Call for Submissions: riverSedge

Since 1977, riverSedge has published the very best art and literature from the South Texas region and beyond. Past artists and authors include Barry Deutsch, Eleanor L. Bennett, Larry McMurtry, Rolando Hinojosa, Angela de Hoyos, Alurista, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Sandra Cisneros.

riverSedge is published annually and is now an online-only format, beginning with the 2020 issue . Electronic submissions only. If your work appears in our latest issue, please wait a year before submitting again.

 

riverSedge General Submission Guidelines:

• Submissions are open from October 1st to March 1st.

• $3 submission fee for all genres.

• 2 prizes of $350 will be awarded in poetry and prose. All entries, excluding reviews, interviews, and graphic literature, are eligible for contest prizes.

• Multiple submissions welcome in all genres. However, each submission should be uploaded as a separate entry. In other words, one story/essay/comic/script per $3 entry fee. For poetry, up to five poems per entry.
  

• Previously unpublished work only. Self-published written work (in print and/or on the web) is not eligible.

• Simultaneous submissions are welcome. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please withdraw your submission as soon as possible in its entirety or send us a message if it's only a specific poem.

• Submissions welcome in English, Spanish and anything in between.

• Our terms: we require First North American Serial Rights for all accepted work and non-exclusive print rights indefinitely for potential anthologies and promotional materials. Additionally, we require non-exclusive electronic rights indefinitely so we may include accepted works in potential online archives.

Current staff, faculty, and students of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or South Texas College cannot submit original work to riverSedge.

 

More information and submission links here.

Call for Submissions: F(r)iction

Thank you for your interest in submitting to F(r)iction!

Categories Accepted

• Short stories: 1,001 – 7,500 words

• Creative nonfiction: up to 6,500 words

• Flash fiction: (up to three pieces in the same document) up to 1,000 words per piece

• Poetry: (up to five poems in the same document) up the three pages per poem

Please visit our guidelines page to properly format your work for submission.

What We Look For in Submissions

Our editors have drafted up this fantastic page on our website to share what we look for in our submissions. We strongly recommend you read this and check out the examples before submitting to get an idea of our general publishing aesthetic.

We also highly recommend checking out a past issue of F(r)iction. We have several pieces available online, but there’s nothing like holding a glossy, full-color issue in your hands. You can check out all of our issues in our shop.

Our Submission Guidelines

We accept work, written in English, from anywhere in the world—regardless of genre, style, or origin—and welcome speculative writing and experimental literature.

We read all submissions anonymously. Please include your name and contact information in your cover letter only and remove any identifying information from both the submitted manuscript and the file name as well.

We accept, and encourage, simultaneous submissions and only ask that you withdraw your piece(s) using Submittable upon acceptance elsewhere.

There is a small reading fee for general F(r)iction submissions ($2.50), but authors accepted will be awarded payment for their work. Our staff is almost entirely comprised of volunteers, so this fee goes toward paying all the contributors who are printed in our beautiful pages. 

F(r)iction pays contributors $10 per final printed page, plus two contributor copies.

We edit every piece accepted for publication; for this collaborative process we will pair you with one of our Senior Editors. All our editors have been trained to help guide the development of each piece to reach its fullest potential in keeping with the author’s vision. This does not mean we will take on a wild jumble of words and half-formed musings. But it does mean that we value your work and want to help each piece to be as unforgettable as possible.

We respond to every submission as quickly as possible, usually within one or two months. 

Deadline: Aug. 30, 2025

For more information and submission links, go here.

Call for Submissions: Banshee

 

• Banshee welcomes submissions from both Irish and international writers of any background, including first-time writers. We welcome work from members of groups or communities typically under-represented within literature, whether or not the work addresses this.

• All submissions should be previously unpublished.

• Our guideline word count for stories and essays is max 5000 words. Flash fiction should be under 1000 words, poems no more than 40 lines.

• We are happy to read: one story or one essay or two flashes or up to four poems. Please only submit in one category per submissions period. 

• Submissions should be in one .doc or .docx attachment. Prose submissions should be double-spaced.

• Please include a third-person bio (max 50 words) in the body of your email. If you are sending a prose submission, please note the word count of the piece in the body of the email.

• Email to:

  subs dot bansheelit at gmail dot com (Change dot to . and at to @ )

  indicating the category of your submission in the subject line (e.g. Flash/Story/Essay/Poetry).

• We are happy to consider simultaneous submissions, but ask that you notify us as soon as your work is accepted elsewhere.

• Please note that we cannot offer feedback on unsuccessful submissions. 

  We believe in paying writers. We can offer contributors a small fee as well as a copy of the journal. 

  Deadline: October 31, 2024

  Submit your work here.  

Call for Submissions on Theme of "Trauma and the Body": Tendrils Journal

Tendrils (a new art and literature journal focused on trauma) is seeking submissions of visual art and short-form literature for its premiere issue.

The first edition of Tendrils will explore the profound theme of trauma and the body—how it’s held, manifested, and transmitted in physical form. We invite creators to interpret this theme in their unique way, whether conceptually in abstraction, or more realistically.

We aim to create a space where art and literature can intersect, offering a platform for voices that explore the nuanced and often difficult conversation around trauma.

We value and respect artists and their work and believe artists should be paid.

Each selected artist and writer will be paid a predetermined flat fee. We are currently researching what amount would be equitable with the help of resources such as W.A.G.E. Each selected artist will also receive at least one copy of the issue free of charge.

Deadline: Nov. 18, 2024

• Address the theme of trauma and the body

• Submitter must be 18 years old or older, and live in the US and/or its territories

• Artworks can be of any medium or size (if video or performance, please submit a still image)

• Artist Statement about how the work addresses the theme (between 100 and approximately 300 words)

• For art submissions: upload jpg (jpeg) files. The longest side should be no greater than 2000 pixels. Each file must be saved as “FirstnameLastname_Title”

• For literature submissions: upload pdf files. Each file must be saved as “FirstnameLastname_Title”

• Literature must be short-form (poetry, essay, short story, etc.), OR an excerpt from a long-form text. (max. 1000 words)

• Max 4 submissions will be reviewed. 

Submit your work here.

Writing Fellowship: Epiphany Magazine: The Fresh Voices Fellowship

The Fresh Voices Fellowship supports one or more emerging Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, or other writer of color who does not have an MFA and is not currently enrolled in a degree-granting creative writing program.

One or More Writers, in Prose or Poetry, Will Receive:

* A $2000 stipend
* Publication in a print issue of Epiphany
* A one-year subscription to Epiphany
* A close relationship with the editorial team and participate in the editorial and publication process of a small non-profit literary magazine
* The opportunity to contribute an online essay series during their fellowship 

Submission information here.

Writing Fellowship: Black Mountain Institute Shearing Fellowship

Shearing Fellowship
Applications will open September 15, 2024 and close at 11:59pm PT on November 1, 2024.

APPLY NOW 

For emerging and distinguished writers who have published at least one book with a trade or literary press, this fellowship includes:

• compensation of $46,500 paid over a nine-month period;

• a nine-month-long letter of appointment;

• eligibility for optional health coverage;

• office space in the BMI offices on the campus of UNLV;

• housing (fellows cover some utilities) in a unique and vibrant arts complex in the bustling district of downtown Las Vegas—home to The Writer’s Block, our city’s beloved independent bookstore; and

• recognition at BMI as a “Shearing Fellow.”

While there are no formal teaching requirements, this is a “working fellowship” located in Las Vegas. BMI’s visiting fellows will maintain office hours (10 per week), and will offer regular service to the community. In addition to the primary goal of furthering one’s own writing during their term in Las Vegas, visiting fellows are expected to engage in a substantial way with BMI’s community, in ways that connect to their interests and skills. Upon acceptance into the program, each fellow will craft a plan in partnership with BMI. This is equally weighted against the writing sample and proposed literary project for the residency. Here are some examples of activities a visiting fellow might pursue:

• Offer readings, craft talks, and other public presentations to the readers and writers of UNLV and Southern Nevada.

• Offer workshops or seminars.

• Curate events or programs.

• Provide support to one of BMI’s publications (e.g. judge contests or consult on editorial processes).

Please feel free to move beyond these examples in your application – BMI wants to find new ways to serve the Las Vegas community, especially beyond the UNLV campus.

Application details

Please submit: 

• A one- to three-page personal statement,* which includes 1) your interest in being part of the Las Vegas literary community, 2) a practical description of how you envision fulfilling your service hours and engaging the Las Vegas community, and 3) the writing project(s) you will work on while in residency.

• A writing sample (10 pages maximum,* double-spaced, 12 pt. font).

• A résumé or CV.

*Please respect the committee’s time by observing these guidelines and page limits.

Finalists will be asked to send copies of their books. (Applicants must have at least one book published by a trade or literary press.) Candidates are selected by a committee of staff and community members at BMI.

Writing Residency: Mesa Refuge

Mesa Refuge welcomes a diverse community of writers—both emerging and established—who define and/or offer solutions to the pressing issues of our time. Particularly, it is our priority to support writers, activists and artists whose ideas are “on the edge,” taking on the pressing issues of our time including (but not limited to): nature, environment and climate crisis; economic, racial and gender equity; social justice and restorative justice; immigration; health care access; housing; and more.

We especially want writers of nonfiction books, long-form journalism, audio and documentary film. Occasionally we accept poetry, fiction (Young Adult/Adult Literary), screenwriting and playwriting, photojournalism, personal memoirs (as a vehicle to tell a larger story) and graphic narrative. We tend not to accept academic writing. The potential impact and distribution of your project is also important.

We aim to support a diverse community of writers and welcome applicants that represent a broad spectrum of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, immigration status, religion or ability. Please see our DEI statement for more information about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

We have one application deadline during the year. The application is available on June 1, 2024 and the deadline is November 1, 2024 for residencies throughout 2025.

As a small nonprofit, our application fee of $50 helps underwrite the cost of application review. However, we do not want the application fee to be a barrier to apply. To request a fee waiver, please email us directly here.

The questions on our application are mostly short answer. We require one writing sample (max 2,000 words or 10 pages), a current resume, headshot photo and two references (we do not require letters of recommendation). Applicants will be contacted approximately 10 weeks after the application deadline.

Our residencies are two weeks long and there is no residency fee. Additional residency expenses like travel, transportation and food are your responsibility. Our facility accommodates three residents at a time.

Although we do not publicize summer residency dates, we often have 1-2 sessions available in the summer. Please note your interest in a summer residency in your application.

For more information, read our Frequently Asked Questions page, or contact us at:

info@mesarefuge.org

To apply, go here.