✎STUDY HALL CREATIVE 12/13/2023✎

The Creative Opportunities newsletter is a twice 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 can be found (when not diligently working) meandering on walks listening to the Polysecure audiobook. 

►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: 

–Honey Literary––a BIPOC-focused literary journal founded by Dorothy Chan and Rita Mookerjee––is open for submissions across all genres, which include poetry, essays, and hybrid, along with food and beverage, interviews, rants & raves, and more. Details on what each genre or section editor is looking for can be found on the journal’s website. The deadline to submit is this Friday, December 15 and there is no entry fee. 

 

–Granta welcomes submissions of fiction and nonfiction, considered for both print and online publication. There are no strict word counts, although they recommend pieces be between 3,000-6,000 words. The deadline to submit is December 31, and there is an entry fee of £3.50. Note: there are 200 fee-free entries available to low income writers on a first-come, first-served basis.

–Pleiades––a literary biannual of global writing––is holding their annual reading period. They welcome submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and (online publication only) book reviews. Details on what editors are seeking in each category can be found on the journal’s website. The deadline to submit is December 31, and there is no entry fee.  

-(RE-SHARING) American Short Fiction is holding their annual reading period, inviting submissions of fiction stories without any length or style restrictions. The submission guidelines state that “payment is competitive” and pieces are considered for publication both online and in the triannual print journal. The deadline to submit is December 31 and there is a reading fee of $3. 

–Full Bleed––an annual print journal devoted to the intersection of the visual and literary arts––seeks submissions for its seventh issue on the theme of home. This issue is in partnership with Pen Parentis, a literary nonprofit dedicated to supporting writers who are also parents, thus this call is exclusively open to parents (more details on the website). The journal publishes portfolios of visual art, art criticism, fiction, poetry, graphic essays, and more. Selected writers will receive $100 for prose and art portfolios, and $50 per poem. The deadline to submit is January 10, and there is no entry fee. 

–Gigantic Sequins––a twice annual print literary journal––is open for submissions in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, art & comics, and book reviews. Selected writers will receive one copy of the journal their work appears in. The deadline to submit is January 15 and there is no entry fee. 

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CONTESTS + PRIZES:

–The Michigan Quarterly Review is open for two of their annual prizes––the Jesmyn Ward Prize in Fiction, and the Laurence Goldstein Poetry Prize. The fiction prize awards the writer of a single short story with $2000 and publication in MQR; the poetry prize awards $1000 for a single poem, and publication MQR. There is a reading fee of $25 for fiction, and $20 for poetry, and the deadline to submit is December 31. 

–LitMag is holding their annual Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction, welcoming short stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words. The winner receives $2,500, publication in LitMag, and agency review by  Nat Sobel of Sobel Weber Associates, Lisa Bankoff of Bankoff Collaborative, Erin Harris and Sonali Chanchani of Folio Literary Management, Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency, David Forrer of Inkwell Management, Monika Woods of Triangle House, Emily Forland of Brandt & Hochman, and Sarah Fuentes of UTA. The deadline to submit is December 31, and there is an entry fee of $20. 

-(RE-SHARING) The Hollis Summers Poetry Prize––held by Ohio University Press––welcomes submissions of poetry manuscripts between 60-95 pages. The winning manuscript will be published by the Press in 2025 and the author will receive a $1,000 prize. This year’s contest general editor is Sarah Green, with final judge Chanda Feldman. The deadline to submit is December 31, and there is an entry fee of $30. 

–Tupelo Press presents the Dorset Prize, which welcomes submissions of full-length poetry manuscripts. The winner receives $3000 cash, a 2-week long residency in Port Angeles, WA, and publication by Tupelo Press, which includes 25 author copies, a book launch, and national and international distribution through the University of Chicago Press. There is a reading fee of $30 and the deadline to submit is January 1. 

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FELLOWSHIPS + RESIDENCIES: 

-The OSUN Center for Human Rights & the Arts at Bard invites applications for a one-year research and teaching fellowship in human rights and the arts. Scholars, artists, and activists with teaching experience and a research project are eligible to apply. The fellowship covers a period of one year, i.e. two academic semesters, from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, and is supported by a full-time salary and health benefits. The position is based at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.  The deadline to apply is January 5, and materials can be submitted through Interfolio. 

-The Steinbeck Fellows Program at San José State University welcomes fellowship applications from creative writers in all genres but poetry. The program offers the opportunity to interact with other writers, faculty, and graduate students, and to share work in progress by giving a public reading during the fellowship. Fellowships include a stipend of $15,000. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, the residency requirement of living in the San Francisco Bay Area has been temporarily waived. The fellowship period is for one academic year (approximately September -May). The deadline to apply is January 5. 

–The James Merrill House Residency gives writers living and working space for a period of 4-6 weeks, along with $1,100 stipend, to complete a project of literary or academic merit. Writers in all genres are welcome to apply. Fellows are hosted by local community members and organizations in Stonington, CT. There are six residencies offered for 2024-25: September 2024 (4 weeks), October (4 weeks) November (4 weeks) February-mid March 2025 (6 weeks) April-mid May (6 weeks) August (4 weeks). There is an application fee of $30 and the deadline to apply is January 8. 

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OPEN QUERIES: 

–Kat Kerr at Donald Maass Literary Agency is open to fiction and non-fiction queries. Her submission interests range across literary and upmarket fiction, women’s fiction, speculative fiction, commercial fiction (rom-coms, YA), and narrative nonfiction and journalistic nonfiction, tackling social justice issues like immigration, LGBTQIA+ rights, gender equality, and poverty. Queries can be submitted through her Query Manager. 

–Valentina Sainato at JABberwocky  is open to queries for works in the horror genre only. For reference, horror books she loves include Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen María Macado, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Benyah. Queries can be submitted through her Query Manager. 

–Claire Draper at Azantian Literary Agency is open to queries for both fiction and non-fiction works. They seek a wide range of genres, including LGBTQ+ memoir, journalism, new adult fiction, young adult fiction, and pop culture. Queries can be sent through their Query Manager. 

–Atifa Begom at Crescent Literary is open to fiction queries. She is actively looking for fiction that can put her into a different world (especially immigration-related experiences in the fantasy genre), with a focus on middle-grade and young adult. She is open to adult fiction only by referral or request. Queries can be submitted through the Pitched app or via email to [email protected]. 

 

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JOBS:

–ROLL (Re-Envisioning Our Lives Through Literature) in Brooklyn, NY is hiring part-time Teaching Artists for their 2024 program, whose emphasis is to incorporate African diaspora literature into classrooms. Teaching artists collaborate with classroom teachers for in-class 45 minute sessions twice a week. Compensation includes $60/hour for in-class facilitation and $25/hour for event/meeting participation. More details can be found in this PDF. To apply, send a résumé and cover letter, via email, to: Robyne Walker Murphy, Director of Literary Programs, Center for Black Literature Medgar Evers College, CUNY at [email protected]. The deadline to apply is this Monday, December 18.

-The Center for Book Arts in New York, NY is hiring a full-time Educational Programs Manager. This position is responsible for managing the organization’s educational workshops, outreach, and public programs, and manages the Outreach Coordinator, Education Coordinator, and Artist Instructors. The compensation is $62,000 annual salary with full paid health insurance and 401k match. Interested applicants should submit a single PDF containing a cover letter and resume via email attachment to [email protected] with ‘Educational Programs Manager’ in the subject line. The deadline to apply is December 31.