✎STUDY HALL CREATIVE 08/16/2023✎

 

The Creative Opportunities newsletter is a monthly compilation of lit mag submission opportunities, creative writing contests and prizes, and literary fellowships and residencies. This month’s newsletter is written by Sarah Yanni, who is working on a new queer zine called Lola Goes By Tom.

►To help make Creative better for all of our members, please let us know what we can do to improve the newsletter by emailing [email protected].

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GENERAL SUBMISSIONS

–The American Poetry Journal is holding their Summer Chapbook Series, welcoming submissions for next year’s publication roster. Submit up to 42 pages of poetry on any subject, in any style. The deadline to submit is August 31, and there is a $15 reading fee. 

–The Publishing Laboratory at the University of New Orleans seeks submissions of novels or short story collections. With the publication contract, the selected author also receives a $10,000 advance. The deadline to submit is August 31, and the fee is $28. 

–ELJ Editions’ Afternoon Shorts: Long Story Short Series welcomes submissions of single author, single stories of 8,000-15,000 words for ebook/print publication. They consider cross-genre work, but ask for no romance or erotica. The deadline to submit is August 31 and there is no reading fee. 

–fourteen poems seeks LGBTQ+ poetry for their upcoming anthology. Submit up to 5 poems in a single PDF or Word document with a small paragraph about yourself to [email protected]. The publication pays £25 for each poem published, and the deadline is September 1. 

–The Rumpus Original Fiction series is open for submissions of short stories up to 5,500 words. Writers may opt to send up to 3 flash fiction pieces (1000 words or less) instead. There is no entry fee and the deadline to submit is September 15. 

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OPEN QUERIES 

–Caroline Trussell at Metamorphosis Literary Agency is open to queries for the month of September. She is looking for thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction (especially focusing on sister dynamics), adult fantasy (particularly magical realism and urban fantasy), adult horror, and any genre with stories that feature characters with non-visible disabilities and/or mental illness. Send work via the query manager.

–Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency is open to fiction queries. Katie focuses on representing commercial fiction for young adult and adult markets in the areas of upmarket women’s fiction, book club fiction, romance, psychological / domestic suspense, thrillers, and coming-of-age stories. She is particularly drawn to contemporary storylines. Please email [email protected] with the subject line “Query: TITLE.” Please include your query, a short synopsis (not required & only if available), and the first five pages pasted into the body of the email.

–Jan Baumer at Folio Literary Management is open to queries for fiction and non-fiction works. Jan says, “My interests as an agent are largely nonfiction, specifically spirituality, religion, self-help, health & wellness, parenting, memoir, and business with a spirituality or self-help angle.” Include a short pitch in your introductory email along with a full proposal attached as .doc or PDF to [email protected]

 

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CONTESTS & PRIZES

–The Masters Review is holding their annual Summer Short Story Award for New Writers. Guest judged by Jai Chakrabarti, the contest welcomes fiction submissions of up to 6,000 words, with a first place prize of $3000, online publication, and agency review. The contest is open to any writer who has not published a novel or memoir with a major press. The deadline to submit is August 27, and the entry fee is $20.

–Button Poetry is holding their 8th Annual Video Contest, looking for work that crosses borders and enters into larger social conversations, with a “unique voice and palpable energy.” Submit a 1-4 minute-long video––collaborations are welcome, and non-English is allowed as long as there are English subtitles. The winner receives $500 and a feature on Button’s social media. The entry fee is $8 per submission or $6 for writers ages 18-21 and outside the U.S. The deadline is August 31. 

-The 2023 Barthelme Prize for Short Prose––hosted by Gulf Coast Mag––is open to submissions of flash fiction, prose poems, and micro-essays of 500 words or fewer. The winner receives $1,000 and publication in the journal, with two honorable mentions receiving $250. All entries are considered for paid digital publication. Judged this year by Kelly Link, the deadline is August 31, and the entry fee is $20.

-The Anthology Mag Short Story Competition is open to fiction submissions of 1,500 words or less. The winner receives €1,000 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. The winner will also receive a one-year subscription to Anthology. The deadline to submit is August 31 and the entry fee is €18.

–The Black Warrior Review Writing Contest is open to submissions in the fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and flash categories. Each genre has a distinct judge, and all winners receive publication in BWR’s Spring 2024 issue, song with a $1000 prize (except for flash, which is $500.) The first runner-up in each genre receives monetary compensation, acknowledgment in the print issue, and online publication. The deadline to submit is September 1, and the entry fee is $20 (or $6 for the flash category.)

–The Academy of American Poets First Book Award is open for submissions of an unpublished poetry manuscript. The winner receives $5,000 and publication with award-winning Graywolf Press. The winner also receives an all-expenses-paid, six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center, inclusion and promotion in American Poets, and more. Judged this year by Victoria Chang, the deadline to submit is September 1 and the entry fee is $35. 

–Finishing Line Press is holding their 2023 New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition. Submit a manuscript of 16-30 pages of poetry to be considered for a prize of $1,500, royalty contract, and publication by the press. The competition is open to any writers identifying as women who have not yet published a full-length collection. The deadline to submit is September 15 and the entry fee is $20. 

–The Anzaldúa Poetry Prize is open for submissions of 15-30-page poetry chapbooks. The winner receives $1,500 and publication with Newfound, including a royalties contract and 25 copies of the published manuscript. All poems submitted for the award are considered for publication in Newfound. The prize honors poet, writer, and cultural theorist Gloria Anzaldúa, recognizing poets whose work explores “how place shapes identity, imagination, and understanding.” Judged this year by Natalie Diaz, the deadline to submit is September 15 and the entry fee is $15. 

 

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RESIDENCIES

-Applications for MacDowell Spring/Summer 2024 residencies are open. MacDowell accepts applications from artists working in architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts, with the “sole criterion for acceptance” being “artistic excellence, which MacDowell defines in a pluralistic and inclusive way.” MacDowell studios are scattered across a 450-acre property in rural New Hampshire. For more information on fellowship support, eligibility, and application materials, click here. The deadline to apply is September 10 and there is an entry fee of $30. 

–The Anaphora Writing Residency is a ten-day program for writers of color, to be held virtually February 15-24, 2024. Anaphora Fellows will have the chance to participate in classes, workshops, craft talks, and more, with this year’s faculty writers––Chen Chen, Chris Abani, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Naomi Jackson, and Anjali Singh. The tuition is $2,400, with partial scholarships available for those who apply by August 31. The general deadline is September 15. 

–The Jentel Artist Residency offers writers and artists a supportive environment and unfettered time for work, located in the Lower Piney Creek Valley in Wisconsin. Residents have private rooms and immediate access to the outdoors, along with a $400 stipend to help defray travel and food costs. Applications are open for the Winter/Spring sessions––taking place for one month between January 15th and May 13th. Note that applicants must be over 25 years old. The application fee is $30 and the deadline to submit is September 15. 

 

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JOBS + MORE

–Museums Moving Forward is seeking a full-time Publications & Events Manager. Founded in 2021, Museums Moving Forward (“MMF”) is an independent, collaborative organization devoted to envisioning and creating a more just museum sector by 2030. The Publications & Events Manager will be an essential partner who grows MMF’s capacity to engage and learn from cultural workers across the country through the management of live and online public programs and corresponding publications, including (but not exclusive to) a biannual Data Study & Report, Stakeholder Convenings, event documentation (online and in-person), best-practice guides, and commissioned articles, among others. The position is remote and the salary is $60,000 plus benefits. Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with Publications & Events Manager in the subject line.

–Bellevue Literary Review is seeking a volunteer Poetry Editor. The award-winning, independent literary magazine features work across genres “in the most human of themes: health, healing, illness, and disease.” BLR offers a modest yearly honorarium, and the editor will be required to put in 3-4 hours per week. To apply, submit a cover letter and CV with two references, along with a 250-500 word analysis of a chosen poem published within the last five years. The deadline is September 1.