If you’re reading this, it means you survived January’s polar vortex and are basking in some version of this month’s spring thaw. Whatever inspires you–being locked up inside when it’s cold or testing what’s likely to be false spring–I hope you’re writing. And chances are that if you’re writing, you may have something ready to submit. Here are a dozen opportunities for writers. Good luck!
Bread and Beauty
We’re looking for unique, well-written perspectives on life. In general, we love blue-collar stories—people struggling with life, love, financial security, and the pursuit of functional happiness. That said, we don’t throw our noses up at anything that’s well written. We accept flash fiction, short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, memoir, and art for publication in our online journal. We are also seeking submissions for our featured “Mindful Musing” Monday blog post.
http://www.breadandbeauty.net/about.html
Pudding Magazine: The Journal of Applied Poetry
PuddingMagazine is currently reading for our summer/fall issue #68. Pudding Magazine is a small-press, literary publication with an emphasis on poetry, and occasional short fiction, essays, articles, book reviews, art, and photography. For poetry, submit up to six poems. For fiction and nonfiction, submit one piece or up to three flash pieces. We encourage new authors to submit, though we primarily publish emerging and established authors. We look forward to reading your work!
http://www.puddingmagazine.com/submissions
Indianapolis Review
The Indianapolis Review is a quarterly publication featuring poetry and art. We work to promote artists and writers from our region, but we also showcase work from around the country and the world. We don’t limit ourselves to one particular school or style of poetry; we simply want poetry that moves, surprises, sings and makes us think. You may submit up to 5 poems at a time in a single attached file. Please do not exceed 10 pages total.
https://theindianapolisreview.com/submit/
Delta Poetry Review
Submissions are accepted year-round. We prefer poetry that has both mainstream and literary appeal. Poetry should be formatted conventionally, without inline gaps or other structural elements that can’t be detected by an audience during a public reading. Submit up to three poems pasted into the body of your submission email.
http://deltapoetryreview.com/submissions.html
Mastodon Publishing
Mastodon Publishing is in our 2nd year and are looking for your imaginative, developed work!
We have an open call right for novels and short stories, poetry, essays and creative nonfiction. We’ve published 7 titles with a few more due out in 2019 and will be looking to publish 3-8 titles in 2020.
We offer a standard royalty-based contract, 10 author copies, 20-50 media copies, awards submissions, and attend several books conferences each year. This year we’re looking to do even more and bring on more great authors, poets, and artists! We’re looking for imaginative and well developed work in literary, upmarket, commercial and genre as well as poetry with character. Nonfiction, too, all types.
https://www.mastodonpublishing.com/submissions/
CAGIBI’s inaugural Macaron Prize
Cagibi is a journal of poetry & prose that has garnered praise in its first year for its quarterly online issues, publishing emerging writers side by side with our literary heroes. To celebrate, we’re excited to announce our writing contest, the 2019 Macaron Prize. Winners of the 2019 Macaron Prize will receive $1,000 and publication in Cagibi’s inaugural print issue. Finalists will also be published in the print issue. All entries will also be considered for publication in Cagibi’s quarterly online issues. Winners will be invited to read their work at a public Reading and Issue Launch Event in New York City in May. There is an $18 entry fee. Submission deadline is midnight February 15, 2019. The contest judges are Chantel Acevedo in Fiction, Major Jackson in Poetry, Sheila Kohler in Non-Fiction / Memoir.
Valparaiso Fiction Review
Publishing since 2011, Valparaiso Fiction Review is a biannual publication of Valparaiso University and its Department of English. Valparaiso Fiction Review is seeking submissions of short stories for its upcoming 2019 issues (Summer & Winter). Submissions to VFR should be original, unpublished works that range from 1,000 to 9,000 words. There is no set deadline, and submissions are considered on a rolling basis. Current and archived issues of the journal can be found online.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/vfr/guidelines.html
Darkhouse Books Call for Submissions: Love
Darkhouse Books seeks submissions for the third installment in its Riff literary series, What We Talk About When We Talk About It: Variations on the Theme of Love. Send us your best poetry or prose on this very broad theme. What is love, anyhow? You can love your partner, your friend, your country, your dog, cat, rat, your local library, your family, yourself. You can love money, liquor, food, wilderness, or the dive bar on the corner. What does love make people do? What will people give for it? What will they steal? Does the razor love the wrist as a baby loves the breast? Where does sex figure in all of this? Does it? This series leans toward the literary while welcoming all genres, so long as the author has paid close attention to craft. We are not looking for standard romance, but if you think your romance will win our love anyway, send it. – Send us work that stands out because of its excellence, of course, but also because of its creative take on the theme and on the craft of writing. We will accept reprints so long as the piece was published more than a year before you submit it, and you are submitting in accordance with the previous publisher’s guidelines, and ours. Maximum length is 5,000 words; there is no minimum. Format your piece in 12-point Times New Roman or Courier, double spaced, with initial 0.5” indents, and 1” margins. Send your manuscript as .doc or .docx. PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN ANY OTHER FORMAT. Submit no more than five poems and/or two prose pieces. Submissions may be emailed to submissions(AT)darkhousebooks(DOT)com, and should include the word Love in the subject line. Submissions will be accepted through midnight February 28, 2019. Payment to contributors is 50% of the royalties divided equally among the authors.
http://darkhousebooks.com/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-it-submissions/
Watershed Review
Watershed Review takes submissions through February 28th. We welcome submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and art. Submit up to 4 poems or one story or essay of up to 2500 words. One poem or prose excerpt will be chosen from each issue to be made into a broadside print through the Quoin Collective.
http://www.csuchico.edu/watershed/submit.shtml
Anomaly
Anomaly, an online international and intersectional journal of arts and literature, is seeking work for our 2019 Spring and Winter issues. We are looking for creative nonfiction, translations, fiction, poetry, and comics. Deadline: March 1, 2019.
Orange Blossom Review
We are excited to announce the open call period for submissions to Orange Blossom Review, the peer-reviewed, digital-format literary journal of the Florida College English Association. OBR publishes innovative poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art. Submit short fiction and creative nonfiction up to 5,000 words. Submit up to five poems. Deadline is March 31, 2019.
https://orangeblossomreview.org/ https://twitter.com/obr_litjournal
Pittsburgh Poetry Journal Inaugural Issue
Pittsburgh Poetry Journal (PPJ) seeks work that clangs with grit, passion, and a multitude of voices. We want poems that celebrate or break traditions and strive for progress. We do not restrict our journal to Pittsburgh poets or poetry. All writers and themes are welcome! We want your work that speaks to the spirit of Pittsburgh from any corner of the world. Please submit no more than three (3) poems, or seven (7) pages total. Our open reading period runs through March 31, 2019.
https://pittsburghpoetryjournal.submittable.com/submit
Denton Loving 