The Practicing Writer 2.0: June 2025
Featuring 55+ fee-free, paying/funded opportunities for writers of fiction, poetry, & creative nonfiction. Plus: a featured resource, subscriber success stories—and a newsletter first!
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.)
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Editor’s Note
OUR FIRST AD
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, May was something of a whirlwind, including (but not limited to!) a truly lovely launch event for the Smashing the Tablets anthology in which I have a story (and about which you can read much more in this just-published Jewish Book Council conversation with co-editors
and ); the end of the spring semester (and encounters with my undergraduate students’ delightful “Unessay” projects, which I assign as an alternative to the traditional final academic paper); and a proud and happy college graduation within my own family. Plus: I’ve just met my very latest deadline (for a commissioned piece I hope to tell you more about another time).All of that, and other moments of celebration and light, helped keep me going even amid bouts of anguish and acute anxiety. Which, unfortunately, were part of May, too.1
As always, I approach the new month with hopes for better times for everyone in our world—and, of course, with every best wish for your writing practices.
Sincerely,
ERIKA
P.S. In case you missed it: The Practicing Writer 2.0 has just launched a referral program—a free and easy way to earn (or extend) paid-subscriber benefits. Details here.
2. OUR FIRST AD
Some backstory here: For the entirety of its 21-year existence, this newsletter has been an ad-free zone. But some months back—as part of an auction-fundraiser for The Artists Against Antisemitism, an organization on whose board I serve—I offered ad space in a single newsletter issue. Stipulations applied, mainly in order to ensure that the product or service featured would be relevant to this writing-focused readership.
Herewith, the resulting advertisement—with my appreciation to the winning bidder for their support.
* * * * *
Join the conversation! ContiguousLyt is calling for submissions for its second issue.
Based at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, ContiguousLyt is a new online literary journal with a unique model: When we launch each issue, we share work by—and an interview with—an accomplished writer, who then supplies a writing prompt. The remainder of the issue is curated from work submitted in response to that prompt.
Check out the way this came together for our first issue, and then visit the second-issue-in-progress, featuring poet
Questions? Contact contiguouslyt@gmail.com.
3. SUCCESS STORIES
From Jennifer Companik:
I am a longtime devotee of your newsletter.
Sub Club published me in their “How to Break In” feature:
I learned of their call for submissions from you. Thank you for your labors!
From Bliss Goldstein:
Thank you for bringing both
and to our attention. The good news is that I’ve now been published in both!
From Jane Snyder:
My three poems (“Sew up the Seams,” “Back and Forth,” and “Lucky Silver Dollar”) appear in Acta Victoriana (Issue 149.1), the literary journal of Victoria College and the longest-running university student publication in Canada (founded in 1878). My work appears on pages 29-31. Here is the link if you’d like to read them.
and from Michele J. Clark:
I had a personal essay published in the April issue of Fig Tree Lit, which I heard about from you quite a while ago, years ago, maybe, and now subscribe to. [ED note: Years ago, indeed! Way back, when I was working for Fig Tree Books (2014-17), I wrote that newsletter, too!] Thanks—I wouldn’t have known about it without you. I have also just submitted a personal essay to Balagan, which I heard about from you. I very much appreciate all you do. The personal essays I write are about my immigrant Lower East Side family, including my grandfather Schmulka Bernstein.
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!
4. FEATURED RESOURCE: FREE-TO-USE PICTURE RESOURCES FOR WRITERS
Many, many thanks to
for this excellent round-up of free-to use picture resources (complete with sage disclaimer):
And for a bonus: a follow-up post with still more options.
5. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
ANNE BROWN ESSAY PRIZE
Deadline: June 6. Awards £1500 “for the best literary essay by a writer in or from Scotland.” NB: “The organisers especially welcome unpublished essays. Published authors and their publishers are also invited to submit work published no earlier than 1 July 2024.”CANVAS AMPLIFY GRANT
Deadline: June 6. “At CANVAS, we believe that it’s more important than ever to support a wide range of artistic expression that brings Jewish themes and culture to a broad audience.” NB: “Applicant organizations’ missions do not need to be focused on Jewish arts + culture to apply,” (emphasis added) and “all genres and art-forms are eligible for consideration.” Grants will range from $50,000 to $75,000. [ED note: Normally, the newsletter features opportunities for individual writers, not for organizations. In this case, I am making an exception; I suspect that there may be many readers with connections to eligible nonprofit organizations/publications.]HUGO BURGE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED WRITER RESIDENCY
Deadline: June 13. For a residency to take place September 17-October 15, 2025, “in the spectacular Scottish Borders”: “This is a residency for an established author or non-fiction writer. We allow applicants to decide if they consider themselves established but suggest that the author has been published more than once. This is a fully funded residency that includes exclusive studio space, accommodation in one of our Hobbit Pods, and a weekly stipend of £350.”BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
Deadline: June 15 (June 16); “Applications must be postmarked by the deadline. If the deadline falls on a Sunday, the deadline is extended to the next business day.” The South Dakota-located park offers two residencies per year, “each for a period of four to six weeks to occur between September 15th through May 1st.” Provides housing in “an apartment located in a small housing complex at park headquarters at no cost to the artist….Additionally, the park provides a reimbursement for personal expenses not to exceed $300.” Note the themes described on the website.NORTON WRITER’S PRIZE
Deadline: June 15. “Recognizes outstanding original nonfiction by undergraduates. The contest is open to students age 18 and above who are enrolled in an accredited 2- or 4-year college or university during the 2024–2025 academic year. Three cash prizes of $1,000 apiece will be awarded in 2025 for coursework submitted during the academic year,” one in each category (first-year student in a 2- or 4-year college or university; student in a 2-year college/university; student in a 4-year college/university). Instructor nomination required.PAGE ONE MEDIA GRANT
Deadline: June 15. “Effective for the 2026 publishing year, P1M is shifting from providing three partial grants to providing one fully supported pro bono publicity campaign to an underrepresented writer. The 2026 grant will provide one full book publicity campaign spanning eight months for a book publishing in 2026. The chosen author will be supported by the Page One team and assigned a lead publicist…there will be administrative support for the campaign, and the book will be included in all of our team based pitching, media meetings, and annual outreach for holiday gift guides, book clubs, year-end best of lists, and in our social media when appropriate. The campaign will receive the same level of time, care, creativity, and dedication that all our campaigns receive.”POMEGRANATE TENT REVIEW PRIZES
Deadline: June 15. “Thanks to a micro-grant from a generous member of the Jewish community, we are proud to offer a $25 prize and two free print copies to the top featured submission in each of the six categories” for which submissions are now open. The theme of this (inaugural) issue is “‘ROSH’ — meaning head in Hebrew. It can symbolize beginning, threshold, sensuality, leadership, crown and we want to see what it means to you. We strongly suggest you familiarize yourself with our working definition of eros in spiritual life before submitting.”GUPPY BOOKS OPEN SUBMISSION COMPETITION
Submissions: 9am June 16 to 5pm June 20 (GMT). “We’re thrilled to announce that we will be opening the portholes to unagented and unpublished writers in our sixth competition – this time for MIDDLE GRADE authors….Writers who have been traditionally published in other genres are unfortunately not eligible. This competition is open to self-published authors.” Prize: “The winner will be offered a contract with Guppy Books (with no obligation to accept).”PINE MEADOW RANCH CENTER FOR ARTS & AGRICULTURE (PMRCAA) RESIDENCIES
Deadline: June 20. Invites “invites artists, scientists, scholars and writers to apply for our 8th annual residency program in picturesque Sisters, Oregon.” The theme for 2026 residencies is “Adaptation.” Check under “Residency Program Details” for information about stipends/travel reimbursements. NB: Applicants must be based in the United States.A MIDSUMMER TALE NARRATIVE WRITING CONTEST
Deadline: June 21. From Toasted Cheese. This “summer-themed narrative writing contest” is open to “non-genre” fiction (as defined within the guidelines) and creative nonfiction. “The theme of the 2025 A Midsummer Tale writing contest is: Heat Wave. Climate change has led to more erratic and extreme weather events in recent decades. For this year’s A Midsummer Tale, set your story during a heat wave or heat dome.” Prizes: “Winning stories are published in the September issue of Toasted Cheese. If 50 or fewer eligible entries are received, first place receives a $35 Amazon gift card, second a $10 Amazon gift card, and third a $5 Amazon gift card. If 51 or more eligible entries are received, first place receives a $50 Amazon gift card, second a $15 Amazon gift card & third a $10 Amazon gift card.”INTERNATIONAL EJCA SPRING HAIKU CONTEST
Deadline: June 21. From the Edmonton Japanese Community Association (EJCA). “Spring has arrived and the cherry trees -and in the case of EJCA- the plum tree blossoming again, following the great successes of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions of this contest, EJCA once again calls upon your hidden poetic talents. You are invited to get creative and submit a Haiku, suitably themed to celebrate the season.” Awards $30 each (presumably in Canadian dollars) for best Japanese-language and best English-language entries; $20 for second-best Japanese-language and English-language entries; and $30 for “brightest young poet” (16 years of age or younger).DAVE GREBER FREELANCE WRITERS AWARDS
Deadline: June 27. These social-justice writing awards are open to “continuing residents of Canada” who at the date of application have “lived in Canada for the last twelve months” and who are “working a minimum of seventy per cent of their work time as a self-employed freelance writer.” Magazine submissions may be for published or contracted work, as detailed on the website; for the book awards, applicants must “be working on completion for publication of an English language book (non-fiction),” with contracts. Prizes: For the magazine awards, “one prize will be awarded in the sum of $2000.00. However if there are two entries are of equal merit, an award of $1000.00 will be granted to each writer.” For the book awards, “one prize will be awarded in the sum of $5000.00. However, if there are two entries of equal merit, an award of $2500.00 will be granted to each writer.”WINGATE LITERARY PRIZE
Deadline: June 27. “For half a century, the Wingate Literary Prize has been shining a light on the books that best explore Jewish themes and matters by an illustrious list of writers. The winning book must be of literary merit and aimed at the general reader. Our judges are looking forward to being immersed in the wide range of fiction and non-fiction books published over the past year.” Prize confers £4,000. Note that books “must be published between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025”; “must be published, distributed or easily available in the UK and Ireland”; and “must be published in English, whether originally or in translation for this publication.”CENTRUM ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAMS
Deadline: June 30. Based in Port Townsend, Washington, Centrum is currently accepting applications from writers for both Self-Directed and Emerging Artist (PNW-based only) residencies. Program details are available on the main website. Note that the Emerging Artist program confers stipends. Self-Directed Residencies actually do cost a fee to attend, but some fee waivers are available. “In the interest of transparency and integrity, here are the estimated numbers for our 2026 residency season: 6 spots for Emerging Artists Residency…and 35 spots for Self-Directed Residencies. We intend to renovate our cabins over winter 2025-2026, which reduces the number of residents we can welcome for 2026.”EVERT CLARK/SETH PAYNE AWARD FOR A YOUNG SCIENCE JOURNALIST
Deadline: June 30. From the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. “The Award is intended to encourage young science writers by recognizing outstanding reporting and writing in any field of science. The winner will receive $1,000 and expenses to attend ScienceWriters2025 in the fall. Entries may be submitted from outside the United States; however, CASW cannot reimburse expenses that exceed the cost of a domestic roundtrip. The award is given in memory of Ev Clark, a veteran journalist at Business Week, The New York Times, and Newsweek; and Seth Payne, his long-time friend and colleague at Business Week and a founder of the Award. It is designed to carry on the work of both men, who offered friendship and advice to generations of young journalists.” NB: “The 2025 Award will be limited to those applicants whose 31st birthday is July 1, 2025 or later.”GENESIS EMERGING WRITERS’ PROGRAMME
Deadline: June 30. Administered by the Jewish Literary Foundation, this program “is open to emerging writers of any background, over 18 years of age and living in the UK with no more than three years’ experience of being published, who feel they would benefit from the support and insight of a more established writer, peer support sessions and opportunities to meet with industry professionals. Applicants should be working, or planning to work, on a specific project, with the aim of publication, and should be committed to participating fully in all sessions offered by the programme.” Included in the program package is “a bursary of up to £1,500 to support the completion of research, residential writing time, childcare or other costs related to completing the writing project.”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 those writing in English “who have published a novel or a book-length collection of fiction with a reputable book publisher, or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in magazines or journals of national distribution. Digital-only publication and self-publication do not count toward this requirement.” Confers $15,000, publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press, and promotional support.LEE & LOW BOOKS NEW VOICES AWARD
Deadline: June 30. Given biennially “to an unpublished writer of color or Native/Indigenous writer for a picture book manuscript. Manuscripts may be fiction, non-fiction, or poetr for children ages 5 to 12. Manuscripts should address the needs of children of color or Native/Indigenous children by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and which promote a greater understanding of one another. Themes relating to different family structures, gender identity, LGBTQ+ communities, or disabilities are also of interest.” Prize: “a standard publication contract, including Lee & Low Books’s basic royalties and an advance in the amount of $5,000.”MY WRITING JOURNEY COMPETITION
Deadline: June 30. Global contest from The Writers College. “Write us a 600-word essay on the theme: The worst writing mistake I’ve ever made. Make it funny, heartfelt, quirky and real. We’ll publish the best piece in our newsletter and on our blog – plus the winner receives NZ $200 (R2 000 or £100).”SARGESON PRIZE
Deadline: June 30. “First offered in 2019, the Sargeson Prize is New Zealand’s richest short story prize, sponsored by the University of Waikato. Named for celebrated New Zealand writer Frank Sargeson, the Prize was conceived by writer Catherine Chidgey, who also lectures in Writing Studies at the University.” Open for entries from “New Zealand citizens or permanent residents aged 16 and over who are writing in English. Published and unpublished writers are welcome to enter. Entries must be single stories of no more than 5000 words.” Confers prizes of $15,000/$1,000/$500, plus publication. (There is also an entry division for secondary-school students, with lower cash prizes.)SCIENCE-ME A STORY CONTEST
Deadline: June 30. Organized by the Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom in collaboration with Fundación Lilly. Seeks stories “inspired by science, research or nature” aimed for readers ages 6-12. Stories may be submitted in multiple languages (as detailed within the guidelines). No simultaneous submissions. Cash prizes and publication as detailed.SCOTTISH ARTS TRUST BURSARIES
Deadline: June 30. Bursary applications are currently open for writers seeking help with entry fees for the Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction and the new Edinburgh True Flash Award. Applications are open to writers worldwide.ALCS EDUCATIONAL WRITERS’ AWARD
Deadline: July 1. “The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) Educational Writers’ Award is awarded to an outstanding example of traditionally published non-fiction that stimulates and enhances learning. The total prize money is £2,000, shared between author and illustrator. The ALCS Educational Writers’ Award was established in 2008 by ALCS and the Society of Authors, “to celebrate educational writing that inspires creativity, encourages students to read widely and builds up their understanding of a subject beyond the requirements of exam specifications.” NB: “The work to have been first published in the UK, in the English language,” in either 2023 or 2024.BROOKLYN CARIBBEAN LITERARY FESTIVAL (BCLF) SHORT FICTION STORY CONTEST
Deadline: July 1. The 2025 contest confers US$1750 in cash, plus other prize benefits, for each of two awards (the BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize and the BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean) for unpublished short fiction.RICHARD MARGOLIS AWARD
Deadline: July 1. 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.” Award combines a one-month residency at Blue Mountain Center and a $5,000 prize (finalists receive $1,000 but no residency).OPEN DOORS POETRY FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: July 1. Offered by the Virginia-based Porches Writing Retreat to a first-time visitor with one published collection. Provides a week-long residency.KINGSLEY AND KATE TUFTS POETRY AWARDS
Deadline: July 1. Based at Claremont Graduate University and given for poetry volumes published in the preceding year, these prizes confer $100,000 (Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award) and $10,000 (Kate Tufts Discovery Award). The current cycle will recognize works published between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025; the Kingsley Tufts award is for a mid-career poet while the Kate Tufts Discovery Award is for “a first book”; the Kingsley Tufts award also requires the winner to spend, within six months of the award presentation, “one week in residence at Claremont Graduate University for lectures, workshops, and poetry readings in Claremont and Greater Los Angeles.” Note: “Work must be original poetry written originally in English by a poet who is a citizen or legal resident alien of the United States.”BANFF MOUNTAIN BOOK COMPETITION
Deadline: July 3 (received). “As a key program of Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, the Book Competition is an internationally recognized literary competition that celebrates mountain literature in all its forms. Over $29,000 in cash is awarded annually with 8 awards selected by an international jury of writers, adventurers and editors. The short list of category award winners eligible for the Grand Prize is announced in October every year.” (Hat tip: Freelance Opportunities!)COLONEL DARRON L. WRIGHT MEMORIAL WRITING AWARDS
Deadline: July 4. “Since 2016, the Col. Darron L. Wright Memorial Writing Awards have annually recognized excellence in prose (includes fiction, non-fiction, and hybrid forms) and poetry by U.S. military service members and veterans. In 2020, organizers announced additional prose and poetry categories for immediate family members of U.S. military service members and veterans. Cash prizes of $250, $150, and $100 are available in each ‘service member/veteran’ and ‘family’ group, for a total of four categories.” Notably, “this year’s Col. Darron L. Wright prize-winners will also be collected in a second volume of the Our Best War Stories anthology series. The first volume was published by Middle West Press LLC, and collected winners from 2016-2020. The second volume will collect winners from 2021-2025, and will be published in Fall 2025.”SUSTAINABLE STORY AWARD
Deadline: July 6. “As the climate crisis intensifies and sustainability becomes a defining issue of our time, storytelling has never been more vital. The Sustainable Story Award celebrates authors across fiction, non-fiction, and children’s literature who engage with urgent environmental and social themes. By empowering authors who bring these critical topics to life, we aim to inspire change, spark dialogue, and make sustainability a central focus in contemporary literature….The prize consists of a mixture of financial and mentor support,” with details provided on the website. Authors must be based in the UK; for the current cycle, they must have been published at least once before and at work “on their next sustainability-focused book.”
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!
6. SUBMISSION ALERTS
Per an announcement I caught on Bluesky, BARRELHOUSE will re-open for submissions June 1. “Fiction always hits the cap (500) very fast, so don’t delay. NF and poetry also have caps (500 & 800, respectively) though they don’t typically fill up quite as fast.”
FREEFALL will re-open for submissions (from Canadian writers only) June 1. They publish prose, poetry, art, and interviews and book reviews.
In keeping with its recently-announced schedule for submissions of “fantastical and speculative flash fiction,” THE FABULIST will be open for such June 3-4 (and again July 1-2). Caps apply.
From MSLEXIA (“for women who write”): “Twice a year we invite leading authors to select from submissions of short fiction and poetry on a particular theme for the Showcase section of Mslexia magazine.” Currently, they’re seeking submissions on the theme “Blue,” with a deadline of June 9. Plus: As shared in a recent newsletter, they’re seeking submissions in another category: “If you have some hard-won wisdom to impart, something transformative to share, or something annoying you need to get off your chest, turn it into a 300-400 word rant or rave for consideration for our Mouthpiece slot.” No deadline indicated.
Closing June 15: GRAIN, which publishes “engaging, surprising, eclectic, and challenging writing and art by Canadian and international writers and artists.” Send poetry, fiction, or literary nonfiction (query for other genres). Note that a cap applies.
Also open until June 15: THE JOURNAL OF COMPRESSED CREATIVE ARTS, which seeks, “as you might guess, ‘compressed creative arts.’ We accept fiction and creative nonfiction, as long if they are compressed in some way.”
KELP BOOKS remains open until June 15 for submissions for a “surf noir” anthology titled The Savage Waves of Spring. Stories much take place in a beach locale. “We are looking for noir/neo-noir. Gritty beach towns. Crime, capers, detective stories, and mysteries are all a good fit. Literary stories work as well provided it contain the requisite subject matter.”
And another one with a sub window closing June 15: POETRY.
Scheduled to re-open June 20, with a deadline one month later (or until they reach 150 submissions): ASTROLABE, which seeks “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.”
From HUMANS AND NATURE PRESS DIGITAL, which “publishes creative work that explores and promotes human responsibilities in relation to the whole community of life”: “This year’s submission window will be open from June 24 through July 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm CDT.” For this call, they “welcome your writings and artwork on the theme of seeds as both the offspring/wellspring of the plants and also as metaphors for resilient reimagining and active adaptation.”
Burrow Press’s BP REVIEW is open for submissions (on the theme of “Excess”) until June 30.
Also open until June 30: MIDNIGHT & INDIGO, “a literary platform dedicated to short fiction and narrative essays by Black women writers.”
, a new no-fee-and-paying outlet for “crime and mystery fiction,” is open for submissions. (No deadline indicated.) Guidelines here.
THE RIALTO is open for poetry submissions until June 30 (but, as noted in this newsletter, they may close sooner if their cap is reached).
SMOKELONG QUARTERLY, which “publishes flash narratives up to 1000 words, is similarly open for fee-free general submissions (for its September issue) until June 30. They’ve also recently opened a “Dark Fantasy and Psychological Thriller” call for submissions, which will be open until August 15.
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 July 1-4, they seek work as follows: “We recognize National Women’s Equality Day on August 26, commemorating the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted women the right to vote. This month, we want women-led stories and female-identifying protagonists. The sisters are doin’ it for themselves, but when you’re on the receiving end of a Stone’s Throw, that’s not always the safest place to be.”
The PHI BETA KAPPA FORUM “welcomes submissions of original, previously unpublished poetry that fits the theme of each edition. Poems will be selected to appear in the print version of the magazine, though others may appear online.” For the Fall 2025 issue, the theme is “Travel by Train”; submission deadline is July 2.
From RUADÁN BOOKS: “We have a monthly blog…called ‘Thoughts from the Writer’s Desk.’ These are articles on writing (or writing-adjacent) by authors who want to share their expertise, discuss the state of the industry, journal about their writing life, and chat about genres. This is a place for ideas to be shared between authors, publishers, agents, and fans.” No deadline indicated. (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)
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: FLASH FROG is open year-round for “flash fiction only (no poetry or CNF please),” except during January (when they run a contest) and July (when they seek ghost-story submissions only).
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: 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: 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: For a recurring “How to Break In” column, ’s Jobs for Writers newsletter features (and offers payment to) those who have managed “to snag a job in the writing industry” and provide written answers to a set of questions. 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. As long as it’s writing-related and in the publishing slash academic realm, we want it.” Details here.
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.
7. 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 early each Monday via exclusive Substack posts)
(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.
8. 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.
It’s no secret that I have been arguing for a long time—especially since October 7, 2023—that all of us who call ourselves writers have a particular responsibility to “use our words” with care and precision. To that end, I wish to amplify this brand-new explainer from the American Jewish Committee.
In a recent statement, PEN America noted that the organization’s charter “calls on PEN Members to ‘do their utmost to dispel all hatreds.’” Too often, it seems to me that too much of the literary world I inhabit is doing the exact opposite. Once again, I plead for our community to do better.