Introducing the Black Fox Writing Academy! Join us for our first class with Catherine Adel West!

This class will be taught via Zoom and this is the registration form to attend live.

When: Sunday, June 25th, 3-5 PM EST

Investment: $67 USD

*Zoom access info is sent out immediately via Submittable, so be sure to check under the messages tab.

About the Class:

How do you get readers to care about your story?

In this class, through robust conversation, we’ll discuss how to develop and create realistic characters by crafting engaging dialogue and meaningful character arcs that move along the plot and themes of your book. You will learn:

• How to incorporate genuine speech during conversations
• How to move the plot along with dialogue
• Using the physical actions of your characters to tell their stories
• Figuring out the beginning, middle, and end of your character’s journey
• Using real-world interactions with others to make your characters look and sound more authentic
• Does your character need a happy ending?

About Your Instructor:

Catherine Adel West was born and raised in Chicago, IL where she currently resides. She graduated with both her Bachelors and Masters of Science in Journalism from the University of Illinois - Urbana. Her work is published in Black Fox Literary Magazine, Five2One, Better than Starbucks, Doors Ajar, 805 Lit + Art, The Helix Magazine, Lunch Ticket and Gay Magazine.

Catherine's sophomore novel THE TWO LIVES OF SARA came out September 6, 2022 (Park Row Books). Her debut novel SAVING RUBY KING was published June 2020 (Park Row Books). Her short story ORION'S STAR is featured in the body positive anthology EVERY BODY SHINES (Bloomsbury, May 2021).

*Note: We will not be able to offer refunds once registration has been completed. If you have any questions, please reach out to racquel@blackfoxlitmag.com. 

Black Fox is accepting submissions for its ninth writing contest. The theme for this round is “Secrets Unraveled.” We are open to loose interpretations of the theme in any genre, as always.

We all have secrets. There are secrets we keep to ourselves, secrets we share with select people, and secrets we bury deep inside. But what happens when those secrets start weighing us down? When they become a burden we can no longer carry?

We want to know what secrets your characters or narrators have kept hidden. Maybe it’s a secret that has been hidden for years—a past mistake, a forbidden love, or a hidden talent. Or perhaps the secret is something recently discovered—a family secret, a long-held belief, or a buried memory. We’re looking for stories that explore the power of secrets—how they shape us, define us, and ultimately, how they can set us free.

Please submit your strongest fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, and we will choose one winner that we feel interprets the theme best. The prize is $300 and publication in the Summer 2023 issue. All submissions are considered for publication in the Summer 2023 issue. The contest entry fee is $12, and submissions must be submitted before midnight (EST) on June 18, 2023.

Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12-point font. Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. For poetry, send up to three poems in the same document. For flash fiction, send up to two stories in the same document. Author’s name and page number should appear in the top right-hand corner of every page. We also ask that you specify the category/genre of your work in the cover letter. Please see our Submission Guidelines before submitting. Submissions are accepted through our submission manager found here.

We will select a winner by the end of July and each entrant will receive a response.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

We will select a winner by the end of July, and each entrant will receive a response.

***Writers, please note that entry fees are non-refundable, and payment to the winner is awarded via PayPal. We reserve the right to extend the contest deadline if necessary.***

The Black Fox team looks forward to reading your wonderful submissions!

Donations help us with administration costs and our eventual goal of paying contributors. We are also hoping to make it to AWP each year, and donations can help with this. You may submit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and blog posts to this category. Donations cannot be refunded. This is entirely optional and writers can still submit their work at no cost. Thank you for continuing to support Black Fox.

Make sure to read our submission guidelines before submitting. We expect a clean copy formatted with 12 pt Times New Roman font. Fiction and nonfiction should be double-spaced. Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

A response time of 4 weeks is guaranteed. Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font. Fiction submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. Poetry submissions should be no more than 3 poems (poetry does not need to be double-spaced). Author's name, and page number should appear in the top right-hand corner of every page. Please visit our submission guidelines underneath the "Submit" section of our website for more details. 

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

A response time of 2 weeks is guaranteed. Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12 point Times New Roman font. Fiction submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. Poetry submissions should be no more than 3 poems (poetry does not need to be double-spaced). Author's name, and page number should appear in the top right-hand corner of every page. Please visit our submission guidelines underneath the "Submit" section of our website for more details.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

Receive editorial feedback (in the form of a letter) on your prose or poetry from one of our editors. Our goal is to help you better understand your writing by providing suggestions for how to strengthen your work. 

• Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12-point Times New Roman font. Spacing guidelines are flexible for poetry.
• Fiction submissions should be no more than 5,000 words.
• Poetry submissions should contain no more than three poems.
• Author's name and page number should appear in the top right hand corner of every page. 
• Please review our submission guidelines underneath the "Submit" Section of our website for more details.

*Please note that submission fees are nonrefundable. 

The Black Fox blog is always looking for contributors. We are particularly interested in articles on the craft of writing, book reviews, book news, and publishing news. If it's writing, book, or publishing-related then this is the place for it. If we like your article, we'll publish it on our blog.

Please DO NOT submit work that isn't ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.

Black Fox Literary Magazine is on the hunt for a few good readers! Readers can expect to spend 4-5 hours per week on submissions. More specifically, we assign 10 submissions per week to prose readers and 15 submissions per week to poetry readers. Our reading team positions are voluntary at this time. Black Fox readers are sometimes invited to select classes through the Black Fox Writing Academy or our sister company, Writer’s Atelier. 

Black Fox readers are responsible for reading submissions in their entirety, analyzing them from a craft standpoint, and assessing if they’re a good fit for Black Fox. We place much trust in our readers, as they essentially make recommendations to our editors for publication.

A few notes: Readers from historically marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply. Please also note that readers cannot have submissions under consideration while reading for Black Fox. If you have a submission under consideration, please withdraw it or wait until a later date to apply. 

Potential readers should fill out our application and attach a resume/CV, cover letter, and a writing sample, preferably in the same category you wish to read. We will close applications once positions have been filled. 

Thank you so much for considering Black Fox as a magazine worthy of your time. We can’t wait to hear from you!