Calling all parent-writers with young children! Submissions are still open for the Pen Parentis Writing Fellowship for New Parents. Given annually to a fiction writer who is the parent of a child under the age of 10, the winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize; a year of mentorship; publication both in print and online in Dreamers Creative Writing Magazine, a Canadian journal “dedicated to heartfelt writing;” and an invitation to give a virtual reading on November 14. The winner will be paired with three established authors who are also parents for their reading; previous participants have included Jennifer Egan, Mira Jacob, Marie Myung-Ok Lee, and Darin Strauss. Additionally, the winning story will be included in the annual Dreamers Creative Writing anthology.
Using the online submission system, submit a story of up to 531 words with a $20 entry fee by April 17. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
With the goal of “motivating all writers to continue to create new high-quality creative writing at the very busiest time of the parenting journey,” the word count for applications to the fellowship is kept intentionally low to gently nudge parents towards creating new work. The winner will be announced on the Pen Parentis website by September 1, and for one year after their win they will be encouraged to attend Pen Parentis Literary Salon events as well as a weekly accountability group to help introduce them to other authors and to aid them in networking with editors, agents, and readers.