Call for Submissions: Colorado Review

FICTION & NONFICTION

We consider short fiction and personal essays with contemporary themes (no genre fiction or literary criticism). There is no specific word or page count; generally, however, Colorado Review prefers short stories and essays that are somewhere between 15 and 25 manuscript pages. Please submit one story or essay at a time.

POETRY

We consider poetry of any style. Please limit poetry submissions to no more than five poems with a maximum of 15 pages at a time. Please also keep in mind that line lengths are limited by the size of our print journal; we can only fit up to 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) per line.

BOOK REVIEWS

We do not accept unsolicited book reviews. If you would like to submit a book review, please send queries to respective editors listed on our guidelines. Reviewers are compensated with a one-year subscription to CR. Please note that we now publish reviews only on our website.

Fiction & poetry manuscripts are read from August 1 to April 30; nonfiction manuscripts, however, are read year-round. Fiction & poetry manuscripts received between May 1 and July 31 will be returned unread.

Colorado Review purchases First North American Serial Rights; all rights revert to the author upon publication in CR. We pay $10 per page ($30 minimum) for poetry and $200 for short stories and essays. Authors also receive two copies of the issue in which they are published and a one-year subscription to CR.

Please go here to read our full guidelines and to submit your work.

Call for Submissions: Humana Obscura

Deadline: Aug. 1, 2021

While we are open to style, we’re looking for work that is nuanced, raw, and imagistic with strong elements of the natural world or the human-nature relationship. We tend to favor work that is unexpected, real, evocative, yet subtle, with a strong sense of place and strong imagery. We like contemporary, but we’re a bit old school in that we shy away from publishing work that references technology—like your iPhone or Tinder or TikTok… We will not publish political pieces, poetry that rhymes or is longer than 75 lines, or work that is fantastical in nature or of the horror genre. We steer away from work that is entirely anthropocentric.

We prefer free-verse poetry and prose that is accessible to readers, is straightforward, and avoids fancy language and doesn’t try too hard to be clever, to rhyme, or to be confined by syllabic or structural constraints—unless haiku, tanka, micropoetry, or similar.

When it comes to art, we like the subtle, and both the realistic and abstract—think out-of-focus photography and impressionistic smears of colors on a canvas. We love photographs of nature, be it landscapes, animals, or otherwise.

Surprise us. Delight us. Haunt us. Make us keep thinking about your piece long after we’ve read it or viewed it.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Poetry – 3 to 5 poems (or up to 10 haiku, tanka, or other forms of micro poetry, 5 lines or less), no pages each. Please include all poems in one document.

• Short Prose/Flash Fiction – no more than 2 pieces, 1,000 words maximum (per piece).

• Artwork & Photos – 5 to 8 works at a time, high resolution (300dpi).

At this time, we only consider submissions sent through Submittable. Emailed submissions will not be considered. Submissions must be accompanied by a brief cover letter and 50 to 100 word third-person bio. Poetry and prose submissions should be sent in a single document (.doc or .pdf formats preferred). Please allow up to one month for a response.

We accept simultaneous submissions, but we must be immediately notified if a piece is accepted elsewhere. We will not accept previously published work, though we are considering work that has been posted to a social media account only. Content posted to a blog or website will not be considered.

Please do not submit more than once per genre per reading period. However, you may submit to more than one genre within one reading period. Additional submissions will not be read. While we ask that you please adhere to our reading periods for specific issues, we do accept submission on a rolling basis. Submissions received outside of our reading period will be considered for the next upcoming issue.

We ask for first time worldwide rights for accepted pieces. Following publication, all rights revert back to the author. Please note that your work first appeared in Humana Obscura if it is reprinted elsewhere on the web or in print.

At this time, we are not able to offer payment to our contributors for published works; however, we do our best to promote our writers/artists and their work (both within Humana Obscura as well as outside our magazine), so be sure to subscribe to our magazine and connect with us on Twitter (@humanaobscura) and Instagram (@humanaobscura).

Before submitting, please see our past issues for the type of work we publish.

Please send any inquiries to editor[at]humanaobscura[dot]com.

Call for Submissions: Cicada

Cicada is currently open to submissions of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and international literature in translation. Excerpts from forthcoming publications will also be considered. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please let us know if your submission is accepted elsewhere immediately. Please do not send more than one submission at a time.

 

We only accept previously unpublished writing in English (personal blogs and newsletters count!). If your piece is accepted, we only ask for first-time electronic publication rights.

 

We endeavor to respond to all submissions and pitches as soon as possible. If you have not received a response after 60 days, do check in with us (note: the response time may vary depending on the genre; please check below). Please wait at least 14 days after receiving a rejection before submitting again.

 

Unfortunately, we are unable to pay for writing at this time. We are a small all-volunteer team and hope to explore payment options and fundraising in the future as we grow.

Call for Submissions: Nzuri Journal

Call For Submissions: Fiction, Essays, Photography, Art, Poetry, Digital Storytelling

The objective of Nzuri (meaning Beautiful/Fine in Swahili) is to promote the artistic, aesthetic, creative, and scholarly work consistent with the values and ideals of Umoja community. African American and Other Writers and Artists are urged to submit their best written or artistic work for consideration.

Check out open submission opportunities for Nzuri Journal of Coastline College at Submittable. We are now accepting submissions in all categories for the Spring 2021 issue. Essays and fictional pieces should be a maximum of 4,000 words.

Call for Submissions: The Blue Mountain Review

 

We Want the Best Stories in All Genres

Deadline: Submissions accepted year-round.

The Blue Mountain Review launched from Athens, Georgia in 2015 with the mantra, “We’re all south of somewhere.” As a journal of culture the BMR strives to represent life through its stories. Stories are vital to our survival. Songs save the soul. Our goal is to preserve and promote lives told well through prose, poetry, music, and the visual arts. Our editors read year-round with an eye out for work with homespun and international appeal. We’ve published work with Jericho Brown, Kelli Russell Agodon, Robert Pinsky, Rising Appalachia, Nahko, Michel Stone, Genesis Greykid, Cassandra King, Melissa Studdard, and A.E. Stallings.

Writing Competition: 2021 Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize

We're now accepting entries for the 2021 Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize!

Every year the poetry prize lifts us up. Poets invite us to experience moments with them, calling us to be present and reflect on this beautiful, fragile, mysterious life. We join them, honored to take part in this witnessing. Share your poems with us this year!

Here are the details:

Two poems per entry, up to 40 lines each

• $20 entry fee

• $1500 cash prize and publication in an upcoming issue awarded to the winning poet

• $200 and publication in an upcoming issue awarded to the runner-up poet.

• Deadline: May 1, 2021
  

Final judge: Matthew Olzmann

Writing Competition: CRAFT Short Fiction Award

GUIDELINES:

Open March 1, 2021 to May 2, 2021

CRAFT Short Fiction Prize submissions are open to all fiction writers

• International submissions are welcome

• Short fiction only

• Please submit work in English only

• 5,000 word count maximum

• We review literary fiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles-our only requirement is that you show excellence in your craft

• Previously unpublished work only-we do NOT review reprints for contests (previously published includes blogs, personal websites, social media, etc.)

• We allow simultaneous submissions-writers, please notify us and withdraw your piece if your work is picked up elsewhere

• We allow multiple submissions-please submit each piece as a separate submission accompanied by an entry fee

$20 entry fee per submission

• All entries will also be considered for publication in CRAFT

• All submissions must be made via Submittable

• Please, please, double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 pt font

• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable)

• We do not require anonymous submissions

• We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation, or for any other reason

• Additionally, we do not tolerate discrimination in the writing we consider for publication: work we find discriminatory on any of the bases stated here will be declined without complete review (you will be refunded, less fees)

Friends, family, and associates of the judge are not eligible for consideration for the award. 

AWARDS:

• Winner: $2,000 award and a subscription to Journal of the Month
• Runners-up: $500 award and $300 award respectively for the second and third place finalists
• Publication of the top three stories in CRAFT, each with an introduction by the guest judge
• Publication of an author’s note (craft essay) to accompany the story by each of the writers of the top three entries
• All entrants will receive an exclusive digital compilation next fall/winter that includes: the winning pieces with the guest judge’s introductions and the winners’ craft essays; excerpts from the finalist pieces; excerpts from craft essays; and more

Writing Fellowship for Parents: Pen Parentis Literary Fellowship

OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS FROM MARCH 1 – APRIL 17, 2021!

One talented writer who is the parent of at least one child under 10 years old will receive $1000 to further their writing career, a year of mentorship, and will be offered the opportunity to read their winning story at the Pen Parentis Literary Salon on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 (online, or in-person if bookstore events have resumed) Their winning story will also be published in Dreamers Creative Writing Magazine (both online and in print) as well as included in the annual Dreamers Writing Anthology.

Submissions call for a new, never-published fiction story—any genre, on any subject—of up to 550 words, double-spaced in Times New Roman 12 point or similar font, with one inch margins.

Entry Fee: $20.00

Please note: we change word count each year because one of the goals of this project is to keep parents working — motivating all writers to continue to create new high-quality creative writing at the very busiest time of the parenting journey. We keep word count intentionally low. Write something new! You can do it!

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Put only the title of the story and its word count on the manuscript. Nothing to identify the writer. Please number your pages!

On that note: Judging is blind and based only on the following criteria:

• adherence to contest rules
• creativity
• narrative arc
• emotional truth
• elements of surprise, humor, writing skill, and/or layers of depth.

All genres and styles of unpublished fiction are welcome. No plays or poetry (we love them, but sorry, no.) Novel excerpts are acceptable only if they can stand alone as a story – do not tell us it is a novel excerpt until you win, including in the file name and cover letter.

Simultaneous submissions ok, but notify if published elsewhere. Multiple submissions welcome, but separate entry fee for each submission (see above). Entry fees will not be refunded. Finalists, honorable mentions, and second and third place winners are absolutely encouraged to try again.

Winner: please list our Fellowship in your writing bio for the 12 months following your reading in NYC!

Complete guidelines and link to submit here.

Writing Competitions: The American Literary Translators Association Awards

 ALTA Awards

The American Literary Translators Association awards four major prizes at the annual conference: the National Translation Award in Poetry and Prose, for an exceptional book of translated literature published within the previous year; the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize, for an outstanding work of Asian literature published within the previous year; and the Italian Prose in Translation Award (IPTA), for an exceptional work of Italian prose in English translation. We also offer the ALTA Travel Fellowships for emerging translators to attend the annual conference, including the Peter K. Jansen Memorial Travel Fellowship for an emerging translator of color or a translator working from an underrepresented diaspora or stateless language.

Submissions are accepted from January through mid-April via our online submissions system only.

Any questions about awards may be directed to Communications and Awards Manager Rachael Daum at:

rachaeldaumATliterarytranslatorsDOTorg (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

National Translation Award

The National Translation Award (NTA) is awarded annually in poetry and in prose to literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English by masterfully recreating the artistic force of a book of consummate quality. Established in 1998, the NTA is the only prize for a work of literary translation into English to include an evaluation of the source language text. 2015 was the first year in which the NTA was awarded separately in poetry and prose. Recent winners include such distinguished translators as Richard Wilbur (2008), Norman Shapiro (2009), Alex Zucker (2010), Lisa Rose Bradford (2011), Sinan Antoon (2012), Phillip Boehm (2013), Eugene Ostashevsky and Matvei Yankelevich (2014), Pierre Joris (2015), William Hutchins (2015), Hilary Kaplan (2016), Elizabeth Harris (2016), Daniel Borzutzky (2017), Esther Allen (2017), Katrine Øgaard Jensen (2018 Poetry), Charlotte Mandell (2018 Prose), Bill Johnston (2019 Poetry), and Karen Emmerich (2019 Prose). You can find the full list of winners and judges here. 

Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize

Lucien Stryk (1924-2013) was an internationally acclaimed translator of Japanese and Chinese Zen poetry, renowned Zen poet himself, and former professor of English at Northern Illinois University. Stryk wrote, edited, and translated over two dozen volumes during his life. The $5,000 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize, which was inaugurated in 2009, recognizes the importance of Asian translation for international literature and promotes the translation of Asian works into English. 

Italian Prose in Translation Award

The Italian Prose in Translation Award (IPTA) recognizes the importance of contemporary Italian prose (fiction and literary non-fiction) and promotes the translation of Italian works into English. This $5,000 prize was inaugurated in 2015 and is awarded annually to a translator of a recent work of Italian prose (fiction or literary non-fiction). 

ALTA Travel Fellowships

Each year, between four and six $1,000 fellowships are awarded to emerging (unpublished or minimally published) translators to help them pay for hotel and travel expenses to the annual ALTA conference. At the conference, ALTA Fellows are invited to read their translated work at a keynote event, giving them an opportunity to present their translations to an audience of translators, authors, editors, and publishers from around the world.

Writing Competition: The New Michigan Press / DIAGRAM Chapbook Competition

The 2021 Chapbook Contest Guidelines

The New Michigan Press / DIAGRAM chapbook contest announces our guidelines for 2020! We select the majority of our chapbook list each year from the ranks of the chapbook contest finalists, so this is the best way to get your work read. And what's more, it's all read blind. Plus you get a free chapbook just for entering and you get to know that your entry helps us do what we do.

The Prize $1000 plus publication; finalist chapbooks also considered for publication (in 2020 we published five) 

The Entry Fee $20

Deadline April 30, 2021

What we want Interesting, lovely unpublished work (unpublished as a whole; individual pieces may be published already of course), prose or poetry or some combination or something between genres, 18-44 manuscript pages (no more than one poem per page if you're sending poems unless they are very, very short).

Images okay? Yes, as long as you can obtain reprint rights for any images you include, unless they're in the public domain or qualify under the exemption for fair use. We do prefer images be in low-res for the manuscript to keep file size down (the submissions manager maxes out at around 9 megabytes), but we'll need high-res versions if your manuscript is selected for publication. ALSO: please don't send originals of anything, since we cannot return manuscripts.

Other questions?

It's fine with us if individual works have been published elsewhere, but the manuscript can't have been published as a whole before. Please include specific acknowledgments if any of the works have appeared elsewhere: tell us where individual pieces appeared, as we do sometimes consider submitted and unpublished individual pieces for possible publication in DIAGRAM.

We recommend that your manuscript be as coherent--as much a project--as possible. Not to say everything needs to be thematic or narratively related, but most of our winning chapbooks have a feeling of aesthetic unity or connection or resonance: we think chapbooks should make sense as chapbooks, and be more than the sums of their parts. Chapbook manuscripts do not necessarily have to be diagrammatic (though the diagrammers among us do enjoy those).

Co-authored manuscripts are fine.

Submitting multiple manuscripts is fine with entry fees for each.

Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you let us know ASAP if a manuscript needs to be withdrawn.

Please don't put your name/identifying info on the piece itself. If you send electronically, it'll be in the submitter info only, and that doesn't get forward to our readers. If you send via the mail, include a detachable cover page.

Email:

contestATthediagramDOTcom (Change At to @ and DOT to . )

with further questions if you have them.

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions on Theme of Climate Crisis: The Massachusetts Review

Call for Submissions: Climate Crisis Special Issue

This year, for publication in December 2021, the Massachusetts Review is putting together a special issue focused on the climate crisis, climate refugees, and eco-literature. We seek work from international as well as U.S. writers, and plan to present perspectives on the environmental frontlines around the world, particularly the experience of those whose lives have explicitly been affected by climate change.  

As the world finally begins to grapple with human-caused climate change, MR believes that literature can elicit empathy as well as understanding, and that it can inspire action. The special issue seeks writers who confront aspects of climate change in a variety of genres—poetry, manifestos, essays, and stories, including speculative fiction and hybrid forms—with a particular focus on the voices and experiences of climate refugees, environmental migrants, and others who are experiencing the disaster firsthand. We invite work from emerging writers as well as established voices. 

Deadline: April 30, 2021

Submit your work here.

Writing Competition: SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest

From March 1 to May 16 2021 the SmokeLong editors will be considering your tightest, most compressed work for inclusion in our June double issue. If your micro is chosen, you’re guaranteed $100, but you could win much more. In this competition you will have the opportunity to enter one, two, or up to four micros.

The Judging

All entries are read blind by the SmokeLong editors. We make every effort to reply as quickly as possible even during competitions. This means you will probably receive a reply within one week if we have decided to pass on the story. If we are taking longer than one week, be encouraged. This means that your story has made it through to the second round of judging.

The Guidelines

• Word Count: 400 words or fewer

• Languages: English or any other language accompanied by an English translation. The story will be judged on the English text as well as the word count of the English text. Both the English and the original story must be previously unpublished. Translator and author will split the prize money equally.

• Only previously unpublished work will be considered.

• Entrants must be 18 or older.

• Fiction, non-fiction, and hybrid narratives are considered.

• The line between prose and poetry is often a blurry one especially in micro narratives, but please take into consideration that SmokeLong does not consider poetry.

• Please use a legible font. Single-spacing is fine.

• All identifying information must be removed from your entry (the story itself). Our editors read blind and have no access to cover letters. Please put your bio in your cover letter; remove your name from the story, filename, and page headers.

• This should go without saying, but SmokeLong is eager to amplify the voices of under-represented writers.

• Write something you love.

The Prizes

Grand Prize: $1500
Second Place: $500
Third Place: $300
Finalists: $100
All the above will be published in the June 2021 issue of SmokeLong Quarterly.

Entry Fees

$6 for one micro
$10 for two micros
$16 for up to four micros

Enter here.

Call for Submissions from Young Creatives, Aged 13-25: BreakBread Literacy Project

 

BreakBread Magazine Seeks Young Creatives 13-25

Deadline: Rolling

BreakBread Magazine is a magazine for all young creatives between the ages of 13 and 25. We are always looking for vivid, timely poetry, nonfiction, short stories, comics, and visual arts (photography, illustrated narratives, and hybrid work) that explore new directions in arts and letters.

Submissions are always free. Go here to send us your work.

Check out our website for more information.

Call for Creative Nonfiction Submissions: Plane Tree

Plane Tree Seeks Creative Nonfiction for 3rd Issue

Deadline: April 15, 2021

Plane Tree, a newish literary journal edited by the creative writing faculty at Indiana State University, seeks creative nonfiction up to 5,000 words for its 3rd issue. We do not charge submission fees. 

 

Writing Competition: Narrative

A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge.

Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15,000 words of prose with a $27 entry fee by March 31.

All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Call for Submissions: Gumshoe Review

Short Story Submissions: Gumshoe Review is now open to accept short original fiction. What were looking for in stories is a complete mystery in 1,000 words or less. We don't want character studies or mood pieces. We'd like it to lean towards noir but being a mystery -- telling a story is actually more important.

The short stories should be no longer than 1,000 words.

Pay will be 5 cents per word to a maximum of $50 (so if the story is longer you still only get $50). 

Our plan is to publish one short story per month. Stories should be sent as plain text within the body of an email or as a .txt, .pdf (not password protected), .doc, or .wp attachment to:

editorATgumshoereviewDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

Please use the subject line "Gumshoe Short Story Submission". 

We will acknowledge receipt of the story immediately but it may take us longer to respond about whether we will use the story in an upcoming month. Unfortunately, until we see what type of response we get we won't be able to estimate response time. Please include a short bio with the story. Works should be original and unpublished.

What are we looking for? Our Senior Editor put it quite succinctly: "We're looking for stories where the investigator is the protagonist, or at least a significant character, and the focus is on solving a solving a crime, or getting someone out of a jam, or seeking some sort of justice."

~~~

Nonfiction Essays Submissions: Gumshoe Review is now open to accept nonfiction essays on topics of interest to readers, writers, and students of the mystery genre. The essays should be no longer than 1,000 words.

Pay will be 5 cents per word to a maximum of $50 (so if the essay is longer you still only get $50).

Our plan is to publish one essay per month. Essays should be sent as plain text within the body of an email or as a .txt, .pdf (not password protected), .doc, or .wp attachment to:

editorATgumshoereviewDOTcom (Please change AT to @ and DOT to . )

Please use the subject line "Gumshoe Essay Submission". 

We will acknowledge receipt of the essay immediately but it may take us longer to respond about whether we will use the essay in an upcoming month. Unfortunately, until we see what type of response we get we won't be able to estimate response time. Please include a short bio with the essay particularly mentioning your qualifications in the field. Works should be original and unpublished.

Call for "Hard-as-Nails" Crime Fiction: All Due Respect

Submissions are open.

Hard-as-nails crime fiction. About 1500-5000 words.  

No reprints. Pay is $25. Send an email to:

allduerespectAToutlookDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

with the story attached as a Word document. Please submit only one story per month.

Stories will appear in the monthly zine. As we will only have one story per month, there will be no repeat authors in the same year.

Stories will also be collected into an annual anthology published by Down & Out Books.

Simultaneous submissions are fine.

If you haven't heard back from us in about six weeks, feel free to follow up.

Editors: Chris Rhatigan and David Nemeth

Writing Competition: 2021 Prime Number Magazine Awards for Poetry and Short Fiction

 

2021 Prime Number Magazine Awards for Poetry and Short Fiction

Deadline: March 31, 2021

$1,000 first prize in each category plus publication in Prime Number Magazine. 

Reading fee $15.

Poetry judged by Stacy R. Nigliazzo, author of Sky the Oar and Scissored Moon. Short Fiction judged by Dennis McFadden, author of Jimtown Road, winner of the 2016 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction.

Open January 1 to March 31.

Submit online through Submittable. Details here.

Call for Submissions: Allium, A Journal of Poetry and Prose

Call for Submissions: Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose

Deadline: April 2, 2021

Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose is an online and print journal currently seeking fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions. Allium publishes diverse creative voices, recognized and emerging writers, and a variety of forms and genres from the traditional to the experimental. Visit our website for further submission information.

Call for Submissions: The Hole in the Head Review

 

You Need This Like a Hole In The Head

Deadline: April 9, 2021

The Hole in the Head Review is a vibrant online journal of poetry and art that is attracting an international audience and submissions from new and established poets, including Richard Blanco, Denise Duhamel, Richard Foerster, Kimberly Cloutier Green, Larkin Warren, Marie Harris, Michael Hettich, Marilyn A. Johnson, Maurya Kerr, Stuart Kestenbaum, Kenneth Rosen, Betsy Sholl, Charles Simic, David Weiss, J.D. Whitney, and Baron Wormser, plus a host of photographers, painters, collagists, textile and tattoo artists...even lure makers.

Call for Submissions on Theme of Migration and Movement: the Decolonial Passage

Call for Submissions: Migration and Movement

Deadline: March 31, 2021

Decolonial Passage accepts writing from writers of all backgrounds engaged in the decolonial project regardless of race, origin, gender, disability, or geographical location. Simultaneously, our emphasis is on writing that centers African, African-American, and Black Diaspora writing. In addition to our rolling submissions, our first issue to be published June 2021 will focus on Migration and Movement. Send us your essays, creative nonfiction, short stories, flash fiction, and poems on the topics of migration, immigration, forced removal, the Middle Passage, the Great Migration, Windrush, The Wall, gentrification, etc.

Details here.

Call for Submissions on Theme of Turmoil and Recovery: American Writers Review

SAN FEDELE PRESS ANNOUNCES:

AMERICAN WRITERS REVIEW: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS AND CONTEST ENTRIES FOR 2021 THEMED ISSUE:

TURMOIL AND RECOVERY

For our first themed issue, American Writers Review 2021 - Turmoil and Recovery, we want to reflect the world as it has tumbled around in the recent past. As we discovered with Art in the Time of COVID-19, hardship and fear can release creativity, beauty and power.

As of this writing, the pandemic continues, killing record numbers of people. Moreover, countries that had enjoyed democratic governments are facing authoritarian attacks. Divisions run through the fabric of our homes, our families, our nations. At the same moment, there are wellsprings of hope, love, and connection.

We would like to share your experiences, your turmoil and recovery, your hopes and disappointments, in words and images. Please read the submission guidelines carefully before submitting.

We welcome submissions of previously unpublished poems, short stories, creative non-fiction, art, and photography, and welcome contributions from anywhere in the world. Our recent issues have featured contributions from England, Scotland, Australia, China, Israel, the Philippines, as well as the United States.

If your piece has appeared in an online or print journal, it is not "unpublished." Submissions can be sent to us through our Online Submission Manager. We will not accept emailed or snail mailed submissions.

Follow the instructions on the submission page carefully.

Regular submissions will be accepted from January 2021, to April 15 2021. We charge a small reading fee of $5 to defray our costs. Payment is in contributor's electronic copies. Entries must be in English, double-spaced in Word or RTF format. Art and photography must be in JPEG format, 200-300 dpi, suitable for black and white reproduction. While we expect to produce an e-book format in color, our print journal is black and white only.

The contest is open all writers, of any experience level. Written entries must be in English, double-spaced in Word or RTF format, Art and photography must be in JPEG format, 200-300 dpi, suitable for black and white reproduction. While we expect to produce an e-book format in color, our print journal is black and white only.

Contest submissions will only be accepted until March 31 2021. There is a single cash prize of $250, based on the judges' scores, plus publication of the winner and runners-up. There is a $15 fee to defray our costs. For contest entries only: Please do not include identifying information on your contest submissions, except in the section of the submission manager marked “cover letter.” If we see identifying information anywhere else, we will disqualify your submission and not refund your fee.

For both contest and regular submissions, we are looking for previously unpublished work, well-written with a human sensibility. Excerpts are acceptable, but they must work as stand-alone pieces. We reserve the right to edit for punctuation, sense and length.

Few things are complete turn-offs, but porn, excessive gore, and gratuitous violence are a few. Work aimed at a children's audience is likewise not a good fit for us.

All authors grant first serial rights.

Again, submissions must be in English, double-spaced, in Word or RTF format.

Simultaneous submissions: Of course, you do it. Everyone does it. Just let us know as soon as you can if you have been accepted elsewhere. If you want to enter a piece in the contest and as a regular submission, you are, of course, free to do so.

Any questions, please email us at:

info@sanfedelepress.com 

FICTION GUIDELINES: Submit only one story at a time. American Writers Review seeks distinctive, character-driven stories of 2500 or fewer words. While we are not dogmatic about genre, we do not want porn, children’s fiction, or things that will make us retch without a really good reason. Put “Fiction” and the title of your piece in the “Title” field of the entry form.

Flash Fiction (500 or fewer words) is welcome. Three flash pieces can be submitted at once, but mark your submission as flash in the title line. Put "Flash" and all titles of submitted pieces in the title field.

POETRY GUIDELINES: Submit no more than three poems at a time. While we do not have a strict word limit for poetry, we do not encourage you to submit epics (think “The Illiad”) or multi part structures (“Spoon River Anthology” is many poems, not one). Also, please note that we publish in 6"x9" format. If your poems do not fit that format, consider how they can be accommodated. Put “Poetry” and the title of your piece in the “Title” field of the entry form

NONFICTION GUIDELINES: Submit only one work at a time. We welcome submissions in personal essay, memoir, literary journalism, and experimental nonfiction. We prefer submissions shorter than 2500 words. Put “NonFiction” and the title of your piece in the “Title” field of the entry form

PHOTOGRAPHY AND OTHER ART GUIDELINES:

While the journal will be printed in black and white, you are welcome to submit color and black and white photographs and digital copies of drawings and paintings. Art and photography must be in JPEG format, 200-300 dpi, suitable for black and white reproduction. While we expect to produce an e-book format in color, our print journal is black and white only.

Put “Photography” or “Art” and the title of your piece in the “Title” field of the entry form.

Submit your work here.

Writing Competition: MAYDAY Fiction and Poetry Prizes

MAYDAY Fiction and Poetry Prizes

Extended Deadline: March 31, 2021

MAYDAY has extended the submission deadline for the annual fiction and poetry prizes. Winners receive $1,000, publication, and 25 broadsides of the winning poem or an excerpt from the winning story. Use the online submission system to submit up to 3 poems for the poetry prize or up to 6,000 words for the fiction prize.

$20 entry fee. All entries considered for publication.

Jacques Rancourt will judge the poetry prize and Kali Wallace the fiction prize. For more info, visit our website.

Call for Slush Readers: The Colored Lens

The Colored Lens is once again looking to expand our staff. We are looking for a first reader to help us keep up with the submissions we receive.

 

We pride ourselves on our 100% personal responses, and aim to have a 48 hour response time for rejections. To do this, we ask readers to read 9-10 stories a week and provide short personalized responses that include both positive features and the reasons it’s being rejected.

 

Stories are typically in the 3000-5000 word range, but we accept stories as long as 20,000 words. Slush reading is handled on an “as able” basis, meaning that whenever a reader has time, that team member logs into the database and selects the next unread story. If a reader doesn’t have time to read on a particular day, they simply don’t read any. We do ask that readers be able to read most days of the week, though.

 

All of us at The Colored Lens are volunteers, so this isn’t a paid position. Reading does give you insights into the editorial process, however, and is a good opportunity to gain experience and insights into how the industry works.

 

If you are interested in the position, please review the stories on our site and send an email stating that you are interested in applying. In your application, give us a short overview of your writing experience as well as providing a short story writing sample. You can include the actual story or a link to a published piece. If you have previously submitted a story to us, you can simply give us the title. We’ll confirm the email within 24 hours.

 

Once we have confirmed, please review the stories on our site and let us know one or two of your favorites. Please include very brief commentary on what you liked about the pieces.

 

Then write a sample rejection for two to three of them that you don’t like as well. Please ensure the mock rejections are personalized to the respective authors.

 

Both the initial contact email and the email with the reviewed stories should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief:

 

dawnATthecoloredlensDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

 

This post will remain active until the post is filled. However, if you’d like to send us a short statement of interest before sending a full application, we’ll know to wait for your application before making a final decision.

Call for Submissions: The American Journal of Poetry

The American Journal of Poetry: The International Review of Poetry

Deadline: Rolling

Join the ranks of John Ashbery, Wang Ping, Cole Swensen, Stephen Dunn, Shara McCallum, Denise Duhamel, Paul Mariani, William Logan, Nance Van Winckel, X.J. Kennedy, Ted Kooser, Emmylou Harris, W.D. Snodgrass, Troy Jollimore, Barbara Hamby, David Kirby, Ross Gay, Kim Addonizio, Robert Wrigley and thousands more from the renowned to those published for the very first time. International poets welcomed heartily. “STRONG Rx MEDICINE”.

Now reading for Volume XI. Replies within 15 business days.

Call for Submissions: Crack the Spine

We’re looking for solid writing. Chip-your-teeth-on-it writing. Punched-in-the-throat writing. Don’t-care-if-it’s-funny-or-sad-or-sarcastic-so-long-as-it-makes-us-react writing. We publish what we like. It’s as simple as that. For more information about our aesthetic and history, check out editor Kerri Farrell Foley’s Interview with “Six Questions.” 

All submissions must be received via our Submittable online portal. Review the category guidelines carefully. We currently have several publication opportunities. Please review the following categories to determine where your work fits in with Crack the Spine. We currently do not offer payment to contributors. If you are sending multiple pieces, please send them as a single submission.

CRACK THE SPINE DIGITAL LITERARY MAGAZINE

This is where it all began with Crack the Spine. We publish a new digital literary magazine every two weeks filled with brilliant short stories, poetry, essays, flash fiction, microfiction, and art. We accept submissions on a rolling basis throughout the year. If you are published in one of our digital issues, you are automatically eligible to be accepted for one of our “Best Of” Anthologies, which we publish twice each year. These print anthologies compile the best submissions from our ongoing digital issues into a stunning print edition.

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions: Bitter Oleander Press

As always, your work should be as imaginative as possible, not bound by any conventional attitudes outside yourself, while inspiring yourself as you write. Once you've done that, slip those exact poems (no more than eight please) or pieces of fiction into the appropriate file and attach it for our consideration.
If you're submitting pieces of short, imaginative fiction, keep in mind that your MAXIMUM WORD COUNT SHOULD BE AROUND THE 2500 MARK.

Our response time is approximately one month and we read the entire year except for July when we take a break until we come up for air and begin again in August.

Our site provides our readership with news, contest deadlines, submission guidelines, new book information and future publications of special quality. Please feel free to navigate through each category and direct any comments or questions you might have by clicking here.

Submit your work here.

We also recommend that you seek out or order a past issue of The Bitter Oleander to gain some insight into the kinds of short fiction and poetry we consistently publish.

Other than that, we always wish you much luck with your work!

Call for Submissions: Choeofpleirn Press

CHOEOFPLEIRN PRESS SEEKS SUBMISSIONS of poetry, creative essays, scholarly essays, 1-act plays, short screenplays, art, and photography for publication in our summer journal, Glacial Hills Review, and our autumn journal, Rushing Thru the Dark.

Deadlines are May 30 and August 29 respectively.

For details, visit our website.

Call for Submissions: The American Journal of Nursing

AJN, THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NURSING (print circulation 80,000 and digital editions), seeks poems, “flash” fiction, and visual art related to health or health care for its Art of Nursing department. Authors need not be health care professionals. Original perspectives and clear, unsentimental writing are preferred.

$150 honorarium paid upon publication.

Query Art of Nursing coordinator before submitting (use “Art of Nursing” in subject line):

 diane.szulecki@wolterskluwer.com.

Call for Submissions to Anthology: Coolest American Stories Anthology

RECENTLY FOUNDED, ANNUAL Coolest American Stories Anthology seeks engaging, courageous, empathetic, down-to-earth short stories written by people from all walks of life. No nominations required; unpublished, previously published fine—novel excerpts considered.

 

Pays $100.

 

Send us that vibrant story that’s “not quite right” for others. CASA: “where storytelling thrives.”

Call for Submissions to Anthology from BIPOC writers: Woodhall Press

ANTHOLOGY: WOODHALL PRESS SEEKS true narratives of 300 words or less from BIPOC writers who self-identify as women for Nonwhite and Woman: 153 Micro Essays on Being in the World to be published Spring 2022. 

 

Editor: Darien Hsu Gee. 

 

Emerging and established writers welcome. Previously published work accepted—include prior pub info. 

 

Deadline: April 30. Details here.

 

E-mail questions to:

 

madeleine@woodhallpress.com

Call for Submissions: Caesura

 

CÆSURA REQUESTS SUBMISSIONS of poetry, fiction (science fiction, nonfiction, flash), and all visual art forms, from March 1 to June 1, for 2 unique volumes, 1 print, 1 online.

 

No fees.

 

To read the call and guidelines, view online editions, and order print editions, go here.

Writing Competition: Fractured Lit

We invite writers to submit to the Fractured Lit Anthology 1 Prize from February 19 to April 19, 2021. Guest judge Kathy Fish will choose 20 prize winners from a shortlist. We're excited to offer the 20 winners of this prize $250, publication, and 5 contributor copies of the printed anthology. All entries will be considered for publication.    Judged by Kathy Fish Kathy Fish has published five collections of short fiction, most recently Wild Life: Collected Works from 2003-2018. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in Ploughshares, Copper Nickel, Washington Square Review, and numerous other journals, textbooks, and anthologies. Fish’s “Collective Nouns for Humans in the Wild,” was selected for Best American Nonrequired Reading 2018 and the current edition of The Norton Reader. Her newsletter, The Art of Flash Fiction, provides monthly craft articles and writing prompts and is free to all. Subscribe here. Fractured Lit is looking for flash fiction that lingers long past the first reading. We're searching for flash that investigates the mysteries of being human, the sorrow, and the joy of connecting to the diverse population around us. We want the stories that explode vertically, the flash that leaves the conventional and the clichéd far behind. Fractured Lit is a flash fiction–centered place for all writers of any background and experience.   Good luck and happy writing!   Guidelines Your $20 reading fee allows up to two stories of 1,000 words or fewer each per entry. If submitting two stories, please put them both in a SINGLE document. We allow multiple submissions. Each set of two flash stories should have a separate submission accompanied by a reading fee. Flash Fiction only. 1,000 word count per individual story is the maximum amount of words. We only consider unpublished work for contests. We do not review reprints, including self-published work. Simultaneous submissions are okay. Please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing. All entries will also be considered for publication in Fractured Lit. Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 pt font. Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable). International submissions are welcome, but we only read work in English. We do not read blind. The judge will read anonymously from the shortlist. Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions: Waterwheel Review

 

Please help us spread the word to your writer friends that Waterwheel Review is reading for our final issue of Season 1!

We publish three pieces of writing per month, without labeling by genre. And we take great care to create a rich art experience per issue. Each author's piece is accompanied by companions drawn from photography, film, painting, sculpture, mixed media, music, dance, and more. Our goal is to celebrate art in all its forms, to provide a space to bear witness in multiple ways, to connect written art with other art forms without being governed by traditional rules. We celebrate our authors, nominate for prizes, and consider publishing written art our purpose and privilege.

Our latest issue, March 2021, is here. 

Submissions are free, run through Submittable, and considered blind. Please do not indicate the genre of your piece anywhere in your submission.

Call for Chapbook Submissions: Glass Poetry Press

Glass Poetry Press is Open for Fee-Free Chapbook Submissions

Deadline: March 31, 2021

Glass Poetry Press is now reading fee free submissions for the 2021-2022 Glass Chapbook Series from March 1 through March 31. Manuscripts should be between 15 to 25 pages (give or take). Previous chapbook authors include Chen Chen, Sam Herschel Wein, Logan February, Gaia Rajan, Noor Ibn Najam, Adeeba Shahid Talukder, and Jennifer Givhan.

There is no fee to submit.  

Authors receive fifteen free copies of their chapbook, 15% royalties on all sales of their chapbook, and a copy of the other 2021-222 chapbooks. GPP highly encourage submissions from underrepresented voices.

Writing Competition: Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

 

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee)

Deadline: April 1, 2021

20th year. Top prize: $2,000. Total prizes: $3,500. Sponsored by Winning Writers, co-sponsored by Duotrope, and recommended by Reedsy. Winning entries published online. 

Submit one humor poem online, up to 250 lines long. Both published and unpublished work accepted. Final judge: Jendi Reiter. 

Enter for free here.

Call for Submissions: Sky Island Journal

 

Deadline: March 31, 2021

Sky Island Journal is an independent, international, free-access literary journal dedicated to publishing the finest poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction. We publish accomplished, well-established authors—side by side—with fresh, emerging voices. We provide over 80,000 readers in 145 countries with a powerful, focused, advertising-free literary experience that transports them: one that challenges them intellectually and moves them emotionally. We publish quarterly, and our average response time is 9 days. Every submission receives a prompt, respectful response detailing what we appreciated.

Enjoy our previous issues, and submit to our stunning Issue 16 before midnight on March 31st here.

Writing Competition: Flying South 2021

Flying South 2021 Call for Submissions - $2000 in Prizes

Deadline: May 31, 2021

$2,000 in prizes. From March 1 to May 31, Flying South 2021, a publication of Winston Salem Writers, will be accepting entries for prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. Best in Category winners will be published and receive $500 each. One of the three winners will receive The WSW President's Favorite award and win an additional $500. 

All entries will be considered for publication. For full details, please visit our website.