Markets and Jobs for Writers

Background of a keyboard, mug of coffee, and wallet on a tabletop; text label indicating "Markets and Jobs for Writers: No fees to submit work/apply. Paying gigs only."

Each week in this space, Practicing Writing shares no-fee, paying markets for writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction: competitions, contests, and calls for submissions. These weekly posts complement monthly issues of The Practicing Writer newsletter, where you’ll always find more listings, none of them limiting eligibility to residents of a single municipality, state, or province. (But this blog does share those more localized opportunities, including jobs.)

As always, if you’d like to share a specific opportunity listed here, please credit the blog for the find. Thanks for respecting the time and effort that I put into researching, curating, and posting this information! I do notice, and I appreciate the courtesy.

  • Call for pitches from Maya L. Kapoor: “I’m looking for original personal essays & perspectives (800-1600 words long) for @highcountrynews. We publish engaging writing about the Western U.S. from diverse perspectives. Hit me up if you have a good story to tell.” Payment, as indicated in the thread, is “approx. 50 cents/word.”
  • “The Cornell College Center for the Literary Arts seeks a Distinguished Visiting Writer to teach a topics-based course in Writing Difference in a Digital World. Courses that engage race, citizenship, and/or identity through audio, video, or new media writing are especially welcome. The visiting writer will teach one block (a three-and-a-half-week term) in the academic year 2021-22; exact term schedule will be negotiated. During the teaching term, the visiting writer will also give a public reading at the Center for the Literary Arts. The stipend is $5,000, and on-campus housing can be provided.” Application review begins November 28. (Thanks to Miriam Bird Greenberg for alerting me to this one.)
  • Catapult invites applications for its Winter 2021 Digital Publishing Fellowship until November 30. “Our fellow will work with Catapult’s magazine team and classes program to support our daily publishing efforts and create new educational resources for our students and readers. The ideal fellowship candidate will be creative, organized, well-read, passionate about digital publishing, and adept at using various social media platforms and Google Drive/Docs/Sheets. Photo editing skills and/or experience with Adobe Suites are a plus, but not required. A college degree is not required.” NB: “The position is full-time, and the pay is $18/hour. Applicants can be located anywhere, but must have access to the internet and be able to work from 10 am – 6 pm ET, Monday through Friday.”
  • The Graywolf Press Citizen Literary Fellowship is a “paid, comprehensive ten-month fellowship designed to support a person who is interested in learning more about the publishing industry through an introductory, hands-on experience….This fellowship is grounded in our belief that while diversity in the books and authors we publish is vital, it is equally important that the people publishing these books reflect that diversity. As a result, the Fellowship is intended to attract candidates who otherwise would not have access to publishing, and to therefore increase the diversity and inclusivity of the industry….Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fellowship, which has been traditionally based in our Minneapolis office, will now be a remote opportunity. This is a part-time (24 hours per week), non-exempt ten-month position….Compensation includes $25,000 (paid twice monthly as regular wages), paid time off, and health and dental insurance.” Application deadline: December 4.
  • Minnesotans: Tofte Lake Center is receiving applications for the next Gaia Fenna Memorial Fellowship. which provides “a week-long residency for a Minnesota artist who exemplifies the spirit, passions, and values of artist and nature lover Gaia Fenna. The 2021 residency dates will be determined in January 2021….Lodging is subsidized: the Fellowship provides a solo cabin with kitchen and bath facilities. The Fellowship provides an honorarium of $200 to help with meals and travel. Meals are the responsibility of the artist.” Application deadline: December 31.

Things seem to have quieted down a bit, markets/jobs-wise, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. But never fear—the December issue of our newsletter is in the works, and it’s going to be packed with opportunities. And in the meantime, lots of listings in the November issue and past Monday posts remain open for submissions and entries.

on a tabletop: a keyboard, a mug of coffee, and a wallet with cash, plus a text label announcing Markets and Jobs for Writers