Sub Ops Ten

Ten Things About Submission Opportunities for Writers

Ars Medica international literary magazine is looking for fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir and artworkd related to exploring illness, the body, healing and the culture of medicine. Payment in contributor copies, electronic submissions preferred, see guidelines for more details.

The BackWaters Press has an open call for submissions for their anthology Letters From Grass Country: Essays on the Contemporary Poets and Poetry of the Great Plains edited by Mary K. Stillwell and Greg Kosmicki. Looking for "scholarly or familiar essays about the poets of the Great Plains, their lives and work. Focus on new as well as established poets. Cultural diversity strongly encouraged. Interest in neglected poets of the region. Broader essays about the influence of the region on its poetry and poets --the culture, ethos, geography, history, etc." To be print published in Fall 2011; no info on payment terms; electronic subs only -- submit manuscript in a Word 97 or newer attachment to lettersfromgrasscountry@yahoo.com, Deadline June 30, 2010.

Ledig House International Writers' Residency Program offers residencies of two weeks to two months from March through June and September through November at Ledig House, a writers' colony situated on 400 acres in the Hudson River Valley town of Omi, NY. Up to twenty poets, writers and translators can be accomodated during each session, includes room and board as well as the chance to meet with NYC publishing professionals. Submit a copy of recently published work, or an unpublished 10-page writing sample, a short biography , a one-page project proposal and a letter of recommendation by November 20th. No application fee, see guidelines for more details.

Memoir (and) Literary Journal awards prizes to" the most outstanding prose or poetry memoirs—traditional, nontraditional or experimental—drawn from the reading period" which include cash, publication in print and online and contributor copies of the journal. Next reading period runs from November 1, 2009 through February 15, 2010, winners to be published in their Fall + Winter 2010 issue. Prefer electronic submissions, no entry fee, blind reading so definitely check out their guidelines.

Oregon Quarterly is accepting entries for their 2010 Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest "in both student and open categories. Entries should address ideas that affect the Northwest. The Oregon Quarterly staff will select finalists and the contest judge will choose the top three winners in each category (Open Category: $750, $300, $100; Student Category $500, $200, $75.) First place essay in the open category will appear in Oregon Quarterly. A selection of top essays will be featured in a springtime public reading on the UO campus. Fifteen finalists (ten in the open category and five students) will be announced in the summer 2009 issue of Oregon Quarterly. All finalists will be invited to participate in a writing workshop with the contest judge. The contest is open to all nonfiction writers, except: (1) first-place winners from previous years’ contests, (2) authors who have written a feature for Oregon Quarterly in the past calendar year, and (3) staff of Oregon Quarterly, University Advancement, or their family members. The student contest is open to any student enrolled and pursuing a graduate or undergraduate degree at a college or university at the time of the deadline. Previously published essays will not be considered." No electronic submissions, no entry fee, see guidelines for more details. Deadline January 31, 2010.

Switchgrass Books "exclusively publishes literary novels that evoke the Midwestern experience, whether it be urban, suburban, or rural. Switchgrass authors must be from the Midwest, current residents of the region, or have significant ties to it. Briefly tell us in your cover letter why yours is an authentic Midwestern voice. We publish only full-length novels set in or about the Midwest. We will not consider memoirs, short stories, novellas, graphic novels, poetry or juvenile/YA literature." No payment info, no electronic subs, no agented manuscripts, include resume or C.V., see guidelines for more details.

Tattoo Highway is holding an unusual contest to write a prose or poetry response to this image. "The only rule is length: prose can't exceed 500 words and poetry can't exceed 15 lines. Winners will be notified shortly after the reading deadline for issue 20 as a whole (some time in January 2010)." Electronic subs only, prize is publication and a US$30 bookstore gift certificate for the first place winner in each category (maybe more depending on their sponsors.) I don't see a deadline listed but it's probably coming up soon.

Thomas Merton Prize for Poetry of the Sacred wants entries of poetry that "expresses, directly or indirectly, a sense of the holy or that, by its mode of expression, evokes the sacred. The tone may be religious, prophetic, or contemplative. Only ONE unpublished poem type written in English may be submitted. Please limit the poem to no more than 100 lines. If you are submitting your poem via email, the poem must be sent as an attachment saved in Word 2003. Any other format will not be accepted. First Prize, $500; Three Honorable Mention Prizes, $100 each. Winning Poems will be published in The Merton Seasonal, a publication of scholarly articles about noted spiritual leader Thomas Merton and will be posted on the Merton Institute web site: www.mertoninstitute.org." No entry fee, see guidelines for more details, Deadline December 31, 2009.

Winning Writers is looking for entries for the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest, "Now in its ninth year. We seek today's best humor poems. Total cash prizes have been increased to $3,600, with a top prize of $1,500. The winners and honorable mentions will also all receive official Winning Writers polo shirts." Electronic submissions via online form, any length, only one entry per year, international poets welcome, no fee, see guidelines for more details, entries accepted August 15, 2009-April 1, 2010.

WordTech Communications LLC "welcomes submissions of book-length poetry manuscripts from residents of the United States. Unlike most poetry publishers, we do not charge reading fees. All chosen manuscripts are published under a royalty contract." Length: minimum 48 pages, pays royalties under contract (percentages not specified), doesn't look like they accept electronic subs, current reading period: November 1-December 31, 2009, see guidelines for many more details.

All of the above op listings were found in back pages of the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Poets & Writers.