call for submissions: ‘Haunting’ ISSUE
MQR Mixtape
DEADLINE: June 1, 2025
INFO: MQR Mixtape is seeking submissions for Haunting, an issue guest edited by Malia Maxwell.
"For this issue of MQR Mixtape, I am seeking poems, essays, short fiction, and visual art that engage with the spectrum (and spectralities) of “haunting.” Give me ghost stories and habits broadly understood or work that engages specific traditions of haunting such as the apparitional lesbian or the haunted anthropocene. Give me metapoetic work that dis/engages formal traditions. Haunt me. For this issue, I am as much interested in haunted genres or subjects as I am in work that resists or enacts haunting on a formal level."
GUIDELINES:
Poetry: up to three poems
Prose*: up to 3,000 words (*short stories, flash fiction, non-fiction essays)
Visual art/photography: up to five works
Hybrid work**: up to five pages (**multimedia work, comics, collaborations (within and across disciplines), archival materials, love letters, etc. Surprise me!)
Only previously unpublished work will be considered. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted by another publication. Please send only one submission per window; subsequent submissions will be rejected automatically.
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2026 EMERGING WRITER AWARDS
Key West Literary Seminar
DEADLINE: June 2, 2025 by 11:59 pm EST (Letters of recommendation must be received by the following week)
ENTRY FEE: $12
INFO: We are now accepting applications for the 2026 Emerging Writer Awards.
The Cecelia Joyce Johnson Award, Scotti Merrill Award, and Marianne Russo Award recognize and support writers who possess exceptional talent and demonstrate potential for lasting literary careers.
Each award is tailored to a particular literary form. The Merrill Award recognizes a poet, while fiction writers may apply for either the Johnson Award (for a short story) or the Russo Award (for a novel-in-progress).
Winners of the 2026 Emerging Writer Awards received full tuition support for our January 2026 Seminar and Writers’ Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and appeared on stage during the Seminar. They will be in Key West from January 4 – 12, 2026.
Please review the criteria, complete the application form, and upload the required documents via Submittable. Due to an increased volume of applications and our thorough review process, we have implemented a $12 application fee to cover review costs.
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Writer-in-Residence program
Associates of the Boston Public Library
DEADLINE: June 6, 2025 at 11:59 pm
INFO: The Associates of the Boston Public Library's Writer-in-Residence program is intended to:
Provide an emerging children’s writer with the financial support and office space needed to complete one literary work for children or young adults.
Encourage the imagination of young readers, and in so doing, draw attention to the importance of authors and the essential role they perform in nurturing developing minds and furthering our culture.
Promote the awareness of the Boston Public Library and its resources, by establishing a living link between the Library and the community.
TIMELINE: The Writer-in-Residence program will run from October 2025 through September 2026.
RESIDENCY BENEFITS:
A total stipend of $70,000, paid in monthly installments over one year.
The opportunity to request up to $2,500 to be paid to an expert of your choice for coaching, editorial assistance, or a critical reading of your manuscript.
Use of a private office six days per week. Office space usage is contingent on the Library being open to the public and it being safe to work onsite.
Access to and use of the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections.
A forum for the presentation/promotion of your finished literary work.
Opportunities to establish connections with writers, publishers, artists, and the community-at-large through participation in/attendance at Library readings, lectures, and other events.
At the end of the residency, your completed manuscript will be added to the BPL’s archives. (However, you retain all rights to your completed work.)
ELIGIBILITY:
The proposed literary project should be intended for children or young adult readers. All genres are welcome, including fiction, non-fiction, scripts, graphic novels, or poetry.
The applicant should demonstrate active engagement as a writer, whether full or part-time, as an avocation or profession.
Since this program is intended for emerging authors, the applicant should not have any prior professional book publications. (Self-published books, textbooks, works for hire, articles, and short stories published in an anthology do not count against this eligibility criteria.)
Only one proposal may be submitted per person.
Joint applications or proposed collaborations by more than one author are not permitted.
Works that are already under contract with a publisher are not eligible for submission.
There is NO residency restriction to apply, but you must be able to spend at least nineteen (19) hours per week at the Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square.
Must be legally eligible to work in the US, as a U.S. citizen or green card holder. English fluency required.
There are NO age, gender, race, or educational requirements.
TERMS OF RESIDENCY:
You will work a minimum of nineteen (19) hours per week from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
You will participate in a public reception at the BPL on October 7, 2025 to mark the beginning of your residency.
You will complete a submission-ready manuscript by the end of residency, which you will present at a second public reception, on a mutually agreed upon date.
You will include an acknowledgment of the Associates of the Boston Public Library in all work created during the residency, and during any media opportunities stemming from the program, using mutually agreed upon language.
Optionally, you may participate in or create a program for Boston Public Library patrons such as a teen writing workshop or a presentation to Boston-area students, as mutually agreed upon with BPL Youth Services staff. (Participation would be only a small portion of your time and is not required but encouraged.)
APPLICATION PROCESS:
To apply, please complete the application form (below) and upload a proposal (5 pages max.) and writing sample (15 pages max.) by Friday, June 6, 2025 at 11:59 pm. The documents should be double spaced with one inch margins and at least 11 point font. The attachments should not include any biographical information, since there will be a blind judging process. See questions #13 and 14 below for more details.
Basic questions about the application will be answered via email (via hello@AssociatesBPL.org); no calls please. Questions regarding how to present your work will not be considered. Inquiries concerning applications under review will not be answered.
If using Submittable creates an undue burden for you, you can alternatively mail your submission to: Writer-in-Residence Program, Associates of the Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
Late applications will not be considered. Once submitted, applications cannot be altered by either candidates or Associates staff.
SELECTION PROCESS:
Finalists will be evaluated by a panel of judges, which includes a rotating group of authors, librarians, booksellers, publishers, editors, book designers, teachers, and/or citizens representing different areas of the world of children’s literature. Associates staff do not vote in this process.
The judges do not know the candidates’ names, gender, educational qualifications, or any background information. This blind judging process is focused solely on the quality of the submissions.
Submissions will be judged on the merit of the original writing. Work suspected of being derived from or enhanced by an AI writing program will only increase the chance that it will be eliminated from consideration by the judges.
The candidate selected to be the 2025-26 Associates of the Boston Public Library Writer-in-Residence will be notified by Monday, August 11, 2025.
KEY DATES:
Notification: Monday, August 11, 2025
Residency Period: October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026
QUESTIONS? After reading these guidelines and reviewing the application form, if you still have questions, please refer to our FAQ page or email us.
associatesofthebostonpubliclibrary.submittable.com/submit
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Call for submissions: fall/winter 2025 print issue
Epiphany
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $5
INFO: Submissions are currently open for the Fall/Winter 2025 print issue.
GUIDELINES FOR FICTION SUBMISSIONS:
Submit one story at a time.
Format in 12-pt font, double-spaced.
Withdraw promptly through Submittable should your work be accepted elsewhere.
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.
Fiction contributors will receive a payment of $175, and two contributor's copies of the journal.
GUIDELINES FOR NONFICTION SUBMISSIONS:
Submit one essay at a time.
Format in 12-pt font, double-spaced.
Withdraw your work promptly through Submittable should it be accepted elsewhere.
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 from books in progress, memoirs, or longer works are welcome.
Nonfiction contributors will receive a payment of $175 and two contributor's copies.
GUIDELINES FOR POETRY SUBMISSIONS:
Submit up to 5 poems at a time.
Format in 12-pt font, single-spaced (where appropriate).
Send us a Message (not a Note) informing us if a poem in your submission has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
We only consider previously unpublished work (online or in print).
Poetry contributors will receive a payment of $75 per poem and two copies of the journal.ent stage.
We aim to respond to submissions within three to four months. Please be patient: we give thoughtful and thorough consideration to each submission. We look forward to receiving your work.
epiphanymagazine.submittable.com/submit
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CALL FOR “OF THE SEA” PORTFOLIO
SUSPECT (Singapore Unbound)
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025
INFO: Indigenous maritime communities know that the law of the sea is more ancient and powerful than the United Nations Convention of the same name. They know that the sea connects as well as divides. That the sea gives as much as it takes. That the sea is vast in its volume and tender in its tides. That in its eternal restlessness the sea contests fixed boundaries and national borders.
This August, SUSPECT will publish a special portfolio dedicated to indigenous perspectives on the region designated as maritime Southeast Asia. We invite the submission of fiction and poetry that explore the manifold effects of the sea on individuals and communities. We are particularly interested in indigenous voices but we welcome non-indigenous authors who have engaged in a significant and sustained manner with maritime Southeast Asian communities.
We are looking for:
Short fiction of 1,500 to 6,000 words
2-4 pieces of flash fiction that total 500 to 1,500 words
3-5 poems that total 3 to 10 pages
We welcome translated work, but translators must provide documentation of authorization from the original authors or their literary estates.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please notify us immediately should they be accepted for publication elsewhere.
We only accept work that has not been previously published. For translations, the original work may be published, but not the translations.
PAYMENT: USD $100
SUBMIT TO: Sharmini Aphrodite at suspect@singaporeunbound.org
singaporeunbound.org/opp/of-the-sea
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ‘ISSUE 17: ESTALLIDO’ (FOR LATIN/LATIN-AMERICAN WRITERS AND ARTISTS)
Lucky Jefferson
DEADLINE: June 15, 2025 by 11:59pm
INFO: You know what’s happening. You know about the injustices in the world, the abuse of power, and the suffering it causes. But you also know about the people resisting—those putting themselves on the line to confront the problem. You know those who gather, fight, and push for a better life.
Estallido is about social outbreaks: what leads to them, the people in the front and the back of them, those who can only join in spirit, the fighting spirit that sustains them, and most importantly, the change they can bring.
We want to see pieces that show your fighting spirit—moments when that spirit faltered but rose again, your support for others fighting the fight, and your voice in these times of outbreaks.
We have never been quiet, but together, we can be louder.
—
Sabes muy bien lo que está pasando. Sabes sobre las injusticias ocurriendo en el mundo. Sabes sobre personas abusando de su poder y sabes sobre las personas que sufren. Sin embargo, también debes saber sobre la gente que resiste, la gente que se pone en primera línea y se enfrenta al problema. Sabes sobre esas personas juntándose y luchando juntas por una mejor vida. Esto es un Estallido
Esta edición es sobre estallidos sociales: como empezaron, la gente al frente y atrás de ellos, la gente que solo puede participar en espíritu, el espíritu de lucha en ellos, y lo más importante, el cambio que pueden traer. Quiero ver piezas que muestren tu espíritu de lucha, momentos donde tu espíritu de lucha disminuyó pero se levantó, tu apoyo a otras personas luchando y tu voz en estos tiempos de estallidos.
Nunca hemos estado callados, pero podemos ser más ruidosos juntos.
—
PAYMENT (UPON ACCEPTANCE):
$15 — Haiku, Short Poems (<14 lines), Micro Fiction (under 100-300 words)
SUBMIT UP TO 3 PIECES PER UPLOAD
$20 — Prose, Short Story, Flash fiction, Creative-Nonfiction, Hybrid/Experimental (under 1000 words)
SUBMIT NO MORE THAN 1 PIECE PER UPLOAD
$25 — All Artwork (includes comics, paintings, etc.)
SUBMIT UP TO 3 PIECES PER UPLOAD
Upon acceptance, submissions will be included on our website, in print, and will be eligible to be publicized on social media. Accepted authors will receive a payout of $15, $20, or $25, for each accepted submission.
luckyjefferson.submittable.com/submit
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Muses & Melanin BIPOC Fellowship
Muses & Melanin
DEADLINE: June 20, 2025 at 5pm PST
APPLICATION FEE: $20
INFO: This intensive, fully funded hands-on practicum provides the career savvy writers of color need to stand out from the crowd of aspiring writers who, though talented, lack the marketplace acumen they need to craft and grow a literary career within a #PublishingSoWhite industry.
The Muses & Melanin Fellowship for California BIPOC Creative Writers is a supportive, hybrid, fully funded eight-month cohort-based professional development practicum for talented California creative writers of color who aspire to become professional authors. A few spaces are reserved for talented out-of-state applicants. The Fellowship is designed for those who do not yet have a lengthy list of publishing credits, are not under a publishing contract, do not have literary agent representation, and do not have a doctoral degree in English, Creative Writing, or Literature (a Master's degree in these subjects is fine, such as an MFA or MA). A Bachelor's degree is required.
Participants complete a comprehensive curriculum that equips them with the strategies, tools, and knowledge they need to transition from creative writing students or hobbyists to professional authors. As a hybrid program, Fellows must be able to attend occasional onsite meetings in downtown San Francisco. This program is made possible with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission and California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Do not apply before reading the FAQ on our website.
The application fee is $20. To pay the fee:
Send your transaction ID number to MusesAndMelanin@gmail.com along with the name you used on your application.
Given the competitive nature of the selection process for this Fellowship, we advise paying diligent attention to application instructions. Materials must be free of typos, punctuation and grammar errors, and follow the standards of good, solid writing (no reliance on passive voice, adverb overuse, dangling modifiers, etc.). Failure to follow instructions will result in disqualification. Applicants evidencing the following issues will not advance to the interview stage:
*incomplete applications
*applications that don't adhere to instructions
*submissions demonstrating the applicant did not review the program information beforehand
*submissions featuring genres outside of those listed
*ineligible applicants as described in the program information.
In 2024, we detected common issues across the breadth of rejected applicants. These issues were:
insufficient mastery of solid literary mechanics [Indications: passive voice reliance, adverb overuse, dangling modifiers and referents, structural delivery problems]
undeveloped, poorly considered, incomplete responses to the short-answer questions--in some cases providing statements that were non-responsive [Indications: raises questions about applicant's seriousness of purpose, intent, and dedication]
lack of evidence of genuine interest in a literary career [Indications: bio and short answers did not support the claim]
more than two typos on one or more pages [Indications: failure to proofread; carelessness; lack of serious intent]
too many instances of basic punctuation and/or grammar errors [Indications: represents a mismatch between the applicant and the caliber of writer for which the Fellowship is designed)
evidence in submitted materials that applicant cannot follow directions or did not read them, a critical skill for becoming a professional author [Indications: lack of attention to detail, disregard for instructions]
inappropriate references listed [Indications: "friend," "book club colleague"]
submitting an application after the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted, without exception. To avoid technical issues, we advise not waiting until the deadline day to submit your application.
Accepted genres:
*short and long fiction
*creative nonfiction
*memoir
*articles and papers for newspapers, magazines, and literary and academic journals
*poetry
*graphic novels and comics
The fellowship consists of the following components:
*two online Weekend Intensives (August 8-10 and August 15 - 17. Fridays start at 5pm; Saturdays begin at 10am and end at 5:30pm. Sundays begin at 11am and end at 5pm.
*ten weekly 2-hour online workshops (Tuesdays, 5pm-7pm, mid-August - October)
*four monthly 3-hour online co-working sessions (one per month from September-December 2025, Tuesdays, 5pm - 8pm).
*a February 2026 public graduation ceremony and reception at the San Francisco Public Library for qualified graduates. This ceremony features a public reading, Literary Launch Care Package, and a stipend to fund Fellows' new literary bank accounts.
Applicants will receive admission decisions on or by July 13, 2025. Accepted participants must not miss more than two class meetings and complete all assignments (except for optional ones) to remain in the program and to maintain graduation eligibility.
shuffle.do/projects/muses-melanin-fellowship-for-bipoc-creative-writers/about
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The Poetry Collective
Lighthouse Writers
DEADLINE: June 22, 2025
INFO: The Poetry Collective is a manuscript-focused curriculum for poets. It’s a flexible, affordable program aimed at helping you produce a finished, high-quality book of poems that reads as a cohesive collection, not just a bundle of singular works.
While workshopping single poems is beneficial, it’s not always ideal: Readers and instructors are often unfamiliar with the larger project and the voice of the poet—and writers can become prematurely focused on revising a few poems. We feel the best thing we can give our book-focused poets is a customized program that focuses on a schedule and a set of aesthetic goals. Our program pairs each writer with a mentor to chart a path through the project. The Collective also creates a community of writers to inspire and hold each other accountable to their writing goals. At the end of the program, each writer will emerge with a book of poems he or she can be proud of, plus a support team ready to help with next steps.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Over the course of a year, students participate in three one-on-one mentor meetings, three day-long intensives, three in-depth manuscript workshops, and one group follow-up manuscript meeting. Just 12 poets are admitted into the Poetry Collective at a time, ensuring a close-knit working group and lots of personal instruction. The year culminates in a reading and reception at Lighthouse’s annual Lit Fest celebration.
SUGGESTED CURRICULUM: Before applying for the Poetry Collective, it’s best if poets have taken (or plan to take while participating in the Poetry Collective) the following Lighthouse classes: Poetics, Poetry Schools Survey, Chapbook Workshop, and two Lighthouse 8-week poetry workshops (can include Lit Fest Advanced Workshops). Applicants may count workshops already taken at Lighthouse, and poets with advanced degrees can count courses completed through their degree program.
TUITION: Cost: $3,000 ($250 per month for 12 months). Monthly or quarterly payment plans are available with no interest. Applicants have the option to apply to the Connie Zumpf Poetry Fellowship, which is awarded to one or more poets who have been accepted to the Poetry Collective and who face financial barriers to participation, with preference given to people over 60 years of age.
lighthousewriters.org/adult/poetry-collective
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The Watering Hole Winter Retreat
The Watering Hole
DEADLINE: June 22, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $10
INFO: The Watering Hole Summer Retreat is a multi-genre, virtual summer retreat that is by poets for poets. We've invited poet-facilitators who also write in another genre to come teach that other genre.
Over a three-day period, Summer Retreat participants will be able to attend two readings, evening community activities, and daily classes/workshops (3 hours each) in three major genres:
Children's Literature with Dinah Johnson
Playwriting with Stacey Rose
Poetry with Jessica Helen Lopez
Our mission is to build Tribe through genuine relationships and help poets reach their best work.
RETREAT DATES: July 18-20, 2025
WHAT IS THE APPLICATION PROCESS?
A Cover Letter (with aesthetics statement) and
A writing sample of 3 poems
ELIGIBILITY: You must be 21 years of age by July 17th.
ADDITIONAL HELP:
The poems may be written or audio. We accept a variety of file types. The poems must have been written within the last two years). Do not include your name on these materials. Judging will be blind.
The cover letter must be written (not audio). If you need help with the basic cover letter format, check out our blog post of Cover Letter Advice. The type of aesthetics statement that we ask for is a paragraph or two that details...
who influences your writing,
what challenges have you faced on your creative journey,
what you seek to accomplish in your poems,
and what The Watering Hole means to you as a writer of color.
This will contextualize the poems in your submission and help us get to know you as an artist. You may also optionally include how your writing or aesthetic informs what you do, where you work, or any work you do in the arts community or vice versa. Make certain your submission is your final version. Corrections and new versions will not be accepted.
NOTES:
***We ask for a sample of your recent poetry, because we don't want to see "hits from the '80s." We want to get to know you through your current artistic voice.
***We ask for an aesthetics statement, because once you have one written, you can use it to apply for lots of writing opportunities across the industry. Not just for TWH. It just a great tool to have in your toolbox.
What's the Review Process? New applications are reviewed and accepted by The Watering Hole graduate fellows. They have a vested interest in continuing to build TWH Tribe with a wide variety of talents, backgrounds, and aesthetics. While under review, preference is given to...
those who follow our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
and members of The Watering Hole Facebook Group
What if my Application is Accepted? When the time comes, The Watering Hole will send out information about online payment options and the welcome packet upon acceptance. We expect this to be by May 15th.
twhpoetry.submittable.com/submit
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FALL 2025 Trillium Arts Residency
Trillium Arts
DEADLINE: June 26, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
APPLICATION FEE: $0
INFO: Trillium Arts residencies offer secluded space for rejuvenation and creating in a beautiful, remote setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our location is ideal for an individual artist to complete an existing work, or develop and incubate new material. Our facilities in the fall months are best suited to the disciplines of literary arts, photography, visual arts and arts administration.
Individual artists who do not require a rehearsal studio (such as writers and photographers) are encouraged to apply for a one week residency. Performing artists (such as choreographers and theater artists) are also welcome to apply, with the understanding that the Red Barn Studio is seasonal and availability is dependent on weather. The Red Barn Studio will not be available after October 31.
Use of the studio is an additional fee of $35 per day.
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 on 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.
2025 RESIDENCIES INCLUDE:
Private accommodations in a one-bedroom, ground floor suite. (Trillium Arts co-founders live upstairs but resident artists have a private entrance).
Welcome dinner with your hosts
Shared use of the grounds, including firepit, hot tub, walking paths and waterfall area
Use of onsite creative spaces that include a contemplation gazebo and a 380 square foot open air, covered workspace. Learn more about creative spaces 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)
DATES: All 2025 residencies are one week of seven consecutive days in length. Applications are currently being accepted for residencies one week in length during:
September 21-28, 2025, or
Anytime between October 10-November 14, 2025
A limited number of work exchange scholarships are available.
ELIGIBILITY: Artists of various disciplines (writers, photographers, visual artists, choreographers) at any stage of their careers are invited to apply.
trilliumartsnc.org/artist-residencies
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Autumn House Poetry Prize
Autumn House Press
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
READING FEE: $30 (as of 05/13/25, they have reached their cap on fee waivers for the 2025 Poetry Prize)
INFO: For the 2025 prize, the Autumn House staff as well as select outsider readers serve as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is Matthew Olzmann.
PRIZE: The winner receives publication of their full-length manuscript and $2,500.
We will announce the finalists and the winner by October 1, 2025.
GUIDELINES:
The winner will receive book publication, a $1,000 honorarium, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book
All finalists will be considered for publication
Poetry submissions should be approximately 50-80 pages
Each new poem should start on a new page
Illustrations are strongly discouraged and should not comprise more than a quarter of the book
The book must be previously unpublished as a whole. However, individual pieces may have been published in journals, magazines, or anthologies. Collections that combine new work with previously published material from the author’s other books (“new and selected” collections) are not eligible.
We only accept original manuscripts; AI-generated or AI-supported works are not accepted
Do not include your name anywhere on the actual manuscript; if your name appears within the body of the text, please omit it or black it out (first name is fine, but last name must be omitted)
You may include a brief bio in the “cover letter” section of Submittable
Do not include a bio or an acknowledgments page in the manuscript
Feel free to include a table of contents (This does not count as part of your final page count)
Simultaneous submissions permitted
Friends, family members, and former students of judges or Autumn House editors may not submit to the contest. Students do not include interactions at short-term residencies or fellowships.
Former employees of Autumn House, including interns, may not submit to the contest.
autumnhouse.org/submissions/poetry/
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call for submissions: Fall 2025 issue
The Plentitudes
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST
READING FEE: $5
INFO: The Plentitudes is now open for submissions for their Fall 2025 issue. Send us your best short stories, short memoirs, personal essays, poems, and flash pieces.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
During our general submissions period, we accept submissions through Submittable and Duotrope.
We charge a small reading fee (US$5.00 per entry) to cover maintenance costs and operating expenses.
We allow multiple submissions by the same writer--however, each entry should be separately submitted and accompanied by a reading fee.
A single submission consists of:
Poetry: No more than three poems, and no more than ten pages, and should place all poems in a single document.
Fiction or Nonfiction: One short story or one personal essay between 1,000 - 5,000 words.
Flash: One micro-fiction or micro-nonfiction piece under 1,000 words.
Please limit formats to .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
We suggest 12-point Times New Roman font, and double-spacing all prose submissions.
We do not publish previously published work, including those published on blogs.
Simultaneous submissions (i.e., concurrently submitting to other journals and platforms) are permitted; however, please notify us promptly if your piece has been accepted elsewhere.
Upon publication, we retain the right to be the sole publisher of the works for the first year from the initial date of publication. Thereafter, contributors may republish their works, with The Plentitudes Journal credited as the initial publisher. We retain the right to re-publish works designated for print publication in an anthology and on our social media platforms.
Marginalized voices, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and Crip/disabled writers, are particularly encouraged to submit.
We pay an honorarium of $50 for published work. The honorarium is payable within a week after the publication of the piece.
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call for submissions: “ON MOTHERHOOD”
Listen Journal
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
INFO: Often conversations surrounding motherhood & pregnancy fail to represent the honesty, nuance and spectrum of real life experiences. The truth is every persons journey is personal. No two stories are the same.
For our first call for submissions, we’re inviting you to share your experiences with motherhood or pregnancy in all forms; whether raw, joyful, painful or complex.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: We are looking to hear about a wide range of experiences in relation to motherhood, we understand the journey to and through motherhood can often be turbulent with many experiences left unspoken.
This could be:
Experience with adoption
Doulas & midwives perspective
Sickness through pregnancy
Pregnancy as a professional athlete
Not wanting children
Experiencing homelessness as a mother
Relationship with your own mother
Spiritual experiences through birth
Post-partum depression
Disability and motherhood
Difficulty with pregnancy / fertility issues
DESIRED FORMATS: long form writing (1500 - 2000 words), poetry, photo sets, video & illustrations
HOW TO SUBMIT: pitch to us through the submissions form or email a brief pitch to contact@listen-journal.com with subject line “On Motherhood”
listen-journal.com/submissions
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2025 Gasher Press Book Award
Gasher
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
INFO: The 2025 Gasher Press Book Award is open to any writer based in the United States, regardless of publication history.
JUDGE: We are pleased to announce this year's final judge is Melissa Kwasny!
Melissa Kwasny is the author of seven books of poetry, most recentlyThe Cloud Path (Milkweed Editions) and Where Outside the Body is the Soul Today (Pacific Northwest Poetry Series, University of Washington Press), as well as a collection of essays Earth Recitals: Essays on Image and Vision. Her first full length nonfiction book, Putting on the Dog: The Animal Origins of What We Wear, explores the cultural, labor, and environmental histories of clothing materials provided by animals. She is also the editor of two anthologies: I Go to the Ruined Place: Contemporary Poets in Defense of Global Human Rights and Toward the Open Field: Poets on the Art of Poetry 1800-1950. She was Montana Poet Laureate from 2019-2021, a position she shared with M.L. Smoker.
GUIDELINES:
We accept poetry (hybrid works are welcome) books between 48-90pgs, excluding front and back matter.
Simultaneous submissions are okay. Please withdraw your work immediately if it is accepted elsewhere.
Once work is submitted, it can not be revised or edited. If your submission is selected, you will have the opportunity to submit a revised manuscript at that time. Please do not email revised versions of the original works or attach revisions to your submission on Submittable. We will not consider it.
We only accept unpublished works. Sections previously published as a chapbook or individual poems are okay, but the manuscript as a whole should be unpublished. Self-publishing is considered published.
This is a blind screening. Do not include any identifying information on the manuscript, including the file name.
Manuscripts must include a table of contents.
No preambles or bios in the manuscript.
No acknowledgements in the manuscript, but you may submit this information in the cover letter field on Submittable.
Please include a bio and brief synopsis of the work in the designated fields on Submittable.
Submit as .pdf or .docx, 12pt font.
This prize is open only to those who currently reside in the United States.
Friends, current/past students, or affiliates of the editors and/or Melissa Kwasny are not permitted to submit. Current Gasher Press authors are not permitted to submit.
The winner will receive $1,000 + 20 free copies upon publication.
JUDGING:
Initial screening will be conducted by the Gasher staff. Each submission will be screened by at least three readers. From our semi-finalist pool, the final judge will select a winner and finalists.
gasherjournal.submittable.com/submit
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NEW VOICES AWARD
Lee & Low Books
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
INFO: Do you write for children or do you know someone who does?
Are you an unpublished author of color or Indigenous/Native writer hoping to break into the publishing industry for the first time?
Don’t miss this terrific opportunity to have your work considered for publication by a publisher that takes pride in nurturing new talent.
ELIGIBILITY: This contest is open to writers of color and Indigenous/Native writers who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a picture book published. It’s one way Lee & Low Books uplifts historically marginalized voices in the predominantly white children’s book industry.
GUIDELINES: Manuscripts must be FICTION, NON-FICTION, or POETRY aimed at readers ages 5 to 12, and should address the needs of children of color or Native/Indigenous children by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and promote a greater understanding of one another.
PRIZE: The winner receives a standard publication contract, including Lee & Low Books’s basic royalties and a $5,000 advance.
leeandlow.com/blog/new-voices-award-now-accepting-submissions/
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call for submissions: nature-themed poetry, fiction + nonfiction
Mississippi Review
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $3
INFO: We are currently accepting Poetry for Mississippi Review 53.3, with a publication date of Winter 2026.
GUIDELINES:
Poetry - Though we are happy to read and consider any Poetry for this issue, we are particularly interested in nature-themed pieces. Submit up to five poems in one file (file should be no more than ten pages total).
Fiction - Though we are happy to read and consider any Fiction for this issue, we are particularly interested in nature-themed pieces. Stories should be 8,000 words or less.
Nonfiction - Though we are happy to read and consider any Creative Nonfiction for this issue, we are particularly interested in nature-themed pieces. Essays should be 8,000 words or less.
WHO CAN SUBMIT? Anyone who is not currently a student at the University of Southern Mississippi or affiliated with the Mississippi Review can submit.
COMPENSATION: As a university-supported literary journal, we are working to find new ways to compensate our contributors. For Mississippi Review 53.3, we are able to pay each contributor $50 and send two free copies of the issue upon publication.
Contributors with mailing addresses outside of the U.S. will receive two copies of Mississippi Review 53.3 and a Mississippi Review subscription at the value of $50.
mississippireview.submittable.com/submit
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REGENERATION LITERARY CONTEST
Ninth Letter + I-Regen + the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
SUBMISSION FEE: $7 (Contest entrants will have the option to purchase a copy of the Fall/Winter 2024 issue or a one-year print subscription at a discounted price at the time of submission)
INFO: Our lives and communities revolve around food: hungering for it, buying it, preparing it, and eating it, but also growing it, moving it from field to shelf, and disposing of its waste. Just as healthy food promotes human health, healthy food systems promote healthy communities—places and people oriented toward restoration, regeneration, and even rebirth. What would it look like to live in a world where our food systems regenerated not only us, but the planet? What if how we grew and ate our food could sequester carbon, replenish the soil, restore ecosystem biodiversity, and help battle disease?
I-Regen is working toward such a vision and is partnering with Ninth Letter to help us all imagine it. We invite poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction responding to or exploring the subject of regeneration, specifically as it relates to food and food systems. What does regeneration in our lives and communities look like, sound like, feel like, taste like? How does its absence harm us? Feel free to think as narrowly or as broadly as you like about the theme—surprises are always delightful and welcome. Please include a brief note that explains your work’s connection to the theme of “regeneration.” Please see full theme description at the top of this page.
2025 GUEST JUDGE: Scott Chaskey is the author of Soil and Spirit (Milkweed 2023). His poetry, first printed in literary journals in the early seventies, has been widely published over four decades. A pioneer of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement, for thirty years he cultivated more than sixty crops for the Peconic Land Trust at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, New York, one of the original CSAs in the country.
CONTEST DETAILS: Submissions will be accepted from May 23, 2025-June 30, 2025. Winner and finalists will be announced in the fall. Prize: $1,000 and publication in the Fall/Winter 2023-24 print edition of Ninth Letter (with the opportunity to also publish excerpts or full work on ninthletter.com) and two contributors copies. You can read previous Regeneration contest winners for free here.
GENERAL GUIDELINES: Submissions are read anonymously, so neither the author’s name nor any identifying information should appear on the manuscript itself. If the author’s name appears in the poem, story, or essay, please replace with [Author’s Name] or a pseudonym to maintain anonymity. Acceptable file formats are .pdf, .doc, .docx. If you have questions or need clarification, please email ninthletter9@gmail.com.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your submission immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. For flash and poetry, please send a message via Submittable if withdrawing select pieces but not the entire manuscript. Due to logistical and labor considerations, neither refunds nor replacement submissions will be offered for withdrawn manuscripts.
Prose (fiction, creative nonfiction): Please submit one piece of no more than 8,000 words. You may also submit up to three pieces of flash-fiction or flash-nonfiction as long as the total word count of the submission is no more than 8,000 words.
Poetry: Please submit up to 5 poems in a single file of no more than 8 pages.
ELIGIBILITY: Writers affiliated with Ninth Letter or the UIUC Creative Writing Department within the last 4 years are not eligible to submit. Any writers with a close, personal connection with the judge that could signify a conflict of interest are not eligible to submit. Regeneration Contest winners within the last 4 years are not eligible to submit.
ninthletter.com/regeneration-literary-contest/
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2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize
Wasafiri
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
ENTRY FEE: A single entry costs £12, with £16 for double entry. We also offer subsidised entry.
INFO: Wasafiri is thrilled to announce that the 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize is now open!
Since 2009, the Prize has been awarded to some of the most exciting new voices in life writing, poetry, and fiction from around the world. The sixteenth edition of the prize brings an exciting new development as we open to entries in translation – across all three categories – for the first time since the prize was founded by Dr. Susheila Nasta.
JUDGES: Our 2025 Chair is Romesh Gunesekera, who is joined by our three category judges: Anton Hur (Fiction), Noreen Masud (Life Writing), and Yasmine Seale (Poetry).
PRIZE: The winners of each category will receive a £1,000 cash prize and publication in Wasafiri magazine; if a work in translation wins, the cash prize will be split equally between the author and translator.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality or background. New for 2025: Accepting work in translation.
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POETRY COALITION FELLOWSHIP
Mizna
DEADLINE: July 1, 2025
INFO: Mizna, a founding member of the Poetry Coalition, is accepting applications for a paid Poetry Coalition Fellowship position. This position is 20 hours per week from September 2, 2025 to June 30, 2026. The total stipend is $20,000 plus $1,100 toward healthcare.
The Poetry Coalition is a national alliance of nearly thirty organizations dedicated to working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.
Mizna presents contemporary, critical, and experimental art, writing, and film centering the work of Arab and Southwest Asian and North African artists. For twenty-six years, Mizna has promoted experimental approaches to art, literature, and film; work that questions and expands the forms and conceptual frameworks of Arab and SWANA culture. We publish a biannual print literary and art journal, Mizna, and Mizna Online, a digital platform for literary and multidisciplinary work reflecting critically on the current realities of the SWANA region and beyond. We produce the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, the largest and longest-running SWANA-centered film festival in the Midwest. Mizna also offers readings, film series, performances, public art commissions, and community events that have featured 1000+ local and transnational writers, filmmakers, and artists.
POSITION OVERVIEW With this Poetry Coalition Fellowship, we seek a candidate who will work to increase the readership of Mizna: SWANA Literature + Art and Mizna Online by increasing and broadening the circulation and distribution of the print journal. The Fellow will strategize and implement grassroots distribution and visibility campaigns to expand national and international distribution, with a priority on independent bookstores. This role involves becoming familiar with Mizna’s current subscriber and distribution systems and helping to develop more streamlined approaches. The ideal candidate will have experience in creating and implementing a nonprofit business strategy, be current on the state of literary journals, and will be steeped in Arab/SWANA–American literature and culture.
FELLOW RESPONSIBILITIES
Committing to 20 hours per week for the entire ten-month fellowship
Adhering to rules and policies of Mizna as appropriate
Assisting with any of the following:
Increasing readership
Distribution of the journal
Management and improvement of databases & inventory systems
Reviewing subscription models
Developing/maintaining bookstore and library relationships
Community outreach
Marketing and promotion
General administration
Attending and participating in meetings, including ad-hoc meetings with other Poetry Coalition fellows and with leaders to foster community, professional development, and create a peer learning group
Participating in the Poetry Coalition’s professional development sessions
Completing evaluations at the end of the fellowship year
FELLOW QUALIFICATIONS
Passion for connecting literary journals with ideal readers
Deep familiarity with the current landscape of Arab/SWANA–American literature
Interest in nonprofit administration and management
Experience with database software and Airtable
Excellent written skills in English
Creative problem solving
Big-picture, visionary thinking
Collegial, kind, good humored, enthusiastic, collaborative
Prioritization, multitasking, and project management
Demonstrated experience in the areas listed above
NOTE: We welcome all applicants, including those who are enrolled in or have recently graduated from academic programs.
TO APPLY: Please submit a brief (no more than one page) cover letter, resume, and two references to Ellina Kevorkian at ellina@mizna.org. Mizna is an equal opportunity employer committed to reflecting the diversity of the Twin Cities community in its staffing, programming, and partnership decisions. We strive to create a dynamic work environment that values inclusion and respect, entrepreneurism and innovation, community and service.
mizna.org/mizna-news/literary-mizna-news/fellowship-opportunity-2/
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The Kyoto Retreat 2025
DEADLINE: July 15, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $95.00
INFO: The Kyoto Retreat is a new program created by Japan-based, independent curator Dexter Wimberly. The Kyoto Retreat offers artists, curators, and writers, based anywhere in the world, an opportunity to spend four weeks in Kyoto, Japan, for research, exploration, and inspiration. If selected for the retreat, you will receive a roundtrip flight, a private bedroom, and $800 USD to supplement meals and local transportation.
We select artists, curators, and writers at all career stages, working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, interdisciplinary, and social practice. Individuals must be over 21 years old to apply.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Individuals selected for the retreat will be notified by August 15, 2025
The inaugural Kyoto Retreat will take place from October 16 - November 13, 2025