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.

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 from the previous month. This article is an ongoing collaborative effort by Emily Harstone and S. Kalekar.  A couple of these opportunities were contributed by NmaHassan Muhammad. Please send us an email at support@authorspublish.com if you have any feedback or an opportunity/journal/publisher, to recommend.

Each month we’ve been featuring a different resource for underrepresented writers. Writers of Color, on Twitter and off, is a great resource for writers of color and those seeking to work with BIPOC writers. They regularly share opportunities, and grants for writers of color.

Journals/Magazines

Apex Magazine: Asian and Pacific Islander Issue
Apex is an award-winning magazine of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Through October, they are reading for a special Asian and Pacific Islander issue; “This special issue of Apex Magazine welcomes and encourages submissions from all writers of any Asian or Pacific Islander heritage regardless of geographical location/origin. We are excited to highlight and celebrate the diversity of global API experiences and urge writers not to self-reject due to factors including but not limited to diaspora upbringing or lack of adherence to heritage religions/creeds.” Stories do not need to be Asian/PI centric. They also accept translations. Pay is $0.08/word for stories up to 7,500 words; if the story is podcast, they’ll pay an additional $0.01/word. The submission portal for this special issue is here; the deadline for that is 31 October 2022.
(Apex is also open for short story from all writers, and submissions are ongoing. See their submission portal for general speculative fiction and special issue here.)

Afternoon Visitor
This is an online quarterly publication of poetry, hybrid text, visual poetry, and visual art, and they’re particularly interested in giving space to trans + queer writers in each issue.

Rough Cut Press: Exile
They publish work by LGBTQ+ artists – fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They are open year-round, with cut-off dates for themed issues. They are reading submissions on the ‘Exile’ theme. According to their website, “We seek personal, lyrical, critical, and experimental work in under 650 words.” Pay is $25 for submissions up to 650 words. The deadline is 27 October 2022.

Awake: The West is under attack!
Awake is a zine for Black creators only, from Lucky Jefferson Magazine. They want fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art, including comics. For the upcoming issue, they say, “The West is under attack! Protect your frontier and deliver your ‘isms [alive] to collect your bounty!
While the frontier is often typecast through an old western lens, your frontier can be whatever setting or undiscovered territory you want to explore. This can be a place near to you or a place not yet imagined. …Think modern westerns…, cross-genre…, or even traditional/revisionist western…. Leave no ‘ism’ unturned or territory underexplored. Whether through the region, era, or genre, there are no restrictions defining what, when, or where your frontier exists. Just show us, How the West Was (or still is) Black.” Pay is $15-50, and the deadline is 1 November 2022.
(For the upcoming print issue of Lucky Jefferson Magazine, the theme is Gibberish – the submission period for this is yet to be announced; and submissions for The 365 Collection for poetry, published online, are open year-round. At the time of writing, Lucky Jefferson was also accepting guest editor / translation editor applications; this is a volunteer position, and they only want BIPOC candidates. Details for all of these opportunities are in their Submittable, here.)

Dream Pop Journal
They welcome submissions from marginalized voices, and are especially interested in publishing work from emerging writers working in experimental, non-narrative forms. “Please send us your strange utterings, hybrid works, collaborative pieces, visual poetry, collages, and linguistic inventions. We hope that you will challenge the limits of what literature can be and that you will share your results with us.” They publish poetry, a speculative diary, visual art, as well as visual poetry & erasure. They are open year-round.

Heavy Feather Review: #NoMorePresidents
They have a print issue, open periodically, and submissions for the online magazine are open now; they accept work from all writers for most sections. They publish poems, short stories, flash fictions, nonfictions, hybrid works, visual art, etc. They have various sections, too – one of these is #NoMorePresidents. For this feature, they say, “HFR is invested in supporting and publishing art by the LGBTQ+ community, Muslim writers, writers of color, female-identifying writers, aging writers, undocumented immigrant writers, survivors of abuse or assault, disabled writers, neurodivergent writers, non-American writers, plus other marginalized groups. White supremacy and other hate is inexcusable, and we wish to counteract and stand against these prevalent attitudes. HFR has reaffirmed its mission to elevate these marginalized groups by initiating a new blog feature, #NoMorePresidents, an online space for these communities to publish new writing.” Their general guidelines, including link to Submittable, are here.

Indecent
This is a space for Queer creators and Queer representation. “You do not have to be Queer to submit, but your work should be related to Queer representation”. Also, “If a connection to the Queer community is not readily apparent in your work, let us know your connection in the body of your submission email or your bio.” Send fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, and multimedia. They have detailed guidelines for each category. They can offer token payment, of $4 or less. They were open to submissions at the time of writing.

Cosmic Double
Cosmic Double publishes work from underrepresented writers – including, but not limited to, Black, indigenous, & other writers of color; members of the LGBTQ+ community; adopted, displaced, or separated writers; writers without formal education, including high school, college, or masters level degrees; writers with mental or physical disabilities; new & emerging writers. At the time of writing, fiction and poetry were closed; they’re always open for nonfiction submissions (send up to 4 pages). Details here (guidelines) and here (Submittable).

khoreo
This is a magazine of speculative fiction – science fiction, fantasy, and horror. You can submit if you are an immigrant, or a member of the Diaspora (see guidelines). They also accept artwork. Pay is $0.08/word for stories up to 5,000 words. The deadline is 31 October 2022. Details here and here.

Class Collective
Their website says, this is “An annual literary magazine that illuminates the class struggle(s) hidden in the shadows of our culture.” They accept submissions from all writers. They publish poetry, including visual poetry (up to 5 poems), fiction (up to 5,000 words), essays (pitches and submissions), and commentary — writing that has a class-based perspective on politics and culture. Pay is CAD10 for poetry and CAD20 for prose. Submissions were open at the time of writing.

The Objective: The Reckoning in Food Media
Their website says, “The Objective is a nonprofit newsroom building collective and narrative power for journalists and communities that have been misrepresented or dismissed in order to change the way journalism is practiced in the U.S.” They want “reporting, essays, and criticism on the 2020 “reckoning in food media” — what the future of food media could look like and what we can learn from its past.
We are looking for stories that focus on the intersections of identity — race, gender, class, dis/ability, sexuality — and challenge stereotypes in food media. You are also welcome to challenge what reporting and criticism of “food media” is. We are open to, and encourage, pieces that aim to spark conversation on who’s not usually centered in legacy food media — agricultural workers and service workers, for example.” Pay is $200-600. The pitch deadline is 1 November 2022.

Reappropriate: Filipinx American identity
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. They want pitches or full-length drafts of personal essays on Filipinx American identity, for Filipinx American History Month. “How does Filipinx American history and identity shape or complicate the Asian American experience? Why are Filipinx American stories so often undertold or overlooked?” Pay is $75-150 for work of 800-2,500 words. Details here and here.

Tribal College: Trauma and Healing
Tribal College is the journal of American Indian higher education. For their Summer 2023 issue, the theme is ‘Trauma and Healing’. They seek both long features (2,500-3,000 words) and shorter features (2,000 words), as well as several departments. “Recently, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland told the National Congress of American Indians “We must shed light on the unspoken traumas of the past, no matter how hard it will be.” Only then can the healing begin. TCUs can play a critical role in this process.  How does trauma manifest itself in individuals and communities? How do we confront trauma and what kinds of support can TCUs offer? What are effective ways to begin the healing process?” Pay varies; please note, there is no payment for the Voices or Research sections. The deadline for feature story suggestions is 4 November; the deadlines for submitting features, and for On Campus news shorts, are later. Details here (theme) and here (general writers’ guidelines).

Xtra Magazine
Their website says, “Xtra is an award-winning digital magazine and community platform covering LGBTQ2S+ politics, culture, sex, relationships and health. We tell stories in multiple ways: Short and long features, profiles, Q&As, essays, opinion pieces, explainers, video documentaries and podcasts.” They have detailed pitch guidelines, including for their ‘Love Like Mine’ column, about LGBTQ2S+ love in all its forms — romantic, familial, platonic and more.
(Also, their senior editor for power — politics, activism and identities has tweeted, “I’m set for October but if you have something evergreen or that would be timely in November/December: I’m looking for interesting essays about queer and/or trans identity.” This is a paid call; see the Twitter thread dated 3^rd October for details.)

The Gay & Lesbian Review: Three themes
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 three themed calls, and they also invite suggestions for future themes.
— Bigger Than Life: Uncommon people who shaped our times
–– The Great Transformation: From bar culture to hookup world
— LGBT Science: New research on gender & sexual orientation
Writers can send proposals or complete pieces. They pay for features ($200) and full-length book reviews ($100).

warning lines
A new journal that aims to publish and uplift the voices of queer, trans, and neurodivergent writers, particularly QTPOC, neurodivergent POC, and people who are multiply marginalized. They are run by trans, nonbinary, Latine, disabled, and immigrant writers.  They are currently reading for the theme of “Adversary: our winter theme is dedicated to the figure of Satan/Lucifer, to Anarchism, Revolution, the pursuit of knowledge and freedom, and all else that the fallen angel stands for.” They close to submissions on November 1st.

PRIDE Quarterly
This magazine accepts fiction and poetry from Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, or/and People of Color (QTBIPOC) authors only. They accept original (flash to novelette length), reprint (flash to novella length), and translated genre fiction year-round with periodic, unannounced closures. “We’re particularly interested in romance, historical fiction, mystery & crime, thriller & suspense, horror, science fiction, and fantasy.” Payment is $0.08/word for the first 1,000 words and $0.01/word after for original fiction, and $15 for poems. They also pay for cover art, comics, and  reviews on bookish QTBIPOC topics. Narrators can reach out for podcast and audiobook work. This publication used to be called AURELIA LEO Originals.
(They are also accepting flash to novella-length work from all authors for their anthology, Fable: An anthology of horror, suspense and the supernatural, until 30 November 2022; a paying market.)

FIYAH
They only accept submissions by writers of the African Diaspora. They want speculative fiction (2,000-17,000 words), nonfiction (800-1,200 words) and poetry (up to 1,000 words), as well as reviews, nonfiction for the web, and art. Pay is $0.08/word for fiction, $0.10/word for nonfiction, and $50/poem. The deadline is 31 December 2022 for poetry and prose.

The Acentos Review
The Acentos Review publishes writing, art, music and multigenre work by Latinx writers. They are open to submissions all year long.

ALOCASIA
A journal of queer plant-based writing, open on a rolling basis.

Foglifter Journal
A biannual literary journal that publishes the “most dynamic, urgent LGBTQ+ writing today”. They are open to written work of all kinds including cross-genre. They are open to submissions through 1 November 2022 for their spring issue – they also have a couple of paying opportunities listed – a poetry chapbook contest for Bay area residents, and applications for an assistant fiction editor – see Submittable They have also started a Writers in Need Fund for their contributors – see guidelines. 

Wishbone Words
A new literary journal that publishes work, including poetry, creative nonfiction, personal essays, and illustrations, by chronically ill and disabled writers and artists.

Travesties?!: A Journal of Uncanny Arts
They accept submissions on a rolling basis from anyone that identifies as LGBTQIA+. They say “We are looking for pieces that are queer in all senses of the word, but that doesn’t mean they should be limited to traditional ideas of LGBTQ+ experience.”

The Arrow Journal: Black Dreaming and Black Dream Geographies
This established journal is seeking work on the theme Black Dreaming and Black Dream Geographies. This Special Issue “seeks to contribute to the collective archiving and analysis of Black dreaming, by centering the work of Black contributors. The Guest Editor especially invites Black, African, and Black diaspora contributors to submit their work, including but not limited to  Black folks living outside of the Americas and contributors who identify as Afro-Latinx, Afro-Indigenous, Afro-Asian, and/or Afro-Arab. ”  Learn more about the details of the call by tapping on the + symbol next to the call, here.

the archipelago
They publish creative work that rewrites the map. Rewriting the map may involve oceans; islands; travel; movement; the decolonial/transcolonial; multilingualism; geography; cartography; displacement; relationships between unlikely places. They primarily publish short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction essays, fine art, photography, film.. They publish work in  فارسی ,  اَلْعَرَبِيَّةُ , Somali, မြန်မာဘာသာ, bahasa Indonesia, español, français and English. While they prioritize writers of color they are open to submissions from all. They pay for accepted work and also have an ongoing mentorship program which you can learn about at the bottom of this page. To submit, visit the link and email pitches@thearchipelago.org.

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 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.

Spoonie Magazine
Spoonie Magazine is a new weekly digital publication; they published their first volume in June 2022. “We want art, articles, poetry, and prose by disabled, chronically ill, and / or neurodivergent individuals (or their loved ones) that engages with these topics in some way. We’re not looking for any specific form or perspective; we’re looking for honesty.” They publish art, articles, poetry, and prose (including fiction and creative nonfiction). They are always open for submissions. They also have Spoonie Journal, a print journal, which has specific reading periods.

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 $0.10-0.75/word, which averages out to about $200-1,250 per story. Pay for art (graphic design, cartoons and photo essays) is $150-1,000.

Under a Warm Green Linden: Issue 14, Indigenous Ecopoetry
This magazine, from Green Linden Press, “invites Indigenous writers to submit poems for a special issue to be published in December 2022. We are interested in poems that illustrate, redefine, or reimagine relationships—land, nature, culture, history—to expand the possibilities of ecopoetics.” Send up to 5 poems. The deadline is 15 November 2022.

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. Scroll down the page to see the listing.

Puerto del Sol
A highly respected literary journal funded by New Mexico State University, Puerto Del Sol has an ongoing Black Voices Series featured on their website. They’re reading submissions on the Touch theme until 1 November 2022.

Hyphen Magazine
Their tagline is “Asian America Unabridged”, and their primary audience is Asian Americans in their 20s and mid 30s. They publish a wide range of work including but not limited to creative nonfiction, original fiction, original poetry, as well as articles pertaining to news, politics, and social justice. They pay $25 per published piece. They are only open to submissions by Asian Americans. They have detailed submission guidelines, please read them carefully.

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 $20 for poetry and $30 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.

Midnight & Indigo
They publish work by Black women writers only. They are currently seeking book reviews focused on works by Black women authors. For short stories and narrative essay submissions, the deadline is 31 October; speculative fiction/horror are accepted on a rolling basis. Pay varies.

Nightlight
This is a horror fiction podcast featuring Black writers all over the world (at least one of your birth parents must be Black). They also accept reprints. At the time of writing, they were also looking for story performers. Length is up to 10,000 words. Pay is $75 for stories up to 3,000 words, and $200 for stories of over 3,000 words. The deadline is 31 October 2022.

Snarl
This magazine publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions from creators of marginalized identities only: “We are looking for writers and artists who have been marginalized due to their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, and/or disability. We seek to publish and promote queer writers, black writers, writers of color, trans writers, native writers, undocumented writers, disabled writers, impoverished, and incarcerated writers.” (See their FAQ section for details). Send up to 8,000 words of prose, or up to 5 poems. Pay is $25 for flash & micro, $50-$75 for longer prose; $15/poem, plus $5 per additional printed page. They are closed to general submissions currently and will resume these in late 2022, but continue to accept mailed work from incarcerated writers; see the notice here.

Presses/Anthologies

Mighty – An Anthology of Disabled Superheroes
Submissions are open for Mighty – An Anthology of Disabled Superheroes, stories about and by people at the intersection of disability and other identities traditionally excluded from publishing. Pay is CAD0.08/word for stories of 500 to 3,500 words. The deadline is 14 November 2022.

The Underdogs Rise
Submissions are open for The Underdogs Rise anthology from Underdog Press. “This anthology will focus exclusively on BIPOC writers who live in or hail from locales in the United States and whose short stories feature BIPOC characters set in a science fiction or fantasy setting where the character is an underdog who uses their skills to overcome a challenge.” Pay is $0.03/word for stories of 3,500-7,500 words. The deadline is 31 October 2022. Details here and 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.”

Harbor Editions – Laureate Prize Free Submission
This contest is open to everyone but only BIPOC writers or writers who’ve been finalists for this prize in the past can submit for free. Full length books should be between 50-80 pages.
Harbor Editions will publish 1 book from the contest. Finalists may be considered or publication. The winner will receive $500 and 20 copies of their book. All entrants will be notified about the status of their submission. The submission period closes on December 31st.

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.

Zero Street Fiction
A fiction imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, they “invite submissions of novels and short story collections, from LGBTQ+ authors new and established, that feature LGBTQ+ characters and/or themes. We are particularly interested in BIPOC authors, trans authors, and queer authors over 50. They close to submissions on the 1st of December.

Mad Creek Books
Mad Creek Books is the literary trade imprint of The Ohio State University Press. With a mission to foster creativity, innovate, and illuminate, Mad Creek Books champions diverse and creative literary nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. They are currently open to fee-free submissions for their Machete nonfiction series and their Latinographix series.

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.

Peepal Tree Press
The world’s leading publisher of Caribbean and Black British writing publishes around 15 titles a year. They try to respond to all submissions within 20 weeks.

Flashpoint Publications
They historically specialized in publishing books of interest to lesbian readers but their focus expanded a while ago to include LGBTQ+ work. They have been using their re-branded name of Flashpoint Publications for over a year now. They mostly publish popular fiction, but they have also published short stories, essays, and anthologies. They have a nonfiction imprint as well. We have reviewed them here.

Alternating Currents
A small publisher that charges a $6.99 submission fee for all authors except Black and Native American writers. Please note that they close submissions when they reach their monthly Submittable submissions cap. Submit early in the month.

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.

Amble Press
Amble Press an imprint of Bywater Books, publishes fiction and narrative nonfiction by queer writers, with a primary, though not exclusive, focus on queer writers of color.

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.

Tundra Books, Puffin Canada, Penguin Teen Canada
These children and teen focused Canadian imprints are open to direct submissions by underrepresented authors and illustrotors only. Authors need not be Canadian.

Opportunities/Support/Contests

The Early Career Bursaries for London Writers

These are bursaries for early-career, unpublished, unagented, low-income writers who are London-based (you can download eligibility, terms & conditions, application form, and FAQs from their website). They welcome applications from writers from the following communities which are underrepresented in publishing, including: Black, Asian and Global Majority, working class or of working class background, LGBTQ, refugee, care experienced and deaf and disabled writers. The bursaries are £10,000 cash and £5,000 towards development opportunities, and the deadline to apply is 1 November 2022.

Cave Canem: Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize
The annual Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize is dedicated to the discovery of exceptional chapbook-length manuscripts by Black poets (25-30 pages – see guidelines). Apart from a cash award of $1,000 and publication, the winner also gets a residency at The Writer’s Room at The Betsy Hotel in Miami, and a featured reading at the O, Miami Poetry Festival. The deadline is 14 November 2022. Details here and here. (Cave Canem also runs other prizes).

Thin Air Magazine: The Bird in Your Hands Prize

This is a literary contest for BIPOC writers; send fiction, poetry, or nonfiction of up to 500 words. The prize is $500, and the deadline is 20 November 2022. Details here and here.

Queer Adventurers 2022 Essay Contest: Shelter
Queer Adventurers is looking for 1,000 to 1,500 word personal essays on the theme of Shelter. It must be a first-person story, that happened to you, about a time you found shelter outdoors, and the story must connect to the theme of shelter, outdoor adventures and the writer’s LGBTQ+ identity. This can be taken literally or metaphorically.  Winner receives $150, runner-up receives $50, and winners and longlisted writers receive perks. Submissions must be made by December 15th, 2022

AWP HBCU Fellowship Program
The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) has recently launched the all-new AWP HBCU Fellowship Program, which aims to uplift the work Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) faculty are doing within their creative writing programs and encourage the participation of HBCUs within AWP. This program will kick off at the 2023 Conference and Bookfair, in Seattle, Washington. Due to a grant from the NEA, the program will award two HBCU faculty and four HBCU students with fellowships. Fellowships for faculty include a $4,000 honorarium, paid travel expenses and lodging for the duration of the conference, and publication in The Writer’s Chronicle regarding their experience. The selected fellows will have the opportunity for collaboration and mentorship. Active HBCU faculty, both part-time and full-time, are encouraged to apply. Deadline is October 31, 2022.

The JKP Writing Prize: Stories of Resistance
This is for BAME writers in the UK; send non-fiction pieces of up to 3,000 words on the ‘Stories of Resistance’ theme. The JKP Prize is partnering with Hachette’s Future Bookshelf scheme, which offers support to aspiring writers from under-represented backgrounds. Winners will be published in an anthology and get a cash prize of £150. The deadline is 21 October 2022.

The Haven Foundation Grants
These grants were instituted by Stephen King after he suffered a debilitating accident. They give financial assistance to help freelance artists and writers who have suffered disabilities or a career-threatening illness, accident, natural disaster or personal catastrophe. Legal US residents can apply for a grant. The deadline to apply is 4 November 2022, and applications have to be mailed. All applications received after that date will be held for the next round of grants.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize
This is a contest for writers who are citizens of any Commonwealth country of Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean, and Pacific (see guidelines for the list of countries) – send a piece of short fiction of 2,000-5,000 words. As well as English, stories are accepted in the Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Greek, Kiswahili, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Tamil and Turkish languages. Translated entries from any language into English are also eligible. If the winning story is a translation, the translator receives additional prize money. The prize is £5,000; and regional winners get £2,500. The deadline is 1 November 2022.

ECW’s BIPOC Writers Mentorship Program
This program is  part of ECW’s  “commitment to promote diverse and inclusive voices in books. The goal of this program is to find and nurture upcoming writers from BIPOC communities and equip them with tools and information to navigate the industry, submission process, and publishing process. The program is only open to writers who have never published a book and are currently living in Canada.” They have two admission deadlines a year: November 30 and May 31. They also have positions for freelance editors.

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway: Writers’ Conference Scholarships

They are offering 6 scholarships for their workshops, which will be held in Atlantic City, New Jersey during 13-16 January 2023. Each scholarship covers tuition for any unfilled workshop (recipients may choose from workshops in fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction, poetry and more), 3 nights’ accommodation, and some meals (see guidelines). Transportation is not covered. The Toni Brown Memorial Scholarship will offer three scholarships to poets or writers aged 31 and over, and the Robert Hayden Scholarship will fund three poets or writers between the ages of 18 and 30. At least two of these scholarships will be awarded to poets or writers of color. A panel of judges will review submissions and make their selections based on a combination of merit and need. The deadline to apply is 15 November 2022.

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.

Emergency Fund for Diverse Creatives and Educators
WNDB provides emergency grants to diverse authors, illustrators, publishing professionals, and K-12 educators who are experiencing dire financial need. They aim to bolster these marginalized groups by giving grants between $500 and $1,000 each.

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.

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Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2021 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.