Markets and contests for your short fiction, poetry and reviews

Quick Brown Fox Quick Brown Fox welcomes your short stories, poems, and essays about reading, writing, favourite books, and libraries. Read a few pieces on the blog to get a taste of what other writers have done (see here and scroll down). Quick Brown Fox also welcomes book reviews – or reviews of anything, of anywhere, or of anybody. If you want to review your favourite coffee shops or libraries, babysitters or lovers (no real names please), go for it. See examples of book reviews here (and scroll down); other reviews here (and scroll down).

Submit to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Include a short bio at the end of your piece and attach a photo of yourself if you have one that’s okay.

Close to the Bone aims to bring you gritty and interesting short fiction across multiple genres from a range of talented writers. 

“We are looking for bank robberies gone bad, double-crossing bastards going at it, serial killers with a heart (maybe literally), redemption and revenge. We like it violent, thoughtful and well written. We will consider other genres such as western, science fiction and maybe fantasy, as long as they fit in with the grit theme we are looking for. Please take the time to edit— look over your story for spelling, grammar, and flow.  We want to publish you. If it’s good but needs work we’ll let you know, if you don’t like criticism and are happy to stay as you are, then don’t submit.  As we said, we like to publish you and will offer help with advice.”

Submit a well-written story of 3,000 words or less. Post the title of the story and the word count in the subject line. The story must be attached as a .doc or .docx — if submitted in any other fashion the story will not be considered. Also, please provide a short bio along with your submission.

Send your story to: close2thebone@hotmail.com

Always accepting submissions. Guidelines here.

Prime Number Magazine is a quarterly online journal that seeks to publish distinctive poetry and short fiction, regardless of theme, form, or style. Contributors will include both emerging and established writers as selected by our guest editors. Submissions for poetry and short fiction are always open. Guidelines here.

53-Word Story Contest: It's free, it's fun, and the winner gets published in Prime Number Magazine and receives a free book from Press 53. Stories must be exactly 53 words long. New theme announced at the start of each month {so put this in your “to do” list for Dec 1].} Entries are due by the 21^st of the month. Guidelines here.

The Prime Number Magazine Flash Fiction Contest runs quarterly . The reading fee for entry is a low $7 (a prime number) per submission, with the following payouts for winners:
First Prize: $353 (a prime number) and publication 
Second Prize: $151 (a prime number) and publication
Third Prize: $53 (a prime number dear to us) and publication
Winners will be announced no later than one month following the close of submissions and th e stories will appear in the quarterly issue of Prime Number Magazine. Guidelines here.

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is looking for, as you might guess, compressed creative arts. A  publication of Matters Press.

“We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way. Work is published weekly, without labels, and the labels here only exist to help us determine its best readers.” 

Pays $50. 

Deadline: December 15, 2019. Guidelines here.

Grey Borders Books is interested in works that confront and challenge contemporary social norms. 

“We are looking for works of poetry, fiction (all genres) and nonfiction. There are no length restrictions; however, we are looking for full manuscripts for trade publication as well as smaller works for chapbook publication. We encourage simultaneous submissions. Our reading period is year-round.

"We also accept submissions for Grey Borders Magazine and Daddy: a cultural anthology for which you may use the submission forms on this site, or email Grey Borders Books directly.

Guidelines for Grey Borders books here. 

For magazines, here. 

Arc Poetry Magazine accepts unso­licited sub­mis­sions of pre­vi­ously unpub­lished poetry in English, or translations of poetry into English, on any sub­ject and in any form. Pays $50 per page. 

Deadline: December 31, 2019. {Note: Arc does not accept general submissions from January 1 to March 31 and from August 1 to August 31.} Guidelines here.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor,  Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

This weekend: Writing Conflict; and Secrets of Writing a Page-turner

Writing Conflict: Fight scenes, Dialogue scenes & Love scenes

Saturday, November 30, 2019
1 – 4 p.m.
London Central Library, Stevenson & Hunt Room B, 251 Dundas St, London, Ontario (Map here).

This workshop is geared to both beginners and more experienced writers. We'll look at how to create the most difficult scenes of all: the fight scene, the dialogue scene, and the love scene.  You’ll learn how to use great dialogue and how to mix it with your narrative so that the interaction between your characters comes alive, and you'll go home with some of the best tricks of the trade so that you'll never write a lifeless scene again.

Fee: $37.17 + hst = $42 paid in advance or $39.82 + hst = $45 if you wait to pay at the door

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Secrets of Writing a Page-Turner

Sunday, December 1, 2019

10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Includes lunch!)

Arrive at 9:30 to check in and for coffee and snacks

Sho – Art Spirit & Performance Centre, 628 Monmouth Road, Windsor, Ontario. (Map here)

Ever stayed up all night reading a book? In this workshop, you’ll learn you how to build that kind of tension.  And we'll help you put into practice the techniques professionals use – on every page and in every kind of story – to create drama and tension.

Fee: $65 in advance or $75 at the door (Registration includes lunch)

Register online here.
Or reserve a spot now by emailing brianhenry@sympatico.ca

And mail a cheque to:

Windsor International Writers

c/o Sho

628 Monmouth Road, Windsor, ON  N8Y 3L1

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University, he's led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Charlottetown, and he's the author of a children's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors. 
See reviews of Brian's classes and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor,  Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Literary Agent joins Lutyens & Rubenstein

Melmoth by Sarah Perry,
represented by Jenny Hewson

Lutyens & Rubenstein Literary Agency
  and Book Store

21 Kensington Park Road,
London, UK

W11 2EU

https://www.lutyensrubinstein.co.uk/

Lutyens & Rubinstein was set up in 1993 by former publishers Sarah Lutyens and Felicity Rubinstein who brought together their shared experience of publishing and bookselling on both sides of the Atlantic. They were joined in 2006 by Jane Finigan who has been signing her own authors to the list since 2010, she became a partner in 2016. Daisy Parente joined the agency in 2008. 

In 2009 Lutyens & Rubinstein became the first literary agency to own an independent bookshop when they opened their doors in Notting Hill.  The shop is a general bookshop stocking fiction and nonfiction and gives the agency a unique insight into what readers and book-buyers are looking for.

The agency accepts submissions of fiction, nonfiction, cookery, children’s, YA and illustrated. 

Jenny Hewson became the newest member of the team in September 2019. She was previously with Rogers, Coleridge and White for 13 years. Jenny represents a wide range of award winning & bestselling authors from around the world, including Sarah Perry, Melissa Harrison, Amy Sackville, and Alexander MacLeod.

Jenny is interested in literary fiction, historical fiction (in the vein of Helen Dunmore, Kate Mosse, Elizabeth Gifford), book club fiction, gothic fiction (in the vein of The Turn of the Screw, Rebecca, Melmoth), narrative nonfiction, memoir and writing from academics and experts of all kinds who can present brilliant nonfiction ideas to a general readership, especially in the field of popular science.

She Tweets here.

Please send your material (up to 5000 words or the first three chapters) by email to: submissions@lutyensrubinstein.co.uk  

Include a short synopsis. To address your submission to someone in particular, please mark it for the attention of Susannah Godman.

Full submission guidelines here.

Two great writing workshops coming soon: Writing Conflict: Fight scenes, Dialogue scenes & Love scenes, Saturday, Nov 30, in London (see here) and Secrets of Writing a Page-Turner, Sunday, Dec 1, in Windsor (see here).

This winter, a full range of weekly courses is on offer:

Burlington: Exploring Creative Writing, Thursday afternoons, Jan 23 – March 19. Details here.

Oakville: Writing Personal Stories, Thursday evenings, Jan 23 – March 19. Details here.

Burlington: Next Step in Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, Jan 21 – March 31. 1st emailing Jan 16. Details here.

Burlington: Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday evenings , Jan 15 – March 11. 1st readings emailed Jan 8. Details here.

Toronto: Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings, Jan 17 – March 13.  1^st readings emailed Jan 10. Detail here.

    See details of all winter courses here.

To reserve a spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Also in the new year, check out Writing Conflict: Fight scenes, Dialogue scenes & Love scenes,  Saturday, Jan 18, in Oakville (see here) and Raising the Stakes ~ How to Increase Your Story's tension, Saturday, Jan 25, in Toronto (see here).

Plus …

Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, June 5 – Monday, June 8, 2020. Four days of luxury and writing in one of most beautiful spots in Ontario. This is the area that inspired the Group of Seven; come and let it inspire you, too. Still lots of room. Details here.

To reserve a spot in any upcoming weekly course, weekend retreat, or Saturday workshop, email Brian at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses, retreats, and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post. 

A new book of poetry by Elizabeth Crocket: Wondering What's Next

Hi, Brian.

My latest poetry collection is out! And I also found out that my picture book, Happy Haiku, is available in Central Library in Burlington. A good day!

Anyway. here's the info….

Elizabeth's latest poetry book, Wondering What's Next, published by Cyberwit.net is a compilation of her short form poetry, including haiku, senryu (a "cousin" of haiku, but more about human behaviour) and haibun (prose that is accompanied by a haiku).  

In this poetry collection we find that several poems reveal a passionate concreteness of imagery and a rich allusiveness. The poetic qualities that touch the human heart are visible here. The poet's ardent romantic imagination and tones of passionate feeling are evident in this remarkable collection.

It is available through Cyberwit.net here

or can be pre-ordered worldwide on Amazon here. 

This is the bio from Cyberwit:

Elizabeth Crocket is a Canadian author and poet. Her Japanese short form poetry has been published in many outstanding journals, including Modern Haiku, Frogpond, Mayfly, The Heron’s Nest and more {including her very first piece in Quick Brown Fox}. Elizabeth has two Japanese short form chapbooks published with Red Moon Press. One of them, Not Like Fred and Ginger, was shortlisted for the prestigious American Haiku Foundation Touchstone Distinguished Book Award.

Elizabeth also composes photo-haiga, and won the 2nd Annual Jane Reichhold Memorial Contest in the photographic category. She has a children s picture book, Happy Haiku, published with Crimson Cloak Publishing, that is available worldwide. She has a page in the American Haiku Registry, The Living Senryu Anthology, and The Haiku Living Anthology. Elizabeth also writes women s fiction, and has six grandchildren she loves to the moon and back.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and interest, Brian. It is so very appreciated.

Best always,

Liz

(Elizabeth Crocket)

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Cambridge, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

“Today’s Special at Starbucks” by Carolann Schatti

We got up super early to get that Starbuck’s Special Editions Holiday Cup. I did it for my daughters’ benefit. I don’t even like Starbucks coffee.

We arrived precariously ahead of the masses. At 7:00 a.m. we placed our orders with the overworked, (and underpaid) barista. At 7:10 a.m. . all three of us sleepy-headed ladies were in the queue waiting the call of my name signaling the “grande” finale of our completed beverages.

At last a barista called out “Carol!”

Ha, I thought to myself, how very Christmas friendly is my name! How appropriate. Surely there was enough free holiday cups left to house each of our drinks? My Eggnog Latte Grande came to me first, (a first for me in the history of going anywhere for anything with my daughters!). I proudly sauntered past the now enormously grown line-up of wanna be getting my Starbucks holiday cup.

The woman nearest to me, positively glared at me while I put the finishing touches into my coffee at the bar. I knew what she was thinking: “Damn! That chick got a holiday cup – what about me? Am I gonna get mine? Do I need to grab hers and run?”

I looked back over my shoulder to check on my teenage chicks. They were both glowing with happiness as they found their way to the “fixer upper” coffee bar I was standing at. My daughter walked towards me and approached the stand to add some more cinnamon to her Caramel-Mocha Java.

Her sister behind her laughed out loud while catching my eye. “Mama! I got the cup!

Green Tea Iced Matcha,” she added.

I knew what she meant – hers was a healthier choice – most certainly not “diabetes in a cup,” a phrase I’d often used for any beverage made and purchased outside our home.

As we pushed our way through the line-up blocking the exit door, I wanted to think I could be the cool mom rising, I wanted to think I’d been resurrected during this trip to Starbucks, once again the mom of their earlier childhood, the one they used to like.

My eldest daughter sat next to me while I drove us back to the house so we could get ready for work and school. She said: “Ma, what were you thinking? You ordered an Eggnog Latte! You broke the rule of never getting Eggnog before December.”

She had always been the listener, the observer, and the obedient one. I managed to sputter a line of truth, (not that she cared); “I only meant no eggnog in the carton bought from the grocery store until December.” My excuse was met with an exaggerated eye-roll, the shrug, the “whatever” sort of body language that both daughters have perfected lately.

As we rolled into our driveway, my younger teen startled me. She’s the quiet one and for a moment I’d forgotten she was there. She said, “Thank you, Mama.”

“You’re welcome,” I said as I fought back tears and thought to myself, Thank you, Starbucks.

Carolann Schatti is enjoying some of her spare time to write about her various adventures with friends and family. She resides in Stoney Creek, Ontario and lives with her two teen daughters, husband and standard poodles.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor,  Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.