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).

  • Attention, essayists: The New York Times has news: “The editors of Rites of Passage, a column that will appear regularly in Styles, want to read your essays about notable life transitions. A ‘rite of passage’ can be big or small, but it needs to tell a story and illuminate a personal realization or journey. Essays can be focused on realms like work, family, spirituality, friendship, health, aging, loss — or any other aspect of your life where you’ve experienced growth. Most importantly, the essays should be emotionally honest and narrative in scope.” (Pays, according to Jessica Bennett: $500.)
  • The deadline for the July Metaphysical Poetry Contest is July 20, 2018. Prize: “$15 Prize to the winner (Paid via PayPal).” NB: “Any poetic structure is allowed, but special consideration is given to closed-form poems (i.e., poems that have a structured form such as a sonnet or that follow a pattern of syllables per line, logical rhyme scheme, rhythm, meter etc.). Poems must be 28 lines or less.” (Also note the scoring sheets, which may [or may not] be your cup of tea.)
  • The Emerging Writers Reading Series (Toronto) is accepting submissions until August 15, 2018. “We accept prose, poetry, playwriting, and spoken word submissions. Submit 3-5 poems OR 1 piece of prose/playwriting (max 5 pages). Excerpts OK. Submissions need not be exactly what you’d like to read but should be in a similar vein. Video/audio reading samples can be submitted for spoken word submissions. We book shows months in advance and are currently booking for the 2018-2019 season. If there is a particular month you are away, indicate this in your cover letter. We will contact potential readers by the end of September.” Eligibility: “All writers residing in Canada that have not yet published a major book (novel, poetry collection, short story collection, non-fiction book). EW does not have the budget to pay for travel expenses, but writers from other parts of Canada that are visiting Toronto are still encouraged to submit. Writers who have read at EW in the past should not resubmit. This allows EW to avoid booking repeat readers, keeping their shows full of fresh, emerging voices. EW welcomes writers of all genders, ages, orientations, races, and abilities.” Pays: “Each reader will be paid $100 for their contribution. We are grateful to support from the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council for making this possible.”
  • From Rose Lemberg: “I am seeking submissions for an anthology of poetry in tribute to the life and works of Ursula K. Le Guin. The anthology is tentatively titled CLIMBING LIGHTLY THROUGH FORESTS, and it will be published by Aqueduct Press sometime in 2019. Ursula K. Le Guin was perhaps most known for her SFF fiction, but she was a prolific poet, with a dozen poetry collections in print (her last poetry book is forthcoming from Copper Canyon Press this Fall). Unlike her big-idea SF, her poetry was often more personal in scope, engaging closely with land and landscape of the Pacific Northwest; much of her poetry is not speculative at all. Le Guin was a complex, prolific creator whose work influenced and touched so many of us. For this anthology, I am seeking poetry that engages with Ursula K. Le Guin’s life and work broadly construed – including her fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. I will be looking for a variety of voices, themes, treatments, and approaches. Both critical and celebratory approaches are welcome, as is anything in-between.” Pays: “The tribute anthology is a paid opportunity: we are paying $20 per original poem. While I am primarily looking for original poetry, I will consider reprints as well (payrate for reprints TBD).” Deadline: ” October 15th, 11:59 Central.”
  • Dappled Things, “a Catholic literary magazine,” is open and will pay for submissions in the following categories: nonfiction (essays), interviews, and book reviews.
  • In case you’ve missed my mentioning them on Twitter, I’ve become a fan of two freelancer-friendly newsletters. Here’s the latest example of Tatiana Walk-Morris’s The Freelance Beat and here’s Sonia Weiser’s Opportunities of the Week. Some intriguing opportunities for essayists in these resources!
  • News from Alma (“for ladies with chutzpah”): “We’re hiring! We’re looking for someone to join our team and help with all things editorial on Alma as well as our partner sites, Kveller and The Nosher. This person will work out of our Midtown Manhattan office.” Apply for this editorial fellowship (I’m told that it’s paying, but I’ve been unable to secure any details) by following the instructions provided here.
  • “Electric Literature seeks a part-time Marketing and Membership Manager to join our team. The Marketing and Membership Manager will be responsible for growing Electric Literature’s membership base and marketing its merchandise, publications, and programs to targeted audiences. Additional responsibilities include recruiting advertisers, and coordinating EL’s annual fundraising gala, the Masquerade of the Red Death, as well as other community-building and donor cultivation events. Though this is a part-time position, there will be opportunities to advance and expand the role.” NB: “This is a part time 15 to 20 hour/week position with a monthly stipend based on $20/hour. All candidates must be available to come into EL’s downtown Brooklyn office approximately 10 hours/week.”
  • In Boston, “Trident Booksellers & Cafe is looking for a full-time events coordinator. The Trident has been independently owned and operated since 1984, and is among the last independent bookstores in Boston. In March 2018, the store had a fire that temporarily closed it for several months. Our new events coordinator would be part of the grand reopening, including a reopening party and amplified events program.”
  • “Irish Arts Center seeks an energetic, ambitious, and well-organized Marketing and Audience Services Coordinator interested in using people skills, writing ability, and an attention to detail to play an integral role as part of our marketing team at a very exciting time in the organization’s history.” This position is located in New York.
  • Pittsburgh City Paper seeks a full-time writer for its award-winning newsweekly and website. Interested applicants should show aptitude in storytelling and basic reporting in digital and print formats. Proficiency in social media is required. This position will be tailored to the writer’s skills and interests, but applicants should expect to shape coverage of Pittsburgh and the surrounding area’s Arts & Entertainment scene.”
  • “The Amherst College Department of English invites applications from fiction writers for the position of visiting writer, to begin July 1, 2019….This position entails a three-quarters load per year (two writing courses of one’s own design and one literature course of one’s own design), in addition to advising senior theses. The appointment is for three years. Candidates must have published at least one book. Previous experience teaching creative writing is desirable.”
  • Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) is hiring an Assistant Professor of Practice (non tenure track). “Duties: Teach undergraduate fiction classes, graduate workshops and seminars in fiction, and Core Curriculum Introduction to Creative Writing classes. Qualifications: Completed MFA in fiction. Experience teaching creative writing classes, especially in fiction, and preferably at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Preference given to candidates with published or accepted book of fiction.”
  • 3 thoughts on “Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers

    1. Lynette says:

      Thank you for these, Erika! I’m going to stroll around your site to see previous listings. I know one will be right for me.

      1. Erika Dreifus says:

        Excellent!

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