Stipends Available

COURSES STARTING IN JULY

Click on the course you would like to take, to view the individual dates and times under the header "schedule."  Pick from any of the courses below. 3-week classes:

• The Poetic Experience: A Writing Workshop

• Fiction Writing Workshop

• Creative Nonfiction: Crafting Personal Narratives

Have a question? Contact us at admissions@aup.edu 

In 2026, the Gloucester Arts Festival will be hosting its second Festival Book Fair on June 20th. The book fair will be located at the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester on Main Street. This fair will be an all-day opportunity for authors to meet readers, discuss, and sell their books. The fair will be limited to twenty-five (25) local authors. Snacks and refreshments will be provided for the authors chosen to participate. Food trucks will be available for patrons and authors in front of the museum.

Fair Date: Saturday, June 20, 2026

Start Time: 1:00 PM

End Time: 5:00 PM (break down not before)

Setup Time: 12:00 PM

Break Down Time: 5:15 PM

Table Rental: $30

Please contact Mary Shipko for more information. maryshipko@gmail.com  757-570-2478

The thirteenth annual Chesapeake Writers’ Conference will be held from June 21 to June 27 on the St. Mary’s College campus in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. The Conference features daily Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Youth Workshops (the latter for high school-age writers) and a dynamic schedule of lectures, craft talks, readings, and panel discussions. Recent workshop faculty include Heather Green, Phillis Levin, Patricia Henley, Jerry Gabriel, Matt Burgess, Angela Pelster, Eva Freeman, Robin McCullough, Melissa Scholes-Young and Nadeem Zaman. There is no application fee. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; registration is ongoing on a first-come, first-served basis until we reach capacity. See the Fees & Registration page for more information.

What We Want: Calling all meet-cute enthusiasts! We’re looking for short romance stories that hook you in and refuse to let you go. We’re talking red wine spilled on your ex-boss’s new (and very attractive) fiancé, rival pickleball players getting stuck in a haunted elevator, estranged lovers who reunite for the first time in ten years—at their wedding on national TV. One catch: your story has to have a Virginia element, whether that’s a main character who plays for the Flying Squirrels, a best friend who’s determined to move to Chincoteague, or a beloved family pet named Ol’ Dominion. We’re looking for a wide range of meet-cutes with variable levels of spice, ranging from short and sweet to spicy and sweeping.

Submission Window: 5/1/26 – 7/31/26

Word Length: 1,500 to 7,500

See more on website:  https://whitakerlyon.com/submissions/meet-virginia-a-romance-anthology/

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES All writing submissions must be the original work of the author. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate creative content is prohibited.

1. Stories should a maximum of 5,000 words in length

2. Submission Deadline is July 31, 2026

3. Stories should have no Author identifying infomation

4. Stories must feature elements relating to music

5. Stories cannot be previously published

6. Stories must be Traditional Mysteries  (no graphic sex or violence, please)

Submissions to VIRGINIA SIDEWAYS open August 1st

https://whitakerlyon.com/submissions/

Facebook Groups that post Open Submission

Romance

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OpenSubmissionCallsForRomanceWriters

Crime, Thriller, Mystery Markets

https://www.facebook.com/groups/493431704005291

speculative Markets – Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AjNJ5P4JZ/ 

Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Pulp

https://www.facebook.com/groups/440107622678110/

Horror Markets

https://www.facebook.com/groups/384615034930975/

This is a wesbiste that is all about learning to write.  However, they do hold contests. 

Contests are a great way to sharpen your submission skills, stretch your imagination, and get your work out in the world. That’s why the Institute runs adult and kidlit writing contests throughout the year. 

Each children’s book writing contest culminates in a Winners Webinars where we announce the winners and critique the winning entries to help all entrants improve their skills. Plus, each contest has cash prizes for the top five entries.

(Image from IFW website) 

NOTE: Please read all submission guidelines.  This webiste link is provided for you to help you find avenues for writing. 

Erica Verrillo has written seven books and published five. She doesn't know why anyone with an ounce of self-preservation would ever want to publish. But, if you insist on selling your soul to the devil, learn how to do it right: marketing, literary agents, book promotion, editing, pitching your book, how to get reviews, and ... most important of all ... everything she did wrong.