Blog Archives

72 Calls for Submissions in June 2024 - Paying markets

5/29/2024

Tony Alter: Flickr

This June there are six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.
Happy submitting!
(Image: Tony Alter: Flickr)
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The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2024.

Totally Entwined: Love at Second Sight. Genre: Novellas, 30,000 - 50,000 words. Theme: Second chance romance. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Green Writers Press. Genres: Poetry, fiction, short story collections, environmental essay collections, middle-grade and YA/teen fiction, artwork, and photography. Green Writers Press is an independent, Vermont-based publishing company, is dedicated to spreading environmental awareness and social justice by publishing authors who promulgate messages of hope and renewal through place-based writing and environmental activism. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Wild Umbrella. Genre: Poetry, prose. Payment: €10 per poem and €25 per prose piece. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Ruth’s and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel. Genre: Stories about time travel. Word count must be between 500 and 4000 words. Payment: 1 cent per word for original stories or a flat $10 for reprints. Deadline: June 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. Theme: Gardens. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Fires of Retribution. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with DRAGONS! Concept: We’re looking for a story that shows the struggle between man and beast. These aren’t Pete’s Dragon; these are vicious killers who would just as soon eat you as look at you. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Darkest Shadow, Brightest Light. Genre: Dark Fantasy. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Hellbound Books. Genre: Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Shivering Timbers! Genre: Pirate themed horror fiction. "Avast ye, scurvy seadogs! Within these pages there be swashbuckling zombies, petrifying privateers and bloodthirsty buccaneers hunting for cursed treasure in darkened coves. Come aboard and join our crew as we set sail on a chilling voyage across the kraken infested seven seas. Sharpen your cutlasses, raise the Jolly Roger and prepare to be terrified by tales of piratical peril. Arrr!" Payment: £20. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: $400. Deadline: June 1, 2024. See themes.
Air/Light. Genre: New and innovative works of literary arts across all mediums and genres including cross genre work. Length: Up to 4,000 words for prose, and up to 10 pages for poetry. Payment: Poetry: $50; Responses and department pieces: $100; Fiction and essays/nonfiction: $200; Visual art, music, and multimedia: $200. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Fires of Retribution Anthology. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with DRAGONS! Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Bannister Press. Genre: Fantasy. "We are seeking international short story submissions by writers who identify as women for an anthology with a focus on what it means to be on the outside looking in, or comfortably or uncomfortably out of step with the world(s) at large, and with a fantasy element (either subtle or writ large). The story can be visually focused, or character/narrative focused, as long as it leaves the reader thinking about the story long after closing the book." Payment: 8 cents/word CAD. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: June 2, 2024. Opens June 1.

Meanjin. Restrictions: Open to Australians. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $250 per poem. Deadline: June 3, 2024.

Utopia Science Fiction. Genre: Utopian science fiction. See theme. Payment: $0.04/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: June 4, 2024.

Profiles. Genre: Character-driven fiction and non-fiction — both original works and works in translation — under 5,000 words. Art. Payment: €200+ per piece. Deadline: June 4, 2024.

Unleashed. Genre: Horror up to 10,000 words. Payment: $25 per piece. Deadline: June 5, 2024.

The Margins. Restrictions: Open to Asian American and diasporic poets. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 to $90 (USD) for original and translated poetry; the fee varies based on the number and length of poems. Deadline: June 6, 2024. Accepts reprints.

A Coup of Owls. Restrictions: Only submit if you are aged 18 or over and belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people. Genre: Fiction, all genres. Payment: £5 - 15. Deadline: June 7, 2024. Closes when they reach their cap.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 7, 2024.

805 Lit and Art. Genre: Short fiction, CNF, poetry, art. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 7, 2024. (?)
Mouthfeel Press. Genre: Poetry chapbooks, fiction novellas, and full-length nonfiction. Translations accepted. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 9, 2024.

Samjoko Magazine is devoted to publishing "exemplary work from content creators around the world. Focusing mainly upon the written word, we hope to create an immersive digital and print platform that stands out for its honesty and desire to take risks for the sake of artistic expression. We have no set aesthetic, though different themes will be focused upon periodically." Payment: $20. Deadline: June 10, 2024.

New Words. Genre: Trans gender poetry. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 10, 2024. Reprints accepted.

Mslexia. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Fiction poetry, nonfiction. Payment: £25. Deadline: June 10, 2024. See themes.

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, "and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way.” Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Dracula Beyond Stoker. Genre: Fiction based on Stoker’s characters. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Propagule. Genre: Short stories that are intrepid with regard to experimentation and oddity; the strange, the surreal, the atypical, the unexpected. Payment: $30 (max). Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Bull City Press. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction Chapbooks. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: June 15, 2024
Underblong. Genre: Poetry, art. Payment: $20. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Baffling. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Length: Under 1200 words. See themes. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $0.04/word, up to $25. Deadline: June 15, 2024. See theme.
Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations. comics, photography. Payment: $75. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Nat. Brut. showcases the work of writers and artists who have been historically devalued or pigeonholed by art and literary institutions. "We publish work that has been buried, ignored, and disappeared from public consciousness. Equally, we seek work that comes from artists’ buried, ignored, and disappeared impulses and practices—the risky, the exploratory, and the potentially ugly." Genre: Short stories, poetry, CNF, comics. Payment: $30. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

The Offing: Insight. Genre: Creative nonfiction (usually personal essay) that centers one’s personal experience against the backdrop of art, literature, and culture. Insight essays generally fuse together two topics that don’t typically belong together, weaving—and investigating—what is perceived versus what is true. Ultimately, these essays explore the ways in which interacting with this aspect of culture or ideology changed you or made a lasting impression.. Payment: $25–$100. Deadline: June 16, 2024

Carcanet Press. Genre: Lives & Letters. Nonfiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 21, 2024. Proposals only.

Flame Tree Press: Myths, Gods & Immortals. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Circe. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 23, 2024.

Flame Tree Press: Myths, Gods & Immortals. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Anansi. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 23, 2024.

The Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy-tale inspired stories/poems. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 24, 2024.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $30 CAD. Deadline: June 25, 2024. This is a monthly call.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Dragon Soul Press: Malice. Genre: "All crime (mystery, noir, suspense) stories are welcome. All genres are accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

The Sprawl Mag. Genre: Speculative poetry, short fiction, and visual art. "Whether it is utopic, dystopic, magical, or sci-fi, we look forward to seeing your work." Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Silk and Sinew. Restrictions: Open to Asian and South Asian diaspora writers. Genre: Folk horror rooted in the experience of the Asian Diaspora. From lengths of muscle and vein, ground bones, endless ropes of sinew it is with our bodies folk horror is woven. Payment: 5 cents/ word. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

A Brood of Vampires. Genre: Short stories and poems with vampires as the main theme of the piece. Payment: £10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Eerie River: The Earth Bleeds at Night. Genre: Horror. See theme. Payment: 5 cents per word. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Unicorn Press. Genre: Poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.
Midnight & Indigo. Restrictions: Open to black women. Genre: Fiction, personal essays. Payment: 7 cents/word for fiction, $100 for essays. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Dragon’s Roost Press. Genre: Cosmic Horror stories set in and around Arkham, Innsmouth, and other mythos related areas that take place in or are associated with Lovecraftian tales AND which feature a public or private institution of some sort. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: June 30, 2024. May close early is cap is reached.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Codhill Press. Genre: Poetry manuscript. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

105 Meadowlark Reader. Restrictions: You must be a Kansas resident or have lived in Kansas at some point in your life. Genre: True stories about Kansas written by Kansans. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Poet Lore. Genre: Poetry translations. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Plenitude Magazine Restrictions: Open to Canadians. "Plenitude Magazine aims to promote the growth and development of LGBTTQI literature through an online publication of literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic narrative, book reviews and short film by both emerging and established LGBTTQI writers. We define queer literature and arts as works created by LGBTTQI people, rather than works which feature queer content alone." Genre: Fiction, CNF. Payment: $50 - $100. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Far Futures 3 – An Anthology of Deep Space. Genre: Speculative fiction. Submissions will involve space travel in some form to deep space. Stories may start or end planet-side, but the bulk of the tale must be in space. Military sci-fi is welcome. Payment: ½ cent per word to a maximum of $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Worldsmyths: Dark Fantasy Short Stories. Genre: Dark Fantasy Short Stories. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Ofic. Genre: Short fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, art. "Send us your dead doves, your blorbos, your plinkos, your wretched meow meows yearning to be free; that thing you wrote that made you think, “I don’t know where this belongs”; the stuff you’d never show anyone you know IRL. Give us your shameless, self-indulgent smut; the manuscript to the video essay you dictated to your YouTube subscribers in your head; your thoughtful explorations of trauma and identity; your Pepe Silvia wall; your sci-fi, your fantasy, your romance, your realism. We want anything and everything. As long as you identify as a fan, we want to read your work." (Up to 12,000 words). Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Nothing Exists Alone. Genre: Full-length fiction manuscripts on climate change. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

The Hudson Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews; criticism of literature, art, theatre, dance, film, and music; and articles on contemporary cultural developments. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: June 30, 2024. (Poetry only)

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Cat Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that dogs have. Celebrate your dog, or a dog you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dog Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that cats have. Celebrate your cat, or a cat you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2024. In celebration of Pride, there are no submission fees for LGBTQIA2+ writers in June. We are especially interested in trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming voices.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Fulcrum Publishing. Genre: Nonfiction works that explore conservation and stewardship, American culture, civics, and the American West. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Reprints accepted.
The Third Black Beacon Book of Mystery. Genre: Mystery short stories with an unforgettable protagonist and a clever puzzle to solve. Payment: $25 and $10 for reprints regardless of length, plus one print copy. Preferred word count between 3,000 and 9,000 words. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Reprints accepted.

Allegory. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Bamboo Ridge. Genre: All works by and about Hawaii's people. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Typehouse. Restrictions: In honor of Pride Month, no-fee submissions are open for all LGBTQIA2+/Queer writers, not limited to those from the US. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Variant Lit. Genre: Poetry, fiction, flash fiction, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Channel. Genre: Fiction, art, creative non-fiction, and poetry that engages with the natural world, and have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self. Payment: €40/poem, and €50/page of prose up to €150. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

AND A FEW MORE...

Thema: A New Routine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: A New Routine. Payment: $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: July 1, 2024. See themes.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2024.

Harbor Editions: Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period. Genre: Hybrid chapbook. Chapbooks should be around 20-50 pages. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2024. No submission fee for BIPOC writers.

It Came from the Trailer Park. Genre: Horror-comedy with the same feel as The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Shenandoah. Genre: Creative Nonfiction. Payment: $80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity.

64 Writing Contests in June 2024 - No entry fees

5/28/2024

Pickpik

This June there are more than five dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $50,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck!

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The Questions Writing Prize. Restrictions: Open to young Australian writers (18 to 30 years). Genre: Fiction and nonfiction on any topic as long as the piece remains between 1,500 and 2,000 words. Prize: $3,000 AUD top prize. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award. Genre: Works of fiction or nonfiction. Prize: $25,000. The award-winner will participate in a 2-3 day residency at Interlochen Center for the Arts in April 2025. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Dan Veach Prize for Younger Poets. Restrictions: Open to poets aged 18-23. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $100 and publication in the Atlanta Review. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The PEN Grant for the English Translation of Italian Literature. Genre: Translation. Work-in-progress of a book-length translation of an Italian work of literary fiction or nonfiction into English. Prize: $5,000 grant. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Africa Institute: Global Africa Translation Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to Translators in the Global South. Genre: Translations of works from the African continent and its diaspora, into English or Arabic. This is a non-residential fellowship. Projects may be retranslations of old, classic texts, previously untranslated works, poetry, prose, or critical theory collections. The project may be a work-in-progress, or a new project feasible for completion within the timeframe of the grant. Prize: $1,000-$5,000. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Cromwell Article Prize. Restrictions: Open to early career scholars. Genre: Articles published in the field of American legal history. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Novel Prize. Genre: Book-length work of literary fiction written in English. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: June 1, 2024. Biennial award.

The PEN/Heim Translation Fund. Genre: Book-length works of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama in translation. Prize: $2000 - $4000. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists. Restrictions: Candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated sufficient income to support the author. Genre: Book-length children's or young-adult fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The PEN/Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History. Genre: Literary work of nonfiction that uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. Prize: $15,000 each. (Two prizes) Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Bard Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Open to a writer who is an American citizen aged 39 years or younger at the time of application. Genre: Published fiction book. Prize: $30,000 and a one-semester appointment as writer-in-residence at Bard College. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Peggy Willis Lyles Haiku Awards. Genre: Haiku. Prize: First Place - $200, and a miniature crystal turtle; Second Place - $100; Third Place - $50. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Defenestration. Genre: Short story including an incident of defenestration – the art or –ism of throwing people out of windows. It need not be literal. "This can be a sudden, immediate, even violent shift, change, or seismical event between the beginning and the end.” Prize: $75, two runner-up prizes of $30 each. Deadline: June 2, 2024.

Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards. Restrictions: Open to writers from Northern England who would like to work in television. Genre: TV writing. Prize: Mentoring support and a bursary worth £3000. Deadline: June 4, 2024.

Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest. Restrictions: Canadian high school, college, and graduate students. Genre: Short essay on "What would our Essential Scholars say about the world today?" Prize: CAD$1,500 in each age category. Deadline: June 5, 2024.

Spectator Comp No. 3353: Running on full. Genre: "You are invited to submit a poem about the dine-and-dash phenomenon (16 lines max). Please email entries to lucyATspectator.co.uk" Prize: £30. Deadline: June 5, 2024.

Icelandic Festival of Manitoba Poetry & Short Stories Contest. Genre: Poetry and short stories. Length; 1200 words max. Prize: $50 - $125. "You do not need to be of Icelandic descent to submit an entry however material reflecting Icelandic culture and interests will be given preference." Deadline: June 7, 2024.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction based on their prompt. Length: 500 words max. Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: June 9, 2024. Opens June 7.

Ocean Awareness Youth Contest. Restrictions: Open to students in grades 6 - 12. Genre: Art, poetry, prose, film. "Use humor, positivity, irony, or other unconventional approaches that are not typically used in environmental communication to address the climate crisis. Think outside the tackle-box, beyond clichés, to create something that makes the topic of climate change and our oceans more approachable and accessible." Prizes: $100 - $1,500. Deadline: June 10, 2024.

Wyoming Creative Writing Fellowship. Restrictions: Open to Wyoming writers who are U.S. citizens or have legal resident status. Genre: Fiction, Poetry, CNF. Prize: $5,000 and an honorarium/travel stipend. One fellowship will be awarded in each category of Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Fiction, for a total of three fellowships. Applications are juried by noted authors, literary agents, or writing professionals from outside the state. Jurors may award honorable mentions. Recipients of the Creative Writing fellowships will share their work at one of Wyoming's literary conferences. Deadline: June 10, 2024.

Molly Keane Creative Writing Award. Restrictions: Open to Irish residents. Genre: Unpublished short story, maximum 2,000 words. Prize: €250 plus a course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat. Deadline: June 14, 2024.

Baltimore Science Fiction Society Amateur Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to Maryland residents or students at a MD 2- or 4-year college, and not a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America or published in a professional science fiction/fantasy magazine Genre: Science fiction short stories. Prize: 1st place is $250; 2nd place is $100; 3rd place is $50. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award. Genre: High-quality picture books that resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds and experience. Diversity includes literal or metaphorical inclusion of characters of underrepresented ethnicity, religious background, gender identity, class, mental or physical disability, or any other nondominant populations. Prize: American Express® gift cards totaling $1,500, round trip travel to New York City, and the honor of a one-day mentorship with a Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ professional children’s book design and editorial team. Submission will be reviewed for publication. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Norton Writer's Prize. Sponsored by W.W. Norton & Company. "The Norton Writer’s Prize will be awarded annually for an outstanding essay written by an undergraduate. Literacy narratives, literary and other textual analyses, reports, profiles, evaluations, arguments, memoirs, proposals, mixed-genre pieces, and more: any excellent writing done for an undergraduate writing class will be considered." Genres: Creative Nonfiction, Scholarly Essay. Prize: Three cash prizes of $1,000 apiece will be awarded in 2024 for coursework submitted during the academic year. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest for Young People. Restrictions: Open to people 25 years of age or less. Genre: Essay (max 700 words). Theme: “My Experience of Overcoming Conflict.” Prize: 1st US$840, 2nd US$420. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Towson University Prize for Literature. Restrictions: Open to Maryland writers. Genre: Book-length manuscript of fiction, poetry, drama or imaginative non-fiction. The work must have been published within the three years prior to the year of nomination or must be scheduled for publication within the year in which nominated. Self-published works will not be considered. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: June 15, 2024. See nomination form HERE.

International Wizard of Oz Club Annual Contests. Genre: Short Fiction, Art & Academic Nonfiction Research Papers. All work must be related to the world of Oz. Prize: $100 in each genre. 2nd Prize $50 in each genre. Deadline: June 15, 2024

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Prize: $30. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

53-Word Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words based on monthly theme. Prize: Publication and a free book. Deadline: June 15, 2024. (Note: This is a monthly contest)

Penguin: Write Now. Restrictions: Open to UK/Ireland-based writers, for people from a background or community that is currently under-represented in UK and Irish publishing. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, and horror - all ages. Prize: A final group of applicants will be invited to join the year-long editorial program. Deadline: June 16, 2024.

Soho Theatre: The Verity Bargate Award. Restrictions: Open to UK and Ireland based playwrights. Genre: One-hour play written for stage. Prize: £8,000 and full production.  Deadline: June 17, 2024.

Solid Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to high school students. Genre: Essay (See site for topics.) Minimum number of words is 600 and maximum is 800. Prize: Scholarship of $1000. Deadline: June 19, 2024.

Young Scots Writer of the Year Award. Restrictions: You must be aged 11–18 to enter as an individual. Genre: Stories, poems, spoken word pieces, comics, videos or other pieces of writing. "We want to see it all, as long as it's in Scots and under 2500 words or up to ten minutes." Prize: £100 book token. Deadline: June 19, 2024.

A Midsummer Tale Narrative Writing Contest. Genre: Non-genre fiction and creative nonfiction. Theme: Summer Olympics. Length: 1,000 words minimum; 5,000 words maximum. Prize: $35 - $50 Amazon gift card. Deadline: June 21, 2024.

Griffin Poetry Prize. Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada. Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award. Prize: The winner receives C$130,000 and the other shortlisted poets each receive C$10,000. Deadline: June 21, 2024, for works published between January 1 and June 30, 2024.

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English. Must be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: Books published between May 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024 must be received on or before June 21, 2024.

International EJCA Spring Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize: $20 - $30. Deadline: June 22, 2024.

Write the World Competitions. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Essay: Open a Window. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: June 24, 2024. (Note: This is a monthly contest.)

Grist: Imagine 2200. Genre: Short stories. "What we’re seeking: short stories that envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress. Our mission is to make the story of a better world so irresistible, you want it right now." Prize: First, second, and third-prize winners will be awarded $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 respectively, and nine additional finalists will each receive a $300 honorarium. Deadline: June 24, 2024.

Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Titles must be published in Canada and written by Canadians. No self-published works. Genre: Novel or short story collection. Prize: $60,000 will be awarded to the novel or short story collection published between May 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024. Deadline: June 25, 2024.

Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Restrictions: Books must be English-language, first-edition trade books published by a Canadian press, written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Titles must be published between May 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024. Genre: Literary nonfiction including, among other forms, works of personal or journalistic essays, memoirs, commentary, criticism both social and political, history, and biography. Prize: Winner: $60,000; Finalists: $5,000. Deadline: June 25, 2024.

Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Open to Canadian LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Debut book published between May 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: June 25, 2024.

Emmy Awards - Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award. Restrictions: Non-US citizens under the age of 30 only. Prize: $2,500, a trip to New York City, and an invitation to the International Emmy® Awards Gala in November. Deadline: June 26, 2024.

Faber Children’s: Faber and Andlyn BAME (FAB) Prize. Restrictions: Open to undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators; entrants must be of black, Asian or minority ethnic background, and UK- or Ireland-based. Genre: Text or artwork for children. Prize: £1,500 and £500 each for a writer and an illustrator. Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Hubert Butler Essay Prize. Restrictions: Open to European Union citizens aged 18+. Genre: Essay on theme ‘With narratives of conflict currently distorted by misinformation and the substitution of memory for history, what are the chances of reconciliation?’ 3,000 words max. Prize: First prize of €1,500 and two second prizes of €500. Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Marlborough Lit Fest Love Books Competition. Restrictions: Open to UK residents. Genre: Individual Poems, Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction. "We want you to tell us why you love your favourite book, poem or play. Your response should be in the form of a piece of text of up to 750 words. Entrants should explain what they love about their chosen read, highlighting key areas of interest, and why they think others should try it." Prize: Up to 300 pounds in each of three categories (13-15 years, 16-19 years, 20+ years). Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Storyhouse: Preservation Foundation Essay Contest for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. First prize winners of previous contests, while ineligible for prizes in regular contests, can compete in this one.  Genre: Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200; Runners-up will receive $100. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. See themes. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: June 30, 2024. This is a monthly contest.

My Writing Journey. Genre: Essay on the theme: The best writing tip I’ve ever received. Length: 600 words. Prize: $200 (R2 000 or £100). Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Sargeson Prize for Secondary Schools. Restrictions: Open to students enrolled at a New Zealand secondary school and aged between 16 and 18 years. Genre: Short story, Length: 5,000 words max. Prize: First Prize: $10000; Second Prize: $1000; Third Prize: $500. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Sargeson Prize. Restrictions: Open to New Zealanders. Genre: Short stories. Length: 5,000 words max. Prize: First Prize: $10000; Second Prize: $1000; Third Prize: $500. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Drue Heinz Literature Prize. Restrictions: The award is open to writers who have published a book-length collection of fiction or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in commercial magazines or literary journals of national distribution. Online and self-publication does not count toward this requirement. Genre: A manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Prize: $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press under its standard contract. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Fountain Magazine Essay Contest. Genre: Essay on theme: Home. “Home” holds a special place in our lives. A large, luxurious mansion or a small, decrepit place, our homes are hard to replace with anything. Our earliest memories form inside its walls; we utter our first words and take our first steps there. Does everyone feel the same about home? Is it where you were born or where you earn your bread? Is home a physical place? In a world that moves faster than ever and is confined to small screens, how do perceptions about "home" change? Where is home for people who are forced to leave their homes? Where is your home?" Prize: 1st Place - $1,000, 2nd Place - $500, 3rd Place - $300, Two Honorable Mentions - $150 each. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

2024 BCSA Writing Competition. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction. See theme. Entries must deal with either (1) the links between Britain and the Czech and/or Slovak Republics, at any time in their history, or (2) society in those Republics since 1989. Entries should be in English and not more than 2,000 words long. Prize: First prize £400, second prize £150. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize is awarded to the author of the best first novel published in the previous calendar year. Restrictions: Only American authors publishing in English are eligible. Non-eligible books include short story collections, flash fiction, memoirs, biographies and books published solely in electronic format. Prize: $3000. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Digital Privacy Scholarship. Restrictions: You must be a high school freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior or a current or entering college or graduate school student of any level. Home schooled students are also eligible. There is no age limit. You must also be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. Genre: 500- to 1,000-word essay about digital privacy. Prize: $1000 scholarship. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

The Lindisfarne Crime Prize. Restrictions: Residents of the North East of England, or whose work celebrates the North East of England. Genre: Crime short story of up to 10,000 words. Prize: £2500.  Deadline: June 30, 2024.

L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest. Restrictions: Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment and at least 5,000 copies (or 5,000 hits for online publication). Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi or Horror. 17,000 words max. Prize: $1,000 1st Prize awarded each quarter; one of those winners also receives the $5,000 annual "Golden Pen Award" grand prize. 2nd Prize $750, 3rd Prize $500. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Utah Division of Arts and Museums Original Writing Competition. Restrictions: Open to Utah writers. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $1,000 top prizes for book-length manuscripts of novels, creative nonfiction & history, collection of poetry or short stories, and juvenile book; $300 top prizes for individual poems, short stories, and personal essays. 2nd Prize $500 for the book-length categories, $150 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Eden Mills Teen Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to Canadian teens. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Two $50 prizes, two $25 prizes. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to women (including trans and nonbinary women) age 18+.  Genre: Nonfiction essay, 1200 words max, on images. See website for details. Prize: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Last Stanza Poetry Journal. Genre: Poetry. Prize: A single $100 award will be given for an outstanding poem. Deadline: June 30, 2024. See theme.

Washington State Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Washington State writers. Genre: Published book, fiction, nonfiction, poetry: adults or children. Prize: Recognition (?) Deadline: June 30, 2024 (for books published Jan. 1-May 31, 2024).

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

53 Great Writing Conferences and Workshops in June 2024

5/27/2024

This June there are more than four dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year.

(Image: Squam Lake, NH: Chuck Taylor, Flickr)
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Sundress Academy: Summer Poetry Writing Retreat. June 1 - 2, 2024: Via Zoom. All SAFTA retreats focus on generative writing, and this year’s retreat will also include the following craft talk sessions: “Let’s Talk About Prose Poems” and “Third Space Grief: The (Written) Performance of Intersectional Mourning.” The event will be open to poets of all backgrounds and experience levels and provide an opportunity to work with many talented authors and poets from around the country, including workshop leaders Amorak Huey, Sarah A. Chavez, and keynote speaker Barbara Fant. The total cost of attendance is $75.

Yale Writers' Conference. June 1 - 8, 2024, on campus, June 9 - 15, virtual: New Haven, CT. The Yale Writers’ Workshop brings together the experience and expertise of leading teachers, authors, editors, agents and publishers in a series of panels and workshops, for the benefit of writers the world over. We are offering three sessions (one on campus and two remote) that will enhance the writing skills of any serious writer. Our faculty provides unique, tailored, and transformative experiences to all participants. Will be conducted online and in person.

Lit Camp. June 2 - 7, 2024: Bell Valley Retreat Center and the Boonville Hotel in Mendocino County, California. The conference features workshops, panels, and craft talks for fiction writers and creative nonfiction writers. Part writing retreat, part MFA-style intensive, our spring conference focuses on the craft of writing. Over the course of the five days, you will have plenty of uninterrupted time to write...because one of the best ways to get better at writing is to sit down and write. There will also be prompted free writing sessions to motivate and inspire you, as well as daily afternoon master classes taught by some of the most accomplished writers and instructors in publishing. Registration is limited to 23 participants. Application Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Odyssey Writing Workshop. June 5 and August 14, 2024. (6 weeks and 12 weeks, respectively) Since its inception in 1996, Odyssey has become one of the most highly respected workshops for writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Will be held online. Deadline March 27.

Clarksville Writers Conference. June 5 - 7, 2024: Clarksville, TN. Two days of writing workshops and presentations, a keynote banquet with the authors, and manuscript consultations.

The Creativity Workshop in New York. June 6 - 9, 2024: New York, New York. "The Creativity Workshops take away the fear of writing and open the way to new ideas. They are especially helpful for writers in fiction, poetry, memoir, theatre and film to get over writing blocks. In our Creativity Workshop Retreats you will generate both new work and ideas for the work you are in the midst of creating. We use many different techniques to help you find your way through the novel, essay, poem, memoir, or script you are writing or hope to write. In The Creativity Workshop you will be doing free writing, writing from guided visualizations, collaborative writing, journaling and memoir work and even some rudimentary drawing, collage and photography."

Nebula Conference. June 6 - 9, 2024: Pasadena, CA. SFWA members and other individuals who are interested in the field of science fiction and fantasy are welcome to attend SFWA’s Nebula Conference. Attendees may participate in workshops, programming and special events throughout the weekend. You do not need to be a member of SFWA to attend.

Squam Writes Retreat. June 6 - 9, 2024: Squam Lake, New Hampshire. The Squam Writes Retreat is a small group retreat for experienced fiction writers. We focus on craft with an eye toward publication. We offer opportunities for feedback and plenty of time to write, make new friends, and recharge creative batteries in a beautiful New Hampshire lakeside setting. Every participant receives a one-on-one critique with an agent or editor.

The 2024 Writers' Police Academy. June 6 – 9, 2024: Green Bay, WI. "Killer Con offers a unique opportunity for attendees to participate in many of the same hands-on training classes---basic and advanced---taught to homicide and crime scene investigators. This special event takes attendees on a detective’s journey, from the discovery of a body and subsequent 911 call, collection and processing of evidence, and the various stages of the investigation, to the apprehension and arrest of a murderer. These incredibly exciting cutting-edge sessions have been typically reserved for investigators and forensics professionals ... until now."

Indiana University Writers’ Conference. June 6 - 9, 2024, Indiana University in Bloomington. Each summer, the conference invites gifted writers of fiction, poetry and nonfiction to teach workshops and craft classes over the course of four days. The workshops consist of three-hour sessions held each morning in which students exchange manuscripts and offer feedback on the work of their peers under the guidance of their instructor. At the end of each day’s workshop, students are invited to lunch talks where the faculty discuss their publishing experiences and answer questions from attendees. The afternoons are comprised of three, one-hour classes led by additional faculty on topics ranging from story structure and the ethics of writing nonfiction to crafting compelling images in poems. Each evening is capped off by a reading and from conference faculty.

Sundress Academy: Trans/Nonbinary Writing Retreat. June 7th- 8th, 2024: Via Zoom. All SAFTA retreats focus on generative writing, and this year’s retreat will also include the following craft talk sessions: “Elegies for Past Selves” and “Writing Together: On the Poetics of Citation.” The event will be open to trans and nonbinary writers of all backgrounds and experience levels and provide an opportunity to work with many talented authors and poets from around the country, including workshop leaders Evelyn Berry and Aerik Francis, and keynote speaker Ching-In Chen. Cost $75.

West Virginia Writers Conference. June 7 - 9, 2024: Cedar Lakes, West Virginia. Author readings, contests and sharing your love of writing with others.

Tinker Mountain Writers’ Workshop. June 9 - 13, 2024: Roanoke, Virginia. "In our manuscript workshops, capped at 10, you will distribute manuscripts in advance, prepare comments for your colleague’s submissions, and gather each morning to share insights and gain inspiration on the best path to advance your writing. You’ll receive critical feedback from peers and your faculty mentor and learn what other writers are working on as well. Our write-now workshops, capped at 12, allow you to immerse yourself in the craft of writing without the pressure of preparing or reading manuscripts. Through daily reading, writing exercises, and prompts, you’ll write both in class and during the afternoon to generate new work over the course of each day, dedicating as much time as possible to your own new writing. In our tutorial (a new offering this year!), you will submit work in advance to your faculty mentor, and then meet one-on-one three times during the week in 30-minute sessions. You will get an individualized reading list and extensive writing prompts to help you continue your work throughout the week."

Interlochen Writer’s Retreat. June 9 - 14, 2024: Interlochen, Michigan. Nestled deep in the woods between two lakes, Interlochen College of Creative Arts' five-day Writers Retreat is a true writer's dream. Spend your days writing new material, attending presentations by award-winning faculty, and enjoying lakeside lunches and evening readings while making friends and connections in the literary world. Select your concentration from four unique courses, each grounded in different craft concepts with an emphasis on generating new work—appealing to both advanced and beginning writers alike.

The Santa Barbara Writers Conference. June 9 – 14, 2024: Santa Barbara, Calif. "Every summer, writers in many genres from around the world gather to participate in a magical week of intensive work focused on story, voice, craft, marketing, and networking with fellow writers and publishing professionals."

Juniper Summer Writing Institute. June 9 - 15, 2024: Amherst, MA. Daily workshops in poetry, fiction, & nonfiction; interactive craft sessions that include discussions & writing exercises; evening readings by faculty & writers-in-residence. Workshops and craft sessions are led by MFA candidates from the renowned University of Massachusetts MFA Program for Poets and Writers who design curricula especially for the Institute setting.

Idyllwild Arts Summer Program for Children & Teens. June 9 - 15, 2024: Idyllwild, California. The Summer Program will offer workshops for all ages and abilities on our picturesque mountain campus. The tradition of gathering an impassioned community of artists during the summer months in Idyllwild dates back over seven decades and has served generations of musicians, painters, writers and performers in a variety of disciplines including dance and theatre. Join us in discovering the magic of an Idyllwild Arts summer, and explore your creativity in an inspiring setting with an enthusiastic community of students, faculty and staff. Residential options exist for adults and students aged 10 and up.

Naropa Summer Writing Program. June 9 - 29, 2024: Boulder, CO. Summer Writing Program of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University. (See site for individual classes)

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers. June 10 - 14, 2024: Draper, Utah. A week-long conference filled with hands-on workshops where the faculty work WITH you on your manuscript. As a participant of a five-day workshop, you get free feedback from an agent or editor on your writing, opportunities to network with like-minded writers, and five days of afternoon breakout sessions filled with dozens of craft-specific topics designed especially for kidlit authors.

Bread Loaf Environmental Writers' Conference. June 11 - 17, 2024: Ripton, VT. The Bread Loaf Orion Environmental Writers' Conference is a week-long writers’ conference designed to hone the skills of people interested in producing literary writing about the environment and the natural world. The conference is co-sponsored by the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Orion magazine, and Middlebury College’s Environmental Studies Program.

Bread Loaf Translators' Conference. June 11 - 17, 2024: Ripton, VT. The Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference includes workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as lectures, craft classes, meetings with editors and agents, and readings by faculty and guests.

Sundress Academy for the Arts: From Selfie to Poetry: Writing the Self-Portrait Poem. June 12, 2024: Online. In this generative workshop, we will explore the self-portrait poem and what it means to explicitly make the self—as messy and resistant to definition as it is—the subject of our poems. We’ll take inspiration from visual arts as well as contemporary poetry to draft new work and expand our poetic selves.

Working Retreat: Spark Inspiration with Meditation and Creative Play. June 15 -18, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Join Kekla Magoon and Laurie Calkhoven for a retreat built to spark creativity through meditation and creative play, and then give you time to harness that spark in your own projects.

Martha’s Vineyard Summer Writers’ Conference. June 16 - 21, 2024: Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. "The Martha’s Vineyard Summer Writers’ Conference brings together writers from around the world with the central belief that we can all learn from one another. Our program offers week-long classes on the craft of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, evening readings, panel discussions, and individualized manuscript sessions. Attendees study with award-winning Visiting Authors & Poets and celebrate writing on the beautiful island of Martha's Vineyard. For those interested in individualized feedback, we offer Manuscript Sessions with our Visiting Authors and Poets. These one-on-one sessions allow attendees to get individualized feedback on their works-in-progress as well as advice on how to seek publication."

Orion Environmental Writers’ Workshop. June 16 - 21, 2024: The Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. This program is for writers who want to learn how to write an Orion essay, short story, or poem; for writers who seek to become better advocates for the environment through their writing; for poets who are drawn to writing about nature and culture; for teachers and scholars who wish to write for a more general readership; and for environmental professionals who want to bring better writing skills to bear on their work. The program will feature small writing workshops dedicated to poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as faculty readings and lectures, student readings, and presentations on publishing.

Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshops. June 16 – 21, 2024: Gambier, Ohio. At Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshops, talented high school students from around the world join a dynamic and supportive literary community to stretch their talents, discover new strengths, and challenge themselves in the company of peers who are also passionate about writing. Application deadline: April 15. Online.

Chesapeake Writers' Conference at St. Mary's College of Maryland. June 16 - 22, 2024: St. Mary's City, Maryland. "Join us on Maryland’s Western Shore-for the 8th Annual Chesapeake Writers’ Conference for a week of craft talks, lectures, panel discussions, and readings, as well as daily workshops in fiction, poetry, screenwriting, translation, songwriting, or creative nonfiction.

Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp & Speculative Fiction Writing Retreat. June 16 - 22, 2024: Racine, Wisconsin. The Bookcamp offers morning instruction, an afternoon editing clinic, group critique sessions, discussions on the current publishing industry, one-on-one consultations with our staff, pitch sessions with literary agents and acquisition editors, and presentations on writing or publishing topics. Separate tracks for speculative fiction, and all genres.

Christopher McKitterick Speculative Fiction Writing Workshop. June 16 - 28, 2024: Lawrence, Kansas. Learn how to write SF that sells. Using the short-story form, we help you master the elements that create great stories. Since 1985. This annual two-week residential writing workshop helps established writers grow their skills while helping those who have just begun to publish or who need the final bit of insight or skill to master the elements that create great stories readers love and editors want to buy. Become part of a writing community: Award-winning author, SF scholar, long-time director of James Gunn's original SF research center, and Ad Astra SF Institute Director Christopher McKitterick has led this workshop since 2010, and served as guest author in James Gunn's SF Writers Workshop starting in 1995.

Clarion West Summer Writers Workshop. June 16 - July 27, 2024: Seattle, Washington. "The six-week workshop can give you time away from everyday distractions and encourage you to experiment and take artistic risks. The critique sessions are the heart of the workshop: you learn not only by receiving critiques, but by reading others’ work and constructing your own critiques. Instructors work directly with attendees to present group critiques of newly written stories, participate in discussions about writing techniques or professional concerns, and hold individual or small-group conferences. Throughout the entire experience, the Clarion West Workshop staff is present to help guide participants and facilitate an inclusive environment." Closed.

Fine Arts Work Center Summer Workshops (poetry, fiction, visual art, and creative nonfiction). June 16 - August 16, 2024: Provincetown, Massachusetts. "This year, we have lined up 65 extraordinary workshops in visual arts and creative writing over the course of nine weeks. We’ve brought together an outstanding group of instructors that includes many esteemed faculty members, along with many faces who are new to FAWC. We are confident that this dynamic combination of new and familiar faces will help create an inspiring atmosphere at FAWC that will invite students to take creative leaps." Housing is available at nearby guesthouses and inns; limited campus housing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. See individual workshops for dates.

Community of Writers at Squaw Valley: Poetry Workshop. June 17 - June 23, 2024: Olympic Valley, California. "We work together to create an atmosphere in which everyone might feel free to try anything. In the mornings we meet in workshops to read to each other the work of the previous twenty-four hours; each participant also has an opportunity to work with each staff poet. In the late afternoons we gather for a conversation about some aspect of craft. On several afternoons staff poets hold brief individual conferences." Registration deadline: March 10.

Kwame Alexander Writers’ Lab & Conference. June 18 - 21, 2024: Chautauqua, New York. In addition to opportunities to take two Master Classes with well-renown faculty writers in a selected genre track, attendees can also experience an opening and closing keynote address, featured speaker events, mix and mingle events with publishers and agents, and panel conversations. All these features are included in the cost of Standard Registration.

Western Writers of America Convention. June 19 - 22, 2024: Tulsa, OK. Children's, Fiction, Marketing, Non-fiction, Publishing, Young Adult. History presentations at the convention include Cats in the Old West, Border Wars/Law and Order, Mark Twain Literary Contributions, and more. Other sessions will take place related to the craft of writing, book marketing, and research sources and techniques.

Working Retreat: Writing for the Educational Market. June 20 -23, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Are you currently writing for the educational market, or would you like to learn how to produce content for educational publishers? Join us to discuss the opportunities welcoming writers into this kid-centered market.

Mountain Heritage Literary Festival. June 21 - 22, 2024: Cumberland Gap, TN. "Every year writers gather at the ancient and beloved Cumberland Gap to celebrate writing, music, and Appalachian heritage. Events include workshops, panels, readings, concerts, lectures, open mic, and more."

Orion Online Poetry Workshop. June 21 - August 2, 2024. Online. "The Storytelling Animal: Nature, Language, and Self . This will be a gathering of people who want to build trust: in one another, in the process of writing, and in the greater-than-human world. Together we will read and discuss ecopoems/ecopoetry, write poems (with optional prompts), and dedicate attention to one another’s work through writing workshop. Our workshop will be attentive—oriented toward quality and depth of discussion—in order to build the kind of trust and community that make for honesty and risk-taking in poems. Each participant will have the opportunity to sit down with the instructor one-on-one in the second half of the course to discuss their poems and/or topics of the class. Throughout the course, we will frame and question the roles of language in relationship to the greater-than-human world, and will attempt to reach through the poems to that world. The duration: This course meets over six Fridays from 1-4 pm ET, June 21-August 2 (skipping the week of July 12). Application period: April 1-20.

New York Pitch Conference. June 20 - 23, 2024: NY, NY. The New York Pitch Conference and writers workshop is held four times a year and features publishing house editors from major houses such as Penguin, Random House, St. Martins, Harper Collins, Tor and Del Rey, Kensington Books and many more who are looking for new novels in a variety of genres, as well as narrative non-fiction. The event focuses on the art of the novel pitch as the best method not only for communicating your work, but for having you and your work taken seriously by industry professionals.

Bookstock Literary Festival. June 21 - 23, 2024: Woodstock, Vermont. Expect 50+ speakers, author signings, live music, workshops, exhibits, special events and a huge tent sale of 10,000-12,000 used & rare books. All events and workshops are free and open to the public.

Writers' League of Texas. June 21-23, 2024: Austin, Texas. "The WLT’s Agents & Editors Conference is one of the nation’s premier conferences for writers. Every year, we bring together nationally-known literary agents and book editors and other industry professionals with writers at all stages of the writing process for a weekend of conversation and community around the craft of writing and the practical steps toward publication. For writers with finished manuscripts, the conference’s one-on-one consultations with agents and editors offer a unique opportunity to pitch their work directly to publishing professionals. For writers working toward a completed manuscript, the conference’s genre meet-ups, panels, presentations, and general sessions offer an abundance of useful information and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere for informal chats with agents, published authors, and fellow writers from all genres and backgrounds."

The 2024 Writing Workshop of Chicago. June 22, 2024: Chicago, IL. This is a special one-day “How to Get Published” writing workshop on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at the Congress Plaza Hotel. In other words, it’s one day full of classes and advice designed to give you the best instruction concerning how to get your writing & books published. We’ll discuss your publishing opportunities today, how to write queries & pitches, how to market yourself and your books, what makes an agent/editor stop reading your manuscript, and more. No matter what you’re writing — fiction or nonfiction — the day’s classes will help point you in the right direction. Writers of all genres are welcome.

Hedgebrook: Virtual Radical Craft Retreat with Claire Dederer. June 22 - 26, 2024: Whidbey Island, WA. "Radical Craft Retreats combine Hedgebrook's retreat experience with the unique opportunity to study with an experienced and celebrated instructor. Participation in each class is limited, to ensure individual attention, and create an intimate, supportive writing community."

Working Retreat: Poetry and Poetry Anthologies. June 23 - 26, 2024: Boyds Mills,PA. Join us for this Working Retreat if you are a poet looking for inspiration and time to work; have a poetry collection in progress and want to get it submission-ready; would like to place your work in poetry anthologies; or want to learn more about opportunities in writing poetry for children.

Aspen Summer Words. June 23 - 28, 2024: Snowmass Village, Colorado. Workshops, panels, and readings in fiction and creative nonfiction, as well as opportunities to meet with agents and editors. "Aspen Summer Words is the Rocky Mountain gateway to the literary world. Recognized as one of the country’s pre-eminent literary conferences, Summer Words welcomes visitors and locals alike to celebrate writing and writers in Aspen for a week each June. The exceptional faculty and awe-inspiring mountain scenery combine to make this a writing retreat like no other."

New York State Summer Writers Institute at Skidmore College. June 23 - July 20, 2024: Saratoga Springs, NY. Since 1987, the Institute has been offering students the opportunity to learn from an extraordinary faculty of distinguished writers led by director Robert Boyers. The program is an offshoot of the New York State Writers Institute created by Albany native and Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy. The curriculum is designed for college-aged students and adults, and the new virtual format will retain many of the Institute’s hallmark features:

Creative writing workshops in poetry, fiction and non-fiction
Small classes that offer individualized attention and workshop student writings
Public readings and afternoon Q & A sessions with world-renowned guest writers
Private tutorial sessions for student fiction manuscripts, book-length poetry, or non-fiction (available for an additional fee)
Option to enroll for one-week, two-week, or four-week sessions
Optional undergraduate credit for eligible students enrolled in one genre for four weeks
Merit Scholarships for tuition

Kenyon Review Writers Workshops. June 24 - 29, 2024: Gambier, Ohio. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction led by an accomplished faculty. Genre workshops (Fiction, Literary Nonfiction, and Poetry) are held for three hours each morning. Online. Applications close April 12, 2024.

Stonecoast Writers’ Conference. June 24 - 29, 2024, Portland, ME. "Your conference experience centers around the workshop. In these classes, your work (and the work of your peers) serves as the primary text. Faculty focus on providing constructive criticism that can help you unlock your writing. Class discussions provide opportunities to discuss theories and practical application of writing craft. Each instructor adapts their class to reflect the interest and abilities of the students. Generative writing exercises ensure that you’ll have threads of new work to follow after the conference ends. This summer we are offering two distinct workshop classes: Fiction and CNF/Memoir. Each workshop is limited to ten students.

Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference. June 24 - 29, 2024: Bemidji, Minnesota. The Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference is thrilled to announce our 2024 teaching writers: Kazim Ali (Hybrid Poetry & Prose), Nicky Beer (Poetry), Valerie Miner (Fiction), Lia Purpura (Creative Nonfiction), and Sun Yung Shin is offering a speculative nature writing workshop (Multi-genre). They will each offer an intensive four-day writing class beside the lake at Bemidji State. Danez Smith will be our Northwoods Visiting Writer.

Fordham University Retreat. June 26 - 30, 2024: New York City. "In order to help mentor the next generation of Asian American writers, Kundiman sponsors an annual Retreat in partnership with Fordham University. During the Retreat, nationally renowned Asian American poets and writers conduct Master Classes and manuscript consultations with fellows. Readings, writing circles and informal social gatherings are also scheduled. Through this Retreat, Kundiman hopes to provide a safe and instructive environment that identifies and addresses the unique challenges faced by emerging Asian American writers."

David R Collins Conference Faculty & Workshops. June 27 - 29, 2024: Rock Island, IL. Daily workshops, critiques, pitches, evening events, keynote.

In Your Write Mind Workshop. June 27 - 30, 2024: Greensburg, Pennsylvania. This is an annual, alumni-run writers workshop. It features writing-related classes, agent pitch sessions, a book signing, and other special events. Open to the public.

Chuckanut Writers Conference. June 28 - 29, 2024: Bellingham, Washington. Writers conference that includes speakers, panels, breakout sessions, authors' readings, reception with authors, pitch sessions with literary agents, book signings, open mic for attendees. Autobiography/Memoir, Children's, Fiction, Nature, Non-fiction, Poetry, Publishing.

Colrain Classic. June 28 - July 1, 2024. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3-day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop, manuscript workshop and editorial sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session." On Zoom.

9 Established Agents Actively Seeking Kidlit, Historical Fiction, Genre Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir and more

5/23/2024

Sabhbh Curran

Here are nine established literary agents actively seeking clients. All of them work with respected literary agencies and have good track records. They are looking for all genres of fiction as well as nonfiction.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.
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Ms. Sabhbh Curran of Curtis Brown Group, Ltd. (UK)

Before joining Curtis Brown in 2018, I was the Literary Assistant at Sheil Land Associates. Prior to that I studied for a Masters in Renaissance literature at Cambridge.

What she is seeking: In non-fiction, I’m particularly keen to hear from chefs, mixologists and food writers but I am also interested in narrative non-fiction, history, travel writing, current affairs, popular science, psychology, MBS, fashion and popular culture. I would like to hear from non-fiction writers, journalists and activists. I have a real soft spot for anything related to art or art history, whatever the genre.

In fiction, what I look for is well-crafted and stylish prose, complex characterisations and probably at least a hint of darkness: obsessive friendships and relationships; loneliness; trauma; dysfunctional families; the strangeness of urban life. I’m also drawn to beautifully written, researched and evoked historical fiction.

How to submit: Please email a short synopsis and a three-chapter excerpt for fiction, or a concise proposal for non-fiction to sabhbh.curran@curtisbrown.co.uk.
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Zoe Sandler of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

Prior to joining SJGA, Zoe spent over 11 years at ICM (now CAA), first as a royalties assistant, then after apprenticing with a literary agent, she began representing her own author clients. She started her career in publishing at an academic press in North Carolina after graduating from McGill University with a joint BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies. Born in England, raised in California, Zoe is delighted to call New York home, where she and her family split their time between Upper Manhattan and the Catskills.

What she is seeking: Zoe represents a mix of adult fiction that could be classified as commercial yet unconventional (she especially loves when a novel takes her by surprise), and narrative nonfiction largely by female journalists who specialize in fields such as science, the environment, medicine, and untold women's history. Within children's, Zoe specializes in voice-driven middle grade that leans more literary, and the occasional picture book, especially those that have a strong message.

How to submit: To submit your work: please email zsandler@sjga.com
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Ms. Monica MacSwan of Aitken Alexander Associates (UK)

I started my career in publishing at Felicity Bryan Associates and Profile Books, and then went on to work in translation rights at United Agents and Aitken Alexander. Since 2020, I’ve worked in the books department as Emma Paterson’s assistant, as well as previously with Chris Wellbelove too. In my role, I have worked alongside them editorially on their books, including Assembly by Natasha Brown and Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein.

What she is seeking: In fiction, I’m drawn to tightly-plotted literary novels that have a clear intent and a command of form, such as Anna Burns’ Milkman, Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, Blindness by José Saramago or any book by Tayari Jones, Emily St John Mandel, Brit Bennett or Yaa Gyasi. I also admire novels that are funny and use wit to make sense of their frustrations with the world like Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters, The Topeka School by Ben Lerner, Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados, Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra and Fuccboi by Sean Thor Conroe.

In non-fiction, I like to read books by academics, critics and journalists who want to shift public discourse by putting forward a new framework for their subject of expertise. Good examples are Putin’s People by Catherine Belton, The Spirit Level by Richard G. Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, Revolting Prostitutes by Molly Smith and Juno Mac, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk and The Windrush Betrayal by Amelia Gentleman. I also enjoy reading non-fiction that mines the uniquely personal to reflect on much larger structures of power, such as In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, Free by Lea Ypi and Afropean by Johny Pitts.

How to submit: Please follow submission guidelines HERE.
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Ms. Gaia Banks of Sheil Land Associates Ltd

I’ve worked in publishing for over 20 years: in translation rights at John Murray, then joining Sheil Land as an agent in 2004. For 17 years I looked after the translation interests of Sheil Land Associates' extensive and varied list of authors, and also acted as a primary agent. I became a primary agent full-time at the start of 2022. I take on one or two new writers a year, and when doing so look for projects with wide international appeal.

Clients include; Neil Chapman, MacKenzie Common, Catherine cooper, Rachel Elliott, Michelle Frances, Jane Fraser, Kate Goldbeck, Janice Hallett, Felicity Hayes-McCoy, Charlie Hodges, Ann Featherstone, Julia Lee, Cas Lester, Robert J Lloyd, Jane Lythell, The Brothers McLeod, Paterson Joseph, Robert Rigby, Catherine Robertson, Eva Schloss, Sarah Sigal, Julie Soto, Fenella Smith, Sarah Steele, Laura Summers and Sue Teddern.

What she is seeking: I represent writing across the spectrum of fiction and non-fiction: at the moment I'm particularity interested in fiction and memoir which will ignite reading group discussions, and I'll always have a soft spot for a good romance.

How to submit: All book submissions should be sent via email to submissions@sheilland.co.uk. See details HERE.
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Mr. Piers Blofeld of Sheil Land Associates Ltd (UK)

I am a literary agent based in London with a wide range of clients writing fiction and non-fiction, literary and commercial. I am also a columnist for Writing Magazine, for a better sense of who I am check out my youtube channel.
Clients include Nadine Dorries, Professor Sir Graham Thorneycroft, Mungi Ngomane, Pizza Express, Cate Quinn, Paul Magrs, Tanya Sarne, Ingrid Seward, Robert Verkaik, The Secret Accountant, Charlie Hertzog Young, Jamie Thomson, Peter Stanford, the Rev'd Rachel Mann, Macer Gifford, Francesco Dimitri, Geraint Anderson and many others.

What he is seeking: Fiction: In fiction my first love is story. I love really strong commercial genre fiction that understands the expectations of the genre and delivers that in spades. In particular I love a good noir-ish thriller, spy fiction, gritty crime but also saga, romance and romantic comedy. At the less genre, more reading group end of the market, I love stories that take me out of myself and feel like something I have never read before.

Non-fiction: In non-fiction I am looking for strong narrative voices in memoir and history that help connect and root us to the world we live in as well a big ideas and smart thinking to make us feel less confused about the extraordinary times we live in.

How to submit: All book submissions should be sent via email to submissions@sheilland.co.uk. See details HERE.
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Alex Kane of William Morris Endeavor

Alex joined WME in 2017. He represents bestselling and award-winning nonfiction and fiction. His clients have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, New York Magazine, The Paris Review, Harper’s, n+1, and The Baffler among others. He is based in Los Angeles.

What he is seeking: Nonfiction and fiction, and he is especially drawn to stories that have a strong social or political conscience.

How to submit: To query Alex with fiction, please send your query letter (including a bio) and the first ten pages of your manuscript in the body of the email. For nonfiction, please send your query letter. See his bio for contact information.
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Mr. Charlie Brotherstone of Aevitas Creative Management

Charlie founded BCM in 2017 after working closely with Ed Victor, where he ran the film/tv and speakers departments as well expanding the roster of authors he’d been building at A.M Heath. Charlie’s list includes many New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers, from musicians and celebrities to political scientists and food writers. As well as being an NYT bestseller, Joanne Molinaro’s The Korean Vegan Cookbook also won a James Beard Award, with fellow agency author Hannah Che’s The Chinese Vegan Kitchen winning in the same category the following year. Other clients include Farah Karim-Cooper, author of The Great White Bard (Viking US; Oneworld UK), screenwriter and novelist Nathan Newman (Viking US; Little, Brown UK), Stephen Bayley, Dan Hicks, George the Poet and Jessie Ware.

What he is seeking: Charlie Brotherstone represents adult fiction and nonfiction.

How to submit: Use his querymanager HERE.

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Ms. Ariella Feiner of United Agents, LLP (UK)

I started working at PFD in 2006 before moving to United Agents, and I now represent many bestselling, critically acclaimed, and award-winning authors across fiction and non-fiction, including Sunday Times bestsellers, Richard and Judy book club picks, and New York Times bestselling authors. In 2017, The Bookseller named me as a Rising Star.

I am always open to submissions and have found many hugely exciting authors that way. I adore the rush of being the first to discover new voices and the strategy of working with authors to shape their careers in the long-term.

What she is seeking: In fiction, do send me books with an exciting or unusual hook, an unexpected voice, uplifting novels which will make readers feel good in these uncertain times, those with a speculative or magical element, multi-generational novels, book club titles which explore big issues or have memorable characters at their heart, or where secrets come to the fore, stand-out twisty thrillers and crime novels including cosy crime. I would also love an epic tale such as Great Circle, historical fiction which reflects something of the world we live in now and a love story or commercial romance with a memorable concept or stand-out writing. I am very much on the lookout for more diverse voices and books which open conversations around important topics.

Recent fiction I've adored includes The Maid, Wrong Place Wrong Time, Great Circle, The Vanishing Half, Notes on an Execution, The List of Suspicious Things, Happy Place, Girl A, Lessons in Chemistry, How to Kill Your Family, Weyward, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, the Ruth Galloway series and everything by Taylor Jenkins-Reid.

Please do not send me sci-fi, YA, erotica, conspiracy thrillers or spy / army novels.

On the non-fiction front, do be in touch with exciting proposals showcasing expert-led ideas (such as Ultra-Processed People or Entangled Life), narrative memoir, nature writing, mouth-watering cook books and books with ground-breaking or unusual historical insights. Non-fiction which has stayed with me includes English Pastoral, Wild, Educated, Somebody I Used to Know, Wilding, The Salt Path and I Am Not Your Baby Mother.

How to submit: For submissions please email a synopsis together with either the first three chapters of a novel or a proposal for a non-fiction book to afeiner@unitedagents.co.uk.
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Sophie Scard of United Agents, LLP (UK)

Sophie Scard worked in Rights at Penguin Books before joining United Agents in 2013.

What she is seeking: She is actively building her client list, and is looking for excellent writing of all types, fiction or nonfiction.

How to submit: For submissions please email a brief cover letter along with a biographical note and the first 10,000 words of your text to SScard@unitedagents.co.uk

6 New Agents Seeking Kidlit, YA, SFF, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Romance, LGBTQ and more

5/16/2024

Rachel Goldblatt

Here are six new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.
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Ms. Rachel Goldblatt of Curtis Brown Group, Ltd. (UK)

I joined Curtis Brown in 2022 and am now an Associate Agent. I assist Jonathan Lloyd and am also actively building my own list. I am open to submissions and eager to find new writers. Working editorially with authors is one of my very favourite parts of the job and I am keen to hear from debut novelists.

What she is seeking: In terms of fiction, I’m particularly drawn to character and voice driven narratives that make me feel deeply and think hard about the world around us. If the writing is compelling, agile, atmospheric and intelligent I can fall for any kind of story, but I especially enjoy those that have a strong sense of time and place, are clear and bold in their intent and style and that interrogate what it means to be human. I love books that explore complicated or outsider characters, complex family dynamics, the domestic space, modern life, relationships in all forms, identity and the female experience.

I want to read absorbing narrative non-fiction that challenges and broadens our perspective and offers a fresh take on or new approach to big subjects. I am especially drawn to literary biography and criticism as well as books about nature, art, history and contemporary social issues, and I'm always interested in extraordinary stories about real people or events.

How to submit: If you would like to submit your work to me, please email rachel.goldblatt@curtisbrown.co.uk with your covering letter and a sample of your work (a synopsis and the first 10,000 words/three chapters of a novel or your non-fiction proposal).
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Davinia Andrew-Lynch of Curtis Brown Group, Ltd. (UK)

Prior to CB, I founded and ran boutique agency Andlyn and was formerly a film/TV agent. I also co-founded, in conjunction with Faber Children's, the FAB Prize which aims to discover unpublished children's writers and illustrators from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds (www.fabprize.org)

A complete 90s child with a love of film and TV, I’ve been shaped by the storytelling of the time - big, bold and pacy but with characters you can't help but love. I’m looking for stories that smack you between the eyes, capture your heart, make you laugh (no matter the story or genre) and genuinely reflect the world in which we live. Above all, I want to give writers and illustrators the space to tell the stories that they want to tell.

What she is seeking: I represent children’s/YA writers and illustrators across the genres, and a growing list of commercial adult fiction.

How to submit: dalsubmissions@curtisbrown.co.uk
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James Farrell of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

James Farrell received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and a master’s degree from Bath Spa University.

What he is seeking: His reading interests include literary and upmarket adult fiction, non-fiction, and, on occasion, science fiction. He is open to submission as an associate agent, especially seeking voices from underrepresented backgrounds.

How to submit: Please direct queries to jtf@cbltd.com with the first fifty pages of your manuscript or a full proposal in the body of your email, and include the title, genre, and “jtf query” in the subject line.
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Francesca Ali of William Morris Endeavor

Francesca joined WME in 2019 and is based in the London office. She sells UK rights for WME’s incredible array of US-based authors and is actively searching for new clients for her own list. She is editorially focussed and has a passion for working alongside authors from the conception of their idea to the final manuscript.

What she is seeking: In fiction, Francesca is primarily interested in science-fiction, fantasy, and speculative works but is also looking for graphic novels, Young Adult, and Middle Grade titles. She enjoys a project with an expansive world that prioritises character at heart and leans literary in tone. Romance is a plus but should not be the driving factor of the narrative. High on her list is science-fiction that plays with form and takes the genre in new directions (like This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone and The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao). Any fantasy that will need a map at the front of the book and a glossary at the back will be immediately captivating!
For Childrens’, she is looking for adventures that explore themes of growing up, and the ‘greyness’ of morality and villains. There always has to be an element of magic, whether in a fantastical or contemporary setting, but the less classroom antics the better.

In non-fiction, Francesca is drawn to queer and neurodivergent stories, works that reframe historical narratives, and illustrated memoir. She is looking for writing that weaves the wider exploration of a subject with a personal and intimate lense.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.
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Morgan Wilson of Belcastro Agency

Morgan’s love for writing and books and was fostered from an early age by a grandmother that wrote them bedtime stories and taught them how to write poetry. As they grew this love evolved into devouring books faster than their bookshelves could keep up and writing their own stories in magical kingdoms galaxies away. With over a decade of work in classrooms across the Midwest, Morgan wants to uplift the stories that their students needed so that everyone can see themselves on the page using magic, finding love and defeating the bad guy. They are dedicated to being an agent for change in the publishing industry and working with marginalized voices so that every child and adult can experience the joy of a book that speaks to them.

What they are seeking: I am dedicated to supporting marginalized voices and focused on increasing the representation of those voices in the publishing industry. I am only open to receiving work from authors who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, ND, and/or DIS. Please note that I will not ask you to disclose your marginalization unless you feel comfortable doing so.

I am open to the following age groups and genres:

In Both Adult and YA I am Looking For:
Fantasy: I am more interested in stories that break conventional western methods, however I am open to western stories written by historically marginalized voices.

I love most subgenres but in Adult my preferences lean towards cozy fantasy like Travis Baldree or Delemhach, blends like sci fantasy, romantasy or fantasy with horror elements and contemporary/urban fantasy like Whitney Hill.
I would also love to see queernorm fantasy worlds and accessible fantasies!

For YA Fantasy I would love to see more retellings, cozy fantasy and blends like sci fantasy and romantasy, or stories with strong horror elements.

I am not the best fit for epic fantasy at this time in either age category.

Science Fiction: I am more interested in stories that contain hard science, or extrapolations on current science. I love stories set in space or involve space travel, cli-fi, are blended with horror or set after an apocalypse. I would love some science fiction horror in the vein of Mira Grant.

Horror: I am interested in almost all forms of horror, but am not the best fit for hauntings or ghosts. I love monsters and sentient forests/waters/natural settings and things that are more psychological than physical.

Romantasy: I am most interested in sapphic romantasy or ones that involve trans/nonbinary MCs or LIs. I would love a YA version of Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J Tuli!

MG:
Fantasy I love all things fantasy with middle grade but would love to see dragons and other magical creatures set in our world, witches and magical schools with diverse casts!

Horror: I love all things horror in middle grade, but would especially love haunted houses/schools, monster hunting and sentient natural settings!

Graphic Novels: I am also open to graphic novels especially if they are fantasy, science fiction or horror. Some of my recent favorites have been Lore Olympus and Mooncakes and I love manga-inspired art, but am not a good fit for noir art styles.

How to submit: Use their querymanager HERE. (Opens to submissions the first week of every month)
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Thais Afonso of Jennifer Azantian Literary Agency

Thais is an Associate Agent with Azantian Literary Agency. Thais has eight years of experience in publishing between Brazil, China, and the United States. More recently, she interned at Writers House, where she honed her skills while supporting the desks of Amy Berkower and Johanna Castillo, and she was mentored by Jennifer Azantian before stepping up to the Associate Agent role at ALA. She intends to represent marginalized authors, and she's especially seeking to uplift BIPOC born and raised in the Global South. An Afro-Brazlian lesbian, Thais currently lives and works out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She helps care for her grandmother when she's not editing books and she's one of those terrible people who calls the gym her hobby (even though she currently doesn't go).

What she is seeking: In Adult Fiction, Thais is looking to represent Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Contemporary Romance, and Suspense/Thrillers. In YA, she's currently open to Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, and Supernatural Mysteries/Thrillers. She's predominantly interested in anything with a speculative bent. She's also especially keen on championing Queer voices in this space, especially BIPOC Queer voices. She does love Romantasy in YA and she welcomes all of it.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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9 Established Agents Actively Seeking Kidlit, Historical Fiction, Genre Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir and more

6 New Agents Seeking Kidlit, YA, SFF, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Romance, LGBTQ and more

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