Calls for Submissions – September 2016

On the first Wednesday of each month, Literary Mama shares a list of current calls for submissions. Good luck sending your work out into the world!

LITERARY MAMA OPPORTUNITIES

The Profiles department seeks “profiles of writers who are mothers, or writers who write about motherhood (who may or may not be mothers themselves), or writers who have something to say to mothers.” Submissions should range from 750 to 2,500 words and may be interview (Q&A) or narrative format. More information can be found here.

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The Columns department seeks columns contracted for 11 installments (1,000-1,600 words) that are published either monthly or bimonthly.

This blog post from our senior columns editor provides details about the three essential ingredients to a successful column pitch: hook, roadmap, samples. You can review our current and retired columns to make sure your idea is one that covers new ground in new ways. Most of all, we want a story that is uniquely yours–one that you can’t wait to tell, and that we can’t wait to read.

Please send queries and submissions to LMcolumns (at) literarymama (dot) com in the text of an email. Include the word “Submission” in the subject line, and allow one to three weeks for a response.

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The Literary Reflections department seeks writing by mother writers, both established and emerging, focused on the creative process or on parenting as it relates to literature. We’re looking for first-person reflections with both intellectual and emotional resonance. You may choose to write about your reading, writing, or professional life. Submissions should range from 1,500-3,500 words, and more information can be found here.

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Literary Mama seeks photography submissions to pair with the posts on our site. We are looking for photos that offer unique perspectives on motherhood, and we like photos that are artful, versus those that appear staged, and that encourage us to reflect.

If you would like to feature your evocative, creative photography on Literary Mama, you can review complete submission guidelines here and send .jpg images to: LMphotos (at) literarymama (dot) com. We always give photo credits and provide a link back to the photographer’s website.

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CONTESTS

SmokeLong Quarterly will accept submissions July 15 through September 15, 2016, for its 2017 Kathy Fish Fellowship for new and emerging writers. The winner of the 2017 Kathy Fish Fellowship will be considered a “writer-in-residence” at SmokeLong (note: position is virtual) for four quarterly issues (March, June, September, and December 2017). Each issue will include one flash by the Fellowship winner.

The winner of the Fellowship will also receive $500.00, to be paid as follows: $100.00 on announcement of the winner, and $100.00 upon publication of each of the four issues in 2017. Fellows will have the opportunity to work with SmokeLong staff and participate in online writing workshops.

All writers previously unpublished in SmokeLong Quarterly and who do not have a published chapbook or book-length work in any genre (or are not under contract for such) are eligible to apply. For more information visit here.

Deadline: September 15, 2016

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Haunted Waters Press is seeking submissions of short shorts for its flash fiction contest. $250 prize. Submission guidelines here.

Deadline: September 20, 2016

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Hippocampus’ Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction is open for submissions. Previously unpublished memoir excerpts and personal essays of up to 4,000 words are eligible. $1,000 grand prize, plus complimentary registration to HippoCamp 2017; $150 runner-up; three $25 honorable mentions. $12 entry fee. For more details, click here. To submit, click here.

Deadline: September 23, 2016

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The Missouri Review’s 26th Annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize is open to submissions of previously unpublished fiction or nonfiction up to 8,500 words or poems of up to 10 pages. $22 entry fee. Prizes of $5,000 in each category. Winners receive publication, invitation to a reception and reading in their honor, and a cash prize. Each entrant receives a one-year subscription to the Missouri Review in print or digital format.

Deadline: October 1, 2016

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Sequestrum is pleased to announce their second annual New Writer Awards, in which over $500 will be awarded to up-and-coming writers and poets. The contest will accept both prose (fiction & creative nonfiction) and poetry submissions, with first-prize winners selected in each genre. $15 entry fee. Fiction and nonfiction: entries up to 12,000 words accepted. Poetry: up to three pieces per submission. Most Sequestrum poems average under 40 lines. Please see the contests page for full guidelines.

Deadline: October 15, 2016 (tentative)

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Mash Stories has announced the keywords for its latest flash fiction competition: “chicken,” “bathrobe,” and “potato.” $100 for the winning story, max. 500 words. Submit here.

Deadline: October 15, 2016

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Bath Flash Fiction Award is an international rolling flash fiction competition (300 word limit). Each award runs for 4 months. Judging takes place quickly with a top prize of £1000, £300 second, and £100 third. At the close of each competition, the next competition begins. All entrants considered for publication in forthcoming Bath Flash Fiction Award Anthology, due out the end of 2016. Submission details here.

Deadline: October 16, 2016

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Tupelo Press’ Sunken Garden Chapbook Prize is a prestigious national poetry prize for adult writers. Submit a previously unpublished, chapbook-length poetry manuscript with a TOC. Winner receives $1,000, an introductory reading at the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, and publication. Final judge: Maggie Smith. Detailed submission guidelines here.

Deadline: October 31, 2016

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Deadline: October 31, 2016

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Narrative Magazine is open for its Fall Story Contest. “Our fall contest is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers. We’re looking for short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest.” Awards: First Prize is $2,500, Second Prize is $1,000, Third Prize is $500, and up to ten finalists will receive $100 each. All contest entries are eligible for the $4,000 Narrative Prize and for acceptance as a Story of the Week. Find out more here.

Deadline: November 30, 2016

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ANTHOLOGIES

Janeland: Women Write More about Leaving Men for Women (Cleis Press, 2017) seeks essays (2,000-4,000 words). Editors: Candace Walsh and Barbara Straus Lodge. “Six years have passed since the publication of Lambda Literary Award finalist Dear John, I Love Jane: Women Write about Leaving Men for Women, a groundbreaking exploration of sexual fluidity through intimate, firsthand stories. This anthology remains a crucial resource for women who find themselves deliciously (and distressingly) floundering in the knowledge that although they have always identified as straight, they are now madly in love with another woman.” Please send your proposal or submission (Word document, double-spaced), along with a short bio and full contact information to: janeland.book@gmail.com.

Deadline: September 15, 2016

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The Regional Cancer Center in Erie, PA seeks submissions for “stories, ideas, tips, or experiences [from those who have had an experience with cancer]. These summations can be a story of inspiration – through loss or survivorship; a word of advice, a coping mechanism, a tip, a teaching point or a communication method – or even something as simple as a healthy recipe for those that are undergoing treatment. Ultimately, our plan is to publish a compilation of experiences, stories and resources that provide some knowledge and information to anyone wanting to learn more from those that have experienced the disease first-hand. Our mission is to provide support and inspiration to those individuals and families living with Cancer, and to reinforce the idea that while everyone’s experience is uniquely different, we are not alone in this fight.” More details are here.

Deadline: September 15, 2016

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Multiples Illuminated is seeking honest, heartwarming, heart wrenching, and humorous stories about raising multiples from the ages of two to 12 for their upcoming second anthology (as yet untitled). Original and unpublished work only, and accepted submissions will be paid. More information can be found here.

Deadline: September 30, 2016

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Open Country Press seeks submissions from dynamic and original voices for “Bright Bones: Contemporary Montana Writing, an anthology of innovative literature. We are looking for fresh poems, stories, lyric essays and translations, as well as cross-genre, collaborative and experimental works. Emerging and established writers from Montana and/or those who have spent a significant amount of time in Montana are invited to submit 3-5 poems or up to 20 pages of prose or other (no previously published work, please).”

Deadline: December 31, 2016

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SEPTEMBER DEADLINES

Jenny Magazine has announced a special theme issue dedicated to women writers and artists. For specific information on how to submit drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, please visit their Submittable page.

Deadline: September 10, 2016

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WTAW Press, an independent publisher of exceptional literary books, seeks full-length books of prose for 2017 publication. Building on the tradition of their award-winning Bay Area reading series, Why There Are Words, they will publish voices that need to be heard, and welcome submissions from writers unpublished, extensively published, and in between. Submission info here.

Deadline: September 15, 2016

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New South is open to micro prose submissions (up to 500 words) for publication online. Details here.

Deadline: September 30, 2016

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OCTOBER DEADLINES

Ecotone is the literary magazine dedicated to reimagining place, and welcomes a wide range of voices. It is open this fall to submissions for the spring unthemed issue. Find out more here.

Deadline: October 1, 2016

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NANO Fiction seeks flash fiction submissions (max 300 words) particularly on the topics of milestones and transitions for Issue 10.1. “What happens when you reach a significant milestone? What challenges and joys await people or systems undergoing a kind of transition? What surprises emerge as things reach an anniversary or come to an end? How have different characters commemorated anniversaries or accomplishments, and how have those commemorations unfolded in unexpected ways? What happens after the big milestone? We’re thinking about cyclical events, rites of passage, death, rebirth, return. Send us your work on transitions, on endings, on anniversaries or apocalypse. Regardless of subject matter, we are looking for work that experiments with form while still balancing narrative.” You can submit here.

Deadline: October 1, 2016

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weirderary is open to submissions of art, flash, comics, fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and more. This magazine was “founded on the idea that difference should be embraced, not condemned. In writing, we enjoy the unusual. We want to be surprised. We appreciate humor, but that doesn’t only mean light-hearted and goofy. Feel free to go dark. Get serious, just do it in a form or from a perspective we don’t see very often. Cross genre lines and experiment. Send us the work you don’t know how to define.” Detailed guidelines here.

Deadline: October 1, 2016

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Cherry Tree welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction between August 15 and October 15. “We only consider original, unpublished work. For accepted work, we purchase First North American serial rights. Payment is two contributors’ copies.” Find more information here.

Deadline: October 15, 2016

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Proximity is open to submissions for Issue 13: Guns. “We’re interested in your true, lived experiences around guns. We want you to push our understanding of what it means to exist in a gun culture, wherever you’re located inside of it. How do you relate to the alluring, effective, fearsome, reviled tool called the gun? Comfortable? Terrified? Somewhere as yet undefined? Show us your gun rights and wrongs, uncover something unknown, stand outside and look in, or deep-dive into spaces you (think you) already know. Bring us inside a space we’ve yet to witness.” Submit long-form (6,000 words max), mid-range (2,000 words max), flash (500 words max), photo essay/multimedia, or other alternative forms of true stories. Detailed guidelines here; submit here.

Deadline: October 15, 2016

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Timberline Review welcomes new work from established and emerging writers. Short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, poetry — tell us about life! Tell us a story! Prose submissions should aim for under 5,000 words; up to five poems per submission. $5 submission fee for non-members. Each published contributor will receive a payment of $25 and one copy of the journal. Click here for more detailed guidelines and the link to submit.

Deadline: October 15, 2016

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3Elements Review is now accepting submissions for Issue 13! The elements are Glaze, Thread, and Murmur. All three words must be used in any poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction submissions. Art and photography submissions must represent at least one of those elements. To submit, please click here.

Deadline: October 31, 2016

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NOVEMBER DEADLINES

The Matador Review is now accepting submissions for their Winter 2017 issue. The magazine is an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, Illinois. They publish poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Find out more and submit here.

Deadline: November 30, 2016

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DECEMBER DEADLINES

Understorey Magazine is accepting submissions for issue 9 under the theme of Home and Away. “We seek stories of arrival and departure, acceptance and exclusion, displacement and settlement, and other topics related to home as a country, nation, land community or state of mind.” Find out more here.

Deadline: December 1, 2016

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Creative Nonfiction magazine seeks original essays for an upcoming issue on the topic of The Dialogue Between Science and Religion. “Science and religion, despite their rich, interwoven history, are too often portrayed as opposites in nearly every way. As part of a larger effort to facilitate dialogue between these two ways of knowing the world, Creative Nonfiction and Issues in Science and Technology are seeking original narratives illustrating and exploring the relationships, tensions, and harmonies between science and religion—the ways these two forces productively challenge each other as well as the ways in which they can work together and strengthen one another. We welcome personal stories of scientists, religious figures, or (just as important) everyday people seeking to explore or reconcile their own spiritual and scientific beliefs. Essays must be previously unpublished and no longer than 5,000 words. More info here.

Deadline: December 12, 2016

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The Indianola Review is open to submissions of fiction (up to 7,500 words), nonfiction (up to 7,500 words), and poetry (3-5 pieces). Paying market. For detailed submission information, please click here.

Deadline: December 15, 2016

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Newfound explores how place shapes identity, imagination, and understanding. Newfound accepts submissions year round, but is also currently accepting submissions for their spring themed issue, Other Worlds. “This can mean work that represents exploration and discovery, “the alien/other” or otherness, foreign spaces and their remains, and/or activities of those living in such environments. Other Worlds can also mean states of mind or transformative conditions. We welcome speculative and slipstream work for this issue.” Detailed guidelines here.

Deadline: December 21, 2016

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ROLLING SUBMISSIONS

Akashic Books (of Go the F*ck to Sleep fame) seeks submissions for their Terrible Twosdays series. “Are you a parent going through the Terrible Twos? Did you live through them and survive? Terrible Twosdays is a place to commiserate over the unending shenanigans of your Darling Children (as the online parenting communities say).” Stories must not exceed 750 words. E-mail your submission to info@akashicbooks.com. More details here.

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Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies is open to submissions in all disciplines. Assay “publishes the best peer-reviewed critical scholarship of creative nonfiction to provide a space for work that elevates the genre in an academic setting.” For more information on what they are looking for and how to submit, please click here.

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Break the Parenting Mold seeks submissions of syndicated or original posts. This is an online community dedicated to strength in community, lifting up parents of children with special needs and offering support by sharing individual stories. Lists (at least 400 words) or essays (at least 600 words) welcome.

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Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing is reading for its Fall issue. They publish work by both emerging and established writers and accept fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, articles on the craft of writing—both practical and inspirational, interviews with established writers, literary agents, editors, etc., excerpts from traditionally published works, photography and artwork. Detailed submission guidelines can be found here.

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The Establishment “is looking to unearth overlooked stories, produce original reporting, and provide a platform for voices that have been marginalized by the mainstream media. And yes, we want your humor, wit, and good old-fashioned satire, too. We publish originally reported features, interviews, long-form journalism, personal essays, and multimedia of all shapes, sizes, and creeds.” All contributors paid. Details on how to pitch can be found here.

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The Fem, a literary journal that publishes feminist, diverse, and inclusive creative works, is now open to feminist poetry, fiction, and nonfiction submissions. For detailed submission guidelines, please click here.

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Glass Poetry Press is interested in poetry submissions that enact the artistic and creative precision of glass. “We are not bound by any specific aesthetic; our only mission is to publish collections of high quality writing. All styles, forms and schools of poetry are welcome, though easy rhymes and ‘light’ verse are less likely to inspire us. We like poems that show a careful understanding of language, music, passion and creativity.” To submit, click here.

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Ink In Thirds wants your poetry (up to 3 poems, no longer than 30 lines each), prose (300 words max), and photography (sent directly to submissions@inkinthirds.com). Submission details here.

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KERNPUNKT Press is currently reading manuscripts of literary fiction, art & architecture, science fiction, historical fiction, and children’s books. For more information and the link to submit, please click here.

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Lady Literary Magazine seeks fiction, creative nonfiction, essays on writing, and poetry from female writers of all ages. Fiction and creative nonfiction: up to 5,000 words; essays: up to 3,000 words; no word limit for poetry. As a literary magazine, they are seeking complex, multi-layered work. No genre fiction or simultaneous submissions. All pieces can be sent to submissions@ladyliterarymag.com. More information here.

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Mamalode magazine pays for publications. Submissions are ongoing, including topical pieces not related to the theme. You can submit here.

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Maximum Middle Age, a new online pop culture magazine for women of a certain age, is open for submissions in various categories (“Hardcore Feminist,” “The Domestic Arts,” “Back in the Day,” “Beauty Industrial Complex,” “Family Ties,” and Dr. Feelgood”). For more information on each category and submission details, click here.

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Minola accepts poetry, fiction, essays, reviews, and visual art exclusively from those who identify as women. They are “interested in the fearless and unsympathetic, featuring only work that goes where others are uncomfortable or afraid to go, collecting raw yet well-crafted work to create a space that is honest about the otherwise under-represented female experience.” Email submissions and cover letter to minolareview@gmail.com. Specific submission guidelines can be found here.

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Mothers Always Write, an online literary magazine for mothers by mother writers, is seeking submissions of poetry (up to 3 poems) and essays (up to 2,000 words) about the parenting experience. Tell us your beautiful story about motherhood. Please see their writer’s guidelines for specific requirements and suggested monthly themes at the site.

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Motherwell is a publication that tells all sides of the parenting story. It is open to submissions of personal essays (up to 1,200 words), opinion pieces (1,200 words), dialogues (1,000 words), and dilemmas (800 words). Original submissions only. Paying market. Co-founders: Randi Olin and Lauren Apfel. For genre-specific submission guidelines, please visit their Submittable page.

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MUTHA Magazine, exploring real-life motherhood from every angle, at every stage, seeks personal essays (~1,500 words), comics / graphic narratives / photo essays, and select interview pitches. MUTHA is a labor-of-love for all involved and does not pay at this time; ongoing open submissions; no reading fees; may take 3-4 weeks to respond to submissions (sometimes faster!). Editor: Meg Lemke c/o muthamagazine@gmail.com.

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Mystery Weekly, a short story mystery magazine, seeks short mysteries (up to 8,000 words). Published in both weekly and monthly editions, Mystery Weekly Magazine presents crime and mystery short stories by some of the world’s best established and emerging mystery writers that run the gamut from cozy to hardboiled fiction. They hope to build and nurture an online community of mystery enthusiasts and create a new market for talented crime fiction writers. Simultaneous and multiple submissions allowed. Click here to read their guidelines and submit your story.

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One for One Thousand is a virtual literary journal that pairs photography and prose. Prose: Submit 1,000-word stories or narrative essays inspired by a photo. Photography: Submit photographs that inspire an opening into a potential world. Seeking submissions in both categories; they will include hyperlinks to the photographer’s or writer’s chosen site. They also provide a unique workshop and editing process that involves all of their editors with live commentary. More information on how to submit here.

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Outsider Poetry, a literary review for those who create with mental illness, are self-trained, or create art and poetry that challenges cultural and academic norms, is accepting submissions at all times and is open to poets of all experience levels. Submit work via email to either Olivia Suchs at oliviasuchs@gmail.com or Thomas Vaultonburg at vaultonburg@gmail.com. Editors will respond to submissions promptly.

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Pithead Chapel, an online journal of gutsy narratives, seeks essays (personal, memoir, lyric, experimental, etc.) under 4,000 words. For detailed submission guidelines and to submit, please see here.

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A Quiet Courage is an online literary journal that publishes microfiction and poetry 100 words or less (titles not included). “We seek your absolute best writing. No deadlines, submissions rolling. No submission fees. We are a non-paying market. We consider writing in Spanish too, with exact English translations. We have a special affinity for Holocaust-related writing, but we consider writing about all kinds of subjects and topics.” For more information and specific submission guidelines, please click here.

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Raising Mothers seeks well-written, original first-person essays (1,000-2,000 words max) about anything and everything related to motherhood. All are welcome, but an effort is made to highlight the voices of multiracial/multi-cultural families and mothers of color. Essays should have a literary quality: strong, engaging work without it being at all academic. Excerpts of larger works and poetry (up to 3 poems) also accepted. At this time, they are specifically looking for pieces on step-parenting, raising a child with special needs, and adopting children of color. Submission details can be found here.

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SmokeLong’s Global Flash Series is now open to stories 600 words or fewer in French, Spanish, Danish, and German. Submit here.

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Storm Cellar, a national literary arts magazine with a special emphasis on the Midwest, is open to submissions of unpublished, amazing writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, flash) and images. They’d love to see more art, photos, diagrams, graphic narratives. For more detailed information, please visit their Submittable page.

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Tethered by Letters launched Dually Noted, an online group writing project. New and established writers from around the world come together to create one ongoing story through weekly installments. Those interested in adding the next section of the story should submit their 500-word addition before the next Friday night deadline. The editor will publish the best submission at the beginning of each week. For submission specifics and formatting information, please click here, and submit here.

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Under the Gum Tree is a quarterly literary arts magazine that seeks creative nonfiction submissions year-round. For details, see here.

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Vela publishes nonfiction written by women. They are particularly interested in narrative nonfiction, essays with a research and/or reporting component, and literary journalism with a unique, compelling voice. For more detailed information, please see their submission guidelines.

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Waxwing is reading submissions of poetry, short fiction, and literary essays until May 1; translations of poetry and literary prose are read year-round. Poets should send one to five poems, and prose writers one story, essay, novella, or novel chapter (or up to three short-short stories or micro-essays). Submission details here.

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Willow Springs is open to nonfiction submissions all year. Contributors paid $100 per published long-form prose piece, $40 for short prose. $3 reading fee for all submissions. More info here.

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If you have information on calls for submissions not listed here that you think Literary Mama readers would appreciate, please e-mail us at lmblogcontact (at) literarymama (dot) com. —