Erika Dreifus

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.

• The March edition of The Practicing Writer 2.0 went out to subscribers this morning! It’s packed with 50+ fee-free opportunities that pay for winning/published work and are NOT limited to residents of a single city/state/province. If you’re already a subscriber, please check your email; if you aren’t, it’s never too late to join us.
• There’s still time (but not much!) for Ontario writers to enter the 2022 Toronto Star Short Story Contest, which closes at 5pm tomorrow, March 1. “The contest, now in its 44^th year, carries one of biggest prizes in Canada for a short story contest, with the first-place winner receiving $5,000, plus their choice of either the tuition fee for the two-semester creative writing graduate certificate correspondence program at the Humber School for Writers, which has an approximate value of $3,650, or a summer workshop in creative writing, which has an approximate value $1,300. In addition, the second-place winner receives a cash prize of $2,000 and the third-place winner gets $1,000….Winners will be announced in April and their stories will be published in the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest newspaper and on thestar.com, one of the most-visited websites in the country.”
• Attention, Wisconsin residents (and students): The 2022 Lakefly Writing Contests are open until March 5. Theme: “Into the Unknown.” Categories include short short fiction, short story, and poetry. Cash prizes. Note: “Winners must be able to attend awards ceremony [to be held May 7 in Oshkosh] to be eligible to win.”
• From the second annual San Francisco Foundation/Nomadic Press Literary Awards: “We are awarding $50,000 in 2022 spread out over 10 winning writers (7 for poetry, 2 for fiction, 1 for non-fiction) who will receive $5,000 each.” Eligibility is limited to current residents “of Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco county in California.” Deadline: March 15.
• Josephine Quarterly “is seeking applicants for a Social Media Intern who can expand the reach and audience of Josephine Quarterly via established social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The ideal candidate should be fluent with Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook platforms and possess excellent written communication skills. The intern will need to meet deadlines regularly and maintain a consistent schedule for social media posts; design and publish social media posts to promote issues and highlight published poets and artists in current and past issues; and engage with other literary magazines, publishers, and literary organizations on social media platforms. This remote, 6-month position pays $15/hour with an expected time commitment of 1 hour/week.”
• Words Without Borders is advertising for a Digital Engagement & Communications Manager: “This is a full-time, US-based position with preference given to candidates in commuting distance to New York City. The digital engagement and communications manager will be expected to attend periodic literary events and festivals in NYC. Salary range is $46,000–$51,000 per year DOE plus generous health benefits and paid time off.”
• At the Furious Flower Poetry Center (at James Madison University in Virginia), they’re advertising for both an Assistant/Associate Director and a Communications Specialist.
• The University of Virginia’s Department of English/Program in Creative Writing “invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing on the Academic General Faculty, expected to begin August 25, 2022. We are looking for candidates with a specialization in fiction, who can teach undergraduate workshops and seminars in fiction, as well as either poetry, creative nonfiction, or writing for performance. Core responsibilities will be to teach six courses per year, three each in the fall and spring semesters. This is a three-year, tenure-ineligible appointment with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon available funding, satisfactory performance, and need for the position. The successful applicant will have an MFA and experience teaching fiction at the college or university level, as well as one published book of fiction and significant publications in poetry, creative nonfiction, or writing for performance.”
• The Department of English at the University of Mississippi “seeks to hire a Visiting Assistant Professor in Creative Writing beginning Fall 2022. This is a 9-month, full-time temporary position with full benefits and the possibility of renewal. The Department invites applications especially from candidates with publication and teaching expertise in fiction and at least one other genre. A successful candidate is expected to teach a 2:2 load, including lower- and upper-division creative writing courses. Depending on experience and qualifications, a successful candidate may also teach graduate courses and assist with thesis direction. Qualified candidates may also be appointed jointly to Southern Studies, African American Studies, and/or the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies, and teach literature courses cross-listed with those interdisciplinary centers.”
• The University of Massachusetts Boston English Department and MFA program in Creative Writing “seek a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing-Poetry to begin September 1, 2022, with the possibility of a one-year renewal. The teaching load is 2 courses per semester and will include classes designed by the Visiting Assistant Professor, as well as a combined MA/undergraduate Advanced Poetry Workshop (Fall 2022) and the MFA Program Poetry Workshop (Spring 2023). The Visiting Assistant Professor will also participate in a faculty reading, help observe and mentor MFA student Teaching Fellows, and work one-on-one with accomplished students completing individual work at the MFA, MA, and undergraduate honors levels. We seek candidates with at least one published volume of poetry with a nationally recognized press who are committed to teaching and mentoring graduates and undergraduates.”
• In Iowa, the English Department at Simpson College “invites applications for a 1-year Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing. Teaching responsibilities include 6 courses, consisting of creative writing workshops, introductory literature courses, and a first-year seminar.”