It’s summertime, but the livin’ isn’t easy. Between the cost of groceries, gas, and housing, it’s expensive to live—and even more expensive to fall behind. We’re seeking fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry about paychecks, debt, and how we make ends...
It’s summertime, but the livin’ isn’t easy. Between the cost of groceries, gas, and housing, it’s expensive to live—and even more expensive to fall behind. We’re seeking fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry about paychecks, debt, and how we make ends meet when the means just aren’t there. Write about what happens when money—the pursuit of it, the lack of it—drives people toward decisions they wouldn’t normally make. In times of need, how do friends and neighbors come together … or tear each other apart?
We’re open to flash prose and poetry that questions how people afford to live, what they do to survive, and what it looks like when “having enough” is just out of reach. We’re particularly interested in work that bends genres or uses unexpected forms to explore this theme. Some angles to consider are receipts and missed payments, dine-and-dashing, community kitchens, and the crushing weight of debt. When the bill is due, what happens when you can’t pay it?
We welcome writing of all forms: flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid work. Three winners will be selected and published at the end of August.
We are now offering editorial commentary on submissions. For an additional fee, you’ll receive two feedback notes from our experienced editors or readers. To learn more and submit, head to Duosuma.
Prizes:
- First place: $1,000 and publication
- Second place: $200 and publication
- Third place: $100 and publication
