91 Calls for Submissions in August 2025 - Paying markets

This August there are more than six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new submission calls.

(Image: Pixabay)

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Celestial Glossary. Genre: Fiction and creative nonfiction: up to 7,000 words; Comic strips: up to 10 pages; Visual art submissions: up to 2 per submission; Poetry: up to 5 poems per submission. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens August 1, 2025. No fee for submissions until cap is reached.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Prose. They prefer stories under 3,000 words but will consider up to 5,000 words. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens August 1, 2025 Free submissions open on the 1st of each month and close when cap is reached.

ryga. Genre: Poetry, prose and short plays. Payment: $50. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: August 1, 2025. See themes.

The First Line Journal. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry using the line provided. (See theme) Payment: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

We'Moon Lunar Calendar. Restrictions: Open to women only. Genre: Art, poetry and prose, 350 words maximum. Payment: Small honorarium; art up to $500. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Acid and Ultra Violence. Genre: Speculative fiction stories (science fiction, fantasy, horror) that center around implements of murder—the tools, devices, artifacts, or weapons used to kill. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Lucky Jefferson: Awake. Restrictions: Open to Black Writers and Artists. Genre: Poetry, prose, essays, art on theme. Payment: $15 - $50. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Geist. Restrictions: Canadian connection required. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Payment: $100 - $1000. Deadline: August 1, 2025. Geist offers no-fee general submissions for Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of color.

BOA Editions — Blessing the Boats Selections. Genre: Book of poetry by Women of Color. Payment: $1500 + Publication. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Dark Waters. Genre: Dark fiction up to 7,000 words. See theme. Payment: Up to $25. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Fearmoji: Queer Emoji Horror. Genre: Adult queer horror. Word Count: 4000–7500. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Burial Books: Science Fiction Short Stories. Genre: Science fiction short stories between 2000 and 8,000 words in length. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Burial Books: Sword and Sorcery Short Stories. Genre: Sword and sorcery fantasy short stories between 2000 and 8,000 words in length. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Howdy Dude. Genre: Western stories between 2,000 and 8,000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 1.5 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Saddlebag Dispatches. Genre: Short stories, poetry, and non-fiction articles about the West. Payment: $10 - $20. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: August 2, 2025. Opens August 1.

Splinter. Restrictions: Open to First Nations people. Genre: Fiction, poetry, poetry collections, profiles, CNF, etc. "We’re interested in the fractures and the fight, the moments of stillness, the ridiculous. What does it mean to carry culture, to carry knowledge in a world that wants us to forget? What does survival feel like today — and what does joy look like in the cracks?" Payment: $250 - $900. Deadline: August 3, 2025.

Witch House. Genre: Cosmic horror. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 3, 2025.

The Suburban Review. Genre: Prose, art, poetry. See theme. Payment: $300 - $500. Deadline: August 3, 2025.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 4, 2025. Note: This is a monthly call.

Affirm Press. Restrictions: Open to Australians only. Genre: All literary and genre fiction. For non-fiction, they are interested in most subjects that have a connection to Australia. authors or authors based in Australia, and only manuscripts that haven’t been previously published. They only accept submissions on the first Monday of each month. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 4, 2025.

The Fabulist. Genre: Fantastical flash fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: August 6, 2025. Opens August 5. Closes when cap is reached.

Abyss and Apex. Genre: Speculative fiction. No horror. Payment: USD $.08/word (eight cents a word) up to 1,000 words, and a flat payment of $80.00 for longer stories. Deadline: August 7, 2025.

Old Moon. Genre: Weird sword-and-sorcery. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: August 7, 2025.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: August 7, 2025.

Black Inc. Restrictions: Open to Australians. Genre: Full-length general, literary and commercial non-fiction – including history, current affairs, memoir and biography. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 7, 2025. This is a monthly call.

For What It's Worth. Genre: Creative nonfiction that has some pop-cultural "thing" at their center and combine elements of memoir and cultural criticism. Length: 25-30K words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 9, 2025.

Vellum Mortis. Genre: Horror. Length: 1000 words max. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 10, 2025.

Raconteur Press. Genre: Speculative fiction. Ghost ships, cursed treasures in ancient tombs guarded by legendary creatures, and haunted lost islands. Pirates and the people who fight them, with magical or supernatural themes. Not limited to fantasy. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 10, 2025.

Big Score Lit. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, CNF. Payment: $400 per accepted prose piece; $100 per accepted poem; up to $800 for critical essays (pitch first).  Deadline: August 10, 2025, or until they reach 200 submissions.

Pseudopod. Genre: Horror Anthologies and Collections of stories that have been or will be published in 2025. Payment: USD $0.08 per word for original fiction. USD $100 per story for reprint fiction. Deadline: August 11, 2025.

Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, CNF, translations. comics, photography. Payment: $75 CAD. Deadline: August 11, 2025.

Falling Star Magazine. Genre: Short stories on theme: New Home. Payment: $20. Deadline: August 11, 2025.

Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Bright Wall/Dark Room. Genre: Essays on film and TV. See theme. Payment: $50 per essay. Deadline: August15, 2025.

Common Bonds 2 Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Length: up to 7,500 words for fiction, up to 100 lines for poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $60 for poems. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Beaches and Trails Publishing: Unseen Agreements Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We are seeking speculative short stories (3,000–5,000 words) that explore hidden bargains, mysterious contracts, and eerie agreements. Think cursed pacts, veiled deals, ancestral oaths, and otherworldly negotiations. Stories may be fantasy, horror, supernatural, sci-fi, folkloric, or genre-bending, but must center on the idea of an agreement with consequences." Payment: $50CAD. Deadline: August 15, 2025. 

Cantine Press. Genre: Novella, essay collection, or short story collection. Submissions can be in English, French, or Spanish, or a combination of the three. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 15, 2025. 

long con. Restrictions: Canadian residents only. Genre: Prose and poetry about art. Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: August 15, 2025 extended deadline.

Subterrain. Genre: Creative nonfiction, commentary, fiction and poetry. See theme. Payment: Poetry: $50 per poem; Prose: $.10 per word (to a maximum of $500). Deadline: August 15, 2025. Fee if submitted online. No fee if submitted by mail. Journal is located in Canada.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: August 15, 2025. 

Crimson Quill Quarterly. Genre: Dark fantasy, sword & sorcery, and ​grimdark ​subgenres of fantasy. Payment: $35. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Mmemory Anthology. Genre: Speculative stories of memory manipulation. Length: Up to 2000 words. Payment: $0.08/word. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

The Lorelei Signal. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and poetry with strong female characters. Payment: $15 for short stories, $5 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces, $5 for reprints. Deadline: August 15, 2025. Accepts reprints.

Lonely Cryptid: Trans/Port: Trans Speculative Fiction for a Queer Future. Genre: Speculative fiction. "The title of this anthology is intentionally open to interpretation. Give us trans like transporting, transforming, translating, transmitting, transcendental, transistor (radio? Sure!), and of course transgender! Give us port like any port in a storm, jacking in, porting software, and like we’ve opened a portal to another (better?) world!" Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: August 1 - August 15, 2025 priority window for folks historically marginalized or excluded from the publishing world due to race, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, class, or other structural inequity.

Belmont Story Review. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction. Payment: $100 for prose. Deadline: August 17, 2025.

Belmont Story Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 for poetry. Deadline: August 18, 2025.

Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Dark, eerie speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: $10 for fiction. Deadline: August 20, 2025.

Full House Literary. Genre: Poetry, prose, hybrid pieces, flash fiction, images, art, photos. Payment: £5. Deadline: August 20, 2025.

The Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy-tale inspired stories/poems. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 21, 2025.

The Deadlands. Genre: Fiction. "The Deadlands exists in liminal spaces between life, death, and elsewhere. We are looking for fiction that concerns itself with death—but also everything death may involve." Payment: 10 cents/word for fiction. Deadline: August 21, 2025. Accepts reprints. 

Farmer-ish. Genre: Nonfiction, CNF, poetry related to farming (including recipes). Payment: $25 for print journal. Deadline: August 22, 2025. See themes.

Sparks. Restrictions: Open to residents on the island of Ireland. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, poetry. Payment: €20 for a Short Story, €15 for Flash Fiction and €10 for a Poem. Deadline: August 23, 2025.

University of Queensland Press. Restrictions: Open to Australian citizens or permanent residents. Genre: Full-length Children’s and YA manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 23, 2025.

Flame Tree: Odysseus. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Stories that echo Odysseus' trials: voyages of wit, endurance, longing, and the winding path home." Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: August 24, 2025.

Flame Tree: The Valkyries. Genre: Speculative fiction. "This submission theme offers an exciting opportunity to explore and expand on existing stories associated with Valkyries (not simply retell classic tales) or imagine completely new names and narratives for those who have never seen the limelight.." Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: August 24, 2025.

Flame Tree: Dreams Divine and Of Swords & Roses. Genre: Romantic Fantasy. Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: August 24, 2025.

Griffith Review. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. Theme: On the Money. Payment: AUD$0.75 per word. Deadline: August 24, 2025.

Stygian Lepus Magazine. Genre: Dark speculative fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 25, 2025. This is a monthly call.

Uncanny Magazine. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $40. Deadline: August 26, 2025.

Search for the Any Key. Genre: Action/adventure, but can be placed in any time period, on other planets or any type of setting. All genres accepted and may contain humor, drama, romance, etc. Diverse characters welcome, human or otherwise. Payment: $15 plus royalties. Deadline: August 29, 2025.

Augur Press. Genre: Speculative literature that breaks down walls between literary and sci-fi/fantasy spaces. We seek work across genres: poignant dark fantasy, crisp science fiction, lush secondary world adventures, contemporary gothic, quiet myth-building, and dreamy realism. Length: Novellas and novelettes. Payment: Advance and royalties. Deadline: August 30, 2025.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Funny stories. Genre: Nonfiction. We are looking for 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? Payment: $200. Deadline: August 30, 2025.

Gwyllion. Restrictions: Writers living in Wales and writers who identify (fully, in part, or by ancestry) as Welsh. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Welsh themes. Payment: £15 per accepted story or poem. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Event Magazine.  Genre: Poetry, fiction. Payment: CAD $40/page for poetry and $35/page for prose, up to a maximum of $500. Deadline: August 31, 2025. Note: Closes when cap is reached.

Carmen et Error. Genre: Poems, 40(ish) lines max. Fiction, 400(ish) words max. Payment: £5. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Midnight and Indigo. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Payment: 7 cents/word. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Sundress. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2025. Submission fee is waived for all BIPOC writers.

 

Orion's Belt. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Length: 1200 words max. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Time After Time. Genre: Mystery short stories set in specific historical eras. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Thinking Ink Press. Genre: Literary postcards, Instant Books (mini books folded from a single sheet of paper), and other publications in non-traditional formats. Payment: $20. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Saraband: Inklings. Genre: Narrative non-fiction. "The Inklings is a series of pocket-sized pop culture books that introduce readers to a wide range of topics they might only have an inkling about!" Pitches only. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Nonbinary Review. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Theme: Erased from History. Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose; up to 3 pages for poetry. Payment: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry. $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art. Deadline: August 31, 2025. Accepts reprints.

Freelancing With Tim. Genre: Blog post about freelancing. Pitches only. Payment: $100. (Scroll down for info) Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Hellbound Books: Road Trip Terror. Genre: HellBound Books is seeking short horror stories for an anthology on the theme of bad trips. Payment: $15. Deadline: Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Broken Sleep Books. Genre: Non-fiction prose pamphets (up to 150 pages). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Dragon Soul Press: Poisons and Potions. Genre: All horror stories are welcome. All genres accepted. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Nashville Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art, and nonfiction. Payment: $25 per poem & song selection; $100 per selection for all other categories, including featured artwork. Translators receive $25 per poem & $100 for prose selections. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Cast of Wonders. Restrictions: Open to young authors. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. See themes. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words. For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

After Happy Hour. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, comics. Payment: $2.50 per printed page, with a minimum of $15 and a maximum of $50, on publication ($25 for the cover artist). Deadline: August 31, 2025. Free submissions are capped at 300, so submit early.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Bannister Press: Other Anthology series. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.08 CAD per word. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Dark Holme. Genre: Genre: Horror—specifically psychological, supernatural, speculative, or cosmic horror with emotional or philosophical undercurrents.​ Length: 30,000 to 50,000 words.​ See theme. Payment: £100.00. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Heartlines Spec. Restrictions: "Since Heartlines Spec is primarily a Canadian magazine, we're looking to feature writers identifying as being from Canada/Turtle Island. This includes expats, new immigrants, and people who refuse/resist Canadian Identity. Our goal for each issue is to publish at least 50% Canadian content." Genre: Short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. "We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules." Payment: $0.08 CAD per word for short fiction and $80 CAD flat for poetry. Deadline: Early submission period for equity-deserving groups August 24-31.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $75 for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews web issues. Deadline: August 31, 2025. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early.

Augur Magazine. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.14 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1000+ words), and a flat fee of $112.00 per flash fiction piece (1000 words and under); $100 per poem. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Watertower Hill Publishing accepts full-length manuscripts in the following genres:

• Adult Fiction
• Adult Memoir
• Adult Non-Fiction (including True Crime)
• Horror
• Christian Fiction/Non-Fiction
• Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi
• New Adult Fiction
• New Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi
• Romance (non-erotica)
• Poetry
• YA Fantasy and Sci-Fi
• Middle Grade Children's
• Novella Collections
• Short Story and Anthological Collections (Must adhere to editing requirements)

See submission details HERE. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

In the Mood. Genre: Essays, conversations, and unconventional forms of criticism like film diaries, poetry, and comics that delve into film, TV, music videos, and celebrity culture. Payment: $30 CAD. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

AND A FEW MORE...

IHRAM Publishes. Genre: Poetry, fiction, esssays, art. Theme: Enduring Voices: Life with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses. Payment: $50 for writing, $25 for art. Deadline: September 1, 2025.

Teach. Write. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF. "I prefer writing that is either written by composition teachers and writing students or about teaching and learning." Payment: $15. Deadline: September 1, 2025.

Ricochet Editions. Genre: Hybrid/Experimental work between 40 and 200 pages. "We are looking for purposeful experimentation with language and form that challenges or plays with convention." Payment: $500 and 50 copies of the perfect-bound book. Deadline: September 1, 2025. No submission fee for POC and Indigenous writers and writers facing financial hardship.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: September 1, 2025. See themes.

Variety Pack. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF, art. Payment: $10 for poetry and visual art; $20 for prose. Deadline: Opens  September 1, 2025.

Red Wolf Editions. Genre: Poems on theme: “Recovering Greenness.” Payment: Royalties? Deadline: September 1, 2025. (?)

Toronto Journal. Genre: Short stories from anywhere in the world. No word limit. "We will also consider non-fiction pieces that are either set locally or explore some local history (Toronto, GTA, and surrounding)." Payment: $50 CAD per piece. All published writers will also receive two printed copies of the issue in which they appear. Deadline: September 1, 2025.

Philadelphia Stories. Restrictions: Open to authors living in, or originally from, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New Jersey. Genre: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. Payment: $50. Deadline: September 1, 2025.

Fourteen Poems Genre: Poems. "We want to represent all that's thrilling about the new wave of LGBT+ poets. If you’re a poet, even if you’ve never been published before, we want to read your work. Every issue we publish 14 of the best queer poems we’ve found, and we want to include you! We publish 4 times a year, but take submissions all year round. To be considered, email up to 5 poems, preferably in a pdf format, with a small paragraph about yourself." Payment: £30 for each poem published. Deadline: September 1, 2025.

12 New Agents Seeking Kidlit, Nonfiction, Thrillers, Women’s Fiction, LGBTQ, Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA and more

Here are twelve new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Eva Oakes of Transatlantic Literary Agency

Originally from Colorado, Eva earned her BA from McGill University and now resides in Toronto. Eva has been with the Transatlantic Agency for nearly three years, first as an Editorial and Agent Assistant to Samantha Haywood, President & Literary Agent, and as an Associate Agent since 2024.

What she is seeking: Eva is building a list that includes a wide range of upmarket and literary fiction, as well as narrative nonfiction. She doesn’t represent YA, Middle-Grade or Children’s books.

How to submit: Queries can be sent to eva@transatlanticagency.com, and please put “Query: …” in the subject line. Authors are encouraged to email a cover letter with a sample/excerpt of the book in question. Please submit a maximum of 20 pages. Embed the sample/excerpt into the email after the cover letter.

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GiannaMarie Dobson of Neighborhood Literary

GiannaMarie Dobson (she/her) is a neurodivergent and disabled associate agent excited to build a list prioritizing disabled voices. 

She has interned and freelanced in publishing since 2021 and has sensitivity read manuscripts for publishers such as Ballantine Books at PRH, PRH UK, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Andrews McMeel, Faber Children's, and Image Comics. 

What she is seeking: She is currently looking for MG and YA fiction as well as adult SFF. I am prioritizing stories written by disabled authors or featuring disabled characters. She has a significant interest in queer stories, and stories by and about people who experience other marginalizations.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.

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Tianna Kelly of Neighborhood Literary

With over three years of experience in publishing marketing, Tianna Kelly brings a sharp eye for positioning, audience, and platform development to every project.

What she is seeking. Tianna is building a list that reflects her love of dark romance, sharp romantic comedies, genre-bending romantasy, and bold speculative fiction.

She’s especially drawn to Queer and own voices, stories with complex emotions, unforgettable relationships, and high-stakes worldbuilding—and she’s always looking for projects that blur the line between love and disaster (in the best way).

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE. 

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Des Salazar of Metamorphosis Literary Agency

A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Des Salazar holds an MFA in Fiction having completed a thesis containing translations of stories and poems from an archived journal and reflection essays. Des has a passion for writing and working with other writers. All it took was a Sandra Bullock movie to make them want to read stories, and later, they realized that their nerdy editing could get them there (just not like Sandra Bullock level of editor). Their experience includes associate editing at Allium Literary Journal and their current position as a fiction editor at MASKS Literary Magazine.

What they are seeking: 

• Romance
• Fantasy
• Horror
• LGBTQ+
• Literary
• Thriller
• Mystery
• New Adult
• Science Fiction
• Young Adult

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE. Open July and January.

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Tommy Dean of Rosecliff Literary

An award-winning writer and editor, Tommy Dean is the editor of Fractured Lit and Uncharted Magazine and the author of multiple flash fiction collections. His work has been recognized in Best Microfiction, Best Small Fiction, and The Lascaux Prize. With years of experience spotting standout stories, refining them, and championing their success, he brings a keen editorial eye and a deep understanding of what makes fiction compelling.

As an agent, Tommy is focused on building careers, amplifying unforgettable voices, and getting page-turning stories into the right hands.

What he is seeking: Tommy Dean specializes in mystery, suspense, thrillers, crime fiction, and upmarket fiction with a sharp edge. He is drawn to high-stakes narratives, complex characters, and stories that refuse to be put down.

Crime novels with anti-hero main characters will always get him, as will mystery novels that keep him guessing. He’s always interested in clear stakes, surprise endings, and stories that make him forget the outside world. Plus points for supercharged sensory experiences, characters yearning to understand their pasts and find a glimmer of hope. Give him your characters with secrets, past loves, past crimes, and past mistakes that lead to unique stories.

How to submit: Uses his querytracker form HERE.

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Jael Morrill of Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency

Jael Morrill joined The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency in July 2025 after a year-long internship with the agency. She graduated from Pikes Peak State College in 2021 with a degree in history. Before interning with the agency, she had previously worked as a research assistant for a historian.

When not reading, she can be found drawing, painting, tangled up in all manner of fiber and textile art projects, and working on writing stories with her spouse. 

What she is seeking: Jael represents adult and young adult fiction and nonfiction. 

NONFICTION: I would love to see books that focus on rarely told history, have a focus on cultural anthropology, or have to do with the arts. Memoirs from marginalized voices are especially welcome. Topics covering disability, queer experiences, and those hurt by fundamentalist movements are especially close to my heart, though I always welcome learning something new.

ADULT AND YOUNG-ADULT FICTION: I am eager to represent richly immersive science fiction and fantasy. I love seeing fresh takes on noir thrillers, horror with hope at the core of the story, and campy mysteries— especially if they contain speculative elements. Stories that contain queer characters, whimsical world-building, and witty but grounded dialogue are often my favorite things to read. 

NOT FOR ME: Please do not send me children's lit or genre romance (romantic elements within the story are fine!).

How to submit: Please direct queries to queryjmorrill@gmail.com

Nonfiction: please send me your query, a 1-2 page synopsis, table of contents, and sample chapter. For history, please additionally send me a sample bibliography.

Fiction: please send me your query, a 1-2 page synopsis, and the first 25 pages of your project.

I endeavor to respond to queries within 6 weeks.

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Rhian MacGillivray of Birch Literary

Before joining Birch Literary, Rhian worked for more than a decade as a Spanish-English translator, editor, and proofreader.

What she is seeking: Rhian is looking for adult commercial or upmarket fiction that can be classed as women’s, book club, historical, romance, or fantasy or romantasy fiction. Ultimately, she wants fiction that will make her feel something, keep her up late at night, and have her still thinking about it months down the line. She's a sucker for coming-of-age stories and those told with multiple POVs, whatever the genre.

Women’s fiction: strong female characters facing difficult choices and complex relationships, like Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, or anything in the vein of Taylor Jenkins Reid or Kristin Hannah.

Book club fiction: emotional depth and human connections, or ones that will open up a new world to her, like video games in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, and hockey culture in Beartown by Fredrik Backman, while exploring different themes.

Historical fiction: fiction that's well-researched and that immerses the reader in another time and place. If it’s got a bit of romance thrown in, all the better, like the incredible In Memoriam by Alice Winn.

Romance: strong characters, big emotions, complicated relationships, and more. Not a good fit for the fake dating trope. Spice is okay, but it shouldn’t feel gratuitous.

Fantasy/romantasy: romantic fantasy where the romance is not necessarily front and center, but rather the plot shines and the romance is secondary. Anything that involves high stakes, political intrigue and dynamics, scheming, and unlikely heroes, such as Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley.

Rhian is not seeking any YA, children’s fiction, or non-fiction books at this time.

How to submit: Please send a short query letter along with the first three chapters or 10,000 words of your manuscript, and a 1-2 page synopsis, all in one Word document to rhian@birchliterary.com.

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Lauren Khan of FinePrint Literary

Lauren Khan joined FinePrint Literary in 2025 as an Associate Agent following an internship at Triada US Literary Agency. She first entered the publishing world as an author. Prior to transitioning to agenting, she worked for over seven years as a corporate lawyer in New York City. Lauren brings both editorial and transactional expertise to her clients.

Lauren lives with her family in her small beach hometown in Florida. She wrote her first novel while pregnant with her son and began agenting while pregnant with her daughter. A graduate of Duke University and Fordham University School of Law, she loves podcasts, long walks with her dog, and all things Nora Ephron. As a former theatre kid, Lauren is a lifelong champion of storytelling, subjecting her loved ones to her songs, stories, and plays from the moment she could talk.
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What she is seeking: An avid reader across genres, Lauren is particularly interested in adult and YA commercial fiction, especially women’s fiction, romance, mysteries, and thrillers, as well as select non-fiction titles. She is an editorial agent with a strong interest in developing fulfilling and long-lasting careers for her authors.

How to submit: Use her querytracker form HERE.

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Amanda Elliott of Movable Type Management

Due to her lifelong desire to connect with people through their art, Amanda Elliott went back to school to obtain her MFA in Creative Writing and MA in Publishing from Rosemont College. Previously, she interned at Grosvenor Literary Agency and worked as a developmental editor, where she committed herself to helping authors achieve their most effective and authentic writing. Before making the transition to publishing, Amanda was a social worker for nearly a decade, where she developed an ear for understanding the diverse yet universal stories we all carry with us. She has worked as a foster care social worker and most recently as a homelessness advocate, and is mom to one precocious, dinosaur-loving three-year-old.

What she is seeking: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult.

• High-concept dystopian with a great hook and voice
• Character driven cozy romantasy
• Fantasies that feel fun, fresh and light, but don’t shy away from serious themes
• Anything with Christmassy magic
• Obsessive-compulsive representation
• Books that mix puzzles and riddles with magic
• Magical settings as characters
• Unique boarding schools for young adult readers

How to submit: Submissions should be emailed to aelliott@movabletm.com. Please email your query and first three chapters.

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Ginger Hutchinson of Movable Type Management

After graduating with a degree in Film Studies, Ginger Hutchinson went on to become Wesleyan University’s Kim Frank Fellow of Creative Writing, building upon years of experience as an editor in publication, workshop and teaching environments. As an educator, most recently with the Free Library of Philadelphia, Ginger has been committed to nurturing creativity and embracing the power of storytelling to connect each of us with a sense of purpose, community and appreciation of one another’s unique way of navigating the world. Ginger grew up in rural Florida amidst a large, rambunctious family and massive system of natural springs; all its pre-historic creatures and people who often seem odd to outsiders are regular characters in the story she carries through life.

What she is seeking: Fiction: Bookclub, Commercial, Crime, Domestic Thriller, Family Saga, Historical, Horror, LGBTQ, Literary, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Speculative, Thriller, Women’s Fiction. Non-Fiction: Fashion, History, LGBTQ, Pop Culture, Psychology, Science, Self-help, True Crime

How to submit: Please send a query letter, first chapter, comparable titles and a short bio to ghutchinson@movabletm.com.

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Milan Wilson-Robinson of Red Sofa Literary

Milan Wilson-Robinson’s career in the book industry spans bookselling, event coordinating, and publishing. Prior to joining Red Sofa Literary, she served as Marketing and Publicity Associate at Milkweed Editions. She studied literature at the University of London - City Campus, and holds a BA in English and Music minor from Saint Catherine University.

What she is seeking: Fiction: marginalized voices, unreliable and morally ambiguous characters, dark comedy, writing that shifts plot and characters in tandem when it serves the story

Non-Fiction: Cooking and Baking, Food/Wine writing, music, art, and performance arts, anything about Amrita Sher-Gil, Francesca Woodman, or Dorothy Dandridge, film analysis, memoirs about artists, travel writing (especially from a BIPOC lense).

Writers I enjoy: Zadie Smith, Kiley Reid, Ottessa Moshfegh, Melissa Broder, Raven Leilani, Issa Rae, Michaela Coel, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Donald Glover, Jordan Peele, Candice Carty-Williams, Julie Powell, Hanif Abdurraqib, Julie Powell, Samantha Irby, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Toni Morrison, Danez Smith, Sterlin Harjo, and Quinta Brunson.

How to submit: Send your query to milan [at] redsofaliterary [dot] com

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Aashna Avachat of Neighborhood Literary

Aashna Avachat is an author of YA books and has interned and assisted at various agencies. Previously, she was an assistant at Andrea Brown Literary Agency for over three years.

What she is seeking: She is currently building a list focused on authors of color and is looking for kidlit, commercial adult fiction, select non-fiction, and illustrators.

How to submit: Use her querymanager form HERE.

43 Writing Contests in August 2025 - No entry fees

This August there are more than three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $20,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

[Image: Grinter Sunflower Farm: Flickr]

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Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize: Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Granum Foundation Prize helps U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works. Additionally, a Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated by a U.S.-based writer. Prize: One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more; $500 or more will be awarded to one writer working in translation. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants. Restrictions: Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genre: Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize: $2500. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Epigram Books Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Authors must be Singaporean, Singaporean permanent resident or Singapore-born. Genre: A full-length, original and unpublished novel written in the English language. Prize: $20,000. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

NOMAD Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, visual art, industry specials, and criticism/reviews/interviews on theme "Fragility." Prize: $75. Deadline: August 1, 2025.

Only Poems Poem of the Month. Genre: Poetry. See theme. Prize: $33. Deadline: August 7, 2025.

Oregon Literary Fellowships. Two fellowships (one $10,000 grant and one $3,500 grant) are reserved specifically for writers of color. There are also fellowships for women/gender-nonconforming writers as well as special fellowships for fiction writers who have lived in Oregon over the past 5 years. Deadline: August 8, 2025.

Literature Matters. Restrictions: UK residents. Genre: "Awards will be given to individual writers or other literary creators, recognising their past achievements and providing them with financial support to undertake a proposed new piece of writing or literary project. Launched as part of the RSL’s new Literature Matters programme, priority will be given to proposals which (a) will help connect with audiences or topics outside the usual reach of literature, and/or (b) will help generate public discussion about why literature matters." Award: £20,000. Deadline: August 8, 2025.

John Glassco Translation Prize. Sponsored by Literary Translators' Association of Canada. Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents only. Genre: The work submitted must be the translator's first published book-length translation into English or French. Prize: $1000. Deadline: August 8, 2025.

Peter Blazey Fellowship.  Restrictions: Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre: Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize: $20,000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline: August 11, 2025.

Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English between  July 1, 2025, and September 30, 2025. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

The Gotham Publish a Book Scholarship. Restrictions: Open to people of color who have completed a book manuscript (or nonfiction book proposal) and are ready to go to market with their book. Three fellowships will be offered every year. Prize: Admittance to a Gotham Writers Conference—the panels and presentations as well as a seat at a pitching roundtable with two agents in your genre. The Gotham course How to Get Published or Nonfiction Book Proposal. A one-on-one Agent Evaluation session and  a Query Letter Coaching session, both with a literary agent. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

The Republic of Letters. Genre: CNF. Talk about something you’ve done in your life — however small, however apparently inconsequent. Prize: $50. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Freudenheim Translation Prize. Genre: Jewish literature in translation. "This international prize celebrates excellence in translating fiction and non-fiction into English, highlighting the power of Jewish literature to engage international and diverse audiences. The inaugural prize will consider books published in English between June 2023 and June 2025." Prize: £3,000 award to the winning translator. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

53-Word Story Contest. Genre: Flash fiction of exactly 53 words based on monthly theme. Prize: Publication and a free book. Deadline: August 15, 2025. (Note: This is a monthly contest)

The Yale Drama Series. Genre: Full-length play, with a minimum of 65 pages. Prize: $10,000, publication of the manuscript by Yale University Press. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Waterford Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents of Ireland. Genre: Poem. Prize: First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Society of Classical Poets Haiku Competition. Genre: Haiku. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for one story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Forum Prize. Genre: Essay on the subject of: ‘Anniversaries’. To mark the 60th anniversary of Forum for Modern Language Studies, we are looking for bold, visionary and persuasive essays that use academic research to pursue innovative questions. The winning essay will be that judged by the panel to have best addressed the topic with flair, ambition and resonance.The topic may be addressed from the perspective of any of the literatures (including literary linguistics, translation and comparative literature approaches) normally covered by the journal: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish." Prize: £500 and publication. Deadline: August 15, 2025. 

Ligonier Valley Writers. Genre: Flash fiction on theme;1000 words max. Prize: The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline: August 15, 2025.

Stone Canoe. Restrictions: Open to people who live or have lived in Upstate New York (not New York City). Genre: Poetry. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: August 18, 2025. (It is difficult to find this information on their website.) 

Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative Grant. Genre: Investigative journalism addressing antisemitism and other prejudices that threaten Jewish rights to dignity and self-determination. Prize: $2000 - $5,000 grant. Deadline: August 20, 2025. See Facebook announcement HERE.

Pen and Quill. Restrictions: Only writers between ages 12 and 21 years can enter. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and other (which do not fit poetry or fiction, like nonfiction, experimental work, scripts). Theme: “Longing and Dreamscapes”. Prize: $200, $100, $50; $20 for a middle school standout. Deadline: August 21, 2025.

Perseverance and Resilience through Poetry Contest: Edward W. Lull Memorial. Restrictions: Only open to veterans of all branches of the U.S. military. Genre: Poetry. Poems should celebrate perseverance & resilience of veterans during Active Duty service and/or re-entry into civilian life following service. Prize: $50 - $100. Deadline: August 24, 2025.

Write the World: Flash Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Flash fiction, 100 words max. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: August 25, 2025.

RSL V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. Genre: Short story. Prize: £1,000. No-fee entries are available for the first 50 low-income UK writers. Deadline (for fee-free enries): August 28, 2025.

Women's Prize for Fiction. Genre: Published novel by a woman. Entrants must be writing in English and must be published in the UK between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. All subject matters and women of any age, from any nationality or country of residence are eligible. Prize: £30,000.00. Deadline: August 29, 2025.

Preservation Foundation Biographical Nonfiction Contest. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. Genre: Biographical Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

PADIBA Awards 2026. Genre: Traditionally published PB/GN and MG/YA novel that features intersectional protagonists. Prize: $1500. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Katherine Mansfield Society Essay Prize 2025. Genre: Essays that address any aspect of the theme of Katherine Mansfield’s Men. Prize: £200 and the winning essay will be considered for publication in Katherine Mansfield Studies, vol. 18 (2026). Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Kindle Storyteller Award (UK). Restrictions: The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre: Book. Prize: £20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Mustapha Matura Award. Restrictions: The competition is open to any playwright of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK. Entrants must be 25 years or under at the time of submission. Genre: Stage play in English. Television, radio plays and film scripts will not be considered. Prize: £3,000 top prize. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry collection (in English), at least 48 pages long, published between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the deadline year by an upstate New York author. Prize: $2000. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

“Kusamakura” Haiku Competition. Genre: Haiku. Prize: (Grand Prize) to one winner : goods worthy of ￥20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Poetry Archive NOW! WordView. Genre: Poetry. "Make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2025." Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. Genre: Short story with an overall word-count of 1500 on theme: "Secrets." Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Apex Flash Fiction Contest. Genre: Speculative fiction, 1000 words max. Prize: 8 cents/word or $10, which ever is greater. Deadline: August 31, 2025. Note: Apex Magazine’s Flash Fiction Contest is open from the 7th until the final day of each month. The contest is themed.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Flash fiction on theme of a niche hobby or special interest. Your story must be no longer than 101 words. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize: $250 top prize. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts. Restrictions: Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Iowa Short Fiction and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards. Restrictions: Any writer who has not previously published a volume of prose fiction is eligible to enter the competition. Genre: Short story collection. The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages. Prize: Publication by the University of Iowa Press, royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2025.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: August 31, 2025. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

34 Awesome Writing Conferences and Workshops in August 2025

This August there are more than two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, how to market your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

I have included conferences with deadlines that have already passed on this list to give you advance notice. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences.

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 

(Image: Lake Sunapee: Flickr)

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First Friday Book Talk & Reading Series. August 1, 2025: Online. "First Friday Book Talk & Reading with Charlie Peck. Author of "World's Largest Ball of Paint." Online event.

Florida Authors and Publishers Association Annual Conference. August 1 - 2, 2025: Orlando, Florida. "Six (6) optional small-group workshops are being scheduled, offering attendees options a more intimate setting to learn about specific topics related to the publishing industry. These focused workshops will be offered a la carte and are scheduled so that you may register for up to three (3)."

Into the Springs Writers Workshop. August 1 - 3, 2025: Yellow Springs, OH. Into the Springs is a full weekend of shared sessions, events and lunch, making your interaction with featured guest instructors and writer participants easily accessible.

Northwestern University Summer Writers’ Conference. August 2, 2025: Online. The conference is hosted by the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies MA in Writing and MFA in Prose and Poetry programs. Will be held online.

Vermont College of Fine Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference. August 2 - 8, 2025: Montpelier, Vermont. The conference is designed for writers with graduate degrees or equivalent experience. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, craft classes, and individual consultations with faculty members. "At the heart of the Postgraduate Writers' Conference's unique model is the small workshop size, with groups led by acclaimed faculty limited to five or six writers. The intimate format allows for an extraordinarily in-depth, far-reaching discussion of participants’ work. Beyond the daily group sessions, each member has an individual consultation with the workshop instructor. The schedule also features a rich menu of readings by faculty and participants, craft talks, generative writing sessions and social events that galvanize our vibrant, inclusive community." 

Frost Place Poetry Seminar. August 3 - 7, 2025: Online. The Seminar schedule features a daily presentation/discussion exploring aspects of craft and technique, an afternoon workshop of participants’ poems or individual, virtual meetings with faculty, and an evening reading, some by faculty poets and others featuring participants. The application deadline is July 1, 2025. Will be held online.

Poetry, Memory, and Creative Flow: A Generative Two-Night Mini. August 5 - 7, 2025: Online. xplore the power of poetry to connect with your roots, ignite new ideas, and transform your writing in these two inspiring sessions with award-winning author Aida Salazar.

Poetry and Flowers: A workshop on beauty and resistance with Taneum Bambrick. August 5 - 28, 2025: Online. This course will indulge in excess, abstract, and exclamation–will celebrate flowery language. We will read Bryan Byrdlong’s Strange Flowers, excerpts from other works such as Benjamin Garcia’s Thrown in the Throat, and poems from many other writers that personify or in other ways consider flowers as vehicles for communicating pain, possibility, joy, and love. With weekly prompts, each student should leave with approximately three poems, all of which will receive feedback through peer review and from the instructor. Application deadline June 10.

Black Voices: An In-Community Retreat for Storytellers. August 7 - 10, 2025: Boyds Mills, PA. This 3-night/4-day retreat is designed to spark your creativity and foster connections with fellow storytellers. Join Valerie Bolling, Jas Hammonds, and fellow storytellers for this in-community retreat for Black writers and illustrators. With a loosely structured schedule, the Black Voices retreat allows you ample time and space to engage in writing, illustrating, or simply exploring. We will host a virtual Q & A with editor Sydnee Monday from Kokila Books.

3rd Annual Idlewild Writers Conference. August 8 - 9, 2025: Idlewild, MI. Two-day writers conference with readings, workshops, manuscript consultations and a book fair. Gary Copeland Lilley, Poet-in-Residence.

Don't you wonder sometimes…about sound and vision? — a fiction non-fiction freewrite event with Kate Copeland. August 9, 2025: Online. The gift of Sound & Vision…right what David Bowie showed us! And so many others…The Go-Go’s got the beat, Aretha sang of Respect for a Natural Woman. Adding to this: in motion pictures we see working girls and hidden figures, plus Thelma, Louise and Frida too. In this 90 minute workshop, we will look at the harmony between song, film, words and the brain hemispheres! The non-fiction part is composed of lyrical memory, linguistic film theory, and prosody in poetry and linguistics.

International Women's Writing Guild Workshops and Retreats. August 9 - 28, 2025: Mostly online. See website for individual workshops and dates.

Working Retreat: Novels in Verse. August 10 - 13, 2025: Boyds Mills, PA. Verse Novelists, Novelists, and Poets, join Rajani LaRocca and Chris Baron for time to create and connect. Ideal for those working on a verse novel at any level, even in the idea stage.

Elk River Writers Workshop. August 10 - 15, 2025: Chico Hot Springs, MT. The Elk River Writers Workshop embodies the idea that deep, communal experiences with the wild open the door to creativity. We bring together some of the most celebrated nature writers in the United States with students who are serious about fostering a connection with the environment in their writing. It all happens at Chico Hot Springs, a historic retreat just north of Yellowstone National Park. 

Murphy Writing of Stockton University: Live Free and Write. August 10 - 15, 2025: 

Sunapee, NH. "Combine an extended writing retreat with a relaxing summer vacation in the picturesque mountains of New Hampshire. This getaway blends our trademark challenging and supportive workshop experience with plenty of free time for you to write and bask in the refreshing New England summer." 

Odyssey Writing Workshop. August 11, 2025 (12 weeks): Online. Since its inception in 1996, Odyssey has become one of the most highly respected workshops for writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Will be held online. Application deadline April 1.

Getting the Gig: A Two-Night Mini on Speaking Opportunities for Storytellers. August 12 - 14, 2025: Online. Whether you want to set up school visits, participate in literary festivals, and/or pitch your ideas to storyteller organizations, Alyssa Reynoso-Morris wants to help you “get the gig!" and "get paid!"

Multimedia Writing: Hybrid Prose/Poetry. August 13, 2025: Online. This virtual workshop will be an introduction to multimedia writing, a hybrid genre that refers to writing in which multiple types of media are used in evocative, resonant, and innovative ways. We will unpack multimedia approaches through a range of forms including cine-poetry and collage using exploratory questions such as: How can incorporating other forms of media / a variety of elements beyond text enhance the intended impact of a poem? What questions, tensions, and complications can help guide you through the multimedia, hybrid creative process? In this workshop we will engage with form-ranging projects from writers including Victoria Chang, Claudia Rankine, Jennifer S. Cheng, Eloisa Amezcua, and more. The workshop will also provide time to free write and share work, to talk about how the writing process felt/went, and to share resources as well as further recommended reading.

Nonfiction Retreat: Science, Nature, Biography, and More. August 13 - 16, 2025: Boyds Mills, PA.. If you have an idea or draft of a nonfiction project and need a little support to move your work ahead, this retreat is for you! You’ll enjoy presentations, guided outdoor experiences, small group discussions of your work, and so much more with nonfiction writers Miranda Paul, Heather L. Montgomery, and their guests. Waitlisted.

Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. August 13 - 23, 2025: Ripton, VT. Workshops in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are at the core of the conference. Each faculty member conducts a workshop that meets for five two-hour sessions over the course of the 10 days. Groups are kept small to facilitate discussion, and all participants meet individually with their faculty leaders to elaborate on workshop comments. Faculty members also offer lectures on issues around literary writing and one-hour classes on specific aspects of the craft. Readings by the faculty, conference participants, and guests take place throughout the day and into the night. Participants meet with visiting editors, literary agents, and publishers who provide information and answer questions, individually or in small groups. Application deadline February 1.

Travel Writers & Photographers Conference. August 14 – 17, 2025: Corte Madera, Calif. Writing and photography workshops in the morning, a full afternoon of panels and discussions, and evening faculty presentations. There are optional, working field trips to explore the resources of the Bay Area. The faculty includes publishers, magazine editors, photographers, travel essayists, food writers, restaurateurs, guidebook writers, and more. 

Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Week. August 14 - 18, 2025: Rutgers. For more than 20 years, the Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Workshop has offered a safe space for Black writers in intensive workshop sessions and master classes. Workshops are led by award-winning writers who are influencing today’s literature. The program features critiques, craft talks, writing time and public readings. Hurston/Wright workshops serve emerging and experienced writers who are starting projects, developing projects or seeking to polish projects. More than a thousand writers have participated in workshops since the first session in 1996. See website for individual workshops.

The 2025 Online Chesapeake Writing Workshop. August 15-16, 2025: Online. This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited online “seats” at the event (200 total).

Poetry at the Frost Farm. August 15 - 17, 2025:  Derry, New Hampshire. The retreat offers workshops, readings, and one-on-one consultations for formalist poets. "Join a small community of people at the historic Robert Frost Farm learning, reading and writing formal poetry with contemporary award-winning poets. Choose your focus from a series of offerings designed to provide tools for beginning poets as well as perfect the mastery of published poets." 

Whole Novel Workshop: An In-Person Retreat for Novelists. August 17 - 22, 2025: Boyds Mills, PA. This intensive, transformative Whole Novel Workshop offers writers the rare opportunity to have the entire draft (up to 80,000 words) of a novel read by faculty, with detailed written feedback and two private consultations provided. Attention in an intimate setting makes this program one that guarantees significant progress in preparation for submission. Apply by June 3, 2025.

#HFGather: Writing for and Writing WITH Kids. August 18, 2025: Online. Join us for our next free HFGather exploring what it means to write with kids, and why discovering how to write with kids is an important skill for those who write for kids! Free.

Big Picture Revision: A Two-Night Mini with Editor Harold Underdown. August 19 - 21, 2025: Online. Get a smart, strategic boost for your manuscript with Harold Underdown’s quick-hit course on 'big picture' revision techniques for children's writers.

Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference. August 21 - 24, 2025: Nashville, TN. The Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford in an effort to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. "At the conference, we try diligently to ensure that the weekend has something for every writer and lover of literature, and our sessions are structured to assist writers on multiple career levels. Our learning tracks tackle the craft of writing, business of writing, marketing, and forensics. Killer Nashville features nine breakout sessions for intense smaller group interaction, an authors’ bar (free for hotel guests), a moonshine and wine tasting, free agent/editor roundtable pitch sessions, a mock crime scene designed by special agents and other law enforcement professionals, cocktail receptions, the Guest of Honor Dinner and Awards Banquet, film previews, live music performances and—of course—all the great activities one can enjoy in downtown Nashville."

Colrain Classic. August 22 - 25, 2025: Online. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3.5 day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop and editor sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session." Will be conducted online.

PJ Library Retreat: Picture Book Summer Camp. August 24 - 28, 2025: Boyds Mills, PA. "If you’re a pre-published author with a Jewish picture book in progress (or no more than one published book) we invite you to apply for five-days of inspiration, mentorship, fun, and creativity on the beautiful campus of the Highlights Foundation." Application deadline March 16.

DragonCon. August 28 - September 1, 2025: Atlanta, Ga. HUGE sci-fi event, with parade, autograph sessions, live performances, readings, wrestling (!), workshops on belly dancing, writing (yes, there's even some writing), art show. (This conference sounds really wild.)

Bear River Writers’ Conference. August 28 - September 1, 2025: Camp Michigania on Walloon Lake, near Petoskey, Michigan. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, discussions, nature walks, and time to write.

WriterCon. August 29  - September 1, 2025: Waterford, Oklahoma. The annual WriterCon Conference is three days of 60+ speakers providing more than 80 sessions designed to cover all genres and all aspects of the writing experience: skills, industry knowledge, opportunities, networking, pitching, contests, opportunities to meet with writers privately, to obtain manuscript reviews or private consultations, and much more.

The Gathering. August 30 - September 1, 2025. Workshops in poetry as well as readings. 2-hour Workshops & Readings Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. Participant Open Mics Friday and Saturday night. Will be held on Zoom.