Short prose and poetry wanted for contests and anthologies

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Also, if you’re not yet on my newsletter, send me an email, including your locale, to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~ Brian

 

BelangerBooks seeks short fiction for two anthologies: The Detective and the Clergyman, The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown and Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.P. Lovecraft.

The Detective and the Clergyman: “In 1910, the first story of Father Brown, the East Anglican Roman Catholic priest and detective was published. Sometimes called the counter to Sherlock Holmes and the world’s second greatest detective, the plain mild-mannered Brown used intuition with his logic to solve cases. This anthology will feature stories where the two great detectives, the cold and calculating Holmes and the kind and meek Brown, team up to solve mysteries.” 

Stories for The Detective and the Clergyman should run 5,000–10,000 words (okay to go over the word limit) and should feature the traditional Holmes of the canon and G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown. No stories based on TV/ film versions of the detectives.

Pays $50 or $100.

Deadline: October 15, 2022. Full guidelines here.

Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.P. Lovecraft: “Imagine Holmes investigating the disappearance of a college student in the mysterious town of Innsmouth, matching wits with a man who can reanimate the dead, or using his deductive skills to help fight creatures from beyond the realm of time and space. 

“These are just some of the stories which could be included in the new anthology Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.P. Lovecraft. The anthology will feature traditional Sherlock Holmes stories blended with one or more of Lovecraft’s tales.”

Stories should run 5,000–10,000 words (okay to go over the word limit) and should have the traditional Holmes and Watson working with the traditional characters, creatures, and/or gods of H.P. Lovecraft. Remember, there was a logic to the writing of Lovecraft, a rationale behind the otherworldly beings even if humans couldn’t conceive it, that should blend well with the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes.

Pays $50 or $100.

Deadline: November 15, 2022. Full guidelines here.

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul has an ongoing need for story poems and true stories under 1,200 words. Chicken Soup stories are written in the first person and often close with a punch, creating emotion, rather than simply talking about it. 

Chicken Soup for the Soul stories have heart, but also something extra — an element that makes us all feel more hopeful, more connected, more thankful, more passionate and better about life in general. A good story causes tears, laughter, goose bumps or any combination of these. 

Read their general guidelines here.

Pays $200.

As usual, Chicken Soup is calling for submissions for numerous anthologies. Here are a few:

Funny Stories: “Share your funny stories about something that happened to you in your life – in your relationship with a partner or spouse, a parent or child, a family member or friend, at work or at home – that made you and the people around you laugh out loud. Did you mean for it to be funny? Did the other person mean to make you laugh? Did a situation just get out of control? Did a misunderstanding turn into a comedy of errors?

“We can’t wait to hear your true stories. We want them to be silly, outrageous and hilarious, and they absolutely must brighten our day and make us laugh! Good clean fun—and sometimes a tiny bit risqué too.”

Deadline: October 15, 2022. Full guidelines here.

How stepping outside my comfort zone changed me: “We all have a tendency to get in a rut. We start to say no to new things, and that can only lead to a narrower and narrower life. When we try new things, we end up feeling energized and pleased with ourselves. There is tremendous power in saying “yes” to new things, new places, and new experiences. It makes you feel more dynamic, younger, and more of a participant in the world. You’re not distancing yourself from change any more. Get ready to step outside your comfort zone! Tell us your own stories about stepping outside your comfort zone and how that changed your life.”

Deadline: December 15, 2022. Full guidelines here. 

The power of positive thinking: “We know that using the power of positive thinking helps you to achieve your goals and lead a happy, purposeful, and productive life. Almost anything is possible if you think you can. You can dream big, overcome challenges, create the best life possible for yourself, and turn adversity into opportunity. How did you “think positive” and how did it change your life? Tell us your success story about using the power of positive thinking!”

Deadline December 15, 2022. Full guidelines here. 

Angels: “Angels and miracles are all around us if we keep our eyes open. We are looking for true personal stories, and poems that tell a story, about how an angel has touched your life – stories of true wonder and awe from people who have directly encountered or received help from angels. We’re looking for amazing stories that will make people say “wow” or give our readers chills. Have you experienced something otherworldly or celestial? Or had a personal experience with an angel or divine being? How did your angel manifest himself or herself to you? Were you the only person who saw your angel? How did your angel protect or guide you?”

Deadline: December 31, 2022. Full guidelines here.

Miracles: “All of us have experienced events in our lives that are completely unexplainable: the strange premonition that made you take a different route home causing you to miss an accident; the eerie feeling that you should call home… now, saving someone’s life; the mysterious communication from a loved one who has passed on. Divine timing, miraculous coincidences, answered prayers, premonitions that come true. Good things do happen to good people. Please share your unbelievable and amazing stories about the unexplainable events that have occurred to you. Share the awe, the faith, and the wonder with our readers. Writers of all religions or no religion are always welcome for Chicken Soup stories.”

Deadline: December 31, 2022.Full guidelines here.

The 2023 CBC Short Story Prize is now open for submissions. The winner will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have the opportunity to attend a two-week writing residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point, a cultural hub on Toronto Island, and have their work published on CBC Books.

Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books. {And anyone who makes the short list is also welcome to have their piece published on Quick Brown Fox, after its made its debut on CBC}.

You can submit original, unpublished fiction that is up to 2,500 words. There is no minimum word requirement.

The entry fee is $25, which covers the costs of administering the prize.

Submissions are read by a panel of established writers and editors from across the country. The shortlist and winner will be decided by a jury comprised of three prominent Canadian writers.

Montreal writer Chanel M. Sutherland won the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize for her story Beneath the Softness of Snow. 

The CBC Literary Prizes have been recognizing Canadian writers since 1979. Past winners include Michael Ondaatje, Carol Shields, Michael Winter and Frances Itani.​

The 2023 CBC Nonfiction Prize will open in January and the 2023 CBC Poetry Prize will open in April. 

Have questions? Check out our frequently asked questions or email: canadawrites@cbc.ca.

Deadline: October 31, 2022. Full guidelines here.

 

Engen Books is looking for submissions for a new anthology: Fairy Tales from the Rock, to be available in Winter 2023.

“Over the last six years, the From the Rock series has become one of the preeminent anthology series’ in Atlantic Canada. Since 2018, each entry in the series has become a Canadian bestseller based on pre-orders alone!”

They’re looking for fairy tales inspired by Newfoundland and Labradour culture and new takes on popular fairy tales from the world over. Authors must be Canadian. Maximum 7,00 words. Pays 1 cent / word.

Deadline October 31, 2022, 11:59 Newfoundland time.  Full guidelines here.

Engen Books is also looking for submissions of Bisexual Thrillers. Deadline: February 27, 2023. Full guidelines here (and scroll down).

 

Quick Brown Fox welcomes your book reviews and your short stories, poems, and essays about reading, writing, favourite books, and libraries. Read a few essays on the blog to get a taste of what other writers have done (see here and scroll down).

Quick Brown Fox also welcomes reviews of any kind and of anything, anywhere or 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.

 See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Last call for in-person “Enjoying Creative Writing” course (though you still have a couple weeks for the online version)

Enjoying Creative Writing

  ~ Develop your creative side

In-person: Thursday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m
Sept 29 – Nov 24 2022 {Or to Dec 8 if the course  fills up. No class Oct 13}
St. Elizabeth’s Anglican Church, 5324 Bromley Road, Burlington, Ontario {Map here} 

 Online: Tuesday afternoons, 12:30 – 2:30, Oct 11 – Dec 6, 2022 {Or to Dec 13 if the course fills up.} 

See details of all weekly writing courses offered this fall here.

This is your chance to take up writing in a warm, supportive environment. This course will open the door to trying different genres and learning different skills, to writing short stories and writing dialogue, writing in first person and writing in third person, writing just for fun and writing all kinds of things. 

You’ll get a shot of inspiration every week and an assignment to keep you going till the next class. Best of all, this class will provide a zero-pressure, totally safe setting, where your words will grow and flower.

Fee:  $176.11 plus 13% hst = $199

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

Instructor 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 and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.  

Read reviews of Brian's various courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Shanah Tovah ~ Happy New Year 5783

 

שנה טובה ומתוקה

 

Shanah tovah umetukah

 

May you have a good and sweet year. 

 

Three agents at kt literary actively seeking new authors

The Woods are Always Watching
by Stephanie Perkins,
represented by kt literary 

kt literary

Highlands Ranch
Denver, Colorado

https://ktliterary.com/

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the Follow Brian by Email box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. If you’re not yet on my newsletter list, send me an email, including your locale to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian

kt literary is a full-service literary agency operating out of Highlands Ranch in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. It was founded by Kate Testerman in 2008 when she moved to Colorado after a dozen years working in publishing in New York City. 

There are ten agents at kt, three of whom are actively looking for authors:

Savannah Brooks recently moved to kt fromthe Jennifer De Chiara Agency, where she was an Associate Agent. Like all relatively new agents, she needs authors. 

Savannah is seeking all of kid lit: picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA, both fiction and nonfiction. She’s also looking for adult contemporary fiction, romcoms, thrillers/mystery/suspense, and horror.

Savannah is especially interested in stories that teach her something new, add to a larger sociopolitical conversation, and (like everyone else) highlight underrepresented identities and cultures.

In Picture Books, she’s looking for: (1) stories that tackle serious subjects like politics, mental health, grief, and belonging in an accessible and empowering way, (2) stories that teach about and celebrate different cultures and places in the world, and (3) nonfiction that delights and inspires – especially if it has a feminist/disability/multicultural/queer angle.

In Middle Grade, she leans heavily toward action-adventure – especially when it's based on non-western (that means no Greek/Roman) mythology and folklore. If you think it could sit on a bookshelf next to Rick Riordan's works, it's for her. She’s looking for humor and fast-pacing but still wants content that touches on larger themes like belonging, grief, friendship, family, culture, etc. She is not a good fit for quiet and serious books.

In Young Adult, she’s looking for multicultural, disabled, and queer perspectives on everything from modern teen experiences to reframing classic tropes like vampires and witches. Voice is everything for Savannah. She loves sarcasm, quirk, and wit – and the story needs to be speaking to a larger sociopolitical conversation, even if in a lighthearted way.

She is all for books that empower teens to get political and take a stand for what they believe in. She’s also drawn to stories that treat setting like a character, and she especially wants atmospheric horror – stories where the spook comes from the place itself, similar to Wilder Girls.

Savannah earned her MFA, focused in creative nonfiction, from Hamline University and her BS in marketing management from Virginia Tech and worked on the editorial side of publishing for two years prior to joining JDLA. As well as agenting, she works as a publishing and literature lecturer at the University of Minnesota and a teaching artist at the Loft Literary Center. She lives in Minneapolis and can regularly be found at one of Minnesota’s 11,842 lakes – yes, even in winter.

Query Savannah through her query manager here.

Sara Megibow is a Senior Agent. She has worked in publishing since 2006. She specializes in launching debut authors and is actively seeking middle grade, young adult, and romance and science fiction/fantasy for the adult market. 

Sara represents several New York Times bestselling authors, including Casey McQuiston, Jaleigh Johnson, Jason M. Hough, Margaret Rogerson, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Roni Loren. She is a graduate of Northwestern University with degrees in Women’s Studies, Gender Studies and American History. Always LGBTQ+ Friendly!

She Tweets at: https://twitter.com/saramegibow 

Query Sara through her query manager here.

Chelsea Hensley is an associate agent and like all relatively new agents, she needs authors. Chelsea is seeking Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult Fiction, especially mysteries, thrillers, sci fi, and horror. Overall, she’s looking for fresh concepts, immersive worlds, and a strong voice. Like everyone else, she’s especially interested in working with authors from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in publishing, particularly Black authors.

In Adult fiction, she’s currently only looking for fantasy and some supernatural horror. She loves sprawling magical worlds and lush retellings. She’d love something akin to the work of Naomi Novik or dark and atmospheric like NINTH HOUSE. In horror, she’s less interested in jump scares and prefers unsettling stories full of creeping dread like YEAR OF THE WITCHING or MEXICAN GOTHIC.

In Middle Grade her taste skews toward upper level and more toward fantasy. She’d love to see some sweeping fantasy like THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON and projects inspired by lesser told legends, fairytales or myths like LALANI OF THE DISTANT SEA. She’s also interested in historical and mysteries of the whimsical and adventurous variety.

In Young Adult, she has broader tastes but is especially interested in mysteries and thrillers. She prefers dark and twisty and deeply character-driven stories (think: Courtney Summers). If you have fantasy, sci-fi, or historical projects with strong mystery threads in them, she’d love to see them! She’d also be interested in something irreverent and smart like American Vandal.

Chelsea is also interested in YA science-fiction and fantasy. For sci-fi, she’s interested in things that are grounded in the real world and would love to see some inventive dystopias like SCYTHE or horror like WILDER GIRLS. In fantasy, she’s interested in everything from contemporary to epic. She’d love something that puts a fantasy twist on history like DREAD NATION or THE DIVINERS. She’d also love something that blends and bends genres like JANE, UNLIMITED.

She’s very selective when it comes to YA contemporary and romance. She’s toward character-driven stories that meet emotional heft with a silvery thread of humor like the work of Robin Benway and Jenny Han.

Some of the things Chelsea loves to see in a manuscript:

Intricate plots and complex emotional arcs
Whipsmart protagonists who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. There’s nothing I love more than a main character who throws themselves into the thick of things and doesn’t look back.
Female friendship, partnerships, rivalries, and everything in between are high up on my wishlist. Girls, girls, girls basically. I prefer narratives to be female driven, and I’d love to see more F/F romantic pairings.
I’m a big fan of spies, assassins, thieves and other rogue-ish characters. I love, love, love heists.
I’d love to see some great antiheroes or characters embarking on redemption arcs like Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

 Query Chelsea through her query manager here.

Olga Filina

If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, don’t miss our in-person How to Get Published  workshop, Saturday, November 19, in Mississauga, with literary agent Olga Filina of 5 Otter Literary. As this is an in-person workshop, attendance will be strictly limited.
Details here.

Beyond that, Brian’s schedule continues to take shape:

Weekly classes starting soon:

In-person: Enjoying Creative Writing, Thursday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m., Sept 29 – Nov 24, in Burlington. Details here.

Online: Enjoying Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, 12:30 – 2:30, Oct 11 – Dec 6, 2022 {Or to Dec 13 if the course fills up.} Details here.

Writing Kid Lit with guest speakers Lana Button and Kira Vermond, Wednesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Oct 12 – Dec 7, 2022 {Or to Dec 14 if the course fills up}. Details here.

Online: Writing Personal Stories, Monday afternoons, 12:30 – 2:30, Oct 24 – Dec 5, 2022 {Or to Dec 12 if the course fills up.) Details here. 

Details of all fall classes here.

Writing Retreats:

Sherwood Inn – a cozy place to write

October in Muskoka Writing Retreat at Sherwood Inn, Friday, Oct 14 – Monday Oct 17, 2022. Details here. – Waiting list only for this one, but…

New: March in Muskoka Writing Retreat at Sherwood Inn, Friday, March 24 – Monday, March 27, 2023. Details here.

***

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 a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.