Markets & 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: “Do you want to write about religion? Do you have a clear idea and some writing experience? @PatheosSpirit is now accepting pitches across a broad spectrum of categories. We pay competitive rates.” Read the full thread for information (and for info on a current essay competition for college students). (Cross-posted on My Machberet.)
  • Hidden Timber Books re-opened for submissions on February 1: “We are looking for literary fiction or narrative nonfiction in the form of a novel, a memoir, or a collection (short stories, essays, or hybrid). We are a small press with a very small crew, so we love finished manuscripts that have been well-worked and revised. We find that the best manuscripts come from writers who have spent time in community with other writers in group critique or with outside editors.” Deadline: May 1, 2021. (I have confirmed that the press offers royalties.)
  • Tolka is a new biannual literary journal of non-fiction: publishing essays, reportage, travel writing, auto-fiction, individual stories and the writing that flows in between. We aspire to establish a home for creative non-fiction, a space where innovation can flourish and new voices can develop. Submissions for Issue One are now open and will close on 10 February.” Based in Ireland, this publication pays “a flat fee of ‎‎€150, which we pay prior to publication. Contributors will also receive a copy of the issue in which their work is featured.” (HT @Duotrope)
  • “PEN America’s Writing for Justice Fellowship will commission six or more writers—emerging or established—to create written works of lasting merit that illuminate critical issues related to mass incarceration and catalyze public debate.” Note: “The Writing for Justice Fellowship is open-genre, and proposed writing projects, which must be authored by the applicant, may include—but are not limited to—fictional stories; works of literary or long-form journalism; theatrical scripts; memoirs; poetry collections; or multimedia projects. The most competitive applications will demonstrate how the proposed project will engage issues of reform, fuel public debate, crystallize concepts of reform, and facilitate the possibility of societal change” The fellowship confers an honorarium “of between $5,000-$8,000, based on scope of project. Fellows will be paired with a mentor to serve as a source of guidance for the project, and the cohort will convene at least twice for intensive shared experiences either digitally or in person, depending on the pandemic’s continued impact.” Deadline: February 15.
  • “Words Without Borders seeks applicants for its editorial fellowship. The WWB Editorial Fellowship program is designed to provide training for individuals looking to build a career around the publication and promotion of international literature. The editorial fellow will gain hands-on experience with all aspects of the publication of a digital literary magazine—from issue planning to online promotion. The fellow will become familiar with the special considerations and skills required for editing literature in translation and working within the context of a nonprofit organization.” Note: “The editorial fellow will work remotely and commit to working sixteen hours per week for nine months, beginning in September. The editorial fellow position pays $16 per hour.” Deadline: February 26 at noon ET. (Caught this one via @TrishHopkinson.)
  • Bard College’s OSUN Center for Human Rights & the Arts “invites applications for two one-year research and teaching fellowships in human rights and the arts. The positions are open to individuals working in a variety of fields where human rights and the arts intersect, including artists, curators, researchers, scholars, writers, filmmakers, advocates and activists.” Deadline: February 26.
  • “To support the development of a more diverse professoriate, the Department of English at the University of North Carolina Asheville invites applications for the new University Fellowship for Faculty Diversity (University Fellows) Program, to begin Fall 2021. The program invites pre-doctoral and post-doctoral candidates seeking a faculty position at a liberal arts institution that takes equal pride in the excellence of its faculty’s teaching and the quality of its faculty’s scholarship and creative production. Applicants must have recently earned a Ph.D. in English/Creative Writing or be a Ph.D. candidate nearing the completion of their degree (ABD), and specialize in poetry writing (with additional expertise in fiction/nonfiction/playwriting a plus). The University Fellow will teach undergraduate creative writing workshops in multiple genres, first-year writing, and introductory and upper-level literature courses. The department particularly welcomes candidates who can teach African American Literature, Ethnic Literatures, and/or Postcolonial Literature, although other specialty areas are welcome. The successful candidate will have a lightened teaching load, extensive mentorship, and support for the development of their pedagogy and scholarship. The term of appointment is 2 (post doc) to 3 (pre doc) years. Following this term, the University Fellow may be offered a tenure-track position in the Department.”
  • The Department of English at Louisiana State University “invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Creative Writing beginning in August of 2021 with a specialization in poetry; expertise in a secondary genre or field desirable but not required.”
  • “The Creative Writing Program in the Department of English at the University of Virginia invites applications for the Kapnick Distinguished Writer in Residence, visiting Associate Professor position. We seek a writer with an exceptional background in contemporary prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and national recognition for their work. At least two published books from major presses and additional publications-together representing more than one genre-are required, as are university-level teaching experience and an MFA.”
  • “The Department of English in the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities at Simmons University invites applications for a one-year contract position in Fiction Writing.”
  • “The Department of English at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin, invites applications for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor position (non-tenure track, with possibility for renewal for a second year) beginning in Fall of 2021. The position requires teaching Introduction to Journalism, Magazine Feature Writing, Creative Nonfiction and Fiction, and one or two sections of introductory creative writing and introduction to literary studies.”
on a tabletop: a keyboard, a mug of coffee, and a wallet with cash, plus a text label announcing Markets and Jobs for Writers

2 thoughts on “Markets & Jobs for Writers

  1. Arlene Hauben says:

    Your newsletter is very helpful.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Glad to hear it, Arlene!

Comments are closed.