Category Archives: Calls For Submissions

Poetry Added to Annual Contest

South 85 Journal is adding POETRY to it’s summer literary contest this year with a $500 cash award. Our inaugural poetry judge is Denise Duhamel.

Full details, including information for the Flash Fiction contest, can be found below and on the South 85 Journal website.  Deadline for contest submissions is August 1st, 2020.


JULIA PETERKIN LITERARY CONTEST HONORS SOUTH CAROLINIAN AUTHOR
Winners in Each Genre will Receive $500 Prize Each

South 85 Journal, Converse College MFA program’s online literary journal, is adding poetry to it’s annual Julia Peterkin summer literary contest.

As in past years, the contest honors South Carolinian author Julia Peterkin, an1896 graduate of Converse College whose novel, Scarlet Sister Mary, received the Pulitzer in 1929.

Submissions are open from June 1 through August 1. One winner in each genre will receive a cash prize of $500 and four runners-up in each genre will be named and published alongside the winning selection in the Fall / Winter issue of South 85 Journal. Only the winners will receive a cash award.

Contest readers, composed of seasoned writers and MFA students, will review submissions and forward them to the presiding judges. Converse College MFA faculty member Marlin Barton will make the final selections for the Flash Fiction award and Converse College MFA faculty member Denise Duhamel will make the final selection for the Poetry award. All submissions will be read blind.

Submit your previously unpublished fiction of 850 words or less for consideration in the Flash Fiction contest or up to three previously unpublished poems of 50 lines or fewer for consideration in the Poetry contest.

For more information or to submit, visit the contest page on Submittable at https://south85.submittable.com/submit/118884/julia-peterkin-award-for-flash-fiction-500-prize.

10 More WordPress-Hosted Sites Accepting Poetry

Allegheny Review:  The Allegheny Review, now entering its 32nd year of publication, is one of America’s few nationwide literary magazines dedicated exclusively to undergraduate works of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and artwork. Published annually, the periodical showcases some of the best literature the nation’s undergraduates have to offer.

Burning House Press: Burning House Press is born from a community arts ethos and focus. We seek to cultivate spaces where people feel safe and encouraged to explore and express their creativity. We hold a belief in the power of creativity, and share a faith in the fundamental connectivity of all peoples, especially as expressed through the commonality and community of multi-disciplinary arts. We believe that capitalism and its attendant profit culture is a public health issue, affecting us all on the level of our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health and well-being.

Calamus Journal: A monthly publication of poetry and visual art. The journal is named after the “Calamus” poems, a group of male-male love poems from Walt Whitman’s collection Leaves of Grass. We seek work that stuns with what it has to say as well as how it says it. We like treatises on identity, mixtures of the literary and scientific, and form as function. We have zero tolerance for xenophobia or bigotry of any sort. For more information about who we are and what we’re all about, check out our interview with Jim Harrington of the “Six Questions for…” project.

Echo Literary Magazine: Submit work via Microsoft Word as an attachment including the cover letter. All submissions must be emailed no later than the 28th of each month to echoliteraryjournal@gmail.com. If your story is accepted or rejected you will receive an email. Deadlines for stories: 28th of each month. ALL RIGHTS: The right to own your work. You are free to reprint your material or to sell it elsewhere after publication.

Eyes+ Words: Words have immense power and, when used responsibly, they can help shape the world in hopes to make a better tomorrow. Let’s come together and share a story or two. Please feel free to share your original poetry/stories and we will gladly post them on our website, full credit will be given. Email us: EyesPlusWords@gmail.com

The Green Light: publishes multiple times a year.  We accept submissions on a rolling basis, but we will provide deadlines for each issue. Sprinkled amongst our regular issues will be a few fantastic special issues.

Gulf Stream Literary Magazine: Publishing emerging and established writers of exceptional fiction, nonfiction and poetry since 1989. We also publish interviews and book reviews. Past contributors include Sherman Alexie, Steve Almond, Jan Beatty, Lee Martin, Robert Wrigley, Dennis Lehane, Liz Robbins, Stuart Dybek, David Kirby, Ann Hood, Ha Jin, B.H. Fairchild, Naomi Shihab Nye, F. Daniel Rzicznek, and Connie May Fowler. Gulf Stream Magazine is supported by the Creative Writing Program at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

Little Patuxent Review: Little Patuxent Review is a community-based publication focused on writers and artists from the Mid-Atlantic region, but all excellent work originating in the United States will be considered.Although our issues are organized around themes, we allow considerable leeway in how contributors interpret them in order to ensure access to the broadest range of high-quality work.

Wild Goose Poetry Review is an online journal of poetry, reviews, and poetry-related news, edited by Scott Owens, located in North Carolina. To facilitate further conversation about the poetry in the Goose, Wild Goose posts commentary by the poets and invites readers to leave their comments as well. All comments are screened by the editors to insure appropriateness. The intention is to publish new issues of Wild Goose in mid February, mid May, mid August, and mid November. Reality, however, sometimes intercedes with such plans. Submissions for each issue close at the end of the month preceding publication.

Wolff Poetry Literary Journal: Now open to accepting poetry submissions— we publish poetry from unpublished or emerging poets. We will accept published pieces too. We don’t charge a reading fee, unsolicited pieces, and are open 365 days a year.

Want to add a wordpress-hosted literary journal to the list? Send a link to ZingaraPoet@gmail.com

10 WordPress-Hosted Literary Journals Accepting Poetry Submissions

  1. Dogwood – A Journal of Poetry and Prose: An annual national literary journal seeking works from writers during its fall reading period each year. We publish fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction of both contest winners and other writers in May of each year. The literary journal is produced by the faculty in the Department of English at Fairfield University, and Fairfield undergraduate students gain hands-on experience in helping to edit and produce the journal by taking EN 340: The World of Publishing or The World of Publishing II.
  2. The Magnolia Review The Magnolia Review was born in October 2011 by Bowling Green State University creative writing undergraduates. Suzanna Anderson is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder. Please visit the Submit tab for information on how to submit. While The Magnolia Review will not have physical copies at this time, the editors may compile a print version if funds become available. We publish two issues a year, deadlines on November 15 and May 15. The issue will be available January 15 and July 15 online.
                                                                             
  3. The Mantle: Founded in 2017, The Mantle is an online quarterly journal dedicated to contemporary poetry. We’ll publish the most memorable poems we receive. When the time comes, we’ll nominate for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Find our submission guidelines here.
                                                  
  4. Naugatuck River Review: This is a literary journal founded in order to publish and in doing so to honor good narrative poetry. We publish twice a year. Our first edition was Winter 2009.  A print issue will be available through this site for purchase. It will also be available for download. Publication rights will revert to the author of the poem and we do not pay for poetry published. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please inform us if your work is accepted elsewhere. Naugatuck River Review is dedicated to publishing narrative poetry in the tradition of great narrative poets such as Gerald Stern, Philip Levine or James Wright.
  5. Panoply, A Literary Zine: Join us here for a wide-ranging and impressive array of writing.
                                                        
  6. Peacock Journal: Have you ever been so attracted to something, you just wanted to be close to it? You just wanted to exist within the same space? Or have you ever seen something so beautiful you thought it might be a door to another world? And all you desired, with the entirety of your being, was to pass through that door, into that other place, and just exist there for a little while? It’s not a separate reality, it’s a heightened, more intense reality, fuller and more complete. Write that and send it to us. It’s really difficult. It’s far easier to write gritty and pedestrian. But try it. Send us something about water and wind and light and the interplay of harmonies between them.
  7. Pearl S. Buck Writing Center Literary Journal: See website for current submission guidelines.

  8. Quill’s Edge Press: QuillsEdge Press is dedicated to publishing the poetry of women over the age of 50. We offer an annual chapbook contest during the fall and winter, and beginning in 2017, an annual anthology of new, emerging, and established women poets called 50/50: Poems and Translations by Women Over 50.                                                                                              
  9. Seshat – A Homeschool Literary Magazine:  Submissions will be open until September 1, 2017. Please review the submission guidelines before submitting your pieces to our email. All pieces will be reviewed immediately upon being received.The inaugural issue of this journal is planned for release on September 15, 2017. Any further news regarding this new release will be updated as time passes.

  10. Sliver of Stone:   a nonprofit online literary magazine. Our editors are the talented progeny of the Creative Writing Program at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Our mission is to provide for a web-based environment for outstanding literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art from around the globe. We want to expand the influence of these genres beyond their traditionally academic audiences.

Want to add a wordpress-hosted literary journal to the list? Send a link to ZingaraPoet@gmail.com

Flash Fiction Contest – $500 Award

One week left to submit your best short fiction for the 2019 Julia Peterkin Award for Flash Fiction – $500 prize (ends August 15, 2019)
  • Previously unpublished fiction of 850 words or less are eligible for this contest. We are especially interested in stories that demonstrate a strong voice and/or a sense of place, but we consider all quality writing.
  • All submissions will be read blind, so do not include personal information with your submission. Submissions that include identifying information will not be considered.
  • We will select one winner to receive a cash prize of $500.
  • Four semi-finalists will be chosen for publication in South 85 Journal
  • Winners will be named in October.
  • All winning entries will be published in the Fall / Winter issue of South 85 Journal, which will be released December 15.
  • Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your entry if your piece is accepted elsewhere.
  • All winners must be over 18 years old and reside in the U.S. in order to claim their cash prize.
  • Please use double-spacing and a 12 point, standard font. We suggest Times New Roman. We consider only previously unpublished work.
  • Current and former staff members are not eligible for participation.
  • Current Converse College students and Converse College alumni are not eligible for participation.
  • SUBMIT HERE
South 85 Journal does not publish work which has been previously published either in print or online. Our reply time is typically six to eight weeks. We acquire exclusive first-time Internet rights only. All other rights revert to the author at publication, but we offer formal, written reassignments upon request. Works are also archived online. We ask that whenever an author reprints the work that first appeared in our pages, South 85 Journal be given acknowledgment for the specific work(s) involved. Only the main contest winner will receive a prize.

Call for Submissions – South 85 Journal

South 85 Journal is open for submission beginning today, August 1, 2019. South 85 Journal accepts poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction and is published online twice yearly. Please read past issues for a sense of our aesthetic.  Submission fees are waived from August 1-14 for early-bird submissions. Click here to read past issues and full submission guidelines.

Zingara Poetry Review – Call for Submissions

Submissions are open for Zingara Poetry Review. 

ZPR will feature particular groups of individuals in the upcoming months, so please take a look at the following preferences. If none of the categories below feel like a good fit for you, please submit your work for National Poetry Month when ZPR will be publishing a poem every day of the month.

August: Work by undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program (any discipline) or who have graduated within two years. CLOSED

September: Work by graduate students currently in a writing-related graduate program, including MFA, MA in English, etc.

October: Work by indigenous people, particularly Native Americans.

November: International Writers (anyone who isn’t living, or wasn’t born, in the United States).

December: Poets over 50

January: New and unpublished poets (0-3 single publications, no books or chapbooks)

February: African American/Black American Poets

March: Women only please!

April: Poetry Month – a poem will be published every day this month so send your best work early!

May: Poets who live WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI

June: LGBTQ

July: Editor Favorites

Guidelines:

  • Send 1-3 previously unpublished poems of 40 lines of fewer in the body of an email, any style, any subject, to ZingaraPoet@gmail.com with the submission category (e.g. Undergraduate Student) as the subject of your email.
  • Include a cover letter and brief professional biography of 50 words or fewer, also in the body of your email.
  • Submissions are accepted year round.
  • Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let me know immediately if submitted work is accepted elsewhere.
  • Published poets receive bragging rights and the chance to share their work with a diverse and ever-growing audience.
  • Submissions which do not follow these guidelines will be disregarded.
  • If accepted work is later published elsewhere, please acknowledge that the piece first appeared in Zingara Poetry Review.
  • There are no fees to submit, though you will be subscribed to the Zingara Poetry Review newsletter.
  • Check Zingara Poetry Review every week to read new poems, which are normally published by 9:00am Eastern Time.
  •  Zingara Poetry Review retains first digital rights, though rights revert back to the poet upon publication.

What I look for in a poem:

Like all editors, I like to see interesting poems that do what they do well. Whether traditional, conceptual, lyrical, or formal, they should exhibit the poet’s clear understanding of craft and, just as importantly, revision. Very elemental poems that have not undergone effective revision will probably not make the cut. Likewise, poems which are contrived, sacrifice meaning for the sake of rhyme, feel incomplete, do not risk sentimentality (or are too sentimental), or lack tension when tension is needed, will also be dismissed. I am a fan of rich, vivid imagery, cohesive discursiveness, and surprising metaphors. Finally, poems which perpetuate harmful stereotypes of gender, race, or class will most certainly not be considered.

For a very good discussion on the elements of effective poetry, take a look at Slushpile Musings by James Swingle, publisher and editor of Noneucildean Cafe’

Response time is 2 days to 6 months

First Digest of 2018 and OPEN SUBMISSIONS

Hello Dear Readers,

This is the first time I’ve had a minute to put together a digest since September. I’ve been negotiating a number of major life events, including a few health challenges and a career change. It’s been trying, but I’m the better for having gone through them and am happy to return once again to my passion project.

I am also happy to announce that submissions are once again open. In addition to taking poems for the weekly Zingara Poetry Pick, I am asking for poems to publish during National Poetry Month. If enough poems are received to post a poem every day, I will so. If not, I will just post however many I can. If, on the other hand, I receive more than I can fit into a month’s time, I will post them at other times of the year. So, please send your best work and tell all your poet friends. Open slots will fill quickly. Submission guidelines, which you should review, can be found here.  Please mention in your cover letter if you are submitting for National Poetry Month or for the regular feature.

Now on to this month’s fine selection of  truly wonderful poetry by talented poets who have generously shared their work and talent with Zingara Poetry Review.

Watch for February’s digest for a recap of January poems and definitely keep an eye out for more upcoming stunners.
Thanks everyone, and WRITE ON!!
Lisa

11 Literary Journals Seeking Work from Undergraduate Students

30 North Literary Review: 30 North is one of the few nationwide undergraduate literary journals in the country. We are dedicated to publishing the finest in undergraduate poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and artwork in our annual print journal. We also publish author interviews and reviews of contemporary literature conducted and written by our staff on our website.

ANGLES is a magazine that publishes brief prose and poetry that reveals distinct and important perspectives on ourselves and our world. We seek fresh, urgent writing that cares about language and pays close attention to it, that uses form and structure purposefully, and that isn’t afraid to take risks. We value traditions but are keen on challenging them. As a publication edited by undergraduates, we value and prioritize college-aged voices with distinct perspectives, and take pride in being among a writer’s first publications.

The Chimes accepts submissions from students, faculty, and alumni of Shorter University, as well as from undergraduate students enrolled at any college or university. All submissions must be original; plagiarism, whether accidental or purposeful, is unacceptable. The Chimes, having been part of Shorter University’s history for over 130 years, holds to the values upheld by the University. We withhold the right to reject any pieces submitted for publication that do not fit with the University’s mission (“Transforming Lives Through Christ”);

The Merrimack Review: We only accept submissions from current undergraduate (associate/bachelor’s) or graduate (master’s/PhD) students. Submissions should display a strong understanding of craft and cause readers to react, both emotionally and intellectually. They should be previously unpublished, meaning work that has not already appeared in another magazine, on another website, in a book, etc. Work that appeared on your personal blog is fine by us, but we have a preference for stuff the public hasn’t seen before.

Miscellany: The College of Charleston’s student-produced literary and art journal. Students are invited to submit their original artwork, poetry, photography and prose to be considered for publication. A student committee consisting of individuals selected by the editor-in-chief will meet during the beginning of each spring semester to select works for publication in Miscellany. The finished product is distributed to the campus community in April.

The Mochila Review: is an annual international undergraduate journal published with support from the English and Modern Languages department at Missouri Western State University. Our goal is to publish the best short stories, poems, and essays from the next generation of important authors: student writers. Our staff, comprised primarily of undergraduate students, understands the publishing challenges that emerging writers face and is committed to helping talented students gain wider audiences in the pages of The Mochila Review and on our website.

The Red Mud Review: The Red Mud Review is a student-organized literary magazine published by Austin Peay State University. The journal accepts poetry, fiction, essays, drama, and visual art by students currently enrolled in any university around the nation. Alumni of Austin Peay State University and other community members are also encouraged to submit.   Please, view our submission guidelines and browse through past issues to learn more about our journal.

Sagebrush Review: All college students may submit works of Poetry, Prose, Art, and Photography for consideration of publication in the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Literary and Arts Journal, Sagebrush Review Volume 12. Students may choose to submit for free, or may choose to pay a small nominal fee of $3 per submission to be considered for the “Editor’s Choice” award in the categories of visual arts (art and photography) and writing (poetry and prose). The winner of the visual arts category will have his or her artwork featured as the volume’s cover; the winner of the writing category will be on the first page, with acknowledgement.

Sink Hollow Literary Magazine: The site of a meteorological anomaly imparts its name to this journal. The sinkholes within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Logan Canyon produce the coldest temperatures in Utah – and often in the entire contiguous United States. The bottom of the sinks never goes more than four days without a freeze, even in midsummer. These pools of trapped nocturnal air can vary from the temperatures surrounding the sinks by as much as 70 degrees. It is so cold, trees do not grow there. We send our salutation from a desert climate valley at -69 degrees. Welcome to Sink Hollow.

Susquehanna Review: We’re interested in undergraduate writing with fresh language, complexity, strong character development, emotional resonance, and momentum. We want to read something we haven’t read before. We want your language to linger in us long after we’ve finished the piece. Please read past issues for examples of what we’re looking for. We accept fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, literary translations, and art.

Zingara Poetry Review is accepting submissions in December 2019 and January 2020 from poets who have no more than three individual publications to their name. Current undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to submit as are self-taught, new writers.  Poems will be published on Zingara Poetry Review during the month of January, 2020.

 

2016 Zingara Poetry Picks Complete

This morning, I selected the last poem for 2016’s Zingara Poetry Picks and am happy to report that this will be the first time in the site’s history that a poem will be posted for every week of the year. It also represents the achievement of a goal I have been chasing since re-visioning this project in 2010.

Zingara Poet is a labor of love, one that requires a lot of time which must be carved out of a of a busy life filled with such activities as grading papers, taking the cat to the vet, having the car repaired, paying taxes, fixing dinner, spending time with the husband, seeing the dentist, moving across country, finishing an MFA, and, oh yes, sleeping.

Still, I always approach the project with anticipation and always look forward to reading the submissions in my inbox. I am frequently impressed by the quality of work and often find myself contemplating a poem for several days — which often means my readers will, too. And because this year’s submissions have been so wonderfully awesome, I’ve lingered even longer than usual in making final selections.

Let me reiterate that previous point: This year’s submissions were truly wonderful. I am humbly grateful.

All this careful reading and busy life-living, however, imposes a longer wait-time for those who submit work. Some poets waited for as many as as eight months before hearing from me this year, and though no one has been unreasonably grumpy about this situation, I am looking into ways of cutting that wait-time down.

Firstly, there will be two submission periods for 2017. Poems submitted during the first submission period, August 15 to December 30, 2016, will be considered for the first half of 2017 (January – June, 2017). See submission guidelines for complete details.

Poems submitted during the second submission period, February 1 to April 30, 2017, will be considered for the second half of 2017 (July-December) 2017).

As always, I reserve the right to extend these submission periods.

Secondly, beginning August 1, (that’s today) I will be bringing an intern on board to help with administrative tasks, thus freeing me up to read and respond to submissions in a more timely manner. I will be introducing her to you in the next week or so.

Thirdly, well, there isn’t a definite third thing yet, though it is developing and involves a lot of brainstorming on my part. In any event, more great features and opportunities will be unveiled in the weeks and months ahead. Just know that I am moving toward making the project more visible and viable. Besides, building something carefully over time is preferable to doing too much too soon. Two big things can be enough for now.

Let me close by once again thanking all of this year’s contributors and readers. Zingara Poet means to be the change I wish to see in the publishing world. If you like the direction in which this project is moving, please submit your poems, subscribe to the site, and share widely with your friends.

Write On!

Submissions Open Today

Zingara Poetry Picks seeks submissions of previously unpublished poems (on-line or in print) of 40 lines or fewer for 2016 picks. New, emerging, and established poets are encouraged to submit and all submissions will be given careful consideration.

Please keep the following in mind when submitting your best poems:

  • Reading period for Zingara Poetry Picks is from August 15 to December 31st. Unless the deadline is extended, submissions received outside of this time period will not be acknowledged or considered. In fact, they will be deleted.
  • There is no fee to submit
  • Title of poem(s) should appear in the email subject line. Poems should be attached as word documents and mailed to zingarapoet@gmail.com
  • The body of the email should include a cover letter and a professional biography of 50 words or fewer written in the third person
  • Attach a word document with no more than three poems of 40 or fewer lines
  • Only one submission at a time (please wait to hear back before submitting more poems)
  • Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let ZingraPoet know immediately if submitted work is accepted elsewhere
  • ZingaraPoet does not accept previously published work
  • Published poets receive bragging rights and the chance to share their work with a diverse audience
  • Poets who are published on Zingara Poetry Pick should wait 24 months before submitting again
  • Do not submit if you have had a poem featured on Zingara Poetry Picks in the last 24 months.
  • Submissions which do not follow these guidelines will be deleted without acknowledgement
  • If accepted work is later published elsewhere, please acknowledge that the piece first appeared as a Zingara Poetry Pick.

What I look for in a poem:

Like all editors, I like to see interesting poems that do what they do well. Whether traditional, conceptual, lyrical, or formal, they should exhibit the poet’s clear understanding of craft and, just as importantly, revision. Very elemental poems that have not undergone effective revision will probably not make the cut. Likewise, poems which are contrived, sacrifice meaning for the sake of rhyme, feel incomplete, do not risk sentimentality (or are too sentimental), or lack tension when tension is needed, will also be dismissed. Finally, poems which perpetuate harmful stereotypes of gender, race, or class will most certainly not be considered.

For a very good discussion on the elements of effective poetry, take a look at Slushpile Musings by James Swingle, publisher and editor of Noneucildean Cafe’

A note on formatting: poems that contain lines which are flush with the left margin are more conducive to publication on a blog site than those which have unconventional indention or unusual margin settings. Likewise, poems which feature long lines may require additional line breaks or may require the right-scrolling function to be viewed in full.

Response time is 6 months.

New Submission Opportunity: South 85 Journal

Also, check out the summer 2014 issue: http://south85journal.com/issues/spring-summer-2014/

Blue Ships Banner Issue Now Available

The first monthly issue of Blue Ships Creative Arts Magazine is now available. Take a moment to peruse its digital pages for quality creative works from artists all over the country. In addition to literary works, this premier issue features stunning photography, evocative artwork and graphic full-color tales. Blue Ships takes submissions year round, so submit something today!

Blue Ships Issue 001

How to Submit work to Blue Ships:

  • Submit via email to submissions@blueshipsmag.net.
  • Put the media you sending in the subject line (i.e. poetry, short story, etc.).
  • Send multiple submissions in a single file.
  • Each entry must have page number, author’s name, and email address in a header.
  • We accept previously published and simultaneous submissions.  (Please provide where and when work was published).
  • Rights return to artist upon publication.
  • One short story will be featured per month.
  • One short play will be featured per month.
  • Flash fiction must be between 100-1000 words.
  • Short story must be between 1001-5000 words.
  • No rules for poetry.
  • Both color and b/w art and photography accepted.
  • Send small bio with work including any contact info that you want to release to the public.
  • Picture of artist is requested, but is not required and has no effect on acceptance of work.