Call for Submissions from LGBTQ+ Writers: Foglifter Journal

Foglifter’s literary journal is a biannual compendium of the most dynamic, urgent LGBTQ+ writing today. It’s a space where queer and trans writers celebrate, mourn, rage, and embrace.

Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work. We want the pieces that challenged you as a writer, what you poured yourself into and risked the most to make. But we also want your tenderest, gentlest work, what you hold closest to your heart. Whatever you’re working on now that’s keeping you alive and writing, Foglifter wants to read it.

What does that look like? Check out some writing we love from our recent issues:“Seven Dates” by Elliot Gish
“Whirlpool” by Meg Cass
“Zulum,” by Fargo Tbakhi
“INWARD ASPECT,” by Chekwube Danladi
“Magical Faggot as Cinematic Study,” by Dez Deshaies

Submission periods for our literary journal are:March 1 to May 1 (Fall Edition)

September 1 to November 1 (Spring Edition)

We are always open for cover art! Reach our Print and DIgital Production Manager Alice Lee at:

production@foglifterpress.com

The Writers In Need fund supports sliding scale payments for our contributors. While we have been deeply fortunate to be able to compensate contributors for their important and incredible writing with a modest honorarium, Foglifter recognizes the many intersections of our queer and trans artistic communities, and that members of our community may be differently impacted by financial insecurity and historical disenfranchisement. This fund is an attempt to address those inequities.

The Writers In Need fund is sourced in a few ways:Each journal issue’s contributors may choose to donate a portion of (or their entire) honorarium to the Writers In Need fund.
Writers who submit to Foglifter will be able to donate to the fund via the “Tip Jar” option in Submittable.

Donations will be accepted from our extended community and supporters via PayPal here.

Before honorariums are distributed, contributors will fill out a Google form to select from the following options:

1. their full honorarium
2. a smaller honorarium, donating the remainder to the Writers In Need fund
3. their full honorarium AND an additional disbursement from the Writers In Need fund

Submit your work here (except for art, which has an email submission address above).

Call for Submissions: Banshee: A Literary Journal

Submissions for issue #20 will be open from 1-31 March 2025.

Clara Kumagai as our fiction editor for issue #20 (autumn/winter 2025).

Clara Kumagai is from Ireland, Japan and Canada. Catfish Rolling, her debut novel, was a 2024 YOTO Carnegie Medal nominee, and winner of the 2024 KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year. Her second novel, Songs for Ghosts, is forthcoming in March 2025. She lives and writes in Ireland. She says:

I am delighted to be the guest fiction editor for the 20th issue of Banshee – what an honour to be part of such an anniversary!

The theme I’ve chosen for this issue is ‘Speculative Fiction, or It doesn’t have to be this way’. It was Ursula K. LeGuin who coined this as a simple summary of what fantasy and sci-fi can achieve: a way of looking at the world and ourselves and imagining how else they might be. It is playful, she said, and it is also subversive.

What excites me about speculative fiction is not really magic wands, elves or spaceships, but its ability to examine our world through the lens of another. I want stories that illuminate with a new light; that bring us closer to the familiar through the strange; that demonstrate humanity through what at first appears alien. I hope for fiction that experiments with form as well as content, and pays as much attention to the sentence as the world-building. So send your stories of the uncanny, weird, fabulist; the what-ifs of the past, present or future; of this world or new ones that might be in ways of your own imagining.

• 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, 

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.

Writing Competition: James Laughlin Award

James Laughlin Award

Offered since 1954, the James Laughlin Award is given to recognize and support a second book of poetry forthcoming in the next calendar year. The award was endowed in 1995 by a gift to the Academy from the Drue Heinz Trust. It is named for the poet and publisher James Laughlin (1914–1997), who founded New Directions in 1936.

The winning poet receives a prize of $5,000, an all-expenses-paid weeklong residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, and distribution of the winning book to approximately one thousand Academy of American Poets members.

Submissions for the 2025 James Laughlin Award will be accepted from January 1, 2025 to May 15, 2025.

The judges of the 2025 James Laughlin Award are Tyree Daye, Richie Hofmann, and Donika Kelly.

More information and submission link here.

Call for Submissions: Certain Age

Certain Age is looking for gorgeous essays, fiction, poetry, art, photography and video work from creative people "of a certain age" and a lot of attitude.

Sound like you?

Nonfiction

We're interested in works of up to 2500 words that explore big ideas, small wonders, topical issues, cultural happenings, and profiles of fascinating people. Looking for a strong voice and an uncompromising commitment to factual accuracy. Please take a look at the articles we have published to get a feel for the tone and length.

Fiction

We welcome literary-leaning fiction, short stories or stand-alone novel excerpts, that use narrative to explore the full realm of human experience. Max length is 5000 words. While we welcome all topics, we will decline pieces that feature gratuitous depictions of violence, sexual exploitation, or the exploitation of children or animals.

Poetry

We are drawn to poems that illuminate the human by offering fresh ways to see, feel, know, and alchemize experience to insight. All types of poetry will be considered, including formal and experimental verse, up to two pages in length.

Photographs, Illustrations, Video

We are eager to showcase the work of photographers, illustrators, designers, and videographers.

Certain Age does not accept:

Work that has been previously curated (published in books, magazines or journals, in print or online). Writing may be self-published on social media, blogs, or message boards. (Learn more in “Uncurated: The Case for a New Term of Art.”) Work that has been generated by artificial intelligence.

Nonfiction, Fiction, Art, Photography, Video

 

Send submissions to:

 

info@certainagemag.com 

 

Include the genre of your submission in the subject line (i.e., Nonfiction Submission or Photographs Submission, etc.).

 

Add a brief introduction to the work in the body of the email, why you see it as a fit for Certain Age, and any background on yourself (prior pubs, cat names, etc.).

Submit as an attached document (.doc or .docx), and please no PDFs or Google docs.

Poetry

 

Certain Age publishes two poets monthly. Please follow these guidelines for submission.

Email up to five poems or five pages of poetry to:

 

poetry@certainagemag.com.

• Please make sure each new poem starts at the top of a new page.

• In your email subject line, write: [YOUR LAST NAME] [YOUR FIRST NAME] Poetry Submission.
  

• Submit all poems together in one DOC or DOCX file.

• Name your document: [YOUR LAST NAME] [YOUR FIRST NAME] Poetry Submission.

• Do not submit PDF files or links to google docs.

• Do not paste poems into the body of the email.

•  On the first page of your document, include a cover letter with:

• What inspired you to submit to Certain Age.

• A short bio (under 50 words).

• Your contact information: name, mailing address, phone number, and email.

• Social links, if you use them and would like us to tag you, including: Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.

• Up to three links to previous publications, if available.

• If a poet’s submission has been previously rejected by Certain Age, we will consider new work from that poet after one calendar year.

For all submissions include:

• Name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.

• Up to three links to previous publications, if available.

• A brief (max 50 words) third-person bio.

Simultaneous submissions are expected and welcome. But please alert us if the piece your submitting gets accepted elsewhere.

We pay $75 or equivalent in local currency upon publication.

Certain Age Magazine asks for first-time rights and acknowledgement as the first place of publication. Because published pieces will appear and be archived on the website and may be promoted through our social media outlets, we also require non-exclusive electronic rights.

Response Time

We are committed to fast turnaround on all queries and submissions.

Thank you for your interest.

Writing Competition for Black Writers: Ann Petry Award

Founded in 2020 in partnership with Red Hen Press and the Peauxdunque Writers Alliance, the Ann Petry Award seeks to publish prose literature by Black authors. The Ann Petry Award is for a work of previously unpublished prose, either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas, with a minimum of 150 pages, by a Black writer. The awarded manuscript is selected through an annual submission process.

Award details

$3000
Book publication by Red Hen Press
Deadline: March 31, 2025

Note: The Ann Petry Award is for a work of previously unpublished prose, either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas, with a 25,000-word minimum (approximately 150 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12pt font) by a Black writer. Entries will be accepted via Submittable only.

Submissions are currently open for this award.

Guidelines
The award is open to all Black writers, with the following exceptions:

• Authors who have had a full-length work published by Red Hen Press, or a full-length work currently under consideration by Red Hen Press

• Employees, interns, or contractors of Red Hen Press

• Relatives of employees or members of the executive board of directors

• Relatives or individuals having a personal or professional relationship with any of the final judges where they have taken any part whatsoever in shaping the manuscript, or where, for whatever reason, selecting a particular manuscript might have the appearance of impropriety

Procedures and Ethical Considerations

To be certain that every manuscript finalist receives the fairest evaluation, all manuscripts shall be submitted to the judges without any identifying material. Bios, acknowledgments, and other identifying material shall be removed from judged manuscripts until the conclusion of the competition.

Please remove all names, bios, acknowledgments, and other identifying material from the submitted manuscript, and include only your name, contact information, and a short biographical statement in the cover letter field of Submittable.

The Ann Petry Award of Red Hen Press is committed to maintaining the utmost integrity of our awards. Judges shall recuse themselves from considering any manuscript where they recognize the work. In the event of refusal, a manuscript score previously assigned by the managing editor of the press will be substituted.

Submit your entry here.

Call for Submissions: BTWN

BTWN is dedicated to showcasing the vibrant tapestry of diverse voices and experiences.

We are actively seeking submissions that are unapologetically weird and push the boundaries of traditional genres. If your work has the power to make us stop in our tracks and exclaim, “wtf?”—but in a positive and thought-provoking way—then we want to hear from you. We embrace the darker side of human existence, welcoming narratives that delve into horrific and lived experiences without shying away from themes of violence, profanities, or other challenging subjects, as long as they promote understanding rather than hatred. We encourage you to cast aside any niceties and pull your raw, authentic artwork out from the cracks of societal norms. At BTWN, we are eager to discover the bold and unconventional creations that typical literary magazines often overlook.

Embrace the darkness, the rawness, and the realness being human, and submit your boldest creations that push boundaries and ignite thought.

Submission Cut-off #1: April 1st, 2025

Guidelines by section

Fiction: One original work of up to 7000 words.

Non-Fiction & Memoir: One original work of up to 7000 words, including personal essays, memoir, and other forms of creative non-fiction.

Book Reviews, Essays, and Interviews: One original work of up to 7000 words, including essays, interviews, reviews.

Poetry: Up to four original poems totalling no more than ten pages.

Submissions may take any poetic form and include a mix of prose, art, or unique formatting as long as these elements are used purposefully. We also welcome other forms of poetic expression.

Miscellaneous: A hybrid work that merges various genres and storytelling methods, potentially not fitting into a single category, of up to 7000 words.

Comics/graphic stories up to 10 pages.

Scripts for stage or screen up to 20 pages.

Original periodicals up to 14,000 words or 20 pages (for poetry) are welcome. We accept longer works across genres over two issues. Indicate your interest in your cover letter. Submit a 7,000-word excerpt or ten pages. If interested, we'll request the full piece.

Art: Single art submissions of up to 3 pieces. Submission of a collection of work up to 10 pieces. Cover art submission of up to 3 pieces.​​

Submission links for all categories here.

Call for Submissions: Metastellar Speculative Fiction and Beyond

Metastellar

The submission window for the spring 2025 flash fiction submission cycle is March 1 to March 31. Authors will be notified in mid-April about whether their stories have been accepted for publication.  

Stories will be published under a non-exclusive license, at a rate of 8 cents per word. The author will retain all original copyrights.

Stories must be under 1,200 words in length and fall under the genres of science fiction, fantasy, or horror. Please submit only one story per cycle. Simultaneous submissions to other publications are allowed. However, the use of AI to help write the story is no longer acceptable – please see the checkbox and affirmation in the form below.

To keep up with our paid submissions windows, you can subscribe to our occasional writers’ newsletter or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Threads.

Meanwhile, we also accept reviews, essays, reprints, and book excerpts for non-paid publication at any time.

More information and submission links here.