Creative 06/21/2023

Second Factory Journal, The American Poetry Journal, Vallum Magazine, and more.

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 headed to a residency in the woods so she can remember how to write poetry.

►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

–Second Factory Journal, published by Ugly Duckling Presse, is open for submissions of Poetry, Prose, Nonfiction, and Visual Art for their sixth issue (although the journal heavily leans towards poetry). Submit up to six pages of material and a cover letter. There is no reading fee and the deadline to submit is this Thursday, June 22.

–Granta, a global magazine of literature and reporting, welcomes submissions of Fiction and Non-Fiction pieces (as well as Non-Fiction pitches) to be considered for both print and digital publication. There is a reading fee of €3.50 (USD $3.83), or €1 (USD $1.09) for pitches, with 200 free submission slots open to low-income authors. (Low Income Entry Guidelines.) The deadline to submit is June 30. 

–The American Poetry Journal Chapbook Series is open for submissions of collections under 42 pages. Selected entrants receive publication with American Poetry Journal, which has published works by new and established voices including Terrance Hayes, Dorianne Laux, Wendy Xu, and many others. There is a reading fee of $15 and the deadline is June 30. 

–The Song Cave is open for their annual reading period, welcoming full-length manuscript submissions of Poetry and Poetry in Translation. The press is known for publishing ambitious and interdisciplinary texts, with a roster of writers including Alice Notley, Chantal Akerman, and National Book Award-winner John Keene. There is a reading fee of $5 and the deadline to submit is June 30 at 11:59pm. 

–Inverted Syntax is open for submissions of poetry, flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and art, as part of their annual reading period. The fifth issue of the magazine will be published in print in November 2023. Editors are particularly interested in hybrid pieces, and although publication is not paid, there is wide online promotion and a launch reading. The reading fee is $4 and the deadline is July 1. 

–Nightboat Books is open for submissions of “innovative prose writing, including inter-genre/hybrid writing, book-length essays, collaborations, and manuscripts of formally experimental fiction and/or nonfiction.” They are also open to receiving “prose translations, international anglophone writing, and multilingual texts.” Submit manuscripts up to 300 double-spaced pages by July 9. The reading fee is $15 ($10 for Black and Indigenous writers).

–Sarabande Books is holding their open reading period for literary nonfiction manuscripts. Submissions must be between 150-250 pages, and winners receive publication with Sarabande. The reading fee is $22 and the deadline is July 31. 

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CONTESTS & PRIZES

–The Moth Magazine’s International Short Story Prize welcomes submissions of fiction under 3,000 words. Judged this year by Ottessa Moshfegh, the winning story will be printed as part of the summer fiction series in the Irish Times. There is a €15 (USD $16.41) entry fee per story, and the deadline to submit is June 30.

–The Katherine Anne Porter Short Fiction Prize––presented by the University of North Texas Press––is open for submissions of fiction collections between 100-200 pages. Entries can be a collection of any combination of flash fiction, short stories, or novellas, and the winner receives $1,000 and publication by UNT Press. The deadline to submit is June 30, and there is a reading fee of $25.

–The Los Angeles Review Literary Awards are open in all categories, which include Poetry, Short Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction (see each specific category for length requirements and guest judges). Winners in all categories receive a $1,000 prize and publication in the LAR. There is a reading fee of $20 (per category) and the deadline for submissions is June 30.

–Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize welcomes submissions of short fiction pieces under 3,000 words from writers of Caribbean heritage/descent. Writers must be unpublished in the genre, and the winner receives a variety of prizes, including $1,750 cash, author interview and profile on the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival website, publication in The Brooklyn Rail, and a feature episode on the BCLF Always LIT podcast. There is no fee to submit and the deadline is July 1 at 11:59pm EST.

–Vallum Contemporary Poetry Magazine is open for their 2023 Vallum Poetry Award. Submit one to three poems (up to six pages) on any theme, to be judged by Erín Moure. First prize receives $750, and one finalist will be awarded $250, with publication in Vallum magazine and on Vallum’s website. Honorable mentions may be selected and published, but are eligible for standard honorarium and not cash prize. The entry fee is $25 for Canadian residents, $30 for US and international residents, and the deadline is July 15. 

–Submissions are open for the Annual Slapering Hol Press Chapbook Competition, organized by the Hudson Valley Writers Center. The competition is open to writers who have not published a chapbook or full-length poetry book, and winners receive $500 cash, publication, 10 author copies, editorial and marketing support, and a reading with a Hudson Valley Conference mentor. There is a reading fee of $17 for digital submissions and $15 for hard copy submissions. The deadline is June 30.