WOW! Women On Writing | Workshops & Classes | Quarterly Contests | The Muffin

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In my part of the world, May means spring and new beginnings. Maybe that’s why I’m eager to get back into magazine writing. Way back when I was a new writer, that’s where I had my earliest successes. My first sale was a rebus to Ladybug. Written for preschoolers, a rebus combines text and simple images so the pre-reader can help read the story. But I found my first writing home at Young Equestrian magazine where my work appeared regularly for several years.

I want to do it differently this time around. Instead of locking myself into a single magazine, I want to play the field. That has made it harder to get started. There are so many magazines that pay freelancers!

The solution? Like I tell my students, I should target a handful of markets to pitch. Follow these steps and be ready to pitch your own magazine ideas in no time.

1. Start with your favorites. The best place to start is with what you already read. Check out your nightstand. Consider the magazines you flip through in line at the supermarket each week. You know their audience first hand, are interested in what they publish, and already have a good feel for their voice and tone.

2. Now narrow things down. Even if you love a magazine, you probably don’t want to pitch ideas for absolutely everything they print. With the right subject, I could pitch a profile for Real Simple or Better Homes and Gardens. But a story on gardening? That’s okay. I prefer looking at the photos! Consider pitching an idea for the columns or types of articles that you read right away.

This month’s journal spotlight is run by a mother-daughter team and publishes work written by people in their 20s. Sofía is the editor of the magazine and her mother, Lulu, serves as production assistant. The intergenerational creative team has been running Mag 20/20 together for three years. Originally founded in 2020, the meaning behind the magazine’s name is threefold, referencing both the age range of the journal’s authors and the year in which it was conceived, and playing on the term “20/20 vision.” The journal is a welcoming platform, celebrating self-discovery for people in their 20s—in all its complexity—as explained in their mission statement:

“...[Y]ou’ll notice we are also an ode to the 90s, the decade in which we were born and yet few of us remember. Because being in our twenties is constantly residing in the in-between. We’re not teenagers anymore but most of us still aren’t full adults with careers or mortgage bills. We’re not Millennials and we’re not Gen Z either, and ties to multiple intersectional identities make us wonder, even more confused about who we are, [...] where we most belong on one side or another or the other, ad infinitum... But at Mag 20/20 we embrace that unknowingness, that uncertainty, that beautiful in-between. This is a safe space and welcome community to embrace your creativity in whatever way that means to you through poetry, prose, songs, art, photos, playlists—anything goes! Your voice is wanted here.”

Mag 20/20 is accepting submissions currently, closing July 15th. Pieces are published digitally, accompanied by customized work from a graphic designer. Writers are also invited to share a recording of a reading of their piece.

WOW: Hello Sofía and Lulu; thank you so much for agreeing to speak with me! To get started, could you each tell me a little bit about how Mag 20/20 started? By which I mean, what inspired you to start a journal together? Is this the first time that you’ve done a long-term creative project as a mother-daughter duo? 

SOFÍA: I’d been submitting my work to literary magazines seriously for several years prior to 2020. To me, there were few greater thrills than having my work published and seeing it in print. The summer of 2020 had been a hard one thanks to COVID, isolation, and uncertainty, which affected my creativity. One afternoon, I was searching for literary magazines to submit to, hoping to be inspired to write again, when I stumbled upon a new magazine, complete with gorgeous graphics, an admirable mission, and submission guidelines I agreed with until I saw it: only writers under 19 could submit, which meant that I’d just missed the window to have my work uplifted in this teens-only magazine. Feeling discouraged, I suddenly got the idea to have a magazine targeted at people my age. People in their 20s who were feeling as lost as I was, not only because of COVID, but also because of what comes with the natural territory of being in our 20s, especially in a world that always feels on fire. That time of our lives when we’re entering the workforce, dating, trying to find ourselves and identities, living with our parents or caregivers, or living on our own with rising rent and several roommates, not really knowing who we are. I wanted to shine the spotlight on us because even though we’re young, we’ve earned it.

In that way, it was my idea, but I recruited my mom, the only other creative person in the house, to help as my soundboard and support. As an art enthusiast, she and I have collaborated on handmade books, painting, crocheting, flower pressing, sewing, and more. We still freak out and fangirl when we go to the craft store and even right now, we’re working on hand-making an apron together. So in many ways, I inherited my creativity and love for artistic expression from my mom, though she’s not a writer, and it was a no-brainer that she could help me with this too, even with a project of this scale. Because of her, I’ve learned that things become more beautiful and interesting when I have other people and opinions around me, not just my own.

LULU: I remember she asked for advice on the colors for the website and my opinions on certain pieces. I also helped her with editing the first issue, like making sure the page numbers were correct. And because we’re not a for-profit, we use this as a way to promote artists and as an avenue to showcase their work. Doing it this way gives them an opportunity to get published. As the publication gets more readers, so do the number of people who see their work.

WOW: It’s really exciting to me to see intergenerational creativity and inspiration, thank you for sharing. You spoke a little bit about the inspiration for creating a magazine for writers in their 20s, could you talk a little bit more about the concept behind Mag 20/20? 

SOFÍA: Besides the age range, 20/20 also refers to our vision as a magazine. As people who both need glasses to live and only had 20/20 vision for a brief time, it’s important for us to keep a crystal-clear idea of where we’re going, what we want to do, and why we’re doing it. To have a space run by someone in their 20s who loves all forms of creative expression, with the purpose of uplifting people in their 20s, with no interest in leaving out a genre or form, is a space with an all-encompassing, inclusive vision that we hope we offer to readers and contributors in each and every issue.

WOW: That’s fantastic. As someone who’s published work with you, I felt your intention to be inclusive and supportive of writers starting out. Would you be willing to share a little bit about the editorial process? Also, do you find yourself connecting with pieces on the basis of form or content? 

LULU: We’re really lucky to now have an editorial team to help us pick and choose pieces because we value collaboration and teamwork. When we get a new submission, we drop it into a spreadsheet shared with the editors, who then provide their feedback and recommendation of whether or not they believe it should be published in the magazine. As the editor-in-chief, Sofía ultimately makes the final decision based on their comments, her own impressions of the piece, and how it will fit in with the overall issue. Both form and content play an important role in that process, especially if it might include triggering or troubling subject matter. In those cases, we have to make a community-led assessment to make sure it doesn’t break our general guidelines of respect and inclusion. Ultimately, however, we look for work that moves us, that is beautiful, that has something new and different to say and that needs to be heard.

WOW: It’s exciting that you’ve brought a larger editorial team onboard. In light of that growth, where would you like to see the magazine going in the future?

SOFÍA: I think in the future it’d be great to do print editions of the magazine alongside the digital issues we already do, to host online events, and to compensate all writers for their work, time, patience, and energy, not just our cover artists. But in general, I just hope we continue to change and grow, to support and uplift artists in any way we can, listen to community feedback, and ultimately be better than the issue before.

LULU: I hope that it continues even after Sofía hits 30! And that she still will be able to work with young staff.

WOW: Good luck! I’m excited to see your progress. I’m also curious what inspired you to include an audible component in Mag 20/20—is it to improve accessibility, give writers a chance to polish their reading skills, something else?

SOFÍA: It was definitely both! When you look at a lot of established journals, you’ll notice that audio accompaniments are rarely included alongside the written piece, which excludes a whole group of potential readers and submitters. For us, not only does it make our site more accessible to a wider audience, but it provides a unique multimedia experience. Of course, not every writer is comfortable reading their work aloud, so we don’t add audio to those pieces out of respect for their wishes. But the folks who do often get back to us saying how much they enjoyed and learned from the process, which makes our choice to include it that much more rewarding.

WOW: Your magazine is the only place that I’ve come across an audio component. It felt very innovative. Finally, to wrap up the mother-daughter portion of the interview, do either of you have any advice for anyone looking to launch their own magazine? 

SOFÍA: Just do it! For a long time, people told me to start a literary magazine but I was always too shy, too scared that I hadn’t been published enough or knew enough to do it. At one point, I even convinced myself that there were already so many other magazines out there and that no one would want one more magazine to submit to or care about my vision. I discouraged myself before I even started! But once I dove in, it was hard to stop in all the best ways: coming up with a name, creating a website and logo, choosing the colors, etc. It became clear to me that every magazine is unique and offers up something different, and what you have to offer matters because it likely hasn’t been done yet. And even if it has, you will do it differently by the nature of you being different, with different hopes and ambitions and goals for your magazine. We need your voice. We need new safe spaces for our work to make a home.

LULU: After the first issue, Sofía came to realize that it’s a lot of work doing it on our own. Opening up positions was the best idea, that way we could get input not just from us, but also from others to make it more well-rounded. They don’t always stay from issue to issue but it also gives some experience to young people out there who might want to do something like this.

WOW: Now, Sofía, I’d love for the readers to get a chance to know you better as a writer, as well as an editor. Congratulations on publishing two poetry collections! Can you tell me a little more about the Streaming Service sequence?

SOFÍA: My two poetry chapbooks began as a meditation on the golden shovel poetry form. Invented by poet Terrance Hayes, the golden shovel asks that you take a line from another poem, a book, film, TV show, or even a song, separate each word on its own line, then fill in each line with your own language to create something entirely new, like a shared conversation.

For Streaming Service seasons one and two, I chose to use dialogue from TV shows I loved, beginning with Midnight Mass for a themed anthology that I was later published in. From there, I became hooked, pulling quotes, both personal favorites and cultural favorites, from shows I love like Stranger Things, New Girl, and Fresh Prince, making sure that I was spanning decades and demographics. Sometimes, my poems matched the mood and theme of the original quote and other times, I challenged myself to be completely different. I love both seasons so dearly and learned a lot about self-publishing, self-promotion, marketing, confidence, and poetry itself. My goal is to have a third and final season out by the end of the year so fingers crossed!

WOW: That’s fantastic. I am always impressed by work that incorporates and converses with pop culture. Beyond your own writing, I also really admire how deeply involved you are in the writing community: publishing a newsletter full of helpful advice, guest judging competitions, recording a podcast, co-founding a writing collective for women of color, to name just a few of your activities. Is there anything from this area of your career of which you are particularly proud? More broadly, is there any accomplishment associated with any aspect of your writing that you’d like to celebrate here?

SOFÍA: Thank you so much! What’s interesting about my accomplishments is that at any given time, the one that has happened most recently is the one I’m most proud of because it always feels like it just gets better all the time. I’m extremely grateful to people who have offered me opportunities or encouraged me to go after my own dreams and carve out space for myself. But either way, everything I do is centered in community building, advocacy, and activism, not just centering myself, which makes my efforts that much more rewarding. Whether it’s my newsletter or podcast or poetry collective co-founded with four other brilliant writers of color, I do everything with the intention of breaking down capitalist systems upon which much of our understanding of creativity is built. When I offer my writing expertise and knowledge in my newsletter, it’s an effort to break down traditions of gatekeeping knowledge in the publishing and literary landscape. When I do anything community-oriented that uplifts the brilliant creatives I’m surrounded by, I’m resisting the capitalistic instinct to keep the spotlight on myself and be the sole person who benefits. It’s often said that writing is a solitary act but I’ve found that I’ve only become a stronger writer when I celebrate and learn from others. I’m most proud when the people I love get the love and support from others I know they deserve.

That said, I also need to celebrate myself more—both things can be true! I’d say that one of my proudest professional moments was when I performed at the Poetry Stage at the L.A. Times Festival of Books, where I sold out all of the copies of the first season of Streaming Service that I brought with me. That was one of my first major readings I’d done and the first time I ever sold my books to the public in person! I even took photos and chatted with people, and truly felt like a semi-celebrity. That, combined with the day that one of my poems was published in the actual Los Angeles Times two months later, remains one of the best moments in my career that I still cherish today.

WOW: That’s amazing, congratulations on your brilliant work. I think that creativity and activism have always shared a certain interconnectedness, because both require imagination and commitment. You’re obviously committed to uplifting other young writers. Do you yourself have any peers or mentor figures who have been a positive force? If so, how did you meet them?

SOFÍA: I am continuously grateful to my writing supporters, teachers, and mentors that I’ve met since taking my writing seriously. Throughout my life, I was supported and valued by teachers but it wasn’t until college that I truly found teachers and professors who acted as my mentors. Who took me seriously, understood my work and wanted to cultivate it, had high hopes for me, helped in any way they could, offered advice, advocated for me, wrote letters of recommendations to writing workshops, programs, and retreats, and knew I was going to do extraordinary things in my career despite my frequent cloud of uncertainty and self-doubt. I am endlessly grateful to my two mentors Mary Morris, Victoria Redel, and most recently, my writing mentor Melissa Rivero who I’m currently working on my debut novel with thanks to the organization Latinx in Publishing.

WOW: I’m so glad that you have such a supportive community. Returning to the idea of activism and art—your work celebrates and interrogates your heritage, your Chicana identity, your queerness. What does it mean to make art as a member of marginalized communities?

SOFÍA: Making art is a form of creative expression and a means of saving my life. It really did save my life. Because without writing, it would’ve taken me much longer to love, accept, understand, know, and celebrate myself in everything that I am. It’s a source of power and confidence, a way to document my joys as well as my struggles because being marginalized doesn’t mean we have to suffer all the time. It’s a way to keep memories (because I am so often forgetful) and capture the person I was at a point in time when I wrote something that stays true even as I change, grow older, and move away from that person. It means peeling back the layers of myself, all the parts of my intersecting identities, and making art out of beauty, and encouraging others to do the same. Writing is and will always be my greatest love.

WOW: Thank you so much, I’m sure a lot of people reading can relate. Now, circling back to Mag 20/20, is there anything else you’d like WOW readers to know? 

SOFÍA: Mag 20/20 is officially open for submissions for Issue 06 this spring and we consider any form of writing, art, music, photography, and any other genre you may think of! We can be found at @magtwentytwenty on Instagram and Twitter, and you can learn more about me and my work @sofiaxaguilar on Instagram and Twitter as well.

My thanks to Sofía Aquilar and Lula Lerma-Aquilar for chatting with me. Mag 20/20 is currently reading all genres from writers and artists in their 20s. The reading period will last for three months, with acceptances being sent out on a rolling basis. Each piece is published on the blog and promoted on social media and then compiled into a digital issue. Currently, Mag 20/20 publishes one issue per year.

Ghost Peach Press is accepting entries in its contest for a full-length poetry collection. They are open to any poet writing in English who has not yet published more than one full-length book in poetry (poets with multiple chapbooks ​are ​eligible). They offer a cash prize of $1,000 and publication, as well as ten copies of the published book. Manuscripts should consist of 48 – 75 pages of poetry. Fee: $22 (You can email the press if the fee causes a financial burden.)

Poets at any stage in their career may submit a manuscript (no page limit). A prize of $2,000 and publication by Noemi Press is given annually for one book-length poetry collection. The editors will judge. Fee: $25

Limp Wrist's Glitter Bomb Award (GBA) is an annual poetry contest. The award is for one outstanding poem by a poet of any stage of her/his/their career. The GBA is a contest with no entry fee that is open to LGBTQIA+/non-binary poets and their allies. A submission may include 3 poems with each poem being a max of 2 pages and a submission being a max of 6 pages. The winner will receive a cash prize of $600, publication of his/her/their winning poem in an issue of Limp Wrist, and a feature spot in the Wild & Precious Life Series. Each honorable mention will be awarded a cash prize of $50 and have their poems published in Limp Wrist. No fee.

A $500 prize will be awarded for the winning poem. All entries considered for publication. Winner and finalists will appear in Crab Creek Review. A $500 prize will be awarded for the winning poem. Fee: $16

The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize is an award for a single poem, to be published in The Georgia Review. The winner will receive an honorarium of $1,500 and an expenses-paid trip to Athens, Georgia, to give a public reading with the judge. Hanif Abdurraqib will be the final judge. An entry may include one, two, or three poems, but no more than a total of ten standard pages. Submission entry includes a one year subscription to The Georgia Review. Fee: $30

Lost Horse Press is now accepting submissions for the Idaho Prize for Poetry 2023. All US poets are eligible. Send manuscripts of 48 or more pages of poetry, no more than one poem per page The contest carries a $1000 cash prize, publication by Lost Horse Press, plus 20 comp author copies of the book. Fee: $28

Concrete Wolf is accepting poetry manuscripts for The Sally Albiso Poetry Book Award. It's open to poets who make their home in Alaska, Oregon, or Washington (regardless of previous publication history) are eligible. Submit 56 to 80 pages of poems. You can receive $2,500 and publication with Ingram distribution. Fee: $10

Arc Poetry invites artists who live with disability/chronic illness/mental illness and other forms of existence that are impacted by ableism to send them poems that explore what it means to be in the world, or your topic of choice. “We hope that your art challenges the able-bodied gaze and doctrine by changing the narrative of the dominant body and extending the meaning of wholeness.” These poems will be part of Arc's Fall 2023 issue with guest editor Therese Estacion. Submissions must not exceed 3 poems. Arc's rate for poetry is $50 per print page. Payment is issued upon publication along with one free copy of the issue in which the work appears. No fee.

Send your haphazard. Send your most creative. Divot is committed to publishing online only the best literary verse. Send them up to seven poems, pasted in the body of an email, preceded by a cover letter. Please no attachments; we will not open attachments. Please include a bio written in the third person. No fee.

In honor of their 4th birthday, Auroras & Blossoms is hosting a Haiku contest. They only accept haiku and senryu submissions. Minimum number of haiku per submission: three (3). Submit a cumulative total of 10 (ten) haiku. Submission is free but donating money entitles you to receive royalty payments for being published with them in our digital anthology. No fee.

Poet Lore publishes a range of established and award winning poets and new poets. Poet Lore pays contributors $50 per published poem. You may submit up to 5 poems (maximum 10 pages). No fee.

Hey Alma is looking for previously unpublished Jewish short stories of any genre. Emerging and established writers are all welcome to submit. Finalists will be selected by the staff of Hey Alma, and the winner will be chosen by guest judge T Kira Madden. They are leaving the definition of a Jewish story up to you. It can feature Jewish characters, delve into Jewish themes, or play off famous Jewish texts. They say, "If it feels Jewish to you, chances are we’ll agree." Stories should be 3,000 words or less, and must be previously unpublished. The winner will be published on Hey Alma this spring and awarded a $250 honorarium (and a Hey Alma sweatshirt for good measure). No fee.

Parsec's 2023 Short Story Contest welcomes submissions within the theme of: preserve or purge. They ask that authors try and incorporate both concepts into their speculative work. This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue; the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing. No minimum to your short story with a maximum of 3,500 words. First-place receives $200 and publication in the Confluence program book. Second-place receives $100. Third-place receives $50. Best Youth Story: Winner receives $50. No fee.

The Next Big Writer is looking for opening chapters that will create a burning need to find out what happens, how the characters turn out, how the novel resolves itself. NOTE: "This isn't just any competition. It's a dynamic, workshop-based writing competition. That means you'll receive feedback on your entries from the talented writers, (many of whom are successful authors) on the site and you'll have to provide feedback on the writing of other members. You'll be able to edit and update your entry up until the contest deadline." Prize Winner receives: $500 cash, One year of free membership on TheNextBigWriter, valued at $69.95, Feedback on their entries. Two runner-ups will receive: $100 in cash, Free extra three months of Premium Membership on TheNextBigWriter valued at $21.95, Feedback on their entries. Everyone receives: Feedback on each submitted chapter, Motivation to craft the best opening, Camaraderie, Fun. Must be a member to submit. Fee: $8.95 (monthly membership fee)

Open the first week of every month, Stone's Throw is seeking submissions for its June theme. To honor the summer solstice, they want stories about somebody’s longest, unending day. Send us tales of what someone is going through that is making every minute, every second, tick by in the most agonizing way. We’re looking for all the same dark fiction, crime and noir as our usual submissions, but with a target length between 1,000 and 2,000 words, and aligned with the monthly submissions prompt. Pay: $25 per story. No fee.

This short story contest is available exclusively to women over 45. Submit no more than 20 pages, double spaced at 12-point Times New Roman font (approximately 5,000 words). Prizes: $500 plus publication in NextTribe and a lot of hooting and hollering. Two runners up: $100 each and publication in NextTribe. Fee: $10 (for members), $25 (for non-members)

This is an annual national short fiction contest that features a first place $2,500 cash award and invitation to an awards dinner; a second place cash prize of $750; and a third place cash prize of $500. The winner stories will be published in the print issue of Fall of Philadelphia Stories. Previously unpublished works of fiction up to 8,000 words. Fee: $15

Entries must be original works of fiction of no more than 5,000 words that illuminate the role of the law and/or lawyers in modern society. The winner will receive a prize of $5,000. Entrants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents and 21 years or older. The ABA Journal will accept only one entry by any individual author. Joint entries are not permitted. Entries must be submitted via email to webmaster@abajournal.com. Please attach your story as a .doc or .pdf file to your email with the subject line Ross Writing Contest Submission, and include your full name, mailing address, daytime phone number, and whether you are an ABA member. ABA membership is not necessary to win. No fee.

Now in its 23rd year, the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest is one of the most renowned fiction contests in the world. Offering $3000 across five prizes, the contest delivers exciting new fiction from writers all over the world. Prizes: $2000 (1st), $500 (2nd), $250 (3rd), and two $125 (Editor's Choice). Winning stories will be published in our fall issue in print, digital, and online, and read by three literary agents. 10,000 maximum word count. Fee: $18

The Collection of Utter Speculation series speculates about what is behind mysteries and legends. Their newest request says, "Across the United States there are Bridges that belong to another time. Some aren’t even attached to roads anymore, but they are well known. People who cross them, especially at night, have stories to share of phantom cries, sometimes like a baby, sometimes like a woman." Stories are 2500 – 8000 words. Pay: $20 and a contributor’s copy. Paperback for US Residents. Ebook for authors outside the US. No fee.

Since its founding in 2010, the BOA Short Fiction prize has been awarded to ten of the most exciting and unique voices in American fiction. Individual stories from the manuscript may have been published previously in magazines, journals, anthologies, chapbooks, or self-published books, but must be submitted in manuscript form. Minimum of 90 pages; maximum of 200 pages. Winner receives a book publication by BOA Editions, Ltd. in spring 2025 and $1,000 honorarium. Fee: $25

The Bath Novel Award 2023 is a prize for emerging novelists of any nationality or residency. The author of 2023’s winning manuscript will receive £3,000 and our exclusive Minerva trophy. This year's judge is literary agent Kate Barker. All shortlistees win feedback on their full manuscript. One longlistee will win a place worth £1,800 on acclaimed online course Edit Your Novel the Professional Way from longlist prize co-sponsors Professional Writing Academy and Cornerstones Literary Consultancy. Initial submissions are the opening 5,000 words plus one page synopsis of novel manuscripts for adults or young adults which are complete at over 50,000 words. Fee: £29

Short stories can be on any subject, theme or genre. Maximum word count is 3,000 words. Prizes include: 1st prize: $1000 and publication on our website. 2 runners-up: $100 each. Fee: $15

Wag Away Publishing editor Carmen Leal is looking for writers to be part of the second anthology. Stories in this compilation are true and inspirational and come from people who are excited to share their rescue dog journey. If you adopted a rescue dog and were a dog mom or dad as a senior, she’d love to hear from you. First-person true stories should be between 750 and 1,000 words but there could be some flexibility depending on the stories selected. Writers retain copyrights, and will receive a copy of the book. No fee.

River Teeth invites submissions of creative nonfiction, including narrative reportage, essays, and memoirs, as well as critical essays that explore the impact of nonfiction narrative on the lives of its writers, subjects, and readers. No page length or word count minimum or maximum. If published, the writer will receive two complimentary issues of the journal, a one-year subscription. Fee: $3

Kitchen Table Quarterly is a journal preoccupied with history- cultural, political, geographical, personal, and how each interacts with the other to mold our experience. “Adolescent blunders, dental records, the archaic origins of long-held or long-lost traditions—we want to know all of it. We are looking for work that spills secrets and wipes the dust off of old memories. We want honesty. We want an education.” For creative nonfiction, submit a stand-alone piece of up to 3000 words as a double-spaced .doc or .docx attachment in a standard font. Please be sure to note the word count in your cover letter and in the title of your submission. While we accept all forms of creative nonfiction, we typically prefer essays. At this moment, we do not accept excerpts from larger works. No fee.

Island Magazine is delighted to present the 2023 Island Nonfiction Prize thanks to the support of the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund. We want to read about what fascinates, excites or enrages you. Your entry doesn’t have to be zeitgeisty—there are so many ways to be curious and about so many things. We encourage you to investigate, experiment, wax lyrical and manifest. Introduce us to new ideas, new worlds and new forms of expression. The prize will be judged 'blind'. The judging panel will be chaired by Island's Nonfiction Editor, Anna Spargo-Ryan, with Fiona Wright and Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen. The winning writer will receive $3000 and their work will be published in Island issue 168, due for publication in late July 2023. Entry is open to Australian citizens and residents only. Fee: AU$16.50

A factually accurate work, written with attention to literary style and technique. Can take the form of a biography, autobiography, memoir, diary entry, travel writing, food writing, literary journalism, or criticism. Word limit: 3,000 words. The winner of the Charles Darwin University Creative Non-Fiction Award will receive a $500 prize and an NT Writers’ Centre membership and masterclass, and a double pass to the 2024 Brown's Mart season. Entrants must reside in Northern Territory, Australia at the time of submission. No fee.

Farmer-ish publishes both online issues and print collections. They’re looking for creative and engaging content on farming, homesteading, raising animals, cooking, making, and raising a family. They want creative nonfiction, personal essays, memoir, how-to pieces, informational and instructional essays, and more. General essays and how-to essays should be approximately 1,000 words. Personal essays and memoir should be between 800 and 2,000 words. Pay is $25 per piece. No fee.

GreenPrints publishes personal gardening stories from the heart. They are seeking winter-themed gardening stories; stories that are true and personal, expressive and thoughtful, humorous and witty, and that have a winter theme! They focus on the human, not the how-to, side of gardening, so your story should be entertaining, moving, unexpected, touching, and funny—a heartfelt story you would tell a friend or family member. They want stories that “show, don’t tell.” Dialogue is a great way to demonstrate the feelings and situations. They don’t do sappy or preachy stories, so please avoid those types. Finally, your story should have a strong ending. Word count is 600-1,500 words. Pay is $150 per story, and they pay on your acceptance of First North American Serial Rights (unless you’ve already published your story somewhere else first; they’re happy to reprint garden writing pieces—as long as they’re good!). No fee.

New Letters is accepting submissions for the Conger Beasley Award for Nonfiction. All entries will be considered for publication in New Letters. Essay entries may not exceed 8,000 words. First prize winner receives $2,500. Fee: $24

Folly is an independent literary anthology, established in 2022. It is home for beautiful content, humor and satire - aiming to provide a platform for writing that straddles the literary and commercial genres. They are seeking submissions for their nonfiction theme: “Overheard in [your own city/town].” Maybe you were eavesdropping while waiting for coffee. Or your colleague said something hilarious in passing on your way to a meeting. Or perhaps you just have some awesome one-liners that deserve to see the light of day. We are looking to feature some snippets of what your ears hear in the city that you live in. Comments that make you stop and gasp, reflect, or laugh. They may be provocative, alarming or just plain hilarious. Word count anywhere from 10 words to 200 words. No fee.

Hippocampus is looking for true tales from your life. Honesty that possesses both the situation AND the story. Intensely personal experiences that reflect universal truths about what it means to be human. Personal essays and memoir excerpts up to 4,000 words. Flash creative nonfiction up to 800 words. Pay is $40 per piece. Fee: $3

The James A. Winn Prize will be awarded annually by the Michigan Quarterly Review to one nonfiction piece submitted for consideration. Please submit one unpublished piece of nonfiction of 1,500-7,000 words. Simultaneous submissions are welcome but please withdraw your submission as soon as it is accepted elsewhere. Preliminary judges for the prize will be the Helen Zell Writers’ Program students at University of Michigan who currently review submissions on behalf of the journal. The 2023 Judge will be David Porter. The winning story will be published in the Winter issue of the following year. The prize will be in the amount of $1,500 and publication. All submissions will be considered for publication in MQR. Fee: $20

Unleash Press is looking for blogs by writers, for writers, for their new blog launching this summer. They want your thoughts on the writing life, how you keep momentum, address the inner critic, and refine your craft. Tell them your thoughts on technology and writing. Tell them your fears and joys. No more than 400 words for prose submissions. Photo submissions must be B&W. Submissions will be judged by a panel blind. No fee.

Small Wonders Magazine publishes original and reprint flash fiction and narrative poetry, all tinged with the wonder of other worlds both science fictional and fantastic. Stories and poems arrive three weeks of every month. Flash fiction: 1,000 words or fewer. Poetry: narrative poems: poems that tell a story, either directly or through strong implication. They welcome poems over 50 lines. Art: reprint art for their covers; submit 1-3 pieces. Pay: Original flash fiction: $0.10/word; Reprint flash fiction: $0.01/word or $10, whichever is more; Poems: $60; Art: $125 for reprint rights. No fee.

SmokeLong Quarterly publishes flash narratives—fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid—up to 1000 words. They pay $100/story, upon publication in the quarterly issue. No fee.

Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation (LIGHT) is calling for submissions for the second issue of the LIGHT Magazine, an annual literary journal in public health that connects, creates, and curates content for the public by the public. We are interested in learning how you reflect and reimagine wellness in public health through art, letters, stories, and poetry and invite you to share your voices and stories about wellness, varied ways of thinking about healing, ideas that lead to recovery and reimagination, and ways of being that foster rest. Letters should be between 250 to 500 words. Poems should be between 250 to 500 words. Stories should be between 1000 to 2000 words. Prize money (1st: $500, 2nd: $375, 3rd: $125) will be given to the top three contestants of each category. No fee.

Bayou Magazine is a biannual literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction and the winner of the annual Tennessee Williams One-Act Play Contest. Fiction submissions should be 7,500 words or fewer. Flash fiction and short-shorts are welcome, but they accept only 1 story per submission. Payment for fiction of 3,000 or more words is $100, less than 3000 words is $50. Nonfiction should be 7,500 words or less as well. They are looking for literary or creative nonfiction. This includes but is not limited to creative personal essays, memoir, environmental writing, literary journalism and travel writing. For poetry, send only one submission of up to 5 poems at a time. Fee: $3 for fiction; no fee for nonfiction & poetry.

Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. "While we frequently publish writers with previous credits, we are very interested in less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise." They accept fiction and nonfiction works up to 8,000 words and pay $100-$300 (sometimes higher) for accepted work. They do not accept science fiction, erotica, westerns, horror, romance, or children stories. For nonfiction works with any element of research or reportage, please submit under the "Nonfiction--Research-Based Essays." They accept poems of up to 200 lines and do not accept light verse. Submit no more than five poems. They pay $25-$250 (sometimes higher) for accepted poems. Fee: $3

"We want writing that attempts to salvage something pure from the collision of warmth and cold, that says what it can about the world it finds itself in. We seek a diversity of voices speaking from visceral, lived experience. We like truth we can stare at until our eyes water, words so carefully chosen we want to reread them as soon as we have finished." Fiction: Submit short stories of no more than 3,000 words or up to 3 flash fictions of less than 750 words each in a single document. Nonfiction: Submit a single piece of no more than 4,000 words or up to 3 flash essays of less than 1,000 words each in a single document. Poetry: Submit up to 3 poems in a single document. Contributors a small payment of $25 upon publication. Fee: $3

"We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry including text-based visuals, but we especially want to see your experimental and hybrid concoctions." Check out their magazine to find out what experimentation means to them. Prose should be no longer than 5,000 words. Poetry should include up to 6 poems, which may include high-resolution images for visual poetry and other text-based experimentation. No fee.

For Riddlebird’s summer issue, they will be specifically looking for humorous work, lighthearted pieces, or works that explore the humor woven through struggles. Limit one submission a period. They accept literary fiction, personal essays, and literary genre fiction. 650-5,000 words. Pay: $100 and a contributor’s hard copy. No fee.

Exposition Review is open to flash fiction or nonfiction up to 405 words; poetry: one poem, up to 5 lines (including prose poems); stage & screen: a complete scene, up to 4 pages; and experimental: a complete short-form narrative utilizing innovative techniques and/or hybrid forms. Guest Judge Lucy Zhang, Expo contributor and Best Microfiction 2023 author, says, ”I have been hooked on the bird imagery in Attack on Titan, so I want to read about flight, whether that’s birds or planes or rockets or metaphorical leaps from the confines of gravity. How do we fly, but also how do we float, fall, or glide?” First place wins 40% of all entry fees and publication; second place receives 20% of all entry fees and publication. Submissions are read blind. Fee: $5

Deadline: May 7 (Opens May 6!)

Three times per year, Tin House offers a two-day submission period for writers to submit their work. Eligible writers must not currently have an agent, and must not have previously published a book (chapbooks okay). On May 6 & 7 Tin House is open to Poetry collections and Short Story collections, both of which engage with Food and/or Place. "In particular, we are looking to engage with work by writers from historically underrepresented communities, including—but not limited to—those who are Black, Indigenous, POC, disabled, neurodivergent, trans and LGBTQIA+, debuting after 40, and without an MFA." No fee.

OyeDrum is an online digital press and intersectional feminist community that publishes work by women only. “Spring is here and love is in the air! We are seeking all interpretations of the word ‘love.’ What is love? An age-old question and our theme for OyeDrum’s volume six! How do we define it? Why do we pursue it? Does love awaken, dismantle, and transform all at once? ... We want original, strange, and unique interpretations about love.” They are seeking visual art, performance art, short films, music, spoken-audio pieces, creative writing, poetry, photo essays, short graphic novels, hybrid and experimental work. They accept translingual pieces as well as submissions in both English and Spanish. Creative writing: up to 5,000 words. Poetry: a minimum of two poems and no more than seven poems. They also accept visual art and media pieces through Soundcloud, Vimeo, Youtube, and Spotify. No fee.

The Canadian Authors Association—Toronto flash fiction and poetry contest is now open. $700 in prizes. Our award-winning judges are Sheun-King Aaron Tang and Terese Mason Pierre. Send in your unpublished stories between 250 to 1,000 words and two poems up to 50 lines each. Only 300 entries for each category will be accepted. Open to Canadian citizens and residents. Fee: $10 per story or poem

Poetry: https://canadianauthors.org/toronto/poetry-contest-rules/

Flash Fiction: https://canadianauthors.org/toronto/caa-toronto-contest/flash-fiction-contest-rules/

The Emerging Writer's Contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish or self-publish a book. They award publication, $2,000, a review from Aevitas Creative Management, and a 1-year subscription for one winner in each of the three genres. The winning story, essay, and poems from the 2022 contest will be published in the Winter 2023-24 issue of Ploughshares. Submit fiction and Nonfiction under 6,000 words and poetry up to 3-5 pages. The fee includes a 1-year subscription to Ploughshares and free submissions to the 2023 regular reading period. Fee: $24

Minerva Rising Press will be accepting poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction submissions for focused on the theme of Subversion. Writers hold a superpower when it comes to undermining authority and breaking down systems of oppression. Our poetry, essays and stories carry the ideas and truths that influence necessary change in the world. What are the ways subversive behavior have shifted our direction? How have we rebelled against systemic racism, the patriarchy, discrimination in all forms? How do you define subversion, and how has it affected change in your life? How can it change and heal the planet? With this theme, we seek writers who can share stories, poems and essays showcasing the ways subversion has been and continues to be a necessary antidote to oppression within our own lives, our communities and the world. For poetry, submit 1-5 poems (max. 10 pages) at a time. Poems may be single-spaced. For fiction and nonfiction, please send only one story or one essay at a time, up to 7,000 words. Pay: a contributor’s copy and a small stipend. Fee: $15

Enter your best writing in any genre, whether it is fiction or nonfiction, that falls under 500 words. The Grand Prize is $1,000 and publication in The Writer. Second Prize is $500, Third Prize is $250. Receive detailed feedback through the add-on critique service. Fee: $25 (The Writer Plus and VIP Members enter for free)

The Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant supports emerging and established writers who write about contemporary visual art. You may apply for a grant in one of the following project types: Article, Book, or Short-Form Writing. The Article category supports essays, magazine features, and extended exhibition reviews. Article grants are $15,000 each. The Book category supports a broad range of books on contemporary visual art, from general-audience criticism to academic scholarship. Book grants are $50,000. The Short-Form Writing category supports the ongoing practice of writers who regularly produce short texts that respond to current exhibitions, events, and issues in contemporary visual art. By “short” we mean texts in the range of 250-1,500 words. Short-Form Writing grants are $30,000 each. No fee.

Kosmeo exists to encourage women artists to share and express their faith through creative works. They publish short works of fiction and non-fiction, as well as poetry, music, visual art, and more. Prose: Send 1-2 previously unpublished essays or articles (2,000 words or less), flash fiction (1,800 words or less), or short stories ( under 5,000 words please), in an attached Word document. Poetry: Send 1-2 previously unpublished poems, any style or length. Music: Send 1-2 songs. They are seeking submissions for their theme "Work." Colossians 3:23 (ESV) “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” No fee.

$2,500 Patricia Cleary Miller Award for Poetry: Submit up to 6 poems.

$2,500 Robert Day Award for Fiction: 8,000 words max

$2,500 Conger Beasley Jr. Award for Nonfiction: 8,000 words max.

Fee: $24

This year the prize is open to women worldwide. The Irene Adler Prize winner will receive a $1,000 US scholarship. Up to two awards of $250 apiece will be given for honorable mentions. The competition is open to women commencing or continuing to pursue a bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution in 2023-24. Each application consists of two (2) elements: A 500-word essay in English based on five essay prompts, and a completed entry form. No fee.

The winning author receives a $1,000 honorarium plus 25 copies of the published book. Two runners-up will be chosen for publication as well. The CutBank Chapbook Contest honors a book of original poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction by a single author; translations are not eligible for this award. While previously published stand-alone pieces or excerpts may be included in a manuscript, the manuscript as a whole must be an unpublished work. Translations and previously self-published collections are ineligible. Manuscripts should be 25-40 typed pages in length of poetry (a cohesive poetry manuscript), fiction (either a short fiction collection or novella), or creative nonfiction (one long essay or a collection of short essays). Fee: $20

Nashville Review publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation, and comics. "From expansive to minimalist, narrative to lyric, epiphanic to subtle: if it’s a moving work of art, we want it." Poetry: 1-3 poems (10 pages total). Fiction: up to 8,000 words or 3 flash fiction pieces (1,000 words each) in one document. Nonfiction: memoir excerpts, creative nonfiction, imaginative meditations. Pay: $25 per poem and $100 for prose and art pieces. No fee.

Fiction: Fiction is generally in the form of short stories, although we often accept short-shorts, as well as lengthier pieces, which we have serialized on a couple of occasions. We also publish novel excerpts. Manuscripts should be double-spaced. Novel excerpts should be complete and self-contained; they should not require any written contextualization. No submission should exceed 10,000 words. Poetry submissions should consist of one to five poems, depending on length, formatted either single- or double-spaced. Both short and long poems of nearly any length or aesthetic bent. Essays: To complement the poetry and fiction we publish, we look for essays on a wide variety of subjects, including but not limited to literature, art, film, history, science, and contemporary thought. All we ask is that the subject be treated in a literary fashion—gracefully and in depth. Essays can take any form—creative nonfiction, memoir, biography, autobiography, etcetera. Length typically hovers around twenty-five manuscript pages, but we welcome both shorter and longer essays, not exceeding 10,000 words. Whatever the length, manuscripts should be double-spaced. Fee: $3

The Older Writers Grant, for a writer who is 50 years of age or older at the time of grant application, is intended to assist such writers who are just starting to work at a professional level. The writing application sample could be of poetry, fiction, drama, or creative non-fiction, of speculative literature. Writers are asked to include a 500-word cover letter and autobiographical statement as well as a writing sample (up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction — if sending a segment of a novel, novella, or novelette, include a one-page synopsis as well) is part of the application. Grant: $1,000. No fee.

Writers can enter contests in flash fiction, flash creative nonfiction, and prose poem. One entry in each category will receive $300 and all entries will be considered for publication with payment of the regular rate of $50. They are also accepting submissions for their latest issue. They accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Submit one short story (really, just one, no more than 5,000 words; shorter is often better, to be honest). Flash fiction, one story only, may also be submitted here. Submit only one story per reading period. Submit one creative nonfiction piece (no more than 5,000 words). Shorter works of CNF are often a better fit for us. Submit three poems. $8 fee for summer contest categories; no fee for other submissions.

According to literary agent Sarah Davies, a good query submission can be described in terms of concept and craft. In other words, you want to convey an original idea or fresh take and demonstrate a mastery of narrative structure. These elements are both important in your pitch, but even more so in your synopsis. So lay out your story's chain of consequence, and demonstrate character, context, and conflict—with style but without gimmick. And may the best plot summary win! First place: $700 CAD; Second place: $200 CAD; Third place: $100 CAD. Submit one page up to 500 words. Fee: $5 CAD

The Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence is awarded annually to one outstanding, early-career artist who is developing new works that address plants, gardens, or landscapes in the broad sense. This award is open to visual artists, literary artists, dancers, and musicians. The award includes a $10,000 individual grant and requires a 2 - 5 week stay at Oak Spring. Eligible applicants must be early-career artists not enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in 2024. For creative non-fiction, fiction, essayists, or other writers: 7 - 10 pages total that demonstrate your current interests. No fee.

Deadlines: April 30 (nonfiction) and May 31 (fiction). Our favorite writing community offers quarterly contests judged blindly with multiple cash prizes and more for 20 winners, up to $1,350 (fiction) and $1,175 plus a gift certificate to CreateWriteNow (nonfiction), an affordable critique option, and a 300-entry limit on each contest. Previously published work is accepted! What’s not to love? This season's guest judge is Literary Agent Kaitlyn Katsoupis with Belcastro Literary Agency. Fee: $10 (Flash Fiction) and $12 (Nonfiction).

To celebrate Mother's Day on May 14th, write a poem and submit to the Motherhood Anthology! They want poems that embrace the bare and grotesque nature of motherhood. For, in a time like ours, mothers have no room to be sentimental. Inspired by Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach books 40 Weeks, and The Many Names for Mother. Write about motherhood, being a mother, having a mother, or any manifestation of maternal identity. Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total, and submit by May 14. Fee: $5

With National Sleepover Day right around the corner, why not apply for a residency fellowship? Fellows of the Ragdale Artists' Community receive full funding for their residency, uninterrupted time, a live/work space, all meals, and the camaraderie of the other committed and passionate residents and fellows at Ragdale. Plus, a $1,000 stipend! Apply by May 15th. Fee: $25

Pitching and writing for a publication when you are among their target audience makes a writer’s job easier. We can mine our own personal and professional experiences, even when we are penning a reported piece, ideas ranging from where we worked, our relationships with family members and friends, our hobbies, romantic lives...

Everything is fair game as long as it is relevant to the content, tone, and style of the piece. The more in common we have with the demographic of the readers, the easier it can be to sell the piece. That’s why I love writing for writing-related publications, for instance. And that is also why I’ve pitched to Marie Claire, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan—and not Esquire or Men’s Health.

Unfortunately, we can’t just rely on our age, gender, occupation, or interests to pay the bills. Since it can take a long time to get a response from an editor and see the article published, we need to pitch more often to make a decent living, even if it means leaving our beloved comfort zones far behind.

And this is where writing for publications that we are not necessarily in the target audience comes in. I’ve talked to writers who broke into widely different markets: 20-year-olds writing for AARP, women writing for Esquire, the queen of frugality writing for an upscale wedding rental company, and more.

Bree Brouwer is an experienced B2B copywriter and content marketer. Coming from a Dutch background, she was raised as a frugal person. Yet, she has written for an upscale wedding magazine. Bree believes that you might not necessarily be the expert or the target demographic. But you can still position yourself as someone who knows what they are talking about.

“I’d say that you don’t need to be the target market, but you need to understand them. This can be done in a variety of ways; what worked for me when I was writing for a luxury travel, vacation, and wedding venue company was calling on my past experiences with rich people and celebrities, even though I’d grown up in a lower middle-class, single parent family. For example, I grew up in the world of media before my parents’ divorce with an anchorman dad who took us to lots of celebrity-filled events (i.e., I met Alice Cooper once!). I also met a lot of my husband’s friends, who came from a very wealthy community in California. Talking to such people and understanding the way they view life as separate from my view immensely helped me understand what it’s like to have enough money to afford such trips and weddings.”

When Bree applied for this role of writing about luxury weddings, she took a DIY approach. “I’d been in one wedding each year (including my own) for the five years previous to applying for this writing role. This perspective helped me convince the management firm that I knew exactly what different kinds of brides wanted and that some placed heavy financial priority on a luxurious, awe-inspiring ceremony and reception location. The firm liked this, apparently, and I ended up writing a blog for them each week for a full year!”

Lilly Dancyger is a successful writer, essayist, writing instructor, and editor. She has written for Narratively, The Writer, The Rumpus, The Guardian, Glamour, and The Washington Post, among others. Moreover, she worked as a regular contributor to Playboy. The first piece she did was about school dress codes and toxic masculinity.

“I wrote mostly commentary about news and politics, so I found my stories the same way I do for other outlets: reading the news and looking for things that I feel passionate about. The great thing about writing for a men’s magazine for me was that I had an opportunity to explain feminist politics to an audience that might not be exposed to them otherwise—rather than preaching to the choir in a publication geared toward people like myself. In this political climate, it feels more important to write things that have a chance of changing someone’s mind, or even exposing them to an idea or perspective they’re not familiar with yet, than it does to reiterate the beliefs your readers already hold.”

Britt Julious is a columnist for Chicago Tribune. She’s penned articles for Broadly, Vice, and Elle Magazine. She also writes regularly for Esquire. The magazine originally reached out to her in 2015.

“I’ve written on and off for them since then. Usually about two to three stories per year. My most recent piece was last year. My first article for them was a reported essay on the Chicago fallout of the release of the Laquan McDonald video shooting. I’m a lifelong Chicagoan, originally from the hood, black. I think that helped in solidifying my reputation for this specific segment. My essay was so well-received that I began writing for them in print and online.”

Experienced writer Amanda Janae McCracken’s bylines include AARP, Men’s Journal, New York Times, The Washington Post, Glamour, Elle, ESPN, Huffington Post, Outside, Runner’s World, and Triathlete, among others.

She approached AARP with a story about an amazing runner over age 50 and the oldest woman to run in the Olympic trials.

“It seemed like a good fit for AARP since the subject was focused on an older woman still chasing her dreams and on an Olympic level. She’d already competed in the Olympics several times, but was still eager to run her full potential.”

McCracken has also written for Men’s Journal.

“The stories were about men doing adventures. I was their point of contact for the stories. I had the connection that the Men’s Journal editors didn’t have; I was able to land the stories. I think if I pitched a story that a male author could write, I wouldn’t have landed the story.”

Australian writer Chloe Nadine Walker has written for the Aussie bike magazine Treadlie since their inception, and she doesn’t ride a bike.

“Well, the editor has always assigned things to me. I haven’t had to pitch a thing. Someone I knew on Twitter, who I hadn’t met in person, but who lived in my suburb and was friends with one of my neighbors, reached out to ask if I’d be interested in writing for a new publication. (This was back in 2010 when Twitter was full of nice people having pleasant conversations.) She’d just been hired to edit a bike magazine, Treadlie, having never edited a magazine before. She knew of my work through another magazine I wrote for that had a similar market and style to what she was going for with Treadlie—she wanted to get away from the whole lycra brigade thing and focus more on everyday, European-style cycling. We met for lunch, and I confessed that I don’t ride a bike, and she said that’s fine—you just need to be a good writer. After writing a few articles for her, I did end up getting excited about the subject matter and buying a bike later on, but I still haven’t learned how to ride it.”

At the end of the day, writing for a different kind of publication—one that doesn’t typically cater to your demographics or interests—is not that different from getting other types of writing assignments. Your network, previous careers, personal experiences, opinions, writing skills, and professionalism will help you pitch, land, and deliver a successful article. And who knows? It might even be more fun for your career, as you add variety to your portfolio and leave that pesky little thing called your comfort zone way, way behind.

That said, even though I’ll be applying all the marvelous advice I received as I worked on this piece, I still get the most kick out of writing about writing. It’s my first passion after all.

By Sue Bradford Edwards

Way back in the olden days, Angela used to tease me about how many ideas I jotted down. Anything and everything could give me an idea for a story, an article, or a title. And it happened every single day. But in the last few years, the ideas slowed down. A good month yielded maybe 10 ideas. I wondered if it was menopause or lockdown or. . .

The problem was that I didn’t want something to blame. I wanted a jump start.

By Renee Roberson

In college, her news writing lab was the one that induced the most anxiety my sophomore year. We sat in front of our computers, a handout of a press release sitting on our desks, along with a copy of the AP Style Book. Our professor was tall, and imposing, with short brown hair and stern eyes to match, often dressed in a long denim skirt or blouse and slacks.

She started her timer. In a very short amount of time, our task was to crank out a news brief using the limited information found in the press release.

“No weasel words!” she would say. “And don’t use the word ‘is.’ Avoid the use of passive voice at all costs.”

By Cathy C. Hall

Around 6 PM on March 11th—a Saturday—four emails landed in my inbox. Not in Focused (where I get alerts) but in my Other Inbox which usually indicates not-so-personal or urgent business, like a neighborhood newsletter. So it was about 11 PM when I checked my Other inbox and found the emails, spaced a few minutes apart, all from Twitter:

Security Alert: New or Unusual Twitter login (Probably some junk/spam)

New Login on Twitter (Well, that’s kinda interesting.)

Your Twitter Password has been changed (What the heck?)

Email address for CCHall_Author has been changed (WHAT THE HECK?)

By Nicole Pyles

It's easy to get down on yourself about rejections. From writing gigs to literary magazine submissions, I have gotten far more rejections than acceptances in my writing career.

However, every now and then, a positive rejection comes in that makes you feel that all is not lost in your writing journey.

By Kelly Sgroi

Writers are generally shy and introverted people who enjoy the quiet moments in life when they can be still with their thoughts to observe, process, and create.

We are not usually confident in ourselves or our work, so it’s no wonder that calling ourselves a writer isn’t easy. Trust me, I get it. I was one of those people who had been writing for a decade, almost every day, and still didn’t feel worthy of calling myself a writer.

But the simple fact is, if you write, you’re a writer. Boom! I see you.

By Ann Kathryn Kelly

Music moves us, physically and emotionally. It gets our toes tapping, our fingers snapping, and our hair flipping (if we’re channeling Beyoncé, that is).

As writers, some of us rely on a trusted playlist in the background, to coax the muse. Others prefer silence. I fall somewhere in the middle, listening to songs only to warm me up. And by warming up, I don’t mean my pipes. I mean, to get my fingers on keyboard, ‘cuz trust me, no one wants to hear me butcher a melody. After listening to several songs, I turn off the music and find that I’m ready to write (in silence, my preferred way to coalesce my thoughts).

If you Google “steps to success,” you will discover that no one can agree on how many steps it takes to be successful. You’ll see listings for websites that claim 5 steps to success, and another boasts 7. One website doesn’t refer to them as steps, but as keys, and there are only 3. The point is success is hard to define, and honestly, very few people are exactly sure how to reach success.

The two things many of these sites have in common are that success comes from 1. working hard toward a goal 2. achieving that goal. The problem for writers is that your definition of success often lies in someone else’s hands—an editor reading your manuscript, a contest judge assessing your flash fiction, or readers and reviewers enjoying (or not) your latest book.

What I love about the following success stories our community shared with us this month is that it’s clear each of these writers defined success for themselves and are now sharing their success stories with us. Some of them did receive success thanks to a gatekeeper, but a couple defined their own success and reached it. From publications in magazines and anthologies to positive feedback from editors, these writers below will make you smile and celebrate with them. Plus, you might feel motivated to work on the definition of success for yourself and then include your story in our next round-up. You can always email a success story (at any time in the month) to Margo at margolynndill@gmail.com and please cc margo@wow-womenonwriting.com and put Success Story in the subject line!

Amy Kelly wrote, “My essay, ‘Schrödinger’s Paradox’ was published in Yummy Mummy Club. I have subsequently published two other personal essays. One about intuitive parenting called: ‘What Parents Lose When They Don’t Trust Their Intuition;’ the other about partnership after parenting entitled: ‘Sex After Baby.’”

Amy also shared some of her bio with us: Amy is a former-midwife, registered clinical counselor, infant-parent mental health facilitator, mother of two, soon-to-be farmer. She has worked under LaTanya McQueen and Sarah Darer Littman at the Yale Summer Writers Workshop 2021 and 2022 and was selected for the Yale Alumni program for 2023. She is polishing two novel-length manuscripts that she plans to query to agents this spring. Her last big adventure was hiking to Everest Base Camp for her 40th birthday.

Heather Rolland writes, “I’m an emerging writer and delighted to announce the publication of my flash fiction. ‘Emmons,’ published by Red Noise Collective, is a sensual exploration of relationships and impermanence. Read it here: https://www.rednoisecollective.com/emmons. ‘Moss,’ my first flash fiction piece, was published by Pinky Thinker Press, issue #7. Read it here: https://www.mignolo.art/ptp.”

Heather also added, “Flash is an exciting challenge and definitely makes me hone my craft. Two more flash pieces have been accepted for publication: ‘Pervy,’ a challenging look at aging and sexuality, has been accepted by Drunk Monkeys. And ‘The Thread,’ accepted by Sky Island Journal, witnesses lovers traverse the space between light-hearted play and serious issues.”

Ann Kathryn Kelly writes, “I’m thrilled that a jury offered her a scholarship to attend a month-long writing residency this summer in Prague, Czech Republic!”

Angela Mackintosh writes, “I finally got an acceptance for an essay I’ve been trying to place for over a year! After the essay received some initial success as a finalist in a prestigious creative nonfiction contest, I thought it would get snapped up quickly. Well, it took over a year and 16 rejections to find the perfect home. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on it! I hope this encourages writers to believe in your work and keep submitting until you get a yes.”

Bose Creative Publishers writes about a series of books they publish with collections of short fiction. “Oh yes, we published books by women of Indian origin. Check out SHE-Short Stories by Indian Women Around the World.”

Roberta Codemo writes, “I'm starting my first paid newsletter titled, ‘No More Women Will Die On My Watch.’ The first issue launched on April 27, and it will be a weekly newsletter. It will contain news and information about gynecologic cancer.”

Lynn Nicholas writes, “My short story, ‘Desert Bloomers Gardening Club’ (my first SS), was included in a print anthology, Trouble in Tucson, which was published in March.”

Ellen Notbohm, Author, writes, “My essay, ‘What She Thinks About When She Thinks About Shoes,’ an exploration of how my mother’s dementia impacted our relationship, ultimately exemplified by a pair of hauntingly, unforgivably ugly shoes, is a Chanticleer International Awards finalist for short prose. Published in the April issue of Well Read literary journal at https://bit.ly/3m7IYUY.”

@AngiPlant writes, “I’ve started getting down to some serious editing!”

@MadWomansKnitti writes, “I had a short story long-listed for the Commonwealth Prize, which placed it in the top 3% of 6500+ entries. I was so delighted that I then sent it to a prestigious publication because I had renewed faith in it. Now I wait…”

@cyndistuartwriting writes, “I have a manuscript in front of an editor at a publishing house, and she just got in touch. She said, ‘I'm enjoying it immensely. Can I have a few more days to finish reading?’ Well who says 'no' to that? She also asked me to fill out the attached author form while I wait. Insert WHOOP! here. That has to be good news, right?”

@llmahal writes, “I was accepted into a writing residency and am thrilled to have the chance to get to know other artists this summer.”

Author: Carmen Leal

For every pet parent who knows there's no such thing as 'just a dog,' this collection of uplifting glimpses into the lives of ordinary-turned-extraordinary dogs and the people who love them is a tail-wagging good read.

Thanks to the rescue dog who saved her life after a traumatic brain injury, Carmen Leal went from saying she'd never have a dog to becoming an advocate for man's best friend. Carmen volunteered at the local rescue shelter by writing bios and social media posts, applying for grants, and helping to save and re-home over 6,500 dogs from a high-kill shelter. This endearing anthology includes stories that celebrate the bond between canines and humans including:

I Chose You is a collection of memorable, beautifully written stories of dogs rescued by people and, ultimately, people rescued by dogs. If you like four-legged friends and happy endings, you'll love Carmen Leal's touching collection of heart-warming stories.

Author: Kathie Giorgio

In Heaven, there is a gated community for those who end their lives by choice. This is a complete surprise to Hope, who ends her life one morning on the banks of the Fox River in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Hope has always dealt with deep sadness. From childhood on, she visited therapists, doctors, alternative medicine practitioners, Reiki artists, etc., to no avail. In Heaven, God reassures her that he knows what caused the sadness, but he won’t reveal it yet.

All community residents are required to attend weekly group therapy. Hope’s first group is led by Virginia Woolf. Several of the book’s chapters tell the stories of other members of this group.

Filled with many moments of striking humor, uplifting realizations, and difficult challenges, Hope finds her way in Heaven. She meets many people like herself, who help her restore her forgotten artistic talent and passion, and God himself, who is amazingly human in the most inhuman of ways. Hope finds understanding and forgiveness, and most importantly, friends.

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