Memoir Magazine’s goal is to cultivate our collective and individual capacity to recognize truth, while creating greater diversity and empathy, by flooding the world with stories that need to be told.
We welcome submissions from all writers and artists, whether you’re emerging or established. So even if you don’t yet have a publishing track-record we’re eager to hear from you.
We love truth and therefore we are open to a variety of forms of nonfiction—including memoir, travel writing, and the personal essay, as well as (stand-alone) novel excerpts and flash nonfiction and any kind of unconventional expression of your truth.
*Memoir Magazine is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and disability.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Memoir Magazine accepts online submissions for publication consideration year-round.
We Accept Unsolicited Submissions of:
- Memoir, Personal Essay, Creative Nonfiction and Excerpts: up to 3,000 words on any subject or theme.
- Visual Art: fine art, illustrations, comics, photography, graphic storytelling and visual narratives.
* You may submit as often as you like.
Upload your work using the appropriate Submittable submission form at the bottom of the page.
*Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Just let us know right away if your work is accepted elsewhere.
*International submissions are welcome.
*We accept work that has been previously published elsewhere
(including self-published works), as long as you specify that this is a reprint in your cover letter. Simply state where the work was published so that we may provide credit to the previous place of publication. Yay for us!
*Format your document.
Use double-spaced, 12-point serif font, such as Times New Roman. Don't forget to add page numbers to your work!
*Name your document.
Use a combination of the title and your name. For example, "Solito by Javier Zamora" or " "Zamora, Solito." * Do not name your document "Memoir Magazine" or "Memoir".
*A 50-100 word Bio or Artist Statement is encouraged.
And may be provided along with (or in lieu of) a cover letter. If applicable, list any previous publications and/or links to personal blogs, websites, and social media profiles showing more of your work. You may also wish to upload a representative photograph for your contributor profile.
* By submitting, you acknowledge that you are the creator and owner of the work. Rights revert back to writers and artists 3 months after publication. While there is no monetary payment, your work will be promoted on social media and displayed on the website in perpetuity. The magazine is always available online for free.
*By submitting, you also agree to have your email automatically added to our email list.
VISUAL ART
* Memoir Magazine is always looking for innovative, original illustrations and photography, especially works that represent the mysteries of human transformation or interaction with their environment or emotional landscape. In fact, we will be happy to consider submissions of art in any medium, including graphic storytelling and visual narratives.
Other Stuff
Memoir accepts only online submissions.
We generally respond to all submissions within eight to twelve weeks (you may contact us if you haven't heard from us in four months).
Partial withdrawals: If you must withdraw one piece in a group, please send an email stating which works are still available.
Open Editing: If you feel you must revise your piece due to an error, please request that your submission be "Open for Editing." You may then upload a new file to replace the old one.
General Guidelines:
Submit book-length work on any theme. Traditionally Published (Small, academic, and independent presses), Self-published, and Unpublished Manuscripts are accepted for Grand Prize consideration.
We will award the Grand Memoir Prize of $1,500 for a book of memoir in any style or sub-genre or state of publication. $100 goes to the First Place winner in each category.
All winning entrants will receive a brief commentary from one of the judges, one year of free Book Promotion by Memoir Magazine, and a digital award seal for use in promoting your win, and (excerpts) will be considered for publication in Memoir Magazine.
Writers of all ages and nations may enter. The works you submit must be in English. You may submit published or unpublished work: a manuscript, full-length book of memoir or creative nonfiction, a collection of essays, or graphic narrative as a single entry or audiobook.
There are no restrictions on the subject matter, length, age of the author, type of press, or the year of publication. Entries will be evaluated on content, writing quality, and overall quality of production and appearance.
Multiple contest entries are allowed. You may submit more than one book by filling out a new submission form and paying the fee.
Deadline: April 30, 2023.
Entry fee: $95 per book.
Submissions:
Upload manuscripts, one or more (e-books, audio, or printed) books. Select the category that best represents each entry.
Please specify the theme and subject matter of your memoir in the bio and upload your e-book version of your book in PDF or epub format or an audiobook file. If you prefer to mail your book see below for further details. You may enter more than one book and/or more than one category; however, you must include a separate book and the additional fee for each entry.
All entries will be considered for contest promotional feature on our social media profiles to promote the title and the contest, unless otherwise indicated by the entrant.
Mailing Printed Books: (optional)
If you prefer to mail your book,
1. please specify that you will be mailing your book by checking the appropriate box in the initial Submittable form.
2. After Submittable registration and payment are complete,
3. ship 1 copy of your book to:
The Memoir Prize*
811 Ninth Street, Box 120-187
Durham, NC 27705
4.*do not forget to request tracking at the time of shipping. We cannot confirm individual receipt of printed matter.
5. All print books must be delivered within 5 days of the final contest deadline.
For the purpose of the Memoir Prize, a memoir is defined as a book-length work (or collection of smaller works/essays/stories presented as one work) of creative nonfiction usually written in the first person. However creative, the assertions made in the work are understood to be largely factual. Memoir Magazine assumes all entries are the original works and property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein. Furthermore, Memoir Magazine is not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant and will not become involved in fact or copyright disputes.
All true (and creatively true) stories are welcome regardless of the
subject matter, educational level, achievement, race or sexual orientation
of the author. In fact, marginalized voices are encouraged to submit.
We want real stories. We want to feel something and we want to share
that feeling with the world. Send us your blood, your sweat, your
laughter, and your tears.
* Memoir Magazine is always looking for innovative, original illustration and photography, especially works that represent the mysteries of human transformation or interaction with their environment or emotional landscape. In fact, we will be happy to consider submissions of art in any medium, including graphic storytelling and visual narratives.
*All images must be at least 300 dpi and include the artist's name in the title.
*Upload all pieces at one time (max 10 files), not as individual submissions.
*In your cover letter please include a bio or link to your personal website/online portfolio if you have one.
*For all other work, or works that are too large for upload in the online submissions manager, please query the Editor at memoirtherapy@gmail.com.
Teach for Us!
At Memoir University, we are committed to providing both beginning and advanced writers with the tools to share their stories. We understand that everyone learns differently, and we are committed to providing a variety of online courses and formats that provide the basics of effective storytelling, as well as interesting and novel ways to approach memoir writing.
Your course can cover any aspect of memoir writing or healing and be anywhere from an hour-long ZOOM talk to a 3-month weekly online workshop. Wow us!
For example, you might wish to propose a one-day class on writing character, or a two-hour talk that focuses on memoir as a family chronicle, or even a 12-week workshop specifically geared to writing about health or the medical profession. The audiences and purposes are endless. What is your expertise?
If you are interested in offering a class or workshop at Memoir University, please complete the following proposal form, and if possible, include an introduction, resume, and any recommendations, links or reviews, or course reviews/evaluations from courses you have previously taught.
Include the following in your proposal:
- Title, of course, your bio, photograph, and a summary of the course.
- What will students learn? Include 5 or 6 bullets covering course objectives and outcomes.
- Is this course for beginners or advanced writers or can anyone benefit?
- Please provide a syllabus or a tentative class calendar covering each day of the course.
- Please outline the format of your course. Will it be Synchronous Live Weekly Video/Chat/ Phone sessions or Asynchronous (go at your own pace) sessions? Will you do a weekly workshop? Live Video lecture and discussion? Will there be in-class or weekly writing assignments?
A memoir writing class is supposed to be welcoming, fun, friendly, and keep us writing. It should give thought-provoking feedback and inspiration each week. It is a community where writing may be a creative, technical, and personal growth undertaking, as needed by each student. Ideally, a great class should be accessible from any stage of the personal process/writing journey.
Payment
As Independent Contractors, teachers and course facilitators receive half of the tuition total and are responsible for their own taxes. This means if you teach a class with 10 students, and each student pays $100, you will receive a payment of $500 for that class. If you have more questions not covered here: please reach out to Jacqueline Regan at Edu@Memoirmag.com.