The Practicing Writer 2.0: March 2024
Support for poets, fictionists, and writers of creative nonfiction: fee-free opportunities that pay for winning/published work, resources, & more.
Welcome, new readers, and welcome back to the regulars.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Editor’s Note
Success Stories
Featured Resource
Contests, Competitions, and Other Opportunities (NO FEES TO ENTER/APPLY; PAYING 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,
I’ll begin by expressing thanks for the congratulatory wishes that so many of you conveyed after last month’s issue—marking the newsletter’s 20th birthday/anniversary—landed in your inboxes. Your appreciation and support mean a great deal to me.
In my own writing practice, alas, the past few weeks have brought only additional rejection notes. But I’m not giving up—especially for one piece that has, in fact, received some highly encouraging messages alongside the “no”s.
Frankly, though, I’ve been much busier writing lots of paragraphs/pages that I do not expect will ever be published. That’s because I’ve been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes writing to friends, colleagues, and editors about a literary problem referenced in the “Featured Resource” section below. I’ve also been interviewed a few times—including for a chapter focused on literary matters in Howard Lovy’s forthcoming nonfiction book and for this JTA article.
As I prepare this newsletter, the world—by which I mean both our literary sphere and the local, national, and global ones in which we and our work exist—is filled with conflict. May peaceful resolutions come soon. In the meantime, whether your writing practices address any of that directly or not, I hope for everyone sufficient clarity of thought and freedom of circumstance to pursue it as wisely and constructively as possible.
With all best wishes,
ERIKA
P.S. Reminder: I am grateful when you share this newsletter, in its entirety, with your networks. But if you choose to share only certain listings, please respect my work of research and curation and credit your source—ideally, with a link back to this newsletter. Thank you so much.
2. SUCCESS STORIES
From Caroline Johnson:
Thank you for advertising the LIGHT poetry contest in your newsletter. They wanted poems about cancer, healing, and transformation, and my poem “The Language of Cancer” won 2nd place. I’m absolutely thrilled and am working on publishing my entire manuscript.
From Rachel Cantor:
Many thanks—I just learned today that I will be a 2024 LABA Fellow, an opportunity I learned about [from you]. Very excited about this, so thanks again for sharing opportunities like this with us!
From Cynthia Bernard:
My poem “The Gift” is particularly important to me. It was published on Ritualwell. It will also be included in The Jewish Writing Project later this spring. I found out about these publications on your “Where to Read (and Publish) Writing on Jewish Themes.” Thank you!
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
If you’ve been following me/The Practicing Writer 2.0 for a while, you’re aware that beyond this broadly-focused newsletter and resources, I focus on matters of particular relevance for Jewish writers and writing. Unfortunately, these days that means that I’m devoting increasing time and energy to the problem of antisemitism in literary and literary-adjacent spaces.
But I’m not alone. In mid-February, the Jewish Book Council (JBC) announced:
With the rise of antisemitic incidents internationally, JBC has launched an initiative for authors, publishers, publicists, agents, editors, and readers to report antisemitic literary-related incidents. Antisemitism is defined as prejudice against or hatred of Jewish people. This can take many forms, such as verbal or written language, in-person or online harassment, vandalism, and violence directed at a person or institution because they are Jewish. We encourage reports of both smaller-scale incidents (such as an individual getting review-bombed because their book includes Jewish content) and larger incidents (such as Jewish literary professionals facing threats of intimidation and violence).
More information is available here.
Reminder: You’ll find an array of Jewish Writing Resources—some of them addressing this very topic—assembled on my website. (Please be forewarned that some of them are much more up-to-date than others. I’m doing my best!)
4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
SOLITARY DAISY HAIKU CONTEST
Deadline: March 2. From Canada-based Solitary Daisy. “Please send us one to three haiku/senryu.” Prizes: “first place $25, second place $15, third place $10. There will also be three honourable mentions chosen. All of the winners will be notified by email and paid through PayPal. Everyone else will get a lovely email thanking them because we appreciate you!” (Discovered this one via @Duotrope.)HUB CITY PRESS BIPOC POETRY SERIES
Deadline: March 15. “Two finalists will be selected by Editor-at-Large Ashley M. Jones…and will be published by Hub City Press….In addition to publication, each finalist will receive a prize of $3000.” Submitters, who must be BIPOC, must also “either currently reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia or have a strong tie to one or more of the listed states.”JANE MARTIN POETRY PRIZE
Deadline: March 15. Based at Girton College, Cambridge University, this opportunity for those “resident in the UK” and (on February 1st 2024) “between 18 and 30 years of age” offers its winner £700 and an opportunity to give a reading at a celebratory event. “There will also be a second prize of £300 cash.”2024 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 “$200 and a standard publication contract and national distribution.” Note also: “The author(s) must agree to give a public reading (in person or via Zoom) 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 WITH CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
Deadline: March 18 (9am GMT). Award for a single short story, “with the winning author receiving £15,000, and four further shortlisted authors £600 each. The stories are broadcast on Radio 4 and available to listen to on BBC Sounds, and also published in an anthology by Comma Press.” Be sure to consult the detailed terms and conditions, which include, among other notes: “The Award is open to British nationals and UK residents, including residents of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, aged 18 years or over…who have a prior record of publication in creative writing in the United Kingdom….”NANCY LUDMERER FELLOWSHIP FOR FLASH FICTION AND NONFICTION
Fee-free application day (for the first 20 applicants): March 20. Awards a five-night residency at the Porches Writing Retreat in Virginia for a writer of flash fiction or flash nonfiction.MUESTRAS KONSEJAS “OUR TALES”: THE NATIONAL SEPHARDIC ESSAY COMPETITION
Deadline: March 22. New competition from the Sephardic Studies Program of the University of Washington & The Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood Foundation. NB: Despite the presence of “essay” in the contest title, the guidelines explain that writers are invited to enter “an original, previously unpublished work of prose (fictional or memoiristic) that gives voice to the experiences of the Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jewish communities (whether from family lore, lived experience, community heritage, life stories, etc.).” The competition features two categories (“Student’”(18+) and “Adult”); for each category, prizes include cash awards ($1,000 for the winner and $500 for the runner-up) and publication. Additional notes: “You do not need to be Sephardic to apply.” “You do not need to be a US Citizen to apply.”MOLLIE SAVAGE MEMORIAL WRITING CONTEST
Deadline: March 24 (contest opens 5pm Eastern time, March 22). A 48-hour short-story writing contest organized by Toasted Cheese. “The spring edition of the Savage Writing Contest is a MYSTERY contest.” Prizes: “Winning stories are published in the June 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. 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.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)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.”BRIDPORT PRIZE BURSARIES FOR UNDER-REPRESENTED WRITERS
Deadline: March 31. “Our bursary scheme gives under represented writers a free entry to the Bridport Prize competition in any category.” NB: “Applications are reviewed in batches on a first-come-first-served basis and may take up to six weeks to process.”ANNE BROWN ESSAY PRIZE
Deadline: March 31. £1,500 prize “will be awarded for the best literary essay, published or unpublished, by a writer in or from Scotland.”PAUL ENGLE PRIZE
Deadline: March 31. From the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. “This prize does not recognize one work, nor is it solely limited to reflecting literary achievement. Rather, the award seeks to recognize a writer, like Engle, who makes an impact on his or her community and the world at large through efforts beyond the page. It also seeks to raise awareness about Engle and his works….As of 2023, the winner receives a $25,000 cash award and a one-of-a-kind work of art.” Self-nominations are not accepted.FOLEY POETRY CONTEST
Deadline: March 31. From America (“the Jesuit Review”): “Each entrant is asked to submit one poem of 45 lines or fewer.” “Poems may address any topic.” Awards $1,000 and publication. “Three runners-up will also be published in subsequent issues.” No simultaneous submissions.ANN PETRY AWARD
Deadline: March 31. “For a work of previously unpublished prose (including self-published works), either a novel or a collection of short stories or novellas, with a minimum of 150 pages, by a Black writer….The Ann Petry Award will consist of $3000 and publication of the awarded manuscript by Red Hen Press, as well as a four-week residency at The Community Library’s Ernest and Mary Hemingway House in Ketchum, Idaho.”PJ LIBRARY PICTURE BOOK SUMMER CAMP
Deadline: March 31. “PJ Library invites authors and author-illustrators interested in developing Jewish-themed picture books to apply for the 3rd annual Picture Book Summer Camp for five days of inspiration, mentorship, fun, and creativity! This opportunity is for emerging creatives whose work has not yet been published, or who have no more than one published picture book.” Acceptance into the late-August program, which will take place at the Highlights Foundation in Pennsylvania, “covers tuition, lodging, and meals. Stipends to cover domestic and international costs for travel to the retreat center will once again be available from PJ Library (details will be provided upon program acceptance).”SILVERS GRANTS FOR WORKS 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. Grants may not be used to fund translation. Applicants must have an editorial agreement with a publication or publishing house for the work under consideration.”STUDIO FAIRE RESIDENCY FELLOWSHIPS
Deadline: March 31. Located in southwest France, this program “will provide accommodation and practical support to two separate creative practitioners for a 2-week period in 2025.” Eligibility: “international visual artists, makers, writers, filmmakers, photographers, musicians and all other creative disciplines at all stages of their careers.”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 and diversifies contemporary American literature. The Maya Angelou Book Award recognizes works of poetry or fiction in alternating years. In 2024, 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 2023 or scheduled through November 2024 are eligible; entrants must reside in the U.S.; other eligibility criteria apply.GWENN A. NUSBAUM/WALT WHITMAN BIRTHPLACE ASSOCIATION (WWBA) SCHOLARSHIP
Deadline: April 1. This $1800 scholarship “is offered in the spirit of Walt Whitman’s poem, ‘O Me! O Life!’ He writes: ‘That you are here – that life exists and identity, / That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.’ Applications are sought from those poets at the early stages of their careers, ages 25-35 years.” The award is intended “to be used for supportive activities to further the writing career: for example, writing courses and workshops; writing conferences; writing retreats, or other approved activities.” NB: Applicants must be U.S. citizens.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.”HURSTON/WRIGHT CROSSOVER AWARD
Deadline: April 2. Sponsored by ESPN’s Andscape, this award “honors probing, provocative, and original new voices in literary nonfiction. Named after the most common dribbling move in basketball, the Crossover Award aims to highlight an unconventional winner who writes across genres and can effectively crossover between writing styles and techniques. The name also speaks to the potential of the award winner to transition from obscurity to the spotlight. This award will celebrate one writer who contributes a unique perspective to the literary nonfiction landscape.” The award is open to “unpublished, Black writers who are 18 years and older” whose essays “may be stand-alone essays or excerpts from a book in progress” that “explore and illuminate the various intersections of culture and society through innovative storytelling, original reporting and/or provocative commentary.” Confers $2,000, tuition-free attendance of a 2024 Hurston/Wright summer writer’s workshop, and a complimentary ticket to the annual Legacy Awards Ceremony in October 2024.FABULA PRESS SHORT STORY CONTEST
Deadline: April 3 (for fee-free entries). From Hong Kong-based Fabula Press. “There is no theme to the contest. We are not picky about genre either. What we are looking for is exceptional writing….Chick Lit, Young Adult, and Hard Science Fiction do not work for us, though, given the nature of the anthology.” Cash prizes: US$500/US$250/US$100. “In addition, all authors selected for publication will be paid an honourarium of US$75.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)BACOPA LITERARY REVIEW WRITING CONTEST
Deadline: April 4 (contest window opens March 4). Cash prizes ($200 for winner; $100 honorable mention) and publication in categories of fiction, creative nonfiction, flash fiction, formal poetry, free verse poetry, and visual poetry. Writers may enter only one category.
REMINDER: Some competitions listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into March; make sure that you haven’t missed them!
5. SUBMISSION ALERTS
Quick reminder: As I mentioned a couple of issues back, I’ve altered some of my curatorial approach and am no longer including payment specifics in this space. But I do promise to share only fee-free litmag opportunities that (as far as I can tell) pay a double-digit minimum and specify their rates within the guidelines. This shift requires a little more research on your part, but it brings a little bit of relief for me. (I’ll extend more flexibility for book publishers since, particularly where royalties are concerned, there’s no way to predict the exact earnings a writer can count on.)
Re-opened for submissions in February: STORY UNLIKELY magazine. Considers reprints. (NB: You need to subscribe to their magazine, free of charge, in order for them to consider a submission.)
Scheduled to be open during the month of March (for unagented novel submissions): HUB CITY PRESS. “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, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.” UPDATED TO NOTE: Per this tweet, they will be open for TWO WEEKS ONLY for fiction, then two weeks for nonfiction, in the month of March.”
Also scheduled to be open for the month of March: Short Story, Long. Check
the Submittable page for updates.
Scheduled to re-open March 1: AIR/LIGHT, which seeks “new and innovative works of literary arts across all mediums and genres.” NB: “While Air/Light is based in Los Angeles and approaches the literary arts from a Southern California perspective, we want to read and publish work by everyone from everywhere.”
NARRATIVELY has announced “a special collaboration with Creative Nonfiction magazine that gets at the heart of what makes a great story truly great.” The pitch deadline for “The Art of Narrative Storytelling” is March 4.
BENNINGTON REVIEW, which aims “to stake out a distinctive space for innovative, intelligent, and moving fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, film writing, and cross-genre work,” remains open for submissions until March 8.
For its 14th edition, BOOK XI plans to focus on “the theme of love.” They consider “philosophically informed creative work (though our understanding of ‘philosophically informed’ is capacious).”
SAMJOKO, “a non-genre specific publication,” remains open for submissions until March 10.
SICK, which “publishes work from folks who are sick/chronically ill/mentally ill/disabled,” is open for submissions until March 10.
At MSLEXIA (“for women who write”), fiction and poetry submissions on a theme of “Cats” are welcome until March 11.
March 12 is the submissions deadline at POETRY WALES, where they’re currently seeking work for a summer 2024 issue themed “Wave.”
From Australia-based WESTERLY: “Creative submissions for our first print issue of 2024, Westerly 69.1, are now open and will close again on 17 March.”
THE ADROIT JOURNAL remains open for submissions poetry, prose, and art/photography until March 31.
For an upcoming web edition, NINTH LETTER plans an issue on the theme of “Caretaking.” Deadline: March 31.
Ireland-based SOUTHWORD’s submissions window, currently open for fiction, will close March 31.
At TERRAIN.ORG, general submissions in fiction and nonfiction also remain open until March 31.
TORONTO JOURNAL publishes short stories “from anywhere in the world. We will also consider non-fiction pieces about local history (Toronto, GTA, and surrounding).” Deadline: April 1.
As
recently mentioned on Twitter, is “seeking articles on lit mag submitting, publishing, editing...anything & everything lit-mag. Opinions, strategies, satire, advice...Columns published each Thursday.” Guidelines here.New publication: PROSE POEMS “is an online-only publication, though we may branch out to broadsides or limited print editions at some point. We only publish prose poetry, but short-shorts and flash fiction are fine, as long as they are a paragraph. Each poem should be a page long, maximum. Please, do not send any other styles (free verse, formal verse), or individual poems longer than a page.” (Hat tip: AuthorsPublish.)
An invitation from Vine Leaves Press: “Submit to our monthly SPILL IT! column. An opinion column written by Vine Leaves Press authors, staff and other contributors. Sent to your inbox monthly. Designed to spark debate and conversation. Caution: Some controversial content. The purpose of SPILL IT! is to evoke debate/opinions, and therefore each article is titled with a direct question to readers.” NB: “Please note that we do not want any articles that are about your own experience with writing. Readers who do not write are not going to have any interest in this. So please only send us ideas that would interest people who have never written (and don’t wish to) in their lives. Also, please only send us ideas that spark a solid debate. We want to trigger conversation.”
The BERKELEY FICTION REVIEW “is a forum for short fiction, published annually. We invite submissions of previously unpublished short stories from around the country and the world year-round.” They also consider comics and art. (Thanks to @Duotrope for reminding me about this one.)
At last check, REDIVIDER’s Submittable page indicated that the journal is “currently reading for our Spring 2024 issue, 21.2.” No deadline indicated.
Reminder: Free submissions are open for the first seven days of every month at ONLY POEMS.
Reminder: RIDDLEBIRD, which features “literary fiction and personal essays,” has “decided to try a rolling submission system. We will be open year round, but capped at 50 a month.”
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: 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: There’s a rolling deadline (the 25th of each month) for OFF TOPIC PUBLISHING’s Poetry Box, which supplies subscribers with a poem “printed postcard-style” along with tea and chocolate. Poems should be no longer than 15 lines (“including blank lines”).
Also:
, 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.
REMEMBER: Multiple venues listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for submissions, too. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important reminder about additional opportunity listings!
6. BLOG NOTES
The newsletter is published just once each month, but there’s always something new on the Practicing Writing blog:
(Monday) Markets and Jobs for Writers (including fee-free/paying opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletter)
(Friday) Finds for Writers
#SundaySentence
Occasional Notes from a Practicing Writer
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.
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 right here on Substack, on Facebook, and/or on Twitter, where she tweets (mostly) “on matters bookish and/or Jewish.”