Is Your Work Too Intense?

deadline 10 janIf it is, we’d like to see it. The A3 Review and Press is seeking flash fiction or short stories that overshare, are deeply lyrical, and say something about what it’s like to be alive at this point in time. Deadline is 10th January 2020.

For examples of the kind of prose The A3 Press publishes, check out MASH by Lena Ziegler, Jason Jackson’s The Unit, and My New Car by Alan Sincic.

Selected titles receive £200 and 10 copies of the published work.

For more details and how to submit, visit their Submittable page here.

South London Festivals with Arachne Press

Early summer is the time for festivals in South London, and this year Arachne Press has pulled out all the stops to hit as many as we can.

We are once again taking part in the lovely Hither Green Festival (they ask us, this is so rare, and so good for the ego!)

Saturday May 18th 7pm at one of our favourite venues,

Manor House Library, on  Old Road SE13 5SY

FREE Readings of stories and poems based in the past – from the 17th to the 20th Century – life stories and imagined lives, followed by a fairly short discussion about writing from history – what inspired the piece, what research was needed, how was the story shaped by the facts and which got in the way – that sort of thing.

Poetry: Kate Foley and Math Jones

Short Stories Joan Taylor-Rowan,  Rebecca Skipwith, Katy Darby

Cherry Potts will read from her novel in progress.

We are involved in BrockleyMAX Festival again this year, with stories and poetry in a brewery…

Wednesday 5th June 7pm

We will be at the lovely Brockley Brewery, 31 Harcourt Road London SE4 2AJ

for NOON 

FREE Readings of poetry and short stories on the theme of Noon from the Solstice Shorts Anthology of the same name.

Everyone thinks of noon as being a split second as the clock’s hands draw together, the bell tolls twelve times – but there is so much more to it than that.

with Stuart McKenzie, Michelle Penn, Laila Sumpton, Marika Joseph, Liam Hogan, reading their own work and possibly that of others featured in the book.

10am on Saturday 15th June (Flash Fiction Day) we are joining Greenwich Book Festival for the first time, when editors Rosamund Davies, Cherry Potts and Kam Rehal will be doing a pre-publication panel discussion on Story Cities at Room KW003 King William Court Greenwich University Old Naval College Park Row Greenwich SE10 9LS. We are assuming you will need at ticket, but they aren’t on the festival website yet.

 

Submit to National Flash Fiction Day 2019!

m15flat-bwtextNational Flash Fiction Day this year will be on Saturday 15th June Submissions for the 2019 National Flash Fiction Day anthology and micro fiction competition are NOW OPEN!

Anthology

This year’s theme is filled with possibility…or not! Our theme can reveal secrets to us and it can keep danger hidden. Is it trying to keep everyone from getting in, or is it trying to keep you from getting out? Knock, knock, who’s there? It’s our theme: Doors!

We want you to open the door to stories wild with imagination. We’re looking for those creepy mysteries about doors we can’t find the key to. We want those funny tales of frustration when doors do exactly what they’re supposed to when we don’t want them to. Maybe the stories you want to share are about metaphorical doors, filled with the disappointment of doors that are closed to us or brimming with excitement at new opportunities. Whichever door you decide to write about, make sure it’s your best and that is fewer than 500 words!

This year’s editors are Joanna Campbell and Santino Prinzi.

Please submit up to three (3) unpublished flashes of 500 words or fewer before our deadline. Titles are not included in the word count.

The submission fee for this year’s anthology is: £2.50 for one (1) entry, £4.00 for two (2) entries, and £6.00 for three (3) entries.

The deadline is Friday 15th March 2019, 23:59pm GMT.

Please visit our website for the full submission guidelines.

 

Micro Fiction Competition

Entries are open for this year’s National Flash Fiction Day Micro Fiction competition! This year’s judges are Angela Readman, Diane Simmons, Kevlin Henney, and Judy Darley.

First prize is £75.
Second prize is £50.
Third prize is £25.

The winning and shortlisted authors will be published in the National Flash Fiction Day 2019 anthology. Winning and shortlisted authors will also receive a free print copy of this anthology.

Please submit up to three (3) unpublished micro fictions of 100 words or fewer before our deadline. Titles are not included in the word count and there is no themefor the micro fiction competition.

The entry fee for this year’s micro fiction competition is: £2.00 for one (1) entry, £3.50 for two (2) entries, £5.00 for three (3) entries.

The deadline is Friday 15th March 2019, 23:59pm GMT.

Please visit our website for the full submission guidelines.

 

Support

In previous years we have had funding and have been able to offer free entry to everyone. Other years, like this year, we do not have funding and have needed to charge a small fee in order to cover our costs so we can continue doing what we do.

We would like offer free entry to disadvantaged and marginalised writers but we do not have the funding we need to be able to do this. We are working to try and secure funding.

If you would like to help us achieve this by donating entries for the anthology or micro competition, please email us: nationalflashfictionday@gmail.com.

Liars’ League presents Women & Girls – Tuesday August 14th

nev dress Arial big 2On Tuesday August 14th, Liars’ League proudly presents our annual short story soiree which sorts the women from the girls, and tells how the other half lives … (Click for Facebook event)

From truant wives to sarky schoolgirls, pyromaniac editors to teenage hookers via tantruming mums, our professional actresses and rising authors will give you a night of fantastic female-focused fiction.

WINNING STORIES for WOMEN & GIRLS
Trouble at the Uptown Espresso by Kristin King *NEW AUTHOR* – read by Sarah Gain
Tree House Date by S. Soliar *NEW AUTHOR* – read by Keleigh Wolf
How to be Unemployed by Alice Franklin *NEW AUTHOR* – read by Lois Tucker
Apotheosis of Maya and Bibi by Rebecca Skipwith – read by Susan Moisan
Homework by Anna Savory – read by Gloria Sanders

Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30 start and tickets are £5 on the door (cash only, sorry, but there is a cashpoint across the street). Drinks and food will be available at the bar, though there are also free sweets and the infamous interval quiz features fabulous books to be won! There’s no pre-booking, but tables for four or more can be reserved by calling 07808 939535.

The venue is the downstairs bar at:
The Phoenix Pub
37 Cavendish Square
London
W1G 0PP

Accessibility note: Access to the basement is via stairs: there is no lift, sadly.

The Phoenix is 5 minutes’ walk from Oxford Circus tube station, which is on the Victoria, Bakerloo and Central lines. Map here.

Thieves and New Contest Themes

new themes 2 copyOur next contest deadline is July the 28th, and we also have new monthly themes for other A3 Review contests till November. We’re looking for short fiction, mini essays, poetry and artwork on the theme of Ears, Hats and Triangles, for example.

Visit our Submittable page for all the details.

The next theme is Thieves. Hearts, heists, identities, or apricots from a neighbour’s tree. We like work that feels immediate and edgy, so check out the prompts and start creating now! We welcome submissions from around the world.

Three winners per issue receive cash prizes, and all monthly winners receive contributor copies, back issues and Writing Maps. All the details are here.

You can read some of the work that we feature in The A3 Review on our Instagram page.

Any questions, please do write to us at a3 [at] writingmaps.com

V. Press flash submissions!!!

V. Press will be open to submissions for flash fiction pamphlets in July 2018.

Shortlisted in the Michael Marks Publishers’ Award 2017, V. Press publishes poetry and flash fiction that is very very.

Publications include Carrie Etter’s Hometown, Jude Higgin’s The Chemist’s House, Charlie Hill’s Walking Backwards, Santino Prinzi’s There’s Something Macrocosmic About All of This and Michael Loveday’s flash fiction novella Three Men on the Edge.

V. Press currently publishes two fiction titles a year and is looking for stunning flash selections to publish next year.

The flash submissions window will be open throughout July 2018. Please do follow the submission guidelines at http://vpresspoetry.blogspot.com/p/submissions.html carefully.

There will be a V. Press showcase be at this year’s U.K. Flash Fiction Festival on Sunday, July 22.

 

 

DNA Magazine UK: Telling the Truth about Lies in Issue 4

DNA Magazine UK is extending its call for creative nonfiction submissions on the theme of Lies and Confessions until 13th April, 2018.

There is a certain measure of subjectivity in life. Each journey from crib to coffin is different, and with every step, our moral outlook evolves. We are each the hero of our own story but one man’s hero is another man’s villain. In issues 2 and 3, we asked you to tell us about identity and how the places in your life have left their mark, issue 4 asks you to dig deeper and examine the question of truth.

We want to hear about those times when you were a victim of dishonesty or when your honest self fled into the undergrowth. This can be a small white lie told to screw over a sibling or that time you told your mum her cake wasn’t eggy. We’re looking for big lies, small lies and shake to your core lies. What was the outcome of the dishonesty, and what happened when and if the truth came out?

DNA is open for submissions until midnight (BST) on 13th April 2018. We accept 300 – 500 words of prose or poetry (prose poetry is also welcome) and twitterature that is up to 144 characters long. If you have any photographs or documents which relate to your story, these can also be submitted alongside your work. Check our submission guidelines for more information.

Send us your submission, images and a short bio to submissions@dnamag.co.uk.

Issue 4 is expected to be published in June of 2018.

Submissions for National Flash Fiction Day 2018 are NOW OPEN!

Now in it’s seventh year, National Flash Fiction Day will be on Saturday 16th June 2018 and we’ll be celebrating with events and readings and submission opportunities! We’re currently open for our micro-fiction competition and our annual anthology, so get writing!

Micro Competition

From now until Saturday 17th March 2018, you can send us up to three micro fictions on any theme for our Micro fiction competition. These must be 100 words or fewer, and can be on any theme.

More details about the micro completion can be found here: http://nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/comp.html

Anthology

This year’s anthology theme is one you’ll be able to sink your teeth into, and we’re hungry for your flashes! From now until Saturday 31st March 2018, you can send us up to three 500 word flashes on this year’s theme: Food! The anthology will be edited by award-winning writer, Alison Powell, and National Flash Fiction Day Co-Director, Santino Prinzi. Your stories must be 500 words or fewer.

We’re looking for stories inspired by and about whatever’s on your plate. We’re ready to salivate over your sentences, to savour the subtle flavours of your subtext, to devour your delicious dialogue. Sweet, sour, savoury, sharp, tangy, rich, or rotten. Serve us up some scrumptious tales and tantalising treats with tasty twists. Are we all becoming too healthy? Or is suet the main dish of the day? Has a friendship been ruined by raw chocolate? We’re looking for full-fat, jam-packed flash fiction with an aftertaste we won’t forget. Feel free to interpret the theme of “food” however you wish, but your flashes must fit the theme in some way.

More details about the anthology submissions can be found here: http://nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/anth.html

 

We can’t wait to feast upon your words!

Words for the Wild: final call for print anthology submissions

The deadline is fast approaching for poetry and prose submissions to Words for the Wild’s print anthology. If you have something to say about the wild spaces and places in your life, whether they’re deeply rural, in the middle of a city or somewhere in between, we’d love to hear from you.

Submission guidelines are available here. You can also meet some of our authors and, of course, immerse yourself in the poetry and prose already featured on the site.

All submissions received before midnight on 28th February 2018 will be considered for inclusion in the anthology. Submissions received after this date will still be considered for publication on the website.

 

Liars’ League KISS & TELL event (+#LoveLit blind date) this Valentine’s Eve, Tue 13 Feb

kiss tell CROPFrom stolen kisses to cartoon crushes, telltale spirits to synaesthetic lovers, via vengeful exes and Powerpoint presentations, Liars’ League is showcasing tales of lust, romance & betrayal in our dirt-dishing Valentine’s special – and our first event of 2018 – on Tuesday 13th February (click here for Facebook event with full details).

Forget the pink roses as our actors bare their hearts (and more) for just £5 on the door, which includes a programme, entry to our sexy book quiz, and of course all the Lovehearts you can eat. (And if you’re single, just tell us your favourite literary character and we’ll find your perfect match – see below for more …)

WINNING STORIES for KISS & TELL
Three Months by Caroline Hardman *NEW AUTHOR* – read by Clareine Cronin
Tasting the Rainbow by Alejandra Zannier *NEW AUTHOR* – read by Keleigh Wolf
Slide Show by Alan Graham – read by Gloria Sanders
A Kiss A Day by Liam Hogan – read by Sophie Morris-Sheppard
Father Figure by J. A. Hopper – read by Rich Keeble
The Tell-Tale Art by Andreas Paraskevaides – read by David Mildon

As always, doors open at 7pm and the show begins at 7.30. Seductive drinks and food will be available at the bar, and the infamous interval quiz will feature fabulous free books to be won! There’s no pre-booking, but tables for fouror more can be reserved by calling 07808 939535.

Single? Sign up for our #LoveLit Blind Date
Ever wondered if Lizzie Bennet would hook up with Christian Grey? Whether Harry Flashman could charm Hermione Granger? Then we’ve got something for you this Valentine’s eve! Our #LoveLit Blind Date is simple: just email liars@liarsleague.com (or tweet us @liarsleague, hashtag #LoveLit) with your name, age, preferred gender of date & the name of your favourite fictional character, and we’ll match you up with someone else’s favourite. Not only might you find the love of your life, you’ll also get free sweeties and a night of brilliant stories to enjoy with your new squeeze into the bargain.

(NB: you don’t have to join in the blind date to come, it’s just a service we’re offering singles this month. As ever, anyone who loves stories is welcome.)

The venue is the downstairs bar at:
The Phoenix
37 Cavendish Square
London
W1G 0PP

(The Phoenix is 5 minutes’ walk from Oxford Circus tube station, which is on the Victoria, Bakerloo and Central lines). Map here

6 New Themes at The A3 Review

new themesHappy New Year from the editors of The A3 Review. We’re looking forward to another year of inspiration. There are still a couple more themes – Losing It and Brief Encounters – till we start putting together Issue 8 (The Gold Issue). For prompts and more details, click here to visit our Submittable page.

And already the work on Issue 9 has begun, too… the new themes for Issue 9 (The Circle Issue) are up on our Submittable page. Check out our monthly contests and send us your flash fiction, poetry and artwork inspired by thieves, guitars, wheels, and the moon. We hope you’ll enjoy the new prompts and that they’ll inspire you to try out new themes in your work.

Happy Writing!

Shaun Levin and KM Elkes, Editors, The A3 Review

The Gilded Lily & Gold Lamé Shorts

The prompt for this month’s A3 Review contest is: Gold Things. We suggest writing about all that gliters and is gold. Submit flash fiction, brief essays and poems about lost wedding rings, edible gold leaf and hidden gold bullion. Tell the story of a heist in 150 words, or write a poem about a heist gone wrong. Tell the story of a day in the life of a detectorist. Write the story behind the gold medal you won, or almost won, or wish you’d won.

You could explore different idioms with “gold” in them: a heart of gold, good as gold, silence is golden. Write about rainbows and what’s at the end of them. You could write a non-fiction piece about the brutal reality of gold mines. Tell the story of a person looking back at the golden age of their life, or make it your story.

Be inspired by Rachel Hadas’ poem “Green and Gold” and Sandra M. Gilbert’s “Gold Tooth” – then write about your own golden fruit and gold tooth.

Some suggestions for opening words… start with “Gold is the colour of…” or “When I think of gold…”

This month’s contest is inspired by The Description Writing Map.

As always, The A3 Review welcomes short stories, flash fiction, poetry, comics, graphic stories, a snippet of memoir, photographs, illustrations, and any combination of the above. The only restriction is a word-limit of 150 and images should fit well into an A6 panel.

Come say hi on Twitter @TheA3Review

Don’t Betray Your Calling!

One of the fun aspects of putting together The A3 Review is coming up with the themes and prompts for each month’s contest. This month’s theme is particularly rich. One of those themes that you really need an entire novel to tackle, and we’re inviting you to do it in no more than 150 words! Betrayal. In 12-and-a-half dozen words or less. Do not betray your risk-taking disposition as a writer and an artist! This month’s theme is for you.

We’re looking for stories, poems and artwork that are political, personal or both. Secret betrayals and double crossings. From the banal to the Biblical. Write the Samson story from Delilah’s POV, for example. Or: What would Judas say? Write a poem about feeling betrayed by someone’s Tinder profile. He, or she, is definitely not as cute in real life!

Find inspiration in the words associated with betrayal: back-stabbing, double-dealing, disloyalty, treachery and duplicity.

Or tell the story of the first time you betrayed someone. What happened and where is that person today? Put into words what it feels like to be betrayed. Or what it tastes like, smells like. Write a poem of rage or forgiveness. Possible opening phrases could be: “We knew we’d been betrayed when…” or “This is how I betrayed him…” or “Just before she did it she…” or “It wasn’t the first time that…”

Click here for more prompts, suggestions, and details about how to enter this month’s contest. Deadline is the 28th of October. There’s also info here about the next few contests. If you think “Betrayal” is a juicy one, then there’s “Losing It” and “Brief Encounters” coming up, too.

When you enter our contests, don’t forget our popular (and very affordable) Brief Critique option. For just $15 we provide a line edit of your submission, along with 250 words of feedback on ways to take your work to the next level. Tick the Brief Critique add-on, and you’ll be able to pay together with your entry fee. Critiques are provided once the month’s winning entries have been announced.

We hope you’ll enjoy this month’s theme.

Submissions Call Issue 18 & Edinburgh!

Hello dear readers!
Just a quick one this time.
Here at Bunbury Magazine  we are, once again open for submissions! Want to find out how or what our guidelines are? Take a look at our Submit To Us section on our webpage.
This time, we’ve gone for the theme of ‘The Hunt’. We hope this will be a lot of fun so feel free to use it as a prompt but as always, we’re looking forward to seeing all of the different interpretations.
Also in the this issue will be the interviews from all of the fantastic performers we met at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!
Haven’t had a chance to read our last issue yet? Take a look here at issue 16 it’s packed full of the good stuff.

We hope to hear from you soon!
Get Scribbling,
Christopher & Keri,
Bunbury Magazine

V. Press open for flash pamphlet submissions

V. Press is v. v. delighted to have opened its flash fiction submission window.

The press specialises in short fiction pamphlets, poetry pamphlets and poetry collections – publishing poetry and short fiction that is very very.

For more information about the press and the kind of writing we love, please see our website at http://vpresspoetry.blogspot.co.uk/.

Please make sure that you read and follow the submission guidelines before sending your work. These can be found at http://vpresspoetry.blogspot.co.uk/p/submissions.html.

The V. Press flash fiction (NOT poetry) submissions window is open until July 24, 2017.

Things To Do: 1. Read Issue 1 of DNA Mag 2. Submit for Issue 2

I’m delighted to announce that Issue 1 of DNA Magazine is available for your viewing pleasure! With work from 19 featured writers, each piece delves into the stories behind every day lists. Sing-a-long with Sue E. Barsby in The Family Business, crave caffeine relief with Christopher Stanley in Survivor Guilt and observe your fellow passengers with Tino Prinzi’s  The Same People At the Bus Stop! Reading these stories should definitely be on your list of things to do today.

The magazine is available to read free online but you can also order one of 50 free limited print copies of the magazine from the website (please note: we do charge a small £2.50 P&P fee national fee and £5.50 international fee). For those who like their print magazines, we’ve added a soft-touch laminate to the cover to give it a luxurious feel.

Here are some kind reviews from people who have already read the first issue:

We’re also delighted to announce that submissions are now open for Issue 2 which is due for release in September. For this issue,  we’re looking for interesting and unique insights behind identity and the multitude of things (from hobbies, relationships, schools, interests, beliefs, events or places to name but a few) which form a key part of who we are as individuals. We want to get to know you, the person you see when you look in the mirror. We want to see the places that have made an impact on your life, share in the experiences that have shaped your life.

As with the first issue, we’re looking for 300-500 word pieces of non-fiction poetry and prose – we’ll even accept prose poetry – or 144 character long pieces of Twitterature. If you have any photographs or images which could accompany the piece to help illustrate it, please also send us a copy of the file (either as a .jpg, .png or .psd). The closing date for submissions for issue 2 is Midnight on 24th July, 2017. Send them to us at submissions@dnamag.co.uk

Many thanks and we hope you enjoy Issue 1,

Katie Marsden

DNA Magazine UK Editor

Behave Yourself and Submit!

Sit up straight, face the front, and no chewing in class! Yes, all you well-behaved andschool naughty people, this month’s A3 Review contest is on the theme of Teachers.

Inspired by the Write Through School Writing Map, we’re looking for short fiction, poetry and artwork on tutors, instructors, professors, mentors, personal trainers… any type of teacher. We’ve all had them and many of us are them!

Write about a memorable moment with a memorable teacher. Frustrated teachers, inspirational teachers, nervous newbies or those who’ve seen it all. Create something that delves into the heart of the teacher/student relationship. Explore different setting where teaching takes place: a farmer passing on knowledge to a child; an experienced soldier guiding a raw recruit; a chance meeting in a remote, dusty town that results in a lesson learned.

The only restriction is a word-limit of 150 and images should fit well into an A6 panel. To find out more about what kind of work we like at The A3 Review, check out the latest issue here, and see our submission guidelines here. This month’s deadline is Saturday, the 27th of May. Send us your work. It’s not compulsory, but it is for your own good!

Good luck and keep writing!

Flash Fiction Festival: Saturday 24th June & Sunday 25th 2017, in Bath.

The first literary festival in the UK entirely devoted to Flash Fiction. Happening on the weekend of National Flash Fiction Day UK 2017, our first year will be taking place in Bath. Our venue, The New Oriel Hall, is a short bus ride or a twenty minute walk from the town centre, with wifi, disabled access and a hearing loop.The whole building is available for the festival.

The Flash Fiction Festival is for beginning and experienced writers who want to learn more about flash fiction – an exciting and continually emerging short-short form of prose, growing in popularity around the world. Come and be inspired by the UK’s leading flash fiction practitioners and to immerse yourself in writing, reading and listening to flash fiction throughout the weekend. All sections of the community, from all corners of the globe, are welcome.

Workshops and talks generously funded by The Arts Council England include: Vanessa Gebbie, Kit de Waal, Tania Hershman, Paul McVeigh, David Gaffney, Ashley Chantler, Peter Blair, David Swann, Meg Pokrass, Jude Higgins, K M Elkes, Christopher Fielden, Michael Loveday, and The National Flash Fiction Day Anthology Launch with Calum Kerr.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit our website: https://www.flashfictionfestival.com

We hope to see you there for a fun-filled weekend of flash fiction!

Is writing for DNA Magazine on your list of things to do?

Are you curious about what goes on in the lives of other people? Ever wondered just how differently the person sat next to you views the world? Or wanted to re-live a moment from somebody else’s point of view?

If any of these apply to you, DNA Magazine is probably the literary journal for you.

These days, it’s all too easy for us to stick labels on people and dismiss them. These labels — millennials, baby-boomers, liberals, Tories, alt-righters, Brexiters/Bremainers, feminists etc we all hear them ­ — turn people in to caricatures, shallow characters defined by the stereotypes of that group. They create divisions and stifle empathy as individual stories are lost. We become nameless and faceless, statistics rather than people.

My goal for DNA Magazine is to publish stories that celebrate the lives and memories of ordinary people. To remind people of the experiences and events that make each of us different and unique. It’s harder to dismiss people when you hear about their personal experiences. Not all of us will do great things that will set us apart and be worthy of record in a full-length memoir, but all of us have interesting stories that we can share.

The first issue of DNA Magazine will be published at the end of May. Submissions are currently open for 300-500 word non-fiction pieces that are inspired by the theme of lists. These lists can be as simple as a shopping list or something more visual such as a group of people in a photograph, a collection of objects or locations. A list might be a series of ingredients that go into an old family recipe or a selection of facts that hint at a bigger personal story. You don’t have to include the list in your piece of writing — you might just reference something on it — I just want to find out about the hidden stories behind that list.

So far, I’ve had a varied selection of lists — everything from a list of closed London Underground stations to old playlists, to a group of people one writer sees at the bus stop every day to the items on another writer’s bed side table.

If you have a piece of writing you’d like to submit, please send it (with a photograph or copy of your list) to submissions@dnamag.co.uk. Submissions close on 24th March 2017. The submission guidelines can be found at www.dnamag.co.uk.

 

Katie Marsden

(DNA Magazine Curator)