Writing Residency for Single Parents: The Old Knitting Factory

Join us in the beauty and peace of Connemara on the west coast of Ireland by applying for an Arts or Rest Residency at The Old Knitting Factory. Paid residencies are open to applications from everyone, not just single parents! Your time here will help support the space’s mission, and I am so grateful.

All residencies include six nights’ stay in The Old Knitting Factory’s lakeside guest space, including a kitchenette, en suite bathroom, living room, and private entrance. Accommodation includes a double-single bunk bed, so there is space for up to three people; the space is designed for a single parent and up to two children, but adults are welcome to share the space as well.  

Residencies run from Monday (3 pm check-in) to Sunday (11 am check-out) year-round, beginning in June 2026.

Arts Residencies include two hours of private mentorship with New York Times bestselling author and The Old Knitting Factory founder Betsy Cornwell, and are priced at €1000 plus VAT. Rest Residencies do not include mentorship and are priced at €800 plus VAT.

You can also book accommodation for up to three people in our residency space for €170 per night plus VAT, with a three-night minimum.

Please note that fully funded residencies are open for application only in May, using a separate form. I usually receive over 100 applications for each funded residency I’m able to offer.

If you are interested in funding an Arts Residency or Rest Residency for a single parent, I’d be thrilled to hear from you! You can offer a one-time sponsorship using the form below, or offer monthly or annual support through The Old Knitting Factory’s Patreon page. Go raibh maith agat: thank you so much!

More information and application form here. 

Call for Submissions: Vernacular Journal

 

Submissions

Vernacular Journal enthusiastically welcomes submissions on anything and everything that falls under the theme of vernacular. This theme is expansive and we’re open to a very wide range of interpretations. If you’re unsure if your work is a fit for Vernacular, please get in touch.

FORMAT:

Anything that can be displayed online: non-fiction, fiction, art, photography, music, poetry, comics, interviews, dream interpretation, a playlist, a menu for a nonexistent restaurant, etc. The weirder the better.

A reasonable word count for written pieces is maximum 1500 - 2000 words.

PROCESS:

The journal publishes 4 editions a year, on a seasonal basis (Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring).

The deadline to submit for the Spring 2026 edition is May 17, 2026.

Please send your submission(s) to:

vernacularjournal@gmail.com

If you’re submitting a written piece, we encourage you to send along any accompanying photos or pictures as well. Public Domain Review and Wellcome Collection Library are both amazing sources for creative commons images.

Please note that we do not pay for contributions. Licensing-wise, all copyrights are retained by you, the creator.

Call for Submissions: Creation Magazine

 

Deadline: Sep. 1, 2026 

Creation Magazine is a Tampa-based literary and arts journal publishing twice a year. Each issue explores a unique theme, welcoming fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, literary criticism, art, photography, interviews, and book reviews—work that resonates, sparks conversation, and leaves an impression.

We strive to uncover fresh, bold voices and push the boundaries of storytelling and art. We’re here to spark new ideas, celebrate unique perspectives, and give space to work that makes you think, feel, and maybe even question everything.

Originally, our magazine's name—Creation—was inspired by ecofeminism, a philosophy that sees nature's regenerative power and the creative force of femininity as inextricably linked.

Today, that foundation remains at our core; each spring, we embrace a new feminist theme, using it as a lens to explore the evolving narratives of womanhood and creative expression. For our tenth volume, we are seeking vulnerable, diverse literary and artistic works inspired by the creator's experiences with empowerment, exploration, socio-cultural boundaries, and complex interpersonal relationships. We are pursuing works that engage with women, femininity, gender, social criticism, cultural themes, and discussions of equity at their core.

Genres accepted for this issue are poetry (including but not limited to short-form, comic strip poetry, blackout, prose poetry, blank verse, and free verse), fiction (including but not limited to flash, micro, speculative, and general fiction), creative nonfiction, social commentary, and short screenplays. 

• We are not accepting full-length manuscripts or works longer than approximately 5,000 words for this volume. We welcome all styles and forms, from lyric to experimental, traditional to hybrid.

• Poems should engage with the theme in creative, unexpected ways—whether through personal reflection, political vision, or speculative imagining.

• We accept only original, unpublished fiction and nonfiction.

• Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please notify us immediately if any of the works in your submission are accepted elsewhere.

• We do not accept previously published work.

• We are also seeking art pieces, including but not limited to photography, collage, paintings, digital art, and canvas works, to be featured as the volume's cover art. Please ensure your submission is of adequate digital quality before submitting. We accept digital and traditional artwork, including illustration, photography, painting, collage, and mixed media.

• Artwork should fit the 8.5 x 11-inch cover format (portrait orientation).

• Submissions must be high-resolution (300 dpi minimum; PNG or JPEG preferred).

• Please include a short artist statement (100-200 words) about how your work connects to the theme.

• Selected artwork will be featured as the cover of our printed issue.

We do not accept AI-generated art.

If you are unsure whether your piece meets our criteria, feel free to submit, and you will hear back from us sometime after our submission window closes.

Submit your work here. 

Micro-chapbook Writing Competition: Inch

 

We’re looking for your short, short collections—a minimum of three stories or essays, or a constellation of poems, between 10-13 pages in length.​.. read these guidelines first.

Inch celebrates concision, brevity, and the remarkable work such constraints can inspire. When choosing to submit, writers are asked to consider the size and shape of Inch as it imposes constraints not only the length of pieces, but also the actual length of individual lines (for poets).

Up to 75% of the pieces in your collection may be previously published, but we do require that at least 25% of the pieces be unpublished (and not yet under contract) at the time of acceptance.

Include a title page with your contact information, a table of contents, an acknowledgements page (if needed), and an “about the author” page, none of which will count toward your 10-13 pages of creative work.

Each year, we choose one manuscript from each of our three genres:

Fiction: Flash fiction. Microfiction. Sudden fiction. Call it what you will; Inch loves to see cohesive groupings of short-short fiction. Submit your collection of a minimum of three stories in double-spaced format, 10-13 double-spaced pages in length.

Nonfiction: Our theory is, if life is too short, as most agree it is, you shouldn’t need our full sixteen pages for a single essay. Submit your collection of a minimum of three essays in double-spaced format, 10-13 double-spaced pages in length.

Poetry: We’ve always loved the brevity of poetry. Though we no longer have a line limit, we’re still looking for poems that celebrate compression. Submit your collection with each single-spaced poem beginning on a new page, 10-13 single-spaced pages in length.

To lift up our local literary community, we publish a fourth collection by a North Carolina writer each year:

In the genre tab of our submissions portal, select “Inch submission: NC author microchap (all genres)”

Include the genre of your submission in the title field (i.e. “nonfiction: Solving for X”).

In the comments feature, briefly explain your connection to North Carolina.

You do not need to re-submit your work in one of the three genres above.

No fee.

We accept electronic submissions through our online submissions manager from March 15 to April 15 each year. (Please note: this is a new submissions manager, established in 2025.) Submit your work online, and you will be able to log in and check the status of your submission at any time. Because we are an all-volunteer operation, reading times for submissions vary based on the number of manuscripts each volunteer can carefully read while still attending to their day-to-day responsibilities. A minimum of 90 days will pass before we’ve assembled a long list of potential manuscripts to consider. Typically, final results are announced after August 1st.

Simultaneous submissions are just fine, but of course, you gotta promise to withdraw your manuscript if it’s accepted elsewhere.

Call for Submissions on Theme of "Hunger": Version Originale

The theme of the fourth issue of Version Originale is Hunger. As always, we welcome a wide range of interpretations of this theme, whether it’s a strictly food-driven approach or a more metaphorical desire. Let your creativity be your guide!

We invite submissions of short stories and memoirs, literary essays and poems.

We accept submissions in French or English. The sporadic use of words or phrases in other languages is accepted.

This issue is guest edited by Emily Monaco, a culinary journalist, professor of French food and culture, and food tour guide in Paris.

Overview

Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting. All submissions will be reviewed by the Version Originale Editorial team. We strongly encourage prospective contributors to read our previous issues to get a sense of our voice and values.

All submissions must clearly engage with the theme of this issue. Submissions that do not follow the guidelines will not be read.

Theme: Hunger

Length:

Fiction and literary nonfiction contributions: 2500 words maxPoems: 120 lines (including breaks)

Format:

Word documents only

File Name: Title of submission_language_issue.docx

(ex: My Poem_English_VO4.docx)

Please include the title of your submission on the first page

To ensure a fair and unbiased review, submissions will be read blind. Please do not include your name, bio, or any identifying information in your submission document itself.

Submission Period:

Opens: February 5, 2026

Closes: March 31, 2026

Announcements:

Accepted contributors will be contacted via email by the beginning of May 2026. We pay contributors a fee of 50€ for each submission.

Mission Statement

Version Originale is an inclusive and intersectional literary magazine based in Paris for multilingual readers. The magazine gathers essays, short stories, poems, and more, presented in their original language. The texts feature queer, feminist, and identity narratives. We look for submissions that uphold and celebrate our values.

Writing Competition: The Beautiful Pause Nonfiction Prizes

THE PRIZE is open for nonfiction MANUSCRIPTS AND PITCHES! November 15, 2025 - May 1st 2026

the beautiful pause prize…

is a yearly prize of $1,000 and the print publication of a full-length manuscript awarded to a writer of exceptional talent and heart.

One runner-up will receive $500 and publication of an excerpt in one of our biannual print volumes. 

 

Submissions open for NONFICTION manuscripts and pitches NOVEMBER 15TH, 2025 through may 1st, 2026. 

 

Guidelines

• 18 and older to submit.

• This contest is judged by Press Pause editors, and submissions are anonymized.

Please submit complete manuscripts of up to 120,000 words or pitches (yes!)…More info below.

• Only one attachment/manuscript per submission. A single author may submit multiple times but must pay the $25 reading fee for each submission.

• Remove any identifying information from your manuscript or pitch. If your name is anywhere on your manuscript or pitch, it will not be considered.

• Re: Essay collections: It is okay if some essays are published elsewhere separately, but not if they have been published as a collection before. Nonfiction collections should be cohesive.

• Re: Full manuscripts: Anything goes here. However, we should say that we tend to lean away from fully academic works.

• Re: Pitches: Pitch us ideas that wake you up in a frenetic haze in the mornings or keep you up at night. Give us an outline of what you plan to write, why it matters to you, why it should matter to readers, and an introductory 25-50 pages. If a pitch is accepted as the prize-winner, publication timeline may vary. If winning on a pitch, you will receive $300 upon winning, then the remaining $700 when the first draft is complete.

Why are we allowing pitches?

Nonfiction has always had two lives: the finished book and the wiry idea that starts it all. For decades, writers brought sketches of stories into cigarette-smoke-filled newsrooms and editorial meetings, sometimes just a spark of a scene or a single wavering question. And from there, whole articles, whole books were born. We want to honor that tradition by welcoming both full manuscripts and the raw beginnings that keep writers awake at night.

Is it fair? We don’t know. But we believe nonfiction deserves to be judged in the spirit in which it is offered. Some projects arrive whole, others begin as sparks. We will hold space for both. (We’re even considering doing the same for our fiction prize next year, so that our fiction writers get to experience the thrill of throwing an idea out in hopes of support.)

Judging Criteria:

• Full manuscripts: coherence, voice, readiness for publication.

• Pitches: originality, urgency, and feasibility of expansion into a book-length project.

What Makes a Beautiful Pause?

We are looking for original, honest, beautiful nonfiction from humans. We have no gates to keep. Haunt us from every corner of every place. Send us thoughtful essays, narratives, and collections (and pitches for those) that make us pause, slow down, think, laugh, cry, and feel more connected to our fellow humans. As we always say: Send us whatever is in your hearts.
publishing with us

Dear Future Beautiful Pause Winner:

We love you.

Your manuscript will be treated with respect, with you at the helm of the editing process. We will copyedit your manuscript in suggestion mode, and maybe provide a few thoughts on developmental edits that you can take or leave. You will be able to extensively proof your work before publication.

We are fans of the feel of beautiful books in our hands. We don’t print anything that isn’t beautiful.

You will receive your monetary prize immediately upon winning and 25 contributor copies when printed. You will receive royalties on all sales.

Because we do not have a social media account—(We’re Press Pause!)—we will also work with you to market your book and put a small budget behind doing so.

Questions? Email:

 

se.harsha@presspausepress.org

 

Submit your entry here. 

Call for Submissions: Does It Have Pockets?

 

What We Want

We are looking for original fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. We also welcome interviews, book reviews, and other literary adjacent projects. Of particular interest are digital art, hybrid, and cross-genre works that straddle the lines of classification. We are not open to AI generated work at this time.

Submission Specifics

Categories

Poetry: a minimum of 3 poems and a maximum of 5 poems. Note: we rarely publish poems that run over 3 typed pages.

Creative Nonfiction: up to 5K words.

Fiction: up to 5K words. We welcome flash fiction up to 1,000 words. You may send 5 flash pieces (up to 5K words) in a single document.

Artwork: 6 -10 images sized 1080x1080 pixels submitted as a jpeg.

Please limit submissions to two (over all categories) until we’ve replied.

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know in your cover letter. We appreciate timely notification if a piece under consideration has been accepted elsewhere. We generally accept sets of poetry and cannot guarantee publication if the full set is not available.

Please wait two months after receiving a response before submitting again.

Formatting

We prefer standard formatting and Times New Roman 12 pt font. We will do our best to retain poetry formatting within the limits of our online platform.

We will be glad to look at previously published work (reprints) as long as:

You have the rights;

It has been at least 24 months since published online or three months if published in a small print-only run, and;

You provide the prior publication credit at submission.

Submissions Fee: We charge a $3.00 submission fee.

These funds are used for artist payments and administrative costs (Submittable, website, etc.). We hold fee-free periods for the last two weeks of each February and August, to ensure cost is not a barrier for any writer.

Pitches are free. For periodic features or one-off interviews, reviews, etc., use the Pitch Pockets category. Please include an explanation of your idea, audience, intended frequency, and a writing sample.

Artwork submissions are free. Please use the Pitch Pockets submission category.

Rights

All rights remain with the author before, during, and after publication. We request non-exclusive permission to feature your work on our site, our social media channels, archives, and special projects (anthologies, collections, etc).

Payment

If published, we pay $10 per issue (including artwork). We understand this is nowhere near what writers/artists deserve, and we will raise rates as soon as we are able.

Response Time

Though we strive to make quick decisions, our team meets weekly to discuss each submission we receive. Subsequently, our response times will vary depending on submission queue volume. Please feel free to query if you have not received a decision within 90 days.

Content Warnings

DIHP may provide content warnings when publishing pieces that touch on the following subject matter:

• Sexual assault

• Abuse/child abuse

• Child loss

• Abortion

• Self harm/suicide

• Excessive Violence

• Eating disorders/body dysphoria

Looking for more detail? Read Duotrope’s interview with our editor-in-chief.

Submit here: https://doesithavepockets.submittable.com/submit