Sonoma County Literary Update

Calls for Submissions: April 2018

If you have a call for submissions or a contest of interest to Sonoma County writers, send it to editor@socolitupdate.com. Calls for submissions are listed in chronological order (earliest deadlines first).

For a current list of calls for submission from around the country, as well as deadlines for writers’ contests and awards, conferences and residencies, and literary magazine and small press databases, visit the Poets & Writers website.

Duotrope is a searchable database of over 2100 current markets for short fiction, poetry, and novels/collections in all genres. Available to paid subscribers only ($5/month or $50/year).

The New Pages Big List of Literary Magazines. Focuses on literary print and online magazines, listed A to Z. Also check the Calls for Submissions page.

Creative Writers Opportunities List. This Yahoo group posts calls for submissions and contest information for writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

If you’d like to explore more options to get your writing out of the drawer and into print, check out the information at the companion website: http://wordsintoprint.wordpress.com.

Be sure to check the ONGOING calls below. A number of journals accept submissions year-round.

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WOW! Women On Writing Q3 2018 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest

Seeking creative nonfiction essays between 200–1000 words on any topic and in any style—from personal essay to lyric essay to hybrid and more!

Prizes 1st Place: $500, publication, interview, and gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow; 2nd Place: $300, publication, interview, and gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow; 3rd Place: $200, publication, interview, and gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow; 7 Runners Up receive $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication, interview, and gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow; and 10 Honorable mentions receive a gift card good for one item from CreateWriteNow.

The mission of this contest is to reward bravery in real-life storytelling and create an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives. Electronic submissions via e-mail only; reprints are okay; multiple submissions are okay as long as they are submitted in their own individual e-mail. Open internationally.

Limit: 300 entries. $12 entry fee; critique option for an additional $13

Deadline: April 30, 2018
www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php#EssayContest

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Longridge Review Call for Essays on Childhood Experience

March 1 – May 1, 2018
Our mission is to present the finest essays on the mysteries of childhood experience, the wonder of adult reflection, and how the two connect over a lifespan. We discourage simple excerpts from memoir, as such fragments rarely work well as stand-alone, coherent, effective essays. We do not publish writing that is overtly sentimental. We are committed to publishing narratives steeped in reverence for childhood perceptions, but we seek essays that stretch beyond the clichés of childhood as simple, angelic, or easy. We feature writing that layers the events of the writer’s early years with learning or wisdom accumulated in adult life.

We welcome diverse creative nonfiction pieces that depict revealing moments about the human condition. We will consider one creative nonfiction piece (up to 3,500 words) per submission period.

Please do not submit more than once during the reading period. Individual authors will not be published more than once per calendar year.

Visit our website for more detailed guidance: http://longridgereview.com/submit/

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The Ilanot Review Call for Fiction

Our Summer 2018 issue will be dedicated to fiction only
Submissions open March 1st – May 31st 2018

We’re delighted to devote the upcoming issue exclusively to FICTION—short story, flash, or graphic. We’re looking to be moved, excited, provoked, and enthralled by your work, so send us the best, most impactful piece you have (4,000 words or less).

Guest Editors: Tania Hershman & Jessamyn Hope
Submit at: https://theilanotreview.submittable.com/submit

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Bacopa Literary Review call for submissions

Bacopa Literary Review submissions are open until May 31, 2018 with $250 prize for short story, creative nonfiction, poetry, and prose poetry plus $25 payment to each author published.

Submit at: https://writersallianceofgainesville.submittable.com/submit

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Annual Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest

The 14th Annual Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest officially begins in April, as part of the celebration of National Poetry Month. The theme for this year’s contest is “The Magic of ‘If . . .’ Through the Power of Poetry.” There are five new categories: “If I Could See The Future,” “If I Could Travel Back In Time,” “If I Had A Robot That Knew Everything,” “If I Believed Anything Was Possible,” “If Money Grew On Trees.” Poets may submit a maximum of three poems, no more than one in each of three of the five contest categories.

Poems may be in rhyme, free verse, Haiku or other accepted poetry forms and of any length, up to a maximum of 60 lines.

Everyone is encouraged to enter the contest. Poets do not have to live in Lincoln, CA to be eligible. Young Poets, 18-years of age or under, are encouraged to submit poems and will compete in a special “Young Poets” category.

Entry Forms and Contest Rules can be downloaded from the following website: www.libraryatlincoln.org under “NEWS” or at http://lincolnca.gov/home/showdocument?id=11055.

Entry Forms must be received no later than Saturday, July 21, 2018. Early submissions are appreciated. If you have questions, please contact Alan Lowe, Contest Coordinator, at slolowe@icloud.com for assistance.

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ONGOING CALLS:

400 and Falling Press

The 400 and Falling Review is calling for submissions of unpublished poetry, fiction, visual art, and criticism for publication in the first issue of it’s bi-annual for-print journal. Founded this year by two students and Sonoma County residents, the 400 and Falling Review will consist of a balanced selection of arts and literature, with a preference towards the work of emerging writers. For the sake of clarity, we’ve loosely defined emerging as writers that are still not, “widely read.” This classification is open for your interpretation. We will not reject any work on the basis of the author’s publication history.

400 and Falling Press will publish a bi-annual journal of literature and the arts. We ask for submissions of unpublished work from emerging writers and artists in the following genres: poetry, fiction, visual art, creative non-fiction, literary criticism and art criticism. Please follow the submission guidelines carefully for each specific genre.

Our reading period is year round. If your work is accepted it may be featured on the website in the months leading up to publication. Not all work featured online will appear in print.

We cannot offer financial compensation at this time. All contributors will receive a copy of the issue in which they are published. We welcome simultaneous submissions, however please inform us if your work is published elsewhere. All literary submissions should be in a .pdf, .docx, or .doc file in 12 pt. Times New Roman type. Please include a cover letter in the body of the email with your contact information and a brief third person bio.

We urge all writers interested in submitting to spend time with the work that is featured on our website. On the homepage you can find selections from the first issue. Please take the time to sign up for newsletter or like us on Facebook. Regardless of acceptance, all writers who submit will be eligible for a discounted subscription to the 400 and Falling Review. You will be sent a link to the writers discount page when we respond to your work.

All work should be submitted to 400andfallingpress@gmail.com with “Submission Genre: Name: Title” as the subject (for example “Poetry: Frank Stanford: Singing Knives”).

Here is a link to our website: www.400andfallingpress.com/
Here is a link to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/400andfallingpress

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The Bakery Is Looking for Poems

The Bakery is a new online journal featuring a new poem every Monday through Friday, at www.thebakerypoetry.com. The Journal  launched in July and is looking for poems.

Submission Guidelines:
Send 3-10 of your best poems in a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file. Put Poetry Submission in the subject title of your email and send to bakerymagazine (at) gmail.com. No need to send a cover letter. Just make sure your contact information appears either in your email or in the attachment.

Simultaneous Submissions are accepted, but please let us know as soon as any of your poems have been accepted elsewhere. No previously published poems. However, poems published on your personal website, blog or social network page are acceptable. If your poem is accepted, The Bakery asks that you remove your poem from your site for at least one month after publication.

The Bakery is also interested in poetry book reviews, both full collections and chapbooks. If you would like to submit a review, please send a query email with the title “Book Review Query.” Include in the body of the email the title of the book, a sample of any written reviews or critical work, and your contact information.

The Bakery also features art work each month. If you are interested in having your art featured, please send up to 5 JPGs attached an email with your contact information and the subject title: Art Submission.

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Blue Mountain Press Accepting Book Manuscripts

Blue Mountain Press, the book division of Blue Mountain Arts, is accepting manuscripts in the following categories: gift books, personal growth, teens/tweens, family, relationships, motivational, and inspirational. Mail manuscripts to: Blue Mountain Press, P.O. Box 4219, Boulder, CO 80306. Request proposal guidelines or e-mail queries to BMPbooks@sps.com. Please add Sonoma somewhere in the subject line so we know you found this posting on the Sonoma County Literary Update website.

Please note: We are not accepting works of fiction, rhyming poetry, children’s books, chapbooks, memoirs, or books that promote a specific religion.

There is no deadline for submissions.

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C&R Press: Call for Full-Length Manuscripts

C&R publishes fiction, short stories, poetry, essays, memoir and mixed genre work, with an aim to highlight female, minority, LGBT,  immigrant, progressive and submerged voices. Recent titles include While You Were Gone by Sibyl Baker, Ivy vs. Dogg: With a Cast of Thousands! by Brian Leung and Dark Horse by Kristina Marie Darling, as well as a collaboration with the Women’s National Book Association on Women in the Literary Landscape.

Our website is www.crpress.org, and you’ll find the link to our
submissions guidelines here: http://www.crpress.org/submissions/.

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California Quarterly: Call for Poetry Submissions

California Quarterly is the poetry journal produced by the California State Poetry Society, with 50 pages of poetry per issue. The publication features a rich variety of work from poets nationwide as well as from other countries. Published four times a year, submissions are accepted year round. Guidelines are as follows: Submit up to 6 poems at one time, include name and address on all pages of poems (with 2-page maximum), SASE for response, unpublished poems only, and foreign poems with translations encouraged. Simultaneous submissions accepted. Send poetry submissions to:

CQ Editors
P.O. Box 7126
Orange, California 92863

You may also submit poetry through the website, though be sure to register first on the homepage. For more information on membership, contests and publishing opportunities with California State Poetry Society (CSPS), please visit our website at: www.californiastatepoetrysociety.org

You may also order a copy of the latest issue at www.californiastatepoetrysociety.org.

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Carbon Culture Review

Carbon Culture Review is a journal at the intersection of new literature, art, technology and contemporary culture.  We define culture broadly as the values, attitudes, actions and inventions of our global society and its subcultures in our modern age. Carbon Culture Review is distributed in bookstores throughout the United States annually by Media Solutions. CCR will also showcase a digital online issue with original monthly content updates on the web.  See: http://carbonculturereview.com

WHAT DO WE PUBLISH?
We publish quality poetry, short stories, other literature and artwork that connect in some way with modern technology. We prefer work that is edgy, offers new perspectives, challenges traditional genres and modes of expression and moves or excites us.

More details at: https://carbonculturereview.submittable.com/submit

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Cup of Tea Books: Women’s Fiction

Cup of Tea Books, an imprint of independent publisher PageSpring Publishing, is accepting submissions of novel-length titles in the category of Women’s Fiction. See our imprint site for submission details: www.cupofteabooks.com.

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Elephantine Publishing: Call for Novels to be Published as E-books

Elephantine is a collaborative publisher. Our goal is to partner with you to turn your love of writing into a successful career for years to come. We work side by side with our authors through every step of the publishing process to create a unique and professional title to share with the world. Using strategic marketing, we provide our authors with industry tools and resources to build readership and grow sales. Our aim is simple. We seek to provide access to all stories worth telling, whether or not the words fit into a neatly labeled box. Words that resonate in your bones. Stories you’ll never forget. We are interested in fiction by independent authors waiting to break out. As authors ourselves, we understand how tedious the query process is. Elephantine Publishing is ready for creative, entrepreneurial-minded authors and unforgettable stories. Let’s cut to the chase. You can forget about traditional query letters. No one enjoys writing or reading them. That’s why we’ve created a query process unique to the Elephantine Publishing culture.

Here are the query guidelines:

• Please wait until your book is finished and polished before submitting, and limit your submissions to one project at a time. Put your best work forward.
• Your query letter should be written to the specified publisher from your story’s narrator. Show us your talent and let the narrator tell us about your book and why it’s ready for publishing.
• Be sure to include the title, author name, word count, genre, and contact information in the letter.
• If your query is selected, we will ask for the first fifty pages or your complete manuscript.

Here are the manuscript formatting specifications:

• Title page, including your name, address, and telephone number
• 1-inch margins
• Double-spaced
• 12-point Times New Roman font.
• On the header of each page include your name, title of the manuscript, and page number

More info at: www.elephantinepublishing.com

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Fertile Source Literary ezine Call for Submissions

The Fertile Source (www.fertilesource.com) accepts photos, artwork, literary essays, poetry, and fiction on fertility-related themes (including fertility, abortion, miscarriage, adoption, pregnancy, birth control, sex, PPD, etc.) on an ongoing basis. We also accept book and magazine reviews on fertility-related publications, and will consider interviews with fertility, infertility, and adoption specialists. We publish approximately 26 issues a year. For more details: http://fertilesource.com/submissions/

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Foundry Open Call for Poetry

General submissions are always open for free.

Foundry publishes a range of styles and forms, from short lyric poems to prose poems and longer narratives. We are drawn to poems that feel as much as they think.

We are committed to inclusivity and warmly welcome submissions from marginalized voices. We will not consider work with sexist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, or able-ist content.

Please submit 3-5 original, previously unpublished poems through Submittable. All poems should be included in a single .DOC/.DOCX or PDF file with one poem per page (eight pages maximum). Enter a cover letter with a brief third-person bio in the space provided by Submittable.

We read year-round and publish new issues in March, June, September, and December.

Foundry pays $10 per poem. More guidelines and submittable link at: www.foundryjournal.com/submit.html

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Ginosko Literary Journal’s Call for Submissions

Accepting short fiction & poetry, creative nonfiction, interviews, social justice concerns, spiritual insights for GINOSKO LITERARY JOURNAL.

Editorial lead time 1-2 months; accept simultaneous submissions & reprints; length flexible, accept excerpts. Receives postal submissions & email—prefer email submissions as attachments in Microsoft Works Word Processor or Rich Text Format. Copyright reverts to author. Read year around.

Publishing as semiannual ezine. Check downloadable issues on website for style & tone: www.ginoskoliteraryjournal.com
Use latest version of Adobe Reader.

ezine circulation 6000+. Website traffic 500-750 hits/month.

Also looking for books to post on website, spoken word recordings, and links to exchange.

Ginosko (ghin-océ-koe) To perceive, understand, realize, come to know; knowledge that has an inception, a progress, an attainment. The recognition of truth by experience.

Member CLMP.

Ginosko Literary Journal
Robert Paul Cesaretti, Editor
PO Box 246
Fairfax, CA 94978

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Glimmertrain Fiction Submissions

Glimmertrain Stories accepts fiction in five categories: Standard (low fee), Fiction Open, Very Short Fiction Award, Family Matters, and Short Story Award for New Writers. For complete guidelines:  www.glimmertrain.com/pages/writing_guidelines.php

Updated April 2018.

• January: Short Story Award for New Writers
• February: Short Story Award for New Writers
• March: Very Short Fiction Award (up to 3,000 words) and Fiction Open (2,000 to 20,000 words)
• April: Very Short Fiction Award (up to 3,000 words), Fiction Open, and Standard
• May: Short Story Award for New Writers
• June: Short Story Award for New Writers
• July: Very Short Fiction Award (up to 3,000 words) and Fiction Open
• August: Very Short Fiction Award (up to 3,000 words) and Fiction Open
• September: Short Story Award for New Writers
• October: Short Story Award for New Writers
• November: Family Matters and Standard
• December: Family Matters

To make a submission, go to: https://glimmertrainpressinc.submittable.com/submit

Reading fee: $16 to $21 per story, other than Standard submissions

STANDARD SUBMISSIONS require $2 reading fee. You may submit stories in the Standard category, not to exceed 12,000 words, in April and November. Publication payment is $700 (no prizes).

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Harvard Square Editions Accepting Novel Manuscripts

Harvard Square Editions, an alumni run independent press, is accepting manuscripts. There is no deadline for submissions. Guidelines: http://harvardsquareeditions.org/contact-page-2. Email queries to: submissions@harvardsquareeditions.org

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HeartWood Literary Magazine Call for Submissions

Brand new online literary magazine, in association with the Low-Res MFA at West Virginia Wesleyan College, publishes twice yearly in April and October.

We accept submissions year round through Submittable, and welcome previously unpublished poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, from both established and emerging writers.

Please note: We do love Appalachian voices, but we enthusiastically encourage writers from all backgrounds to submit.

We are interested in writing that pushes into, dares to reveal, its own truth, that takes emotional risks, that gets to the heart of the matter. Simultaneous submissions are fine, provided you notify us if the work is accepted elsewhere.

Complete Submission Details can be found on our website: http://www.heartwoodlitmag.com/

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Lucky Marble Books

Lucky Marble Books, an imprint of independent publisher PageSpring Publishing, is accepting submissions of novel-length Young Adult and Middle Grade titles. See our imprint site for submission details: www.luckymarblebooks.com.

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Mastodon Publishing

Mastodon Publishing, a new full service indie publisher, publishes a spectrum of literary voices, with the goal of bringing diverse and uncensored writing to life in many shapes and forms. We also welcome upmarket and commercial manuscripts, including non fiction and special interest items (cookbooks, academic, YA, genre and others). We have two titles so far: A Diet of Worms by Eric Rasmussen and Life During Wartime by Katie Rogin, with four more due out this fall.

Mastodon is currently open for full-length submissions in all categories. Our website is www.mastodonpublishing.com and our submittable page: https://mastodonpublishing.submittable.com/submit.

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Occidental Center for the Arts (OCA) Book Launch Series Guidelines: Call to All Writers

1)  All genres considered: Fiction (Novel, Novella or Short Stories), Non-Fiction, Poetry
2)  Preference given to local Sonoma County writers or material about Sonoma County.
3)  Books should be published within past twelve months. Author may read from and sell other previously published pieces.
4)  Preference given to authors with hard copy, rather than e-book.
5)  Application Procedure: Send sample of 2-3 chapters of prose; 5-10 pages of poetry. Include brief bio and any writing credits. Send to Occidental Center for the Arts website: occidentalcenterforthearts.com, and/or hard copy to OCA, 3850 Doris Murphy Way, Occidental, 95465, with “Attention: Book Launch Committee”.
6)  This is an on-going series: Submitted work will be reviewed by Book Launch Committee. Writers are notified as soon as possible.
7)  One or two writers are featured at each reading. Short reading along with book sale and signing. Each author is encouraged to create his/her launch with its own unique signature.
8)  If self-published, author provides books for the Book Launch/signing event. Authors with major publishers will arrange with OCA on how books (those sold at launch) will be obtained.
9)  Authors agree to donate a percentage of book sales (at least 10%) to Occidental Center for the Arts.
10) OCA will publicize the event but writers are expected to publicize through their social networks and e-mail lists.

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Pithead Chapel: A Monthly Online Journal of Short Fiction

Pithead Chapel is a small, independent journal out of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, run by people who love to read and write fiction.

At Pithead Chapel, we’re looking for engaging stories told in honest voices. Most of all, we want to feel something. We want to reach the last word and immediately crave more. We want your story to leave a brilliant bruise. Send us your best work and we’ll do our best to get your voice heard. Sorry, we’re not into genre pieces (e.g., science fiction, horror, fantasy, and romance).

If you write short fiction, please consider visiting us and submitting some of your work: http://pitheadchapel.com

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Postcard Poems and Prose Magazine: Open Call

Postcard Poems and Prose Magazine seeks tight, gripping prose and poetry.
We use Submittable and all submissions need to come through that system so our first-reader staff can evaluate them as a team.
https://postcardpoemsandprose.wordpress.com/

Postcard Poems and Prose publishes 8-10 poems and 4-5 flash fiction features online each month (120-200 poems and short prose pieces annually).

Reading period—January 1 thru December 31. (Open submission call)
We judge each piece on its merit rather than author biographical information.

TO SUBMIT: https://postcardpoemsandprose.submittable.com/submit

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The Rain, Party, & Disaster Society

The Rain, Party, & Disaster Society is a workshop-based online literary publication that strives to give representation to new ideas and thoughts, to challenge the reader and to question commonly accepted opinions, values, etiquette and ideas. Within our pages, you may find: works that tackle hot-button issues, works presented in a style that is out of the ordinary, works that present the reader with a question or debate, and works that break mainstream rules within their genre. All of the pieces you find on this site have been through our workshop process, during which the RP&D editorial staff works closely with contributors to hone their voice and help them to produce the best possible work for you, the reader, to experience.

We currently accept works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry every month between the 1st and the 15th. Please view our guidelines page for more information on submission requirements.

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Straylight: Call for Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction

Straylight, the literary journal of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, is calling for submissions of fiction and poetry for both our print magazine and for publication on our website. Our online edition (The Villa) is also calling for novellette and novella-length fiction submissions for serialization. We will consider any genre, but are looking for high-quality work. Submissions may be made electronically at https://straylight.submittable.com/submit. Find us on the web at www.straylightmag.com.

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The Sunflower Collective: Call for submissions (Rolling — all round the year)

The Sunflower Collective is looking for submissions. We celebrate the personal and the political — which we believe to be one and the same thing — in art. We would like to mention at the outset that we are not interested in art that does not take risks. We do not mind if you have a degree but we are unlikely to be impressed by it. Nor do we care which journals have published your work before. All we are interested in is something that sings for itself without any props, something that grabs us by our throat and refuses to let go, something that shakes us out of our complacent stupor. Give us something hungry, not bellyful; something beat, if you get our drift. We express our inability to publish anything that propagates either left-wing or right-wing fascism.

Please send us your poems, prose, artwork and photographs in the body of the mail at thesunflowercollectiveindia@gmail.com with the subject line mentioning your genre of Submissions. Do read the submission guidelines before sending your work.

Submission Guidelines:

1) Poetry: 1-5 poems (Around 5 pages of poetry in total)
2) Prose: 2000-3000 words ( Fiction/ Non Fiction/ Experimental/Memoirs)
3) Art work and Photographs/ Photo Essays (5-10 in JPEG format and must not exceed 250K in size )
4) Format: Poetry and Prose submissions to be sent in the body of the mail, unless there are specific formatting requirements from the author (Needs to be mentioned in the mail). Photos and scanned Artwork in zipped folders. Photo essays in MS Word with zipped folders of JPEG images separately attached.

Please send us your work in a single mail only.
http://sunflowercollective.blogspot.in/p/about.html

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Trainless Magazine

Trainless Magazine is now accepting unsolicited fiction and nonfiction. Nonfiction articles should stay relevant to our magazine’s theme of travel, athleticism, and culture. Fiction is much more open, as every world created through fiction presents a new “culture.” Stories ranging from 500-3,000 words are accepted. It would have to be an incredible, really unstoppable story to keep our readers reading after 3,000 words. More details at: http://trainlessmagazine.com/article/submit.html

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whimperbang

whimperbang, an online journal of artistic commentary, published three times a year, invites the submission of serious, directed artistic expressions that reflect or comment upon today’s world. All literary and visual genres will be considered. See our “Submission Guidelines” at http://whimperbang.com/submissions.

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WILDNESS

WILDNESS wants work that evokes the unknown. Now seeking poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Submissions on a rolling basis.
URL: readwildness.com

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W.I.S.H. Publishing

W.I.S.H. Publishing (or Walking Is Still Honest Press) publishes accessible and honest poems. Pretensions are not welcome here. Poetry that can be read by anyone is sought after, poetry that is cut-throat honest.

We value beautiful imagery and seeing the writer insert themselves in their pieces. We want you leaked into poetry.

W.I.S.H. publishes Journeys (chapbooks), Jogs (micro-chapbooks), and a monthly ezine. We are currently seeking Jog and ezine poetry submissions.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. There is no entry fee. Please follow the submission guidelines. Our spam filter is hungry for those who don’t, and we want to read your writing.

If you want a better idea of our ideal concepts of a poem, read the W.I.S.H.’s 2013 Runners Awards and 2013 Pushcart Nominations.

URL: https://wishpoetrypress.net

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Zymbol Open Call for Books

Zymbol is publishing books!!! Each book we publish will receive full distribution, a sponsored reading, an ad in our annual international newsstand edition of Zymbol magazine and copies of the book. Our open call is for all genres, approaches and subject matter and we’re looking for novels, short story and poetry collections. See: www.zymbolmag.com

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