Scribble House March Newsletter
Publisher & Bookseller group starting 3/26, next Feedback Open Mic 3/30, and loads of other March lit events around Western PA!
Scribble House March Newsletter
Hello, Scribble Friends!
Something about the month of March always feels energizing. Maybe it’s because spring is finally right around the corner, and the winter’s slush has melted, and every day the sun sticks around a little longer than it did the day before. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way, either, because it always feels like there’s an uptick in cool events and other happenings around this time of year.
Scribble House certainly has an exciting March planned! We’ll be hosting two events here in Pittsburgh toward the end of the month. Thursday, March 26, we’ll be holding the first Publisher & Bookseller Meet-Up! This group is for small press owners, lit mag editors, bookstore owners, and anyone else who makes and sells books. At this first meeting, we’ll be talking about big-picture stuff—what folks have planned for the rest of the year, what kind of stuff people need help with or advice about, and some planning stuff for future meetings. It’s a hybrid event, with the in-person gathering happening at Trace in Bloomfield starting at 7pm and the option to Zoom for folks who can’t make it out IRL. Full details and the Zoom link will go up on the Scribble House Events page next week (and you’ll also get it by email if you already expressed interest!).
The following week, our next Feedback Open Mic will be at Nico’s on March 30th (and we’re reasonably certain this one won’t get iced out!). The full deets:
Something else that I love about March is that it’s the start of writing conference season, and this year we’re kicking things off with AWP in Baltimore! If you’re headed to the conference, too, you can swing by table 974 in the bookfair to say hi (we’ll have candy). We’re also stoked to be launching two new prompt journals at AWP: Unstuck, which has prompts focused on overcoming writer’s block, and Creature Feature, which is all prompts featuring non-humans like animals, monsters, and cryptids.
And if you’re not heading to the conference, we’ll have both prompt books available on our website starting in April (and we’ll send a link in next month’s newsletter for subscribers to get them at the AWP Saturday discount price).
The only thing we’re a bit sad about is that, because we’ll be in Baltimore, we’re going to miss one of our other favorite conferences: the Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia (WCoNA), which is happening March 6th-7th at Saint Francis University in Loretto. If you’re looking for a writer party that’s a bit closer to home, registration for WCoNA is open and the sessions this year sound very cool.
WCoNA definitely isn’t the only fun lit event coming up, either! You’ll find a bunch of them in the Craft & Community section. A few local publishers have also recently opened calls (including a fun one for hard sci-fi writers from air and nothingness) which you’ll find in the Western PA Publishers with Open Calls section. Links to navigate:
Craft & Community – Upcoming events around Western PA, including:
Western PA Publishers with Open Calls – Currently:
Writing Prompt: People Watching
To celebrate the upcoming launch of our new prompt books, here’s a sneak preview of one of the prompts in Unstuck!
Everyone you see in your day-to-day life is a potential character. I need you to embrace your inner nebby neighbor and observe them. Go to a park, or a coffee shop, or a bar. Bring a notebook, because trust me, there’s no better way to look invisible.
Listen to conversations; write down details and descriptions. You can base your character off of one particularly interesting person—just don’t follow them, please, I don’t want this prompt book to get you arrested—or you can Frankenstein them out of pieces of everyone you see. Maybe you love the one girl’s look, but you just can’t get behind her coffee order (three pumps of vanilla? Really?), so now she’s an Americano drinker. Maybe that guy performatively reading Kafka at the bar would be more interesting if you gave him an equally performative beret.
Take notes until you find your character and then start inventing. Ask yourself about their lives. Do they live in a house, an apartment, a car? Do they have a family? Who do they trust most in the world? What are they searching for?
As you write about who they are, figure out what they’re doing in your story. Start where you first saw them—or whatever piece of them you first stole from your observations—and ask yourself, where are they going from here?
Craft & Community
In-person workshops, book fests, open mics, etc.:
Anyone who’s looking for a regular group to write with, there are a few that happen every week:
Mondays, 7:30-9pm: Write Pittsburgh Open Studio (virtual)
Wednesdays, 6-8pm: Shut Up & Write! (Happenstance Café, 3822 Penn Avenue)
Fridays, 10am: Shut Up & Write! (Happenstance Café, 3822 Penn Avenue)
March 5th, 6-8pm: Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh Closing Reception & Poetry Slam
Where: Carnegie Library – Main, Graphic Novel Room (4400 Forbes Avenue)
Writers from Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh will read their poems, followed by an open mic.
March 7th, 6-8pm: Poetry Open Mic
Where: Her Table at Classic Elements (Johnstown, PA)
Hosted by Poeming Through the Dark
Monthly open mic series in Indiana County. Dates and locations are announced through July for any folks planning ahead.
March 9th, 7pm: Open Mic Night
Where: Emma Lazrus Art + Music (1808 Brownsville Road)
Hosted by Pittsburgh Poetry Exchange
Sign-ups open at 7 and the reading starts at 7:30. Open to all creators, including poetry, prose, music, and whatever else one can do on a stage in roughly 5 minutes.
Pittsburgh Poetry Collective’s Open Mic and slam schedule for March:
March 10th, 7-10pm: Steel City Slam & Open Mic (Poetry Lounge)
March 17th, 7-10pm: Open Mic hosted by Kendall Snee (Poetry Lounge)
March 24th, 7-10pm: Open Mic hosted by Sarah Rose (Poetry Lounge)
March 25th, 7-10pm: Steel City Slam & Open Mic (The Pitch on Butler)
March 31st, 7-10pm: Open Mic hosted by danames (Poetry Lounge)
March 10th, 7-8pm: Read the Room Open Mic
Where: White Whale Bookstore (4754 Liberty Avenue)
It’s the reading series where you can read anything—except your own work. Sign-ups start at 6:30 and each reader gets up to 8 minutes.
March 28th, 10am-3pm: Northland Local Author Fair
Where: Northland Public Library (300 Cumberland Road)
Check out books from local authors, hear readings, and attend panels on publishing and writing. It’s free but they do request that folks register (form is on the website).
March 29th, 4-5:30pm: Loose Leaf Writers Group
Where: Bantha Tea (5002 Penn Avenue)
Hosted by Write Pittsburgh
This free monthly writing group happens on the last Sunday of every month and is a chance to get some writing done in the company of other creative folks. There’s no cost but they do prefer you register in advance (just so they know how many folks are coming).
April 2nd, 6-7:45pm: Come Write In
Where: Northland Public Library, room 148-2 (300 Cumberland Road)
Another free group for writing together, this one on the first Thursday of each month. There’s contact information at the link to reach out to if you plan to join.
In-person book launches, talks, & readings
March 6th, 7-8pm: Reading & Conversation: Grizzled by Jason Bittel
Where: White Whale Bookstore (4754 Liberty Avenue)
In conversation with Brooke Barker
Genre: Nonfiction
March 7th, 2-3pm: Women in Writing panel
Where: Northland Public Library (300 Cumberland Road)
Panelists: Robin Acton, Stephanie Claypool, Kimberly Miller, Linda Rettstatt, Carol Sivis
Free but registration required
March 7th, 7-10pm: Witch & Halsey Hyer
Where Stay Gold Books (1104 Braddock Avenue)
Genre: Poetry & music
March 8th, 3-4pm: International Women’s Day Reading
Where: Happenstance Café (3822 Penn Ave.)
Readers: Valerie Bacharach, Jeannine Pitas, Jen Ashburn, and Michelle Mirabella
March 10th, 7-8:30pm: World Literature: Genre-Defying Writer Dimitris Lyacos with Cellist Liam Battle
Where: Alphabet City (40 W. North Avenue)
March 11th, 5-6pm: Book Launch: Sharon G. Flake’s Hattie Mae Begins Again
Where: White Whale Bookstore (4754 Liberty Avenue)
In conversation with Anea Michelle
Genre: Middle grade
March 12th, 7pm: Judith Volmer’s The Pavese Stone
Where: Carnegie Library Lecture Hall (4400 Forbes Avenue)
Genre: Poetry
March 13th, 7-8:30pm: Lindy West’s Adult Braces
Where: First Unitarian Church (605 Morewood Avenue)
Genre: Memoir
Costs $35 (includes a signed copy of the book)
March 15th, 3-4pm: PGHwrites: Sony Ton-Aime’s Konbit launch
Where: Alphabet City (40 W. North Avenue)
Also featuring Shara McCallum and Joy Priest
Genre: Poetry
March 16th, 6:30-7:30pm: An Evening with Local Author Brenda Tate
Where: Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill (5801 Forbes Avenue)
Genre: Memoir
March 17th, 7-8pm: Artist in Exile: Volodymyr Rafeyenko’s “Signals of Being”
Where: Alphabet City (40 W. North Avenue)
Staged reading followed by a conversation with translator Mark Andryczyk
Genre: Drama
March 18th, 7-8:30pm: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s Chain of Ideas
Where: Carnegie Library Lecture Hall (4400 Forbes Avenue)
Genre: Nonfiction
Costs $35-$40 (includes a signed copy of the book)
March 19th, 7:30pm: Rachel Ann Bovier
Where: Bottlerocket Social Hall (1226 Arlington Avenue)
Genre: Poetry (and more)
March 22nd, 3-4pm: World Literature: Bertony Louis
Where: Alphabet City (40 W. North Avenue)
In conversation with Sony Ton-Aime
Genre: Poetry
March 23rd, 7:30-8:30pm: Angela Flournoy’s The Wilderness
Where: Carnegie Music Hall (4400 Forbes Avenue)
Part of the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Ten Evenings Series
Genre: Literary fiction
March 24th, 7-8pm: World Literature: Cristina Rivera Garza’s Autobiography of Cotton
Where: Alphabet City (40 W. North Avenue)
In conversation with Anderson Tepper
Genre: Autofiction
March 26th, 7-10pm: PSST! People’s Song Societea
Where: Bantha Tea Bar (5002 Penn Avenue)
Monthly salon of music, words, and art
March 28th, 7pm: Odd Month Poetry Series
Where: Bantha Tea Bar (5002 Penn Avenue)
Readers not yet announced but you can check their Facebook page for updates
March 28th, 7-8:30pm: Short Reads 3 Year Anniversary Party
Where: White Whale Bookstore (4754 Liberty Avenue)
With Autumn House Press
Readers: Robert Yune, M.S. Reagan, Hallie Pritts, and Ren Cedar Fuller
March 29th, 3-4pm: Free Association Reading Series
Where: Alphabet City (40 W. North Avenue)
Readers: Shaheen Dil, Gary Jackson, Cedric Rudolph, and Nina Sabak
Online events & classes
March 7th, 10am-12pm: Start Your Substack
Hosted by Write Pittsburgh
Facilitated by Kendall Snee
Costs $15-$30 (sliding scale)
If you’ve ever wanted to start a Substack, this workshop will get you started. By the end you’ll have an account and your first post ready (not bad for two hours!)
March 7th, 10am-12pm: Flirting with Romantasy
Hosted by Literary Cleveland
Facilitated by Mir Benitz
Costs $35
Romantasy is having a moment, and you can learn how to write it from a local author published in the genre in this workshop.
Poet Camp is starting their Spring Jumpstarts in March:
Each session meets 9-9:30am every weekday for two consecutive weeks:
March 9th-13th & 16th-20th
April 6th-10th & 13th-17th
May 4th-8th & 11th-15th
Each 2-week session is $50 (first timers get a 50% discount)
Jumpstarts are Google Meet quick-write sessions with prompts to help you build a daily writing routine. There’s also time to chat before and after the session if you’re looking for a way to build writing community.
There are a few Craft Talks webinars in March:
March 10th, 1-2pm: The Writers Bridge – Pitch & Platform with Literary Agent Jessica Berg & Allison K Williams (free)
March 11th, 3-4:30pm: How Did We Get Here? Crafting Compelling Character Backstories ($20)
March 19th, 3-4:15pm: Memoir Strategies: Transforming Life Into a Story that Matters ($20)
March 25th, 3-4:30pm: Tools for Querying Agents: Essential Materials, Strategies, and Resources
Craft Talks also has a couple of longer courses in March:
Finding and Telling Your Personal Story: A Crash Course in Writing Your Personal Narrative
March 5th-April 23rd (8 Thursdays), 1-4pm
Costs $625
Speculative Memoir Magic: Reclaiming Your Memoir’s Power through Speculative Elements
March 21st & 28th, 1-3pm
Costs $99
March 11th, 6-7pm: Author Talk with Dr. Nina Padolf
Hosted by Write Pittsburgh
Join through Instagram Live
March 14th, 10am-3:30pm: Workday Co-Play
Hosted by Poet Camp
This free Google Meet space is a time to work in the virtual company of other writers. You can register at the link above to get the Google Meet link, then drop in or out as you will during the span the room is open.
March 14th, 2-3:30pm: Second Saturday Open Mic
Hosted by Bridge Literary Arts Center
The featured readers for this monthly reading series are Charlene Fix and Garth Porter. After, attendees can chime in with up to 5 minutes of words or music. You can get the Zoom link by reaching out to the email on the website.
March 21st, 10am-12pm: Sight Unseen: Writing the Unapparent
Hosted by Write Pittsburgh
Facilitated by Schereeya
Costs $15-$30 (sliding scale)
Go beyond visual description with the exercises in this workshop, where you’ll practice using other senses and figurative language to build a story world.
March 28th, 6-8pm: Say What? Experiments in Dialogue
Hosted by Dream Foundry
Facilitated by M.C. Benner Dixon
Costs $45
A hands-on workshop to help writers capture their characters’ voices on the page.
Western PA Publishers with Open Calls
Short prose & individual poems
yawp Magazine is open for poetry, prose, and art through March 15th.
Zine published by Poetry Lounge in Millvale
The Penn Review is open for poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and art through March 25th.
Send them:
Fiction and nonfiction up to 2,500 words
Up to 5 poems
Up to 10 works of art
Also have a contest ($10 entry, winner gets $500)
air and nothingness press is open for their Tea or Coffee, Stars, and Gravity anthology through March 31st.
Send them hard sci-fi stories up to 2,000 words containing the title elements
Pays .08/word
Eye Contact is open for fiction, poetry, art, and graphic narratives through March 31st.
Theme: Symphony
This issue’s genre for the flash fiction contest is “fantasy”
Send them:
Fiction up to 1,500 words
Up to 3 poems
Up to 4 pieces of art
Up to 5 pages of graphic novel
Literary journal of the popular fiction program at Seton Hill
The Parsec Short Story Contest is open for speculative fiction through March 31st.
Theme: Metamorphosis
Send them fiction up to 3,500 words
Open to writers who do not meet SFWA full member eligibility requirements ($1,000 or more in lifetime genre fiction sales)
Also have a Youth Story Prize for writers 19 and younger
Winner gets $200 and publication
Also $100 2nd, $50 3rd
Youth Story Prize winner gets $50
Red Flag Poetry is open through March 31st.
Based in Indiana, PA
Publishes poems on postcards
Send them up to 3 poems
The Loyalhanna Review is open for fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art through April 3rd.
Run by the Ligonier Valley Writers
Send them:
Fiction and creative nonfiction up to 1,500 words
Up to 3 poems
Up to 5 works of art
SLAB is open for fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art through April 15th.
Based at Slippery Rock University
Send them:
Fiction or creative nonfiction up to 10,000 words
Up to 5 poems
Also have a contest you can enter for a $10 reading fee
After Happy Hour is open for fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art through April 30th.
Independent literary journal based in Pittsburgh
Send them:
Fiction of any length
Creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words
Up to 3 poems
Up to 5 works of art
Pays $15-$50/piece
AvantAppal(achia) is open for fiction, poetry, art, video, and audio through April 30th.
Publishes avant garde literature with a focus on Appalachia
Send them:
Fiction up to 7,500 words
Up to 3 poems
Up to 3 works of art
New Dawn: An Anthology of Writers in Recovery is open for fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry through April 30th.
For work by writers who have recovered from addiction
A project of Write Pittsburgh
Send them:
Fiction and creative nonfiction up to 1,200 words
Up to 6 pages of poetry
Hollow Oak Press is accepting flash fiction for their Acorns feature
Publisher of speculative fiction based in Northwestern PA
Send them stories 1,000-1,500 words
Pays $5 per piece
Kestrel is open year-round for fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art.
Based at Fairmont State University in West Virginia (so not technically “Western PA” but still highly regional)
Send them:
Fiction and creative nonfiction up to 5,000 words
Up to 5 poems
Lake Effect is open year-round for submissions of stories, poems, and essays.
Published by Penn State Behrend (Erie, PA)
What they want in their own words:
Fiction: “Lake Effect is looking for stories that emerge from character and language as much as from plot. Lake Effect does not, in general, publish genre fiction, but literary fiction.”
CNF: “Lake Effect is looking for well-crafted and lively literary or personal essays. We are not looking for literary criticism, but essays that engage literature in the context of a lived life are certainly welcome.”
Poetry: “Lake Effect is looking for poems that demonstrate an original voice and that use multilayered, evocative images presented in a language shaped by an awareness of how words sound and mean. Each line should help to carry the poem. There is no length limit per poem.”
Uppagus is open all year for their online issues
Send them:
Flash fiction (up to 750 words)
Poems (1-4)
Visual art (1-6 pieces)
You can check out their archives to see the kind of stuff they publish.
YNST Magazine is open for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art.
For writers and artists with a connection to the Appalachian region
Pays (rate not specified)
Also publishes fashion writing and designs
Book-length manuscripts
The Black Lawrence Press Hudson Prize is open through March 31st.
Winner gets $1,000 and publication
For unpublished collections of poetry or prose:
Poetry manuscripts 45-95 pages
Prose manuscripts 120-280 pages
Lefty Blondie Press’ First Chapbook Award is open through March 31st.
For poets 40+ who identify as female or nonbinary and haven’t yet published a poetry collection
Send them poetry manuscripts of 18-24 pages
Pay what you can reading fee
Winner gets $250 and 10 author copies
The Autumn House Press Nonfiction Prize is open through April 30th.
For memoirs and essay collections 150-300 pages
Judge: Ira Sukrungruang
Costs $35
Winner gets publication and $2,500
University of Pittsburgh Press is open for its Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize through April 30th.
For poetry collections of 48-100 pages
Costs $25
Winner gets $5,000 and publication
Golden Bridges Publishing is currently open to submissions.
Main focus of the press is historical fiction but also publish fantasy, sci-fi, memoir, cozy mystery, and literary fiction
Also have two imprints:
Big Sister Books – YA and middle grade
Little Sister Books – children’s picture and chapter books
Sunbury Press is open to submissions year-round.
Publishes novels and book-length non-fiction
Based in Mechanicsburg, PA (so not quite “Western PA” but close enough for horseshoes and newsletters)
What they want in their own words: “We are always seeking new titles to publish including: history, historical fiction, mystery/detective, police procedurals, crime thrillers, horror, literary fiction, young adult, current events, science, reference, art history, ANY local/regional history, humor, spiritual/metaphysical, self-help, professional, memoirs, etc. If we didn’t mention your category — try us anyway!”
Those who write about regional and local topics may also want to check out their Catamount Press imprint, which is focused on literature related to Northern Appalachia