Unusual Calls for Submissions

What Makes You Stronger: Real Talk About Breast Cancer
We want your true stories about your journey, the journey of a loved one or your secondhand experience as caregiver or medical professional. We want the anger, the despair, the "Why me, Lord?" and the moment you realized, that despite the ravages to your body, the body of the loved one or the person in your professional care... you gained strength from the experience. Tell us about it, keep it real, nothing is taboo. The aim is to strengthen those who've just begun the journey, form a support community by mentorship, for those desiring it, prayer and daily inspirational thoughts, coping strategies for the pain, recipes that tempt the appetite and anything else that you wish to share. Guidelines: All essays/stories should be nonfiction narratives, written in the first-person. Focus on one or a few selected moments; do not send rants or political speeches. Essays/Stories should be titled. Essays/Stories should be between 100 – 650 words and poems restricted to 40 lines. No funky fonts, please. Please include a brief bio (1-3 sentences) at the end of your submission and forward a headshot (neck and shoulders) to dee(at)deeswhite.com or tramsey43(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @). More here.

2010 Fiction Contest: Creative Loafing Atlanta
Submit a manuscript of no more than 3,000 words either as a hard copy to our offices or online. All works of fiction must in some way incorporate the word “slip” — as a theme, a metaphor, whatever. You can use the word as any way you like; just use it well. Originality is encouraged, and the word count is enforced. Deadline: November 20, 5 p.m. 1st place, $1,000. 2nd place, $250. 3rd place, $100. Winners will be published in Creative Loafing and honored at an awards ceremony. Submit story here.

Silver Boomer Books: Anthology Calls
A Pinch and a Dash - recipes from home and long ago. Silver Boomer Books seeks submissions for an anthology tentatively identified as A Pinch and a Dash - recipes from home and long ago. Submissions of prose and poetry should be submitted pursuant to these guidelines by January 15, 2010. The focus of the anthology is family or friendship memories associated with a particular meal or food. We're asking for the recipe as well as the poem or prose about it. You will be asserting you have the right to publish the recipe in your name. If it is copied from a cookbook, it doesn't work. If you use the same ingredients and describe the process differently, you have written an original work. The combination of ingredients cannot be copyrighted; the text somebody else wrote is. Send poetry or prose and recipe, and consider our earlier anthologies, Silver Boomers, Freckles to Wrinkles, and This Path for examples of style. More here.

2010 Chautauqua Fiction Contest
Prize: $1,000 and publication in Chautauqua, the literary journal of the Chautauqua Institution. Winner and finalists receive a copy of the journal. Theme of music and words broadly conceived. Submit short stories up to 5000 words. Entry fee: $20. Judge: David Crouse. Submissions will be accepted between August 1 and November 15 only. Submissions must be made using www.manuscripthub.com. More here.

Silk Road Review, a Literary Crossroads, invites submissions of poetry, fiction and nonfiction for upcoming issues. The magazine will celebrate its fifth year of production and expand to two print issues per year in 2010. This is a great time to submit your work to the magazine. We are interested in publishing compelling and finely crafted writing from locations around the world. We are also producing a special issue on “secret places” and welcome writing that would fit the topic. Silk Road takes submissions through our online submissions system. Visit Silk Road’s website for more information on the magazine and how to submit.

Daughter/Father Stories Call for Submissions
Seeking Female Writers to to share how your father’s character, personality, and/or actions (in-actions) influenced your development, for the opportunity to be included in an anthology to be published in June 2010. Deadline is December 15, 2009. No longer than 1200 words, your narrative should be emotionally moving and tangible with descriptive imagery readers can relate to via sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Email daughterstory(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @) your full name, address, daytime phone number, and e-mail address. Your story MUST be submitted as a .doc attachment, or in the body of the email, double-spaced in 12pt. font, Times New Roman. Any other format will not be read. In the subject line include your year of birth and a one-word theme for your narrative. Also include a bio—a short paragraph (of about 50
words or less) about you, promoting your latest book, project, etc. More here.