This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities. Some have limited definitions and are only interested in work by Black authors.
We try to make it as clear as possible who the publisher is seeking work from. Sometimes the focus of the press is limited, even though there are no limitations on who can submit. A few of the opportunities are also limited by geography, again, we try to make this clear. There are always additional submission details at the site we link to, but we try to cover the basics as best we can as part of this list.
If you belong to a limited demographic that is not listed here, this list might be helpful to you.
As long as a press/opportunity/journal is open to submissions we will continue to list it, so some of the content on the list is new, some overlaps with previous issues. This article is an ongoing collaborative effort by Emily Harstone and S. Kalekar. Please send us an email at support@authorspublish.com if you have any feedback or an opportunity/journal/publisher, to recommend.
Literary Journals/Magazines
just femme & dandy: Drag
This is a biannual literary & arts magazine for and by the LGBTQIA+ community on fashion; they want work on the ‘Drag’ theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Our definition of drag is expansive, and we invite you to consider how drag as the performance of gender shows up in your lives. We want to hear about how/when/where gender is performed, the day to day lives behind the makeup, the politics of gender and normativity, different forms of drag, how this all coincides with fashion and dress. While we would love to hear from up and coming drag artists and independent fashion designers, this theme is for everyone, not just drag artists and enthusiasts. If you have something to say about gendered performance, we want to hear it! You are welcome to send us submissions outside of the theme, but submissions that relate to the theme are highly encouraged. We accept anything that can be displayed on a website: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, tutorial, illustration, comix, photography, painting, video, drag, costume/fashion designs, hot takes, interviews, and so on!” They pay $50 per text-based submission and up to $150 per multimedia submission (video, photography, image + text, fashion spread + interview, etc.). The submission deadline is 5 August 2024.
Asian American Writers’ Workshop: The Margins
The Margins, the flash fiction series by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW), is back after a hiatus. They want work by Asian, Asian American, and Asian diasporic writers only; and they only want submissions from writers who have not already been published in the series. They want “Short fiction that luxuriates in capaciousness and bursts with urgency
Forms that subvert what “flash fiction” means
Memorable characters and moments that appear in brevity but linger long afterward
Writing that embraces humor, sensuality, irreverence, and audacity
Work that interrogates the zeitgeist, evokes history, and imagines bold futures”. They pay $150 for works of 500-1,000 words. The deadline is 22 July 2024.
Rough Cut Press: Gasp
They publish work from the LGBTQIA community, and have monthly themed submission calls. Send short prose of up to 650 words on the ‘Gasp’ theme. Pay is $25. The deadline is 27 July 2024.
khōréō
You can submit to this magazine only if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see guidelines). They’re open for fiction submissions, as well as fiction translation pitches and submissions (see their submission portal). They accept “fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it — as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explores migration. Examples include themes of immigration, diaspora, and anti-colonialism, as well as more metaphorical interpretations of the term.” Send up to 5,000 words for original fiction, up to 3,500 words for translations. They pay $0.10/word. The deadline is 15 August 2024. Details here and here.
Room Magazine: Humor
This Canadian magazine accepts submissions of fiction, creative nonfiction, reviews (see guidelines), poetry, and art from people of all marginalized genders, including cis and trans women, trans men, nonbinary and Two-Spirit people (see guidelines). They’re reading submissions on the ‘Humor’ theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Genocides, heat waves, floods, fascism, an ongoing mass disabling event:the world is burning and it’s no laughing matter. But humour can be a weapon, a coping mechanism, a sacred instinct that keeps us alive and living amid the most devastating conditions. … Send us works that uplift to role of laughter in resistance, break comedic genres, explore the uses and limits of irony, upend white supremacist and ableist origins of standup—tongue-in-cheek, deadpan, alive-pan, cringe, unbelievable, absurd.” Length guidelines are: fiction and creative nonfiction of up to 2,500 words, up to 5 poems. Pay is CAD50 per page, up to CAD200; reviewers and web contributors are paid CAD75. They are open to submissions until filled (see their Submittable). Details here (general guidelines) and here (theme details and submission portal).
Luna Station Quarterly
They want stories by women-identified authors only – “Science fiction and fantasy short fiction. No horror, but dark SF/F is permitted.” They also accept translations and some reprints (see guidelines). Pay is $10 for stories of 500 to 7,000 words. The deadline is 15 August 2024.
manywor(l)ds
They want work from those who identify with and as any of the following: trans, two-spirit, disabled, neurodivergent, Mad, queer, crip, nonbinary, genderqueer, intersex. “This is a space for the words, works, and worlds of and by those whose bodyminds defy social expectations and invite new ways of thinking and knowing. We do not need to know the specifics of your identity/diagnosis/experience unless you want us to. We invite closeted and questioning people to share their work, as well as those whose experiences fall outside the confines of the language we used above.” They pay $10. They are open for submissions during January, March, April, June, July, September, October, and December.
AURORE
This publications tagline is “a curated collection of erotic stories written by and for women and LGBTQ+ based on their own experiences”. They publish nonfiction erotica and their website is NSFW and please do not visit it if you are under 18.
ALOCASIA
A journal of queer plant-based writing. They accept submissions on a rolling basis.
Heaven Magazine
They are interested in publishing fiction, creative non fiction, flash, and poetry by all underrepresented creators.
Sinister Wisdom
A multicultural Lesbian Literary & Art Journal. Founded in 1976 this literary journal is always open to submissions.
FIYAH: Spacefaring Aunties
FIYAH is a speculative fiction magazine that only takes submissions from Black people of the African Diaspora. They want submissions on the ‘Spacefaring Aunties’ theme. “It’s time to explore the adventures of bold, fearless women who defy societal expectations and embark on daring space voyages. From thrilling space operas to quiet character studies, we want to see Aunties who are scientists, engineers, pilots, and leaders guiding their crews through uncharted territory. What Kerine is looking for:
Women-led stories, not as sidekicks but fleshed-out protagonists.
SHOW how cool these Aunties are through their actions. Quiet moments on a spaceship are good, but make enough tension to highlight the bravery of these women.
A wide spectrum of women- queer, disabled, etc. – without feeding into the “Strong Black Woman ™” tropes that often dehumanize and stifle characters.”
They also want speculative poetry. Length guidelines are: 2,000-7,000 words for short stories and novelettes up to 15,000 words; up to 1,000 words for poetry. Pay is $0.08/word for fiction, $50 for poetry. The deadline is 31 July 2024.
Saffron City Press
Saffron City Press is an online literary journal dedicated to amplifying the voices of Middle Eastern and Middle Eastern-American writers.
Plentitude
They want submissions from LGBTQ2S+ writers only; their Submittable has separate submission slots for Canadian and international writers. Every genre has a monthly submission cap. Pay is CAD60 per poem, CAD125 per prose contribution (fiction and creative nonfiction), CAD100 for book reviews and Genre Bender (hybrid) submissions. Currently, are only open for Canadian LGBTQ2S+ writers. Details here and here.
Canto Cutie: Childhood, youth, and experiences in school
Canto Cutie publishes the work of Cantonese writers and artists and the Diaspora. They want writing and art for Volume 8, which “will be about childhood, youth, and experiences in school. We are looking for work about growing up and adolescence.” They also say, “submissions are conducted primarily in English. Cantonese language art and writing are accepted and encouraged. Anonymous submissions are permitted for politically sensitive works.” Submissions are open until filled. Details here and here.
Arcanum Magazine
Arcanum Magazine is a digital and print magazine for creative writing, visual art, cultural criticism, and journalism by and for the Black diaspora. They are a paying market that is open on a rolling basis to creative writing, cultural criticism, news, and journalism, as well as visual art.
Midnight & Indigo
They only accept work by Black women writers – speculative fiction, character-driven fiction, and essays. They pay $0.07/word for general and speculative fiction, and $100 for essays. They have rolling submissions for speculative fiction, and have deadlines for general fiction and essays. They’re also reading for a themed Music issue, and the deadline for that is 1 September 2024. Details here and here
Decolonial Passage
According to their website they “publish writing from writers of all backgrounds regardless of race, origin, or gender while simultaneously centering African, African American, and Black Diaspora writing.” Their mission statement goes into more details about this. They are open on a rolling basis to essays, creative nonfiction, short stories, and flash fiction. They are open to poetry only during the months of January, March, May, July, September or November.
Bookish Brews
They describe themselves as a “book blog and a celebration of diverse books and authors (with a side of your favorite brew)”. They prioritize BIPOC writers but are open to submissions from other historically underrepresented groups also. They publish nonfiction, craft, and lifestyle essays as well as book reviews.
Mayday: Black
For Mayday: Black submissions, they want nonfiction pitches and drafts from Black writers – their website says, they are “committed to delivering a new experience for Black writers, including those seeking first-time publication. We welcome nonfiction work in opinions and analyses; personal, braided, and reported essays in contemporary and historical contexts. Bring your authentic, curious, courageous, well-rounded stories on life, living, love, loss, representation, race, racism, death, dying, Black plight and civil rights, neighborhood blight, gentrification, white flight, and more. (In no way is this an exhaustive list!)” They pay $50 for Mayday: Black essays of 800-3,000 words. Details here and here. (This magazine also occasionally accepts fiction, nonfiction, culture pieces, poetry, reviews, interviews, and translations from all writers, and pays $10-20 for these.)
Moko Magazine
A journal of Caribbean arts and literature, Moko publishes short stories, poems, interviews, essays, reviews of books, art, photography, and other types of visual media about the Caribbean and its diaspora. They are not interested in academic pieces.
Zindabad Zine
This print and electronic publication is based in the UK. They are open to submissions on a rolling basis. Currently they are closed to submissions for the print issue but open to electronic ones. They only accept work from people “in a diaspora”. They publish personal essays, articles, poetry, fiction, visual art and photography.
The Kalahari Review
A weekly African literary magazine interested in material exploring modern Africa and Africans in unique and avant-garde ways. They publish their work on Medium.
Transition
Born in Africa and bred in the diaspora, Transition is a publication of the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, published three times annually. Transition publishes writing by and about Africa and the African diaspora, with an eye towards a global perspective. They accept submissions year-round on a rolling basis, and generally respond to submissions within four months. They are currently looking for submissions on the ‘Solidarities’ theme (see guidelines), as well as unthemed work.
Lavender Review
An international, biannual e-zine published in June and December, they are open to submissions of poetry and art by, about, and for lesbians (including whatever LGBTQ might appeal to a lesbian readership). Submissions are open year round.
Ricepaper
This publication offers Asian Canadian context to ongoing arts and cultural issues, new perspectives on emerging and established Asian Canadian artists, and challenges mainstream media perspectives, little-known facts of interest, or critical stories that haven’t been told elsewhere. They are open to submissions from Asian writers around the globe as long as the editors can see a link between the content and some aspect of the Asian Canadian experience.
Raising Mothers
Raising Mothers celebrates and centers the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and Brown parents. Some sections have reading periods; columns are open year-round.
Prismatica Magazine
An LGBTQ fantasy and science fiction magazine that publishes short stories, poetry, reviews, interviews, and articles. They have very specific submission guidelines so please read those carefully.
African Writer
They are open to all genres of literature from Africa and the African Diaspora. They do not allow simultaneous submissions.
Djed Press
This journal is based in Australia and they “prioritise submissions from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, on whose land we live and work and whose sovereignty has never been ceded.” They only accept submissions from “Australian and/or Australia-based Bla(c)k and other POC creators.” They really stress that work is likely to be edited and that you shouldn’t submit if you are not comfortable with that. Pay is AUD50-150 for text.
Afritondo
According to their website, “Afritondo is a media and publishing platform that aims to connect with and tell the stories of Africans and black minority populations across the globe.” They accept a wide range of work, including manuscript-length work.
Brittle Paper
Brittle Paper is an online literary magazine for readers of African Literature. They accept the following: “fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, book reviews, essays, literary commentaries, fun listicles, and any writing with a literary bent”.
Torch Literary Arts
Torch Literary Arts is a nonprofit organization. They publish and promote creative writing by Black women only; you can read more about them here. They publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers. “We are interested in work that challenges and disrupts preconceived notions of what Black women’s contemporary writing should be.” General submissions are accepted for Friday Features only, in which they publish fiction, hybrid works, poetry, and drama (including that accompanied by video or dramatic audio). Send up to 2,500 for fiction/hybrid works, up to 10 pages for drama, or up to 5 poems. Pay is $150. Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis; you can submit here.
Tagg Magazine
Tagg is a US-based queer women’s publication. Their website has several themes they accept articles on, including personal essays, listicles, dating advice and fashion-related content. Articles are 350-1,000 words long and pay $75-175. They welcome pitches for article ideas. See the pitch guide for contributors here.
Bi Women Quarterly
BWQ features the voices of women “with bi+ sexualities (i.e., bi, pan, fluid, and other non-binary sexualities)” and they see “woman” as a broad category and welcome contributions those who identify as trans, non-binary, cis, etc. They publish articles, creative writing, musings, and more.
KOENING ZINE
They publish art, fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction submissions primarily by Asians, but they are open to submissions from non-Asians. Their uniting theme is Asian Folklore. Submitters must be over 18.
POETRY SANGO-OTA
We only usually include journals currently open to submissions, but this list is always published on the third Thursday of a given month, and this journal is only open to submissions through the 1st to the 10th of each month, so we are listing it and encouraging you to set a calendar alert for when it reopens on the 1st of the next month. “We are interested in poems with a keen connection to a sense of place, nature, or otherworldly geographies.” They only publish African poets, and pay N2,500 per poem.
Reappropriate
Reappropriate is an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) race advocacy and feminism blog, focusing on race, gender, identity, Asian American history, and current events. Pay is $75-150 for work of 800-2,500 words.
The Gay & Lesbian Review
The Gay & Lesbian Review is a bimonthly magazine of history, culture, and politics targeting an educated readership of LGBT people, and their allies that publishes themed features (2,000-4,000 words), reviews, interviews, and departments. They have announced a few themed calls, and they also invite suggestions for future themes.
- The Scientists: Pioneers in the study of sexual difference
- The State of LGBT Rights: What’s next for the movement?
- The Travel Issue: The role of travel in LGBT culture
Writers can send proposals or complete pieces. They pay for features ($250) and full-length book reviews ($100).
The Acentos Review
The Acentos Review publishes writing, art, music and multigenre work by Latinx writers. They are open to submissions all year long. Details here.
Craft
This respected literary journal is open to creative work from authors of all backgrounds, but they offer free submissions + fast response times to BIPOC and other mis- and underrepresented writers, here. Craft pays $100 for flash and $200 for short fiction and creative nonfiction.
Aloka
They want work by non-native English speakers only – poetry, translations, fiction, and hybrid work. Send up to 5 poems, or up to 2 prose pieces, up to 2,500 words each.
The Lighthouse / Black Girl Projects
The tagline of The Lighthouse is, “Cultivating spaces of solidarity and safety for southern Black girls to shine through focused programming and research.” They have an extensive guide for pitching articles, including “We … are always looking for thought-provoking stories and other content from marginalized communities, Black girls, (in particular, but not exclusively) and gender non-conforming people. In addition to story and long-form story pitches and op-eds, they accept photography and original artwork for their online blogging platform, The Black Girl Times, and their monthly newsletter, The Black Girl Times Redux. Also, “Each month, we have an editorial theme board (kind of like the mood boards interior designers use) we post on our social media accounts (@luvblkgrls). The theme board is intended to be an inspiration and provocation of thoughts, ideas and feelings. Your response(s) can be literal or abstract and loose. And again, it might not have anything to do with anything we’ve seen.” Pay is $0.25-$1/word. Pay for art (graphic design, cartoons and photo essays) is $150-1,000.
Singapore Unbound: SUSPECT
Their website says, “SUSPECT grew out of SP Blog, the blog of the NYC-based literary non-profit Singapore Unbound.” They want poetry, literary fiction, essays, and any kind of writings that do not fall into these categories, written or translated into English by authors who identify as Asian. They also publish reviews of books by Asian authors and interviews with Asian writers and artists. Pay is $100, and there is no deadline listed.
Breath & Shadow
Breath & Shadow only publishes work from people with disabilities. This is how they define disability: “We use the term “disability” broadly to encompass anyone with a physical, mental, emotional, cognitive, or sensory impairment that significantly affects one or more major life functions.” They accept writing on any topic in terms of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and drama. Pieces do not have to be about disability. The academic or article type nonfiction, including profiles, interviews, and opinion pieces, do have to relate to disability in some way. They pay $25 per poem (max 2) and $40 for prose.
Screen Door Review
They only publish work by individuals who are Southern and queer. You can learn more about how they define Southern here. They publish flash fiction and poetry.
Emergent Literary
An exciting new literary journal that accepts a wide range of submissions from Black and Brown authors.
LatinX Lit Audio Mag
LatinX Lit Mag is a safe space for literary work written by authors who identify as Latinx or Hispanic.
Presses/Anthologies
Essential Dreams Press: Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology
This fiction anthology has two submission windows; one for underrepresented writers only, and another for all writers. “STORYTELLER: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology is a celebration of Lee’s influence in speculative fiction. Not only did Tanith Lee write nearly 90 novels, but she also wrote hundreds of short stories in and across a wide range of genres… Her work has inspired generations of writers and has influenced some of the greatest authors working in speculative fiction today.” And, they want stories “under the umbrella of genre, including but not limited to science fiction, fantasy, horror, YA, romance, and any of their many subgenres. … As part of their submission, you will be required to provide two short statements: 1) how Tanith Lee inspired or influenced your own writing practice and 2) why you submitted this particular story for our Tanith Lee tribute anthology i.e., what makes it a perfect fit.” Pay is $0.10/word for stories of 2,000-5,000 words. They have two reading periods; call #1, July 16-22, is open to underrepresented writers only; “We will only be accepting stories from underrepresented and historically marginalized voices including BIPOC, LGBTQAI+, disabled, and neurodiverse writers.”; and call #2, during July 23-29 2024, will be open to all writers.
Phoenix
Phoenix is a new speculative imprint launched by Nigerian publisher Ouida Books in collaboration with Nnedi Okorafor and Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn. Phoenix is dedicated to publishing African speculative fiction and fantasy (Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism). You can learn more about it here.
The Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series
This opportunity, from Black Lawrence Press, is for immigrants living in the US – for manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid writing. “Poets and authors, at any stage of their careers, who identify as immigrants are welcome to submit a book manuscript of poetry or prose or a hybrid text for consideration. Submissions are accepted year-round. However, selections are made in June and November for a total of two books per year. In addition to publication, marketing, and a standard royalties contract from Black Lawrence Press, authors chosen for the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series will receive a travel stipend of $500, which can be used for book tours or in any manner chosen by the authors.”
North Dakota State University Press: Contemporary Voices of Indigenous Peoples Series
The goal of this series to feature the authentic stories, poetry, and scholarly works of Native Americans, First Nations, Maori, Aborigines, Indians, and more to give voice to contemporary Indigenous peoples. NDSU Press considers book-length manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for publication in this series.
Random House Canada
The Canadian arm of Random House changed their submission policy have opened their policy exclusively to LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC writers, as well as those from other traditionally underrepresented communities. They are particularly looking for “High quality commercial fiction in the following genres: literary, romance, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and mystery. Please note that we do not currently accept screenplays, stage plays, young adult fiction, children’s fiction, or picture book queries. All non-fiction submissions must be submitted via a literary agent.” They are open to submissions internationally, this is not limited to Canadians.
Somos en escrito Literary Foundation Press
They publish a literary magazine as well as books, they are “dedicated to publishing raza authors to express the narratives and needs of our communities, which typically get overlooked by the mainstream presses. We intend to be the institution nobody else will build for us.”
Tundra Books, Puffin Canada, Penguin Teen Canada
These children and teen focused Canadian imprints are open to direct submissions by underrepresented authors and illustrators only. Authors need not be Canadian.
Arsenal Pulp Press
A Canadian independent press that publishes a wide variety of work, prioritizes work by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors. We have reviewed them here.
Blind Eye Books
Blind Eye Books publishes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and romance novels featuring LGBTQ protagonists. They are a print publisher and their book covers are beautifully designed and really stand out. The books they have published have won and been nominated for a number of awards, including the Lambda. We have reviewed them here.
Lily
A small poetry press that publishes work of varying length. Submitting shorter work is free for everyone, but submitting poetry manuscripts is free only for poets who identify as Black. They are always open to these submissions.
Sourcebooks
We’ve reviewed Sourcebooks here, and their adult nonfiction imprint and their romance and horror imprints are always open to all submissions, but they also deserve to be on this list because their fiction imprint, their mystery imprint, their young adult imprint, and three of their children’s book imprints, all say “Our submissions are currently CLOSED to unagented projects, with the exception of works that directly promote diversity, equality and inclusion. For more information please email InclusiveFiction@Sourcebooks.com.” So if you have work that matches that description in those genres, please reach out to them.
Forever
The romance imprint of Hachette Book Group and Grand Central Publishing is open to direct submissions from BIPOC-identifying authors.
Angry Robot
A great science fiction publisher that only accepts direct submissions from Black authors.
Scholastic Canada
They are open to direct submissions from Canadian authors or focusing on Canadian content, who are from underrepresented communities, including Black writers, Indigenous writers, writers of colour, writers with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ writers and writers who identify with other marginalized groups.
Heartdrum
Heartdrum is an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, which is edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, and is in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Native and First Nations writers and writer-illustrators are welcome to query her directly via a form on her website. Native and First Nations illustrators are also invited to reach out.
Opportunities/Support/Contest
Speculative Literature Foundation: Two grants
They are open for two grants in July; writers can apply for one or both grants.
— The Diverse Writers grant is to support new and emerging writers of speculative fiction from underrepresented groups, including writers of color, disabled, women or working-class writers.
— The Diverse Worlds grant is for work that best represents a diverse world, irrespective of the writer’s background.
Writers may apply for one or both grants. The project must be a proposed book-length work of speculative fiction (novels, short story collections). Non-fiction, poetry, picture books, and editorial projects are not eligible. See their schedule for other grants, with later submission periods.
The grants are $500 each, and the deadline is 31 July 2024. Details here (grant details) and here (schedule for all their grants).
Sisters in Crime: Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers
This is a grant for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. It is for an unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words. An unpublished writer is preferred, but writers with publication of not more than 10 pieces of short fiction and/or up to 2 self-published or traditionally published books are also eligible. Also, winners and any runners-ups who wish to maintain their anonymity, may do so, or they may choose to select a pen name for announcements. Please note, you have to register/log in to access the submission portal. The grant is $2,000, and the deadline is 31 July 2024 (see the submission dates on their Facebook page). Details here. (See all of Sisters in Crime grants/awards here.)
The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants
These are new grants, which recognize literary works by immigrant and refugee writers. Foreign-born writers based in the U.S., and writers living abroad who hold refugee/asylum seeker status, are eligible to apply. The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry, and translated works (in case of translated works, the grant will be conferred to the original author). A writing sample is part of the submission requirements — up to 40 pages for poetry, and 75 pages for other genres. For the 2025 grant cycle, they will confer two grants. The project must be an unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2025, as the grants are intended to support the completion of a manuscript. The grants are $5,000 each, and the deadline is 1 August 2024. Details here and here.
(PEN also has other grants open currently, including the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants, the PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History, and the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists; the deadline for all these grants is 1 August 2024.)
James Berry Poetry Prize
This prize is open to poets of colour in the UK who have not yet published a book-length manuscript, and who are unagented – please see guidelines for their full eligibility requirements. It will assist young and/or emerging writers of colour with mentoring to help them develop their work, followed by publication of their debut book-length collection. One of the application requirements is a portfolio of 10 to 12 pages of poems. Apart from the cash prize for three authors, they will also receive expert mentoring and debut collection published with Bloodaxe Books. The prize is £1,000 each for three authors, mentoring, and publishing. The deadline is 31 July 2024.
Hachette UK: The Future Bookshelf – The Robinson New Voices Award
This is an opportunity for unagented, unpublished, underrepresented writers in the UK, for a popular psychology book. “Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf is running the New Voices Award Prize for its second year to help discover unpublished psychology writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and multiple ethnic backgrounds, as well as those who are disabled, gender diverse, part of the LGBTQIA+ community or from cultural or religious minorities. … The winner will receive an offer to publish with Robinson including an advance against royalties of at least £5000”. And, judging will be on the originality of the thesis or concept, the logic and credibility of the argument, the rigour of the research, the clarity and accessibility of the writing, the relevance of the topic to general and/or non-academic readers, and the usefulness of the advice. The award is £5,000 advance, feedback, mentoring, meeting with a literary agent, and more. The deadline is 31 July 2024.
(See all of The Future Bookshelf’s opportunities here.)
Academy of American Poets: Ambroggio Prize
This is an opportunity for US poets. They want a book-length poetry manuscript originally written in Spanish and with an English translation. Poets may translate their own work or collaborate with a translator who may or may not be a poet; the poet and translator must share the prize. The original manuscript in Spanish must be between 48 and 100 pages. Their website also says, established in 2017, the Ambroggio Prize is the only annual award of its kind in the United States that honors American poets whose first language is Spanish. Winner gets $1,000 and publication. The deadline is 15 September 2024. Details here and here.
(They have other awards as well, both fee-free and fee-based – see the Academy of American Poets’ Submittable for current open calls).
Queer Adventurers 2024 Essay Contest: Border Crossings
This annual contest always has a theme and in 2024 it is Border Crossings. They say “Tell us about an international journey that changed your life. Write about how sexuality and gender identity impact your ability to cross borders freely. Interpret the theme metaphorically and tell us how your gender expression or sexuality transgresses borders.”
They also make it clear that all submissions must centre both the theme and the writers sexuality or gender identity. Stories must be true and written by an LGBTQIA author without the assistance of AI.
Authors of winning and second place essays receive cash prizes. Winner, runner up and finalists will have their essays published on Queer Adventurers. The deadline is October 31, 2024.
Black Voices in Children’s Literature Writing Contest
The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. The contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Black people. They consider every entry for publication and they award three cash prizes. The contest this year is co-sponsored by Free Spirit (a traditional press) and Stive (a hybrid press). Please reach out to us at support@authorspublish.com if you are redirected towards services you are expected to pay for at any part of the process. Follow their detailed guidelines carefully if submitting. They close to submissions on July 22.
HW Fisher Novel-Writing Scholarship for Writers with Low Income
This scholarship is sponsored by HW Fisher. It will award four talented writers of limited financial means places in Curtis Brown Creatives London-based Writing Your Novel – Three Months course. Apply by August 4th.
The Academy of American Poets: Literary Seminars
These new seminars from the Academy are taught by respected experts. Scholarships are available with varying deadlines, the nearest upcoming deadline is September. Click on the individual course offerings to learn more.
BIPOC Writers Connect
This virtual conference is for Black, Indigenous, and racialized emerging writers to connect with industry professionals, established authors, and fellow emerging writers. It is presented by The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) and the League of Canadian Poets (LCP). This online event includes the following.
- one-on-one time for feedback with a professional writer who has reviewed your work in advance;
- workshop on query letter-writing;
- industry panel discussion;
- plenty of networking opportunities.
They just extended the deadline till July 22, 2024. This year conference will take place on October 17th, 2024 on Zoom.
Society of Authors: Dursilla Harvey Access Fund
These are small grants for UK-based/British writers, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats. “Usual grants will be £150 or less, but fair consideration will be given to all proposals.” Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. (Society of Authors also has awards for works in progress as well as contingency funds – all their grants are here.)
The Writing Barn Scholarship
The Writing Barn has a small but budding scholarship program available for our programming. Scholarships are awarded on the following criteria: seriousness of purpose, talent and financial need. They also offer specific Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity scholarships for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Neurodiverse writers, and writers with disabilities.
Forward Funds: Creative Capital x Skoll Foundation Creator Fund
The crowdsourcing platform for creatives, Kickstarter, now has Forward Funds. Their website says, “Forward Funders are foundations, nonprofits, and organizations that back Kickstarter campaigns related to their visions and missions around a more creative and equitable world. Each Forward Funder makes a public commitment and then backs projects just like anyone else—through single pledges that bring the works one step closer to reality.” One such fund is the $500,000 Creative Capital x Skoll Foundation Fund. This backs projects by Asian, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx creators in the US on the crowdfunding platform – “Effective immediately, funds will be awarded on an ongoing basis to creators with active projects across all of Kickstarter’s categories: Arts, Comics & Illustration, Design & Tech, Film, Food & Craft, Games, Music, and Publishing.” Projects launched on Kickstarter following their rules are eligible, and creators can nominate themselves for specific Forward Funds via a form. This is for both, creators and organizations.
BIPOC scholarship for Emily Harstone’s classes at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish
Each time Emily Harstone offers a solo class through the Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish, there is now an opportunity for one to two writers who identify as BIPOC to take it for free. If you registered last year, please note that the form re-set in January, and you are encouraged to fill it out again.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
