Call for Submissions on Theme of "Mother & Family": Mom Egg Review

MER – Mom Egg Review publishes literary work on mothers, mothering, and motherhood.

Submissions Guidelines

MER will open from April 23, 2025 to July 15, 2025 for literary submissions to our annual print issue and to MER Online Quarterly.

Early Bird (free) submissions 4/23-4/30, or until we reach our Submittable limit.

Regular Submissions ($3 fee or free with subscription purchase) 4/23-7/15.

We will respond by November 2025. The issue will be published in April 2026.

What to submit

We publish literary work on mothers, mothering, and motherhood.

MER 24 will be a themed issue. The theme is Mother & Family

Often, as mothers, we are the nuclei of families—of the legacies, obligations, and stories that orbit around us. Family of heritage, family of birth, family of choice, our greater human family: our families can be sources of support, of exhaustion, of love, of pain. Our families can pass down to us lore or trauma. For MER 24, we are exploring poems that address our role as mother in these unwieldy units, how we embroider with and untangle these familial threads that can heal or hinder. Send us your poems, your family recipes, your generational myths, your memories that you’ve borne, your visions for the future.

Please read our print journal and online quarterly: http://merliterary.com

We publish poetry (up to 3 poems, no more than 5 pages), and fiction, creative prose/nonfiction, and hybrid works (up to 1000 words) on mothering or motherhood. We also seek mother-themed art. You need not be a mother to submit. Our calendar conforms to Eastern Time.

Submit work that has not been previously published online or in print. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please let us know promptly if your submission is accepted elsewhere, by using your Submittable.com account to add a note to your submission telling us which titles are no longer available for consideration.

Submissions will be considered for the print issue and for MER Online on our website unless you specify that you are only submitting for one or the other. If you have previously submitted to MER online or print, we request that you submit work other than that previously submitted.

PLEASE NOTE: If your work was included in the Mom Egg Review Vol. 23, please wait until next year to submit in the same genre to our print issue. You may submit in a different genre. If you submit work in the genre previously published, it will be considered for online publication only.

How to submit

We use Submittable for online submissions, and do not accept paper or email submissions.

Early Bird Submissions: One free “Early Bird” submission per submitter. We will accept Early Bird submissions 4/23 – 4/30, or until we reach our Submittable limits. Select Genre, “Early Bird” when submitting.

Regular Submissions: from April 23- July 15, 2025. There is a $3 fee for each poetry submission (of up to 3 poems), nonfiction/creative prose submission, art, and fiction or cross-genre submission (up to 1000 words total—can be several short pieces that total under 1000 words).

Submit free if you subscribe to the upcoming issue for a special price of $15. When in Submittable, select the option you prefer.

Cover letter: Please include the title(s) of each individual work in the submission and a brief (50-75 word) third person bio.

Submit your work in one document named “Last name, First name, Genre.” We strongly prefer .doc, docx, .txt, or .rtf. If your work requires a pdf, please email us at mersubmissions@gmail.com and attach the pdf.

Poetry: Please submit up to 3 poems in a single word or text document of no more than 6 pages with the file name Last name, First name, Poetry. Please number your pages and start each poem on a separate page. Important: Please left justify your poem without indenting and single space your poem unless indenting or extra spacing is an integral part of the poem.

Creative Prose, Fiction, Cross-genre: Please submit one piece up to 1000 words, or several short-short pieces that total fewer than 1000 words in all, in a single word or text document with the file name Last name, First name, Genre. Please double space, number your pages, and put title of the submission (but not your name) on top of each page.

Visual Art: Please submit up to four works of art (drawings, paintings, photos, etc.) that relate to mothers or motherhood, in a .jpg file at 300 dpi. (MER cover is color; interior art is black and white. If your art is selected, we will request a larger file.

Scholarship Submissions: We have a limited number of submission scholarships available. If the submissions fee is a hardship, you may submit during the “Early Bird” period or email us at:

MERsubmissions @gmail.com 

with your submission, cover letter and bio. Please put “Scholarship Application” as subject line.

Contact:

MERsubmissions@gmail.com 

(Please be sure to add this address to your email program so that you can receive correspondence from us). We will add all submitters to our mailing list (we send a bimonthly newsletter) but you may unsubscribe if you wish.

Submit your work here.

Writing Fellowships: Granum Foundation

Granum Foundation Prizes

“A word after a word after a word is power.”

—Margaret Atwood

The Granum Foundation Prize will be awarded annually to help U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works.

Additionally, the Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated into English by a U.S.-based writer.

Funding from both prizes can be used to provide a writer with the tools, time, and freedom to help ensure their success. For example, resources may be used to cover basic needs, equipment purchases, mentorship, or editing services.

Competitive applicants will be able to present a compelling project with a reasonable timeline for completion. They also should be able to demonstrate a record of commitment to the literary arts.

The Granum Foundation is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Granum Foundation Prize

Prize: One winner will be awarded $5,000. Up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more.

Granum Foundation Translation Prize

Prize: One winner will receive $1,500 or more.

Eligibility:

Winners and finalists who received cash prizes from previous Granum competitions are not eligible.

Writers who have published more than five books, including chapbooks, are not eligible for the Granum Foundation Prize. Literary journals and anthologies are not included in this count. This restriction does not apply to Granum Foundation Translation Prize applicants.

Only U.S. residents 18+ are eligible for funding, and prizes must be spent in the U.S.

Funds cannot be used specifically for travel or for study at an educational institution.

At this time, we are not accepting screenplays, stage plays, or children’s picture books.

Only one entry is allowed per person for each prize.

Applications for the 2025 Granum Foundation Prize and the Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be open from May 1 until August 1 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. Winners and finalists will be announced in November.

More information and application portal here.

Call for Submissions: The Literary Times Magazine

Submissions OPEN from 21st April till 18th May, 2025.

ISSUE VI Theme: “Forbidden”

Forbidden (adjective): not allowed; banned or prohibited.

What does it mean for something to be forbidden? Is it an unspoken rule, a law etched in stone, or a quiet, lingering fear that keeps us from crossing the line? Forbidden is the space between desire and denial, between curiosity and consequence. It is the unseen boundary set by society, morality, or even the self—a barrier that tempts as much as it restricts. To forbid something is to give it power. The unspoken, the hidden, the unattainable—these are the things that haunt the mind, that shape history and human nature alike. Love forbidden by culture or bloodlines. Knowledge kept under lock and key. Art deemed too dangerous. Words that must never be uttered. Places no one should enter. Thoughts one must not think. But who decides what is forbidden? And what happens when the forbidden is pursued, uncovered, broken? Does it lead to liberation or ruin, enlightenment or chaos? In this issue, we explore the boundaries drawn around us—by law, by faith, by fear—and the ones we are willing to cross, no matter the cost.

Submission Guidelines

✦ We accept submissions from writers of all levels, but we prioritize polished and well-crafted works.
✦ Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please inform us at theliterarytimesmag@gmail.com if your work is accepted elsewhere.
✦ Submissions must be original and previously unpublished works.
✦ We do not accept works containing; self-harm, sexual content, graphic violence, Hate speech or discrimination towards any group, religion or individual.
✦ All written submissions should be in English, formatted as a Word document or PDF. Use a standard font (Times New Roman, Arial, or similar) and a font size of 12. Double-space prose submissions and use single spacing for poetry. Artwork should be submitted as high-resolution images with 3:4 image size.
✦ Submissions will be accepted via google forms. Include your name, contact information and a brief bio (50-100 words). Specify the genre or category your submission falls under (e.g., poetry, fiction, art).
✦ We aim to respond to all submissions within 1 month, but please be patient as the reviewing process can take time. Note: Only accepted works will receive a response from our editorial team (due to high volume of submissions).
✦ As a small, independent organisation we are currently unable to offer monetary compensation to our contributors however, we do provide a free digital copy of Issue to our contributors. We do not charge any submission fee but we greatly appreciate your small tips or support at patreon.com/TheLiteraryTimes
✦ By submitting your work, you grant us first-time publishing rights. Upon publication, the rights revert back to you, the creator. We kindly request that you credit our magazine if your work is subsequently published elsewhere.

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions on Theme of "Invasive Miami" from Residents of Florida and the Caribbean: The Islandia Journal

Submissions for Issue 11: Invasive Miami

In partnership with Underwater Publishing, Islandia Journal announces Issue 12.

Invasive species are the subset of established non-native alien or naturalized species that are a threat to currently native species. In our next issue, we invite you to stretch the moral fabric interwoven with the concept of the invasive. We love Miami’s mangroves (native), but also its roosters (invasive). We love Miami’s coconut palms, oolite, parrots, guava pastries, flamingos, glistening white sand, manatees, Florida orange juice, royal poincianas, and coral reefs. Only three of the aforementioned are native; three and a half if you’re feeling generous.

Miami has continually been branded a place where people kind of just “end up.” The same can be said for the boa constrictors out in the everglades. If they could speak, they might plead: “Have mercy on us, we didn’t ask to end up snout to snout with the alligators."

We welcome any and all essays, drawings, photos, journal entries, and poems.

Come join us! Invade us with your ideas. If you don’t fit in, you’ll fit right in.

Some examples of things we'd like to see: 

 

Personal essays about a relative who played a bit part on the tv show, or who worked on the production side.
Criticism
Poems
Short Fiction
Illustrations and graphics

Some details: For essays and criticism that require reporting and research we pay 25 cents/word up to 1500 words.
We pay $50/poem
We pay $100 for short stories
Our pay scale for visual art depends on the scope and labor required to execute it, and also how many pages of the print journal (each page lays out simply at 5.5" x 8.5" FYI) the work may occupy. Pay range is usually $100-$500

We also seek:

Pitches for work can be emailed to:

 

islandiajournal at gmail.com (Change at to @ and remove spaces.)

We are publishing more regularly at islandia.substack.com -- if you would like to see your writing online, email it to us for consideration. We pay $100 for reviews, essay, hidden histories, and criticism.

DEADLINE IS JUNE 1st

 

Submit your work here.

Call for Submissions: Outskirts: A Literary Journal

* Submissions are open from April 1st - June 1st 2025 11:59 PM PST

Submit 3-5 poems (maximum 10 pages) or 12 pages of prose in a single .docx or .pdf file. Please use a standard, 12-point font.

Email your submission to:

outskirtslit@gmail.com

with the subject “Last Name_Genre.” In the body of your email, please include a cover letter and a brief third-person bio.

We accept simultaneous submissions, but we ask that you notify us immediately via email if taken elsewhere. We'll only consider unpublished work. We do not accept anything generated using AI, nor anything discriminatory.

Outskirts acquires first serial publishing rights, including electronic rights and the right to promote on socials. All ownership reverts back to the author upon publication. Please credit Outskirts Literary Journal with first publication if published or reprinted elsewhere.

Internet Troubles

My apologies for the delayed updates. We have been without Internet for a week, but the Internet is back up and running today, so I will include lots of extra writing opportunities to make up for the delay.

Enjoy! And thanks for your patience.

Jeanne

Call for Submissions: THEMA

Upcoming premises (target themes) and deadlines for submission [postmarked]:

I Wish I'd Said That (July 1, 2025)

Today's Onerous Task (November 1, 2025)

While the Snowstorm Was Raging... (March 1, 2026)

To download a PDF file of the guidelines, click here .

ALL SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POEMS, PHOTOGRAPHS and ART MUST RELATE TO ONE OF THE PREMISES SPECIFIED ABOVE.

NOTE: Previously published pieces are welcome, provided that the submission fits the theme and that the author owns the copyright.

The premise (target theme) must be an integral part of the story, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental. NOTE: Stories longer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages will not be considered. Indicate premise (target theme) on title page. Be sure to Indicate target theme in cover letter or on first page of manuscript. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with each submission. Rejected manuscripts unaccompanied by an SASE will not be returned. Response time: 3 months after premise deadline. NO READER'S FEE.

Mail to: 

THEMA Fiction

Box 8747

Metairie, LA 70011-8747

Outside the US:

email thema@cox.net

On acceptance for publication, we will pay the following amount: short story, $25; nonfiction/essay, $25, short-short piece under 1000 words, $10; poem, $10; artwork/photography, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display.

Copyright reverts to author after publication.

THEMA isn't for everyone. To find out why, click here.

New to submitting manuscripts to journals?
Click here to download a PDF file of a few basic guidelines.

Unlike many publishers, we prefer works submitted by the authors themselves, without the involvement of an agent.

Be sure to indicate premise and include SASE for each submission. BE SURE to include a separate SASE for each premise.

No handwritten manuscripts will be considered.

NOTE:

We do not accept e-mailed submissions EXCEPT from authors who live outside the U.S.

For those living outside the U.S., submit manuscript as an email attachment (readable by MSWord ― either as a DOC file or an RTF file), and include the following information on the title page: target theme, title of work, name of author, email address and physical address.

Short Stories: All types welcome―both traditional and experimental

Send to: 

Virginia Howard, editor

Box 8747

Metairie, LA 70011-8747

 

Outside the US: email to Virginia Howard at:

 

thema@cox.net

What we like: a carefully constructed plot; good character delineation; clever plot twists

What we don't like: bedroom/bathroom profanity. Why? It's boring! Writers should be more creative than to depend on the same tired and dubious language crutches to express surprise, disdain, shock, bemusement, anger, sadness, and other emotions.

Such profanity, used in excess, often serves as a camouflage for a weak plot. If the plot is good, the story can be told much more effectively in nonscatologic language even though a character in the story may be sleazy.

Stories of lasting quality rarely need it.

Poetry: All types of poetic form welcome. Submit no more than three poems per theme, please. If more than three poems are submitted, we will read only the first three poems in the stack.

Send to:

Gail Howard, poetry editor

Box 8747

Metairie, LA 70011-8747

Outside the US: email to Gail Howard at:

thema@cox.net

What we like: poems that are thoughtfully constructed and carefully distilled.

What we don't like: sexually explicit wording. Subtlety is more creative.

Art and Photography: Now accepting color illustrations and photographs for cover, and black and white illustrations and photographs for interior display. Submit 5"x7" photograph of artwork.

Send to:

Virginia Howard, editor

Box 8747

Metairie, LA 70011-8747

 

Outside the US: email to Virginia Howard at:

 

thema@cox.net