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Calls & Contests

Contest :: The Southern Collective Experience Launches Women of Resilience Chapbook Contest

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The Southern Collective 2020 Chapbook ContestThe Southern Collective Experience, home of quarterly literary magazine The Blue Mountain Review, launched a “women only” poetry chapbook contest this past November.

The Women of Resilience Chapbook Contest’s goal is “to highlight not only the struggle, but a way to the light” as “time and again, women have shown tremendous resilience while overcoming hardship, be it personal, marital, financial, parental, medical, addiction, and personal self worth. In fact, the caverns women navigate to ‘find the light’ are often deep, and brutal.”

The deadline to enter the contest is March 31 with winners announced on April 15. First prize is $200 and chapbook publication. The winner will be interviewed in the Summer 2020 issue of The Blue Mountain Review. There is a $25 fee.

The judge of this year’s contest is Melissa Studdard, author of four books including I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast and Six Weeks to Yehidah.

New Stories from the Midwest 2020

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New Stories from the Midwest 2018 coverNew Stories from the Midwest is celebrating its milestone 10th anniversary by presenting selections from previous volumes alongside new stories published in 2018 and 2019. Michael Martone is the guest editor for this volume.

Journals can submit up to six pieces of fiction published in 2018-19 for free. Writers can submit an unlimited amount of stories for $3/story.

A $100 prize is awarded to a story with exceptional power.

The deadline for nominations and submissions is February 1. All contributors receive two copies of the anthology and a discount on additional copies.

New Stories from the Midwest is published by New American Press, publisher of literary magazine Mayday and home to the New American Prizes, to help bring more visibility to “the flourishing crop of Midwestern writers who consistently produce work that is innovative, engaging, finely crafted, and strong in voice.”

Why Book Reviewing Isn’t Going Anywhere

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Inside-the-Critics-Circle.jpgA researcher explores the future of a changing practice By Scott Nover, The American Scholar.

Now an assistant professor of sociology at McMaster University in Ontario, Chong researches how fiction book reviews come to fruition, trying to solve the puzzle of why some books get reviewed and why so many more are ignored. Her new book, Inside the Critics’ Circle: Book Reviewing in Uncertain Times makes the case for the persistence of old-guard professional criticism even in the Internet age.

…It’s a really good question. No one said they were giving good reviews to really bad books, or bad reviews to really good books. It’s more a matter of degree: how much am I going to gush about a book I loved before I worry about sounding stupid and pull back, or how much am I really going to tear into a book before I worry about potential fallout and pull back. And those aren’t just questions about honesty or authenticity, it’s also about what’s the right professional tone to strike when producing cultural journalism.

Does Reading Really Improve Your Writing?

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reading-and-writing.jpgDoes Reading Really Improve Your Writing?

While our literature professors may have embedded this idea in our heads since middle school, the relationship between reading and writing is not as straightforward as it may seem. Yes, they are obviously closely related. But, it does not mean your interaction with one will affect your skill in the other.

As someone who has written for several organizations, newspapers and magazines for a fair amount of time and can barely get through half a book, I never understood the basis of this concept. And so, trying to decipher it was like a roller coaster ride.

Brevity blog: Seven Stages of Submittable

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Alison-Lowenstien-at-Brevity-Blog.jpeg“Seven Stages of Submittable” by Alison Lowenstein, Brevity Blog.

Submitting:

After meticulously crafting a brief cover letter and biographical statement, you upload your work of creative genius, along with a twelve-dollar submission fee. You press submit and enter a period of limbo when you see the essay, along with your many other submissions–ranging from haikus to flash fiction, logged as Received.

Dreaming:

Every evening you visit the web page for the literary journal you submitted to and imagine yourself on their homepage. Fantasizing that within minutes of the essay being on the journal’s website you get a book deal or at least an inquiry from a literary agent… [Read full blog post]

Larry Kramer Wishes More People Wrote About Gay History

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The American People by Larry Kramer“Larry Kramer Wishes More People Wrote About Gay History” – his new book is “The American People: Volume 2.”

Which subjects do you wish more authors would write about?

Gay history. Most historians taken seriously are always straight. They wouldn’t know a gay person if they took him to lunch. A good example is Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton, which doesn’t include the fact that he was both gay and in love with George Washington. Gore Vidal pointed this out to me.

Have you ever gotten in trouble for reading a book?

Not for reading one but plenty of times for writing one. Gay writers writing about other gays is not exactly a winning audience. And gays are not the best buyers or readers of their own. In “Faggots,” I used my best friend for one of the leading characters because he told such good jokes that I used. He never spoke to me again after the book came out.

Weekly Roundup for Calls & Contests :: January 17, 2020

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January is half over with already. I swear that the older a person gets, the faster time seems to fly. Thus…never put off submitting your work today! Before you know deadlines could very well pass you by. I keep saying I will get around to submitting and then another year has gone and my writing just sits in a pile of proverbial dust.

Don’t be like me! Keep your submission goals on a role with these journals and presses currently seeking submissions.

January Submission Deadlines

If you are a younger female-identifying writer between the ages of 14 and 21 or know a writer who fits that bill, don’t forget annual literary magazine Girls Right the World is open to submissions through January 31. They are on the lookout for poetry, prose, short stories, lyric essays, and visual art. There is no fee to to submit. [Read more…] about Weekly Roundup for Calls & Contests :: January 17, 2020

Frontier Poetry Partners with Antioch University LA for New Fellowship

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Frontier Poetry Antioch MFA Fellowship PrizeOnline literary magazine Frontier Poetry announces a new fellowship in partnership with the creative writing program at Antioch University Los Angeles.

The Antioch-Frontier Fellowship allows the winner to experience one of Antioch University LA’s MFA residencies first-hand. This includes 10 days of intense learning and immersion with mentorship and community opportunities. The fellow can choose between the Summer 2020 residency or the Winter 2021 residency.

The fellowship will cover travel expenses and lodging. Also, it awards a $1,000 cash prize to cover any additional expenses. The Winner will also be published on the Frontier Poetry website. February 15 application deadline. The Editors of Frontier Poetry and staff of Antioch University will select the winner. Learn more about the fellowship at Frontier Poetry‘s website.

The Massachusetts Review Seeks Native-Authored Work for Special Issue

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The Massachusetts Review Issue 60 cover Literary magazine The Massachusetts Review is kicking off the new decade with a special issue, the first of its kind for them. They seek new Native-authored fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for their first-ever issue with a Native focus.

Scheduled for publication in December 2020 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Plymouth Landing, guest editors include Tacey Atsitty (Amenorrhea), Laura Furlan (Indigenous Cities: Urban Indian Fiction and the Histories of Relocation), and Toni Jensen (From the Hilltop). Send queries and submissions for this special issue to MRPlymouth400@gmail.com.

MR, celebrating 60 years of publication, is a journal committed to social justice and equality and regularly publishes poetry, fiction, artwork, and essays. Check out their current call for submissions as well as their website to learn more about them.

Weekly Roundup for Calls & Contests :: January 10, 2020

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It is the end of the first full week of January in 2020, writers. How are your submission goals coming? Want to start filling your calendar with upcoming deadlines? These magazines, presses, events, and more are all currently accepting work!

January Submission Deadlines

There is now only 5 days left to submit poetry, flash fiction, short stories, dramatic monologues, and creative nonfiction to publisher great weather for MEDIA for their annual anthology. Deadline is January 15 and they do not charge a fee. If you’d like to support their endeavors, they do offer a tip jar submission option.

Barrow Street. 4×2 Project. Poetry. $3 Fee. Deadline: January 31. Restrictions: Cannot have published a full-length book or chapbook.

Timeworn Literary Journal. Historical Fiction. No Fee. Deadline: January 31.

If you are a younger female-identifying writer between the ages of 14 and 21, don’t forget annual literary magazine Girls Right the World is open to submissions through January 31. They are on the lookout for poetry, prose, short stories, lyric essays, and visual art. There is no fee to to submit. [Read more…] about Weekly Roundup for Calls & Contests :: January 10, 2020

Weekly Roundup for Calls & Contests :: January 3, 2020

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It is hard to believe that 2019 is now behind us and we are currently at the start of a brand new year. How did your submissions goals go for 2019? Looking to improve upon them in 2020? Check out these current submission opportunities for literary magazines, presses, events, and more.

great weather for MEDIA is currently accepting submissions for its annual anthology. They focus on the fearless, the unpredictable, and the experimental. Deadline is January 15. There is no fee, but you can show your support with a tip jar option.

Girls Right the World is a literary magazine which accepts writing and art from female-identifying writers ages 14 through 21. They have extended the submission deadline for Issue 4 to January 31. There is no fee.
[Read more…] about Weekly Roundup for Calls & Contests :: January 3, 2020