The Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest is now in its 20th year and is looking for today’s best humor poems. There’s no fee to enter and they accept both published and unpublished work. Deadline April 1. First Prize: $2,000 plus a two-year gift certificate from the co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value) The top 12 entries will be published online. Submit here.  For more details check the link above.

 A prize of $1,000, publication in The Tusculum Review, and creation of a limited edition chapbook is awarded for the winning story (2,000-6,500 words) in their 2021 Fiction Prize. The entry fee of $15 includes a one-year subscription to The Tusculum Review (an annual publication) and consideration for publication. Deadline April 1.

The University of Tulsa’s Nimrod International Journal is open for submissions to its 2021 Nimrod Literary Awards fiction contest, with a deadline of April 2. The entry fee is $23, and the first prize is $2,000 and publication. Second Prize: $1,000 and publication. Entries may include a short story of up to 7,500 words or a self-contained excerpt from a novel same word limit). If you win, they’ll pay for you to travel to Tulsa for the awards ceremony in October (COVID permitting), so long as you’re a resident of the US.

The New Ohio Review’s 2021 Fiction Contest will award $1,500 and publication in New Ohio Review. Stories that are not selected will still be considered for publication. The entry fee of $22 comes with a 1-year subscription. Submit up to 20 pages of double-spaced writing. Judged by Anthony Marra (A Constellation of Vital Phenomena). Deadline April 15.

Here’s a quirky flash fiction contest run by Geist magazine in Canada. The 17^th Annual Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest (which they brag has a name almost as long as the entries) runs until April 15. They’re looking for a story (up to 500 words) and a postcard—the relationship can be as strong or as tangential as you like, so long as there is a clear connection between the story and the image. Entry fee: $20, which includes a year’s subscription. There’s a first prize of $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $150. All winning entries will be published in Geist in print and online. International entries welcome.

Connecticut Center for the Book is accepting submissions for the 2021 Connecticut Book Awards, which recognize the best books by authors and illustrators from Connecticut or books about Connecticut. Categories include fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, for adults and young readers. Entry fees start at $40 for a print run of 2,000 or fewer. Submissions will be accepted through April 23. For guidelines and to submit, please visit their website.

The First Line is a literary anthology looking for submissions of from 300-5,000 words, primarily fiction. The editors provide the first line of your flash/short story – you provide the rest. They also accept a few poems and 500-800 word critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work. Current first lines are: Lena was raised on violin lessons and minimal parental supervision, due by May 1, and “What should we do with the body?” due August 1. Full details here.

Writing Day Workshops runs the 2021 Florida Writing Workshop — an online how to get published writing event on June 12 this year. This offers a chance of joining a number of workshops on writing and publishing over the course of one day ($149), pitching a literary agent or editor ($29 per agent), getting your questions answered, as well as a critique of your query letter ($69) and your writing ($89). It’s probably a good idea to book early since there are limited places (200 total). All sessions will be recorded so you can refer back to them, and they have a policy that “no question goes unanswered. If they run out of time, answers will be sent after the conference. More details here.

Fiction on the Web is a British online journal publishing continuously since July 1996, which makes it the oldest short stories’ website on the Internet. This new incarnation of the site aims to take advantage of the latest trends in connectivity while keeping things nice and simple. They’re accepting short story submissions (1000-10,000 words) in the following genres: humor, horror, fantasy, crime, and what they call real-life stories about everyday life and relationships. They publish two stories per week. Check the details at the link above—they have specific guidelines.

And here are a couple of useful articles about connecting with readers:

Get reader reviews now to drive sales later – Jane Friedman

Reach more readers with Overdrive (the library app for eBooks and audiobooks) from Kobo Writing Life

Ten free ways to increase author website traffic  – Sandra Beckwith of Build Book Buzz

That should keep you going for a month – good luck! And as ever, keep writing…