Don't Change a Thing
NewPages Newsletter #241: New lit mag issues, lit mag introductions, 150+ submission opportunities, and writing the pause
Happy Monday!
I wish I can say I am back and completely refreshed, but that never seems to be the case after vacations as we get older. Did I have a great time? Yes! Did I sneak in a little work a few times…also yes. Some things are just inescapable for us thanks to smart phones.
Despite work worming its way in, it was wonderful to spend a full week with my sister and fall back into our usual rhythm, including binge-watching shows of our yesteryears together.
But now another Monday is upon us and it’s time to return to work, isn’t it? This, of course, includes writing, reading, editing, and submitting. In fact, even I finally worked up the courage to hit that submit button on a few opportunities and now the waiting game begins.
Time to buckle up and see what’s new in lit and writing opportunities this week.
📩 If this email gets cut off, click ‘View Entire Message’ at the bottom or head to Substack to read the full newsletter!
I sadly did not actually read on my vacation, which is rather unusual given that my sister and I are both bookworms. Recommended Reading will return next week.
🗞️ Magazine News
There is still plenty of summer remaining. Looking for some good reads? Hop over to the Magazine Stand to learn more about new issues of great literary magazines.
Vita Poetica Journal – Summer 2026
With six years of publishing a range of human perspective and experience that was more genial and hopeful, this issue is ripe with grim ones with plenty of judgement, death, and graves. This issue features work by Matthew E. Henry, Hilary Sallick, En Lin Koh, Louis Borgeois, Alison Lick, and more. Readers can also enjoy an interview with poet Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto in conversation with Christopher Henry.
VOLTA – Spring 2026
VOLTA’s Spring 2026 issue opens with Editor’s Note arguing that language has grown stale thanks to algorithms, cliches, and AI. They contend that authentic writing comes from lived, embodied experiences. Working towards the preservation of such authenticity, find work by Cynthia Atkins, Smile Ximai Jiang, David Ehmcke, Adeeb Chowdhury, Elena Bowman, and more.
Sneak Peak: New Lit on the Block Introduces Hollow and Sky
Coming July 29, our next installment of the New Lit on the Block feature introduces readers to Hollow and Sky, a relatively new online biannual journal exploring the rich intersections of literature, visual art, memory, landscape, and the natural world.
According to Editor Avriel (Avi) Mejrah, Hollow and Sky “grew from an interest in the relationship between our interior lives and the natural world.” He was inspired to start Hollow and Sky “as a passion project born from the necessity for the kind of home [he] searched for as a writer.” His goal is to create a publication where contributors feel genuinely respected throughout the editorial process.
The journal’s first two issues taught Mejrah that “the strongest pieces don’t simply stand alone—they begin speaking to each other. My role is to listen carefully enough to recognize those conversations and shape an issue that feels cohesive while remaining open to surprise.”
If you’re interested in journals that value careful curation, thoughtful editing, and meaningful connections between contributors and readers, you’ll want to learn more about Hollow and Sky.
Enjoy the full write-up here when it lands on July 29.
✨ Sponsor Spotlight: the tiny journal
Good things come in all shapes and sizes, but there’s no denying that sometimes the smallest packages contain the most exciting surprises.
the tiny journal is an online annual that believes small stories are mighty. Dedicated to publishing exceptional flash prose and short poetry, the journal celebrates the power of brevity and the lasting impact of carefully crafted words.
Whether you’re a reader who loves concise, memorable work or a writer seeking a home for your smallest gems, the tiny journal is well worth exploring.
Learn more about the tiny journal, and discover other outstanding literary magazines, in our Guide to Lit Mags.
📚 NewPages Mailing Lists
Whether you’re planning a bookstore tour, organizing a book publicity campaign, scheduling author events, or simply mapping out your next indie bookstore road trip, NewPages Mailing Lists can help. These ready-to-use Excel lists include independent bookstores and libraries across North America, making it easier for authors, publishers, literary organizations, and book lovers alike to discover and connect with literary communities.
Explore the available lists and bundles through the link below.
🖋️ Inspiration Prompt: Don’t Change A Thing
It’s hard not to think about writing as just being about the words on the page, but it’s so much more than that. Sometimes the greatest writing lives in the spaces between the words.
My sister and I spent part of our vacation marathoning RockStar: INXS, that early 2000s competition where the legendary Australian band searched for its next lead singer. The nostalgia! The incredible covers and arrangements! I found myself captivated all over again by Marty Casey’s rendition of INXS’ “Don’t Change,” not because he changed the lyrics, but because he changed the structure.
He stretches the normal pause between “don’t change a thing” and “for me,” giving the silence even more room to breathe. Reading the lyrics on a page, the line is straightforward. Hearing that extended pause, however, opens a space for the words to linger before the thought resolves. The performance invites meaning that simply isn’t there in the text alone.
This week, don’t just examine the words you’ve written. Look at the shape of the piece itself. Where does a paragraph or line break alter the rhythm? What happens if a line ends one word sooner? Is there a moment that could carry more weight if you trusted the silence before writing what came next?
Sometimes the strongest writing comes not from adding more, but from giving the words enough space for the reader to hear them.
Looking for more inspiration? Stop by our Weekly Roundup of Submission Opportunities for more prompts.
📣Calls, Contests, & More
Ready to submit your work or attend a literary event? We’ve got 150+ opportunities waiting for you this week.
Below is just a sampling of what paying subscribers receive—explore submission calls, contests, fellowships, and events curated to keep you writing, submitting, and connecting.
2027 Press 53 Award for Poetry
Deadline: July 31, 2026
First Prize $1,000, publication, and 53 copies will be awarded to an outstanding, unpublished poetry manuscript. Press 53 Poetry Series Editor Tom Lombardo is the only reader and judge. Prizes awarded upon publication. Deadline July 31. Winner and finalists announced by November 1. Reading fee $30. Complete information at the Press 53 website.
RED WHEELBARROW POETRY PRIZE 2026: $1,000 and letterpress broadside
Deadline: July 31, 2026
Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize 2026: $1,000 for first place and a letterpress broadside, $500 for second, $250 for third. Top five published in Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine. Submit up to 3 original unpublished poems. $15 entry fee. Deadline: July 31. For complete guidelines, visit Submittable.
Jerboa Lit 500: Open for Registration!
Deadline: Friday, August 7
The next Jerboa Lit 500 starts Friday, August 7! At 10 pm Central, our very special Video Hat will bestow upon us a random prompt (Genre, Item, and Phrase), pulled live on our YouTube page. Writers will have until the following Sunday, August 9, 11:59 pm Central, to submit a story up to 500 words incorporating all elements of the prompt. Prizes paid out for first through fifth, with a grand prize of $1,000! Sign up here.
StoryBottle Fiction Chapbook Contest
Deadline: August 15, 2026
StoryBottle Co.’s Fiction Chapbook Contest is now open! We’re looking for the same great, weird fiction we love publishing—just with a little more room to breathe. Submit up to 60 pages of fiction, including flash fiction, short stories, linked stories, story cycles, novelettes, or manuscripts that don’t quite fit anywhere else. The winner receives $1,000, publication as a perfect-bound chapbook, and 25 author copies. All entries will also be considered for publication in StoryBottle. Entry fee: $17. Deadline: August 15, 2026. Send us your fiction object: www.storybottleco.org/contests.
Write a Story About Life on Earth when the Moon Was Forming
Deadline: August 27, 2026 at 11:59pm UTC+8
Project Infinity BP is hosting its fourteenth (14th) Mastermind creative writing competition season! This writing competition is free and open to anyone. No applications are required and you can submit at any time before August 27, 2026 at 11:59pm UTC+8! Resubmissions are allowed every 24 hours! Topic: A Short Story on What Life on Earth Looks Like When the Moon Was Forming. Join our Fluxer Community Server for more frequent updates and communications with your competitors! All good-faith participants get guaranteed comprehensive and specific feedback. The winner has the option to have their work posted on our website’s Exemplar page. Learn more here.
The Headlight Review Seeks Flash Fiction and Prose Poems of 400 Words
Deadline: August 31
The Headlight Review seeks flash fiction and prose poems of 400 words or fewer for our second volume of “Mighty Micros.” Read the first volume here. We will review submissions until August 31. We are open as to what a story or poem looks and feels like to each writer. We love to be surprised. Submit up to 3 pieces in a single document. We aim to expedite review in two weeks or less. For this reason, we will not be offering fee waivers for this project. Pieces will be published on a rolling basis. Submission fee $5. Learn more at our website.
1Picture1000words: a free-to-enter creative writing contest
Deadline: August 31, 2026
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. I say... Prove it. 1Picture1000Words is a free-to-enter creative writing contest in which you (1) look at a picture, (2) write 1,000 words that connect to it somehow, (3) and potentially win $1000. More info on how to enter here. Happy writing :)
🔔Book Club and Craft Seminar for Writers
Deadline: September 1
WRITEABILITY’s® Book Club and Craft Seminar for Writers examines work from celebrated authors through the lens of a writer. Each month for six months—through readings, conversations, livewriting, and live craft-based instruction—you will be given the opportunity to consider, discuss, and practice applying the featured author’s craft techniques to your own writing and creative lives. This season’s authors include Pam Houston, Patrice Gopo, Elissa Bassist, Steven Dunn, Lucy Ives, and Andy Mozina. Join us for this fun, enlightening, dynamic experience—and Joyfully Live the Writing Life! Program runs September through March, with monthly and annual payment plans available. Register here.
🔔Boudin Novelette Chapbook Contest - Final Judge Robert Olen Butler
Deadline: September 15, 2026
2026 Boudin Novelette Chapbook Contest - Final judge: Robert Olen Butler. Submit: 25-40 manuscript pages of a single story in a readable font like 12-point Times New Roman. Unpublished and original work only. Include only a title page. Prizes: The winner will receive $1,000, 25 author copies, an author-signing at AWP 2027, promotion in Boudin (“the spicy online cousin of The McNeese Review ”), and a three-year subscription to The McNeese Review . The winning manuscript will be published as a special issue of The McNeese Review and distributed by TRP: The University Press of SHSU. Submit here.
Palooka Seeks Chapbooks, Prose, Poetry, Artwork, Photography
Deadline: Year-round
Palooka is a global literary magazine of daring prose, art, photography, comics, and chapbooks drawn exclusively from unsolicited submissions. We champion underdog voices, read anonymously, and only publish what we love. Bold voices. Brave stories. Learn more.
Paid subscribers receive full access to 100+ literary submission opportunities and upcoming events every week. Thank you for supporting independent literary publishing!
❧ A Final Thought
Every writer encounters periods when progress feels invisible. Drafts stall. Rejections arrive. Ambitious plans shrink into modest daily goals.
But creative work is rarely linear.
The pages you write this week may not become your next publication. They may not even survive revision. Yet they are still part of the path forward.
Keep opening doors. Keep changing. But remember, sometimes you don’t need to change a thing.
As always, keep writing words and making art that matters.
— Nicole, NewPages Managing Editor
