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, Instagram, and/or Substack. (I’m dramatically decreasing my activity on Twitter/X1.)

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

(Yes, this newsletter is going out on the penultimate day of the month, instead of the customary final day. This can happen when the last day of the month coincides with Shabbat [the Jewish Sabbath] or other Jewish holidays.)

Much has transpired since the November newsletter posted, both in the writing world and in the larger world. I continue to share a lot of information on my blogs and on social media; for the moment, I’ll leave it at that.

I do want to briefly thank everyone who supported, in various ways, the recent auction run by The Artists Against Antisemitism, on whose board I serve. As reported, the auction raised more than $65,000 “to help fight antisemitism in the arts and support Jewish artists,” which of course includes literary artists. Given that the need continues for me to update both “After October 7” (this quicklink goes directly to the section “Regarding Literary and Literary-Adjacent Communities”) and “Writers, Beware,” I’m quite aware of all the work that there is to do on this front.

On a happier note: I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention that we are now several days in to Jewish Book Month 2024 (5785 on the Jewish calendar). Observance shifts annually with the Jewish calendar to coincide with the month preceding Hanukkah, and this year, Hanukkah begins at sunset December 25.

Jewish Book Month is effectively coordinated by the Jewish Book Council (JBC), and as the JBC notes, its history goes back 99 years: “In 1925, Fan­ny Gold­stein, a librar­i­an at the Boston Pub­lic Library, decid­ed that Jew­ish books and Jew­ish pride were worth cel­e­brat­ing, so she set up a dis­play of Jew­ish books and ini­ti­at­ed the first Jewish Book Week. Nine­ty-nine years lat­er, we still think Jew­ish books are worth celebrating!” Learn more on the JBC’s 2024 Jewish Book Month page, which is replete with action-oriented suggestions for your observance. And if you’re an editor/educator/librarian/curator, please add Jewish Book Month to any existing “theme-month” lists for attention!

On a similarly celebratory note, I hope that the upcoming December holidays are pleasant ones for everyone reading this.

And as the greeting-cards often say at this season, may there be Peace on Earth.

With best wishes for you and your writing,
ERIKA

P.S. I am also 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 Max Burger:

Thanks for your list [of where to read/publish Jewish writing]! “Lost and Found,” an excerpt from my novel, My Father’s Father, (still on submission) has been posted in this issue of The Jewish Fiction Journal.

From Howard Wach:

I’m writing to share a success story, an essay I’ve placed with the Jewish Writing Project. It’s short and (I think) to the point, a reflection on the quaking ground under our Jewish-American feet. I’m a pure baby-boom product, and I think for many of us in that giant cohort the ground has shaken especially hard.

Thanks again for all your work providing resources for scribblers, especially on the Jewish side.

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: POST-MFA FELLOWSHIPS

Way back in 2007, I shared a blog post in which I’d compiled links to fellowship and writer-in-residence opportunities aimed particularly toward emerging writers, including recent graduates from MFA programs in creative writing. I’ve continued to update that list over the years—most recently, just a couple of weeks ago. You can find it over on my website. (You’ll also find examples of such programs—of the fee-free variety, at any rate—listed directly below, since they have deadlines within the next month or so.)

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• THE WELKIN MINI
  Submissions: December 1-January 2. “The Welkin Mini is a competition to celebrate micro fiction and creative non-fiction up to 100 words. Like the main Welkin Prize, it is free to enter and aims to be a welcoming space for all writers.” Cash prizes: £50/£30/£20/£10. “Payment of prizes will be via Paypal. Where a winner is unable to accept payment via Paypal (because of geographic location or otherwise), payment in kind will be offered in the form of vouchers for my editorial services.” (Hat tip: .)

• RSL CHRISTOPHER BLAND PRIZE
  Deadline: December 6. Administered by the Royal Society of Literature, in memory of Christopher Bland. “An annual award of £10,000 for a debut novelist or non-fiction writer first published in any form aged 50 or over.” Detailed eligibility criteria apply—be sure to read through them.

• KIM WALL MEMORIAL FUND GRANTS
  Deadline: December 8. From the International Women’s Media Foundation. Provides $5,000 grants “to journalists whose work embodies the spirit of Kim’s reporting. The grant will fund women or non-binary reporters covering subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call ‘the undercurrents of rebellion.’ Kim wanted more women to be out in the world, brushing up against life, and the Kim Wall Memorial Fund honors this legacy.” NB: At last check, there were two deadlines listed for this opportunity listed; I’ve provided you with the earlier one.

• JANE MARTIN POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: December 9. “The Jane Martin Poetry Prize is a national poetry competition, established in 2010, in memory of Girton alumna, Jane Elizabeth Martin (1978, Classics) through the generous support of her family….The winner will receive a cash prize of £1000 and there will also be a second prize of £500. Both prize-winners will have an opportunity to give a reading at a celebratory event at Girton College, at which the prizes will be awarded.” NB: “Entrants must be resident in the UK and between the ages of 18 and 30 on Thursday 27 February 2025.”

• EDINBURGH WRITING AWARDS/SCOTTISH ARTS TRUST BURSARY
  Deadline: December 10. “Scottish Arts Trust Bursaries help skilled under-represented writers and artists to obtain free entry to our writing and visual arts awards,” which include the Edinburgh Writing Awards (Young Adult Fiction Prize, Short Story Award, Essay Award). Open to writers worldwide.

• GEORGE ELIOT FELLOWSHIP ESSAY PRIZE
  Deadline: December 12. Annual prize confers £500.00 “for a previously unpublished paper on George Eliot’s life or work.” The winning essay will be published in George Eliot Review. “The competition is open to all, but may be of particular interest to graduate students.” (Additional information here.)

• KING’S ENGLISH SOCIETY POETRY COMPETITION
  Deadline: December 15. “The competition is open to all and entry is free….The theme of the competition is PAPER….The author of the winning poem will receive £100 and the poem will be published on the King’s English Society website, Facebook platforms, and occasionally in the next issue of the Society’s quarterly magazine, Quest. The runner-up will also be published.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• LIT FOX AWARD
  Deadline: December 15. From Lit Fox Books, for full-length poetry collections. Prize package includes $1500, publication, author copies, and more.

• ST. MARTIN’S/MINOTAUR-MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA FIRST CRIME NOVEL COMPETITION
  Deadline: December 15. “Open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any Published Novel (in any genre),” as defined within the guidelines. Note that “murder or another serious crime or crimes [must be] at the heart of the story.” Prize: “If a winner is selected, Minotaur Books will offer to enter into its standard form author’s agreement with the entrant for publication of the winning Manuscript. After execution of the standard form author’s agreement by both parties, the winner will receive an advance against future royalties of $10,000. On the condition that the selected winner accepts and executes the publishing contract proposed by Minotaur Books, the winner will then be recognized at the Edgar Awards Banquet in New York City in May 2025.”

• POMEGRANATE WRITING FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: December 16. From the Jewish Women’s Archive. “A year-long writing Fellowship for Jewish women of color and racially and ethnically diverse Jewish women* that supports the development of their talents, provides a platform that amplifies their voices, and builds the field of Jewish women of color thought leaders” (*consult the website “for more about how [they’re] defining Jewish Women of Color”). Five fellows will be selected for this “entirely remote” fellowship, which is open to applicants currently residing in North America. Stipends of $3,600 will be awarded.

• RBC BRONWEN WALLACE AWARD FOR EMERGING WRITERS
  Deadline: December 16. From Writers’ Trust of Canada. “Established in memory of writer Bronwen Wallace, this award has a proven track record of helping talented developing authors secure their first book deal. Three $10,000 prizes will be given for outstanding works of unpublished poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. The award is sponsored by RBC.” Runners-up also receive cash awards. Entrants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Other criteria detailed on the site.

• AKADEMIE SCHLOSS SOLITUDE DIGITAL RESIDENCIES
  Deadline: December 18. The current residency call is titled “Tools for Citation” and encourages “proposals of artistic projects that explore the practice of citation from a conceptual and theoretical frame. Selected projects should be carried out in open-source formats that are well-documented, shareable, and consider the accessibility of its users, who may range in age, race, gender, economic class, and ability. Six project proposals will be selected and rewarded with an online residency and a grant of 1.200 euros.”

• THE ANDROMEDA AWARD
  Deadline: December 18. From the United Talent Agency, Conville & Walsh, and Curtis Brown Creative. “The award is open to anyone based in the UK or USA who has a full-length science fiction or fantasy novel.” (Within the rules, one finds that entrants must be un-agented.) Cash prizes: “$5,000/$3,000/$1,000” plus, for the 2nd- and 3rd-place winners, course opportunities.

• NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PROVOST’S POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
  Deadline: December 18. Eligibility extends to “professionals transitioning to academic careers (for those in a field for which the doctorate is not the terminal degree).” Fellowship appointments “are for two years and begin in September. Fellows teach a maximum of one course per semester, participate in school and departmental activities, and are assigned a mentor to prepare them for a career in academia.” Fellows receive “a $62,000 nine-month salary; a research allowance ($2,000); and reimbursement for one-time relocation fees (up to $3,000)….The University also provides a benefits package, including medical and dental coverage.”

• ECCLES INSTITUTE VISITING FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: December 20. At the British Library. “The Eccles Institute Visiting Fellowship offers funding for researchers working on the Americas across the arts, humanities and social sciences, to spend some time with the British Library’s collections in London.” The fellowship project “could be original academic research leading to a doctoral dissertation, journal article or scholarly monograph. It could also be part of the research and development for new creative work in fiction, poetry, music, dance, theatre, art, design, and everything in between.” Fellows are given financial stipends intended to support at least 3 weeks research at the Library (amounts depend on the applicant’s place of residence; the fellowship is open to applicants worldwide).

• LOVE LETTERS TO LONDON COMPETITION
  Deadline: December 20. From the London Society. “Now in its fourth year, this competition is open to everyone to celebrate our wonderful, fantastic, infuriating city in prose or poetry. Open to all ages, and to all writing styles - fiction, poetry, essays and reportage - whether you live in the capital or not….As 2024 represents the 60th Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s sermon at St Paul’s, we are theming the competition around: DREAMS FOR LONDON.” For writers over 18, categories include “Open” and “Poetry”; cash prizes will be £500/£250/£100 for each category. “Entries can have been published elsewhere but must fit the brief and have been written in 2024.” (As always, read and consider the full rules, including this point: “Copyright in all entries will remain with the entrant, but The London Society has the right to use any entry for free in its own publications in print, online or in other media.”)

• W.Y. BOYD LITERARY NOVEL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MILITARY FICTION
  Deadline: December 31. “Honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war” and “recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction.” Confers $5,000. Novels submitted “must have been published during the year prior to the award.”

• CREATIVE.INSPIRED.HAPPY MID-CAREER WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
  Deadline: December 31. “For an aspiring writer not currently in a professional writing career, for use toward furthering their education in writing, such as continuing education or community college courses on writing. This scholarship is open to aspiring writers in any field, including fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.” Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded.

• FOUR QUARTETS PRIZE
  Deadline: December 31. From the Poetry Society of America. For “a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book in 2024. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were published in 2024 and that brought together, they form a complete sequence.” Awards: “Finalists will receive $1,000 each. The winner will receive an additional $20,000.”

• ERNEST J. GAINES AWARD FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE

  Deadline: December 31 (received). Award confers $15,000, “honors Louisiana’s revered storyteller, Ernest J. Gaines, and serves to inspire and recognize rising African-American fiction writers of excellence [U.S. citizens only] at a national level.” Eligible authors must have a “work of fiction (novel or collection of short stories) that is published between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. Galleys for a 2024 publication are also accepted.”

• HOOKS INSTITUTE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
  Deadline: December 31. From the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis, for a non-fiction book “that best furthers understanding of the civil rights movement and its legacy.” Confers a prize of $1,000 and an invitation to lecture at the University of Memphis. “Non-fiction books with a first-published date in the 2024 calendar year are eligible for the award.”

• LILITH MAGAZINE ANNUAL SHORT FICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: December 31. “Lilith Magazine—independent, Jewish & frankly feminist—seeks quality short stories with heart, soul and chutzpah, 3,000 words or under, for our Annual Fiction Contest. First prize: $300 and publication. We especially like fresh fiction with feminist and Jewish nuance, and are eager to read submissions from writers of color and emerging writers of any age.”

• THE LYRIC COLLEGE POETRY CONTEST
  Deadline: December 31. From The Lyric, “the oldest magazine in North America devoted to traditional poetry.” Contest is open to “undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university. Poems must be original and unpublished, 39 lines or less, written in English in traditional forms, preferably with regular scansion and rhyme.” Confers cash prizes ($500/$200/$100) and publication.

• WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS POETRY COMPETITION
  Deadline: December 31. From Northeast Ohio Medical University. New to this competition this year, awards will be conferred in two categories: “a medical student category, open to students enrolled in M.D. and D.O. programs in the US, Puerto Rico, or Canada, and a physician category, open to any rank of physician (M.D. or D.O.) at any career stage, from residency to retirement, in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or Canada.” Confers cash prizes, which are undisclosed as far as I can see on the website, which is often a deal-breaker for me, but this contest is so well-established and I’ve covered it so many times in the past, and I so love William Carlos Williams, that I’m making an exception! (Hat tip to WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter for reminding me about this one.)

• THE FIFTY & UP WRITER AWARDS
  Deadline: January 1. From table/FEAST. Only open to writers aged fifty and up. “There will be one winner for Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction. Each winner will receive $50.00 USD plus a dollar per year if beyond the fifty years mark.”

• ANN FRIEDMAN WEEKLY FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: January 3. “For nonfiction writers who are not yet established in their careers,” this fellowship “includes mentorship and editing; a $5,000 stipend; regular check-ins to provide structure and accountability; and space in my newsletter where fellows can publish and promote their work. This program is funded by paying members of the Ann Friedman Weekly. For the 2025 fellowship, I will provide support and accountability to two writers, who will each write and publish a newsletter of their own.” Applicants should be “nonfiction writers who don’t have (m)any published clips, who aren’t well-connected to editors, who don’t have a substantial social media following. I’m looking for people who are already writing and developing their skills. I invite people from populations that are underrepresented in media to apply. (I know most job listings have a line like this, but I really and truly mean it. Please apply!) For reasons related to scheduling calls and time zones, I am limiting this to writers who live in the United States.” (Hat tip: Freelance Opportunities.)

• JACK HAZARD FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: January 3. From New Literary Project. “Jack Hazard Fellows are fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir writers who teach full time in an accredited high school in the United States. We provide a $5,000 award that enables these creative writers who teach to focus on their writing for a summer.” Among eligibility criteria, applicants must “have taught full-time for at least three years” and “return to full-time teaching in Fall 2025.”

• THE NEWBERRY ARTIST IN RESIDENCE FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: January 3. Three fellowship programs—including one for historical-fiction writers—at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Each one-month fellowship confers a $3,000 stipend. Open to “artists of any nationality.”

• BETHANY ARTS CENTER POETRY RESIDENCY
  Deadline: January 6. “In recognition of the 29th anniversary of National Poetry Month in April 2025, Bethany Arts Community (BAC) in Ossining, NY is offering its fifth annual residency focused on poetry.” NB: “The Poetry Residency is for one week: Monday, March 31 to Monday, April 7, 2025.” Residency package includes room and board, plus a stipend ($225).

• OLIVE B. O’CONNOR FELLOWSHIPS IN CREATIVE WRITING
  Deadline: January 6. At Colgate University. Two fellowships will be conferred (one in fiction, one in poetry). “Writers who have recently completed an MFA, MA, or PhD in creative writing, and who need a year to complete their first book, are encouraged to apply. The selected writers will spend the academic year (late August 2025 to early May 2026) at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. The fellows will teach one multigenre course each semester and will give a public reading from the work in progress.” Fellowship confers a stipend of $57,100, travel expenses, and health and life insurance.

• OUTPOST RESIDENCY
  Deadline: January 10. “The Outpost Foundation’s flagship program is a residency that awards two BIPOC writers from the United States and Latin America a $2,000 stipend as well as complimentary travel, lodging, and meals to spend the month of September cultivating a generative writing community in the mountains of Southern Vermont. In addition to the time spent in residence, Outpost Fellows in Residence will engage in organized interactions with the community of local universities and bookstores, allowing space to share their work and expand their networks.”

• JOAN LEIMAN JACOBSON NONFICTION NON-FICTION WRITER IN RESIDENCE
  Deadline: January 15. In Massachusetts, “the English Department and the Program in American Studies at Smith College invite applications from distinguished non-fiction writers for a visiting joint appointment as the Joan Leiman Jacobson Writer in Residence, to begin July 1, 2025. Authors in a range of non-fiction genres with a strong record of publication and teaching experience are eligible to apply, particularly essayists, journalists, science and environment writers, and critics. Previous recipients include Hilton Als, Dava Sobel, Russ Rymer, and Susan Faludi. Teaching responsibilities for this position will include one undergraduate writing workshop each semester: in American Studies, a course in writing about American society and culture; in English, a course in narrative and/or creative non-fiction. Jacobson Writers in Residence contribute to the dynamic writing communities of Smith College and the wider Northampton area, and one public lecture or reading is expected at some time during the residency. This two-year, half-time, benefits-eligible position offers an annual salary of $60,000 and a housing stipend, with the possibility of renewal for a third year.” 

REMINDER: Some opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into the new month. And don’t skip over the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• At THE CINCINNATI REVIEW, print-magazine submissions will reopen December 1 and will most likely close again soon thereafter; act quickly if you’re interested in sending them your work.

• Reminder: Online submissions of fiction, poetry, and essays for the print edition of NINTH LETTER are free during December. NB: Caps of 300 submissions apply for each genre.

• As noted in their latest newsletter, NORTHERN GRAVY will be open for submissions from December 1 until December 22. Per the guidelines: “In order to submit to Northern Gravy, you must be a UK or Ireland writer. While we love receiving submissions, if you weren’t either born in the UK or Ireland, or currently reside in the UK or Ireland, we will have to discard your submission without reading it.”

• A recent post from Short Story, Long indicates that editor Aaron Burch will re-open submissions December 1 (and will keep them open for the month). “Have a story in the 3k-8k word range that you feel like might be a fit? Get ’er ready! Have a friend who writes stories that you think are great who might not know about us? Tell ’em!”

• Closing December 3: MEETINGHOUSE, which welcomes “all forms of writing, both creative and critical….We appreciate genre-bending & genre-blending. We believe trying and failing to work through difficult ideas and feelings is more worthwhile than staying comfortable in what you know. Asking questions is better than answering them. And we very badly want to be kind.”

• At MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW, they're taking pitches for an upcoming “Creativity” issue until December 4. “As always, the theme is a loose prompt. We’re looking for pitches for longer pieces: narrative features, compelling investigations, essential profiles, and super-sharp essays. This call for pitches is mostly aimed at journalists, but if you're an expert with a strong idea, please don't hesitate to reach out.”

• Reminder: BELLEVUE LITERARY PRESS remains open for narrative nonfiction submissions until December 15.

• Also until December 15, THE JOURNAL OF COMPRESSED CREATIVE ARTS is receiving submissions of “‘compressed creative arts.’ We accept fiction and creative nonfiction, as long if they are compressed in some way.”

• ORCA is open for submissions for its next “literary” issue until December 15. “Please remember that we have 100 free submissions each month, and they usually fill up very quickly.”

• You have until December 31 to send a general flash-fiction submission to FLASH FROG (during January, they’re scheduled to take contest submissions only).

• MENAGERIE, which publishes “fictions, essays, and poems,” is open for submissions until December 31. “If only tip jar subs are available on the Submittable page, that means we’ve hit our monthly free cap.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “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….We’ll read through each story, choose the one story that shines brightest, and publish it online the following month. After a year, we’ll collect all twelve stories into a Stone’s Throw Annual Anthology, to be published alongside our other print issues.” For submissions January 1-4 (for the February 2025 issue), they seek work as follows: “There’s always a bigger fish, and this month, give us stories of characters who think they’re the top of the food chain, only to find out in spectacular fashion that they are, in fact, way out of their depth. We want hubris. We want bravado. And then, we want the sinking feeling that you can only get when you realize you’re just a minnow swimming with a bunch of sharks.”

• OFF ASSIGNMENT, “a literary magazine with a penchant for journeys and a fascination with strangers,” recently posted an update on Instagram: “We are currently accepting submissions to our ‘Letter to a Stranger,’ ‘No Equivalent,’ ‘Under the Influence,’ ‘What I Didn't Say,’ and ‘Witching Hour’ columns. Let our prompts unlock ideas for that personal essay melding place writing and emotional journeys.” (Note that when I asked about a deadline, I was told that there isn’t one.)

• Newly discovered (as it happens, on Bluesky): THE INFLATED GRAVEWORM, “a quarterly zine of ‘dark’ literature” that is open for submissions.

• A reminder from PALETTE POETRY: “Submissions for our Featured Poetry category are open year-round to poets at any stage of their careers. Featured poems are published online only and will spotlight a number of poems from new authors each month. We highly encourage emerging authors to submit.”

• Reminder: 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: , which aims to “revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful,” selects one story for publication each month and considers reprints.

• Reminder: VAST CHASM, which publishes “bold work that explores the expansive human experience, including flash and short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and other nonconforming work,” considers submissions “year-round, on a rolling basis, for our quarterly online issues.”

REMEMBER: Some venues listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for submissions, too. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!

6. BLOG NOTES

The newsletter is published just once each month, but there’s always something new on the Practicing Writing blog:

• (Monday) Markets and Jobs for Writers (including fee-free/paying opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletter)

• (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 and/or on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

I’m talking about the November newsletter’s poll regarding The Artists Against Antisemitism (TAAA)’s second annual auction. The auction went live two days ago and remains open for bids until next Wednesday; when I published the newsletter a couple of weeks back, I asked readers to weigh in on the possibility of a quick reminder post.

With a healthy 60 percent of respondents requesting said reminder, I am now back in your mailbox earlier than usual. (I will take this occasion to remind you, too, that many of the opportunities listed in the November issue remain open, and that between monthly newsletters you can find additional fee-free and paying/funded opportunities for your writing practice posted every Monday on the Practicing Writing blog.)

But let’s return to the matter at hand.

Some background that I’ve taken from a press release:

With the surge of antisemitism worldwide—especially in the art world, where blacklists, harassment, cancellations, violence, review bombing, and letter campaigns have become trendy and mainstreamed, The Artists Against Antisemitism (AAA) is fighting back. 

The organization, founded by bestselling authors and prominent artists in the wake of October 7th, is hosting its second annual auction from November 13-20th. Funds raised from this year’s action will benefit, in part, Project Shema, to help train facilitators to run antisemitism awareness workshops for companies and organizations across North America, as well as toward special projects to supply antisemitism awareness training sessions for bookstores, libraries, museums, galleries, studios, news outlets, and other arts organizations in need.

“This is our way to create a safe space for Jewish artists and allies to come together and be proactive. We’re offering connection, support, and a vibrant community joining together to make a difference,” says bestselling author and the organization’s co-president Jill Santopolo.

On the heels of the tremendous success of The Artists Against Antisemitism’s inaugural auction last December, raising more than $120,000 to fight antisemitism in the US, this year’s lineup features more than 300 fabulous items including goods, services and experiences from celebrities, bestselling authors, chefs, artists, athletes, and experts in their fields. Some of the hot ticket times include donations from Regina Spektor, Chelsea Clinton, Mayim Bialik, Henry Winkler, Lily Tomlin, Jenny Slate, Mark Feuerstein, Martin Fletcher, and Laraine Newman of SNL fame, plus VIP Tickets to the Tonight Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Bruce Springsteen, D.C. United (with a locker room visit), Broadway tickets (Left on Tenth, written by Delia Ephron, starring Julianna Margulies)—and of course, book club visits, fine art, signed books and sports memorabilia, unique experiences, and personal conversations and Zooms with bestselling authors and artists. 

“In the days following Oct. 7th, this organization gave our 33 founding members strength and community when we felt hopeless,” explains bestselling author Alison Hammer, co-president of The Artists Against Antisemitism. “This auction is our way for the arts community to stand up to hate, and channel our pain into something productive to raise awareness and create a platform that combats antisemitism by spreading love and light.” 

The Artists Against Antisemitism is a 501(c)(3) founded by a group of authors in the aftermath of October 7th, to raise awareness of antisemitism in the arts, promote education about Jewish history and culture, celebrate Jewish artists, and unite the artistic community to build a kinder, brighter, more understanding future. 

As you may recall, I’m currently serving on the board of this organization, and I’ve offered up a couple of items for bidding myself. (One of them may be of particular interest to many of you reading this. Here’s a hint: It may really appeal if you happen to be among those who have inquired about advertising opportunities in this historically ad-free space.)

Please remember that you do not need to be Jewish (or, for that matter, an artist) to engage with or otherwise support The Artists Against Antisemitism. As the organization’s FAQ has emphasized:

Our extended community is for everyone: artists, creators, curators, and supporters from all disciplines—Jewish and non-Jewish, around the world. Anyone who wants to help stop the rise in hate crimes, prevent antisemitic acts, stand with the Jewish people through this wave of hatred, and strive to create a world where creativity flourishes free from discrimination is welcome to join our efforts and programs.

And that means that everyone is welcome to bid on auction items, too! ;-))

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back with the December newsletter before you know it!

Erika

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, Instagram, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

When people ask me what I’m writing these days, I joke (wryly) that I seem to be creating quite a corpus of work in a new genre: the compilation.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter since Hamas unleashed incalculable devastation on so many people—including its own—last October, you may have already caught two examples that I’ve shared in this space: “After October 7: Readings, Recordings, and More” and “Writers, Beware.” From the beginning, these were public, forward-facing creations. And they’ve remained dynamic, as I continue to update them.1

At this point, however, I seem to be producing a second sort of compilation. This “sub-genre” is grounded in writing-work that I’ve been doing more privately (in some instances, for years). But over the past few weeks, circumstances have motivated me to “go public” with this work, too.

Curious? Consult these examples:

• “On #AWP25, Zionism, and Israel”

• “On What Poets & Writers Erases—and What It Amplifies”

I suspect that many of you may be tired of my sharing these sorts of links and materials. I am tired of sharing them, too. I am equally tired of needing to create them in the first place, of being compelled to pay what one of my Jewish-writer friends aptly calls a “tax” levied on us by some of the most prominent organizations, outlets, and others within our very own literary communities.

But so long as what one columnist this week called the “literary intifada” continues, I believe that I have no choice.

Of course, the people who are most exhausted are those on the ground—those who most directly suffer the pain, trauma, loss, and grief inflicted by ongoing war. Not a day passes when I do not think of the hostages—representing multiple nationalities and faith traditions—who were kidnapped from Israel last October 7 and who remain captive in Gaza. Not a day goes by when I am not reminded, through a variety of sources and voices, of the terrible casualty counts that continue to climb, across borders.

I would prefer to focus more on ways to offer tangible, practical help—not to mention on other causes that matter to me. (For instance, we do have a pretty big election coming up right here in the United States in a few days; in past years, I’ve engaged far more intensively in get-out-the-vote and related efforts than I’ve been able to manage this time.) I’d also prefer to be immersed in very different writing projects of my own.

But as wrote just today, responding eloquently to perhaps the most recent attention-grabbing, counter-productive salvo2 launched from the literary world, although “it might seem petty to spend time and energy” on such goings-on given the stark geopolitical realities, “it’s imperative that we call [the aforementioned toxic project] for what it is: the latest in a series of coordinated attempts to silence and scapegoat Jewish authors from around the world and demolish any hope for nuance, for discussion—and for coexistence.”

So for now, here I am, (still) fighting back against what often seem to be never-ending actions (and in some cases, non-actions) of others, using the skills I’ve acquired over my years as a writer. I’m grateful to each and every one of you who has stood beside me, publicly or otherwise. Thank you.

With best wishes, and ongoing hopes for better times, everywhere,
ERIKA

P.S. I am also 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 Connie Corzilius:

Grateful and happy to report that my story “An Out” has been published in Jewish Fiction, which I heard about from your list of opportunities. Thanks so much!

From Pearl Saban:

Thank you for posting on My Machberet [news about] the platform/Substack for essays. I wrote one last Monday, submitted it that afternoon, and it was published on the Thursday of that same week.

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: THE ARTISTS AGAINST ANTISEMITISM’S “RESOURCES” PAGE

As you may recall, I’m currently serving on the board of The Artists Against Antisemitism (TAAA). And this month, I’d like to point everyone to TAAA’s “Resources” page: www.theartistsagainstantisemitism.com/resources.

Notable on this page is a downloadable guide for independent bookstores that, as mentioned in this recent article, was produced in partnership with the Jewish Book Council.

And while I’m on the subject: Please mark your calendars for TAAA’s second annual auction, which is scheduled to launch Wednesday, November 13.

Per TAAA’s Auction page, this year’s auction proceeds:

will fund facilitator training at Project Shema, and we’ll be working with them to provide antisemitism awareness sessions, workshops and one-on-one coaching for those in the arts. A portion of proceeds will also go toward our own future initiatives, including providing marketing and publicity support to Jewish artists, scholarships for Jewish artists to attend industry conferences and events, and more.

Lots of details about the amazing items, services, and experiences on offer will be announced in due course on TAAA’s site/social media channels. (And just maybe…via this newsletter? Please vote!)

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• GULLIVER TRAVEL GRANT
  Applications: November 1-30. From the Speculative Literature Foundation. Since 2004, the Gulliver Travel Grant ($1,000) “has been awarded annually to assist writers of speculative literature in their non-academic research. These funds are used to cover airfare, lodging, and other travel expenses. Travel may be domestic or international. You may apply for travel to take place at any point in the following year.”

• MONIACK MHOR EMERGING WRITER AWARD
  Entries: November 1-30. For “unpublished prose writers (fiction) living in the UK with a collection of short stories or novel in development. Writers can be writing for any age group (including children and young adults) and may have had excerpts or articles published in the past, but have not yet published any major body of work. We would particularly encourage applications from those who experience barriers to the writing process.” Confers “a tailor-made package worth up to £2,000 including tuition via open courses, retreat time and/or mentoring at Moniack Mhor.”  

• TOI DERRICOTTE & CORNELIUS EADY CHAPBOOK PRIZE
  Deadline: November 6. Named after Cave Canem co-founders Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady, this competition “spotlights chapbook-length manuscripts.” Winner receives “$1,000; publication of their manuscript through O, Miami Books; 10 copies of the chapbook; a residency at The Writer’s Room at The Betsy Hotel-South Beach; and a featured reading at the O, Miami Festival in April.” NB: This opportunity is for Black poets (“Cave Canem defines Black poets as any poet who identifies as a member of the African Diaspora.”)

• HUGO BURGE FOUNDATION WINTER WRITING RETREAT RESIDENCY
  Deadline: November 9 (per mention on this page). This U.K.-based program “offers a unique opportunity for writers of all genres to focus, reflect, and create in a serene, rural setting. The successful applicant will have warm accommodation on-site, studio space in our Tower Studio for uninterrupted time to write, and a weekly stipend of £350. There are no expectations about what you will use the residency for but we would expect the selected artist to conduct at least one public event such as a creative workshop (for adult participants), a talk, demonstration, performance or educational activity. You will be able to spend time with other visual artists and makers on site, along with another visiting artist also on residency. Our Creative Director, Dr James Fox will provide mentorship during your stay. The residency will take place 6th January to 29th January, 2025.”

• GAIUS CHARLES BOLIN DISSERTATION AND POST-MFA FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: November 15. These fellowships at Williams College “promote diversity on college faculties by encouraging graduate students from underrepresented groups to complete a terminal graduate degree and pursue careers in college teaching.” They offer “two-year residencies at Williams. Two scholars or artists are appointed each year. Fellows devote the bulk of the first year to the completion of dissertation work—or in the case of MFA applicants, building their professional portfolios—while also teaching one course as a faculty member in one of the College’s academic departments or programs. The second year of residency (ideally with degree in hand) is spent on academic career development while again teaching just one course.” NB: “Ph.D. candidates must have completed all doctoral work except the dissertation by the end of the current academic year. MFA candidates must be recent recipients of the degree; only those with degrees granted in 2024, or to be granted in 2025, are eligible to apply.” Fellowships confer an annual stipend of $57,000. “The College will also provide health and dental benefits, relocation and housing assistance, academic support including office space and a computer, and an annual allowance of $4,000 for research-related expenses.” Check detailed eligibility guidelines and note that the application asks post-MFA applicants for “2-3 short stories, 10-15 poems, or novel passages not to exceed 50 pages,” which (to me) suggests a focus on candidates who specialize in fiction or poetry.

• BROOKLYN NON-FICTION PRIZE
  Deadline: November 15. From the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival. Cash award of $500, will be awarded “to the best Brooklyn- focused non-fiction essay which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. We are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages (minimum age 18 years old) who can render Brooklyn’s rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer’s actual experiences in Brooklyn. From the collection of selected Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize submissions, several authors will be selected to read from their work and discuss their Brooklyn stories with the audience at our annual finale event. The exact date/time and venue will be announced later. These stories and several other submitted stories will be published on the Brooklyn Film and Arts Festival website and made available to the public.”

• ANN PLATO FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: “Review of applications begins November 15th, and will continue until the position is filled.” This is a “two-year post-doctoral/post-MFA fellowship to promote diversity” at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Confers “$55,000, plus health benefits, office space, computer, conference travel expenses, and assistance in finding housing near campus.” Eligibility: “Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who will contribute to enhancing diversity at Trinity College by representing ethnically and racially diverse populations, and/or whose teaching and research focuses on issues related to diversity. Applicants should have no more than five years of teaching or relevant experience subsequent to earning their doctorate/MFA.”

• “MISS SARAH” FELLOWSHIP FOR BLACK WOMEN WRITERS
  Deadline: November 15. From Trillium Arts. Provides “a ten-day solo residency in July 2025”; the selected writer “can choose whether to stay at Trillium Arts’ rural ‘Firefly Creek’ apartment in Mars Hills, NC or at E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen Lewis’ “Montford Manor” residence near downtown Asheville, NC. Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend and transportation to and from Asheville, NC. Additional benefits will be custom tailored to the needs of the awardee.” NB: “For 2025 the Fellowship will focus on the genre of Poetry.”

• WEIRD LITTLE GUYS FLASH POETRY AND PROSE CONTEST
  Deadline: November 15. From Memezine. First entry is free (subsequent entries require a fee). “The contest is named ‘weird little guys’ because we want it short and weird (it doesn’t have to be about some guy). ‘Weird’ means different things to different folks, so don’t overthink it. Send us your weird.” The $100 prize amount will be divided as described on the guidelines page. (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• HAZEL ROWLEY LITERARY FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: November 16. For Australian writers working on biography projects, this fellowship commemorates the work of Hazel Rowley (1951–2011) and is open to Australian citizens and permanent residents. “Up to $20,000 is awarded for travel and research to further a writing proposal or work in progress. It may not be used to pay for a research assistant or to subsidise a publication. The focus is on biography (including memoir), but extends to an aspect of cultural or social history compatible with Hazel’s interest areas. Preference is given to projects that are about ‘risk-taking’ and expanding horizons, promote discussion of ideas, and make a significant contribution to public intellectual life.”

• HAPPIFUL POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: November 18. Annual poetry competition, limited to entrants based in the UK or Northern Ireland, celebrates “the best of mental health writing.” Prizes: “The winner will receive £100, and four shortlisted poets will receive a £25 National Book Token. All five poems will be published in issue 96 of Happiful.” (Hat tip: .)

• EMORY UNIVERSITY POETRY FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: November 25. “Two-year fellowship in poetry in lively undergraduate English/Creative Writing Program, beginning Fall 2025. A two-year commitment is assumed but the contract renewal for the second year is contingent on a positive review of the first year. Load 1-2, all workshops; $50,000 salary, and health benefits. No moving expenses provided. Fellow will give a public reading and have access to the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library, a 75,000-volume rare and modern poetry library housed at Emory.” Required: “MFA or PhD in the last five years or complete by Spring 2025, with undergraduate Creative Writing teaching experience. ABD not acceptable.” Listed as “desirable”: record of periodical publications and secondary interests such as creative nonfiction and working in archives. Applicants should have no first book yet in print (chapbooks excluded).” 

• JEWISH CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS
  Deadline: November 29. From Green Bean Books and the Jewish Literary Foundation. “The awards aim to discover and celebrate inspiring new stories for young children based on Jewish history, values and tradition. As in previous years, there will be one prize for story and one for illustration. The winner of each category will receive £1,000 and all entries will be considered for publication by Green Bean Books....The Jewish Children’s Book Awards for story and illustration are aimed at talented book authors and illustrators living in the UK and Europe.” NB: “If you have been displaced from your country within the last three years then please contact us directly to see if your submission can be accepted.” Additional guidelines/criteria as listed.

• DIANN BLAKELY NATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION
  Deadline: November 30. Administered by the University of Georgia, this competition “runs every year in the fall. The competition is judged by that year’s Diann Blakely Visiting Poet. The winner of the contest will receive $500 and 25 broadsides of their poem, which will also be archived on this website.” No simultaneous submissions. “An entry is one poem, 50 lines or fewer, and each author may only submit once in a given year.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• JEWISH BOOK MARKETING GRANTS
  Deadline: November 30. Administered by the Jewish Book Council, this new ini­tia­tive offers grants ($18,000-$36,000) “for pre-con­tract book projects that will con­tribute or enhance the con­ver­sa­tion around Jew­ish iden­ti­ty, his­to­ry, cul­ture and tra­di­tion, or schol­ar­ship. Eli­gi­ble books may be fic­tion or non­fic­tion, for chil­dren or adults. All books must either be agent­ed and pre-con­tract or under pre-con­tract peer review. These grants are meant to assist books as they begin the jour­ney toward the mar­ket­place, giv­ing authors and pub­lish­ers extra flex­i­bil­i­ty and sup­port to prop­er­ly mar­ket the book to read­ers. While the grants will be deter­mined at pre-pub­li­ca­tion stages, they are des­ig­nat­ed for use in the mar­ket­ing and pro­mo­tion of the book to read­ers around the time of publication” and “will be issued direct­ly to the author with­in 6 months pri­or to publication.”

• J.F. POWERS PRIZE FOR SHORT FICTION
  Deadline: November 30. From Dappled Things, “the hub of the new renaissance in Catholic art and literature.” “‘One foot in this world and one in the next’: that’s how J.F. Powers described the Midwestern priests he wrote about in his fiction. Having one foot in another world can be awkward, and Powers’ characters are known not for their graceful mysticism, but for the humiliating and mordantly entertaining stumbles they make while trying to live their faith. We’re looking for carefully crafted short stories with vivid characters who encounter grace in everyday settings—we want to see who, in the age we live in, might have one foot in this world and one in the next.” Confers $700 for first place and $300 for second place (and publication); up to 8 honorable mentions will receive publication in the journal and a one-year subscription.

• QUEEN’S KNICKERS AWARD
  Deadline: November 30. From the Society of Authors. “This annual prize, generously funded by Nicholas Allan, author of The Queen’s Knickers, is awarded to an outstanding children’s original illustrated book for ages 0-7. It will recognise books that strike a quirky, new note and grab the attention of a child, whether this be in the form of curiosity, amusement, horror or excitement. The winner will receive £5,000, as well as a golden Queen’s Knickers badge, as depicted in Nicholas Allan’s original book. The runner-up will receive £1,000 and a silvered badge.” The guidelines/eligibility criteria discuss division of the award between a winning author and illustrator. Note that works “must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024” and that submissions must be made by the book’s “print publisher,” who “can submit no more than THREE titles per imprint.”

• BETTY TRASK PRIZE
  Deadline: November 30. From the Society of Authors. “Betty Trask left a bequest to the Society of Authors in 1983 to fund prizes for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 in a traditional or romantic style. Each year a single prize winner receives £10,000 and the remaining fund is split between the shortlist.” Among eligibility criteria: “The author must be resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the Commonwealth for three years prior to the date of submission for the award, or a British national, and writing in English.” The work submitted may be published (between 1 December 2023 and 30 November 2024) or unpublished (and not previously submitted for this prize).

• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS RILKE PRIZE
  Deadline: November 30. This $10,000 prize recognizes “a collection that demonstrates exceptional artistry and vision written by a mid-career poet and published in the preceding year. The prize is named after the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), a writer whose work embodies the qualities of ambition, intellectual and imaginative scope, and technical mastery we seek to recognize.” Check eligibility specifics on the website.

• ANNMARIE SCULPTURE GARDEN AND ARTS CENTER MLK WINTER RESIDENCY
  Deadline: December 1. Location: Solomons, Maryland. “Annmarie’s residency program provides a an opportunity for visual, musical, and literary artists to design and produce a community arts project. The community art project should be adaptable for all ages and skill levels, and should be inspired by a.) your artwork and processes, and b.) the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” NB: “The project coincides with our annual MLK Days program, January 18-20, 2025….Artist must be willing to engage with visitors during all three days of the program, January 18-20, 2025. Residency length: minimum 3 days, up to 1 week.” Residency award includes “a modest stipend or honorarium -- typically $500-$1000 for the residency, depending on project and length of residency,” “a modest project budget, typically not to exceed $500,” housing (optional), and more.

• ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES JEWISH FICTION AWARD
  Deadline: December 1. “All works of fiction with significant Jewish thematic content written in or translated into English which are published and available for purchase in the United States during 2024 are eligible for the 2025 award. Jewish thematic content means an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc.” The award confers a $1,000 cash prize.

• CHARLOTTE AND WILBUR AWARD FOR COMPASSION FOR ANIMALS
  Deadline: December 1. Administered by the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), this award recognizes “one winning book and one honor book for their dedication to promoting compassion and respect for animals in their readers. The winning book will receive a prize of $2,500 and the honor book will receive $1,000. If the winning or honor book is a picture book, the prize will be split between the author and illustrator. The award also includes the production and distribution of a video author talk for the winning creators, which will be widely distributed in the United States and globally. Authors and illustrators must submit their own books for consideration.” NB: “Submissions must be a picture book, chapter book, or middle-grade book (or graphic novel) traditionally or self- published in 2024. Books in translation are welcome. The book can be either fiction or nonfiction.”

• EZRA JACK KEATS AWARD
  Deadline: December 1. Given annually “to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation in partnership with the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM),” this award recognizes “picture books created in the tradition of” Ezra Jack Keats (EJK). “The EJK Award ceremony is held in early April during the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival at The University of Southern Mississippi. To receive the award, the winners must attend this ceremony. The publishers are responsible for making arrangements for winning authors and illustrators to be at the Award ceremony. At the ceremony, the winning author and illustrator will each receive a monetary award of $5,000 and the EJK medallion suspended in lucite and inscribed with the recipient’s name, the name of their book, and the year it was published. Honor book winners will receive a monetary award of $2,000 and a class plaque inscribed with the recipient’s name, the name of their book, and the year it was published. Honor winner attendance is not mandatory, but encouraged. Publishers are responsible for making travel arrangements.” Publishers must enter the books; check the guidelines for essential criteria and other information.

• DAVID S. LANGUM, SR. PRIZE IN AMERICAN LEGAL HISTORY OF BIOGRAPHY
  Deadline: December 1. “This $1,000 prize is made annually to the best book in American legal history or biography that is accessible to the educated general public, rooted in sound scholarship, and with themes that touch upon matters of general concern to the American public, past or present.” Publishers must submit entries.

• SCHOMBURG CENTER SCHOLARS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM
  Deadline: December 1. This program at the New York Public Library “offers both long-term and short-term fellowships designed to support and encourage top-quality research and writing on the history, politics, literature, and culture of the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora, as well as to promote and facilitate interdisciplinary exchange among scholars and writers in residence at the Schomburg Center.” Long-term fellowships “provide a $35,000 stipend to support postdoctoral scholars and independent researchers who work in residence at the Center for a continuous period of six months”; short-term fellowships, “for a continuous period of one to three months,” confer stipends of $3000 per month to support “postdoctoral scholars, independent researchers, and creative writers.”

• SILLERMAN FIRST BOOK PRIZE FOR AFRICAN POETRY
  Deadline: December 1. Awarded annually “to an African poet who has not yet published a collection of poetry. The winner receives USD $1000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal.” NB: “An ‘African writer’ is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African.” Also: “Only poetry submissions in English can be considered. Work translated from another language to English is accepted, but a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator.”

• WEIRD CHRISTMAS FLASH FICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: December 1. “This is a contest for flash fiction of no more than 350 words that’s both about Christmas (or any other winter holiday) and simultaneously weird. Exactly what that means is, of course, up to you because you’re the one with literary pretensions and a damaged psyche. All you have to do is make something about the Christmas season seem new and unsettling with a bit of that grinning like you’re not sure if it’s funny or creepy, and you make your fellow co-conspirators in this hell of existence a bit more bearable.” Check the guidelines for the prompts (which serve as categories). Awards $50 to each category winner; $35 for runners-up.

• TICKNER WRITING FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: December 2. The Baltimore-based Gilman School, “an independent boys’ school, announces its search to award the 27th Tickner Writing Fellowship to an emerging poet, playwright, or writer of fiction or creative nonfiction. The Tickner Fellowship is a two year position. Responsibilities include teaching one senior elective in creative writing each semester, organizing a series of readings, advising the literary magazine, and working with the Lower and Middle Schools on select writing projects. The Tickner Fellow teaches every other day, affording time for independent writing projects. Salary: $40,000 per year (with adjustment for 2024 inflation), plus full benefits package.”

• J. ANTHONY LUKAS WORK-IN-PROGRESS AWARDS
  Deadline: December 5. Two awards, each in the amount of $25,000, “are given annually to aid in the completion of a significant work of nonfiction on a topic of American political or social concern. Recognizing that a nonfiction book based on extensive original research often overtaxes the resources available to its author, the project envisions the award as a way of closing the gap between the time and money an author has and the time and money that finishing a book requires. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book.”

REMINDER: Multiple opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into the new month. And don’t skip over the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• According to its Submittable page, CUTLEAF will open for poetry submissions November 1. (And their nonfiction window, which opened earlier, will close November 30.)

• THE MARROW, which welcomes “poetry submissions written in—or translated into—English, from Australian and international poets, whether established, emerging or somewhere in between,” is scheduled to be open for submissions during the month of November.

• , which seeks “original works of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction that engage in a significant way with the long history of fairy tales,” is scheduled to re-open November 1, and will remain open until “midnight AEST on 14 November).” No simultaneous submissions, per the guidelines. (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• The annual submissions window for the ZERO STREET FICTION series at the University of Nebraska Press will open November 1. This series features “literary fiction with commercial potential, providing marginalized authors opportunities for a wide readership in the trade fiction market….The series seeks LGBTQ+ literary fiction of all kinds, from stories of modern life to innovations on traditions of genre and are particularly interested in BIPOC authors, trans authors, and queer authors over 50.”

• For an upcoming issue focused on debut fiction, ASTER(IX) will be open for submissions until November 6. Note that this is “a transnational feminist literary arts journal committed to social justice and translation, placing people of color at the center of the conversation”; for this issue, they’re seeking “short stories by writers who have not yet published any fiction in a literary journal” and “self-contained novel chapters of an unpublished debut novel (excerpts of forthcoming debut novels under contract will be considered).” Cleyvis Natera will guest-edit this issue.

• From Katherine LaGrave, who edits features for AFAR, as posted on Twitter: “I’m looking for pitches on quiet travel—think unplugging, recharging, and resetting. Please send any pitches by November 13. It’s unlikely I will be able to respond to everyone who sends me a note, but thank you in advance for your ideas.” Follow the pitch guidelines on Afar’s site. (Hat tip: Freelance Opportunities!)

• EMERGE LITERARY JOURNAL, “a journal of growth, change & experimentation,” is open for submissions until November 15. They consider flash prose (fiction and nonfiction) as well as poetry; they also consider work related to mental illness specifically for their “Esperanza Corner” in keeping with their belief “that #mentalillnessawareness and #endingthestigma are of paramount importance.”

• NONLINEAR LOVE “is a project that shares and interrogates love stories that don’t follow the traditional ‘linear’ course in a non-judgmental format. We seek to counter the prescriptive ‘self-help’ information on social media. We listen to and share unconventional love stories: hot romances, bad breakups, divorces, and more. Think of NYT’s ‘Tiny Love Stories’ meets advice column meets podcast. NLL is co-founded by a New York City divorce lawyer (Alan Feigenbaum, or Al) and relationships writer and media entrepreneur (Ariella Steinhorn, or Ari). We are looking to publish first-person essays about ‘nonlinear love’ on our site–divorces and remarriages; dating horrors or delights; lovers who cropped back up years later; or even an unexpected thing you learned from your partner within a traditional marriage or relationship structure. 800-1,000 words; we will pay $150 per essay. Please submit to ariella@superposition-stories.com. The deadline to submit is November 15, 2024.” (Hat tip: , where I discovered what appears to be a sponsored announcement including the above text.)

• For an anthology titled UNRÉAL, Canadian publisher AE is “looking for stories and poems in FRENCH or ENGLISH with fantastical or speculative elements set on the island of Montréal. Submissions may be science fiction, fantasy, horror or any adjacent genre. They may be set in the distant past, the distant future, or any time in between. They may feature Montréal as we know it today or an alternate Montréal that has never been. The island or city of Montréal must, however, be an essential element of the story. We want tales that wouldn’t make sense if they were transplanted to New York or Hong Kong or Copenhagen.” NB: “This call is open to published and unpublished authors of any nationality and from any community. We are particularly eager, however, to see work from Canadian writers (citizens or residents) and Indigenous writers.” Deadline: November 15. (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• ISLANDIA’s current call for art, prose, and poetry remains open until November 18: “Forty years ago, the pilot episode of Miami Vice aired for the first time. Beginning in 1980 -- after the Mariel Boatlift, Arthur McDuffie trial, and against the ongoing cocaine wars -- Miami became a place of international intrigue. In 1984, when Miami Vice became the most popular show in the world, it cemented our city's status as a global metropolis which would not be ignored. In this spirit, we seek work inspired by Miami Vice.” (Hat tip:

• VARIANT LITERATURE is scheduled to open November 24 (and remain open until the end of December) for submissions for its March 2025 issue.

• November 29 is the deadline for submissions at WINNOW LITERARY, “an interdisciplinary journal of poetry and occupation housed within the occupational therapy program (School of Education) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Occupations are ‘everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life. Occupations include things people need to, want to and are expected to do,’ (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 2024). As defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), occupations ‘are the activities that people do every day to give their life meaning and purpose. Occupations can be done alone or with family members and friends. Occupations can be done at home, at work or school, and in the community,’ (AOTA, 2020). We seek poetry submissions that reflect the full range of the human experience with occupation across the lifespan. We seek poetry that honors meaning in the daily ordinary; the complexity of the quote-unquote ‘simplest’ tasks; the intersection of environments in which we live, learn, work, and play with our own needs, values and roles as individuals, groups, and global societies. We invite submissions from all writers, new, emerging, or established. Occupational therapy practitioners, occupational therapy faculty, and OT/OTA students are encouraged to submit, as well as past, present, or future clients, patients, or consumers of occupational therapy services. Interprofessional health care providers, transdisciplinary collaborators, and writers-at-large are also highly encouraged to submit.” (Hat tip: .)

• THE BALTIMORE REVIEW remains open for submissions until November 30.

• BLACK FOX LITERARY MAGAZINE also remains open until November 30.

• THE FIDDLEHEAD, based in Canada, is similarly open until November 30. They’re seeking “good writing in English or translations into English from all over the world and in a variety of styles, including experimental genres. Our editors are always happy to see new unsolicited works in fiction, including excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, and poetry. We also publish reviews, and occasionally other selected creative work such as excerpts from plays.”

• POET LORE is also open until November 30.

• At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “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 December 1-4 (for the January 2025 issue), they seek work as follows: “The holidays are over, and it's time to get back on the straight and narrow. Easier said than done, though. This month, we want stories about overindulgence. Opulence. Living beyond your means. Whether that’s money, drugs, generosity, or viciousness, we want stories about people who overdo it, and what happens when they realize they’re in a hole they can’t hope to fill.”

• WRITER’S DIGEST has posted its editorial calendar for 2025: “We urge writers to get creative in their interpretations of our 2025 issue themes. We offer a brief description of how we interpret them, but look forward to ideas we weren’t necessarily expecting.” (Full guidelines/pay rates are posted elsewhere on the site.)

• From REMOTE WRITING JOBS WITH MELISSA TRIPP: “I’m excited to announce that I’ve expanded the Remote Writing Jobs directory to include guest writers through my very own publication right here on Patreon to empower my audience, amplify underrepresented voices, and establish credibility by paying writers myself. I’m looking for real stories from working writers, particularly personal essays between 500-800 words that are brilliantly written and shed light on the world of writing for a living. (It can be anything as it relates to your experience as a working writer.)” Pitches accepted on an ongoing basis. (Hat tip: .)

• A reminder from PALETTE POETRY: “Submissions for our Featured Poetry category are open year-round to poets at any stage of their careers. Featured poems are published online only and will spotlight a number of poems from new authors each month. We highly encourage emerging authors to submit.”

• Reminder: 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.” (NB: In case you’ve caught this bankruptcy-related news, the anthology website states: “Our book business is not part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. While that business works on sorting out its financial challenges, we continue to publish our books as usual and we look forward to reading your submissions and considering them for our upcoming titles!”)

• 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: 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.

REMEMBER: Some venues listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for submissions, too. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!

6. BLOG NOTES

The newsletter is published just once each month, but there’s always something new on the Practicing Writing blog:

• (Monday) Markets and Jobs for Writers (including fee-free/paying opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletter)

• (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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

I want to keep these prefatory comments brief, in part because, once again, there’s a lot to get to in this issue. (For starters, just look at all of those success stories in the next section!)

And frankly, I’ll be brief because the imminent one-year mark of Hamas’s attacks on Israel beginning the morning of October 7, 2023—combined with the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which are also coming up on the calendar very soon—leaves me feeling somewhat…quiet.

And yet, as expressed in my latest published piece, a found poem that was featured recently on the Jewish Book Council’s website, “Words Are All That I Have.”

Over the past year, I’ve found comfort and community in a number of places where words matter, including within a new nonprofit organization, The Artists Against Antisemitism (TAAA). In fact, I’m now serving on TAAA’s board. I invite you all to learn more about TAAA through our newly re-launched website. (Per the FAQ: “Our extended community is for everyone: artists, creators, curators, and supporters from all disciplines—Jewish and non-Jewish, around the world.”)1

I’m hoping, and praying, for a much better, more peaceful year to come, for everyone.

With all best wishes for all of you and your writing practices,
ERIKA

P.S. 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 Nechama Birnbaum:

Erika, you posted an opportunity to apply for the PJ Library-Highlights Foundation Picture-Book Summer Camp. Not thinking I would get in, I sent in my work. To my surprise, I got the scholarship. I just came back from an incredible, magical, four- day writing retreat. I met my community and learned so much. I would have not known about it if not for you, so THANK YOU!

From Hope Jordan:

Erika, thanks so much for all you do. I am thrilled to share that in the past few months, I’ve published poetry in trampset and Cutleaf and have a short story forthcoming in Orca — all markets found via your newsletter! Keep up the great work.

From :

Erika, because of you, I found “Photo Finish” from Iron Horse Literary Review and have been chosen for publication. Thank you so much for your newsletter. (ED note: Expect this year’s “Photo Finish” to be available at the end of December.)

From :

For 20 years I’ve been writing poems, stories, and memoirs and then putting them aside. During a minor home renovation I kept finding piles of them in the weirdest places! If it were not for your information about Jewish publications [“Rachmones on the Job”] would not have been submitted [to ]. So thank you again for your hard work.

From Connie Corzilius:

Grateful and happy to report that my story “An Out” has been published in Jewish Fiction, which I heard about from your list of opportunities. Thanks so much!

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 RESOURCES

With the aforementioned one-year mark coming up, I am going to re-up two documents that I began curating shortly in the weeks following October 7.

• “After October 7: Readings, Recordings, and More”

• “Writers, Beware”

Among the many items included in the former document is ’s , which also dates back to last fall.

Given recent/ongoing developments, I’m going to highlight here a specific (and very recent) post from this diary, an “explainer on the campaign in Lebanon, on a possible ceasefire and on what the future may bring.”

The post was published last Friday. Obviously, the situation has not remained frozen since then. But what’s written in that post still warrants attention.2

Again, may the day come soon when there is no longer a need for any of us to be writing about any of this.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• FURIOUS GAZELLE HALLOWEEN WRITING CONTEST
  Deadline: October 6. For “Halloween-themed poetry, fiction, short plays, and creative non-fiction.” Prizes: “The first-place winner will receive $50. Runners-up will receive publication and a $5 honorarium.” Note: “We’ll consider previously published work as long as you retain publication rights, but please include a note about publication history.”

• NEIL PEIRCE FOUNDATION JOURNALISM TRAVEL GRANTS
  Deadline: October 7. “We support journalists in covering under-told stories about ways to make cities and their metro regions work better for all their people. Our travel grants of up to $1,500 enable journalists to travel to cities within the U.S. to produce one or more stories for publication. The awards, selected through a competitive review process, cover travel expenses necessary for on-the-ground reporting….We invite full-time freelancers as well as journalists currently employed by a news organization to apply.”

• ADINA TALVE-GOODMAN FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: October 9. “Honoring the memory of author and former One Story Managing Editor Adina Talve-Goodman, this educational fellowship offers a year-long mentorship on the craft of fiction writing with One Story magazine. Our hope is to give a writer outside of the fold a significant boost in their career.” Fellowship package includes a stipend ($2,000) and free admission to One Story’s week-long summer writers’ conference, which includes craft lectures, an intensive fiction workshop, and panels with literary agents and publishers; a full manuscript review and consultation with One Story Executive Editor Hannah Tinti (story collection or novel in progress up to 150 pages/35,000 words); other benefits. Eligibility: “This fellowship calls for an early-career writer of fiction who has not yet published a book and is not currently nor has ever been enrolled in an advanced degree program (such as an MA or MFA) in Creative Writing, English, or Literature, and has no plans to attend one in the 2025 calendar year. We are seeking writers whose work speaks to issues and experiences related to inhabiting bodies of difference.”

• GREEN BOX ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
  Deadline: October 11. This residency program in Colorado “offers artists of national and international stature, from diverse disciplines, and at any stage in their career the opportunity to create new works while living in and engaging with the community of Green Mountain Falls.” 2025 residency opportunities for writers include an “Open Project” program and a special Arts Journalism program. “Artists should note that a vehicle is necessary for living in Green Mountain Falls; they may choose to rent or bring their own. Private housing will be provided at The Shed, Green Box’s dedicated Artist housing.” Resident artists also receive stipends ($9,000 for an individual residency).

• LATINO VOICES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE WRITING CONTEST
  Deadline: October 14. Sponsored by Con Todo Press and Free Spirit Publishing, “the contest is open to Latino authors who are at least 18 years of age or older and residing anywhere in the United States. The contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Latino people. Every entry is considered for publication and three cash prizes will be awarded.” (Hat tip: Funds for Writers.)

• ART OMI: WRITERS RESIDENCY
  Deadline: October 15. This program “hosts authors and translators from around the world for residencies throughout the spring and fall….Guests may select a residency of one week to two months; about ten writers at a time gather to live and work in a rural setting overlooking the Catskill Mountains.” NB: Residencies are “fully funded with accommodations, food, local transport and public programming provided.” Travel funds are not provided.

• CAVE CANEM RETREAT
  Deadline: October 15. “Cave Canem supports the work of Black poets through a suite of core programs, namely an annual retreat consisting of intensive poetry workshops and readings, hosted at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg. The retreat offers an unparalleled opportunity for Cave Canem Fellows to study with esteemed faculty, and to join an expansive community of peers. Fellows write from a range of poetic traditions: blues; confessional; experimental; dramatic; lyric; narrative; performance; political; etc….Due to our generous community of institutional funders and individual donors, there is no submission fee for the Fellowship application and the retreat is free to all Fellows.” NB: “Applicants must confirm that they will be 21 years or older at the time of the 2025 Cave Canem Retreat, which will take place June 8-15, 2025.”

• CHÂTEAU DE LAVIGNY WRITERS AND LITERARY TRANSLATORS’ RESIDENCIES
  Deadline: October 15. Read materials carefully for this Swiss-based residency program; although all residency categories include lodging in the château, not all confer stipends.

• AMY LOWELL POETRY TRAVELLING SCHOLARSHIP
  Deadline: October 15. “The American poet Amy Lowell died in 1925. Her will established an annual scholarship to support travel abroad for gifted American-born poets.” Note that “the 2025-2026 Scholarship award will be approximately $74,000, adjusted for inflation. If there are two winners, each will receive the full amount.”

• ANISFIELD-WOLF BOOK AWARDS
  Deadline: October 16 (received; hat tip to WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter for making me aware of this year’s deadline, which seems significantly earlier than I remember). For “outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity. Awards are given for fiction, poetry, memoir and autobiography, and general nonfiction.” “Books must be written in English and published and copyrighted in 2024 to be eligible for the 2025 prize.” “Award recipients traditionally receive $10,000 from the Anisfield-Wolf fund. Attendance at the ceremony is a condition of accepting the award.”

• THE AL PURDY A-FRAME RESIDENCY
  Deadline: October 18. Sited at the former residence of Al Purdy and his wife Eurithe, “who had set aside $1,200 from CBC radio plays Al had written in Montreal” to build it. “Writers who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents may apply for a term of two to twelve weeks. The residency will be open to all writers, and the organization is committed to inclusivity and diversity; preference will be given to poetry and poetry projects.” Residency awards confer stipends of $750/week. The current application cycle is for residencies to take place July 2025-June 2026.

• MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: October 23. (Free submissions for the first entry; subsequent entries require a fee.) “This year, the competition will have an ecopoetry and place theme.” Confers cash prizes (£200/£50/£25). NB: “Entrants can be of any or no faith. No previous experience of creative writing or poetry required. All are welcome.”

• EYE CONTACT AWARD IN GENRE FLASH FICTION
  Deadline: October 25. Sponsored by Seton Hill University and its MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. “Eye Contact is a college literary magazine. But don’t let the term ‘literary’ turn you off — we also love to publish genre fiction and poetry! Stories of escape and adventure and love and fear and wonder. The kind of thing you love in Hollywood movies and prime-time TV shows and bestselling books. Only in a short, condensed format, readable in five minutes or less. And we want more of it. Thus, in 2022 we launched the Eye Contact Award in Genre Flash Fiction! Now, every term a new genre will be randomly paired with the magazine’s special theme (if any) for its upcoming issue, and the staff will select the best genre story 1000 words or less in length.” The current theme is “Innocence”; the current genre is “Romance.” Confers cash prize “or gift card equivalent” of $250. “Open to all writers.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• MARFIELD PRIZE
  Deadline: October 27 (received). Administered by the Arts Club of Washington, this $10,000 prize “recognizes the author of an outstanding nonfiction book about the visual, literary, media, or performing arts.” The competition seeks “art history and criticism, biographies and memoirs, and essays.” Book must be a first edition nonfiction title written in English for a general audience by a living author and published first in the United States during the 2024 calendar year.

• THE AUTHORS WITH DISABILITIES AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES (ADCI) LITERARY PRIZE
  Deadline: October 31. From the Society of Authors. This prize “seeks to encourage greater positive representation of disability in literature….Open to authors with a disability and/or chronic illness, the prize will call for entries of novels which include a disabled or chronically ill character or characters. The ADCI Literary Prize has a prize fund of £2,000.” Note that “the author must be a British national OR resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for three years prior to the date of submission for the award, and writing in English” and “submissions must have been published or self-published in the UK between 1 November 2023 and 31 October 2024.”

• ALCS TOM-GALLON TRUST AWARD
  Deadline: October 31. From the Society of Authors. “An annual award for a short story, financed by a bequest made by Miss Nellie Tom-Gallon in memory of her brother and generously supported by ALCS (Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society) and Hawthornden Literary Retreat. The winner will receive £2,000, the runner-up £1,000, and £500 is awarded to each of the shortlist (up to four authors).” Among the entry criteria: Authors “must be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, or the Republic of Ireland” who “have had at least one short story accepted for publication” (although the story submitted for the prize may be published or unpublished).

• EDWARD F. ALBEE FOUNDATION RESIDENCIES
  Deadline: October 31. “While our renovation project is still technically underway (though very nearly complete), we are happy to announce the re-opening of our application process. Month-long residencies [in Montauk, on Long Island in New York] will be available starting in January, 2025 and run through June for our Winter/Spring period. We are accepting applications for that period as of right now! (A second application period for the Summer/Fall period will be made available at a later date.)”

• THE GORDON BOWKER VOLCANO PRIZE FOR FICTION
  Deadline: October 31. From the Society of Authors. “Awarded to a UK or Irish writer, or a writer currently resident in those countries, for a novel focusing on the experience of travel away from home. Inspired by Malcolm Lowry’s novel, Under the Volcano and in celebration of its author, the prize aims to inspire literary excellence and encourage writers to travel and to write from the resulting experience. The winner will receive £2,000 and the runner-up £750.” For books first published in UK or Ireland between 1 November 2023 and 31 October 2024.

• MCKITTERICK PRIZE
  Deadline: October 31. From the Society of Authors. “Given annually to an author over the age of 40 for a first novel, published or unpublished. The prize money is £4,000 for the winner and £2,000 for the runner-up, with each shortlisted author receiving £1,000 (up to four authors).” Among the entry criteria: “The work must either have been first published in the UK between 1 November 2023 and 31 October 2024 (and not first published abroad), or be unpublished.”

• NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY CHILDREN’S HISTORY BOOK PRIZE
  Deadline: October 31. Honors “the best children’s historical literature in the United States and encourages authors to continue to create engaging and challenging narratives that provide a window into the past for middle readers and their families. The winning author is awarded $10,000. The jury comprises librarians, educators, historians, and families with middle-grade readers.”

• QUEER ADVENTURERS LGBTQ WRITING CONTEST
  Deadline: October 31. Annual contest seeks “to inspire others by sharing true stories of LGBTQ adventure travel.” This year, the contest invites stories that explore “Border Crossings”: “Tell us about an international journey that changed your life. Interpret the theme metaphorically and tell us how your gender expression or sexuality transgresses borders. Write about how sexuality and gender identity impact your ability to cross borders freely.” Prizes: Cash prize of $150 ($50 for a runner-up). No cash prize for finalist(s), but their essay(s) will be published. Open to writers worldwide.

• ICELAND WRITERS RETREAT ALUMNI AWARD
  Deadline: November 1. Offers “financial support so that a selection of talented writers with financial needs are able to attend the retreat. For IWR 2025, we have successfully raised funds, thanks to the continued generosity of our donors, to make more scholarships available for qualified applicants.”

• PJ LIBRARY SEPHARDIC STORIES INITIATIVE
  Deadline: November 1. “Part of PJ Library’s mission to represent the diversity of North American Jewish communities through the books we send to families,” and this program “aims to lift the voices of Sephardic emerging writers, with generous support and guidance from the Seattle-based Samis Foundation. This year-long, all-expenses paid fellowship (January – December, 2025) will include monthly virtual workshops with Sephardic experts, established authors, and publishing professionals; individual mentorship; a special in-person writing retreat; and regular editorial feedback. Fellows will delve into the craft of writing children’s books and work with PJ Library publishing experts to develop their own stories, informed by Sephardic/Mizrahi traditions, tales, and/or experiences. Participants will also build a strong support base of authors with similar goals.” Eligibility: “Applicants must have no more than one published children’s book, should identify as Sephardic or Mizrahi, and should be able to articulate a potential children’s book project (picture book or middle grade chapter book/graphic novel) they would like to work on. Fellows can be based anywhere globally, however they must be writing in English.”

• STEVE KEMP WRITER’S RESIDENCY
  Deadline: November 1. “An annual opportunity for one writer working in any medium to spend six weeks in the Smokies and to focus on their craft in a retreat-like setting. The writer will follow in the footsteps of—and actually spend real time with—Steve Kemp in an effort to create written works that move visitors to a greater appreciation of and stewardship for Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” Applications are welcome from writers in any genre “whose work is engaged in issues that are relevant to the park’s main interpretive themes,” which include “Diversity and Abundance,” “Continuum of Human Activity,” and “Refuge of Scenic Beauty.” Award package includes “a modest stipend” among other benefits.

• SHEARING FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: November 1. For writers “who have published at least one book with a trade or literary press.” Fellowship confers $46,500 paid over a nine-month period; space in the Black Mountain Institute offices at the University of Las Vegas; free housing in downtown Las Vegas; and other components as detailed on the website.

• COMMONWEALTH SHORT STORY PRIZE
  Deadline: November 2 (“12pm GMT”). Open to any citizen of a Commonwealth country aged 18 and over, this prize “is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words)….An international judging panel of writers will select a shortlist of around twenty stories, from which five regional winners are chosen. One of the regional winners is then selected as the overall winner, who receives £5,000. The regional winners will receive £2,500. All five regional winning stories will be published on Granta.”

• DISABLED POETS PRIZE
  Deadline: November 4. For “deaf and disabled poets aged 18+ currently living full-time in the UK.” Two categories: “1) Best Single Poem and 2) Best Unpublished Pamphlet.” Prizes: “The Prizes on offer for shortlisted poets in each category include: First place prize of £500, second place prize of £250, third place prize of £100, and three highly commended prizes of £50 each.” Additional prize benefits are detailed on the site.

• FRANKEL INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED JUDAIC STUDIES FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: November 4. Residential fellowship at the University of Michigan. The 2025-26 Frankel Institute fellowship theme is “Jews and Media”; applications “are accepted from both tenured and untenured faculty as well as from recent Ph.D.’s without a tenure-track position and professors emeriti. Where appropriate, applications are accepted from independent artists, documentary film-makers, and writers.” Applicants are encouraged to apply for a full academic year (September-April). “We also offer a limited number of single-term fellowships under special circumstances.” Compensation: “All fellows receive compensation of $62,000 for a full academic year fellowship, or $31,000 for a single term. Additionally, University of Michigan health benefits are available for fellows who carry a 50% or greater appointment for four consecutive months.”

• MASS MoCA RESIDENCY FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: November 8. “The Studios at MASS MoCA will offer multiple full fellowships that do not have geographic or demographic limitations. This means that anyone who wishes to can apply for one of these fellowships, regardless of discipline or location. The fellowship funds all residency fees for up to four weeks in residence.” Note also current opportunities, also closing November 8, for funded residency fellowships for Black or Indigenous Artists & Writers; Massachusetts-based artists (“working in any discipline”); and Puerto Rico Artists (this fellowship confers additional stipends).

• SWANSEA UNIVERSITY DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE
  Deadline: November 8 (received). Awarded for “the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under, the Prize celebrates the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama.” Confers £20,000 (£500 for shortlisted authors). Submissions must be made by publishers.

• SHEDOESTHECITY NEW VOICES FUND
  No deadline indicated. Canada-based SheDoesTheCity “has a legacy of being a platform where many writers got their start.” This fund “has been established to offer opportunities to talented writers who’ve not yet been discovered. If you love to write about the arts and entertainment, or have a compelling personal story to share, you’ve come to the right place.” Check the site for info on the types of stories they’re interested in. “This fund is open to all women, non-binary, and transgender writers, who have less than 20 bylines to their name and are Canadian residents. Writers will receive a $200 honorarium.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

REMINDER: Some opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into the new month. And don’t skip over the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• BELLEVUE LITERARY PRESS, which publishes work “at the intersection of the arts and sciences,” recently opened a submissions window (scheduled to close December 15) for “exceptional narrative nonfiction” proposals. They do not consider “proposals of the following genres: memoir, self-improvement, popular reference, handbooks, cookbooks, plays, or poetry.”

• Similarly, SERVING HOUSE BOOKS opened a submissions window in September (and plans to keep it open through November), for “nonfiction essay collections. International writers of English welcome. Translations also welcome.” 

• Also recently re-opened: THE SUNLIGHT PRESS, which ordinarily welcomes personal essays, fiction, poetry, reviews, “artists on craft” submissions, and photography. NB: They have already reached their caps for both fiction and poetry.

• From October 1-October 5, ECOTONE, “the literary magazine dedicated to reimagining place,” is scheduled to be open for fee-free submissions of flash fiction and nonfiction.

• From October 1-October 15, HUB CITY PUBLISHING, which is interested in “finding and spotlighting extraordinary new and unsung writers from the American South,” will be open for unagented manuscript submissions in nonfiction.

• Opening October 1 (and remaining open until December 15 OR until its cap of 200 submissions is met): BOOK XI, which seeks “philosophically informed creative work.” For this window, the topic is “Experiments with Form.”

• Open for submissions during October: Canada-based BRICK, which “prides itself on publishing the best literary non-fiction in the world.” NB: “We routinely reach our Submittable-imposed cap of free submissions well before the submission period ends.”

• EASTOVER PRESS will open October 1 for book-length nonfiction manuscripts (with a cap of 100 submissions).

• FLASH FICTION ONLINE will be open October 1-October 31, “or until sub cap is reached (subject to change, but it was 250 for literary stories and 450 for speculative fiction genres for our summer reading window).”

• According to its Submittable page, POET LORE will be open for submissions starting October 1.

• This anthology call from FLAME TREE FICTION closes October 13. “In the tradition of Poe’s ‘A Tell-tale Heart’ and Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, This Way Lies Madness (publishing September 2025) will bring together a twisted tangle of dark stories featuring monstrous manifestations of trauma and guilt, paranoia and persecution, anxiety, addiction, and crippling terror. In these pages, readers should expect to find madness in all its forms, without the tired stigmatising tropes. Instead, these tales of deep-rooted terror will draw on metaphor, symbolism, imagery, structural innovation, and close introspection to challenge stigma and promote understanding around mental illness, reflecting broader cultural, generational, and societal impacts with authenticity and insight....Writers are asked to be bold and inventive, to challenge convention, while being sensitive to the stigmatising constructs of mental illness in current society.”

• BELMONT STORY REVIEW, a magazine that “aims to surprise and delight readers through an eclectic mix of storytelling which includes fiction, personal essay, and poetry at the intersection of faith and culture,” is open for submissions until October 15. NB: “For those who cannot receive U.S. checks (i.e. outside of the U.S. or Canada), we can pay in kind with additional copies of the magazine.”

• October 15 is the deadline for submissions at CONSEQUENCE, which publishes work that addresses “the human consequences and realities of war and geopolitical violence through literature and art.”

• Submissions received by October 31 for the BLACK LAWRENCE PRESS Immigrant Writing Series will be considered in the next reading period: “Submissions are accepted year-round. However, selections are made in June and November for a total of two books per year.” The series “aims to provide a clear and consistent home for new Immigrant Writings in the U.S. Book selections will be made by a four-member editorial board composed of writers in the U.S. who are either immigrants or whose works focus on the immigrant experience. Selections will be based on merit with the goal of publishing the best works by immigrants. Poets and authors, at any stage of their careers, who identify as immigrants are welcome to submit a book manuscript of poetry or prose or a hybrid text for consideration.”

• HARBOR REVIEW, which features “poems in conversation with visual art,” similarly remains open until October 31.

• NEW WRITING SCOTLAND, which “publishes works by writers resident in Scotland or Scots by birth, upbringing or inclination,” has also posted an October 31 deadline. “All forms of writing are invited: autobiography and memoirs; creative responses to events and experiences; drama; graphic artwork (monochrome only); poetry; political and cultural commentary and satire; screenplays; short fiction; travel writing or any other creative prose may be submitted.”

• October 31 is the deadline at speculative-writing journal NONBINARY REVIEW, for submissions on the theme “Rituals.” NB: “While there is a published close date for submissions, we have an acceptance cap for each issue, and submissions will be closed once we reach that cap, so don't wait until the last minute.”

• THE /TƐMZ/ REVIEW, a literary journal based in Canada, is also open for submissions of poetry and prose until October 31.

• Also Canada-based, and also posting an October 31 deadline, UPROAR is seeking pieces for their Fall theme: ‘A Moment in Time: An Ekphrastic Challenge.’ For this issue, poets and storytellers will be asked to submit a piece of writing (poem or short story) that centers around an original photograph, either taken by the writer or by someone else, and used with their permission. Writers will submit the photo along with their entry. They can be family photographs or of objects and landscapes as long as it is an original photograph and not taken from online sources.” Reprints considered.

• THE FIRST LINE, featuring “short stories that stem from a common first line,” is open until November 1 for stories that begin with the following line: “The parking lot was empty.” (Per their guidelines “We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we’ve notified you as to our decision (usually four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don’t want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer.”)

• For its next themed issue, IRON HORSE LITERARY REVIEW will be seeking submissions on “Deception.” A fee-free submissions day for this issue is currently scheduled for November 1.

• Until November 1, NINTH LETTER is accepting submissions for a winter online edition on the theme of “de/composition” (detailed on the site; scroll down the page).

• At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “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 November 1-4 (for the December issue), they seek work as follows: “It’s time for Jingle Bell Rock. For December, we want stories about music. Whether it’s musicians in a very tough spot, a record collector who will do anything to get that rare LP, the secrets that lurk in relationships between bandmates, or the traditions and legends of specific musical subcultures, if it’s about music, we want to roll with it.”

• Posted by Phoebe Maltz Bovy on Twitter, on behalf of THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS: That outlet “is taking freelance op-ed/essay submissions, on topics pertaining to (would you believe it) Canadian Jews. Got a pitch for us? Please send it to pbovy at thecjn dot ca . Thank you and merci!” (Per my inquiry elsewhere, this opportunity pays “$200 CAD for an approx 800 word op-ed.”)

• TWENTY-TWO TWENTY-EIGHT “accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, non-fiction essays, visual art, music, and videos.” (Hat tip: Flash Fiction Flash.)

• From the UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA POETRY CENTER: “In anticipation of Voca’s 15th anniversary, we are seeking Voca-centered stories! An online audiovisual archive featuring over 1000 recording of poetry readings over the past 6 decades, Voca documents the work of emerging poets alongside literary luminaries. We’re seeking blog posts specifically tied to the Voca archives—from deep-dives on a single poem to lesson-plans highlighting readings throughout the years. The Poetry Center is also embarking on a new effort called the Belonging Initiative. Pieces exploring the theme of belonging—through the work of archives, through VOCA itself, or through poetry more broadly are welcome!” Per my inquiry on the linked post, there is no pitch deadline at this time.

• WALLSTRAIT, “a literary journal of hard-to-define fiction,” is open for submissions year-round. (Hat tip: .)

• Reminder: Make it a habit to check the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL website, where titles in development are posted. Note: “If this is your first time, please visit our Story Guidelines page.” (NB: In case you’ve caught this bankruptcy-related news, the anthology website states: “Our book business is not part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. While that business works on sorting out its financial challenges, we continue to publish our books as usual and we look forward to reading your submissions and considering them for our upcoming titles!”)

• 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: PARANOID TREE, which welcomes fiction, creative nonfiction, and prose poetry (with a word limit “~400 words”), is always open for submissions.

• 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: 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: 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. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important tip about additional opportunity listings!

6. BLOG NOTES

The newsletter is published just once each month, but there’s always something new on the Practicing Writing blog:

• (Monday) Markets and Jobs for Writers (including fee-free/paying opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletter)

• (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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

As a Gen X-er raised in New York City and nearby New Jersey, I still find it hard to absorb all of the back-to-school photos that begin to flood social media early each August! (From kindergarten through high school, I never returned to the classroom before Labor Day, which, here in the United States, is observed the first Monday in September.)

In any case, summer is most definitely winding down; that typically means that a number of literary journals are re-opening for submissions. I’m glad to be able to share another ample assortment with you, combined with an array of contests and other competitions.

At my own desk, I was (finally!) able in recent days to assemble queries for some work that I’ve wanted to do for a long while. I’ll be happy (delighted, actually) to tell you more if/as things develop. In the meantime, here’s a hint: It’s not without reason that you sometimes find opportunities in the kidlit space included in these newsletters—even if most listings continue to reflect my history and grounding in writing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction for adults.

I’ve also spent time these past few weeks reading books in keeping with August’s designation as Women in Translation Month. Plus, aware of challenges facing many Jewish/Israeli writers these days in getting attention for their books in a decidedly inhospitable literary environment (more about that below), and inspired by ’s example, I’ve recently curate my own Bookshop list for #WITMonth. And I’m pretty proud of it.

Okay. Lots to get to. Onward.

With all best wishes for all of you and your writing practices,
ERIKA

P.S. 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 Steph Ellen Feeney:

A thank-you from me: I heard of litmosphere through your newsletter, and I’m thrilled to say they’ll be publishing three of my poems in their fall issue. Gratitude for all the work you do collating opportunities for all us writers.

From Tamar Gribetz:

I want to thank you for your [resources] listing Jewish publications. I found a home for my short story at Iron Words Israel. So thank you again for all your helpful information and guidance.

From Steve Pollack:

Some months ago your Practicing Writing blog listed a submission call from Mukoli: The Magazine for Peace, a project within the School of Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University. Four of my poems are included in their summer issue. Before your [listing], I had not realized how many of my poems touched on the themes of peace and cultural and historical connections.

Erika, thank you for this wonderful opportunity. I began writing poems following a career in engineering. Poetry is a passion, not my livelihood. This acceptance by Mukoli marks the first time I have been compensated with anything other than books for my poems. It will not pay tuition for grandchildren, but it is a meaningful reward.

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

Even before the incident that earned widespread coverage (including in The New York Times) as it unfolded last week, one could discern signs that the world of independent bookstores was becoming a space evincing the same kinds of bias—and other sorts of professional malpractice—that I’ve addressed in this newsletter in the past.

Which is evidently why, on August 19 (again, before last week’s Brooklyn brouhaha), a petition for “Global Inclusive Representation in Independent Bookstores” was launched on Change.org.1

I hope that you’ll read the text that accompanies the petition—attributed to an organizing team identified only as “Fighting Antisemitism”—to explain it. I hope that, like me, you may even choose to sign it.

But that’s not why I’m writing about it here.

The “resource” component that I wish to highlight is, in fact, embedded. (I’m not going to link directly because, again, I want to impress upon you the importance of reading the full text.) The resource is a spreadsheet with (vetted) crowd-sourced information that both spotlights bookstores that appear to be heeding the petition’s plea and discloses many that evidently are not.

Before amplifying the project, I wanted to learn more about it; a few days ago, I connected with “Fighting Antisemitism” through Change.org’s “Media Request” feature. (Slight digression: I mention this not least for the benefit of any assigning editors whose screens this may cross—you don’t need to hire me to write about this more expansively, although you can certainly reach out if you’re interested in doing so.)

One of the organizers responded to my inquiry via email. I still don’t know the names of the team’s members (more about that in a moment). But I did learn some things about them.

I’ve been told that they are a small group of volunteers. That they are not affiliated with any specific organization, although “in terms of values, we’re mostly left-leaning.” And, yes—I learned that they prefer to remain anonymous: “We know how doxxing and cancel-culture work. As individuals, we don't have means to protect ourselves beyond trying to remain private.” 

At this point I will anticipate protests (especially from those who haven’t taken the time to read through the petition’s accompanying text and the details included within the spreadsheet). So I will say that what I find here is not a boycott or blacklisting project. It is an initiative with a dual purpose: a) to encourage stores that may not be living up to inclusive standards and practices to learn more/do better; and b) to help everyone make their own informed choices as they navigate the literary ecosystem.2

And, again, you can check it all out—and even contribute further information yourself (the organizers are interested in bookstores both within and beyond the United States)—as directed on the petition page.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• IRON HORSE LITERARY REVIEW “LONG STORY” COMPETITION
  Fee-free submissions day: September 1. Each fall, Iron Horse considers “marathon-long submissions…in nonfiction and fiction--prose manuscripts that run between 20 and 40 pages” for this prize, which confers $1,000 prize and publication “e-single, in full-color, available for free download to all readers via ISSUU.” NB: Fee-free submissions will be capped at 25.

• IRON HORSE LITERARY REVIEW “NAPOMO” COMPETITION
  Fee-free submissions day: September 1. “Recently, we’ve rethought the way we manage and release our annual NaPoMo issue. Now, it is published electronically, via ISSUU, which means anyone can download and read it for free, and so our contributors’ works reach a wider audience. We’re also more selective with this issue: instead of 25 poems, we select only the very best 10: one winner and nine finalists--much like our annual PhotoFinish issue. The issue will be released in full color, and each manuscript will have its own artwork.” Also: “While the ten finalists will receive our special NaPoMo honorarium for poems ($100 per poem), the winner will receive $1,000.” NB: Fee-free submissions will be capped at 25.

• SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION WORKING CLASS WRITERS GRANT
  Applications: September 1-30. Awarded annually “to speculative fiction writers who are working class, blue-collar, financially disadvantaged, or homeless, who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction due to financial barriers which make it hard to access the writing world. Such lack of access might include an inability to purchase a computer, books, and tuition, or to attend conventions or workshops. Often, these writers, many of whom work more than one job, have less time to write. The SLF seeks to bring more of these marginalized voices into speculative fiction.” Grant amount: $1,000. Note: “Unlike our other grants, you may choose to receive this grant anonymously or pseudonymously.” Note also that “while we are based in America…this grant is available to international writers.”

• YOUNG LIONS FICTION AWARD
  Deadline: September 6. This $10,000 prize administered by the New York Public Library is awarded “to a writer age 35 or younger for a novel or a collection of short stories.” Eligibility, as noted, is limited to U.S. citizens with books published in 2024. Publisher must submit books.

• GARDEN PARTY COLLECTIVE MENTAL HEALTH POETRY CONTEST
  Submissions: September 8-14 (National Suicide Prevention Week). “We at the GPC were heartbroken to learn the news of Christa Vander Wyst’s passing (Jan. 2024). She was a beautiful light in our group, and to her friends and family, and we're all still processing her loss.  Discussing how we could best honor her, we knew mental health was always an important subject for Christa--she was already planning to host a contest soon through our collective for poets who have struggled / are currently struggling with mental illness. As such, we at the GPC have started a yearly contest in tribute to Christa and her legacy. Furthermore, we will be partnering with Christa's family to pick the 3 winners for this yearly contest.” Per general guidelines: “Each winning poet will have their choice between 1) a $50 payment, or 2) choosing a charity of their choice (either in their community or we can share a small list of reputable choices), which GPC will match for a total donation of $100.”

• CASA UNO RESIDENCY
  Deadline: September 15. “Located in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, the residency takes place on a beautiful property that provides an opportunity for one to four artists simultaneously to have meaningful interactions and stimulating discussions while pursuing their own individual projects in an inspiring natural setting.” Eight residencies will be awarded for 2025. Note that although there’s no fee to apply or to attend, you will need to cover your own transportation.

• HADASSAH-BRANDEIS INSTITUTE RESEARCH AWARDS
  Deadline: September 18. These grants “support research or artistic projects in Jewish women’s and gender studies across a range of disciplines.” Note that “creative arts proposals” must “deal with gender; projects by and about Jewish artists that do not deal with gender, do not meet the criteria.” Awards are “open to applicants regardless of gender or religion” and “applications (in English) from outside the United States are welcome.” Awards “junior grants” up to $2,000 and “senior grants,” up to $5,000, for “established scholars and professionals.”

• THE IGNITE FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: September 18. From Scottish Book Trust to support “established writers who are embarking on or working through a significant project.” Three fellowships are awarded; applicants must be based in Scotland. Fellowship package includes a £2,500 cash award and other benefits.

• MILES MORLAND FOUNDATION WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
  Deadline: September 20 (ED note: confirmed via email when I noticed an earlier deadline listed elsewhere on the site). “It can be difficult for writers, before they become established, to write while simultaneously earning a living. To help meet this need the MMF annually awards a small number of Morland Writing Scholarships, with the aim being to allow each Scholar the time to produce the first draft of a completed book. The Scholarships are open to anyone writing in the English language who was born in Africa, or both of whose parents were born in Africa.”

• MOLLIE SAVAGE MEMORIAL WRITING CONTEST
  Dates: September 20-September 22. From Toasted Cheese. “The autumn edition of the Savage Writing Contest is a SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY contest. It is held annually the weekend closest to September 21….Winning stories are published in the December 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.”

• INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS (IRE) FREELANCE FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: September 23. This program provides up to $4,000 “for non-fiction project proposals which demonstrate impact, breadth and significance. Proposals for books, documentaries, cable series and other long-form projects are eligible. We also accept proposals for shorter term work such as video or audio projects for broadcast or online sites, articles for newspapers, magazines, online sites and niche news publications, among others. Proposals that deal with whistleblowers, business ethics or privacy issues will be given priority. It is intended to support work that will be primarily be published or broadcast in the U.S. and in outlets where the primary audience will be at least a part of the American public.” (Hat tip: .)

• CULLMAN CENTER FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: September 27. From the New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, for “outstanding scholars and writers….Foreign nationals conversant in English are welcome to apply. Candidates for the Fellowship will need to work primarily at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building rather than at other divisions of the Library.” Confers “a stipend of $85,000, the use of an office with a computer, and full access to the Library’s physical and electronic resources.” Fellowship term runs from September through May. 

• WINGATE AWARD FOR UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS (JEWISH SUBJECT)
  Deadline: September 29. Part of the Australian Jewish Book Award program. “The winner will receive a monetary prize of $4,000, a mentorship with judge Lee Kofman, and will have their manuscript reviewed by Morry Schwartz, owner of Schwartz Publishing.” Writers, who must be “an Australian citizen, or ordinarily reside in Australia,” may enter excerpts from unpublished manuscripts of fiction or non-fiction (for adults, children or young adults) “completed at least to a full first draft stage”; the manuscript’s topic “must engage in some capacity with Jewish experience.” As always, check the detailed terms/criteria.

• AFTER THE END POETRY COMPETITION
  Deadline: September 30. “This poetry competition invites creative responses from poets that critically engage with ideas of time and temporality and the question of who gets to say that something has ended. Work from poets at every stage of their writing careers is welcome….The After the End Poetry Competition offers to winners a first prize of £750, second and third place winners will be offered £125 each. All three winners will be published on the After the End website, and poems may be shared on media channels connected to the After the End project.” Previously published and international submissions welcome. (Hat tip: Freelance Writing Jobs.)

• ART OF UNITY CREATIVE AWARD
  Deadline: September 30. From the International Human Rights Art Movement in conjunction with Yahad-in Unum Mid-America. Theme: “Never Again: Remembering to Heal and Overcome.” Cash prizes: $150/$100/$50.

• BERLIN PRIZE FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: September 30. From the American Academy in Berlin. “Each year…the Academy awards roughly two dozen semester-long fellowships to outstanding US-based scholars, writers, visual artists, composers, and policy experts.” They “encourage projects that concern the future of democracy, technology and society (especially Artificial Intelligence), contemporary China, as well as climate change and sustainability. The Academy maintains dedicated fellowships for projects in American political economy, Jewish studies, and public health and biotechnology. Finally, while project proposals need not focus on topics related to Germany, candidates should explain how their projects would benefit from a residency in Berlin.” (Writers should note that poets are offered fellowships through an invitation-only application process.) “Fellowship benefits include round-trip airfare, accommodation at or near the Hans Arnhold Center, partial board, and a stipend of $5,000 per month. Berlin Prize recipients reside at the Academy during the entire term of the award—generally one academic semester—and present their work at two public events. The Academy supports Berlin Prize fellows through residential community-building, professional networking, targeted media outreach, and access to in-house library services.” Note: “Fellowships are restricted to citizens and permanent residents of the United States. Candidates must explain any limited periods spent outside the United States, such as sabbaticals or foreign assignments. American expatriates are not eligible to apply.” Note also: “Writers of fiction and nonfiction must have published at least one book with a reputable press at the time of application.”

• JERRY JAZZ MUSICIAN SHORT FICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: September 30. “Three times a year, Jerry Jazz Musician awards a writer who submits, in our opinion, the best original, previously unpublished work of short fiction. The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Our newsletter subscribers include publishers, artists, musicians, and fellow writers. While your writing should appeal to a reader with these interests and in these creative professions, all story themes are considered.” Confers $150 and publication.

• WILLIE MORRIS AWARDS FOR SOUTHERN WRITING
  Deadline: September 30. “The Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing celebrate works in three genres—fiction, nonfiction and poetry. A national panel of judges reviews hundreds of nominated books and poems looking for works that ask readers to engage with the complexities of the U.S. South.” Winners receive cash prizes ($12,000 for fiction and nonfiction winners; $3,000 for the poetry winner). “Winners also receive an expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Miss., where we celebrate the winning writers as part of the Oxford Conference for the Book.” For fiction and nonfiction, “books must be published during the submission year and cannot be self-published. Advance reader copies or proofs for books that will be published in October, November or December” are acceptable. For poetry, “poets may submit one original, unpublished poem no longer than 60 lines. Poems should evoke the US South.”

• SEJONG INTERNATIONAL SIJO COMPETITION
  Deadline: September 30 (“11:59pm CDT USA”). “The sijo is a traditional three-line Korean poetic form organized technically and thematically by line and syllable count. Using the sijo form, write one poem in English on a topic of your choice.” Cash prizes: $500/$250/$100. Open to writers of any nationality.

• RHONDA GAIL WILLIFORD AWARD FOR POETRY
  Deadline: September 30. “The Rhonda Gail Williford Award for Poetry honors the courageous, passionate, and justice-oriented life of poet and attorney Rhonda Gail Williford. Rhonda was an unashamed believer in beauty in all its forms, as well as in the power of language. Poetry that is sparse, compact, and powerful or lush and melodious is welcome, as are poems that combine these qualities. The contest will be judged by a panel of poets who knew and cherished Rhonda and her commitment to beauty, justice, and life. Sincerity, vulnerability, and courage are codes Rhonda lived by and we are looking for poems that reflect these ideals.” Entrants may submit one poem “that incorporates themes of justice, dignity, and resistance.” Cash prizes: $150/$100/$50.  

• THE WRITERS COLLEGE SHORT STORY COMPETITION
  Deadline: September 30. New Zealand-based annual competition “is held to acknowledge excellence in creative writing in the short story form” and “is open to any writer” (worldwide) “who is unpublished, or has been published fewer than four times.” All genres welcome, but “literary fiction tends to fare best with our judges.” Current theme is “‘It didn’t have to be this way’. Writers can interpret and represent the theme in any way they choose. Each story must include the phrase ‘It didn’t have to be this way’ somewhere in the story. Writers must produce their own title.” Cash prizes (NZ$ 1000/NZ$ 500/NZ$ 250) plus publication. (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• CAMARGO FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: October 1. The Camargo Foundation’s flagship program “for artists, scholars, and thinkers.” Confers 10-week residencies in Cassis, France; for the next cycle, these will take place from September 10-November 19 (2025) and February 24-May 5 (2026). “A stipend of EUR 350 per week is provided (EUR 3500 for the entire duration of the residency), as is funding for basic transportation to and from Cassis per Fellow. In the case of air travel, basic coach class booked in advance is covered.” NB: “On Thursday 5 September at 4pm (CET), a webinar will be hosted by the Camargo team to present the upcoming edition of the Camargo Fellowship to interested applicants. It will include information about Camargo, the call for residencies in 2025-2026 and a Q&A session.”

• RUSSELL FREEDMAN AWARD FOR NONFICTION FOR A BETTER WORLD
  Deadline: October 1. From the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), this award honors “the late Russell Freedman, Newbery Award winner and one of the modern masters of narrative nonfiction.” Confers “a prize of $2500 plus $500 to purchase copies of the winning book for distribution to schools and libraries, recognition in all SCBWI publications, and a virtual forum to give a speech before the entire children’s book community. Any nonfiction book published for children or young adults, released between January 1 and December 31, 2024, is eligible. If both an author and illustrator are listed on the book cover, the prize will be split between them. You do not have to be a member of SCBWI to submit. However, your book must be traditionally published.”

• IMPACT AND LEGACY FUND (ILF) ENCOURAGEMENT FUND GRANTS
  Deadline: October 1. Administered by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), this fund provides “three grants of $2,000 each to children’s book authors, artists, or translators who have traditionally published at least one book of any genre. Generously supported by Stephen Fraser, a veteran editor and now one of our industry’s most respected agents at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, this grant reflects Stephen’s commitment to supporting talent. Encouragement comes in many forms. As such, the grants have no strings attached and may be used however the recipient sees fit. In addition to the financial grant, recipients may also take advantage of Stephen’s offer to meet with them for career advice or feedback.” NB: “This year, the grant is exclusively for creators working on middle-grade fiction. Submitters must have one book of any genre (for example, a picture book or an adult novel) traditionally published and must be currently working on a work of middle-grade fiction—a novel, chapter book, collection of stories, or graphic novel. The middle-grade work-in-progress does not need to be attached to a publisher. You do not have to be a member of SCBWI to submit. However, your previously published book must be traditionally published.”

• LUSCHEI PRIZE FOR AFRICAN POETRY
  Deadline: October 1. Annual award of USD $1,000, under the auspices of the African Poetry Book Fund and in partnership with the literary journal, Prairie Schooner. “Established in 2015 and named for the literary philanthropist Glenna Luschei, this Pan African Poetry Prize is the only one of its kind in the world and aims to honor and promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet.” Note: “An ‘African writer’ is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African.” Note also: “Only poetry submissions in English can be considered, but we welcome published works of translation for consideration.”

• NATAN NOTABLE BOOK AWARD
  Deadline: October 1. “Around Passover and the Jew­ish High Hol­i­days, 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.”

• OPPENHEIM-JOHN DOWNES MEMORIAL TRUST GRANTS
  Deadline: October 1. “The Oppenheim-John Downes Memorial Trust provides small scale grants to British artists, designers, writers and performers over the age of 30 who are experiencing financial difficulties in the pursuit of their careers.” Grants “typically range from £250 - £1,000.”

• ALICIA PATTERSON FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: October 1. Confers grants for 12 months ($40,000) or six months ($20,000) for independent research and writing projects. “At least one fellowship is aimed at science and environmental coverage.” NB: “The Alicia Patterson fellowships are open only to U.S. citizens who are fulltime print journalists, or to non-U.S. citizens who work fulltime for U.S. print publications, either in America or abroad. Freelancers are welcome to apply.”

• MONEY CHRONICLES: A STORY INITIATIVE
  Deadline: October 2. From Principal Foundation with support from Short Edition and the Center for Fiction. “We want to read your imaginative and meaningful short stories (fiction and creative nonfiction) touching on themes related to money and personal finance. Introduce us to protagonists whose relationship to money may be on the verge of unexpected or needed change. Your tale may be the inspiration someone needs to reimagine their relationship with money.” Entrants must live in the United States. NB: “The first 400 submissions will be read by Short Edition’s editorial team….The winner will receive a $1000 honorarium, and each finalist will also receive an honorarium of $150. The winner and the finalists’ stories will be distributed across Principal Foundation’s Short Story Dispensers throughout the year” in six U.S. locations. “In addition, Short Edition will consider the winner and all finalists for international publication in their 300+ Dispensers worldwide, located in universities, public libraries, airports, public transportation centers, retail, and many other locations.”

• AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY FELLOWSHIPS FOR CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTISTS AND WRITERS
  Deadline: October 5. From the Massachusetts-based American Antiquarian Society, these visiting fellowships confer $2,000 “for historical research by creative and performing artists, writers, film makers, journalists, and other persons whose goals are to produce imaginative works dealing with pre-twentieth-century American history, literature, and culture. Successful applicants are those whose work is for the general public rather than for academic or educational audiences.”

REMINDER: Multiple opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into the new month. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important reminder about additional opportunity listings!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• Scheduled to re-open for submissions September 1: THE BOMBAY LITERARY MAGAZINE. “We have a cap of 400 submissions in each category. Once we are maxed out, we can no longer accept submissions in that category. It’s a good idea not to wait until the end of the month to submit.”

• Also re-opening September 1, for print-journal submissions for the month (although caps apply here, too—act fast!): THE CINCINNATI REVIEW.

• Scheduled to re-open September 1 for general submissions (and remaining open until November 30): Canada-based CONTEMPORARY VERSE 2, “a quarterly literary journal that publishes poetry and critical writing about poetry, including interviews, articles, essays, and reviews.” (NB: Free general submissions for Canadians and Canadian residents only.) Note also that until October 1, Contemporary Verse 2 is open for a special call for poetry for an upcoming “Birthday” issue in conjunction with its own 50th birthday; for the themed issue, submissions are evidently free for writers outside Canada, too, but those writers should [re]check the general guidelines for details about payment. Note further that they “prefer that you do not send us work for this themed issue that has also been submitted elsewhere.”

• And another journal that will re-open September 1 (in this case, for literary-nonfiction submissions only): CUTLEAF.

• At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “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 September 1-4 (for the October issue), they seek work as follows: “Every town has a legend of a haunted place, and in most cases, those legends and haunted places involve a crime. This month, we want stories about legends, real or imagined, the crimes that inspired them, and the way those legends affect those living in their shadows. Make it dark. Make it gothic.”

• Scheduled to re-open September 1 (and remaining open until September 30): UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA PRESS, for poetry manuscripts from Canadian citizens and landed immigrants. “At the end of the submission period, the Press, working with members of our external jury for poetry, selects up to three manuscripts per year for publication. The selection generally occurs early in the new year and those manuscripts are published the following spring.”

• Open through September 2: FUNICULAR, which publishes “short stories of 3000 words or less, poetry, and flash fiction pieces under 1000 words.”

• SPECULATION PUBLICATIONS remains open for submissions for its annual “Yule” anthology until September 6 (unless they are “slammed” and close early). The current theme is “Evergreen: Tales of Winter Shadows.” NB: “NO MORE CHRISTMAS HORROR. We Are Buried in Christmas Horror and Need More Stories from OTHER Winter Solstice Based Holidays and more Fantasy and Mysticism.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• BOOK XI, “a journal dedicated to publishing personal essays, memoir, fiction, science fiction, humor, and poetry with philosophical theme,” remains open for submissions through September 14, or until their submissions cap is met. Current theme: “Reality and its other(s).”

• Canada-based GRAIN is scheduled to re-open September 15, at which time, their submissions page notes (scroll to “To Send Work Through Submittable”), they will institute a submissions fee for writers from outside Canada. Additionally, they do have “a monthly Submittable cap, and if we reached the said cap, online submissions will be closed until the following month. If you’d like to submit but our account is full, you can either submit by mail or wait until the 1st of the following month.”

• Submissions for the next volume of RAINY WEATHER DAYS, “a cozy literary magazine,” will close “around September 15.” At the moment, they appear to be seeking fiction only. (Hat tip: Authors Publish.)

• Scheduled to re-open September 15, for submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from writers around the world: Canada-based THE FIDDLEHEAD.

• Opening for submissions September 16: “BUSHEL & PECK BOOKS is seeking contemporary Jewish holiday stories from diverse perspectives to publish an anthology for ages 3 to 9. Short stories of 800 words or less on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Tu Bishvat, Purim, Passover, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Shavuot, Shabbat will be accepted between September 16, 2024 and November 18, 2024. Contributors will receive a flat fee of $200 for first time publication rights plus five copies of the anthology. Please submit stories to jewishholidayanthology(at)bushelandpeckbooks(dot)com between September 16th and November 18, 2024.” (NB: I received this one via email from one of the project’s editors; please direct any questions to the address included within this announcement, not to me.)

• Slated to re-open September 16: POETRY magazine.

• Open until September 29: STORY UNLIKELY, which seeks, “simply put…good stories.” NB: “Though we don’t charge for submissions, you do need to subscribe to our magazine (free) – this is how we publish our stories, and where you'll see yours in digital print.”

• Based in Canada, with submissions limited to those from Canadian writers, FREEFALL is also closing September 30. “We publish poetry, fiction, non-fiction, literary reviews, author interviews, and visual arts.”

• Closing October 1: short story submissions for THE LAST LINE; all stories must conclude with this year’s chosen line (provided in the guidelines; those submitting work from outside the US should be sure to check the note about payment for international submitters).

• Quick note: Although ORCA is open for 100 fee-free submissions most months, they’ll take October off.

• And as mentioned above, at STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “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 October 1-4 (for the November issue), they seek work as follows: “It’s election season, so this month we want to see stories about the government, its power, and how it can put its thumb on the scale. Whether its a cop with a chip on their shoulder, a zoning board that cannot be reasoned with, or a congressman saying one thing then doing the other, we want to see your stories about the little guy, and what happens when they come face to face with unaccountable power.”

• “is now accepting submissions of unpublished first person 1,000-2,000 word personal essays based on the author’s life experience ONLY from Open Secrets subscribers” [ED note: You can subscribe free of charge]. Essay categories are listed within the call/guidelines. NB: “The deadline for submitting to this round…is December 31, 2024. Earlier submissions have the best chance of acceptance. Submissions are currently free. Starting in 2025, we will be charging a small submission fee to help sustain Open Secrets.” (Hat tip: .)

• Reminder: Make it a habit to check the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL website, where titles in development are posted. Note: “If this is your first time, please visit our Story Guidelines page.” (NB: In case you’ve caught this bankruptcy-related news, the anthology website states: “Our book business is not part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. While that business works on sorting out its financial challenges, we continue to publish our books as usual and we look forward to reading your submissions and considering them for our upcoming titles!”)

• Reminder: PARANOID TREE, which welcomes fiction, creative nonfiction, and prose poetry (with a word limit “~400 words”), is always open for submissions.

• 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: 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: 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.”

• Reminder: WRITE OR DIE is open for author interviews and creative nonfiction year-round. Regarding the latter: “We are interested in essays that focus on the writing life and especially love work where the personal intersects with the critical. We love essays that examine how publishing, reading, teaching, spirituality, sexuality, identity, obsession, labor, and family shape writing.”

REMEMBER: Some 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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

In the weeks since last month’s issue posted, I was scheduled to travel near (to Philadelphia, for a special weekend with gal pals I’ve known since middle school) and, earlier in July, far (to Israel, for a Jewish literary conference in Jerusalem, after which I lingered for a few days in Tel Aviv). At the last minute, I was unable to join the group in Philly (don’t worry—everything is fine). Which I guess gave me even more time to reflect on the other journey.

I haven’t (yet) written much about the conference, which was convened by the Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute. In part, that’s because it wasn’t open to the public, and Chatham House Rules applied.

But I can tell you that it was deeply meaningful for me to speak on a panel that was held at the National Library of Israel.

This trip to Israel came just about six months after my January journey there with my congregation (which I mentioned in our February issue and again in mid-March). Among my current observations: Although you might not glean this from mainstream media coverage—and despite the seeming normalcy of busy cafés and restaurants—in Israel, the ongoing trauma of October 7 and the war remains inescapable.1 On this eve of the 300th day of this nightmare, it’s particularly painful that what I wrote here in March about the fate of Israeli writers whom Hamas captured on October 7 and brought to Gaza as hostages requires still more tragic updates.

You may recall that in describing a PEN America webpage devoted to “Israeli and Palestinian Writers and Artists: The Toll of War,” I wrote:

Updates have been promised. I hope to soon find there profiles for poet and children’s author Amiram Cooper (still being held hostage) & poet Judih Weinstein Haggai, z”l (murdered; her body remains in Gaza). Both of them, along with retired journalist Oded Lifshitz and historian Alex Dancyg (both of whom are included on the PEN America page), hail from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the several communities in southern Israel that Hamas attacked on October 7.

Last week, Alex Dancyg’s death in captivity was confirmed. Amiram Cooper’s death in captivity was announced in June, along with that of fellow Nir Oz resident Chaim Peri—whose posthumously-released children’s book I purchased in Israel and am determined to read, despite my poor Hebrew.

May every living hostage be released; may the dead be returned to their families; and may the war end and peace prevail on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border, and beyond.

And may the literary world, too, be a better place. (I’m not going to belabor this here, but there’s been enough unpleasantness this past month—including still more anti-Israelist antisemitism, which I continue to track here and here—that I could do so.)

Instead, let’s move on to the issue’s contents.

With all best wishes for all of you and your writing practices,
ERIKA

P.S. 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 Caitlin Cacciatore:

In April, you highlighted the Zoetic Press Nonbinary Review’s call for their “Heredity” issue. My poem “To Build a Home” was recently published in the issue and in podcast form through Zoetic Press’s Alphanumeric Podcast. I wanted to thank you again for your dedication to this newsletter. Its value to me as a practicing writer is simply immeasurable.

And from Gabriela Denise Frank:

I wanted to thank you for adding the Fern Academy Prize to your list of Markets & Jobs for Writers back in April. I submitted an essay that I really believed in, one that received several encouraging declines from top tier journals but hadn’t yet found a home...and I was completely shocked to find out that I had won. I kept rereading the email because I couldn't find that familiar sentence that started with, “Unfortunately...”.

This is the sort of prize that can potentially change a writer’s life. I’ve been trying to find literary representation and a home for my debut novel, which was my top reason for applying (although being paid for creative work is always a welcome and still-rare occurrence). Nothing is for sure, but this opens a door that has long been closed for me. I’m so grateful to you for your generosity and all the labor that’s entailed in sharing these opportunities.

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(S)

Writer Unboxed has offered us a twofer: Michael Castleman’s “Why Today’s Authors Are Being Scammed More Than Ever Before—and How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off” and Victoria Strauss’s “Cheated, Swindled, or Scammed: What’s a Writer to Do?” address a subject I’m sure we all wish we didn’t need to know about—but must.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• IOWA SHORT FICTION AWARD AND JOHN SIMMONS SHORT FICTION AWARD
  Entries: August 1-September 30 (postmarked). For “annual prizes awarded to two collections of stories. Writers who have yet to publish a book-length volume of fiction are eligible to apply, and winning manuscripts are published by The Iowa Press.”

• PETER BLAZEY FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: August 12. For Australian residents. “Up to $17,000” is awarded “to further a work in progress for those writers in the non-fiction fields of biography, autobiography and life writing.”

• WATERFORD POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: August 12. Open to all writers currently living on the island of Ireland, this prize “has emerged from the influence of the late Waterford writer Seán Dunne whose poetry continues to inspire.” Note: “It is highly advisable that entries are not currently submitted elsewhere for consideration.” Prizes: “First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat, Ardmore in 2025 (This prize valued €350 is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be awarded in lieu). Second prize €350 plus attendance at a designated writing course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat, Ardmore in 2025 (This prize valued €250 is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be awarded in lieu). Third prize €200.”

• LIGONIER VALLEY WRITERS FLASH FICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: August 15. “This year’s topic: thunderbirds, phoenixes, and other mythological birds.” Short stories must be 1,000 words or fewer. Prizes: “The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Three honorable mentions will not receive cash prizes but will be published with the other winners at LVW’s website. All six winning stories will be edited by a professional editor. Their authors will also receive a one-year complimentary membership to Ligonier Valley Writers.”

• PRAGUE-UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE CREATIVE RESIDENCIES
  Deadline: August 20. “Do you have a breathtaking project you would like to work on during your residency in Prague? Prague City of Literature offers an opportunity to writers and translators to live and work in the beautiful city center where historical architecture meets modern and vibrant city life.” Eight two-month residencies will be offered. Among the selection criteria: “at least one already published literary work (not private editions) or two already broadcast or published radio plays or one already realized or published theater play or at least one translated work by a Czech author.” Each resident is provided with “free accommodation, travel expenses are reimbursed and a stipend of 15,000 CZK (approx. 600 euros) per month is provided.”

• JAN MICHALSKI FOUNDATION RESIDENCIES
  Deadline: August 26. Swiss-based program “is open to all kinds of writing and all languages” but “does give priority to literary writers and translators. The residencies can be for either individuals or pairs of participants in the case of projects involving more than one discipline. Each year some forty authors from around the world, from emerging writers to seasoned veterans, are able to count on a certain period of time dedicated to a literary project. A percentage of the residencies are dedicated to nature writing, a form of fiction or creative non-fiction that raises awareness of nature, prepares for a sustainable future, and helps to better understand socio-environmental interconnections and the impact of human actions on nature.” Residency awards cover travel costs and include a weekly allowance of CHF 400. 

• ON THE PREMISES SHORT STORY CONTEST #44
  Deadline: August 30. “For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which one or more characters with significant expertise in some area matter to the story. The expert(s) DO NOT have to be the story’s main character(s), though it’s fine if they are–the judges won’t care either way. We’re also open to the idea that your story’s character(s) with expertise might be either wrong, or frauds, or idiots. (Or they’re legitimate experts!) However, the idea of expertise, and at least one person who has it (or doesn’t?) has to matter to the story.” Winners receive cash prizes ($250/$200/$150 and $75 for honorable mention) and publication.

• RSL V.S. PRITCHETT SHORT STORY PRIZE
  Deadline: August 30, to request one of “50 free entries to low-income writers based in the UK”; note the recommendation to apply earlier, as “these entries are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.” Confers “a £1,000 Prize for the best unpublished short story of the year.”

• RSL GILES ST AUBYN AWARDS FOR NONFICTION
  Deadline: August 30. From the Royal Society of Literature. “Three annual awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000, and one of £2,500 – are available for authors engaged on their first commissioned work of non-fiction” for a general readership. Writers must be resident in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland; “only books due to be published in the UK or ROI, by UK- or ROI-based publishers, will be considered.”

• TONI BEAUCHAMP PRIZE IN CRITICAL ART WRITING
  Deadline: August 31. Considers “submissions of work that have been written (or published) within the last year. A variety of creative approaches and formats to writing on the visual arts are encouraged, and can include thematic essays, exhibition reviews, and scholarly essays.” Confers one first-place prize of $3,000 and two runner-up awards of $1,000 each. Publication in Gulf Coast for winner; possible publication for runners-up.

• THE NORTHWIND WRITING AWARD
  Deadline: August 31. “Sponsored by Raw Earth Ink and facilitated by tara caribou to shine light on little-known exceptional writers. Overall we are looking for writing which stirs our emotions, paints vivid imagery, is high-caliber or underappreciated, and is memorable. Categories include Prose Poetry, Poetry, Short Fiction, and Non-fiction/Essay/Memoir….Writers must reside in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, or Australia to participate. All winners and honorable mentions will be published in the annual Northwind Treasury. First place winners in each category receive $100, a copy of the current year Northwind Treasury, a promotional interview with one of our editors, and other special prizes.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• POETRY ARCHIVE NOW! WORDVIEW 2024 COMPETITION
  Deadline: August 31. “We want you to have the opportunity to join the Poetry Archive collections by recording yourself reciting or reading your poem out loud and sending it to us to care for and share worldwide.” Be forewarned that only 20 submissions will be compensated (£100).

• PRESENCE SHORT STORY AWARD
  Deadline: August 31. From Kinsman Quarterly. “We have reopened the Presence Award by popular demand to include short stories that highlight ghosts and/or spiritual entities imposing on the natural world. We specifically want unique stories incorporating the cultures, traditions, and/or histories of BIPOC and underrepresented communities. Stories should lean towards psychological terror instead of excessive use of gore….Short stories can be between 1000-5000 words. Top winners receive prizes up to $500 and publication within the Presence collection and the Kinsman Quarterly literary journal. 

• VAL WOOD PRIZE FOR CREATIVE WRITING
  Deadline: August 31. “We invite you to write ‘Letters to My Love’. Whether it’s a heartfelt letter to a significant other, an expression of unspoken feelings, or a unique voice.” Open to writers worldwide. Entries may take the form of a letter or a story. No poetry. “The entry isn’t limited to just romance or love and any genre can be covered as long as it is not unnecessarily violent or gruesome and the subject of the competition is included.” Prize: “The winner of the competition will receive £100 and a signed copy of a Val Wood book.”

• ACADEMY FOR TEACHERS “STORIES OUT OF SCHOOL” FLASH FICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: September 1. “Teachers have the most fascinating, difficult, and important job on the planet, and their workdays are filled with stories. Yet teachers seldom appear in fiction. This annual contest, for teachers and non-teachers, was created to inspire great stories about teachers and the rich and crazy world of schools.” Entries must be “between 6 and 749 words” and the story’s protagonist, or its narrator, must be a K-12 teacher (although contest entrants need not be teachers). Confers a $1,000 prize.

• SUREL’S PLACE RESIDENCIES
  Deadline: September 1 (for residencies taking place January-May 2025). These month-long residencies in Idaho are open to “professional visual, literary, and performance artists:  painters, writers, musicians, architects, filmmakers, and choreographers… any artist who needs a place to focus.” Residency awards include free rent, utilities, and wi-fi as well as a “modest living stipend of $100 per week” and a $300 travel stipend.

• SOUTH ARTS INDIVIDUAL ARTIST CAREER OPPORTUNITY GRANTS
  Deadline: September 3 (for activities taking place January 1-June 30, 2025). “South Arts recognizes that more than an invitation to participate in a significant milestone opportunity is required. Even with stipends or payments, overall expenses can make such an opportunity inaccessible. South Arts offers Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grants to ensure that artists from our region can take advantage of significant opportunities. The Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grant supports a milestone opportunity in an artist’s career that will likely lead to substantial career advancement. Grants of up to $2,000 are available.” To be eligible, applicants must, among other criteria “be a United States citizen, lawfully admitted to the US for permanent residence, or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the US” and “be a resident of the South Arts Region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee.”

• HODDER FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: September 10. “Given to artists and writers of exceptional promise to pursue independent projects at Princeton University during the academic year. Potential Hodder Fellows are composers, choreographers, performance artists, visual artists, writers, translators, or other kinds of artists or humanists who have ‘much more than ordinary intellectual and literary gifts’; they are selected more ‘for promise than for performance.’ Given the strength of the applicant pool, most successful Fellows have published a first book or have similar achievements in their own fields; the Hodder is designed to provide Fellows with the ‘studious leisure’ to undertake significant new work.” NB: “Hodder Fellows spend an academic year with Princeton, but no formal teaching is involved. A $92,000 stipend is provided for this 10-month appointment as a Visiting Fellow. Fellowships are not intended to fund work leading to an advanced degree. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply.”

• PRINCETON ARTS FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: September 10. “Awarded to artists whose achievements have been recognized as demonstrating extraordinary promise in any area of artistic practice and teaching. Applicants should be early career visual artists, filmmakers, poets, novelists, playwrights, designers, directors and performance artists—this list is not meant to be exhaustive—who would find it beneficial to spend two years teaching and working in an artistically vibrant university community.” NB: “Although the teaching load is light, our expectation is that Fellows will be full and active members of our community, committed to frequent and engaged interactions with students during the academic year. A $92,000 a year stipend is provided. Fellowships are not intended to fund work leading to an advanced degree. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply.”

• RADCLIFFE FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: September 12 (for applications in humanities, social sciences, and creative arts). On-site, academic-year fellowships confer “a stipend of $78,000 plus an additional $5,000 to cover project expenses. Please note that if you are a US citizen or permanent resident coming from a home institution based in the US, you can opt to have your stipend paid through your home institution or to you directly.” NB: “In addition to the stipend, project expense allowance, and additional funds to aid in relocation mentioned above, fellows receive office or studio space in Byerly Hall—in Radcliffe Yard—and full-time Harvard appointments as visiting fellows, granting them access to Harvard University’s libraries, housing, and athletic facilities. If fellows would like to hire Harvard undergraduate students as Research Partners, we will cover their hourly wages. During the fellowship program, fellows are also offered several professional development opportunities.”

• SYDNEY TAYLOR MANUSCRIPT AWARD
  Deadline: September 13. From the Association of Jewish Libraries, this award “recognizes unpublished manuscripts of Jewish fiction targeting ages 8-13. The award was established by Sydney’s husband Ralph Taylor to encourage aspiring authors of Jewish children’s books. It was first awarded in 1985. The winner receives a cash award of $1000. The committee defines an unpublished author as not having previously published any works of fiction for young readers. This includes self-published as well as commercially published work. The manuscript must be a work of fiction in English with universal appeal of Jewish content for readers aged 8-13 years, both Jewish and non-Jewish. It should reveal positive aspects of Jewish life. Short stories are not acceptable.” NB: “While AJL cannot guarantee publication, the prize money has been an incentive for writers with varying experience to try their hands at writing for this genre. The award carries prestige in the publishing world and several Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award winners have subsequently been published.”

REMINDER: Some opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into the new month. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important reminder about additional opportunity listings!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• Recently re-opened for submissions: CINCINNATI REVIEW’s weekly online miCRo feature. “For fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid works, each piece should be 500 words maximum. For poetry, submit poems 32 lines or less. For drama, scripts should be about three minutes in performance.”

• Also recently re-opened (and remaining so until October 15): CONSEQUENCE FORUM, which considers submissions “for our print publication (Consequence journal), our website (Consequence online), or our blog (Consequence substack). Please note that all subs need to address in some manner the consequences of war or geopolitical violence.”

• General submissions at FLASH FROG will re-open August 1. They publish “flash fiction only (no poetry or CNF please).”

• GORDON SQUARE REVIEW is scheduled to re-open August 1 as well, for poetry, fiction, and “brief nonfiction.”

• Also re-opening for submissions (of poetry and visual art) August 1: HARBOR REVIEW.

• NASHVILLE REVIEW is open for submissions of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and translation for the month of August (comics and art are welcome year-round). NB: “We cap the number of submissions to be considered at 750 per section to ensure a reasonable response time. If we reach our submission cap before the end of the month-long reading period, submissions will close early.”

• At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “We’re looking for all the same dark fiction, crime and noir as our usual submissions, but with a target length between 1,000 and 2,000 words, and aligned with the monthly submissions prompt.” For submissions August 1-4 (for the September issue), they seek work as follows: “Baseball is winding down, football is starting up. Basketball players are at camp, and hockey players are on ice. Meanwhile, Uncle Nicky can’t stay away from the track. That’s right, this month, we want stories about sports. About the dreams involved. About the gambling. About the competition. About the broken bones. If it involves sports and it’s noir, we’ll see you at the finish line.”

• SHORT FICTION, which “aims to showcase the most carefully crafted, deeply considered, simply brilliant short stories from the UK and beyond” (except from the USA), is open for submissions until August 11.

• At last check, BERKELEY FICTION REVIEW, which “accepts short fiction, comics, and art,” appeared to be scheduled to reopen for submissions August 15.

• August 15 is also the deadline for ORCA’s next literary issue. NB: “We offer 100 fee-free submissions each month.”

• Noted on the guidelines page for ECOTONE (“the literary magazine dedicated to reimagining place”): a fee-free submissions window between August 29 and August 31. “During this window, we especially welcome work from groups historically underrepresented in literary publishing.”

• THE AMPERSAND REVIEW, which “accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays,” is open until August 31. “In keeping with our mandate to foster literary culture in communities within Canada, priority may be given to submissions written by those who reside in Canada.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• IN THE MOOD, “a pop culture journal about the things we like to watch,” is open until August 31 for submissions on the theme “Period Piece”: “Stuck in the past? We want to hear about it. For our 11th issue we are looking for submissions on period pieces. From ancient times (Last Temptation of Christ) to recent past (Uncut Gems) we want to hear your take on how films have represented, invented, or misunderstood a previous era. Send us personal pieces, film diaries, fan fiction, and experimental pieces on anything set in the past. This could be a specific film, era or historical figure, an aspect of filmmaking (candlelight in Barry Lyndon), or a broader trend in film history or present.”

• New venue: EDGE CITY, from Noco Books, welcomes “short works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art” until September 1. “We are interested in seeing your coolest and most original works, irrespective of genre. Submissions to EDGE CITY are open to writers anywhere, with no preference for where they are based.” (Hat tip: .)

• NOCO BOOKS is also considering “book-length manuscripts of literary nonfiction or fiction, experimental prose, or collections of essays or criticisms. We are especially interested in works of nonfiction from authors in the PNW.” At the moment, “submissions are always open”; I confirmed with the publisher via email that the press confers royalties (as well as small advances).

• Posted by founder Jessica Walrack on Twitter: “ALL THINGS FREELANCE WRITING is now accepting pitches from freelance writers. We’re looking for articles of around 800-1000 for our audience of freelance writers. Rates are $300 per piece.” (Per response to my inquiry, there was no deadline indicated as of July 12; hat tip here to The Writer’s Job Newsletter.)

• New venue: UNORTHODOX STORIES, which “serves as a venue for stories which truly push the boundaries….It is particularly open to writers who either have no paid writing credits yet, or have that special story they can’t find a home for despite slogging through rejection after rejection.” Note: “Submissions open year round, but the reading period will be from the first to the fifteenth of each month, so if you submit August 1st and are accepted for example, on the fifteenth, you will be published August 30th. If you submit the 16th, your story will be read September 1st.” (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.” (NB: In case you’ve caught this bankruptcy-related news, the anthology website states: “Our book business is not part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. While that business works on sorting out its financial challenges, we continue to publish our books as usual and we look forward to reading your submissions and considering them for our upcoming titles!”)

• 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: 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”).

• Reminder: PARANOID TREE, which welcomes fiction, creative nonfiction, and prose poetry (with a word limit “~400 words”), is always open for submissions.

• 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: 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: 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.”

• Reminder: WRITE OR DIE is open for author interviews and creative nonfiction year-round. Regarding the latter: “We are interested in essays that focus on the writing life and especially love work where the personal intersects with the critical. We love essays that examine how publishing, reading, teaching, spirituality, sexuality, identity, obsession, labor, and family shape writing.”

REMEMBER: Some 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.”

Welcome, new readers, and welcome back to the regulars. (Over the past month, we crossed another milestone: We now number more than 11,000 subscribers here!)

For updates and additional opportunities between newsletters, please check the “Practicing Writing” blog and follow me on Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

Some publication news to share with you since last month’s newsletter went out:

First, Paper Dragon's new issue includes my flash essay “At the Movies.” This piece was inspired by a foray last year to see the film adaptation of Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. It took me a long time to place, albeit with some super-encouraging rejections passes along the way. (I was just too attached to it to give up on it.) In fact, Paper Dragon initially “declined” it, too! But they followed up with a message saying that they’d done so in error and still wanted the piece if they could have it.

Reader, they could! (Fun fact: This isn’t the first time that a piece of mine has been officially rejected before it was accepted and published. Odd, maybe. But true. And literally just this morning I checked email to find that another outlet had rejected it—although, as the follow-the-rules type that I am, I’d already withdrawn it from that outlet’s continued consideration, and received a confirmation of the withdrawal, immediately upon the Paper Dragon acceptance. Once again, I’m grateful that my skin has thickened so much over the years.)

My only regret is that as the production process continued I was told that it wouldn’t be possible to embed video of the key moment I’d written about (and hyperlinked) within my submission’s opening words. Since I can share that moment here, though, I invite you to come back and take a peek after you’ve read the piece. (The photo below is a screenshot I grabbed from the film’s trailer, which, lucky for me, includes the exact moment I was writing about.)

Also published just a few weeks ago: “A Tale of Lists and Blacklists,” an essay commissioned by Hadassah magazine.

In related news: Just last Monday, the Authors Guild (AG) released a statement that hasn’t seemed to be aggregated/amplified as much as one might have expected.

I’m curious to know how many of you were aware of this statement prior to reading about it here (and, for those who were aware, how/where you encountered it). If you have a moment, please respond to this poll.

Thank you.

I don’t anticipate that there will be much from my own desk to share next month—in part because I’m going to be away from said desk for chunks of the next weeks. (Which reminds me—please don’t worry if there’s a decline or fade-away in blog and/or social-media posts at times.) But I do expect to get the August issue to you right on schedule.

With all best wishes for all of you and your writing practices,
ERIKA

P.S. 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 Marcie Geffner:

Thank you for “Where to Read (and Publish) Writing on Jewish Themes” on your website. I recently placed a short nonfiction piece with The Jewish Writing Project after finding it on your resources page. The story had been rejected elsewhere and set aside before I submitted it there. Bruce Black not only said yes, but also took the time to provide some editorial guidance that made the piece better…. this wouldn’t have happened without your resources page.

From Fran Levin:

Thanks for sharing the information about the Iron Words Israel journal in your resource list for Jewish reading and publishing. I was delighted that my short essay “Freeze” about the first month of the war here was published on their website recently. I was also heartened by the warm and personal acceptance letter that I received from the editor.

I so appreciate your ongoing commitment and support to the writing community!

From R.L. Maizes:

Many thanks, Erika. I was just awarded a Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture grant for my novel-in-progress about antisemitism and vigilantism. I learned about the grant from you. Thanks again for all you do for Jewish writers and Jewish writing.

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(S): JOBS FOR WRITERS

’s recent post on “Making Money as a Writer” is worth reading for multiple reasons—including the concluding set of links that can help readers find writing-related jobs. Among them you’ll find my own website’s “Jobs for Writers” page.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION DIVERSE WRITERS AND DIVERSE WORLDS GRANTS
  Applications: July 1-31. “Since 2014, the SLF has offered two diversity-centered grants intended to foster the creation of speculative fiction work rich in diversity. Writers may apply for either or both grants.” Each grant confers $500. “Open to all levels of publishing experience, worldwide.”

• DIVERSITY IN BEER WRITING GRANT
  Deadline: July 8. From the North American Guild of Beer Writers (NAGBW). “Now in its seventh year, the Grant’s goal is to highlight the value of stories that showcase diversity and inclusion—in all its forms and challenges—within beer. The Grant’s view of diversity is wide. It encompasses not only race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender, but also geography, socioeconomic status, disability, religion, and more.” Compensation: “Chosen writers will receive payment of 50 cents per word for their work, up to $1,000. Adjustments for pay will be accommodated if a selected pitch is another media format. Length of story or other project will be agreed on with editors before reporting. The final amount will be paid after completion and publication of a story.” (Hat tip: The Writer’s Job Newsletter)

• DONN GOODWIN PRIZE
  Deadline: July 14. “The Milwaukee Irish Fest poetry award for the Donn Goodwin Prize will be given to the entry that best reflects Irish or Irish-American poetry traditions. Although the poems do not necessarily need to have direct Irish or Irish-American themes, the winning entry should have a cultural or literary relation to either Ireland, Irish-America, or to Irish poetry. The person with the winning submission as determined by our panel of adjudicators will receive a $100 honorarium and will be invited to read their poem at Milwaukee Irish Fest (if available).”

• KARI HOWARD FUND FOR NARRATIVE JOURNALISM
  Deadline: July 14. Memorializing Kari Howard and administered through the International Women’s Media Foundation, this program supports narrative journalism with grants up to $5,000. “Applicants may be a print journalist or a print journalist leading a multi-media team. Projects reported and published in English anywhere in the world are eligible. All reporting and publishing must be completed within six months of the award of the grant.” NB: “This opportunity is open to women and nonbinary journalists.”

• STONY BROOK SHORT FICTION PRIZE
  Deadline: July 14. For this competition, “only undergraduates enrolled full time in United States and Canadian universities and colleges for the academic year 2023-2024 are eligible. This Prize has traditionally encouraged submissions from students with an Asian background, but we urge all students to enter….The author of the winning story will receive $1,000 and a scholarship to the 2025 Southampton Writers Conference. Additionally, the winning story will automatically be considered for publication in TSR: The Southampton Review.”

• BURLINGTON CONTEMPORARY ART WRITING PRIZE
  Deadline: July 15. Prize “seeks to discover talented writers on contemporary art. The winner of the Prize receives £1,000, their review is published on Burlington Contemporary and they have the opportunity to publish a review of a future contemporary art exhibition in The Burlington Magazine.” NB: “Entrants must have published no more than six pieces of writing in print or online prior to their submission. This does not include personal blogs and websites.”

• THE IRON HORSE LITERARY REVIEW PHOTOFINISH COMPETITION
  Fee-free submissions for one day only: July 15 (“extended through July 16”). “For the IHLR annual PhotoFinish, we seek well-crafted and very brief ekphrastic work that pushes beyond an absolute literal read of a photo prompt. We’re looking for work that recognizes what’s hidden in the world we see, responding to the physical details that the picture offers or what emotion it conveys or both. We provide the photo on our website and social media platforms every mid-May….Winner receives $250. The finalists receive: $50. The winner and nine finalists are published in the e-edition, released at midnight on New Year’s Eve--our last horse over the year’s finish line.”

• IRON HORSE BOOK PRIZE
  Fee-free submissions for one day only: July 15 (“extended through July 16”). “Texas Tech University Press and Iron Horse Literary Review are pleased to announce the Iron Horse Prize, awarded annually to a first book of collected prose. The author of the winning entry will receive $1000, and their collection will be published in the summer of 2024 by Texas Tech University Press. We are looking for emerging writers who have yet to publish collections of their own prose, either short fiction or nonfiction.” NB: “Entries must be either a collection of short fiction or essays. We are not accepting novels or memoirs, although we welcome story cycles, novellas with other stories, and linked essays.” Also note about the fee-free submissions: “We will accept a limited number of submissions free of charge to ensure the inclusion of as many authors as possible. If you can afford to pay the fee, we ask that you reserve the free slots for others who may not be able to submit otherwise. If you miss the July 15th free submission day and would like to submit your work but cannot pay the fee, please feel welcome to contact Travis Snyder at Texas Tech University Press…but not before July 15th.”

• HELEN SCHAIBLE INTERNATIONAL SONNET CONTEST
  Deadline: July 15. “Categories: #1 Traditional Sonnet – Shakespearean or Petrarchan; #2 Modern Sonnet.” See website for definitions and guidelines. “Enter ONLY ONE poem per Category. This means only 1 or 2 poems total per poet. If any poet enters more than one poem in a category, the contest coordinator will automatically accept only the first one.) Entries must be original, unpublished, not posted online or on social media, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Also, poems cannot be created with the help of any artificial intelligence applications. Poets can only win or be noted in one of the two sonnet categories.” Prizes (for both categories): “First Prize: $50. Second Prize: $30. Third Prize: $20. Three Honorable Mentions and three Special Merits will be named per category, ranked. Winners will be notified by the end of September 2024. If poets do not receive an email by then, they can assume they did not win….All winning poets will be invited to participate in an online reading in October.”

• UCROSS FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN WRITERS
  Deadline: July 15. Open to writers working in one or more the the following genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, screenwriting, playwriting, and hybrid forms who are also enrolled members “of a state-recognized or federally-recognized Tribe, Pueblo, Nation, Native Community, Political Entity, or Alaskan Native Village.” Confers a residency at Ucross in northern Wyoming.

• BLACK VOICES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE WRITING CONTEST
  Deadline: July 22. From Strive Publishing and Free Spirit Publishing: “The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. As always, the contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Black people. Every entry is considered for publication and three cash prizes will be awarded.”

• BRIEFLY WRITE POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: July 31. “Celebrates and rewards bold, succinct writing. We want well-crafted poems up to 10 lines.” No simultaneous submissions. As of my last check of the site, “there is a prize fund of £75. An announcement on how this will be split will be made soon.”

• THE LEHRHAUS 2024 SHORT STORY CONTEST
  Deadline: July 31. “We are seeking original short stories within the scope of our mission to explore the depth and diversity of Jewish ideas.” Submitted stories “must contain Jewish content.” Open to all. “The first-place winner will receive a $100 honorarium and featured publication in Lehrhaus.” (Hat tip: )

• SISTERS IN CRIME PRIDE AWARD FOR EMERGING LGBTQIA+ CRIME WRITERS
  Deadline: July 31. A legacy project of past SinC president Sherry Harris, this award confers $2,000 for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. According to Harris, “Each past president is required to do a legacy project, something that they feel passionate about. When thinking about what I wanted to do, I kept two things in mind. First, why SinC was formed — to equal the disparity in how female crime fiction writers and male crime fiction writers were reviewed and won awards. Second, I love our Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for emerging crime writers of color. With those two thoughts in mind, I realized I wanted to start a similar award for the LGBTQIA+ community.” Note: “An unpublished writer is preferred, however publication of not more than ten pieces of short fiction (excluding poetry) and/or up to two self-published or traditionally published books will not disqualify an applicant. While no prior writing or publishing experience is required, you should include any relevant studies or experience in your materials.” Note also that the application will require you to upload “an unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words.”

• WASHBURN CHAPBOOK PRIZE
  Deadline: July 31 (fee-free entries for BIPOC-identifying writers only). Named for poet and professor Laura Lee Washburn (who serves as final judge), this prize “is awarded once a year to a woman or non-binary writer for a micro chapbook, which Harbor Review will publish digitally on our website. Our definition of woman includes all women, including transgender and all female-identifying individuals. Women of color and queer women are encouraged to apply.” Note: “Micro chapbooks should be exactly 10 poems long.” Prize also confers a $200 cash award.

• GRANUM FOUNDATION PRIZE

  Deadline: August 1: Awarded annually “to help U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works. Additionally, the Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated into English by a U.S.-based writer. Funding from both prizes can be used to provide a writer with the tools, time, and freedom to help ensure their success. For example, resources may be used to cover basic needs, equipment purchases, mentorship, or editing services.” One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded “$500 or more”; for the Translation Prize, one award of $1,500 “or more” will be made.

• PEN/BARE LIFE REVIEW GRANTS
  Deadline: August 1. “The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants support literary works in progress by immigrant and refugee writers, recognizing that the literature of migration is of inherent and manifest value. Beginning with the 2024 grant conferral, PEN America will confer two PEN/Bare Life Review Grants of $5,000 each. The grants are made possible by a substantial contribution from The Bare Life Review, which celebrates world literature and has been a champion for migrant and diasporic arts.” Among important notes: “The project must be an unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2026, as the grants are intended to support the completion of a manuscript. The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. This grant is available to foreign-born writers based in the U.S., and to writers living abroad who hold refugee/asylum seeker status.”

• PEN/PHYLLIS NAYLOR GRANT FOR CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT NOVELISTS
  Deadline: August 1. “Previously called the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship, the award was developed to help writers whose work is of high literary caliber and assist a writer at a crucial moment in their career to complete their novel.” Confers an award of $5,000.

• CAROL SHIELDS WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
  Deadline: August 1. At the University of Winnipeg. “Canadian writers of all genres who have no more than three published or professionally performed solo works and no more than three previous writer-in-residence terms at other locations” are eligible. “The four-week residency is intended to support an emerging and innovative writer whose work contributes to the changing landscape of Canadian literature. A background in community engagement, such as teaching and mentoring writers, will be an asset. The Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence will be responsible for participating in a Welcome Reading and Q&A, teaching a masterclass on any aspect of craft, providing a public lecture on writing, reading and consulting one-on-one with writers from the University of Winnipeg community and the general public, as well as have the opportunity to visit up to two creative writing classes during the month-long residency. Dates are flexible and can be undertaken from January-March 2025 (not including reading break). Remuneration is $4500.00.”

• CALDERA ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
  Deadline: August 4. Located in Oregon, these residencies “are open to U.S.-based creatives and cultural workers in any discipline. Artists at any stage of their careers, who are not current students, are eligible to apply. Residencies are also available for parent artists who would like to bring their children. Residents will receive private lodging, studio, and artist stipend. Please note: transportation to and from the residency site is not provided by Caldera Arts.” NB: The 2025 theme is “Stars”; “while applicants are not required to connect work to our annual theme, panelists will give special consideration to competitive applications that do.” Note additional priorities as noted within the guidelines.

REMINDER: Some opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for applications and entries, too. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important reminder about additional opportunity listings!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

Since submission calls tend to be fewer at this time of year, this month’s newsletter includes even more “reminders” than usual regarding opportunities that are essentially open year-round.

• At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re open for submissions early each month. “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 (for the August issue), they seek work as follows: “It's the hottest time of the year, and things are getting sweaty. This month, we’re looking for steam and sweat and, yes, sex. Send us your best story where sex, desire, or lust lead to the undressing and undoing of those involved.”

• For the month of July, FLASH FROG will be open for ghost-story flash fiction only.

• LITMOSPHERE, “formerly home for Charlotte Lit’s Lit/South Awards winners and finalists—is now an open submission, paying online literary and art journal, published twice a year,” with submissions for its fall issue open during the month of July.

• Opening July 1 (and remaining open until August 30): VALIANT SCRIBE, for submissions for "Issue V: W.A.R. (We Are Resilient), “which will focus on resilience in the face of war or its aftermath.” Note: Valiant Scribe “was established in December 2019 in New York City to explore the intersection of the Christian faith and social issues….If you’re a writer or artist with a passion for the human condition, Valiant Scribe invites you to join their community and contribute to their mission.”

• From AFTER HAPPY HOUR: “The reading period for Issue #24 (Fall/Winter 2024) will be open from July 1-August 31….We’re not limited to any particular genre, and publish poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, visual art, and hybrids of any of the above. We’re headquartered in Pittsburgh, and love to get work from folks who have a connection to the region, but the journal is not exclusive to Pittsburgh-based writers and artists--we’ve published stories, poems, and artwork from all over the world.” 

• Ireland-based SANS.PRESS is open until July 2 (or until a cap is reached) for a new collection, The Garden. “We are looking for stories of any genre that respond to our title and/or cover art.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• BRIGHT WALL/DARK ROOM, “an independent online film journal devoted to exploring the relationship between movies and the business of being alive,” has evidently extended the deadline for an issue on “Heartbreak/Heartbreakers” (mentioned in last month’s newsletter) to July 5. And for a Spike Lee-focused issue, the deadline is July 20.

• BLANKET GRAVITY MAGAZINE, featuring “art and literature for people in mental health crisis, having a hard day or season, looking to feel connected with themselves or something outside themselves for a moment,” is open for submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and art until July 19. (Hat tip: Jeanne Lyet Gassman.)

• FOUR PALACES PUBLISHING, which aims to be “the leading publisher of stories and voices of unpublished authors from underrepresented communities,” is open until July 31 for nonfiction submissions for an upcoming anthology on “Solastalgia”: “As opposed to nostalgia—the melancholia or homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home—solastalgia is the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while they are directly connected to their home environment.” NB: Contributors must be “brand new” or “emerging” writers—“if you’ve published a book on a national level, please leave room for those who haven’t sunk their teeth in the writing industry yet. Chapbooks, magazine and literary journal publications are okay.” 

• NONBINARY REVIEW is open until July 31, for speculative-writing submissions in poetry and prose, and visual art, for an issue with the theme of “False Memories”; note that there’s a submission cap for each issue, so they may close early.

• CHARLESBRIDGE “has partnered with Count Play Explore, an initiative led by the Office of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Early Care and Education Department, to develop a series of fiction picture books and board books about science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) in both English and Spanish. These playful, child-led stories will feature characters who use scientific or mathematical thinking to solve everyday problems and answer questions that matter to them. They will showcase a wide variety of children with different abilities from diverse backgrounds and family structures. STEAMWORKS will introduce STEAM topics to young children in a fun, engaging way and foster enthusiasm and confidence in their capabilities as powerful thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators. Our mission is to show children of all backgrounds and experiences that STEAM is fun, STEAM is everywhere, and STEAM is for everyone!” Submissions are open until August 1. NB: “We are seeking only realistic, contemporary fiction manuscripts. Our target audiences are children ages 0–3 (board books) and 4–7 (picture books) and their caregivers.”

• The next deadline at THE FIRST LINE, which seeks short stories that are written with the first line provided, is August 1. Stories must begin with this line: “When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles.”

• “A journal about plants, gardens, gardening, parks, and indoor horticulture,” ALOCASIA “accepts creative writing of all genres from queer writers.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• CERTAIN AGE, “a place where women tell the truth about their lives,” welcomes submissions of poetry and nonfiction and art, photography, and video.

• Reminder: Make it a habit to check the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL website, where titles in development are posted. Note: “If this is your first time, please visit our Story Guidelines page.”

• Reminder: CRAFT LITERARY’s “creative categories are open year-round to any emerging or established author. We accept submissions from international writers.” They also consider “polished craft and critical essays. For interviews, we accept completed pieces or pitches….All work in this section is concerned with fiction or creative nonfiction. Please do not send critical work about poetry. Also, please do not send personal essays (creative nonfiction) to this category.”1

• Reminder: THE FORGE, which “publishes one prose piece per week selected by a rotating cast of editors,” opens for free submissions on the first of each month (except for September and December). “If there is no free link, we’ve hit our quota.”

• Reminder that FRACTURED LIT “publishes Micro and Flash Fiction from writers of any background or experience. Both Micro and Flash categories are open year-round.”

• Reminder about FRONTIER POETRY: “Submissions for our New Voices poetry category are open year round to any new and emerging poet who has not published more than one full-length collection of poetry. New Voices are published online only and will feature a number of poems from new authors each month.”

• Reminder from THE MASTERS REVIEW: “Our New Voices category is open year-round to any new or emerging author who has not published a novel-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction with a major press. Authors with published short story collections are free to submit.”

• Reminder: 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”).

• Reminder about PALETTE POETRY: “Submissions for our Featured Poetry category are open year-round to poets at any stage of their careers. Featured poems are published online only and will spotlight a number of poems from new authors each month. We highly encourage emerging authors to submit.”

• Reminder: PARANOID TREE, which welcomes fiction, creative nonfiction, and prose poetry (with a word limit “~400 words”), is also always open for submissions.

• Reminder: 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: 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: WRITE OR DIE is open for author interviews and creative nonfiction year-round. Regarding the latter: “We are interested in essays that focus on the writing life and especially love work where the personal intersects with the critical. We love essays that examine how publishing, reading, teaching, spirituality, sexuality, identity, obsession, labor, and family shape writing.”

REMEMBER: Some 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 always2 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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

It’s been a busy few weeks! In addition to some developments that I can’t disclose quite yet, here’s some of what I’ve been up to since last month’s newsletter went out to you:

• I hosted the May Jewish Book Carnival (a project administered by the Association of Jewish Libraries) over on the My Machberet blog.

• Accompanied by some truly stunning art (which I cannot take credit for), my flash micro-essay “Breaking News” was published by Green Golem.

• And I’m just wrapping up my latest literary observance of Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM; in Canada, Jewish Heritage Month). You can find all of this year’s featured titles on Twitter and listed here on Bookshop.

As has become my habit, too, I’ve been devoting time to curating “After October 7: Readings, Recordings, and More” and “Writers, Beware.” I continue to pray for peace and better times for everyone that will make those projects historical relics rather than current resources.

With all best wishes for all of you and your writing practices,
ERIKA

P.S. 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 Madelaine Zadik:

I am grateful to you for making me aware of Mud Season Review in your newsletter. I am happy to announce their publication of my personal essay “Grief.” Thank you so much! It is the story of my family and the legacy of the Holocaust. The editors there were great to work with and I've been very pleased with all my interactions with them. Additionally, they will be publishing an interview with me. Again, many thanks.

From Miles Whitney:

I have been writing some essays with Jewish themes and decided to submit a couple of them, referring to your Jewish Writing Resources. I also referred to your “Where to Publish Your Work” resource. I saw that you mentioned Duotrope. I signed up and used their search function for nonfiction works on religion/spirituality with the subtopic of “Judaism.” A new publication, OfTheBook Journal, was one of the results. I submitted a strange, dense essay on the origin of death (examining Genesis), and it was accepted for publication in May. (ED note: That piece has since been published.)

Thank you so very much for this invaluable service. I'm a humble government attorney with no experience, and I was able to easily follow your roadmap.

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: “RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MEDIA”

At some point, I hope to find something on this topic that’s more specific to the literary community. For now, though, I’m spotlighting these “Recommendations for the Media,” part of the American Jewish Committee (AJC)'s Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• STOROZYNSKI RESIDENTIAL WRITING FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: June 3. “This $10,000 residential fellowship supports emerging writers who have published no more than one book. Writers with a significant publication record who have not yet published a book are also encouraged to apply. The fellow will be expected to reside in South Bend, Indiana, for approximately four weeks as a guest of the Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values at the University at Notre Dame, give a public lecture or reading, and appear as a guest lecturer in University courses that intersect with the Fellow's work. Each fellowship includes private housing, a $10,000 stipend, living expenses, and access to university resources such as parking, the library, and the gym. The fellowship may be taken in March or April 2025. The Fellowship is funded by the Reilly Center’s Health, Humanities, and Society program, and, as such, applicants’ work should address themes of health, physical or mental illness, narrative medicine, the body, disability, or similar topics.”

• HUGO BURGE FOUNDATION POETRY/SPOKEN WORD RESIDENCY
  Deadline: June 7. “This residency will take place from 14th August to 11th September 2024. This is a fully funded residency that includes exclusive studio space in our Tower Studio, accommodation in one of our Hobbit Pods, and a weekly stipend of £350.”

• BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
  Deadline: June 15. 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. Facilities for this program are wheelchair accessible. Housing will be either an efficiency apartment or a one bedroom apartment (depending upon availability) that is fully furnished with heat and air conditioning….Additionally, the park provides a reimbursement for personal expenses not to exceed $300.” Note the themes described on the website.

• INTERNATIONAL WIZARD OF OZ CLUB CONTESTS
  Deadline: June 15. “Submissions are invited for the 2024 International Wizard of Oz Club Annual Contests. Our goals are to encourage new writers and artists, and to explore a large range of Oz expression. Authors, researchers, and artists are invited to submit their work for consideration.” Categories include fiction, nonfiction, and art, with cash prizes awarded for each. NB: “Entries must be about or pertaining to the Land of Oz as originally created by author L. Frank Baum in the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its sequels, Oz plays, Oz movies, or any other version or aspect of Oz.”

• 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 2023–2024 academic year. Three cash prizes of $1,000 apiece will be awarded in 2024 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.

• VOICES OF HERITAGE WRITING CONTEST
  Deadline: June 15. Launched in May (Jewish American Heritage Month) by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM). “Participants are invited to submit original essays, stories, or poems that capture the rich tapestry of Jewish life in America. We encourage entries that reflect on historical milestones, personal narratives, or profiles of influential Jewish Americans who have shaped the nation’s culture and values. This contest not only celebrates the past and present achievements of Jewish Americans but also aims to educate others about their enduring legacy and continuing impact.” Prizes (for each category: “historical insights,” “personal stories,” “profiles of influence”): “first prize of $3,000, second prize of $1,500, and up to ten runner-up prizes of $500 each. Winning entries will be prominently featured in a special publication on CAM’s digital platforms.”

• GUPPY OPEN SUBMISSION COMPETITION
  Entries: June 17-21. “It’s that time again – where we get ready to open the portholes here at Guppy Books and welcome submissions from unpublished and unagented authors for our annual competition. This year it’s the YA competition – where writers of novels for young adults have the chance to win a publication deal with Guppy Books and join our small but mighty team.” NB: “Writers who have been traditionally published in other genres are unfortunately not eligible. This competition is open to self-published authors.” Also: “All shortlisted authors will be offered an editorial meeting with Bella Pearson. The winner will be offered a contract with Guppy Books (with no obligation to accept).”

• INTERNATIONAL GRANADA WRITERS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM
  Deadline: June 20. For “writers living in any country and writing in any language.” The residency will award two writers 30-night stays (between November 4 and December 3, inclusive) “at the Corrala de Santiago of the University of Granada. Granada City of Literature Unesco will cover the travel expenses of each of the selected writers. The University of Granada will cover the accommodation expenses of the two selected writers in single rooms and full board at its guest residence Corrala de Santiago. Granada City of Literature Unesco and the University of Granada will provide the writers-in-residence with opportunities to participate in the literary life of the city of Granada and contacts with local writers, as well as the possibility of participating in workshops and pedagogical activities.”

• 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 2024 A Midsummer Tale writing contest is: Summer Olympics. Possible takes on this theme include, but are not limited to, stories involving a child’s dreams of being an Olympic champion; an athlete training in an Olympic sport; a former Olympic athlete; an Olympics broadcast as a backdrop for a concurrent story; the host city during an Olympics as the setting for a story; Olympics merchandise or swag or an Olympic medal as a key element in a story; and stories from the perspective of anyone involved in producing an Olympics, from executives and builders to food vendors and security to coaches and broadcasters. Take your story in any direction you like as long as it involves a past, present or future Summer Olympics in some way. Your story must be set during the hot summer months and the theme must play an integral role in the story.” 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. 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.)

• INTERNATIONAL EDMONTON COMMUNITY JAPANESE ASSOCIATION (ECJA) SPRING HAIKU CONTEST
  Deadline: June 22. “ECJA once again calls upon your hidden poetic talents and invites you to get creative and craft and submit a Haiku, suitably themed to celebrate the season.” Cash prizes will be awarded for “best overall” and “second best overall” in Japanese- and English-language categories (there is also a youth category). The submission form includes the following note where entrants are asked to disclose their locations: “We could love to know where you are contacting us from. Our 2022 and 2023 events had many international poets joining!” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• DAVE GREBER FREELANCE WRITERS AWARDS
  Deadline: June 28. 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.” Prizes: “The book award is set at $5,000 and the magazine award is set at $2,000. Since the awards can be given before publication and book and magazine publishing timelines can differ, so do the requirements for each award.”

• MARLBOROUGH LIT FEST LOVE BOOKS COMPETITION
  Deadline: June 28. “We want you to tell us why you love your favourite book, poem or play. Your response should be in the form of a piece of text of up to 750 words. Entrants should explain what they love about their chosen read, highlighting key areas of interest, and why they think others should try it. We are looking for creative, passionate, and engaging responses which celebrate your love of reading.” Age groups include 13-15 years; 16-19 years; 20+ years. “Winner for each age group receives £300; the runner-up in each age group receives £100.” Note: “The competition is open to UK residents only with a UK bank account, in order to receive your prize money if you win.” 

• AFRICAN DIASPORA AWARD
  Deadline: June 30. “Afro descendants wanted for the African Diaspora Award 2024. Participants submit an original, unpublished work in English, including short stories, flash fiction, nonfiction essays, poetry, or visual art. Prizes up to $1000 USD for top winners along with publication in Kinsman Quarterly’s literary journal and the upcoming anthology, Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• BERGGRUEN PRIZE ESSAY COMPETITION
  Deadline: June 30. This competition “seeks to stimulate new thinking and innovative concepts while embracing cross-cultural perspectives across fields, disciplines, and geographies. By posing fundamental philosophical questions of significance for both contemporary life and for the future, the competition will serve as a complement to the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture, which recognizes major lifetime achievements in advancing ideas that have shaped the world.” Entries should develop “the concept of the planetary” (details on the website). Submissions are welcome in two languages: Chinese and English. “Each language category will have a prize of $25,000 USD and intends to recognize one winner, though there may be multiple winners in any given year. The Berggruen Institute will host an award ceremony and convene the authors of the winning essays in dialogue with established scholars and thinkers at one of our global centers. We plan to publish the winning essays in our award-winning English-language magazine Noema and Chinese-language magazine Cuiling, giving readers insight into perspectives of both East and West.” Eligibility criteria apply, including “a formally accredited undergraduate degree or equivalent”; entrants must also “have at least one publication in a reputable literary, journalistic, or academic outlet.”

• BRITISH CZECH AND SLOVAK ASSOCIATION (BCSA) WRITING COMPETITION
  Deadline: June 30. “Discovering a New Country – that’s the suggested (but not compulsory) theme of this year’s BCSA writing competition. It’s prompted by the 100th anniversary of the publication of Karel Čapek’s Letters from England (Anglické listy). Write about that great writer if you wish, but he needn’t feature at all in your entry – it could be something on a much more individual, personal or local level. The new country could be anywhere – as long as your entry fulfils the requirements set out in the next paragraph. As stated, this theme is not compulsory. What is compulsory is that entries must deal with either (1) the links between Britain and the Czech and/or Slovak Republics, at any time in their history, or (2) society in those Republics since 1989. Entries should be original writing, in English and not more than 2,000 words long. Fiction or fact – either is welcome. The first prize is £400 and the second prize £150.” Note: “Submissions are invited from individuals of any age, nationality or educational background.”

• CENTRUM ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAMS
  Deadline: June 30. Based in Port Townsend, Washington, Centrum is currently “accepting applications for three of our residency programs (Emerging Artist, In the Making, and Self-Directed Residencies).” Details on all programs are available on the main website. Note that both the Emerging Artist and In the Making programs are not only fee-free, but confer stipends, too. 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 2025 residency season: 7 spots for Emerging Artists Residency, 3 spots for In The Making, and 60 spots for Self-Directed Residencies. We will have approximately 10 scholarships available, with hopes of raising funds for more.”

• 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.

• McLAUGHLIN-ESSTMAN-STEARNS FIRST NOVEL PRIZE
  Deadline: June 30 (received; note that “hardcopies are required even if a PDF is submitted”). “Each year, The Writer’s Center awards $3,000 to the author of an exceptional first novel published in the previous calendar year. Conceived and funded by former board member Neal P. Gillen, the McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize honors three dedicated writers and members of The Writer’s Center faculty—the late Ann McLaughlin, Barbara Esstman, and Lynn Stearns—each of whom have nourished and inspired students and fellow writers.” Eligibility: “All first novels published in print in 2023 are eligible, including those published by major and independent presses. Only authors living in the United States and publishing in English are eligible.”

• MY WRITING JOURNEY COMPETITION
  Deadline: June 30. Global contest from The Writers College. “Write us a 600-word essay on the theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received. We’ll publish the best piece in our newsletter and on our blog – plus the winner receives $200 (R2 000 or £100).”

• MARCUS PEMBREY BIONEWS WRITING COMPETITION
  Deadline: June 30. From the Progress Educational Trust (PET). “What better way to celebrate the 25th Birthday of BioNews than encourage young and aspiring writers to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!) and share their opinions about the most important fertility and genomic developments of the last 25 years.” This new contest “is named after one of the PET founding trustees and patrons.” Writers, who must be “aged from 18-30 (entrants must be under 31 on the closing date),” are asked to “write a comment piece on the following topic: Which scientific or legal development in fertility, genomics or embryo research in the last 25 years do you think will have the greatest impact in the next 25 years?” Three prizes: “First prize £750 - the winner will be given the opportunity to have 3 pieces of work published in BioNews with coaching from the experienced team of BioNews editors. Second prize £500. Third prize £250.” Note eligibility criteria, including subscription to the BioNews email newsletter and availability requirements for UK-based and other entrants. (Hat tip: .)

• PINE MEADOW RANCH CENTER FOR ARTS & AGRICULTURE (PMRCAA) RESIDENCIES
  Deadline: June 30. “Currently, we are hosting three residents at a time. Residents are being accommodated for two to four-week residencies from mid-March to mid-November. They are provided studio space in one of the ranch buildings and a private room with a shared bathroom, kitchen, dining and laundry area. As we continue to remodel other buildings, PMRCAA will be able to accommodate different artists, scientists and scholars. For our 4-week long residencies, residents are invited to participate in an open studio event towards the end of their residency.” The theme for 2025 residencies is “Care & Stewardship.” Check under “Residency Program Details” for information about stipends/travel reimbursements.

• ’s CREATIVE NONFICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: June 30. Confers cash prizes ($100/$50/$25). Be sure to read the full guidelines linked within the announcement! (For starters, if you don’t subscribe [free of charge] to the magazine, your submission won’t be considered.)

• ROYAL SOCIETY OF PORTRAIT PAINTERS (RP) CRITICAL WRITING PRIZE
  Deadline: June 30. This award “for new writing on any aspect of contemporary portrait painting” is “open to all.” To enter, applicants “are invited to send a proposal or pitch for a new text. Three of the applicants will be selected to realise the proposed text and awarded either the first prize of £500 or one of two ‘special mention’ prizes of £250. All three texts will be published in the RP Annual Exhibition Catalogue published in May (2025).” NB: “The text could be a review of a forthcoming exhibition, of an existing piece of work, or it could take a more creative or experimental form. Please note that we are looking for texts which are enquiring, provoking, and jargon-free. We are not looking for academic dissertations or specialist scholarly papers, couched in highly technical or theoretical language, so it is not advisable to submit academic texts.” (Hat tip: .)

• 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 $10,000/$1,000/$500, plus publication. (There is also an entry division for secondary-school students, with lower cash prizes.)

• ALCS EDUCATIONAL WRITER’S AWARD
  Deadline: July 1: “The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society Award for Educational Writers is awarded to an outstanding example of traditionally published non-fiction that stimulates and enhances learning. Total prize money is £2,000.” Criteria include: 1) “The work to be a single-volume, non-fiction (with or without illustrations), of genuine merit for the 11-18 age group”; 2) “The work to have been first published in the UK, in the English language”; 3) “The work to have been published within the previous two calendar years, i.e. 2022 and 2023.”

• THE AUTOETHNOGRAPHER STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
  Deadline: July 1. Recognizes “outstanding works of literary and artistic autoethnography by creatives anywhere in the world who identify as active students at any age or level.” Entrants’ works “must be nominated by an instructor, professor, tutor, or other educator; the author/artist must have been an enrolled student in the 2023-2024 school year.” Will confer “two $250 USD cash prizes paid via PayPal; publication in the digital version of The AutoEthnographer; publication in the print anthology of The AutoEthnographer; participation in the magazine podcast; the opportunity to join our Editorial Board for 6 months; and the opportunity to develop a column/feature at the magazine. Additionally, applicants who are not awarded the cash prize may still be invited to publish their submissions ($25 USD payment); participate in the magazine podcast; and/or have their work published in the biennial print edition.”

• BROOKLYN CARIBBEAN LITERARY FESTIVAL (BCLF) SHORT FICTION STORY CONTEST
  Deadline: July 1. The 2024 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.

• EQUESTRIAN VOICES CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST
  Deadline: July 1. From The Plaid Horse. Invites “works of prose, at any length. We regret we cannot consider poetry.” Current theme: “A trainer who has made a significant impact on your life.” Prizes: “The Grand Champion prize will be awarded to a single author. The prize will include a $5,000 cash prize and a featured publication in The Plaid Horse (in print and online). 5 Champion prizes will be awarded $500 cash prize and a featured publication in The Plaid Horse (in print and online). 10 Reserve Champion prizes will be awarded $250 cash prize and a featured publication [online]. All authors who submit an entry will receive a free 1 year subscription to The Plaid Horse.”

• 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).

• 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, 2023, and June 30, 2024; 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.”

• SCOTTISH ARTS TRUST BURSARIES
  Deadline: July 3. “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 Awards….Successful applications will depend on the quality of the work submitted (we want to see the work you intend to submit), your practice as a writer or artist and your circumstances. We do not ask for proof.” Applications are open to writers worldwide. (Hat tip: Freelance Writing Jobs.)

• WINGATE LITERARY PRIZE
  Deadline: July 7. “For close to 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 2023 and 31 August 2024”; “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.”

REMINDER: Some opportunities listed in last month’s newsletter remain open for applications and entries, too. And please keep reading the “Blog Notes” below for an important reminder about additional opportunity listings!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• FREEFALL will re-open for submissions (from Canadian writers only) June 1. They publish prose, poetry, art, and interviews and book reviews.

• For the month of June, SCUPPERNONG EDITIONS “will be open to submissions for hybrid memoir, as well as books on social justice issues in North Carolina.” NB: “You do not have to be a North Carolina resident to submit.”

• Scheduled to open June 1: Ontario-based THE /TEMZ/ REVIEW, for poetry and prose.

• At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re “open for submissions the first week of every month, from 12AM on the first through 11:59PM on the seventh. 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 June 1-7, they seek work as follows: “It’s a time for gatherings and cookouts, so this month, we want your stories about food. That restaurant that’s been open for 20 years despite never having any customers. A baker’s deranged attempt to perfect their blood pudding. A delivery order gone horrifically wrong. Extra rare or well done, if it’s about food, we want it.”

• Until June 9, NORTHERN GRAVY is open for submissions of fiction, poetry, and writing for middle-grade or young-adult readers. NB: “While we love receiving submissions, if you weren’t either born in the UK or Ireland, or currently reside in the UK or Ireland, we will have to discard your submission without reading it.”

• Twice a year, MSLEXIA (“for women who write”) invites submissions of short fiction and poetry on a particular theme for its “Showcase” section. Currently, they’re seeking work on “Red.” Deadline: June 10.

• BRIGHT WALL/DARK ROOM, “an independent online film journal devoted to exploring the relationship between movies and the business of being alive,” currently has two calls with June deadlines. For “To the Sea,” the deadline is June 10; for “Heartbreak/Heartbreakers,” the deadline is June 30.

• 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.”

• And another one with a sub window closing June 15: POETRY.

• From THE FAIRY TALE MAGAZINE: “The fall/winter submissions window will be [opening] June 17, 2024 at 12 AM, EST., and closing on June 24, 2024 at 11:59 PM, EST.” The current theme is “Classic Fairy Tales. You can take a lot of license with the work, but there must be a clear connection to a specific old fairy tale in the work. We are also very open to the stories and poems focusing on seasonal holidays, like solstice celebrations, Halloween, Hanukkah,  etc.” 

• Open for submissions until June 20: CHANNEL, “a home for Irish and international writing that contributes to building rich, mutually sustaining relationships between human beings and the natural world.”

• Open until June 30: VARIANT LIT magazine, which considers fiction, poetry, and flash/micro fiction and nonfiction. (Thanks to @Duotrope for alerting me to the updated submissions calendar.)

• A call from : “I am inviting submissions of your best new, unpublished work written in response to Writing in the Dark writing exercises—especially if it’s work you feel you couldn’t/wouldn’t have written without the exercise.”

• THE SICK TIMES, “a journalist-founded website chronicling the Long Covid crisis,” is “accepting pitches for reported news stories and essays/commentary pieces. We take pitches, not full (already written) drafts on spec. We prioritize pitches from people with Long Covid and related diseases.”

• A call posted on Twitter by THE LONDON MAGAZINE’s managing editor: “The London Mag is looking for argumentative essays that examine literature and the places it intersects with wider culture. Don’t be afraid to match high culture w/low, to be funny, iconoclastic, and have an authorial voice. Above all, please do not write in the tone of a PhD thesis lol. I am imagining essays that sit somewhere between the rigour of Too Little/Too Hard and originality of The Fence. We get lots of pitches for retrospective essays on certain writers, books etc. which we love and will continue to publish, but we’re looking for work to go alongside that. Email me at jamie(dot)cameron(at)thelondonmagazine(dot)org.” No deadline. (Hat tip: Write at Home.)

• 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”).

• 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: WRITE OR DIE is open for author interviews and creative nonfiction year-round. Regarding the latter: “We are interested in essays that focus on the writing life and especially love work where the personal intersects with the critical. We love essays that examine how publishing, reading, teaching, spirituality, sexuality, identity, obsession, labor, and family shape writing.”

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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

Here’s a fun fact: When I prepare each issue of this newsletter, I check its predecessor issue for the prior year. So as I drafted this issue for you, I’ve revisited the one that went out one year ago.

Which reminded me that I had intended to do better this year. Instead of alerting you to May’s role as both Short Story Month and Jewish (American) Heritage Month with just a single day to spare, I had intended to give you more notice.

Let’s review this material from last May’s newsletter:

I’m revisiting this now for a few reasons. Perhaps the one I’m currently most passionate about is my sustained commitment to Jewish literary advocacy. May’s heritage observance provides an important opportunity for that.

Last May, I spotlighted Jewish-American short-story collections throughout the month on Twitter. You’ll find the full list, with notes, threaded there. I also compiled a list of as many of the selections as I was able to find available on Bookshop. I’m re-upping these titles here with a request that you please consider them for your own reading, as well as for any lists, displays, or other efforts with which you may be engaged. (NB: Aware of the concurrence of JAHM and Asian American and Pacific Islander [AAPI] Heritage Month, I highlighted joint and/or intersectional books, events, and resources last year as well.)

As this May approaches, helpful resources I’ve noticed so far include this JAHM hub (hosted by the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History); another suite of materials from the American Jewish Committee (AJC); and this Canadian site.

But, wait! Yet again, there’s more.

For the vast majority of Diaspora Jews for whom a connection to the Jewish state and our family in Israel (literal and spiritual) is intrinsic to our Jewish identity, May also brings multiple “modern” Jewish holidays that have taken root in response to more recent history. As with all holidays anchored in the Jewish calendar, their secular observance dates shift each year.

Often, the holidays that I’m about to mention occur in April. But this year, they’re taking place in May. And given what occurred on October 7 and all that’s unfolded since then, I believe that several of them—including Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day), and Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day)1—are important to recognize, too. For this year’s Jewish (literary) heritage project, then, I plan to highlight books that, in various ways, embody connections and intersections among Jewish people in United States (and Canada) and in Israel, where just about half of the world’s current population now lives. Call it a project imbued by the sense of K’lal Yisrael, a sense of Jewish peoplehood, which was integral to my own Jewish upbringing—and which I’ve experienced more than ever before since October 7.

At the moment, I plan to highlight one book each day throughout the month (again, on Twitter—possibly, if I can manage it, elsewhere, too). And, similar to last year’s practice, I plan to compile the featured titles at month’s end on Bookshop.

And who knows? Perhaps there will be a mid-May update here on Substack, too. (No promises just yet!)

With all best wishes,
ERIKA

P.S. #1 also pertains to my Jewish literary advocacy. Let’s just say that it’s been busy since last month’s newsletter went out. Some of my own writing/speech can be found in a new subsection (“Regarding Literary and Literary-Adjacent Communities”) within this resource document.

P.S. #2: 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 Lorna Likiza:

I have been a subscriber to your newsletter from August 2022 and check every beginning of the month for submission opportunities. I have since submitted to many literary journals thanks to your efforts, and I am happy to announce that I have been featured twice on Aniko Press for my book reviews of No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe and Desertion by Abdulrazak Gurnah. Thank you so much for the work that you do!

From Robert Binney:

I recently had a piece posted in the Lowestoft Chronicle... I can’t find the newsletter where you posted it as a possibility, but how else would I have found them!??!? On to the next! [ED note: I can’t find it, either—and judging from the outlet’s guidelines, it looks as though they don’t pay (any longer?). But it does sound familiar! Did I share it somewhere, once upon a time? Maybe?!]

From Marina Petrova:

I wanted to thank you for putting together the Jewish Writing Resources page. I am a short story writer living in NYC. I have watched many lit magazines publish pieces that were antisemitic or overtly antisemitic. I appreciated the [“Writers, Beware” list on the resources page] and pulled my submission from Agni and Guernica. In the comments, I explained why. Doubt it will change anything, but at least I could do what felt like the “right” thing to me. It was also comforting to find other writers who are experiencing, to put it mildly, discomfort with what has been happening in the literary world since October 7th.

And from Sheena Daree Romero:

I’m very grateful that you shared the Miriam Chaikin Writing Award a few months back. My essay “The Happiest Country in the Whole Wide World” won this year’s prose award, and I still can’t quite believe it. Your thorough and thoughtful sharing and curation help writers find gems we wouldn’t otherwise. 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:

Resource lists are great—so long as they’re regularly checked for broken links and other necessary housekeeping.

In that spirit: I’ve recently managed my annual review and update for this list of fee-free writing residencies.

To be included on this list, programs must charge no fees for the residency application OR attendance. Some programs—but not all—also confer stipends.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• THE CAROLYN MOORE WRITING RESIDENCY
  Applications: May 1-May 15. “Portland Community College and the Humanities & Arts (HARTS) Council invite writers of all genres—including poetry, fiction, and non-fiction—to apply for a 2024 Residency. The Residency is the first of its kind to be hosted by a community college in the United States. PCC’s mission is to deliver access to quality education while advancing economic development and promoting sustainability in a collaborative culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Consisting of three- to eight-week terms at the Carolyn Moore Writers House in Tigard, Oregon, the Carolyn Moore Writing Residency offers writers concentrated time to focus on developing a written work, while also providing PCC students the opportunity to meet and interact with talented writers from across the country….The Writers House is a beautiful log cabin home with full modern amenities on nine acres, complete with a fruit orchard, gardens, and a marsh. The house has two wings, enabling two concurrent residencies. Each wing has its own generous living space, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, as well as separate access to the onsite laundry room. In addition to use of the House and grounds, residents receive a stipend of $400 dollars per week, delivered in full upon arrival.”

• ON THE PREMISES MINI-CONTEST #60
  Deadline: May 3. “For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long in which a hat of some kind matters to the story.” Prizes: “First place pays $35, second pays $25, and third pays $15, all in US dollars. Honorable mentions get published, but make no money.”

• SOUTH ARTS INDIVIDUAL ARTIST CAREER OPPORTUNITY GRANTS
  Deadline: May 7. These grants support “a milestone opportunity in an individual artist’s career that is likely to lead to substantial and significant career advancement. Grants of up to $2,000 are available to support opportunities taking place between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024.” To be eligible, an artist/writer must “be a United States citizen, lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence, or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the U.S.,” and must “be a resident of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee,” among other requirements.

• RTÉ SHORT STORY COMPETITION
  Deadline: May 10. In honor of writer and broadcaster Francis MacManus. Open to writers “resident on the island of Ireland, or, if living abroad, hold[ing] an Irish passport.” Prizes: “The overall winner will be awarded €5,000, while €4,000 and €3,000 will be awarded to the second and third place prize winners respectively. A further seven runners-up will receive €250 each, and all 10 shortlisted stories will be published on rte.ie/culture and broadcast in a season of new writing on RTÉ Radio 1.”

• CAVE CANEM PRIZE
  Deadline: May 13. Awarded annually to “the best debut collection of poems submitted by a Black poet,” this prize confers “$10,000, publication by Graywolf Press in fall 2025, 15 copies of the book, and a feature reading. (More info is available here.)

• ABA JOURNAL/ROSS WRITING CONTEST FOR LEGAL SHORT FICTION
  Deadline: May 15 (5pm CDT). “Entries must be original works of fiction of no more than 5,000 words that illuminate the role of the law and/or lawyers in modern society. The winner will receive a prize of $5,000. Entrants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents and 21 years of age or older” by the contest deadline. Note: “Entries may be unpublished, or published no earlier than December 1, 2023.”

• TABLET PERSONAL ESSAY CONTEST (“BELONGING”)
  Deadline: May 15. “Where do you feel at home—or no longer at home—physically, spiritually, or culturally? How do you find community, or a sense that you’re a part of something larger than yourself? Are there places where you feel a sense of belonging, or alienation—or both? Tablet is seeking personal essays that wrestle with these questions. We are looking for previously unpublished work by writers living in North America who have never published in Tablet before…. Writers can be from any background or perspective, but there should be a reason why your piece belongs in Tablet Magazine, a Jewish magazine about the world. Tablet editors will review all submissions and choose our favorite five, which we will edit with the writers. The authors of those five pieces will be invited to New York City to read their story in front of a live audience, and will receive a stipend toward travel and lodging. A guest judge will then select the winner from the finalists. The winning selection will be published in Tablet Magazine and will receive $500. All other finalists will receive $100 for their work.”

• ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION ARTS WRITERS GRANT PROGRAM
  Deadline: May 15. Supports “emerging and established writers who write about contemporary visual art. Ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 in three categories—articles, books, and short-form writing—the grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies. We also support art writing that engages criticism through interdisciplinary methods and experiments with literary styles. As long as a writer meets the eligibility and publishing requirements, they can apply.” Included among the former: applicants must be “a US citizen, permanent resident of the United States, or a holder of an O-1 visa (if your application advances to the final round, you will need to submit current documentation).”

• RBC NEW VOICES PEN CANADA AWARD
  Deadline: May 19. “The annual award supports and celebrates emerging talent in Canadian literature. Unpublished writers are encouraged to submit short stories, creative nonfiction, journalism, and poetry. The shortlisted submissions will be judged by a distinguished jury of Canadian writers. The winning entry will receive a $3,000 CAD cash prize and mentorship from a Canadian author.” NB: Writers who have published books previously may not enter, but those with publishing contracts for forthcoming books may enter. Candidates must not have had any book published prior to or during the entire duration of the award selection process (March 19 – June 30, 2024). Writers who have published pamphlets, or whose work has appeared in magazines and journals may enter.

• SONOMA COUNTY WRITERS CAMP BIPOC WRITER SCHOLARSHIP
  Deadline: May 24. For “a 4.5-day generative writing retreat in Cazadero, CA,” this scholarship provides “a full tuition waiver [classes, panels, room and board] for one recipient who is BIPOC and self-identifies as a woman or non-binary. Camp runs from July 24 - July 28, 2024.”

• CHANGING LIGHT PRIZE FOR A NOVEL-IN-VERSE
  Deadline: May 25. From University of West Alabama’s Livingston Press. Confers “$500 prize plus 20 copies, standard royalty contract. Publication in trade paper, e-book, and Kindle.”

• GREAT LAKES COLLEGE ASSOCIATION NEW WRITERS AWARD
  Deadline: May 25. “For the 55^th year this group of thirteen independent Midwestern colleges will confer recognition on a volume of writing in each of three literary genres: poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Publishers submit works on behalf of their authors; a defining criterion for this award is that a work must be an author’s first published volume in the genre.” The winning writers “receive invitations to visit several GLCA member colleges, where they will read from their works and engage with students and faculty members in a variety of contexts, such as discussions, lectures, colloquia, workshops, and interviews.” Authors “receive an honorarium of $500 from each of the colleges they visit. In addition, writers are reimbursed for all travel, lodging, and food costs they might incur in visits to GLCA member colleges.” Limited to writers resident in the U.S. and Canada; publishers may submit only one entry per category. This year’s competition will consider works “that bear a publication imprint of 2023 or 2024.”

• IRENE ADLER PRIZE

  Deadline: May 30. From Lucas Aykroyd: “I’ve been very fortunate, and it’s time for me to give back. With the Irene Adler Prize, I’m awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a woman pursuing a degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution.” The competition “is open to entrants worldwide, and up to two $250 honorable mentions will be also awarded.” Check guidelines for the prompts.

• GENESIS JEWISH BOOK WEEK EMERGING WRITERS’ PROGRAMME
  Deadline: May 31. This program “covers fiction, non-fiction, and poetry and includes bursaries, mentoring, peer support and an event at London’s longest-running literary festival.” Open to “emerging writers 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.”

• JERRY JAZZ MUSICIAN SHORT FICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: May 31. Thrice-yearly contest for “the best original, previously unpublished work of short fiction” submitted. NB: “The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Our newsletter subscribers include publishers, artists, musicians, and fellow writers. While your writing should appeal to a reader with these interests and in these creative professions, all story themes are considered.” Open to writers in English worldwide. Confers a prize of $150 and publication.

• ELIZA MOORE FELLOWSHIP FOR ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE
  Deadline: May 31. Awarded annually by the Oak Spring Garden Foundation “to one outstanding, early-career artist who is developing new works that address plants, gardens, or landscapes in the broad sense. This award is open to visual artists, literary artists, dancers, and musicians. The award includes a $10,000 individual grant and requires a 2 - 5 week stay at Oak Spring.” (Anyone interested in this fellowship may also wish to check the OSGF Interdisciplinary Residency Program, with options for 2-week and 5-week attendance, which has the same deadline.)

• SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION OLDER WRITERS’ GRANT
  Deadline: May 31 (opens May 1). A $1,000 grant awarded to a writer 50 years of age or older at application time. Grant is “to assist such writers who are just starting to work at a professional level. These funds may be used as each writer determines will best assist their work.” Be sure to check the capacious definition of “speculative literature.”

• BARD FICTION PRIZE
  Deadline: June 1 (received). For “a promising emerging writer who is an American citizen aged 39 years or younger at the time of application. In addition to a $30,000 cash award, the winner receives an appointment as writer in residence at Bard College for one semester, without the expectation that he or she teach traditional courses. The recipient gives at least one public lecture and meets informally with students.” Application must include “three copies of the published book they feel best represents their work.”

• PEGGY WILLIS LYLES HAIKU AWARDS
  Deadline: June 1. From The Heron’s Nest. Prizes include cash awards ($200/$100/$50). No simultaneous submissions. Note: “Monetary awards to non-US winners will be made through PayPal, where possible, in order to avoid the high cost of bank processing fees.”

• OPEN DOORS POETRY FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: June 1. Offered by the Porches Writing Retreat to a first-time visitor with one published collection. Provides a week-long residency.

• THE PATTIS FAMILY FOUNDATION CREATIVE ARTS BOOK AWARD
  Deadline: June 1. The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award at Interlochen is presented annually to a book that inspires, illuminates, or exemplifies the creative process in fields such as creative writing, dance, film and new media, music, theatre, and visual arts. This inaugural award recognizes outstanding works of fiction or nonfiction. The winning author receives a $25,000 cash prize, and will conduct a multi-day residency at Interlochen Arts Academy and join the lineup of the National Writers Series in Traverse City, Michigan. Two runner-up awards of $2,500 may also be presented.” NB: They seek to recognize books, with copyright dates of 2022 or 2023, that “center on the creative process of an artist or the arts—broadly defined—as [the] theme. Eligible books include full-length books of fiction and nonfiction or collections of short stories and/or essays by a single author.” Also, per response to my email inquiry: Self-nominations are permitted.

• DAN VEACH PRIZE FOR YOUNGER POETS
  Deadline: June 1. This prize from Atlanta Review honors Dan Veach, the founding editor and publisher of Atlanta Review from 1994 to 2016. It solicits “unpublished poems from college-age students, aged 18-23, on any subject or style. Poems with an international focus are especially welcomed, but all poems must be written in English.” Confers a $100 prize and publication.

• MASS MoCA ASSETS FOR ARTISTS RESIDENCY FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: June 8. From the Studios at MASS MoCA in the Berkshire Mountains, for residencies between January and June 2025. “We offer many full-ride fellowships (no residency fee charged to the artist), often in specific donor-identified categories, but there are always multiple general fellowships available. In addition to general fellowships, current fully-funded offerings include General Fellowships, Fellowships for Black or Indigenous Artists and Writers, Massachusetts Fellowships (for Massachusetts-based creatives), and Puerto Rico Artist Fellowships. Some of these awards also confer stipends.

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• THE BOMBAY LITERARY MAGAZINE, which accepts submissions in five categories (fiction, poetry, translated fiction, translated poetry, essays, and graphic fiction), is scheduled to re-open for submissions May 1. NB: “We only consider the first 400 submissions in each category.”

• Also scheduled to open again (for print-magazine submissions) May 1: THE CINCINNATI REVIEW. They’ll close once they hit their submission cap (and definitely by month’s end).

• Also scheduled to open May 1 [UPDATED: May 15] (for fiction submissions only): CUTLEAF.

• During the month of May, THE MALAHAT REVIEW welcomes submissions in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from writers worldwide.

• The PRINCETON SERIES OF CONTEMPORARY POETS, now edited by Rowan Ricardo Phillips, is open for manuscript submissions during the month of May.

• At STONE’S THROW, “the monthly online companion to Rock and a Hard Place Magazine,” they’re “open for submissions the first week of every month, from 12AM on the first through 11:59PM on the seventh. 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 May 1-7, they seek work that addresses the following: “Home is where the noir is. This month, we’re looking for stories set at home, wherever that is. Apartments. The suburbs. A townhouse. An RV. Under an overpass. We all need to lay our head somewhere, and while we imagine it to always be safe, sometimes that’s just wishful thinking.”

• MATCHBOOK has returned. “We look for works of short fiction, creative nonfiction, and indeterminate prose. Like our name suggests, we are interested in literary art that manages brevity without sacrificing fullness. We like narrative, but we also like work that uses form to express something about the time in which we live.” Per this tweet, they’ll re-open May 1 and remain open until May 8 (“or when our submission count reaches 1,000”).

• Open for submissions until May 10: FUNICULAR, which publishes “quality fiction and poetry that shocks, surprises, moves, and tickles us. Maybe all of those things in a single piece. We are a Canadian magazine and we want to publish Canadian voices, but don't be shy if you aren’t Canadian. We love sharing international writers with our readers too.” NB: Pays for print publication only.

• Attention, Oceania writers. Until May 13, Australia-based GOING DOWN SWINGING is currently open for print submissions. “We’re going looooooong. We want to see what you can do with a little more room to stretch your literary legs. Think long short stories, mini-manifesto, chapbook collections, perfectly paired essays.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• According to its website, THE STINGING FLY, which features “new, previously unpublished work by Irish and international writers,” will be open for submissions May 15-May 29, for their Winter 2024 issue. “We have a particular interest in promoting new writers, and in promoting the short story form. Each issue…includes a mix of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, alongside our Featured Poets and Comhchealg sections, occasional author interviews and novel extracts. We also welcome submissions of poetry and prose in translation.”

• According to its Twitter account, BARRELHOUSE will be open for submissions “in all genres” for a period beginning in mid-May (“probably May 15-May 30”). Caps will apply.

• For its tenth anniversary this year, BRILLIANT FLASH FICTION is celebrating with “an eBook and print anthology entitled TENacity. We are seeking flash fiction stories of 300 words or less on the subject of Tenacity. Writers do not have to use the word ‘tenacity’ in their stories or titles; simply send us your best work expressing the concept.” Deadline: May 15.

• FOURTEEN POEMS, which publishes anthologies “of the most exciting LGBTQ+ poets around 3 times a year” is open for submissions. The window “is rolling, but the deadline for the next issue is May 15.” (Hat tip: WOW [Women on Writing] Markets Newsletter.)

• VARIETY PACK is open for submissions until May 15. “We’ll be reading for our unthemed issue, Issue 11! So send us your best poetry, fiction, non-fiction/CNF, reviews/review-essays, translations, visual art, mixed media.”

• From the WOW! (Women on Writing) MARKETS NEWSLETTER: “Would you like to share your expertise with other writers who read this newsletter? Have you recently found your niche? We are looking for articles for our newest ‘Breaking In’ column. Last month, we published ‘How to Become a Commerce Writer’ by Nicole Pyles; and this issue we published ‘How to Become a Sensitivity Reader’ by Lara Ameen. You’ll see they follow the same formula, including headers like ‘How I Got Started’ and ‘Landing Your First Opportunity.’ If you've found your niche in the last 3-4 years (only because the market changes so quickly) and have some unique tips, we’d love to hear from you!” Pitch by May 15, and be sure to check the full announcement in this issue of the newsletter for contact/pay info and additional instructions.

• BALTIMORE REVIEW’s submissions window is scheduled to close May 31. Publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.

• Also closing May 31: general submissions at BLACK FOX LITERARY MAGAZINE, “an international print and online biannual publication featuring quality fiction of all styles and genres, poetry, and nonfiction.”

• Although the BLACK LAWRENCE PRESS IMMIGRANT WRITING SERIES considers manuscripts year-round, submissions received after May 31 will be considered in the November instead of the June reading period. Check the detailed guidelines. Note, for example, that “only books of poetry, prose (fiction or nonfiction), and hybrid texts of poetry and prose will be considered” and that “submission is open to any individual living in the U.S. who identifies as an immigrant and who either (i) was born in another country, (ii) has at least one parent who was born in another country (iii) is a refugee, or (iv) lives in the United States under Asylum or a Protection Program, such as TPS or DACA.”

• “Calling all freelance journalists interested in covering the indie film space: CONE Magazine is seeking coverage and pitches for upcoming independent film premiers, festivals and other related events.” Pays: “Typically 1,000-1,500 word features receive USD$200-400….the range really depends on project and scope.” No deadline indicated. (Hat tip: Write at Home.)

• According to its Submittable page, REDIVIDER is currently reading for its Fall 2024 issue. No deadline indicated.

• STATUE “publishes fiction stories of between 1000-6000 words.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• 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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers,

I’d like to begin with a heartfelt “thank-you” to the many practicing writers among you who sent me a veritable tsunami of messages after my recent mid-month note. With blessedly few exceptions, you wrote generously, kindly, and compassionately.1 And I am grateful.

Since then, I’ve found myself continuing to be engaged with much of the same subject. (Note, for example, an update that I included in this Practicing Writing blog post.)

I’ve also found myself—or my name, at least—popping up in a few places. Since I was interviewed for this article about Holocaust literature, I expected that Google alert to ping eventually. But I didn’t know that my own writing would be mentioned alongside that of Molly Antopol, Julie Orringer, and Daniel Mendelsohn (that was a gratifying surprise) in another, related piece.

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.

P.S. #2 Wishing a good Easter holiday to those who may be observing it. And a Happy National Poetry Month for those of us living where April is, in fact, that month!

2. SUCCESS STORIES

From Frank J. Albert:

My poem “The Final” has been accepted by Teach.Write and will be published in the next issue. This is my first acceptance of 2024. I submitted the poem after seeing the call for submissions posted in your newsletter. Many thanks for the work you do for writers.

From Jonathan Cohen:

Through you, I learned about Minyan Magazine, which has published my poem “Do Not Recede.” Many thanks!

From Delia Lloyd:

I wanted to share a success story! In January, you posted a listing for Invisible City, the literary magazine at the University of San Francisco. I sent them a piece about what swimming taught me about making friends in adulthood...and it was accepted! Many thanks for sharing this opportunity...and all that you do!

From Jane R. Snyder:

It won’t be published until May, but Tower Magazine, which you recently mentioned [on the Practicing Writing blog], has accepted my poem “From The Depths.” It will be included in their next issue with the theme of FAMILY. Since the poem is about my late father who died in March of 1994, I'm especially pleased. Keep up the great work you are doing to benefit all of us!

And from Banchiwosen Woldeyesus:

I read the lists of lit mags in your monthly newsletter, every month. And send stories to lit mags every month. Finally, this week, I received my first acceptance for publication for a short story, “After Our River Vanished” from The /tƐmz/ Review. To say thank you is not enough. Still…I want to say thank you, Erika, for the time and energy you spend in curating.

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: “HOW TO KEEP WRITING WHEN THE WORLD WANTS SO MUCH OF YOUR ATTENTION ELSEWHERE”

In a recent post for her Substack, shared thoughts that I think will speak to writers in all genres.

Titled “Is the Pilot Light Out on Your Poetry?”, Marcum’s post immediately alleviated (some of) my guilt over my failure—especially over the past several months, when to borrow from William Wordsworth, the world has indeed been very much with me—to follow what Marcum deems the “trite” advice “to just commit to writing and then build good habits.” (Original emphasis.)

But what can we do to keep writing when the world wants so much of our attention elsewhere? Marcum’s post offers some suggestions. Check them out. 

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• ASSOCIATION OF WRITERS AND WRITING PROGRAMS (AWP) HBCU FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
  Applications: April 1-30. “To invite strong HBCU participation at the conference and to nurture and encourage new generations of Black writers within the AWP community, we award faculty and student fellowships to attend and participate in every annual AWP Conference & Bookfair. Current fellowships will send fellows to the 2025 AWP Conference & Bookfair,” which is scheduled for March 2025 in Los Angeles.

• URSULA K. LE GUIN PRIZE FOR FICTION
  Nominations: April 1-30. “The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction is an annual $25,000 cash prize given to a writer for a single work of imaginative fiction. This award is intended to recognize those writers Ursula spoke of in her 2014 National Book Awards speech—realists of a larger reality, who can imagine real grounds for hope and see alternatives to how we live now….Readers, authors, booksellers, publishers, librarians and anyone else can nominate work they believe fits” the criteria outlined on the website.

• CREATIVE CAPITAL AWARDS
  Deadline: April 4 (for first-round Letters of Inquiry). “For our 25th Anniversary, Creative Capital welcomes innovative and original new project proposals in visual arts, performing arts, film/moving image, technology, literature, multidisciplinary, and socially engaged forms. The Creative Capital Award provides unrestricted project grants which can be drawn down over a multi-year period, bespoke professional development services, and community-building opportunities. Grants are awarded via a democratic, national, open call, external review process. Our goal is to fund individual artists creating conceptually, aesthetically, and formally challenging, risk-taking, and never-before-seen projects.” 

• BORDERS TRADITIONS RESIDENCY
  Deadline: April 5. From the Hugo Burge Foundation, which “offers both funded and independently funded Residencies throughout the year at our dedicated studios in the spectacular Scottish Borders.” This residency is intended “for an artist or creator of any medium who has an interest in looking to history, legend, and local culture as a source of creative inspiration and who would help us capture a tradition, place, or story that is significant to the Scottish Borders.” NB: “This residency will take place from June 12th to July 10th. This is a fully funded residency that includes exclusive studio space, accommodation…and a weekly stipend of £350.” (Thanks to for leading me to this one.)

• BETHANY ARTS COMMUNITY FALL MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESIDENCY
  Deadline: April 10. “The Fall Multidisciplinary Residency runs for two sessions, September 23 to October 7 and October 18 to November 4, each with its own cohort. Artists are provided room & board, a private studio conducive to artists’ medium and/or project, 3 basic meals a day, and a $225 stipend per week upon completion of the residency. Artist is responsible for transportation to and from BAC [located in Ossining, New York] and any supplies or materials needed for their practice. We ask that you only apply if you can stay for the entire length of this residency.” 

• BETTY L. YU AND JIN C. YU CREATIVE WRITING PRIZES
  Deadline: April 13. “TaiwaneseAmerican.org is pleased to announce the 2024 Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prizes. Created in 2021 in collaboration with Taiwanese American author Charles Yu, the Prizes are intended to encourage and recognize creative literary work by Taiwanese American students, and to foster discussion and community around such work. In 2022, the prize expanded to include a separate middle school category for 6th-8th grade applicants, judged by Alvina Ling. In 2023, we added an additional category for adults in all stages of life beyond college. Submissions may be in any literary genre including fiction, poetry, personal essays or other creative non-fiction” and “must be from writers of Taiwanese heritage (or writers with other significant connections to Taiwan), or have subject matter otherwise relevant to the Taiwanese or Taiwanese American experience.” Cash prizes (one $500 Grand Prize per age category; three $200 finalist prizes per age category; $75 honorable mentions “at judge’s discretion per age category”). “In addition, each of the winners and finalists will have their submitted work published online by TaiwaneseAmerican.org and considered for publication in a future edition of Chrysanthemum: Voices of the Taiwanese Diaspora, and offered the opportunity to participate in a virtual group session with the judges.”

• DODGE POETRY FESTIVAL
  Deadline: April 15. “We are excited to announce that the submissions application for the 2024 Dodge Poetry Festival, held from October 17 to 19, 2024, is now open. We invite all poets, which encompasses artists who practice spoken word, slam, performance poetry and avant-garde, who use their poetry to challenge and reframe existing narratives and norms, to apply….Approximately 10-15 poets will be selected from this process to participate in readings and conversations, in person in Newark, NJ, over the three-day Festival. Timing and frequency of poet participation will be determined based on the schedule of events, but we expect poets will participate in one to two live events. Poets will receive an honorarium of $350 per day, and travel and lodging will be covered.” 

• F. SEAN HODGE PRIZE FOR POETRY IN MEDICINE
  Deadline: April 15. “Sean Hodge, MD, a graduate of SUNY Upstate Medical University who went on to establish a thriving otolaryngology practice, died an untimely death in 2017. A physician who loved the humanities, he read and wrote poetry and played music as complements to a busy physician’s life.” In his honor, the prize encourages “physicians and physicians-in-training to write poetry as one way of reflecting on and communicating their experiences.” A $250 prize is given in two categories, one for current medical students, residents, and fellows; the other for physicians who have completed post-graduate training. Winning poems are also published in The Healing Muse.

• SCHLOSS WIEPERSDORF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLABORATIVE FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: April 15. “The Cultural Foundation Schloss Wiepersdorf awards residency fellowships to artists and writers in Schloss Wiepersdorf.” Open to applicants “from Germany and abroad”; “German or English proficiency is required of all applicants. Basic German language skills would be helpful for a successful residence.” The three-month residency awards also confer “a monthly cash stipend of €1200 and a one-time grant of €480 to cover material expenses. (If the stay is shortened, the material cost grant is reduced by €160 per month.)”

• 2024 ANONYMOUS WAS A WOMAN ENVIRONMENTAL ART GRANTS
  Deadline: April 16. “Provides up to $20,000 to support environmental art projects led by women-identifying artists in the United States and U.S. Territories.”

• WHITING CREATIVE NONFICTION GRANT
  Deadline: April 23. Grants of $40,000 “will be awarded to as many as ten writers in the process of completing a book-length work of deeply researched and imaginatively composed nonfiction for a general readership.” Note that projects “must be under contract with a publisher in Canada, the UK, or the US by April 23 to be eligible. Contracts with self-publishing companies are not eligible.”

• HARPER-WOOD CREATIVE WRITING & TRAVEL AWARD FOR ENGLISH POETRY AND LITERATURE
  Deadline: April 24. “Held for one year, the award is intended primarily for creative writers in the initial stages of their careers. Applications are encouraged from those whose work has not yet achieved book-length publication, such as a novel, book of short stories, poetry collection or play. The candidate must be a graduate of any university in the UK, Ireland, the Commonwealth or the USA when they take up the post in October 2024.” NB: “All or part of the year of tenure should be spent in a country outside the United Kingdom. The award-holder is expected to engage in a course of study or research, not necessarily attached to a university or other institution, leading to the production of original fiction, poetry or drama. The successful candidate’s tenureship will begin on 1 October 2024. They will be admitted to membership of St John’s (Cambridge University) and be invited to visit the College at the end of their award year, to give one or more talks about their experience. Funding will be determined by the College Council in light of the successful candidate’s qualifications and financial circumstances, up to a maximum of £18,600, to cover accommodation and other living expenses. Additional financial assistance is also available for the successful candidate to meet travel costs.”

• NATAN NOTABLE BOOKS
  Deadline: April 26. “Natan Notable Books is a twice-year­ly award for non­fic­tion books on Jew­ish themes. Natan Notable Books high­lights vital books and authors, and brings inno­v­a­tive and impor­tant ideas to the atten­tion of diverse audiences. Around Passover and the Jew­ish High Hol­i­days, 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.” Eligible this cycle: books with a pub­li­ca­tion date between Sep­tem­ber 1, 2023 and Octo­ber 31, 2024. 

• PROUD TO BE: WRITING BY AMERICAN WARRIORS CONTEST
  Deadline: April 26. Awards $250 first prize and publication in each of these categories: short fiction, poetry, essay, and photography. Open to writing by “veterans, military-service personnel, or their families.”

• AIR – ARTIST IN RESIDENCE LOWER AUSTRIA
  Deadline: April 30. Austrian program offers “living and working opportunities of at least one month in Krems an der Donau for artists from the fields of building culture, visual arts, digital art, literature and music.” Awards a studio and accommodation. “In addition, the scholarship holders receive a monthly stipend of €1,300.” NB: “Austrian artists and artists residing in Austria are not eligible to apply.”

• CORNERSTONE WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
  Deadline: April 30. “Wilton Library (Conn.) announces the inaugural year of The Cornerstone Writer-in-Residence Program. The program supports an emerging or mid-career writer with a $30,000 stipend, generously provided by the Wilton Library Endowment Fund, and provides office space for 12 months as they complete one manuscript with the intent to publish. In addition to completing their manuscript, the Writer-in-Residence will facilitate a series of library programs for all ages and offer outreach visits to Wilton schools within the 12 months of their residency.” NB: Housing is not included. “You do not need to be a resident of Wilton or CT. We welcome applicants from any location. However you will be expected to spend time in-person at the library on a regular basis.”

• ERBACCE-PRIZE FOR POETRY
  Deadline: April 30. Winner receives a publishing contract with erbacce press (20% royalties). “Two runners-up will also be considered and they will win either a perfect bound book or a high quality chap-book under similar terms to the winner.” Additional (nonpaying) recognition for selected others. NB: “ALL submissions to the erbacce-prize may be used in future erbacce poetry journals, previously published or not and by sending a submission you agree to that (we will of course send every poet we publish a copy of the Journal, gratis, though for those outside the UK, due to astronomical postage charges, we may send a downloadable copy).” Also note: “We tend to publish poetry which is radical in form and/or content; keep that in mind.”

• ELIZABETH KOSTOVA FOUNDATION WOMEN IN THE MOUNTAINS RESIDENCY
  Deadline: April 30. “The Women in the Mountains Residency offers ten full days of uninterrupted creative exploration amidst the inspiring embrace of the mountains. Ten women writers from Bulgaria and Europe, chosen by an international jury, will work on their ongoing projects or explore new ideas. The competition welcomes women writers of fiction, creative non-fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama in Bulgarian or other languages. Ten participants will be selected from Bulgaria and Europe, with two reserved spots specifically for women writers living in conditions of war or refugee writers who may be based outside of Europe.” NB: “The residency is open to women aged 18 and above from Bulgaria and across Europe, as well as to refugees from countries experiencing active armed conflicts. While publication isn’t mandatory, applicants must have a background in creative writing and submit original material. Proficiency in English isn’t mandatory, but conversational-level English is recommended for active engagement. Preference will be given to those without prior experience in a creative residency.”

• MIAMI BOOK FAIR EMERGING WRITER FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: April 30. This program “supports developing writers who demonstrate exceptional talent and promise by providing them with time, space, and an intellectually and culturally rich artistic community. The program’s goal is to actively support these writers – who are working to complete a book-length project within a year – and help them launch their literary careers. Emerging Writer fellows are granted professional experience in arts administration, teaching creative writing, and other opportunities; a $50,000 stipend; and strong literary community support to allow for 12 glorious months of uninterrupted time to craft their works.”

• WALLACE STEGNER GRANT FOR THE ARTS
  Deadline: April 30. For published writers with Canadian citizenship. Award includes a $500 grant and one month’s free residency at the Wallace Stegner House in Eastend, Saskatchewan.

• TORONTO BOOK AWARDS
  Deadline: April 30. “Established by Toronto City Council in 1974, the Toronto Book Awards honour books of literary merit that are inspired by the city. The annual awards offer $15,000 in prize money with shortlisted authors receiving $1,000 each and the winner taking home $10,000. There are no separate categories: novels, short story collections, books of poetry, books on history, politics and social issues, biographies, books about sports, children’s and young adult books, graphic novels and photographic collections are judged together.” NB: “Submission must contain some clear Toronto content (this may be reflected in the themes, settings, subjects, etc.), but authors do not necessarily have to reside in Toronto.” For the current cycle, books “must be published between May 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024.” Note also: “The work should be accessible to a general reading audience (i.e., not written for a specialized or academic audience).”

• CINTAS FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP IN CREATIVE WRITING
  Deadline: May 1. “CINTAS Fellowships acknowledge creative accomplishments and encourage excellence in architecture & design, creative writing, music composition and the visual arts. Eligibility is limited to artists of Cuban citizenship or direct descent.” Fellowship amount is $25,000.

• RABBI SACKS BOOK PRIZE
  Deadline: May 1. For an author of “a recently published or about to be published work of Jewish ideas deeply sourced in Jewish texts, with broad appeal within and beyond the Jewish community. The author of the winning work will receive a $10,000 prize, and two finalists will receive $2500 each, generously funded by the Rohr Family.” Note that “the manuscript should be publication ready and hold a 2024 copyright.” For this award, which “recognizes the creative contributions and scholarship of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks in responding to major trends and issues of the day through the lens of Jewish values and Jewish texts,” memoirs “are only eligible if they present Jewish values and incorporate Jewish texts. Anthologies are eligible; the Prize will be given to the editor(s).” Note also that “all entries are to be nominated and submitted by a recognized publishing house.”

• WATERSTON DESERT WRITING PRIZE
  Deadline: May 1. “Inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert, a region that has been her muse for more than 40 years,” this prize “provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.” Award “supports literary nonfiction writers who are completing, proposing, or considering the creation of a book-length manuscript.” Confers a $3,000 cash award and a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon.

REMINDER: Some competitions listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into April; make sure that you haven’t missed them!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• Recently re-opened for submissions: THE JOURNAL OF COMPRESSED CREATIVE ARTS, “a non-profit publisher of compressed creative arts, such as micro fiction, flash fiction, prose poetry, & visual arts, and whatever other forms compression might take.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• Scheduled to open its Submittable gates on April 1 (and remaining open for the month): Canada-based BRICK, which “prides itself on publishing the best literary non-fiction in the world.” NB: “We routinely reach our Submittable-imposed cap of free submissions well before the submission period ends. We do, however, leave our submit-and-subscribe and submit-and-buy-an-issue options open throughout the submission period, in case you’re interested in acquainting yourself with the magazine at the same time as submitting work to it. If this presents a barrier to you, please do get in touch, and do aim to send your work at the start of the open submission period.”

• At THE MALAHAT REVIEW, “submissions from Canadian writers are accepted for consideration all year. Because we receive so many submissions, those from international (including US) writers are accepted only during certain months, depending on the genre.” In April (and continuing through May), fiction submissions will be welcome.

• Per their Submittable page, POET LORE is scheduled re-open for submissions April 1 (remaining open through May).

• TEXAS REVIEW PRESS, which “publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and scholarly works,” is open for submissions during the month of April; submissions are capped at 300. (Note that during April, the Press is also open for submissions for its Sabine Series in Literature, which “highlights work by authors born in or working in Eastern Texas and/or Louisiana. There are no thematic restrictions; Texas Review Press seeks the best writing possible by authors from this unique region of the American South.”)

• Through a partnership between Terrain.org and the Spring Creek Project, the CLIMATE STORIES IN ACTION “will expand our vision of climate activism and help people imagine meaningful ways to be involved. We are inviting storytellers to submit poetry, nonfiction, fiction, art and multimedia pieces that showcase climate activism in professional, civic and community life. We are interested in stories that help shift our cultural mindset from despair to creative possibility and from isolation to collective purpose.” Deadline: April 8.

• In a recent opportunities-focused newsletter, MSLEXIA (“the magazine for women who write”) shared the following about its own “The World’s Wife” feature: “Fancy being printed in the pages of Mslexia and getting paid for it? We’re looking for a 500-word fictional prose monologue in the voice of the wife, mistress, sister, daughter, or mother of a famous real or fictional person. We’re inviting strong voice pieces suitable for both page or performance.” Deadline for their next issue: April 8. (See their guidelines, published separately, for pay info.) (ED note: My own submission for this feature has, alas, been declined. If there are any editors reading this who may want to consider a piece that gives voice to Madame Bovary’s daughter, please be in touch!) 

• BERLIN LIT, “an international online journal for new poetry in English,” remains open for submissions until April 10. (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• From THE THREEPENNY REVIEW: “This year submissions will close on April 15, and not on April 30 as in earlier years.” No simultaneous submissions.

• Attention, Canadian writers! Here’s one with an April 21 deadline: SUPER CANUCKS, “an anthology of small-town Canadian heroes,” a project of Latitude 46 Publishing, seeks “stories from across Canada that push the usual superhero tropes while shining a spotlight on unique corners of Canada. We want stories set in and around the nation’s more often overlooked locales—isolated small towns, remote reservations, bedroom communities, and other underrepresented areas of Canada. Give us rural superheroes, backwater supervillains, and tales of characters/communities at a crossroads.How does place impact your character? Are they unable to reconcile their superpowers with their residence or is it the people who pose the problem? Does your hero struggle to maintain a secret identity where everyone knows everyone or do they find that familiarity weirdly comforting given the challenges of being superpowered?” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• AFTER HAPPY HOUR is open for submissions for its summer issue until April 30. “We’re not limited to any particular genre, and publish poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, visual art, and hybrids of any of the above.” Note: “We’re headquartered in Pittsburgh, and love to get work from folks who have a connection to the region, but the journal is not exclusive to Pittsburgh-based writers and artists--we've published stories, poems, and artwork from all over the world.”

• HARBOR REVIEW is receiving poetry and art submissions for its summer issue until April 30. “The theme for this issue is ‘Wondrous & Miraculous.’ You may interpret this theme however you like.”

• MAD CREEK BOOKS, “the literary trade imprint of The Ohio State University Press,” remains open for manuscripts for consideration for its 21st-Century Essays series until April 30.

• NONBINARY REVIEW is open until April 30, for speculative-writing submissions in poetry and prose, and visual art, for an issue with the theme of “Heredity”; note that there’s a submission cap for each issue, so they may close early.

• Also open until April 30: THE /TEMZ/ REVIEW, for submissions in poetry and prose.

• BRIGHT WALL/DARK ROOM, “an online film journal devoted to exploring the relationship between movies and the business of being alive,” is planning an issue devoted to Spike Lee and will pay for $100 for selected essays. Deadline: May 1.

• At THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY, they’re welcoming “first-person narratives (under 1,000 words)” on the theme of “Seed” until May 1.

• Submissions are now open for the third issue of SEVEN STORY HOTEL, “a schizo-philosophical / countercultural journal series presented by Subtle Body Press…7SH explores the weird, esoteric, and outsider fringes of contemporary culture, art, and technology through an eclectic mix of interviews, essays, stories, poems, and artwork. We’re looking for original, provocative, and boundary-pushing pieces. You can check out a previous issue for the best sense of what we’re looking for. But by way of example, maybe you have a critical essay on technology as modern magick, a sociological commentary on the religiosity of UFOs, an anti-/pro-issue political treatise, a Jungian analysis of a niche internet subculture, a piece of speculative fiction on the implications of transhumanism or artificial intelligence, an exposé on some conspiracy, or an investigative piece on a new and exciting movement. In short, we seek disruptions and heresies to conventional wisdom and/or the dominant narratives of a culture.” NB: “Submissions are open until we have what we need. That means we could close in days or weeks, but regardless, all selections will be made by May 1, 2024. Submit sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out.”

• Also presented by Subtle Body Press, BODY SHOTS “is exclusively a journal for fiction. We will consider stories of all types, from Carver-esque to Lynchian, Hemingway-esque to Burroughsian, traditional to postmodern, realist to magical realist, genre to non-genre, and anything and everything in between. In keeping with the publishing traditions of Subtle Body Press, we are, of course, open to transgressive or countercultural material of thematic merit, body horror, and bizarro, but that is not exclusively or even mainly the focus of the project, so don't limit yourself to any of that or pass on submitting just because your story doesn't fit in those boxes.” No deadline is indicated: “Submissions are open until we have what we need. That means we could close in days or weeks, or you could have a few months, but don’t bet on it and risk missing out. Submit sooner rather than later.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• As announced on Instagram, AFTER DINNER CONVERSATION “is delighted to announce a new call for submissions. We’re looking for short fiction that asks interesting ethical/philosophical questions.” No deadline indicated.

• CENTAUR “is an online journal publishing hybrid stories. That means experimental writing that pushes beyond genre definitions—a story on top and a prose poem underneath; half memoir and half tale; a fable connected to a memory.” NB: “With four seasonal issues a year, and up to eight pieces in each, there’s only room for your best 400 words or fewer.” (Hat tip: FlashFictionFlash)

• CULT, “as the name suggests, wants the weird, the risk-taking: the stuff that gets tucked away because someone thinks no one would ever publish that. We want art that challenges and confronts; not coddles and reaffirms.” Note: “In hopes of building a community and making real connections with our artists, we plan to call each person we choose to publish so, please, alongside your name, genre (poetry, fiction, photography, etc.), the title of your work, as well as a brief description of yourself, please include your phone number.”

• TWENTY-TWO TWENTY-EIGHT, “for people who watch the world,” considers submissions of poetry, fiction, non-fiction essays, visual art, music, and videos. (Hat tip: AuthorsPublish.)

• 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.”

I know that we all receive a lot of email, and I strive to limit this Substack’s presence in your inboxes to a once-monthly rate. But multiple developments over the past week have compelled me to compile and send you this update.

(There happens to have been a mini-wave of new subscribers since the March edition went out—newbies, I extend an especially warm welcome to you. That previous post is a far more “traditional” Substack missive from me, so please bear that in mind if you’re bewildered by this one!)

In This Update

• Before We Dive In

• L’Affaire Guernica

• An(other) Open Letter to PEN America

• A Questionable Friday Find

• In Conclusion

• Further Reading/Resources

Thank you in advance for reading this. It’s going to take some work. I hope that you’ll find it worth your time.—ERIKA

Before We Dive In

First:—some reminders and relevant background. (Trust me—the relevance will become apparent. Eventually.)

I’ve been in the habit—the practice, if you will—of sharing resources for writers for a long, long time. Thanks to our recent anniversary issue, most of you may be aware that this newsletter began (on the now-defunct Yahoo!Groups platform, as The Practicing Writer) a little more than 20 years ago.

But here’s some history I’d be shocked to discover that anyone remembers:

• A few months later, in the summer of 2004, my very first website (which actually used “Practicing Writer” in the url instead of my name) launched. I was then teaching writing in a variety of community settings, and the site helped me advertise those offerings. It was also useful for me as an increasingly active freelance writer. And of course, a sign-up box for the newsletter appeared there, too.

• Shortly thereafter, in 2005, I launched a companion blog. This blog, however, was not hosted on my website. Titled “Practicing Writing,” it was housed on Blogspot (do the young people even know what Blogpost is?).

• Just two years later—in no small part because of subscriber pushback that was emblematic of toxic currents I was beginning to discern in literary and literary-adjacent communities—I launched a second Blogspot project, which I called “My Machberet.” There, separate from Practicing Writing, I focused on matters of specifically Jewish cultural (mainly literary) interest. As is the case for the vast majority of Jews who live in the United States, a connection to Israel has always been a core component of my Jewishness. Writing from and/or about Israel—my own or others’—was therefore key to My Machberet from the start. (Fun fact: “Machberet” itself is the Hebrew word for “notebook,” one of the very first words that I learned when I began Hebrew School as a child.)

• Three years after that (we’re at 2010 now, if you’re struggling to keep up!), my debut short-story collection Quiet Americans—inspired in large part by my paternal grandparents, German Jews who immigrated to the United States in the late 1930s—was about to be published. At that point, it seemed appropriate to invest in a major website redesign and upgrade. The idea was to have the rebranded ErikaDreifus.com serve as a hub not just for my book and other publications, but also for the two blogs and the array of other resources I had been compiling and sharing over time. In other words, it marked an effort to catch up with technology and consolidate my various writing-focused offerings.

• That worked well enough for a number of years. It wasn’t until 2019 that the release of a second book (Birthright: Poems, many of the poems in which are also deeply embedded in my familial/Jewish history) prompted me to invest in a slight refresh.

• And then came Substack. Or at least—then came the necessity of finding a new host platform for .

(Are you starting to feel scattered? Overwhelmed? Unable to keep track of the platforms and offerings? Now you know how I feel every day!)

Yes, I still maintain a website apart from this Substack. But as I remind you in each issue (and explained in some detail in the most recent Mid-Month Update back here in November), I’m still posting on the blogs.

(Quick digression for the newbies: This includes weekly Markets and Jobs posts on Practicing Writing. These posts, which typically publish Monday mornings, feature opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletters. They also include more “hyper-local” calls, contests, and jobs that are less likely to be relevant for the global newsletter readership. If you aren’t regularly checking them out, now’s a great time to begin.)

Posts on My Machberet continue as well.

Which brings us (finally!) to the impetus for today’s update.

So much happened in the #WritingCommunity last week that deserves further comment, not least because the episodes reflect the intensification of patterns and trends that some of us have been watching (and trying to deal with) for years. For me, they also exacerbate an increasing tension that I’ve been trying to navigate between continuing to serve the broader literary community (of which I have been a part of so long but from which I feel increasingly alienated) and sensing that my time, energies, and expertise may be more appropriately and effectively directed elsewhere.

Let’s proceed chronologically.

L’Affaire Guernica

I’m not going to delve deeply into this one here, since it’s the incident that already seems to have sparked the most—and the most prominent—headlines.

Here’s what I wrote about it within both Thursday’s Jewish Literary Links post on My Machberet and the next day’s “Finds for Writers” on Practicing Writing:

To catch up [on this story], you might consult “After a Writer Expressed Sympathy for Israelis in an Essay, All Hell Broke Loose at a Literary Journal” (Los Angeles Times) and/or “Guernica Magazine Retracts Israeli Writer’s Coexistence Essay That Co-Publisher Called an ‘Apologia for Zionism’” (JTA). Related opinion pieces have appeared in both the mainstream and Jewish press, with Phil Klay’s “The Cowardice of Guernica“ (The Atlantic; temporary gift link) and Nora Berman’s “An Elite Literary Journal Imploded over an Essay About the War — Because It Dared to Humanize Israelis as Well as Palestinians” (Forward) again offering just two examples. (Don’t neglect to read the actual essay at the heart of this, by Joanna Chen1; you’ll find it linked in the other pieces, and you can also find it archived here.2)

It’s not always the case that you can safely glean my overall take on a matter by reading the items that I’ve chosen to amplify. But in this instance, you can.

So let’s move on.

An(other) Open Letter to PEN America

At some point Thursday morning, I became aware of an item published on Literary Hub, a major literary website (“created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature”) with a massive social-media imprint.3

After reading the rest of Literary Hub’s article and the text of the open letter itself (it’s included within the piece), I had some things to say. Which I did—again, on Twitter.

(Ancillary, digressive questions: Why do I remain on that platform? Why do I continue to call it by its “old” name?” None of this is clear. What is clear is that my reach there since The Takeover has declined dramatically, which I suspect is due to a variety of factors, including my refusal to pay for my account and the departure of many erstwhile followers.)

Here, before restating and expanding on my thoughts, I’m going to veer from the approach I used on Twitter.

I’m asking you stop reading this Substack post right now.

Scroll back up to the screenshot of the Literary Hub piece. Click it. Read it (including the text of the open letter within).

And then come back here to continue reading my response.

Ready to continue?

There is a lot that I could say about the problems with that article and the open letter within. Some of that would repeat what I’ve already written in the introduction to my “Writers, Beware” document.

Here’s what I want to emphasize today: I can’t help thinking that it’s precisely PEN America’s adherence to its principles and commitments—including its willingness (à la Joanna Chen, the writer whose essay ignited what I’ve called L’Affaire Guernica above) to acknowledge suffering among both Palestinians AND Israelis—that’s what’s driving this anti-PEN animus.

Why do I think this? Because it’s simply impossible to read the record (receipts in a moment) and claim that PEN has “betrayed the organization’s professed commitment to peace and equality for all.”

Impossible—unless you exclude Israelis (who happen to include just about half of the world’s current Jewish population) from “all.”

At this point, some of you may be thinking: “Why should we believe you, Erika? You’re just one person. And you’re biased! You’re one of ‘those Jews’ who sees antisemitism everywhere! You’re just trying to shut down all criticism of Israel! Why should we trust you over Literary Hub and So Many Important Writers?”

Here’s one response: I’m the fortunate beneficiary of an excellent education, through which I’ve learned at least a few highly relevant skills, including how to: conduct research; read texts; analyze sources; and write nonfiction of various sorts (from a 338-page doctoral dissertation right down to a 280-character tweet) that is, in fact, nonfiction.

Which brings us to the “receipts” that I promised a moment ago.

Let’s begin with the opening section of this February 21 PEN America newsletter. Please take a moment to read it.

Then, spend some time, as PEN America invites you to do, reading more.

You might begin with this page, which is where you’ll land if you click the link in their newsletter.

If I truly sought to “shut down all criticism of Israel,” I wouldn’t be highlighting these statements. Because, as any of us who can read should be able discern, plenty of them aren’t exactly models of Israeli hasbara.

But, true to its commitments, PEN America has been doing much more beyond issuing statements. Again, I encourage you to take the time to examine the range of their activities. Here, I’m highlighting just one more part of their post-October 7 response.

When I clicked “Read more” that February day when I first read the PEN America newsletter, I nearly wept. I was simply overwhelmed to find acknowledged alongside Palestinian casualties—for the first time in a mainstream literary venue—the names and photographs of Israeli/Jewish writers and creators who have been murdered and/or are still being held hostage in Gaza.

Here’s that page.

Updates have been promised. I hope to soon find there profiles for poet and children’s author Amiram Cooper (still being held hostage) & poet Judih Weinstein Haggai, z”l (murdered; her body remains in Gaza). Both of them, along with retired journalist Oded Lifshitz and historian Alex Dancyg (both of whom are included on the PEN America page), hail from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the several communities in southern Israel that Hamas attacked on October 7.

Again: I encourage you to read that most recent open letter that Literary Hub amplified. Look at the evidence—I’ve tried to lay out a chunk of it for you here.

And then make your own decision about who is truly invested in “peace and equality for all.”

I repeat:

A Questionable Friday Find

If all of us in the #WritingCommunity can agree on anything right now, perhaps it is this: For many writers, of varying backgrounds, Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7; Israel’s subsequent response; and the ways in which each of those components have (or have not) been dealt with in literary spaces (virtual and otherwise) are matters of deep, personal pain. Many of us have literal skin in the game, whether because we ourselves live in the region or because we have family and friends who do. Emotions are running high. And as writers, many evidently feel compelled to “use our words”—not only to express our own grief and anger, but to take action and, to invoke a phrase that my own Jewish community uses (although the essential motivation is hardly unique to Judaism) to “repair the world.”

This wouldn’t be such a problem, or even a problem at all, if we could manage to meet the requirements that both the moment and our professional training demand. Which is not to suggest that such a bar is easy to meet or that we (imperfect humans) get it right in each and very instance. Despite my own best efforts, even I may fail at one time or another.

But we must at least try to choose our words carefully and meet our obligations—especially in nonfiction prose (including articles, open letters, editor’s notes, and even, yes, tweets)—to honesty, clarity, accuracy, and fairness. And it’s incumbent on our literary editors and leaders to step in if/when the work that we do for/with them falls short.

Which brings me to the episode that concluded my week:

I noticed the tag late Friday afternoon. Although I am not shomer Shabbat, I do routinely log off social media shortly before the Jewish Sabbath (which begins at sundown Friday) and normally, I don’t return before Havdalah (about an hour after sunset Saturday). As my notifications increased—@amylynnuws’s comment inspired a string of responses—I saw immediately that I was going to need time to review this situation if I was going to comment on it at all. For starters, if I was going to comment responsibly, I was going to have to locate and read the full poem for myself.

(Another digression! I acknowledged a moment ago that, like everyone else, I am imperfect. So I don’t always manage to remember U.S. Senator Cory Booker’s sage advice: “You don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.” I beg of you: Please do not invite me to all of your arguments. There are simply too many.)

It’s important to note that what prompted @amylynnuws to tag me wasn’t the published poem. It was the tweet from , publicly reprinting a private email from a Jewish subscriber —albeit removing the subscriber’s name—and (ostensibly) enlisting Twitter readers to help craft a response.

If you’ve managed to stay with me this far, maybe you paused as you read that last sentence and wondered, “Why did she write ‘(ostensibly)’ there?”

Initially, as I said on Twitter, I was willing to give Only Poems (or whichever staff member was behind the tweet) the benefit of the doubt. Yes, I thought it less than ideal that they’d published a private message. And yes, the language in the tweet suggested that they held a perspective about the conflict with which I disagree. But was this an instance of antisemitism? I wasn’t prepared to say so in that initial moment.

My view changed once I read not just the poem, but also the contributor’s and editor’s notes.4 At best, whichever editor/staff member wrote the “would you please help us compose a response for this” tweet is ignorant of the larger problem here.

Put simply, despite what the language in the poem, the contributor’s note, the editor’s note, and the tweet would have readers believe, what Hamas unleashed on October 7—and its consequences—cannot be neatly framed within conventional/prevalent “oppressor/oppressed” frameworks. And invoking those frameworks in the context of the current conflict—not to mention within the longer history that surrounds it—too often leads to rhetoric and tropes (evident in what Only Poems published) that are antisemitic in effect, if not always in intent.

As I say, this is a best-case scenario.5

Thus, Only Poems has earned a place on my “Writers, Beware” document. Not because they published a poem that my own Jewish experience, education, and emotions lead me to find distasteful. I’ve added the journal to the list—and will no longer amplify it in as a paying journal that offers fee-free submissions windows—because the journal itself is trafficking in antisemitic language and tropes and evincing the same lack of knowledge, nuance, and editorial integrity that, more and more, are poisoning our literary and literary-adjacent communities. And the last thing I want is for more Jewish writers to experience what the unnamed correspondent to Only Poems has now encountered, perhaps (for me, this is a worst-case scenario!) because they were led to a journal or conference or other literary space through a resource that I have curated.

For more than 20 years, I’ve been trying to help other writers and our shared and overlapping spaces. I’ve considered the newsletter and other efforts to be forms of literary citizenship and service. Although much of that work has addressed the full universe of (English-language) poets, fictionists, and writers of creative nonfiction, some of my efforts have focused on the particular needs of and opportunities for the Jewish writing community in which I am rooted.

At the outset of this dispatch, I explained why I began to keep those two strands of work separate. And I suggested that as the general literary universe becomes increasingly hostile to Jewish writers like me,6 the considerable time, effort, and energy that I devote to it seems increasingly misplaced. Perhaps I should invest more of those resources elsewhere. Perhaps I should be doing more for (or with?) other Jewish writers who share my concerns. Because I know that I am not alone.7

In Conclusion

Let’s be clear: I haven’t suffered anything approaching what my actual and spiritual family in Israel have endured since the early hours of October 7, or what innocent Gazans have experienced thanks not only to Hamas’s attack on Israel, but also to its refusal to 1) release and return all the Israeli hostages; 2) cease combat/rocket fire; 3) stop hiding behind civilian infrastructure and civilians themselves.

But even as we’ve seen mainstream literary spaces (hello again, Literary Hub!) spotlight writers—mainly writers of Palestinian background—as they share grief and anger borne of their keen identification with “one side” of this conflict, there’s been a lot of grief and anger over what has befallen “our people” among Jewish writers, too. Even if that’s not what Literary Hub or the other publications listed on the “Writers, Beware” document are publishing. Even if many Jewish writers—in Israel and across the global diaspora—are expressing themselves only privately, in closed Facebook groups, or private emails (that I am not going to post without permission), or actual conversations. After all, we have witnessed responses to those who dare to express it—even alongside anguish for Palestinian suffering, as Joanna Chen did. Or as PEN America has.8

After this post goes out, you may find some Jewish writers disagreeing, vehemently, with much (if not all) that I’ve pointed out here. Perhaps they’ll preface their remarks with this lofty three-word introduction: As a Jew. (Here’s another fun fact: Like every other demographic group, Jews are not a monolith! We’re individuals! Maybe even more so—ever heard the saying, “two Jews, three opinions”?) The Jewish people are, in fact, much more diverse than most people realize. But despite the impression you may have gleaned from a certain outsized, vocal, and social-media-savvy segment of Jewish writers, my perspective is much closer to prevailing communal sentiments than theirs.

For those who can stand it, I’ll append some “Further Reading/Resources” below. For those who haven’t yet unsubscribed—but are about to—that’s fine. There’s no need to send me a message explaining why. (If you value anything that I may have contributed to your writing practice over the past 20+ years, please do me the courtesy of sparing me such a message. Thank you.)

And for those of you who have read all the way through this and plan to stick around for April’s newsletter, expect it to land in your mailbox at the end of March. And I thank you, too. More than I can say.

I’ll sign off by wishing everyone the best—and wishing, truly, for peace and justice for all.

Further Reading/Resources

In reverse-chronological order.

• This week also brought a highly-discussed “literary-adjacent” episode: Jonathan Glazer’s acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, which I opted not to feature in this post. But I don’t want to omit it altogether. Commentaries that I found particularly resonant, in part for their applicability to the literary community, include contributions from: Booker Prize-winner Howard Jacobson; Times of Israel editor-in-chief David Horovitz; Oscar-winner Richard Trank; British editor/journalist Josh Glancy; and Rabbi Jeff Salkin.

• Jewish Book Council’s “Reporting Antisemitism in the Literary World” initiative

• The January 2024 issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0 (editor’s note)

• “Writers, Beware”

• “18 Ways to Address Antisemitism in Your Literary Life”: original conference handout and subsequent presentation (video) for Literary Modiin (queued up to my remarks)

• The November 2023 issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0 (editor’s note)

• “From My Archive: Writings About Israel”

• “After October 7: Readings, Recordings, and More”

• “Hillel’s Hints for How to Help”

• “Avoiding Antisemitic and Islamophobic Tropes in Discussing Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”

We value our subscribers, and we protect their privacy. We keep our subscriber list confidential.

About Erika Dreifus: Erika 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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. 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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers,

Yes, the screenshot just below is correct: The first issue of this newsletter was distributed—in plain-text format, via Yahoo! Groups—to a tiny group of subscribers 20 years ago.

As I’ve mused in this space on previous anniversaries, a lot has changed since then. And I’m not just talking about the obvious technological, formatting, and content changes in the newsletter. Or about the now 10,000-plus subscribers who have signed up to receive these missives. (Yes, we crossed that milestone number mid-January! Thank you all for that vote of confidence and validation!)1

There have also been plenty of changes in my writing practice, my life, and my native country, and in the world we all share. I’ve been exceedingly conscious of these changes as I’ve prepared this 20th-anniversary newsletter issue.

So, as I’ve indicated before, I’m not certain what the future holds for this newsletter as I map out my own future, and that of my writing practice. But I want to take this moment to celebrate these 20 years—and all of you, the subscriber collective. We’ve come a long way together.

Since I know that many subscribers will soon be on the way to the annual conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), I’ll conclude with my wishes for safe and satisfying travels. (I will not be attending. I’m sticking close to home after a brief, intense trip to Israel last week: a solidarity mission facilitated by my congregation. Our schedule was very, very packed. But I did manage a brief visit to the new National Library of Israel building in Jerusalem, where I took these photos.)

Until next time, then, I extend my very best wishes for everyone’s writing practices— and for the world in which we write,
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 Susan R. Morritt:

I found 34 Orchard through your emailed newsletter, and my story “No Winter Maintenance” was published in the issue released in November. I greatly appreciate your help to writers like myself by gathering all this information of submitting opportunities. Again, thank you!

From Elizabeth Edelglass:

Heartfelt testimonial: Thanks to your November newsletter, my poem “Pantoum for Holding Ourselves Together” was published in the January issue of Variant Literature. This poem is dear to my heart—and also a stretch for me in terms of poetic form. Only with your help did it find a good home.

From Natalie Reid:

Thanks for posting the LIGHT (Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation) contest for submissions on transformation and healing around cancer. My submission (“Report From the Trenches, 2000: Letter to My Friends”) won 3rd place, with a cash prize and upcoming publication in issue 3 of LIGHT. I wouldn’t have known about the contest if not for your monthly emails!

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(S)

I recently had the opportunity to attend a session that was billed as an “Online Abuse Self-Defense Training.” Convened by the Jewish Book Council for the benefit of those who attended the JBC’s latest writers’ conference, the session featured expert facilitators from PEN America.

Here are a couple of takeaway resources that I’d like to share with you—ideally, to help you prevent abusive circumstances from developing in the first place. But if you do find yourself in a difficult situation along these lines, at least you’ll have a sense of where you might find some guidance.

• Digital Safety Snacks (bite-sized videos).

• What To Do If You're The Target Of Online Harassment (concise protocol for navigating abuse).

• PEN America’s Field Manual for dealing with online abuse.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• AMERICAN BUFFALO BOOKS FICTION PRIZE
  Submissions: “open on February 1 for 28 days or 100 submissions.” Buffalo Books, “a non-profit literary press affiliated with the Kansas State University English Department,” publishes “novels that explore the Midwest, the Plains, and the so-called flyover portions of the West.” The prize for the winning novel includes “an honorarium of $500 and publication under a generous royalty contract.”

• GRAYWOLF PRESS NONFICTION PRIZE
  Submissions: “We will be open for submissions to the 2024 Graywolf Nonfiction Prize in February 2024.” The press will award a $20,000 advance and publication “to the most promising and innovative literary nonfiction project by a writer not yet established in the genre. The winning author will also receive a $2,000 stipend intended to support the completion of their project.” Note eligibility criteria, including a requirement that writers must “live in the United States, regardless of citizenship status.”

• SOARING GARDENS ARTIST RETREATS
  Applications: February 1-March 10. “Actively working visual artists, writers, instrumentalists, and composers with at least two years experience since graduation may apply. Residencies are typically for three weeks. There is no application fee and no fee to attend. We encourage group applications (a combination of artistic disciplines is fine), although each application is reviewed separately, and the judges reserve the right to select or reject individual members of a group. When you apply as part of a group, you may pursue individual projects, collaborative projects, and/or both….A limited number of $500 need-based grants are available.”

• DIANA WOODS MEMORIAL AWARD IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
  Submissions: February 1-28. From Lunch Ticket. “Twice each year an author of a work of creative nonfiction will be selected for the Diana Woods Memorial Award award by a special guest judge. One author will be chosen for the Summer/Fall issue of Lunch Ticket and one in the Winter/Spring issue. The winning submissions will be published in Lunch Ticket and the recipient will receive $250.”

• JESSIE KESSON FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: February 15. For UK writers. Scotland-based Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre “invites established writers to apply for the 2024 Jessie Kesson Fellowship. This award was established in 2009 by Moniack Mhor to honour Jessie Kesson’s inspirational life and work. The Jessie Kesson Fellow receives time and space to develop their work, as well as opportunities to expand their practice. This includes delivering creative writing workshops based on or inspired by Jessie Kesson’s life and work, with local youth groups, libraries, or community groups.” Beyond residing at Moniack Mhor (August 26-September 14), the Fellow receives a stipend; travel costs within the UK are covered.

• VETERANS WRITING AWARD
  Deadline: February 15. From Syracuse University Press, in cooperation with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), this biennial award aims “to recognize the contributions of veterans to the literary arts, shine a light on the multivalent veteran experience, and provide a platform for unrecognized military writers.” Seeks full-length manuscripts and alternates between fiction and nonfiction; currently open for “a full-length novel, novella, or collection of short stories in manuscript form.” Eligibility: “The award is open to U.S. veterans and active duty personnel in any branch of the U.S. military and their immediate family members. This includes spouses, domestic partners, siblings, parents, and children.” Also: “Entrants must not have published a full-length manuscript or collection of stories previously.” Note: “Although work submitted for the contest need not be about direct military experience, we seek original voices and fresh perspectives that will expand and challenge readers’ understanding of the lives of veterans and their families. Posthumous submissions are eligible.” Prize confers “$1,000 cash prize and a publication contract with Syracuse University Press.”

• HADASSAH-BRANDEIS INSTITUTE SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE
  Deadline: February 16. This program offers “outstanding scholars, writers and artists the opportunity to be in residence at HBI at different points during the year” and “is open to scholars working on any aspect of Jewish women’s and gender studies in order to devote time to their research. These residencies take place during the academic year (August - May) and generally range from two months to a full semester. Applications for a full academic year will be considered.” Residencies may be in-person or hybrid. “Applicants living outside the U.S. and those whose work has an international dimension are especially encouraged to apply.” Residencies confer a stipend of $5,000/month. “In addition, participants will receive (shared) office space at the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University and access to all available Brandeis University resources as state and university health policies permit. There is also the possibility to have the support of an undergraduate Research Assistant.”

• ANDRÉS MONTOYA POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: February 16. 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 from the Huizache Literary Initiative and a contract from University of Nevada Press as part of its New Oeste Series. Upon publication of the winning book, the Huizache Literary Initiative will extend an invitation to both the winner and the judge to give a joint reading at UC Davis. In addition, Letras Latinas will extend an invitation to the winner to present their work at the University of Notre Dame.” (Thanks to Funds for Writers for the update on this one.)

• WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY POETRY CENTER POETRY AWARDS (FOR UNDERGRADUATE POETS)
  Deadline: February 16. Opportunities for “undergraduate poets enrolled in a United States college or university” include the Iris N. Spencer Poetry Award (for “unpublished, original poems composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme and received forms”); the Sonnet Award; the Villanelle Award; the Myong Cha Son Haiku Award; and the Rhina P. Espaillat Award (for “original poems written in Spanish and translations of English poems to Spanish”). Cash prizes as detailed on the site.

• DART CENTER OCHBERG FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: February 21. “A unique seminar program for senior and mid-career journalists [ED note: including freelancers] who wish to deepen their knowledge of emotional trauma and psychological injury, and improve reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy….Fellows attend an intensive weeklong program of seminars held at Columbia University in New York City [July 30 - August 5, 2024]. Program activities include briefings by prominent interdisciplinary experts in the trauma and mental health fields; conversations with journalist colleagues on issues of ethics, craft and practice, and a variety of other opportunities for intellectual engagement and peer learning.” Fellowship package includes “roundtrip travel, 7 nights of lodging, meals and expenses directly related to participation such as ground transportation.” NB: “Approximately half of the Fellows will be based in North America, with the balance drawn from Latin America, Europe, the Asia Pacific region, Africa and the Middle East.”

• MATTHEW POWER LITERARY REPORTING AWARD
  Deadline: February 22. This $12,500 grant supports “the work of a promising early-career nonfiction writer on a story that uncovers truths about the human condition.” Memorializes Matthew Power, “a wide-roving and award-winning journalist who sought to live and share the experience of the individuals and places on which he was reporting. Power, a longtime friend of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, died in March 2014, while on assignment in Uganda. The award proceeds from the recognition that many important stories need to be reported from afar, and that publications do not always have the resources to send a writer where the story is.” Note: “The award will not fund proposals to report on armed conflicts where journalists are already imperiled, nor projects that are mainly investigatory. The winner will normally receive visiting scholar privileges at NYU, including library access.”

• OX-BOW SUMMER ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM
  Deadline: February 25. Michigan-based Ox-Bow’s fully-funded Summer Artist-in-Residence Program “offers 12 artists the time, space, and community to encourage growth and experimentation in their practice for three weeks on campus. The Summer Residencies are held while our core classes and community programs are in session….Our Summer Residencies are open to artists at any level. Currently enrolled students, MFA candidates, arts faculty, emerging, or established artists are encouraged to apply. There are generally three residents on campus at a time.” Check the website for list of residency dates and additional information.

• HEMINGWAY-PFEIFFER MUSEUM AND EDUCATIONAL CENTER WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE
  Deadline: February 28. Located in Piggott, Arkansas. “The residency will be for June 1-30, 2024, and includes lodging at a beautiful loft apartment on the downtown square in Piggott over the City Market coffee shop. The writer-in-residence will also have the opportunity to work in the studio where Ernest Hemingway worked on A Farewell to Arms during an extended stay with his wife’s family in 1928. The residency includes a $1000 stipend to help cover food and transportation. The writer-in-residence will be expected to serve as mentor for a week-long retreat for writers at the educational center. This retreat will be open to 8-10 writers from the region. The recipient may be asked to hold one or two readings of his/her own work in the region. The remainder of the month will be free to the writer-in-residence to work on his/her own work.”

• TULSA ARTIST FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: February 28. Open to “national and local artists and/or arts workers of any medium and/or discipline with a minimum of five-years of arts field experience. Applicant must be at least 25 years old and a U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident, or O-1 Visa holder. During three-year award term, awardees commit to living and working in Tulsa, Oklahoma.” Among fellowship benefits: a $150,000 stipend paid over three-years; a $36,000 housing stipend over three-years; and fully subsidized studio space in Tulsa’s Arts and/or Greenwood Districts with access to shared facilities.”

• BCALA E-BOOK LITERARY AWARD
  Deadline: February 29. Each year, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) “honors the best self-published eBooks by an African-American author in the United States in the genres of Fiction and Poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.” Confers $2,500 cash awards and other recognition.

• #LILLIPUTat40 ANTHOLOGY COMPETITION
  Deadline: February 29. The Ireland-based Lilliput Press “is turning 40 in 2024. To celebrate, a special anthology of short stories and essays is in the making – and your writing could be the highlight of the book. We’ve commissioned new work from some of the writers we’ve published before and are now looking for a contribution from one undiscovered voice.” They’re welcoming short fiction and essays “under the loose theme ‘Christmas Parties’. The winner will be published alongside a line-up of some of the best Irish writers at work today…and be paid €500.” (Thanks to Lawrence Schimel for bringing this one to my attention.)

• LITTLE TOKYO SHORT STORY CONTEST
  Deadline: February 29. “The Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS) seeks fictional short stories for its 11th annual Imagine Little Tokyo short story contest in the categories of English language, Japanese language and youth (18 and younger)….The purpose of the contest is to raise awareness of Little Tokyo through a creative story that takes place in Little Tokyo. The story has to be fictional and set in a current, past or future Little Tokyo in the City of Los Angeles, California.” Prizes: “Each category winner will be awarded $500 in cash with their short story being published in The Rafu Shimpo, Discover Nikkei and Little Tokyo Historical Society website. A hybrid (in-person and virtual) award ceremony and dramatic readings of the winning stories are also being planned for 2024 at the Japanese American National Museum.”

• SIJO WRITING COMPETITION
  Deadline: February 29. From the website: “The sijo is a traditional three-line Korean poetic form organized technically and thematically by line and syllable count. Using the sijo form, write one poem in English on a topic of your choice.” Note an additional essay category for younger writers, with a young adult division for writers aged 19-30. Cash prizes and possible publication. “Open to all residents of the US and Canada regardless of ethnic background.”

• ALPINE FELLOWSHIP PRIZES
  Deadline: March 1. “Every year writing, visual arts, and theatre prizes are awarded to the best works concerning the year’s theme.” This year’s theme: “Language.” NB: This program administers discrete “writing” (“fiction, non-fiction, and non-academic essays”) and “poetry” prize categories. For each, “the winner and runners-up will receive cash prizes [£3,000/£1,000/£1,000] and will be invited to attend our annual symposium. We will offer up to £500 travel expenses to help with travel to the event and meals and accommodation during the symposium dates are also covered.” Open to writers of all nationalities.

• THE BRIDGE AWARDS RESIDENCIES
  Deadline: March 1. From Scotland-based Cove Park: “We are delighted to announce a new group residency taking place in May 2024. In collaboration with The Bridge Awards, and building upon the first Bridge Awards Residency for an individual artist in 2023, Cove Park is pleased to offer a further 5 fully funded residencies in 2024 for artists based in Scotland whose careers have been impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis and who have undergone successful treatment and are up to five years in remission.” The one-week residencies “will run in parallel from Monday 20 May to Sunday 27 May.”

• DEEP WILD 2024 GRADUATE STUDENT PROSE CONTEST
  Deadline: March 1. “The editors of Deep Wild: Writing from the Backcountry invite students currently enrolled in graduate studies to submit work for our 2024 Graduate Student Prose Contest…..We seek work, either fiction or nonfiction, that conjures the experiences, observations, and insights of backcountry journeys. By ‘backcountry,’ we mean away from paved roads on journeys undertaken by foot, skis, snowshoes, kayak, canoe, horse, or any other non-motorized means of conveyance. We are open to a wide spectrum of carefully-crafted work,from the personal to the political. By ‘personal,’ we mean work that not only relates the experience of backcountry journeys but also in some way reflects upon the journeys. By ‘political,’ we mean work that, while maintaining a backcountry perspective, addresses and confronts the social, economic, and environmental issues of our times.” Prizes: “Up to three pieces will be chosen for publication in the June 2024 volume of Deep Wild Journal, and the authors will receive cash awards and five copies of the journal.”

• IRON HORSE LITERARY REVIEW CHAPBOOK COMPETITION
  Fee-free submissions day: March 1 (“Once we hit 25 submissions in the free gate, we will close it….If you can afford to enter, please do not take one of the 25 available free slots.”). For a “winning collection of prose” (as detailed/defined in the guidelines), this competition will confer a $1,500 honorarium and publication (and 15 copies).

• ON THE PREMISES SHORT STORY CONTEST
  Deadline: March 1. “For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which some kind of vehicle plays an important role.” Winners receive cash prizes and publication as delineated on the site’s homepage.

• NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: March 13. For Fiscal Year 2025, which is covered by current guidelines, fellowships in poetry ($25,000 grants) are available.

REMINDER: Some competitions listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into January; make sure you haven’t missed them!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

Quick reminder: As I mentioned a couple of issues back, I’m 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.)

• BALTIMORE REVIEW is scheduled to open February 1 (remaining open through May).

• According to its Submittable page, DAPPLED THINGS, “the hub of the new renaissance in Catholic art and literature,” is slated to open February 1 for fiction and poetry submissions (and will remain open until May 31, “subject to adjustment”). Note that “nonfiction, book reviews, and guest blog posts continue to be read and accepted on a rolling basis.”

• Another one scheduled to re-open February 1: online flash-fiction magazine FLASH FROG.

• Also scheduled to open on February 1 (and remaining open until April 1): GORDON SQUARE REVIEW, “for general submissions [poetry, fiction, nonfiction] from writers of all geographic locations.”

• HARBOR REVIEW, “an online space for poetry and art,” is similarly slated to open for submissions on February 1 (and will remain open until April 30).

• A reminder from NASHVILLE REVIEW: “We consider submissions in Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Translation two times a year—August and February—and typically respond within 4-5 months. We welcome submissions in Art and Comics year-round. Currently, we are not accepting unsolicited reviews or interviews.” NB: “We cap the number of submissions to be considered at 750 per section to ensure a reasonable response time. If we reach our submission cap before the end of the month-long reading period, submissions will close early.”

• Ireland-based SOUTHWORD will open for fiction submissions February 1 (and will remain open until March 31). Recall that they opened for poetry submissions last month; that submissions window will close February 29.

• Also scheduled to be open for poetry (and art) during the month of February: VARIANT LIT.

• At YELLOW ARROW JOURNAL, which publishes “creative nonfiction, poetry, and cover art by writers and artists who identify as women,” submissions will be open during February for an upcoming issue on the theme of “Elevate.” Guest editor: Jennifer N. Shannon. (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• MUKOLI, “the magazine for peace,” publishes “art and literature that engages with peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding in its many forms,” has posted the following deadline information: “The submission window for our Summer ’24 & Winter ’24 issues is open up to 1 March ’24. Submissions received after 5 February ’24 will be considered only for the Winter ’24 issue.” (Thanks to Jeanne Lyet Gassman for introducing me to this one.)

• Until February 11, FALLING STAR seeks short stories (and a few poems) on the theme “New Home.” NB: “WE DO NOT PUBLISH FIRST PERSON NARRATIVES. We will auto-reject anything told in an ‘I-Me-My’ vein. Wanna tell the story of how your family moved west from their long-time homestead on the east coast? Cool. Think at the very least like Phillip [sic] Roth and have a thinly disguised version of yourself as the protagonist.”

• Until February 15, CARTE BLANCHE welcomes submissions for its upcoming open-themed issue. “We invite creators to submit previously unpublished pieces in the following genres: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, translations (French to English), photography, and comics.” NB: “Please note that while Canadian and international creators are welcome to submit their work to us for consideration, as a result of our affiliation with the Quebec Writers’ Federation and Canada Council grant requirements, we may emphasize a focus on Quebec-based creators in a given issue.”

• February 15 is also the deadline for PRAIRIE FIRE’s call for submissions for a special “50 Over 50” issue: “Prairie Fire is giving centre stage to women writers fifty and over! This special issue is a celebration that honours and recognizes the enormous contribution of living Canadian women writers, who have helped shape CanLit and continue to do so. If you are a woman, aged fifty and over, have at least one published piece of writing (literary journals, non-literary journals, writing group publications, anthologies, books, etc… we’re really not picky on this point.) and live in Canada (or lived a substantial amount of your life in Canada) then we want to see your unpublished work, as we compile this mosaic of new writing to be released in fall of 2024.” 

• THE SPECTACLE, too, remains open for submissions until February 15. (Note that although they pay for work accepted through their fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art categories, material accepted for “The Revue” is not eligible for payment.)

• At THE HEDUAN REVIEW, the forthcoming issue “will be themed ‘narratives of healing, reflection, and rebirth.’ In essence, we are looking for pieces that explore how we experience change in the face of triumph over challenges and what it means to introspect. Whether through personal essays, poetry, short fiction, or analysis of another work, we look forward to delving into your pieces on the human condition.” Deadline: February 25. (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• FANTASTIC BOOKS “is delighted to announce a second anthology [Jewish Futures 2] of original science fiction—and now, fantasy—stories that will speculate on the past, present, and future of the Jewish people. What will Jews be up to many years from now? How do Jews deal with magic, sorcery, and demons? These stories, like those in the first Jewish Futures book, will present the possibilities….While stories can be optimistic, pessimistic, utopian, dystopian, or anywhere in between, being Jewish and Judaism itself ought to be portrayed in a positive light. We encourage stories set outside the United States and Israel, and stories that include non-Ashkenazi American Jews, as we want this to be more than just ‘What will American Jews look like in the future?’” Editor: Michael A. Burstein. Deadline: February 27.

• Closing February 29: ALIEN’s current submissions window for fiction and poetry (nonfiction and visual art are received year-round). NB: Despite their name, they are not a science-fiction magazine: “We’re not looking for any specific genre. We just think aliens are cool.”

• New-magazine alert: GULLY is open to submissions year-round, but note that “the deadline to submit to Issue #1 is March 1, 2024. We are an annual magazine, and any submissions received after this date will be considered for Issue #2, which will launch in 2025. We publish fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and visual art. Our founding editors are based in New York City, Singapore and Berlin, and we are excited to publish work by writers and artists from around the world.” (Hat tip: .)

• March 1 is also the deadline at TEACH. WRITE. (“a writing teachers’ literary journal”). The work submitted need not be about teaching/learning. Submissions are open to all, although “writing that is either written by composition teachers and writing students OR about teaching and learning” is preferred.

• MIDDLE WEST PRESS is currently open for two categories of book-length poetry-manuscript submissions: “Intersections with Military Experience” and “Connections with American Middle West.” Deadline for each category is March 4 “or a maximum of 25 submissions, whichever comes first.”

• Recently discovered CONCORD RIDGE, “a biannual poetry broadsheet based in the Hudson Valley.” They’re open for submissions year-round. (Hat tip: Jeanne Lyet Gassman.)

• 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.”

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 Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers,

To borrow from the late British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, the year 2023—the period after October 7, in particular—“is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.” I’m proud to have continued publishing this newsletter throughout the year and gratified by the positive feedback and “success stories” that so many of you have shared. But I’ll admit that I’m not particularly energized moving forward into The Practicing Writer’s 21st year. And that’s in no small part because I’ve been so (further) disillusioned by what I’ve seen in literary and literary-adjacent communities in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.

It seems that every time I allude to these circumstances in this space, subscribers flee. Which is certainly a choice they’re free to make.

But I can make choices, too. And as I approach the 20th anniversary of this newsletter’s existence—the first issue, dated February 2004, went out to a tiny group of subscribers at the end of January that year—I’m thinking a lot about how I choose to spend my time (and brain cells, and emotional “bandwidth”) and how I can most meaningfully contribute to the communities and causes that matter most to me.

For now, messages like this one, which arrived not long ago and whose author requested anonymity, are sustaining me as I continue to curate resources and produce this newsletter:

I just wanted to write and thank you for the work you do to curate and share opportunities to publish. I’ve recently had to pull work from magazines and unsubscribe from so many other lists and newsletters—places to submit poetry manuscripts (which is a kind of list I need and I hate to remove myself from!), newsletters from individual journals—because of their messaging that displays a cold-hearted disregard for Jewish life. So I just wanted to say I’m grateful that there’s someone in the literary space right now who is sharing opportunities without simultaneously making me feel like I need to pack my bags.

Just to expand on my correspondent’s note: As I’ve mentioned in this space before, I am consciously striving to avoid amplifying publications and organizations that I no longer trust to demonstrate reasonable information literacy or critical judgment (never mind, as my correspondent suggested, basic compassion). But I am one, imperfect person. I am not omniscient. Some information may escape me. All I can promise you is that I’m doing my best.

May 2024 bring us all meaning and fulfillment in our writing practices—and peace, security, and freedom for everyone, everywhere.

Sincerely,
ERIKA

P.S. Quick reminder: I am thrilled 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 Gila Green:

I’m writing to tell you that my essay “Satisfaction” is a finalist for Iron Horse Literary Review’s “Unlawful Acts” issue, one of only seven essays put forward. Had I not seen this opportunity in your listings, I would not have known about it. Thank you for all of your work and for the opportunities you provide for the writing community. 

From X.P. Callahan:

Wanted to let you know that my poem “Police Blotter” has been included in Am Yisrael Chai: Essays, Poems, and Prayers, the anthology edited by Rabbi Menachem Creditor, which I read about in your [resources]. I am sorry to put this news under the “success story” rubric; just as Rabbi Creditor wishes that the anthology had not needed to be compiled, I wish my poem had not needed to be written. But here we are. The poem is also included in my collection Black Shirt Emblazoned, forthcoming from Monday Editions. Thank you for your brave and steady witness. Be well.

From Allen Borshy:

I would like to thank you for the list of publications [ED note: this one, I think] that accept short fiction. One of my short stories, “Mr. Rosenberg,” is now available for reading at jewishfiction.net.

and from Howard Wach (another former “day-job” co-worker; recall last month’s “Success Stories” installment):

I retired about 18 months ago and have been pursuing creative nonfiction. You included the Palisades Review in [your list of flash nonfiction venues]. [I sent them] a funny story about visiting a resort with my family (our kids were little ones at the time) where you pay for your discounted room by enduring a time-share presentation. I was really happy to have it accepted, since otherwise I'm working through the usual rejection-filled scenario! Thank you for putting the newsletter together every month—it's a huge undertaking and many many writers are benefiting.

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

There’s much to appreciate in this recent edition of ’s — but the item I want to spotlight is the “‘Did-Do’ List” (a close cousin of Lisa Romeo’s “I Did It!” list, which I’ve referenced in past newsletters). I’ve been tweaking my own “Did-Do” List as I’ve prepared this newsletter for you. And even in a “slow” year, I’m finding it to be an encouraging exercise.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• A.C. BOSE GRANT FOR SOUTH ASIAN SPECULATIVE LITERATURE
  Submissions: January 1-January 31. Honoring the legacy of Ashim Chandra Bose, this grant administered by the Speculative Literature Foundation “provides $1,000 to South Asian or Desi diaspora writers developing speculative fiction. Work that is accessible to older children and teens will be given preference in the jury process.”

• CLAIRE HARRIS POETRY PRIZE
  Submissions: January 2-March 31. “A new initiative of Goose Lane’s icehouse poetry imprint” that is “designed to enhance the visibility of debut poetry collections by previously unpublished poets from Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities. This prize will be presented for the first time in 2024 and thereafter will be presented biennially for a full-length debut collection. The prize will include a cash award of $1,000, a contract for the publication of the collection under the icehouse poetry imprint in the following year (2025), and public readings in at least three Canadian cities. The recipient of the 2024 prize will be selected by poet and essayist Kazim Ali.” NB: “Eligible writers include Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who are writers from Black, Indigenous, or other racialized communities and who have not previously published a book-length collection of poetry. (Poets who have published a chapbook, but not yet a book-length collection, are eligible to apply.)”

• OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY WATERSHED FELLOWSHIP WITH THE PUBLIC HUMANITIES COLLABORATORY
  Deadline: January 8. “The Public Humanities Collaboratory convenes scholars, creatives, cultural practitioners, and nonprofit and community leaders to engage in collective inquiry with the aim of discovering new approaches to enduring or emerging challenges….For 2024–2025 Watershed Fellowships, we welcome applications from philosophers, writers, historians, activists, teachers, storytellers, theologians, and community leaders whose work engages human connections with water.” Check the detailed guidelines and FAQ for information on stipends, residency options, and more.

• “MISS SARAH” FELLOWSHIP FOR BLACK WOMEN WRITERS
  Deadline: January 9. This residency fellowship “aims to provide Black women writers a restful environment conducive to reflection and writing. It also offers uninterrupted, independent time to plant the seed of an idea for a new writing project or to develop or complete a project underway. For 2024 the Fellowship will focus on the genre of Fiction….The selected writer will receive a ten-day solo residency in July 2024 and can choose whether to stay at Trillium Arts’ rural ‘Firefly Creek’ apartment in Mars Hills, NC or at E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen Lewis’ ‘Montford Manor’ residence near downtown Asheville, NC. Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend and transportation to and from Asheville, NC. Additional benefits will be custom tailored to the needs of the awardee.” NB: “The preferred dates for a “Miss Sarah” Fellowship in 2024 are July 10-20. However, the panel will consider other dates….Black women writers at any stage of their careers are invited to apply. For applicants outside of the United States, please note that travel expenses will only be covered within the United States. International airfare will be at the expense of the applicant.” (More info about “Miss Sarah”—Sarah M. Johnson—is available here.)

• BECHTEL PRIZE FOR INNOVATION IN CREATIVE WRITING INSTRUCTION
  Deadline: January 12. “Each year the Teachers & Writers Magazine editorial board awards the Bechtel Prize and a $1,000 honorarium for an essay describing a creative writing teaching experience, project, or activity that demonstrates innovation in creative writing instruction. The Bechtel Prize is named for Louise Seaman Bechtel, who was an editor, author, collector of children’s books, and teacher. In 1919, Bechtel became the first person to lead a juvenile book department at an American publishing house. Bechtel helped establish the field of children’s literature and was a tireless advocate for the importance of literature in children’s lives. This award honors her legacy.” Judge: Garth Greenwell.

• MIRIAM CHAIKIN WRITING AWARD
  Deadline: January 12. This $500 memorial prize welcomes submissions of “plays, short stories, poetry collections, or other examples of creative writing…. Submissions can be either published or unpublished manuscripts.”

• THE ENCORE AWARD
  Deadline: January 12 (5pm BST). From the Royal Society of Literature, this award of £10,000 “is open to second novels, published in the current calendar year,” meaning currently that “all entries must be published (in any format) for the first time in the UK or RoI within the calendar year 2023.” NB: “Only publishers or agents based in the UK or Republic or Ireland may enter works, which must be by writers who are citizens of the UK or Republic of Ireland.”

• RBC BRONWEN WALLACE AWARDS FOR EMERGING WRITERS
  Deadline: January 14. “Established in memory of writer Bronwen Wallace, this award has a proven track record of helping talented developing authors get their first book deal.” Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents who have been published in a literary magazine or anthology but are unpublished in book form. “Two $10,000 prizes will be given for outstanding works of unpublished poetry and short fiction.” Finalists receive $2,500.

• BAKWIN AWARD FOR FULL-LENGTH PROSE
  Deadline: January 15 (“or until we reach our cap of 300 submissions”). From nonprofit press Blair. For “an unpublished full-length literary prose work of fiction or nonfiction, prioritizing manuscripts by authors that fit Blair’s mission of publishing new and historically neglected voices. Entries should be literary in nature. Novels, short story collections by a single author, memoirs, essay collections, and biographies are all acceptable (NO POETRY COLLECTIONS, PLEASE). Blair does NOT publish strict genre fiction (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc.), but we acknowledge that some elements of genre fiction may be present in literary fiction.” Award confers “publication and a $1,000 advance against royalties.” Final judge: Tiya Miles.

• BETHANY ARTS CENTER POETRY RESIDENCY
  Deadline: January 15. “In recognition of the 28th anniversary of National Poetry Month in April 2024, Bethany Arts Community (BAC) in Ossining, NY is offering its fourth annual residency focused on poetry….The Poetry Residency is for one week, Wednesday, April 24th to Wednesday, May 1st, artists are provided room & board, a private studio, 3 basic meals a day…and a $225 stipend upon completion of the residency. Artist is responsible for transportation to and from BAC and any supplies or materials needed for their practice.”

• STACY DORIS MEMORIAL POETRY AWARD
  Deadline: January 15. Stacy Doris “created new worlds with her unexpected poetics. Following upon her spirit of creative invention, engaging wit and ingenious playfulness, discovery in construction, and radical appropriations based on classical forms, pastiche, etc., and love, the Stacy Doris Memorial Poetry Award is given to a poet with a truly inventive spirit.” Prize confers $500 and publication in the Spring 2024 issue of Fourteen Hills.

• JANET HEIDINGER KAFKA PRIZE
  Deadline: January 15. Prize honors Janet Heidinger Kafka, “a young editor who was killed in a car accident just as her career was beginning….Each year a substantial cash prize is awarded to a woman who is a US citizen, and who has written the best book-length work of prose fiction, whether novel, short stories, or experimental writing. We are interested in calling attention to the work of a promising but less established writer.” Entries, published in 2023, must be submitted by publishers; cash prize is $15,000.

• TOM LA FARGE AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE TEACHING, WRITING, and PUBLISHING
  Deadline: January 15. “This annual award in the amount of $10,000 is designed to encourage and foster literary activity that combines serious play, imagination, erudition and innovative practice.” Since the award “aims to foster literary work in [La Farge’s] spirit, applicants will be expected to familiarize themselves with his legacy.” NB: “The award may be sought for a project or body of work in writing, publishing, education or any combination of the three.” (Hat tip: George Salis, previous prize recipient.)

• LEVIS READING PRIZE
  Deadline: January 15 (received). For “the best first or second book of poetry published in the previous calendar year,” this prize is “presented by the M.F.A. in Creative Writing Program in the VCU Department of English and VCU Libraries with additional support from the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences, and the family of Larry Levis.” It “honors the memory of poet Larry Levis who served on the creative writing faculty at VCU at the time of his death in 1996.” Prize: “Traditionally, the winner receives an honorarium and [is] invited, expenses paid, to Richmond to present a public reading in the following fall.” NB: “The competition is not limited to U.S. citizens. However, because winners are supported in their travel to Richmond, all poets who win the award must be in residence in the U.S., as international travel can not be funded.”

• 2024 ZÓCALO POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: January 22. Recognizes “the U.S. writer of a poem that best evokes a connection to place….The prize interprets ‘place’ in many ways: A location may possess historical, cultural, political, or personal importance, and may be literal, imaginary, or metaphorical.” Prize: “The winner will receive $1,000 and will have the opportunity to read their poem at the Zócalo Book Prize event in the spring. Zócalo will also publish the poem on our site alongside an interview with the poet. In addition, we plan to recognize our honorable mention submissions,” who will be paid $100 each.

• BETHANY ARTS CENTER YOUNG ARTIST FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: January 23. “In 2022, Bethany Arts Community (BAC) identified the need and opportunity to support a longer-term fellowship specifically for emerging artists from 21-30 years old. In 2024, BAC welcomes their third annual Young Artist Fellowship, running in two cohorts from May 2 to September 2, 2024 and July 8 to November 8, 2024….Artists are provided room & board, a private studio, and a $250 stipend per week. Meals will only be provided during other residency programs, approximately 5 weeks of the Young Artist Fellows. Artist is responsible for transportation to and from BAC and any supplies or materials they may need for their practice.” 

• JERRY JAZZ MUSICIAN SHORT FICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: January 31. “Three times a year, Jerry Jazz Musician awards a writer who submits, in our opinion, the best original, previously unpublished work of short fiction.” Prize includes $150 and publication. “The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Our newsletter subscribers include publishers, artists, musicians, and fellow writers. While your writing should appeal to a reader with these interests and in these creative professions, all story themes are considered.” Open to writers worldwide.

• MAINE WRITERS STUDIO RETREAT
  Deadline: January 31. A free, one-week (June 15-22, 2024) writing retreat “will be awarded to a qualified writer who can benefit from a quiet space to advance their current project. The retreat is located in a gloriously renovated barn in the quaint college town of Brunswick, just 30 minutes north of Portland, ME. Walking distance to everything the town has to offer, and just two blocks from the Amtrak train station and 30 minutes from Portland Jetport, this is the perfect and peaceful hideaway to dive into your work.” NB: “Please note that transportation and meals are not included.” 

• PATTIS FAMILY FOUNDATION CHICAGO BOOK AWARD
  Deadline: January 31. “The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award at the Newberry Library is presented annually to a book that transforms public understanding of Chicago, its history, or its people.” Eligible criteria include: “Any book, whether fiction or nonfiction, that promotes public understanding of Chicago; titles must be available for purchase by the general public in either hardcover or bound paperback form.” Note that “books must bear a copyright of 2022 or 2023 to be eligible for the 2024 prize.” Prize includes a $25,000 award.

• STORY UNLIKELY SHORT STORY CONTEST
  Deadline: January 31. Annual contest imposes “no restrictions on genre: fantasy, sci fi, memoir, fiction/nonfiction, etc - we don’t care as long as it's written and told with quality and care. The story itself cannot exceed 4,500 words. There are no restrictions on age or location of participant.” Prizes: “$750 first place, $500 second place, $250 third place. The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely’s website, will be strongly considered for our annual (print) sample magazine, and may be sent out as the bonus story for signing up, which means a lot of exposure to the winner. All three placing stories will be published in the monthly issue, and all three will be illustrated by our crackpot team of digital editors.” Read the detailed guidelines for information about honorable mentions. NB: “All authors MUST be signed up for the Story Unlikely monthly magazine (free!) to be eligible for prize and publication.”

• PATERSON POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: February 1. Sponsored by The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College, this is a $2,000 award for a book of poems, 48 pages or more in length, judged as “the strongest collection of poems” published in 2023. Note: “The winning poet will be eligible for the monetary prize only if he/she/they participates in a reading at the Poetry Center in Paterson, NJ or virtually.”

• PATERSON PRIZE FOR BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
  Deadline: February 1. Offers a $1,000 prize for books published in 2022 in “each category: Pre-K - Grade 3; Grades 4 - 6; Grades 7 - 12.”

• FRANCES “FRANK” ROLLIN FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: February 1. From Biographers International Organization. Named for the 19th-century author and activist, this program confers two awards ($5,000 each) “to two authors working on a biographical work about an African American figure or figures whose story provides a significant contribution to our understanding of the Black experience. This fellowship also provides the recipients with a year’s membership in BIO, registration to the annual BIO Conference, and publicity through BIO’s marketing channels. The Rollin Fellowship aims to remediate the disproportionate scarcity and even suppression of Black lives and voices in the broad catalog of published biography. This fellowship reflects not only BIO’s commitment to supporting working biographers but to encouraging diversity in the field.” NB: “The fellowship is open to all biographers anywhere in the world who are writing in English, who are working on a biography of an African American figure (or figures), and who are at any stage in the writing of a book-length biography. A publishing contract is not required for eligibility. Biography as defined for this prize is a narrative of an individual’s life or the story of a group of lives. Innovative ways of treating a life (or lives) will be considered at the committee’s discretion. Memoirs are not eligible.”

• PHILIP ROTH RESIDENCE IN CREATIVE WRITING
  Deadline: February 1. “Named for Bucknell’s renowned literary alumnus (‘54) and initiated in fall 1993, the Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing offers up to four months of unfettered writing time for a writer working on a first or second book in any literary genre. The residency provides lodging in Bucknell’s ‘Poets’ Cottage’ and a stipend of $5,000. In the spring semester of 2024, the Stadler Center will accept applications for the 2024–25 Roth Residences (Aug.–Dec. 2024 and Jan.–May 2025). NB: “An applicant must be at least 21 years of age, reside in the United States, and not be enrolled as a student in an academic program or hold competing professional, academic, or fellowship obligations during the period of the residency. Some record of publication is desirable. Publication (or acceptance for publication) of a second book is disqualifying.”

• WOODBERRY POETRY ROOM CREATIVE FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: February 1. This fellowship at Harvard University “invites poets, writers, translators, visual artists, composers, and scholars to propose creative projects that would benefit from an immersive encounter with the Woodberry Poetry Room and its collections. The fellowship includes: a stipend of $5,000, access to the Woodberry Poetry Room (and several other Harvard special collections), and research support from the Poetry Room curatorial staff. Thanks to the generosity of the T. S. Eliot Foundation, the fellowship recipient will also receive a one-week residency to work on their project at the T.S. Eliot House in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Eliot House residency may be scheduled between May-October of the fellowship year, but does not have to coincide with the fellow's research visit to Harvard. The fellowship recipient will receive a Harvard Library special access card that is active for one year, allowing for a great deal of flexibility in terms of scheduling. It is hoped that the $5,000 stipend (which is the comprehensive honorarium for individual and collaborative recipients) will help to offset travel and lodging costs.”

• EMORY UNIVERSITY CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIP
  Deadline: February 15; note that “the search committee will begin reviewing applications as they arrive.” Two-year fellowship in fiction “in lively undergraduate English/Creative Writing Program, beginning Fall 2024. A two-year commitment is assumed but the contract renewal for the second year is contingent on a positive review of the first year. Load 2-1, all workshops; $45,000 and health benefits. Fellow will give a public reading. Required: MFA or PhD in last five years, with Creative Writing teaching experience; record of publication, but no full-length book published or under contract. Desirable: interest in secondary genre, creative nonfiction, and/or screenwriting.”

• CASA UNO RESIDENCY
  Rolling applications. “Located in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, the residency takes place on a beautiful property that provides an opportunity for one to four artists simultaneously to have meaningful interactions and stimulating discussions while pursuing their own individual projects in an inspiring natural setting.” Note that although there’s no fee to apply or to attend, you will need to cover your own transportation and nearly all meals (details provided on the website).

REMINDER: Some competitions listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into January; make sure you haven’t missed them!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• Recently re-opened for submissions: POETRY IRELAND REVIEW.

• Scheduled to re-open for submissions January 1: TRAMPSET.

• 34 ORCHARD will be open for submissions January 1-15. “We like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad….We are an international journal and welcome submissions from everyone, all over the world.”

• Open for fiction and nonfiction during January: VARIANT LIT.

• Open for poetry from writers around the world during January (and February): MALAHAT REVIEW (which accepts submissions in all genres from Canadians throughout the year; creative nonfiction is also welcome from international writers year-round).

• Opening for poetry submissions January 1 (and remaining open through February): Ireland-based SOUTHWORD.

• Opening for submissions January 1 (and remaining open through March): BETHLEHEM WRITERS ROUNDTABLE, for Summer 2024 issue consideration. “The theme for that issue will be: Dog Days of Summer: Lazy stories . . . or dog stories!” Accepts work “in most genres of fiction, as well as memoir and poetry.”

• Until January 5, POET LORE is open for submissions for “a folio of work by queer writers centered on love,” to be curated by guest editor Luther Hughes.

• Australia-based GRIFFITH REVIEW has two calls open on its Submittable page. One, closing January 7, is for non-fiction pitches for Griffith Online. “This is where we showcase short (1,000–1,500 words) pieces of commentary, analysis and critique on subjects as diverse, esoteric or topical as you like.” NB: “We’d particularly welcome pitches from First Nations writers. We’d also welcome pitches from members of the d/Deaf and disabled writing communities.” January 14 is the deadline listed for nonfiction for an upcoming issue on “Attachment Styles.” Beyond these, there’s a mention of an upcoming poetry call that is slated to open January 22: “Keep an eye on our social media and newsletter for more details soon.” You’ll also find details on pay rates and more on their website.

• At UK-based MSLEXIA, “for women who write,” January 8 is the deadline for submitting “500-word fictional prose monologues in the voice of the wife, mistress, sister, daughter, mother of a famous real or fictional person. We’re inviting strong voice pieces suitable for both page or performance. Please give your piece a title that explains the relationship, e.g. ‘Ophelia, fiancée of Hamlet’; ‘Melania, wife of Donald Trump’.” 

• According to its Instagram page, CONSEQUENCE will open January 15 for submissions that “showcase the talents of BIPOC writers and artists. We welcome submissions in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, or visual art that explore the experiences, realities, or consequences of war or geopolitical violence.” This window is slated to close April 15.

• Closing January 15: GREAT WEATHER FOR MEDIA, which seeks poetry and prose for its annual print anthology. “We welcome work from writers worldwide,” but cash payment is available only for USA-based writers.

• Also closing January 15: submissions for RATTLE’s upcoming “Tribute to the Ghazal.” (ED note: Check the Submittable page for other open opportunities with Rattle.)

• BERLIN LIT, “journal for new poetry,” is open for submissions until January 16.

• THE AMPERSAND REVIEW is open until January 31, for submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, and reviews. NB: “In keeping with our mandate to foster literary culture in communities within Canada, priority may be given to submissions written by those who reside in Canada.” (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• BELMONT STORY REVIEW also remains open until January 31, for submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. NB: “For those who cannot receive U.S. checks…we can pay in kind with additional copies of the magazine (3 total) but cannot issue monetary payment.”

• Another January 31 deadline: submissions for MIRRORBALL: HOW TAYLOR SWIFT REFLECTS THE LOSS, HOPE, AND LOVE OF MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD. To be published by EastOver Press, this anthology “of writings from around the world inspired by Taylor Swift, her music and her call to fans globally to cry and laugh and dance and mourn and grow together” welcomes poetry and prose and will be edited by Chiwan Choi and Michelle Grondine.

• NONBINARY REVIEW is similarly open until January 31, for poetry, prose, and visual-art submissions for an issue with the theme of “Old Friends”; note that there’s a submission cap for each issue, so they may close early.

• Also open until January 31: ​THE /TƐMZ/ REVIEW, for submissions of poetry and prose. (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• The deadline for poetry submissions at TERRAIN.ORG, which has a focus “on place, climate, and justice,” is January 31. (Nonfiction and fiction remain open through March.)

• New publication: THE ILFORD REVIEW “is now open for submissions for Issue One. We are currently seeking essays and creative non-fiction that run between 3,000 - 6,000 words in length.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• Another one I’ve discovered via the WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter: SCRAPS, which “showcases the abandoned work of writers and artists. In this exercise, abandoned work is any piece of writing or art that the author or artist has indefinitely shelved after receiving a series of rejection letters from traditional venues. These pieces should be complete and polished, and mostly competent, but not quite good enough. Think 4th place runner-up. Or 5th or 6th.  In addition to showcasing the abandoned work, we would like to present a collaborative response to rejection by creating a complimentary element to accompany each piece of writing. The rejection letters will be used by the editors to create this response, ranging from additional graphics or illustrations, erasure poetry, essays, music, and bibliomancy.”

• Thanks to @Duotrope, I’ve recently discovered the THE PUBLIC DOMAIN REVIEW, which welcomes submissions for its essay series. “While spanning a wide array of disciplines and periods, our essays all share a common focus on oft-overlooked subjects and attention to works now out of copyright due to age. We are seeking writing that, though often considerate of academic themes, engages both the expert and curious newcomer in discovering the stories preserved by the digital commons.”

• MENAGERIE, which publishes “fictions, essays, and poems,” is open year-round. “Subs are free till we hit our monthly cap, so get in early.” (Hat tip: Jeanne Lyet Gassman.)

• From EMI NIETFELD: “I’m accepting pitches for my newsletter, , where funny, witty people write retrospectives of life experiences -- all in the style of a Big Tech post-mortem! I hope to feature a diversity of experiences and voices, while helping amazing writers connect with new readers.” (Hat tip: The Writer’s Job Newsletter.)

• 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.”

Welcome, new readers, and welcome back to the regulars.

For updates and additional opportunities between newsletters, please check the “Practicing Writing” blog and follow Erika Dreifus on Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers,

I wish that I could return to a “typical” introduction for this newsletter. But for me, as for many other Jews I know—including Jews who are practicing writers—October 7 was a demarcation point. And especially while we continue to await the safe release and return of each and every hostage, nothing can be ordinary.

But I won’t linger on that. I’ve said enough in last month’s newsletter and in the mid-month update. For now, at least.

So I’ll keep this opening message brief. Thank you for being here. And however you will be spending the upcoming month, I hope that it’s a good one for you—and for your writing practice.

Happy holidays,
ERIKA

P.S. Quick reminder: I am thrilled 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 Julie Zuckerman:

Thanks for listing the Creators of Justice Literary Awards in The Practicing Writer! My memory is somewhat of a blank as to things that happened before October 7, 2023, so when I received the email saying my essay, “Under One Sky,” had won first place, I was flabbergasted. The essay deals with my occasional volunteer work with The Road to Recovery, a non-profit which transports Palestinian patients to and from the border crossings for treatment in Israeli hospitals. It ends on a line of hope, which was an important reminder for me, post October 7. I suppose I was writing a memo to my future self. Thank you, Erika!

and from Lucinda Zoe (a former “day-job” co-worker!):

Erika, I’ve been getting your Practicing Writer newsletter for a while now and promised myself that upon retirement I would pursue some of your leads. I have written poetry on and off for years, but have kept it mostly to myself. However, since retiring, I did keep my promise to myself and found a chapbook competition in your listings [the Kari Ann Flickinger Biennial Memorial Literary Prize] and submitted my manuscript for consideration. First, I was thrilled to learn I had made the cut to the “Long List” of manuscripts that had been reviewed by a panel of judges to be moved along for review by the final judge. I was recently informed that my work was awarded 3rd place and comes with a portfolio piece in their literary magazine and a 250£ cash award! I was quite stunned and, of course, humbled by this recognition and validation. This has certainly given me the confidence to continue writing and, finally, getting my work out there. Without your thoughtful list of resources I’m not sure I would have taken the step. Thus, I write to thank you for your support of and commitment to all writers.

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

This feature will return next month.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL & THE BETSY WRITERS ROOM INAUGURAL WRITER’S RESIDENCY CONTEST
  Deadline: December 7. “In celebration of Jewish Book Month, JBC and The Betsy Writers Room are thrilled to announce our inaugural writer's residency contest,” which confers a stay at The Betsy Hotel in Miami. “The stay includes a daily American breakfast as well as a modest per diem to assist with incidentals in the hotel. Residencies are typically booked in a Sunday through Thursday window in an agreed-upon timeframe, subject to availability.” To enter the contest, writers are asked to submit a short essay (maximum 2,200 characters (spaces included, as I was told on Twitter) answering the question, “What is your favorite Jewish book and why?”. Important note: “JBC and The Betsy Hotel reserve the right to use and publish the essays submitted as a part of this contest.” Note also “that travel to the residency is not included and the winner will need to coordinate their stay directly with The Betsy Writers Room team.”

• EZRA JACK KEATS AWARD
  Deadline: December 15. “Known collectively as the Ezra Jack Keats Award, the New Writer Award was established in 1985 and the New Illustrator Award in 2001 to recognize and encourage emerging talent in the field of children’s books.” Prizes: “The winning author and illustrator will each receive, at the award ceremony, a monetary award of $5,000 and the EJK medallion suspended in lucite and inscribed with the recipient’s name, the name of their book and the year it was published. The EJK Award ceremony is held in early April during the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival at The University of Southern Mississippi. In order to receive the award, the winning writer and illustrator must attend the ceremony. The publishers are responsible for making arrangements for authors and illustrators to be at the Award ceremony. Honor book winners will receive a monetary award of $2,000 and a glass plaque inscribed with the recipient’s name, the name of their book and the year it was published.” Publishers must enter the books; check the guidelines for essential criteria and other information.

• THE NEWBERRY ARTIST IN RESIDENCE FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: December 15. Three fellowship programs—including one for historical-fiction writers—at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Each one-month fellowships confers a $3,000 stipend.

• OUTPOST RESIDENCY
  Deadline: December 15. “The Outpost Foundation is an advocacy organization for creative writers of color from the United States and Latin America. Its flagship program is a residency that awards two writers a $2,000 stipend as well as complimentary travel, lodging, and meals to spend the month of September cultivating a generative writing community in the mountains of Southern Vermont. In addition to the time spent in residence, Outpost Fellows will engage in organized interactions with the community of local universities and bookstores, allowing space to share their work and expand their networks.”

• WITCRAFT MONTHLY HUMOUR COMPETITION
  Deadline: December 15. “Send us skillfully written stories that are brief, humorous and engaging, with the emphasis on wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense….Word limits: 200-1000. First prize A$50, second prize A$20, third prize A$10, payable via Paypal only.” (Hat tip: .)

• ST. MARTIN’S/MINOTAUR-MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA FIRST CRIME NOVEL COMPETITION
  Deadline: December 17. “Open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any Published Novel (in any genre),” as defined within the guidelines. Note that “murder or another serious crime or crimes [must be] at the heart of the story.” Prize: “If a winner is selected, Minotaur Books will offer to enter into its standard form author’s agreement with the entrant for publication of the winning Manuscript. After execution of the standard form author’s agreement by both parties, the winner will receive an advance against future royalties of $10,000. On the condition that the selected winner accepts and executes the publishing contract proposed by Minotaur Books, the winner will then be recognized at the Edgar Awards Banquet in New York City in May 2024.” (Appreciate the reminder about this one from .)

• KIM WALL MEMORIAL FUND GRANTS
  Deadline: December 17. From the International Women’s Media Foundation. Providse $5,000 grants “to journalists whose work embodies the spirit of Kim’s reporting. The grant will fund women or non-binary reporters covering subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call “the undercurrents of rebellion.” Kim wanted more women to be out in the world, brushing up against life, and the Kim Wall Memorial Fund honors this legacy.” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• READWRITE STRATEGIES ANTHOLOGY CONTEST
  Deadline: December 18. “ReadWrite Strategies is partnering with Jim Dunn, PhD, DHA, FACHE to create an anthology of funny anecdotes about the workplace….We particularly welcome stories from HR professionals.” NB: “We aim to publish the book in early March 2024. All accepted contributors will receive a digital copy of the book. The five funniest stories will win an award: 1st place will receive $500 and a print copy, 2nd place will receive $200 and a print copy; and 3rd, 4th, and 5th place will each receive $100 and a print copy.” (Hat tip: The Writer’s Job Newsletter.)

• DOLORS ALBEROLA POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: December 31. From Editorial Dalya. Open to “all writers worldwide,” this prize “aims to expand poetry reading from around the world.” Winning manuscript receives publication in a bilingual edition; translation into “another European language”; copies; and royalties. Finalists receive publication in a Spanish edition; copies; and royalties.

• ANISFIELD-WOLF BOOK AWARDS
  Deadline: December 31. These awards recognize “outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity.” Awards are given for fiction, poetry and nonfiction. Submissions of books published this year are now open. Prize: “Award recipients traditionally receive $10,000 from the Anisfield-Wolf fund.”

• BEING JEWISH ON CAMPUS: A STUDENT WRITING CHALLENGE
  Deadline: December 31. “Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas invites Jewish college students to tell us how campus life is shaping your Jewish identity and connection to Jewish life. We are currently accepting submissions of 1500-2000 word essays written by Jewish college students that describe an aspect of Jewish life on your campus and then explore what it means to you and what it might mean for other Jews. We are looking for a variety of perspectives, and we want to hear from you, no matter what your Jewish background is, where you go to school, or what you’re studying! We’re interested in hearing about any topics that relate to your Jewishness and Jewish identity on your campus.” Open to students enrolled at 2- or 4-year colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Prizes: “Up to four writers will receive $500 and have the opportunity to work with editor Claire E. Sufrin to prepare their essays for publication.”

• W.Y. BOYD LITERARY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MILITARY FICTION
  Deadline: December 31. “Honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction.” Confers $5,000. Novels submitted “must have been published during the year prior to the award.” Both YA and novels for adults are eligible.

• FOUR QUARTETS PRIZE
  Deadline: December 31. From the Poetry Society of America. Prize recognizes “a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, chapbook, or book in 2023.” Awards: “Three finalists will receive $1,000. The winner will receive an additional $20,000.” Judges: Catherine Barnett, Eduardo C. Corral, D.A. Powell.

• ERNEST J. GAINES AWARD FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE

  Deadline: December 31 (received). Award confers $15,000, “honors Louisiana’s revered storyteller, Ernest J. Gaines, and serves to inspire and recognize rising African-American fiction writers of excellence [U.S. citizens only] at a national level.” Eligible authors must have a “work of fiction (novel or collection of short stories) that is published between October 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023. Galleys for a 2023 publication are also accepted, though galley proofs considered during the 2022 submission cycle are not eligible for consideration in 2023.”

• GLENCAIRN GLASS CRIME SHORT STORY COMPETITION
  Deadline: December 31. “Do you have a knack for conjuring up sinister plots, capturing the perfect crime, or documenting deadly deeds? If so, this is your chance to showcase your talent. Glencairn Crystal, the maker of the world’s favourite whisky glass – the Glencairn Glass, and sponsor of the McIlvanney and Bloody Scotland Debut crime writing awards, is seeking crime short stories in collaboration with Bloody Scotland and Scottish Field Magazine. This year’s theme is ‘A Crime Set In Scotland.’” Open to writers worldwide. Prizes: “First prize – £1000. Runner Up – £500. Both winners will also receive a set of six bespoke engraved Glencairn Glasses. The overall winning entry will be published in Scottish Field Magazine and online at www.whiskyglass.com.” (Hat tip: Freelance Writing Jobs.)

• HOOKS INSTITUTE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
  Deadline: December 31. From the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis, for a non-fiction book “that best furthers understanding of the civil rights movement and its legacy.” Confers a prize of $1,000 and an invitation to lecture at the University of Memphis. “Non-fiction books with a first-published date in the 2023 calendar year are eligible for the award.”

• IRIDESCENCE AWARD
  Deadline: December 31. From Kinsman Quarterly. For short stories and poetry by BIPOC authors. “Themes should include the supernatural, extraterrestrial, or the paranormal. Prizes include publication in the Iridescence anthology with cash awards up to $500 USD.”

• LILITH MAGAZINE ANNUAL SHORT FICTION CONTEST
  Deadline: December 31. “Lilith Magazine—independent, Jewish & frankly feminist—seeks quality short stories with heart, soul and chutzpah, 3,000 words or under, for our Annual Fiction Contest. First prize: $300 and publication. We especially like fresh fiction with feminist and Jewish nuance, and are eager to read submissions from writers of color and emerging writers of any age.”

• LIT UP BY REESE’S BOOK CLUB FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: December 31. For “unagented and unpublished women and nonbinary writers who are also diverse.” Program gives five emerging writers “an all-expenses-paid retreat, a three-month mentorship with a published author, and marketing support from Reese’s Book Club.”

• THE LYRIC MAGAZINE COLLEGE POETRY CONTEST
  Deadline: December 31. Open to undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university. “Poems must be original and unpublished, 39 lines or less, written in English in traditional forms, preferably with regular scansion and rhyme. We welcome up to three poems per student. Winners are announced and published in the Winter issue of The Lyric.” Cash prizes: $500/$200/$100.

• REBOOT STUDIOS PROJECT FUND
  Deadline: December 31. “Reboot Studios will provide seed investments to develop new inspirational and transformational Jewish content. Driven by the belief that art influences our world, enriches our lives and has the power to educate, inspire, create movements and change the way we think, Reboot Studios will tell stories through a Jewish lens about the shared human experience….For 2024, Reboot Studios currently contemplates that it will make between four (4) to seven (7) recoupable development investments with a range of $15,000 to $25,000 each.” Note emphasis on “development and production of narratives that explore a far more expansive vision of the Jewish diaspora, its themes and identities beyond what we’ve historically been exposed to in the media. These projects would include scripted and documentary media (long form, short form and episodic), theatrical productions (plays, one-person shows, etc), podcasts, books, albums, photography projects, and digital/multimedia art.”

• TARTTS FICTION AWARD
  Deadline: December 31. For writers who have not published a short fiction collection (American citizens only). “Winning short story collection will be published by Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama, in simultaneous library binding and trade paper editions. Winning entry will receive $1000, plus our standard royalty contract, which includes 60 copies of the book.”

• JACK HAZARD FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: January 4. From the New Literary Project: “Jack Hazard Fellows are fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir writers who teach full-time in an accredited high school in the United States. We provide a $5,000 award that enables these creative writers who teach to focus on their writing for a summer.” Note: “Published writers are certainly encouraged to apply, but so are unpublished and yet to be published writers.”

• ASSOCIATION OF WRITERS AND WRITING PROGRAMS (AWP) CONFERENCE WORK-EXCHANGE PROGRAM
  Deadline: January 5. “Are you a current student, adjunct professor, or someone in need of assistance to cover the cost of the conference? Sign up to participate in our work-exchange program for the #AWP24 Conference & Bookfair February 7–10, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri! The success of each year’s conference and bookfair depends on the commitment and efforts of our work-exchange participants. In exchange for a pre-conference web training session and four hours of your time on-site, AWP will provide you with a waived conference registration, which gives you full access to the bookfair and all conference events.”

• OLIVE B. O’CONNOR FELLOWSHIPS IN CREATIVE WRITING
  Deadline: January 5. At Colgate University. Two fellowships will be conferred (one in fiction, one in nonfiction). “Writers who have recently completed an MFA, MA, or PhD in creative writing, and who need a year to complete their first book, are encouraged to apply. The selected writers will spend the academic year…at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. The fellows will teach one multigenre course each semester and will give a public reading from the work in progress.” Fellowship confers a stipend of $55,500, travel expenses, and health and life insurance.

• ANDERSON CENTER DEAF ARTISTS’ RESIDENCY
  Deadline: January 9. “The Anderson Center at Tower View’s Deaf Artists Residency (DAR) provides 5 Deaf artists the opportunity to come together to live, work and share ideas in ASL, while advancing their own personal artistic projects. DAR is the only residency opportunity in the world devoted exclusively to Deaf artists. The program was created in 2014 to enact the vision of a Deaf visual artist, Cynthia Weitzel, who designed and leads the program. Weitzel maintains year-round studio space at the Anderson Center. A DAR Program Assistant, a role filled through an open application process, also supports artists during, and leading up to, their residencies….The program has supported twenty-seven visual artists, performing artists, writers, and scholars through five artist cohorts in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2022. Five artists will participate in the upcoming June 2024 program. Thanks to support from Anderson Center funders & sponsors, artists selected to participate in the cohort will receive a $1,400 stipend for the month, reimbursement of up to $600 in travel costs, art-making resources, lodging & studio space, groceries, and chef-prepared communal dinners.”

REMINDER: Some competitions listed in last month’s newsletter remain open into December; make sure you haven’t missed them!

5. SUBMISSION ALERTS

• At THE CINCINNATI REVIEW, print-magazine submissions will reopen December 1 and will most likely close again soon thereafter; act quickly if you’re interested.

• Open between December 1 and December 14: the fee-free submissions period at HIPPOCAMPUS magazine, which seeks personal essays, memoir excerpts, and flash creative nonfiction.

• Reminder that online submissions of fiction, poetry, and essays for the print edition of NINTH LETTER are free during December. NB: “(300 submission cap for fiction; no cap for poetry or creative nonfiction).”

• FEMINIST FOOD JOURNAL is open until December 3 for pitches for an upcoming “Meat” issue. They welcome “personal essays, narrative or reported pieces, literature or film reviews, cultural commentary, poetry, creative writing, video, audio — we’re interested in it all!” (Hat tip: WOW! Women on Writing Markets Newsletter.)

• Per its website, INVISIBLE CITY remains open for nonfiction submissions until December 5. (Note that at last check there was a different, later deadline mentioned on their submission manager.)

• Until December 10, NORTHERN GRAVY is open for “submissions over three areas: Fiction, Poetry and Kid Lit (writing for Middle Grade and Young Adult audiences).” NB: “While we love receiving submissions, if you weren’t either born in the UK or Ireland, or currently reside in the UK or Ireland, we will have to discard your submission without reading it.”

• FUNICULAR, which “publishes short fiction, flash fiction, and poetry from emerging and established Canadian writers, as well as work from writers around the world,” is open for submissions until December 11. (NB: They pay for print publication only.)

• Until December 15, EASTOVER PRESS “is accepting previously published short stories for a forthcoming anthology. The stories should have been published in 2021 or 2022. The anthology will focus on BIPOC writers who live in or hail from rural or semi-rural locales (in the United States) and whose short stories feature characters living and/or working in rural or semi-rural spaces. In addition, we'll also accept work from BIPOC writers who've spent a significant amount of time in rural or semi-rural locales and whose work might reflect those spaces. 

  Erika T. Wurth will serve as guest editor.”

• Until December 15, THE JOURNAL OF COMPRESSED CREATIVE ARTS is receiving submissions of “‘compressed creative arts.’ We accept fiction and creative nonfiction, as long if they are compressed in some way.”

• For the next anthology in its “Surf Noir” series, KELP BOOKS is also open for submissions until December 15.

• December 15 is also current deadline at MIDSTORY, which features “personal essays and columns from midlife women about relationships at this stage of life.”

• At ORCA, submissions for the February 2024 “literary” issue similarly remain open until December 15. NB: “Orca offers 100 free submissions each month….If the fee-free submission forms do not appear, it means the 100 free submissions have been used for that month, and the free portals will reopen at the start of the next month.” On another note: Orca has recently announced that it will now consider previously published material.

• MEETINGHOUSE is open for general submissions until December 22.

• A reminder from THE EX-PURITAN: Submissions “received by December 25 are considered for the winter issue, out in February.”

• Submissions for CHANNEL are open until December 31. “We publish new, previously unpublished work that engages with the natural world…Although based in Ireland, Channel welcomes international submissions. We also welcome submissions in translation.” NB: Although fiction and poetry can be submitted only during specific windows, non-fiction/essays are welcome year-round.

• Also until December 31, “submissions are OPEN for IN THE MOOD MAGAZINE Issue 9: HOMETOWN! We’re looking for writing about film, TV, and pop culture related to your hometown—however you may define it. These could be films shot or set in your town, state/province, or country. Or maybe it’s a town you’ve always identified with, an invented hometown, or a hometown hero.”

• From FLIPPED MITTEN PRESS: “We’re seeking individual poems on ‘The Body’s Experience of Religion.’ In what ways do we experience religion, or the loss of religion, in our bodies? We consider poetry to be almost anything, so if you have something weird (like a word search that blasts purity culture), we’d love to see it. We’re willing to consider previously published work as long as you retain the rights. Just let us know where your work was previously published.” Deadline: January 1.

• Also until January 1, JUNE ROAD PRESS is accepting submissions for full-length poetry collections.“We’re looking for an original, well-structured, and polished manuscript of (about) 40 to 60 poems, preferably the author’s first or second book. We’re particularly interested in work with strong ecological/environmental themes, or that engages in meaningful ways with nature or place, by writers who identify as women.”

• And also until January 1: THE WILD UMBRELLA, “an ambitious new journal, eager to publish compelling prose and poetry from Ireland and the world,” is open for submissions. (Hat tip: @Duotrope.)

• As noted in a recent newsletter, 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.”

• Although general submissions at SHORT STORY, LONG are currently closed, two windows remain open: for unpublished writers and BIPOC writers.

• 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.”

Greetings, all:

I know that we all receive a lot of email, and I try to limit my presence in your inboxes to a once-monthly rate. But I did want to take this opportunity to offer a couple of quick notes today.

As many of you know, in addition to the monthly newsletter that’s now hosted here on Substack, for years I’ve been posting a lot of related content multiple times each week on the two blogs that are housed on my website. This includes weekly “Markets and Jobs” posts on the Practicing Writing blog.

Those Markets and Jobs posts, which typically publish Monday mornings, feature opportunities that don’t make it into the monthly newsletters. They also include more “hyper-local” calls, contests, and jobs that are less likely to be relevant for the global newsletter readership.

(NB: I’ve been maintaining the blogs for a long time; I encourage you to subscribe to them, or at the very least follow me here on Substack and/or on social media, where I routinely share links to these posts. I haven’t yet had the “bandwidth” to determine how I might transition to some form of routinely posting the same content in Substack posts. What can I say? I can only manage to do so much in the 24 hours we’re given each day.)

On that note: Much of my energy lately was devoted to preparing for last Sunday’s Jewish Book Council Writers’ Conference, where I moderated a panel titled “Addressing Antisemitism in Our Literary Lives.” In addition to moderating, I participated as a panelist.

As I made clear at the session’s outset, I was speaking for myself only—not for the Jewish Book Council, and not for any of my co-panelists, either. I also said that there was no way I’d be able to cover everything there was to say. That would have been the case even if the (40-minute!) session had been held last summer, when my (three!) co-panelists and I proposed it, and when it was accepted.

If you’re interested in consulting the handout around which I organized my conference remarks—“18 Ways to Address Antisemitism in Your Literary Life”— you’ll find it here. Given the current environment, I didn’t want to wait until I could provide it as a “featured resource” in the next full newsletter in order to share it with those who might wish to check it out.

Speaking of the Jewish Book Council: Did you know that we are currently a little more than one week in to Jewish Book Month? (The dates vary; the month typically concludes on the first night of the Hanukkah holiday—this year, that’s December 7.) It’s a particularly good time to amplify and support Jewish books. I’m doing so with a daily post on Twitter (yes, I’m still there—for now—and I’m still calling it that).

I’ll be back with another Substack post at the end of the month: December’s edition of . Until then, I’m wishing everyone—especially those who will be observing Thanksgiving—a good start to the holiday season.

And, as the saying on so many holiday greeting cards aspires to each year: “Peace on Earth.”

ERIKA

We value our subscribers, and we protect their privacy. We keep our subscriber list confidential.

About Erika Dreifus: Erika 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.”

Welcome, new readers (251 subscribers have joined us since the last newsletter went out), and welcome back to the regulars.

For updates and additional opportunities between newsletters, please check the “Practicing Writing” blog and follow Erika Dreifus on Twitter (yes, I’m still calling it that, and for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’m still there), Facebook, and/or Substack.

If you are accessing this newsletter via email, you may find a “Message Clipped” notice as you continue reading. That’s due to the length of this info-packed missive. Please be sure to click as appropriate to access the full text.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Editor’s Note

2. Success Stories

3. Featured Resource(s)

4. 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)

5. Submission Alerts (NO SUBMISSION/READING FEES; PAYING CALLS ONLY; NOTHING THAT’S LIMITED TO WRITERS IN A SINGLE CITY/STATE/PROVINCE)

6. Blog Notes

7. Newsletter Matters

1. EDITOR’S NOTE

Greetings, practicing writers:

What a month it’s been.

I find myself in a paradoxical position of feeling as though I have a great deal to say—and feeling as though I have no words at all. I will try to stay focused here, sticking as closely as I can to newsletter-related matters.

On that note: As many of you have graciously acknowledged over the years, this (free, and ad-free) newsletter takes a lot of time and effort to put together. This month, with my energies required for an array of emergency efforts in the wake of Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel, I’ve had to make a change that I’m fairly certain will be lasting: Detailed pay-rate information won’t be specified any longer within the newsletter’s “Submission Alerts” section.

I promise this: I will 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 will require 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.)

At this time I’m also compelled to issue a reminder: This is a curated list; I am a curator. When I discover that a publication, press, or literary organization—particularly one that proclaims a commitment to diversity, anti-racism, and inclusion—supports and/or amplifies anti-Israelist antisemitism and inflammatory tropes and rhetoric, I can and will refrain from listing its associated opportunities.

As Gal Beckerman has noted in an important Atlantic piece, writers, of all people, should know that precision and clarity of language matter. It is possible to care about the suffering of one group of people without demonizing and distorting the history of another. If I become aware that a literary venue lacks that capacity—as I have since October 7 through numerous organizational public statements and individual signatures (with self-disclosed editorial affiliations attached) on equally public open letters/petitions—it’s not merely my right to omit the venue’s calls and competitions from future newsletters. It is, in fact, my obligation—to myself as well as to all of you.

I thank you for your understanding.

May we all live in better, more peaceful times.

And may our writing practices always reflect the best that is in each one of us.

ERIKA

P.S. A different sort of postscript, for a very different month. If you’re considering supporting organizations that are working to support Israelis and Palestinians at this time of acute crisis, please spend a few moments with my highly personal set of recommendations.

2. SUCCESS STORIES

From Yitzchak Francus:

Thanks for cluing me into the Mitford Museum’s GetLit! Writing Contest in your August 2023 edition of The Practicing Writer. My story, “Principal for a Day” was selected as the winner. I appreciate all you do for writers.

From Steve Bieler:

I've been meaning to write to you for a while. In June of 2022, I read about the Moment Magazine-Karma Foundation Short Fiction Contest. I had eight weeks to write something. I never win contests, and my honorable mentions have meant just about nothing, and the entry fees add up. I thought, one last time. I wrote the story. I submitted the story on the final day. The months passed. I forgot the story. Then in May of this year, Moment contacted me. I won the 2022 contest. What?! I won! They interviewed me. They posted my story. They illustrated my story. They’re printing it on paper right now. And it’s all because a) I am an optimist, and b) I discovered this contest on My Machberet. This is my biggest victory as a writer. Thank you, Erika, for helping writers all these years, for helping this writer.” (ED note: You can now find Steve’s winning story on Moment’s website.)

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: “AFTER OCTOBER 7”

“After October 7: Readings, Recordings, and Resources” does not aim to be comprehensive. Its purpose is both personal—to record many of my own encounters with texts and other materials following the launch of Hamas’s terrorist attack on southern Israel the morning of October 7—and educational. As an academically trained historian, educator, and multi-genre American Jewish writer who happens to possess more than a passing familiarity with Israeli history, literature, and culture, I’m offering this document as an informed resource.

My overall emphasis here is on amplifying Jewish perspectives—including writers’ perspectives—from Israel and the Jewish Diaspora that I’ve found especially resonant and/or clarifying. I’ve made this my priority in part due to longstanding currents in the literary and literary-adjacent communities with which I am most familiar. At best, such tendencies erase Jewish voices that do not adhere to a prevalent (if, for Jewish communities beyond those bubbles, decidedly minority/fringe) anti-Israelist ethos. Far more dangerously, they amplify increasingly visible and virulent antisemitic statements and tropes. 

Please check back for additions and updates. Thank you for reading.

4. CONTESTS, COMPETITIONS, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

• ON THE PREMISES MINI-CONTEST
  Deadline: November 3. “For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long in which some kind of food, or the idea of food in general, plays an important role.” Prizes: “First place pays $35, second pays $25, and third pays $15, all in US dollars. Honorable mentions get published, but make no money.”

• TOI DERRICOTTE & CORNELIUS EADY CHAPBOOK PRIZE
  Deadline: November 5. “Since 2015, Cave Canem has collaborated with O, Miami to spotlight exceptional chapbook manuscripts by Black poets. The winner of the prize receives a $1,000 award, publication of their manuscript by O, Miami Books, 10 copies of the chapbook, a residency in The Writer’s Room at The Betsy Hotel in Miami, and a featured reading.” (ED note: As some of you may have seen, I’ve had some difficulty understanding the eligibility criteria—is this opportunity truly open to “Black writers,” as the guidelines indicated, or only to those who haven’t published a first book [also as the guidelines indicated]? Maybe this is clear to everyone except me—my brain has been over-challenged these past couple of weeks. But if you have any questions, please do not contact me. Please contact Cave Canem instead.)

• CAVE CANEM FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: November 10. For Black poets. “Each year a cohort of 10–20 new Fellows is selected based solely on the quality of their poems. Cohorts encompass a range of different aesthetics and poetic practices (the spoken word tradition, formalism, multimedia performance, text-based composition, etc.), to ensure an equity of voices in our gathering—all united by a common purpose to improve craft and find productive space. Fellows receive an unparalleled opportunity to study with a world-class faculty and join a community of peers at the Retreat, a week-long series of intensive poetry workshops, thought-provoking presentations, both public & private readings, and creative discourse.” Fellowships include: invitation to the Retreat, a subscription to MasterClass, access to Fellows and Faculty Fund, access to “exclusive scholarships for select writing residences,” and more.

• PENROSE POETRY PRIZE
  Deadline: November 12. “The intention of the Penrose Poetry Prize is to uphold and celebrate LGBTQIA+ voices in the poetry community.” Prizes: “$200, $100, and $50 cash awards to three winners with works to be published as a special online volume with a special note on the first place work from our 2023 guest judge to be announced. A long list, short list, and honorable mentions to be announced at date of publication.” Welcomes international submissions.

• GAIUS CHARLES BOLIN DISSERTATION AND POST-MFA FELLOWSHIPS
  Deadline: November 15. These fellowships at Williams College “promote diversity on college faculties by encouraging graduate students from underrepresented groups to complete a terminal graduate degree and pursue careers in college teaching.” They offer “two-year residencies at Williams. Two scholars or artists are appointed each year. Fellows devote the bulk of the first year to the completion of dissertation work—or in the case of MFA applicants, building their professional portfolios—while also teaching one course as a faculty member in one of the College’s academic departments or programs. The second year of residency (ideally with degree in hand) is spent on academic career development while again teaching just one course.” NB: “Ph.D. candidates must have completed all doctoral work except the dissertation by the end of the current academic year. MFA candidates must be recent recipients of the degree; only those with degrees granted in 2023, or to be granted in 2024, are eligible to apply.” Fellowships confer an annual stipend of $57,000. “The College will also provide health and dental benefits, relocation and housing assistance, academic support including office space and a computer, and an annual allowance of $4,000 for research-related expenses.” Check detailed eligibility guidelines and note that the application asks post-MFA applicants for “2-3 short stories, 10-15 poems, or novel passages not to exceed 50 pages,” which (to me) suggests a focus on candidates who specialize in fiction or poetry.

• BROOKLYN NON-FICTION PRIZE
  Deadline: November 15. From the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival. “The Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize, a cash award of $500, will be awarded to the best Brooklyn- focused non-fiction essay which is set in Brooklyn and is about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. We are seeking compelling Brooklyn stories from writers with a broad range of backgrounds and ages (minimum age 18 years old) who can render Brooklyn’s rich soul and intangible qualities through the writer’s actual experiences in Brooklyn. From the collection of selected Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize submissions, several authors will be selected to read from their work and discuss their Brooklyn stories with the audience at our annual finale event. The exact date/time and venue will be announced later. These stories and several other submitted stories will be published on the Brooklyn Film and Arts Festival website and made available to the public.”

• TREEHOUSE CLIMATE POEM PRIZE CONTEST
  Deadline: November 15. Honors “exceptional poems that help readers recognize the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment.” Prizes: $1,000/$750/$500. “In addition, all three poems will be published in the popular Poem-a-Day series….Poems may also be featured in the award-winning education series Teach This Poem.” Judges: poet Elizabeth Bradfield and climate scientist Kate Marvel, PhD. As always, be sure to check guidelines for eligibility information.

• AWP CONFERENCE COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIPS
  Deadline: November 21. “The AWP Conference Community Scholarship aims to increase access to the annual conference and bookfair. While anyone may apply, AWP encourages those who identify as people of color, disabled, LGBTQIA+, and/or low-income to apply. Membership is not required to apply.” The next AWP conference is scheduled for February 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. “Seventy-five percent of community scholarships will be awarded to local Kansas and Missouri residents.”

• THE PETERSFIELD BOOKSHOP GHOST STORIES AT THE BOOKSHOP COMPETITION
  Deadline: November 23. From the UK-based shop: “There is a long literary tradition of ghosts stories in this country, particularly at Christmas and so, in the run up to the festive and spooky season this year we are launching our ‘Ghost Stories at the Bookshop’ competition. Last time we did this we had a huge and brilliant response when we asked for ghost stories that were set in a bookshop. This time we are changing it up a little. This time we would like to read ghost stories that have a sense of place – your place. We would like to read stories that draw on where you live, its history, folklore and landscape. However you choose to interpret it, that’s the direction we would like you to be thinking.” Prizes: “One overall winner will receive £100, two runners up will receive £50 each. The winning stories and others selected from among the entries may be published in an anthology” (complimentary contributor copies to be provided). NB: Per their response to my inquiry, this competition is also open to writers outside the UK. (Hat tip: Freelance Writing Jobs.)

• GULLIVER TRAVEL GRANT
  Applications: November 1-30. From the Speculative Literature Foundation. Since 2004, the Gulliver Travel Grant ($1,000) “has been awarded annually to assist writers of speculative literature in their non-academic research. These funds are used to cover airfare, lodging, and other travel expenses. Travel may be domestic or international. You may apply for travel to take place at any point in the following year.”

• HUDSON REVIEW SHORT STORY CONTEST
  Deadline: November 30. Open for stories (up to 10,000 words) by writers never before published in The Hudson Review. No simultaneous submissions. “First prize: $1000. Second and third prizes: $500. Winning stories will be published in The Hudson Review. All submissions will be considered for publication and payment at our regular rates.” (Hat tip: Jeanne Lyet Gassman.)

• SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARDS
  Deadline: November 30. From the Society of Authors. “W. Somerset Maugham set up a fund in 1947 to enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience of foreign countries. The awards are given for a published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry.” Note that to be eligible, an author “must be a British national, or resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for three years prior to the date of submission for the award, and writing in English.” The work they enter “must be a full-length book and have been first published in Britain and Northern Ireland in 2023”; it “may be poetry, fiction, criticism, biography, history, philosophy, belles-lettres or a travel book.” In 2023, six authors received awards of £2,700 each.

• J.F. POWERS PRIZE FOR SHORT FICTION
  Deadline: November 30. From Dappled Things. “‘One foot in this world and one in the next’: that’s how J.F. Powers described the Midwestern priests he wrote about in his fiction. Having one foot in another world can be awkward, and Powers’ characters are known not for their graceful mysticism, but for the humiliating and mordantly entertaining stumbles they make while trying to live their faith. We’re looking for carefully crafted short stories with vivid characters who encounter grace in everyday settings—we want to see who, in the age we live in, might have one foot in this world and one in the next.” Confers $500 for first place and $250 for second place (and publication); up to 8 honorable mentions will receive publication in the journal and a one-year subscription.

• QUEEN’S KNICKERS AWARD
  Deadline: November 30. From the Society of Authors. “This annual prize, generously funded by Nicholas Allan, author of The Queen’s Knickers, is awarded to an outstanding children’s original illustrated book for ages 0-7. It will recognise books that strike a quirky, new note and grab the attention of a child, whether this be in the form of curiosity, amusement, horror or excitement. The winner will receive £5,000, as well as a golden Queen’s Knickers badge, as depicted in Nicholas Allan’s original book. The runner-up will receive £1,000 and a silvered badge.” The guidelines/eligibility criteria discuss division of the award between a winning author and illustrator. Note that works “must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023” and that submissions must be made by publishers, who “can submit no more than THREE titles per imprint.”

• PAUL TORDAY MEMORIAL PRIZE
  Deadline: November 30. From the Society of Authors. “Paul Torday published his first novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen aged 60. The family have decided to set up this new prize in Torday’s honour, celebrating first novels by authors aged 60 or over. The winner will receive £3,000, with a set of Paul Torday’s collected works. Runners-up will receive £1,000 and one specially selected Paul Torday novel with a commemorative book plate.” Note that while there are no residence or nationality restrictions, submitted novels “must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023.” Note also that submissions must be made by the publisher.

• BETTY TRASK PRIZE
  Deadline: November 30. From the Society of Authors. “Betty Trask left a bequest to the Society of Authors in 1983 to fund prizes for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 in a traditional or romantic style. Each year a single prize winner receives £10,000 and the remaining fund is split between the shortlist.” Among eligibility criteria: “The author must be resident in Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the Commonwealth for three years prior to the date of submission for the award, or a British national, and writing in English.” The work submitted may be published (between 1 December 2022 and 30 November 2023) or unpublished (and not previously submitted for this prize).

• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS RILKE PRIZE
  Deadline: November 30. This t$10,000 prize recognizes “a collection that demonstrates exceptional artistry and vision written by a mid-career poet and published in the preceding year. The prize is named after the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), a writer whose work embodies the qualities of ambition, intellectual and imaginative scope, and technical mastery we seek to recognize.” Check eligibility specifics on the website.

• ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES JEWISH FICTION AWARD
  Deadline: December 1. “All works of fiction with significant Jewish thematic content written in or translated into English which are published and available for purchase in the United States during 2023 are eligible for the 2024 award. Jewish thematic content means an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc. The award will include a $1,000 cash prize as well as support to attend the AJL conference to receive the award.”

• (DAVID J.) LANGUM, SR. PRIZE IN AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION
  Deadline: December 1 (received). “A prize and $1,000 honorarium is awarded to the winner each year for the best book in American historical fiction published in the preceding year. Both the winner and the finalist also receive handsomely framed certificates. The novels must be submitted by December 1st of their year of first American publication. Novels that are published in the month of December are eligible and must be submitted for that year’s prize, but may be submitted by December 1st in advanced reading copies or proofs.”

• LOVE LETTERS TO LONDON WRITING COMPETITION
  Deadline: December 1 (noon [UK time]). “Now in its third year, this competition is open to everyone to celebrate our wonderful, fantastic, infuriating city in prose or poetry. Open to all ages, and to all writing styles - fiction, poetry, essays and reportage - whether you live in the capital or not. There are special categories for under 18s, as well as prizes for schools.” This year’s theme: “Love Letters to London of the Future.” For adults, “open” and “poetry” categories will each confer cash prizes of £500/£250/£100.

• SCHOMBURG CENTER SCHOLARS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM
  Deadline: December 1. This program at the New York Public Library “offers both long-term and short-term fellowships designed to support and encourage top-quality research and writing on the history, politics, literature, and culture of the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora, as well as to promote and facilitate interdisciplinary exchange among scholars and writers in residence at the Schomburg Center.” Long-term fellowships “provide a $35,000 stipend to support postdoctoral scholars and independent researchers who work in residence at the Center for a continuous period of six months”; short-term fellowships, “for a continuous period of one to three months,” confer stipends of $3000 per month.

• SILLERMAN FIRST BOOK PRIZE FOR AFRICAN POETRY
  Deadline: December 1. Awarded annually “to an African poet who has not yet published a collection of poetry. The winner receives USD $1000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal. The Sillerman Editorial Team, including Kwame Dawes, Chris Abani, Matthew Shenoda, John Keene, Gabeba Baderoon, Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, Aracelis Girmay, and Mahtem Shiferraw will judge.” NB: “An ‘African writer’ is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African.” Also: “Only poetry submissions in English can be considered. Work translated from another language to English is accepted,  but a percentage of the prize will be awarded to the translator.”

• J. ANTHONY LUKAS WORK-IN-PROGRESS AWARDS
  Deadline: December 7. Two awards, each in the amount of $25,000, “are given annually to aid in the completion of a significant work of nonfiction on a topic of American political or social concern. Recognizing that a nonfiction book based on extensive original research often overtaxes the resources available to its author, the project envisions the award as a way of closing the gap between the time and money an author has and the time and money that finishing a book requires. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book.”