Resources

A website, for better or worse, is a piece of digital real estate; this is an imperfect metaphor, but I sure as hell've got a landlord (Cloudflare), a building manager (Ghost), and only a certain amount of freedom around how I'm allowed to use the space. I'll use this page to aggregate links that might be useful to anyone who finds their way here; if you have any ideas for how else this space can be used, including ways you'd like to use the space yourself, please e-mail me at [Work AT RiveraErica DOT com].

Free Stuff

On Palestine

Reading list on the history of Palestine, the experiences of Palestinians, and the infrastructures of settler colonialism

InkWell Workshops

Provides free, high-quality literary programming to people living with mental health and addiction issues led by accomplished professional writers with lived experience of mental illness
Virtual course catalog available

Submission Calls

These are some of the resources I've used to find opportunities for publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid work, and visual art; inclusion on this list does not equal an endorsement. A friendly suggestion to use an e-mail alias whenever possible, especially when subscribing to newsletters or signing up for accounts; this guide from Proton has useful information about e-mail aliases [LINK]. A big shout-out to the folks who pointed me towards these resources.

List of Magazines and Presses

Database
Free
Work in progress; focus on magazines and presses that pay, offer very quick response times, offer free feedback regardless of acceptance, and/or accept previously published work
Aggregated by me 😊

Opportunities of the Week

Newsletter, twice per week
Pay what you can/no one turned away for lack of funds
Suggested rate of $5 USD per month
Aggregated by Sonia Weiser 🙌

Prose manuscript venues (Google Doc) / Poetry manuscript venues (Google Doc)

Database
Free
Prose list sorted by genre, poetry list sorted by length; focus on free or low-cost submissions for manuscripts
Aggregated by nat raum of fifth wheel press

Authors Publish

Newsletter, several times per week
Free
Some newsletter issues focus on promoting their own programming
About once a month, they focus on opportunities for marginalized writers

FundsforWriters

Newsletter, once per week
Free
Focus on relatively well-paid opportunities

The Queer Writer

Newsletter, several times per month
Free
Focus on queer writers
Run by Milo Todd

Oleada

Submission manager
Submitting requires sign-up via e-mail; free to join
Focus on small/independent publications and presses

Small Publishers (Google Sheet)

Database
Focus on small and independent publishers
Includes information about genres accepted, whether submissions are open, and whether an agent is required

Submittable

Submission manager
Requires sign-up via e-mail; free to join
The bane of my existence, with a business model that I'm certain is terrible for publications and presses
You can use the Discover feature to search by genre-specific tags; please note that the "fee-free" tag is often inaccurate, and some publications move their deadline as soon as it expires so they're always listed at top when sorted by deadline

Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP)

Posting board
No sign-up necessary
Postings are submitted by publications so they're usually accurate
Also has a CLMP job board, though most postings are for volunteer positions

Poets & Writers (P&W)

Database
No sign-up necessary
Also has the P&W job board, though most postings are for professorships

Chill Subs

Database
No sign-up necessary to browse and sort database; filtering and search requires sign-up via e-mail
Database pages are sometimes outdated; check the publication's website to confirm

Duosuma

Submission manager
Requires sign-up via e-mail; free to join
The other bane of my existence, mostly because of their overpriced sibling service, Duotrope

Workshops and Classes

What many refer to as "craft" is, of course, totally subjective, and I feel like most of the time we're better off engaging with things that are as far away as possible from what's considered "good writing" if we really want to improve our ability to express ourselves or communicate with others. That being said, sometimes it's nice to lean back and let someone else take the wheel. Here are a few places that offer free, affordable, sliding-scale, or free-with-scholarship workshops and classes, all of which are virtual; I've put a little information about accessibility for those I'm familiar with. Check out your local libraries too, as well as your local community colleges.

Abode Press

Open to anyone
Sliding scale, minimum is usually $10 USD plus nominal service fee
Focus on LGBTQ+/BIPOC writers
Held on Zoom with auto-generated captions; you can engage via chat rather than using a camera and/or mic

The Loft

Open to anyone
Prices range from $8 USD to in the hundreds; 95% reduction in tuition available on a first-come, first-served basis for those receiving public assistance, verification required, application available on their site
Wide range of topics, including craft, pitching, self-care, and more

Honey Workshops

Open to anyone
Prices seem to be around $25 USD
Focus on BIPOC writers
Niche workshops on some pretty cool stuff (e.g., "From Barbie to Beyonce: Reclaiming Pop Culture," "Amateur Just Means You Love It: Demystifying translation as a practice for all writers")

Brown Bag Lit

Open to anyone
$75 per class, with a sliding-scale option available if you reach out via e-mail
Focus on small classes with a maximum of ten students
Single session classes held on Zoom

Crow Collective Workshops

Open to anyone
Prices start at $19 CAD; each class has at least two free spots available on a first-come, first-served basis on the workshop sign-up page; tip-jar donations go towards creating more free spots
They also offer a free Crow Collective weekly writing group

Tin House Craft Intensives

Open to anyone
Price is usually $75 USD; each class has one free spot awarded through a random lottery, apply on the workshop page
Wide range of topics, including craft, querying, and more
Held on Zoom with auto-generated captions; you can engage via chat rather than using a camera and/or mic

Hudson Valley Writers Center

Open to anyone
Prices are usually in the hundreds; limited scholarships are available for LGBTQ+ writers, writers of color, women writers, and nonbinary writers, application reopens in May 2024
Durations range from one-offs to multi-session

GrubStreet

Some are open to anyone, some require an application with a sample
Prices range from free to in the hundreds; each class has some free spots awarded based on expressed need, apply on the workshop page
Durations range from one-offs to multi-session