I Stop for Somnium, #1 Nightmare Read
Authortunities #66│June 15—July 13
TLDR 🦝
Here’s a quick summary of what’s in #66, plus a mighty stack of over 100 opportunities organized by date and emoji. Grab your coffee and let’s go!
Issue #66 is a nightmare stop on the Somnium Book Tour! Book review below.
Smalltown Tales Project: A call for published authors to write a game episode!
Podcastle is paying $30 for male-presenting Malaysian and Korean narrators.
Scroll down for the link to read at the next Authortunities Open Mic!
Let me know what you’ve been up to! Share your triumphs, tribulations and any author opportunities you find in the comments!
Our Writes 🖋️
🟠 Schwartz Games is looking for six published authors who would enjoy being part of a storytelling game project. The project is Smalltown Tales. The game empowers players to weave scenes together collaboratively into one epic story. For more details, read Schwartz Games Seeks Six Storytellers.
🟠 Podcastle is paying $30 for male-presenting Malaysian and Korean narrators. They have two stories they need narration for, both with a 4k word count. More details on their socials.
🟠 Authortunities Open Mic was full of brilliance with Gordon Linzner, Pixie Bruner, Craig Brownlie and Beth Hildebrand. Listen to last week’s open mic here. Want to read next week? Click this link to sign up.
Your Writes 🎉
🟠 Congratulations to Sumiko Saulson for a brand new collection, Melancholia: A Book of Dark Poetry. As always, Saulson's poetry invites us to confront the things we try not to think about and embrace the shadows within. Find it on Amazon.
🟠 Congratulations to Mark R. Dougherty on Spoken Words From the Mirror: (Raw Poetry). I had the privilege of working on this collection with him as a book coach. A collection that expresses the transformative power of love and understanding while pulling no punches, it was a pleasure to see this book become a reality. Available on Amazon.
🟠 Congratulations to Deirdre Swinden on her new nightmare inducing book about nightmares... Somnium. This book kept me awake turning pages this last week. Readers will find a satisfying psychological horror with plenty of high-tech science fiction and conspiracy in this novel where the art of dream interpretation becomes vital to survival. Intense world building, fully fleshed characters and logical tech make this a horrifically believable story of the near future.
This is certainly a horror book with some wonderful, graphic terror but there is also a lot of empowerment woven into the plot. The main protagonist is a victim, but she faces her fears night after night. In my mind, one of the messages of the book is we all have fear - it’s how we fight it that counts. Add to this some unconventional romance and the stakes are even higher. I enjoyed every page of this book. Find Somnium by Deirdre Swinden on Amazon here.
My Writes
🟠 Ryan Aussie Smith, "Voted #1 Creamiest voice on Twitch 3 years running" continues the story with “Take Out,” a driver’s education class that teaches “Correct Perspective” with real life/death experiences. This is the fourth chapter from my Bram Stoker Award Finalist novella Bitter Suites (2019). You can listen to that here.
🟠 While I find author opportunities everywhere, I want to give special credit to some of my favorite sources here. 🔗https://angelaysmith.com/subscribe/
Comments, questions, compliments or concerns?
🦝This calendar is organized by emoji! Use [ctrl F] to find what you want fast.
🟢 opening subs
🔴 closing subs
⭐ networking
🎤 open mics
🎓 education
♻️ reprints
🏆 awards
💲 grants
🟢 JUN 14 · Reedsy Prompts opens until the following Friday for short fiction between 1,000 - 3,000 words based on one of five prompts. Writers have until the following Friday at 11.59pm EST to enter. No fee to enter and have work posted. $5 fee to be eligible for the $250 cash prize. New prompt every Friday. This week’s prompt is: The Five Stages 🕰.
🔗https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
🟢 JUN 1-AUG 31 · The SFPA Speculative Poetry Contest is open until August 31 to all poets, including non-SFPA-members for speculative poetry in any form. Prizes will be awarded for best unpublished poem in 3 categories: Dwarf (poems 1–10 lines, prose poems 0–100 words); Short (11–49 lines, prose poems 101–499 words); Long (50 lines and more, prose 500 words and up. Winning poets will be awarded $150 First Prize, $75 Second Prize, $25 Third Prize and publication on the SFPA website for first through third places in all categories. $3 entry fee, the contest is chaired by Angela Yuriko Smith and judged by
.🔗https://www.sfpoetry.com/contests.html
⭐🎤 JUN 15 · Authortunities Open Mic Watch your favorite poets and prosers share their work! Pre-recorded from the week before, listen in as Gordon Linzner, Pixie Bruner, Craig Brownlie and Beth Hildebrand read poetry and prose. Want to read next week? Sign up to read here: https://forms.gle/eqwc72bzjED8p6hQ8.
🔗https://authortunities.substack.com/p/tech-gremlins-gone
⭐🎓 JUN 15 · The Forever Workshop, a project by
, hosts the workshop “How to Write and Publish Short Humor with ” with a new lesson every Monday & Thursday from June 3rd - 27. Half of the curriculum will be free to all subscribers, with the option to upgrade and access this and all courses in full for $10/mo.🔗https://www.theforeverworkshop.com/p/humor-writers-get-in-here-how-to-569
⭐🎓 JUN 15-17 · Teachers of Fiction, hosted by Daniel David Wallace, is a three day long online get together event for all fiction writing teachers, coaches, editors, and mentors which will include focused, informative sessions that you can watch live or at your own pace.
🔗https://summit.teachingfiction.com/
🔴 JUN 15 · A Velvet Giant, an online, genreless literary journal, closes to various formats, including words, recordings, visual art, hybrid forms, and translations that “love ambiguity: flash pieces, found pieces, cross-genre experiments, the "poem" that thinks it might be a story, the "story" that thinks it might be a poem.” Payment is $20.
🔗https://www.avelvetgiant.com/submit
🔴 JUN 15 · Fahmidan Journal closes for “your thought-provoking existentialism, your phobias, your darkest moments” as short stories, poetry and flash. Payment is $25 per piece.
🔗https://www.fahmidan.net/journal-submissions
🔴 JUN 15 · Eye to the Telescope 53, an online publication of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association calls for submissions of 1–3 unpublished poems in English. Edited by Gretchen Tessmer, the theme is “Strange Mixology.” Accepted poems will be paid for at the following rate: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25. The issue will appear on July 15, 2024.
🔗http://eyetothetelescope.com/submit.html
🔴 JUN 15 · Nat. Brut closes for open fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions for folio, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Payment is a $30 honorarium.
🔗https://www.natbrut.com/submit-open
🔴💲 JUN 15 · 2024 Akron Poetry Prize closes submissions to their annual contest. The winning poet receives $1,500 and publication of their book. Manuscripts should be at least 48 pages and no longer than 90 pages. $25 reading fee.
🔗https://theuniversityofakronpress.submittable.com/submit
🟢 JUN 15 · Sans. Press is open until July 2 or until they hit their 1,000 submission cap for short story submissions to The Garden, “an anthology for stories that engage with the living world in all its glory and messiness. From blossom to decay, stories can interpret the premise in any way; be as metaphorical or literal as you wish – just don't be afraid to get a little dirt under your fingernails.” Payment is €175.
🔗https://www.sanspress.com/submissions
🟢♻️ JUN 15 · Flash Fiction Online is open until June 30 or “unless we reach our submission cap of 1,000 submissions stories” for speculative fiction flash from 500-1k words with a theme of “Winter Folklore.” Payment is $100 USD. Guest editor for this issue is Carina Bissett.
🔗https://ffo.submittable.com/submit/296519/call-for-winter-folklore
🟢 JUN 15 · Disability and the Speculative is open until August 15 “but may close sooner if the book is filled” for poetry “exploring the intersection of disability and the speculative.” Payment one copy of the paperback.
🔗https://disabilitypoetics.com/call-for-poetry-anthology-1
🟢 JUN 15 · The Earth Bleeds at Night from Eerie River Publishing is open until June 30 for “Unique, clever, and terrifying stories'' from 2000 - 5000 words. Payment is .05 cents USD a word. Curated by Holley Cornetto and Michelle River.
🔗https://www.eerieriverpublishing.com/open-submission
🟢 JUN 15 · SILENCE: Untold Cases of Algernon Blackwood’s Psychic Doctor is open until July 15 for fiction from 6,000 – 10,000 words. “For this project, it is essential that you read or have already read all six of Algernon Blackwood’s John Silence stories from 1908.” All six stories can be found in Dover’s The Complete John Silence, edited by S.T. Joshi, or free online. Payment is $150.
🔗http://greydogtales.com/blog/dr-john-silence-calls-round/
🟢 JUN 15 · MO Humanities Magazine is open until July 31 for work that pertains to Missouri and Missourians. Submissions may be in the genre of a perspectives piece, personal narrative, poetry, historical or nonfiction essay, short story, personal reflection, book or film review or findings from original research, geared towards a public humanities audience between 350 to 1,000 words in length. Honorariums are $50 per poem, up to $150. $50 per page for short stories and essays, up to $150. $50 per page of graphic design, photography, and illustrative images, up to $150. $100 per cover image, up to $200.
🔗https://mohumanities.org/magazine-submission
♻️🟢 JUN 15 · Still Point Arts Quarterly is open until July 1 for submissions of historical and contemporary art, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry on the theme of “Walking.” For payment “We list broad pay categories rather than payment specifics. Check with the publisher for details.” Reprints.
🔗https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/form.aspx?id=vY6Vs4K-nRb7B-tLajtSe
🟢 JUN 15 · Bright Wall/Dark Room is open until July 1 for submissions of critical essays between 2,500-4,000 words on filmmaking with a “Heartbreak / Heartbreakers” theme. Payment is $50 USD.
🔗https://brightwalldarkroom.submittable.com/submit
🟢♻️ JUN 15 · Luna Station Quarterly opens until August 15 for “speculative fiction written by women-identified authors” from 500 to 7000 words. Reprints considered at least 3 years past their initial publication date. No poetry. $10 USD plus a lifetime digital subscription to the magazine.
🔗https://submissions.lunastationpress.com/
🟢 JUN 15 · Star*Line, the official print journal of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA), is a literary venue for speculative (including science-fiction, fantasy, and horror) poets and poetry enthusiasts, and features interviews, articles, reviews, member news and letters, association business, and poetry. Star*Line is open for submissions year-round. Payment for poetry: 4¢/word rounded to next dollar, minimum $4. Nonfiction, 1¢/word rounded to the next dollar. Reviews pay a flat fee of $4.
🔗https://www.sfpoetry.com/starline.html
🟢 JUN 15 · Riddlebird is open until October 26 for literary fiction, personal essays, and genre fiction from 650-5000 words focusing on humor and lighthearted pieces until full. Payment is $100.
🔗https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/riddlebird-Ae4Nk
🟢♻️ JUN 15 · Samovar, published by Strange Horizons, seeks speculative fiction, review-essays, poetry, interview/conversations, and reprints in translation. Payment for fiction is 8 US cents per word to the author, and 8 US cents per word to the translator. Payment for reprints is a flat $100 USD to the author and $100 USD to the translator. Payments for poetry are $40 USD to the author and $40 USD to the translator. Payment for interview/conversations is $40 USD to each participant. Payment for review-essays is $40 USD.
🔗http://samovar.strangehorizons.com/submit/
🎓 JUN 15 · The Arcane University offers valuable video game development skills, including game writing, from experienced modders and industry professionals. In collaboration with TESRenewal, the AU aims to provide teaching and support to any and all members and applicants to help them to acquire, expand, or improve the skill set needed to contribute to Beyond Skyrim and/or their partnered modding projects. In addition, it serves as the primary location for learning or enhancing existing skills for the wider modding community, becoming the go-to place for anyone looking to learn. Free.
⭐🎓 JUN 15 · PARSEC, Pittsburgh’s premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization, welcomes the public to their monthly meetings held the third Saturday of each month beginning at 12:30 pm EST. Virtual Zoom meetings are available for those who can’t attend in person. This month’s guest is award-winning painter, performer, writer, and naturalist Elizabeth Eve King, aka E.E. King.
🔗https://parsec-sff.org/2024-june-monthly-parsec-meeting/
🔴🏆💲 JUN 16 · Palette Poetry’s Sappho Prize for Women Poets closes June 16. A contest for women poets that awards $3000 to the winner, along with publication and a brief interview in Palette Poetry. Second and third place winners will receive $300 and $200, respectively, as well as publication. “We offer a free submission window to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) women poets from historically marginalized groups, which will close after the first fifty entries. Submit up to three poems with a $20 reading fee. The guest judge this year is Megan Fernandes.
🔗https://www.palettepoetry.com/current-contest/
🟢 JUN 16 · Fahmidan Journal opens until September 14 for short stories, poetry and flash of “your thought-provoking existentialism, your phobias, your darkest moments.” Payment is $25 per piece.
🔗https://www.fahmidan.net/journal-submissions
⭐🎤 JUN 16 · Rattlecast livestreams, a livestreaming poetry reading and podcast, is part interview and part reading, with a prompt-based open mic. It’s a casual way to hangout with Rattle editor Timothy Green. Each Rattlecast begins with a Poets Respond Live segment, featuring poems about the news, and also features a writing prompt at the end of the show, and open lines for poems written for the last week’s prompt. Annie Finch | Rattlecast at 8 pm EST.
⭐ JUN 16 · GoIndieNow presents This Week In Indies for 2024 a weekly Sunday chat show that covers issues relevant for Indie artists and the scoop on who is publishing what and where you can get it. Broadcasting every Sunday at Noon ET/11a CT/10a MT/9a PT.
🔴 JUN 19 · Flame Tree Fiction closes for “submissions that reflect the immensity of the universe, where observation of phenomenon brings new speculation, visions of creation highlight different understandings of origin” for a special print edition newsletter for WorldCon 2024. Open to newsletter subscribers (free to subscribe). Up to 1k words, payment is 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints.
🔗https://www.flametreepress.com/submissions/
🔴🏆💲 JUN 19-22 · Locus Awards Weekend will be held live in Oakland, California and virtually everywhere. Virtual memberships are $35 and include access to all online events and the six months set of digital Locus Magazine. Virtual events include readings and online hangout, plus online access to the Locus Awards ceremony and panels. If you'd like to support Locus as a top-tier donor and be thanked in the event program, you can purchase a special $350 membership which entitles you to attend all digital and in-person events, plus the Locus Awards 2024 T-shirt, a VIP tour of the Locus offices, a special backer gift, and their eternal thanks. (You don't have to attend in person to support at this level.)
🔗https://subscribers.locusmag.com/content/virtual-membership-2024-locus-awards
🔴 JUN 20 · Astrolabe closes to fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography/art for $50 USD flat rate with free submissions until July 20.
🔗https://www.astrolabe.ooo/submissions
⭐ JUN 20 · First Friday - Third Thursday Quick Read features 6 authors each reading a selection of speculative fiction for 8 minutes. There will be time for questions & answers at the end and a giveaway from the authors. This free event is hosted by Strong Women - Strange Worlds and features Leah Cutter, J.L. Delavega, Gabby Gilliam, Alicia Hilton, and Nina Schuyler. Pre-register.
🔗https://strongwomenstrangeworlds.weebly.com/
⭐🎓 JUN 20 · Substack Masterclass for Video Creators Substack is home to the world's best writing and podcasting, all based on the power of direct ownership and subscriptions. Now, they are helping the best video creators build their homes on Substack too. Join this free masterclass at 1:30 pm EST.
🔗https://lu.ma/sz59ky6q?tk=g4y2Rv
🔴 JUN 21 · Rattle Magazine’s “Poets Respond” challenge calls for poems inspired by “a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since.” Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com which appear to over 10,000 people via RSS feed and daily email service. Poets will receive $100 and a complimentary subscription to the print magazine. The deadline for each week is Friday at midnight PST.
🔗https://rattle.submittable.com/submit/30232/poets-respond-online
⭐🎓 JUN 21 · The Literary Lens Podcast has a live AMA at 7 pm EST with literary agents Lane Heymont, Kelly Dyksterhouse, Jacqui Lipton, and Ann Rose from The Tobias Literary Agency. This is your chance to ask these agents anything.
🔗https://www.youtube.com/live/_XQrZWVlMkI
⭐🎓 JUN 21 · Rattle Magazine’s livestream Poetry Critique of the Week Rattle's editor hosts a livestreamed poetry critique on YouTube and Facebook, offering suggestions and feedback. The viewing audience is encouraged to participate. The goal is to help us all become better poets through the honest sharing of our reactions, similar to the experience of an MFA roundtable workshop. Critique of the Week at 4 pm EST.
🔗https://www.youtube.com/@RattlePoetry/featured
🟢 JUN 21 · Reedsy Prompts calls for short fiction between 1,000 - 3,000 words based on one of five prompts. Writers have until the following Friday at 11.59pm EST to enter. No fee to enter and have work posted. $5 fee to be eligible for the $250 cash prize. New prompt every Friday.
🔗https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
⭐🎤 JUN 21 · Open Minds Open Mic begins at 7 pm EST for all sorts of performers including poetry readings, spoken word, stories, singing, fashion, dancing, painting, comedy, magic, music and acting. Sign up is in order of arrival. Watch their Instagram for the Zoom link to read.
🔗https://www.instagram.com/OpenMindsOpenMic/
⭐🎤 JUN 22 · Authortunities Open Mic Listen to your favorite poets and prosers share their work every Saturday at 9 pm EST! Pre-recorded from the week before. Want to read next week? Sign up to read here: https://forms.gle/eqwc72bzjED8p6hQ8.
🔗https://authortunities.substack.com/s/authortunities-open-mic
⭐🎓 JUN 22 · Master Class: Writing Fight and Action Scenes with NY Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry from 10am - 1 pm PST (1-4pm EST) via ZOOM. Well-written fights and chase and action scenes can turn a book into a red-hot page-turner…but they have to be done right. Join NY Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry for a no-holds-barred workshop on how to write believable and riveting fight and action scenes. Workshop costs $50. Proceeds benefit no-kill animal shelters.
⭐🎤 JUN 23 · Rattlecast livestreams, a livestreaming poetry reading and podcast, is part interview and part reading, with a prompt-based open mic. It’s a casual way to hangout with Rattle editor Timothy Green. Each Rattlecast begins with a Poets Respond Live segment, featuring poems about the news, and also features a writing prompt at the end of the show, and open lines for poems written for the last week’s prompt. Christine Potter | Rattlecast at 8 pm EST.
🔗https://www.youtube.com/live/t5PzUmfCWuA?si=mF9pHz-oFen6QvYR
⭐ JUN 23 · GoIndieNow presents This Week In Indies for 2024 a weekly Sunday chat show that covers issues relevant for Indie artists and the scoop on who is publishing what and where you can get it. Broadcasting every Sunday at Noon ET/11a CT/10a MT/9a PT.
🔴 JUN 24 · Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors short story contest closes to submissions of stories from 2,500 to 5,000 words that “show us the world you dream of building… set sometime between the near future and roughly the year 2200.” The winning story receives $3,000, second and third receive $2, 000 and $1,000. Nine finalists will each receive $300. Free to enter.
🔗https://grist.org/climate-fiction/imagine-2200-contest-submissions
🔴 JUL 24 · The Bad Day Book-Teaching/Parenting Edition closes for fiction and poetry under 1200 words in first person narration and told in past tense. Payment is All stories and poems 199 words or under words will be paid $40 for publication. All stories and poems 200 words and over will be paid $75 for publication.
🔗https://thebaddaybook.com/faq/
⭐🎓 JUN 25 · An online Harvard Diversity Discussion on “Race and Aging: Cultural Expectations” will be open to the public via Zoom from 5-6 pm EST.
🔴 JUN 25 · Off Topic Publishing’s Poetry Box closes to submissions of poetry to be sent out as a physical card with tea and chocolate to subscribers. Payment is for $30 CAD.
🔗https://offtopicpublishing.com/opencalls/
🔴💲 JUN 26 · The Book Project Fellowship closes applications to cover partial or full tuition for the entire two-year program designed to help writers of book-length manuscripts. Writers of fiction, nonfiction, short stories, memoir, and hybrid texts can apply for the fellowship.
🔗https://www.lighthousewriters.org/book-project-fellowships
⭐🎓 JUN 26 · Telling and Retelling Fairy Tales: How to Write Your Own Fairy Tales, taught by Alicia King Anderson, Ph.D, is a 6-week online course via Zoom, from Wednesday, June 26 - July 31 at 7 pm EST. Students will have access to a virtual classroom that will include an archive of all videos, additional resources for homework between sessions, as well as links and downloads of supporting materials and suggested reading. All classes will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. Course costs $185 Patreon Members / $195 General Admission.
🔴 JUN 28 · Rattle Magazine’s “Poets Respond” challenge calls for poems inspired by “a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since.” Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com which appear to over 10,000 people via RSS feed and daily email service. Poets will receive $100 and a complimentary subscription to the print magazine. The deadline for each week is Friday at midnight PST.
🔗https://rattle.submittable.com/submit/30232/poets-respond-online
🟢 JUL 28 · Reedsy Prompts opens until the following Friday for short fiction between 1,000 - 3,000 words based on one of five prompts. Writers have until the following Friday at 11.59pm EST to enter. No fee to enter and have work posted. $5 fee to be eligible for the $250 cash prize. New prompt every Friday.
🔗https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
🔴 JUN 28 · Havok is closed for flash fiction to the theme of “Remember September” in “all five genres: mystery, science fiction, humor, thriller, and fantasy.” Payment is $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology; no payment for online publication.
🔗https://gohavok.com/submission-guidelines/upcoming-themes/
⭐🎓 JUN 28 · The Authortube Writing Conference is a free three-day conference on YouTube and is open to anyone who wishes to know more about the writing and publishing world.
🔗https://www.authortubewritingconference.com/
✅🔴🏆 JUN 28 · The Edgar® Awards, sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America, honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater. Submissions close for books published in May. Books must be submitted during the month of publication. In addition, the book MUST arrive to the judges within 30 days of sending the submission form to the national office.
🔗https://mysterywriters.org/edgars/edgar-submission-information/
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