July 8, 2026
By Abdulraheem Jameel Ango The last mile may be the longest, but many stories never survive the first mile. This isn’t always because the writer lacks effort or the ideas are weak. Sometimes, it’s due to the spark of motivation dying out too early. Finishing the first mile determines whether we’ll ever reach the end….
July 5, 2026
▾ Filter listings Fiction Poetry Contest Essay ✕ Showing all These are calls and contests for themed submissions of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some call themes are: prepare to advance; out of office; Halloween special; aliens; aftermath; ghost stories; exquisite engines (steampunk); terminally online; Solarpunk; cozy fantasy; invitation; and beyond the memoirs of Sherlock Holmes…
July 1, 2026
This list focuses on ten publishers that we are excited about 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 we have not covered previously. Please note that if a publisher…
Gnome & Bone Magazine is a literary magazine that is “cultivating an ever-growing forest of fantasy and folklore.” They describe themselves as “Rooted in myth, magic, and the gothic imagination, we publish stories, poetry, and artwork online and in print.” They have published one electronic issue so far, which you can read here. The masthead…
Before writing a story, there’s usually a strange larval phase where you technically produce nothing while behaving like somebody haunted by decorative ghosts. Outsiders call this procrastination. Writers call this “process” because otherwise we’d have to admit we spent four hours researching 1997 vending machine designs instead of finishing Chapter Three. The draft before the…
By Jane Garba A good writing community will support you through rejection, bad drafts, and the long lonely hours. A bad one will leave you second guessing your voice and worth. For Black writers, the difference is more stark. Here’s how to find communities that actually show up for you. Know What You’re Looking For…