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.

• Via Twitter: “Long Now is accepting pitches of essays, reported features, interviews, book reviews, fiction & poetry for 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴, our living archive of long-term thinking.” Be sure to check the pitch guide, where you’ll also find pay rates: “Payment varies depending on the kind of story, the reporting involved, and the time commitment. Payment starts at $600 for features and essays, and ranges between $300 – $600 for interviews, book reviews, and short-form science journalism and news articles. We pay $100 for science fiction stories and $25 per poem (with a maximum of four poems per submission).” No deadline indicated. (Hat tip: Write at Home.)
• ICYMI when I posted this late last week:  According to Shenandoah‘s website, fiction submissions (short stories and novel excerpts) opened on September 10 (yesterday). A cap of 200 submissions is in place. (As I finalize this post and schedule it for publication that cap has not yet been reached, but I can’t guarantee that will still be the case when you read these words.) As a reminder, Shenandoah  pays “$80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400.”
• Poetry submissions are open at The Rialto until September 17. Payment: £20/poem on publication.
• Berlin Lit is also open for poetry, until September 20. Payment: 20 euro per poem.
• In Cleveland, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards program is hiring a Director. “Estimated annual salary for this position may be anywhere between $87,000 and $115,000 with some flexibility, based on the academic, professional and community experiences and credentials of a candidate.” Apply by September 29.
• Georgia Writers’ John Lewis Writing Grants “are inspired by the late civil rights icon and his more than three decades of service as Georgia’s 5th District representative. The John Lewis Writing Grants will be awarded annually in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The purpose of the grants is to elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.” Grantees receive “$500 to present a workshop or reading at a selected Georgia venue” and “a scholarship to the next annual Red Clay Writers Conference.” Deadline: October 1.
• At Poets & Writers, applications are now open for the Get the Word Out! Publicity Incubator for Debut Authors (fiction cohort). “There is no application fee and no cost to those who are invited to participate.” Among eligibility requirements, note that participating authors must be “under contract with a U.S.-based publisher for the publication of a debut novel or short story collection written in English and scheduled for release between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024” and that authors must “live in the U.S. during the program period (but do not need to be a U.S. citizen or hold permanent resident status).” Deadline: October 2.
• Poets & Writers is also advertising for two positions. One (part-time, remote) is for an Assistant Editor, Online Resources; this position pays a salary of $22,500. The other is for an Online Community Coordinator, “a full-time position in our New York City office” with a hybrid schedule that offers an annual salary of $50,000, “plus benefits including fully paid medical insurance and generous paid time off.” (I didn’t catch any deadlines mentioned.)
• In New York, “the English Department at Binghamton University invites applications for a Lecturer of Creative Writing (three-year renewable contract) who will serve as Associate Director of the Creative Writing program….We seek a creative writer whose main genre of practice is poetry with a preference for a secondary practice in non-fiction, or hybrid poetry and prose writing. We seek an accomplished educator and community organizer to help us lead a dynamic program into an exciting phase of development. An MFA or PhD is strongly preferred, but not required. In addition to a strong publication record and a strong ability to teach Binghamton University creative writing courses, the candidate should have extensive administrative experience.” Deadline for applications: October 27.
• In Iowa, the Department of English at Grinnell College “invites applications for a tenure-track appointment in Creative Writing-Fiction beginning Fall 2024. Assistant Professor (MFA or Ph.D.) preferred; Instructor (ABD) or Associate Professor possible. Research and teaching interests might include but are not limited to: Fiction and Screenwriting or Television writing.” Deadline: “To be assured of full consideration, all application materials should be received by November 1, 2023.”
• In Minnesota, the Department of English at the University of St. Thomas “invites applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Creative Writing (fiction) to begin fall 2024. Preference will be given to candidates who have a publication record in more than one major genre (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction) and who are prepared to teach introductory multigenre courses in creative writing as well as creative writing courses at the intermediate, advanced, and graduate levels.” Deadline: “Review of applications will begin on November 2, 2023 for full consideration and will continue until the position is filled.”
• In Pennsylvania, “Franklin & Marshall College invites applications from poets for a tenure-track position in the Department of English beginning August 2024. The rank will be Assistant Professor or Instructor depending on qualifications. We seek applicants with significant creative publications, including at least one book of poetry published or under contract, and a demonstrated commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Application deadline: “For full consideration applications should be received by November 13, 2023.”
• “The Liberal Arts Department of the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), a national leader in visual arts education, invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Liberal Arts, with a specialty in fiction writing.” Application deadline: January 2, 2024.