Alaska Pacific University
MFA Program
Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Anchorage, AK
Application Deadline:
Wed, 04/01/2026
Application Fee:
$35
Genre: Poetry
O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat
The O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat was held on November 29 and November 30 at a historic vacation property in the town of Waialua, on the North Shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. The retreat featured generative writing workshops, critiques, and arts and crafts breaks for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. The faculty included poet Tamara Leiokanoe Moan, fiction writer Tom Gammarino, and creative nonfiction writer Constance Hale. Tuition was $120 for one day and $200 for both days; lodging was not included, but lunch was.
Type:
CONFERENCE
Ignore Event Date Field?:
yes
Event Date:
January 2, 2026
Rolling Admissions:
ignore
Application Deadline:
January 2, 2026
Financial Aid?:
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline:
January 2, 2026
Free Admission:
no
Contact Information:
O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat, 1040 56th Street, Oakland, CA 94608. (617) 909-1439. Constance Hale, Director.
Constance Hale
Director
Contact City:
Waialua
Contact State:
HI
Country:
US
Banned Books Week From the Big Chair
Caption:
In this video from the Sage-sponsored “Banned Books From the Big Chair” booth at the American Library Association’s 2025 annual conference, authors and attendees respond to the dangers of book banning and the importance of supporting public libraries and the freedom to read.
Alta California Chapbook Prize
Gunpowder Press
Entry Fee:
$15
Deadline:
November 17, 2025
A prize of $1,000, bilingual publication in English and Spanish by Gunpowder Press, and 10 author copies will be given annually for a poetry chapbook by a Latinx poet who is a c
Elizabeth Bradfield: SOFAR
Caption:
In this Alaska Quarterly Review virtual event, poet and naturalist Elizabeth Bradfield reads from her collection SOFAR (Persea Books, 2025) and discusses the relationship of her poetics to ocean ecologies, memories of queer love, and both human and natural histories.
Genre:
Effort
For the Poetry Society of America’s “In Their Own Words” series, Suzanne Buffam writes about her poem “Trying,” which circles around the effort to conceive a child. “The poem became, in a sense, a meditation on effort, in which the suspension of effort was the aim of my efforts,” writes Buffam. “I gave myself one constraint. Each paragraph I wrote would have to contain some form of the verb ‘to try.’” Taking inspiration from Buffam’s constraint for her piece, compose a poem that explores your process trying to reach a goal, whether big or small, tangible or more abstract. Play around with different forms of the verb “to try,” or another verb that gestures at effort, paying careful consideration to how the word conveys a sensation of persistence over the course of time and through various obstacles and setbacks.
George Takei for Banned Books Week
Caption:
In this video, George Takei, honorary chair of Banned Books Week 2025, talks about how “access to books and knowledge is essential to democracy” and how reading provides a way to see ourselves reflected in stories and to discover the stories of others. To learn more, visit the Banned Books Week website.
American Book Awards
Before Columbus Foundation
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
December 31, 2025
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the current year in recognition of “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community.” Submit two copies (or bound galleys) of a book of any genre published in 2025 by December 31. Anyone may submit nominations for the awards. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for more information.
Tags:
Poetry Award
Lit Fox Books
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
January 15, 2026
A prize of $1,500, publication by Lit Fox Books, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection. Kristina Marie Darling will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of at least 48 pages by January 15, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Pushcart Prizes
Pushcart Press
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
December 1, 2025
Publication in The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses is awarded annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published by literary magazines or small presses during the current year. Editors may nominate up to six poems, short stories, novel chapters, or essays published, or scheduled to be published, in 2025; submit one copy of each work by December 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Tags:
Pages
