Erica Verrillo's Blog, page 18

35 Writing Contests in September 2022 - No entry fees

Pexels This September there nearly three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $70,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! ​

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Smokelong Fellowship for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: All writers previously unpublished in SmokeLong Quarterly and who do not have a published chapbook or book-length work in any genre (or are not under contract for such) are eligible to apply. Genre: Flash fiction (1000 words max). Prize: $500. Deadline: Opens Sept 1 (The application fee is $8. For writers who cannot afford an application fee, there is a free submission option in Submittable.)

Stories Out of School. Genre: Flash fiction. The story’s protagonist, or its narrator, must be a K-12 teacher. Stories must be between 6 and 749 words and previously unpublished. Prize: First-prize winners receive $1000; second-prize winners, $500. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

The Michael Marks Environmental Poet of the Year will be given to a poet whose previously unpublished series of poems brings most powerfully, to a wide readership, the subject of the environment and the place of the human within it. Prize: The Environmental Poet of the Year will have their short portfolio of poems published in a pamphlet that will be sold by Wordsworth Grasmere and the British Library. They will also receive £1,000, and be invited to read at a winner’s event at Wordsworth Grasmere. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

American-Scandinavian Foundation Translation Prizes. Genre: English translations of poetry, fiction, drama, or literary prose originally written in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, or Swedish by a Scandinavian author born after 1800. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: Sept 1, 2022.

AILACT Essay Prize. Genre: Papers related to the teaching or theory of informal logic or critical thinking, and papers on argumentation theory. Prize: $700 top prize. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

PEN Prison Writing Contest. Restrictions: Anyone incarcerated in a federal, state, or county prison in the year before the September 1 deadline is eligible to enter. Genres: Poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction. Prize: $100 - $250 prize per category. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

On The Premises Short Story Contest. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which the story’s main character(s) spend most (even better, all) of the story’s time in constant motion. For instance, they could spend the whole story in a moving vehicle. There are plenty of other ways to do it, too. (Just being on the Earth, which is spinning and moving around the sun, doesn’t count.)" Prize: Winners receive between US$75 and US$250, and publication. Deadline: September 2, 2022.

Shoreline of Infinity Flash Fiction Contest. Genre: Science fiction story about a pet. 1000 words max.  Prize: £50. Deadline: September 2, 2022.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. "On each competition weekend, we’ll reveal a set of story prompts and you’ll have 55 hours to submit your best story of 500-words (or fewer)." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: Opens September 2, 2022. Closes September 5, 2022. (Australian time)

Los Suelos. Genre: Short fiction on theme: Pets. Prize: $150. Deadline: September 5, 2022. 

KSP Short Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Open to Australian residents and citizens. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $100 first place prize for youth. Deadline: September 8, 2022. (Free entry for youth only)

Young Lions Fiction Award. Restrictions: Open to US citizens 35 years of age or younger. Genre: Novel or a collection of short stories. Each year, five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a reading committee of Young Lions members, writers, editors, and librarians. Submissions by publisher only. Authors may not submit their own work. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: September 9, 2022.

RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a resident in the UK or ROI for the past three years. Genre: Nonfiction book. Prize: Two awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000 – are offered to support writers to complete their first commissioned works of non-fiction. Deadline: September 14, 2022.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction; under 1,000 words based on prompt. Prize: $30. Deadline: September 14, 2022. 

Texas Teen Book Festival Fresh Ink Fiction Contest. Restrictions: Open to Texas residents enrolled in grades 6 -12. Genre: Fiction, no more than 2,000 words in length. Prize: $150. Deadline: September 14, 2022.

Forge Flash Prose Competition. Genre: Flash fiction and CNF, 1000 words max. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: September 14, 2022. Submit early in the month!

US Naval Institute and CIMSEC Fiction Essay Prize. Genre: Essay. Length: 3,000 words max. "Fiction is a powerful tool for testing hypotheticals and imagining other worlds as a means of examining our own. Once again, CIMSEC and the U.S. Naval Institute have partnered to invite authors to ask "What if?" as a means of exploring different visions of the future of maritime security." Prize: First Prize: $500 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC. Second Prize: $300 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC. Third Prize: $200 and a 1-year membership in the Naval Institute and CIMSEC. Deadline: September 15, 2022.

The Mollie Savage Memorial Writing Contest. Genre: Science fiction/fantasy short story. Prize: Winning stories are published in Toasted Cheese. If 50 or fewer eligible entries are received, first place receives a $35 Amazon gift card & second a $10 Amazon gift card. If 51 or more eligible entries are received, first place receives a $50 Amazon gift card, second a $15 Amazon gift card & third a $10 Amazon gift card. Deadline: September 18, 2022. 

Solarpunk Microfiction Contest. Genre; Microfiction, 250 words max. Prize: $25 and publication on the Solarpunk Magazine website. Deadline: September 22, 2022. See theme. Opens September 16.

Michael Marks Award for Poetry Pamphlets. Restrictions: Only pamphlets published in the United Kingdom are eligible. Genre: Poetry pamphlet. Prize: £5,000. Deadline: September 23, 2022.

Michael Marks Illustration Award. will recognise outstanding illustration of a poetry pamphlet published between September 18th 2021 and the closing date of September 23rd 2022. The judge will consider illustration in any medium and will be looking for a subtle and sustained relationship between image and text, as well as the overall quality of the images. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: September 23, 2022.

Shady Grove Literary. Genre: Any style, genre, tone of flash fiction. Length: 300 words max. Prize: $100. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Sejong International Sijo Competition. Genre: Sijo poem. Prize: $500. Deadline: September 30, 2022.


The Willie Morris Awards for Southern Fiction and Nonfiction. Genre: Novels and nonfiction books published in 2022. Book has to be set in one of the original eleven states in the Confederacy. (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.) Prize: $2,500.00. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry. Genre: Poem that evokes the South. Prize: $2,500 and expenses-paid trip to award ceremony in Oxford, Mississippi. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Art of Unity Creative Award. Genre: Poetry; essays and short stories (under 2500 words); video; music; dance; performance or visual work around the theme: “Never again: Remembering to heal and overcome.” "The most important hallmark of Holocaust remembrance and education is the phrase ‘never again.’ Unfortunately, tribal divisions, ethnic cleansing and genocides continue in the 21st Century. We are looking for submissions in any creative media (which can be exhibited online), and which highlight aspects of human unity, and positive cross-pollination between groups, ethnicities, religions and/or nations." Prize: First ($100), Second ($75) and Third ($50) place awards, as well as three honorable mentions, in four categories: Poetry, Short Story, Essay. and Youth (18 and under) category. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

International Human Rights Art Festival: Creators of Justice Literary Award. Genre: Poetry, short stories and essays which use the written word to celebrate justice. Prize: First Prize: $150; Second Prize: $100; Third Prize: $50. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Iowa Short Fiction and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards. Restrictions: Any writer who has not previously published a volume of prose fiction is eligible to enter the competition. Genre: Short story collection. The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages. Prize: Publication by the University of Iowa Press, royalties. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Cullman Center Fellowships. Fellowship. The Cullman Center’s Selection Committee awards up to 15 fellowships a year to outstanding scholars and writers—academics, independent scholars, journalists, and creative writers. Foreign nationals conversant in English are welcome to apply. Award: A stipend of up to $70,000, an office, a computer, and full access to the Library's physical and electronic resources. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

SLF Working Class Writers Grant. Genre: Speculative fiction. "These grants are awarded annually, since 2013, to assist writers of speculative literature to working class, blue-collar, poor, and homeless writers who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction, due to the financial barriers which have made it much harder for them to have access to the writing world. Such lack of access might include an inability to attend conventions, to purchase a computer, to buy books, to attend college or high school, to have the time to write (if, for example, you must work two jobs simply to pay rent and feed a family, or if you must spend all your waking hours job-hunting for months on end). " Prize: $1000. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

International Human Rights Art Festival: Creators of Justice Literary Award. Genre: Poetry, short stories and essays which use the written word to celebrate justice. Prize: First Prize: $150; Second Prize: $100; Third Prize: $50. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is held four times a year. Restrictions: The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least six cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits. Genre: Short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500, Annual Grand Prize: $5,000.  Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $100. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Art of Unity Creative Award. Genre: Literary (poetry; essays and short stories under 2500 words); video; music; dance; performance or visual work around the theme: “Never again: Remembering to heal and overcome.” All pieces must be previously unpublished. Prize: First ($100), Second ($75) and Third ($50) place awards, as well as three honorable mentions, in four categories: Poetry, Short Story, Essay.  and Youth (18 and under) category. Deadline: September 30, 2022.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: September 30, 2022. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

27 Spectacular Writing Conferences in September 2022

Lake Arrowhead This September there are more than two dozen writing conferences. Many conferences and workshops will be held online, but some will be held in person or use a hybrid format.These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

(Image: Lake Arrowhead)

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Kaz Conference Keep Writing Virtual Nonfiction Cohort. Sept - Oct, 2022. Workshops include developmental workshops as well as talks on the practical training of writers with input from editors, publicists, agents, social media experts and productivity coaches. Because reading and reviewing other work helps to strengthen ones own writing, peer review is a requirement of all sessions. Just 10 to 16 writers are accepted for each cohort. Will be held online. Apply by August 15, 2022.

DragonCon. September 1 - 5, 2022: Atlanta, Ga. HUGE sci-fi event, with parade, autograph sessions, live performances, readings, wrestling (!), workshops on belly dancing, writing (yes, there's even some writing), art show. (This conference sounds really wild.)

WriterCon. September 2 - 5, 2022: Waterford, Oklahoma. "Discover if self-publishing is the best option for your book–and how to self-publish easily. See what techniques and tools you need to be your own best editor. Find out how to pitch to an agent–by email and in person. Go over the 7 steps to creating your fiction novel, so it’s ROCK SOLID every time. Learn about ghostwriting, which can be a lucrative market for authors. Dive deeper into children’s writing, writing for computer games, poetry, screenplays, songs, cookbooks and more. Witness how to publish on Kindle step-by-step. Uncover the latest tips, tricks and tools for marketing your book–and yourself–effectively. Talk to top agents, editors, publishers and publicists, and MORE."

The Gathering. September 3 - 5, 2022. Workshops in poetry as well as readings. 2-hour Workshops & Readings Friday night, Saturday , and Sunday. Participant Open Mics Friday and Saturday night. Will be held on Zoom. Sold out. Sign up for waiting list.

Orion Online Poetry Workshop. September 5 - October 10, 2022. Online. The Course: Unbearable Beauty and the Romanticization of Place" After all, beauty has only three possible endings, and only one of them is bearable,” said the poet Larry Levis. A poet very much associated with place, Levis mythologized the beauty of the California Central Valley while also acknowledging the unbearable violence in the landscape. How can the beauty of landscape simultaneously exist with what is unbearable about it? This workshop will explore how poets have used place, landscape, and the environment to create the tenuous emotional textures, and nuanced complexities of the spaces they inhabit. Beyond the thematic discussions of place, this course will engage in critical discussions of craft, aesthetics, poetic traditions, and contemporary modes of writing in order to encourage experimentation and innovation in people’s work to extend their modes of expression into new territories. Through generative exercises, participants will have the opportunity to write and share new work for workshopping." The Instructor: Marcelo Hernandez Castillo is a poet, essayist, translator, and immigration advocate. Duration: This class meets once a week over six consecutive Monday evenings from 6-9 pm ET. Apply by August 5th.

Algonkian Writer Conference–New York City Pitch. September 8 - 11 (Virtual), September 22 - 25, 2022 (In person): Ripley-Grier Studios in New York City. The New York Pitch Conference and writers workshop is held four times a year and features publishing house editors from major houses such as Penguin, Random House, St. Martins, Harper Collins, Tor and Del Rey, Kensington Books and many more who are looking for new novels in a variety of genres, as well as narrative non-fiction. The event focuses on the art of the novel pitch as the best method not only for communicating your work, but for having you and your work taken seriously by industry professionals.

Building Narratives: Writing the Urban Pastoral. September 8 - October 6, 2022. Each Thursday, 7:00-9:00pm EDT. Virtual. Led by Dimitri Reyes. "If your body were a building, what experiences would make up your foundation? What might you discover while exploring the shadows you cast? In this supportive poetry workshop, we will construct urbanized spaces in our writing that reflect our motivations and individuality. By calling upon the works of Langston Hughes, William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg, June Jordan and others, we will examine the synergy between our inner dialogue and how we occupy space on the page. Through generative prompts and exercises, we will pay close attention to how we navigate the world and the decisions that build our unique writing process." Limited to 12 participants.

Writing Conference of Los Angeles: September 9-10, 2022 (Virtual). This is an online “How to Get Published” writing event on September 9-10, 2022. (Writers are welcome to attend virtually from everywhere and anywhere.) This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited online “seats” at the event (200 total).

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference. September 9 - 11, 2022: Denver, CO. Round Table Critiques, Pitch-Prep Coaching, and One-on-One Mentor appointments, as well as keeping the Saturday Publishing Professionals Panel Luncheon and the Sunday Gold Rush Winners Reading Brunch.

Poets on the Coast. September 9 - 11, 2022: La Conner, Washington. Workshop, one-on-one mentoring, craft classes, and yoga for women poets. The faculty includes poets Kelli Russell Agodon and Susan Rich. Tuition, which does not include lodging or meals, is $429. Closed.

Letters & Lines Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Conference. September 10 - 11, 2022: Golden, CO. This conference offers you opportunities to learn your craft, boost your career, and get feedback on your work. The schedule includes three keynotes; a industry professionals panel; 33 breakout sessions on writing, illustrating and professional development; intensives on picture books, novels and illustration; as well as critiques, portfolio reviews and showcase, a virtual bookstore of faculty titles hosted by BookBar, and more. We are offering both in-person and virtual registration. Early Bird Registration (through 7/31) is $280. Virtual (with access to keynotes, virtual manuscript critiques and portfolio reviews, and submissions to acquiring agents and editors) is $200. As a result of the dual (in-person and virtual) format, registration to receive a manuscript critique or portfolio review must be completed by the Early Bird deadline of 7/31. The additional cost is $75 (in person manuscript critique) or $50 (in person portfolio reviews, or virtual manuscript critiques or portfolio reviews).


The First Pages: An Online Creative Nonfiction Workshop. Monday, September 12 – Monday, October 17, 2022. Each Monday, 7:00-9:00pm EDT. Led by Camellia-Berry Grass. "From the first page, a writer can establish the emotional stakes and boundaries needed to foster that moment of deep connection and being seen, for which we turn to creative nonfiction. This workshop will explore strategies for achieving intimacy in personal essay and memoir right from the start. We will learn techniques to craft beginnings that invite readers into your story and voice on the terms most conducive to that relationship. Examining works by Hanif Abdurraqib, Jo Ann Beard, Joan Didion and others, we’ll consider numerous modalities—from fact to flashback, searching to speculation, mourning to myth—that will influence how we think about making first impressions. Each week we’ll generate new or alternate beginnings so you can take this workshop as purely generative or reimagine a work-in-progress." Limited to 12 participants.

Writing On The Door: Washington Island Literary Festival. September 15 - 17, 2022: Washington Island, Wisconsin. "The Washington Island Literary Festival is a moveable feast of writing, reading, discussion, and thought about the written word. Writers’ workshops, author panels and presentations, readings and parties are scheduled at various quaint, historic and beautiful venues around the Island. Participants have a unique opportunity to share time with prominent authors and dedicated readers in the intimate, friendly setting of Washington Island, a half-hour by ferry from the Door County mainland, in September’s color and warmth." 

A Weekend For Words. Sept 16 - 18, 2022: Irvine, CA. 60+ working, professional authors of fiction, nonfiction & screen, editors & agents. Costs $325-$425. Manuscript critique & one-on-one consultation additional.

Mini Writing Getaway. September 17, 2021: Atlantic City, NJ. Need a brief break from your life? Need to rekindle your love affair with writing? Join us for a welcoming getaway designed for writers of fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction and poetry. This retreat will trigger your imagination, giving you the freedom to compose new and exciting work. Spend the day immersed in the literary life: writing, discussing craft and sharing new drafts. No distractions. Led by Peter E. Murphy. Will be held in person.

UCLA Extension Writing Retreat at Lake Arrowhead. Sept 18 - 23, 2022: Lake Arrowhead, CA. Join a small group of committed writers for four full days of uninterrupted writing time at UCLA’s beautiful conference center at Lake Arrowhead. Participants will enjoy private bedrooms, private baths, and three gourmet meals each day, along with complimentary beverages all day long. The Writers’ Program will coordinate some structured activities, including pre-dinner social hours and nightly open mic events, but your time will ultimately be yours to accomplish your writing goals at your own pace. Register by September 1.

Okoboji Writers' in-person Retreat. September 19 - 21, 2022: West Lake, IA. The Okoboji Writers' Retreat features 15 speakers, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial writer, editors of large daily newspapers, columnists, and a literary agent. Faculty: Rekha Basu, Art Cullen, Doug Burns, Rachelle Chase, Ty Rushing, John Dinges, Arnold Garson, Jane Dystal, Lyz Lenz, James O'Shea, Rachel Yoder, Paige Windsor, and Diane Glass. Cost: $795. 

Writing on the Door: "Becoming a Master Writer," with John DeDakis September 19-23, 2022: Fish Creek, WI. "Take your writing to the next level in this series of topic-specific workshops designed to drill deeper into the finer points of story telling: memoir, journaling, characterization, dialogue, and research. In addition, you’ll learn how to overcome writer’s block whether you’re a planner, or if you write by the seat of your pants.  By the end of the series, you’ll have the skills, confidence and strategies to take your writing to a professional level. Each session will include short writing assignments, plus the opportunity to have your work critiqued."

Breakout Novel Graduate Learning Retreat. September 19 - 25, 2022: Austin, TX. An intensive week of critiques, one-on-one sessions, query clinics, brainstorming and writing. Limited to 16 students. 

49 Writers Tutka Bay Retreat. September 23 - 25, 2022: Tutka Bay, Alaska. Guest Instructor: Luis Alberto Urrea.

Hedgebrook Virtual Writers Conference 2022. September 22 - 25, 2022, "Hedgebrook is a community of visionary women writers whose stories and ideas have shaped our culture in the past, now, and for generations to come. We have tapped into this community to collectively build Hedgebrook’s first-ever Writers Conference – a three-day (virtual) intensive for writers across the globe. If you aspire to improve your craft, come learn from seasoned writers that are equipped to challenge, engage, and inform.  Our illustrious alumnae instructors craft and guide participants through interconnected lessons over the course of three days, proving “No Writer Is An Island.” Will be held online.

LiTFUSE Poets’ Workshop. September 23 - 25, 2022: Tieton, WA. The workshop features readings, performances, and meditation for poets. The past faculty included poets included Ching-In Chen, Christopher Howell, Brooke Matson, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Dennis Nurkse, Kelly Schirmann, Chad Sweeney, Dujie Tahat, Alexandra Teague, and Tobias Wray. Virtual and in person.

PNWA Conference. September 23 - 25, 2022: Lake Washington, Washington, Sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. More than 50 seminars, editor/agent forums & appointments, practice pitching, keynote and featured speakers, reception, awards ceremony. Many agents and editors attending. Will be held in person.

Brooklyn Book Festival. September 25 - October 3, 2022: Brooklyn, NY. This year’s Festival Day and Literary Marketplace, a day-long celebration of authors and books, will take place in person in Downtown Brooklyn as well as virtually. At our live BKBF Children’s Day, families will enjoy a full day of readings, workshops, performances, book signings, yoga, and art projects with favorite authors and illustrators.  All events are free and open to the public.

Orion Online Poetry Writers' Workshop with Felicia Zamora. September 29 - November 3, 2022. The Course: Hybridity, Risk, Wonder, and Research in Ecopoetry and Climate-Focused Poetics. "Humans have a deep and complex relationship with the Earth. We are natural beings living in a natural world. As a species, we have written about the environment throughout history out of wonder, awe, reverence, confusion, terror, appreciation—and now especially—necessity—due to forces threatening our environment through degradation, destruction, and change. Artists in this workshop will be asked to consider: What is your relationship to the Earth? How do you approach environmental concerns in your poetry? How might hybridity be a useful tool in your poetic world-building? Our work will center around experimentation, risks in form and expression, incorporation of data and statistics, adding images or graphics, and seeing our work in conversation with news articles, scientists, research articles, other art/artists, place, and social discourse. We’ll make wonder and curiosity foundations for innovation in our eco-writing." Duration: This class meets over six consecutive Thursdays from 5-8 pm ET. Application deadline: TBA.

Creatures, Crimes & Creativity. September 30 -  October 2, 2022: Columbia, MD. A writer's and fan's conference for genre fiction covering mystery, suspense, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk & horror.

Flathead River Writers Conference. September 30 -  October 2, 2022: Kalispell, MT. Writers help writers in this two day conference packed with energizing speakers and workshops. Features: Workshops, MS preparation & submission, working with agents, movie deals, media use, & children's book publishing.

16 Speculative Fiction Magazines Open for Submissions NOW — Paying Markets

Speculative fiction is near and dear to my heart, so I am always on the lookout for speculative fiction magazines open to submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees.

For over a hundred paying speculative fiction magazines accepting submissions see: Mega-List of Speculative Fiction Magazines Accepting Submissions

Happy submitting!
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And the Dead Shall Sleep No More. Genre: Short fiction, flash fiction, poetry about vampires. “Anything that’s dark, creepy, weird and just a little off-kilter. We’re open to genre fiction, particularly anything related to horror, science-fiction, speculative fiction or weird fiction. But we’re also interested in anything that twists or subverts these genres in some unexpected way.” Payment: $15. Deadline September 1, 2022.

Jay Henge: Phantom Thieves Sagacious Scoundrels. Genre: Speculative fiction. “Elusive and fantastic thieves and scoundrels of all genders and species who can be long gone before the victim even knows what happened. Show us what admirable trickery your scoundrels and robbers and smugglers have up their sleeves!” Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words. Length: Up to 15k words. Open until filled.

Jay Henge: The Nameless Songs of Zadok Allen. Genre: Speculative fiction. “What lurks in the deep? Who listens from the shadows? What sorts of abominable experiments are taking place at the mysterious ivy-covered university? We want your Lovecraftian tales. “ Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words. Length: Up to 15k words. Open until filled. Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words. Length: Up to 15k words. Open until filled. Reprints accepted.

Strange Horizons Genre: Poetry, art. Payment: $50 for poetry, $100 — $200 for art. No reprints. No simultaneous submissions. Note: Fiction will open on November 1.

StarShipSofa. Genre: Science Fiction (podcast). “From the soft, social science fiction to the weird pulpy stuff to the vigorous hard SF and YA adventure. We welcome all sub-genres and all variety of punks in all their colours. From high-octane action to quiet philosophical stories, we’re after it all.Science fiction is a rich and diverse genre, push it’s boundaries as far as you can go. We welcome translations and are very interested in stories that take place/written by authors outside the US/Anglo-sphere, as well as as alternative movements and styles. These include (but not limited to) “non-Western” science fiction, Chinese SF, Soviet speculative fiction, Afro-futurism, etc.” Payment: $50 USD flat rate per story for nonexclusive, one time audio rights. Authors are paid for their stories on the 7th of the proceeding month. Accepts reprints.

Dark Moon Digest. Genre: Horror short stories, flash fiction, reviews, and columns. “We strongly encourage work written by authors typically unrepresented in publishing, such as women, people of color, LGBTQ, and those from non-Western cultures. Also, if the previous sentence pissed you off for some reason, then you definitely aren’t the kind of author we wish to read. Fiction reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, Tales from the Crypt, and Tales from the Darkside. We want stories with complex characters and ideas spun in ways nobody’s ever conceived. Make our brains hurt. Make our hearts explode with love and terror. Make us fear.” Payment: $0.03 per word for original fiction/$0.01 per word for reprints. Note: Submittable will close every month once they reach 300 submissions, then reopen at the start of the next month. If you fail to locate any submission categories, check back again on the 1st. Accepts reprints.
Etherea. Genre: Fantasy and science fiction short stories. Length: 2000–5000 words, but longer will be accepted. Etherea Magazine is an Australian publication, so payment will be made in Australian dollars, Payment: A$100 per story, regardless of length. They are also looking for flash fiction, from 500 to 1000 words. A flat rate of A$25 will be paid per story. Horror may be accepted in this section, however it must have an element of the supernatural.

Mithila Review is a journal of international science fiction and fantasy devoted to speculative writing, arts, and culture. “Along with original speculative fiction and poetry, we also publish reviews, interviews, discussions, and essays centered around stories, books, movies, television series, arts, comics, and other media, with speculative elements that explore the interstitial spaces of politics, identity, and culture and reflect the diverse (and often underrepresented) experiences, perspectives, and nuances of the world we live in today.” Payment: $10 for original essays. (Open to nonfiction only)

Thirteen Podcast is an audio-drama/audio fiction podcast specializing in feature length (~ one hour) productions that are characterized by slow-burn, atmospheric stories, horror and ghost stories. Payment for stories 5,000 words and above is $50 and payment for stories under 5,000 words is $25.

Existential Hologram: A Science Fiction Anthology. Genre: Science Fiction, Virtual Reality, Simulation Theory. “What if everything we see, hear, taste and touch represents a minuscule fraction of the whole of existence? We want tales centered on the realities of reality — from the askew to the virtual (think Twilight Zone to The Matrix or Tron).” Word count: 2,000 to 14,000 words. Payment: Royalty split. Deadline: Open until filled.

In Space, No One Can Hear You Laugh — A Comedy Anthology. Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Comedy, Satire “Space opera can often be a wonderous, cold and scientific place. But it doesn’t have to be! Ever hear of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Galaxy Quest? The Adventures of Pluto Nash? Red Dwarf?” Word count: 2,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalty split. Deadline: Open until filled.

Bards and Sages Quarterly. Genre: All speculative genres (horror, fantasy, science fiction, slipstream, steampunk, magical realism, etc) up to 5,000 words in length. Payment: $30 for original fiction; $15 for reprints.

The Were-Traveler. Genre: Fiction based on image. Theme: Curst & Twysted Tarot. Payment: $10 — $15.

Three-lobed Burning Eye. “Original speculative fiction: horror, fantasy, and science fiction. We’re looking for short stories from across the big classifications and those shadowy places between: magical realism, fantastique, slipstream, interstitial, and the Weird. We will consider suspense or western, though we prefer it contain some speculative element. We like voices that are full of feeling, from literary to pulpy, with styles unique and flowing, but not too experimental. All labels aside, we want tales that expand genre, that value imagination in character, narrative, and plot. We want to see something new and different.” Length: Short fiction 1000–7000 words, Flash fiction 500–1000 words, (2000–5000 preferred). Payment: $100 for short fiction, $30 for flash fiction; + 1 print annual. Deadline: Open now.

Space Horror Anthology. Genre: Stories with one horror trope and one sci-fi trope. Payment: $25. (Open until filled.)
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Radon. Genre: Short stories and poetry containing elements of anarchism, transhumanism, dystopia, and/or science fiction. Payment: 1 cent per word for original work, half a cent per word for reprints

4 Agents Seeking Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Kidlit, LGBTQ, SF/F and more

Carrie Howland Here are four literary agents actively seeking clients. All work with established agencies with good track records.

Emma Leong is interested in upmarket and literary fiction. She’s also on the look-out for non-fiction that explores the self, connecting literary criticism/expertise with personal narrative, whether that be through reflections on relationships, climate change, gender, loneliness, love, loss, the immigrant experience, etc. 

Carrie Howland is seeking genre fiction, upmarket fiction and nonfiction, including memoir. Jane Chun represents: Fiction: Action/Adventure, Children's, Commercial, Family Saga, Fantasy, General, Graphic Novel, Historical, Horror, LGBTQ, Literary, Middle Grade, New Adult, Science Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult. Non-Fiction: History, Illustrated, Journalism, LGBTQ, Memoir, Pop Culture, Sports, Travel.

Carlos Segarra focuses on memoirs and narrative nonfiction in the areas of pop culture, sports, journalism, politics, history, social justice and activism. In fiction, Carlos is interested in thrillers, sci-fi, magical realism, speculative fiction, own voices and historical fiction, as well as children's narratives.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.
​
You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 

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Ms. Carrie Howland of Howland Literary

Carrie Howland founded Howland Literary, LLC in 2018, after thirteen years as an agent, most recently at Empire Literary. Carrie holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Albion College, where she was the Poetry Editor of The Albion Review. Her poetry has appeared in various literary journals and magazines. She attends several conferences, both nationally and internationally, throughout the year. Her craft talk from the Adirondack Writers Conference, "Beyond the Query Letter," is available on the Howland Literary website. In her spare time, Carrie volunteers as a foster for a local dog rescue and is an active member of the Junior League. Her passions include music, pop culture, and the Midwest. 

What she is seeking: Fiction: genre fiction, upmarket; nonfiction, including memoir.

How to submit: Use her form HERE.

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Ms. Emma Leong of Janklow and Nesbit Ltd (UK)

Emma started her publishing career at Janklow and Nesbit in 2019. While assisting Rebecca Carter and Claire Paterson Conrad, she is also building her own list. She is editorially focused, and keen to work with debut writers to develop their proposals and manuscripts for submission to publishers.

What she is seeking: Emma is interested in upmarket and literary fiction. She’s looking for transporting, elegant prose which bring courage and complexity to the human experience. She loves books that contain wisdom and brutal honesty, exploring themes such as family, intergenerational trauma, identity, sexuality, love and forgiveness. She’s also interested in books that dive into the vulnerability of the millennial condition, with warmth and wit. She’s also on the look-out for non-fiction that explores the self, connecting literary criticism/expertise with personal narrative, whether that be through reflections on relationships, climate change, gender, loneliness, love, loss, the immigrant experience, etc. 

How to submit: Submissions should be sent to submissions@janklow.co.uk, following the submission guidelines here.


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Ms. Jane Chun of Janklow & Nesbit Associates

I have been at Janklow & Nesbit since May 2019 and am currently building my list. I’m particularly interested in stories that center marginalized communities and prose that is cinematic and atmospheric with good rhythm. In both fiction and nonfiction, I’m drawn towards compelling, fresh voices that make me feel as though the writer is in the room with me, telling me their story with intimacy as if we were already acquainted. Regardless of how plot-driven a story is, characters with rich inner worlds and emotional depth are a must for me.

What she is seeking: Fiction: Action/Adventure, Children's, Commercial, Family Saga, Fantasy, General, Graphic Novel, Historical, Horror, LGBTQ, Literary, Middle Grade, New Adult, Science Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult. Non-Fiction: History, Illustrated, Journalism, LGBTQ, Memoir, Pop Culture, Sports, Travel.

Favorite sub-genres: Contemporary YA, Diversity, Epic Fantasy, Feminism, High Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Illustrated, Literary Middle Grade, Literary Noir, Magical Realism, Multicultural, Narrative Nonfiction, Social Issues, Soft Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Urban Fantasy, upmarket genre fiction.

How to submit: Submissions should be emailed to submissions@janklow.com. Please include "Jane Chun" in the email subject line and send the following: Fiction: an informative description, a brief synopsis, and the first ten pages. Please include the sample pages in the body of the email below your query. Nonfiction: an informative description, a full outline, and the first ten pages of the manuscript. Please include the sample pages in the body of the email below your query. Graphic novels/nonfiction: send 10 illustrated pages with text (attached as a PDF) and a synopsis in the body of the email below your query.

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Carlos Segarra of Creative Artists Agency

Carlos Segarra is based in the New York office and creates publishing opportunities across all agency departments, representing talent such as Tabitha Brown, Omarion, Tarana Burke and Jonathan Mannion. Carlos works across all genres of books and brings a passion for amplifying the voices of writers and characters from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

What he is seeking: In the nonfiction space, he focuses on memoirs and narrative nonfiction in the areas of pop culture, sports, journalism, politics, history, social justice and activism. In fiction, Carlos is interested in thrillers, sci-fi, magical realism, speculative fiction, own voices and historical fiction, as well as children's narratives.

How to submit: Use the agency's form HERE.

2 New Agents Seeking Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir, Literary Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, Women’s History and more

Allson Malecha Here are two new agents actively expanding their client lists. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

Allison Malecha is is especially drawn to authors writing literary or upmarket adult fiction; narrative nonfiction, particularly with a historical or international dimension; social science; pop science; pop psychology; and memoir that touches on larger current issues or on the author's field of expertise.

Rebecca Sandell is looking for writing on art history, architecture, and women’s history as well as unusual memoir and literary fiction. 

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.
​
You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 


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Allison Malecha of Trellis Literary Management 

Allison Malecha joined Trellis Literary Management as Director of Foreign Rights after several years at Bettina Schrewe Literary Scouting, where she worked with major publishing clients in over twenty markets across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, as well as with an independent film client. Prior to working as a literary scout, she spent five years in editorial at independent publishing house Grove Atlantic, where she began building her own list under the publisher and was the in-house manager for Freeman's and The Mysterious Press. Allison grew up between the middle of Canada and the middle of the U.S, but has always found home between the covers of a book. She has a BA in Comparative Literature & Society from Columbia University, where she studied French and Czech.  

What she is seeking: Allison will be looking to represent a small, selective list of domestic clients. She is especially drawn to authors writing literary or upmarket adult fiction; narrative nonfiction, particularly with a historical or international dimension; social science; pop science; pop psychology; and memoir that touches on larger current issues or on the author's field of expertise. She likes writing that crackles, and that has wells of empathy that run deep.

How to submit: Use the agency's form HERE. (Note: Allison is open to queries until September 1)

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Rebecca Sandell of Pew Literary (UK)  

Rebecca Sandell joined PEW at the beginning of 2020. As an undergraduate she studied English at King’s College London where she also obtained her Master’s degree in eighteenth-century literature with a dissertation on William Blake’s architectural influences. She works as an assistant across all aspects of the agency with a particular focus on international rights. 

What she is seeking: She is beginning to build her own list, and is looking for writing on art history, architecture, and women’s history as well as unusual memoir and literary fiction.

How to submit: Send your proposal to submissions@pewliterary.com . Your submission should be in Word or PDF format and 1.5 or double-spaced. Accompany your submission with a cover letter that tells us a little about you as a writer.

81 Calls for Submissions in August 2022 - Paying Markets

Pixahive This August there are more than six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post calls for submissions a few days prior to the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

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Fantasy Magazine. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, poetry. Payment: 8 cents per word; $40 per poem. Deadline: "We plan to stay open to submissions by BIPOC authors for the entirety of 2022."
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The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, micro-fiction. Length: Under 3,000 words preferred. Payment: $75. Deadline: They open to fee-free submissions on the first of each month and close when they reach their quota.

Diabolical Plots. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy and horror up to 3,500 words. See theme. Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: August 1, 2022. See theme.

Wizards in Space. Genre: Poetry, prose, art. "What does it mean to be empowered, to revel in your own strength? How do you take the abundance of yourself and share it freely with others? When have you felt most like dancing and singing? For our eighth issue, we want your power. Your exhalation. We want to know how your Scorpio heart and your August body take up space in this wind-tossed world." Payment: $40 per original poem or per page of original art; $20 per reprinted poem or per page of reprinted art; $0.04 per word for original prose, based on final published word count; $0.02 per word for reprinted prose, based on final published word count. Deadline: August 1, 2022. Accepts reprints. 

Sims Library of Poetry. Restrictions: Open to African-American writers. Genre: Poetry, prose, and visual art submissions that are “an homage to an African-American poet of the past.” Payment: $50. Deadline: August 1, 2022.


Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Short Story-2,500 words or less. $0.01 USD per word/$25 USD and copy of magazine; Flash Fiction-less than a 1,000 words $0.01 USD per word/$10 USD; Poems-less than 200 words $10 upon acceptance and a PDF of the magazine. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

We'Moon Lunar Calendar. Restrictions: Open to women only. Genre: Art, poetry and prose, 350 words maximum. Payment: Small honorarium; art up to $500. Deadline: August 1, 2022.


Liquid Imagination: Silver Pen. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry. Payment: $3 - $8. Deadline: August 1, 2022.


Embers of Corsari. Genre: High fantasy set in a new world. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Propertius Press. Genre: Creative Nonfiction, full-length manuscripts. "We are actively seeking submissions from Black, Minority, Indigenous, and other Persons of Color in all categories." Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

The First Line. Genres: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic: An Anthology of Hysteria Fiction will benefit the Chicago Abortion Fund. Genre: Dark speculative fiction from anyone directly at risk as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade, defined inclusively. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Brute: Raunch, Scares, and Rough Trade. Genre: Gay sexuality, desire, masculinity, and the aesthetics of "rough trade." Stories must have speculative elements: horror, dark fantasy, weirdness. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Longleaf Review. Genre: Horror flash fiction, 1000 words max. Payment: $20. (?) Deadline: Opens August 1, 2022. Submit early in the month. Submissions close after they reach 300.

Fear Street: Reader Beware! Genre: Horror. YA horror steeped in late 80s-90s nostalgia. Payment: $0.01 per word for new stories and/or $25 for reprints. Deadline: August 1, 2022. Reprints accepted.
Tamarind. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction about science and scientists. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 2, 2022.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: August 2, 2022.

The Suburban Review. Genre: Prose, art, poetry on theme: Weeds. Payment: AUD150-275 for prose; AUD125-275 for poetry. Deadline: August 3, 2022.

Yellow Arrow. Genre: Poetry chapbooks by women writers. Payment: Royalties? Deadline: August 4, 2022.  

Sci Phi Journal. Genre: Hard science fiction, fictional nonfiction, and speculative philosophy. Translations accepted. Payment: €0.03/word; €0.01/word for translations. Deadline: August 4, 2022.  

The Victorian Writer. Genre: Poems and articles. Payment: Poems ($70), and articles of 600 words ($100) and 1200 words ($200) in the print edition with particular interest in the craft of writing and the writing life. Deadline: August 5, 2022. Note: Pitches only. See themes.

Lucent Dreaming. Restrictions: Open to new and emerging writers only. "We consider a new/emerging writer someone who has been published in 15 or fewer publications in the past 5 years, and has not published a book or full collection." Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, poetry. Also accepts art. Payment: £100 (£200 for low-income writers in the UK) and a free contributor copy. Deadline: August 6, 2022. 

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction on Theme of  RAGE / PEACE. Payment: $10 via PayPal for each story published in an Anthology. Deadline: August 7, 2022.

Fusion Fragment. Genre: Science fiction or SF-tinged literary fiction stories and novelettes ranging anywhere from 2,000 to 15,000 words. Payment: Both previously unpublished work and reprints pay 3.5 cents (CAD) per word, up to a maximum of $300 (CAD) per story. Deadline: August 7, 2022. 

MacroMicroCosm. Genre: Speculative fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 7, 2022. See themes.

Cossmass Infinities. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy short stories. Payment: $0.08/word for original fiction. Deadline: August 7, 2022.

MacroMicroCosm. Genre: Speculative fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 7, 2022. See themes.


Scum. Genre: Feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 2000 words (50 lines for poetry, max. 3 poems) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. Payment: $60 AUD. Deadline: August 7, 2022. Opens to submissions on August 1.

Voiceworks. Restrictions: Open to Australians under the age of 25. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art and comics. Theme: Grain. Payment: $100 for written work and art, $150 for multi-page comics or suites of art. Deadline: August 7, 2022. Fiction, completed nonfiction and poetry.

Poetry Wales. Genre: Poetry, reviews, articles. "This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Partition of the Indian subcontinent and the emergence of India and Pakistan as independent nation-states. We intend to mark this anniversary with related articles and poems, so for this issue we are especially interested in hearing from writers with links to India and Pakistan, although writing is not limited to the topic of Partition and we welcome submissions on any theme." Payment: Poems £20/page. Reviews £67.50/1500-word review. Articles £200/3000 word, or in that proportion, depending on number of published words. Deadline: August 8, 2022.

GreenPrints. Genre: Personal essays about gardening. Payment: $100 - $150. Deadline: August 9, 2022.

SAND is a Berlin publication that "looks for submissions that push the boundaries of form, message, and voice in fresh and unpredictable ways—work that is haunting for its soul, edge, and truth." Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, art, poetry, translations. Payment: Semi-professional rates. Deadline: August 10, 2022. 

Bermuda Triangle. Genre: Horror. "For decades, boats, ships and more have passed through the Bermuda Triangle never to return. But why? What’s down there, just below the surface? What happens to the loved ones left behind? You decide!" Payment: $10. Deadline: August 13, 2022.

Voiceworks. Restrictions: Open to Australians under the age of 25. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art and comics. Theme: Grain. Payment: $100 for written work and art, $150 for multi-page comics or suites of art. Deadline: August 14, 2022. Art, comics and comic pitches.


Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction.   Payment: $5. Deadline: August 15, 2022. Some reprints accepted.

Delicate Friend. Restrictions: Open to trans people only. Genre: Intimate art and literature. "Our current theme — guest-edited by Ale Canales — is “ANTIMATTER,” extending the intimacy of our T4T issue across the ever-expanding universe. Is your erotic imagination haunted by sentient artificial intelligence? Have you dreamed of traversing the blank spaces between stars with your lovers? Is your gender too alien for mere earthlings to comprehend? We want to hear from you!" Payment: $10. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

Cricket Media: ASK Magazine. Genre: Science articles for children 7–10 years old. Theme: Sky at Play (Clouds/Wind). Payment: Unspecified. Deadline: August 15, 2022. Queries only.

Sasee. Genre: First-person, non-fiction material that is for or about women. Essays, humor, satire, personal experience, and features on topics relating to women are their primary editorial focus. Theme: “Renew & Revamp.” 500 to 1000 words. Payment: Varies. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

The Lorelei Signal. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and poetry with strong female characters. Payment: $15 for short stories, $5 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces, $5 for reprints. Deadline: August 15, 2022. Accepts reprints.

The Haunted Train: Creepy Tales from the Railways. Genre: Stories about trains, tracks and railway stations, especially creepy, spooky tales about haunted trains. Payment: 10 Euro. Deadline: August 15, 2022. Accepts reprints.

Medusa Tales. Genre: Speculative stories (sci-fi, fantasy, and horror) of human transformation and immobilization. Payment: 1 cent/word, $10 for reprints. Deadline: August 15, 2022. Accepts reprints.

Dark Recesses Press. Genre: Horror/dark fiction pieces between 500-5000 words. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: August 15, 2022. Note: Only pays for print magazine.

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. Genre: Poetry and art. Payment: $7 per poem, $12 for cover art and $7 for inside art. Deadline: August 15, 2022. See themes.

Guernica. Genre: Poetry. "We’d love to read poems that congregate around (or refuse) questions of desire, language, or form, but most importantly, that speak to the wild capaciousness of your work.
Submit 3-10 poems that shape each other in some way; they could accumulate, thicken, complicate, and make spare — or make inverse — the questions that drive them." Payment: $150. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

The Waking. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction, image text/hybrid work. "The Waking is Ruminate Community's online literary magazine that houses high-quality literary writing about what it’s like to be human. We are interested in short-form and flash prose as well as image-text/hybrid work. This art can be beautiful, it can be strange, we just ask that it feels true." 1500 words max. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 15, 2022. Opens August 1.

Westerly. Genre: Short stories, poetry, memoir and creative non-fiction, essays and literary criticism. Payment: Poems: $120 for one poem or $150 for two or more poems; Stories: $180; Articles: $180; Visual art/Intro essay: $120; Reviews: $100; Online Publication: $100. "We expect our contributors to be subscribers of the Magazine. While we will accept submissions from non-subscribers, should your work be accepted for publication in this instance, you will be asked to accept a subscription to the Magazine as part payment for your work." Deadline: August 15, 2022.

Cemetery Gates: Campfire Macabre: Volume 2. Genre: Flash Horror. See themes. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: August 15, 2022.
Grumpy Old Gods Flash Fiction: Pesky Pestilence. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 - 1500 words. "Halloween flash fiction with a Grumpy TWIST. We’re searching for stories to delight and amuse for the upcoming Halloween season: Does your healing God in training keep accidentally raising zombies? Did a sun God accidentally set off an apocalypse and try to hide it? Is there something giving a divine pantheon the sniffles with hilarious results? Is Death taking a much-needed vacation in the mortal world – but keeps bringing his work along for the ride?" Payment: Profit sharing. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: August 16, 2022. See themes.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Cats. Genre: True stories and poems. "We want your true funny stories, your heartwarming stories, and your mindboggling stories about all the simply amazing things that your cat does. What have you learned from your cat? How does your cat improve your life? What crazy things does your cat do? Has your cat ever done anything heroic? How does your cat warm your heart and make you smile? We want to hear all about the absurd antics, funny habits and insightful behavior of your cat." Payment: $200. Deadline: August 19, 2022.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dogs. Genre: True stories and poems. "We want your true funny stories, your heartwarming stories, and your mindboggling stories about all the simply amazing things that your dog does. What have you learned from your dog? How does your dog improve your life? What crazy things does your dog do? Has your dog ever done anything heroic? How does your dog warm your heart and make you smile? We want to hear all about the absurd antics, funny habits and insightful behavior of your dog. Stories can be serious or humorous." Payment: $200. Deadline: August 19, 2022.

Shakespeare Unleashed. Genre: Horror based on Shakespeare’s plays and characters, as well as Shakespearean (horror) sonnets. For fiction, ”We’re looking for dark and scary stories — no parodies or humor pieces. Stories can be set in time periods other than the Elizabethan era, and can be updated or reimagined or merely “based on.”” For poetry, “We’re looking for horror sonnets — no parodies or humor pieces. Sonnets can be based on one of Shakespeare’s sonnets or plays or characters (let us know which one when you submit) or they can be totally original, but they should still evoke Shakespeare in some way.” Payment: $0.06/word for fiction; $35 for poems. Deadline: August 21, 2022.

berlin lit. Genre: Poetry. Payment: 20 euros per poem. Deadline: August 21, 2022.


Metaphysical Times. Genre: Pagan and metaphysical topics, including spirituality, religion, divination, witchcraft, and more. Payment: $0.05 USD per word up to 1200 words after editing. Deadline: August 24, 2022.

Unidentified Funny Objects. Genre: Funny science fiction and fantasy. Length: 500-5,000 words. Payment: $0.10/word. Deadline: August 25, 2022.

The Storyteller Series (Podcast and Print) Genre: Fiction, non-fiction, memoir up to 10,000 words. Payment: $50. Deadline: August 28, 2022. Reprints accepted.

Inked in Gray: Reclaiming Joy. Genre:  Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction, up to 8,000 words. "These past few years have brought more fear than hope. It seems as though our world is becoming a scary place, especially for marginalized individuals. As people and as an organization we will keep fighting against the wrongs that permeate our society. We must continue to protest but we also must continue to find joy and happiness in the moments between." Payment: $45. Deadline: August 30, 2022.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Funny Stories. Genre: True stories. "Share your funny stories about something that happened to you in your life – in your relationship with a partner or spouse, a parent or child, a family member or friend, at work or at home – that made you and the people around you laugh out loud. Did you mean for it to be funny? Did the other person mean to make you laugh? Did a situation just get out of control? Did a misunderstanding turn into a comedy of errors?" Payment: $200. Deadline: August 30, 2022. 

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Impact of a Chicken Soup for the Soul story on me. Genre: True stories. "Have you read a Chicken Soup for the Soul story that had an impact on your life? A story that made you think twice about a similar situation in your own life? That changed your outlook? Helped you solve a problem? Encouraged you to try something new and different? Encouraged you to go ahead and make that life-changing decision? Altered how you treat a person or a situation? Revealed to you how just a shift in your attitude could improve things? Showed you that you are not alone? Showed you that others who have gone through similar situations did it, what they did to get through and gave you hope?" Payment: $200. Deadline: August 30, 2022.

Les Petites Morts: An Anthology of Erotic Horror Inspired by Fairy Tales, Mythology & Folklore. Genre: Erotic horror stories inspired by fairy tales, mythologies, and folklore from around the world. Payment: 0.06 USD per word (via PayPal) and a paperback contributor’s copy. Deadline: August 30, 2022.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: $30. Deadline: August 31, 2022. Opens August 15. See themes. 
Mud Season Review. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, CNF, Art. Payment: $50. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Broken Sleep Books. Genre: Non-fiction pamphlets (up to 70 pages). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2022.


The Quiet Ones. Genre: Quiet Horror and Dystopian genre works that fit the theme, “Nocturnal Animals.” "We primarily seek creative work from those who identify as LGBTQIAP+, women, and allies. We’re especially fond of (though do not require) stories that center LGBTQIAP+ and female characters. That said, we welcome work from anyone and everyone, and we do not automatically disqualify any submissions based on the author’s identity, nor do we require our contributors to share their sexual or gender identities." Payment: $25. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Longleaf Review. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Theme: Nostalgia. "Don’t be afraid to get a little speculative, a little retro, a little sci-fi. Revise history — new endings most welcome. Tell us about your firsts, your lasts, your just-can’t-get-you-out-of-my-heads. Show us the dark side of nostalgia, all its risks and rewards." Payment: $20 (?) Deadline: August 31, 2022.

From the Depths. Genre: Fantasy. "Monsters and mermaids, sea serpents and sailors, the deep dank dark and the glistening coral; if you’ve got a fantasy story that reeks of seaweed and intrigue, we want to see it." Length: 1,000-12,000 words. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: August 31, 2022.


Dragon Soul Press: Magick and Mistletoe. Genre: "All Christmas stories. As long as Christmas is involved, the story qualifies. All genres. Happily Ever After not required." Payment:  Royalties.  Deadline: August 31, 2022. 

Both/And. Genre: Essays focused on personal narrative from trans and gender non-conforming writers of color. "Both/And is an essay series that seeks to elevate the stories of those at the forefront of the fight for racial and transgender equality. We want to hear from, and work with trans writers of color, so we can uplift those most targeted by the larger cultural obsession with transness, but whose voices are rarely centered in it." Payment: $500. Deadline: August 31, 2022. Pitches only.

Quarter Press. Genre: Stories, art, poetry, nonfiction on theme: Let’s Get Weird. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 31, 2022. 

Broken Sleep Books. Genre: Nonfiction pamphlets (up to 70 pages). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2022. 

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $50 per author (via PayPal) for our web issues. Payment for print is $5 per page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and a 1-year subscription. Deadline: August 31, 2022. Note: Submit early in the month.

Typehouse. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 31, 2022. No-fee submissions open for all contributors starting July 1.

Gwyllion. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: £10 per accepted story or poem. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Strange Sunests: Terrors on Distant Planets. Genre: Science fiction stories that take place on another planet. There must be an element of horror. Gore and splatterpunk is welcome, but may not be a first choice. Payment: $30USD. Deadline: August 31, 2022. 

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 1 cent/word for fiction and $5 - $10 for poetry. Deadline: August 31, 2022. 

Hidden Villains: Arise. Genre: Fantasy, horror, and sci-fi "sculpted to thrill and entertain readers with the bizarre or delve into the shadows." Length: Up to 7,000 words. Payment: Between $0.05 and $0.08 per word. Deadline: August 31, 2022. 

Eerie River. Genre: Horror on theme of Water. Word count: 1500 - 7000 firm. Payment: ¢1 per word CAD. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Creature Publishing. Genre: Feminist horror. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Timber Ghost Press: Along Harrowed Trails. Genre: Horror set in the Old West. "We are seeking well-crafted stories and poems that are creepy, disturbing, and weird that embrace the Old West aesthetic from around 1800-1900." Payment: Poetry - $10 USD. Flash - $15 USD. Short Fiction - $35 USD. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

The McNeese Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Payment: $50. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Strange Sunsets – Terrors on Distant Planets. Genre: Science fiction stories that take place on another planet. There must be an element of horror. Payment: $30. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

The Rumpus. Genre: Fiction "We strive to be a platform for marginalized voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere, and to lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers we love. We work to shine a light on stories that build bridges, tear down walls, and speak truth to power." Payment: $300 divided among all contributors. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

2,000-word Terrors. Genre: Horror short stories. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: August 31, 2022.


And a few more...


Escape Pod. Genre: Science fiction (Audio and written format). Payment: USD $0.08 per word for original fiction. USD $100 per story for reprint fiction. Deadline: Opens September 1, 2022. Reprints accepted.

Bleed Error. Genre: Short stories, flash fiction, and poetry that runs the gamut of everything from absurdist horror to bizarre science-fiction to unsettling dark fantasy. "We love the uncanny." Payment: 1c per word, and $15 per poem (Canadian dollars.) Deadline: September 1, 2022.
Not a Pipe Publishing. Restrictions: Open to LGBTQ writers. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, or any other works with a speculative element. Payment: A copy of the anthology and an equal portion of profits from the sale of the anthology. Deadline: September 1, 2022.
 
Madame Gray's Poe Pourri of Terror. Genre: Horror, 3K - 8K word count. Payment: $5. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Orion’s Belt. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry. 1,200 words max for prose. Payment: 8 cents/word. $25 for art. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Farmer-ish. Genre: Nonfiction, CNF, poetry related to farming (including recipes). Payment: $25 or copy of book (print only). Deadline: September 1, 2022. See themes.

Contrary. Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF. Payment: $20. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Short stories and poetry. See themes. Payment: 20.00 USD for featured authors, or $10.00 USD for stories published on their &More page and $5.00 USD for poems. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Blood, Sweat, and Steel. Genre: Military Science Fiction. Word Count: 7,000 – 10,000. Payment: A percentage of sales divided equally between the contributing authors. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: September 1, 2022. See themes.

Bang!: An Anthology of Noir Fiction. Genre: Noir fiction. "Stories must adhere to the noir genre (although we’re not beyond including neo-noir or hard-boiled in that ball park), however we don’t want slavish reproductions or carbon cut-outs of genre classics. We want new spins on old themes. We want nihilism." Payment: £10 per story plus one contributor copy of the paperback. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Hellbound Sci-Fi. Genre: Science fiction. 4K - 10K word count. Payment: $5. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

Eerie River: It Calls from Below. Genre: Horror. "Think subterranean, buried alive, ancient buried treasure, something lost now found, underground, in basements, crawlspaces, caves, under a bed and dark places." Payment: Flat rate payment ¢1 per word CAD after approved edits - up to $70 CAD. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

And the Dead Shall Sleep No More. Genre: Dark fiction about Vampires. Length: Up to 6,000 words. Payment: $15. Deadline: September 1, 2022.

39 Writing Contests in August 2022 - No entry fees

Pxhere This August there over three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $100,000 to a free writing class. None charge entry fees.
​
Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.Good luck! 

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Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants. Restrictions: Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genres: Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize: $2500. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Source Writing Prize. Restrictions: Open to writers who have not written for Source before. Genre: Book reviews, exhibition reviews or texts introducing sets of pictures, so these would be good models to follow. "But we are also interested in others forms of writing so if you want to submit something in a different form then please do." Prize: £500 / 570 euro. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Lee & Low Books New Voices Award is sponsored by Lee &Low Publishers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published. Genre: Children's books - fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Prize: $1,000 and publication. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize: Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Epigram Books Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Authors must be Singaporean, Singaporean permanent resident or Singapore-born. Genre: A full-length, original and unpublished novel written in the English language. Prize: $20,000. Deadline: August 1, 2022.

Granum Foundation Prize helps U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works. Additionally, a Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated by a U.S.-based writer. Prize: One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more; $500 or more will be awarded to one writer working in translation. Deadline: August 2, 2022.

Oregon Literary Fellowships. Two fellowships (one $10,000 grant and one $3,500 grant) are reserved specifically for writers of color. There are also fellowships for women/gender-nonconforming writers as well as special fellowships for fiction writers who have lived in Oregon over the past 5 years. Deadline: August 5, 2022.

Peter Blazey Fellowship.  Restrictions: Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre: Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize: $15 000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline: August 8, 2022.

Stone Canoe. Restrictions: Open to people who live or have lived in Upstate New York (not New York City). Genres: Drama, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: August 8, 2022 for poetry. (It is difficult to find this information on their website.) 

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English between  July 1, 2022, and September 30, 2022. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: August 12, 2022.

Rebecca Swift Women's Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to women poets in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: August 12, 2022.

Waterford Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents of Ireland. Genre: Poem. Prize: First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course. Deadline: August 12, 2022.

4thWrite Short Story Prize. Restrictions: Open to Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic writers aged 18+ living in the UK or Ireland. Genre: Short story, 6,000 words maximum. Prize: £1,000, a one-day publishing workshop at 4th Estate and publication of their story on the Guardian website. Deadline: August 14, 2022.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction between 1k words max based on the theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: August 14, 2022.

Wintermute Lit. Restrictions: Open to emerging writers who have not published a full-length manuscript or chapbook. The work you submit can have been previously published but not awarded large national/international awards. Genre: Speculative fiction, maximum of 4500 words. Prize: Winners receive cash prizes, speculative books of their choice, and publication in Wintermute. Deadline: August 14, 2022. Reprints accepted.

The Yale Drama Series. Genre: Original, unpublished full-length plays, with a minimum of 65 pages. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

Society of Classical Poets Haiku Competition. Genre: Haiku. Prize: $100. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

The Gotham “Manuscript-to-Market” Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to people of color who have completed a book manuscript (or nonfiction book proposal) and are ready to go to market with their book. Three fellowships will be offered every year. Prize: Admittance to the Gotham Writers Conference—the panels and presentations as well as a seat at a pitching roundtable with two agents in your genre. The Gotham course How to Get Published or Nonfiction Book Proposal. A one-on-one Agent Evaluation session and a Query Letter Coaching session, both with a literary agent. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

Quarterly West.  Genre: Poetry chapbook. Prize: $500. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Restrictions: Emerging African American writers.  Genres: Short story collection or novel published in the current year. Prize: $10,000.  Deadline: August 15, 2022.

Ligonier Valley Writers. Genre: Flash fiction on theme of "mermaids, selkies, and other water dwellers";1000 words max. Prize: The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline: August 15, 2022.

Women's Prize for Fiction. Genre: Published novel by a woman. Entrants must be writing in English and must be published in the UK between 1 April 2022 and 30 September 2022. All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible. Prize: £30,000.00. Deadline: August 26, 2022.

Frank O’Connor International Short Story Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to writers living within Munster and a commuting distance from Cork City. "The Short Story Fellow must have at least two full-length works of fiction published at the time of deadline, of which at least one must be a short story collection. The ideal candidate will be a writer respected by peers and experienced in the giving of writing workshops." Genre: Short fiction. Fellowship: A stipend of €8000, in four monthly instalments of €2000. Deadline: August 29, 2022.

The Canadian Women Artists’ Award. Restrictions: Open to Canadian women living in New York who are between the ages of 21 and 35 before the application deadline. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Grant: $5,000. Deadline: August 30, 2022.

Debra E. Bernhardt Labor Journalism Prize. Genre: Article that furthers the understanding of the history of working people. Articles focused on historical events AND articles about current issues (work, housing, organizing, health, education) that include historical context are both welcome. The work should be published in print or online between August 31, 2021 and August 30, 2022. Prize: $1000. Deadline: August 30, 2022.

Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize: $250 top prize. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts. Restrictions: Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Storyhouse. Genre: Biographical nonfiction. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. 1000 - 10,000 words in length. Stories must be suitable for children. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Poetry Archive NOW! WordView 2022. Genre: Poetry. "Make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2022." Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry collection (in English), at least 48 pages long, published between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the deadline year by an upstate New York author. Prize: $2000. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

What’s Your Story? Restrictions: Open to Victorian residents. (Australia) Genre: Poetry, short stories, CNF. Prize: $500. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Kindle Storyteller Award (UK). Restrictions: The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre: Book. Prize: £20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $750 in any single year. Genre: Biographical Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: August 31, 2022. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award. Restrictions: Open to authors aged 18-35 as of December 31 of the deadline year. Books must have been first published in the UK and/or the Republic of Ireland, in the English language, between June 23 of the preceding year and August 31 of the deadline year. Authors must be UK or Irish citizens, or residents for the three years preceding the award. Genre: Published or self-published book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Prize: £10,000. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing. Genre: Scholarly essay. All work submitted must have been written or published within the last year. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. Genre: Short story with an overall word-count of 2000 on theme: ‘Storytelling" Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

YORKSHIRE PRIZE: The Good Old Days. Restrictions: The Yorkshire Prize  is open to residents of Yorkshire, UK. Genre: Short story set in Yorshire, maximum word count of 2000 per entry. Prize: £100, and two further commendations of £25. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction or essay on theme of Dreamy. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: August 31, 2022.

26 Awesome Writing Conferences in August 2022

Mendocino Coast: Flickr August is hot hot, hot! This August there are more than two dozen writing conferences. Many conferences and workshops will be held online, but some will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

(Image: Mendocino Coast: Flickr)

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Fine Arts Work Center Summer Workshops (poetry, fiction, art, and creative nonfiction). June 5 - August 19, 2022: Provincetown, Massachusetts. Last year's faculty included David Baker, Samiya Bashir, Jill Bialosky, Sophie Cabot Black, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Martha Collins, Kate Daniels, Nick Flynn, Vievee Francis, Gabriel Fried, Jorie Graham, Marie Howe, Major Jackson, Fred Marchant, Gail Mazur, Jane Mead, John Murillo, Eileen Myles, Matthew Olzmann, Gregory Pardlo, Carl Phillips, Rowan Ricardo Phillips, Victoria Redel, Martha Rhodes, Brenda Shaughnessy, Nicole Sealey, Alan Shapiro, Carmen Giménez Smith, Craig Morgan Teicher and many more. See individual workshops for dates.

Mendocino Coast Writers Conference. August 4 -  August 6, 2022: Mendocino, California. The conference features workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as craft seminars, panels, one-on-one manuscript consultations, and open mics. The faculty includes poet Claudia Castro Luna, fiction writers Jean Chen Ho and Lydia Kiesling, creative nonfiction writer Faith Adiele, and cross-genre writer Anastacia-Reneé. Fiction writer Karen Tei Yamashita will give the keynote address. Participating publishing professionals include agent Jonah Straus (Straus Literary). The registration fee is $675 and includes morning workshops, all afternoon events, and breakfast and lunch each day. One-on-one manuscript consultations are available for an additional $60. Lodging is available at a wide range of accommodations on the Mendocino Coast, including oceanfront inns, campgrounds, glamping facilities, and motels. The registration deadline is June 30.

Cape Cod Writers Center Conference. August 4 - 6, 2022: Hyannis, Massachusetts. Supporting published and aspiring writers. Featuring distinguished authors, editors and agents in workshops on fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, poetry, mysteries and thrillers, social media, promotion and more! Will be held virtually.

Ocean View Writing Getaway. August 4 - 7, 2022: Atlantic City, NJ. "Our experienced workshop leaders plan their sessions to benefit both beginning and experienced writers. We pride ourselves on building an encouraging community of writers where all feel welcome." This program is presented by Murphy Writing of Stockton University in collaboration with AC Residential Life.

Kansas City Writing Workshop. August 5 - 6, 2022: Kansas City. This is an online “How to Get Published” writing event on August 5-6, 2022. (Writers are welcome to attend virtually from everywhere and anywhere.) This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited online “seats” at the event (200 total). Will be held virtually.

Into the Springs Writers Workshop. August 5 - 7, 2022: Yellow Springs, OH. Faculty for 2022 are John Kachuba, Raul Ramos, and Juliette Hyland.

Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Annual Conference. August 5 - 7, 2022: Via Zoom. More than 100 writers, editors, illustrators, & agents. Workshops, breakout sessions, manuscript and portfolio consultations, panels, discussions. Will be held online.

Willamette Writers Conference. August  5 -7, 2022: Portland, Oregon. Three full days of classes, workshops, keynotes, critiques, and events. There are also Master Classes with industry professionals in which you can learn from top instructors in a small group setting and many options for one on one critique, including On the Spot Critiques and Advance Manuscript Critique. As always, they will have a roster of agents, editors and film executives ready to hear about your project. Will be held online and in person.

The Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference, August 5 - 7, 2022: West Coast Writers Conferences presents a full weekend of panels, workshops and presentations by educators, noted speakers, and industry professionals focused on the craft and business of writing.

Mystery Writers Conference. August 5 - 7, 2022: Corte Madera, CA. In this conference, mystery writers learn the clues to a successful writing career. Editors, agents, and publishers tell participants what they need to know to get published. Authors offer classes on setting, dialogue, suspense, point of view, and openings. They tell how to write about private eyes, amateur sleuths, and police protagonists, and how to create thrillers and historical mysteries. Panels of detectives, forensic experts, police, and other crime-fighting professionals provide information that allows crime fiction writers to put realism in their work. 

Colrain Classic. August 5 - 8, 2022. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3-day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop, manuscript workshop and editorial sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session."

The Writer's Hotel Virtual Summer Fiction Workshop. August 6 - 28, 2022. All fiction genres. "TWH Virtual Summer Fiction Workshop program centers on weekend writing workshops and lectures over four weeks, plus two full manuscript readings by TWH Editors, one-on-one agent pitching sessions and attendee readings. Space is extremely limited. There will be two cohorts of just 14 people each." App deadline: May 16, 2022

EPIC: Elena Hartwell Taylor Writing Workshop. August 6, 2022. Fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir manuscripts that lack a solid foundation are a common problem for writers, and an issue that developmental editors see over and over again. Flawed stucture can impact even a "well-written" manuscript, as beautiful sentences can't cover flaws in foundation. Join author and developmental editor Elena Hartwell Taylor for a two-hour virtual writers' workshop to analyze issues in structure, such as scenes unrelated to the plot, or starting too soon in your story, no clear inciting incident; discover the difference between plot and story; and develop strategies to complete a first draft or for approaching rewrites.


PJ Library Retreat: Picture Book Summer Camp for Emerging Writers. August 7 - 11, 2022: Honesdale, PA. "If you’re a pre-published author with a Jewish picture book in progress (or no more than one published book) we invite you to apply for five-days of inspiration, mentorship, fun, and creativity on the beautiful campus of the Highlights Foundation." Application Deadline: on or before April 28, 2022.

Elk River Writers Workshop. August 7 - 12, 2022: Chico Hot Springs, MT. The Elk River Writers Workshop embodies the idea that deep, communal experiences with the wild open the door to creativity. We bring together some of the most celebrated nature writers in the United States with students who are serious about fostering a connection with the environment in their writing. It all happens at Chico Hot Springs, a historic retreat just north of Yellowstone National Park. Faculty members Camille Dungy, Sean Hill, J. Drew Lanham, Beth Piatote, and Laura Pritchett.

Writing on the Door: "August Master Class Series," August 8-12, 2022: Fish Creek, WI. With Lan Samantha Chang (Fiction), Nan Cohen (Poetry), & Kyoko Mori (Nonfiction)  The Writing On The Door Week-Long Master Class Series offers intensive sessions in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for intermediate to advanced writers.

Vermont College of Fine Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference. August 8 - 14, 2022: Montpelier, Vermont. The conference is designed for writers with graduate degrees or equivalent experience. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, craft classes, and individual consultations with faculty members. "At the heart of the Postgraduate Writers' Conference's unique model is the small workshop size, with groups led by acclaimed faculty limited to five or six writers. The intimate format allows for an extraordinarily in-depth, far-reaching discussion of participants’ work. Beyond the daily group sessions, each member has an individual consultation with the workshop instructor. The schedule also features a rich menu of readings by faculty and participants, craft talks, generative writing sessions and social events that galvanize our vibrant, inclusive community." \

So You Want to be an Author/Illustrator? Online Course. August 11 - September 15, 2022. Explore the possibilities of moving from Illustrator to Author/Illustrator, or becoming an Author/Illustrator. Learn how to find ideas and move from sketch to story ideas. Explore narrative drawing, pagination, thumbnail sketches and dummy (mock-up) creation. Will be held online. 

HippoCamp Creative Nonfiction Conference. August 12 - 14, 2022: Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This three-day creative writing conference in PA features 50+ notable speakers, engaging sessions in four tracks, interactive panels, readings, social activities, networking opps and optional, intimate pre-conference workshops. 

The Whole Novel Workshop. August 12 - 16, 2022: Honesdale, PA. This intensive Whole Novel Workshop offers writers the rare opportunity to have the entire draft (up to 80,000 words) of a novel read by faculty, with detailed written feedback and two private consultations provided. Attention in an intimate setting makes this program one that guarantees significant progress in preparation for submission. This Whole Novel Workshop is specifically designed for writers of novels for children and teens. Application Deadline: May 20, 2022. 

Horror Bites. August 13, 2022. "Horror Bites serves up a series of short horror writing workshops, covering some of the most essentials elements of the genre, including atmosphere, characterisation, pacing, writing violence and more. Led by horror writer, workshopper and Creative Writing Lecturer Alex Davis, HORROR BITES gives you the chance to take a big bite of horror or select some light bites from the workshop buffet…" Tickets £28 for full day or £7 per workshop session. Virtual.

Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. August 17 - 27, 2022: Ripton, VT. Workshops in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are at the core of the conference. Each faculty member conducts a workshop that meets for five two-hour sessions over the course of the 10 days. Groups are kept small to facilitate discussion, and all participants meet individually with their faculty leaders to elaborate on workshop comments. Faculty members also offer lectures on issues around literary writing and one-hour classes on specific aspects of the craft. Readings by the faculty, conference participants, and guests take place throughout the day and into the night. Participants meet with visiting editors, literary agents, and publishers who provide information and answer questions, individually or in small groups. 

Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference. August 18 - 21, 2022: Nashville, TN. The Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford in an effort to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. "At the conference, we try diligently to ensure that the weekend has something for every writer and lover of literature, and our sessions are structured to assist writers on multiple career levels. Our learning tracks tackle the craft of writing, business of writing, marketing, and forensics. Killer Nashville features nine breakout sessions for intense smaller group interaction, an authors’ bar (free for hotel guests), a moonshine and wine tasting, free agent/editor roundtable pitch sessions, a mock crime scene designed by special agents and other law enforcement professionals, cocktail receptions, the Guest of Honor Dinner and Awards Banquet, film previews, live music performances and—of course—all the great activities one can enjoy in downtown Nashville."

Travel Writers & Photographers Conference. August 18– 21, 2022: Corte Madera, Calif. Writing and photography workshops in the morning, a full afternoon of panels and discussions, and evening faculty presentations. There are optional, working field trips to explore the resources of the Bay Area. The faculty includes publishers, magazine editors, photographers, travel essayists, food writers, restaurateurs, guidebook writers, and more. 

Poetry at the Frost Farm. August 19 - 21, 2022:  Derry, New Hampshire. The retreat offers workshops, readings, and one-on-one consultations for formalist poets. "Join a small community of people at the historic Robert Frost Farm learning, reading and writing formal poetry with contemporary award-winning poets. Choose your focus from a series of offerings designed to provide tools for beginning poets as well as perfect the mastery of published poets." 

The Alabama Writers' Conclave. August 26 - 28, 2022: Mountain Brook, Alabama. The Conclave is today one of the oldest continuing writers' organization in the United States. Writers, aspiring writers and supporters of the writing arts may join. Sharing information, developing ideas, honing skills, and receiving practical advice are hallmarks of the annual meeting. 

5 Literary Agents Seeking Romance, Sci-fi, Literary Fiction, YA, Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir and more

Alyssa Maltese Here are five literary agents actively seeking clients. All work with established agencies with good track records.

Alyssa Maltese is seeking YA: Contemporary fiction with speculative, romantic, or light fantasy elements. Adult: High-concept commercial thriller & domestic suspense, Speculative fiction with female-centric concepts & sci-fi elements, Commercial suburban horror with a sense of humor; Prescriptive & research-driven narrative nonfiction from authors with an established expertise & audience. 

Cindy Uh is interested in fiction and nonfiction. For non-fiction submissions, Uh is interested in narrative non-fiction, memoir, essay collections, and illustrated titles in categories ranging from inspirational, pop-science and psychology, and cultural criticism to self-help, wellness/spirituality, social justice, and women’s issues. In fiction, Uh is looking for upmarket women’s fiction  For YA submissions, Uh is interested in contemporary stories that center BIPOC characters, and humor and quirk are always a plus.

Broo Doherty handles all genres, excluding children’s books, screenplays and sci-fi, but particularly enjoys crime, women's commercial fiction, literary fiction and quirky non-fiction. Rebeka Finch is looking for character driven contemporary romances. Rebeka is also looking for contemporary new adult romance that bridges the gap between YA and adult fiction, for the 20 something lover of modern romantic novels. Brady McReynolds represents science fiction, weird fiction.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.
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You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 

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Alyssa Maltese of Root Literary Agency

Getting to be an early champion for authors' work is a huge privilege, and a responsibility for which I am deeply grateful. I'm excited to find and uplift books that you can’t put down, books that surprise you, books that make you think, and, above all else, books that help people.

What she is seeking: YA: Contemporary fiction with speculative, romantic, or light fantasy elements. Adult: High-concept commercial thriller & domestic suspense, Speculative fiction with female-centric concepts & sci-fi elements, Commercial suburban horror with a sense of humor; Prescriptive & research-driven narrative nonfiction from authors with an established expertise & audience.

How to submit: Please send a query letter and the first 10 pages of your manuscript to submissions@rootliterary.com.

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Cindy Uh of Creative Artists Agency

Uh graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a minor in Faith, Peace, and Justice. She went on to receive her J.D. from UCLA School of Law with a concentration in Critical Race Studies. Following her career as an employment discrimination attorney, Uh became a literary agent in 2015 and served as Counsel at the publishing law firm of Lyons & Salky Law LLP. She joined CAA in 2019.

Uh is based in the New York office with a client list that focuses on amplifying underrepresented voices. She works with many of the world’s leading activists, journalists, thought leaders, illustrators, artists, and actors, including Lupita Nyong’o, Simu Liu, Jonathan Van Ness, Tabitha Brown, Cecily Strong, Tarana Burke, Enrique Acevedo, Stephen Satterfield, Christopher Griffin, Mari Andrew, James Whiteside, Mónica Ramírez, Cecilia Muñoz, Alex Elle, Erica Chidi, among others.

What she is seeking: For non-fiction submissions, Uh is interested in narrative non-fiction, memoir, essay collections, and illustrated titles in categories ranging from inspirational, pop-science and psychology, and cultural criticism to self-help, wellness/spirituality, social justice, and women’s issues.

In fiction, Uh is looking for upmarket women’s fiction with an emotional plot, well-drawn characters, and distinctive voices and worldviews. She’s particularly drawn to stories that examine complex female and family dynamics, grapple with cultural and generational divides, and explore issues of identity and belonging. While she’s also interested in speculative fiction and magical realism, she’s not actively seeking historical fiction, sci-fi or fantasy at this time.

For YA submissions, Uh is interested in contemporary stories that center BIPOC characters, and humor and quirk are always a plus.


How to submit: Use the agency's form HERE.

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Broo Doherty of DHH Literary Agency (UK)

Broo Doherty graduated from Downing College Cambridge and then started working in publishing, where she has worked for the last twenty years. She has worked right across the board in publishing houses and as an agent. 

What she is seeking: She handles all genres, excluding children’s books, screenplays and sci-fi, but particularly enjoys crime, women's commercial fiction, literary fiction and quirky non-fiction. In 2017 she was voted Literary Agent of the Year at the Romantic Novelist's Association. ​

How to submit: Send submissions to: bd.submission@dhhliteraryagency.com
For fiction please send your cover letter, first three chapters (or about 10,000 words) and a synopsis. For non-fiction please send a covering letter; a proposal for the book including an overview of its themes and story and your sources.

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Ms. Rebeka Finch of Darley Anderson Literary (UK)

Rebeka joined the Agency as Darley's Assistant in November 2019. Rebeka has a degree in History from the University of Exeter, and spent a semester abroad studying in America before graduating in July 2019. She enjoys reading submissions, particularly new adult, contemporary romance fiction, and fantasy/romantasy fiction, and working on the Agency's social media.

What she is seeking: Rebeka is looking for character driven contemporary romances. Rebeka is also looking for contemporary new adult romance that bridges the gap between YA and adult fiction, for the 20 something lover of modern romantic novels. For Rebeka's submission wishlist click here.
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How to submit: Send one page synopsis and the first three consecutive chapters (or the first 50 pages, whichever comes first). Please email your material as a Microsoft Word or PDF attachment. Rebeka will only consider submissions with material attached. Send your query to  rebeka@darleyanderson.com

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Mr. Brady McReynolds of JABberwocky Literary Agency

Growing up in rural Georgia and North Carolina, he started reading books (especially science-fiction and fantasy) at an early age because there was little else to do. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he double majored in Communication Studies and Sociology. 

What he is seeking: Science fiction, weird fiction.

How to submit: Use his query manager HERE.

6 New Literary Agents Seeking Nonfiction, Memoir, Literary Fiction, YA, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy and more

Allison Hegan Here are six new agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

Allison Hegan's interests include young adult fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, mystery, fantasy, suspense, and environmental topics. Dr. Emma Wood is primarily drawn to excellent characterization and a strong voice.

Sydnie Thornton is interested in YA across all genres: fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary that leans literary, as well as thrillers with upmarket qualities and distinctive characterization. As for the adult side, Sydnie is actively looking for historical fiction and whimsical contemporary fantasy.

Maria Alcantara is looking for New Adult upmarket fiction, mystery full of complicated characters and page-turning plot twists, and women’s contemporary or commercial romance and horror with inclusive voices of Latinos and the LGBTQ community. Rachel Petty represents children’s fiction and non-fiction, from picture books up to YA and crossover. 

Rachel Yeoh is actively looking for: literary, upmarket, book club, autobiographical fiction, political perspectives, social critiques, postcolonial literature, magical realism, nature writing, philosophical themes, classical retellings, character-driven stories, topical issues, narrative memoir, global voices, diaspora.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.
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You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 


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Allison Hegan of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management 

Originally from Pasadena, California, Allison received her B.A. degree in Geography-Environment and People, and completed both the environmental studies and African studies certificate programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While studying abroad in Australia, she volunteered with Conservation Volunteers Australia and helped preserve a section of rainforest. Since then, Allison has worked with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York City, the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy in Virginia, and volunteered as a researcher and consultant for World Vision’s Natural Environment & Climate Issues department in California. She loves exploring new places and has lived in several cities around the country and abroad.

What she is seeking: Drawn into novels with emotionally vibrant, compelling, and often flawed characters, Allison believes the best books are those that stay with the reader long after they have been read. Her current interests include young adult fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, mystery, fantasy, suspense, and environmental topics.

How to submit: Please email a query to Submissions@ghliterary.com 

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Dr. Emma Wood of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management (UK)

Based in the UK, Emma, holds a PhD in environmental physiology and a black belt in karate. She is an editor, technical writer, and part of the Scribophile community. She is a voracious reader, both for fun and analytically, and enjoys pulling books apart to identify what works and what doesn’t in both Children’s and Adult genres. 

What she is seeking: She loves novelty and quirkiness in all things, cracking characters, and spectacular stories. She is primarily drawn to excellent characterization and a strong voice.

How to submit: Please email a query to Submissions@ghliterary.com 

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Ms. Sydnie Thornton of Irene Goodman Literary Agency

A native Memphian, Sydnie majored in English Literature at Rhodes College. Every summer, she escaped the Memphis heat to intern at various NYC agencies and eventually joined IGLA in 2021. She does not miss the humidity. She does miss her dog. On the weekends, you can find her baking or curled up with hot chocolate and a good book. She’s taking on select co-agenting projects with Barbara Poelle.

What she is seeking: Sydnie is interested in YA across all genres: fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary that leans literary, as well as thrillers with upmarket qualities and distinctive characterization. As for the adult side, Sydnie is actively looking for transportive, complex historical fiction and whimsical contemporary fantasy. Regardless of genre, she’s very likely to connect with manuscripts that bridge the YA/Adult divide. She’s also eager to champion any book that prominently features disability representation.

How to submit: Send your query to: sydnie.queries@irenegoodman.com

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Maria Alcantara of ArtHouse Lit

Maria graduated Cum Laude from Rutgers University with a Degree in English and Digital Studies. Getting her start as an editorial intern and a #RevPit First Reader, Maria has curated a particular taste for the kinds of books she aims to help bring to the masses. When she’s not working as a software engineer, you might find her cuddled up with her orange tabby and a good thriller.

What she is seeking: Maria is looking for New Adult upmarket fiction, either character-driven or plot-driven. She loves to cozy up with a good mystery full of complicated characters and page-turning plot twists. If these novels are contemporary with Millennial leads then that’s even better. Examples of this genre currently on her bookshelf include: YOU by Caroline Kepnes, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh.

Maria is also looking for women’s contemporary or commercial romance and horror with inclusive voices of Latinos and the LGBTQ community. Maria loves reading stories of marginalized voices in modern-day settings that are relatable and swoonworthy. Some favorites in this genre include: Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman.

How to submit: Use the agency's form HERE.

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Ms. Rachel Petty of The Blair Partnership (UK)

Before joining The Blair Partnership Rachel was editorial director at Macmillan Children’s Books, working with authors such as Frances Hardinge, Chris Riddell and Tomi Adeyemi.

What she is seeking: I represent children’s fiction and non-fiction, from picture books up to YA and crossover. I am looking for ambitious storytelling, a bold approach to structure and voice and a fresh take on genre, and I’m particularly interested in submissions from author/illustrators and people from underrepresented and marginalised communities. I like YA romance, horror and thrillers (or a combination of all three, especially with a twist), hooky sweeping fantasy (I want excellent world building with a simple, clever pitch), hilarious middle grade, bold graphic picture books, and anything that has the potential to jump off the page and onto the screen.
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How to submit: Please attach the first thirty pages of your manuscript and a one-page synopsis in one Word document or PDF along with your query letter to rachelsubmissions@theblairpartnership.com.

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Ms. Rachel Yeoh of The Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (UK)

Rachel graduated from Durham University with a Politics degree, and then read Law at the National University of Singapore, completing internships at Baker McKenzie, Wong Partnership and the Attorney-General’s Chambers. Upon receiving a training contract offer, Rachel decided she did not want to use her love for words to structure corporate deals, but rather, to discover and share compelling stories that reflect the human experience. She first joined the agency as an intern, and went on to assist Madeleine before becoming an Associate Agent in 2021.

What she is seeking: Actively looking for: literary, upmarket, book club, autobiographical fiction, political perspectives, social critiques, postcolonial literature, magical realism, nature writing, philosophical themes, classical retellings, character-driven stories, topical issues, narrative memoir, global voices, diaspora.

How to submit: Follow the agency's instructions HERE.