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.

• As mentioned in the August issue of The Practicing Writer 2.0,  Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading is opening for submissions today, August 21. “The portal will close at midnight PST on September 3, or when 750 submissions are received. We want to see your best short stories between 2,000 and 10,000 words!” Compensation: “Upon acceptance, we can offer authors $300 for publishing rights.”
• Pitches for a new issue of Mushroom People (a “magazine for mycophiles”) are due by August 25 (9:00 AM EST). “We pay all contributors; rates are negotiated when a piece is commissioned (rates typically hover around $0.40-0.50 per word, at a flat rate for word count).”
• Open Secrets “is looking for 10 essays to round out its 2023 publishing schedule. This call for essay submissions will change as topics are filled so check back before submitting. Submissions will be open until all available slots are filled. Priority will be given to the most unique, dramatic, and compelling among the submissions we receive. Authors will receive $100/essay upon approval of final draft of essay preview in Substack.” (Hat tip: The Writer’s Job Newsletter).
• Pro Fellow, a “source for information on professional and academic fellowships,” is advertising a position for a freelance, remote Editorial Intern. “Duration: 3 months (September to December) with the option to extend through the spring semester. Stipend: $600 for the semester, 10 hours of work per month (flexible hours). Start Date: Ideally, the week of September 11, 2023. Seeking a U.S. undergraduate or graduate student; U.S. work authorization required.” Deadline: August 28. “After this date, we will take applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.”
• A variety of full fellowships are available for the next iteration of the Under the Volcano program in Tepoztlán, Mexico, in January 2024. These fellowships “cover tuition for the program, accommodation in the village and RT transportation to Mexico City from a single point of origin in either Mexico or the US. Fellows are responsible for their transportation to Tepoztlán and should expect to pay for their own meals except for breakfast. If needed, a modest stipend is available to fellowship recipients to cover daily expenses during the program.” Application deadline: August 31.
• This opportunity from The Poetry Project is for New York City residents (who have lived in NYC for at least one year prior to the August 31 application deadline). Over the course of the nine-month Emerge–Surface–Be Fellowship for Emerging Poets, Fellows “are given the opportunity to work one-on-one with their Mentor to develop their craft; explore publication and performance opportunities; and reflect on the professional and community-based dimensions of a writing life. Meetings between Fellows and Mentors can take place both in-person and virtually. Ideal Fellows will have a project they are working on or want to embark upon, and feel that they would benefit from guidance and support. Each Fellow will receive an award of $2,500. In adherence with US tax requirements, ESB Fellows will be issued an IRS 1099 Form.” Check the detailed guidelines for more eligibility information (including criteria for the “emerging” label).
• carte blanche, “the official online magazine of the Quebec Writers’ Federation,” seeks a new poetry editor to join their team. “The position receives an annual stipend of $600 ($200 per issue edited).” Note: “Since carte blanche is a Montreal-based publication it is suggested but not a requirement for the candidate to reside in Montreal.” Application deadline: August 31.
• At the University of Arizona Poetry Center, they’re hiring a full-time Digital Strategy and Marketing Coordinator. “This position requires a Tuesday through Saturday schedule during the academic year and may be eligible for a flexible/hybrid work arrangement. Some evenings and weekends may be required.” Salary: “$47,356 – $57,000 DOE.” There’s no specific application deadline listed, but the “target hire date” is September 11.
• “Texas State University invites applications for a tenure-track Associate Professor to direct Texas State’s nationally recognized MFA in Creative Writing. We seek candidates proven to be highly effective teachers of Creative Writing as well as experienced and innovative program administrators.” In order “to ensure full consideration,” aubmit application materials by September 15.