Calls for Submissions – December 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 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 Reviews department publishes reviews that explore literary work—fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry—about any form of motherhood. This includes both newly-released work and older books that we consider to be important to the genre. Submission guidelines available here.
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The Fiction department seeks short fiction of less than 5,000 words. We love stories with strong narrative structure, great characters, interesting settings, beautiful language, and complicated themes, and fiction that reflects the full experience—the hard parts and the joyous. More information on fiction submissions 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
Creative Nonfiction‘s Dialogue between Science and Religion contest is open. 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. All pieces considered for Fall 2017 Creative Nonfiction magazine issue. Submission guidelines are available here.
Deadline: December 12, 2016
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The Fourth River Folio Contest seeks submissions of poetry. The winning entry will be published as a 10-15-page feature in our fall online issue. The author will also receive a cash prize of $500, a subscription to The Fourth River’s print edition, and an invitation to read at the issue launch in Pittsburgh, November 2017. Submit here.
Deadline: December 15, 2016
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2017 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction will be awarded to an outstanding, unpublished collection of short stories. Award: $1,000 cash advance, quarter-page color ad with author photo in Poets & Writers magazine announcing our winner, publication of winning short story collection. Complete details here.
Deadline: December 31, 2016
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Bayou Magazine is currently holding the James Knudsen Prize for Fiction Contest, to be judged by Anne Raeff. Prize: $1,000, possible publication, and a year’s subscription to Bayou Magazine. Click here for guidelines.
Deadline: January 1, 2017
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Bayou Magazine is currently holding the Kay Murphy Prize for Poetry Contest, to be judged by Myung Mi Kim. Prize: $1,000, possible publication, and a year’s subscription to Bayou Magazine. Click here for guidelines.
Deadline: January 1, 2017
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Creative Nonfiction‘s Adaptation contest is now open. We’re looking for original essays illuminating the ways in which the need to keep up with a rapidly-changing world drives the work of scientists, designers, thinkers, innovators, farmers, soldiers, medical professionals, teachers, and others and affects the lives of prisoners, patients, refugees, students, travelers, and other citizens. All pieces considered for Summer 2017 Creative Nonfiction magazine issue. Click here for contest guidelines.
Deadline: January 9, 2017
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Women’s National Book Association 5th Annual Writing Contest is open for submission. We are accepting work in three categories: Fiction, Poetry and Creative Non-Fiction/Memoir. 1st place winners receive $250 in cash prize. 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention published in a special edition of WNBA’s national newsletter, “The Bookwoman.” Submissions via Submittable. Guidelines here.
Deadline: January 15, 2017
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The Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize honors internationally celebrated North Carolina novelist Thomas Wolfe. The prize is administered by the Great Smokies Writing Program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review. Click here to submit online.
Deadline: January 30, 2017
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Autumn House Press is hosting its Rising Writer Contest for a first full-length book of poetry by an author 33 years old or younger. Autumn House believes in supporting the work of younger, less-established writers who will become the voices of an emerging generation. Contest guidelines here.
Deadline: January 31, 2017
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Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. One winner in each genre per year will receive $1,000 and publication in the literary journal. We consider writers “emerging” if they have not published or self-published a book. Guidelines here.
Opens March 1, 2017 at noon EST and closes May 15, 2017 at noon EST
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Creative Nonfiction‘s Dangerous Creations: Real life Frankenstein stories contest is now open. We’re looking for true stories that explore humans’ efforts to control and redirect nature, the evolving relationships between humanity and science/technology, and contemporary interpretations of monstrosity. All essays will be considered for publication in the winter 2018 issue of Creative Nonfiction Magazine issue. Guidelines available here.
Deadline: March 20, 2017
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ANTHOLOGIES
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).” Click here to submit.
Deadline: December 31, 2016
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MacKenzie Publishing is accepting fiction submissions for its second anthology, stories for 18+, titled TWO EYES OPEN (horror, suspense, thriller, mystery, etc.). Details and submission guidelines available here.
Deadline: March 31, 2017 or when anthology is full
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DECEMBER DEADLINES
Glassworks, the literary magazine of Rowan University’s Master of Arts in Writing graduate program, seeks work to be considered for publication. Glassworks publishes nonfiction, fiction, poetry, hybrid pieces, craft essays, new media, and art both digitally and in print. We are currently reading for our spring and fall 2017 print issues. We also publish flash fiction, prose poetry, and micro essays in our online edition Flash Glass monthly. Submissions for Flash Glass are accepted on a year-round, rolling basis. Submit here.
Deadline: December 15, 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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Sequestrum is accepting fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions for our Spring ’17 Issue. We’re committed to publishing the bulk of our publications from unsolicited manuscripts and are open to all stylistic schools and “isms,” including the occasional genre piece. General submission guidelines available here.
Deadline: December 15, 2016
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I Am KS Lewis.com is calling for submissions from writers of all experience levels to share the story of their most memorable love story/lover. Collected submissions will be used in her third book, which will be a compilation of stories reflecting on the vast experiences we share playing the “game of love” whether man, woman, young or mature. Details here.
Deadline: December 16, 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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JANUARY DEADLINES
KiCam Projects is accepting nonfiction book proposals and manuscripts focused on stories of survival and recovery. We’re seeking memoirs-both adult and young adult-as well as journalistic-style narratives. Our goal is to change the world one great story at a time, so we also offer our authors the opportunity to designate a portion of the proceeds of their work to a nonprofit organization of their choosing. Submission details here.
Deadline: January 9, 2017
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Ploughshares is a journal of new writing, and two out of three issues per year are guest-edited by prominent writers who explore different personal visions, aesthetics, and literary circles, with each year’s Winter issue staff-edited. 50% each issue is directly solicited by the guest editor, and the remaining 50% is selected from unsolicited manuscripts. Ploughshares Solos, a series launched in 2012, digitally publishes long stories and novella length work as standalone singles. The series is staff edited. See submission guidelines for details.
Deadline: January 15, 2017
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FLARE: The Flagler Review is looking for evocative, compelling fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and artwork for its Spring 2017 edition. Want to be part of it? Submissions are now being accepted. FLARE is the award-winning literary journal at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. We seek new, up-and-coming, and established writers and artists. Submit here.
Deadline: January 15, 2017
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3Elements Review is now accepting submissions for Issue 14! The elements are Echo, Husk, and Quell. 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 elemetns. We have published new and well-known writers and artists from all over the world. Submission guidelines here.
Deadline: January 31, 2017
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FEBRUARY DEADLINES
The Matador Review is accepting submissions for our Spring 2017 publication. We publish poetry, fiction, flash fiction, and creative non-fiction as well as many forms of visual art. We call ourselves an “alternative” magazine; that is to say: our purpose is to promote work that is thought-provoking and unconventional. We want the controversial and the radical, the unhinged and the bizarre; we want the obsessive, the compulsive, the pervasive, the combative, and the seductive. Click here for submission guidelines.
Deadline: February 28, 2017
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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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Animal: A Beast of a Literary Magazine seeks essays, stories, and poems that capture the essence and immediacy of the beast. Animal is a subject-specific litmag, however loosely we define “animal.” In some form, we want a literal beast as a central character or motif. Render on the page what is both alien and familiar about an animal, animals, or being “animal.” Our submission guidelines are available 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. Submission guidelines available here.
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Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing is reading for its Spring 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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Gazing Grain Press is an inclusive feminist press, and we are currently seeking submissions of reviews or micro-reviews of new chapbooks (poetry, prose, or hybrid) for publication on our blog. More details can be found here.
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HerStories Project is looking for the kind of wring that moves us, amazes us, and makes us wish that we had written it ourselves. As always, we to highlight the best of women’s voices and show the uniqueness and commonalities of women’s experiences, We are continuing with our monthly themes – October’s is fear and November’s is gratitude. Please visit our site for submissions guidelines.
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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. 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.” 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. Submission guidelines available here.
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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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Peacock Journal a daily online literary & arts magazine highlighting beauty in all its forms, seeks original submissions of Fiction, Art, Photography, Translations, Non-Fiction and Poetry from emerging and established writers and artists. We want to see your most beautiful work, however you define the term. Submissions are read year round. For more details please visit our Guidelines page, and for our aesthetic preferences, please read our About page. Submit work here.
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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. Details available 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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The Woven Tale Press welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction, memoir, flash fiction and the experimental. We also consider literary works accompanied by original art images. For more information, our submission guidelines are available here.
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. —