The Practicing Writer 2.0: July 2025
Featuring 55+ fee-free, paying/funded opportunities for writers of fiction, poetry, & creative nonfiction—alongside a featured resource, subscriber success stories, & 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; I’m also, intermittently, 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,
Like many of you at various times, I suspect, I’ve lately been experiencing a challenging phase in my own writing practice. Beyond other commitments (including, right now, developing a brand-new undergraduate course that starts next month, a course on “Jewish Life Writing”), I simply don’t seem to have the “bandwidth” to generate much new work of my own.
I do, however, have a new byline to share! That’s because some months back, I received the honor of an invitation to write a foreword for an important, timely, beautiful new anthology.
Scheduled for publication by ELJ Editions this fall, and edited by Diane Gottlieb, Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture & Heritage is available for pre-order now. I’m not going to “spoil” my foreword by telling you too much about it at the moment, but I will share the contributor list with you.
I invite and encourage you to learn more.
For now, I’ll simply wish everyone a July filled with only good things—for all of us, and for our writing practices.
Sincerely,
ERIKA
2. SUCCESS STORIES
From Stephanie Wildman:
My piece “From Bullet Journal to Writing Coven: Organize Your Writer's Life and Have Fun!” went live today on the WOW! website. I saw the invitation that they were open to pitches in your newsletter. You inspired me to try - I had never done an article pitch before (for all my prior essay publications I had just submitted a completed piece). Thank you for your work helping writers like me.
From Steve Pollack:
[You] alerted me to this new on-line journal [The Jewish Poets’ Collective Journal], a space Tree Smith Benedikt dedicates to Jewish poets. I’m happy to have “Borscht” as an appetizer to many satisfying entrees.
From Kayla Schneider-Smith:
I’ve been following you since post-Oct. 7th -- I can’t even remember now how I got introduced to you, but I’m so glad I did. Thanks to your page “Where to Read (and Publish) Writing on Jewish Themes,” I discovered OfTheBook Literary Journal, which just published three of my poems. Thank you so much for your encouragement, advocacy, suggestions, and support during these very difficult years.
From Pearl Adler Saban:
You recently updated [“Where to Read (and Publish) Writing on Jewish Themes”]. I noticed the Jewish Women of Words, and decided to submit a personal essay to their website. It was accepted and just went live. Thank you for keeping us writers informed in so many ways.
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: WEEKLY MARKETS/JOBS UPDATES
Midyear seems to be a good moment to remind everyone that between these monthly newsletter issues, I also curate weekly supplementary posts. Typically, these posts go out first thing each Monday morning, to paid subscribers only. (As you’ll see below, there remains a way for everyone to access this information at no charge, too.)
I thought that everyone might appreciate the chance to take a peek at a sample post, so I’ve “unlocked” the one that went to paid subscribers last Monday (June 23). You’ll find a number of opportunities there that are still open—but not necessarily for long!
If you’ve been on the fence about a paid subscription—which also gives you full archive access—perhaps a look at this benefit (there are others!) will sway you to move ahead.
And if not—well, consider this dose of #MondayMotivation an end-of-June gift.
#MondayMotivation for Practicing Writers
For many years—since long before Substack arrived on the scene—I’ve been curating “Monday Markets and Jobs” posts on the Practicing Writing blog, where everyone can still find them (albeit slightly later in the day than in the past). But I’ve begun sharing this information early every Monday morning via Substack, too, as a benefit for paid subscribers.
4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION DIVERSE WRITERS AND DIVERSE WORLDS GRANTS
Applications: July 1-31. “Since 2014, the SLF has offered two diversity-centered grants intended to foster the creation of speculative fiction work rich in diversity. Writers may apply for either or both grants.” Each grant confers $500. “Open to all levels of publishing experience, worldwide.”OX-BOW HOLD SPACE RETREAT FOR ARTISTS OF COLOR
Deadline: July 6. Located on Ox-Bow’s campus in Saugatuck, Michigan, this program provides lodging, three meals per day, and access to Ox-Bow studios and spaces. “People of color across the creative spectrum including artists of any discipline, writers, curators, teachers, and Ox-Bow Alumni are encouraged to apply. The retreat supports individuals or groups of up to twenty for any length from one to seven nights.”THE REPUBLIC OF LETTERS “CHARACTER IDENTIFICATION WEEK” CONTEST
Deadline: July 6. “You may well at some point in your life have had the experience of overly identifying with a fictional character in something you read or watched. Tell that story! — about how you thought you were Captain Nemo or Maid Marian or whatever it was.” Prize: “$50 plus possible additional bonuses” and publication.KARI HOWARD FUND FOR NARRATIVE JOURNALISM
Deadline: July 13. “Kari Howard loved stories that left readers feeling as though they had just met a new friend. Writers fortunate enough to work with her as their editor found themselves challenged to weave the music of everyday life and the passion of extraordinary love into the fabric of stories illuminating the most important issues of the day. Kari’s family and friends, together with the International Women’s Media Foundation, are honored to offer grants to support the narrative journalism she championed. Grants will be for a maximum of $5,000. Applicants may be a print journalist or a print journalist leading a multi-media team. Projects reported and published in English anywhere in the world are eligible. All reporting and publishing must be completed within six months of the award of the grant.” NB: For women and nonbinary journalists only.PALETTE POETRY 2025 [FREE] CHALLENGE
Deadline: July 13. “This summer, we invite you to submit your poetry to our 2025 [FREE] Challenge! With everything happening in the world right now, and during a cost-of-living crisis, we at Palette want to offer an accessible space for all poets—a moment to breathe and write without the concern of a financial barrier….The Palette editors will select one winning poem to receive $500 and publication. Finalists may also be considered for publication. We hope you’ll join us—whether you’re polishing your next masterpiece or putting pen to paper for the first time in months. Bring us your boldest, most resonant poetry. We can’t wait to read your work.”BOOKS LIKE US FIRST NOVEL CONTEST
Deadline: July 14. “Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is pleased to announce the launch of the fourth BOOKS LIKE US First Novel Contest. The aim of the contest is to facilitate access to the publishing process for writers from underrepresented groups, and to celebrate the diversity of readers across the United States. As the nation strives for progress, Avid Reader Press and Simon & Schuster aim to help catalyze that change by amplifying voices that represent us, by publishing books like us. The BOOKS LIKE US First Novel Contest is rotated among Simon & Schuster’s other adult imprints. Previous contests have been administered by the Atria Books, Gallery Books, and Simon & Schuster imprints.” Confers a $50,000 book deal with Avid Reader Press. (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)DONN GOODWIN PRIZE
Deadline: July 14. “The Milwaukee Irish Fest poetry award for the Donn Goodwin Prize will be given to the entry that best reflects Irish or Irish-American poetry traditions. Although the poems do not necessarily need to have direct Irish or Irish-American themes, the winning entry should have a cultural or literary relation to either Ireland, Irish-America, or to Irish poetry. The person with the winning submission as determined by our panel of adjudicators will receive a $100 honorarium and will be invited to read their poem at Milwaukee Irish Fest (if available).”STONY BROOK SHORT FICTION PRIZE
Deadline: July 14. For this competition, “only undergraduates enrolled full time in United States and Canadian universities and colleges for the academic year 2024-2025 are eligible. This Prize has traditionally encouraged submissions from students with an Asian background, but we urge all students to enter….The author of the winning story will receive $1,000 and a scholarship to the 2025 Southampton Writers Conference. Additionally, the winning story will automatically be considered for publication in TSR: The Southampton Review.”BURLINGTON CONTEMPORARY ART WRITING PRIZE
Deadline: July 15. Prize “seeks to discover talented writers on contemporary art. The winner of the Prize receives £1,000, their review is published on Burlington Contemporary and they have the opportunity to publish a review of a future contemporary art exhibition in The Burlington Magazine.” NB: “Entrants must have published no more than six pieces of writing in print or online prior to their submission. This does not include personal blogs and websites, but does relate to writing of any sort, on any topic, published by a professional outlet (excluding student newspapers).”THE IRON HORSE LITERARY REVIEW PHOTOFINISH COMPETITION
Fee-free submissions for one day only: July 15. “For the IHLR annual PhotoFinish, we seek well-crafted and very brief ekphrastic work that pushes beyond an absolute literal read of a photo prompt. We’re looking for work that recognizes what’s hidden in the world we see, responding to the physical details that the picture offers or what emotion it conveys or both.” Current photo prompt is available on the site. Winner receives $250; finalists receive $75. NB: “We will accept 25 free submissions on July 15. On that day, at 8 a.m., we will open a special gate, revealed only on our social media pages and here on our website. We will accept only one free submission per person (automatically disqualifying subsequent free submission attempts by the same writer). Once we hit 25 submissions, we will close the free gate….We offer this opportunity in the hopes of targeting writers who cannot afford to enter otherwise. If you can afford to enter, please do not take one of the 25 available free slots.”IRON HORSE BOOK PRIZE
Fee-free submissions for one day only: July 15. “Texas Tech University Press and Iron Horse Literary Review are pleased to announce the Iron Horse Prize, awarded annually to a first book of collected prose. The author of the winning entry will receive $1000, and their collection will be published…by Texas Tech University Press. We are looking for emerging writers who have yet to publish collections of their own prose, either short fiction or nonfiction.” NB: “Entries must be either a collection of short fiction or essays. We are not accepting novels or memoirs, although we welcome story cycles, novellas with other stories, and linked essays.” Also note about the fee-free submissions: “On July 15, we will accept 25 submissions free of charge to ensure the inclusion of as many authors as possible. If you can afford to pay the fee, we ask that you reserve the free slots for others who may not be able to submit otherwise. If you miss the July 15th free submission day and would like to submit your work but cannot pay the fee, please feel welcome to contact Travis Snyder at Texas Tech University Press.”POLAR STEAM ANTARCTIC ARTISTS & WRITERS PROGRAM
Deadline: July 15. “The Antarctic Artists & Writers program facilitates deployments to the Antarctic for creative practitioners within the arts and humanities. Collaborations between polar researchers and artists and writers help increase the public’s understanding of and appreciation for human and scientific endeavors in Antarctica through the resulting works. Polar STEAM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math] welcomes applications from working artists, writers, and creative practitioners in a variety of genres, from traditional to experimental.” The program provides “the travel funds, stipends, and outer clothing layers to the collaborating educator and/or artist.”HELEN SCHAIBLE INTERNATIONAL SONNET CONTEST
Deadline: July 15. “Categories: Traditional Sonnet – Shakespearean or Petrarchan; Modern Sonnet.” See website for definitions and guidelines. “Enter ONLY ONE poem per Category. This means only 1 or 2 poems total per poet.” No simultaneous submissions. Prizes (for both categories): “First Prize: $50. Second Prize: $30. Third Prize: $20. Three Honorable Mentions.”UCROSS FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN WRITERS
Deadline: July 15. Open to writers working in one or more the the following genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, screenwriting, playwriting, and hybrid forms who are also enrolled members “of a state-recognized or federally-recognized Tribe, Pueblo, Nation, Native Community, Political Entity, or Alaskan Native Village.” Confers a residency at Ucross in northern Wyoming.FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX (FSG) WRITER’S FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: July 18. A remote opportunity “designed to give an emerging writer from an underrepresented community additional resources to build a life around writing: funding, editorial guidance, and advice on how to forge a writing career. It offers the unique opportunity for a writer to spend time with and enjoy the support and mentorship of the FSG community.” Cash component of the fellowship is “$15,000 paid over two installments: half paid at the start of the Fellowship program, half paid in June 2026.” NB: “The applicant must not have published a book-length work in any genre, have a book under contract, or be negotiating a contract either in the United States or abroad by the time the fellowship begins. Having published short poetry chapbooks will not exclude an applicant from eligibility.” Also: “The Fellow agrees to offer to FSG the Fellow’s first book-length work before submitting to, or soliciting offers from, any other publisher.” And: “The applicant must be a U.S. Permanent Resident (green card) or U.S. Citizen.”BLACK VOICES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE WRITING CONTEST
Deadline: July 22. From Strive Publishing and Free Spirit Publishing: “The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. As always, the contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Black people. Every entry is considered for publication and three cash prizes [$1,000/$500/$250] will be awarded.” NB: “The winning submission will be seriously considered for publication by Free Spirit, cobranded with Strive; however, publication is not guaranteed.”LITERATURE ALLIANCE SCOTLAND WRITER BURSARIES FOR WORK-IN-PROGRESS
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Deadline: July 25. Offering “direct support to five established writers currently resident in Scotland” in the form of “£3,000 bursaries for work-in-progress”: “In this pilot programme we will trial a random lottery selection process. Through the pilot we hope to learn more about how random lottery selection processes can work to reduce gatekeeping or perceptions of unfairness in the literature sector in Scotland, and to better understand levels of demand for this type of support.” Among the eligibility requirements is having published “at least one full-length work with a UK publisher in the same genre/market category as your work-in-progress.” (ViaBERGGRUEN PRIZE ESSAY COMPETITION
Deadline: July 31. Seeks “to stimulate new thinking and innovative concepts while embracing cross-cultural perspectives across fields, disciplines, and geographies. By posing fundamental philosophical questions of significance for both contemporary life and for the future, the competition will serve as a complement to the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture, which recognizes major lifetime achievements in advancing ideas that have shaped the world.” Prize: “$50,000 USD for essays submitted in English and $50,000 USD for essays submitted in Chinese. An award ceremony will be hosted, and the winning essays will be published to give readers insight into perspectives of both East and West.” Theme for 2025: “Consciousness.” UPDATE: A subscriber has reminded me of this cautionary element within the terms & conditions: “From the moment of submission until the official announcement of the winners on the Berggruen Institute website, the entrant grants the Berggruen Institute a non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid, perpetual, irrevocable, and worldwide license to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the submitted essay (along with a name credit) in connection with the competition and promotion of the competition, in any media now or hereafter known.”BRIEFLY WRITE POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: July 31. “Celebrates and rewards bold, succinct writing. We want well-crafted poems up to 10 lines.” No simultaneous submissions. “This year, the minimum prize fund is £80.”BRITISH CZECH & SLOVAK ASSOCIATION (BCSA) WRITING COMPETITION
Deadline: July 31. “‘Liberation’ –- this is the suggested (but not compulsory) theme of this year’s British Czech & Slovak Association writing competition. It’s prompted by 2025 seeing the 80th anniversary of the ending of World War Two. If you choose to write on this theme it can be related to that anniversary but it needn’t be – it could be something on a much more individual, personal or local level. As stated, that theme is not compulsory. What is compulsory is that entries must deal with either (1) the links between Britain and the Czech and/or Slovak Republics, at any time in their history, or (2) society in those Republics since 1989. Entries should be original writing, in English and not more than 2,000 words long. Fiction or fact – either is welcome. The first prize is £400 and the second prize £150….The two prizewinning entries will be published in the British Czech and Slovak Review.” NB: “Submissions are invited from individuals of any age, nationality or educational background.”GLADSTONE LIBRARY RESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS
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Deadline: July 31. Scholarship awards confer an ensuite room at the UK library plus “Continental breakfast, two-course lunch, two-course evening meal (both with tea and filter coffee).” NB: “The scholarships have been given by the benefactors to ensure that research into the subjects important to them will be supported by the Library in perpetuity. If a suitable applicant is not found for a specific scholarship, the award will be held over until the following year.” (Hat tip:SISTERS IN CRIME PRIDE AWARD FOR EMERGING LGBTQIA+ CRIME WRITERS
Deadline: July 31. A legacy project of past SinC president Sherry Harris, this award confers $2,000 for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. According to Harris, “Each past president is required to do a legacy project, something that they feel passionate about. When thinking about what I wanted to do, I kept two things in mind. First, why SinC was formed — to equal the disparity in how female crime fiction writers and male crime fiction writers were reviewed and won awards. Second, I love our Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for emerging crime writers of color. With those two thoughts in mind, I realized I wanted to start a similar award for the LGBTQIA+ community.” Note: “Writers submitting work should have published not more than ten pieces of short fiction or up to two self-published or traditionally published books.”Deadline: August 1: 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.” One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded “$500 or more”; for the Translation Prize, one award of $1,500 “or more” will be made.
NOMAD REVIEW CONTEST
Deadline: August 1. “We read work on any theme, but our current contest seeks submissions on the theme of ‘fragility.’ One winner in each of these six categories will be selected for a $75 prize: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, visual art, industry specials, and criticism/reviews/interviews.”PASSA PORTA RESIDENCIES FOR FOREIGN AUTHORS
Applications: “Literary authors can apply in July and August for a residency in the following year.” Located in Brussels, Belgium. Selected residents “stay for one month in a spacious apartment and you receive a stipend. In addition, Passa Porta can involve you in Belgian cultural life and the network of the house of literature. We sometimes ask you to be open to meeting Belgian audiences or making other literary contributions. Such assignments are properly compensated.” NB: “Priority is usually given to authors (of prose, poetry, graphic novels or literary non-fiction) whose work is available in Dutch or French, and/or authors whose project is related to Belgium or Europe.”BRECK CREATE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
Applications: Rolling. Colorado-based program “offers regional and national artists of all disciplines an opportunity to focus on process rather than product while engaging with the local community in a meaningful way. Artists-in-Residence spend 2-4 months in a live/work studio in the Breckenridge Arts District, an intimate campus of historic structures nestled under majestic snow-capped peaks in cozy downtown Breckenridge….Artists receive a biweekly stipend of $600 to cover expenses and may take classes and open studios at no cost based on availability.”
REMINDER: Some opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into the new month. (The full archive is available as a benefit for paid subscribers.) And don’t skip over the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!
5. SUBMISSION ALERTS
For the month of July, FLASH FROG is open for flash-fiction submissions of ghost stories only.
Also open during the month of July: THE MARROW, which welcomes “poetry submissions written in—or translated into—English, from Australian and international poets, whether established, emerging or somewhere in between.”
Re-opening for free general submissions July 1: BLACK FOX LITERARY REVIEW. They feature “quality fiction of all styles and genres, poetry, nonfiction, art, and photography.”
, which “publishes original and contemporary short stories, poems, and essays that explore, expand on, and subvert the rich traditions of international folklore, with a strong focus on fairy tales (though we also sometimes dabble in other forms of folklore, such as fables, myths, and legends)” as well as “traditional tales accompanied by annotations, discussion questions, and writing prompts,” will be open for submissions July 1-July 14 (AEST specifics provided within the guidelines).
According to its Submittable page, HUB CITY PRESS plans to hold an open submission window July 11-13, during which they’ll welcome “single-narrative nonfiction books.” Reminder: “Hub City publishes writers living in or from the South. What’s the South? A complicated issue, to say the least, but the short answer for our purposes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.”
July 12 is the deadline for submissions of poems about work, for an online anthology to be titled THE BOOK OF JOBS. This project is edited by Erin Murphy and published by
. (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)At last check, THE SUNLIGHT PRESS was “open to all submissions, except for poetry (we have reached our cap on poetry). We will close to all submissions on July 15. Please note: we will also close to both fiction and essays when we reach 50 subs in each category.”
According to its Submittable page, INK NEST POETRY is open until July 15 for submissions of poetry, visual art, and fiction.
Until July 15, SCUPPERNONG EDITIONS welcomes “submissions for hybrid memoir, as well as books on social justice issues in North Carolina….You do not have to be a North Carolina resident to submit.”
TRACTOR BEAM, “a quarterly speculative and science fiction publication dedicated to soilpunk: radical visions of hopeful futures on Earth,” is open until July 21. “For our upcoming issues, we’re specifically seeking stories celebrating decay and rot, ice and snow (the frozen earth), the ocean and soil under water, fashion and style, soil as tech, soil as the origin of life and anti-apocalyptic futures. Literal or abstract, near term or on distant horizons: worlds can take inspiration from innovations or alternative practices in earth and material science, regenerative agriculture, food, microbiology, and more.”
THE AMPERSAND REVIEW, which “accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays,” is open until July 31. NB: “In keeping with our mandate to foster literary culture in communities within Canada, we only accept submissions from writers who reside in Canada.”
“is an anonymous publication showcasing the stories of divorced women. The Redacted weekly Substack column will feature anonymous personal essays about the author's experience with divorce as well as shorter form stories. A selection of longer form anonymous stories will be published as a print and digital anthology in 2026.” Both are paid opportunities, with a deadline of July 31. Guidelines here.
The next deadline at THE FIRST LINE, which seeks short stories that are written with the first line provided, is August 1. Stories must begin with this line: “Her truck took the sharp turns of the mountain road with ease.”
At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re “open for submissions the first three days of every month, from 12AM on the first through 12AM on the fourth (with some wiggle room here and there to account for the editors being human). 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.” For submissions August 1-4, they seek work as follows: “September is smack dab in the middle of Atlantic hurricane season, and the planet is actively trying to kill us all. This month…give us stories of the Earth in revolt. Hundred year storms every other month. Flash flooding. Tornados. Fire-nados. Bee-nados. Shark-nados. How do your characters cope? And do some of them see opportunity in the face of disaster?”
Until August 9, BARRELHOUSE is “accepting pitches for a new book series, For What It's Worth: short (25-30K words) works of creative nonfiction that have some pop-cultural ‘thing’ at their center and combine elements of memoir and cultural criticism. Essentially, we want you to write about your pop-cultural obsession, but in a way that ultimately helps to illuminate something about your own life experience.”
CLASS CENTRAL’S “THE REPORT,” a source “for the latest news and trends in online education,” is open for pitches in several areas, including “personal essays (witnessing online platforms grow, career transformations while online learning, deep dives into a platform experience, alternative education, self-learning, and so on).” No deadline indicated. (Hat tip: The Writer’s Job Newsletter.)
MERGANSER MAGAZINE “is a free online literary magazine, featuring a variety of prose and poetry.” Note: “We’re eager to find strong, well-written pieces across a wide range of material. That said, our business model prioritizes shorter works, as well as those which are suitable for online reading (avoid long paragraphs). Anything longer than 2,000 words is likely a hard sell.” No deadline indicated. (Hat tip: Funds for Writers.)
PULP ASYLUM “is currently open to fiction submissions.” From the editor: “I publish a variety of traditional pulp genres: horror, mystery, crime, science fiction, fantasy, adventure, western, and just plain weird stories are all welcome. I am not interested in experimental fiction. Regardless of genre, I am looking for straight-ahead, fully-formed stories with an inventive plot, lively action, and memorable endings.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)
For a recurring column on “How to Break In” to writing-industry jobs,
is “trying something new…Instead of a Q&A, we’ll be taking pitches.” NB: A ‘job in the writing industry’ covers a wide swath of positions, including social media marketers for publishing companies, slush pile readers for lit mags, adjunct professors of creative writing, and editorial interns for whomever is still hiring editorial interns. We’ve featured folks who work in communications, radio, and video games. We’re open to a lot of writerly and writerly-adjacent things, so send over your idea even if you’re not sure.” Details here.
WILDSAM, “an American travel brand built upon telling true stories of place,” is open for magazine pitches. “We believe the American road trip is a rite of passage and a shared source of wonder—and that out there are answers to big questions. That a desert highway can unlock our best ideas, a rugged pass can summon our courage, a campground can renew our faith in humanity and that a cross-country drive can redraw the map of our lives. Interested in contributing to Wildsam Magazine? Check out our magazine submission guidelines.” (Hat tip:
.)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: CRAFT LITERARY’s general submissions “are open year-round with no capacity limits.”
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 that FRACTURED LIT “publishes Micro and Flash Fiction from writers of any background or experience. Both Micro and Flash categories are open year-round.”
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.”
Reminder from THE MASTERS REVIEW: “Our New Voices category is open year-round to any new or emerging author who has not published a novel-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction with a major press. Authors with published short story collections are free to submit.”
Reminder about 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: PARANOID TREE, which welcomes fiction, creative nonfiction, and prose poetry (with a word limit “~400 words”), is also always open for submissions.
Reminder: OKAY DONKEY, which publishes “one new piece every Friday, alternating between flash fiction and poetry,” opens for free submissions “on the 1st of every month but December and stays open until we hit our submissions cap. If we hit the submission cap, regular submissions will close and reopen on the 1st of the next month. However, Tip Jar and Expedited Response submissions will remain open.”
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. (The full archive is available as a benefit for paid subscribers.) 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; for extra convenience, paid subscribers to this newsletter now receive this information directly, and earlier in the day, via exclusive Substack posts like this one, which, as mentioned above, I’ve unlocked for everyone’s consideration.)
(Friday) Finds for Writers
#SundaySentence
Occasional Notes from a Practicing Writer
Please visit, comment, and subscribe.
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
Information contained in The Practicing Writer is researched carefully but readers should always verify information. Any necessary corrections, when discovered, are added post-publication within each archived issue. The Practicing Writer and its editor disclaim any liability for the use of information contained within. Thank you for following/reading.
I value this newsletter’s subscribers, and I do not share the subscriber list (but as I’ve recently learned, your own Substack settings may disclose that you subscribe to this and/or other publications).
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.