Genre: Fiction

Concord Free Public Library Writer-in-Residence Program

July/August 2025

The Concord Free Public Library Writer-in-Residence Program offers a six-month residency from January to June to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer at the historic Concord Free Public Library (CFPL) in Concord, Massachusetts. The writer-in-residence is given a $10,000 stipend with the expectation that they will spend an average of eight hours a week at the library for the duration of the program and will develop public programming and social opportunities for the CFPL community.

Type: 
RESIDENCY
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
no
Event Date: 
January 1, 2026
Rolling Admissions: 
ignore
Application Deadline: 
April 8, 2026
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
April 8, 2026
Free Admission: 
yes
Contact Information: 

Concord Free Public Library Writer-in-Residence Program, 129 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742. (978) 318-3383. Ricky Sirois, Assistant Library Director.

Ricky Sirois
Assistant Library Director
Contact City: 
Concord
Contact State: 
MA
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
01742
Country: 
US
Genre: 
Poetry
Fiction
Creative Nonfiction

Literary Prize

Aspen Words
Entry Fee: 
$105
Deadline: 
August 4, 2025
A prize of $35,000 is given annually for a book of fiction published in the current year that “illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.” Novels and story collections published in the United States in 2025 are eligible. Publishers may submit a digital copy along with a hard copy (or a bound galley) of the book with a $105 entry fee by August 4. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Summer Short Story Award for New Writers

Masters Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
September 7, 2025
A prize of $3,000 and publication in Masters Review is given annually for a short story or an essay by an emerging writer. Writers who have not published a book, self-published writers, and writers who have published books only with indie presses are eligible. The winning story will also be sent to agents Victoria Cappello (Bent Agency), Sarah Fuentes (United Talent Agency), Andrea Morrison (Writers House), Heather Schroder (Compass Talent), Nat Sobel (Sobel Weber Associates), and Marin Takikawa (Friedrich Agency) for review. Submit a story or essay of up to 6,000 words with a $20 entry fee from July 1 to September 7. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Vashon Artist Residency

July/August 2025

The Vashon Artist Residency offers two- and four-week residencies from January to November to poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators on Vashon Island, a 20-minute ferry ride from Seattle. Residents are provided with a private room, a bathroom, and a shared kitchen, as well as access to a shared studio. Residents are responsible for travel and meal costs. The cost of the residency is determined on a sliding scale based on financial need; the full price is $1,875 for four weeks and $1,125 for two weeks.

Type: 
RESIDENCY
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
no
Event Date: 
January 1, 2026
Rolling Admissions: 
ignore
Application Deadline: 
April 8, 2026
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
April 8, 2026
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Vashon Artist Residency, 23125 Kingsbury Road SW, Vashon, WA 98070. (206) 408-7099. Heather Dwyer, Executive Director.

Heather Dwyer
Executive Director
Contact City: 
Vashon
Contact State: 
WA
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
98070
Country: 
US
Genre: 
Poetry
Fiction
Creative Nonfiction
Translation

St. Lawrence Book Award

Black Lawrence Press
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a debut collection of poems, short stories, or essays. The editors and a panel of previous St. Lawrence Book Award winners will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 45 to 95 pages or a prose manuscript of 120 to 280 pages with a $30 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition

Munster Literature Centre
Entry Fee: 
$21
Deadline: 
July 31, 2025
A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,235) and publication in Southword is given annually for a short story. The winner also receives a four-night stay at a hotel to give a reading at the Cork International Short Story Festival in October. Laura Jean McKay will judge. Submit a story of up to 3,000 words with a €19 (approximately $21) entry fee by July 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Off Topic Writers’ Conference

July/August 2025

The 2025 Off Topic Writers’ Conference was held online on August 9 and August 10. The conference featured craft talks, panels, and workshops for poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers. The faculty included poet, fiction writer, and creative nonfiction writer Murgatroyd Monaghan and fiction and creative nonfiction writers Finnian Burnett and Chanel M. Sutherland. Poet Duncan Mercredi and fiction writer Michelle Butler Hallett delivered the keynote addresses. The cost of the conference was $120 (or could be priced on a sliding scale based on financial need).

Type: 
CONFERENCE
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
yes
Event Date: 
April 8, 2026
Rolling Admissions: 
ignore
Application Deadline: 
April 8, 2026
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
April 8, 2026
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Off Topic Writers’ Conference, 10 Marble Avenue, Paradise, NL A1L 0T3, Canada. Marion Lougheed, Off Topic Publishing Founder and Editor. 

Marion Lougheed
Off Topic Publishing Founder and Editor
Contact City: 
Online
Genre: 
Poetry
Fiction
Creative Nonfiction

Isabel Allende: My Name Is Emilia del Valle

Caption: 

At this Dominican University of California event, Isabel Allende talks about her latest novel, My Name Is Emilia del Valle (Ballantine Books, 2025), the importance of women characters who don’t compromise, and the class structure of Chile which informed her writing in a conversation with Matthew Félix.

Genre: 
Fiction
Tags: 
Isabel Allende
My Name Is Emilia del Valle
Ballantine Books
novel
Matthew Félix
Dominican University of California
2025

Keiichiro Hirano: The Question of Selfhood

Caption: 

At this Japanese Literature Night event hosted by the Japan Society, Keiichiro Hirano delivers his keynote speech titled “The Question of Selfhood” in which he shares how his upbringing in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka during the eighties and nineties inspired his interest in literature and how he attempts to tackle questions of the individual’s place in modernity through his novels.

Genre: 
Fiction
Tags: 
Keiichiro Hirano
Japan Society
speech
writing process
conversation
2025

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