July 2019 Top Picks: Opportunities for Writers

The July 2019 edition of "Writing Life Essentials," a monthly hand-curated list of contests, grants, scholarships, submissions calls, and awards, with a focus on opportunities that are at least one of the following: local, free to apply, and/or committed to celebrating and supporting writers from historically marginalized communities. We do the research, so you have more time for what matters: the writing. Or, watching the fireworks. That matters too. 

Contests & Awards

Stone Canoe Literary Awards
Fee: $0; Award: $500; Deadline: July 8th

Each year, Stone Canoe literary magazine offers prizes to emerging writers and artists. They are seeking unpublished works of short fiction, creative nonfiction, short plays, poems, and works of visual art created by people who live or have lived in Upstate New York.

Narrative Magazine’s Eleventh Annual Poetry Contest
Fee: $25; Award: $1,500 and consideration for publication; Deadline: July 14th

Narrative Magazine seeks entries to their annual poetry contest. Entries must be unpublished and must not have been previously chosen as winners, finalists, or honorable mentions in other contests. Each entry may contain up to five poems.

Rattle Poetry Prize
Fee: $25; Award:$200-$10,000 and publication; Deadline: July 15th

The annual Rattle Poetry Prize offers $10,000 for a single poem to be published in the winter issue of the magazine. Ten finalists will also receive $200 each and publication, and be eligible for the $2,000 Readers’ Choice Award.

Fellowships, Conferences & Residencies

Fear No Lit’s Submerging Writer Fellowship
Fee: $0; Award: Publication, Honorarium, Conference Registration, Book Planning; Deadline: July 31st
The Submerging Writer Fellowship (SWF) from Fear No Lit will offer one writer chapbook publication, prize money, and more. Dedicated to the writers who feel left behind, down on their luck, and far from emerging, the SWF is here to pull one submerging writer out of the water. You’re eligible to apply if you have not yet had a book published, won no major awards/prizes, and currently not in an MFA/PhD program.

2020 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship
Fee: $0; Award: $5,00; Deadline: August 15th

This award is given to assist a children’s or young adult fiction author at a crucial moment in their career to complete a novel-in-progress.

Jobs & Work Experience

GrubStreet Internships
Deadline: July 16th at 5pm

GrubStreet is hiring interns for the Fall term. Areas interns are needed in include: YAWP, Development, Community Programs, and the Muse. 

Beacon Press Internships for People of Color
Deadline: July 31st
The Beacon Press Internships for People of Color program seeks to increase diversity and inclusiveness in the book publishing industry. Beacon Press offers internships in the Marketing, Publicity, Digital and Social Media, Production, and Editorial departments. 

Education Director Position at MassPoetry
Deadline: July 31st

MassPoetry is seeking to hire an expert manager and experienced educator with a passion for poetry to serve as the full-time Education Director. They will manage MassPoetry's unique suite of poetry programs, build robust partnerships with middle and high schools across the state, and oversee the expansion of our Poet-in-Residence program, among other responsibilities. 

Become a 826 Boston Writers’ Room Fellow
Deadline: N/A

 826 Boston is looking for mission-driven change-makers to join the Writers’ Room Fellowship as AmeriCorps members for the 2019-2020 school year. The Writers’ Room Fellowship is an 11-month service program, beginning on Monday, August 5, 2019. Current openings are K-8 Program Specialist, HS Program Specialist, and Community Engagement Specialist.

Hackett Publishing Company Production Editor
Deadline: N/A

Hackett Publishing Company is seeking a highly organized, disciplined, and self-motivated Production Editor. The Production Editor will coordinate all aspects of the production process, from manuscript to bound book and ebook. This position is suitable for a skilled person with experience in print and ebook production. Must be able to work full business hours from their Cambridge office.

Page Street Publishing  Editorial Assistant
Deadline: N/A

Page Street Publishing is looking for a particularly smart, responsible and organized assistant to join their picture book editorial team. The editorial assistant will work closely with the picture book publisher leading up to and while she is on maternity leave, as well as oversee the picture book submissions inbox.

GrubStreet Finance Assistant
Deadline: N/A

GrubStreet seeks a part-time Finance Assistant to support the daily operations of the finance department, including running accounts payable and receivable, managing monthly reporting, and other administrative duties to support the CFO/COO. We encourage POC, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and other communities historically underrepresented in arts administration spaces to apply.

General Submissions

Submit to Gay Magazine!
Fee: $0; Deadline: August 17th 

Gay is a new publication partnership between Roxane Gay and Medium. They are accepting work for their ‘Pain’ theme. The guidelines say: “What hurts you? How do you deal with hurt and suffering? How have you hurt others or yourself? How do you negotiate the suffering of others?” 

Submissions to Bull City Press's Chapbook
Fee: pay what you want; Deadline: July 5th

Bull City Press accepts manuscripts of poetry, fiction (particularly flash fiction), and creative nonfiction for their Summer 2019 Chapbook Open Reading Period. Poetry submissions should be between 18-30 pages, single-spaced. Fiction and creative nonfiction submissions should be between 30-60 pages, double-spaced.

Submissions to Virginia Quarterly Review
Fee: $0; Deadline: July 31st

VQR seeks submissions for their online and print publications. They are accepting poetry of all types and lengths, short fiction (2,000-8,000 words), and nonfiction (3,500-9,000 words). Works of genre fiction (romance, science fiction, fantasy) and nonfiction memoirs will generally not be accepted. Work printed in VQR is paid, at varying rates.

Submissions to The Rupture
Fee: $0; Deadline: July 31st

The Rupture, published once every two months, seeks original fiction, poetry, and essays of a broad range of styles.

F(r)iction Literary Magazine Short Fiction Submissions
Fee: $5; Award:$10 page and a free printed copy; Deadline: Rolling

F(r)iction literary magazine seeks submissions of short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, flash fiction, and comics. The fee is $5 dollars per submission, and submission is year-round.

F(r)iction Blog Submissions
Fee: $0; Award: Publication; Deadline: Rolling

F(r)iction is looking for submissions. Book/literary journal reviews, comics, essays, and imaginative projects like cosplays/drawings are welcome.

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