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.

• Attention, residents of Oregon and SW Washington: Submissions for the Buckman Journal Poetry Award remain open until May 29. “One poet will receive $300.00, and their work featured in Buckman Journal.”
• Short Fiction, which accepts submissions “from the UK, Europe, the Commonwealth and every other country except for the USA” (original emphasis), is open until May 31 (FWIW: Their website indicates a deadline of midnight, May 31; their Submittable page suggests midnight, May 30.) “We publish one story per month as our Featured piece. We will also periodically seek to publish one story in a new section – ‘Introducing’ – which will be a showcase for excellent new writers; that is, writers for whom this is their first published piece.” Pays: “2p (£0.02) per word, to the nearest 100 words, with a minimum of £30 and maximum £100, paid via PayPal. (For those without a PayPal account, we can work out an alternative method of payment.)”
• The Stinging Fly, which publishes “new, previously unpublished work by Irish and international writers,” is open for submissions until May 31. “We currently accept submissions in the following four categories: short fiction; novel extracts; non-fiction; poetry. Writers may only submit work to us under one category per submission period. Graphic fiction and non-fiction submissions are welcome.” Payment: “Fiction and nonfiction: €45 per magazine page, but with a minimum/maximum payment of €300/€1200. Flash Fiction/shorter essays (1 – 2 pages): €150. Poetry: €40 per magazine page, but with a minimum payment of €60 per poem.”
• Also until May 31, Analog Science Fiction and Fact invites submissions for the The Analog Award for Emerging Black Voices. “Any writer over 18 years of age who customarily identifies as Black, has not published nor is under contract for a book, and has three or less paid fiction publications is eligible.” For the award winner, “with editorial guidance, Analog editors commit to purchasing and publishing the winning story in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, with the intent of creating a lasting relationship, including one year of monthly mentorship sessions. These sessions will be opportunities to discuss new writing, story ideas, the industry, and to receive general support from the Analog editors and award judges.”
• Writer’s Hive Media “is a creative writing magazine that’s always scoping out new writing talent to add to our list of contributors. If you love writing, books, publishing, and marketing as it relates to the writing industry, then we want to hear from you. We’re looking for qualified and skilled writers who can knowledgeably speak on books, writing, and publishing in the space of about 750 to 1,800 words (depending on the topic).” Note: Be sure to click further as directed for more detailed guidelines, including pay rates (“a flat fee of $50 or $75 per post”) and a note that “accepted applicants are expected to write at least 12 total articles per calendar year, and we prefer to publish at least 1 per month.”
• The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) is hiring a Senior Publications Editor, who will be “responsible for the production and electronic distribution of AWP’s long-standing publication The Writer’s Chronicle, as well as managing several literary competitions under the umbrella of the AWP Award Series….This is a senior level, full-time, remote position, with travel to the annual conference required one week per year.” Salary: “$70,000. AWP offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance; PTO/paid holidays; 401k/retirement planning; telework; and a flexible schedule.” (Hat tip: The Writer’s Job Newsletter.)
• Salon is advertising for a Staff Writer, Culture. “This is a full-time position with benefits (starting salary range: $60,000-75,000), working with the senior editor for culture and reporting to the deputy editor in chief. While this is a remote job, you’ll be expected to be legally able to work in the U.S. on an agreed-upon schedule covering East Coast newsroom hours. We’re especially interested in candidates with on-camera experience who live within commuting distance of our Midtown Manhattan studio and are able to join the team in person at least twice a month.”
• “The Creative Writing Program in the Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences, at the University of Miami invites applications for a one-year position as Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing to teach three courses in each of the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. We are especially interested in writers who specialize in fiction with secondary expertise in poetry.”