The Path to Active Membership: An Opportunity to “Get Ink”
By Annis Cassells, Writers of Kern (Bakersfield) Branch
Even though the first two deadlines here have passed, all of this advice rates pure gold and aspiring writers could hardly do better than placing their work in a Chicken Soup title. Particularly note the October, November, and December dates.
They make us smile, uplift our spirits, or make us tear up – these are the hallmarks of Chicken Soup for the Soul stories. Writers of Kern has a long history of members being published in this popular series. Stories and poems are always true memoir pieces of 1200 words or fewer. They don’t accept “as told to” stories or fiction. This summer, the list of callouts for Chicken Soup stories and poems offers many opportunities:
Grandparents:
They want “heartwarming, insightful and humorous true stories celebrating that unique relationship of grandparent and grandchild.” Whether you’re writing as a grandparent about your grandchildren or remembering an incident from your own point of view as a grandchild, your story has a chance. August 31st deadline.
Mom Knows Best:
Stories about lessons learned from mothers of all ages and types are welcome – “mom, stepmom, foster mom, mother-in-law, grandmother, or someone who was like-a-mom to you.” Those lessons and special times might have been funny or heartwarming. The editors want to know how what she taught you made you the person you are today. September 30st deadline.
Life Lessons from the Cat and Life Lessons from the Dog:
Other cat and dog titles have been so popular, and they are expecting these two books to be the same. They want first-person true stories about what your pet has taught you or how your pet has had a big impact on your life. Serious or humorous, they are expecting these stories will be both entertaining and heartwarming. Deadline for Cat is October 31st, and Dog is November 30th.
Running for Good:
This title has two meanings: one is about the healthful benefits of running for mind, body and spirit. The second meaning is about doing good by raising awareness of an issue or raising funds for a cause. Chicken Soup is teaming up with Dean Karnazes, an ultramarathoner for this one and is looking for quirky or heartwarming stories about all aspects of running. December 15th deadline.
The Golden Years or Second Wind:
They seek humorous and fun adventure stories about actively enjoying one’s “senior years.” Maybe you’re retired and still have energy and passion to start a second career or go out and enjoy new interests or do all the things you’ve always wanted to do. Now you have time, and Chicken Soup wants to hear about it. December 30th deadline.
For complete information and suggestions for stories for the above books, see the website at http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics.
Offering your story to Chicken Soup for the Soul may be your chance to step out on the path to Active WOK membership by being published. We have Writers of Kern members who can help you navigate their submission process. That’s what we do at WOK.
Editor Annis Cassells’
very instructive article appeared in
the July 2018 Writers of Kern newsletter
The Write Way.