Unusual Call For Submissions

The Missouri Writers Project is currently accepting submissions for Holding Each Elephant's Tail: Voices from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars 2011 Prose & Poetry Contest. They're accepting poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. There's a $250 top prize in each genre. Word Limits: 5,000 words for Prose (Fiction and Creative Nonfiction); up to 3 poems (5 pages) for Poetry. The deadline for submissions is December 30, 2011. Winners will be announced by April 1, 2012. Submit electronically as a Word document. Please combine all poems into one document and use first poem as title. Put your name and contact information on the first page of your submission document and nowhere else within the manuscript. Please include a brief (75 word) bio with your submission. Send to: submissions(at)mowarriorwriters.com (replace (at) with @ in sending e-mail).

Esquire and Aspen Writers' Foundation Present THE SHORT SHORT FICTION CONTEST. Win a trip to New York to study with Colum McCann, and a scholarship to the Aspen Summer Words Fiction Workshop. Entries must be 78 words in honor of the 78th anniversary. See if you can beat Colum McCann (in 78 words). Here are the rules.


The Birmingham Arts Journal is calling for storm-related poems, stories & art to be published in the April 2012 "Storm" issue. The editors will consider work inspired by ANY storm in ANY location (geographic, emotional or otherwise). Submit WORD documents as attachments or within the body of the email to: editor(at)birminghamartsjournal.com (replace (at) with @ in sending email). They're accepting FICTION & NON-FICTION (up to 1,000 words. Excerpts and quotes of fewer than 1,000 words from longer works are published, too), POETRY (all types up to 50 lines. Shorter works preferred), ARTWORK & PHOTOGRAPHY (300dpi or higher digital files (.jpg or .tif) of artwork to be submitted via email or on disk). Note: Please include a biography (3rd person) of 50 words or less with your submission.

The Drum Literary Magazine and WBUR's Radio Boston have joined forces to create Zip-Code stories, an effort to involve listeners in the creation of stories about our communities. Submit 500-word stories about one of the four zip codes they will be announcing each month through Broadcastr's audio social-media platform. Submissions will also be accepted through The Drum's website or through snail mail to WBUR. Hear some previously recorded radio stories here. For more info, contact Henriette Lazaridis Power at editor@drumlitmag.com.

And lastly, announcing the call for submissions for The Best of Mormonism 2011, to be published at the end of the year. They're looking for previously published short stories, poetry, creative non-fiction, comics, novel excerpts, exceptional blog pots, and hybrids. They are hoping to include work from a variety of genres: from literary, to sci-fi, to horror, to humor, to devotional. All entries should be published in 2009-2010. Send submissions to bestofmormonism(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @ in sending email) by September 30, 2011. Include your name, title of work, publication information, and a link to proof of publication if possible. Attach your submission as a PDF. The author mus have retained nonexclusive reprint and electronic rights to the work.