This post includes some writerly events, a couple of writing contests, literary journals to submit to, and a new writing software…
Wilton Library (CT) is hosting a Connecticut Poetry Society Workshop on April 18, from 2-4pm. You need not be a member of the Society to attend, but space is limited to 15 attendees, so if you’re interested, sign up now. All that is required is the willingness to share some poetry that you have written by reading it aloud to the group. Poets should email a copy of their poems to Ed Ahern at salmonier@aol.com. He will distribute the poems to the group shortly before the session. Register online or call 203-762-6334.
Writer’s Digest’s 95th Annual Writing Competition is now accepting entries. The grand prize winner will receive $5,000 in cash, a trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, and an interview for a feature article in our magazine. First-place winners in each category receive $1,000, and second-place winners in each category win $500. Check out the complete list of prizes on WritersDigest.com. Enter in more than eight categories, including two short fiction categories. Poetry entry—$20 for the first entry; $15 for each additional poetry entry. Manuscript entry—$30 for the first entry; $25 for each additional manuscript entry. Earlybird deadline, May 4. Final deadline: June 1 (add $5) Learn more here
You may know Reedsy as the place to find freelanceers to help with writing and publishing your book. But their Reedsy Prompts division has inspired and supported a global community of writers for nearly a decade. Now, they’re launching a new competition: the Reedsy Literary Prize, an award created to recognize short fiction of exceptional quality. Deadline May 31. Writers have to compose and refine a single short story (2,000 to 5,000 words) in response to one prompt. The winning writer will receive $1,500, publication in their literary magazine Prompted, and personalized feedback from their guest judge, along with recognition across Reedsy’s platforms. Entry fee: $20 . Submit here.
Reedsy Studio also offers a free writing software to help writers outline, write and get their books done. It offers options to hire editors, add collaborators find beta readers and format ready for publication. It looks relatively simple compared with Scrivener, Best of all, It’s free. Check the video below to see what it offers. (The first 30 seconds is a promo, and then the presenter gets into the nitty gritty. Go to their website to sign up.
Authors Publish has come up with a list focusing on nine publishers that are open to submissions this month. Some are only open for a short period of time, others will be open the whole month and beyond. At least four of these are presses they haven’t covered previously. Please note that if a publisher doesn’t have a specific submission window, they can close at any time, and publishers that use Submittable can close at any point because of submission caps (although these publishers generally reopen to submissions at the end of the month). They also have 84 Specialized Publishers Open to Manuscript Submissions. All of the presses on this list meet their guiding principles, but some of them have such a specific focus that they say they cannot justify writing a full review and sending it to our full list of subscribers. Check it out anyway.
My publisher, Atmosphere Press, has started a new literary journal. Each edition of Atmo: A Literary Journal is intentionally limited to just eight contributors. It’s a distinction that few short-form writers achieve on a platform built to magnify serious literary work to an engaged, discerning audience. Even better, all selected contributors receive $100, a meaningful recognition of their commitment to putting authors first. You can read issue 1 here. All genres are welcome. Submit here.
Erica Verrillo has written an article listing six new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients. All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres. She also gives soem useful advice on how to approach agents. Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.
See you next month. In the meantime, happy writing!
