The Practicing Writer 2.0: June 2021
Current competitions and calls for submissions. No fees to enter/submit. Payment for winning/published work. Nothing limited to residents of a single city/state/province.
Welcome, new readers, and welcome back to the regulars.
For updates and additional opportunity listings between newsletters, please check the “Practicing Writing” blog and follow Erika Dreifus on Twitter (@ErikaDreifus) and/or Facebook.
Please share this newsletter with your networks! If you’d like to share a particular competition or submission alert with others, PLEASE CREDIT THE PRACTICING WRITER for the find (preferably with a link back to this newsletter). Thanks for respecting your editor’s volunteer efforts.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Editor’s Note
Success Stories
Featured Resource
Current Contests, Competitions, and Other Opportunities (NO ENTRY OR APPLICATION FEES; PAYING OPPORTUNITIES ONLY)
Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY)
Blog Notes
Newsletter Matters
1. EDITOR’S NOTE
Greetings, practicing writers:
What a month.
There’s a lot swirling in my mind right now. Maybe someday (maybe soon?), I’ll articulate it in a way that I can share. But this isn’t the time or place.
What I can tell you is that my teaching semester has drawn to its end. I’ve got a lot of non-writing items on my to-do list over the next couple of weeks, but then, I hope, I’ll be able to refocus on my own practice again.
In the meantime, here’s a newsletter that I hope will add something to yours!
Warmly,
ERIKA
2. SUCCESS STORIES
If you follow my blog(s), you may have caught mention of a reading in celebration of the winners of a “COVID Diaries” essay contest at Baruch College/CUNY, where I am an adjunct associate professor. That mention led one of the College’s graduating seniors to write in with this lovely, lovely message:
My name is Caitlin Cacciatore, and I am the second prize winner of the “COVID Diaries” Essay Contest. I always read your newsletters, as I find them a valuable resource for writing and publishing opportunities. I was pleasantly surprised to find a link to this afternoon's reading in your Midweek Notes.
In the past year or so, I have won first prize in Bacopa Literary Review 2020 for the elegiac poem “Sacrament” (I do believe I found the opportunity in your newsletter, “The Practicing Writer!”) as well as First Prize in the Harman Screen-Writing Contest 2020, and First Prize in the Jerome L. Schulman Memorial Poetry Contest. Additionally, I recently won a scholarship to two workshops at The Loft. My poem “Fireworks” was also published in Breath & Shadow a few months ago.
I have achieved a fair amount of success in a relatively short period of time, and credit that partially to “The Practicing Writer.”
It occurred to me that I had never thanked you for your newsletters, and wished to remedy that. I never had the pleasure of taking one of your courses in my time at Baruch, and will be graduating tomorrow, but I am and will remain an avid reader and fan of your newsletter.
So, thank you for the invaluable service you provide for practicing writers everywhere! And an extra special thank-you for linking the reading.
And another nice note:
Hello Erika: I read and enjoy your newsletters and blog. I learned about the Jewish Literary Journal from your My Machberet blog and just published an essay in their current issue. Thank you! Best regards, Susan Moldaw
See how much more you can glean when you follow my blogs? Learn more about them below!
One more success story before we move on:
Thank you for advertising the submission period for The Spectacle! They accepted my story and I’m so glad it found a good home. Your newsletter has been an invaluable resource to me as I’ve started getting back in the groove of submitting my work to magazines.—Paula Weiman
REMINDER: I love learning about ways in which the newsletter/blogs/my resources support your writing practice. Keep me posted! You just may find your own work celebrated here.
3. FEATURED RESOURCE
Here’s something for your book-promo toolbox: LISTEN NOTES, a podcast search-engine. “It's like Google, but for podcasts.” Use it to find potential podcasts to pitch. (Thanks to Jane Friedman’s Electric Speed newsletter, itself a consistent resource, for introducing me to it.)
4. CURRENT CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OF INTEREST
BOOKS LIKE US FIRST NOVEL CONTEST
Submissions: June 1-14. “Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is pleased to announce the launch of the BOOKS LIKE US First Novel Contest to facilitate accessibility to underrepresented writers and celebrate the diversity of readers across the United States. As the nation strives for progress, Gallery Books and Simon & Schuster aim to help catalyze that change by amplifying voices that represent us, by publishing books like us. In future seasons, the Books Like Us First Novel Contest will rotate among other Simon & Schuster adult imprints.” Writers are “invited and encouraged to submit twenty-five pages of an original adult novel.” Grand-prize winner “will be awarded the opportunity to enter into a $50,000 book deal with Gallery Books.” Note: “open only to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.” (Thanks to Ron Charles for leading me to this one.)GROVE PRESS PUBLISHING FELLOWSHIP
Applications: June 1-15. “The fellow’s responsibilities will be split between projects and mentorship in the editorial, marketing, publicity, and rights departments of Grove Atlantic, and directly supporting Roxane Gay Books, a new imprint at Grove Atlantic, in building an exciting list of fiction and nonfiction. This is a one-year fellowship that will allow the fellow to gain experience in publishing with an emphasis on creating access for candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in publishing.” Compensation: “Fellows will receive a $25,000 stipend, for 24 hours a week of work, paid biweekly. The fellow is also eligible for health and dental benefits and paid time off. Candidates can be based anywhere in the United States and work remotely for now, though we do hope to be in person again in the coming months.”CHRISTOPHER HEWITT AWARD
Deadline: June 15. Honoring A&U Magazine’s first literary editor, “the award showcases outstanding responses to the AIDS pandemic and the realities of individuals living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in the genres of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction.” Prize: $75 (per category). “Winners and named runners-up will be published in upcoming issues of A&U.”HIPPOCAMP CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS
Deadline: June 15. “Hippocampus Magazine, along with a few generous partners, is offering four awards — a total of six full scholarships — to HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers. Each HippoCamp scholarship application requires an essay question about a writing lesson learned and two open-ended questions, which vary based on the award.”LETRAS BORICUAS FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: June 20. This is “a new opportunity sponsored by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Flamboyan Foundation’s Arts Fund, which will provide thirty writers — fifteen selected in 2021 and fifteen selected in 2022 — $25,000 each. Recipients will also participate in a gathering of all thirty Fellows to be hosted in San Juan, tentatively scheduled for April 2023. While fellowship award funds are unrestricted, the hope is to help writers in Puerto Rico and across the diaspora, from emerging to established, pursue their writing, amplify their work to a broader audience, and create work that celebrates Puerto Rican life and culture. It is also the aim that each Fellowship cohort will include writers of different genres and writers who live in Puerto Rico, as well as Puerto Ricans who may live in the United States. Applications will be accepted in Spanish and/or English.” (Thanks, again, to Ron Charles for leading me to this one.)GREAT LAKES COLLEGE ASSOCIATION NEW WRITERS AWARD
Deadline: June 25. “For this year’s program the NWA will accept entries that bear a publication imprint of 2020 or 2021. For the 52nd year this group of thirteen independent Midwestern colleges will confer recognition on a volume of writing in each of three literary genres: poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Publishers submit works on behalf of their authors; a defining criterion for this award is that a work must be an author’s first–published volume in the genre.” The winning writers “receive invitations to visit several GLCA colleges, where they give readings, meet with students and faculty, sign books, and often visit a creative writing class”; they “receive an honorarium of $500 from each of the colleges they visit. In addition, writers are reimbursed for all travel, lodging, and food costs they might incur in visits to GLCA member colleges.” Limited to writers resident in the U.S. and Canada; publishers may submit only one entry per category.MOLLY KEANE CREATIVE WRITING AWARD
Deadline: June 25 (at last check, two specific times were cited for the deadline; I’d advise going with the earlier one!). Competition “for people resident on the island of Ireland” for an unpublished short story. Prize: €500. NB: “It is highly advisable that entries are not currently submitted elsewhere for consideration.” (Thanks to WinningWriters.com for leading me to this one.)BARD FICTION PRIZE
Deadline: June 30 (received). “Awarded to a promising emerging writer who is an American citizen aged 39 years or younger at the time of application. In addition to a $30,000 cash award, the winner receives an appointment as writer in residence at Bard College for one semester, without the expectation that he or she teach traditional courses. The recipient gives at least one public lecture and meets informally with students.” Application must include “three copies of the published book they feel best represents their work.”BLUE MOUNTAIN ARTS POETRY CONTEST
Deadline: June 30. Biannual contest awards cash prizes ($350/$200/$100). “In addition, the winning poems will be displayed on our website.” Tips: “Poems can be rhyming or non-rhyming, although we find that non-rhyming poetry reads better. We suggest that you write about real emotions and feelings and that you have some special person or occasion in mind as you write.”DRUE HEINZ LITERATURE PRIZE
Deadline: June 30. “Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 pages.” Open to authors “who have published a book-length collection of fiction or at least three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals.” Confers $15,000, publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press, and promotional support.PATRICIA SPEARS JONES 2ND BOOK PRIZE FOR WOMEN
Deadline: June 30. “Poets are invited to submit original manuscripts for consideration. Please limit mss to 40-80 pages and include title and publishing house of antecedent book of poems. Manuscripts will be read blindly and be considered by our in-house committee. The winner (2022) will be chosen by Patricia Spears Jones, awarded $500.00, and a guaranteed first run of a full length book of poetry” by Camperdown Books, “part of the Camperdown Organization’s (501c3) commitment to increase access to publication and education, as well as to promote agency for underrepresented writers.”GERARD ROCHFORD POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: June 30 (midnight UK time). International competition for an “original poem in English on the theme of ‘Family.’” Prizes: “The winner will receive a large, bespoke commemorative plate, courtesy of Campbeltown Pottery, featuring an excerpt of Gerard Rochford’s poetry and £150. Two runners ups will each receive a small, bespoke commemorative plate and £50.” The winning entries will also be published online.DEBORAH ROGERS FOUNDATION WRITERS AWARD
Deadline: June 30. “An award of £10,000 will be presented to a first-time prose writer whose submission demonstrates literary talent and who would benefit from financial support” to complete an un-agented/un-contracted work of fiction- or nonfiction-in-progress. “Applications are only open to writers who have not previously published or self-published a full-length book of prose….Entrants must write in the English language and reside within the British Commonwealth or Eire.” Runners-up will receive £1,000; “longlisted authors will be offered an editorial consultation with an agent at RCW.” NB: They do “accept submissions of Children’s, YA, Middle-Grade etc” and note that scripts “would be eligible.”JAMES BERRY POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: July 1. “The James Berry Poetry Prize will assist young and/or emerging poets of colour with mentoring to help them develop their work, followed by publication of their debut book-length collection with Bloodaxe Books. Devised by Bernardine Evaristo, OBE, and Nathalie Teitler, the prize is modelled on The Complete Works mentoring programme previously supported by Arts Council England.” Open “to poets of colour, who are UK residents (permanently reside in the UK: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man) who have not yet published a book-length collection, with special consideration given to LGBTQ+/disabled poets and poets from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.” Each of three winning poets will receive £1,000 and will be invited to take part in a reading.RICHARD MARGOLIS AWARD
Deadline: July 1 (received). For “a promising new journalist or essayist whose nonfiction work combines warmth, humor and wisdom and sheds light on issues of social justice. The award honors the life of Richard J. Margolis (1929-1991), a renowned journalist, essayist and poet who gave eloquent voice to the rural poor, migrant farmworkers, Native Americans, aging adults and others whose voices are seldom heard. He also wrote several books for children. The award combines a one-month residency at Blue Mountain Center, an acclaimed writers' and artists' colony in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, with a $5,000 prize.”ShUM ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
Deadline: July 1. ShUM is an acronym comprising first letters of the medieval Hebrew names for the German cities of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz; this program welcomes applications in several artistic areas, including literature (“novel, poetry, narration, essays, plays”). Artistic projects should address “the history of the ShUM communities and their religious, cultural, and architectural legacy.” Up to three fellowships, including 4-6 week stays in one of the ShUM cities between October 2021 and February 2022, will be awarded. The fellowship includes housing in “a rent-free furnished apartment, a studio/work room, travel expenses up to €1,000...an allowance of €250 per residency week and a contribution to other expenses (materials or services) of up to €1,000.”LEWIS CARROLL SOCIETY ELLIS S. HILLMAN AWARD
Deadline: July 3. “Stretch those creative muscles and commemorate 150 years of the ‘Through the Looking-Glass’! The Lewis Carroll Society is launching a writing competition to celebrate the creativity of the author of the ‘Alice’ books. The award is part of the bequest from Ellis S Hillman. He was the first President of the Lewis Carroll Society in 1969.” The contest asks that you “write a ‘missing’ chapter for either Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking-Glass. You can create new characters or re-use existing characters; create new scenarios or use an existing scenario and follow on.” Prizes: “There are three prizes of £100 each for three separate age groups – up to 16 yrs old, 16-20, over 20 yrs. Entries to be between 500 to 2000 words, depending on age. There will be additional prizes of Chris Riddell’s new book Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There for the winner and runners-ups.” (Thanks to Freelance Writing Jobs for leading me to this one.)POETRY COALITION FELLOWSHIPS
Deadline: July 6. Paid fellowship positions “for five individuals who will each assist a different Poetry Coalition organization for twenty hours per week over the course of a forty-week period. The fellows will also receive professional development opportunities. The five organizations hosting this year’s Poetry Coalition Fellows are the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, Beyond Baroque, In-Na-Po (Indigenous Nations Poets), Lambda Literary, and Zoeglossia.” Note: “The positions will begin on September 13, 2021 and end on June 30, 2022. Interested individuals that are 21 or older are encouraged to apply, including those who are enrolled in or have recently graduated from an MFA program in creative writing.”MASS MoCA FELLOWSHIP FOR BLACK OR INDIGENOUS ARTISTS AND WRITERS
Deadline: July 8. “Recognizing the additional barriers faced by Black and Indigenous creators of all disciplines, the Studios [at MASS MoCA] shall award a limited number of additional fellowships to artists or writers working in any discipline who identify as Black or Indigenous. These fellowships fund all residency fees for up to four weeks in residence. To apply, simply select the appropriate box on the fellowships question of the Winter/Spring 2022 residency application. There is no separate application for this opportunity. Be sure to also indicate whether you would like to be considered for a regular residency at the Studios at MASS MoCA, if you are not awarded this special fellowship residency. All applicants must first be accepted through the regular jurying process to receive this fellowship.”MCLA’S UNDER-27 WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE FELLOWSHIP AT THE STUDIES AT MASS MoCA
Deadline: July 8. Award includes a “2-week, fully funded residency + up to $300 travel reimbursement. Open to writers who will still be under the age of 27 on April 15, 2022. Applicants may come from any country, but must write in English as one of their primary languages. Prose, poetry, and hybrid forms welcome. For this residency, you will be hosted by both the Studios at MASS MoCA and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (the Commonwealth’s public liberal arts institution just up the road from the museum). In addition to your 2-week residency at the Studios, as MCLA’s Under 27 Writer-in-Residence, you’ll also be asked to give a public reading at MCLA’s Gallery 51 in downtown North Adams, offer a 2-hour craft class (with a theme and design of your choosing) to the MCLA community, and be fêted with a dinner where you might discuss your work as a young writer with undergraduate creative writing students. Residency will occur April 13-26, 2022. These days are not flexible, so you must be available for the full residency to be awarded this fellowship.”
REMEMBER: Some opportunities featured in last month’s newsletter remain open for submissions.
5. SUBMISSION ALERTS
THE JOURNAL OF COMPRESSED CREATIVE ARTS seeks “micro fiction, flash fiction, prose poetry, compressed poetry & visual arts, and whatever other forms compression might take.” General submissions remain open until June 15; “Topical Thursdays” submissions remain open year-round. Pays: $50.
WHITE ENSO seeks “original, unpublished short fiction, essays, creative non-fiction and artwork that explores the Japanese experience. The premiere issue is currently available on the website.” Current submissions window closes June 18. Pay ranges from $10-$25.
THE WILLOWHERB REVIEW, which “aims to provide a digital platform to celebrate and bolster nature writing by emerging and established writers of colour,” is open for submissions until June 30 (“23.59[BST]”). “We’re looking for previously unpublished prose—non-fiction especially, but we will consider fiction and poetry—on nature, place, and environment.” Pays: “£250 for prose, £100 for poetry.” (Via @Duotrope.)
FAT COYOTE is “a new literary arts publication that showcases the work of neurodivergent voices.” Submissions are open until June 30. Payment for poetry is $1.00/line ($30 min - $70 max); for fiction, $.03/word ($30 min - $120 max); for creative nonfiction, $0.03 per word ($30 min – $120 max). They also publish and pay for art, photography, and comic strips. (Via @Duotrope.)
Submissions for the BUCKMXN STORY SERVICE close July 4. “Please send us your preferably unpublished works of Fiction or Creative Non-Fiction. All writing styles are welcomed as long as it tells a story and takes the reader on a ride. There is a 5,000-word count limit to ensure the printed story can fit inside a standard envelope. Base payment for authors begins at $120.00 (for unpublished submissions). Each author may submit up to three different stories, though only one per author will be published in each story service volume. All accepted authors also receive a free subscription to their respective volume of the Story Service.” (They’ll consider reprints and pay less for them.)
THE POMEGRANATE publishes “new, previously unpublished work [short fiction, poetry, and nonfiction] by UK & international writers. All submissions must feature an artist or an artist’s tool, creation or environment in some way. Artists include, but are not limited to: writers, painters, musicians, dancers, performing artists, actors, filmmakers, artistic directors, fashion designers, sculptors, photographers.” Pays: £30/piece. “Each issue will also select a single poem, story, essay or artwork to receive £200. Contributors receive a copy of the issue in which their work is featured (including a discounted rate on further orders).” (Via AuthorsPublish.com.)
I’ve mentioned them before, but especially as we embark on summer here above the equator—a season when many litmags/websites pause from receiving submissions—I’ll take a moment to note that CRAFT LITERARY’s “creative categories are open year-round to any emerging or established author. We accept submissions from international writers.” Pays: “$100 for original flash and $200 for original short fiction and creative nonfiction.”
Related reminder about FRONTIER POETRY: “Submissions for our New Voices poetry category are open year round to any new and emerging poet who has not published more than one full-length collection of poetry. New Voices are published online only and will feature a number of poems from new authors each month.” Pays: $50/poem, up to $150.
THE MALAHAT REVIEW is also open for submissions year-round and publishes “poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction by new and established writers mostly from Canada, reviews of Canadian books, and the best writing from abroad.” Pay rates: “$65 CAD per published page plus a one-year subscription starting with the issue after the one in which the accepted work has appeared. Two copies of the issue in which the accepted work has appeared are sent to each contributor.”
In related news: THE PURITAN seeks submissions “all year round, from anywhere in the world.” NB: “Please note that we can only issue payments using PayPal or a cheque in the mail. We also pay in CAD.” Pay rates range from $25-$200.
Also open year-round: THE SUN. “We publish personal essays, fiction, and poetry. Personal stories that touch on political and cultural issues are welcome.” Simultaneous submissions “are discouraged.” Pays: $300-$2,000 for fiction and essays; $100-$250 for poetry.
Reminder: Make it a habit to check the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL website, where titles in development are posted. “If this is your first time, please visit our Story Guidelines page, which will answer many of your questions about subject matter, length, and style.” Among the approaching deadlines is one on June 15 for a project themed “Counting Your Blessings.” Pays: $200 plus 10 free copies.
REMEMBER: Some outlets listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for submissions.
6. BLOG NOTES
The newsletter is published just once each month, but there’s always something new on the Practicing Writing blog:
(Monday) Markets and Jobs for Writers (including opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletter)
Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer
(Friday) Finds for Writers
Sunday Sentence
Please visit, and comment!
Interested in matters of specifically Jewish literary and cultural interest? Please also visit the My Machberet blog (“machberet” is the Hebrew word for “notebook”).
7. NEWSLETTER MATTERS
Information contained in The Practicing Writer is collected from many sources, with the purpose of providing general references. It is researched carefully but readers should verify information when necessary and appropriate. The Practicing Writer and its editor disclaim any liability for the use of information contained within. Thank you for subscribing/reading.
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About the editor: Erika Dreifus is a writer, teacher, and literary consultant whose books include Birthright: Poems and Quiet Americans: Stories. A Fellow in the Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute and an adjunct associate professor at Baruch College/CUNY, she lives in New York. Please visit ErikaDreifus.com to learn more about her work and follow her on Facebook and/or Twitter, where she tweets “on matters bookish and/or Jewish.”