The Line Break
More places to send your poetry and short fiction
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This article is not monetized (it is free for all and won’t count toward the article limit).
I’ve been on a list-making kick, and another journal feature I see often is special calls-for-submissions, fee-waived submissions, and so forth to support writers from groups that are still underrepresented in publishing.
These journals go further than a diversity statement, putting their words into action to support writers who face the greatest barriers to getting published.
As always, this list isn’t comprehensive, but what I’ve found in my research. Because I’m not part of these communities myself, it’s even more likely I will miss other great opportunities that should be included. If you know of any, please share in the comments, and I’ll edit the article to add them here!
Without further ado, here are journals, literary magazines, and special calls-for-submissions for underrepresented writers.
The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize (in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame Press) supports the publication of a first book by a Latinx poet in the United States. The annual deadline is in March.
Aster(ix) defines itself as “a transnational feminist literary arts journal committed to social justice and translation, placing women of color at the center of the conversation.” While they currently only accept solicited submissions generally, they do release calls for submissions on occasion throughout the year.
Founded in 2020, the CAAPP Book Prize is a publishing partnership between the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for African American Poetry and Poetics and Autumn House Press with the goal of publishing and promoting a writer of African descent. The prize is awarded annually to a first or second book by a writer of African descent and is open to the full range of writers embodying African and African diasporic experiences. The book can be of any genre that is, or intersects with, poetry, including poetry, hybrid work, speculative prose, and/or translation. The winning manuscript will be published by Autumn House Press and its author will be awarded $3,000.The last contest closed on February 15th, 2022.
The Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series aims to provide a clear and consistent home for new Immigrant Writings in the U.S. Book selections are made by writers in the U.S. who are either immigrants or whose works focus on the immigrant experience. Selections will be based on merit with the goal of publishing the best works by immigrants. 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.
Black and Indigenous submitters may email their submissions to Black Warrior Review for no fee (more info here). Black Warrior Review pays regular-submission print contributors between $100 and $220, depending on length. They read general fiction and poetry submissions from Dec. 1st — March 1st and June 1st — September 1st, and nonfiction year-round.
BOA Editions — Blessing the Boats Selections
Blessing the Boats Selections spotlights poetry collections by women of color. Winners receive book publication by BOA Editions, Ltd. and a $5,000 honorarium. The last reading period was December 1, 2021 — January 5, 2022.
Founded by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady in 1996 to remedy the under-representation and isolation of African American poets in the literary landscape, Cave Canem Foundation is a home for the many voices of African American poetry and is committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets.
They offer three prizes:
Cave Canem Poetry Prize: This first-book award is dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by Black poets of African descent. The winner receives $1,000 and publication by University of Georgia Press. The deadline for 2023 is TBA.
The Cave Canem Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize: A second-book award for black poets of African descent, offered every other year. The winner receives $1,000 and publication by Northwestern University Press. The last contest was held in 2021, and the deadline for 2023 is TBA.
Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize: This annual prize is dedicated to the discovery of exceptional chapbook-length manuscripts by Black poets, and is presented in collaboration with the O, Miami Poetry Festival, Jai-Alai Books, and The Betsy — South Beach. The winner receives $1000, publication by Jai-Alai Books, and more. The deadline for 2022 has not been announced, but the 2021 deadline was in September.
Contemporary Voices of Indigenous Peoples
North Dakota State University Press initiated the Contemporary Voices of Indigenous Peoples Series in 2016. Their vision is “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.” They invite submissions year-round.
First launched in 2015, the University of Arkansas Press holds the yearly Etel Adnan Poetry Series for a first or second book of poetry, in English, by a writer of Arab heritage. The prize is $1,000 and publication, and this year’s deadline is April 15th.
NSN2 Publishing is a family-owned and operated independent press that “aims to publish works by Black women, femmes, children, non-binary persons, and men that are reflective of their lives, spirit and experience. These are #OwnVoice works, created with a desire to impact the literary world in a way that elevates the stories of Black people.” They’re currently accepting general submissions, as well as submissions for an upcoming anthology titled Our Stories: a storied women’s anthology (deadline May 1st, 2022).
Poetry Northwest — James Welch Prize
Poetry Northwest’s James Welch Prize is awarded for two outstanding poems written by an Indigenous U.S. poet. Winning poets receive an all-expenses-paid trip to read their work. Only poets who have not published more than one book-length collection are eligible, and contestants must be community-recognized members of their tribal nation. The contest closed for 2022.
Radix Media — The Megaphone Prize
The Megaphone Prize (previously the Own Voices Prize) is an annual short story collection contest from Radix Media dedicated to the discovery of timely, urgent, and interrogative collections from debut writers of color. One winner receives $1,000 and publication. The next deadline is TBA for 2022.
The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing
The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing was created in 2016 to honor outstanding debut literary works by first-generation immigrants, awarded for fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. The yearly winner receives $10,000 and publication by Restless Books. The prize closed in March 2022.
Some other resources:
https://www.clmp.org/prizes-opportunities-for-bipoc-writers-editors-publishers/
https://www.amitaparikh.com/opportunities-for-underrepresented-writers
https://www.pw.org/about-us/open_door_career_advancement_grants_for_bipoc_women_writers
Journals & Submission Calls for Underrepresented Writers was originally published in The Writing Cooperative on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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Author: Ginger Ayla
