Laura Villareal
Resources for Writers
Not a complete guide but I hope this information is helpful!
Sending Out Your Writing
These are a few of my favorite places to browse when I'm looking for places to submit writing (individual work, chapbook or book manuscripts, etc...).
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Has lots of ways to filter your search
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Just Femme and Dandy's Where to Submit for us by us
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"...a directory of lit mags who support underrepresented writers, whether through who they publish, who is on their masthead, accessibility in design, or as a paying market."
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MFA
While you don't need an MFA to keep writing and learning (see the Craft & Community sections), a good MFA program can provide time, support, and resources that you may want or need.
Offers informal review of MFA application writing samples (fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction) and personal statements for writers of underrepresented backgrounds.
Mentorships
"The People of Color in Publishing Mentorship Program is a volunteer-based initiative that aims to create mentorship relationships between entry-level and experienced-level POC industry professionals. The initiative’s goal is to provide entry-level POC professionals a personal resource for support, guidance, and encouragement, as they begin to navigate a career in publishing."
Latinx in Publishing Mentorship
"The Latinx in Publishing Writers Mentorship Program is a volunteer-based initiative that offers the opportunity for unpublished and/or unagented writers who identify as Latinx (mentees) to strengthen their craft, gain first-hand industry knowledge, and expand their professional connections through work with experienced published authors (mentors)."
AWP: Writer to Writer Mentorship
"AWP's mentorship program, Writer to Writer, matches emerging writers and published authors for a three-month series of modules on topics such as craft, revision, publishing, and the writing life. Mentors volunteer their time and receive a free one-year AWP membership. Writer to Writer is free of charge to mentees."
Fellowships and Residencies
Fellowships and residencies are a great way to spend focused time on your writing project(s). Fellowships sometimes give you the opportunity to gain skills in the publishing industry and/or arts administration.
Fellowships that don't require an MFA
Craft
Reading craft books and listening to craft lectures are good ways to learn and think about your writing practice.
Non-MFA Craft Resources by Airea D. Matthews
A wonderful Google drive full of readings, lectures, and resources to get writers who do not have an MFA started.
de-canon's article "Writers of Color discussing craft- An Invisible Archive"
Has a great list of craft books by BIPOC writers.
Books:
-Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses
-The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo
-The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting A Writer’s Life in Prison Edited by Caits Meissner
-Coin of the Realm by Carl Phillips
-A Little Book on Form by Robert Hass
-Madness, Rack, and Honey by Mary Ruefle
-Best Words, Best Order by Stephen Dobyns
-The Anti-Racist Workshop by Felicia Rose Chavez
-A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
Community
Ways to meet other writers: attend writing conferences or summer workshops/retreats, and go to readings/open mics.
Academy of American Poets' Poetry Near You Guide
Listings for upcoming events
de-canon's article "POC Mentorship & Community-On Seeking And Not Finding"
Has a list of Writers Retreats/Residencies/Workshops specifically for BIPOC writers
Trans/Space: A Trans*, Non-binary, and Queer+ Poetry Project
Created by Tucson Poet Laureate TC Tolbert.This website has resources, recommended lit mags, and book lists for Trans, Non-binary, and Queer writers.
"BIPOC Writing Community is open to ALL people of color. You don’t need to identify as a writer, just show up with writing tools and a desire to connect. You won’t have to share what you write, but you can! We write 2 prompts for 20 minutes, with a 10 minute break in-between."
"Women Who Submit seeks to empower women and nonbinary writers by creating physical and virtual spaces for sharing information, supporting and encouraging submissions to literary journals, and clarifying the submission and publication process."
Online workshops / writing communities
Money
Grants and Mutual Aid
"Grant funds may be used for living expenses, travel for research, artistic residencies, writers' conferences, necessary enrichment or creative growth classes, or tuition in accredited MFA programs in the United States."
POMPOM: mutual aid for writers
They will help cover manuscript submission fees, MFA applications, etc...
Gasher Journal Writers Submission Fee Fund and First-Book Scholarship
"Gasher distributes submission fee grants of $35 every quarter to as many writers as we can afford for that period."
"Gasher offers two $250 scholarships to poets submitting their first full-length manuscripts."
Jobs