Enjoy catching up with the latest News from NewPages.
The Masters Review has announced the finalists and winner of their inaugural Chapbook Award judged by Steve Almond. The winning manuscript is Masterplans by Nick Almeida. His chapbook is set to be published in the fall.
Finalists were Deep Blue by Jay Allison and Oscillations by Tanya Perkins.
Don’t forget their Anthology Contest closes to entries on March 28 at midnight PST.
Congrats to Leaping Clear! The online lit mag is celebrating its fifth anniversary this spring.
With this special occasion, the masthead is welcoming in new editors Simon Boes and Jen Schmidt.
Readers can celebrate with the magazine by checking out their brand new Spring/Summer 2021 issue. Instead of the usual format, this issue is published as a weekly Showcase Feature which will highlight one contributor from the past five years each week until the 2021 Fall issue is released in September. This week’s showcase is “Call and Response” by author and artist Deborah Kennedy.
Celebrate ten years of publishing new voices with The Common‘s special events team. Hop on Zoom on March 25 at 7PM EST and join Ama Codjoe, Sara Elkamel, LaToya Faulk, Ben Shattuck, Angela Qian, and Ghassan Zeineddine for readings and conversation. The event will raise scholarship funds for The Common‘s Young Writers Program. Learn more and register for the reading via the journal’s website.
Quarterly journal Months To Years is currently looking for volunteer nonfiction and poetry readers. The work in Months To Years explores death, loss, and grief.
A degree in creative writing or English is helpful but not required. Gain experience working with a small nonprofit lit mag. Apply via their Submittable by April 1.
Opening the latest issue of Spoon River Poetry Review are the winners of the 2020 SRPR Editors’ Prize. The placing poems are introduced by the final judge, Austin Smith.
First Place
“Disbelieving These Deaths, I Go to Sit by Lake Huron” by David Groff
Runners-up
“Wonders of the World” by Todd Copeland
“Field Notes: To Excavate Beyond Despair” by Erica Sofer Bodwell
Honorable Mentions
“You can have it all” by Kelsey Taylor
“In the Exhaust of an Outboard Motor, I Talk to Myself and to Grandpa” by Cody Smith
“Dear Crossed, Did You Know That You’re Not Your Body?” by Gabriel Dozal
Find a copy of this issue at SRPR‘s website.
Literary magazines Split Lip and Barrelhouse have joined forces to bring you “A Celebration of Print” in honor of their latest print issues. Join them March 18 at 8PM EST and enjoy hearing Alejandro Varela, Amy Lee Lillard, Jaya Wagle, Monica Brashears, Patrick Mullen-Coyoy, Shane McCrae, SJ Sindu, and Yamilette Vizcaíno read from their work.
There will also be issue-themed cocktails and mocktails along with a prize drawing!
You do need to register, but the tickets are free. You have to claim your ticket by 9PM EST on March 17 to be eligible for their prize raffle (must also be virtually present to win).
Having a hard time writing during what feels like the apocalypse? On Runestone Journal‘s blog, Blake Butenhoff offers, “Tips For Writing In the Apocalypse.” He brings writers three funny, lighthearted tips to get those apocalyptic writing juices flowing: “Know your audience’s needs and time constraints,” “Find other ways to journal,” and “History will have the last say, so do it anyway.”
At this point, I would maybe ignore his advice to “start using clay tablets” if you run out of paper, but find “There are no rules anymore,” to be pretty helpful.
Find out what else Butenhoff has to say here.
It’s March which means a new issue of literary magazine Ailment: Chronicles of Illness Narratives will be launching a new annual issue soon. The prompt for the 2021 issue was “Hope is…”.
Besides their annual issues and blog Telling, they have announced they will be launching a podcast in 2021 called Cellular Bodies “where voices connect around chronic illness, creativity, and healing.
The podcast is aimed at discovering the relationship in reflective contemplation of artistic works, exploring the role creativity plays in chronic illness, and examining transformation amid loss, grief, unknowing, hope, faith, and joy.
Issue 103/104 of River Styx just hit our mailbox, bringing the winners of the 2020 River Styx Microfiction Contest with it. The winners were selected by the literary magazine’s editors. These stories must be 500 words or less.
First Place
“The Great Migration of Whales” by Michelle Kim Hall
Second Place
“Weighted Vest” by Rachel Furey
Third Place
“His Exposure” by Matthew Pitt
Honorable Mentions
“Wild Thing” by Haley Creighton
“Maybe This One” by Robert McBrearty
“On Liminality” by Marc Sheehan
Shooter Literary Magazine‘s Animal Love issue seeks to help benefit stray dogs. The theme for this issue was set before editor Melanie White’s own dog was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. This issue has transformed into a tribute to him and 10% of profits from issue sales will go to benefit Spanish Stray Dogs UK, a charity working to rehome abused and abandoned dogs of Spain.
From the editor:
I hope, as you read the stories and poetry in this issue, that you enjoy the transporting levity and engaging provocation of a lot of the pieces. These are, to say the least, difficult and isolating times for most of us, and we might like to read lighter fare than usual as a result. You will find plenty of heartening, diverting and insightful work in these pages. Please go to the Subscriptions page to order a copy.
Did you know that literary magazine Silk Road is offering its issues online beginning with Issue 17? You may not find 100% of the work featured in Issues 17 through 20, but starting with Issue 21 you can view all the content online.
Check out these archives and the Spring 2020 issue and don’t forget to order a print copy or subscribe to the journal to help support them.
Silk Road is a literary magazine run by undergraduate students at Pacific University. They are now a paying market, too! Writers receive $10/page up to $250 while artists receive $30 for each piece of art featured. They are currently open to submissions through May 1. There is a $2 fee to submit.
The 15th annual Mudfish Poetry Prize was judged by Erica Jong, author of The World Began With Yes (Red Hen Press, 2019).
The grand prize winner is Mark Schimmoeller from Frankfort, Kentucky with his poem “Benediction.”
First honorable mention is Cornelia Hoogland’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” and the second honorable mentions is James Trask’s “Springtime and Single Again.”
First place winner and the two honorable mentions will be featured in Mudfish 22 which will soon be available and don’t forget to stay tuned for news announcing the 16th annual Mudfish Poetry Prize deadline and guidelines.
Finalists:
Madeline Artenberg
Kew Gardens, New York
Adrian Blevins
Waterville, Maine
Paola Bruni
Aptos, California
Cornelia Hoogland
Hornby Island, Canada
Daniel Liebert
St. Louis, Missouri
Tim Louis Macaluso
Rochester, New York
Samuel Oguntoyinbo
Solon, Ohio
Mark Schimmoeller
Frankfort, Kentucky
Don Schofield
Thessaloniki, Greece
Deborah Schupack
Croton-on-Hudson, New York
James Trask
San Marcos, Texas
Laurie Zimmerman
Los Angeles, California
While you’re staying in this Friday, Driftwood Press offers entertainment. Join the publication for a free AWP Zoom reading at 7PM EST on March 5. Fiction and poetry fans will both find something to enjoy.
Get your comfiest Friday night pajamas ready to join the 3/5 reading via this link.
The Winter 2021 issue of The Baltimore Review includes two contest winners among the rest of their contributors.
Contest Winner – 1,000 Words or Less – Fiction
“Intersection” by Basmah Sakrani
Contest Winner – 1,000 Words or Less – Creative Nonfiction
“The Reckoning” by Emily James
Take a little time out of your day to check out these winners.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who played a leading role in West Coast literary history by championing Beat writer Allen Ginsberg, passed away in his home on Monday, February 22. He was 101 years old. Ferlinghetti and partner launched City Lights as the country’s first-ever all paperback bookstore in 1953. The bookstore was renowned for its bohemian atmosphere and collections of international poetry, fiction, progressive political journals and magazines. It later spawned a literary press which published Ginsberg’s controversial poem “Howl” which saw Ferlinghetti embroiled in a historic court case. Learn more…
Grab a copy of the January/February 2021 issue of Kenyon Review for the winners of the 2020 Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest.
Winner
“Fish Stories” by Janika Oza
Runners-Up
“Dungeness” by Steffi Sin
“Cactus Eater” by Stanley Delgado
Kenyon Review Fellow Misha Rai introduces the placing stories.
Love creative nonfiction in bite-sized form? Literary magazine Creative Nonfiction has you covered with Sunday Short Reads. This is flash nonfiction delivered weekly straight to your inbox. The pieces featured in this mailing are hand-selected from the archives of Creative Nonfiction, Brevity, Diagram, River Teeth, and Sweet Lit. They will also sometimes feature the occasional original works, too.
Check out past issues here, and consider subscribing today to satisfying your nonfiction cravings.
Interested in submitting your own nonfiction? They are open to submissions of nonfiction by older writers (age 60+) through February 22.
If you’ve been wanting to strengthen your flash fiction skills, Brilliant Flash Fiction has you covered.
Join presenter Cindy Skaggs on Saturday, March 13, 2021 for a virtual flash fiction fundraiser workshop. The one-hour workshop will take you from zero to finished flash fiction. Find out more about Skaggs and registration at Brilliant Flash Fiction‘s website.
Master your flash fiction now and have something to submit to the journal’s next print anthology, submissions open until May 14.
Grand Little Things, an online literary magazine devoted to showcasing formal verse and free verse using typical versification techniques, has announced the creation of The Umbran Project. The name comes from The Umbra Poets who are known for skirting the line between “Art for Art’s Sake” and “For the Culture.”
The idea of the Umbran Project came about as the editor realized there are “a limited number of avenues that are specifically targeting African American Writers.” They hope to publish the Umbran Project twice a year and would love to feature at least 30 poets per issue.
The first issue’s deadline is April 14, 2021.
EVENT‘s fifth annual Indigenous Voices: An Evening of Poetry & Prose is coming up this month on February 25th, 2021, at 6 pm PST on Zoom. Molly Cross-Blanchard is hosting.
The event will feature three indigenous writers Garry Gottfriedson, Jessica Johns, and Richard Van Camp.
Find out more about the featured writers and register for your free ticket at EVENT‘s website.
Issue 57 of Ruminate features the winners of the Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize. Grab a copy now to check them out.
First Place
“The Difference Between a Year and a Lifetime” by Laura Budofsky Wisniewski
Second Place
“Papier-mâché” by Yvette Siegert
Honorable Mentions
“In Another Dream Where My Father Apologizes” by Hajjar Baban
“The Sparrow in the Banquet Hall” by Betsy Sholl
Finalists include Chaun Ballard, Jennifer Barber, Charley Gibney, Catherine Hodges, Suzanne Lummis, Megan Merchant, Brian Sneeden, Samuel Ugbechie, David Wright, and Haolun Xu.
Poor Yorick: A Journal of Rediscovery is continuing their monthly reading series with a virtual open mic and fireside chat!
Cozy up with your favorite beverage and share your poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. Stick around for an open discussion between readers and writers.
This month’s theme is about family—the people who get us through bad times and celebrate the good times with us.
The reading will take place on February 25 from 7-9 pm EST and is free to attend on Microsoft Zoom. Find out more at Poor Yorick‘s website.
The Fictional Café, an online arts ‘zine, was established in 2013 and has steadily grown in popularity. Today, we have over 900 Coffee Club members in 64 countries. We publish fine arts exhibits, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, along with more occasional reviews, commentaries and interviews, each month.
As of March 1, we have an opening for our Fine Arts Barista. In this unpaid volunteer position, your role is assessing incoming art submissions for possible publication, as well as reaching out to art communities to invite artists to submit their work. You recommend exhibits to the editorial board and once approved, curate the artist’s works in publishable format with descriptions of each work, an Artist’s Statement, the artist’s bio and (optional) photograph. We strive to publish a Fine Arts exhibit once a month. Please review what we have published on our website, www.fictionalcafe.com.
If you’re interested, please reply to me at [email protected]. Type “Fine Arts Barista – NP” in the subject line. Please describe yourself, your artistic interests and how you feel you might fit in with our baristas and our community. The editorial board will begin interviews the last week of February. We extend a three-month trial period for new baristas; if we are all agreed on moving forward together, you’ll be introduced on our website and be given your own business cards and a Fictional Café Microsoft Office 365 account.
Do you have a problem poem that’s not cooperating with you? Check out Into the Void‘s new poetry and editing development service. Poetry Editor Andrew Rihn aims to be critical but encouraging with his feedback and promises: “I’ll highlight what’s working (because there is good stuff in every draft!) while pointing out places where you can develop and invigorate your writing. I’ll prompt you to consider the poem from new angles. I’ll ask a lot of questions.”
Find out more about Rihn’s rates and what else you can expect with the editing and development of your poem at Into the Void‘s submission manager.
If you weren’t able to attend the virtual reading and Q&A with Able Muse Press authors Carrie Green, Hailey Leithauser, and Sally Thomas on January 27, they have uploaded a recording of the event to their official YouTube Channel.
Don’t forget to subscribe for more content…like their recently released book trailer for William Baer’s New Jersey Noir: Cape May. This is the second book of the Jack Colt Murder Mystery Novels Series. It was released on January 15 of this year. They are hoping to bring even more book trailers in the new future.
Plus! Don’t forget their 2021 contests are open to submissions! You can submit fiction and poetry to their Write Prize for publication in their literary magazine Able Muse through March 15. You can submit full-length poetry collections to their Book Award through March 31.
On January 27th the English department at the University of South Alabama launched their virtual Race and Identity Lecture Series with USA Writer in Residence Frye Gaillard and Journalist in Residence Cynthia Tucker with “Reflections on Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: A New Perspective of Race in America.” They have three more events scheduled in the series all to be held via Zoom.
This month is Dr. Channette Romero, an associate professor of English at the University of Georgia, who will take part in a conversation on Political Humor in Indigenous Animation on February 24 at 4:30 PM. Next month features Reverend Joseph Brown on Race and Identity in Literature in Culture. In April, Dr. Mudiwa Pettus will present Against Compromise: What Black Rhetorical Education in the Age of Booker T. Washington Teaches Us About Our Current Moment.
The English department offers an MA in English with an emphasis in creative writing and is home to the Stokes Center for Creative Writing.
Literary magazine The Iowa Review, whose Fall 2020 issue was released last month after unexpected delays due to the pandemic, offers a web-home for veterans’ writing as well as resources for veteran writers with their Veteran’s Writing Gallery. In it they feature all work in its entirety by veteran writers who were published in the Spring 2013 and Spring 2015 issues.
They also offer a biennial writing contest for veterans, the Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans. The winners and runner-ups of the 2020 contest will be published in the Spring 2021 issue. First place was James Janko’s “Fallujah in a Mirror”; second place was Jerri Bell’s “He Said, She Said”; and runners-up were Erik Cederblom, Ashley Hand, and Brian Kerg. Their next contest is slated for a May 2022 deadline.
If you are a veteran writer, do check out their resources page which offers a guide to publishing venues, workshops and classes, and writing contests devoted to veterans and active-duty military and reservists.
In Fall of 2020, literary magazine New Orleans Review released its first-ever issue devoted entirely to poetry and prose by queer writers. The issue also featured interviews with four artists from the LGBTQAI2+ community. Editor Lindsay Sproul, the first queer editor of the journal, states in the Editor’s Note: “As editor, I will continue to seek out the work of queer writers, and to hold intersectionality and advocacy at the center of our journal.”
Contributors in the Fall 2020 issue include Cassidy Wells, Jordan Lassiter, Lisa Ahima, Kimberly Pollard, Jason Villemez, Kate Milliken, Buzz Mauro, Corinne Manning, Rita Mookerjee, Kathleen Balma, Ava Dadvand, Zach Linge, Steven Cordova, Danley Romero, Eleanor Garran, and Jennifer Steil.
Read this issue and consider submitting work to future issues. For the month of February, Black History Month, black writers can submit their work for free.
The Winter 2020 issue of The Georgia Review features the winner and three finalists of the 2020 Loraine Williams Prize.
Winner
“Transcript of My Mother’s Sleeptalk: Chincoteague” by Hannah Perrin King
Finalists
“far past the beginning and quite close to the end” by Bernard Ferguson
“Father’s Day: Looking West” by David Landon
“Surrounded by Peach Trees, President Clinton Speaks to My Fourth Grade Class” by Juan Luis Guzmán
The winning poem was selected by Ilya Kaminsky, and all three poems can also be found online.
Online literary magazine Memoir Magazine has published three new nonfiction stories since the start of the new year. The first piece is “Monkey Island” by Dorothy Rice. The story reflects back on childhood years growing up two blocks from the San Francisco Zoo and her friend “Tiny.”
The second is a personal essay by Jim Sollisch, “The Shocking Truth About Jews in Sports,” where he learns at the age of 10 that the world wasn’t mostly Jewish and he was, in fact, a minority.
The most recent story is “Bereavement” by Lauren Teller. She tells the story of her brother Eric, his struggle with epilepsy and surviving a train accident to die by COVID-19 fifteen years later and dealing with the grief.
Stop by Memoir Magazine to check out this new work and browse their archives “because everybody’s story matters.”
Online literary magazine High Desert Journal launched a new series “In the Time of COVID” – a virtual salon – back in October 2020. In this series, HDJ gathers together the best of their writers and artists to read from new works, share passages from classics, and open their hearts to discuss the current pandemic.
The first episodes of the series sees editor Charles Finn discussing life and art making in the time of COVID-19 with Robert Wrigley, Kim Barnes, Brooke Williams, Shann Ray, CMarie Fuhrman, and Joe Wilkins. The second episodes features poets laureate Kim Stafford, Paulann Petersen, Tami Haaland, and Sheryl Noethe. The third episode has Charles Finn being joined by visual artists Bobbie McKibbin, Barbara Michelman, and Karen Shimoda.
Drop by their website to watch the videos and don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel.
Ruminate, a reader-supported, contemplative quarterly literary arts magazine, has a regularly updated online component called The Waking. This features short nonfiction, short fiction, ruminations, reviews, interviews, and more.
Recent pieces includes “If Party Wolf Jumps,” short fiction by Ryan Rickrode; “Mourning Together: An Interview with Colombian Artist Erika Diettes”; “Wait for Me,” short nonfiction by Adriana Añon; and “‘Holding a Stuffed Raccoon Up to the Sky’: A Review of Erin Carlyle’s Magnolia Canopy Otherworld” by Sarah Bates.
The Waking: Ruminate Online is currently open to submissions of short prose, book reviews, and interviews. There is no fee to submit.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Ruminate‘s quarterly issues to support them.
J Journal: New Writing on Justice is a journal housed at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “The short stories, poems, and personal narratives in each volume expand questions about being, living, and seeing in this shutter-speed world.” They have featured the work of new and established writers, law enforcement professionals, lawyers, professors, and incarcerated people.
This biannual journal is offering its 2020 issues online. The Fall 2020 issue features Alexandros Plasatis, Steve Chang, Laurie Lamon, Vincent Bell, Billy Middleton, B.G. Firmani, Betsy Sholl, Devon Blawit, Stephen Gibson, Adam Fout, Jake Shore, Linda Wilgus, Ann Keniston, Elizabeth Sylvia, Gerald Wagoner, Dara Passano, and Manuel Martinez. The Spring 2020 issue feature Deborah Flanagan, Kevin Clouther, 99 Hooker, David P. Miller, Ryan Bloom, Joel Clay, Philip Athans, Mary Birnbaum, Joseph Holt, J.P. Check, Cameron Mackenzie, James Schmidt, Sergey Gerasimov, Paula Yu, and A. W. Moreno.
Like what you see? Don’t forget to support the journal and subscribe to the print editions.
“She was generous to him in every way a woman could be. Hands large and fast, but tender. Flanked like a draft horse. Breasts heavy as the cheesecloth sacks hanging over her kitchen sink, dripping whey. She had managed to keep a single goat alive in the cellar of that house, every last of its windows smashed out. She brought Richard curds so fresh they squeaked against his teeth as she scooped them into his eager mouth on a crust of bread. How was this possible when anything left breathing in her country had been killed by his own comrades?”
So begins “The German Woman” by Josie Sigler Sibara, winner of the 2020 Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction and selected by Lori Ostlund. Readers can find this short story in the Fall/Winter 2020 issue of Colorado Review.
This year’s Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction is currently taking submissions until March 14, 2021.
You have a few days left to register for The Common‘s online writing program Weekly Writes. The ten-week program begins on January 25, and costs $25 to attend.
The poetry and prose programs provide prompts, writing advice, and an angle of accountability to help writers commit to a regular writing practice.
You can find out what you’ll receive if you register at The Common‘s website where frequently asked questions are also answered.
Founded in 2009, online literary magazine Gemini was started by editor David Bright with the goal of presenting high-quality prose, poetry, and art in an appealing, easy-to-read format. 12 years later, they are still going strong. Check out their December 2020 issue which features their Flash Fiction Prize winners (Harper Darnell and Barbara Ritchie) and honorable mentions along with a poem by Travis Stephens, cartoon by Bill Thomas, and a story from their archives.
They are currently open to submissions for their 12th Annual Short Story Prize through March 31. First place receives $1,000 and publication.
They publish a new issue every two to three months and also feature the occasional short play, memoir, poetry music videos, though-provoking lists, and more.
Stop by their listing on NewPages to learn more.
Fjords Review is an annual print literary magazine featuring a wide range of diverse voices on a variety of topics. They also offer exclusive online content including reviews and interviews. Recent interviewees include Italo-Brazilian artist Laura Pretto Vargas and artist Jerry Anderson.
They celebrated 10 years of publication in 2020 and received a 2021 Pushcart Prize. They are open to submissions year-round and offer a free download of their Women’s Edition for a taste of what they like. They participate in Choice Magazine Listening which provides free audio recordings to the visually impaired.
While waiting for the release of their 2021 Edition, grab a copy of the 2020 issue, peruse their website content, and subscribe today. Don’t forget to stop by their listing on NewPages to learn more about them.
Brilliant Flash Fiction is currently offering a rare 5-session Zoom flash fiction workshop with Assistant Editor Ed Higgins. Don’t miss this opportunity to improve your flash writing with a master teacher, open to international students at all levels. The workshop is limited to 20 students.
The workshop will take place January 23, January 30, February 6, February 13, and February 20 at noon PST.
About the : Professor Emeritus and Lifetime Writer in Residence Ed Higgins has been teaching at George Fox University, Oregon, for over four decades. His classes have covered poetry, the modern novel, world literature, science fiction, and much more. Officially retired now, he submits and publishes flash fiction and poetry in numerous literary journals.
Learn how to enroll at Brilliant Flash Fiction‘s website.
Poor Yorick is continuing the journal’s monthly reading series. Join them at the end of the month (Thursday, January 28 at 7PM) for a virtual open mic and fireside chat. Cozy up on Microsoft Teams and share your poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction and join in on an open discussion between readers and writers after the reading. This month’s theme: a fresh start and a blank page. Contact Brianna Paris for an invitation.
The journal is also accepting submissions until January 31. Submissions should relate to the concept of masks and masking. Submissions are free. Find full author guidelines at Poor Yorick‘s website.
What better way to start the new year than to introduce The Start? The Start Literary Journal is an online thematic quarterly publication of young adult poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and photograph welcoming all subgenres.
Founding Editor Amanda Cino is secondary English teacher who earned her MA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University and is currently pursuing her MFA. Formerly the managing editor for River and South Review, Amanda is “an avid reader and loves all things YA, especially speculative fiction.” She explains, “I started this journal for my MFA publishing project. I thought about what my dream journal would be. As an educator, I love inspiring my students to write, but so many feel it is impossible to find a place to be published. This is the same way many new writers feel. Because of that, I wanted to start a journal that was for new and young writers in hopes that we can give them their start in their writing careers!”
Continue reading “New Lit on the Block: The Start Literary Journal”
Looking to attend writing workshops this winter? Cleaver Magazine has you covered. With courses on Zoom and Canvas held throughout the coming weeks, they have plenty of options for your workshop needs.
Upcoming workshops include “Weekend Writing” with Andrea Caswell; “The Art of the Scene” for creative and nonfiction, taught by Lisa Borders; “TRANS (Is Not An Abbreviation),” taught by Claire Rudy Foster; and more.
You can find additional information on how to register and what to expect from your workshop at Cleaver‘s website.
Readers, Creative Nonfiction has a new issue heading out to their subscribers! Issue 74’s theme is “Moments of Clarity,” and you can get a sneak peek at what Editor Lee Gutkind has to say to introduce it. Single issue copies can be purchased from their website.
Writers, the nonfiction journal is currently accepting submissions for a few more days. The current reading period is focusing on “Experiments in Nonfiction,” and you can see more of what they’re looking for here. The deadline is January 11, and there is a $3 reading fee to writers who aren’t currently subscribed to the journal.
A lot of year-end news is coming your way from Auroras & Blossoms! From royalty payments, to new issues and poetry forms, there’s plenty to look forward to! Continue reading “Year-End News from Auroras & Blossoms”
Did you miss out on our mailing list sale this year? Not to worry: you have until January 15 to take advantage of our current discounts.
Purchase the U.S. Bookstore digital mailing lists and receive our Public Libraries and Academic Libraries lists for free. This option saves you a total of $190 and helps you reach even more bookshelves around the country.
You can find out all about what each list offers at our website. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out our new Canadian Bookstore List option as well.
You may already be familiar with our mailing lists to bookstores, libraries, and newspapers in the United States, and now we have another option to help you get the word out about your book.
We’ve recently added a Canadian Independent Bookstore mailing list to our options! Just like our other lists, these are available both digitally and as printed, physical mailing labels. Postal addresses are included for all stores in this list, with email addresses included when available.
You can find out more about our mailing lists at our website.
Memoir Magazine annually holds the Memoir Prize which awards Memoir and Creative Nonfiction book-length works of exceptional merit in three categories: traditionally published, self-published, and unpublished. The awards include a cash prize, a feature in Memoir Magazine, and a year’s worth of free advertising. This is the only prize of its kind solely focusing on memoir. The 2021 prize deadline will be announced in January.
The grand prize winner of the inaugural Memoir Prize for Books is Relief by Execution: A Visit to Mauthausen by Gint Aras.
The finalists and category winners were:
You can view the full list of honorable mentions at Memoir Magazine‘s website.
Are you a follower of literary blogs? Do you love nonfiction? Did you know online literary magazine Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction has a (nearly) daily blog? It should definitely be on your blogroll! You can find reviews, articles, and so much more.
I highly recommend checking out Lisa Kusel’s “Blurb Your Enthusiasm” posted on December 18. The piece is an interesting take on the value of blurbs on the back of your book and the luck of a lesser known writer getting a big name to step in and contribute a blurb. It was particularly interesting to me because I actually do not heed blurbs on the back of books. When trying to select a new book to read, I always felt annoyed when I saw blurbs from others when I what I wanted was a brief book summary to actually let me know what the book was about.
Have you ever selected a book based on the back cover blurbs alone?
While you are checking that out, don’t forget to scroll through more posts. They are definitely an interesting read.
Raleigh Review has announced the winners of their 2021 Flash Fiction Prize. Congrats to the winner, honorable mention, and finalists.
Winner
“Monument” by Amina Gautier
Honorable Mention
“1985” by Katherine Hubbard
Finalists
“Hansel and Gretel on Trial” by Amina Gautier
“You Two” by Alana Reynolds
You can look forward to reading these pieces in the forthcoming Spring 2021 issue of Raleigh Review. Enter your own work to the 2022 prize opening in July 2021.
Literary magazine Glass Mountain has launched a new website as they transition from a print journal into an online-only journal. They are also working on digitizing their past volumes. You can keep up on the status of this project on their archives page.
Glass Mountain was conceived of in 2006 by the undergraduate students of the University of Houston and was designed as a counterpart to their literary magazine Gulf Coast, which is edited by graduate students in the creative writing program. It’s name hails from Donald Barthelme’s short story “Glass Mountain.”
This journal is ran and edited by undergraduate writers and is dedicated to showcasing the writing of fellow undergraduate writers from across the country. They accept submissions year-round from emerging and undergraduate writers. They do not charge a submission fee.
You can read their current Fall 2020 issue in its entirety online. It features the winners of the Robertson Prize, Sarah Han Kuo (fiction), Yasmin Boakye (nonfiction), and Stephanie Lane Sutton (poetry).
They also hold an annual conference dedicated to emerging writers. The 2021 Boldface conference will be conducted virtually May 24-28.
Don’t forget to stop by their listing on NewPages to learn more, too.
Online literary magazine The Write Place at the Write Time has created a virtual holiday bizarre to help bring people together and offer support during these troubling times. They are featuring vendors who are WPWT authors, artisans, artists, and staff as well as friends and family connected to WPWT.
From their Facebook page:
The Facebook page will feature, in addition to the individual vendors, holiday facts from around the world and across time as well as uplifting posts (links to heart-warming stories, quotes, holiday communications from WPWT to let you know you are thought of and cared about in this season and always) and of course an awesome raffle… We already have one of our NYT best-selling authors helping to spread holiday cheer by donating books to our raffle and other great authors, sites are joining.
Currently the bizarre is up and running now and will extend through mid-January, although they may choose to extend the bizarre past that. You can find stories, traditions, and great items for yourself and others in your life. They also have resource pages if you would like to reach out and help to support others during this time. They also plan on offering up writing prompts to help inspire.