I hope everyone had a restful break, and has an easy transition back to classes for Winter Quarter! Here are a few announcements, reminders and submission deadlines to keep in mind as you get back into the swing of things.
1. REMINDER: The deadline to apply for graduate assistantships for the 2026–2027 academic year is January 15, 2026.
If you’re interested, please send the following materials directly to Prof. and Director Michele Morano (mmorano@depaul.edu):
- A 200–300 word personal statement outlining your qualifications and goals for an assistantship
- A 25-page writing sample
- A pdf of your unofficial DePaul transcript from your time in the grad program (If you have trouble with this, just include in your email a statement giving permission to share your transcript with the review committee, and I can pull it from CampusConnect)
- Two letters of recommendation, ideally from program faculty who can speak to your qualifications
2. Check out this fantastic article in Oxford American written by Francesca T. Royster, professor of English at DePaul, about musician Willie Nelson’s collaborations with Black women and his impact on country music. Come grab a copy of the print magazine in the English Department!
3. Submissions for Crook & Folly‘s 46th Edition will open on January 12, 2026! Stay tuned for more information.
4. Upcoming Submission Deadlines
Joyland Magazine – Open Submissions
Fiction submissions (short stories and stand-alone novel excerpts) of up to 12,000 words
New Croton Review – Open Submissions
There is no deadline, but the next issue will go live May 9, 2026.
Fiction
Nonfiction
Poetry
Artwork and photos
New Ohio Review Ellis Prizes – January 14, 2026
Fiction
Nonfiction
Poetry
Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Fiction Contest – January 15, 2026
Fiction
Poetry
Nonfiction
The Opal Magazine – January 15, 2026
Fiction
Creative nonfiction
Poetry
CRAFT 2025 Memoir Excerpt & Essay Contest – January 25, 2026
$3,400 Awarded
Guest Judge: Roxane Gay
The Ghost Story – The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition – January 31, 2026
Interested in flash fiction pieces of between 250 and 1,000 words
Entry fee: $15
Brink Literary Journal No. 12 – February 1, 2026
Poetry
Fiction
Creative Nonfiction
Video Essay & Cinepoetry
Tulsa Review – March 1, 2026
Poetry
Short Prose
Visual Art
Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing 2026 – March 1, 2026
The contest is open to all writers and artists who identify their work as hybrid or cross-genre in nature.
Entry fee: $25
Prize: $1,000
2026 Four Way Books Levis Book Prize in Poetry – March 31, 2026
Awarding publication of a book-length collection, participation in a Four Way Books sponsored reading, and $1000.
Eligibility: Open to any poet writing in English regardless of publication history.
Submissions are accepted online only.
Solstice Literary Magazine – March 31, 2026
Fiction
Poetry
Nonfiction
North American Review Short Story Prize – April 1, 2026
Word count: 2,500 – 7,500 words
First Prize: $1,000
Finalists: $100 (upon publication)
5. Retreats and Residencies
Lambda Literary Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices – January 8, 2026
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Residencies – January 15, 2026
Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Summer Writers’ Conference Emerging Writer Fellowships – January 19, 2026
