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.

  • Nominations for the Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award at the Newberry Library are due by January 31. Recognizing “a book that transforms public understanding of Chicago, its history, or its people,” the award includes a $25,000 prize. Nominated books must have copyright of 2020 or 2021 to be eligible for the 2022 prize. “All subject areas, disciplines, and genres are eligible, including but not limited to: history, biography, the social sciences, art, architecture, poetry, drama, graphic novels, or fiction.” (Thanks to @RebeccaMakkai for cluing me in to this one.)
  • From The Christian Century: “We want to read your short, first-person essays inspired by the word EYE (due Feb 1, 2022) or the word FIELD (due April 1, 2022) for our Readers Write series.” Pays: $100 and a one-year subscription to the magazine.
  • Call for submissions for an anthology titled Fit for the Gods, to be edited by Jenn Northington and S. Zainab Williams and published by Vintage: “Greek mythology has proven itself to be of perennial interest. From reprints of classics like the D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths to retellings of the IliadOdyssey, and the Aeneid by everyone from Ursula K. Le Guin to Madeline Miller, writers are continually fascinated and readers are continually compelled by these stories. But while we know today that the Greco-Roman world was international and diverse in racial, ethnic, and sexual identities, this is hardly reflected in the retellings we have. Readers of all backgrounds are actively looking for inclusive, broad-ranging, cross-genre retellings; it’s time to give them their favorite myths with a new twist.” No nonfiction or poetry. Payment: $1,500 USD. Deadline: February 1.
  • From Reckoning, which features “creative writing on environmental justice”: “We’re currently in the very early stage of reading for Reckoning 7, the deadline for which is September 22, 2022.” Pays: “eight cents a word for prose, thirty dollars a page for poetry, art negotiable, minimum twenty-five dollars per piece.”
  • Based in New York, “American Theatre magazine seeks a full-time Associate Editor to write, edit, and produce content for our website and, eventually, a revived print magazine.” Note: “TCG is currently working remotely, as would this position. However, in-person support may be needed, and this position will be expected to travel. Strict COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed as well as expenses related to travel and lodging, when needed.”
  • Attention, Wisconsin poets: “Each year, the Wisconsin’s Own Library Poet in Residence program provides one poet with a semester-long opportunity at Ripon College to devote time and attention to a poetry manuscript in progress. The Poet in Residence will teach one poetry class, hold three public readings of current work, and allow one new poem to be reproduced in a limited edition commemorative broadside. The Poet in Residence will be physically present on the Ripon College campus, will reside in Ripon full-time while classes are in session, and will hold no other professional obligations for the duration of the semester. The fellowship offers a $15,000 salary for the semester.  Other benefits include housing (a taxable benefit, appropriate for a maximum of two people) in a campus apartment; an office and office supplies; monetary support for on-campus presentations and travel to out-of-town presentations.  There are no other benefits with this position.” Deadline: March 11.
  • In California, “the Low Residency MFA program in Creative Writing and the Division of Literature, Language, and Humanities at Dominican University of California invite applications for a tenure-track position in Creative Writing at the rank of Assistant Professor to start August 16, 2022. We seek candidates who will mentor graduate students in fiction and/or creative nonfiction in the MFA program and can contribute broadly at the undergraduate level in the areas of literature, creative writing, and composition.”
  • “The English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University seeks to hire in the writing of fiction, with the successful candidate joining our faculty in the Fall of 2022. This is a tenure-eligible position at the rank of Assistant Professor.”
  • In Texas, “the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s College of Humanities and Sciences seeks a full-time, tenure-track faculty member in English, beginning in August of 2022. UMHB seeks faculty who are active Christians and dedicated teacher-scholars to prepare students for leadership, service, and faith-informed discernment in a global society.
  • Resource alert #1: The popular “Where to Submit” compilations previously curated by Entropy will now shift to Heavy Feather Review. Note that this list includes fee-charging and non-paying opportunities. (Hat tip here to Mag Gabbert.)
  • Resource alert #2: Also not filtered for solely fee-free/paying opportunities, but of potential use for your own research: Emily Stoddard’s Voice & Vessel has curated an extensive spreadsheet of poetry-book contests and open submissions periods for 2022. But, wait: There’s more! Scroll down that page that I’ve linked to for information on an opportunity to secure funds (essentially, grants) to help cover contest fees.
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 and Jobs for Writers

  1. Elizabeth says:

    Just dropping by to say thanks for doing this, Erika. My attention and diligence certainly seem to have waned during this time, but yours hasn’t.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Appearances can be deceptive, my friend! (Don’t ask me to say much about my OWN work!)

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