Women Write About Toxic Workplaces

Phone:
Fax:
Website: https://www.cynthialewisauthor.com/
Guidelines:

Editor: Cynthia Lewis, Editor
Email address: mailto:women.write.about@gmail.com

About The Publication:

. “A series of themed anthologies of women’s creative nonfiction writing. Our first theme is Toxic Workplaces.” Welcomes new writers. Annual. Pays on acceptance. First anthology will be published by the end of 2023. Buys “first (or second, if previously published) English-language publication rights for the specified anthology. Limited, exclusive rights for 12 months after publication. Continuing, non-exclusive rights for the specified anthology thereafter.” Accepts reprints. Responds within a year. Guidelines online.

Pays $0.02/word

Current Needs:

“We need thoughtful personal essays that relate to the theme of Toxic Workplaces. We’re very interested in reading work from all types of women. Diversity in age, race, religion, socioeconomic status, country of origin/residence, ability, and occupation are all welcome. If you believe you are a member of a disadvantaged or underrepresented group, please say so in your cover letter. It won’t get your work past the first hurdle, but it may come into play when we make final selections, assuming a collection of excellent submissions that cannot all be published.” Pays $0.02/word, plus a copy of the publication. “Most accepted essays are likely to fall within the 1,500 to 3,500-word range, but word counts outside that range may work. We’re not looking for anecdotes, but rich, layered pieces full of vivid sensory detail, interesting storylines, intriguing insights, honesty, humor, and vulnerability. It’s difficult to pack all that into less than 1,500 words, but if you feel you’ve done so, send it over and we’ll take a look. For longer pieces, be especially vigilant about ‘using the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted,’ as Vonnegut wrote.” Submit ms with brief bio by email.

$0.02/word

Photos/Art:

Hints:

“Please do not send fiction! Take some time to read creative nonfiction and become familiar with the differences between the two genres. Good CNF is all about reflection and insight. Don’t just tell the reader what happened; share with them your unique feelings and thoughts about your experiences, and how you contextualize them within your own history and within society at large. Use dialogue sparingly. Again, remember that you are writing creative nonfiction. Do you truly remember every word of an extended conversation you had with a coworker 2 years ago? Avoid including back-and-forths about minutiae. If you’re often a dialogue-heavy writer, learn to cut some, and shift some of the external dialogue to internal. You are the protagonist of your own story, and what you think about it is most important. Ensure that your piece is well-edited before submitting. Do not send your first or second draft. When you believe you are finished, set your work aside and come back to it days or weeks later and read it with fresh eyes. Get feedback from others who don’t have a vested interest in flattering you; try a writing workshop or online group like https://critters.org. Read your work aloud, or have someone read aloud to you. Imagine that you’ve never read this piece before, and you know nothing at all about the subject matter contained in it. Does everything make sense? For sentence-level editing, try reading your piece backwards. Above all, be interesting. You don’t have a captive audience. Draw your reader in from the very first line. Have the courage to cut words, sentences, paragraphs, or entire sections that do not serve to further the action, reveal character, or provide insight. Think about the last piece of writing you stopped reading because it was boring. Avoid committing the same infractions as did that author. If you don’t have any writing you wish to submit on the topic of Toxic Workplaces, but are interested in our project, you may send an email to women.write.about@gmail.com to be notified of publication and of future calls for submission.”

Welcomes New Writers: Yes