Weekly Roundup: March 29, 2024
Writing this with a heavy heart. This world is making less and less sense these days.
I wish more artists, especially writers, spoke up about what’s happening in Palestine. The silence is deafening. What’s worse is that I almost understand why some people may be silent mourners. Speaking up for Palestinians comes with consequences, after all. One Texas Tech professor Jairo I Fúnez-Flores was suspended because of his ani-colonial comments on social media. Given how so many writers are also academics, their silence almost makes sense. And that’s even more frustrating. I get that not everyone can afford to lose a job or has the courage to sacrifice for what’s right. I mean, heck, maybe it’s easy for me to say because I do not have a traditional 9-5. But man, when did revolution come without consequences? It leaves a bad taste in the mouth to see some writers be so vocal about race, LGBTQ, or women’s rights issues, but be so quiet when the same victims are Palestinians. What’s happening to Palestinians is racist. It’s in direct violation of women’s rights and human rights. But who’s listening, anyway?
I swing between empathizing with these writers and feeling anger and frustration at them several times daily but I guess that’s the life now.
Cognitive dissociation is the reality of our kind. In the past and also in the present. There is an Arabic word that summarizes this concept perfectly: Ghafla. A close translation of this word is heedlessness. That’s us, alright—we’re heedless. We’re fine with the world burning as long as the fire doesn’t touch our doorsteps. It was the same in the 40s during the then Holocaust in Europe and it is the same now with the current and ongoing Holocaust in Palestine.
Palestine (and Congo and Sudan and Kashmir and Yemen and Haiti and Rohingya and Uighur and others) is on us too, and our heedlessness.
Who am I to speak when I know the most I am doing for Palestine is liking social media posts and sharing/reposting them to bear witness and boost the algorithm?
I can almost feel the cognitive dissonance and my own hypocrisy as I write this. And I haven’t a clue what to do about it.
For the record, this is what we’re silent on, and many, many more like this or worse:
Opportunities
With a focus on creative and magazine writing. I try to include a mix of super high-profile and indie publications that are more beginner-friendly. (Click the names of the publications for detailed submission guidelines.)
Electric Literature: Sharing this a couple of days before they open submissions because it might be too late next week. They’re opening subs for the general public from April 1 through April 14, or until they reach 750 subs per category—whichever comes first. Said categories: short stories, essays, flash, poetry, and graphic narratives. Keep an eye on their Submittable page. They’ve also shared the following resources (via their newsletter): “For candid advice from our editors on how to make your work stand out, watch How to Get Published in Recommended Reading, How to Get Published in The Commuter, and Calling All Essayists: Electric Lit’s Creative Nonfiction Program.” Pay: $75 - $300 based on genre.
Colorado Review: Super last minute but just in case you have something ready to submit already… they’re open for fiction subs until March 31. Pay: $300. (Looks like their nonfiction and review categories are open without a deadline and poetry until April 30.)
Massachusetts Review: They’re accepting poetry, fiction, nonfiction, hybris, and translation until April 30. Pay: $100.
Image: Good news! Image is not shutting down, after all (phew!!!), per their tweet. If you didn’t know, last month they announced they’ll close down operations… but yeah, not anymore, thankfully. They accept submissions on a rolling basis for fiction, nonfiction. poetry, interviews, and other categories. Pay: $100 - $400 depending on genre and length.
Letter Review: They accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions year-round. Pay: $50.
Menagerie: Send your poems, fiction, nonfiction year-round. Pay: $50.
32 Poems: They’re open for subs (for poetry, hah) until April 30. Pay: $25.
The Sewanee Review: They’re open til May 31 for their fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and review submissions. Pay: unsure (according to Chill Subs, they pay $30+).
Joyland: here’s your periodic reminder that Joyland accepts short story and essay submissions year-round. Pay: $100.
Mudroom: They accept prose and poetry, and subs are open until April 25. Pay: Paid market, amount unknown (but Chill Subs lists $15.)
Short Story (Substack): This is a somewhat unique opportunity. They select one story every month from all the submission of the previous month. So, for example, if you submit something today, and your story isn’t picked in April, then that’s it. But you can always submit again next month. Pay: This one lucky writer gets $100 as a base-pay + 50% of the monthly revenue of this magazine. For example, according to their February stats, that month’s lucky winner received over $500.
BULL: They’re looking for something specific. According to this tweet, “Need some more stories about complicated women who do bad things and don't take sh*t from men (or do take sh*t up until they don't take sh*t….” Pay: none.
Passages North: Their nonfiction/hybrid, poetry, and short-short submissions are closing on April 15. Pay: none.
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*** Note: I cannot always vet each of these publications, unfortunately. So, please do your due diligence and research. See if their values align with yours, if there are conditions/restrictions to who can or cannot pitch/submit, whether or not they’re a paying market, how much they pay, etc., if these things matter to you.***
That is all for this week.
I was supposed to send the next installment of my All About Literary Magazines series by now, but this week was hard on many levels. I’ve also been working on a membership site for my other blog which is launching next month, so all in all, things have been sad, busy, weird, busy, sad and… deppressing.
Oh well. Have a good weekend and I’ll send the lit mag installment soon, in a day or two.
Thanks for being a subscriber.
Free Palestine 🍉