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). These posts are intended to complement/supplement monthly issues of The Practicing Writer newsletter (current issue here).
From Midnight Breakfast: “After a long hiatus, we’re pleased to announce we’ll be publishing Issue Fifteen at the end of October, just in time for the US midterm elections and Halloween. We’re calling the issue ‘America and Other Nightmares.'” They’re seeking fiction and nonfiction. “All submitted work should fit the theme ‘America and Other Nightmares,’ which is inspired by the horror of modern-day America, but not limited to it. We’re looking for pieces that resonate with the state of the world as it is, pieces that shine a light on the social, ethical, and moral injustices facing people today. We’re interested in everything from realism to the speculative and uncanny, from traditional fiction and nonfiction narratives to more experimental forms of writing. We’re especially interested in work by writers whose voices have historically been relegated to the margins.” Deadline: August 27, 2018. Pays: “Right now we’re able to offer $50 for written work.” (Thanks to Suzanne Reisman for the tip on this one.)
August is a fee-free month to submit work to pioneertown, which “accepts fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, hybrid work, and beyond. Genre is less important than work that speaks for itself, and if you don’t want to label it, neither will we. We like experimentation, we like innovation, but most of all we like quality work that excites and ignites. Distill it, break it down, build it up, and abandon it. Make us feel, think, laugh, cry, cringe, crumble, and tumble.” Pays: “Accepted submissions receive a twenty dollar honorarium, and we hope to be able to offer more in the future.” UPDATED TO NOTE THAT I DON’T SEE SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES BEYOND LAST DECEMBER; PROCEED CAREFULLY.
Updated guidelines from Belt Publishing are now available for The Chicago Neighborhood Guidebook, “the latest in Belt’s series of idiosyncratic city guides (after Cleveland and Detroit), [which] aims to explore community history and identity in a global city through essays articulating the lived experience of its residents. Edited by Belt senior editor Martha Bayne in concert with the Read/Write Library, the book builds on 2017’s Rust Belt Chicago: An Anthology.” NB: “We’d also very much like to hear ideas for shorter pieces — poetry, annotated maps, best-of lists, and short q&a’s with community leaders — that will stand the test of time (this is a book after all, and hopefully will be around for a while). We will also consider B&W photography and art. We are particularly looking for work from contributors on the South and West sides of the city, from the neighborhoods of Auburn-Gresham, Chatham, Englewood, Woodlawn, Back of the Yards, North Lawndale, Garfield Park, and Austin.” Payment: “All contributors will be paid.” New deadline: October 15, 2018.
“IndieReader (www.indiereader.com), a service provider for self-published authors, is currently accepting applications for experienced book reviewers. IR is looking for reviewers with previous editorial experience, a strong voice and point-of-view (less like formulaic paid-for-review services and more like consumer-facing book reviews in The New York Times, People and NPR). The position pays $30-$35 per 350-400 word review. Reviewers will be credited for their work on the site.”
From Brookyn Poets: “Each workshop season, we award fellowships to promising students in need to take one of our workshops for free. We also award fellowship finalists with a deep discount on registration. Applicants must not be currently enrolled in a graduate writing program or have previously published (or had accepted for publication) a chapbook or full-length collection of poems. Additionally, applicants who hold a graduate writing degree will be considered separately for only one fellowship award per season. All applicants are limited to one fellowship lifetime.” Deadline: August 26, 2018.
“The New Harmony Project is pleased to extend its commitment to parent writers through generous support from the Sustainable Arts Foundation and the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation. Parent artists face a unique set of challenges, and The New Harmony Project is proud to launch a flexible residency program, designed to address each artist’s individual circumstances.” Award includes a one-week residency in New Harmony, Indiana; round-trip transportation; a daily meal stipend; private housing; and an additional flex stipend “to support family travel, childcare, family meals, etc.” Deadline: September 14, 2018.
The application period for Berlin Prize fellowships is now open. “The American Academy in Berlin seeks to enrich transatlantic dialogue in the arts, humanities, and public policy through the development and communication of projects of the highest scholarly merit. Past recipients have included anthropologists, art historians, literary scholars, philosophers, historians, musicologists, journalists, writers, filmmakers, sociologists, legal scholars, economists, and public policy experts, among others. For 2019-2020, the Academy will in addition be awarding an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities for work that demonstrates an interest in such topics as migration and social integration, questions of race in comparative perspective, and the interplay of exile and return. For all projects, the Academy asks that candidates explain the relevance of a stay in Berlin to the development of their work. Please note that artists, composers, and poets are invitation-only competitions.” NB: “Fellowship benefits include round-trip airfare, housing at the Hans Arnhold Center, partial board, and a stipend of $5,000 per month. Fellows are expected to be in residence at the Academy during the entire term of the award, generally one academic semester.” Also: “Fellowships are restricted to candidates based permanently in the United States.” Deadline: October 5, 2018 (noon, EST).
From The New York Times‘s Learning Network: “We are seeking a creative person with the special combination of experience and skills described below to join our small team for a new 35-hour-a-week Staff Editor position beginning this fall.” Full-time position requires presence in New York offices three days each week. (Thanks to MEOJobs for the lead on this one.)
“The Los Angeles Times is seeking to hire an op-ed editor.”
Events Manager sought: “RJ Julia Booksellers is seeking an energetic, outgoing, and detail-oriented individual to coordinate our extensive events schedule. This is a full-time job requiring excellent time management skills to oversee events for three distinct bookstore locations (RJ Julia Booksellers, Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore, BookHampton). This position plays a prominent role in both the community and in the publishing industry, and is responsible for producing unique and exciting events that extend and represent the RJ Julia brand. This leadership role will continue to innovate and enhance the role events have provided for our customers and publishers for almost 30 years. The Events Manager position presents the unique opportunity to be in the center of the literary world, while requiring precise logistical management and coordination among the various stakeholders.” (Position appears to be based in Madison, Connecticut.)
“The English Department at the University of Utah invites applications for a position in Creative Writing (Prose) at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Professor to begin Fall 2019. We welcome applications from writers with a capacious conception of prose: fiction, non-fiction, digital literature, hybrid forms, and/or book arts, as well as expertise in narrative theory and history. Candidates should have a substantial record of publication, including at least two books, as well as a demonstrated record of excellence in teaching and a commitment to developing relationships between the University and the larger community.”
“The English Department in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire seeks to hire at the rank of Assistant Professor a poet with distinguished publications (preferably one book published or in press and/or publications and awards in prestigious literary magazines and journals) and with secondary expertise in Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies or Critical Race Studies/Theory, Latinx, Asian American, African American, American Indian Studies, Ecocriticism/Ecopoetics, Transnational, Postcolonial/Anti-colonial, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality, and/or Disability Studies, or other related discipline/subdiscipline. The position carries an initial two-year probationary appointment beginning in the 2019-20 academic year with a start date of August 26, 2019. Final authorization of the position is subject to availability of funding.”
Jacksonville State University (Alabama) is looking for an Assistant Professor of English who will be “responsible for teaching creative writing, speech, composition, and literature, according to department practice and policy; conducting scholarly/creative research sufficient for tenure and advancement; and engaging in appropriate service.”
“Saint Mary’s College of California seeks to hire a per-course adjunct faculty member to serve as the instructor for English 401/402, The Writer in the World: Practical Perspectives on Writing, a course related to MFA event programming and required of all first year MFA students.”
