Submissions for the 2025 Clark Closser Memorial Literature Award are OPEN.

Details

The inaugural Clark Closser Memorial Literature Award is offered in three categories: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

The entry fee is $10, with submissions accepted through Submittable. The contest is open from July through November 30. Finalists will be announced in December, and winners will be announced in January.

Past contributors to Magpie Zine are welcome to enter.

We only accept previously unpublished original work by the original creator. We only accept stories written by corporeal humans—no AI-written work will be considered. Remove all identifying information (name, email, phone, etc.) from your document. DO NOT skip this step. Our judges prefer to read anonymous submissions.

Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but please be respectful of our judges and your fellow contestants and promptly withdraw your work if it's accepted elsewhere.

First place: $100 minimum guarantee (final amount determined after submissions close) and publication in the special awards issue of Magpie.

Second place: $50 minimum guarantee (final amount determined after submissions close) and publication in the special awards issue of Magpie.

Finalists: Small honorarium (amount determined after submissions close) and publication in the special awards issue of Magpie.

Mood

Like our contest’s namesake, we strongly favor work with depth and unique insight that explores the human condition. Send us your shiniest griefs, joys, and absurdities. (Bonus points for work that juxtaposes all three.)

Categories

Poetry:

Submit up to three poems per submission. (You may submit multiple times, but max two poems per entry.) This year’s poetry judge is Todd Robinson.

Fiction & Nonfiction:

Submit one story per submission. (You may submit multiple times, but only one story per entry.) Max word count 4,000. This year’s prose judge is Teresa Carmody.

CLARK CLOSSER was a poet, storyteller, and creative nonfiction essayist. His poems were published in His Times, and his personal essays entertained and enlightened audiences for years at Missouri State University, where he taught for over three decades.

He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in English from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where his dissertation focused on the work of British novelist John Fowles. Closser later read his essay, “In the Sea of Life Enisled: Narrative Landscape and Catherine’s Fate in ‘The Cloud'” at the John Fowles Symposium in Lyme Regis, England. John Fowles himself was among the delighted audience members to hear Closser’s presentation.

Clark was beloved for his memorable lectures, at once humorous and poignant. When registration opened, students immediately sought out a "Closser class." His charisma and passion for literature were infectious, and his grasp of source material was profound. One could not hold a conversation with Clark without an insightful reference to a literary work or a sonorous recitation of a relevant poem committed to memory.  

Clark’s numerous talents included writing, dancing, painting, music, and theatre. He was a Renaissance man and a rock and roller, a poet and a man of letters, a sinner and an Eagle Scout.

  • Poetry: Todd Robinson

    Todd Robinson is the author of two poetry collections, most recently Mass for Shut-Ins (University of Nebraska Press). His work has appeared in North American Review, Rattle, The Adroit Journal, and Spillway. He is an Associate Professor in the Writer's Workshop at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. More on Todd

  • Fiction & Nonfiction: Teresa Carmody

    Teresa Carmody (she/they) is a writer of fiction, creative nonfiction, inter-arts collaborations, and hybrid forms. Her books include A Healthy Interest in the Lives of Others (Autofocus, 2025), The Reconception of Marie (Spuyten Duyvil, 2020), Maison Femme: a fiction (Bon Aire, 2015), and Requiem, recently rereleased by punctum books. This fall, Boabab Press will release their novella, Today Must Be Sunday, as part of Agency 3. Carmody lives in Omaha and teaches in the Writer's Workshop and low-residency MFA in Creative Writing Program at University of Nebraska Omaha. More on Teresa

submit →