Mslexia

Here is the latest information from Mslexia including competitions and more:

Fiction & Memoir Competition 2020: can you help another writer to enter?   Hello there, Here at Mslexia we’re riding out the stormy weather from our separate workspaces, and we hope that you’re staying safe (and staying dry). By now you’ve probably seen that our Fiction and Memoir Competition 2020 is open for entries. There are four categories this year – Memoir & Life Writing, Children’s & Young Adult Novel, Short Story and Flash Fiction. We know that our prizes can be life-changing, for both the finalists and winners, so we're especially keen to help low-income writers to enter. That’s why we're asking women writers who can afford it, to consider donating an entry fee for someone who might not otherwise be able to take part in one of our competitions. All entries are judged anonymously, so this will not affect the judging process. Mslexia was granted charitable status last year, in recognition of the work we do. This sponsored entry initiative is part of an evolving strategy to support women writers facing challenges of all kinds. How can I donate a competition entry? We’re aware that many people will be feeling stretched financially in these very difficult times, but if you do feel able to donate a competition entry on behalf of another writer, it would be greatly appreciated. To donate a Flash Fiction (£5) entry, click here To donate a Short Story (£10) entry, click here To donate a Memoir & Life-Writing or Children’s YA Novel (£25) entry, click here Or alternatively call us on 0191 204 8860 with your credit card details. Purchase of donated entries closes on 17 August, to allow time for applicants to apply for a bursary spot and prepare their entries. Am I eligible for a sponsored entry? Sponsored entries are available to writers in receipt of the following benefits: Job Seeker’s Allowance, Working Tax Credit, Universal Credit, Disability Living Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, etc. or writers living below the poverty line, which is currently defined as £195 a week for a lone parent with two children. If you’d like to apply for a sponsored entry, please email competitions@mslexia.co.uk. If we receive more applicants than donations, names will be drawn at random. As ever, stay safe and keep writing! Lauren Vevers (for the Mslexia team) Mslexia is the trading name of Mslexia Publications Limited. Registered in England & Wales No. 03374941 Registered Office: 176 Portland Road, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1DJ VAT Registration No. GB 708774309 Registered charity number 1183410 Copyright © 2020 Mslexia Publications Ltd., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Mslexia Publications Ltd. PO Box 656 Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE99 1PZ United Kingdom Add us to your address book

Mslexia Publications Ltd. · PO Box 656 · Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE99 1PZ · United Kingdom

A fishy fairytale, wives of the world, and a truly inspirational chicken head. As ever, its all about writing. Hello The landscape for literature looks likely to have changed dramatically by the time we all emerge from lockdown – if we ever do. The anger and anguish expressed by Black writers is forcing a seismic upheaval in publishing organisations. A re-examination of class privilege is also taking place as a result of the Common People initiative. And lockdown, with its emphasis on online encounters and home working, makes it possible for creative writing teaching, literary events – and big publishing companies – to emerge from their metropolitan bubbles and become accessible at long last to people in the rest of the country and beyond. Though new sources of bad news are still sending us reeling on a daily basis, perhaps some hope is beginning to surface for a kinder and more egalitarian literary future. Team M COMING SOON We’re tempted to keep schtum about all the goodies we’ve got lined up for you in the redesigned September edition of Mslexia – not least because we’re still trying to cram 104 pages of ideas into just 84 pages of mag. But what we can promise you are articles about the poet spending lockdown with two small children who started a haiku revolution, the journalist who pitched every day for a month (and survived), and guidance on how to use your writing journal as an aid to your mental health. Plus a veritable bestiary of ‘wildlife’ writing selected by ecopoet Isabel Galleymore. JULY Procrastination Life is complicated, so we've been whiling away endless hours playing Drench, described as 'the world's simplest web game.' You have 30 moves to turn the entire square a single colour and level up. On your marks. In The Know Poetry writes white The State of Poetry and Poetry Criticism in the UK and Ireland is a newly released University of Liverpool report that highlights the lack of diversity in poetry publishing and criticism. Authors Sandeep Parmar and Dave Coates looked at poems, articles and reviews published between 2009 and 2019 in 26 literary publications, including the Guardian, London Review of Books, TLS – and Mslexia. The LRB is singled out for special criticism: none of the poetry reviews or collections reviewed during the period were by BAME writers. Overall, only 6.5 per cent of the 10,677 books reviewed were by BAME poets – though coverage has increased in recent years. Mslexia was one of only seven publications whose coverage of BAME poets exceeded the 13 per cent of the UK population who identify as BAME. JULY Inspiration Write despite As well as a fresh look and a slew of new series, there will be a new range of open submission slots in the redesigned magazine. They include three new journalism spots where we invite you to tell us about the passions and challenges of your writing life, as well as new fiction, memoir and poetry slots. To whet your appetite, we're inviting pitches for our new ‘Write despite...’ slot from women who are managing to continue their writing ‘despite’ a particular challenge. How does your particular challenge impede or enrich your writing – and what advice do you have for others in a similar situation? Send a short pitch describing your challenge and the kind of writing you do ‘despite’ it. Deadline 15 July. What's happening ...on Mslexia Max Since May’s Little Ms went out, over on Mslexia Max there have been some seriously successful writing surgeries with novelist Sara Collins and poet Rebecca Tamás. Here’s what one lucky member had to say: ‘Poetry Surgery with Rebecca Tamás was really worth doing. Her comment about removing ‘familiar words’ i.e. cliché made me edit for the better. Funny how the cliché just nudges its way in all the time, when you’re not paying attention.’ Upgrade to Max to find out what’s coming up on the platform in the next couple of weeks. july Flash Card She was on the tube on the way home when she realised her wallet had been stolen. With the £200 cash inside, that she’d borrowed from mum for rent. Must have been someone in the departing throng. Ed hadn’t been happy about her going to this concert to start with, and God knew what he’d kick off now. She dreaded telling him, but kept her small smile. They hadn’t taken her phone, after all. She still had all her photos from the glorious night. And that bashful man’s number, now lurking in her contacts under “Window cleaner”. Congratulations to Josie Crimp for this mischievous interpretation of the flash prompt. £20 working its way to you! Interested in entering our next Flash Card competition? Flash Card is open to Mslexia Magazine subscribers – a jam-packed subscription that also entitles you to our full e-newsletter.  IMAGE: ALEKSANDR OZEROV / SHUTTERSTOCK What they're saying ...about representation publishing Global protests against institutional racism are entering their second month and myriad aspects of the publishing industry – from advances to publicity to bookselling – have come under fire as a result. Over the last few weeks during a scramble to promote existing work by BAME authors, the Black Writers’ Guild penned an open letter asking insiders to address the systemic racism that props up the publishing industry. On Twitter, #PublishingPaidMe drew attention to how little BAME authors could expect in advance payments in comparison to their white counterparts. Meanwhile, a new report by Dr Anamik Saha and Dr Sandra van Lente exposed the industy’s ingrained racist practices, highlighting the fact that key players falsely assume that readership is largely white and middle class, and that BAME authors are a ‘commercial risk’. Tell that to Reni Eddo-Lodge, whose 2018 book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race rose to number one on the UK bestseller chart this week. Lit critters A Midsummer Night’s Bream Thank you Clare Pugh for this suggestion. Keep your ideas coming to Ellie and we’ll transform our faves. To see some previous Lit Critters, head over to the Lit Critter Gallery, where we’ve gathered a Little Ms menagerie. In The Know Class ceiling Working-class writers are hampered by a ‘class ceiling’ that undermines their confidence and excludes them from the network of privilege available to writers from middle- and upper-class backgrounds. This is the conclusion of Common People, a report released to accompany an anthology of writing by 17 working-class writers involved in a new mentoring scheme spearheaded by New Writing North and Writing West Midlands. The impact of the project has been dramatic, with 83 per cent of participants feeling their confidence, skills and opportunities had increased by the end of the scheme and 75 per cent saying that their writing had improved significantly. Two thirds of the group had found agent representation. The report recommends increased awareness of the barriers faced by writers from disadvantaged backgrounds and decentralisation of publishers and literary agencies ‘beyond the M25’.   Mslexicon ...when only a new word will do linocut (v.), to edit one’s writing cantoproductive (adj.), writing a long poem noveltea (n.), afternoon break for fiction writers paraphase (v.), making slow but steady progress with prose liebrary (n.), a building or room containing discredited works of non-fiction Thanks to Fay Dickinson, Tracy Davidson and Dorothy Burrows for these contributions. Send more of your new literary locutions to Ellie.   News you can use Speaker Fees: The Society of Authors has updated its recommended fees to £200 for lead speakers, £90 for panellists, £120 for chairing literary events. There are also recommended fees for short readings and running seminars and workshops. Watch your language: The Conscious Style Guide offers comprehensive guidance on how to use ‘compassionate, mindful, empowering, respectful, and inclusive language’ relating to age, appearance, class, disability, ethnicity, gender and a host of other issues. Soothing sonnets: The Royal Shakespeare Company has commissioned an entire luvvie of top actors to record themselves reading 90 of the Bard’s 154 sonnets for its YouTube channel. Prizewinning story: Also available to enjoy online is the winner of this year’s Commonwealth Short Story Prize: The Great Indian Tee and Snakes by Indian author Kritika Pandey. Bespoke emojis: Tired of those ubiquitous wee yellow grimaces? Create your own with textmoji. Fallopian tube Another hint of things to come in the Mslexia redesign arrives in the form of this video of poet Jackie Kay talking about her talisman, the chickenhead that sits on her desk and reminds her of what’s important to her about writing. Write about your own talisman, whatever it is – your cat, your favourite coffee cup, a photo of your children – and submit via our website for a chance to be featured on our Forum pages. SEE YOU SOON... ...We’re off now to wrestle with the many-headed hydra that will hopefully emerge sleek and obedient as the reconfigured Big Mslexia in just eight short weeks. Meanwhile, keep an eye on our website for more new submission slots. See you on the other side! Team M Beth, Debbie, Ellie, Iso, Kay, Lauren, Maxine and Rebecca      We'd love to hear from you. But if you'd prefer not to hear from us in this way, you can opt out by clicking here to unsubscribe. Don't worry, your subscription to big Mslexia will not be affected if you unsubscribe to Little Ms. Reading workout Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin (translated by Megan McDowell) because it’s a powerful comment on globalisation tinged with curiosity, terror and regret. CAREER LADDER   Sage Publications is looking for an Publishing Assistant intern. The successful candidate will provide administrative support to one of the Editorial teams (Traditional Journals, Open Access Journals, Books and Product Innovation) on a variety of projects. They will be provided with a range of learning and development opportunities, including formal training and mentoring. The opportunity is only open to BAME candidates, anyone from a lower-socioeconomic background or those with disabilities. London Living Wage. Deadline: 2 July Total Insight Theatre are looking for a proactive and committed Programmes Assistant to support them in delivering their work through the COVID-19 crisis. You will work remotely to support with launching and running online projects. The role is six hours per week for 24 weeks. Rate: £1,800. Deadline: 5 July Richmond Arts Service and Orleans House Gallery are recruiting an innovative, dynamic and forward thinking Programmer to work on Exhibitions and Collections. The role involves programming across three exhibition spaces, setting a visual arts strategy that supports local artists and bringing new art to the borough. London. Salary: £31,013-37,581. Deadline: 5 July We include three times as many jobs in our full-length newsletter, free with a magazine subscription. Reading chillout Page-turning Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan is a piercing look at the way that female friendship can expose women’s vulnerability. DEADLINES DIGEST The V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize awards £1k to the best unpublished short story of between 2,000 and 4,000 words. Entrants must be resident within the UK, Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth. Entry fee: £7.50. Deadline: 3 July, midnight Globe Soup Summer 2020 Short Story Competition is open to stories of no more than 5,000 words. Every Globe Soup short story competition features a different country which all participants must set their story in, and you only find out which country after you enter. The winner will receive £1k. Entry fee: £8. Deadline: 12 July, midnight Ten Stories to Make a Difference are seeking entries from talented young writers with ambitions to become children’s authors. Entrants must be under 26 years old at the time of the submission deadline. Submit a very strong draft of a story on the theme of difference, of between 750 and 3,000 words in length. Picture book text, prose fiction for any age up to YA and poetry are welcomed. Deadline: 30 July Get more deadlines in your inbox in our full-length Little Ms, free with a Mslexia subscription. Catch this Heartache and Hope: Voices of a Pandemic will launch as an e-book. The anthology gathers a range of women’s voices to comment on life under lockdown. Birch Moon Press will be holding a virtual launch party on their Facebook page @BirchMoonPress. 3 July, 8pm How to make great audio drama is an in-conversation event with Scriptwriters Group chair David Morley and award-winning scriptwriter Rhiannon Tise, held as part of the Society of Authors’ SoA at Home festival. 6 July, 3-4pm Create Brilliant Characters is an online Faber Academy course with tutor Tom Bromley. Running for four weeks, the course helps you understand the conventions of writing character and shows you how to create more engaging characters to keep your readers hooked. £120. 6 July – 2 August Get more Catch This in your inbox in our full-length Little Ms, free with a Mslexia subscription.

Mslexia is the trading name of Mslexia Publications Limited Registered in England No. 03374941 Registered Office: 176 Portland Road, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1DJ VAT Registration No. GB 708774309 Registered charity No.1183410 Copyright © 2020 Mslexia Publications Ltd., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Mslexia Publications Ltd. PO Box 656 Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE99 1PZ United Kingdom Add us to your address book

The Mslexia Fiction & Memoir Competition 2020 is open for entries Hello there, The Mslexia Fiction & Memoir Competition 2020 is now open for entries. There are four categories – memoir & life writing, short story, flash fiction, and children’s & young adult novel – so we hope there’s at least one category that matches your kind of writing. Our prizes – for both the winners and finalists – can be life-changing. As well as a generous cash prize, we’re offering personal introductions to agents and editors, manuscript feedback, career mentoring, a writing retreat, and publication in Mslexia magazine. If you think you might be interested, please scroll down for more details.   Children’s & YA Novel (1st prize £5,000) Please submit the first 5,000 words of completed novels of at least 20,000 words in length, for children and/or young adult readers. This prize has been created specifically to promote the work of women who are (as yet) unpublished as novelists. Judges: Kiran Millwood Hargrave, novelist; Amanda Craig, novelist and children’s fiction critic; Joanna Moult, literary agent Additional prizes: Three finalists will be invited to a pitching workshop followed by a networking event with agents and editors, and will receive manuscript feedback from The Literary Consultancy. Entry fee: £25 Memoir & Life Writing (1st prize £5,000) For prose of at least 50,000 words that narrate events in the writer’s life and/or a quest or investigation she undertakes. Please submit the first 5,000 words of your completed manuscript. This prize has been created specifically to promote the work of women who are (as yet) unpublished as novelists or authors of book-length creative non-fiction. Judges:  Kate Clanchy, memoirist, novelist, poet; Caroline Sanderson, biographer, travel writer and Associate Editor of the Bookseller; Isobel Dixon, literary agent Additional prizes: Three finalists will be invited to a pitching workshop followed by a networking event with agents and editors, and will receive manuscript feedback from The Literary Consultancy. Entry fee: £25 Short Story (1st prize £3,000) Our Women’s Short Story Competition is back for its twelfth year. Please send unpublished short fiction up to 3,000 words in length, in any style or genre, for adult or young adult readers. Unpublished and published women are eligible to enter. Judge: Sarah Hall, award-winning short story author and novelist Additional prizes: The winning author will receive £3,000 plus publication in Mslexia magazine. The winner will also be also offered a week at an Arvon writing centre and a mentoring session with an editor at Virago – an experience money can’t buy. Three additional finalists will each receive £100 and be published in Mslexia magazine. Entry fee: £10 Flash Fiction (1st prize £500) This is our fourth Flash Fiction Competition for writers who prefer to keep their storytelling concise. Please submit complete stories of up to 300 words in length (not including the title). Unpublished and published women are eligible to enter. Judge: Ingrid Jendrzejewski, editor of Flash Back Fiction and Flash Flood, Co-director of National Flash Fiction Day Additional prizes: The winner will receive £500, and three other finalists will each receive £50. All four winning stories will be published in Mslexia magazine. Entry fee: £5 Closing date for all categories: 23:59 on 21 September 2020 Click here to submit your writing to the Mslexia Fiction & Memoir Competition 2020 Full terms and conditions along with FAQs and competition rules can be found on our website. Any additional questions, please contact us at competitions@mslexia.co.uk. Happy writing and good luck! Lauren Vevers (for the Mslexia team) Mslexia is the trading name of Mslexia Publications Limited. Registered in England & Wales No. 03374941 Registered Office: 176 Portland Road, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1DJ VAT Registration No. GB 708774309 Registered charity number 1183410 Copyright © 2020 Mslexia Publications Ltd., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Mslexia Publications Ltd. PO Box 656 Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE99 1PZ United Kingdom Add us to your address book

Mslexia Publications Ltd. · PO Box 656 · Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE99 1PZ · United Kingdom