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TOP SPONSOR
Calling all writers: Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest is NOW OPEN! Featuring judges Gish Jen for fiction, Sandra Cisneros for poetry, and Meghan O'Rourke for nonfiction.
Submit your fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for the chance to win $2,000, publication in Ploughshares, and a conversation with Aevitas Creative Management.
Subscribers can submit for free! Ploughshares is a quarterly literary journal that publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by award-winning writers. Our issues have been guest edited by talents such as Tracy K. Smith, Celeste Ng, Tess Gallagher, and more.
EDITOR'S THOUGHTS
DO YOU EVER READ THE WINNERS?
In my research for FundsforWriters, I was studying contests and grants. I don't often talk about the winners of these funds because that would take twice the size of the newsletter that's already pretty long, but a particular one had shown a snipper of one of the winners, and it drew me in. I wound up reading all of the finalists' work for the Wild Atlantic Writers prize, and I was quite entertained.
When counseling folks on how to apply for a grant, I emphasize the need to read the grant applications of the previous winners. Most grant providers will allow you to see them. State commissions and councils are required to let you see them. Other grant providers may not, but you can at least see the writing that resulted from many of the finalists.
The same applies to contests. Read the pieces that previously won. Nothing gives you a better flavor of what a contest seeks than what managed to snare the judges before. I entered a contest two years ago with one of my opening chapters, the requirement, and did not win, but upon reading the finalists' submissions, I realized why. The judge(s) preferred literary fiction. I write mystery. Apples and oranges. While the contest guidelines did not state
a style or genre, there definitely was one. Nothing against the contest, because the winners were exquisite, but it wasn't a contest for me.
Before you consider entering a contest, look at the pieces that won last year. Why?
1) To better understand the style and genre.
2) To measure yourself against the quality of the winners.
3) To get ideas on how to up your game by seeing what the judge(s)/sponsor prefers.
4) To quickly learn which contest to discard or take seriously and enter.
Contests aren't just about the entering. They are about learning and growing in your craft, and seeing who and what has mastered a first, second or third place can help you in that journey.
SUPER SPONSOR
Ready to get unstuck, ignite your creativity & craft some brilliant new stories?
Join award-winning author and writing coach, Nicole Breit, for a free 5-day story challenge March 27 to 31, 2023 with daily prizes sponsored by Scribbler!
The 555 Story Challenge was designed for busy writers who struggle to find time for creative work.
Sign up now to:
- Learn from an award-winning author + writing coach who has helped hundreds of writers craft powerful creative nonfiction
- Get new ideas and inspiration via a daily mini-lesson for memoir writers
- Craft 5 stories on 5 themes in 5 days you’ll be excited to share
- Write alongside a warm community of authors joining the challenge from all over the world
- Celebrate your stories by posting them in our private Facebook group!
- Get the chance to win some amazing prizes, including the grand prize of a
6-month subscription to the Scribbler Slim box!
Click here to join the free 555 Story Challenge: https://www.nicolebreit.com/555challenge-FFW
HOPE'S APPEARANCES
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- April 3, 2023 - Night Harbor Book Club, Night Harbor S/D Rec Center, Chapin, SC - 7-9 PM
- April 20, 2023 - Edisto Library - 4 PM - 1589 SC Highway 174, Trinity Episcopal Church, Edisto Island, SC - book club discussion with Hope
- May 1, 2023 - Night Harbor Book Club, Night Harbor S/D Rec Center, Chapin, SC - 7-9 PM
- June 3-10, 2023 - Writing Retreat on the Maine Coast - Special Guest - Sponsored by Joan Dempsey, author and teacher
- July 10, 2023 - Night Harbor Book Club, Night Harbor S/D Rec Center, Chapin, SC - 7-9 PM
- August 7, 2023 - Night Harbor Book Club, Night Harbor S/D Rec Center, Chapin, SC - 7-9 PM
- September 4, 2023 - Night Harbor Book Club, Night Harbor S/D Rec Center, Chapin, SC - 7-9 PM
- September, 2023 (date TBD) - Chapin Library, Chapin, SC - 4-5 PM and 6-7 PM - open to the public
Email: [email protected] to schedule events, online or otherwise. There's starting to be life out there! |
SUCCESS QUOTE
"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes." – A. A. Milne
SUccess Story
If you have a success story you believe was prompted by FundsforWriters, please share with us! Send to [email protected]
Featured article
Turn Your Local History Into a Book
By Rod Martinez
“Hi, I’m Rod, where are you from?”
Ok, I admit, it sounds like a cheesy one-liner, but seriously, where are you from? As authors, we are constantly seeking the next idea, the idea that might turn into a sellable book or article, the idea that just may put our names on the lips of readers and book sellers. I stumbled onto my recently published book idea quite by accident – although the idea lay dormant in my brain since childhood - and it forced me to realize that every writer had a chance in a genre that we never
think about.
I was born in Tampa, Florida. Back in 1960, before I was born, there was a civil rights sit-in at a local Woolworth’s store. Like incidents happened during the same time by young African Americans in high schools all over the South. Here in Tampa, those with knowledge of the city’s civil rights past knew about this historical event, but the newer generation have no idea of the plight their grandparents regularly faced. Right in the middle of downtown, the old Woolworth’s
building is sitting there, vacant, dilapidated and abandoned, but on the corner stands a historical marker sharing the story of the time when a group of high school students decided to force a change into the known Jim Crow laws. It was just a part of common life back then, and they weren’t going to continue having any of it.
Two schools participated in the event, Middleton and Blake High schools – both Black schools – and on any other occasion, the biggest local rival schools at the time. This event would change that as a handful of students made it their goal to arrange and execute this sit-in that changed the situation in my town. Both my parents were students at one of the schools when this happened. Their parents forbade their participation, but many of their friends joined the fray.
Walking through downtown one day, I happened to stop right in front of the sign while awaiting traffic so that I could walk across the street. I glanced up, read the sign, and immediately sprung the birth of my newly published picture book Grandma Luther King.
Likewise, a story can spring into your head. Towns have historical events: Rosa Parks and Montgomery, Alabama; the massive immigrations at Ellis Island, New York between 19th and 20th centuries; 1929 Stock Market crash and how it may have affected your municipality (NOT A TOWN EVENT). What happened in your town or state? Is there an event that might even have a personal connection to you or a family member?
The publisher of my picture book loved the story and reveled that there was a personal connection to me.
Maybe a few interviews with locals and with family members might spark an idea for you for your next book. As an author, you have a great gift, your way of managing and mastering words. Weave a storyline to bring that local historical event into a manuscript that can wow a reader and submit it to an agent or publisher.
Our lives are rich with history, our pasts have many stories to share with newer generations of readers. These stories may take the shape and form of fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction, graphic novel, or even – like I did - a kid’s picture book.
Now is a great time to investigate and search through local histories and even family historical events that might be shared in a published book with the reading masses, so once again – where are you from?
BIO
Rod Martinez writes juvenile, middle grade & young adult. Growing up on Marvel Comics and Twilight Zone, the inspiration was inevitable. After a challenge by his son to write a story about him and his friends “like the Goonies’ but based in Tampa”, his first novel “The Juniors” was published – and the rest as they say – is history. Check out his picture book "Grandma Luther King" by Flint
Hills Publishing at https://amzn.to/3WZCMuT
COmpetitions
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LETTER REVIEW PRIZE FOR POETRY
https://letterreview.com/information/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2023. First prize is $400 USD and publication, second orize is $250 USD and publication, third prize is $150 USD and publication. All entries considered for publication. We welcome writers from everywhere in the world. Each individual poem should not exceed 70 lines. No subject or style restrictions. All poems welcome. Email Address: [email protected]
THE LETTER REVIEW PRIZE FOR SHORT STORIES
https://letterreview.com/information/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2023. First prize is $600 USD and publication, second prize is $250 USD and publication, third prize is $150 USD and publication. All entries considered for publication. We welcome writers from everywhere in the world. Length: 1,000-3,000 words. No genre or theme restrictions. All stories welcome.
THE LETTER REVIEW PRIZE FOR FLASH FICTION
https://letterreview.com/information/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2023. First prize is $400 USD and publication, second prize is $250 USD and publication, third prize is $150 USD and publication. We welcome writers from everywhere in the world. Length: Up to 1000 words. No genre or theme restrictions. All stories welcome.
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING SPRING FLASH FICTION CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$10 ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 31, 2023. Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Limit 300 entries. First place $400, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Second place $300, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Third place $200, publication, interview and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Seven
Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview. Ten 10 Honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top 10 stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin.
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY CONTEST
https://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
$12 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 30, 2023. Seeking creative nonfiction essays on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style--from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hybrid, and more! The mission of this contest is to reward bravery in real-life storytelling and create an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives. Limit 300 entries. First place $500, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store.
Second place $300, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Third place $200, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Seven Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Ten Honorable mentions receive a gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store.
THE PERKOFF PRIZE
https://missourireview.com/contests/perkoff-prize/
$15 ENTRY FEE. Deadline April 2, 2023 (an extended deadline). The Perkoff Prize is a tri-genre contest that awards $1,000 and publication each to writers of the best story, set of poems, and essay that engage in evocative ways with health and medicine. Poetry: up to 10 pages of poetry. Fiction and Nonfiction: up to 8500 words, double-spaced.
MUDFISH
https://mudfish.org/submissions/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Deadline June 15, 2023. A prize of $1,200 and publication in Mudfish is given annually for a single poem. Cash prize $1,200. Submit up to three poems of any length per entry. All poems considered for publication.
GRANTS / FELLOWSHIPS / CROWDFUNDING
MANDEL CULTURAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
https://mandelinstitute.org/programs/cultural-leadership/cultural-leadership-application-faq/
Deadline April 17, 2023. The Mandel Cultural Leadership Program is a new fellowship for artists and producers who aim to reimagine Jewish life and galvanize action on a range of social issues through their creative work. The two-year fellowship includes an educational program, support from an adviser, and a $40k stipend to advance a project. Eligible candidates include artists across disciplines and a range of cultural producers, including but not limited to journalists,
curators, chefs, comedians, video game world builders, cultural organizers and culture bearers.
LITERARY MAGAZINE FUND
https://www.clmp.org/programs-opportunities/lit-mag-fund/
Deadline April 14, 2023. In alliance with the Amazon Literary Partnership, the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) invites literary magazines to submit applications for grants from the Literary Magazine Fund. The Amazon Literary Partnership supports nonprofit literary organizations that empower writers to create, publish, learn, teach, experiment, and thrive.
SOUTHERN STUDIES FELLOWSHIP IN ARTS AND LETTERS
https://southernstudiesfellowship.org/
Deadline March 31, 2023. Nine-month residency in Spartanburg, SC. One writer & one visual or performing artist will be selected to work together on a joint capstone project that will be presented at the end of the residency period. Fellows will be provided with an apartment, including utilities, & a monthly stipend of $900. Fellows will also travel in the Southeast to do research, & travel expenses will be covered. This residency will run from Sept 2023 to May
2024.
WASSAIC PROJECT
https://www.wassaicproject.org/artists/applications
Deadline April 3, 2023 for Winter Residencies. Location Wassaic, NY. Residents receive 24-hour access to an adaptable, semi-private, ~100 square-foot studio space in the historic Maxon Mills. Accommodations include a private bedroom in a shared house, complete with common spaces, one to two full bathrooms, and a kitchen (artists participating in our Family Residency will receive a private house). The actual cost of each residency is $5,000 per month. We also offer
need-based financial assistance to artists-in-residence for whom it would be impossible to attend without financial support. They also offer the following fellowships:
The Work and Family Fellowship offers no-fee residencies and $500 honorariums to several artists-in-residence per year participating in the Family Residency program.
The Sustainable Arts Fellowship offers several no-fee residencies and $500 honorariums per year to family residents who identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color.
The Mary Ann Unger Fellowship offers one no-fee residency per year to a female-identifying artist who primarily works in sculpture and who identifies as Black, Indigenous or a person of color.
The ArtForArtists Fellowship for Social Justice-Based Practice offers one no-fee residency and $500 honorarium per year to an artist who identifies as Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color.
ARTIS GRANTS
https://artis.art/grants_and_open_calls/program/residency
Artis provides support for artists and curators from Israel who have been accepted at major international residency programs. Residency grants are provided directly to the successful applicant in support of travel, program fees, production costs, or other needs associated with the residency. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and responses are given within three months. Currently, applications are only being considered for residencies that take place in 2023 and 2024.
THE AWESOME FOUNDATION ON THE WATER GRANT
https://www.awesomefoundation.org/en/submissions/new?chapter=onthewater
https://www.awesomefoundation.org/en
We are especially drawn to proposals where a strong connection to the water has been established and where you can provide us with a clear sense of your project’s anticipated reach. This grant awards $1,000 per month to a water-focused project that brings creativity, culture, and inclusion to the water or provides a new way of thinking about the water. Applicants can be based anywhere in the world.
MAINE WOMEN WRITERS CREATIVE FELLOWSHIPS
https://library.une.edu/mwwc/home/research-support/creative-fellow-grants/
We host one artist or writer annually to engage in research in our collections (UNE LIBRARY in Biddeford and Portland, Maine) and to produce work inspired by time spent in the archives. MWWC Creative Fellowships range between $1,500 and $2,000, and may be used to compensate applicants for time spent away from other work, transportation, housing, supplies, and other research-related expenses. Deadline April 1, 2023, for research to be conducted between June 1, 2023 and May
30, 2024.
FREELANCE MARKETS / JOBS
THE INFATUATION
https://www.theinfatuation.com/about
At The Infatuation, we’re on a mission to create the most trustworthy and useful restaurant recommendation platform. We’re looking to expand our travel coverage with guides to the best restaurants (with some hotel recommendations) in cities both in the US and all around the world. Our guides are made up of between 10-20 restaurants, along with three to five hotel recommendations. A typical restaurant and hotel write-up is around three to five sentences. Our rates start at $600
per guide with flexibility for more if you’re able to take photos and videos. Pitch [email protected] with the destination guide you’re looking to write, a list of 3-5 restaurants you’d want to include on the guide (and a short explanation as to why), any round-up clips you’ve written, and your bio.
WEB MD
https://www.ibpublishing.com/apply/healthcare-writer-webmd-.html
WebMD is currently looking for experienced freelance healthcare writers to contribute articles that are both factually correct and accessible to a general audience. The goal of these articles is to offer consumers valuable and unique information about addiction and/or Medicare topics, while also connecting them with healthcare or insurance services they may need. Pay ranges from $50-$180 for each 500-1,500 word article.
TREMENDOUS
https://tremendous.notion.site/How-to-write-for-Tremendous-5611a8f7a33d440185d0f26ac73bb648
Looking for great writers who can turn stuff around fast. Ideally, I'm looking for people who write with the ethos and speed of a journalist. Even better if you read voraciously and write because it feels good. People who like what they do are better at their jobs. We pay above market rate. We're fully remote. Pitch Kate Monica at [email protected]. Pays $400 and up.
THE DRIFT
https://www.thedriftmag.com/about/
The Drift is a magazine of culture and politics. We want socially engaged cultural criticism; class-sensitive analysis; pieces that point out what’s being avoided or talked around in politics, media, arts, or even academia; upbeat cynicism; un-self-serious screeds; generous takedowns; entries from the margins; fiction; poetry; one- to three-sentence book/ movie/ TV/ art reviews. We pay $2,000 for essays, $500 - $1,000 for short stories, $150 for poems, $25 for Mentions. Pitch us at
[email protected]
OREGON HUMANITIES
http://oregonhumanities.org/rll/contributor-guidelines/
Oregon Humanities publishes essays, photographs, films, audio recordings, data visualizations and infographics, and other media that explore the thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of Oregonians, especially those who have been ignored, generalized, or oppressed. Work is published on our website or in print in Oregon Humanities magazine. We exclusively publish work by Oregon-based creators. We pay on acceptance, after the satisfactory completion of required revisions. Payment ranges
from $200 to $300 for shorter online pieces and $500 to $1000 for personal essays and features; payment varies depending on the length and complexity of the piece, and whether it is an original, commissioned work or a reprint or adaptation of an existing piece.
PIPELINE ARTISTS
https://pipelineartists.com/submission-guidelines/
We're looking for pieces that highlight unspoken truths, provide honest advice, and profile "emerging" creatives or those deserving of a platform they may not find in mainstream publications. Also ridiculous humor pieces—sometimes the world needs ridiculous humor. We're accepting pitches for articles, including interviews (specific need for articles focusing on the publishing industry); short stories (any length); and poetry. We do not accept screenplay, comic book,
or novel submissions. Pay expected from $300 and up.
LAW.COM
https://www.law.com/international-edition/
Deadline April 14, 2023. Apply to Paul Hodkinson on [email protected] with a CV and covering letter. Seeks freelance journalists in the following areas: Germany, Italy, France, Singapore, Middle East, and Latin America. We are seeking freelancers to report on news and trends affecting lawyers at top commercial law firms. Off-diary journalism, scoops and investigations are our main focus. Expect 40 cents/word.
RATTLE
https://rattle.submittable.com/submit
Contributors to the print magazine receive $200 and a complimentary one-year subscription. Poems for "Online" categories receive $100. All submissions are automatically considered for the annual Neil Postman Award for Metaphor, a $2,000 prize judged by the editors. Rattle publishes unsolicited poetry, translations, and book reviews. General submissions are open year-round, always welcomed, and always free.
Publishers/agents
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CRAVEN STREET BOOKS
https://quilldriverbooks.com/craven-street-books/
Craven Street Books is an imprint of Linden Publishing, Inc. located in downtown Fresno, California. Its primary focus is on the history, people, and places of California. Craven Street Books is a traditional, royalties paying imprint of Linden Publishing.
RED DEER PRESS
https://www.reddeerpress.com/red-deer-press-childrens-books
Red Deer Press is looking for quality writing for children across the ages, from picture books to young adult fiction and nonfiction. We encourage Canadian talent from across Canada, writers and artists.
INVISIBLE PRESS
https://invisiblepublishing.com/
Invisible publishes contemporary literary fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. All narrative works with contemporary themes will be considered, however, we are not interested in children’s or YA projects, historical fiction, memoirs, or self-help books. Leans toward Canadian authors.
FREEHAND BOOKS
https://freehand-books.com/submissions/
Freehand publishes innovative and literary novels, short story collections, graphic literature, and works of creative non-fiction. We do not currently publish poetry, young adult fiction, or children’s books. We only publish Canadian authors.
TURNSTONE PRESS
https://www.turnstonepress.com/contact/submissions.html
Turnstone Press is a literary publisher, located in the heart of the North American continent. We publish Canadian authors and landed immigrants and strive to publish a significant number of new writers, to publish in a variety of genres, and to have a portion of each year's list authored by Manitoba writers and/or books featuring prairie content. We are always looking for titles that reflect the diversity of both Manitoba and Canada and encourage Indigenous writers, writers of colour,
writers from the LGBTQ2S community and writers with disabilities to send us their work.
SANDYCOVE
https://www.penguin.co.uk/company/publishers/penguin-general/sandycove
Sandycove is the Dublin-based imprint of Penguin Random House. We are literary and commercial; we are local and global. We are here to help great writers tell their stories to the world. Covering the full spectrum of genres and markets, Sandycove is the leading Irish-based publishing imprint.
FUNDSFORWRITERS CONTACT INFO
FINE PRINT
Please forward the newsletter in its entirety. To reprint any editorials, contact [email protected] for permission. Please do not assume that acknowledgements listed in your publication is considered a valid right to publish.
C. Hope Clark
E-mail: [email protected]
140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036
http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Copyright 2000-2023, C. Hope Clark
ISSN: 1533-1326
**Note that FundsforWriters.com places paid advertising in this newsletter, ALL ads being related to writers and the business of writing, screened by FundsforWriters to make sure the information is suitable for writers and their endeavors to improve their careers. But the mailing list is not sold to third parties. You will not receive this newsletter without your
permission. It's physically impossible since recipients must opt-in, giving us permission to send the newsletter. If at any time you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, click the UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of each newsletter. We want you to enjoy this newsletter at your pleasure, not be forced to read anything you do not wish to receive. The website is not advertised using unsolicited messages by Aweber, affiliates or other third parties. Direct any complaints, suggestions, and
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