The Practicing Writer 2.0: March 2022
Featuring 50+ current competitions & calls for submissions. No fees to enter/submit. Payment for winning/published work. Nothing limited to residents of a single city/state/province.
Welcome, new readers, and welcome back to the regulars!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Editor’s Note
Success Story
Featured Resource
Current Contests, Competitions, and Other Opportunities (NO ENTRY OR APPLICATION FEES; PAYING OPPORTUNITIES ONLY)
Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY)
Blog Notes
Newsletter Matters
1. EDITOR’S NOTE
Welcome, practicing writers:
I want to extend an especially warm welcome to all of you (and you are numerous!) who have joined us since last month’s issue went out. And I want to express heartfelt gratitude to everyone who reached out to me, in private messages or on social media, with such kind comments about this newsletter’s 18th “birthday” last month. (Bonus points to those who told me that they’d gone ahead and purchased my books in celebration, too. ;-))
Here in New York, the days are lengthening, and there are times when I sense that spring is definitely in the air. Believe me, I am here for that. It seems that in so many ways, the world needs more light, and warmth, right now. (On that note, if you have not yet caught the video featuring “Writers and Journalists of PEN Ukraine,” which I shared in the latest “Finds” on the Practicing Writing blog, please take a few moments to watch it.)
Wherever you are, I hope that this newsletter brings something helpful, hopeful, and/or inspiring to you—and your writing practice.
ERIKA
2. SUCCESS STORY
From Mandy Gardner:
I am a devotee of your missives - I can’t wait to receive them so this is just a thank you for all your work. I have had two pieces published out of opportunities you posted (The Maine Review and little somethings). You make me feel like I am part of a writing community and that is gold.
Please share news from your writing practice that may be connected with this newsletter or our other resources. I love to celebrate such successes in this space!
3. FEATURED RESOURCE
You can thank the amazing Adam Morgan, collaborating with Chelsea Leu, for this one:
74 Publications That Pay Freelancers for Book Reviews, Interviews, and More
Note that you’ll find on the page a link to a more detailed spreadsheet on the website of the National Book Critics Circle (where nonpaying outlets are included).
4. CURRENT CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
ILLUMINATION PROSE PRIZE
Deadline: March 5. From Andrew College’s Spire Light. “One work of prose submitted as either creative nonfiction or fiction of 5,000 words or less will be awarded $100 and publication in the print journal.”HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
Deadline: March 13. The Pennsylvania-based Highlights Foundation “offers a number of scholarships to our programs. In addition to the General Scholarships, there are a number of Special Scholarships in support of specific recipients or workshops, and Named Funds honoring those who have had a significant impact on children’s literature….Recipients will be able to use their scholarship toward the Highlights Foundation workshop of their choice during the 2022 or 2023 program seasons.” Note: “Travel is not typically included as part of scholarships, but there is a place to let us know if a travel stipend is helpful.”FITZCARRALDO EDITIONS/MAHLER & LEWITT STUDIOS ESSAY PRIZE
Deadline: March 14. Awards £3,000 “to the best proposal for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000 words) by a writer resident in the UK & Ireland who has yet to secure a publishing deal….In addition to the £3,000 prize the winner has the opportunity to spend up to three months in residency at the Mahler & LeWitt Studios in Spoleto, Italy, to work on their book. The book will then be published by Fitzcarraldo Editions.” As always, be sure to check detailed terms/guidelines.NANCY LUDMERER FELLOWSHIP FOR FLASH FICTION AND NONFICTION
Fee-free application day (for the first 15 applicants that day): March 15. Awards a five-night residency at the Porches Writing Retreat in Virginia.ANDRÉS MONTOYA POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: March 15. Awarded every other year, this prize “supports the publication of a first full-length book of poems by a Latinx poet residing in the United States. The winning poet will receive $1000 and a contract from University of Notre Dame Press. Upon publication of the winning book, Letras Latinas will extend an invitation to both the winner and the judges to give a reading at Notre Dame.” Preliminary judges: Adela Najarro and Ariel Francisco. Final judges: Alexandra Lytton Regalado and Sheila Maldonado.SEWANEE WRITERS’ CONFERENCE FELLOWSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Deadline: March 15. For fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and playwriting. Check the guidelines for eligibility. Scholarships cover conference tuition; fellowships cover tuition, room, and board. Note: “At our next Conference, we will also be honoring acceptances to the 2021 Conference who opted for a one-time deferral due to COVID-19. This means that we have a smaller number of slots available this year.”SISTERS IN CRIME PRIDE AWARD FOR EMERGING LGBTQIA+ CRIME WRITERS
Deadline: March 15. A $2,000 grant “for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community.” Note: “An unpublished writer is preferred, however publication of not more than ten pieces of short fiction and/or up to two self-published or traditionally published books will not disqualify an applicant.”TALLGRASS ARTIST RESIDENCY
Deadline: March 15. Program “seeks to create connection and conversation across the Great Plains by cultivating opportunities for artists/artist teams who currently live in a place that is ecologically considered prairie (← click the link to see a general map of this area). However, we also have one dedicated residency period for an artist/artist team outside of the prairie ecoregion, treated as an ‘ecoregion exchange’.” Residency award includes 10 nights of lodging during the residency period, a $500 stipend, and other items detailed on the website.2021 POPP AWARD (POETRY OF THE PLAINS AND PRAIRIES)
Deadline: March 17. “North Dakota State University Press seeks poetry submissions of any style for our annual Poetry of the Plains and Prairies letterpress chapbook publication. While authors may call any place home, their submissions must deftly capture the feeling of, as well as the reality of, living on the plains and prairies.” No simultaneous submissions. Award confers “our standard university press publishing contract with royalties, ten free copies, and an author discount on purchases of additional copies. The author(s) must agree to give a public reading at a time and place in North Dakota, convenient to NDSU Press and the author, the day of, or soon after, publication.”BBC NATIONAL SHORT STORY AWARD
Deadline: March 21 (9am GMT). Awards £15,000 for the winner and £600 for each of four other shortlisted stories. “The Award is open to British nationals and UK residents, aged 18 years or over on the submission deadline…who have a prior record of publication in creative writing in the United Kingdom.” The story that’s entered must be either unpublished or “first published or scheduled for publication/broadcast on or after 1 January 2021: in print by an established UK publisher; first published online by an established newspaper, magazine, journal or periodical; first broadcast on a national radio station or television channel.”UKRAINE LAB
Deadline: March 21. (For reasons that should be obvious, I have not wanted to trouble the organizers to ask about updates/clarifications since finding this opportunity, which was posted on Twitter in early February; at the same time, I feel compelled to share the available information.) “The Ukrainian Institute London in partnership with PEN Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute will run UKRAINE LAB, an online residency for six emerging writers from Ukraine and the United Kingdom. We will support them developmentally and financially to produce creative nonfiction pieces tackling global challenges through the prism of Ukraine. This project is supported by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute as part of the UK/UA Season of Culture 2022.”LIMP WRIST GLITTER BOMB AWARD
Deadline: March 24. Annual award, “open to LGBTQ/non-binary poets and their allies,” for “one outstanding poem by a poet of any stage of her/his/their career.” Award includes $600 cash prize, publication, and other benefits. “Each honorable mention will be awarded a cash prize of $50” plus publication. Initial reviewer: Dustin Brookshire; final judge: Denise Duhamel.BLURRED GENRES FLASH CONTEST
Deadline: March 31 (entry window opens March 1). From Invisible City. “Contest submissions must be 750 words or less and can be flash fiction, prose poetry, or some unique combination of the two. Submissions must be the original work of the submitter and unpublished (and not slated for future publication).” Awards cash prizes of $500/$200/$100 and publication. Judge: Lynn Steger Strong. (Discovered this one via @Duotrope.)2022 SIJO COMPETITION
Deadline: March 31. Administered by the Sejong Cultural Society in conjunction with the Harvard Korea Institute, this competition awards cash prizes (in the adult division: $1000/$750/$500, plus $50 honorable mention, plus publication).A PUBLIC SPACE WRITING FELLOWSHIPS
Deadline: March 31 (application window opens March 1). Six-month fellowships open to writers internationally (writing in English) “who have not yet contracted to publish a book.” Fellowships confer a $1,000 honorarium, “editorial support from A Public Space editors to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine,” and other benefits. Note: Appears to be open for prose applicants only.ELEANOR TAYLOR BLAND CRIME FICTION WRITERS OF COLOR AWARD
Deadline: March 31. A $2,000 grant “for an emerging writer of color” that is intended “to support the recipient in crime fiction writing and career development activities.”GEORGE FLOYD SHORT STORY COMPETITION II
Deadline: March 31. “Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Nottingham Writers’ Studio launched the ‘George Floyd Short Story Competition’ in remembrance and in protest against his senseless death….In that same spirit of protest, we are proud to launch the next chapter….The second year of the competition will be taking stories of up to 5,000 words on the theme of ‘EARTH 2.0’ Global warming is the big issue of the day, disproportionately affecting developing nations. As the world heats up, the changing climate will likely be the greatest challenge future generations face; whether this be environmental, or socio-political (though the two seem to walk hand in hand). We can’t think of a worthier topic for writers to explore.” Eligibility: “This competition is open to all as we welcome the experiences of advocates and allies as well as voices from the black community. Above all, we want to ensure in publishing the anthology we amplify, centre, and celebrate the voices and writings of BAME authors. The winning and highly recommended stories will be published in a new anthology printed by Nottingham Writers’ Studio entitled ‘Earth 2.0.’” Cash awards: 1st Prize £250, 2nd Prize £125, 3rd Prize £75, plus £15 for each highly commended story.FOLEY POETRY CONTEST
Deadline: March 31. From America (“the Jesuit Review”): “given in honor of William T. Foley, M.D. Each entrant is asked to submit one poem of 45 lines or fewer.” Awards $1,000 and publication. No simultaneous submissions.RESTLESS BOOKS PRIZE FOR NEW IMMIGRANT WRITING
Deadline: March 31. Currently open for fiction entries (“a novel or a book-length collection of short stories”). Submissions “should address some combination of identity, the meeting of cultures and communities, immigration and migration, and today’s globalized society.” Among eligibility criteria: “Candidates must be first-generation residents of their country. ‘First-generation’ can refer either to people born in another country who relocated, or to residents of a country whose parents were born elsewhere….Fiction candidates must not have previously published a book of fiction in English.” Prize includes $10,000 and publication.SILVERS GRANTS FOR WORK IN PROGRESS
Deadline: March 31. “Anglophone writers of any nationality may apply for up to $10,000 to support long-form essays in the fields of literary criticism, arts writing, political analysis, and/or social reportage. Applicants should have an editorial agreement with a publication or publishing house for the work under consideration.”VILLENA-ALDAMA ART AND WRITING CONTEST
Deadline: March 31. “A generous gift from the Villena-Aldama Foundation provides BreakBread Magazine with the opportunity to present the first Villena-Aldama Art & Writing Contest. The contest offers a $250 prize to winners in each genre the magazine publishes: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art/hybrid forms. Winners will be announced in June 2022 with their work featured in the Spring 2023 issue of the magazine.” Note that entrants must be “creatives under the age of 25.”ALPINE FELLOWSHIP POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: April 1. “Awarded for the best poetry on the theme of the Alpine Fellowship 2022 - Freedom. The winner will receive a £3,000 cash prize and will be invited to our symposium. Runners up will be invited to attend the symposium [ED note: As of this writing, symposium location/dates were not yet set] and travel expenses will be reimbursed up to a total of £500. All food and accommodation will be covered.”ALPINE FELLOWSHIP WRITING PRIZE
Deadline: April 1. “Awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of the Alpine Fellowship 2021 - Freedom. The winner will receive a £10,000 cash prize. A £3,000 cash prize will go to the second place, and £2,000 to the third place runner up.” The winner and two runners up will be invited to a symposium [ED note: As of this writing, symposium dates/location were not yet set]. Eligibility: “Open to all nationalities and to anyone aged 18 and above.” Note that poetry submissions must go to the Poetry Prize listed above; the website also provides information for prizes in academic writing, theater, and visual art.MAYA ANGELOU BOOK AWARD
Deadline: April 1. Founded in 2020 “to honor the legacy of Missouri-born author Maya Angelou,” this award “recognizes contemporary authors whose work demonstrates a commitment to social justice in America or the world. The Maya Angelou Book Award recognizes works of poetry or fiction in alternating years. In 2022, the Maya Angelou Book Award will be given to a work of fiction.” Prize includes $10,000, “a reading tour of Missouri colleges, universities and libraries,” and other recognition. Note that entries must come from publishers; works with publication dates in 2021 or scheduled through November 2022 are eligible; author entrants must be U.S. citizens who reside within the U.S.; other eligibility criteria apply.THE FOUNTAIN ESSAY CONTEST
Deadline: April 1. “After a long dormancy in this Covid era, our lives seem to be taking off for a fresh start….Writing is an important to heal ourselves. We are expecting your essays on ‘revival’ to hear your story which can be a source of healing for you and others.” Prizes: $1,000/$500/$300, plus $150 for each of two honorable mentions. (Hat tip here to @Duotrope.)NATAN NOTABLE BOOKS AWARD
Deadline: April 1 (for books published between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022). Twice yearly, Natan selects a “Natan Notable Book,” “a recently-published or about-to-be published non-fiction title that will catalyze conversations aligned with the themes of Natan’s grantmaking: reinventing Jewish life and community for the twenty-first century, shifting notions of individual and collective Jewish identity, the history and future of Israel, and the evolving relationship between Israel and world Jewry. Natan Notable Book winners receive a Natan Notable Book seal and $5,000 for the author, marketing/distribution coaching and promotion from Jewish Book Council and Natan, and customized support designed to bring the book and/or the author to new audiences.”ORWELL SOCIETY DYSTOPIAN FICTION PRIZE
Deadline: April 1. “The Orwell Society is organising its eighth annual short story competition for current students (both BA and MA) at British universities….The judges will be looking for the narrative which best follows in the tradition set by Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four and which Orwell is most likely to have admired.” Prize includes £500, a trophy, and publication. Judges: Richard Blair, Luke Seaber, Nicola Rossi, and Ann Kronbergs.MARGUERITE AND LAMAR SMITH FELLOWSHIP FOR WRITERS
Deadline: April 1. From September 1-December 1, “the writing fellow will reside in a spacious private apartment inside Carson McCullers’s childhood home, the Smith-McCullers House. The fellow is provided with a stipend of $5,000 to cover costs of transportation, food and other incidentals.”WERGLE FLOMP HUMOR POETRY CONTEST
Deadline: April 1. “Now in its 21st year, this contest seeks today’s best humor poems….Submit published or unpublished work.” Confers $3,500 in prizes.GWENN A. NUSBAUM/WALT WHITMAN BIRTHPLACE ASSOCIATION “POETS TO COME” AWARD
Deadline: April 4. “Walt Whitman Birthplace Association (WWBA) invites applications for the inaugural Gwenn A. Nusbaum / WWBA ‘Poets To Come’ Scholarship Award. The $1500 scholarship is offered in the spirit of Walt Whitman’s poem of that title: "POETS to come! / Not to-day is to justify me and answer what I am for, / But you, a new brood… / Leaving it to you to prove and define it, / Expecting the main things from you.’” Open to U.S. citizens who are “poets at the beginning of their careers, ages 25-35 years. This scholarship, to be awarded every year, aims to encourage and assist an emerging poet in their creative poetry writing endeavors.” Award may be used to fund “supportive activities to further the writing career: for example, college tuition/fees (Undergraduate, Graduate, Doctoral, Post Doc); writing courses and workshops; writing conferences; writing retreats, or other approved activities.”
REMEMBER: Several opportunities that were listed in last month’s newsletter remain open.
5. SUBMISSION ALERTS
At ELECTRIC LITERATURE, “The Commuter” is open for prose, poetry, and graphic narrative (under 1,500 words) from February 28-March 6; payment is $100.
Open for submissions (briefly!) from March 1-3 (within ET): ENCHANTED CONVERSATION, where the 2022 theme is “Weather.” Consult the detailed guidelines for more information on their interest in “new fairy tales” and poetry (which must connect with the theme). Pays: $50 (Paypal only).
Call embedded within a Twitter thread (as always, read the thread in its entirety) from THIS magazine: “Calling Canadian memoir writers! We’re looking for pitches for a 1000-1200 word memoir to run in our summer issue. Pitches are due March 4.” Pays: $100.
March is a fee-free submissions month for everyone SPLIT LIP (submissions are free for Black writers and artists year-round). Pays: “(via PayPal) $50 per author for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, and $25 for interviews/reviews for our web issues. Payment for print is $5 per page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and a 1-year subscription.” NB: “Sometimes we have to shut free subs early.”
Throughout March, YELLOW ARROW JOURNAL is open for submissions of creative nonfiction and poetry, by authors who identify as women, for an issue, guest-edited by Rebecca Pelky, on the theme of “UpSpring.” Pays: $10 (via Paypal), plus a PDF copy.
ELECTRIC LITERATURE’s “Recommended Reading” will be open for short stories (2,000-10,000 words) from March 7-13; pays $300.
According to an email I received from one of its co-editors, THE MAINE REVIEW will hold a fee-free submissions window from March 7-13, to mark International Women’s Day. (This information may not yet be online.) Pays: “Fiction and Nonfiction writers receive a $25 honorarium per published flash (1,000 words or fewer) and a $50 honorarium for work 1,001 words or more.
Poets receive a $25 honorarium per published poem.”
BRIGHT WALL/DARK ROOM, “an online magazine devoted to exploring the relationship between movies and the business of being alive,” plans an April issue devoted to Paul Newman and will pay for $100 for selected essays. Deadline: March 12.
For an issue themed “Happy Tears,” APPLAUSE, which “publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and photography that exhibits practiced craft and polished style,” remains open for submissions until March 14. Pays: “$25 per contributor.”
March 15 is the deadline for both general and themed (“Writing the Tarot”) fiction and poetry submissions at Canada-based CAROUSEL. Payment: $20/poem and $40-$80/story, “paid in CDN currency, via Paypal or eTransfer.” Note that they close early in the month if they reach their Submittable cap.
THE BLUE ROUTE, which publishes prose and poetry by “current undergraduate writers,” closes its submissions window on March 15. Payment: $25.
From CARTE BLANCHE: “Over the last two years we have been forced to make many changes in our daily lives and routines to adapt to living in a global pandemic. It has been messy, lonely, and challenging for so many of us. For carte blanche’s issue 43 we are seeking submissions on the theme of ‘Adaptation,’ and we invite you to show, through writing or art, how you have managed to adapt, thrive, or simply survive during this time.” For this issue, they’re considering fiction, poetry, comics, translations, and photography (no creative nonfiction). Pays: “a modest honourarium.” Deadline: March 31.
March 31 is also the deadline for submissions, from Canadian writers only, to THE FIDDLEHEAD. Considers fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Pays: “$60 CAD per published page, plus two complimentary copies of the issue with your work. Contributors may purchase additional copies of an issue at a discount.”
Also until March 31, NINTH LETTER “will be accepting submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for a special online edition….The theme for this issue is Ebb/Flow.” Payment: “a small honorarium ($25 per poem, $75 per story or essay) and a complimentary 2-year subscription.”
THE RIALTO’s Issue 98, to be edited by Edward Doegar, “will be loosely themed around the notion of ‘common ground’” and appears to be open for poetry submissions until March 31. Payment: “We currently pay £20 per poem on publication.”
Ireland-based SOUTHWORD remains open for short-story submissions through the end of March. Pays: €250. “Payment to writers within the Republic of Ireland is made by cheque. Writers abroad must accept payment through PayPal.”
GORDON SQUARE REVIEW remains open for submissions until April 1. Pays: “Writers accepted for publication receive $25 per prose piece and $10 per poem.”
Closing April 1: SALAMANDER, which features poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Payment: “Though we are proud to pay all of our contributors, we aren’t able to disclose payment prior to acceptance.”
Another one closing April 1: WEST BRANCH, which considers poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation. “Payment is awarded for accepted works in the amount of $50 per submission of poetry, and $.05/word for prose with a maximum payment of $100. Additionally, we provide each contributor with two copies of the issue in which his/her work appears and a one-year subscription to West Branch.” Note: “Book reviews are typically arranged by assignment, and we publish only poetry reviews. If you are interested in writing reviews, please query with a sample. We currently pay $200 per assigned review.”
LOOKOUT: WRITING AND ART ABOUT WILDFIRE, a collaboration of Terrain.org and the Spring Creek Project, seeks “priority” submissions by April 4. Payment: “Writers and artists whose work is selected (whether one piece or multiple pieces) will receive an honorarium of $200.”
Recently launched on Substack: SHORT STORY, which aims to “revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful.” Considers reprints. Selects one story each month. Pays: “base pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check.”
HISTORY THROUGH FICTION “is proud to announce that we are now accepting submissions for historical fiction short stories and novel excerpts. Beginning May 1, 2022, in conjunction with the launch of our free access Member-only Content Area, History Through Fiction will publish historical fiction short stories and novel excerpts. One new story or novel excerpt will be released on the first day of each month and will be accessible via free log-in membership. Authors whose work is accepted for publication will receive a $25 honorarium for their work and stories that are accepted will receive light editing before being scheduled for publication.”
Reminder: Make it a habit to check the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL website, where titles in development are posted. “If this is your first time, please visit our Story Guidelines page.” Pays: $200 plus 10 free copies.
REMEMBER: Some venues listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for submissions.
6. BLOG NOTES
The newsletter is published just once each month, but there’s always something new on the Practicing Writing blog:
(Monday) Markets and Jobs for Writers (including opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletter)
Midweek Notes from a Practicing Writer
(Friday) Finds for Writers
Sunday Sentence
Please visit, and comment!
Interested in matters of specifically Jewish literary and cultural interest? Please also visit the My Machberet blog (“machberet” is the Hebrew word for “notebook”).
7. NEWSLETTER MATTERS
Information contained in The Practicing Writer is researched carefully but readers should always verify information. The Practicing Writer and its editor disclaim any liability for the use of information contained within. Thank you for following/reading.
We value our subscribers, and we protect their privacy. We keep our subscriber list confidential.
About the editor: Erika Dreifus is a writer, teacher, and literary consultant whose books include Birthright: Poems and Quiet Americans: Stories. A Fellow in the Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute and an adjunct associate professor at Baruch College/CUNY, she lives in New York. Please visit ErikaDreifus.com to learn more about her work and follow her on Facebook and/or Twitter, where she tweets “on matters bookish and/or Jewish.”