Geoffrey Nutter
Award 6
George Bogin Memorial Award
$500
For a selection of four or five poems that use language in an original way to reflect the encounter of the ordinary and the extraordinary and to take a stand against oppression in any of its forms. Judged by Niki Herd
Award 7
Robert H. Winner Memorial Award
$2,500
For a manuscript of 10 pages by a mid-career poet who has not had substantial recognition. Open to poets 40 and over who have published no more than one full-length collection of poetry. Poets who have not published a poetry collection are eligible.
Previously published poems are acceptable; include acknowledgment of publications on your cover sheet. Poems entered as part of a Winner manuscript may be entered individually in other PSA awards, if they haven’t been previously published. Judged by Michael Dickman
poetrysociety.org/awards/annual-awards/poetry-society-of-america-awards-2026
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Outpost Fellows in Residence
Outpost Foundation
DEADLINE: December 15, 2025
INFO: The Outpost Foundation’s flagship program is a residency that offers two BIPOC writers from the United States and Latin America a $4,000 award as well as complimentary travel, lodging, and meals to spend the month of September cultivating a generative writing community in the mountains of Southern Vermont. In addition to the time spent in residence, Outpost Fellows in Residence will engage in organized interactions with the community of local universities and bookstores, allowing space to share their work and expand their networks.
In addition, The Outpost Foundation will invite one BIPOC Vermont writer to receive our ongoing support in the form of manuscript reviews, meetings with literary professionals, and residency on the property. In addition, they will receive a $4,000 award. If you know of a dynamic BIPOC Vermont writer and want to be sure they are on our radar, please reach out.
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BIPOC FELLOWS
Trans Poetics Archive (Maine)
DEADLINE: December 15, 2025
INFO: On a monthly basis from January 2026 to May 2026, Trans Poetics Archive BIPOC Fellows will engage in writing together about their lived experiences as trans people of the global majority, engage in exchanging writing/publishing resources, have at least two collaborations with the Trans Poetics Archive Youth Fellows, and prepare a showcase sharing the work developed in the four months they have written together. Fellows may also have the opportunity to plug into other Trans Poetics Archives committees and events.
Fellows will receive a stipend of $300 for their time in the fellowship.
TO APPLY:
Please send the following listed below to mayawilliams16@gmail.com. Acceptances and rejections will be sent by Monday, December 22nd, 2025.
A resume, CV, or 250 word (or less) bio
8-10 pages of what you define as “your best” poetry
A 50-150 word statement about why you want to become a fellow
A general list or description of availability between January 2026-May 2026
Please don’t let rejection discourage you, there are many more ways to be involved with TPA, and be sure to apply again next round taking place at a future date.
We will be accepting 3-5 fellows depending on the amount of responses we receive.
Have any more questions? Suggestions? Desires? Email mayawilliams16@gmail.com
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Call for Submissions: Issue II
UbuntuHarlem Magazine
DEADLINE: Extended to December 20, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
INFO: Ubuntu Magazine is a digital magazine highlighting the voices of Harlem’s youth (14–25) through the celebration of our stories and lived experiences, revealing the heartbeat of our community.
Theme for Issue II: Harlem’s ARTivism: Youth in Resistance
As New York City enters a charged political moment with the upcoming mayoral election, Harlem stands once again at the crossroads of art and resistance. This issue explores the power of art as activism = ARTivism, using creativity to confront injustice, spark dialogue, and build community. This issue will be published post-mayoral election results, so Issue II will be focused on how art can be political as a whole in our community and submissions don't need to be solely about the election.
We’re calling for visual and written submissions, including photography, drawings, interviews, poetry, essays, digital art, and more. DM us on Instagram or email ubuntumagazineharlem@gmail.com if you’d like to ask about submitting something outside the box; we love creative risks.
Submit for a chance to be part of the next issue of UbuntuHarlem Magazine.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerhmr-goFQcsKQeTKsTGN4PrsGjHOXxOTXus26jnjrbcAgHg/viewform
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Transgender Poetry Anthology
Trans Poetics Archive (Maine)
DEADLINE: December 31, 2025
INFO: Trans Poetics Archive invites transgender poets affiliated with Maine to submit up to three poems for publication in Maine’s Second Annual Transgender Poetry Anthology.
This years suggested theme: That which haunts us.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Entrants must identify as transgender or non-binary.
Entrants must be current or former residents of Maine.
Entrants must be 13+. If under 18, please note, “Youth” in the subject of your submission.
BIPOC poets highly encouraged to submit.
All forms of poetry are welcome. Each poem must be 40 lines or fewer.
Submitting to our contest constitutes an agreement to be considered for publication in our anthology.
PRIZES:
Grand prize: $250
Each accepted submission will be published in the anthology and winners will be honored at the 2026 Maine Trans Poetics Anthology Release Party – May 2026.
JUDGES:
Leigh Ellis, Jae Casella, Littlefawnn Ketchum, Dija, t love smith and Monster Beauties Grand Prize Winner, Jude Marx.
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2026 Gregory Djanikian Scholars in Poetry
Adroit Journal
DEADLINE: December 31, 2025
INFO: Gregory Djanikian was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and came to the United States when he was eight years old. He has published seven poetry collections, the latest of which is Sojourners of the In-Between(CMU Press). His work appears in American Poetry Review, Best American Poetry, Boulevard, Poetry, Southern Review, and TriQuarterly, among others. Until retiring, he was the longstanding Director of Creative Writing at the University of Pennsylvania, where he greatly enriched both the Adroit Journal as well as its staff of emerging writers.
We recognize and encourage the gift of such support by offering it ourselves; in honor of Greg's contribution to emerging student and non-student writers at Penn and around the world, we recognize six emerging poets as Gregory Djanikian Scholars in Poetry each year.
ELIGIBILITY: All emerging writers who have not published full-length collections are eligible (regardless of age, geographic location, or educational status), and are encouraged to submit. Writers with forthcoming debut full-length collections are eligible so long as collections won't appear earlier than April 2025.
PRIZE: Gregory Djanikian Scholars receive $200 and publication of their portfolios of poems in a future issue of the Adroit Journal. Finalists will be awarded copies of Greg's latest collection, Sojourners of the In-Between, and a list of semifinalists determined by the editors will be released with results.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Submissions may include up to six poems (max of ten single-spaced pages). Simultaneous submissions, previously published submissions, and submissions recognized by outside organizations are accepted, provided that a) a full catalogue of publication history for enclosed poems is included in the submission (please note publications at the top of your submission and in the cover letter) and b) at least one poem in the submission remains unpublished. Submitters should promptly add a note to their entry on Submittable if work disclosed as unpublished is accepted elsewhere. If the entire submission is unavailable, it will be disqualified.
adroit.submittable.com/submit/96218/gregory-djanikian-scholars-in-poetry
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ÀROKÒ ANTHOLOGY NO.1 - FOLKLORE FROM AFRICA & THE DIASPORA
Àrokò Cooperative
DEADLINE: December 31, 2025
INFO: We invite fiction and poetry that breathes new life into folklore from Africa and the African Diaspora. Send us stories that draw from folktales, myths, fables, legends, and folkloric figures—whether reimagined, adapted, or wholly invented.
We want spirits and tricksters: Anansi and Pomba Gira, Papa Legba and Tokoloshe, La Diablesse and the Soucouyant, Nommo and the Boo Hag. Ancestral whispers in the form of abiku children, duppies, and the lwa. Folklore that remembers and reinvents itself across oceans: hybrid monsters, sacred rivers, haunted crossroads, and living landscapes where the mythic walks alongside the everyday.
We welcome stories rooted in history as much as those that look toward the present and the future. From the epics and oral traditions to colonial-era hauntings and resistance myths, folklore is a living archive, passed down and transformed across generations.
This anthology seeks narratives in the spirit of Africanfuturism, not merely African settings in Western frameworks, but stories rooted in African and Afro-diasporic cosmologies, philosophies, and lived experiences. We seek folklore that breathes with its own lungs: stories where African and diasporic traditions aren’t museum pieces but living technologies.
Bring us genre-bending narratives infused with juju, hoodoo, and santería. Myths born from contemporary wounds—creation stories from refugee camps, trickster tales where Tortoise outsmarts border patrol drones, praise songs for the disappeared and the data-mined. Stories where tradition transforms—not preserved in amber, but alive, adaptive, revolutionary.
Proceeds from the anthology will be donated to support survivors of the Darfuri genocide.
ELIGIBILITY: This anthology is a space for self-identified Black writers from the African continent and the African diaspora. We are committed to addressing the systemic discrimination that many of these storytellers face, including, but not limited to, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ writers, women, and neurodivergent creators.
If you carry a story shaped by these intersectional lineages—by diaspora, by survival, by imagination—then this call is for you.
GUIDELINES:
Word range: Previously unpublished fiction 2,000 – 7,000
Unpublished specualtive poetry (up to 5 poems per submission; please submit all in a single document, not exceeding 10 pages)
Submit to: contact@aroko.coop
Stories should be in Modern Manuscript Format, attached as .RTF, .DOC, or .DOCX
Include your name, email, and pronouns (optional) in the upper-left corner of your manuscript
Multiple submissions are welcome, but each must be sent in a separate email
The subject line must be the story title
The file name must match the story title
In the body of your email, include a short third-person bio, and attach your story
We value the creativity, imagination, and craft of human authors. Submissions generated by artificial intelligence, whether in whole or in part, will not be considered.
CONTRIBUTOR COMPENSATION: As a community-focused cooperative, we are currently unable to offer monetary payment for contributions. Accepted contributors will receive one (1) complimentary copies of the print anthology and one (1) complimentary digital copy upon publication. Contributors will also be offered the opportunity to purchase additional copies at a significant author discount.
RIGHTS: By submitting, you grant Àrokò Cooperative permission to publish your story in Àrokò Anthology No.1 (print, digital, and audio). We also request permission to archive your work on our websites and to include it in future non-exclusive anthologies (print, digital, audio). We ask for six months of exclusivity (for both text and audio) from the date of publication. After this period, you are free to republish your story elsewhere. You retain your copyright and all rights to any other use of your work.
Àrokò Cooperative is a multidisciplinary community of designers, artists, technologists, and strategists committed to divesting from systems of harm, and building toward collective liberation through design. More at: aroko.coop
Aishatu Ado (she/her) is an award-winning author, poet, and peace technologist dedicated to social justice. She is a co-founding member and Editorial Director at Àrokò Cooperative, a multidisciplinary community of creative practitioners cultivating a living archive of liberatory design. A 2025 Clarion West graduate, Aishatu has received fellowships with Tin House, VONA, Voodoonauts, Roots Words Wounds, and the Hurston/Wright Foundation. Her work is published or forthcoming in Afrofuturism Short Stories Anthology, Obsidian, Fractured Lit, Ocean Poetry Anthology, and Liminal Spaces. Connect with her at: aishatu.carrd.co.
aroko.world/aroko-anthology-call-for-submissions/
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2026 RESIDENCY
Saltonstall
DEADLINE: January 4, 2026 by 11:59pm ET
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: Saltonstall announces their Call for Entries for the 2026 Residency season! Residencies will begin May 29 and run through October 29.
They welcome submissions from artists and writers living in New York State and Indian Nations therein working in the following disciplines:
Poetry
Creative Nonfiction
Photography & Filmmaking
Painting | Sculpture | Visual Arts
Saltonstall is located eight miles east of Ithaca, New York on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ' Nation (generally known as the Cayuga Nation), one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
A Saltonstall residency is a small community. We strive to provide a quiet, inviting, respectful, and nurturing community for creative individuals looking for uninterrupted time to focus on their craft.
Residencies are cohort-based. There are just five individuals in residence at a time: one poet, one prose writer, one photographer or filmmaker, and two visual artists. Each group of five arrives and departs at the same time.
We believe in and value a diverse community of creative individuals. To that end, we hope that all artists and writers feel welcome to apply for a residency, regardless of one’s level of education, experience, race, ethnicity, age, sex, religious belief, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or national origin.
There is no cost to attend Saltonstall and no application fee associated with this application. Additionally, to help offset travel to Ithaca and other personal expenses, we offer stipends of $100/week to everyone who attends. Additional stipend support (up to $1,000) will be offered based on financial need and the median household income of an applicant's County. Artist- and writer-parents and full-time caregivers will each receive a $500 stipend.
All applicants must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age and must be residents of New York State or Indian Nations therein ** (all counties). Residencies are for individual artists and writers. We are unable to accommodate groups or pairs of people working together. Specific residency dates are inclusive. It is expected that those selected for a residency live at Saltonstall for the duration of the residency period and -- during the 2 - 4-week residencies -- participate in our Open House events.
saltonstall.submittable.com/submit
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2025 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest
Button Poetry
DEADLINE: January 6, 2025 at 11:59 pm PT
SUBMISSION FEE: $20 (all entrants will receive a 20% discount off any purchase at the Button Shop)
INFO: The 2025 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest is now open!
PRIZE: The winner will receive publication, 50 free author copies, and a $500 honorarium.
ELIGIBILITY: This competition is open to writers of ALL AGES from anywhere in the world. If chosen for publication and under the age of majority, you will need a signature from a legal guardian.
MANUSCRIPT ELIGIBILITY: Open to all previously unpublished, chapbook-length manuscripts of poetry (loosely defined) written in English. Manuscripts that contain previously published poems are eligible, so long as the manuscript is unpublished as a collection.
WHAT WE LIKE: We value energy and voice and force, work that crosses borders or effaces them completely, work that enters into larger social conversations, work that lives in the world, work with calloused hands and a half-empty stomach.
For questions, email contest@buttonpoetry.com
buttonpoetry.submittable.com/submit
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WILD SEEDS RETREAT for writers of color (screenwriting, fiction, poetry)
DEADLINE: January 9, 2026 by 11:59pm ET
APPLICATION FEE: $25
INFO: The Wild Seeds Retreat provides writers of color with an opportunity to meet other writers; to workshop their writing among peers; and to engage with published writers about concerns and issues related to writing and publishing. Through its writing workshops leaders, the Retreat provides the public with an opportunity to become knowledgeable about the range and diversity of the work produced by writers of color.
Fellows will engage in daily writing, reading and sharing sessions with workshop leaders and cohort leaders. Fellows will also have an opportunity for one on one sessions with their workshop leader. A detailed itinerary will be provided to accepted fellows.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
The applicant’s submission packet must include a cover letter of introduction that includes:
The reason you want to participate in the Wild Seeds Retreat for Writers of Color.
A statement about how you would benefit from this experience.
Background information about you as a writer.
Brief description of the project you are presently working on (if applicable).
A writing sample (up to five pages). This will be a separate upload in the application below.
Two letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with your writing. This will also be a separate upload in the application below.
Scholarships are very limited. If you are requesting one, please include a rationale in your cover letter.
There is a one-time, non-refundable application fee of $25.00. How will you submit your application fee? You can either submit:
Postal mail with the signed and dated application. See the address below.
Online (if online, CLICK HERE to submit your payment.)
TUITION: This is a tuition-based program. If accepted, a tuition fee of $300.00 will be due.
centerforblackliterature.org/wild-seeds-retreat/
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Call for Submissions: The Rebel’s Zeitgeist
Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice
Deadline: January 15, 2026
INFO: Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice is excited to announce a call for submissions for our quarterly digital publication, The Rebel’s Zeitgeist.
We invite Black writers from around the world to submit their original poetry, short fiction, essays, book reviews, short plays, and music reviews for consideration for our Spring 2026 issue. Our journal is dedicated to amplifying voices that explore themes of social justice, radical resistance, and the revolutionary liminal spaces that shape identity.The Rebel’s Zeitgeist seeks to publish work that challenges the status quo, offers new perspectives on systemic injustices, and celebrates the rich diversity of the Black experience. The Spring 2026 issue's theme is, "Beyond the Bearing of Witness." Contributors will be those who have work that speaks to the nature of resistance and the fight for liberation. We will be accepting poems, essays, and short stories.
We welcome writers Synnika Alek-Chizoba Lofton and Khari Dawson as guest editors of this issue. Synnika Alek-Chizoba Lofton is an award-winning poet, educator, and publisher. Lofton is the author of more than 35 collections of poetry and more than 177 spoken word albums. His poems have appeared in Clock House Journal, Revenge, UpStreet, Experience Reality Magazine, Quay, Dissident Voice, The Skinny Poetry Journal, Mid-Atlantic Review, and Blue-Collar Review. In 2024, his poem “To Honor Her Bold Walk” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Khari Dawson is a multi-genre writer and musician based in Maryland. Published in multiple publications, including the 2025 Jan/Feb issue of POETRY magazine, she has enjoyed support for her work through grants and fellowship opportunities with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Art Under a Minute program, the Martha’s Vineyard Creative Writing Institute, and the Smithsonian exhibit project, “Gen Z Speaks: A Right to the City.” She is a 2024 Watering Hole Poetry fellow.
We are particularly interested in pieces that:
Poetry: Captures the essence of resistance and resilience through evocative and powerful verse.
Short Fiction: Tells compelling stories that highlight struggles and triumphs in the fight for justice and equality.
Essays: Provides insightful analysis and commentary on contemporary social issues and historical events impacting Black communities.
Book Reviews: Critically examines works by Black authors, focusing on themes of social justice and transformative change.
Short Plays: Presents dramatic works that engage with revolutionary ideas and the complexities of identity.
Music Reviews: Analyzes and discusses music and artists that push through conventions with sonic innovation and creativity.
We welcome submissions from both emerging and established writers who are passionate about using their craft to promote peace and social justice. Each piece should reflect a commitment to these ideals and contribute to the ongoing dialogue around equity and liberation.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Format: Submissions must be in digital format (Word or PDF).
Length:
Poetry: Up to 3 poems, not exceeding 100 lines in total.
Short Fiction: Up to 5,000 words.
Essays: Up to 3,000 words.
Book Reviews: Up to 1,500 words.
Short Plays: Up to 20 pages.
Music Reviews: Up to 1,500 words.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Send your submission to submissions [at] blackwritersforpeace.org with the subject line “Submission: [Category] – [Your Name]”.
Guest editors will be announced in 2026.