Friday, May 25, 2018

Writing Competition: 2018 Crab Orchard Series in Poetry First Book Award

First Book Award  

$2,500 and publication for the winning collection of poems
final judge: Vandana Khanna


Below are the guidelines for the 2018 Crab Orchard Series in Poetry First Book Award, which will be open for entries on May 11, 2018 and close on July 15, 2018 (online submissions deadline):

A first book of poems will be selected for publication from an open competition of manuscripts, in English, by a U.S. citizen, permanent resident,or person who has DACA/TPS status are eligible* who has neither published, nor committed to publish, a volume of poetry 48 pages or more in length (individual poems may have been previously published; for the purposes of the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry, a manuscript which was in whole or in part submitted as a thesis or dissertation as a requirement for the completion of a degree is considered unpublished and is eligible; a writer who has published a self-published manuscript over 48 pages which is available for purchase outside of thesis and dissertation services is considered ineligible). *Current or former students, colleagues, and close friends of the final judge, and current and former students and employees of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and authors who have published a book with Southern Illinois University Press or have a book under contract with Southern Illinois University Press are not eligible.)

The winner will receive a publication contract with Southern Illinois University Press, and will be awarded a $1000 prize. The winner will also receive $1500 as an honorarium for a reading at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

SUBMISSION PERIOD / DEADLINE: All entries must submitted online between May 11, 2018 and the end of July 15, 2018 (online entries will be accepted until 11:59:59 PM (PDT) on July 15, 2018). Submittable does now have an editing option so if there is a problem with your manuscript you do not need to withdraw it or submit it again to fix it; just request that we open the manuscript for editing and you can make the needed corrections. Please do not make revisions once your work is submitted; the winner will be given an opportunity to work with the series editor before the manuscript is delivered to SIU Press.

ENTRY FEE: $20.00 per entry (online submissions only through Submittable). Entry fees will not be refunded for manuscripts withdrawn by the author.

PAGE LENGTH: Manuscripts are recommended to be a minimum of 50 pages to a recommended maximum of 100 pages of original poetry (12 pt. type preferred). No more than one poem should appear on a page.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSIONS: All entries should be made online through Submittable. The entry fee for each entry is $20.00. Payment for submissions must be made online.
Please submit your file in .doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt, .pdf, .odt, or .wpf. 12-point font, Times New Roman or Times preferred. Manuscripts should be single-spaced. Include a Table of Contents. No more than one poem should appear on a page.


Submit a single title page with only the manuscript title in your file.

The author's name should appear nowhere in your file or in the file name. Your Submittable profile will include your name, address, phone, and e-mail so it should not appear in either your file name or your manuscript.

In the place of the cover letter or biographical note in the submission process, an acknowledgments page listing poems previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies can be submitted as your cover letter in Submittable. THIS SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE MANUSCRIPT FILE.

Please name your file the manuscript title. If your manuscript title is long, name your file the first four words.

All entrants will be notified of the results via e-mail by October 1, 2018.

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSION: Manuscripts may be under consideration elsewhere, but the series editor must be informed immediately if a collection is accepted for publication. Entry fees will not be refunded for manuscripts withdrawn by the author.

Entrants are not to contact the final judge under any circumstances; all questions should be directed to Jon Tribble, Series Editor of the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry.

Call for Submissions on Theme of Disobedient Futures to Anthology: The Cambridge Writers' Workshop

The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, mixed-genre work, plays, and screenplays on the topic of “Disobedient Futures” for our new speculative literature anthology. Writers are encouraged to imagine what the future cultures of America and the world might look like, and submit their work on the following topics:

  • Disobedient Women: How might women, feminists, and/or non-binary individuals disobey and reconfigure our understandings of power and femininity and masculinity in the future?
  • Disobedient Tribes: What if Americans found a way to subvert racial categories and challenge tribalism and cultures of fear? How might tribes disobey the rules of the game and create new types of community identities and cultural bridges?
  • Disobedient Class: Could Americans in the future overcome systems of class oppression and capitalist gluttony? How might individuals in the future subvert class hierarchies?
  • Disobedient Futures: Tell us what the future cultures of America and the world have in store. How might the emerging generations of today and tomorrow reconfigure today’s value systems, challenge today’s modes of violence, oppression, and power, and create new visions of society? Give us your best speculative writing which explores the possibilities and disruptions of disobedient futures.
Writers are welcome to submit utopian, dystopian, parallel history, futuristic, alternative reality, speculative essay, and even purely speculative fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and theatre. Optimistic and pessimistic tales of the future are welcome in equal measure, but gratuitous violence and discrimination are not. 

Poetry submissions should be 3-5 pages in length. Prose submissions can be 10-20 pages in length. Excerpts from longer works with synopses are welcome. Visual art related to these categories of Disobedient Futures is also welcome. Submit your retelling of the future today!
Submit your work here


Submission Fee: $5.00

Deadline: February 14, 2019





Writing Competition: The May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize

Deadline: June 30, 2018

The May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize is awarded annually for a book-length poetry collection. The prize includes $1,000, publication, 100 author copies, and distribution. Poet David Blair will judge, we do not pre-screen manuscripts.

Submit a manuscript of 50 to 80 pages with a $25 entry fee by June 30.

Please visit our website for complete guidelines and how to submit.

Writing Competition: 2018 JuxtaProse Nonfiction Prize

Deadline: June 18, 2018

The 2018 JuxtaProse Nonfiction Prize is now accepting submissions. The winner will receive $1,000 and up to three honorable mentions will receive $100 each. All entries will be considered for publication.

Entry Fee: $15.00

JuxtaProse welcomes established and emerging writers alike, and our magazine regularly features Pulitzer Prize winners, Poet Laureates, and other distinguished writers side-by-side previously unpublished voices. 

Call for Submissions on Theme of Home: borrowed solace

Deadline: June 30, 2018

borrowed solace is a literary journal on our third edition. Submissions are back open! Our theme for the fall 2018 journal is "Home." Where is home? What makes a home? How does a home contain so many emotions and can keep them as secrets or unleash them? What is home to you? We would like to know these answers, and we can't wait to see what you will answer with!

We accept: creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, art, and photography.

Submissions will close June 30th, 2018. Check out our submission guidelines here.

Call for Submissions: Parhelion Literary Magazine

Deadline: Rolling

Parhelion Literary Magazine seeks fiction, flash, creative nonfiction, poetry, art, and photography submissions by new and known authors for our quarterly issues. This new publication strives to be literary at heart while remaining accessible and entertaining to a wide audience at the same time. We are looking for strong, fresh voices, compelling characters, and thought-provoking story telling. 

Call for Submissions on Theme of Community: Feels Blind Literary

Deadline: July 1, 2018
Feels Blind Literary, a magazine merging creative writing with activism and a punk aesthetic, is accepting submissions of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, and art from emerging and established writers and artists who identify as women for our inaugural issue. The theme for this issue is community. Communities and the people in them thrive when we are better connected and we are interested in work that touches on the importance of community, space/place, and connection. Work that isn't specific to our theme also will be considered. 


The deadline for submissions is July 1st. Visit our website to learn more about us.

Call for Submissions: The Broke Bohemian

The Broke Bohemian's Summer Edition 2018

Deadline: June 21, 2018

The Broke Bohemian is now accepting submissions for our Summer Edition 2018! Up to three poems, flash fiction, art (photography, digital media, etc.), or prose. We publish pieces at the forefront of unconventional thought and outlandish perspectives. Get wild. Wear your activism proudly. Bare your teeth. Rise up, and rave in the name of Beauty! We commit ourselves to fostering the voices of all people, especially those who've been disenfranchised and unheard among the ever-booming holler of the bourgeoisie!


Be sure to read our submission guidelines at our website before submitting.

Writing Competition: Owl Canyon Press

Challenge: Owl Canyon Press provides the first and last paragraphs — you write 48 paragraphs to complete the middle of the story.

Prize: Finalists receive up to $1000 in cash awards, publication in a short story anthology, and an invitation to give a public reading at Inkberry Books in Niwot, CO. There’s no cost to enter.

Deadline: June 30, 2018


Additional guidelines and submission link here.

Back from vacation!

Hello! The blog was on hiatus for a week while we were on vacation in New York City, but now I'm back.

To inspire you, be like Fearless Girl--undaunted by challenges. Submit, enter that contest, apply for that grant or fellowship, go to that conference! And write, write write!


Ready for new writing opportunities? Let's go!

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Call for Submissions: Twisted Vine Literary and Arts Journal

See the call and full guidelines here.

Twisted Vine Literary and Arts Journal is committed to publishing both emerging and established literary and visual artists.

Twisted Vine seeks to represent an eclectic mix of ideas and values. We look for both experimental and traditional forms of prose and poetry, and want to provide a diverse experience for our readers. We have a particular interest in pieces that challenge or redefine expression in new and inviting ways and we are committed to publishing both emerging and established artist.

Between now and September 23, 2018, We are accepting submissions in the following categories:

Poetry – up to three poems, to a maximum of 1000 words. Twisted Vine accepts both traditional and experimental poetry. We do not adhere to any specific guidelines for style or content and only ask that your poems reflect artistic excellence. We highly encourage poems that represent interdisciplinary themes. Please submit no more than three poems per document. Along with the written version of the poem, contributors are welcome to submit audio or video readings of their poetry for consideration on our website as well.

Short Literary Fiction – one story, up to 5000 words. Please limit short literary fiction to no more than 5,000 words. We are looking to compile a diverse body of work that represents the interdisciplinary theme of our journal. Stories should have strong narration, character development, plot, and must remain literary in essence.

Creative Nonfiction – one essay, up to 5000 words. Creative non-fiction submissions are limited to 5,000 words. We are looking for wide-ranging submissions in this genre that compliment our interdisciplinary focus. We are open to a broad range of material, however your submission must remain literary in essence.

Visual Arts – any combination of media, up to 3 images. We accept photography, painting (any media), collage, graphic art, comics, and drawing. We accept original graphic art, photography, paintings/drawings, cartoons and all others forms of visual art in .jpg or .jpeg format. We are not genre specific, but will give preference to pieces that capture the spirit of our interdisciplinary theme. You may submit up to three images that represent a cohesive collection. If submitting more than one image, please title each image file with the same name and corresponding numbers (example: Carnival1, Carnival2, Carnival3, etc) and submit as a ZIP file. Editors reserve the right to publish any part or all of a collection submitted.

Interviews – Please limit transcribed interviews to 4,500 words or less. Stylistically, we want interviews that discuss interdisciplinary studies, literature, and, the arts at large. The edgier the better, but keep it above the belt. 

See the call and full guidelines here.

Writing Competition: The Marguerite McGlinn Fiction Prize

Deadline: June 15, 2018

The Marguerite McGlinn Fiction Prize features a first place prize of $2,500; a second place $750 prize; and a third place $500 prize. The 2018 Judge is best-selling author Dan Chaon. Deadline: June 15, 2018. Previously unpublished works of fiction up to 8,000 words.

$15 reading fee. All entrants receive a copy of the contest issue.

See our website for details.

Call for Submissions: NUNUM

NUNUM - Dedicated to Blending Flash & Art

NUNUM is a journal dedicated to blending flash fiction & art. Published quarterly, we’re currently reading for our 2018 issues, so come on and send us that piece you wrote you weren’t quite sure you should’ve. Visually we’re aesthetically eclectic, so click your best abstract digital anime collage all over our inbox.


Three dollars at the door, but it’ll barbapapa [translate] into $20 for you upon acceptance; a little gamble, sure, but we promise better odds than the lottery. 

Call for Submissions on Theme of HOT MESS: Stirring

Stirring Seeks Work for Themed Issue: HOT MESS 

Stirring is excited to announce our fourth annual themed issue: HOT MESS. We are looking for poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction celebrating the fantastical failures that we can’t look away from, moments when steering into the skid is the best decision. We are seeking work that makes us laugh, cry, and nod in agreement at the hot mess situation because sometimes life is so bad, it’s hilarious. The purpose of this theme is to bring light to situations when we feel we are alone at rock bottom, when in reality, many of us are at rock bottom together and afraid to talk about it. Let us all laugh with reckless abandon at the HOT MESS before us.

This themed issue will be guest edited by Amy Smith. Originally (and proudly) from northern Illinois, Amy is a recent graduate of the MFA program at Northern Michigan University, where she wrote a hundred poems about one hot mess of a farm. In addition to managing a university writing center, Amy is very publicly narrating the hot mess of her divorce on Facebook, and she is excited to be inspired by your hot messes as she begins to write more formally about her own. Amy's other hot messes appear in Cream City Review, Hippocampus, LIT Magazine, Stirring, Yemassee, and elsewhere.

Please send up to five poems in the body of an email to Luci Brown and Andrew Koch at:

stirring.poetryATgmailDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

with the subject line HOT MESS.

Send fiction submissions to Shaun Turner at:

stirring.fictionATgmailDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

and nonfiction submissions to Gabe Montesanti at:

stirring.nonfictionATgmailDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

 with the subject line HOT MESS. 

You may refer to our general submission guidelines for more specific, technical details.

The deadline for submissions is June 1st, 2018.

Call for Submissions: Meshes Journal

Meshes Journal is now accepting submissions of poetry and video for Cycle 1: Opposing Forces. 

Meshes is a new literary magazine, an interpretive exercise, and a home for poetic interpretations of dance/danced interpretations of poetry.

Cycle 1: Opposing Forces 

Accepting submissions until June 30, 2018 

We're looking for poetry, images, choreographic notation, and critique of dance that interprets that theme and swells to fill the space between two charged artistic sides. Maya Deren wrote, "...what more could I possibly ask as an artist than that your most precious visions, however rare, take the form of my images."

Submit work, questions and letters to:

meshes.journalATgmailDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

Call for Submissions: 3Elements Review


Submissions for 3Elements Review Issue 20 are now open! This issue's elements are Stained Glass, Bus Stop, and Canopy. All three terms must be used in any poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction submissions. Art and photography must represent at least one element.
 
Our content is almost always 100% unsolicited, and we nominate for Pushcart, Best of the Net, and other awards. We have published new and well-known writers and artists from around the world, and we do not charge a reading fee for regular submissions. Expedited and feedback options are also available.
 
Deadline is July 31. Issue will be released October 1.
 
 
Latest Issue.
 
Follow us:
 
 
We look forward to reading your work!

Writing Competition: 2019 Press 53 Award for Poetry

2019 Press 53 Award for Poetry

For an outstanding unpublished collection of poems

$1,500 advance plus publication by Press 53 as A Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection

Reading fee $30


Judged by Tom Lombardo, Press 53 Poetry Series Editor

Open: April 1–July 31

Winner and finalists announced no later than November 1

Winning collection published April 2019

Complete details here

Past winners:
2015: Rebecca Foust of Kentfield, CA, for Paradise Drive
2016: Richard Garcia of Charleston, SC, for Porridge
2017: Leona Sevick of Bridgewater, VA, for Lion Brothers
2018: Marilyn Annucci of Madison, WI, for The Arrows That Choose Us

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Call for Speculative Submissions to Anthology: "So Here's My Plan..."

Call for speculative fiction submissions from Grace&Victory Publications: “So Here's My Plan...”

Time-travelling bank heists! Prison breakouts from the fortresses of immortal wizards! Train robberies by steam-powered automatons! Intergalactic spies! Battles of wits between cyborg hackers and AI detectives! Swashbuckling! Fisticuffs! Ridiculously complicated schemes! People gathered around a diorama of a bank vault making wisecracks! Things not going according to plan!

We're looking for fast-paced, dramatic stories up to 7,000 words, with protagonists we can admire for their intricate planning, improvisation, and general adroitness (whether they succeed or fail in the end). Think "Topkapi", "Inside Man", that episode of Firefly where they rob the train, that sort of thing. We want to see elaborate heists and impressive schemes, in a science-fictional or fantasy setting (any subgenre). We welcome and encourage submissions from authors of traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and we'd love to see stories that subvert or play with genre tropes.

We will be open to submissions from May 1 to June 15, 2018. As stated, the word limit is 7,000 words; if you have a longer story that you think would be a particularly good fit for our theme, please query us before sending.

Check here for more info!

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Call for Submissions: Sin Fronteras


Sin Fronteras Journal is now accepting submissions for Issue #23, until June 30. We appreciate people who submit before the last minute, although this will not get you a quicker response; we make decisions after the deadline.
 
Previously unpublished submissions of writing (fiction, poetry, nonfiction, as well as short plays) are welcome. Send 3-5 poems, or one or two short prose pieces—fiction, non-fiction, or play – up to 3,000 words. Simultaneous submissions are permitted with notification.
 
Submit by mail or by email. Submission specifics are here.
 
What are we looking for? Work of good quality, on a variety of topics and in a variety of styles. We like poems about borders, including but not limited to our own border with Mexico. And not only geographical borders. We like a bit of Spanish, or other languages, but a whole poem in Spanish must be accompanied by its counterpart in English.

Writing Competition on Theme of Luggage: Eyelands 8th International Short Story Contest


Welcome to Eyelands 8th International Short Story Contest! We’re looking for short stories (2,500 words maximum) in any genre on the theme of “Luggage.” The competition has been running for 8 consecutive years with increasing success. Every year, we are delighted to give the opportunity to writers from all over the world to see their work published in English and Greek and also to enjoy a week's holiday in a beautiful beach house on the island of Crete! The contest is run by Eyelands online literary magazine and Strange Days Publications. 
 
The contest runs from March 20th through June 20th, 2018
 
Theme of the contest: “Luggage”
 
First prize: A week’s holiday on the island of Crete (for 2)
First three winners’ stories published in two different anthologies (Greek and English) 
 
All of the stories on the Shortlist will be published in a special English edition, released through amazon.com & Strange Days Books. All shortlisted writers will also get a free copy of the book, certification document, and a book from Strange Days Books. An interview with the first prize winner will also be featured in our online literary magazine. 
 
Judge: Maria Psoma-Petridou 
 
Entry fee: 10 €
 
MORE INFO here.
 
CONTACT EMAIL: 
 
infoATeyelandsDOTgr (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

Call for Poetry Submissions: The New Verse News


Online Journal Seeks Current Events Poetry

THE NEW VERSE NEWS covers the news of the day with poems on issues, large and small, international and local. It relies on the submission of poems (especially those of a politically progressive bent) by writers from all over the world.
 
The editors update the website every day or two with the best work received. What's best? A genuinely poetic take on a very current and specific news story or event.
 
See the website for guidelines and for examples of the kinds of poems THE NEW VERSE NEWS publishes. Then paste your non-simultaneous submission and a brief bio in the text of an email (no attachments, please) to:
 
nvneditor(at)gmail.com (Change (at) to @ )
 
Write "Verse News Submission" in the subject line of your email.

Writing Competition: The Crazyshorts Short-Short Fiction Competition

The Crazyshorts! Short-Short Fiction Competition

Deadline: July 31, 2018

From July 1st to July 31st, Crazyhorse will accept entries for our annual short-short fiction contest. Submit 3 short-shorts of up to 500 words each through our website.

First place wins $1,000 and publication; 3 runners-up will be announced.

All entries will be considered for publication; the $15 entry fee includes a one-year subscription to Crazyhorse. For more information, go here.

Writing Competition on Theme of Clothes: The Baltimore Review

Baltimore Review Summer 2018 Contest

Deadline: May 31, 2018

The theme for The Baltimore Review’s summer contest is “Clothes.” Why? We worry about our clothes. We make fun of clothes. We shop for them. We make them. We give clothes as gifts. We judge others by their clothes. We hate and love our clothes. And oh, the memories.

Submit your poems, short stories, and creative nonfiction to our Submittable Contest category. Three winners will be selected from among all entries. All submissions considered for publication.

Prizes are $500, $200, and $100.

Entry fee is $10.

Final judge: Dora Malech. For more information, visit our website.

Writing Competition: Tiferet Journal's 2018 Writing Contest

$1500 in Prizes

Deadline: June 1, 2018

Submit your best work to Tiferet Journal's 2018 Writing Contest. Our Judges are Melissa Studdard for Poetry, Sabeeha Ramen for nonfiction, and Sophfronia Scott for Fiction.

Contest runs March 1–June 1, 2018. Winners announced in September. 

Entry Fee: $15.00

Call for Submissions: The Mom Egg Review

Deadline: August 1, 2018

Mom Egg Review seeks fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry about motherhood for its annual print issue, from May 1 through August 1. “Mother” is a status, a role, a concept, a job, a relationship, an identity.

We publish literary works that reflect diverse experiences of motherhood, and are interested in perspectives on any aspect or phase of mothering. You need not be a mother to submit.

Please read an issue (PDF copy $5) and explore our website to get an idea of the work we publish: Read guidelines and submit here.

Call for Submissions on Theme of Lost & Found: The Chattahoochee Review

Deadline: September 1, 2018.

Call for Submissions: Lost & Found. This double issue of The Chattahoochee Review is filling fast! Submissions will close in September or when the issue fills. 

Scholarship: Peripatetic Writing Workshop for Fiction and Creative Nonfiction

Peripatetic Writing Workshop for Fiction and Creative Nonfiction offers a work/study scholarship in exchange for help with serving breakfasts during the week long workshop.

This year the workshop will take place in a charming seaside town in Kent, England, from July 13-20th. There is also an early bird discount up until May 15th.