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.

NB: As I’ll mention again on Wednesday, I will be away from my desk for a brief break (combination work and play) beginning Thursday morning, returning the following Thursday morning. This means that there will be no “Markets and Jobs” post next Monday. There will, however, be a new issue of the The Practicing Writer 2.0 going out to subscribers right on time later that week. In the meantime, plenty of opportunities in the June issue remain open, and I’m offering you additional options in this post, too. Thanks for your patience!

  • The Associates of the Boston Public Library’s Writer-in-Residence program remains open for applications until June 24. This program offers “an emerging children’s writer with the financial support, editorial assistance, and office space needed to complete one literary work for children or young adults.” Applicants “should not have any prior professional book publications. (Self-published books, textbooks, works for hire, articles, and short stories published in an anthology do not count against this eligibility criteria.)” NB: “There is NO residency restriction to apply, but you must be able to spend at least nineteen (19) hours per week at the Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square. Must be legally eligible to work in the US, as a U.S. citizen or green card holder. English fluency required.”
  • Applications for the Roxane Gay Books/Grove Atlantic Fellowship remain open until June 27 at 5pm ET. This fellowship is intended for those “interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of an independent publishing house and developing a solid foundation for a career in publishing. The fellow will have exposure to the editorial, marketing, publicity, and rights departments of Grove Atlantic, and will directly support Roxane Gay Books, a new imprint at Grove Atlantic, in building an exciting list of fiction and nonfiction. This is a one-year fellowship that will allow the fellow to gain experience in publishing with an emphasis on creating access for candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in publishing.” Compensation: “Fellows will receive a $25,000 stipend, for 24 hours a week of work, paid biweekly. The fellow is also eligible for health and dental benefits and paid time off. Candidates can be based anywhere in the United States, although we would recommend that the fellow be able to spend some time in Grove’s New York City office at some point during the fellowship.”
  • The NYSCA/NYFA Artists with Disabilities Grant program “will distribute cash grants of $1,000 to artists with a disability who have experienced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis to cover art related expenses. The grant will be open to visual, media, music, performing, literary, and multidisciplinary artists who live in New York State outside of the five boroughs of NYC.” Applications will close “Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at 5:00 PM EDT.”
  • 105 Meadowlark Reader seeks “true stories about Kansas written by Kansans, therefore  you must be a Kansas resident or have lived in Kansas at some point in your life.” Their current theme is “Food Stories,” and the deadline is June 30. Payment: $10 and one copy of the journal. 
  • “The North Carolina Writers’ Network offers an annual Sally Buckner Emerging Writers’ Fellowship, in honor of the late poet, editor, and educator. The Buckner Fellowship, in the amount of $500 awarded to one writer each year, supports North Carolina emerging writers whose work shows promise of excellence and commitment to a literary career.” This year’s award will go to a poet. Note that writers “must have established legal residence in North Carolina for at least one year prior to applying, and plan on residing in North Carolina through the Fellowship year. Writers must be between the ages of 21 and 35, as of December 31 of the year in which they apply.” Deadline: June 30. (Hat tip: @TerryLKennedy.)
  • Another June 30 deadline: “Since 1958, the annual Utah Original Writing Competition has celebrated Utah’s dynamic and varied voices and aided Utah writers on their path to publication and broader recognition. Numerous awardees selected by our nationally recognized judges have gone on to significant statewide and national acclaim. Please read through the entire guidelines before submitting.” Multiple categories and cash awards. Note: “Submitters must have a 70% physical presence in Utah AND be a legal Utah resident for one year prior to submission and at time of submission.”
  • This BIPOC Writer Scholarship also has an application deadline of June 30. “Sonoma County Writers Camp (SonomaCountyWritersCamp.com) is a 4.5-day generative writing retreat in Healdsburg, CA, run by acclaimed authors and teachers Ellen Sussman and Elizabeth Stark. We are pleased to offer a full tuition waiver for one recipient who is BIPOC and self-identifies as a woman or non-binary. Camp runs from October 24 – October 28, 2022.” (Hat tip: Galleyway.)
  • Publishers Weekly is “looking for an editor for the News Department. This position is based in New York City with limited travel.”
  • At Auburn University in Alabama, “the College of Liberal Arts Department of English seeks candidates for a Communications Editor for the Southern Humanities Review (SHR), a literary journal. The Communications Editor is an ongoing staff position that reports to the Editor-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of English and serves as the Managing Editor of the Southern Humanities Review (SHR).”
  • At Louisiana State University, the Department of English “invites applications for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor (VAP) of Creative Writing beginning in August of 2022 with a specialization in fiction; secondary expertise in poetry is highly desirable.”
  • At the University of California, Riverside, “the Department of Creative Writing is recruiting for a part-time Visiting Assistant Professor for the 2022-2023 academic year to teach poetry. We welcome applications from writers with at least one published book and who are passionate about teaching and have taught at least one year at the college level. We seek writers experienced in teaching students from groups historically underrepresented in higher education, such as students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities.”
on a tabletop: a keyboard, a mug of coffee, and a wallet with cash, plus a text label announcing Markets and Jobs for Writers