Friday Finds for Writers

Treasure ChestWriting-related resources, news, and reflections to read over the weekend.

  • Guidance on your online presence (and a few words about the Midwest Writers Workshop) from Roxane Gay.
  • “When in doubt, start with an anecdote.” Or maybe not, cautions Philip Corbett on the After Deadline blog.
  • From Ron Charles: “10 Books to Celebrate the 23rd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
  • Catie Disabato explains “what a day job gives you” (and your writing). (h/t Andrea L. Volpe)
  • Libraries: my kind of hotel amenity.
  • Have a great weekend, everyone. See you back here on Monday (unless I’m again inspired to post a Sunday Sentence, in which case we may meet again a bit sooner!).

    Monday Markets for Writers

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

  • Jaggery, a DesiLit arts and literature journal, connects South Asian diasporic writers and homeland writers; we also welcome non-South Asians with a deep and thoughtful connection to South Asian countries, who bring their own intersecting perspectives to the conversation. (By South Asia we mean Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.) Our hope with Jaggery is to create a journal that offers the best writing by and about South Asians and their diaspora….We publish ART, ESSAYS, FICTION, POETRY, REVIEWS, and an advice column. We prefer original, previously unpublished submissions; we solicit reprints only in exceptional cases….We’re purchasing ongoing worldwide digital rights, for use in web and possible downloaded forms (ebook, PDF, etc.). Six months after publication, you may request to have your work removed from our online archive. We follow a blind submission review process and pay $25 for prose/poetry/art.” Hurry up if you’re interested: “The deadline for submissions for the inaugural issue is July 31st, 2013.” (via @Duotrope)
  • Blank Fiction Magazine is currently accepting submissions for our first three issues! The themes for each are: Literary Fiction, Noir Fiction and Science Fiction.” Deadline for the first (literary fiction) issue is October 15. Pays: “Blank Fiction Magazine is proud to support all of our writers with a $50 honorarium for their contribution to our pages.”
  • “Soomo Publishing, an independent publisher of college-level webtexts, seeks experienced freelance writers to contribute original commentaries on world literature. Soomo is convinced that textbooks don’t have to be boring. With this in mind, we are looking for magazine feature-type commentaries to accompany important works of pre-Renaissance-era writing. The commentaries will be included in an online world literature course, and are intended to provide historical and cultural context that is both instructive and thought-provoking. Our goal is to capture students’ imagination and introduce them to the ‘stories behind the stories.’ In terms of voice, our models include Smithsonian magazine, Wilson Quarterly, and Mental Floss’s’101 Masterpieces’ series–in short, anything that makes culture relevant, stimulating, and accessible.” Pays: “Commentaries are being assigned at 1,500 words, at a rate of $0.50/word.”
  • As announced in its latest newsletter: “Creative Nonfiction is looking for new instructors for its online classes. Responsibilities include creating written lectures, reading and responding to student work, engaging in online discussion, and answering student questions on a daily basis.”
  • Coming soon! More no-fee writing contests and paying calls for prose and poetry in the August issue of The Practicing Writer, which will go out to subscribers before week’s end. Get your copy right in your e-mailbox. It’s free, and we don’t sell, rent, or share our mailing list.
  • Algonquin Books (Chapel Hill, N.C.) is looking for an Assistant Publicist.
  • Monday Markets for Writers

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

  • Story|Houston, a new journal featuring narratives by emerging writers and illustrations by emerging artists,” is considering submissions for its summer issue. Considers fiction and nonfiction. Pays: $200. (via Ashland MFA News)
  • From Wordrunner eChapbooks: “Poetry, fiction and memoir by several authors will be considered for the fall 2013 e-chapbook anthology, to be published around September 25.” The theme of this e-chapbook is “jobs”: Work (or the lack of it) should be intrinsic to the narrative or poem. We are not interested in detailed job descriptions, but in how jobs impact lives and relationships.” Deadline: August 31, 2013. Pays: $10-$25 for accepted work.
  • The latest issue of The Practicing Writer (packed, as usual, with no-fee contests and paying calls) went out to subscribers this weekend. You can also find it here.
  • “The Department of English at the University of San Diego invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Creative Writing, Poetry Emphasis.”
  • Oklahoma State University is advertising for an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing. “Tenure-track position in Creative Writing-Fiction. 2-2 teaching load beginning August 2014. Appropriate terminal degree, appropriate credentials, significant national publication, and demonstrated teaching excellence required. Additional publication and teaching expertise in creative non-fiction desirable.”
  • Monday Markets for Writers

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

  • The Christopher Doheny Award will recognize excellence in fiction or nonfiction on the topic of serious illness. The winner of the award must demonstrate high literary standards while exploring the impact of illness on the patient, family and friends, and others. With support from Audible, Inc., the award includes a $10,000 prize and publication and promotion of the book in print and audio editions. The award will be presented annually for either a manuscript that is still in process or a completed one.” Deadline: July 31, 2013. No entry fee indicated.
  • Writers from New York State: “Arts Services Initiative of Western New York, Inc. (ASI), on behalf of the New York State Council on the Arts in partnership with the Province of Quebec Council of Arts and Letters, is seeking proposals from qualified individuals from New York State to become artists in residence in the Province of Quebec in Fall or Winter, 2013.” Those chosen will each receive a stipend of $9,000. There is no application fee. Applications are due by noon (EST) on July 22, 2013.
  • By this time next week, subscribers will have received the July issue of The Practicing Writer. If you don’t yet subscribe to our free newsletter–which, like this blog, features ONLY no-fee competitions and ONLY paying opportunities for fictionists, poets, and writers of creative nonfiction–what are you waiting for?
  • “The Department of English at the College of the Holy Cross [Mass.] invites applications for a visiting part-time faculty position to teach one creative writing course in prose narrative (with an emphasis on both fiction and nonfiction) in fall 2013.”
  • The Loft Literary Center (Minneapolis) is looking for a Program Manager.
  • Grub Street (Boston) is also looking for a Program Manager.
  • From the Vermont Studio Center: “The VSC Writing Program Coordinator is responsible for the smooth operation of the day-to-day components of the writing program, offered as a part of the Studio Center’s artist residency program. This is a one-year, live-in, 30-hour per week staff artist position. Compensation includes room, board, studio, access to Visiting Writers, and a stipend of $150 per week. The Writing Coordinator reports to the Writing Program Director. Position available immediately.” (h/t Lene A. Gary)