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.

• From The Drift (“a magazine of culture and politics”): “Exciting news: we’ve raised our rates! Please pitch us — our inbox is always open.” Pays: $2,000 for essays; $500 – $1,000 for short stories; $150 for poems; $25 for Mentions (a category of their own that I’ve linked to instead of trying to summarize).
• Until September 29 (or until they receive 150 submissions), Mason Jar Press’s Publishing Practicum Call is open “for short books of prose and poetry, judged by Undergraduate and Graduate Students at the University of Baltimore.” Note: “We’re open to most genres, though we tend to lean toward semi-experimental works with a strong literary bent. Light genre elements are fine. Hybrid works are welcome.” The writer whose work is selected “will receive a $100 award, 20 contributor copies, and twice-annual profit-sharing. The contract will stipulate all further details.” 
• For its next issue, riddlebird is accepting submissions of literary fiction, personal essays, and literary genre fiction. Deadline: October 1, or when they reach their cap. “We will publish 10-16 pieces online twice a year (Jan and July) and a hardcopy of all pieces in July. Authors are compensated $100 and a contributor’s hard copy.” 
• Also until October 1, The Christian Century “invites readers to submit first-person narratives (under 1,000 words)” on the theme of “Hunt.” A selection of the submissions received “will be published in the print or web magazine. Authors of the selected essays will receive $100 and a free one-year subscription to the magazine.”
• October 1 is also the deadline for sending work for Chicago Story Press’s second volume of True Love Stories. “We’re looking for true stories about love—finding it, losing it, learning from it, or being transformed by it. Don’t feel confined to romantic relationships. Stories can be about love for one’s parent, child, pet, or any other great love. We’re looking for original voices on the role that love has played in your life.” Pays: $50 (on publication).
• Words Without Borders (“the home for international literature”) seeks “a social media editor to drive engagement and growth across our social media channels as we work to broaden the audience for international literature. Apply by September 26.” (Yes, that’s today! You have until 11:59 pm!) Compensation: “This is a part-time, 20-hour-per-week, remote position requiring permission to work in the US and availability during the east coast workday. Salary range is $21,000–$24,000 DOE plus paid time off.”
• Kweli (“the nation’s premier literary journal and community for writers of color”) is advertising for a Communications & Public Relations Coordinator. “Part-time; 8-12 hours/week; additional hours potentially available depending on org needs. (6-month contract with possibility of extension).” Compensation: “$20-25/hour (dependent on experience).” NB: “This is a remote position. Preference for candidates in New York City as some in-person event coordination/meetings may be required once it is safe to do so.” (Hat tip: Galleyway.)
• Pacific University’s low-residency MFA in Writing program “is seeking to hire an administrative assistant, responsible for coordinating administrative activities and performing clerical duties. Position is full-time and requires travel to twice-yearly residencies, which involve weekend work.” Salary range: “$45K, with benefits.”
• In London, the Royal Society of Literature is advertising several staff and freelance positions, with a mix of hybrid/remote specifications. Salary/compensation info provided for all positions. Note that some positions close as early as this Friday, September 23. (Hat tip: Sian Meades-Williams.)
• North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College “welcomes applicants for Director of the MFA Program for Writers….The Program is staffed year-round by the Program Director and the two MFA Project Managers, who both report to the Director….We expect that the Director will be a writer with appropriate record of publication in the field including at least one book of fiction or poetry; will be a skillful teacher particularly committed to the individualized instruction that the Program provides; will demonstrate organizational and administrative talent; and will have the personal qualities necessary to provide leadership within the Program and to work cooperatively with other members of the Warren Wilson community.”
• “The Department of English, Comparative Literature, and Linguistics at California State University, Fullerton, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Creative Writing with appointment to begin Fall of 2023.”
• “The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee English Department seeks a creative writer with an expertise in fiction who can contribute to a busy creative writing program that offers BA, MA, and PhD degrees.” (Assistant or Associate Professor position.)
• In Pennsylvania, Allegheny College is advertising for a tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor of Creative Writing – Fiction.
• “The Department of English in the College of Arts & Sciences at Texas Tech University seeks a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Creative Writing with a primary emphasis and strong publication record in narrative nonfiction-literary journalism and/or memoir-and the ethics of nonfiction. Preference will be given to candidates with a significant record of quality publications, including at least one book in print or under contract, and a secondary specialization in translation, video essays, fiction writing, and/or any of the following areas: Latinx American Literature, Native American Literature, African American Literature, or Disability Studies.”
• “The School of Critical Studies at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) invites applications for a full-time mid-career faculty position in poetry. The position’s duties are divided between the Institute’s MFA Program in Creative Writing and the BFA program in Critical Studies.”