New Submission Opportunities & Great Literature
NewPages Newsletter #107 Featuring 41 Submission Opportunities & Events
Welcome to our final newsletter of 2023. What a year it has been. We want to sincerely thank you for all of your support and sticking with us through another great year. We hope you and yours have a wonderful and safe holiday season. We will meet again next year. Don’t forget that our next weekly newsletter will be released on Tuesday next week instead of Monday.
Let’s take a moment to celebrate some great literary magazines who joined us for the first time, or maybe yet again, in 2023. And we want to thank all of the journals who continue to stay with us, too. Check out our full featured listings of these great literary magazines here.
Cutthroat is a print and online journal devoted to publishing high-quality poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction from well-known as well as previously unpublished authors. The Sunlight Press, a nonprofit literary journal, publishes new and established voices in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reviews, craft essays, and photography twice weekly online. HEART is an annual print and electronic journal published by Nostalgia Press that features prose poetry.
Last Leaves Magazine is an online and print publication devoted to publishing quirky, raw, and beautiful poetry and art. The Decadent Review is a l’art pour art non-commercial publication focusing on poetry, criticism, literature, art, and the abstract. New Note Poetry is an online quarterly magazine that features bold poets and their verses as they believe poetry is the jazz of the written word. Viewless Wings features interviews on their website and you can listen to their issues with their podcast which also features interviews, submitted poetry, and more.
The Palisades Review is a print and online journal celebrating short form nonfiction. The Dawn Review is an international literary magazine that promotes the surprising, the genre-bending, and the overwhelmingly human. LIGHT is focused on how we might reimagine public health as art, letters, stories, poetry, and whatever else the public feels is necessary to surprise us with. While Minerva Rising Press did decide to shut down their print publication, they are keeping their online publication going. The Keeping Room is an online magazine for all women writers and artists publishing work on topics related to Women’s Wisdom, Lessons Learned, Self-care, Bodies, Relationships, and Community.
Posit is an online journal of carefully curated poetry, prose, and art that is innovative, thoughtful, well-crafted, and challenging. The Midwest Quarterly is a print journal based out of Pittsburg State University and publishing scholarly articles and poetry. Rivanna Review is a quarterly print literary journal and cable TV monthly in Charlottesville, Virginia, on the Rivanna River. Cool Beans Lit publishes the best fiction, nonfiction, poetry, visual art, and photography that is challenging, thoughtful, experimental, eclectic, and emotional.
An independent press since 2010, Hypertext Magazine (online) and Hypertext Review (print) are the publishing initiatives of Chicago-based Hypertext Magazine & Studio (HMS). Formerly known as Crazyhorse, swamp pink publishes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction semi-monthly online. An annual online literary journal, Mistake House Magazine juxtaposes work by both student and professional writers and artists. The Howl is an online platform for high-school-age creators. We publish and amplify a wide variety of written and multimedia content that whirls out of the unique storms that young people brave.
If you love learning about new literary journals, don’t forget to check out Editor Denise Hill’s New Lit on the Block series. You can also catch up on the latest issues of these journals at the Magazine Stand. Recently featured issues include Blink-Ink #54 which is themed “Family” and features 28 works of approximately 50 words each. You can also discover more about The Gettysburg Review’s final issue which is available for preorder only. Come back to the Magazine Stand throughout the week to learn more about Zhagaram Literary Magazine, Cool Beans Lit’s Winter 2023 issue, and Spoon River Poetry Review’s Winter 2023 issue.
NewPages Blog
Stay caught up at our blog. There you can take in short reviews, new issues of literary magazines, along with new and forthcoming titles.
Get more recommendations from our reviewers! Jami Macarty tackles Natalie Rice’s Scorch where there’s “a sense that the poems are “tethered” to an aftermath of “collapse,” and that though there may be “nothing / left here to burn,” there is reparation and rejuvenation taking place.” Macarty also reviews T. Liem’s Twice which contains poems that swing on the hinges of “asking and repeating” the question: “[W]hat will carry you through what hurt you?” Meanwhile Kevin Brown reviews Chetna Maroo’s Western Lane, a quiet and concise novel.
Comeback to the blog during the week for a review of Continuity Errors by Catriona Wright. You can also learn more about Spalding University’s new virtual residency option!
Calls, Contests, & More
Here are the latest and featured calls for submissions and writing and book contests. Our gift to you this year is having this section free in this newsletter. If you would like to keep access to this information in the new year, do consider upgrading your subscription!
Calls for Submissions
RCC MUSE art + literary journal – poetry and prose submissions open
Extended Deadline: January 31, 2024
MUSE is especially looking to publish work from under- or misrepresented groups, such as people of color, disabled people, LGBTQ+, present/formerly incarcerated people, and others from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. Through JAN 31: submit one short story or CNF 1500 words max; up to three poems. Mail to RCC MUSE, Riverside City College, 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506 or email muse@rcc.edu. If email, send as attachment with “Last Name – Genre – Title of Submission” in the subject line (e.g., Smith – Prose – “In Summer”). Please include contact information. See full submission guidelines at our website.
Open Call for Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, & Craft Essays
Deadline: January 31, 2024
Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose publishes three issues each year: two online issues (Fall and Summer) and one print issue (Spring). Allium accepts simultaneous submissions, requests a maximum page length of five pages for poetry, fifteen pages (3,750 words, double-spaced, using a 12 pt. Times Roman font) for craft essays, fiction, hybrid, nonfiction, and creative nonfiction, and does not seek previously published work. We publish diverse creative voices, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse communities that have been underrepresented in literature, and recognized and emerging writers. Our submission period begins November 15 and ends January 31. Visit Submittable.
Kings River Review Call for 2-Year College Student Submissions
Deadline: March 15, 2024
The Kings River Review publishes artwork, creative nonfiction, short fiction, and poetry of current 2-year community college students. Submission Deadlines: March 15 for the spring issue and October 15 for the fall issue. Submission Requirements: up to 5 pieces of artwork and photography sent as .JPEG files; creative nonfiction and fiction of up to 3,000 words; and up to 5 poems. Go to our website for full submission guidelines.
Ploughshares Regular Reading Period Open Until January
Deadline: January 15, 2024
Ploughshares' regular reading period is open until January 15, 2024. We accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including translations. See our guidelines and how to submit here. Current subscribers submit for free!
Sky Island Journal: Issue 27 Call for Submissions
Deadline: December 31, 2023
Sky Island Journal is an independent, international, free-access, quarterly literary journal publishing the finest poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction. Accomplished, well-established authors appear side-by-side with fresh, emerging voices. We provide over 125,000 readers in 145 countries with a powerful, focused, advertising-free literary experience that transports them: one that challenges them intellectually and moves them emotionally. Our average response time is 9 days, and we have a family of over 800 contributors. Every submission receives a prompt, respectful response detailing what we appreciated. Enjoy our previous issues, and submit to our stunning Issue 27 before midnight (MST) on December 31st at our website.
#Ranger Magazine Seeks Experimental Writing, Art, and Poetry
Deadline: Rolling
#Ranger Magazine is seeking all forms of experimental writing, art, photography, and poetry (i.e. anything completely undefinable and/or uncategorizable). We publish work no mainstream outfit will touch, and give voice to the weird, wacky, and self-indulgent. Please submit your work here.
Mistake House Magazine Call for Submissions
Deadline: March 20, 2024
Mistake House Magazine invites submissions of fiction, poetry, and photography by students currently enrolled in graduate or undergraduate colleges and universities worldwide. We seek thoughtful work that speaks to the heart in a complex global context. Submission window: October 15, 2023 to March 20, 2024. Submission fee: $5. Guidelines at our website.
Explore more calls for submissions:
Club Plum. January 2024 Issue. Flash fiction, flash nonfiction, lyric essays, prose poetry. No fee. Deadline: December 25, 2023.
Girls Right the World. Issue Eight. Poetry, prose, visual art. No fee. Deadline: December 30, 2023. *Open to girls and young, gender-expansive writers and artists, ages 14–21.*
Valley Voices. Spring 2024: The Southern Crossroads. Poetry, creative nonfiction, critical essays. No fee. Deadline: December 30, 2023.
Midnight Mind Magazine. Issue 7. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, cross-genre, graphic narratives, interviews, reviews, translations, art, photography. No fee. Deadline: December 31, 2023.
Doubly Mad. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography. No fee. Deadline: January 1, 2024.
Jokes Review. Found Art, Collage, & Cut-up Method work. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, cross-genre, interviews, reviews, art, photography. No fee. Deadline: January 1, 2024.
table//FEAST Literary Magazine. Issue 3. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, art, photography. No fee. Deadline: January 3, 2024.
Blink-Ink. Issue 55: Money. Fiction. No fee. Deadline: January 15, 2024.
great weather for MEDIA. Annual Anthology. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre, dramas. No fee (Tip Jar Submissions available). Deadline: January 15, 2024.
a Dance Mag. The Structure Issue & The Flow Issue. Nonfiction, poetry, interviews, translations. No fee. Deadline: January 25, 2024.
Awakenings Review. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography. No fee. Deadline: Year-round. *Must have personal connection to mental illness*
Blue Mountain Review. Prose, poetry, music, visual art. $5 fee. Deadline: Year-round.
Driftwood Press. Fiction, poetry, comics, art, photography, full-length poetry collections, novellas. Fee varies. Deadline: Year-round.
Emerald City. Fiction, cross-genre, graphic narratives. No fee. Deadline: Year-round.
New Verse News. Current events poetry. No fee. Deadline: Year-round.
Palooka. Chapbook manuscripts, fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art, photography, graphic narratives, comic strips. $3 fee (magazine submissions); $8 fee (chapbook submissions). Payment: Copies. Deadline: Year-round.
The Sucarnochee Review. Spring 2024 issue. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. No fee. Deadline: Year-round.
Writing & Book Contests
2024 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction
Deadline: December 31, 2023
The 2024 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction will be awarded to an outstanding, unpublished collection of short stories. Reading Fee: $30. Award: $1,000 cash advance, publication, and 53 copies. To Enter: Submit online with Submittable or by mail from September 1–December 31, 2023. Press 53 short fiction editor Claire V. Foxx will serve as the only judge. Winner and finalists announced by May 1, 2024; advance review copies sent to major reviewers and outlets; publication in May 2025. Complete details at the Press 53 website.
2024 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
Deadline: January 31, 2024
Submissions are now being accepted for the 11th Saroyan Prize. The awards, co-sponsored by Stanford Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation, are intended to encourage new or emerging writers and honor the Saroyan legacy of originality, vitality, and stylistic innovation. Two prizes of $5,000 each are given for works of fiction and nonfiction. Writers who have published four books or more are ineligible. Submit five copies of your work published between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, with a $50 entry fee by January 31, 2024. Visit our website for complete eligibility and submission details.
The swamp pink Prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, & Poetry
Deadline: January 31, 2024
Formerly known as the Crazyhorse Prizes, the swamp pink Prizes award $2,000 and publication to a story, essay, and poem. From January 1 to 31, submit a story or essay of up to 25 pages or a set of 1–3 poems via Submittable. Judges for each genre can be viewed on our website. The entry fee is $20; all entries will be considered for publication. Submit here.
Seeking Submissions for Poetry Chapbook Prize
Deadline: December 31, 2023
The winner of The Headlight Review’s 2024 Poetry Chapbook Prize Contest will receive publication (a perfectly bound book with a full color or black/white cover), an award of $500, and 25 copies of the book. A list of finalists will be announced sixty days after the close of submissions. All manuscripts will be judged blindly. The finalists who make it through the first round will be judged by esteemed poet Valerie A. Smith.
2024 Bill Hickok Humor Award
Deadline: February 28, 2024
I-70 Review announces the Bill Hickok Humor Award for a poem. The winner receives $1,000,and the poem will appear in I-70 Review 2024. Submit one to three poems with a $15 entry fee via email. Reading period: Jan 1 to Feb 28. No submissions before January 1. Submissions will be eligible for publication in I-70 Review. The judge is Alice Friman. For more info visit our website.
2024 Colorado Prize for Poetry
Deadline: January 14, 2024
$2,500 honorarium and book publication: Submit book-length collection of poems to the Colorado Prize for Poetry by January 14, 2024 (we will observe a 5-day grace period). $25 reading fee (add $3 to submit online) includes subscription to Colorado Review. Final judge is Brenda Shaughnessy; friends and students (current or former) of the judge are not eligible to compete, nor are Colorado State University employees, students, or alumni. Complete guidelines at our website or Colorado Prize for Poetry, Center for Literary Publishing, 9105 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-9105.
2024 New American Poetry Prize
Deadline: January 15, 2024
Winner receives $1,500 honorarium and book publication. Submit full-length collection of poems by January 15, 2024. Reading fee: $25. Final judge is Nikki Wallschlaeger, author of Waterbaby (Copper Canyon 2021), Crawlspace (Bloof 2017), and Houses (Horseless Press 2015) as well as the graphic book I Hate Telling You How I Really Feel (Bloof 2019). Complete guidelines at our website.
Explore more writing & book contests
The Twin Bill. Second Annual Baseball Lit Contest. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. $10 fee. Prize/genre: $100, engraved baseball trophy, and publication. Deadline: December 30, 2023.
Burnside Review Press. Book Contest. Poetry. $25 fee. Prize: $1,000, book publication, 10 author copies. Deadline: December 31, 2023.
Gemini Magazine. 14th Poetry Open. Poetry. $9 fee. First Prize: $1,000 and online publication. Deadline: January 2, 2024.
Driftwood Press. In-House Contests. Short fiction, poetry. $25 fee for poetry, $30 fee for fiction. First Prize for Fiction: $400, publication, 5 copies of anthology. First Prize for Poetry: $300, publication, 5 copies of anthology. Deadline: January 15, 2024.
CAPTRs. Universe of Threats Natural Disaster Writing Contest. Fiction. No fee. Grand Prize: $5,000 and online publication. Deadline: January 31, 2024.
Roanoke College. High School Fiction and Poetry Contest. Fiction, poetry. No fee. First Prize: $100 and publication in Roanoke Review. Deadline: January 31, 2024.
After Happy Hour Review. After Happy Hour Contest Themed Animals. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre. $10 fee. Prize: Percentage of entry fees and publication. Deadline: February 15, 2024.
I-70 Review. Bill Hickok Humor Award. Poetry. $15 fee. Prize: $1,000 and publication. Deadline: January 1 – February 28, 2024.
Orison Books. Orison Prizes. Fiction, poetry. $25 fee. Prize/genre: $1,500 and book publication. Judges: Ellen Bass, Kaveh Akbar. Deadline: April 4, 2024.
Find more great calls and contests on our website.
The NewPages Classified section is updated throughout the week giving you news and info on the latest contest and calls.
Writing Conferences & Events
Poetry and Art in Italy!
Deadline: Until filled—only ten spots left
Workshop and retreat on the secluded estate of a former monastery. Daily writing prompts, lessons, and opportunities to make art. Most mornings, we’ll venture out to visit nearby Umbrian hilltowns and landmarks. Afternoons, we’ll retreat to the coolness and solitude of La Romita School of Art, where, after a legendary meal prepared by our hosts, we’ll write and/or try our hand at art-journaling techniques. Poet Emily Ransdell and artist Mellisa Grace Young create a welcoming environment for participants at all skill levels. Unforgettable! August 16-26, 2024. Visit website to learn more.