Author Archives

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the quiet of a summer evening…

the minute frog lay asleep inside the petaled flower

as the lightning bug candled its way into the night

hints of starlight topped the tree tips

the moon laughed and bounced through the evening clouds

the cicada sang its August song…

PHOTO CREDIT: Copyright
©Jane H Johann; September 6, 2017 Palmyra, WI

the grass was swaying with the gentle breeze, drinking in the quiet

all of nature whispered love

—serene inside our hearts

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Happy Birthday, Bobbi

“Bobbi’s Birthday Sunrise”
March 15, 2018 Copyright
©Jane H Johann; Palmyra, WI

dedicated to a dear friend, Bobbi, on her birthday!

Happy Birthday, Bobbi!

the morning sky opened

with a string of stars, dancing delightfully, 

welcoming you to another day of LIFE

Mother Earth blesses your day

thanking YOU for your GIFT of BEING 

–your comforting presence among the trees

–your caring feeding of her birds

–your tenderness and caring of those who are in your life

–you are a spouse to one, a mother of three, and a friend to me

how blessed we are that we share the path

your quick wit and endearing smile

graces us as we walk the miles!

                                                        May YOUR DAY be blessed! 

 

“Ottawa Sunset”©Jane H. Johann
Palmyra, WI 11/28/2017

 

 

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Daffodil Friends


“Copyright
©Jane H. Johann, April 16, 2017
“Sunday Morning Daffodil Smiles” No.1

the orange sliced sun streams

through the white puffed marshmallow skies

giving us hints of Spring

as the daffodil peeps through to say, “hello!”

hope and promise fill our being

yellow delight fills our hearts

as we pick ourselves up

and again…

dare to dream

 

Photo Credit
©Jane H. Johann, April, 14, 2017
“Sunday Morning Daffodil Smiles” No.2

Copyright
©Jane H. Johann
“Sunday Morning Daffodil Smiles” #3

 

Copyright
©Jane H. Johann
“Sunday Morning Daffodil Smiles” No.4

The writings, photography and paintings displayed on this blog are copyrighted and registered to Jane H. Johann according to the USA and international copyright laws. Please respect the copyright laws. Any photographs or writings not authored by me are acknowledged whenever that person is known. Every effort is made to ensure proper credit is given to whoever is responsible for the creative work and the creative pieces are only used with permission. Thank you for respecting the copyright laws.

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LIKE—help!

I have tried to ask for help from the WordPress forum and the chat room—that I cannot seem to find. Finally, after at least six months of frustration without a resolution to my question, I decided to post my frustration here.

Whenever I visit someone’s blog, I would like to acknowledge their piece of writing with a LIKE if I LIKE it! I have logged into my site, then visit the READER and proceed to read others’ blogs.

However, I am UNABLE to indicate I LIKE it even when I click the LIKE button.  I am not allowed to leave COMMENTS.

What am I doing incorrectly?  Yes, I paid my membership. LOL

Is there a PLUG-In that I should have activated so that I can LIKE someone’s writing?  Is there a PLUG-IN for a COMMENT?

Am I the only person experiencing this problem?

A flower for your thoughts!

Photo Credit
©Jane H. Johann, April, 16,, 2017
“Copyright
©Jane H. Johann
“Sunday Morning Daffodil Smiles” No.1

WordPress was my salvation—and now the conversation has ended! YIKES!

HELP!

Thank you in advance!

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Paid Publishing Opportunities + 20 Free Writing Contests!

I just ran across these publishing opportunities and writing contests. I know NOTHING about them except for what is listed below.  So you can check it out if you so desire. I am NOT paid to advertise—just trying to help anyone interested in publishing. Hope they are valid! If you CLICK the “Details here.” at the end of each, it will provide the email address for you.  Best to all of you! Thank you for your visits! I am in a bit of a writing slump…maybe this will spur me on!

14 Magazines that Pay $100+ Per Story

These markets accept fiction and pay $100; some pay considerably more for the higher word counts. Some of the calls are themed, and some of these markets also accept poetry and nonfiction. –– S. Kalekar

The Suburban Review
For this submission call, they want stories by Australian women, femmes and gender non-conforming folx. They want narratives rooted in the writer’s understanding of femininity. They accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and comics.
Deadline: 18 February 2018
Length: 500-2,000 words for prose (see guidelines), and 1-3 poems
Pay: AUD75-150
Details here.

Lightspeed
This Hugo Award winning science fiction and fantasy magazine is now open for submissions. All types of science fiction and fantasy are welcome. No subject should be considered off-limits, and they encourage writers to take chances with their fiction and push the envelope.
Deadline: 19 February 2018
Length: Up to 10,000 words; up to 5,000 preferred
Pay: $0.08/word; $0.02/word for reprints
Details here.
The Twisted Book of Shadows
They want horror stories by diverse voices.
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Length: 3,000-5,000 words; can send longer, but pay is capped
Pay: Minimum $0.06/word, with a cap of $300 on advances; and royalties
Details here.
Parsec Ink: Triangulation – The Music Edition (working title) 
Triangulation is Parsec Ink’s themed speculative fiction annual. For this issue, they want stories where music, a musical instrument, the parts of music, or musical culture make an appearance in a meaningful way.
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word
Details here.
Gallery of Curiosities
This is a speculative fiction anthology podcast and magazine. Most of their stories have some sort of anachropunkish retro-vintage element. As an audio venue, they want short stories that entertain, be it with steampunk, gaslamp, weird tales, dreadpunk, vintage horror, mad science, fantastic cities, monsters, impossible machines, clockworks, alt-history adventures, or weird westerns. See guidelines for stories that will be hard sells.
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Length: Up to 7,500 words
Pay: $0.03/word; $0.01/word for reprints
Details here.
Ninth Letter: Unthemed; Climate
This literary magazine is now open for fiction, nonfiction and poetry for its print and Web submissions. The print edition is unthemed, and for the Web edition, they want stories on the theme of Climate. They want work that experiments with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work.
Deadline: 28 February 2018 for print; 31 March 2018 for Web
Length: Up to 8,000 words for prose, 3-6 poems for print; up to 3,500 words, 3 poems for Web
Pay: $25/page for print; $75 for Web
Details here.
Parvus Press: If This Goes On
The anthology will consist of speculative fiction that looks at the state of the world one generation or more from today. By divorcing the people from the policies, the anthology will explore the long-term impact of America’s current fractious politics and cultural divides in ways that only speculative fiction writers can. Stories need not focus on America or the American worldview, especially as our world grows more interconnected every day. They are interested in seeing the visions of writers from (and of) the entire world.
Deadline: 1 March 2018
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Upstreet
This literary magazine will publish fiction and nonfiction in its next issue. They are not looking for unsolicited poetry at this time, but poets can query.
Deadline: 1 March 2018
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $50-250
Details here.
Spring Song Press: Shards Anthology
They want noblebright stories on the theme of shards, widely interpreted. This anthology is also open to a broader interpretation of noblebright: grimbright and nobledark stories will be considered.
Deadline: 1 March 2018
Length: 1,000-10,000 words
Pay: $0.01/word
Details here.
ChiZine: War on Christmas 
This speculative fiction magazine is looking for stories and poems on the theme. They want deranged and demented stories and poems that snap back against all that holiday schmaltz. They lean toward the dark, the speculative (SF, fantasy, horror), the flat-out weird, the humourous. The editors also caution that there will likely be a lot of Santa stories submitted. They urge authors to think more widely, especially outside the white, Judeo-Christian canon. They are open to reprints.
Deadline: 4 March 2018
Length: 500-5,000 words for stories; up to 2 pages for poetry
Pay: CAD0.08/word
Details here.
Southword Journal
This journal of the Munster Literature Centre accepts submissions of poetry and prose in English and Irish. They have published writers like Colm Toibín and Haruki Murakami in the past.
Deadline: 15 March 2018
Length: Stories up to 3,000 words
Pay: €30 per poem and €120 per short story
Details here.
Pantheon Magazine: Gorgon – Stories of Emergence
Pantheon Magazine’s editors are intrigued with Greek mythos. For this submission call, they want stories of weird, dark fiction; slipstream; magical realism; horror. They want themes based around transformations—things that are shapeshifting, emerging. They are looking for a wide scope of voices, cultures and perspectives. See guidelines for further details about the editors’ preferences.
Deadline: 31 March 2018
Length: Up to 2,000 words; up to 1,000 preferred
Pay: $0.06/word; $0.03/word for reprints
Details here.
Factor Four Magazine
They want flash fiction in the genres of speculative fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, super hero, or any combination of these.
Deadline: Now open
Length: Up to 1,500 words, though stories of less than 1,000 words are more likely to be accepted.
Pay: $0.08/word; minimum pay of $60
Details here.
Nature Magazine
This is a weekly international journal publishing research in all fields of science and technology, as well as news and interpretation of topical and coming trends affecting science, scientists and the wider public. Apart from these, they also have a section called Futures, which is science fiction stories. The genre should be near-future hard science fiction rather than slipstream or horror.
Deadline: Rolling
Length: 850-950 words
Pay: £85 or $130
Details here and here.

20 Free Writing Contests With Cash Prizes

These are for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translation, plays and hybrid writing, with prizes ranging from $75 to £15,000. Many are for unpublished writing, and offer publishing or contracts in addition to the prize money, which is not detailed here. A few are for published and self-published works. Also see this list for grants, residencies and fellowships for writers with upcoming deadlines. None of these charge a submission fee. –– S. Kalekar
The Journey PrizeThis prize is for an emerging Canadian writer, for a short story or excerpt from a fiction work-in-progress first published by a Canadian magazine or annual anthology during the previous calendar year. Submissions must come from eligible Canadian print and online-only literary magazines and annual anthologies.
Value: CAD10,000 for the author, CAD2,000 for the publication
Deadline: 12 February 2018
Open for: Canadian writers
Details here.
Shambhala Publications: Bala Kids & The Khyentse Foundation Children’s Book PrizeThis is for the best Buddhist children’s book manuscript. Stories should be for children ages 0–8, both fiction and nonfiction, from all Buddhist traditions. New authors are especially encouraged to apply.Value: $5,000
Deadline: 15 February 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Words & Brushes: CollaborationFiveThey want writers to select an image from their website and write a short story (2,000-4,000 words) inspired by it.Value: $350
Deadline: 15 February 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Academy of American Poets: Ambroggio PrizeThis prize is for US poets for a book-length poetry manuscript (48-100 pages) originally written in Spanish, accompanied by an English translation. Poets can send their own translations, or collaborate with a translator who may or may not be a poet.
Value: $1,000
Deadline: 15 February 2018
Open for: US poets (see guidelines)
Details here.
https://www.poets.org/academy-american-poets/ambroggio-prize-guidelines
Milkweed Editions: The Lindquist & Vennum Prize for PoetryThis is a manuscript contest for poets in the Upper Midwest – Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, or Winsconsin. Send a complete poetry manuscript, of 48 or more pages.Value: $10,000
Deadline: 15 February 2018
Open for: Upper Midwest poets in the US
Details here.
Poetry Matters Literary PrizeThese are poetry prizes in four categories: for middle school students, high school students, adults (20-60 years), and senior poets (aged 61 and above). Send up to thee poems.Value: $75, $50, $35, $25 in each category
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.
The Restless Book Prize for New Immigrant WritingThis is for fiction manuscripts (at least 45,000 words) by first-generation residents of their country. They want submissions from emerging writers of sharp, culture-straddling writing that addresses identity in a global age. Candidates must not have previously published a book of fiction with a US publishing house. The award alternates each year between fiction and nonfiction.Value: $10,000 advance
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: Immigrant writers
Details here.
9th Annual Spirit First Poetry ContestPoetry submissions may be of any length and any style but must have a theme of Meditation or Mindfulness. Poems may reflect any discipline, any faith, or none. Poems not on the themes of meditation, mindfulness, stillness, or sacred silence will not be included. Send up to three poems.Value: $200, $150, $100
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.
Everything Change Climate Fiction Contest 2018For this short story contest, submissions should illustrate or explore the impact of climate change on humanity and/or the Earth, in the present or the near- or moderate-term future. It should reflect current scientific knowledge about climate change. It may also illuminate and invite reflections on a climate-related challenge that individuals, communities, organizations, or societies face today, or might face in the near to moderate-term future. Submissions (5,000 words) can be in all genres, including speculative, realistic, literary, experimental, hybrid forms, and more.
Value: $1,000; nine prizes of $50
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Booksie Young Writer Short Story ContestThis is a contest for writers aged 13-18. Stories can be on any theme or genre (up to 5,000 words). Entrants must register on the Booksie website first; registration is free.Value: $300; two prizes of $75
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: Writers aged 13-18
Details here.
The Papatango New Writing PrizeThis is for UK and Ireland playwrights. Send an original play script (minimum running time 60 minutes, or a script of at least 40 pages, or at least 9,000 words). Translations, children’s plays, adaptations of classic plays or existing works in other media, music theatre, television, film or radio scripts are ineligible.Value: Play development, publication, royalties from box office income, £6000 commission for a new play
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: UK and Ireland writers
Details here.
Lunch Ticket: Diana Woods Award in Creative Non-fictionThis award is for creative non-fiction (up to 5,000 words) on any subject.
Value: $250
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Lunch Ticket: The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual TextsThis award is for a translated work (up to 5,000 words). Authors should include the original work with the translation, and write on the translation process.
Value: $200
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.
Black Caucus of American Library Association AwardsThis is for the best self-published ebook by an African American author in the US in these genres: fiction and poetry.
Value: $500 in each category
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: African American authors in the US
Details here.
Cha: Auditory Cortex – A Poetry ContestThis prize, run by the Hong Kong-based literary journal Cha, is for poets who write in a ‘variety’ of Englishes and celebrates the varied voices across Englishes. Each poet can submit up to two poems on any theme (up to 40 lines each, accompanied by a recording of the author’s reading in WAV format). Poems must be written and read in the author’s local variety of English (e.g. Brunei English, Burmese English, Chinese English, Fijian English, Filipino English, Guamanian English, Hawaiian English, etc.) in a way that is also accessible to other speakers of English in Asia.
Value: HKD500, HKD300, HKD200, 8 prizes of HKD100
Deadline: 28 February 2018
Open for: All poets
Details here.

Honeysuckle Chapbook Contest: Poetry and Prose

The contest is in two chapbook categories, poetry and prose (20-40 pages for each category). They want boundary-breaking chapbooks that evoke remarkable and human truths, work that disrupts traditional narratives, and which holds new and daring worlds. They value intention and risk.
Value: $500, jam
Deadline: 1 March 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.

Naomi Long Madgett Poetry AwardThis is for African-American poets. Submit a book-length poetry manuscript of approximately 60-90 pages.Value: $500
Deadline: 1 March 2018
Open for: African-American poets
Details here.
Christopher Tower Poetry CompetitionThis is for young UK poets. Send one poem, on the theme of Secrets.Value:  £3,000, £1,500, £500, three prizes of £250
Deadline: 2 March 2018
Open for: UK students aged 16-18
Details here.
RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging WritersThis is for Canadian writers aged under 35 who have published work in literary magazines, but not in book form. Candidates are to submit short fiction (up to 2,500 words), stand-alone or extracted from a longer work. The award alternates each year between short fiction and poetry.Value: CAD10,000; two prizes of CAD2,500
Deadline: 5 March 2018
Open for: Canadian writers
Details here.
Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing PrizeThere are two categories, for published and unpublished (including self published) manuscripts of adventure writing. All manuscripts must exceed 50,000 words. The writing should take the reader on an epic journey, exploring new horizons – be they historical or geographical, explore the themes of courage, endurance and resourcefulness, and allow readers to connect with a different reality or culture.
Value: £15,000 for the published category; £7,500 grant allocated for the unpublished category, to travel to undertake research for their next story, literary agency mentorship
Deadline: 12 March 2018
Open for: All writers
Details here.