WRITERS’ NEWS
http://www.writers-online.co.uk JULY 2019^83Head north
GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET
PDR Lindsay-SalmonPublished by the University of Michigan, Michigan
Quarterly Review calls itself an interdisciplinary and
international literary journal, featuring poetry, fiction, and
nonfiction, as well as works in translation. The journal has
an online presence where cultural commentary, reviews and
interviews with writers, artists, and cultural figures around
the world are showcased.
Submissions are open from August to December and
January to April.
Currently, as well as general submissions, there is a call
for submissions for a special water-themed issue, Not
One Without. The team want writers to provide ‘urgent,
complex, and revelatory writing on water from around the
world.’ Explore the paradoxes, water gives life and takes
it; it divides humanity, connects humanity, and is vital to
our planet. The team want ‘work that addresses any aspect
of water: ‘from the contested oil pipeline beneath the
Straits of Mackinac to water shut-offs in Cape Town; from
flooding in the Midwest to water scarcity in India and
the Sahel; from the role of water in regional and global
conflict and migration to the way that storm surges and
shifting coastlines are forcing us to rethink the shapes of
urban centres.’ Work may be nonfiction, fiction, poetry, drama, translations, or
pieces that don’t fit into a neat category.
Submit prose of 1,500 to 7,000 words, with 5,000 the average preferred length.
All published stories are automatically finalists for the $2,000 Lawrence Prize.
Poetry should be 3-6 poems in one document, not exceeding twelve pages in total.
Response time is ‘four to six months’. There is payment for published work.
Details: Michigan Quarterly Review, email: [email protected]; website:
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mqr/contact-us
And
another
thing...
And
another
thing...
‘A book is made from a tree.
It is an assemblage of flat,
flexible parts (still called
“leaves”) imprinted with dark
pigmented squiggles. One
glance at it and you hear
the voice of another person,
perhaps someone dead for
thousands of years. Across the
millennia, the author is speaking,
clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you.
Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions,
binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who
never knew one another. Books break the shackles of
time – proof that humans can work magic.’
Carl Sagan‘It is worth mentioning,
for future reference, that
the creative power which
bubbles so pleasantly in
beginning a new book quiets
down after a time, and one
goes on more steadily. Doubts
creep in. Then one becomes
resigned. Determination not to
give in, and the sense of an impending
shape keeps one at it more than anything.’
Virginia Woolf‘Go for broke. Always try and
do too much. Dispense with
safety nets. Take a deep breath
before you begin talking. Aim
for the stars. Keep grinning.
Be bloody-minded. Argue
with the world. And never
forget that writing is as close
as we get to keeping a hold
on the thousand and one things- childhood, certainties, cities, doubts,
dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves – that go on
slipping, like sand, through our fingers.’
Salman Rushdie
‘Playwrights seem to share
a deep love of cricket.
Ayckbourn is a nut for it.
Richard Bean adores the
game so much he wrote a
play about it despite it being
notoriously difficult to make
work on stage and Harold
Pinter said: “I tend to think
cricket is the greatest thing God
ever created. Certainly greater than sex.”’
Nick Ahad, in The Yorkshire PostTop rates for wise women
GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET
Gary DalkinUnder the banner ‘Aging is a fact of life. Aging boldly is a
state of mind’ US website Next Tribe states that their mission
is to offer information and inspiration with a healthy dose of
irreverence for women over 45, ‘to make you feel heard and
understood, and to connect you with women as smart and
cheeky as you are’.
The editorial team are always looking for fresh voices with
clever, unexpected or insightful takes on being a woman over the age of 45. Singer-
songwriter Judy Collins is part of the advisory board.
The site has an irreverent tone and, where appropriate, a slightly humorous
approach is preferred. Read some of the stories on the website to get an idea of the
house style. Recent features have included a tribute to the late Valerie Harper, an
account of why ‘I Love My Husband But Don’t Love Traveling with Him’, a look at
changing career in mid-life and a piece on why kaftans are cool again.
The ideal length for a feature is 700-1,000 words, though ideas for longer pieces
may be considered. Do not send a completed article, but pitch your idea by email to
[email protected]
Payment is 25-50¢ per word, depending on the subject and the amount of
editing a piece requires, paid thirty days after acceptance.
Next Tribe also requires short pieces, 250 words or under, called Hot Flashes.
These can cover a wide range of topics from popular culture, money, inspirations,
health and much more, paying a flat rate of $50 per item. As above, email a pitch
[email protected], but use the title ‘Hot Flash Idea’ followed by a few words
that describe the idea in general then put your pitch in the body of the email.
Website: https://nexttribe.com