Writer Advice Scintillating Starts Contest for Fiction, Memoir, and Creative Nonfiction is now open to anyone who has not signed a contract for the book (which the scintillating start is in).
Submit up to 1000 words of your first chapter by 12/01/16. Details on Writer Advice.
Writer Advice (B. Lynn Goodwin) is known for their feedback and “would love to tell you what’s working and what an agent might say.”
A picture is worth . . . you know. . . lotsa words.
Redwood Writers, a Branch of the California Writers Club, is sponsoring The 2016 Prompt Contest.
Write a fictional story inspired by this “Highway through the Redwoods” photo by Tim May. The connection between the story and the photo must be apparent to the judges. The words “redwood” and “highway” must be somewhere in the story.
DUE DATE: October 16, 9:00 p.m.
Fiction only.
Contest submissions are open to all California Writers Club members and to non-member residents of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Marin, Lake, Humboldt and Solano counties.
$8 for California Writers Club members; $12 for non-members
1,000 words or less
1st place: $100, a certificate suitable for framing, and a signed photo by Tim May
2nd place: $50 and a certificate suitable for framing
3rd place: $25 and a certificate suitable for framing
Reed traces its heritage back to 1867, when the first issue of The Acorn was published by the students of California State Normal School, the institute that would eventually become San José State University.
What began as a small publication for student work has grown into an international literary presence, receiving thousands of submissions from writers across the globe. A West Coast journal with worldwide reach, Reed, like California, is an ongoing, expanding, and wondrous mosaic of thoughts, ideas, and emotions.
Reed Magazine – Submissions Open June 1 to November 1.
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Art
Fiction – under 5,000 words.
John Steinbeck Award for Fiction – up to 5,000 words, $15 fee to enter. Winner receives a cash prize of $1,000.
Non-Fiction – under 5,000 words
Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction – This award is for a work of creative nonfiction up to 5,000 words and requires a reading fee of $15. The winner of the Rico Challenge receives a cash prize of $1,333.
Poetry – submit up to five poems with your submission.
Edwin Markham Prize for Poetry. This award requires a reading fee of $15. You may submit up to five poems per entry. The winner of the Edwin Markham Prize receives a cash prize of $1,000.
Art – up to five pieces of art, including photography (include details about the medium, including modifications made to a photograph). Send submissions in an easy to open format, such as a .jpg or .pdf file.
Mary Blair Award for Art. This award requires an entry fee of $15. You may submit up to five pieces per entry. The winner will receive a cash prize of $500.
The Forge Literary Magazine publishes one prose piece per week selected by a rotating cast of editors.
Forge accepts unsolicited submissions via Submittable. Less than 3,00 words are preferred, but Forge “will consider work of rare quality up to 5,000 words.”
What to submit: Flash and micro prose. “Literary excellence is our only criteria.”
Hayden’s Ferry Review has it all: Fiction. Nonfiction. Poetry. Art. International/Translation
Hayden’s Ferry Review is a semi-annual & international literary journal edited by the Creative Writing program at Arizona State University.
“While we also focus on tradition, our main purpose is to introduce the world to up and coming writers.”
Hayden’s Ferry Review looks for well-crafted work that challenges readers, takes risks, and engages emotionally and artistically.
SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN
Note: Hayden’s Ferry Review does not accept submissions via mail or email. Submittable is the only way for work to be considered for publication.
Hayden’s Ferry Review looks for “cutting edge classics, experimental nuance, and that one thing about your cousin Gina. Don’t pretend you don’t know what we’re talking about . . . “
Do you want your poetry to be part of an anthology?
Submit to Scarlet Tanager to be considered for their anthology about California species, habitats, and geography, as well as historical, emotional, spiritual, political, aesthetic, or philosophical content.
Scarlet Tanager is looking for poems that “go beyond simple description of place.”
From their Submissions Page:
The anthology will include poems on the coast and ocean, redwood forests, deserts, rivers, oak woodlands, grasslands, valley, chaparral, foothills, and mountains.
Poems on urban environments welcome too!
The aim is to celebrate California’s landscapes and also to document destruction and change.
All forms and styles of poetry are welcome, as long as they focus on California.
You do not need to live in California to submit.
Please click on Scarlet Tanager Submissions for details on how to submit.
From its founding in 1976, The Louisville Review has “fostered the development of new writers. Each poem and story submitted to TLR is judged entirely on its own merit.”
In 1996, to celebrate twenty years of continuous magazine publication, the Fleur-de-Lis Press was launched. To date, eighteen books have been published.
Brief Guidelines – please click on Submissions for full guidelines.
TLR accepts unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and drama year round. All work must be previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are accepted. All submissions are considered based on quality of writing above all else.
Fiction and Nonfiction
Prose submissions should be double-spaced and page numbered. While we do not have a set word limit, please know that our editors are less likely to choose longer pieces simply because it leaves less room in the journal for other work.
Poetry
Poetry (up to 5 poems) need not be double-spaced. If submitting online, please be sure all poems are in a single document before uploading.
Drama
Drama should appear in standard format.. You are welcome to submit selections of a longer work, though pieces that are able to stand alone work best.
The Children’s Corner
The Louisville Review accepts submissions of previously unpublished poetry from students in grades K-12. We seek writing that looks for fresh ways to recreate scenes and feelings. Honest emotion and original imagery are more important to a poem than rhyming and big topics—such as life, moralizing, and other abstractions. All Children’s Corner submissions must be accompanied by parental permission to publish if accepted.
Do you have a snippet of writing, more than one snippet, longer than a snippet? And you just want to submit somewhere. InfectiveInk.com may be the answer.
InfectiveInk: “Instead of focusing on genre or style, we inspect themes and universes . . . all based on the same prompt.”
“A haunted house doesn’t have to be a horror story, in fact a haunted house could simply refer to a memory or a family that has endured a tragedy. Zombie tales can be hilarious, and the word ‘zombie’ could refer to any number of things. Mysteries can find their way into any situation. Be creative, push your boundaries, have fun, write great stories.”
“Write to the prompt and HAVE FUN!”
Please read Submissions Guidelines and Author Agreement.
Submit by July 28, 2016: Little mistakes, big trouble
We all make mistakes, usually small, and usually inconsequential, but sometimes those little things lead to surprising and troublesome places.
Submit by August 28, 2016: Girls! Women! Ladies! Chicks!
Your story must have at least two female characters. You story must have no male characters, and not mention or refer to the mens in any way, (this means you must also avoid mentioning their lack of presence in the story). We’ve all read countless stories where women make no appearance, so it shouldn’t be difficult to let the boys sit one out.
Submit by September 27, 2016: Twilight sucked, so fix it
We’re looking for YA or new adult, horror or fantasy or sci-fi, with a bit of romance. Your characters don’t have to be teens, but keep that YA template in mind. Please avoid obvious fanfiction, unless you’re going for satire.
Submit by October 28, 2016: Overheard
An overheard conversation should factor into the story in a significant way Remember, there are a lot of different ways a person can accidentally (or intentionally) overhear or be overheard.
From the Grist Website:
Grist seeks high quality submissions from both emerging and established writers. We publish craft essays and interviews as well as fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—and we want to see your best work, regardless of form, style, or subject matter.
We read between June 15th and September 15th. Please note that we do not accept snail mail submissions. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable as long as we are immediately notified if the piece has been accepted elsewhere. Please do not mix genres in the same submission. We do not consider previously published work.
Our submission fee (waived for current and new subscribers) is $4 for three to five poems, for one work of fiction up to 5,000 words, or for one work of non-fiction up to 5,000 words. The bulk of our reading fee goes to paying our writers; the rest covers our Submittable fees and a portion of our print publishing costs, which helps us to make a high-quality home for a wide variety of the best national and international creative and literary work available to us. We hope that you will regard this fee as an investment in you, the writers who keep us going, while also serving as a sign of your support for the literary art we all value so much.
Average response time is 2-4 months.
Submissions will be considered for publication in either the print issue or Grist Online. Payment is $10 per poem or 1 cent per word for prose up to 5,000 words as well as two contributor copies. Additional copies are also available at a reduced cost for contributors.
To submit your work to the journal, please read guidelines.
To pitch ideas or submit reviews, craft essays, or interviews to our blog, The Writing Life, please read guidelines.
Section Guidelines:
Fiction: Submit one story up to 5,000 words.
Poetry: Submit 3-5 poems.
Non-fiction: Submit one essay up to 5,000 words.
The Writing Life: To pitch an idea for a craft essay, interview, or other piece you think would be a great fit for our blog, please contact Managing Editor for Online Content, Jeremy Michael Reed.
Reviews: Grist seeks reviews of books published by small and independent presses in the genres of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, essays on craft, and books about the creative process as it relates to all artistic mediums, including visual art. While most reviews follow the standard model, experimentation with the review form is also welcome, with the understanding that clarity is always a virtue.
We focus on small, independent, and university presses because we think there are already plenty of other outlets for books by major publishers. And while we believe that all books deserve serious, critical commentary, we don’t see much value in wasting our time (or our readers’!) on a review of a book we don’t recommend. So: as a reviewer, we want you to be honest, but we also want you to highlight the books you’re excited about, and leave aside the others.
We look for approximately 700 words, are happy to request books for you, and will work with you on establishing a timeline that works for you (although we usually ask reviews be completed in 4-8 weeks).
Carve Magazine Submissions Guidelines sound pretty friendly, like they are just waiting for your manuscript which they might read over blackberry pie and coffee.
“We accept short story, poetry, and nonfiction submissions year-round and from anywhere in the world. Send us your best work. We’d love to read it.”
A partial list of Submission Guidelines:
FICTION
Carve seeks good honest fiction in the form of short stories, with emotional jeopardy, soul, and honesty.
POETRY
Carve seeks poetry that is both quiet and expansive; elicits an authentic emotional connection. Every word should purposefully add to the voice, sound, and imagery.
NONFICTION
Carve seeks nonfiction that reflects the honest place of literature in our lives with experiential reflections and literary overlays, inlays, or even underlays. ‘Tell us what happened and how we, as literature lovers, connect to it.”
Unique to Carve: DECLINE/ACCEPT
We want to support all writers, even the ones we don’t publish. If we decline(d) your story and it’s accepted elsewhere, let us know. We might ask to feature an excerpt and a recap of your experience in our Premium Edition.
Complete Submission Guidelines for Carve.
Consider using Carve’s Editing Services to get a professional critique direct from the editor.
