Black Writing Bulletin #16 - Publishing and Employment Opportunities
Get paid for your writing.
Hello Creatives!
The Black Writing bulletin is back!
Summer can be a challenging time for all of us. There are vacations, events, and holidays that can distract us. And they should. We need to take time to celebrate ourselves and loved ones. It is important to get outside, touch grass, and take a break. Grind culture will grind you into a pulp. But that doesn’t mean that we need to abandon the “work” that is important to us.
I put “work” in quotation marks because I think it is important to make our creative endeavors feel as far away from working as possible. Yes, being a creative is more that just having fun and going on imaginative explorations. There is a business side that needs to be attended to as well. But in the end, creative “work” is supposed to be enjoyed. It is something that is supposed to pour into us, not take away. So I encourage you to keep things in perspective. If your art is starting to just feel like work, maybe it is time to focus less on goals and targets and lean into just having fun.
- Daren
This week, there are featured opportunities to publish at:
SUSURRUS THE MAGAZINE
Susurrus accepts previously unpublished poetry, flash, fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography from artists across the American South. We publish three times a year, during April, August, and December. We value lush imagery, vivid language, and imaginative, skillful writing. We particularly encourage submissions from underrepresented communities, including BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ writers. Please take a look through our past issues for examples of what we look for.Deadline: July 15, 2025
Details here.
UNWOVEN LITERARY AND ARTS MAGAZINE
Deadline: August 4, 2025
Unwoven Literary & Arts Magazine is committed to publishing original poetry, fiction, and non-fiction works that represent a wide aesthetic range, from the traditional to the experimental. We’re looking for authors with an awareness of diverse points of view. We welcome voices from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse communities that have been underrepresented in literature.Deadline: August 4, 2025
Details here.
Head over to the main Substack page to view previously shared opportunities.
This is your sign to get your work out there. Submit to literary journals. Get your essay published. Take your writing seriously.
Fiction Submission Opportunities
WRITTEN TALES
Written Tales welcomes original, unpublished poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, and short nonfiction up to 1,500 words. We seek emotionally rich, thought-provoking work across all styles and voices.
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Submission fee: $3
Details here.
ETCHED ONYX MAGAZINE
Onyx Publications is currently accepting poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and flash fiction submissions for the 2025 Editions of our on-line magazine, Etched Onyx. Our Spring/Summer edition deadline is July 1, 2025. Beyond being published in the magazine, all stories are narrated and include an author interview in our Story Discovery Podcast. Etched Onyx is generally published quarterly.
Deadline: July 1, 2025
Submission fee: $7.50
Pay: $25 for works up to 2500 words (including poetry) and $50 for works up to 5000 words
Details here.
HEART ON OUR SLEEVES PRESS
Heart on Our Sleeves Press is opening up submissions again for our third issue! We’ll be accepting poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and flash fiction for a three-month period: from April 6th to July 6th. Our second theme is “Literary Lioness,” a theme centered around femininity, womanhood, and all its many facets. The third issue of Heart on Our Sleeves Press would like to focus on strong female characters, pungent feminine energy, settings that elevate and hone in on the unique experience of womanhood. We invite you to submit stories that touch on such themes, to celebrate all that women have accomplished and all the accomplishments yet to come.
Male writers are, of course, welcome to participate in this issue; their submissions must simply stay on theme.
This journal is trans inclusionary. Narratives around trans women, feminine non-binary people, and the like are welcome.
Deadline: July 6, 2025
Details here.
EPISTEMIC LITERARY
For our sixth issue, we’re exploring the idea of NOSTALGIA. Whether a longing for the sentiments of the past, or a marketing trend that capitalizes on childhood favorites, we often find comfort in yesterday when today presents challenges. But that comfort is often rooted in the pain of longing, the disdain for change, and the fear of moving forward. How does this powerful force influence your life?
Deadline: July 15, 2025
Details here.
RAW MAN ZINE
Horny. Macho. Surreal. A new gay men’s interest zine launching late 2025. If you have work that fits the Horny/Macho/Surreal vibe, please consider submitting your work to submissions@nocobo.co with the subject line: “RMZ [Author Name] [Work Title]”.
Deadline: August 1, 2025
Learn more here.
Non-Fiction Submission Opportunities
SUSURRUS THE MAGAZINE
Susurrus accepts previously unpublished poetry, flash, fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography from artists across the American South. We publish three times a year, during April, August, and December. We value lush imagery, vivid language, and imaginative, skillful writing. We particularly encourage submissions from underrepresented communities, including BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ writers. Please take a look through our past issues for examples of what we look for.
Deadline: July 15, 2025
Details here.
BURROW PRESS REVIEW: EXCESS
Edited by Bre’Anna Bivens Determine a movement by its value: Who looks? Who buys in? How do we decide what’s ornament and what’s artifact? Seeking fiction or nonfiction prose up to 10,000 words for publication in Burrow Press Review. Hybrid, text-image, multimedia, experimental forms welcome. Note: we are considering work to be published in 2026. We will publish only one new piece per month based on 3 different themes, so competition will be tough. We expect to make difficult decisions and have to turn down excellent work.
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Submission Fee: Free
Details here.
9vt5
9vt is seeking fiction and creative nonfiction short stories for inclusion in our upcoming anthology. Submissions may be in any genre or on any subject matter, but should be no longer than 10,000 words. There is no limit to the number of stories an author may submit. However, we ask that authors submitting flash-length pieces (under 1,500 words) submit at least two stories for consideration. We are especially interested in distinct voices, experimental forms, and unconventional prose. Our soft deadline is August 1st, but submissions are considered on a rolling basis—we’ll close the call as soon as the remaining spots in the anthology are filled. Early submissions are encouraged.
Deadline: August 1, 2025
Details here.
Poetry Opportunities
TUPELO PRESS
In our just-published anthology, The Last Milkweed, we asked poets to walk with us into a dark wood. Now, considering the “political climate” and the concomitant need for an antidote, we will next publish a companion anthology that embraces all takes on themes of rebirth and renewal--from optimistic to numinous, from luminous to satirical, and everything in between. Accordingly, Tupelo Press wants to read your submissions for a poetry anthology, The Writes of Spring. You might or might not want to keep in mind that when Igor Stravinsky premiered his ballet “The Rite of Spring” in Paris on May 29, 1913, both the music (his) and choreography (by Vaslav Nijinsky) were so “unconventional” that a riot broke out in the audience. Therefore, send us poems—whether conventional or unconventional—for a poetry & photography anthology inspired by springtime, with all of its metaphorical & mythical resonances. Jeffrey Levine will supply the photos. You’ll supply the poems. Newly-sprouted work only, please, nothing previously published.
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Submission fee: $15
Details here.
UNWOVEN LITERARY AND ARTS MAGAZINE
Unwoven Literary & Arts Magazine is committed to publishing original poetry, fiction, and non-fiction works that represent a wide aesthetic range, from the traditional to the experimental. We’re looking for authors with an awareness of diverse points of view. We welcome voices from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse communities that have been underrepresented in literature.
Deadline: August 4, 2025
Details here.
COUNTY LINES: A LITERARY JOURNAL
County Lines is published annually by the Carolina Piedmont Writers Guild, showcasing a curated collection of the finest poetry, prose, and interior art/photography by creators of all ages from all over North Carolina Piedmont, the United States, and beyond. Writers, poets, and artists whose works are accepted for publication will receive one complimentary copy of the journal.
Deadline: August 15, 2025
Learn more here.
Contests, Awards, and Fellowships
AUTUMN HOUSE PRESS POETRY PRIZE
For the 2025 prize, the Autumn House staff as well as select outsider readers serve as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is Matthew Olzmann. The winner receives publication of their full-length manuscript and $2,500. The submission period opens May 1, 2025, and closes June 30, 2025 (Eastern Time). We will announce the finalists and the winner of the contest by October 1, 2025.
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $30
Details here.
HISTORY THROUGH FICTION SHORT STORY CONTEST
History Through Fiction is proud to announce its third annual short story contest. We’re opening submissions on June 15, 2025, and they’ll close on August 15, 2025. We invite writers to send in their historical fiction short stories. Each story will be reviewed by our editors, including one volunteer judge who will provide direct feedback. All shortlisted stories will be published in a paperback anthology. Look for the anthology’s release on March 3, 2026.
Deadline: August 15, 2025
Prize: First place - $250, Second place - $150, Shortlisted - $75
Entry Fee: $17.50 Early Bird Submission Fee; $25 on July 15, 2025.
Details here.
2025 QTBIPOC PRIZE
We would like to announce Kelsey Street Press’s 2025 QTBIPOC Book Prize! This is a FREE book contest open to QTBIPOC-identified, feminist, innovative writers/poets. The winning manuscript will be chosen by Andrea Abi-Karam, author of Villainy (Night Boat Books 2021) and EXTRATRANSMISSION (Kelsey Street Press, 2019).
Deadline: September 1, 2025
Prize: $1,000
Details here.
OLIVE B. O'CONNOR FELLOWSHIP IN CREATIVE WRITING, COLGATE UNIVERSITY
Colgate University invites applications for the Olive B. O'Connor Fellowship in Creative Writing. This year we invite applications for a fellowship in fiction. Writers who have recently completed an MFA, MA, or PhD in creative writing, and who need a year to complete their first book, are encouraged to apply. The selected writers will spend the academic year (late August 2025 to mid-May 2026) at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. The fellows will teach one multi genre creative writing course each semester and will give a public reading from the work in progress. Fellows may be asked to co-supervise one or more honors theses. The fellowship carries a stipend of $57,100 plus travel expenses; health and life insurance are provided.
Deadline: Until position is filled.
Payment: $57,100
Details here.
Positions and Residencies
ASSOCIATE FICTION/CREATIVE NONFICTION EDITOR, WEST TRADE REVIEW
The Associate Fiction/Creative Nonfiction Editor is responsible for attending biweekly Zoom meetings, working as part of a team, and offering input about journal processes and projects which could include small editing tasks, completing interviews with writers, and/or writing the occasional book review. They should be able to express themselves clearly in writing. An MFA in fiction or creative nonfiction is preferred but not required if the candidate possesses a solid history of publication and/or experience working with writers to improve manuscripts.
Deadline: Until position is filled.
Payment: Volunteer
Details here.
ASSOCIATE POETRY EDITOR, WEST TRADE REVIEW
The Associate Poetry Editor is responsible for attending biweekly Zoom meetings, working as part of a team, and offering input about journal processes and projects which could include small editing tasks, completing interviews with writers, and/or writing the occasional book review. They should be able to express themselves clearly in writing. An MFA in poetry is preferred but not required if the candidate possesses a solid history of publication and/or experience working with writers to improve manuscripts.
Deadline: Until position is filled.
Payment: Volunteer
Details here.
PROSE AND POETRY READER, WEST TRADE REVIEW
Prose and Poetry Readers are responsible for attending biweekly Zoom meetings and reading quickly and efficiently without sacrificing quality. They should have a solid educational or professional background in creative writing and/or literature that allows for insightful analysis of a submission, including strengths and weaknesses of each piece. They should be self-motivated and capable of meeting deadlines.
Deadline: Until position is filled.
Payment: Volunteer
Details here.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CO-PUBLISHER, CIDER PRESS REVIEW
The Editor-in-Chief/Co-Publisher is responsible for helping run CPR’s poetry journal, its two annual book award contests, its website, and its ongoing project of digitizing the journal’s back issues. The ideal candidate would combine a commitment to excellence in poetic craft, experience establishing cordial relations with a wide range of authors without sacrificing the press’s own requirements, experience handling book orders from authors and bookstores, and the work ethic necessary to coordinate a small group of readers (and recruit others) to peer review near-constant submissions for the journal and book awards. Experience managing a nonprofit press is a plus, but not required. This position is part of CPR’s long-term succession plan, so the ideal candidate will be interested in assuming ownership of the press in future. This is a remote, volunteer position for which the editor can live and work anywhere provided they have reliable internet access and sufficient computer skills. Interested applicants should email a resume/CV and letter of interest to chief-editor@ciderpressreview.com.
Deadline: Until position is filled.
Payment: Volunteer
Details here.
VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH AND CREATIVE WRITING, SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE
Deadline: until position is filled
Sweet Briar College
Payment: salary not specified
Sweet Briar College invites applications for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor position in English and Creative Writing, with an emphasis in fiction. A secondary specialization in creative nonfiction is preferred. The English and Creative Writing program at Sweet Briar College employs a studio curriculum with an emphasis on project-based learning. As working writers, our faculty engage in projects that shift and develop over time and are informed by what we’re reading and what we discover as we write and by the changing world around us. We seek candidates with proven teaching at the undergraduate level and evidence of potential for creative writing publications consistent with a visiting Assistant Professor appointment. The candidate will teach six courses per academic year (three courses per semester), which will include at least three sections of The Mindful Writer, a first-year writing course. The successful candidate will be an engaged creative writer and teacher who will be central in supporting the College’s leadership Core curriculum, will communicate with colleagues across different disciplines, and will participate in campus academic life.
Deadline: Until position is filled.
Payment: Salary not Specified.
Details here.
VISITING PROFESSOR - HISPANIC STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
The Department of Hispanic Studies at the University of Houston invites applications for a non-tenure track Visiting Professor position in Creative Writing in Spanish, beginning Fall 2025. We seek a dynamic scholar and writer with expertise in creative writing in Spanish, a strong publication record, and a commitment to innovative teaching. Responsibilities: Teach creative writing courses in Spanish at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Mentor and advise students. Contribute to curriculum development and program initiatives. Maintain an active publication record. Engage in departmental and university service. Learn more here.
Deadline: Until position is filled.
Payment: Salary not Specified.
Details here.
Events
WRITING FOR SHAME RESILIENCE: TURNING SHAME INTO YOUR SUPERPOWER, ESALEN INSTITUTE
What if your greatest vulnerability could become your greatest strength? This transformative language arts workshop is designed for anyone ready to level up by unlocking their authenticity. The curriculum draws from the wisdom in the instructor’s critically acclaimed book, Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, which explores how shame is weaponized in our culture to keep us from knowing our worth and achieving our goals. Through reflective writing, shared stories, and guided readings, participants will explore ways to break free from shame’s grip and reclaim their power. Through the act of writing and reading inspirational texts — along with learning about the instructor’s journey as a former sex worker and survivor of sexual exploitation and media humiliation — we will explore essential questions about the insidious role that shame plays in our modern lives. We will examine how shame hinders us and discuss effective ways to reclaim ourselves and our communities from its grasp.
Date: July 14-18, 2025
Entry Fee: From $940 - $8560
Learn more here.
A PUBLIC SPACE 2025 WEEKEND WRITERS' RETREAT, KAATSBAAN CULTURAL PARK
Nurture new work and expand and explore technique with A Public Space at the Weekend Writers' Retreat: a long weekend of workshops, literary talks, and evening events at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, New York. The retreat will take place Thursday, September 11 to Sunday, September 14. It will include morning workshops with limited participants (5 to 8 per workshop); afternoon literary talks; and an array of evening events, including readings and a Saturday celebratory dinner. There will also be opportunities for informal conversations with authors and editors, a variety of independent generative exercises, and the option to attend several events as part of Kaatsbaan’s Annual Festival, including a complimentary movement workshop with renowned experimental choreographer Deborah Hay.
Date: September 11 - September 14
Entry Fee: From $1,475 - $1,675
Learn more here.