Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

Monday brings the weekly batch of no-fee contests/competitions and paying gigs for those of us who write (especially those of us who write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction).

  • First up: Robert Lee Brewer is seeking and will pay for contributions to the 2014 editions of Writer’s Market, with a pitch deadline of August 8; Poet’s Market, with a pitch deadline of August 8; and Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, with a deadline of August 15.
  • From Poets & Writers, Inc.: “Each year, P&W invites fiction writers and poets from a selected state to apply for the [Maureen Egen Writers Exchange] award. This year, eligible writers are residents of Alaska who have never published a book, or have published only one full-length book, of fiction or poetry….The winner in each category will each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to meet with top literary professionals, including editors, agents, publishers, and prominent writers. While in New York, winners will also give a public reading hosted by Poets & Writers. In addition, each winner is invited to spend a month at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Banner, Wyoming.” There’s no application fee. Deadline is December 1, 2012.
  • The Costa Short Story Award is “a brand new Award for a single short story that will run in association with the Costa Book Awards but be judged independently of the main five-category system. The new Award is for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words by an author aged 18 years or over and written in English. The author’s primary residence must have been the UK or Ireland for the past three years…. Entrants need not have been previously published but publishers and agents may submit entries on behalf of authors….A panel of five judges will select a shortlist of six entries which will be revealed in November. The public will then be invited to vote online for their favourite story from the six finalists. The winner will be announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony on 29th January 2013 and will receive £3,500; two runners-up will each receive £750.” Deadline: September 7, 2012. No entry fee indicated. (via Writing-world.com)
  • Coming soon: The August Practicing Writer. Don’t miss it!
  • From Carol Tice, who with Linda Formichelli runs the Freelance Writers Den: “We’re having a contest that…ends July 31st. Grand prize — Linda and I are each going to give out one free year’s stay in Freelance Writer’s Den, along with a whole mentoring package designed to kick your career into high gear. We know that times are tough out there still for many writers, and want to offer an opportunity for those who haven’t been able to afford the Den to get in there.” No entry fee.
  • For those in the Houston area: “Writers in the Schools (WITS) is looking for 10-12 writers who can teach the joy of creative writing to young people. Employment is part-time, typically 2-6 hours of teaching one day a week from September – May. A yearlong commitment is required; however, writers who are selected to be on the WITS roster are not guaranteed immediate teaching opportunities. The pay is $55 per teaching hour. In addition to teaching, the job duties include preparing lessons, responding to student work, and compiling anthologies of student writing at the end of the school year.”
  • “The English Department at Smith College [Mass.] seeks a fiction writer with a distinguished record of publication and commitment to teaching to serve as the Elizabeth Drew Professor of English for a 2-3 year term, to begin in the fall of 2013. Previous recipients include Anita Desai, Elinor Lipman, Sue Miller, and Kurt Vonnegut. This half-time position offers an annual salary of $52,000 and a housing allowance; college-owned housing may be available. One writing workshop (course limited to 12 students) to be offered each semester.”
  • ODC Dance (San Francisco) is looking for a Writer-in-Residence, Yaddo seeks a Development Manager to work in its New York City office, and Richard Hugo House (Seattle) is advertising for a Marketing Coordinator.
  • Friday Finds for Writers

    For the weekend: some writing-related reflections, news, and resources to enjoy.

  • Let’s begin with an item from ASJA’s “The Word” blog, in which freelancer Margie Goldsmith tells us “How to Conduct a Successful Interview.”
  • Next up: “The more I looked at stories where I’d never read past page one, the more I realized how many of them lacked clarity. Even as I read, I never really knew what was going on. Or I couldn’t keep the characters straight. Or I couldn’t picture the physical details being thrown my way. And this lack of clarity was preventing me from being engrossed enough to turn the page.” So writes Robin Black, in a terrific (and for this practicing writer, wonderfully timely) “rerun” Beyond the Margins post on story beginnings.
  • “What’s the state of American fiction today? VPR Presents Washington Post Book Critic Ron Charles. He speaks at the Vermont College of Fine Arts with VCFA President, Thomas Greene, about the decision not to award a Pulitzer Prize for fiction last year, how books are selected for review, and why people really read ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’.” I’m setting aside some time this weekend to listen.
  • This will also require some sustained attention: a list of the 20 most popular freelancing-related posts of the year (so far) on Carol Tice’s blog.
  • Finally, I’m very proud of this piece, “Remembering Munich, in Fact and Fiction,” which went live on The Forward‘s Arty Semite blog yesterday. The “fiction” in question is my own (“Homecomings,” a story in Quiet Americans). I may have more to say about this post next week. For now, I’ll just be grateful if you read it.
  • Have a great weekend, all. See you back here on Monday.

    Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    Monday brings the weekly batch of no-fee contests/competitions and paying gigs for those of us who write (especially those of us who write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction).

  • Reminder from Ploughshares: “Our submission manager is open. In addition to stories, poems, and essays, we are also looking for longer work (Pshares Singles) and literary essaysPshares Singles is our new e-book series for pieces from 6,000 to 25,000 words. Our literary essay series (called Look2) will begin in the Fall issue with an essay on John Neihardt by the novelist and screenwriter Barry Gifford. If you have a beloved author you would like to share with others, our critical essay query guidelines are here.” NB: There’s a fee for using the submission manager, which is waived for subscribers and can be avoided by submitting via postal mail.
  • “A Blade of Grass is seeking bloggers! We are looking for exceptional bloggers of all backgrounds to write posts that speak to our mission and support the work that we do as an organization. ABLOG (http://www.abladeofgrass.org/blog) aims to engage its readers through writing that is conversational, informal, non-academic and incorporates images. We are a non-profit arts organization that focuses on art and social change. We give grants to organizations and individual artists who are working in this vein. We also organize public programs that address issues of social engagement, collaboration and public space.” Pays: “Compensation: $100 per approved post.”
  • “A brand new Latin food site is seeking writers/contributors to pitch articles surrounding recipes, chefs, entertaining ideas, how-to’s, food travel and more. Writers must have experience in the food space and be able to quickly turn around copy for accepted pitches. Writers will be paid $40-50 per post, based on length & experience.”
  • “The Department of Literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, invites applications for a tenure-track or tenured position in Creative Writing. The Department is seeking a poet with secondary expertise in fiction, non-fiction, cross-genre, and/or other media (for example, journalism, book arts, performance, internet publishing), with an ability to teach both poetry and fiction at the intermediate and advanced undergraduate level. We seek a writer who will participate fully in our undergraduate program while also helping us to envision an innovative future in our Literature graduate program.”
  • Heyday Books (Berkeley, Calif.) is looking for an Assistant to the Publisher/Development Associate, the Poetry Society (London) seeks an Education Manager, and Poets & Writers magazine (New York) is advertising for a Production Editor.
  • Monday Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

    Monday brings the weekly batch of no-fee contests/competitions and paying gigs for those of us who write (especially those of us who write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction).

  • Let’s begin with the Six-Word Story Prize! “Fleeting Magazine is looking for the best six-word story in the world. In return, we’re offering a stay at The Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan, where Hemingway bet the Round Table, “I can write a story in six-words.” You can send up to five six-word stories (no entry fee). Deadline: September 30, 2012. NB: “The winner’s room must be booked in arrangement with Fleeting Magazine within a year of the closing date. Alternatively, it may be exchanged for cash: £100 ($160 /€130). By entering the competition, you give permission for your name and six-word story to be used by Fleeting Magazine and other publications.”
  • Anthology call: “Margaret River Press invites short fiction, poetry, photo essays and creative nonfiction submissions that illuminate the theme of ‘fire’. The anthology seeks works that illustrate experiences of and relationships to fire: its destructive, creative and redemptive powers, its social impact, its cultural and ecological role, its terror, symbolism and its beauty.” Deadline: August 31, 2012. Pays: “Payment is a flat fee of AUD$200 for fiction and creative non-fiction works, $150 for photo essays and poetry for both Australian print rights and International Digital rights, plus a contributor’s copy of the print edition.”
  • From WritersWeekly.com: “We’re out of features! We pay $60 for around 600 words; non-exclusive electronic rights only. Our guidelines are here: http://www.writersweekly.com/index-markets.htm.”
  • From Persea Books: “We have a longstanding commitment to publishing extraordinary contemporary poetry and maintain an active poetry program. Although our program is small, we are always on the lookout for a poet we simply must publish. Currently, our open submission period for poetry is the month of July: any submissions sent must have a July postmark.”
  • Northumbria University (U.K.) seeks a Senior Lecturer/Lecturer in Creative Writing.
  • Oklahoma State University is advertising a “tenured or tenure-track open rank position in Poetry.”
  • WRITE BOSTON, an organization within the Boston Redevelopment Authority, is looking for a Part-Time Writing Coach.
  • Los Angeles-based job: “Zócalo Public Square, a Koreatown-based non-profit that blends live events and digital ideas journalism, seeks a smart, ambitious, intellectually curious Editorial/Events Coordinator to help plan events, handle logistics, conduct outreach, manage the office, and proofread and post editorial content on our website.”
  • “The MFA Program for Writers located at Warren Wilson College (N.C.) seeks candidates for the position of Project Manager/Web Manager. The person in this full-time, twelve-month position performs a wide range of duties requiring computer/technical, organizational, customer service expertise in service of the MFA students, faculty, alumni, and prospective students, under the supervision of the Assistant to the Director. She/he maintains the MFA Program’s website as well as the alumni (Friends of the Writers) website; she/he hires and supervises the undergraduate crew; as the Program’s liaison with vendors, she/he develops and negotiates contracts; she/he aids in the production of semi-annual residency session. Among the his/her major duties beyond the maintenance of the websites are the management of the websites are the management of the application process annually, and the compilation, and the compilation and production of student manuscript books for the residency.”
  • Friday Finds for Writers

    It’s Friday, folks! Here are a few noteworthy links for you to explore at your leisure this weekend.

  • Planning to write about the London Summer Olympics? Check out this style guide from The Associated Press.
  • “Opportunities” to avoid.
  • Next up: “4 Ways to Land Travel Writing Assignments by Thinking Creatively”–great post, totally aligned with my own “think outside the box” philosophy for freelancing.
  • A few “black lit mags to watch.” (via The Review Review)
  • And if you’d like to know how an essay-review on The Millions has rekindled my interest in the fiction of Etgar Keret, please hop on over to my other blog.
  • Happy weekend, all. See you back here on Monday!