When Lit Calls Your Name
NewPages Newsletter #218: 180 submission opportunities, recommended reading, & new issues of lit mags
Happy Monday, and happy Presidents Day!
If you’re lucky enough to have the day off from work or school, congratulations—I hope you’ve spent it doing something restorative. Maybe that means treating yourself, or maybe it just means finally tackling that stubborn pile of dishes (no judgment; we’ve all been there).
If you’re looking for something to wind down with this evening, catch up on good reading and fresh submission opportunities with NewPages.
And since February is already half over, keep an eye out for our special monthly eLitPak newsletter arriving in your inbox this Wednesday.
In recommended reading: Twisted River Review is a brand-new journal that will open to submissions for its first issue on March 1. This Midwestern-focused literary magazine has released a special editors’ edition so you can get a sense of what they’re looking for.
Particularly enjoyable is M.M. Porter’s poem “Manners,” because who among us hasn’t wanted to skip the torture of brushing our hair (a wild mane is sometimes necessary to ward off unwanted attention, of course).
Also in the Alternative section, don’t miss Hillary Danaher’s “Vanquish,” a striking text‑and‑image collage that layers bright pressed flowers with overlapping handwritten fragments — sharp, contradictory, and impossible to ignore. Across the entire piece, bold red lettering declares, “You speak so loudly I can’t hear what you say,” capturing the feeling of being overwhelmed by noise, emotion, or someone else’s intensity. It’s visually loud, intentionally chaotic, and a compelling example of how alternative formats can deepen meaning in ways plain prose or poetry can’t.
📩 If this email gets cut off, click ‘View Entire Message’ at the bottom or head to Substack to read the full newsletter!
📚 Magazine Stand
Love reading a wide variety of work? Drop by the Magazine Stand to explore the latest issues from literary journals across the spectrum and around the world.
The Lake – February 2026
The February issue of The Lake features new poems by Clive Donovan, Tom Kelly, Andy Humphrey, Fish Lu, Dana Holley Maloney, Bruach Mhor, Kate Noakes, Fred Pollack, Fiona Sinclair, and Rachel Wild. It also includes book reviews—highlighting Charles Rammelkamp on Dementia Lyrics—and “One Poem Reviews” from five contemporary poets.
The Missouri Review – Winter 2025
The Missouri Review Winter 2025 issue, themed “Strange Bedfellows,” features the 2025 Perkoff Prize winners, debut fiction by Jeanne Rogow and Laura Dedmon, new work from Rachel Lastra, William Virgil Davis, Sascha Feinstein, essays by Lauren Fath and Askold Melnyczuk, plus an interview with Curtis Sittenfeld and cover art by Yelena Bryksenkova.
The Midwest Quarterly – Winter 2026
The Midwest Quarterly Winter 2026 issue, themed “Authenticity in the AI Age,” features essays by Michael Hogan, David Ebenbach, Heather Walters, Samantha Schubert, Chad Owsley, and others, plus an interview with ChatGPT. The issue also includes sixteen new poems by Roland Sodowsky, introduced by Laura Lee Washburn.
Coming Soon
Baltimore Review Winter 2026, The Fool’s World, and Posit Issue 41 keep an eye out for these upcoming releases; we’ll share highlights in future newsletters!
🌟Sponsor Spotlight: The Beautiful Pause Prize
The Beautiful Pause Prize 2026, offered by Press Pause Press, awards $1,000 and print publication to an outstanding nonfiction manuscript by a writer aged 18 or older. A runner‑up receives $500 and publication of an excerpt in a biannual print volume. Submissions of nonfiction manuscripts or pitches are open through May 1, 2026. Writers are encouraged to review the full guidelines for details and pitching tips before submitting. Press Pause, a quiet literary magazine committed to reflection rather than social media, publishes biannual volumes, annual prize manuscripts, and select books.
🖋️ Inspiration Prompt: When the Devil Calls Your Name: Auditory Illusions Part II
Growing up in a multigenerational household means inheriting more than hand‑me‑down furniture—you inherit stories. In my case, an aunt just eighteen years older filled the house with vampires, werewolves, and the witchy wolf lore of rural Michigan. One story always stuck:
If you’re lost in the woods and hear someone call your name, never respond to the first call. Unnatural things only call once.
I thought of that rule again while watching Sand Sea, where “black‑haired snakes” learn to mimic human voices. In earlier adaptations, they could only echo names. In this one, they’ve evolved—they can mimic entire sentences.
That evolution—from crude imitation to perfect replication—felt eerily familiar. Technology does it. Memories do it. Trauma does it. Even our own writing does it sometimes: a voice close enough to sound true, but not quite ours.
Your Challenge
That tension is your starting point. Write a piece—story, poem, essay, script fragment, comic, song, or hybrid—about a voice that sounds like it belongs to someone familiar… but doesn’t.
Some writers may want to explore a childhood rule about answering voices in the dark, or the mechanics of mimicry itself—an animal, an echo, an AI, a spell, a hallucination that almost convinces. Others might go toward grief: a voice that returns after loss, recognizable in every way except the one that matters. Or flip it entirely—what if the mimic is incompetent? The world’s worst supernatural impostor, who can copy words but not warmth, cadence, presence.
And then there’s the darkest version: a character who discovers their own voice has been replicated so perfectly that the people closest to them can no longer tell the difference. What do you do when the imitation becomes the record?
Where does the boundary lie between a voice you trust and a voice you only want to trust?
Write into that uncertainty.
Looking for more inspiration? Stop by our Weekly Roundup of Submission Opportunities for more prompts.
🏬 Bookstore Updates
Indie bookstores are vibrant community hubs—hosting readings, story times, book clubs, and the kinds of gatherings that make a place feel like home. Want to join in? Explore our Guide to Independent Bookstores to discover one near you.
Are you an author looking to promote a new book, schedule events, or connect with local booksellers? We’ve been steadily updating our bookstore mailing lists since the start of the new year and continue refreshing them year‑round. They’re a great resource when you’re ready to reach out.
Calls, Contests, & More
Ready to submit your work or attend a literary event? We’ve got 180 total opportunities waiting for you this week!
New from Jerboa Lit: Mini Contests!
Registration Deadline: February 27, 2026
Announcing a new mini-contest from Jerboa Lit! On Friday, February 27, we’ll pull a random prompt from our Video Hat that includes a genre and a character. You’ll have the weekend (until 11:59 pm CT on Sunday, March 1) to write a 250-word story based on the prompt. Winners are announced just 1 month later, and first place will take home $500! There is a $15 entry fee, but Community Passes are available for writers in need—just email us! Check out our contest page for more info.
6th Annual Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize
Deadline: March 3, 2026
$20 ENTRY FEE. Submissions open Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026. Deadline Tuesday March 3, 2026. The 6th Annual Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize is awarded for an outstanding first chapter of an unpublished novel. First prize is $1,000; 2nd is $500; and 3rd is $250. The prize is open internationally to anyone over 18 writing a novel in English in any genre for adult or YA readers (fiction only). Winners will be announced Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Learn more here.
Sand Hills Literary Magazine Call for Submissions! (50th Anniversary Issue)
Deadline: March 8, 2026
Sand Hills Literary Magazine, in print since 1973, is now open for its 50th anniversary issue! We are a national publication based in Augusta, Georgia, accepting prose, poetry, and art from emerging and established writers and artists in the United States. We are also accepting submissions for our annual poetry and prose contests judged by the Sand Hills editorial team. Winning entries in each category receive $500 and publication in the issue. The deadline for general and contest submissions is March 8th, 2026. Learn more here. We look forward to reviewing your work.
🔔 About Place Journal Call for Submissions: The Ground Beneath Us
Deadline: March 10, 2026
Each issue of About Place Journal, the arts publication of the Black Earth Institute, focuses on a specific theme. From January 1st to March 10th we’ll be accepting submissions for our Spring 2026 issue The Ground Beneath Us: Place, Power, and Resistance. Our mission: to have art address the causes of spirit, earth, and society; to protect the earth; and to build a more just and interconnected world. We publish prose, poetry, visual art, photography, video, and music which fit the current theme. More about this issue’s theme and our submission guidelines at our website.
🔔 2026 ABLE MUSE CONTESTS :: SUBMIT NOW
Deadline: March 15 (Write Prize); March 31 (Book Award)
Able Muse’s writing contests are now open! WRITE PRIZE (poetry & fiction): $500 each + publication. Final Judges: Catherine Tufariello (poetry), Tobias Carroll (fiction); $15 entry; deadline: March 15, 2026. BOOK AWARD (poetry): $1000 + book publication. Final Judge: Annie Finch; $25 entry; deadline: March 31, 2026. Visit our website for details.
🔔 Cloudbank 20 Poetry/Flash Fiction Contest—New Deadline
Deadline: March 15, 2026
A prize of $500 will be awarded for one poem or flash fiction (up to 1000 words) appearing in Cloudbank 20. All contest submissions will be considered for publication. The $15 entry fee includes a two-issue subscription to the journal. Submissions accepted via Submittable or by mail. Find complete guidelines here. For information about past issues, including winning poems in those journals, visit Cloudbank. Revive us with your fire.
National Baseball Poetry Festival Call for Submissions
Deadline: Noon, March 27, 2026
The National Baseball Poetry Festival invites submissions of poems that deal with any aspect of the gamesmanship, nature, and atmosphere of Baseball and/or Softball, for example: opening day, ballpark food, childhood memories, first pitch, athletic heroes, uniforms, ball parks, Little League, dugout chatter, the season of the game, etc. No restriction on form. Poets may submit one (1) poem for consideration, which should fit on a single page. The thematic views of baseball/softball and the game will be given wide interpretation by the judge(s). Submissions are free. For full submission guidelines, please visit our website.
2026 National Indie Excellence© Awards
Deadline: March 31, 2026
The 2026 National Indie Excellence© Awards (NIEA) are open to all English language printed books currently for sale including self-published authors, small to midsize independent publishers, and university presses. Now in our twentieth year, NIEA is a proud champion of self and independent publishing and authors of all genres who produce books of excellence and distinction. Eligible books must have been published within the two calendar years prior to our deadline. Please visit our website for more information about our prizes, awards, and how to submit.
🔔 New Short Story Contest - Cash Prizes and Publication!
Deadline: March 31, 2026
The PING Anthology Short Story Contest is now open for submissions! PING stands for Personal Inter-Consciousness Nuance Gauge. Our short story contest is around the theme of a futuristic app (called PING) that can tell you in real time how many people are thinking about you, and if they’re thinking about you with love or fear-related emotions. The Premium version can tell you the names of those who are thinking about you. We offer three cash prizes ($500/ $250/ $150), and the top 25 submissions will be published in our Anthology. Word count 1,000-3,000 words. Due March 31, 2026. Visit website.
2026 Prime Number Magazine Awards
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Prime Number Magazine are given annually for a poem and a short story. Two runners-up in each category receive $250 each and publication. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to three pages or a short story of up to 5,300 words with a $15 entry fee by March 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
New American Voices Award for Immigrant Writers
Deadline: March 31, 2026
The New American Voices Award is a $5,000 post-publication book prize from Fall for the Book and the Institute for Immigration Research, which recognizes prose works that illuminate the complexity of the human experience as told by immigrants. Two finalists each will receive $1,000. All finalists will appear at the Fall for the Book Festival in October 2026. $20 entry fee. Previous winners include Shubha Sunder, Shahnaz Habib, Rachel Heng, and Sindya Bhanoo. Visit website to learn more.
Submit to Ploughshares’ Emerging Writers’ Contest!
Deadline: March 31, 2026 at 12PM EST
Ready to be discovered? Submit your fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to the Emerging Writers’ Contest between February 1 and March 31 for the chance to see your work in print. Winners receive $2,000, publication in Ploughshares, and a conversation with the literary agency Aevitas Creative Management. Learn more here.
Write at Jack Kerouac’s Residency in Orlando for Seven Weeks
Deadline: April 14, 2026
Write where Jack Kerouac wrote The Dharma Bums. The Kerouac Project residency of Orlando, FL offers the house to yourself, $600 grocery stipend, utilities paid. Finish your project in seven weeks. Six time slots available per year. We accept: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Plays, Screenplays. Fiction and Nonfiction can be in graphic narrative form if preferred. Applications due April 14, 2026, but we’ve been known to extend it. Learn more and apply here.
Read ALOCASIA: A Journal of Queer Planty Writing!
Deadline: Rolling
ALOCASIA is an online literary journal of queer creative writing about plants, nature, and horticulture. Based in the United States, we publish writing from both established and emerging writers around the world in all genres. We publish traditional work, as well as the weird, erotic, explicit, and anti-colonial. Our writers are celebratory, fierce, wounded, loving, and rebellious. Come visit our garden on the web. Also, we would love to read your work, click here for submission information.
JackLeg Press is Looking for the Next Great Thing
Deadline: Rolling
JackLeg Press seeks bold, vibrant, authentic writers. Is that you? We’d love to find out. We focus on poetry, short fiction collections, select novels & creative nonfiction. Query us today!
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.
Want access to the full list of opportunities and upcoming events? Upgrade to a paid subscription for exclusive early access to the full list of vetted and verified submission calls, writing contests, and events!
❧ Stay in Tune
Whether it’s finally stepping outside for some fresh air and reconnecting with a bookish community, or keeping that long‑made promise to spend more time with the people you love, stay in tune with that music playing in your head and, as always, keep writing words that matter.
— The NewPages Crew
