They are accepting true stories or poems for several themes now. Of these, Miracles and More – when good things happen to good people (stories about inexplicable events, like a premonition to take a different route, which helped you avoid an accident), and Stories of Redemption – what starts out as a negative force turns positive, have deadlines in August. See the guidelines for details, and more upcoming themes.
Deadline: 31 August 2017
Word count: 1,200 for non-fiction
Pay: $200 + 10 free copies of book
Details [url=http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/story-guidelines][b]here[/b][/url].
Edited to add — Here are all the upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul titles with approaching deadlines:
• Miracles and More / August 31 2017
When Good Things Happen to Good People
All of us have experienced events in our lives that are completely unexplainable: the strange premonition that made you take a different route home only, causing you to miss an accident; the eerie feeling that you should call home… now, saving someone’s life; the mysterious communication from a loved one who has passed on. Angels, divine timing, miraculous coincidences, answered prayers, premonitions that come true. Good things do happen to good people. Please share your unbelievable and amazing stories about the unexplainable events that have occurred to you. Share the awe, the faith, and the wonder with our readers.
• Stories of Redemption / August 31, 2017
Redemption stories can be amazing. What starts out as a negative force can be turned positive and can change the world of ordinary people. There are countless stories of redemption and we want to hear yours. How did you use the negative in your life to move onto a more positive path? What did you do to make up for the wrongs in your past? We are looking for true stories of redemption that will inspire us, restore us, heal us, and make a positive difference to lead a better, more rewarding life because of the example they set.
• My Crazy Family / September 5, 2017
We all have that certain someone in our own family who, while lovable, sweet, and caring, is also nutty or weird. We love that person but, at the same time, that family member makes us crazy! A parent or grandparent, an in-law, a brother or sister, an aunt, uncle or cousin. We all have them and you know who they are!
We are looking for true stories and poems about those family members. We would like your stories to be silly, outrageous, hilarious, and make us laugh, but they should also show the kindness and caring of your family member too. The stories should show the readers that their family members are not really that different from the members of other families.
Here are some suggested topics, but we know you can think of many more, since there is no way we can think of all the ways that families can be nutty:
- Crazy but lovable
- Killing with kindness
- Sweetness to a fault
- Wedding mishaps
- Holiday meltdowns
- Compulsions and obsessions
- Funny foibles
- Funeral flare-ups
- Estate issues
- Vacationing together
- Annoying habits
- Anything else that you think is interesting about your sweet outrageous relatives
You must submit your story or poem using your real name, but if your work is selected to be published in the book, we expect many of you to use pen names and change the names of family members to protect the innocent (or guilty!).
• 2018 Christmas and Holiday Collection / October 31 2017
Our next holiday collection will not be released until 2018 but we are already collecting stories for it. People love reading about the winter holidays – from Thanksgiving all the way through New Year’s Day. We want to hear about your traditions and how they came to be. We want to hear about your holiday memories and the rituals that create the foundation of your life. We love to hear about the funny things too: the ugly holiday sweaters, the gingerbread house that kept falling down, the re-gifting embarrassments and the fruit cake disasters. Please be sure your stories are “Santa safe” so we don’t spoil the magic for any precocious young readers.
• Love Stories / October 31, 2017
We’re looking for stories about how you found love. And how you kept it fresh over the years. New love, old love, please warm our hearts with your stories and poems. We all love stories about how love started and blossomed; stories about dating, romance and love. We are looking for true stories and poems about your soulmate, your true love, on-line dating, blind dates, the one that got away, re-connecting after years, and all the ups and downs of your love life. Stories can be serious or hilarious, or both.
• The Best Advice I Ever Heard / February 28, 2018
Have you ever read a Chicken Soup for the Soul story that had a wonderful piece of advice in it that made a difference in your life? Have you ever watched a movie or read an article that really had an impact on you that you haven’t been able to forget? Do you have a friend or family member who gave you some advice that you didn’t necessarily want to hear but really needed to hear that stuck with you and directed you to make positive changes in your life? We are looking for stories that contain a great piece of advice that you were given or advice that you gave to someone else. Whether the advice is about a little thing that improve your everyday life, or major epiphanies that can change a life completely, we want to hear about them and how they made a difference.
