Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers

Monday brings the weekly batch of no-fee, paying competitions, contests, and calls for submissions—plus jobs for those of us who write (especially those of us who write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction).

  • The Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize, a biennial award, is currently open for submissions, and will remain so until January 31. “A $12,000 advance and publication by Graywolf will be awarded to the most promising and innovative literary nonfiction project by a writer not yet established in the genre. The prize will be awarded to a manuscript in progress. We request that authors send a long sample from their manuscript, as well as a description of the work….We expect that we will work with the winner of the prize and provide editorial guidance toward the completion of the project….The Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize seeks to acknowledge—and honor—the great traditions of literary nonfiction. Whether grounded in observation, autobiography, or research, much of the most beautiful, daring, and original writing over the past few decades can be categorized as nonfiction. Submissions to the prize might span memoir, essay, biography, or history. The Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize emphasizes innovation in form, and we want to see projects that test the boundaries of literary nonfiction. We are less interested in straightforward memoirs, and we turn down a large number of them every year. Before submitting your manuscript for the prize, please look at the books previously published as winners of the prize for examples of the type of work that we are seeking.” (Thanks to @Duotrope for the reminder.)
  • Also for the remainder of January, “Rescue Press will consider book-length prose submissions for our Open Prose Series, which publishes one work a year of nonfiction, fiction, or sui generis prose and aims to support the wider discussion of contemporary literary prose.” (Via email, I’ve been assured that authors selected for this series receive a contract with royalties agreement.)
  • The Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship is an annual award that allows professional writers living in Scotland to enjoy a month-long residency at the Hôtel Chevillon International Arts Centre at Grez-sur-Loing in France with a stipend of £1,200. Each year, four writers are invited to spend time with other artists and absorb fresh cultural experiences.” NB: “Travel costs to and from France will also be paid for.” There is no application fee. Deadline: January 31, 2018.
  • The Ida B. Wells Fellowship aims to “promote diversity in journalism by helping to create a pipeline of investigative reporters of color who bring diverse backgrounds, experiences, and interests to their work. The fellowship honors Ida B. Wells, the pioneering African-American activist and investigative reporter who, during the Jim Crow era, led the nation’s first campaign against lynching. Born into slavery and orphaned at age 16, Wells not only dispelled stereotypes regarding rape and lasciviousness that led to black men and women being lynched, but revealed that often these victims’ only ‘crimes’ were threatening white supremacy through acts of resistance or achievement. She continued her reporting in the face of death threats. The one-year fellowship helps reporters complete their first substantial work of investigative reporting, by providing a $10,000 award and editorial advice from a dedicated Investigative Fund editor. Fellows will also receive funds to cover travel and other reporting costs, and the costs associated with attending the annual Investigative Reporters and Editors conference. They will enjoy access to research resources, legal assistance, professional mentors and assistance with story placement and publicity.” Four fellows “will be expected to publish or air their findings in a U.S. media outlet within one year of the start of the fellowship. This fellowship is a one-time educational opportunity and is non-renewable.” NB: “Journalists of color are strongly encouraged to apply, as are other reporters who believe their presence would contribute substantially to diversifying investigative reporting in other ways.” There is no application fee, and the deadline is February 15, 2018.
  • The Center for Fiction has announced that applications are open for the 2018 NYC Emerging Writer Fellowships. Fellowships confer grants of $5,000 and many other benefits that are enumerated over on the website. “Applicants must be current residents of one of the five boroughs, and must remain in New York City for the entire year of the fellowship. Students in degree-granting programs are not eligible to apply, even if the focus of study is not directly related to writing. This program supports emerging writers whose work shows promise of excellence.” NB: “We define ’emerging writer’ as someone who has not yet had a novel or short story collection published by either a major or independent publisher and who is also not currently under contract to a publisher for a work of fiction. Eligible applicants may have had stories or novel excerpts published in magazines, literary journals or online, but this is not a requirement.” No application fee. Deadline: February 15, 2018.
  • “The New York Public Library is pleased to offer Short-Term Research Fellowships to support scholars from outside the New York metropolitan area engaged in graduate-level, post-doctoral, and independent research. Individuals needing to conduct on-site research in the Library’s special collections are welcome to apply. Preference is given to applications making a strong case for accessing special collections materials. Fellowship stipends are $1,000 per week for a minimum of two and maximum of four weeks.” No application fee. Deadline: February 15, 2018. NB: “Only U.S. citizens, permanent residents and foreign nationals who have been resident in the United States for the three years as of January 31, 2018 may apply.”
  • In Denver, Tattered Cover Bookstore seeks a Marketing and Events Manager.
  • In New York, the Morgan Library & Museum seeks an Editorial Assistant, “an energetic person to assist with copyediting, trafficking, and production of printed and electronic materials, including books, in its Publications department.”
  • Also in New York: “The Modern Language Association (MLA) seeks a part-time communications assistant to assist with communications, social media, and marketing tasks for the MLA’s wide range of advocacy and outreach projects.” (Also, apparently, they’re seeking someone full-time.)
  • In DC, “Washingtonian is looking for an aggressive, resourceful reporter with a knack for writing narrative to work as a full-time staff writer at the magazine.”
  • “Ballantine Communications Inc. is seeking an energetic writer for DGO Magazine, an alt-weekly focusing on arts, entertainment, lifestyle and culture aimed at millennials in Southwest Colorado. We want a writer with a savvy, accessible voice that is relevant to people younger than 40.” (Same organization is also seeking an editor.)
  • “The University of California, Riverside seeks applicants at the Associate or Full Professor level for the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair in Creative Writing and English with an emphasis on Chicano/Latino literature.”
  • “The English Department at North Carolina A&T State University invites applications for a tenure-track position in creative writing with secondary specialty in film studies preferred.”