I have COVID-19, and I’m afraid that I’m not going to be able to do Comps and Calls for July 2021. Here are some listings I already had for that month. I’m hopeful that I’ll be back in August. Lots of love to all of you,
Here are some writing competitions and calls for submission, all with free, electronic entry.
As usual I’m passing these on in good faith but mistakes may be made, so do check all the submission guidelines carefully. Any info in quotes comes from the website itself and any dates at the start are deadlines. Also, I don’t know the sources personally, so do check them out for yourselves.
There are three headings (click/tap to jump straight to them):
If you aren’t a submitter (why not? Nothing to lose! Rejection is something we all share!) then the themes can make great writing prompts/exercises.
Although I mention only fiction or poetry, many publications accept non-fiction, art or other forms, so do check if interested. Good luck and do let me know of successes! The links are in the comments, and any dates at the start are deadlines.
Where possible, I have marked the relevant entries with ‘paying’, ‘contributor copy’ etc. However, you are best off checking the info for yourselves as I am not infallible and the info isn’t always available or clear. Please be aware that a contributor copy may be in print or digital format. Also, some publications offer several things, eg payment as well as a contributor copy. Where this is the case, I have assumed that payment is enough of an incentive, so I haven’t listed everything. It’s a rough guide and should be treated as such.
15th Jul ‘We all do it. Shop at The Dollar Store. But why? Is it the best value for money? Not really, but it is cheap. And convenient. Cheap and convenient is good but aren’t we really looking for treasure? Or are we avoiding the outside world?
Tell us your best unpublished stories of approximately 50 words about The Dollar Store, Pound Store, 100 Yen Store, etc. near you.’ http://www.blink-ink.org/current-submissions/
15th Jul opens until filled: ‘HOUSE OF BOOKS – I’ll be searching the submission stacks for dream libraries, book borrowing & book lending, book club meetings, bookmarks, and dog-eared pages! Poetry, flash or CNF. https://www.dwellingliterary.com/submit
30th Jul Theme: Subcultures. ‘For our print magazine, we accept short fiction, flash/micro fiction, nonfiction (memoir, literary journalism, travel narratives, etc), and original artwork (photographs, illustrations, paintings, etc) based on the designated monthly theme.’ https://www.litromagazine.com/litro-magazine-is-one-of-the-best-places-places-to-submit-writing/#print (Cathy’s note: you can also submit to the online or podcast versions of Litro.)
30th Jul ‘Eerie River is, and forever will be, inclusive in every way. We are looking for LGBTQIA+ characters to be featured within the story itself. Who can submit? This anthology is open to everyone. Bring us your foolish humans, your dark flesh-eating fae. Entice us with your magic and let us feast on the carnage you create. We are looking for unique character-driven stories with a strong fantasy storyline. Happy endings not required. Rated R stories welcome.’ https://www.eerieriverpublishing.com/open-submission
31st Jul BIPOC women/nonbinary parents: ‘Raising Mothers is accepting submissions for our column, Radical Joy. We are not meant to endure motherhood. We are meant to savor it, to enjoy it. We want your essays about experiences and memories that brought laughter and healing. Tell us the moments of radical joy that rock your world and redefine perceptions of parenting and motherhood.’ https://www.raisingmothers.com/submissions/ (Cathy’s note: It’s free to submit poetry.)
31st Jul Fiction 5000-15,000 words. ‘In a world where so many dark things go bump in the night, terror awaits around every corner as these authors take horror stories to the next level.’ ROYALTIES https://dragonsoulpress.com/anthologies/
1st Aug ‘We invite marginalized unpublished writers to submit their poetry, prose, and hybrid works for this issue. We especially encourage unpublished writers living with disabilities, those who also identify as writers of color, and/or as part of the LGBTQ++ community.’ Theme: the body. POSSIBLE PAYMENT https://santafewritersproject.submittable.com/submit (Cathy’s note: From their website: ‘Once our Submittable fees are covered, we will divide any excess funds earned through the tip jar options equally amongst the published contributors.’)
1st Aug An edition focusing on black writers and artists. ‘Please note: we feature poems with some connection to Tokyo/Japan at the textual or authorial level. Not so in to poems about cherry blossoms, etc. Exceptions apply.’ https://www.topojo.com/submissions
Fiction. ‘Our platform is brand new; the first authors published on the site will be paid $0.02 for every unique story view, including views from free accounts. Once we are up and running, writers will receive a portion of the subscription of paying readers (similar to Medium).’ PAYING https://simily.co/how-it-works/
My wrist is a lot better, and many thanks to those of you who’ve asked. It’d be even better if I could just stop doing things that involve it, but… 🙂
My tip this month is to share opportunities with writer friends. If you see a call for submissions and you think, oh, so-and-so might like that – make the effort to share it with them. They will return the favour, you can be sure. For instance, a writer and artist friend got in touch with me about this:
I’ve worked before with a brilliant artist called Karen Little. I’m now part of her new project, combining art and poetry to make gorgeous handmade booklets (or pamphlets. I love the ‘amph’ in pamphlets). Mine is called ‘Medusa’s Hair Tips’. Eight of my very best poems, including some brand new ones, with a fab cover by Karen, all to help a particular animal rescue. Being disabled myself, I’m always keen to support humans and animals who are ‘discarded’ or overlooked because of their disabilities.
Karen: These poetry booklets are now available….print on demand! If you want to buy one…or more!… all profits to Happy Tails Halfway Home (an animal rescue) please email kazvina@yahoo.es. They are £8 each, including post and packaging, £6 of which goes to the rescue (If you live outside the UK, it’s £9.25, of which £6 will go to the rescue). (they care for animals who because of their ‘disabilities’ would otherwise be ‘discarded.’ The booklets are hand-made on Very Arty Paper….and I look forward to printing, slicing and stapling Many Copies!
Tl;dr? Buy my booklet ‘Medusa’s Hair tips’ in aid of disabled animals. Email kazvina@yahoo.es and take a look too at the other 7 booklets in the series!
As always, massive thanks to my Patreon supporters and those who give one-off gifts to help keep the site going. No amount too small! One dollar gets me doing happy bounces. Best wishes and stay safe Cathy x
Here are some writing competitions and calls for submission, all with free, electronic entry.
As usual I’m passing these on in good faith but mistakes may be made, so do check all the submission guidelines carefully. Any info in quotes comes from the website itself and any dates at the start are deadlines. Also, I don’t know the sources personally, so do check them out for yourselves.
There are three headings (click/tap to jump straight to them):
If you aren’t a submitter (why not? Nothing to lose! Rejection is something we all share!) then the themes can make great writing prompts/exercises.
Although I mention only fiction or poetry, many publications accept non-fiction, art or other forms, so do check if interested. Good luck and do let me know of successes! The links are in the comments, and any dates at the start are deadlines.
Where possible, I have marked the relevant entries with ‘paying’, ‘contributor copy’ etc. However, you are best off checking the info for yourselves as I am not infallible and the info isn’t always available or clear. Please be aware that a contributor copy may be in print or digital format. Also, some publications offer several things, eg payment as well as a contributor copy. Where this is the case, I have assumed that payment is enough of an incentive, so I haven’t listed everything. It’s a rough guide and should be treated as such.
2nd Jun ‘Spectator Competition No. 3202: lost love. You are invited to choose a well-known book with the word ‘love’ in its title, substitute the word ‘love’ with a word of your choice, and submit a short story with that title. Please email entries of up to 150 words to lucy@spectator.co.uk by midday on 2 June.’ PAYING https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/what-boris-johnson-s-vacuum-cleaner-saw
4th Jun ‘For this mini-contest, show, tell, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long in which someone is trying to sell something (a tool, a service, some kind of idea, etc.) to some audience, and the sales pitch ends up revealing more than the seller intends. You can either write the text of the sales pitch itself or incorporate the pitch into a story.’ PAYING https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/
9th Jun ‘Spectator Competition No. 3203: the third way. You are invited to provide an extract from the newly discovered Shakespearean play Charles III. Please email entries of up to 16 lines to lucy@spectator.co.uk by midday on 9 June.’ PAYING https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/chaucer-s-canterbury-tales-retold
14th Jun Age 11-18: ‘The 2021 Ocean Awareness Contest theme WATER RISING challenges students to explore and understand their connection to water, and to creatively communicate the need to protect this vital resource and life-sustaining relationship.’ PAYING https://bowseat.org/programs/ocean-awareness-contest/overview/
15th Jun ‘Magazine is currently accepting entries for the eighth annual Christopher Hewitt Award. Named in honor of A&U’s first literary editor, the award showcases outstanding responses to the AIDS pandemic and the realities of individuals living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in the genres of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction.’ PAYING https://aumag.org/chrishewittawards/
15th Jun ‘The Norton Writer’s Prize recognizes outstanding original nonfiction by undergraduates. The contest is open to students age 17 and above who are enrolled in an accredited 2- or 4-year college or university during the 2020-2021 academic year.’ 1000-3000 words. PAYING https://wwnorton.com/norton-writers-prize
30th Jun ‘For fiction manuscripts between 150 and 300 pages, containing any combination of short stories and/or one or more novellas. Open to writers who have published a novel or a book-length collection of fiction with a reputable book publisher, or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in magazines or journals of national distribution.’ PAYING https://upittpress.org/drue-heinz-literature-prize-submission-guidelines/
7th Jun ‘Currently open to CRIME & CRIME/THRILLER novellas (up to short novels) and collections of crime (dark general fiction is cool, too) stories. Looking for books to publish late this year and next year. 21,000 words – 60,000 words.’ https://www.unnervingbooks.com/submissions
9th Jun ‘Submissions must fit the theme of the Dark Deep and should be centered around bodies of water and anything connected to them, such as sea creatures, mysterious disappearances, pirates, the Bermuda Triangle, etc, and must be written in the horror genre.’ 5000-10,000 words. PAYING https://www.sinistersmilepress.com/submissions-v6
15th Jun or when full: Dystopian drabbles on the theme of CTR ALT DEL. ‘Artificial Intelligence is taking over the world…Super AI, robots, cyborgs, killer toasters and cell phones…intelligent machines are taking taking over and we’re here for it.’ CONTRIBUTOR COPY/COPIES https://www.blackinkfiction.com/submissions
15th Jun ‘Plainsongs presents poems that seem to be aware of modernist and postmodernist influences, not necessarily by imitation or allusion, but by using the tools provided by that rich heritage.’ CONTRIBUTOR COPY/COPIES, PAYS SOME CONTRIBUTORS https://corpuscallosumpress.submittable.com/submit/48854/plainsongs-magazine
15th Jun ‘For this upcoming issue of the Tinfish Journal, we are interested in work that explores unwritten spaces and seeks to align vulnerability with chaos specific to the Pacific region. We want your poetic approaches toward what cannot be named, explained, or dreamt.’ https://www.tinfishpress.org/submit
15th Jun Stories on the theme of Counting Your Blessings. ‘Please share your stories about handling challenges in your life, finding the silver linings, and counting your blessings, whether the challenges you are facing are COVID-19 related or other kinds.’ PAYING https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics
15th Jun Emerging Canadian writers: ‘Good. Short. Writing. We look for a diversity of styles and formats that are creative and engaging: poetry, short/flash fiction, creative non-fiction (including, but not limited to: creative essays, ficto-criticism, flash memoir, photo essays), and hybrid/multi-media such as comics, postcard fiction, and collaborations across media.’ https://antilangmag.submittable.com/submit
15th June opens until filled: ‘HOME SWEET HOME – send us pieces that are sweet, honeycomb-y, sticky, poemy, buzzing, or homey!’ Poetry, flash or CNF. https://www.dwellingliterary.com/submit
15th Jun Theme: ‘Swords and Shadows. Sexy Fantastic Magazine features the absolute highest quality of fiction, comics, book and movie reviews, articles, photos of sexy fantastic heroines, and other cultural delights by top professionals and award-winning authors and artists.’ PAYING https://sexyfantasticmagazine.com/fictionsubmissions/
18th Jun ‘We are looking for short stories up to 6,000 words, flash fiction, or poetry in the Science Fiction/Science Fantasy genres. If you aren’t sure whether it fits, submit it anyway. The worst that happens is we let you know it doesn’t fit what we’re looking for! And we don’t bite!’ CONTRIBUTOR COPY/COPIES, PAYING (SUBJECT TO FUNDRAISER/FUNDING) https://hawksbarrow.com/submissions-call/
21st Jun Canadian women/nonbinary only: ‘Understorey Magazine publishes stories based in life experience and told through fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. We feature writers who identify as women or non-binary, and who also have a strong connection to Canada.’ Theme: remote and rural living. PAYING https://understoreymagazine.ca/submissions/
21st Jun Theme: Nature. ‘For our print magazine, we accept short fiction, flash/micro fiction, nonfiction (memoir, literary journalism, travel narratives, etc), and original artwork (photographs, illustrations, paintings, etc) based on the designated monthly theme.’ https://www.litromagazine.com/litro-magazine-is-one-of-the-best-places-places-to-submit-writing/#print(Cathy’s note: you can also submit to the online or podcast versions of Litro.)
22nd Jun ‘The Nightfire team is looking for novels and novellas for adults across the breadth of the horror genre—from the cosmic and Lovecraftian to the beloved undead tropes of zombies, ghosts, and slashers and the more uncanny and internal terrors of isolation, lost love, and aging.’ PAYING https://tornightfire.com/nightfire-slush-submission-guidelines/
27th Jun ‘We are seeking short stories exclusively set in South America. We are seeking poetry set in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America.’ PAYING https://www.hexpublishers.com/submissions.html
30th Jun Poetry, flash and more. ‘Stories, poems and essays that feature someone not wanting to be where they are now, or something that is happening somewhere else but definitely not right here, or a longed for travel destination … or maybe definitely not here, because somewhere else is better … or anything that suggests someone might want to be somewhere else or doing something different.’ https://pureslush.com/submissions/current-submissions/25-miles-from-here/
30th Jun ‘We are looking for “playfully dark”, intelligent, humorous, descriptive literature written for children ages 8 – 13. We invite poetry and fiction submissions by email.’ Theme: Hidden. PAYING https://www.crowtoesquarterly.org/submit
30th Jun Fiction 5000-15,000 words. ‘LitRPG genre. Playing Virtual Reality games is a favorite pastime, but getting trapped in them due to a glitch is another story. It’s a true fight for survival now and the only way out is to finish the game.’ ROYALTIES https://dragonsoulpress.com/anthologies/
30th Jun Fiction 5000-15,000 words. ‘After killing Earth, humans have been launched into space exploration. Discovering aliens and new technologies, future generations are unrecognizable from the Earthlings that once were. There are a select few who want to go back to their roots, some who will prevent this at all costs, and others who don’t care. Where do your characters fit within the vast universe full of the unknown?’ ROYALTIES https://dragonsoulpress.com/anthologies/
30th Jun ‘We have all had dates we would much rather forget, but how many tragic souls have had the misfortune to swipe right on a serial killer, lycanthrope, one of the undead, a denizen fresh from hell itself, or any other manner of nefarious beings?’ 4k-10k words. PAYING http://www.hellboundbookspublishing.com/subs-anthologies.html
30th Jun ‘Clichés! We all know them, we’ve probably all been guilty of using them and we usually dismiss them but what if there’s something to them? After all, they’ve not been forgotten.’ ‘We’re happy to look at stories or poems of any length up to 7500 (query for over) and encourage submissions from people of all cultures and backgrounds.’ CONTRIBUTOR COPY+ ROYALTIES https://blackshuckbooks.co.uk/submissions/
1st Jul ‘We are looking for essay submissions from queer parents who identify as female/mom about the experience of parenting boys. Pieces should be nonfiction between 750-1000 words. Include a brief cover letter describing the makeup of your family and why you’d like to be included in a collection about challenging toxic masculinity through parenting choices.’ Email to queermomsraisingboys@gmail.com
1st Jul ‘Rock and a Hard Place Press is open for submissions to its first themed anthology of short fiction, titled, Under the Thumb: Stories of Police Oppression. The anthology will feature stories about individuals, families, and communities that have faced or are facing police violence, persecution, harassment, and oppression.’ 2000-5000 words. https://www.rockandahardplacemag.com/call-for-submissions-under-the-thumb
(Publishers might not give out their pay rates on their submission pages, so make sure to find them out before signing a contract!)
‘Founded in 2021, MONO. is a literary journal inviting dark humour, satire and brutally honest reflections on ordinary life that sit on the borderline of the melancholic and amusing. We welcome unpublished flash fiction, poetry, short stories up to 3000 words, and amateur monochrome photography (the more creative the better!)’https://www.monofiction.org/submissions
For our weekly online flash feature, please submit up to three pieces in a single file. For fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid works, each piece should be 500 words maximum. For poetry, submit poems 32 lines or less. Please include your name and contact information in the document. You may withdraw individual pieces from a batch of submissions by contacting us at editors [at] cincinnatireview [dot] com or using the contact form on their website. CONTRIBUTOR COPY/COPIES https://www.cincinnatireview.com/submission-guidelines-2021/
‘We are looking for stories that capture the mood and feel of the old EC horror comics, the Amicus horror anthologies from the 1970s, old school Hammer, Night Gallery, Kolchak, etc. We prefer literal monsters to the metaphoric kind. Nothing too depressing or highbrow.’ https://talesfromtheeekzine.weebly.com/submissions.html
‘F I V E S welcomes submissions of interdisciplinary and cross-genre work not typically publishable in print form. Send us your audioscapes, visual work, short films, digitally inclined prose, poetry, and criticism, and artistic experiments of all types.’ https://fivesquarterly.com/about/
‘Eucalyptus & rose accepts heartwarming and thoughtful fiction and creative non-fiction under 1000 words, as well as poetry that does not exceed 20 lines. In particular, we are looking for unsent love letters, bite-size memoirs, poetry revolving around landscapes and colors, and short fiction that makes us feel fuzzy on the inside.’ https://www.eucalyptusandroselitmag.com/submissions-1
‘Three Line Poetry reports the slush pile is empty! After a big push to catch up, all pending TLP submissions have been read and posted. Submissions are open!’ PAYING https://threelinepoetry.com/submit/terms.php
‘Timber Ghost Press is looking to publish high-quality horror fiction to include cosmic horror, weird horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi/horror, gothic, and contemporary. We especially love Old West mixed with horror.’ PAYING https://www.timberghostpress.com/submissions.html
‘Shrapnel publishes experimental writing from emerging writers in the genres of fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, and poetry.’ PAYING https://www.shrapnelmagazine.com/submit
‘The Vita Poetica Journal is an online quarterly publication of creative work explored through a spiritual lens. This may be engaging directly with religious faith or a broader inquiry into meaning and the human experience.’ Poetry, fiction and more. https://www.vitapoetica.org/journal/submissions
‘We like poems with concrete imagery and strong emotions; We like poems that surprise us and make us weep like soft children; We like beautiful music flowing in your lines. No racism or sexism please.’ http://www.poetic-sun.com/submission.html
I have a small wrist injury – not serious, but it’s my mouse arm, and it’s making typing difficult. Apologies if this affects the listings for this month. It should be better in a month, if not healed.
Anyway, I hope you’re all well. Did you do Napowrimo? I wrote my thirty poems, but I’m not sure about the quality! Still, it’s all good exercise of the poetry muscles. I rather like this way of looking at writing exercises, and writing to a prompt and to order: you’re exercising writing muscles, so that when you come to write your masterpieces, you’ll have the stamina to keep going!
I do hope that you’re well, and enjoying the Spring sunshine (or snow! We’ve had every weather imaginable here)!
Massive thanks as always to those who donate to my Patreon or who do one-off donations. I really appreciate it, and it helps to keep the site going. You don’t get anything extra for it – you just do a good, helpful thing.
Love too to those who’d like to donate but can’t. I’ve been there. xxx
Here are some writing competitions and calls for submission, all with free, electronic entry.
As usual I’m passing these on in good faith but mistakes may be made, so do check all the submission guidelines carefully. Any info in quotes comes from the website itself and any dates at the start are deadlines. Also, I don’t know the sources personally, so do check them out for yourselves.
There are three headings (click/tap to jump straight to them):
If you aren’t a submitter (why not? Nothing to lose! Rejection is something we all share!) then the themes can make great writing prompts/exercises.
Although I mention only fiction or poetry, many publications accept non-fiction, art or other forms, so do check if interested. Good luck and do let me know of successes! The links are in the comments, and any dates at the start are deadlines.
Where possible, I have marked the relevant entries with ‘paying’, ‘contributor copy’ etc. However, you are best off checking the info for yourselves as I am not infallible and the info isn’t always available or clear. Please be aware that a contributor copy may be in print or digital format. Also, some publications offer several things, eg payment as well as a contributor copy. Where this is the case, I have assumed that payment is enough of an incentive, so I haven’t listed everything. It’s a rough guide and should be treated as such.
9am 5th May ‘The award is intended for unpublished creative writers in the early stage of their career and the successful candidate must be a graduate of any university in the UK, Ireland, the Commonwealth or the USA by the time they take up for post on 1 October 2021. All or part of the tenure should be spent in a country outside the UK.’ PAYING https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/creative-writers-route-success-encouraged-apply-harper-wood-award
5th May ‘Spectator Competition No. 3198: now we are rich. You are invited to supply an extract from a children’s book that is designed to explain economics to youngsters. Please email entries of up to 150 words/16 lines to lucyATspectator.co.uk by midday on 5 May.’ PAYING https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/spectator-competition-winners-racy-versions-of-the-classics (Cathy’s note: Scroll down for the comp.)
12th May Spectator Competition No. 3199: I spy ‘Are we facing a future in which we are spied on not only by Alexa, Siri and Cortana but also by our mattress, our vacuum cleaner, even our children’s toys? You are invited to supply a poem in which an inanimate object comments on its owner’s behaviour. Please email entries of up to 16 lines to lucy@spectator.co.uk by midday on 12 May.’ PAYING https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/replies-from-shakespeare-s-dark-lady-and-frances-cornford-s-fat-woman
14th May Poetry. ‘The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 is nature and the environment and we invite your poems on this theme. Poems may also touch on themes of mental health and wellbeing, but they do not need to. The competition is free to enter and open to all.’ NON-CASH PRIZE https://exeterphoenix.org.uk/bloom-poetry-competition/
15th May ‘We’re excited to announce our 2021Flash Fiction Contest for original (previously unpublished) stories 1,000 words or less. To celebrate our fifth year, the cash prize is our biggest yet – $500.’ PAYING https://www.thesunlightpress.com/submissions/
31st May ‘We’re excited to announce the seventh annual short fiction writing contest “Healthy Together: Innovations for One Health”… The news today is full of stories of disease and environmental destruction. We ask authors to imagine a world in which technology has improved One Health — the health of the environment, humans, and all living things.’ 1500-3000 words. PAYING https://sapiensplurum.org/rules
31st May ‘The SLF $1000 Older Writers Grant is awarded annually, since 2004, to a writer who is fifty years of age or older at the time of grant application, and is intended to assist such writers who are just starting to work at a professional level. This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature.’ PAYING https://speculativeliterature.org/grants/slf-older-writers-grant/
31st May Short fiction. ‘The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America.’ PAYING http://jerryjazzmusician.com/2013/02/short-fiction-contest-details/
1st Jun USA only: ‘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.’ PAYING (Cathy’s note: My apologies but I seem to have lost the link for this. I decided to include it anyway as I’m sure some lawyers would be able to find it in a few seconds. Don’t sue me!)
7th May ‘From Fae Folk to Folk Tales, Folklore and a sense of belonging, the word ‘folk’ conjures fantasy, togetherness. How do we see the ‘Folk’ in our lives? Homely collectives of family and friends? A breath of the fantastic helps us unlock the best meanings of ‘Folk’. Open for speculative poetry, prose (fiction & non-fiction), comics & art.’ ROYALTIES https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/macromicrocosm-1lhW7
9th May ‘This issue of the London Reader is calling for stories, poems, or art that reflect on, gaze upon, or feel the pull of the moon in any way. From myth or history, through our torn present, or gazing forward to a radically different future.’ CONTRIBUTOR COPY AND/OR ROYALTIES http://londonreader.uk/
13th May Transgender, Nonbinary & gender-nonconforming writers’ edition. ‘We are looking for an engaging science fiction or fantasy story, something that gives reality a tweak on the nose – an idea that makes us stop and think.’ PAYING https://www.shorelineofinfinity.com/submissions/
14th May Theme: Ephemeral. ‘We especially welcome flash fiction and creative nonfiction, one-line poems, and graphics that might just disappear…We welcome your previously unpublished stories, essays, poetry, graphic art, and genres that have no name.’ https://theilanotreview.submittable.com/submit (Cathy’s note: although you can submit after this date, there’ll be a fee to pay if you do.)
15th May ‘We are a biannual literary zine focused on women’s embodied experiences of perimenopause, menopause, and croning—minus the patriarchy.’ Theme: Roles. https://www.hagsonfire.com/
15th May ‘We are looking for stories about the entire holiday season, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year’s. Please make sure that they are “Santa safe” so that we don’t spoil the magic for precocious readers!’ PAYING https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics
23rd May Theme: Screens. ‘Claw & Blossom is an online seasonal journal of short literary prose and poems that touch upon the natural world.’ PAYING (Cathy’s note: they have a monthly quota of free submissions, so submit as soon as you can!) https://clawandblossom.com/submissions/
28th May ‘Send in poems, short stories, articles, art and other forms of writing exploring the theme of ancestry, especially African ancestry. Any length is welcome.’ https://nalubaalereview.wordpress.com/
29th May What One Wouldn’t Do. ‘I’m looking for sacrifices, risky wagers, high stakes, and especially—if you’re familiar with my own writing—the unintended consequences and fallout of said things. I’m interested in the lengths characters would go to “fill-in-the-blank-here.” I’m open to anything in the dark speculative fiction realm.’ Stories and poetry. PAYING https://www.scottjmoses.com/what-one-wouldnt-do
30th May ‘Yes, we are looking for stories, essays, experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. No, we will not let this catastrophic event go down in History without being documented. The papers are doing their part, but we would like a more personal approach – A HUMAN STORY BEHIND THE NUMBERS AND HEADLINES.’ https://nalubaalereview.wordpress.com/
30th May ‘We’re looking for dark, scary stories featuring a classic monster or monsters (think famous creatures from pre-1960 horror movies).’ There’s a list of characters/monsters to choose from. 1500-5000 words. PAYING https://www.crystallakepub.com/authorcentral/
31st May Three fiction anthologies open: Strange Wars, Strange Religion and Wight Christmas. PAYING http://tdotspec.com/submissions/
31st May ‘We invite writers with disabilities, perceived or hidden, to submit their poetry, prose, and hybrid works for this issue. We especially encourage writers with disabilities who also identify as writers of color and/or as part of the LGBTQ++ community.’ Theme: Ownership. POSSIBLE PAYMENT https://santafewritersproject.submittable.com/submit (Cathy’s note: From their website: ‘Once our Submittable fees are covered, we will divide any excess funds earned through the tip jar options equally amongst the published contributors.’)
31st May BIPOC women/non-binary writers: ‘Raising Mothers is currently accepting submissions for our column, Promises for You. We want to give voice and space to those who have experienced infertility, miscarriage, and child loss at any age. Each essay should include a promise to offer other parents living similar experiences. Photo essays are also considered for the column.’ PAYING https://www.raisingmothers.com/submissions/ (Cathy’s note: It’s free to submit poetry.)
31st May Dark speculative fiction 2000-10,000 words on the theme of Identity, Security, and Community. ‘Identity, security, and community are inexorably entwined. We’re looking for stories touching on at least one of these themes. We want you to explore the boundaries of who we are, what makes us feel safe (and at what cost), with whom we choose to surround ourselves, and our darkest secrets.’ PAYING https://www.thedreadmachine.com/submit/submit-darkness/
31st May ‘Have you seen a dragon – they are truly badass m*****f*****s. Armor plated, huge, breathe fire, huge teeth and claws. Yeah, right, a single knight with a sword is going to defeat that. What we are looking for are stories that feature really badass dragons – they can be evil or good – or somewhere in between. The point is they need to live up to the power and strength we picture when we imagine a dragon.’ PAYING https://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/crunchy-guidelines
31st May ‘Let’s look on the bright side: a semi-normal summer may be possible; what’s happening on the beach? Ship us your tales of surf and sun. Send your poetry, fiction, essays, illustrations and photography.’http://www.thebrokencitymag.com/submissions.html
1st Jun ‘Let’s talk about Faery Places. This anthology is all about the places. The dark sppoky (sic) forest, or the undersea cove… the story must feature a place for the fae to play in. This anthology is not limited by genre, any will do. We are looking for the location to shine through the story the most.’ https://faecorpspublishing.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/call-for-submissions-into-the-glen/
1st Jun ‘This summer we will be publishing our first hardcover anthology. We’re looking for original 1k-8k word stories with off-beat characters, bungling detectives, or funny premises. Be creative, but make it about a mystery/crime, and make us laugh!’ PAYING https://www.mysteryweekly.com/submit.asp?p=HUMOUR
1st Jun ‘Sliced Up Press is looking for short stories involving menopause for its latest horror fiction anthology. Menopause can be hell – so show us your demons, your darkest dreams, bloodiest crimes or scariest transformations. It’s called the change of life, but transitions can be deadly.’ 1000-4000 words. PAYING https://sliceduppress.com/submissions-2/
1st Jun ‘EHS is an ezine dedicated to 1) original poetry and 2) short fiction (Cathy’s note: and more!) about the Gods and Goddesses and heroes of the world’s many Pagan traditions.’ Theme: The Written Word. PAYING https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/about/
1st Jun Poetry, prose and more on the theme of The Virgin Mary, Venus and Hestia. ‘A literary journal about embracing the wild feminine. Pulling from classical stories and myths, each issue will be themed around womxn who have embraced the dark and seductive. Around the cauldron womxn have moved as keepers of the house, guardians of future generations, lovers and wives, storytellers, and seers. Womxn hold a secret magic.’ http://cauldronanthology.weebly.com/submissions.html
‘Thank you for your interest in becoming a Page Street author. We publish young adult (YA) fiction (for ages 12 and up), in all genres, and a variety of nonfiction books in such categories as cooking, sports, science, nature, interior design, crafts, and parenting. We also publish picture books in all genres for ages 4-8 with particular focus on new talent, artist-led narratives, engaging story arcs, and visually driven concepts. We do not publish board books, early readers, chapter books, or middle grade at this time.’ https://www.pagestreetpublishing.com/submission-guidelines
‘MacroMicroCosm is open for essays (500 – 4500 words) on personal philosophy & worldview, as part of a continued discussion on coexistence, community and tolerance. We want to give voice to the philosophical views around us, to debate and inspect them. Through inspection, to discover the commonalities which can bring beauty and compassion to this world on fire. The throne is empty. Long Live the Perilous Thought’s Throne.’ ROYALTIES https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/macromicrocosm-1lhW7
‘We are always open to submissions of poetry, prose, and visual art that explore questions of ecology and spirituality from within and outside all religious traditions. We are delighted by thoughtful art, compelling stories, bewitching poems that reflect our values of curiosity, justice, and community.’ http://www.ecotheo.org/submissions/
