Bluestem produces three online editions per year. Please submit no more than 5 poems at one time, or one short story (or 1-3 flash pieces in the same file), or one creative nonfiction essay. Fiction / prose / essays should be no longer than 5,000 words. We are currently accepting submissions for our Summer 2020 issue. No previously published work is accepted. Simultaneous submissions are fine. As part of our paid market pilot project, contributors in 2020 will receive $20/poem and $75/prose piece. Sample back issues of Bluestem are available for $5.00 for each issue you would like. The 2019 print issue is $10.00. Click here for purchase information. “For writers at home who are feeling the squeeze: in celebration of our relaunch, we’ve opened up free submissions for the remainder of April.“
Category: Just Write
2020 Lincoln Poetry Contest
Inviting You To Enter ✤ The 2020 Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest ✤ Message from Alan Lowe Coordinator, 2020 Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest: Wishing you good health and peace during these difficult times. Looking on the bright side , April is National Poetry Month and the time to begin the 16th Annual Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest. There are five new categories: ~What Do I See When I Look in The Mirror ~I See You in My Dreams ~You Should Have Seen What I Saw Today ~ See A World with Many Opportunities ~See If I Can Make You Laugh Poets may submit a maximum of three poems, no more than one in each of three of the five contest categories. Everyone (over the age of 18) is encouraged to enter the contest. Poets do not have to live in Lincoln, CA, to be eligible. Rules and Entry Form Information (Scroll…
What do you miss? Prompt #488
What, or who, do you miss?
Spillway Magazine
Spillway magazine is an annual publication of poetry, reviews, and articles. Published each summer, Spillway presents emerging and established poets of regional, national, and international interest. Submit!
Memoirs As Textbooks
Use a published memoir as a textbook to write your memoir. Read the memoir. Read it again to examine structure. Notice where author used narration vs. dialogue to tell the story. Notice the balance between fast-paced action scenes and slower, contemplative scenes. Note when and how backstory is used. Let’s use Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt as our textbook. McCourt’s ability to write as if experiencing events as they unfold, pacing, and his strong writing voice made Angela’s Ashes a New York Times beloved best seller. Angela’s Ashes takes the reader on an emotional journey. There is so much vulnerability in this book. McCourt reaches into our compassionate hearts as he tells his story, moving from childhood to adulthood. He weaves details into a story, similar to the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. McCourt taps into universal messages and themes. Understanding your theme will help to write your memoir. Possible…
Potomac Review
Potomac Review publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Submission Guidelines.
Writing Exercises Are Like Foyers
“. . . writing exercises . . . are the way architects think of foyers: They usher an individual from one world to another. I use them as a means of transitioning from the outside word of reality to the interior word of imagination and language. . .” — Bret Anthony Johnston, “Narrative Calisthenics,” Poets & Writers, Nov/Dec 2008
New Letters
New Letters magazine works to discover and publish the finest new writing, wherever it exists. That mission implies encouragement of writers just starting or those who deserve wider readership. By placing the emphasis on excellence, we best promote the cause of the literary arts and affirm their transforming qualities. Editorial decisions arise from three core questions: Is the writing intense; does it advance literary art; does it offer hope? New Letters’ Literary Awards for Writers, established in 1986, offers a total of $8,250 in prizes annually. The Awards program discovers and rewards new writers and encourages more established writers to try new genres or new work in competition. In recent years, New Letters has won a National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s highest honor, received multiple Pushcart Prizes, often in a given year, and places selections often in The Best American Poetry, Essays, and other prize anthologies. “New Letters will continue to seek the best new…
North American Review
“As the oldest literary magazine in the nation, our selected works reflect the breadth of the American experience, and encompass any voices that are committed to telling rich narratives that challenge the status quo.” From North American Review’s website: “We read during the academic year. We close during university breaks. The North American Review is the oldest literary magazine in America (founded in 1815) and one of the most respected. We are interested in high-quality poetry, fiction, and nonfiction on any subject; however, we are especially interested in work that addresses contemporary North American concerns and issues, particularly with the environment, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and class. We read during the academic year. We close during most university breaks. The submission fee helps us defer a small portion of our printing and distribution costs. We like stories that start quickly and have a strong narrative arc. Poems that are passionate about subject,…
Ninth Letter
Ninth Letter publishes one issue in the spring and one in the fall and accepts submissions of fiction from September 1 to November 30 and from January 1 to February 28 (postmark dates) We are accepting submissions of poetry and essays from September 1 to February 28 (postmark dates). We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work. Please adhere to the guidelines when submitting your work to Ninth Letter. Ninth Letter pays $25 per printed page, upon publication, for accepted material, as well as two complimentary copies of the issue in which the work appears.