OPPORTUNITIES
Check out this month’s opportunities below
AUGUST
- Harvill Secker-Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Award open to entries for writers of colour – deadline 4th August
- For 24 hours, United Agents Books Department will be holding an Open House submissions window to encourage submissions from under-represented groups – 9th August to 10th August – 10am to 10am
- Bad Form Magazine are looking for submissions from BLACK, ASIAN, AND RACIALISED COMMUNITY WRITERS IN THE UK – PAID. Deadline 18th August 2021
- Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour – deadline 22nd August 2021
- Southbank Centre’s New Poets Collective programme free bursary places and travel stipends are available. They especially welcome applications from Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse poets, LGBTQI+ poets, disabled or neuro-diverse poets and working-class poets. Deadline 29th August 2021
- Jericho Prize Celebrating Black-British new writing for children opens 2nd August deadline 2 September 2021
- Streetcake Prize is aimed at writers based in the UK and EU who are responding creatively & experimenting with we seek to identify and develop writers’ careers in the genres of short fiction and poetry – deadline 20th Sept 2021
- Sunspot Literary Journal call for submissions (international, paid) – deadline October 2021
- HQ Creative Inclusion Lab. Created with a mission to increase representation and inclusivity, and led by June Sarpong OBE, our purpose is to discover and nurture debut authors from underrepresented communities – ongoing
- The Black Ballad X Influx First Novel Award will be open in September for Black British women writers who have completed their first (unpublished) novel. (We’ll inlcude links once available)
SEPTEMEBER
- Riptide literary journal is calling for short story submissions 15 September
- Morland African Writing Scholarships 2021 Scholarships are open to anyone writing in the English language who was born in Africa, or both of whose parents were born in Africa 18 September
- Mslexia Women’s Fiction Competition 2021 – Novel for Adults 20 September
- JOFFE BOOKS PRIZE FOR CRIME FICTION WRITERS OF COLOUR 30 September
- Nan Shepherd Prize A biennial literary prize for underrepresented voices in nature writing – 6 AUGUST–6 OCTOBER
- Guts Publishing We accept submissions in these genres: memoir, creative nonfiction, autobiography and adult literary fiction – ongoing
- Scotland’s Creators’ Fund are now live. The fund aims to provide practical funding opportunities for Black and POC artists and creatives across Scotland – ongoing
- Peggy Ramsay Foundation We give money to theatre writers giving them the time and the space to write – ongoing
- The John Byrne Award is a creative competition, open to anyone living or studying in Scotland
OCTOBER
- The Women’s Prize Trust, Audible, Curtis Brown Literary Agency and Curtis Brown Creative Writing School are delighted to launch Discoveries 2022, searching for the most talented and original new female writing voices in the UK and Ireland 17th January 2022
- The 2022 Lancaster Playwriting Prize is now open to anyone from the North West of England who identifies as LGBTQAI+ aged 16 and up to and including the age of 30 25th October
- 404 INK WILL BE OPEN FOR PITCHES TO OUR INKLINGS NON-FICTION SERIES ACROSS OCTOBER 2021
- APPLICATIONS FOR LONDON WRITERS AWARDS 2022 31 October 2021
- The Betty Trask Prize and The Betty Trask Awards 30 November 2021
- The Eric Gregory Awards, for a collection by poets under the age of 30 31 October 2021
- The McKitterick Prize is given annually to an author over the age of 40 for a first novel, published or unpublished 31 October 2021
- Mslexia Women’s Poetry Competition 2021 December 2021
- THE BATH CHILDREN’S NOVEL AWARD 2021 30th November 2021
- US – NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre 1st November 2021
- US – WRITERS’ COLONY AT DAIRY HOLLOW FELLOWSHIP 29th November 2021
- US – TADPOLE PRESS 100 WORD WRITING CONTEST 30th November 2021
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
- Literary Agent Julia Silk is currently open to submissions imminent
- Willenfield Literary Agency is open for nonfiction and visual narrative submissions imminent
- Spread the Word has partnered with Wellcome Collection to launch an ambitious project aiming to find and support writers from underrepresented groups, who have a big idea for a non-fiction book for general readers, that engages with health and being human. 22nd November
- Searchlight Awards – Best Novel Opening for Children or Young Adults is open to anyone over the age of 16. 22nd November 2021
- The Shooter Literary Magazine’s Poetry Competition is open for poetry entries in any style or genre, until November 28th.
- Love Letters to London. We want you to tell us why you love this city. Write us up to 500 words around the theme of “recovery and resilience”. 30 November 2021
- Broken Sleep Books Seeking submissions of poetry pamphlets 30th November 2021
- Undiscovered Gems Seeking short story versions of unpublished books 1st December 2021
- PFD are running a Queer Fiction Prize for new LGBTQIA+ writers applications open December 2021
- Lyric Theatre Seeking scripts 5th December 2021
- The RSL Christopher Bland Prize is an annual award of £10,000 to a debut novelist or non-fiction writer first published aged 50 or over. 10th December 2021
- Talawa Free Script Reading Service Open to Black writers 15th December 2021
- VISIBLE Seeking submissions of poetry and prose from writers living with invisible disability 20th December 2021
- Landmark Prize for Fiction 1st January 2021
- Unleash Press £1,000 advance and standard contract for one winning manuscript. Novels, short story collections, and creative nonfiction manuscripts are accepted. 5th January 2022
- The Parracombe Prize 2022 is open for short story entries until 31st January 2022.
- The Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize 2022 is now open Feb 2022
- The Guernsey International Poetry Competition is open for entries until February 15th, 2022.
- The 2022 International Rubery Book Award is now open for self-published and independently published books, from all writers, until 31st March 2022.
- US ServiceScape Short Story Award 30 November 2021
- US The J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction 30 November 2021
- US Narrative Fall 2021 Story Contest 30 November 2021
- US The Masters Review is hosting its first Novel Excerpt Contest 30 November 2021
- US Writers from North Carolina and its border states — Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia — are invited to enter their work in four categories: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and flash. 1st December 2021
- US QUANTUM SHORTS 2021 FLASH FICTION CONTEST 16th December 2021
- Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Submissions 17th December 2021
- 2022 Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction – Black Entry 20th December 2021
- US ‘Awake’ Submission (A Digital Zine for Black Authors) 12th January 2022
- US – The 2022 DISQUIET Prize is now open for submissions in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. January 2022
- US We are looking for previously unpublished, CHARACTER-DRIVEN fictional short stories written by Black women writers. 31st January 2022
- US Waxing and Waning The Blackout Edition 30th January 2022
ZORA Online Course Feb 2024
ZORA Online Writing Course. Next course dates: 5th Feb – 29th Feb
Want to improve your writing but can’t find the time to attend a course? Our online creative writing course is perfect for busy and hectic lives. The assignments are sent to you every morning, so you can do them whenever and wherever you want!
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We Won An Award!
Last night REWRITE won the Best Online Platform at the inaugural Brown Sugar Awards!!! I was totally overwhelmed and didn’t prepare a speech, so here it is!
This award is an honour. To be recognised by my peers, by other amazing Black Women who know the tears, sweat, and sleepless nights that go into creating an organisation that is unapologetically dedicated to the betterment and development of Black Women & WoC. REWRITE was born out of a frustration, and a need to create a space that is For Us By Us. The journey has been long and beautiful. Thank you to: Jenn Augustine – the REWRITE ROCK – REWRITE would not be where it is without you! Thank you, Zahrah Nesbitt-Ahmed for your open spirit. Thank you, my Ride or Die, my partner in crime, Aiwan Obinyan, for seeing the vision way before I did. And thank you to Brown Sugar Movement Team – Oliva and Maria, for taking the time to reward and recognise Black Women.
Thank you!
Christina – Founder
Why does REWRITE make a distinction between Black women and women of colour?
Why does REWRITE make a distinction between Black women and women of colour?
The need to have a distinct space for women of colour to express themselves and have their work published can hardly be questioned. In a world where publishing is dominated by white, mostly male, authors, writers of colour have found it effective to publish works for us by us. Being at the intersection of race and gender, therefore, women writers of colour feel this need even more greatly. REWRITE is one of the organisations that is working towards filing this gap.
But the question why Black women, as women of colour themselves, should be held apart from other women of colour, may prove necessary. Are the experiences of women of colour not experiences that should be held in solidarity? This introduces a new intersection. Intersectionality, as Kimberle Crenshaw educates us, deals with “the fact that many of our social injustice problems like racism and sexism are often overlapping, creating multiple levels of social injustice”. She uses the example of roads that meet at an intersection, with each of these roads representing the different ways in which a person may be held back through unjust social practices and rules.
Black women, being at the intersection of gender, as well as the specific racial bracket of Blackness, experience life differently than would other women of colour. Their experiences influence their work differently, with different nuances related to Blackness, than it would other women of colour writers. So, where women of colour writers find themselves locked out from the publishing world, Black women of colour experience it even more so. But the consequence of Blackness does not extend only to struggle and injustice. The joys and triumphs of Black women at having overcome society’s burdens are also distinct. Their experiences remain unique, and so their work requires unique amplification.
REWRITE is proud to be a Black woman-led organisation.
Christmas Books for Babies, Besties & Boujee Aunties
Here is our ultimate, hand-picked list of what book(s) to get your favourite people for the holidays. We’ve made it even easier by linking the books straight to the buy link. If there’s a book you like, just click on the title and it’ll take you to the book. No need to thank us, we’ve got you.
For the Babies
For the daughters, nieces, neighbours, cousins’ kids, all the kids! Get them reading from young. These gorgeously illustrated books will guarantee smiles (and hugs).
For the Youngers
For the ones who are growing up too fast. Give them these, and if you see the books on their snapchat or insta, you did good! Check out our review of Children of Blood & Bone.
For the Bestie who is all about the Hustle
For the one who knows all about the cashback and discounts before anyone else. Check out our review of Slay in Your Lane
For the Boujee Aunty with the fur coat and the white husband
For everyone’s favourite Aunty. The one who comes with the best presents and the best shade.
For the Aunty who thinks no-one knows
For the Aunty who’s been living with her friend for the longest. Be a good ally – show Aunty some love. We love our LGBTQ family, we reviewed all three books.
For the Sister who loves to read
For the sister who always has three books on the go.
For Mama & Big Mama
For the ones who will be doing most of the cooking. Don’t forget them! Check out our review of An American Marriage.
For the Cousin who wants be a Poet
She may even write you a poem
For You
We saved the best for last.
Bonus
Give the unique and inspiring gift of writing. Buy the ZORA Online Creative Writing course for a sister or Aunty. Click here to buy.
REWRITE MEETS AIMEE FELONE (video)
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Meet Aimee Felone, the woman taking the publishing world by storm.