We’re thrilled to offer a full slate of programs and opportunities this year, ranging from curating your own Community Anthology to participating in one of our three digital residencies.
As we enter a new decade, we continue to be dedicated to growing our community in meaningful and intentional ways. As you may already know, we are a global community that publishes, guides, mentors, and connects with writers at just about every stage of their creative trajectory. So whether you are newer to the literary world or whether you are a longtime writer seeking community and creative spark, we have a program or a publication that could be just what you’ve been looking for. Below, you can read a reflection from our executive director, Joyce Chen, about the importance of our collective work as writers and artists, as well as a list of upcoming calls that will be opening throughout the year. Be sure to mark your calendars, as this promises to be a busy, purposeful next few months, and we’d love to learn alongside you for part of it.
“Taking Root for the Next Ten”
In an essay looking back on Seventh Wave’s 10th year, our executive director, Joyce Chen, reflects on how so many of the seeds that we planted early on in the organization’s founding are really starting to take root now. In it, she ruminates on how we’ve gone from a modest literary magazine run by four friends in a Brooklyn apartment to a global community publishing more than 450 individuals over the past 10 years. Click here to read the essay in full.
“The heartbeat of what we do is hardly a numbers game, and growth is never linear.”
Upcoming calls & opportunities
Read about the upcoming calls and opportunities in brief below, but be sure to follow the links to learn more.
- March 2: Call for 2026 Community Anthologies EICs
- Interested in curating your own Community Anthology, or mini issue? Apply for the opportunity to work alongside three other editors-in-chief over a 9-month period. You’ll be paid a $1,000 stipend while learning how to write an effective call for submissions, review and select submissions, work with contributors, and ultimately, publish your own mini folio. Program begins in May.
- April 6: Applications to The Workshop
- Do you have a piece or project that would benefit from thoughtful feedback? This is a 5-week program rooted in editorial feedback. Each cohort of 7 residents will be led by a Seventh Wave facilitator through our signature workshop method, which centers the writer throughout the process. Residents will receive and provide both written and verbal feedback. Program begins in June.
- May 11: Applications to Fall 2026 Narrative Shifts
- If you’re seeking mentorship, accountability, and community, our digital residency program, Narrative Shifts, could be for you. This 7-week, genre-agnostic program focuses on process, not product, and is perfect for the writer who is wondering, “What next?” Accepted residents will receive resource packets, engage in activities and writing prompts, and have access to opportunities like one-on-one check-ins with their facilitator and an optional feature on our website. Program begins in September.
- July 6: Call for Community Anthology submissions
- Looking to submit work for publication? Then be on the lookout for our 2026 Community Anthologies EICs’ calls for submission, which will go live in July. Each call will feature a topic of the editor-in-chief’s choosing, so make sure you read their ask in full before sending them your work. If accepted, you will work directly with that EIC to get your piece ready for publication. Work with editors begins in late August.
- October 5: Applications to The Cohort
- Are you looking for community, a cohort, or a writing group to help keep you and your writing company? Consider joining Seventh Wave’s winter digital residency, The Cohort, which is a 12-week accountability program for Seventh Wave alum. Cohorts will be formed from the applicant pool based on genres, areas of interest, and other experiences that writers are bringing to the table, and will meet on a regular basis over the course of the program. Program begins in January 2027.
- November 9: Submit to Issue 20 of The Magazine
- If you’ve got work that’s ready to be worked on with an editor toward publication, and work that speaks to our specific call for submissions, then consider sending us your best stuff for publication in Issue 20. The accepted 12-16 contributors will work closely with two editors toward publication over a three-month period, and have opportunities to connect with their fellow writers, too. Work with editors begins in March 2027.
- December 1: Applications to Spring 2027 Narrative Shifts
- If you’re seeking mentorship, accountability, and community, our digital residency program, Narrative Shifts, could be for you. This 7-week, genre-agnostic program focuses on process, not product, and is perfect for the writer who is wondering, “What next?” Accepted residents will receive resource packets, engage in activities and writing prompts, and have access to opportunities like one-on-one check-ins with their facilitator and an optional feature on our website. Program begins in March 2027.
Sign up for our newsletter
The best way to stay in the know is to subscribe to our newsletter, which is where we share all of our upcoming calls, opportunities, and latest contributor news. We are mindful of how often we send our missives, so don’t worry: your inbox is safe with us. Sign up to keep in touch, and as always, please forward along any offerings that you think your friends or community might like. As a largely volunteer-run organization, word-of-mouth goes a long way, so thank you in advance for helping to spread the love!