The Practicing Writer 2.0: January 2025
Wrapping up our 21st year of serving writers of fiction, poetry, & cnf. Featuring 50+ fee-free, paying/funded opportunities, success stories, and more.
Welcome, new readers, and welcome back to the regulars.
For updates and additional opportunities between newsletters, please check the “Practicing Writing” blog and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook, and/or Substack. (I’ve been decreasing my activity on Twitter/X, although I’m still there; I’m also on Instagram.)
If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Editor’s Note
Success Stories
Featured Resource
Contests, Competitions, and Other Opportunities (NO FEES TO ENTER/APPLY; PAYING/FUNDED OPPORTUNITIES ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)
Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)
Blog Notes
Newsletter Matters
1. EDITOR’S NOTE
Greetings, practicing writers:
Well, here we are. With this issue we welcome 2025—and bring to a conclusion the 21st year of this newsletter’s publication (the February issue will be our “21st-birthday” issue and launch our 22nd year).
This month’s “featured resource” should help you take stock of 2024. As you’ll discover below, I’ve begun that process for myself. Suffice to say that even as I’ve found within the larger literary world ample reasons for frustration, sadness, and even anger over the past year, I’ve also drawn comfort and strength from clusters of community, particularly among other Jewish writers and a few allies. I’ve been inspired by others’ writing, especially when that writing has articulated, with artistry I can’t help envying, what’s in my own heart.1 I’ve found meaning in work that I’ve been doing—sometimes published, sometimes not.2
Most of all, I’ve continued to learn.
May the world—literary and otherwise—be a much better place in 2025.
With best wishes for you and your writing in the new year,
ERIKA
P.S. I am also grateful when you share this newsletter, in its entirety, with your networks. But if you choose to share only certain listings, please respect my work of research and curation and credit your source—ideally, with a link back to this newsletter. Thank you so much.
2. SUCCESS STORIES
From Emily Alice Katz:
Having celebrated the successes of fellow writers in many issues of your newsletter, I'm happy to add to the chorus. A short story of mine, “Awake and Light your Lamp with the Oil of Gladness” was published in the November 12 issue of Of the Book--a publication I learned about through your list [of places to read/publish Jewish work]. Thank you for all you do!
From Tom Levy:
Hi Erika, thanks so much for all you do for writers and artists. Especially those of us who are Jews. Writing On the Wall has published my poem “When You Look At Me” in their current featured series: “Scarred.” They also published a photograph I submitted for the same series. Again, todah rabah.3
From Jess Weixler-Landis:
I found out about your wonderful newsletter from a friend this summer. In it you noted the Northwind Writing Award. I submitted a story which ended up a finalist in the competition and then received an honorable mention and publication in the Northwind Treasury. I appreciate the work you do curating such a great list for busy writers! Thank you.
From Miles Whitney:
Thanks to your “Where to Read (and Publish) Writing on Jewish Themes” resource, I submitted an essay to The Jewish Writing Project. I ended up working with editor Bruce Black to create an almost entirely new piece, which was accepted for publication. Thank you again for all you do!
Reminder: Please share news from your writing practice that may be connected with this newsletter, or my blogs/other resources. I love to celebrate and amplify in this space!
3. FEATURED RESOURCE
Longtime readers will recall that in the past, I’ve repeatedly invoked the appeal of author Lisa Romeo’s “‘I Did It!’ List.” But as far as I can tell, I last did so in our January 2022 issue. I think it’s time for a re-up!
As Romeo has explained (including in this blog post):
As writers, we are too quick to dismiss our small(er) accomplishments, the small steps or steady strides that carry us forward toward larger goals. Especially at this time of year, we may be tempted to focus on what we didn’t finish, didn’t get done, didn’t accomplish—and then shoot straight to a new MUST-DO list for the coming year, one that too often smacks of recrimination.
First, let’s pause to look back and take note of the ways we’ve already begun moving in the direction of our dreams. The list is a way of noticing ourselves as DO-ERS.
The emphasis on “small steps” and “steady strides” matters: As Romeo also notes: “The list is not (only) about what got published or where, what I earned, what job or gig I nailed. It’s wider, and deeper, or in some cases, shallower than that.” Her list’s more important purpose is “to pause and take note of all the small things, big things, and in-between things I could say I finished, learned, tried, succeeded at, explored, completed, was challenged by, overcame, and took part in over the year.”
I’ve been inclined to return to Lisa’s model this year (my own effort is still in-progress). Maybe it’s something that you’ll find pleasing, too. Disclose what you come up with (I may end up sharing at least part of my list, most likely in a post for the Practicing Writing blog), or keep it to yourself. But give it a go, if it’s not already part of your practice.
4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
A.C. BOSE GRANT FOR SOUTH ASIAN SPECULATIVE LITERATURE
Submissions: January 1-January 31. Honoring the legacy of Ashim Chandra Bose, this grant administered by the Speculative Literature Foundation “provides $1,000 to South Asian or Desi diaspora writers developing speculative fiction. South Asia encompasses the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Work that is accessible to older children and teens will be given preference in the jury process.”MIRIAM CHAIKIN WRITING AWARD
Deadline: January 5. This $500 memorial prize “seeks to honor a member of the community of mature and emerging writers” and welcomes submissions of “plays, short stories, memoirs, creative nonfiction, poetry, or excerpts from longer-form works….submissions may be previously published.”HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
Applications: January 13-February 10. “Since the earliest days of the Highlights Foundation, we’ve offered scholarships for writers and illustrators to attend our workshops….While the program has grown and evolved, its focus on our mission has remained: to positively impact children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.” NB: “Travel is not typically included as part of scholarships, though we have restricted funds available to offer on a limited basis during the application window. Ten travel stipends of $500 each will be awarded during this scholarship period, and there is a place on the application to let us know if a travel stipend is helpful.”STACY DORIS MEMORIAL POETRY AWARD
Deadline: January 15. Stacy Doris “created new worlds with her unexpected poetics. Following upon her spirit of creative invention, engaging wit and ingenious playfulness, discovery in construction, and radical appropriations based on classical forms, pastiche, etc., and love, the Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award is given to a poet with a truly inventive spirit.” Confers $500 and publication in Fourteen Hills.JANET HEIDINGER KAFKA PRIZE
Deadline: January 15. Prize honors Janet Heidinger Kafka, “a young editor who was killed in a car accident just as her career was beginning….Each year a substantial cash prize is awarded to a woman who is a US citizen, and who has written the best book-length work of prose fiction, whether novel, short stories, or experimental writing. We are interested in calling attention to the work of a promising but less established writer.” Entries, published in 2024, must be submitted by publishers; cash prize is $15,000.HEKTOEN INTERNATIONAL NURSE ESSAY CONTEST
Deadline: January 15. “Nurses, nurses’ aides, and nursing and midwifery students are encouraged to submit an essay to Hektoen International’s 2024–2025 nurse writing contest.” Awards cash prizes of $3,000 (winner) and $2,000 (runner-up), plus publication.”Essays must be between 500–1,600 words and on any topic as it relates to medicine, including” areas listed on the website. “Before submitting an article, please search for your topic on our site to see that it has not been fully covered in a previous publication. Essays on previously published subjects will not be accepted.” (Hat tip: Jeanne Lyet Gassman.)SCHOOL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH (SAR) NATIVE ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS
Deadline: January 15. In New Mexico, provided by The Indian Arts Research Center (IARC). Annual fellowships “advance the work of established and emerging Native American artists. Each fellowship includes a monthly stipend, housing, studio space, a supplies allowance, full access to the IARC collections, and travel reimbursement to and from SAR. These fellowships provide time for artists to explore new avenues of creativity, grapple with new ideas to further advance their work, and strengthen existing talents.” Note that writers appear to be eligible for two of the fellowships listed: the Ron and Susan Dubin Fellowship for Native Artists and the Eric and Barbara Dobkin Native Artist Fellowship for Women. (Hat tip: Funds for Writers.)UCROSS FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN WRITERS
Deadline: January 15. “Selected fellows are offered a four-week residency, which includes uninterrupted time, private studio space living accommodations, meals prepared by our professional chef, a stipend, and the experience of the majestic High Plains. The Fellowship for Native American Artists also includes an award of $2,000 and the opportunity to present work publicly, such as a featured exhibition in the Ucross Art Gallery, a reading, or a performance.”WOMEN@MIT FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: January 17. From Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “We invite artists, activists, musicians, writers, and scholars who are engaged in the expansion and expression of knowledge to help inform the understanding of women in MIT’s history and the history of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We are particularly interested in those who will apply the interdisciplinary lenses and methodologies of women’s studies, gender studies, and/or race and ethnic studies to their work. The selected Fellow(s) will work with the Women@MIT project archivist and other staff within the MIT Libraries’ Department of Distinctive Collections. Successful candidates must be willing to engage in archival research either in person or in a remote environment. The fellowship is supported by a stipend of $5,000 for each project. Up to two projects will be selected per year.”GOLDEN HAIKU POETRY COMPETITION
Deadline: January 19. This competition aims “to bring pops of warmth, color, and inspiration to the streets of downtown DC during the late winter months. Each year, we invite the public to write and submit original, contemporary haiku for this temporary community art project…..The competition is open to all ages, worldwide.” Cash prizes in the adult category: $500/$200/$100; $200 for the regional/DC adult winner.OXBELLY RETREAT FICTION WRITERS PROGRAM
Deadline: January 22. Taking place in Greece June 28-July 6, this program “will support ten emerging fictional prose writers committed to elevating their craft, strengthening their literary voice, and contributing to intercultural dialogues around storytelling. Fellows will engage in workshops and craft sessions led by faculty and guests who are themselves established and acclaimed writers and industry leaders, followed by unstructured time to write in the serene and transformative environment the Messinian scenic landscape offers. This program is led by Chigozie Obioma.” NB: “All expenses for fellows are covered.” Also: Oxbelly is currently open for applications for a program for screenwriters, too.JAY I. KISLAK RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AND ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
Deadline: January 24. Inaugural program. Background: “The Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Early Americas, Exploration and Navigation at the University [of Miami] Libraries houses a large repository that focuses on cultural encounters and their legacies across the Americas. These materials include rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and cultural artifacts. As the Collection continues to grow, and in an effort to honor the original landmark gift, it now also includes contemporary artists’ books and zines that document modern-day cultural encounters in the Americas.” Regarding the Artist-in-Residence component: “Residencies of up to two months will support those who wish to use the Kislak Collection to advance their artistic practice. The artist can be at any stage of their career and in any discipline, such as literary, visual, and performing arts. The artist-in-residence will collaborate with the Kislak Collection and Special Collections to create works inspired by our materials. The program requires that all drafts, edited iterations, interviews, sketches, etc., be added to the Libraries' collection. The artist will retain intellectual control over the final work(s). The artist-in-residence will receive a stipend of $4,000 per month.”ZÓCALO POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: January 24. “Since 2012, the Zócalo Public Square Poetry Prize has recognized the U.S. writer of a poem that best evokes a connection to place….We are on the lookout for that rare combination of creativity and clarity, excellence and evocation. The prize interprets ‘place’ in many ways: A location may possess historical, cultural, political, or personal importance, and may be literal, imaginary, or metaphorical.” Prize: “The winner will receive $1,000 and will have the opportunity to read their poem at the Zócalo Book Prize event in the spring. Zócalo will also publish the poem on our site alongside an interview with the poet. In addition, we plan to recognize our honorable mention submissions.”THE NINE DOTS PRIZE
Deadline: January 27. Sponsored by the Kadas Prize Foundation with support from CRASSH at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Press. “A prize for creative thinking that tackles contemporary societal issues. Entrants are asked to respond to a question in 3,000 words, with the winner receiving US$100,000 to write a short book expanding on their ideas. The aim of the Prize is to promote, encourage and engage innovative thinking to address problems facing the modern world. The name of the Prize references the nine dots puzzle – a lateral thinking puzzle which can only be solved by thinking outside the box.” Current question: “Is data failing us?”.ACTION! PRIZE
Deadline: January 30. Launched by Faber. “The Action! Prize, now open to agented and unagented writers in the UK, Ireland and US, calls for fast-paced and filmic, action-packed adventure stories, and offers a publishing contract to the three winners. Entries to the prize need to feature a diverse cast of fully rounded characters in any one of these four age bands: 7–9, 9–11, 12–14, 14+. We welcome submissions from all genders.” Publishing contracts include advances as specified within the guidelines. For fiction and graphic novel submissions only.JERRY JAZZ MUSICIAN SHORT FICTION CONTEST
Deadline: January 31. “Three times a year, Jerry Jazz Musician awards a writer who submits, in our opinion, the best original, previously unpublished work of short fiction.” Prize includes $150 and publication. “The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Our newsletter subscribers include publishers, artists, musicians, and fellow writers. While your writing should appeal to a reader with these interests and in these creative professions, all story themes are considered.” Open to writers worldwide.KEATS-SHELLEY ESSAY PRIZE
Deadline: January 31. “Essays may be on any aspect of the writing and/or lives of the Romantics and their circles.” Confers a prize of £1000; two highly commended entrants receive £500. Winning work will be published in The Keats-Shelley Review and on the Keats-Shelley website.PATTIS FAMILY FOUNDATION CHICAGO BOOK AWARD
Deadline: January 31. “The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award at the Newberry Library is presented annually to a book that transforms public understanding of Chicago, its history, or its people.” Eligible criteria include: “Any book, whether fiction or nonfiction, that promotes public understanding of Chicago; titles must be available for purchase by the general public in either hardcover or bound paperback form.” Note that “books must bear a copyright of 2023 or 2024 to be eligible for the 2025 prize.” Prize includes a $25,000 award.STORY UNLIKELY SHORT STORY CONTEST
Deadline: January 31. Annual contest imposes “no restrictions on genre: fantasy, sci fi, memoir, fiction/nonfiction, etc - we don’t care as long as it’s written and told with quality and care….There are no restrictions on age or location of participant.” Prizes: “$1,500 first place, $1,000 second place, $500 third place. The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely’s website, will be strongly considered for our annual (print) sample magazine, and may be sent out as the bonus story for signing up, which means a lot of exposure to the winner. All three placing stories will be published in the monthly issue, and all three will be illustrated.” NB: “All authors MUST be signed up for the Story Unlikely monthly magazine (free!) to be eligible for prize and publication.”PATERSON POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: February 1. Sponsored by The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College, this is a $2,000 award for a book of poems, 48 pages or more in length, judged as “the strongest collection of poems” published in 2024. Note: “The winning poet will be eligible for the monetary prize only if he/she/they participates in a reading at the Poetry Center in Paterson, NJ or virtually.”PATERSON PRIZE FOR BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Deadline: February 1. Offers a $1,000 prize for books published in 2024 in “each category: Pre-K - Grade 3; Grades 4 - 6; Grades 7 - 12.”FRANCES “FRANK” ROLLIN FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: February 1. From Biographers International Organization. Named for the 19th-century author and activist, this program confers two awards ($5,000 each) “to two authors working on a biographical work about an African American figure or figures whose story provides a significant contribution to our understanding of the Black experience. This fellowship also provides the recipients with a year’s membership in BIO, registration to the annual BIO Conference, and publicity through BIO’s marketing channels.” NB: “The fellowship is open to all biographers anywhere in the world who are writing in English, who are working on a biography of an African American figure (or figures), and who are at any stage in the writing of a book-length biography. A publishing contract is not required for eligibility. Biography as defined for this prize is a narrative of an individual’s life or the story of a group of lives. Innovative ways of treating a life (or lives) will be considered at the committee’s discretion. Memoirs and autobiographies are not eligible.”PHILIP ROTH RESIDENCE IN CREATIVE WRITING
Deadline: February 1. “Named for Bucknell’s renowned literary alumnus and initiated in the fall of 1993, the Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing offers up to four months of unfettered writing time for a writer working on a first or second book in any literary genre. The residency provides lodging in Bucknell’s ‘Poets’ Cottage’ and a stipend of $5,000.” The February 1 deadline applies for the two residencies available in the 2025-26 school year.HURSTON/WRIGHT FOUNDATION CROSSOVER AWARD
Deadline: February 3. Sponsored by ESPN’s Andscape, this award “honors probing, provocative, and original new voices in literary nonfiction. Named after the most common dribbling move in basketball, the Crossover Award, aims to highlight an unconventional winner who writes across genres and can effectively crossover between writing styles and techniques. The name also speaks to the potential of the award winner to transition from obscurity to the spotlight. This award will celebrate one writer who contributes a unique perspective to the literary nonfiction landscape.” Applicants must be unpublished, Black writers who are 18 years of age or older; submissions may be stand-alone essays or excerpts from a book in progress. Award includes $2000, tuition-free attendance of a 2024 Hurston/Wright summer workshop, and a complimentary ticket to the annual Legacy Awards Ceremony in October 2025.HADASSAH-BRANDEIS INSTITUTE SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE
Deadline: February 7. This program offers “outstanding scholars, writers and artists the opportunity to be in residence at HBI at different points during the year” and “is open to scholars working on any aspect of Jewish women’s and gender studies in order to devote time to their research. Applicants seeking to carry out research that use the Jewish Feminism Collections in Brandeis University's Archives and Special Collections are encouraged to apply. Residencies take place during the academic year (August - May) and generally range from two months to a full semester. Applications for a full academic year will be considered. HBI welcomes applications for in-person and hybrid residencies. Applicants living outside the U.S. and those whose work has an international dimension are especially encouraged to apply. Award confers a stipend of $5,000/month. “In addition, participants will receive (shared) office space at the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University and access to all available Brandeis University resources as state and university health policies permit. There is also the possibility to have the support of an undergraduate Research Assistant.”HUGHES FELLOWSHIP IN CREATIVE WRITING
Deadline: February 9. “The English Department at Southern Methodist University welcomes applications for the Hughes Fellowship in Creative Writing (Poetry), for a two-year position beginning Fall 2025. Fellows will be expected to make significant progress on a major project, to teach one course in creative writing per semester, and to engage in the intellectual and creative life of the department and the larger Dallas literary community. This engagement will include a public reading of the fellow’s own work in the first year and, in the second year, a public conversation with an established writer about their creative practice. Fellows should also be available to mentor undergraduates on an informal basis.” Annual compensation: “$60,000 with full benefits.”
REMINDER: Some opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into the new month. And don’t skip over the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!
5. SUBMISSION ALERTS
34 ORCHARD will be open for submissions January 1-15. “We like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad….We are an international journal and welcome submissions from everyone, all over the world.”
Opening for submissions January 1: BETHLEHEM WRITERS ROUNDTABLE, for Summer 2025 issue consideration. “The theme for that issue will be Barbecued Beef: Tales of Disagreement. Our themes are broadly interpreted.” Accepts work “in most genres of fiction, as well as memoir and poetry.”
Also opening January 1, also for submissions for its summer issue: BLACK FOX LITERARY MAGAZINE, a print and online publication “featuring quality fiction of all styles and genres, poetry, nonfiction, art, and photography.” NB: Their Submittable page also includes a category for those interested in teaching online (using Zoom) with the Black Fox Writing Academy, which “offers writing classes (focused on craft, genre/category, and workshopping).” There is currently no deadline: “For now, we will keep proposals open, however, we may decide to close if we become overwhelmed.”
At BOOK XI, “a journal of literary philosophy—or, if you like, of philosophically informed creative work,” they’ll open for submissions January 1 (remaining open until March 1 “or until the submission cap of 200 is met”). Topic for this window: “Things.”
From January 1-31, BRINK will be open for submissions on the theme of “Renewal.” They welcome “a variety of creative work from Nonfiction to Fiction, from Poetry to Translation. But our hearts beat strongest for hybrid work. We are interested in work that presses boundaries, uses more than one medium to tell a story, and both looks and feels different on the page. Additionally, we look for submissions that engage the theme of each issue as well as the idea of being on the brink.”
LITMOSPHERE will be open for submissions during the month of January (“or until we have reached 300 submissions”). “We welcome unpublished original poetry, flash, short fiction and literary nonfiction in English from established and emerging writers 18 years and older. For the Spring 2025 issue submissions will be accepted from anyone currently residing in the United States regardless of citizenship, and U.S. citizens residing anywhere.”
Open for poetry from writers around the world during January (and February): MALAHAT REVIEW (which accepts submissions in all genres from Canadians throughout the year; creative nonfiction is also welcome from international writers year-round).
Opening for poetry submissions January 1: Ireland-based SOUTHWORD. NB: Although they’re scheduled to remain open through February, “our Submittable account limit means that we can only receive 1000 submissions per month, so if we reach this limit before the end of January…the submission link will automatically close and we will be unable to accept any further submissions.”
TERRAIN.ORG, which welcomes “submissions on place, climate, and justice from new and experienced authors and artists alike,” will open January 1 for general submissions of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
Scheduled to re-open in January: THE THREEPENNY REVIEW.
BENNINGTON REVIEWis scheduled to re-openJanuary 6.UPDATE: “Bennington Review now charges a $3 reading fee per submission.”Also scheduled to re-open January 6: THE SUNLIGHT PRESS.
For its winter/spring issue, PHILADELPHIA STORIES remains open for submissions until January 15. This is a “print magazine that strives to publish the finest fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art written by authors living in, or originally from, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New Jersey.” (Hat tip:
.)According to its website, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS will open a window for fiction inquiries January 15. “We publish up to seven works of fiction each year, including novels, short story collections, and works in translation….We are open to well-written works of literary fiction, as well as works set in Wisconsin or the Midwest. We will occasionally consider mystery novels, but we do not publish Young Adult, science fiction, fantasy, romance, or most other genre fiction. We are unable to consider free-standing novellas or works of fewer than 60,000 words in total length.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)
ASTROLABE is open for submissions until January 21 (or until they meet their quota of 150 submissions). “We’re looking for work about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. Into the woods. Across a line. Beneath the ocean. Along a seam. Into the branches of an alternate present or the crevasse of an alternate future. Across the rifts between one another. And then, once we find one other, the myths we make. We’re excited to see as many interpretations of this broad theme as there are stars in the night sky. We’re open to work of all genres, with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)
ECOTONE, “reimagining place,” will be open for fee-free nonfiction submissions only January 26-January 31. “During this window, we especially welcome work from groups historically underrepresented in literary publishing.”
AFTER HAPPY HOUR has issued a special call for work “that was published in now-closed markets.” How they define closed (defunct) is detailed within the call. Anything that meets their criteria “is eligible for this call. This includes stories, poems, personal essays, graphic narratives, and works of art, along with hybrids and mixes of the above. We're interested in works from any and all genres, and especially in ones that blend, blur, or fall between genres. We are only looking for reprints for this call.” Deadline: January 31. (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)
From the blog of the LIBRARY OF ARABIC LITERATURE: “Send us a pitch We’re looking for writers who are enthusiastic about Arabic literature to contribute to the Library of Arabic Literature blog. We welcome ideas for posts on a variety of topics. Previous blog posts have included reflections on how LAL books fit with a broader theme, such as the Global Middle Ages or disability studies, as well as surprising comparisons (e.g. ‘Antarah and Cardi B). Blog posts should be 800-1200 words long, written in English, and must feature at least one LAL book, preferably (but not necessarily) one published within the last two years.” Deadline: January 31. (Hat tip: The Writer’s Job Newsletter.)
NONBINARY REVIEW is open until January 31, for poetry, prose, and visual-art submissions for an issue with the theme of “Mistaken Identity”; note that there’s a submission cap for each issue, so they may close early.
VINE LEAVES PRESS remains open for unagented book-length manuscripts until January 31. “We are looking for: novels and novellas (all genres accepted, but with a literary bent), memoirs/biographies/autobiographies, creative nonfiction, writing/publishing reference books, short story collections, and poetry and vignette collections. For shorter works, such as poetry and vignettes, we will not accept anything shorter than 60 pages.”
THE FIRST LINE, which publishes issues that contain “short stories that stem from a common first line” and “provides a forum for discussing favorite first lines in literature,” has published its first lines for 2025; the next deadline, February 1, will be for stories that begin with the line, “Jayce recognized the man right away but couldn’t remember his name.”
At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “We’re looking for all the same dark fiction, crime, and noir as our usual submissions, but with a target length between 1,000 and 2,000 words, and aligned with the monthly submissions prompt….We’ll read through each story, choose the one story that shines brightest, and publish it online the following month. After a year, we’ll collect all twelve stories into a Stone’s Throw Annual Anthology, to be published alongside our other print issues.” For submissions February 1-4 (for the March 2025 issue), they seek work along the following lines: “March is in like a lion and out like a lamb, but this month at Stone’s Throw, we want to reverse it. Give us meek characters who find their fire by the end of the story. What happens when repression gives way to hedonism and rage? Or maybe your protagonist was already a secret badass, and just needed that nudge to show their true stripes? Maybe they go too far, and have to make sense of what they’ve done when they come back to their senses?”
is open for “It Happened to Me” submissions (here’s the call for submissions). (Hat tip:
.)A reminder from PALETTE POETRY: “Submissions for our Featured Poetry category are open year-round to poets at any stage of their careers. Featured poems are published online only and will spotlight a number of poems from new authors each month. We highly encourage emerging authors to submit.”
Reminder: Make it a habit to check the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL website, where titles in development are posted. Note: “If this is your first time, please visit our Story Guidelines page.”
Reminder: THE FORGE, which “publishes one prose piece per week selected by a rotating cast of editors,” opens for free submissions on the first of each month (except for September and December). “If there is no free link, we’ve hit our quota.”
Reminder: ROUGH CUT PRESS seeks “experimental work of all genres by writers and allies of the LGBTQIA community. To get a sense of what we publish please read some of our former issues. We don’t know what we like until we see it. Each month we announce a different theme, but don’t worry if the work you submit doesn’t quite fit: we often build issues around work that takes us by surprise.”
Reminder: , which aims to “revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful,” selects one story for publication each month and considers reprints.
Reminder: VAST CHASM, which publishes “bold work that explores the expansive human experience, including flash and short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and other nonconforming work,” considers submissions “year-round, on a rolling basis, for our quarterly online issues.”
REMEMBER: Some venues listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for submissions, too. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!
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 fee-free/paying opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletter)
(Friday) Finds for Writers
#SundaySentence
Occasional Notes from a Practicing Writer
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Interested in matters of specifically Jewish literary and cultural interest? Please also visit the My Machberet blog (“machberet” is the Hebrew word for “notebook”). And be sure to consult our collection of Jewish Writing Resources.
7. NEWSLETTER MATTERS
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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 right here on Substack and/or on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.
For just two quite recent examples: Jehanne Dubrow’s poem “The Year the Jewish Poets Disappeared” and
’s essay “My Truth.”For a recent example of the former, read “An Open Letter to the Editor of The New York Times Book Review” in
.Todah rabah is transliterated Hebrew for “thank you very much.”